Mapping For Storia shorts

May VSS Challenge

"Honestly Daphal, all you need is a little woodruff. That will clear that infection right up. It's rather fortuitous that we arrived here when we did." Amanda said while picking the herb. "Bring out the medicine kit. I need a level scoop for the wound."

Amanda started to break up the herb, adding in a pinch of blue shag from her medicine kit.

"How was I supposed to know that the thing wouldn't work? Whose heard of bit rot anyway?" Daphal lamented holing his arm away from the hyper wyrmling.

Daphal tossed a grapefruit sized ball at the wyrmling."Abraxas, really. Calm down."

"Is that chocolate flavored? You know he loves those. You won't be able to fly, we'll have to take a sailboat to the island" Amanda said wrapping his arm.

The wyrmling roared, unhappy at the thought of not flying. "Keep it up and you'll go hoarse Brax. With Dad's injury he can't fly, and I can't watch you and carry both of them," Juniper said, stepping out of tent.

Abraxas whined, while Amanda and Daphal chuckled. "You'll join the bipedal club soon enough young one. Juni, can you add the nutmeg to dinner? Where did we put the documentation with our alias'? I don't want them to be able to easily track me."

---

Amanda watched the porpoise swim along the boat, sighing. "Getting rid of the mainframe only slows down the pervasive beliefs from Cindurria."

The waves crashed against the limestone of the cliffs behind them, the familiar feet of the wyrmling climbing up her backbone. "No time for games Brax. We have to much progress to make if we're going to stay ahead of the Matriarch. I'm gald we packed that samphire," she said as she started rubbing down his neck.

Abraxas jumped from Amanda's shoulders as they found Nasu sitting on Juni's, mash all over her hair. Daphal chuckled. "I feel like we're moving at a snails pace. I've seen you make toothpicks faster."

Amanda shrugged. "You shouldn't have jumped then. You know how they are, and they know me. They were ready and waiting with that wormhole near the peonies. I'm sorry I should have seen through their trick."

The clear skies a stark contrast to the dread evident on Amanda's face. Nasu wrapped his messy hands around Amanda's head chattering in his monkey way. Juni, Dapahal and Amanda all exchanged a glance.

"I know Nasu. There's no other choice but to press on."

Amanda sighed scratching the monkey behind his ears. She headed to the captain's quarters, banged the hanger once, before opening the door the dirt vanishing from her upon entry. "There's an island just outside of the Valorian waters. That's the ace. By the time my family discovers that's where we've hidden it, Valoria will have claimed the island as theirs."

"You're sure about this Ms. Broomman?" The captain said eying the island on the map.

Amanda nodded. "Valoria has been eager to grow, and this gives us exactly what we need. It's a win/win Daphal, surely you see that."

Daphal looked out the window taking a swig from his very familiar bottle of aniseed mead, seeming to contimplate the options. "It feels like a shady back alley deal to keep the Zumrens from gaining more power." Amanda sighed the disbelief evident in her posture.

"But your right. We can't let their superiority complex win. The verdant nature of the island could help hide it, and keep them away.”

The captain looked out the window at the tranquil waters. "The've been a menace to Fika for far to long. I can't believe the Cindurian government has feigned ignorance to what they've done. How brilliant would it be if the family were destroyed?"

"Destroying the family would send ripples through the weave and have lasting effects on the magical community." Amanda said. "Not to mention the breach of privacy for those family members not involved in cult activities."

The captain scoffed, the Golden Hour light glowing through the windows. "As if any of that family were innocent. Their history on Fika says otherwise."

"Do let us know when we're close to shore captain. We should get Nasu and Abraxas down before they both get volatiole. They're already looking like limpets on Juni." Daphal said glancing at his daughter and turning Amanda away.

The captain nodded as Amanda and Daphal left. "What of the devoted? No amount of dissociation seems to keep them from finding us Daphal?" Amanda asked taking a lilac produced by Juni and twisting it between her fingers.

The group paused, taking in the early evening starlight reflecting off the water. "Mark my words, even if they do find us, they won't stop us. The Zumren's will fall Amanda. We won't let them win." Daphal said taking the sleeping wavren off of Juni's shoulders.

The voyage was rough. They soon realized that the island was indeed in the eye of the storm raging around them. "So much for our elite force. We're more like a bunch of outcasts." Juni chuckled leaning over the side of the ship once more.

As they approched the island the inclement weather lifted. The plain ship a stark contrast to the tropical beauty of the island. Stepping off the boat, Daphal shrugged a large bag over his shoulder, Abraxas and Nasu settling on the shoulders of the ladies. A donkey stood next to a dart vendor on the shore. "Welcome to Vo Andreades! How can I help you today?"

"Bloodstones. We need about 15." Juni said stepping forward.

After hesitating for a moment, the vendor waved his hand and with a speed known to only a few 30 bloodstone cases replaced the cases of darts on the table. "What size?"

Juni started to look through the cases selecting those that would best suit their needs. "I notice a lack of large stones here. I don't suppose you have any hiding with the 'Spinach'?"

The vendor's eyes enlarged as he looked at the party before him. "Of....of course I do. I didn't realize that you were part of Project Arsenic. I have the stones you're looking for here." He said as he produced a box contaning 30 stones.

The group looked over the onxy stones, the weight of what what was finally in their grasp showing in Amanda's shoulders. "No pressure, right? It's just a blood ritual, requiring the same stones that help Alea walk in the sun easier. One wrong move and they'll be able to track us, to find me and put you in danger. Counter argument, if I do this right......Nothing like to much skin in the game, right?" Amanda chuckled scratching Nasu behind the ears.