We Don't Have a Plan

---Indigo---

Sunlight streamed in through the window. I blinked and opened my eyes, distorted. 'Where am I?' I thought groggily. Then I saw my sword lying on the dresser next to my bed and I remembered. Memories from yesterday flashed in my brain: the earthquake, the fire, the attack, the fighting…It all seemed so long ago.

It was around one in the afternoon. Why didn't anyone wake me? I dressed myself in a comfortable outfit and headed downstairs with my sword. Aaron and the others didn't just leave me here, right?

The clamor of people reached my ears as I reached the top of the stairs. Peering down, I saw that the inn was full of customers. It was lunchtime. Of course the restaurant would be busy.

Scanning the room for a familiar face, I spotted Uncle George heading back into the kitchen with dirty plates. I carefully made my way towards the kitchen, trying to keep my head down and avoid any unwanted attention.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice me or my sword as I slipped into the kitchen. Uncle George looked up from the stove. "Good afternoon Indy! You're finally up."

"Good afternoon uncle," I replied, snagging a muffin from the counter. "Where are the others?"

"Eh, I think a few of them might still be sleeping. A few of them woke up a couple of hours ago and told me they'd be out in the back practicing or something. You should go check," answered Uncle George. I grabbed a few more muffins and some fruit off the counter.

"Thanks Uncle George!" I called out as I headed for the back door. Just before exiting, I peered through the window. Three people sat around a gigantic tree stump, using it as a table. Rachel sat facing me. The other two were one guy and one girl, with their backs to me and heads together, obviously in deep discussion. In fact, I saw books and papers strewn all over their makeshift table. Something stirred in me. Were they who I think they were?

I pushed the door open. Rachel's head snapped up to look at me, alarmed. The two people whipped around, the girl's sword already out of its sheath and the guy reaching for his. They relaxed when they saw that it was only me.

"Woah, guys," I put up my hands in mock surrender. "Don't kill me, I'm on your side."

"You scared us, Indigo," said Katherine with a small smile.

"Yeah. We thought you were a bad guy," agreed Aaron. I walked around and sat next to Rachel , setting the muffins and fruit on top of a blank sheet of paper.

"Well I'm not. And I brought some snacks in case you guys were hungry," I said. They all reached for the food, glad to have something to munch on.

"We skipped lunch," said Rachel.

"We can have a feast for dinner," I said, snacking on an apple. "So what are you guys discussing?"

"A plan," said Rachel. "We're trying to figure out what we should do from here on out and where to go. So far, we've only managed to put together all that we know and analyze what information we have."

"Okay. Let me hear it," I said, peering at a map.

"So according to our sources, there is an evil lord who controls the Evils," explained Katherine. "His name is Lord Victor. His exact location cannot be confirmed, but he's somewhere around here." She circled the area around the Northern Mountains, which were far, far away. "He controls all the Evils. We don't know how he rose to power. There are theories that he has something that contains the power to make Evils as invincible and strong as they are, or that he has special abilities. But nothing is confirmed, because he doesn't show up at lot. Only his minions do."

"Oh, I've heard some of those theories before," I said. "The most popular one was that he had like a staff or a magical orb or something."

"Yeah, I heard about that too!" said Aaron. "I even found a picture of the supposed magic orb." He held up a clipping and I saw a sphere swirling with stars and magic painted on the paper.

"So let's say this orb does exist. How do we destroy it? And if we do, what effects might it have on Evils?" I asked.

"I suppose we smash it or something," Aaron shrugged. "It looks fragile enough. And if that doesn't work we can always hack it with our sword or have Ashley blast it with a spell. We'll figure it out when we get there."

"The thing is, if this orb or magical object does exist, it would actually make it easier for us," stated Rachel. "This controls all the Evils and gives them their powers. If we destroy it, it makes the Evils more vulnerable. Instead of just rosewood being able to kill them, any weapon will do. The Evils will be as if they are made of glass. My hypothesis is that most of them will just burst into powder and die if we manage to destroy the orb."

"Explode just like that? How? Why?" I looked at Rachel, confused. She flipped to a tabbed page of one of the books. "Here, read this." I took the books and read out loud.

"'The Evils are not naturally born from this land. Instead, they are kept alive by ancient magic that has been long forgotten. Whomever created these monsters gave them power and invincibility beyond our normal capabilities and defense, along with a thirst for blood and destruction. It is rumored that the evil lord controlling all Evils has a magical object that holds the powers and means needed to control and keep the Evils immortal. However, no one knows for sure if such an object exists.

"But something is clear. If there is such a magical object, it will be the only thing sustaining the Evils. Once destroyed, the Evils that have been kept immortal for generations will gain all their years at once and feel the adverse affects that come with age, especially since they have been kept alive longer than any man can live in one lifetime.'"

I looked up from the page. Rachel looked at me expectantly. "I get it," I said slowly. "Only the magic kept the Evils immortal. Let's say they've been around for five hundred years. If the orb is destroyed, the Evils would instantly age five hundred years to what they would have been without the magic. And since that's a lot to go through all at once, the Evil would probably just combust and die."

"Exactly," said Rachel. "We find the orb, smash it, and we're done."

"Except it isn't that easy," sighed Katherine. "Wish it was though."

"We have to find Lord Victor first," said Aaron. "And all we know is that he rarely shows his face and his hideout is somewhere up in the Northern Mountains. Do you know how far that is?"

"Very far," I said, thinking back to geography class. The Northern Mountains were actually not directly north—they were more north northwest. It was at the farthest edge of Crystallea, and few ever venture there. Barely anybody lives there. To get there, we would have to travel diagonally across Crystallea, and unfortunately, Crystallea was very big. It would take us at least six months to get there, maybe even more. I don't know how long our supplies would last us. There's probably a time limit to this quest, like defeat the evil lord and destroy his orb before they take over the world. All quests have a time constraint.

I sighed and propped my head up with my hand. My brain was hurting already, and we don't even have a whole plan. "So what's our plan?" I asked tiredly.

"We don't know," Rachel admitted.

"We were hoping that maybe you would have a few ideas," added Aaron.

I groaned. Our mission barely started, and it wasn't looking good already. "So all we know right now is a supposed magic orb, an evil lord that lives somewhere up in the Northern Mountains, and that we should probably defeat him before he takes over the world. Anything else?" They all shook their heads.

"I can't even think straight right now," complained Katherine. "I can't sort anything out."

"Me neither," said Rachel. "I think we need a break. Hopefully when the others get up we can all sit down and discuss this as a group. Maybe they'll have some ideas."

"A group discussion sounds like a good idea. We should also go over the prophecy and try to analyze it for clues." I suggested. Everyone nodded.

Aaron stood up and brushed some crumbs from his pants. "Screw this planning. I feel like practicing my fighting skills right now. Who's up for an everyone-against-Kath round?"

"You're so on," grinned Katherine as she picked up her sword. "I will have you all beat a hundred times before the others wake up."

I smiled and unsheathed my sword. Some exercise sounded good right now. And everyone against Katherine? Well, that just makes it a lot more interesting…