When morning had arrived, they got dressed and headed out. Lucas wore the clothes he had arrived in, freshly washed from the night before, with the addition of the scarf and gloves Iris had given him. The rip on his pants was now neatly sewn. He carried the backpack stocked with food and various other items with his sword secured and sheathed on his waist. Iris was dressed in a light‑blue bliaut with a satchel slung over her shoulder containing various potions.
They did not walk far before encountering two imps, though they quickly defeated the enemies without trouble. Walking a little farther, they saw Hagan waiting for them in the distance at the Azure city limit. He was wearing a thick dark‑green coat with black pants, equipped with nothing but a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back and a flask on his waist. On the ground beside him was a strange‑looking corpse. “Looks like Hagan’s already had an encounter of his own,” Lucas pointed out.
As they approached Hagan, he called out to them, “Damn monsters! The Knowms were wiped out yesterday and now the blasted things are crawling all over town!”
“We’re aware,” Iris replied. “Lucas and I discussed the matter further, and have concluded that collecting both fragments of Damiano’s Disk will be essential in restoring peace to Aria.”
“Then we agree,” Hagan responded. “Well, let’s go get us a disk.”
Iris briefly examined Hagan. “Is that all you’re bringing?”
He nodded. “It’s all I need!” Iris shook her head in disapproval, but said nothing.
Lucas looked down at the odd corpse. “What the heck is that thing?”
Hagan shrugged. “Ugly.” Lucas chuckled at the remark, causing a grin to appear on Hagan’s face. He looked at Iris. “See? Humor. He gets it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you find humor to be a bit inappropriate at this time?”
Hagan glanced at Lucas, raising an eyebrow, then looked back at Iris. “Is there an appropriate time with you? You should let me know, because I sure as hell wasn’t aware.” She shook her head, a look of frustration on her face. Hagan turned to the snow blanketed forest in the distance. “Well, are we ready to do this or what? We’ve got a good amount of walking to do before we get to the spot where I found Lucas.”
The trio walked toward the forest. “So, what’s the plan after we get to the In Between?” Lucas inquired.
“I suggest that we explore,” Iris replied. “You said that the Spades operated from the In Between, correct? Perhaps we will run into another one of their members, or better yet, we may discover their base. Though, admittedly, I find the chances of the latter to be highly improbable, considering that the Knowms have been unable to locate it themselves despite their knowledge of the dimension.”
Hagan looked over at Lucas. “How about this... If we run into any Spades, you tell them you helped them out with the disk fragment a few days ago and we’re all looking to join them after what you learned. Then we can find their base in no time.”
“Hypothetically,” Iris commented. “I feel that they will be a bit more protective of their base than simply allowing us to visit due to our interest in their organization. I’m almost certain many others have attempted to do the same.”
“Maybe,” said Hagan, “but Lucas actually knows two of them by name. Plus, they told him stuff most people don’t know. It should give us a leg up over the majority.”
“What about the fragment the Knowms are holding onto?” Lucas asked.
“I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Hagan answered. “If we get lucky and are able to go undercover with the Spades, we might learn something useful.”
“But what if we don’t find any Spades?” Lucas pointed out. “Zoe told me that the In Between is huge. The chances of us running into them have got to be pretty low.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Hagan assured him.
“This is merely a starting point,” Iris added. “Before we have any feasible chance of acquiring both fragments, we will need as much knowledge as we can possibly obtain. I have gathered that the In Between plays a key role in the recent events occurring in Aria. Exploring the dimension is a good way to commence our mission. Regardless of whether we meet any Spades or not, we are sure to learn something along the way.”
Hagan quickly ducked as a thick shard of ice zoomed over his head.
“What was that?!” Lucas exclaimed.
Hagan turned his head and pointed to the distance. “Ice ladies!”
Lucas and Iris looked to see three rather tall creatures hastily approaching them. They looked like human females, only they were made entirely of ice. The frozen ladies kicked their feet as though they were ice‑skating, propelling them through the snow at great speed. One of them drew back its arm. “Watch out!” Hagan yelled as the ice woman flung her arm forward, sending another sharp shard zooming in their direction. Lucas dove to the side, barely dodging the projectile.
