Chapter 1: The two best friends

Chapter 1: The two best friends (about 30-40 min read)

"Ron! Where are you? Ron!" Despite screaming his best friend's name, Elvo's voice is viciously cut off by the mountain peak's snowstorm. In his mind, he knew the distance between him and Ron was too large for Ron to hear him, but he tried nevertheless. He needed to get much closer, so he started sprinting blindly in the snowstorm. However, it looked more like slowly stomping through the brutally inclined and rugged terrain because the snow was almost at the height of their thighs. Elvo is a rugged, short man in his 50s with a respectable physique for his age, just like the rest of the crew. But in contrast to the environment they're in, they look like children in comparison. He had the responsibility to bear the dagger of Glowood called "Wooden Stick," which sounds too innocent for such a powerful dagger. Despite its name, the dagger is a masterful craftsmanship of wood, steel, and powerful magic. It is said that the dagger is passed down through generations with the legend that the "Wooden Stick" will one day puncture open a new era of Magic. Today might be that day.

The specialized wood gathering company is desperately trying to regroup in this critical moment and the surroundings they're in. The ice-cold, high-velocity snowstorm not only inflicts excruciating pain on their exposed skin but also causes poor vision and disarray. On top of that, the constant whipping of the relentless wind in their ears is bringing them to the verge of losing their sanity. The harsh, low outdoor temperature is chipping away at their inner fire of life as time goes by.

Elvo and the rest of the company were trying to find each other until the sudden voice of their leader cut through the whipping winds: “To the ground! Down, now!” Ron's voice reverberated like an earthquake through the whole mountain. Ron Timberock, the leader of the company, Fredrik Timberock's father, is almost twice as big in height and broadness as the rest of the company. His voice sounded like a vicious roar of a bear. Without any hesitation, all of the company members threw themselves into the snow on the ground. This specialized wood gathering crew's discipline is on par with the private security soldiers of the King in Heartblade. “Incoming!” A female voice echoed through the mountain peak, adding more tension to the already tense situation. Slana is the specialist in magic detection in this company. Her skin is as pale as the snow itself and if she hadn't opened her mouth and raised her voice, you wouldn't have been able to tell that she's a female among men, also because her pale hip-long hair is concealed beneath the tight-knit hood of her headgear. Although her eyebrows are frozen with ice, the hair of her eyebrows underneath the ice is the same color as the white snow. Slana is a female Mahi, a race that is rarely sighted outside their own territory, as their skin is not made for the climate outside of their humid territory. Especially cold environments are natural enemies for the skins of Mahis. Luckily, Slana is a descendant of a family that specializes in protection magic. Mahis are magic-sensitive by nature but since the long 1000-year drought of magic, even the Mahis are losing more and more of their magical powers. Slana is part of one of the last Mahi families who learn Magic through traditional teachings passed down through generations. Slana was able to put protection spells on every member of the crew, except Elvo. He got lost in the storm.

As soon as Slana yelled her warning, a baby blue magic bubble shot towards them faster than the speed of sound. Everyone was immediately encapsulated by the magic bubble and, although all of the company members couldn't hear it, the magic bubble was louder than the blizzard that had been tormenting them. The frequency of the magic was way too high to be picked up by the human ear, but their bodies reacted as fast as it came: They had to cover their ears so that the frequency of the magic bubble didn’t inflict more damage. Elvo cried out in agony as the effect drilled deeply into his soul. This blue magic felt like an invisible force that stretched and tore the atoms of their cells away from each other. As the force field moved further away from the company, the grueling effect also seemed to die down.

Due to the push of the blue magic force field, the snow seemed to hang in mid-air for a split second. This was long enough for the company to locate the origin of the magic: deep within a cave near the peak of the mountain. This was both good and bad news. The good news was that the rare objective the company was searching for was confirmed by the presence of the baby blue magic. The bad news was that this endeavor was more challenging than what they were used to. No other company throughout Altrion had the skills to accomplish this, but the reality was, they didn't know how to handle this situation correctly. According to their local legends, the legendary wood they were looking for only appears every 1000 years.

The majority of the members of this company come from Glowood, a small settlement specializing in wood gathering. Their settlement is named after the legendary wood that is awe-inspiringly near them. Adding to the challenge, the legendary Glowood, characterized by its beautifully bluish, glowing, and pulsating wood, is located at the peak of the "Twin Blades Mountain". This is thousands of kilometers away from their home settlement, far out of their comfort zone. They are accustomed to collecting logs in their local forest region and have never been so far away from home.

