Weather or Not

A FEW HOURS LATER:

In the grotto, Kyuala, John, Lani and Virra are still blissfully snoozing away in their bags. Amilia however, is in less comfort than the others as she is currently leaning against the outside of the grotto.

The exhaustion has taken over, and her eyes are clamped shut with soft murmurs escaping from her as she dreams away.

A few minutes pass before Amilia's eyes shoot open, and she realizes that she accidentally fell asleep. Quickly, she rises to her and rubs her eyes before looking at the ward which is still up.

Amilia then looks back into the grotto, seeing the fire dwindling away. As she looks over at Virra, she can't help but feel like there's a hole in her stomach as for just a split-second, she thought that Terra was with them.

Amilia then looks back out at the ward, but that's when she sees that the weather has died down. There's still some drizzle, but nothing that they couldn't walk through.

Amilia then immediately rushes into the grotto, waking the others up, "Hey! All of you, get up! The hail stopped!"

The four open their eyes to see a frantic Amilia rushing amongst them, trying to get them all up as quickly as she can. Eventually, they get to their feet, albeit begrudgingly.

As Virra, Kyuala and Lani are trying to wake themselves up as quickly as possible, John walks over to Amilia and asks, "Hey. I don't see your bag out. Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah. I must've nodded off by accident. We've probably lost a good chunk of time already. So, get that ass up and let's go already."

Amilia heads over to the edge of the ward and begins to pace back and forth as the others all grab their gear and get ready to head out.

---

TWO MORE HOURS LATER:

The group have been following the tracks for over two hours now, and the tracks seem to be getting more and more visible, giving some more hope to the group.

Virra's cart continues onward, and the group keep a keen eye out for any potential signs of the kidnappers, Terra, or anyone following them.

"We've got to be getting closer now. They must've had to stop during the storm," Virra says.

"Maybe we'd get to them faster if we picked up the pace a little? A crippled grandma could go faster than this," Amilia says as she bounces her leg in angst.

"We can't just go full power everywhere. First, it would be difficult to keep up with the tracks. Secondly, there's a big chance that we'd end up breaking one of the wheels, and thirdly, we want the element of surprise when we find them."

Amilia grumbles, as is becoming the norm, realizing that Virra does make some good points, not that she likes Virra being right though.

Meanwhile, John and Lani are sitting in the back of the cart. Lani has noticed that John is leaning his head to the side, and is holding the exposed side of his neck.

"What's wrong?"

John responds, "Ahh, just a crick in my neck. As comfy as Kyuala is, sleeping on the ground isn't exactly great."

"Oh! I can help with that!" Lani says enthusiastically. She then flies onto John's shoulder before making her bag appear. Lani then dives in, rummaging around in the bag before letting out a small, "A-hah!"

Lani then pulls out a small book before opening it up. After scanning a few pages, she finally stops before saying, "Alright. This might feel a tad uncomfortable, but don't worry, it'll be temporary."

Lani then begins incanting a small spell as she waves her hand around the exposed area of his neck. John begins to feel a tingle that begins to increase to a gentle sizzle like warm water gracing his neck.

A few moments later, the feeling stops, as does the crick in his neck, "Tada! Magic solves everything!"

John moves his head from left to right, feeling that the crick has indeed disappeared, "Lani, have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"No, but I would like to hear it more," The fairy says with grin on her face.

"Will do," John responds before moving his neck a few more times. As the relief of the now gone crick sets in, John is enjoying one of the small perks of this world.

As John moves his head for the last couple times, as his head moves to the right, a bolt is embedded in the wood on the left side.

"Oh shit! Get down!"

Quickly, everyone ducks their heads down, trying avoid any more bolts. Kyuala begins to peek through some of the cracks in the wood, looking for any sign of who could've done that.

Just then, three shadows quickly move through the trees in the not-too-far distance.

"On the right. Three attackers." Kyuala says to the others.

Two more bolts hit the side of the cart, making the group recoil in shock. "What the hell are we gonna do?" Amilia asks as she unsheathes her daggers.