“Ignis sterno!” Hagan bellowed, thrusting his arms toward the charging enemies. As he did, a broad array of flames burst from his open palms, engulfing the oncoming threat. All three ice ladies quickly melted as the fire consumed them. “Those things piss me off,” he grumbled as he resumed walking.
“I fear how their presence will affect Azure,” Iris mentioned as Lucas got to his feet, brushing the snow off of his shirt and pant legs.
“They aren’t even the worst ones,” Hagan replied. “You should’ve seen the thing that attacked Lucas.”
The three continued walking and soon reached the forest. “We still got a ways to go before we get to the spot,” Hagan informed as they entered the wooded area. “Be sure to keep your eyes peeled, this place is crawling wit–”
“Aaahh!!” Iris shrieked as she was hoisted into the air. Looking up, Lucas and Hagan saw one of the tall blue hominoid creatures with piercing yellow eyes resting on a tree branch high above them. One of the six slimy tentacles attached to its back were wrapped around Iris’s arms and stomach. Her feet kicked wildly as she screamed, desperately trying to spread her arms apart to loosen the creature’s grip.
“It’s one of the things that attacked me!” Lucas yelled, drawing his sword.
“Ignis orbis!” Hagan conjured a fire orb as the creature threw Iris into him, knocking him to the ground and sending Iris skidding across the snow for several feet. As Hagan hit the ground, the orb disappeared.
Lucas gasped. He looked up at the creature. Looks like it’s up to me. I hope this goes better than the last time I ran into one of these. He outstretched his free arm, facing his palm upward and shouted, “Lumen orbis!” A light orb formed in his palm. He aimed carefully, trying his best to remember everything Iris had taught him. The moment he was about to throw the orb, he was suddenly slapped across the face by one of the tentacles. He stumbled backward, only to be tripped by another of the monster’s strange appendages. He fell to the ground, the impact causing his orb to disappear.
As the heroes stumbled to their feet, the beast began hastily climbing down the tree trunk. Hagan reached for his bow. “Get it before it reaches the ground!” he ordered as he grabbed an arrow from his quiver. Iris and Lucas got to their feet as Hagan fired the arrow. It plunged into the tree trunk, hitting just above the beast’s head. “Damn!” Hagan grumbled, reaching for another arrow.
The monster had nearly reached the end of its descent when Iris conjured an icicle missile. “Glacies stiria telum!” At last reaching the ground, the creature ran toward them at great speed. It ducked to avoid Hagan’s second arrow as Iris sent her icy projectile hurling through the air. The icicle sliced into the creature’s stomach, causing it to let out an eerie high‑pitched cry of pain. Despite this, it continued to advance toward them.
“It’s gonna take more than that,” Hagan exclaimed as he aimed a third arrow. “These things are tough as hell!” Releasing the arrow, it plunged into the monster’s left shoulder. Again, it shrieked in misery but did not slow its pace.
Iris quickly stepped
backward as the monster approached. “Our attacks do not appear to hamper its progress!”
“No shit!!” Hagan barked as he loaded a fourth arrow.
“Lumen orbis!” Lucas conjured another light orb as the beast leaped into the air, landing inches in front of Hagan. He fell to the ground, dropping his bow as it began viciously smashing him repeatedly with all six of its bizarre appendages. Lucas hurled the light orb, smashing the creature in its back.
“Glacies stiria telum!” Before it could turn around, Iris impaled it with another icicle missile, causing the monster to stumble.
“Ignis orbis!!” Taking advantage of this, Hagan spiked a fire orb directly into the creature’s face. It staggered aimlessly and fell to the ground, continuing to screech loudly. Lucas dashed toward the east, finishing it off with a thrust of his blade.
Hagan got to his feet. He looked at Iris. “See? Ice ladies don’t look so bad now, do they?”
Lucas pulled his sword from the monster’s corpse. “Is everyone alright?”
