Goblinsbane Ch. 02: The Bashaan Twins

"So you're a soothsayer, now, as well as a grave robber?"

Eredwal chuckled. "Like I just said: no graves here." He then stepped away to join Maka and Akam, who stood near the dead horse.

Sister Sabine and Kassus shared a look. Both of them were at a loss for words. Shaking her head, the priestess walked toward the others, and Kassus silently followed.

"I feel as though we should bury her," Akam said when all five of them stood around the body of Quickness.

"That's going to take a lot of time and energy away from our dungeon crawl," Eredwal pointed out, his hammer resting against one of his armored shoulders.

"I can help with that," said Sister Sabine. "I can move the earth underneath her and make it swallow her, whole. It will only take a few minutes, and no backs will need to be strained. I can also perform a brief funeral rite, if you wish to honor your horse in that manner."

Maka offered to help, as well. "Little brother, if you would prefer to cremate her, I can set the body on fire with magic, and then end the spell before the fire spreads to the forest."

"Since when have you been able to do that?" Akam asked.

"Since last night. I learned the spell yesterday and practiced until I went to bed."

"Being able to set things on fire will definitely be useful throughout your career," Eredwal told her. "Today, though, I'd prefer to avoid the smell of cooked horse. Just let the Sister do her thing, all right?"

"All right." Maka looked disappointed, but only a little.

Eredwal and Maka helped Akam remove the saddlebags off of Quickness. Once they were clear, Eredwal nodded to the priestess.

"Please, everyone, stand back," Sabine instructed as she took a few steps back. The others gave her plenty of room to work. Clutching her tree-shaped amulet with both hands, she closed her eyes and began to pray.

"Harvest Mother, please give me power over the earth so that I may lower Quickness into its embrace." Sister Sabine opened her eyes, which glowed with a rich green light. That same light enveloped and swirled around her hands, appearing as though it had a life all its own.

Releasing her holy amulet, she raised her radiant hands in front of her, then spread them apart, so slowly. As her hands parted, the ground underneath the horse opened up like a giant mouth. The pace at which it opened matched the pace with which she moved her hands.

The earth rumbled, deep and grating. Tremors beneath their feet made Maka, Akam, and Kassus stumble a bit, whereas Eredwal kept his footing with ease. Sister Sabine was unaffected by the minor quakes, for it seemed as though she were one with the earth.

The horse's head dropped into the newly-created hole first, followed by the rest of its body. Sabine's hands stopped moving, hovered in place for a few seconds, then began to come back together. Just like before, the ground in front of her moved with her hands, though this time it closed. Soon, the horse was completely swallowed up by the animated earth, which barely looked disturbed once the spell was complete.

The priestess took a deep breath before saying another, brief prayer, this one to Mirea as well as to her divine brother, Emarist, god of nature. "Harvest Mother, Lord of the Wild - please guide the spirit of this animal to the Verdant Valley, where it may run free throughout Your fields for all eternity." She closed her eyes, and when they reopened they were back to normal - brown, lightless, yet full of life.

Kassus closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of his own. Maka and Akam bowed their heads but kept their eyes open. As for Eredwal, he watched with only mild interest, leaning on his hammer with one hand while the other hand rested upon his hip. After several seconds of silence, he said,

"Well, that's the first horse funeral I've ever attended. It was beautiful. Is everyone ready to go?"

"Yes! Let's go!" Akam nearly bounced with glee. Maka contained herself far better than her twin did, but Sabine could tell she was also excited to go.

"Good. Maka, get your horse. Akam, add your stuff to her saddle. You two will be riding together."

"Be sure to hold on to me, tight, little brother. I wouldn't want you to fall off the horse like you did when you first learned how to ride." Maka flashed a big, teasing grin to her brother. Both of the Bashaans had strong, white teeth that appeared to be even whiter against their dark faces.

"That was a lifetime ago. I'm a much better rider than you now!" The twins marched off to their horse.

Eredwal turned to Sabine and Kassus. "You two are good to go with us, yeah?"

"Of course," Sister Sabine said. "My Goddess instructed us to travel with you. If that means going into this Fallen Fort of Falo Forest, then that is where we must go."

The Goblinsbane nodded. "Healing shouldn't be an issue, then." He turned to the guard. "As for you, Green Giant, you'll be our tank for the day."

Kassus eyed him, suspiciously. "What's a tank?"

"A tank is the one who stands in front of the rest of the group, keeping all the monsters' attention and soaking up all the attacks."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"For starters, you're good at it. I saw how you handled those orcs by yourself. They couldn't touch you. Granted, you couldn't touch them either, but the important thing is you got out of that fight without a scratch. You obviously know how to handle yourself in that shiny new suit of yours.

"Think of it this way: you're already protecting the Sister here, right? You'll be doing the same thing in the fort, only this time you'll be doing it for her, me, and the twins. Make sense?"

Kassus didn't say anything in response; he only nodded. His expression spoke of more suspicion, as well as confusion.

"That's settled, then." Eredwal grinned. "Let's get going. We've got a dungeon crawl to get to."

Although Sister Sabine didn't really know what she was getting into, she couldn't help but feel excited.