"Everyone! NOW!" Ron screamed as he lit up his last torch, which he had been saving for the trip back to the settlement. Through the contrasting light between the white snow ice and the orange glowing fire, the rest of the company could see where Ron was located. The effect of the blue magic died down, and even Elvo who had screamed in agony stopped, composed himself, and ran with full velocity towards Ron's location. "Hurry! There's a second charge coming!" Ron screamed as he touched the edge of the cavern entrance wall. It was vibrating violently, and the intensity increased as time passed. A second blue charge was about to burst out from the inside. One by one, the company regrouped beside Ron, except for one. The cavern wall shook as if it were about to collapse from within. "Huddle up!" Slana commanded her comrades as she began to chant for the protection magic by the cavern entrance. She closed her eyes, placed her hands in front of her chest. A bubble of yellow magic light immediately appeared between her hands, and after she crescendoed the last words of her chant, she yelled, "Protor!" A yellow shining light immediately grew rapidly in size, but contrary to the blue magic, the yellow magic didn't grow infinitely. The yellow dome of magic was large enough to encapsulate everyone within, but not so large that it would drain all of her magic powers at once. Everyone felt the effect of her spell resonating deep within their bodies at a molecular level, creating a layer of shining yellow magic above their cells that built up magic resistance from within. Slana was expertly proficient with the Protor spell, so much so that the spell not only granted them magic resistance but also a boost in the main attribute that the receivers' bodies were most proficient in. Ron gained more strength as a brawler, Slana more intelligence and wit, Slys the Ranger gained more speed and Borto the Druids vessel of faith got expanded. Elvo saw the yellow light and rushed towards it to get inside the dome, but he still had about 50 meters to reach it. Meanwhile, the cave wall was shaking so violently that it seemed like it was about to explode.

"On my way!" Elvo is trying to reach the rest of the crew as quickly as he can, but he's visibly struggling against the heavy snow that burdens each step. "Quick, Elvo! We need the Wooden Stick!" Ron stated, attempting to remain calm while everything around him descends rapidly into chaos. "I won't make it!" Elvos fumbles to get the Wooden Stick out of its sheath without looking at it directly because he doesn't want to slow down his progress towards them. "Elvo! You need magic resistance, right now!" Slana's words were wise, but in this situation, it was already almost too late. Elvo knew he had to hasten when he saw the blue light emanating from the cave getting slowly brighter. He decided to abruptly stop where he was so he could focus entirely on unsheathing the Wooden Stick. He looked down at his waistline and noticed that the Wooden Stick was entangled with some frozen leather strips. He broke those off and tried to unsheathe the Wooden Stick entirely, but it was frozen shut. He pulled with all his might and while groaning, he saw the inevitable blue light of magic about to burst out from the cave. "Incoming!" Slana shouted out into the mountain peak, but this time with a touch more concern in her voice. She doesn't know if Elvo will survive a second burst of the blue magic. If he doesn't get magic resistance in this instant, the blue magic will tear his living cells apart from within. Elvo was groaning hard and still trying to pull the Wooden Stick out of its frozen sheath while time finally ran out. "Brace!" The roar of Ron echoed once again through the mountain peaks and right away, everybody knew what that meant. The crew went into a battle position to face the second wave of the blue magic.

At the same moment, Elvo was finally able to unsheathe the Wooden Stick, but it was too late. He wanted to throw the Dagger towards Ron, but a violent blue bubble burst out of the cave. The corresponding earthquake felt more violent than the last one. It sounded like the whole mountain was shouting menacingly in a choir against the crew. The blue bubble hit the yellow magic dome of Slana's Protor beside the cave entrance first, but it held steady. Everyone inside was safe, but Slana was visibly tormented by the effect. It was magically draining for her to keep the dome up and running. Everyone inside felt physically safe, but the blue magic effect was still somehow daunting and caused slight discomfort with its might. "Slys, Borto, you two go help Elvo after this wave, get the Wooden Stick, and I'll meet you inside," Ron gave directions to the crew on how to proceed. Everyone had questions about what was about to happen. Would Elvo even survive a second wave? Would the Wooden Stick fulfill its purpose and magical duty? Despite their burning questions, they were trained to follow the leader's orders and to trust him fully. "Alright, Ron, I'm ready," Slys replied. "Me too," Borto followed up with his confirmation. "Slana, you do whatever you think is necessary to keep us safe from this violent magic." "I'm ready," Slana replied, although visibly shaken to hold up the Protor spell.

