Fantasy Farewell to Kings: Elide’s Tale

[A Play On Words]

Elide sighed and nodded slowly before walking solemnly from the room. She closed the door behind her and looked at Bart with a sigh.
Katrina rolled her eyes with a frown. "Back so soon?"

 

[Jodyguru]

The healing maiden had hoped she could help Eli carry the burden of guilt for the death of Marcelo. Instead she was a mere pawn in the game that went unused.

“Everything ok love?” Bart asked.

 

[A Play On Words]

"She wasn't happy with my decision." Eli sighed, standing next to him.
Katrina opened her mouth to say something, but Elide's magic stepped in, closing her mouth tightly despite her muffled protests.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart shook his head. “Her anger is just. She probably knew him better than any of us. We’ll find a way to make it up to her. Now, about this one...” he looked at Katrina. “Are you buying her bull crap?”

 

[A Play On Words]

"Not a single bit." Elide frowned, looking at Katrina. "But that might be because she broke my nose,"

 

[Jodyguru]

“Havi can fix that. Do you think she’ll play nice if we let her go?” He asked, then lifted Katrina up with one arm.
“I could crush her head like a melon. That might be fun.” He chuckled.

 

[A Play On Words]

"Oh she won't. Just look at her, she'd do anything for coin." Elide growled "And well if that's what you wish, be my guest."
Katrina let out a few noises of distress as she tried to pull away from Bart

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart smirked and cut her restraints. “Alright. Now how do we get out of the city? I doubt we can just hot balloon our way home.”

 

[A Play On Words]

"I can get us over a wall," She suggested

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart thought hard to try picturing it. “There’s four of us now. How can you get four people over a wall that high?”

 

[A Play On Words]

"My magic- I think I can handle that." Elide explained quickly

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart was dubious. “Really? I’ve seen you conjure and see things, but you’re gonna haul us that far by yourself? What if we get spotted?”

 

[A Play On Words]

"I don't know- I can do my best." She sighed

 

[A Play On Words]

(Bump!)

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart sighed and scratched his head. “The only thing I can think of is stealing a hot air balloon or something... there just has to be another way out of the city.”

 

[A Play On Words]

“Then let’s do it. Let’s steal one.” She chuckled quietly, a mischievous grin on her face.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart laughed and looked at her. “Hehe, wait are you serious?” Bart had a fear of getting shot out of the sky and falling to his death.

 

[A Play On Words]

She laughed and wrapped her hand around his, "Hell no, that's wayyy to obvious. But we're still left with a problem... Getting out." Elide sighed, looking up at him.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart chuckled and sat down on the floor to think long and hard about their situation. There was much to consider. A girl on the run, another girl threatening to expose them, and then the most important female in his life. The one he loved dearly. Eli was the only one he was prioritizing. He hummed and scratched his head. A plan started to form.

-The Next Day-

“This was a horrible idea!” Leona cried out as she was falling out of the hot air balloon. Bart lifted her up and sat her down beside the rat Katrina. The fire in the balloon was carrying the four of them over the wall, but their combined weight made it difficult to get altitude. Bart looked down and saw a horse carriage outside the wall keeping watch of them.
Atop the wall were catapults loaded with flaming cargo and were firing them at the balloon.
“Eli, catch it!” Bart called out. They’d need her powers to deflect attacks that would
Impede their escape.

 

[A Play On Words]

Adrenaline rushed through her bones as she called upon her magic. A large wall type structure formed around the balloon. She grunted before pushing her hands forward, sending the arrows and whatever they were throwing back at them. Sweat dripped from her brow, her breathing became heavy and a bit labored, but she had to do this.

 

[Jodyguru]

The flaming garbage hit the spell wall and splashed around it. They managed to get over the wall and were flying away, back down the valley. More carriages were following them. Bart leaned heavy on the fire switch to keep them going, but they soon ran out. Their weight had used up too much gas. They started to lower.

“They’re gaining on us!” Leona cried.
“I have an idea” Bart said.
“Not another one!” The healing maiden moaned.
“I’m going to make us lighter. Once I give the signal, use whatever fire spells to get the balloon up again.”

 

[A Play On Words]

She nodded quickly, unsure what Bart had planned. Elide rested her hands next to the flames, waiting.

 

[Jodyguru]

Before doing that, Bart put an arm around Eli and kissed her longingly.
“Be safe, okay? This isn’t the end for us.”
The basket was closer to the ground and the horse carriages were getting closer. A spear carrying soldier was getting ready to make a throw. Bart gripped his sword and leaped out of the basket. The shift in weight made Katrina have to catch Leona from falling.
The barbarian’s skin was turning red, and he screamed as he landed blade first on top of the horse carriage. A spear went through him, but that didn’t stop the raging beast from thrashing his weapon around. He snapped the spear in half and stabbed another man with the spear head. The other carriages formed a circle around the warrior who was wading through them like a deadly swamp.

“He’s absolutely insane...” Leona marveled while peeking. “This whole operation is insane. I don’t know why I agreed to come!”

 

[A Play On Words]

Elide knew what he was doing, and she didn't want to watch, she slid to the ground and called upon her powers, establishing the connection the two once had, in hopes that they could still communicate. She pushed the flames higher, sending the balloon up into the air. "I love you," She whispered, tears managing to gather around her cheeks.

 

[Jodyguru]

She could feel his life force as he fiercely battled. He was too lost in the fury to respond to her message, but he heard it. She knew he heard it, she just knew. They floated farther away, into the forest and hills. Katrina pointed out a patch of green where they could dump the balloon and escape more subtly. The balloon lowered and they landed gently on a grassy hill.

“Oh, thank Goddess we survived.” Leona sighed and jumped out, feeling the ground beneath her again. “I’m never doing that again.”