Chapter 6
#7 of pixel shift
Zora frowned in thought as he stepped through the front door, Ashley was sitting on the couch but when he entered she leapt up.
"Zora!" Ashley exclaimed, Wrapping him in a hug, "I was worried you'd do something stupid." she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Zora felt a chill go down his spine and he mentally kicked himself. Stupid, he thought I acted as if I only had myself to lose. Looking down into his sister's tear filled eyes told him otherwise, he worried her.
"It's ok, I'm ok." Zora told her, crouching down to her level and giving her a hug. "I promise I'll be less reckless, I was angry and not thinking, but I'm ok now." She nodded, tear tracks down her cheeks, but she'd stopped crying. "O-ok, I wa-wanna help." she replied, determination entering the arena of emotions in her eyes.
"No, I can't let you." Zora told her, getting to his feet, "I need to know your safe." He started towards his room
"I can use the marbles!" She exclaimed, following him. Zora stopped and turned to face her.
"Ok, but only if I can't find her myself." He replied, smiling, She nodded in response and watched him disappear into his room. She stepped into her own room, picking up her teddy bear off the ground and squeezing it tightly, suddenly she couldn't bear to be alone. She left her room and quietly opened Zora's Door, he was already asleep as she crossed to the bed and lay down beside him. His presence comforted her and before long she'd fallen asleep.
Zora awoke, sitting up in bed; he glanced down at his younger sister who was asleep beside him. He sighed with regret as he slipped from the bed and left the room, he stopped in the kitchen to grab his knife and a bite to eat before heading out into the cool afternoon air.
Ashley awoke and glanced around, her environment was immediately unfamiliar to her, then it hit her last night she'd slept in her brother's room. She sat up realizing he had already gotten up. I hope he didn't leave already, she thought, stepping into the hall.
"Zora?" She called; her voice echoed throughout the empty house, he'd already gone. She sighed and walked into the kitchen, evidence of Zora's early morning breakfast still sat on the table. She cleaned it up, he wouldn't be able to live without me, she thought smiling to herself. Ashley quickly made a small breakfast and carried it down the hall to her room, setting it on her desk she glanced around, it's not here she thought stepping back into the hall she opened her brothers room to check. Her teddy bear sat on the floor beside the bed; she smiled and crossed the room to pick it up, then crossed the hall back to her room.
Ashley set the stuffed animal on the desk as she sat down. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a spell book and started sifting through the pages. After flipping through about half the book she stopped on two pages, one about protection spells and the other about golems.
Golems . . . she thought, silently reading through the entry, a few incantations, some spells and an added clay skeleton. She smiled I can do this easily. She turned around and wheeled her chair across the room to a stack of small bins, each had random items in them, she opened the top left one and pulled out a wad of clay. Ashley then wheeled back to her desk and pulled a knife from her tools drawer and went to work cutting slits in her teddy, and pushing clay inside, building her skeleton.
Before long she had finished and began to sew up the cuts, before referring back to the book.
Ashley waved her hand over the teddy bear and her index finger began to glow, she them proceeded to draw a symbol on every joint; this would give it the ability to move. She then traced two symbols, one opposite the other, on each eye. This would give it the sense of sight; she then traced a symbol on each ear giving the sense of sound. Finally she Drew and elaborate symbol on its chest giving it soul.
Good, she thought, all's going smoothly. She then lifted the bear into her arms and stood up, crossing to the rug in the middle of her room, she moved it aside revealing a large symbol carved into the ground. It was a large circle with smaller half circles inside creating a four point star in the center, in each of the four half circles was a rune: Earth, water, fire, air. And in the very center was the rune of soul, she set the bear in the center of the four pointed star, directly on top of the soul rune.
Ashley stood up and walked over to her collection of magical items, opening a box and pulling out a vile of venomous green liquid, she sat down on the floor besides the ritual carving. Holding the vile out her began the incantation.
"Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Fill the void and break the seal," after those words she poured the contents of the vile into the carving, it traced the lines carved into the wood making the large symbol glow an Erie green, she closed her eyes and continued, "Spirits beyond the void, the door is open, Grant me the power to command a mighty beast, the treasure of your protection and the responsibility of your destruction. I command you to come forth and use this body I've built as your vessel and my soul as your anchor." after She said those words the greenish glow brightened to a blinding red, before it swirled and evaporated into steam surrounding the teddy bear before vaporizing into the air. She smiled, and that's that, I now have a golem to command! She thought.
Zora stepped silently into the alley, Drake behind him.
"So, few minutes, they arrive and walk this alley. Get ready." Drake whispered, stopping to see if Zora would order him away. Suddenly Drake fell forward, blood streamed down his neck from an arrow, Zora leapt from the alley and started running, no no no, I can't die here!! He rounded a corner and ran straight into an extended arm; he only had time to put his hands behind his head before he hit the ground hard.
When Zora looked up, a sword was at his neck, an imperial officer was above him, white hair over his eyes a red stripe down the middle of his hair stood out.
"What is your business here?" The imperial asked, his sword at the ready, Zora frowned, this is inconvenient. He then kicked the young officers shin, before rolling within seconds they'd switched places, Zora held his knife to the officers neck his foot on the sword.
"How bout I ask the questions." Zora said, threateningly, the officer below him glared up at him.
"Ok, tell me about the Aurora Project." Zora said, the office below him looked up blankly.
"Never heard of it." He said, frowning, "why don't you tell me what you know about it."
"Hmm, ok well, I've been told it's a program for disobedient slaves, used to break them." Zora replied.
"That's illegal! Disobedient slaves are supposed to be killed on the spot." The officer exclaimed. "What do you plan on doing when you find this Aurora Project?"
"Destroy it." Zora replied without hesitation.
"Ok well, I'm willing to make a temporary truce, I follow the imperial law and what you're describing is against it so I'd like to destroy it as well." The officer replied, surprising Zora.
"Oh, really?" Zora replied, eyes widening in surprise, "what's your name?"
"Magnus, Gravestone." The officer replied, as Zora let him get up.
"Ok Magnus, I'll let you help me, but I'll be watching you." Zora replied, glancing over his shoulder, Drake didn't follow, but that did look like a fatal shot.
"There's somewhere I must go, meet me tomorrow morning at the guild ward, we'll head towards the Aurora Project then." Zora said, and Magnus nodded in response, picking up his sword and sheathing it on his back, before walking back down the alley he'd come.
Zora stalked down the street, and peered into the alley he'd been in when they were ambushed. Drake lay in a pool of blood; an officer was walking down the alley. Zora unsheathed his knife and held it by the blade; he lined up the shot and threw the knife, hitting the officer directly in the chest.
Zora dashed forward; as the officer hit the ground with a loud thud, and skidded to a stop beside him he pulled the knife from his chest and held it to his neck.
"Where's the Aurora Project!" Zora exclaimed, getting more frustrated as the officer smiled.
"You'll never find her." the officer said, "She'll be put down like the animal she is!" Zora stabbed him through the neck in response, before sitting up and sighing. I'll find you!
Zora stood up and wiped the blood off his Blade with the dead officer's shirt before walking over to Drake, he felt the dwarf's pulse. Nothing, he's dead, Zora sighed in thought as he stepped from the alley.
Zora stepped through the front door; he heard fast approaching footsteps from the hallways. Ashley burst from the hall and wrapped Zora in a hug.
"You left this morning without saying goodbye, I woke up and you were gone." Ashley said, looking up at him.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I didn't want to worry you." He replied, leading her over to the couch.
"Maybe, but you made me worry even more." She replied, leaning against him.
"Well I'm sorry, mind helping me with something?" he asked, putting his arm around her.
"Yeah, um what do you need?" Ashley asked, sitting up.
"I need to find Lilly's location." Zora replied, standing up and walking around to the table.
"Oh sure, I'll go grab them, be right back." She replied before dashing down the hall, she re-appeared a few moments later with a map in one hand and four Jade marbles in the other.
