The Lost One Ch. 03

"Good afternoon, friend!"

"The same to you Mallian. I have brought visitors."

Mallian frowned.

"Visitors? We weren't expecting anyone."

"Well, they came all this way to come here. Let me call them out. Hey! We're here." the snail said as he announced into his shell.

Pristine and the others got out. The water folk shuddered and whispered. None of them liked humans. In fact, most mystical races disliked them.

"Oh great, humans." mumbled Mallian, irritation in her voice.

She walked over to them. While a few looked eager, the rest looked nervous.

"All right. Who are you and why are you here?" Mallian asked them.

Before Lance answered, Pristine boldly stepped forward. She felt all eyes on her. She felt their anxiety toward them, but she also sensed some curiosity towards her. Mallian was curious too. She could already tell that this was no ordinary young lady.

Pristine finally overcame her shyness and replied, "Hello, my name is Pristine."

Every water folk in the room gasped. The others started looking around. Even Mallian showed a reaction by raising her eyebrows.

"Is something wrong?" asked Pristine with concern.

"Oh no. Now who are the rest of these folk here?" asked Mallian, a bit more politely this time.

"Sorry, this is Kyra, Sir Reginald of Cranston, Princess Ophealia, Lance, his brother Grayson, and Lance's band of outlaws."

"Outlaws!" gasped all the water folk.

"Don't worry! We won't steal anything!" assured Lance.

He really was not surprised by their reaction. Outlaws did not exactly have a good reputation amongst races. Mallian looked at Lance and frowned at him. She never trusted humans, especially outlaws, but since she and the other water folk would be watching them, she decided to take his word, for now.

"Well, for your sake, you'd better be saying the truth." she told him sternly.

She turned to Pristine again and said, "You've yet to answer as to why you're here."

"Oh, I am sorry. We are looking for the Stone of Water."

The water folk started conversing amongst themselves. Mallian sighed. Deep down inside she knew that was reason for them being here. And if her guess was right, they were searching for the Crystal of Life and the unicorn princess.

So she looked at the group of humans and said, "Oh really? And I suppose you are also looking for the lost unicorn, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are."

Mallian looked at her people. They all nodded, trusting her. After all, she was one of their most respectable leaders. Mallian looked directly into Pristine's eyes and saw the sincerity there.

"All right, you may have the stone, if you past the test." answered Mallian.

The others sighed in relief.

Pristine grinned and nodded, but before she could saying anything else, Kyra stepped forward and said jovially, "Okay. Lead the way."

"Very well then." said Mallian.

She turned to the snail and waved, "We'll see you around, friend!"

The other water folk waved as well.

The snail nodded and replied, "Take care."

"Follow me." Mallian instructed the others.

They exited the room before it filled back up with water and the snail went back out to the ocean.

Mallian led them down an intricate path of halls where they got a view of the city. The buildings were blue, green, and other sea colors. They looked out of this world too, Pristine thought. They passed numerous water folk, all of which glanced at them before moving on. Soon they made it to a large temple. As they walked, Kyra tried to start up a conversation with Mallian.

Excuse me, but what is your name?" she asked.

"My name is Mallian. I am one of the council members that helps governs Oceanica."

"Did your kind know the unicorns?" asked Ophealia.

"Knew them, we were one of their strongest allies."

"Really? Did you ever know any?" Kyra asked enthusiastically.

"Kyra, Mallian wasn't probably even born before the Invasion." Ophealia told her.

"On the contrary, your highness, I was alive, but no, I didn't know any personally. I was still young." responded Mallian, starting to grin.

"Then you must be in your mid- to late-thirties." Grayson guessed.

A few of the water folk giggled. Mallian was one of them.

"No, you're way off." she said as she giggled.

"Then, how old are you?"

"I'm three hundred years old." Mallian said causing the others, except Pristine, to gawk at her in astonishment.

Pristine started to laugh, including Mallian and the other water folk.

Finally, they recovered and Grayson managed to say, "That's a long time to live."

"Well, that's pretty young compared to Drackor."

"Oh really! Hey we forgot to mention that Drackor was the one who sent us on this quest." Kyra mentioned.

The water folk glanced at them.

"Well, that's something you don't hear every day. Well, did you know that he's over one thousand years old?" asked Mallian.

"Whoa! I didn't."

By the time they finished talking they made it to the trial room inside the temple. It was shaped like a dome and in the center was a pool.