"We need to get moving. The longer we stay here, the quicker we become full of holes," Kyuala says as she continues to look for the three shadows.

Lani then quickly gets an idea, and so she begins to incant. The others look at her confused, but soon after she finishes, they realize exactly what Lani has done.

Around the entire cart is a ward, similar to the one that she put around Daffy's cart on the day that they went back to the Darkcross cave to loot.

Just then, a bolt flies at the cart, but this time, it immediately bounces off the ward.

A few moments later, the group begin to creep up over the sides of the cart. They carefully waited for another attack, but none would come.

Virra then hops over the front before getting into what is essentially the drivers seat of her autocart. She then cranks the lever forward, and the cart begins to move.

A few more bolts hit the front of the ward, but they come to a complete halt just a few feet ahead of Virra. The cart keeps moving forward, getting faster and faster with each second.

Kyuala then looks over at the trees again, and sees an autocart has begun to follow them, matching their speed as they head through the forest.

"Virra! They're following us! Can we go any faster?!" Kyuala calls out.

"Have you forgot that we're in a forest?! I go any faster, and we'll wreck the damn wheels, and then any chance of finding Terra today is screwed!"

Amilia then chimes in, "Then what do you suggest we do?! Let these asswipes follow us the entire fucking way?!"

"Have you tried politely asking them to stop?! Or you could always jump onto their cart and release all of that pent-up aggression you seem to keep redirecting towards me!"

Amilia immediately wants to slap every single ounce of taste out of Virra's mouth, but John's hand stops her as it rests on Amilia's shoulder before the two share a quick look.

Virra then sees a potential problem up ahead, "Guys! The trails connect up ahead! We're about to get real cozy with our new friends!"

"Won't the ward protect us?!" John asks.

"For a bit, yes! But if they decide to ram us, it'll just be a matter of time before it drops!" Lani answers, immediately making everyone worried.

Just mere moments later, the two trails connect, and the two carts almost collide, but the ward takes the hit.

The attackers cart begins moving closer again, bashing against the ward a second time, but the group have to hold on for dear life this time as their cart quakes upon the impact.

"That wasn't very nice now, was it?!" Virra shouts at the attackers cart before saying to the others, "Hold on back there! I'm gonna teach these ruffians some manners!"

"Virra, wait-!" Kyuala begins, but is cut off as Virra swerves her cart into the attackers. The ward once again takes the brunt of the damage, unfortunately this time, the ward has sustained significant damage. Now, the somewhat translucent ward has begun to crack and the greenery all around them allows both the group and the attackers to see that.

"Virra! Watch the ward!" Lani shouts to the elf.

Virra doesn't have much choice in this matter however, as the attackers ram their cart into the ward once again. Even more cracks begin to show in the ward this time, and the cart within shakes quite a bit more ferociously than last time.

"That ward ain't gonna last long!" John warns.

"Tell us something we don't know!" Amilia snaps back, digging her claws into the wooden planks of the cart.

Virra's eyes then open wide as she shouts to the back, "Uhh, do you already know about the boulder up ahead?!"

The group all turn their attention up front, and that's when they indeed see, a huge ass boulder on the left side of the path which is taking up a good third of the already small trail.

"You better hold on even tighter back there! It's gonna be a tight squeeze!" Virra says.

"Where have I heard that one before?" Amilia rhetorically asks herself with a little smirk before quickly becoming serious once again.

Virra begins to turn the cart to get to the little remaining trail and avoid the boulder, but the attackers make their next move. Instead of crashing into the ward once again, the attackers have placed their cart against the ward and are currently attempting to keep Virra from turning which is actually working to a dangerous extent.

"Virra! There's not much road left! Make the damn turn!" Kyuala shouts.

"Oh, really?! I thought it would be best to hit it straight on!" Virra retorts as she strains whilst attempting to get out of the way of the boulder as they rapidly approach.

Lani then gets an idea, but knows it may do more harm then good. She then takes a breath before saying, "I'm going to take down the ward! It's the only way we'll get past!"

