Believing in Myself

Thank you Falcon for your review, as always. Today we see John fighting some more, and a huge foreshadowing of something to come much much later. See if you can guess where it lies...


Chapter 18


It was morning when John had woken up with a sleeping Jessica in his arms. At least, he thought it was morning, as the room looked very dark to him. The candles that lit his room at night had already burned out, so he knew that time had to have been passing. The cause of this darkness was simple enough to find. Someone had boarded up the window in the room, allowing only a soft narrow slip of sunshine in. The reason as to why would soon be apparent, as he heard a scream from somewhere outside.

"Jessica! Jessica, wake up!"

"Huh.. wha-?" Jessica looked around, rubbing her eyes. "It can't be morning already..."

"Jessica, someone is in trouble, I heard it!"

Another scream and the sound of footsteps brought her out of the daze quickly and out of bed. They dressed fast and ran out the door to the main lobby where people were huddled around in groups of no less then three. The innkeeper was standing closest to the door, which had been boarded up and blocked.

"What the hell is going on?" John demanded angerily.

"Monsters! Outside! But we are safe in here. I've blocked the door so they can't get in."

"But what about the people outside? Don't they need help?" Jessica asked, concerned for the people's safety.

"Stand aside and open that door!" John said.

"Are you mad!? The monsters will get us!"

"Do it or I'll do it myself!"

"Absolutely not!"

John roughly pushed the man aside and stood before the doorway. "Fire!" The door was blasted off it's hinges hitting whatever was on the other side. Two wolves of fire immediately rushed in, when Jessica struck them each with a water spell and caused them to vanish. "Block the door with something else! We will take care of the monsters. Let's go Jessica!" John ran out and Jessica was at his heels, while the innkeeper immediately ordered for a large table to be overturned and used to cover up the doorway. It was a chore to do, as everyone in the inn seemed to be too mesmerized to move seeing as the two had just used magic to blow open a door and defeat monsters.

Screams were heard as people were running away from more of the Firewolves and creatures that appeared to be oversized scorpions. They both looked around to find a way to help them all. "John, you take the left, I'll go for the right! We can beat them all if we spilt up."

"Good idea. If you need help, just call." They both ran off in opposite directions, unaware that someone had watched them spilt apart.

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"Bubble storm!” Jesscia shouted, as some wolves were ready to pounce on a few innocent people. The bubbles had knocked the wolves off, and they instead chose to attack this new threat. They bounded off, spilting up to surround their prey easier. Jessica stood her guard as they slowly rotated around her, ready to strike in an instant. One started to rush in from behind, but she quickly turned and a water spell ended one of them. Two more wolves tried to strike while her back was turned, but with a few quick movements, she was able to dodge them.

“Time for something new. Ice Knife!” Water gathered to her hands, and began to solidify into small icicles. She gripped them, and using them like throwing knives, embedded them into the wolves, who soon vanished after that. The final wolf, seeing it was outmatched, tried to run away, but Jessica had noticed it and jumpped up into the air before throwing another ice knife striking the wolf in the back.

“Are you all ok?” The people thanked Jessica and ran off, hoping to find a safe place to hide. Her rest was not over, as she heard another man scream and fall onto his back, trying desperately to crawl away from what appeared to be a lizard that could, apparently, walk on two legs. Jessica instantly recognized the man to be Resas, the one who had shown them the town just yesterday.

“Please someone, anyone, help!”

Jessica bound foward, as the lizard raised what appeared to be a curved dagger, ready to strike. “Water!” The water spell hit it’s mark as Jessica skidded to a stop in front of it, blocking it’s path to Resas. The lizard seemed annoyed by the attack, but showed no sign of relenting it’s own.

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“Earth!”

John placed his hands on the ground, as energy flowed to the nearest scorpion and blasted itself beneath it, sending it flying and disappearing. A few spells eariler showed that these things couldn’t be hit with direct frontal attacks, but rather by striking their underbellies which were unprotected. Now several scorpions lined up to try and take their shot, as they hurried along to strike. But John, having the advantage of a distant strike, continued to take them out one by one before they could get anywhere near him.

The villagers had already fled the scene, and he was just about wrapping things up. When the last one had fallen, he rolled foward to dodge a fire spell aimed at him. Johned turned to see Beras standing on a rooftop, a smile over his face.

“You! I knew you were behind all this!”

“Hehe... well your only half right. A demon is behind all this. But it’s not my doing I’m afraid.”

“Whatever! I get to take you down here and now!”

“Perhaps, but shouldn’t you be more concerned with your little angel friend?”

At this there was a faint cry out in the direction of where Jessica was. He looked that way and then back to Beras. “What did you do to her!?”

“Nothing. At least, nothing yet. So make your choice. Will you fight me, or save your precious angel?”

John looked to where he heard the scream. He knew Jessica could handle herself. And now would be a perfect chance to take Beras down, and avange his father. But still, he remembered last night and how if he made the mistake of fighting now that he may never see her again... Taking a last look to Beras he ran off to the scream, hoping he wasn’t too late. Beras merely watched him go, not bothering to get in his way.