"Okay. This is the trial room." explained Mallian.

"What's the test?" Lance asked.

"Oh, this." Mallian said before pressing a button on the wall.

The water suddenly started swirling around creating a whirlpool.

"That's your test. One of you will have to swim twenty feet to the bottom, then you'll be suck into a tunnel. The stone is at the end of the tunnel. The whirlpool is the easy part. The tunnel is almost twice as long. The key here is endurance."

She looked at everyone's faces. Pristine was the only one not showing any reaction. The others looked pale.

"So, any volunteers?"

All of the sudden, Pristine dived in as if something was pulling her.

"Pristine!!" screamed Lance and Kyra, knowing it was already too late as the poor girl swam deeper and deeper.

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Pristine continued to swim as the current helped her get to the bottom. Her head was clear and focus as she went farther down. The water felt warm against her skin. She totally forgot that she couldn't swim, but for some reason it felt natural to her. Soon she made it to the bottom and was suck into the tunnel. It felt like she had swum for hours. She was both exhausted and running out of air, but kept on going. Determined to reach her goal flowed through her. Finally, she saw the stone and felt the urge to go on. As soon as she touched the stone, blue light filled the area and Pristine found herself on a beach. The sand looked white and soft. The sunset in the distance caused an array of colors to appear. There was a soft breeze.

"Is this real?" Pristine asked herself.

In the distance she saw a couple walking along. The man was holding a small little girl, who looked to be about three or four. All of them were wearing white clothes and their hair was light blonde.

"I know these people." Pristine thought.

The man placed the girl down and the man and woman turned into unicorns. Both were white. The female knelt down and the child climbed on her back. The two unicorns galloped towards the horizon. The scenery vanished. Pristine found herself back in the room where she got the stone. Pristine looked around. The room's door was shut and it wasn't filled with water. Pristine also realized that she was still drenched. The Stone of Water was still in her hands.

"I guess I passed the test."

"Well done Pristine." said a female voice.

Pristine turned and looked to see an enchanting lady in white garments. Pristine saw that it's the same woman from the vision, even though this one looked a bit older and wiser. She also had the same skin, hair, and eyes as Pristine did. She wore an ivory crown at the top of her head.

"Who are you?" Pristine asked in awe.

"Someone here to help you. Pristine, I am here to give you your second sign. Now listen carefully, my dear. You must journey northeast along the Radan Mountains, until you come to a cave. The cave leads you to a sequence of tunnels. Use your instincts and the stone to help you find your way. You will eventually find another mountain range, the Silver Mountains where the Stone of Fire is. Be careful though for the journey will be even more treacherous." the lady instructed with an angelic voice.

"Thank-you. Now how do I get back to the others?" Pristine asked after bowing.

"Take this passageway." the lady answered as an door opened up.

"Again, I thank-you." Pristine thanked before running through the passageway.

The minute she left, the lady said with tears in her eyes, "Be safe, my beautiful baby girl."

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During this time, everyone else frantically screamed for Pristine. Even Sir Reginald was astonished by Pristine's behavior. Mallian and the water folk were just as surprised as the rest.

"Pristine!! Come back!!" Kyra yelled hysterically.

"Dang it! I should have gone!" Lance complained.

"I sure hope she is a good swimmer." replied Grayson.

"No she isn't! She doesn't even know how to swim! I don't understand. Pristine's never been one to do things like this!" said Kyra.

Sir Reginald tried to regain his composure, and commented, "Actually, it does make sense Miss Kyra. Miss Pristine probably didn't want anyone else to go so she went herself."

"Well, she didn't have to!" shouted Lance.

"Oh will someone go after her!" Ophealia ordered.

"No need." replied Mallian.

"Why?!!" yelled Lance, Ophealia, and Kyra.

"Because she is right behind you." said Mallian with a grin.

All at once, everyone turned around to see Pristine standing with the Stone of Water. She was still soaking wet.

"Pristine!!" cried Kyra as she ran over and hugged her.

"Well done, Miss Pristine." congratulated Sir Reginald, his eyes showing their relief and admiration.

"Pristine, don't you ever do that again!" ordered Ophealia.

"I must admit, that was pretty good, for a girl." grinned Grayson.

Everyone turned to Lance, who was still under some shock. Pristine walked up to him.