Everyone is immediately terrified of this plan, but since they don't have many options, it quickly becomes the plan of action.

Virra then shouts, "Alright! Do it!"

Lani then waves her hands, and the ward quickly dissipates. Virra then immediately swerves her cart into the attacks cart, and because of the sudden barging, the attackers are thrown off the trail and impact a tree with a thunderous crash.

Virra then begins to pull back on the lever, slowing the cart down just as they pass the boulder. The cart then comes to halt, and the group let go of the planks they were clinging on to. Virra then leaps down before quickly beginning to inspect the cart.

"Ahh! My beautiful cart! Do you know how much this cost?!" Virra then lets out a growl of frustration, "You bloody assassins! I will personally use your hides to fix these damn holes and fix the chips in my wheels with your teeth!"

Virra begins to storm over to the attackers, but Kyuala stops her with an outstretched hand, "Stay with the cart, Amilia and I will check the cart. They might have survived somehow, and we can't afford to let them steal the cart and leave us stranded."

Virra huffs, but eventually relents as she walks back to the cart, "If by any chance a wheel survived with limited wear and tear, bring it here. It should be an adequate replacement."

Kyuala just lets out a little chuff before heading over to the crashed cart with Amilia by her side. "No way they survived that shit. They probably got launched like a turd in a catapult."

"Still, hopefully they've got something on them that tells us who sent them." Kyuala explains. Amilia then sighs, "Isn't it obvious who sent them? It's those bastards who've got Terra!"

"Which gives us even more reason to check it out. Plus, I'm feeling a little sick from the bumpy ride, so suck it up and let's check it out."

"Fine," Amilia says as she continues following beside her old friend.

The two quickly come upon the crash, and what a disaster it is. Half of the cart is already gone and is embedded into the tree which is also missing a good chunk of its trunk. The rest of the cart is just in tatters, covered in splintered wood from both the cart and the tree.

Kyuala gets closer to the cart, and is quite surprised as she sees that the back right wheel has actually survived. She makes a note to come back for it after she and Amilia checked the bodies.

The two then head around the cart and immediately see one of the attackers. There's no doubt in either Kyuala or Amilia's mind that the woman laying on the ground is dead, as her neck is quite viciously broken, most likely due to her landing directly on her head after being jettisoned from the cart.

"Damn. I was just expecting some blood... not that," Amilia comments as she looks at the body.

"She was lucky, all things considered. Because of the speed, and the angle that she landed at, chances are that she died upon impact."

"Gee Ky, you sure are a mug half-full, huh?"

Kyuala simply rolls her eyes with a small chuckle as she kneels down to check the woman's pockets. After rummaging around for a few moments, checking all the pockets she can find, even the few hidden ones, Kyuala finds nothing.

Kyuala then sighs, "Nothing here. See if you can find the other two."

Amilia then walks into the trees ahead of Kyuala, trying to find the bodies of the other two attackers.

About a minute or two goes by before Amilia shouts, "Found one! Dead as a doornail!"

Kyuala heads through the trees before quickly finding Amilia searching through the second attackers pockets. "Nothing on him either. Well, except this weird looking candy thing I ate."

"You did what?!" Kyuala immediately says, grabbing Amilia by her shoulders. Soon after, Amilia begins to laugh, "I'm only kidding. My days of eating things I fish out of pockets are weeeeell over."

"Good. We don't want a repeat of that mushroom incident," Kyuala responds, causing Amilia to remember an unpleasant accident in their youth.

"Anyway, let's keep looking. Hopefully the last one has something on them," Kyuala says before the two start looking around again.

A few more minutes pass and neither Kyuala nor Amilia have found the third attackers body. They're quickly becoming confused as the body should be close by. Kyuala then walks around one of the trees and sees a dent in the ground like something... or someone... has landed, and hard too. Next to the small impact site is trampled leaves and plants that lead a good ten feet away. The trail comes to a stop in front of the nearby tree, and Kyuala is just left even more confused as there's still no body.

