Chapter 5 (part 3)

Meanwhile, in the guys' room, the candles were still burning. Blaizen tossed his weapons down on his bed. He sat down to take off his boots when he caught Orckle taking a gander at his guns.

"Something the matter?"

Orckle shook his head in response. "I was just curious about how they work."

Blaizen finished pulling off his boots and socks and tossed them aside. He got up and picked one of them up.

"Well, you see this trigger here? It releases and projects the ammunition out of this barrel. You just aim and shoot. When you run out, you just hit this button to release the old cartridge and replace it with a full one." He hit the button, which caused the ammunition to pop out.

"So that is where that lethal substance is stored?"

"Yeah, you see this particular substance is actually kind of a living thing; it's a bacteria, not that that's going to mean anything to you. But anyway, it reacts in different ways depending on what it comes in contact with. In most circumstances, it acts like a concentrated acid and instantly starts eating through flesh and bone. See, once it gets to a certain point, it won't fire anymore. So, I never really run completely out of ammo. As long as there is a little left, it will grow until the entire cartridge is full again."

"About how long does it take for it to regenerate?"

"Not long. Just a couple of minutes or so."

"How many cartridges do you have?"

"Ten to split between the two guns."

"Hmm ... that doesn't sound like much."

"Yeah, well, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way."

Ean plopped down on his bed. "You know, you're not a half bad shot with those."

Blaizen turned. "Thanks."

"So, do many people where you come from possess weapons like these?" Orckle questioned.

"Some of the principles are the same, but no, there's not another person in the universe who has another set like these. You see, I jacked them from one of the tech laboratories. They only made five of these suckers and I got them all, along with the only ten cartridges that go with them."

"You stole them?"

"Yeah, well, that's kind of what I did back there. I was a weapons smuggler."

Orckle held one of the firearms in his small hands, examining it closely. "Fascinating." He carefully set it back down on Blaizen's bed.

Ean ran his fingers through his hair. "All right, guys, it's late. Let's get some shut-eye."

Blaizen crawled into bed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm beat."

They rose earlier than usual that morning, packed their things, and grabbed a bite to eat. The innkeeper stopped them on their way out and gave them a rather intricate map. They thanked him and were on their way. With the help of their new map, they found a shorter route to the Capital City that took them high up into the mountains.

It was not far from mid-day when they found a suitable spot along the mountain road to stop for some lunch. They'd made sure to keep warm clothes on hand and they were thankful for that now.

The air had a slight chill and it would only get colder, for the Capital City was high up, partially carved into a mountain side. The people of Haharim were known for their skillful mining. They had more small towns and villages than any other kingdom on Aleige, and almost every one was accompanied by a mine. These people mined just about everything, metals, precious metals, precious jewels, and natural fuels, like coal. Though it was not a mine, they even had a lumbering yard on an island off their coast. However, it was not their leading industry, especially since Ellizea held the best name when it came to lumber.

Cecealye took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She enjoyed the crispness of the cool air. Ean caught that peaceful look on her face. It had been a while since he'd seen that look. He went over and took a seat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey there, pretty lady. Would you like something to eat?"

A smile widened on her face. "That would be simply wonderful. Thank you."

He began teasing her by not allowing her to take the food from him. She laughed in response.

"Now, give me that!"

"Oh, I'll give it to you. Open your mouth."

"Absolutely not. You'll smear it all over my face, I just know it." She tried to get up, but his strength was too much for her and they ended up rolling backwards on the ground. "Stop it, stop it! Supreany, help me!"

Supreany shook her head and laughed. "You know, I was told to never get involved in a lovers' quarrel."

"Wait, wait. I promise I won't smear it all over your face," Ean said.

"You promise."

"I promise."

"All right. But if you do I'll have my revenge on you."

They both laughed and she let him put it in her mouth. He then pulled out another piece of food and smeared it all over her face instead. She slapped him in the chest before he rolled over laughing.

She sat up and wiped some of the substance off of her face. "You know, this means war." She took her hand which was primarily covered with the food by product and leaned over and smeared it on his face. He grabbed her and pulled her down to him. Their laughs echoed off into the distance.

The others couldn't help but laugh at their two companions and their silly spectacle. Even Orckle broke a smile. He did enjoy being around these young people, so alive and full of energy. Their whole life was yet to be lived. In some ways, being with them once again renewed a sense of purpose to his life. He had been kept around for all these years for a reason. And he was beginning to see what that reason was. For years, he had known there was still purpose to his life and had told himself so. But now he knew there was still purpose to his life and he no longer had to tell himself so.

Ean kissed Cecealye several times, spreading the food all over her face. They eventually sat up and Ean grabbed a cloth and began to wipe her face clean of any food, when an unnatural woman's shriek tore through the mountains. It echoed off into the distance, bringing them to such a silence that it was as though their hearts had stopped beating.

"The Ice Witch," Cecealye whispered.

They listened for a moment longer for anything, but nothing.

Ean stood to his feet wiping off his face. "She's a long way off."

Blaizen took a drink from his pouch. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go tromping through the mountains."

Ean shook his head in response. "We should be all right. This road isn't widely used and there aren't many villages or towns along the way."

"He's right," Orckle butted in. "Besides had we gone around, it would've taken us more than double the time to get there. There would also be fewer towns and villages to stop by to restock. This mountain road is still our best option."

They quickly gathered their items and set out once more, not wanting to linger.