Catherine continues to look up and back at the map Nathaniel had in his hands.
"Are you sure this is a light drizzle, Nathaniel? My jacket's getting soaked..."
"No, it is no longer a drizzle.."
"So we have to set up camp after all..."
Kenzo says.
"No, we will not be resting as of now. It will only delay us."
"Nathaniel, all of us are extremely tired."
Ezra says from behind them. "We can't keep walking forever."
"If we stop, we are prone to getting attacked. We can't have another incident like Arsenio's."
Catherine sighed. "My feet hurt like hell..."
"I-If you'd like, there's still some s-space for you up here.." Isabelle offered, patting the soft fur of Claude's back.
"Nah, I'll just...walk it off..." She says with gritted teeth and her hood slumped over her eyes.
"...Okay..."
"You're...not tired Nathaniel?" Kenzo questions.
"I am...but I do not mind. We have to get to our destination, and with limited time, I'd rather feel pain than constantly stop."
"Fair enough..."
He finds himself backtracking to the map. "This could be a very bad location. The rain could become too heavy. If that does somehow happen, we can stop until the storm passes.."
Catherine hopes to herself that the storm does come, with her feet screaming, she'd do anything for a break.
"Now that we have had some time to talk amongst ourselves and come to an agreement, I would like a little time to think..."
For the next few minutes, Nathaniel doesn't say a word. Her keeps his eyes either in front of him or on the map.
Ezra stands up and gathers some of the gourds they found on their journey so far.
"What are you gonna do with those?" Catherine asks.
"Well, I found them in the forest. They could be food or something to drink..."
Isabelle glances up, as if quietly begging for a bite to eat or something to drink.
"Here Isabelle..." Kenzo pulls out a metal bottle of water. "I know you're, at least, thirsty..."
"What about y-you?"
"You need it more than I do. You're looking after Arsenio and I'm just...here for the ride.."
She reaches down and grabs it, immediately takes a long drink, and then turns around to face Arsenio.
"What are you doing?" Catherine asks.
"Arsenio hasn't had anything for two days..."
Arsenio's head is tilted down, his jaw clenching into a firm line as he lies asleep.
"...Umm..." Isabelle places her hands on Arsenio's forehead, checking for fever, then carefully tries to give him water.
"Is he hot or anything?"
"N-No, but... he'll be j-just fine..." she smiles.
"Let's just hope he gets up before something happens.." Kenzo prays.
"Right." Catherine says. "Hey, Nate. How much longer? Are we close?"
"We should be half an hour... or more. It depends really on how fast we walk.."
"... Alright, let's get this over with." Catherine starts a jog. "Hey, I think I can see the place! Looks like a tower or something like that, right?"
"...Why are you...running?"
"The quicker we walk, the quicker we can get this over with, right?"
Nathaniel sighs as he slides the map into the pocket, then stops as he hears a buzzing noise from in front of them.
"...Catherine..." Nathaniel calls. "Wait..."
"For what? Are you really that old to the point you can't run, Frenches?"
"I am hearing something. It could be-"
"Something like what-"
Nathaniel pulls her away before she's attacked by a large spider, killing it by stabbing it with his Gift.
"This is exactly why we must be cautious, Catherine!"
"Why are you blaming me?!"
"You do not think before you act! If you had been paying attention, I am sure that pest would have been the last thing you saw!"
"You wanted us to hurry up, dumbass!"
"I wanted you to hurry, but I also want you to be careful!"
"It's not my fault we're being attacked by spiders! Don't blame me!"
After pushing Nathaniel's hand from her shoulder, Catherine continued forward. Nathaniel sighs as he walks behind her.
Catherine walks with an angry aura around her, but however... it doesn't last long.
Suddenly, another spider lunges at Catherine from the side, throwing her and itself off the other end.
Isabelle screams. "C-Catherine!"
Nathaniel looks over the ledge, trying to find Catherine. He screams to get her attention.
"Catherine! Are you alright?!"
No response, and not even a sound that sounded like she was struggling to escape.
Kenzo immediately jumps down.
"Kenzo, no!" Ezra yelled.
The rest hesitantly wait.
Kenzo reappears, seemingly flying, before carrying Catherine.
"She managed to land in a tree, so it broke her fall...but she might've hurt something..."
Catherine slowly starts to wakes up. "D-Damnit..."
"Be lucky the tree broke your fall.."
"H-How did you g-get up here so quickly, Kenzo?"
"...I guess my Gift has...evolved a bit..."
Behind him appeared a pair of wings, which were quickly tucked away. "Don't worry about it.."
Catherine slips out of Kenzo's hand and tries to walk, but stumbled almost instantly and fell.
"...I think I broke something...or at least sprained it...
"You did not get bitten, did you?" Nathaniel asked in concern.
"No...I don't think so..."
"Then let us proceed." Nathaniel replied. Isabelle grabs Catherine's hand and pulls her on Claude's back, where they continue their journey.
The next few minutes are a blur for Catherine. Her vision is muffled as well as her hearing. She can't move her arms and legs, and she doesn't seem to notice the pain, but her entire body feels stiff.
Isabelle looks back to see Catherine's pained face before she passes out.
"N-Not Catherine t-too!" Isabelle yelled, stopping to observe her body's state.