"Kyuala! Over here!" Amilia shouts, causing Kyuala to immediately head to her left. As Kyuala finds Amilia, she immediately asks, "What's wrong?"

Amilia then points to the ground, "That certainly ain't one of us."

Kyuala looks at where Amilia is pointing and sees a set of footprints that lead away from the tree she was just at. However, she also notices that the footprints are heading towards the road.

"There was three of them, right?" Amilia asks.

Kyuala's eyes open wide as she realizes what this means. Just then, the duo hear some shouting, "Kyuala! Amilia! Help!"

The two immediately take off towards the road, following the footprints with a frantic pace.

Quickly, they burst through the treeline and immediately see Virra with her hands down by her side. About fifteen feet in front of her, John is currently standing with his hands up as a knife is being held to his throat from behind.

"Hey, you two. I'd give you a hug, but I appear to be a little indisposed at the moment," John quips with obvious fear in his eyes.

"Don't take another step! Otherwise, the man gets it!" The remaining attacker says as he, along with John, begin to move backwards slowly.

"Let him go!" Kyuala demands.

"Oh yes, I'll just happily let my only chance of survival go and let you all kill me. What a brilliant idea," The attacker says with overwhelming sarcasm in each syllable.

Virra then attempts to bargain, "We just want to know why you attacked us. You let him go, and you have our word that you won't be harmed."

The attacker scoffs, dismissing the futile attempt at a bargain.

"Alright then, just tell us the truth. The bastards who took Terra sent you to kill us, right?" Amilia bluntly asks.

The attacker laughs, "Well, seems like you already know the story. My employer wants you dead, but since I can't do that by myself, I can at least take one of you with me."

The man moves the blade, getting ready to quickly slice, and the trio are powerless to do anything. However, one person is missing from this equation... Lani.

As the attacker goes to cut John's throat, he's quickly struck from the side with what appears to be an invisible punch. The blade the drops to the floor, and in an instant, John grabs the man's arm and throws the attacker over his shoulder. As the attackers lands on the ground, John breathes a sigh of relief and silently thanks his parents for enrolling him for that one free karate class when he was ten.

Both Kyuala and Amilia rush over to the attacker with Kyuala quickly putting her large boot on his chest to stop him from moving. Amilia then begins to rake through the man's pockets. She quickly tosses another small blade over towards Virra who picks it up for safe keeping.

The next few pockets don't have anything, but inside of the man's jacket is a note. Amilia pulls it out before unfurling it, "Now, my reading isn't so good, but I'll do my best."

Amilia then clears her throat, "My orders are clear. Find the girls friends, deal with them, and report back to me. If I have another failure, you shall join your fellow scout in the dirt."

Amilia then kneels down next to the man's head, "So, according to this, you know where Terra is. I'm gonna give you one chance... where is she?"

The man looks at Amilia before kindly spitting in her face.

Amilia doesn't immediately respond. Instead, she wipes away the spit from her fur before wiping her hand on her pants. Kyuala then begins to laugh at the man, "Oh-ho-ho, you really fucked now."

Kyuala then leans down to grab the man and grabs him by his collar. She then looks at John, "Amilia and I are just going to interrogate our new friend here. We shouldn't be long."

And with those words, Kyuala drags the man away from the groups cart and into the treeline with Amilia following beside her.

Virra then heads over to John who's holding his neck, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a little rattled is all. It's not exactly normal to have a knife pressed against your neck after being involved in a cart chase."

Virra then chuckles, "Well, welcome to your new normal." She then pats John on the back a few times before saying, "Lani! You can come out now."

Just then, Lani flies out from the nearby bush before saying, "Did you see that?! I actually hit him! Well I didn't, but my magic did! I've never actually done that spell before! That was amazing!"

Both Virra and John let out a laugh at the very excited Lani who is flying around with adrenaline seemingly filling her to the core. She then looks over and sees the figures of Kyuala and Amilia along with the attacker and asks, "Should I ask what they're going to do to him?"

"I wouldn't," Both Virra and John respond in unison before they turn around and get back to work on fixing up the cart.