The blue magic bubble was approaching with violent speed towards Elvo. He gripped the Wooden Stick even stronger because he knew how vital this dagger was for his mission. He was about to throw the dagger towards Ron but abruptly decided not to. He feared that the blue magical shockwave will knock the thrown dagger out of the air into oblivion. He put his arms up in an X position and tried to block the magic physically, but it was all in vain. The blue magic hit him with full force. If Elvo hadn't been dug deep into the snow, he would've been blown backwards at least 5 meters. Without any magic protection, the second wave of the blue magic worsened the tearing from within. He was crying in agony, trying to cover his ears from the violently loud frequency that tormented his whole body. The pain was so severe he was walking on thin ice between being in and out of consciousness with every passing second. Elvo didn't realize this, but he was bleeding from both of his ears.

"Go! Now!" Ron commanded the crew to take action. Slana deactivated the Protor spell and followed it up by saying, "5 minutes!" Everybody knew exactly what that meant, but it was a good reminder to call into their consciousness not to waste any time. It was the duration of the buff from the Protor spell: Magic protection and main attribute boost.

Slys dashed forward towards Elvo. With his main attribute boost added to his already masterful dexterity, he moved as if he were lightning himself. Borto, his faith boosted, also ran towards Elvo. He prepared his healing spell, Clera, which can restore full health. However, the only downside of this spell is that he needs direct contact with the recipient.

Ron and Slana were waiting in the same position for the next right move. In the heavy snow, they couldn't tell exactly what was going on and they couldn't afford to get lost as a group again.

Elvo felt pain everywhere. He couldn't distinguish anymore between the frostbite or the blue bubble magic; he only felt pure pain. His consciousness was about to fade, but although he was about to collapse, he gripped even harder on the Wooden Stick. With all his last force and power in his body, he shouted, "Ron! Take it!" He threw the dagger as hard as he could in Ron's direction.

Slys and Borto were running in a straight line towards Elvo as the Dagger flew by them. It was a close call, but it seemed calculated.

Ron saw the dagger fly past him and embed itself deep into the wall of the cavern entrance. The dagger pulsated and glowed with the same blue magic color that emanated from deep within the cave. The dagger had successfully used its main magical ability: it absorbed the strongest magic it had last come into contact with.

Ron saw the glow in the dagger and was half excited and half concerned because of Elvo. At least he knew that their mission was one step closer to success, but he also didn't want any casualties. Especially if his best friend Elvo was on the line. But the blue glowing dagger stuck on the entrance wall of the cavern, and his very capable crew members gave him hope.

The blue magic that circulates within the veins of the Dagger Wooden Stick glows calmly, waiting to fulfill its duty in this mission.

"Fredrik! Where are you? Fredrik!" Despite calling his best friend's name, his calls dissipated in the lush green forest of Glowood. Sean was carrying a big basket of berries he had gathered but lost sight of Fredrik in the process. But Fredrik couldn't be far away, so he went on searching for clues and trails of Fredrik's whereabouts.

Over 2000 kilometers away from the specialized wood gathering company, Fredrik lay on the dirt floor of Glowood Forest. The dirt was quite dry from the heat of summer, and Fredrik lay there face down, wondering what had happened to him. Despite the dirt all over his face, he could still notice and enjoy the diverse smells of nature around him. The birds were singing their songs as if their lives depended on it, and the trees were joining in this music of nature with their natural rustling in the wind. While Fredrik listened to the wonderful sounds of the surrounding nature, he repeatedly tried to answer one question: What happened to him? A few moments ago, he was gathering wood as usual, and now he was seemingly lying face down, unconscious. His first thought was that he might be severely dehydrated. This year's summer had been harsh, not only to the trees but also to the animals and the entire ecosystem that inhabits Glowood Forest. He thought about drinking more water on a daily basis, but he was already drinking plenty. And then there was this strange feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint. It felt like there was a warmth in his chest area that didn't belong to him.