"Lance, I am all right. I am just wet and tired, that's all." Pristine assured.

"And shivering." Lance added.

He took off his cloak and placed it around Pristine's shoulders.

"Thank-you." she replied.

"Why did you do that, why?!"

"I worried you?" Pristine asked, a little surprised.

"Worried me? You scared me half to death!"

"I'm sorry, but I did it to protect all of you." Pristine apologized as she bowed her head a little.

Lance took a hand and lifted up her chin with it so he could look into her eyes.

"Well, just warn me next time, before you put your life on the line, okay?"

"All right." replied Pristine with a small smile.

"Thank-you."

Suddenly, Pristine found herself in Lance's arms as he hugged her. With the stone in one of her hands, she wrapped her arms around his back.

"This feels so right." she told herself.

Lance never wanted to let her go.

A moment later, Kyra said, "All right! Break it up! Break it up!"

The two separated. Pristine blushed a bit. Mallian and the water folk approached Pristine.

"Pristine, you're either the craziest or bravest person I've ever met." Mallian commented with a grin.

"Is that a compliment?" Pristine asked with a smirk.

"What do you think? Anyway, we better get you dried up before you get sick."

Mallian stepped back and noticed that all of them looked worse for wear.

"I'll tell you what. How about all of you get cleaned up. Follow me." she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They followed her out of the temple to another facility.

"This is our healing facility." Mallian told them.

They passed up water folk that were healers and care takers. Soon they came to a huge bubble. Mallian stepped through it as well as the other water folk.

"It's magic. Don't be afraid." she encouraged them.

The bubble grew in size when they did enter.

"Relaxation Rooms on floor one-four-six." Mallian instructed.

The bubble worked by voice activation an it moved up at her command. Pristine and the others could tell they were moving at a fast rate. Soon they made it to the hundred and forty-sixth floor. The others got out as Mallian turned to her kind.

"You may leave us now. Go to the food room and have them prepare our guests a fine meal."

They bowed and the bubble went down.

"This way." Mallian told the others as she led them on.

They soon came to four doors; two on each side of the hallway.

"Okay now. The doors to your left lead you to what we call relaxation rooms. They are baths, only the liquid isn't water, but it's a hot liquid substance called ameline. It is very soothing and relaxing. The door to the right is for the guys and the other is for the girls. The other doors are our changing rooms. Your rooms are right across from each other. There are changing stalls inside as well as towels to wear while you're bathing. Be sure to leave your clothes in the room so we can come by later and clean them for you. Ladies, there are some clips in the room for you to use to keep your hair up. I'll be back for you in hour or so." Mallian said before walking away.

"Before I forget, here's your cloak, Lance." said Pristine before taking off the cloak and handing it to Lance.

"You sure you don't need it anymore?" asked Lance, taking it.

"I am sure, thanks." Pristine said with a smile before they went into the changing rooms.

A while later, they were all in the baths.

"Man! This is relaxing!" replied Lance as he leaned against the wall of the pool.

"I will agree with you on that." Sir Reginald agreed.

"Sir Reginald, I don't understand why people like you have grudges against us outlaws. It's not our fault we are what we are. And we are not barbarians or animals with no feelings for others."

"Oh, I guess it's because you steal and are capable of deceit."

"We steal to survive. A lot of us were orphaned at a very young age and we had to learn how to survive. Also, there are very few outlaws I know who are treacherous."

Sir Reginald decided to change the subject.

"Where's your brother, Lance?"

"Oh! He's still in the other room taking his own sweet time."

In the other room, the girls relaxed as they talked.

"Are you feeling any better, Pristine?" asked Ophealia.

"I'm fine, your highness."

"Would you please stop calling me that. Please, just call me Ophealia."

"Can I call you that too?" asked Kyra.

"Yes, we are friends now so there's no need for formalities."

"Oh, I've received my second sign." mentioned Pristine.

"What is it?" Kyra eagerly asked.

"Well, we have to go to the Silver Mountains."

"Oh, I've heard a myriad of things about the Silver Mountains. They say that dwarfs live there mining the caves. Also, the mountains use to produce their own magic so it was never cold; however, since evil has entered this world, the mountains have been bitterly cold." Ophealia told them.

During this time, Grayson got ready. Whistling a tune, headed out the door with a towel wrapped around his waist. But he did not realize where he's heading, and ended up going into the girls' room!