“I’m fine,” Iris responded. “Hagan seems to have suffered some minor injuries.” She opened her satchel. “Fortunately, it seems that none of the bottles were damaged when I was thrown. Allow me a moment to find an appropriate potion.”
Hagan shook his head. “Nah, I’m fine. Let’s just keep moving.”
“Are you certain?” Iris asked.
“Wait,” Lucas interrupted, “I learned a healing spell last night. I can try it out if you want. It worked well on me.”
“I’ll be alright,” Hagan replied as he removed the lid from his flask. “I’ve got all the ‘potion’ I need right here.”
They advanced farther into the forest. Within minutes, they were confronted by another group of ice ladies. “Ignis sterno!” As before, the subzero dames proved to be no match for Hagan’s fire abilities. “Too easy,” he boasted as the icy foes melted.
“We’re encountering far more monsters than I had expected,” Iris commented.
Hagan took a drink from his flask. “I’ve been seeing more of them lately. I guess the Knowms are kicking it up a notch to discourage the competition.”
After much traveling and several encounters with imps, ice ladies, and another vicious blue hominoid, the group finally reached their destination. Lucas and Iris had acquired a few minor injuries during the fights, but Lucas’s newfound healing ability quickly restored them to health. Hagan, however, despite the fact that he now had several cuts and additional bruises, did not feel that he needed the assistance.
“Here we are,” Hagan announced. “This is where I found you, Lucas. Now it’s up to you to find that cave.” Lucas nodded and searched the area, looking for recognizable landmarks.
“Hagan,” said Iris, “are you absolutely certain you do not require healing?”
“Yes,” he replied in a slightly annoyed tone. “I’m fine.”
Iris raised an eyebrow. “The blood seeping from your neck tells a different story.” She dug through her satchel. “I insist that you drink a Medela Potion.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s this way,” Lucas announced, pointing with his index finger.
“No time,” Hagan told Iris as he walked over to Lucas. “Alright, lead the way, Lucas.” Iris closed her satchel, noticeably troubled by Hagan’s refusal.
The trio walked a little farther to find themselves at the mouth of a cave. “I think this is the one,” Lucas said as he removed the backpack. He opened it up and searched its contents.
“What’re you looking for?” Hagan queried.
Lucas pulled out a lantern. “This. It’s pretty dark in there. Now I’ve just got to find the matches...”
“I’ve got it,” said Hagan. “Give it here.” Lucas handed him the lantern. Holding it with one hand, Hagan took his index finger and placed it near the tip of the wick. “Ignis parva flamma.” Instantly, the wick was lit. “That ought to do it.” After closing the backpack and slinging it across his back, Lucas took the lantern. The trio entered the cave.
Chapter 24: Through The Threshold
Lucas, Iris, and Hagan crept through the icy cave’s main passage. Waving the lantern from side to side, Lucas observed the corridor. He looked down at the tiny sharp stalagmites scattered throughout the area. It’s a wonder I didn’t trip and fall onto those things when I went through here the other day.
“How far in is this thing, anyway?” Hagan asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Lucas replied. “It felt like I was walking forever the first time I was here... but then again, I didn’t have a lantern.”
The trio walked for several minutes before reaching a vast room. In its center was the swirling multicolored vortex from which Lucas had emerged. Surrounding the portal was a stone frame nearly identical to the one Lucas had observed in Roshan’s Café. “This is it,” he informed his comrades. Iris and Hagan were instantly captivated by the spectacle.
“What a fascinating anomaly!” Iris noted.
“Yeah, that’s something else alright,” Hagan affirmed. He turned to Lucas. “So, how does it work?”
“We just have to step inside,” Lucas replied. “The trip through the gateway is a little scary, but it doesn’t last too long.”
Hagan was intrigued. “Scary?”
Lucas nodded. “It’s hard to explain, but you’ll see what I mean.” They stood in front of the portal for a short duration, gazing at its chromatic display. Lucas took a step closer to it. “I guess I’ll go first.”