He began to sit up and brushed the dirt off his face and clothes. He was wondering if he might be sick, but actually, he felt too healthy for that. He tried to find explanations or even rationalizations for what had happened to him until he was suddenly interrupted in his train of thought: "Fredrik!" a voice of a young boy snapped Fredrik out of his thoughts. "Oh! Hey, Sean," Fredrik replied, a little startled. Fredrik was used to Sean startling him because they had grown up together, and Sean was always pranking and startling Fredrik. Sean was carrying his signature big basket filled with colorful berries. Although both of them were the same age, Sean was almost half the size of Fredrik. "Why are you sitting on the floor?" Sean asked, almost mockingly. "I was actually asking myself the same question," Fredrik didn't even pick up on Sean's mocking tone. "Did you get hit by lightning or something? You look cooked," Sean said, trying to be funny by exaggerating. "I don't know. Maybe," Fredrik said, a little concerned because he didn't actually know what had happened to him. Sean picked up on the insecurity of his best friend. After a little pause, he asked, "Are you alright, Fred?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Yeah, I think I am. I'm not hurt or anything. I was gathering wood one moment and suddenly I woke up on the floor," he felt confused saying it out loud. At the same time, he also felt that his unknown warm feeling was growing within him, making it impossible to ignore. Fredrik felt a little weird because he hadn't told Sean, his best friend, about this strange warm feeling inside him. But then again, how could he? He didn't even know himself what that feeling was supposed to be or even how to describe it.

"Let's get you home!" The sound of Sean's voice brought Fredrik back to the moment. After a little while, when both of them were walking on the main dirt road leading back to the settlement of Glowood, Sean said, "I wonder if our dads managed to get a Glowood. And I also wonder what it looks like in real life!" Sean said it so quickly because he couldn’t contain his excitement. Fredrik's dad, Ron, and Sean's dad, Elvo, have been away from home for almost half a year, departing on a mission to gather the legendary Glowood. Their dads are also best friends, just like them. Growing up, the other dad was like an uncle to both of them. "I’m sure they did!" Fred said, full of trust. "Our dads are just the best. I can’t imagine that they'll come back empty-handed." Sean followed up with Fred's enthusiasm. "Do you think that our chief is right about the legend of Glowood? What does it mean if they really did come back with a real Glowood?" Sean followed up with serious questions. "I don’t know, Sean. Guess we'll have to wait and see if those legends are true."

„If. They find one.“

They were still discussing the legends of Glowood while walking back towards the settlement. At this point, neither of them knew that Fredrik's unconscious state on the floor was directly connected to the legends of Glowood. However, they would find out sooner rather than later.

They just arrived at a dirt road junction, and as they got closer to the settlement, they saw more and more people walking on the main dirt road leading to Glowood. All were carrying similar baskets, like the ones they had. Most greeted them warmly; Glowood is a small, tight-knit community of hunters and gatherers, so everyone knew each other well. Most inhabitants had been gathering resources around the settlement since they were children. The younger ones gathered closer to the settlement, and as they grew older, they were allowed to venture further. The further from the settlement, the more types of wild animals and creatures lurked in the unknown territories. As individuals grew older and learned to defend themselves, hunt, and survive, the community trusted them more to venture further into the wild. Fredrik and Sean were in the safe area, so they didn't need to be alert. Perhaps the most dangerous thing in this area was stepping on a bee, but fortunately, that hadn't happened to either of them.

As they got closer to the settlement, they could tell that it was getting more crowded. The closer they got, the more they noticed decorations that weren't usually seen on the main dirt road leading to the settlement. The decorations consisted of colorful flags from different regions and nations of Altrion, and sigils of various houses and families. Small stalls and shops were setting up by the road, but they were still empty. It was clear that the neighboring regions were also preparing for the big Festival of Glowood. Although the festival was still half a year away, the preparations were stronger than ever. This year there seemed to be ten times more people walking about, most of them were new faces that Fredrik and Sean had never seen before. "So many people!" Sean said, with pure amazement shining on his face. "They must've heard about the Glowood," Fredrik deduced calmly. "Let's see if auntie has already cooked something delicious!" Sean sprinted off, leaving a cloud of dust. "Hey, wait for me!" Fredrik also started to sprint towards home, trying to catch up with Sean while dodging and navigating through the crowd of people.