Tales of Pristinia: The Six Sacred Gems

Escape from the Sea

                 Morning turned noon. The party just escaped the clutches of the princess. The sea was calm but the party’s morale was in chaos. They rested in a large barrier reef and gathered their thoughts as to continue their journey. Selena was still unconscious. Myles thought it in his heart that Selena may never forgive her for what he did.

                 Viethra checked the map and checked where they were. The Caleya region was known for its numerous barrier reefs. Viethra tried to pinpoint their location but the number of reefs on the map confused her. It was too detailed that she was unsure which barrier reef they were on.

                 Moments later, Selena finally regains consciousness. She tried to remember what happened. The last thing she remembered was the face of the dowager before she lost consciousness.

                 “What happened? Where are we?” she touched her forehead and looked around. “Where is the dowager?”

                 Everyone remained quiet. They looked away from Selena as she began to sob.

                 “I see,” she spoke as she cried. “It seems she saved us.” Selena continued to cry her heart out. Viethra approached her and comforted her with an embrace. The other two remained quiet and kept on with what they were doing. Selena finally stopped crying and inquired about their situation. She looked around and quickly knew where they were.

                 “It seems I’m back here,” Selena looked around the reef. “This region was where my par…foster parents raised me. The settlement where I grew up is not far from here, but it is in the opposite direction of our destination.”

                 “Do you want to visit the settlement where you grew up?” Mae asked her.

                 “I want to, but I don’t need to. I remember the dowager, my mother’s last words. You guys are my new family. I must do my best to help my family,” Selena replied.

                 “Thank you, Selena.” They replied to her.

                 “Shall we get going? It will take a day to get to the border from here, but longer than that if we remain idle.”

                 With Selena finally awake, they head northwest towards the border of Pacifica and Montiule. They finally arrived at Petin, the region bordering Montiule. Petin was teeming with life, where diverse ocean life flourished. However, where there was life, there were also the creatures of decay.

                 They encountered these creatures on the way. This time, the whole party was determined to defeat every decay creature that they encountered. Myles and Mae were fired that they got used to using swords underwater. It felt as if they were still swinging and slashing back on land.

                 Morning turned to noon. They decided to resurface and once more they felt the warm sunlight on their skin, the cool breeze of the wind, and what it felt to breathe on air. From a distance, they saw landmass once more. The vivid lush green color that covered the mountains and the land made the three long for land greatly.

                 Viethra was exhilarated to feel the leaves of the trees brush on her skin once more. She missed her home and longed for the smiles of her family. They rushed towards the land, swimming as fast their fins could carry them.

                 Everything did not go easy, however, as knights were in pursuit just behind them. The party saw their pursuers and thought to defeat them before they reached land. However, a dozen knights pursued them which totally outnumbered them. They had to fight smart and lose them while they head towards the border.

                 Viethra thought that the knights would not attack when they were on the other side of the border, but Selena knew otherwise. She knew that merpeople and dwarves have enjoyed peaceful relations for centuries. This relationship remained strong even when Pacifica declared war against Terra.

                 The principality would purchase armor and weapons from the dwarves, and the dwarves would trade them for resources and goods. They were still going to be pursued even on land. The knights could coordinate with the dwarves and make things difficult.

                 Mae, Viethra, and Myles knew that they would lose to a fight against the knights in the water. So their only choice was to fight at the beach, where they both would be not in water and not too deep on land where dwarves could interfere.

                 While they were still swimming, Viethra formulated a plan to defeat their pursuers. They continued swimming but as time went on they felt tired. Their pursuers, however, were still on their tracks, unstopping. They slowed down their pace for a bit, then resumed their fast pace. The knights kept gaining on them.

                 Eventually, they were only a few paces apart. They were going to catch up! Luck was on the party’s side, however, and when they reached the beach, their tails instantaneously turned back to legs. They quickly equipped their weapons and faced their enemies who have also emerged from the sea.

                 Selena started playing her harp boosting the abilities of the other three. Myles and Mae headed off to fight their opponents. They attacked but were quickly repelled. The knights had the advantage in strength and numbers. However, both Mae and Myles drastically grew during their time underwater. Their speed and strength greatly increased.

                 The knights counterattacked but Myles and Mae were able to dodge their every strike and parry and defend when necessary. Suddenly, Mae lost her balance and got her foot stuck in soft sand. The knights closed in on her and attacked but Myles was able to rescue her on time. Mae had scratches but she was thankful for her rescue.

                 Viethra then used Growth Sap on the knights, which absorbed some of their energy. It made the battle a little bit easier. However, the knights were still formidable. This time, Selena played a gloomy song which lowered the abilities of the knights. Mae and Myles were now in control of the battle.

                 Viethra cast Nature Render distracting some of the knights while Mae and Myles handled the rest. Even though they were weakened, the knights were still formidable and the vanguard had a hard time even defeating one of them. Selena again strengthened Myles and Mae. Viethra too healed their injuries.

                 Mae and Myles exchanged blows with the knights. Defeating them was harder than they thought. Suddenly, fatigue from travel struck Myles and Mae and was quickly losing ground. One of Mae’s dual swords broke and Myles’ swings were getting slower and slower. Viethra saw the danger that they were on. She finally tested the trump card in her sleeve.

                 “Chaos of order,” she shouted. Then, roots and vines started growing on the sand. Not long after, the land shook and the roots and vines bound the knights. They entangled them until they were nothing but a ball of vines and roots. The ball suddenly burned instantaneously. A bright burn swallowed the ball consuming the roots and twigs. Everything turned to ashes. The knights were defeated.