“We’re right behind you,” Hagan assured him. Lucas put out the lantern and returned it to the backpack. Slinging it over his shoulders, he took a few seconds to prepare himself before jumping into the portal. Once he had disappeared, Hagan turned to Iris. “Ladies first.”
She examined the gateway. “Very well. I’m uncertain of what to expect... which admittedly makes me nervous.”
Hagan rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine; just do it.” After a brief period of hesitation, Iris entered the vortex. She was quickly followed by Hagan.
* * * *
Iris screamed, flailing wildly as she was pulled down the kaleidoscopic tunnel. Hagan, while startled, was not quite as shaken by the journey. Observing her visible state of panic in the distance ahead of him, he chuckled to himself. It took several seconds before they reached the opposite end of the portal.
Lucas stood by the vortex, awaiting the arrival of his companions. Iris emerged first. Her eyes were clenched shut and her lips trembled, her face somewhat obscured by her messy hair. Hagan showed up next, laughing hysterically the moment he arrived. “I’ve never seen you flip out like that!”
“That was not funny,” Iris snapped. “I found that journey to be unbearably–” there was a pause as her eyes opened. “This... is the In Between?” Lucas nodded. Iris ran her hands through her hair, attempting to tame it as she viewed the colorless landscape around them. “Incredible...”
Hagan plucked a blade of grass. Holding it inches from his face, he closely examined the plant’s thin white outline, the remainder solid black. “Weird...”
Lucas smirked. “Wait until you see the water.”
“It seems to be nighttime here,” Iris pointed out, observing the starry sky above.
“No, it’s always like that,” Lucas explained. “What’s even stranger is that it doesn’t get darker or brighter wherever you go.”
“Interesting...” Iris responded, a puzzled look on her face.
“Don’t try to make sense of it,” Lucas mentioned, “it’ll only give you a headache.”
“Well, I suppose we should begin exploring,” Iris suggested, taking her first few steps away from the vortex. “In which direction should we venture?”
Lucas looked into the distance. “Well... I don’t really know. I doubt I’ll be able to find my way back to where I first showed up. I just followed Zoe the whole way here.”
Hagan turned his attention to the massive mountains bordering the field. “There’s a valley betw
een those mountains over there. Let’s see where it takes us.”
As they walked, Iris glanced back at the portal. “It’s imperative that we remember which direction we came from. We cannot afford to get lost.”
Lowering his flask from his lips, Hagan shoved the container in Iris’s direction. “You need a drink.”
“I most certainly do not,” she replied. “Nor do you for that matter. We are exploring an entirely new dimension. You need to stay focused, Hagan.”
With a sigh, Hagan put the lid back on his flask. “You’re just like my mother.”
They traveled through the valley, marveling at the peculiar scenery as they moved. “You said this place is some kind of afterworld, right Lucas?” Hagan inquired.
“Not exactly,” Lucas replied. “Zoe said it was a middle ground between the Netherworld and our dimension. Honestly, I’m not sure I totally understand it myself. “
All three of them jumped as a small glowing ball zoomed past them. They quickly turned around, but saw no one. “Who threw that?!” Hagan yelled. There was no reply.
“Strange...” Iris said softly, scanning the surrounding area for some sort of clue as to what they had just witnessed.
“Maybe that was a soul,” Lucas presumed.
Hagan resumed walking. “It could’ve been anything,” he said. “Just keep your eyes open.”
Eventually the group reached the end of the valley and found themselves at the edge of a broad river. The gray water rushed loudly as Lucas browsed the bank, trying to find a suitable crossing point. “Looks like a dead end,” he finally admitted.
“That’s unfortunate,” said Iris. “Oh well, I suppose we’ll have to investigate another area.”
“What?!” Hagan interrupted. “It’s just water! Let’s swim across.”
Iris shook her head. “It’s too risky. Not only does the river appear to have a very strong current, but we’re unsure as to what kind of creatures may inhabit its water.”
“I doubt there’s anything in there,” Hagan answered. “I haven’t seen any monsters the entire time we’ve been here... And Lucas said he didn’t see anything the last time either.”