Chapter 5

Ellie woke up to the bang of a pan, and Tharnale yelling at them.

“C'mon you big softies, sleeping in? On an adventure?” He put the pan down and started packing up other items.

Carter stood up, “You know adventures need energy, right?”

“Yes, and I know you get energy from resting. Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Tharnale asked.

Carter shook his head, “Nope, that’s basically it.” He got up.

Ellie, on the other hand, was used to sleeping in and having breakfast late. Then getting to school late, and having a lot of homework that she’d do the next night. Then repeat. In this scenario, she woke up. “Alright, I’m up.” She snapped her fingers and the dome around them slowly fell, no monsters in sight. Good. “So, which way are we going exactly?” She asked while packing up.

Tharnale nodded, “Well, you being addicted to the power of the Heart’s forge I guessed we were going there. To the palace?”

Ellie looked at him, “What are you talking about? I am not addicted to the Heart’s Forge.”

“Then why are you so eager to get there?” Asked Carter.

Ellie shrugged, “I don’t know, I just have a strange eagerness to get there. Maybe it’s the magic.”

Tharnale nodded, “I see, tis your curse. You control the magic, but the magic controls you as well.”

Ellie sighed, “Maybe, I don’t know. If this outside force wants some kind of balance between control and chaos maybe that’s what’s going on. Other than that, I got no answers for ya.” Ellie sighed, “Are you ready or what?”

Tharnale smiled, “I think we’re going to get along magic girl.”

They all finished packing up camp, and started discussing more about their lives before becoming multiversal-adventurers. Carter described the abandonment of himself, and his way through the foster system. Tharnale described his life with his family hating him and him hating them back. Ellie on the other hand, didn’t have much bad to say about her family. They were good people, they had a lot of money and were very fortunate. Her parents had good jobs and didn’t have problems with her. She kinda felt like a side character to Carter and Tharnale, the person in the background. By the time they saw where they were going she was used to the idea, but she had no idea how much she really mattered in their situation.

“What is that?” Ellie asked as they approached a giant castle, surrounded by multiple towns and villages.

“That there is the capital of Romania.” Tharnale said, “The castle of the Emperor, and city to all who ask to.”

“Basically a giant city of Demons.” Carter said, quite rudely.

Ellie hit Carter on his shoulder, “It has all kinds of people, Elf, Super, you name it.”

Tharnale nodded, “Quite a variety of people if you ask me.” Then he turned to Carter, “Why are you so against demons again?”

Carter and Ellie stopped in their tracks, Ellie knowing full well that this wasn’t going to end well.

Carter gritted his teeth, “Demons killed my entire family.”

Tharnale nodded, “I know exactly what kind of demon too.” Tharnale said quite happily. Then he jumped down a sand dune, Carter ran after them quickly after.

“What are you talking about?” Carter yelled.

“Important’s, trying to finish what they started. Killing all the ‘Unimportant’s’” Tharnale said.

Ellie started running faster to hear the story, “Then why did they try to kill Carter’s Elvan family?”

“Once they learned that the multiverse was right for the taking they sent their troops out across it, that’s when the important’s met the controllers and became allies. The controllers would get the killing done with them, and the Important’s would help the controllers ‘control’ things.” Tharnale said as they walked.

Carter was silent, even though Tharnale had stopped talking. He was walking with them normally, but wasn’t speaking too much. Ellie got enough courage to ask more, “Are there any, MDSC here? Maybe even Controllers of any kind?”

Tharnale kept walking, but was visibly thinking. “Controllers definitely, because of the whole working together thing. MDSC, maybe. They have made allies with the Republic, and allowed all kinds of people to enter and exit the city. The new emperor is doing great for the people, giving them everything the former one didn’t. Right of their own lives and sanity, he’s the one who truly holds the power of the forge. If we want to get that power, we have to face the Emperor.”

Carter finally spoke up, “Wait, we have to steal from one of the most powerful Demons alive?”

Tharnale nodded, “Yep, just suck up a bit of magic and zip. Right out of the Demon realm.”

Ellie shook her head, “I don’t know if that’s gonna work, especially with them being one of the most powerful demon alive. That’s pretty important.”

Tharnale nodded, “Sure is, that’s why we’re gonna need to be smart.” Tharnale turned to Ellie with a crazy smile, “How do you feel about small spaces?”