Book Three Chapter One: Review

Book Three Chapter One: Review

Qube was a good Companion. She had spent her entire life under the not-so-gentle guidance of the Golden Prophecy, the text that ordained that her childhood friend would potentially become the one chosen to overthrow the Evil Emperor and restore the rightful rulers to the throne.

Shed worked hard to be the very best guiding light ever, to always know what the right thing to do or say was, and to help her friend manifest his destiny. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture the sacred parchment as it last was, before the newly-anointed Hero had bunched it up and shoved it into his backpack.

From humble village a Fighter awakes. nove(l)bi(n.)com

Then Evil destroys and his heart breaks.

His childhood companion, his guiding light,

He sets off to make the world right.

He shall find the forests heart.

And steal the fires guarded start.

He shall make the water cry

Then fall into unbroken sky

And fight the darkness deep inside

And turn away from brightness pride.

Then find in times endless halls

The echoes of his lost ones calls.

To slay what once was so adored

So what was lost can be restored.

The words used to be different, more generic, but she couldnt really remember them. Shed just known that somehow it could be read that the other two potential Chosens, a Rogue and a Wizard, also had a shot at being the selected saviour of all human and human-adjacent beings.

Qube was, herself, a human-adjacent being, seeing as she was a half-elf. Growing up, shed never faced any ill-treatment for not being a human being selected by the Golden Prophecy as a potential Childhood Companion was prestigious enough that no one had ever treated her with anything less than the utmost respect but a part of her wondered if things would have been different if shed ever known her parents.

Like all the potentials, her parents had died when she was young. It just seemed to be what happened to parents. Even though both her parents had been half-elves, who were supposed to live a lot longer than humans. It seemed there was no overcoming the curse of birth. Especially, for some reason, mothers.

Come to think of it, Qube wasnt actually sure that the mummies were accompanying them at all. They might have just been shuffling in their general direction. Before she could attempt to think of a different tactic, they reached the end of the desert and arrived at a line of high grass.

Right, the Chosen One said, stretching his arms over his head and limbering up. Im gonna fast travel back to Cobbletown. He looked at Qube. Let me know if anything weird happens. Well, weirder than normal.

No one had ever gotten around to telling the Chosen One that Qube wasnt the only one who didnt sink into a deep meditation while the Chosen One did his meditation to make the travel seem faster. Qube hadnt mentioned it because itd slipped her mind to tell the Chosen One, and Sewer Bard and Definitely Bad Guy hadnt said anything because

Probably because of some reason related to their complicated feelings that Qube might not understand but was determined to respect.

The Chosen One set off, and the group ran in companionable silence.

Normally, Qube would have used this opportunity to talk to the others in relative privacy, but instead she just admired the world sliding by. After the trials and tribulations of the Light Temple, where theyd managed to do practically the entire Temple without the Chosen Ones help, she was feeling a bit wrung out. Diving into a realm beyond her own and borrowing some of the Devs power to forcibly alter the pharaoh and erase the two destructive paths before him had also taken it out of her.

She still didnt know why she hadnt bled when the sacrificial blade had cut her. That was a tiny bit concerning. The pharaoh had seemed decidedly odd afterwards, and not really himself, which put a damper on any plans she might have made about using that same power against the Evil Emperor to pull him away from the path of Evil he was most likely on.

If she was being completely honest with herself, she also wasnt sure if she would be able to resist the temptation to just erase the Evil Emperor himself, for what hed done to her village.

Still! No point worrying about the future! Instead she watched some Fire Birds dance overhead. Almost literally. How were they staying aloft while doing such a complicated dance? Shouldnt they be beating their wings? It was strange, the way they were moving almost reminded her of

The scorpion! she gasped, suddenly remembering the giant scorpion that they had befriended, debated killing, taught to dance, and then used to get to the pharaohs tomb. She grabbed at Sexy Screamy Spider Lady, inadvertently pulling the Hunter out of her trance. We forgot to collect the scorpion!

The arachnid blinked all her eyes, looking around in confusion.

What happened to the scorpion after it took us to the pharaohs tomb? Qube asked, her eyes wide at the idea that theyd abandoned their new friend.

There, there, the giant spider said, patting Qube consolingly with a claw. Im sure the poor dear is just enjoying their newfound freedom. After all, they can dig wherever they want, cant they now?

I hope we can find them again sometime and thank them for helping us, Qube said, chewing on her bottom lip.

You know, Ive never realised how peaceful it is just jogging along, Sexy Screamy Spider Lady said, her legs scuttling.

There is a strange serenity to it, Sewer Bard finally spoke up, smiling at her. A serenity that is only enhanced by your presence.

You flatter me, Sexy Screamy Spider Lady said lightly. You should continue to do so.

Definitely Bad Guy, either through prudence or because he was genuinely meditating, said nothing as the Hunter and the Bard started to flirt with each other, and Qube regretted ever waking anyone up, at all.

High above them, too high to be heard, the Fire Birds danced through the air, and sang to each other a newly-taught song.