“Hmmm.... interesting... most interesting indeed.”

John saw Jessica, backing away from a lizard monster, protecting another man. She was casting spell after spell, but the monster would not give in. John rushed in and shouted “Wind Cutter!” making a slashing motion with his hand. The spell struck and the lizard looked back to see what had hit him. “Over here you ugly thing! Come and get me!” The lizard turned and charged after John, who shouted “Fire!” sending the spell at it. The spell struck, but seemed ot have no effect on it, as the creature continued it’s charge.

“Fire!”

“Water!”

John and Jessica cast their magic at the same time, which defeated the creature, when one spell alone wasn’t enough. The creature disappeared and vanished, letting the two travelers look at each other. They both gave smiles of a job well done, and turned to see Resas. He seemed to be in awe at what happened, torn between surprise and shock. “Th-thank y-you. For saving me.”

“No problem. Jessica, listen I saw Beras earlier. He seemed to know about what happened.”

“What!? Then if Beras was here, does that mean he is responsible?”

“He didn’t say so, he said something about-.”

“Excuse me, but who is Beras?”

John and Jessica looked to Resas and were at a temporary loss of words. For at John’s startling announcement about Beras, they had completely forgotten that Resas was there and listening to what they were saying. Judging by his look, he was curious to what was happening and to hat connect there was between Beras and the attack on the village.

“Well, maybe we should head inside so we can tell you...”

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“Wow, that’s some story.”

John and Jessica told Resas about who they were and who Beras was. They also told him about how he might be connected with his father and with some sort of strange glass orb that John had seen in the tower. They told him as much as they could, leaving out the part with the man in black, for they themselves knew little about who he was and what he was doing. By the time it was over, they had already eaten lunch and the sun was getting ready to set, although it would be a few hours until that happened.

“Well, it’s true. And that’s why we are on this journey.”

“It’s all so hard to take in... so this demon, Beras... he is a threat to you both is he not?”

Jessica nodded. “Yes. We hopefully can defeat him as we journey.”

“Yes... yes I was wondering...” Resas walked away to another room in his home. They heard some shuffling of objects and soon he came back, carrying something in cloth. “Here, look at this. It was found by my grandfather. He used to search all over for rare objects such as this.” He removed the cloth to reveal a sword, it’s metal shining with a strange aura, and a red gem embedded in the hilt which was made of gold. “According to a legend, this sword was made of the legendary substance known as mythril. It was said to have been endowed with magical properties to defeat demons. I don’t know if such stories are true, and if they are, I don’t know if it still has retained it’s power... but I want you to have it. Consider it a thank you gift for saving me back there.”

“What? No, I couldn’t... I mean, it’s very nice and all, but I really couldn’t accept-.” John seemed to be able to go on, but Resas interrupted him.

“John Aaron, I am no fighter. In battle, this blade is near worthless to me. And by the sound of things, it can only be getting harder for you the more you travel. I think it would serve it’s purpose if you were to use it.” John made to complain but the sword was in his hands before he could speak a word. “I will not hear of this. It is mine to give away freely, and despite all it could be worth, I think it would be better suited if it were used for it’s original purpose, even if that purpose is only a legend.”

John held the blade in his hands, then took it by the hilt gazing into his reflection on the smooth surface. He felt mesmerized by it, like it was something otherworldly, from another time or place, beyond human knowledge or reason. He wondered, for the wildest moment, if angels themselves created this sword to fight off the demons that would threaten to overtake heaven...

“I will do it justice. I thank you for the gift.”

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It was near dawn of the next day when John and Jessica decided that they had stayed long enough and needed to move on. Resas had allowed them to stay in his home for the night, and now they were at the village gates, ready to depart northeast to where, hopefully, another town lay.

“Wait! Wait!”

Resas came rushing up to them and held up a pouch. John took it from him and heard the sounds of coins jingling.

“It is a gift form the village. They wanted to thank you two for helping them yesterday with the monsters and seeing that no one was hurt.”

Jessica smiled and John gave a broad grin. “Thank you very much Resas. Tell them we accept it wholeheartedly.”

“Yeah. But for now, see you!” John waved goodbye as he walked away, Jessica right behind him.

“Goodbye my friends! Come back again! We will all be waiting!”

Another man had walked up to Resas and stared after the two leaving. “So the heroes leave huh? Say that sword he has... it’s not that one you told us about is it? The one that can slay demons?”

“It is the very same one.”

“But that’s just a legend right? I mean, it doesn’t really mean that the sword has special powers, right?”

Resas smiled as he watched the two go further and further away, soon to dissappear from sight. “Maybe, but there just might be some truth to the legend. After all, it had to start somewhere, with some story that had some truth, right?” Resas walked away from the man, who stared away at the horizen, the two having gone from view. Shrugging, he left and prepared his stall for business.