"Hey guys! I am ready for . ." he started to say, but then Ophealia screamed, "WHY IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU HERE!? GET OUT!! GET OUT!!"

"Princess! I'm sorry . . I'm . ." Grayson stuttered out.

He was just as shocked and embarrassed.

"Get out of here, or I'll make you!!"

"Yes ma'am!" he replied before stumbling for the door.

He ran like lightning into the guys' room. He stood wearily in front of the guys.

"What happened to you?" asked Lance.

"I . . .uh . . .ran into . . .a storm." gasped Grayson.

"Storm? Sounded more like a blizzard to me."

All the other outlaws started to laugh.

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Awhile later, Mallian came for them. By then, they were all cleaned and dressed.

"Well, I hope you-all are relaxed and cleaned-up. Would you like something to eat before you go?" Mallian asked.

"Oh, yes. Please." answered Kyra.

"Uh, Mallian? Do you want to join us on our quest? You could be a great help to us." suggested Pristine.

"I might. I'll think about it." replied Mallian before leading them onward.

"Princess Ophealia? I am sorry about that little intrusion." apologized Grayson.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean to. I'm just a short-tempered person. And I am sure Pristine or Kyra didn't mind too much. Right, Pristine?" Ophealia asked, nudging her.

"Oh no! I was a little stunned, but I wasn't mad. I hardly get mad." Pristine smiled at Grayson.

"Don't worry, Grayson. I was more astonished than anything. Also, I found it a bit funny." added Kyra.

Grayson nodded and sighed with relief. As they talked, they went downstairs to the cafeteria.

"Okay, here we are." announced Mallian.

She opened the door and there before them was an assortment of sea food! The cafeteria was empty.

"Since you-all are humans, we had to pick out foods you-all would like." Mallian mentioned.

"Smells wonderful." complimented Ophealia.

"I'm starved!" said Kyra, her mouth watering.

"May we?" asked Grayson.

"Oh yes! By all means." replied Mallian.

That's when Grayson, Kyra, and the outlaws started rushing for the food.

"Hey! Slow down! All of you!" ordered Lance.

Those who rushed forward suddenly stopped and some tripped over each other. Ophealia shook her head. Pristine giggled. Lance looked sternly at his men.

"Sorry." Kyra, Grayson, and the outlaws said.

"Lance, they were only hungry." said Pristine.

"Well, my men should act like men and not like hogs. Besides, it's always ladies first." Lance replied while looking at her.

Pristine blushed knowing he's referring to her.

"You-all can go ahead of me. I'm not nobility."

"You're a lady in my eyes, Pristine."

"Oh, thank-you." she replied, her blush deepening.

"Go ahead and go Pristine. You deserve it." Ophealia encouraged.

Everyone else nodded.

"Okay." Pristine complied before going to pick out what she wanted.

Then everyone else got their food.

"Does anyone want to try this soup?" asked Mallian as she went over to a bowl with a lid on it.

"I will. What's in it?" asked Pristine as she stepped forward.

"Oh, I can't tell you that. It's a secret recipe."

Actually, it was made out of kamari and tofu. Kamari was a rare sea flower found in Oceanica. Only a few liked it though.

"Here, why don't you take a sip first." suggested Mallian as she hands her a spoon.

"Thank-you." Pristine told her before dipping the spoon into the bowl.

She slowly tasted it.

"It's delicious." Pristine smiled.

"Here, let me try some." said Kyra.

But when she tasted it, she spat it out.

"Yuck! Sorry Mallian, but that's horrible." Kyra replied bluntly.

"That's okay. It's an acquired taste anyway." Mallian commented.

She looked at Pristine and worked hard not to show the excitement she was feeling. Oh, she knew who Pristine really was. At first she felt uncertain, but now she knew. Pristine was the princess. It was her name that gave her suspicion at first. And only a unicorn earned the Stone of Water. Mallian's assumptions became clear when Pristine tried the soup for only unicorns liked it, especially the princess. Besides, Mallian seen a picture of the princess before.

"Mallian? Do you want any?" Pristine asked, causing Mallian to snap back to reality.

"No, thank-you. I already ate."

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Soon after eating, they went another coral building. They entered a large room with underwater ships. All the ships were chained down by large clamps.

"Pristine. I've decided to join you on your journey." replied Mallian.

"That way I can protect her and watch over her." she thought to herself.