"Here set it up right here." Zora told her, she nodded in response and unfolded the map, she them set the four marbles on the map.
"You don't really want to find her, do you?" Zora asked, stopping to look at her, She shook her head in response looking down.
"I don't want her back, you pay too much attention to her, and it feels like you're forgetting about me!" Ashley told him looking up with tears in her eyes.
"Oh, don't be silly, you're my sister and no one could replace my favorite sister." Zora replied, hugging her.
"Ok, well let's find this facility." She replied, obviously still feeling unhappy, she sat down and focused her attention on the map.
"Ok I'll leave you to it then." Zora said as the marbles began to swirl outward to the edges of the map. A few moments later the marbles sped up and caught fire, burning the paper, then they swirled inwards. When they finally came to a stop and the fire extinguished, A small chunk of the map was left it was the VRTC which stood for Virtual Reality Therapeutic Center. She sighed; of course that's where it is.
"Hey Zora! I found it." Ashley called, and moments later he appeared from the hall.
"Great! Hey I want you to come along." Zora told her, "Your magic and spells would be very helpful." As he said that he picked Lilly up into his arms and carried her down the hall,
"We'll head out tomorrow ok, how about you sleep in your own bed tonight ok."
"Ok." Ashley replied blushing a little, as he pulled back her covers and sat her down on the bed.
"Trust me when I say no one could replace you." Zora said, pulling the covers over her.
"Yeah, ok." Ashley responded, "Goodnight."
"Night." Zora replied before heading to his own room.
Ashley walked into the kitchen, Zora sat at the table, eating breakfast. She sat down beside him and snatched a slice of bacon from his plate.
"Hey!" Zora exclaimed, glancing at her.
"Morning Zora." Ashley replied, eating it in a few bites.
"Morning sis." Zora sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be eating anything else today. Zora finished his meal and stood up, grabbing his knife from the table and sheathing it on his belt, he grabbed Lilly's cloak from the hanger and wrapped it around Ashley.
"Let's go." He said, walking towards the front door.
"Ok, yeah let's." Ashley followed him out the door and down the street, before long they stopped in front of the guild ward.
"Who'd you bring with you?" Magnus asked, he was leaned against the wall.
"This is my ten year old sister, Ashley; she's a rather powerful mage." Zora replied, and Magnus nodded I'm response,
"Figure out what you wanted to know about the Aurora Project?" he asked, stepping forward.
"Yeah, we're headed to the VRTC." Ashley replied, whispering an incoherent spell under her breath. A small portal appeared and she reached through, pulling her teddy bear through.
"Almost forgot him." She said, Zora smiled before turning to lead them down an alley and onto Main Street. After that they headed down the road a couple of blocks before passing through the marketplace, once through they walked another block and turned, shoved in a small corner was a building that was a couple years more sophisticated than the buildings around it. In big letters VRTC was spelled on the roof, Zora stepped through the sliding glass doors.
"Can't believe we're back here so soon. . ." Ashley said, having around at the dimly lit facility. The white tiled walls and clean steel tables screamed lab, or doctor's office.
"Let's split up here and look around, I'm sure we'll find something somewhere." Zora said, the others nodded and moved off, Zora and Lilly descended the stairs while Magnus inspected the control deck.
Zora traced his hands along the wall, looking for pressure pads or hidden panels, while Ashley opened each VR Bed and checked for anything out of the ordinary. Magnus suddenly shouted, "Everyone to the edges!" Zora and Lilly backed up against the wall as a large circular chunk of the room lowered until it disappeared into darkness. Stairs popped out step by step, spiraling into the dark abyss.
"Great job Magnus, come on!" Zora exclaimed, before he began to walk carefully down the stairs. Ashley was right behind him, and as they got closer to the darkness, lights flickered on and allowed Zora to see the long trek ahead.
"That's about a seven story drop." Magnus said, about a flight of stairs above them.
"Yep, be careful." Zora replied, grabbing his sister's hand as they descended together.