"...Even though she said she wasn't bitten, we should make sure..The spider could be venomous..."
Isabelle immediately pulls Catherine's jacket from her neck. "A-A spider bite...she must not have noticed it due to the other pain she felt."
"That means we don't have much time. It was obviously a venomous spider. That venom could kill her..." Ezra explains.
Kenzo looks at Nathaniel. "What should we do?"
"We need to get to our destination as fast as we can."
"Then let's hurry."
That's when the spider that was supposedly dead from the impact came out from the trees below. However, before it could lunge at the remaining Prodigies, a blast burned it to a crisp..
"...Bingo."
Arsenio was leaning up with his Gift activated and smoking.
"A-Arsenio! You're okay!"
"How could I not be? I mean, I'm too young to die."
Arsenio smugly smiles as he says this. He then checks his wound.
"Someone patched me up after all."
Isabelle looked at him with a small, yet caring smile. "I..did.."
"She's been looking after you since she stitched your wound." Ezra nodded.
"I appreciate it.."
Arsenio looks over Isabelle's shoulder. "What happened to Catherine?"
"She g-got attacked by that spider..."
"I-Is that why we're running?" Arsenio asks, suddenly holding onto Claude as they quicken their pace.
"It's venomous, s-so we need to hurry, as fast as we can!"
Arsenio nods, holding on tighter.
It felt like only a few steps before Claude skids to a stop.
"W-What is it, Claude?"
"I dunno Izzy, maybe him?" Dawlly says, as she points in front of them.
They all turn their heads to see where Dawlly is pointing.
A godlike figure hovered in front of them, holding a scepter in his hand that glimmered in the high mid-day sun. His back was turned to the Prodigies, but they could tell he was watching them.
Nathaniel stood still, letting his Gift appear.
The large figure turns to face them.
"What a...wonderful coincidence. I was just taking a walk when I heard what sounded like a scream...I had to investigate."
"You are...who we're looking for."
"Indeed, I am Eran, the Timekeeper that protects these parts. I have heard about your situation with Verna, and as her friend, I am obligated to assist you."
"Well, we need to help Catherine first.." Arsenio says, pointing at her.
"Of course." Eran replies, walking over to them.
He examines Catherine, looking for injuries.
"What happened to her?" Eran asked.
"A spider attacked her on our way here." Kenzo replied.
Eran looks back to the Prodigies. "I will treat her. You should take refuge at my home whilst I do."
With a flick of his wrist, time skips forward, and suddenly they are in a warm, cabin-like space.
"What about Catherine?"
"There is something I can do, but it will take days for the process to be completed. She should recover by then."
"We'll be alright.."
"There is food and water around here somewhere. Help yourself to them." Eran says, with a very slight grin.
He then disappeared, taking Catherine with him.
The Prodigies began to eat and drink, Eran vanished, leaving them in the company of one another.
"Well, we made it.." Arsenio states, using his coat as a blanket.
Isabelle takes a sip of water from a cup.
"I'm glad..."
She looks at Nathaniel. He has a distressed look as he sits on the floor and takes a drink of water.
"Are...you alright, Nate?" Arsenio asks. "You're looking a bit sad over there."
"...I am concerned about Catherine. I will be fine."
"...Alright." he responds with a sigh.
It had been the quietest they had been. As a deafening silence overcame them, Eran once again steps in.
"I think it is only fair to let you observe how she is recovering for now."
Eran beckons them to come with him. They slowly stand up and follow. The rooms begin to change from a quiet cabin to more of an alchemy lab. And right in front of them was Catherine, still unconscious inside an orb of magic that encapsulated her entire body.
"Catherine's body has shut down. I have tried multiple solutions that would not work, but I have made this a last resort."
"What is it?"
"Space Dragon Piravit attached herself to Catherine. Catherine has not had the chance to experience the dragon's full potential, but...with a special procedure, we can fuse the two together and use its true power to regenerate."
"You want Catherine and Piravit to become one?"
"Exactly."
"Are there any risks?" Kenzo asks.
"She may be dazed and confused for the first few minutes, but there should be no other issues."
"Good. We shall continue our hunt for the rest of the Timebreakers while she recovers."
"Very well..."
Nathaniel looks back at Catherine before they left. They return to the cabin and sit down.
"It's been a long day..." Ezra reflects. "...Why don't we get some rest for the night?"
"...You guys go ahead and rest up." Kenzo says as he stands up. "I've got something I need to do."
He leaves.
"...Alright.." Arsenio says, turning over and closing his eyes.
"I'm going t-to...look over Catherine for a bit."
She is stopped from leaving the room by Ezra who grabs her wrist. "There's no need, Isabelle. You've looked over Arsenio for long enough. Take a break.."
Nathaniel nods. "Eran has everything under control. The only thing we can do now..is wait."
Nodding, Isabelle sits down once more on the floor.
Nathaniel feels the tiredness of the journey catch up with him. He lowers his head down to the floor, and falls asleep despite his uncomfortableness.
***
The next morning is quiet. Nathaniel seemed to be the last to wake up. Everyone else had disappeared from the room.
"Hmm..." He pondered to himself, before slowly rising up from his position on the floor. He walked to the alchemic part of the home, where Catherine still recovered.
Eran looked back and forth through last night's data, searching for a hint of any activity.
"Has there been any changes?"
"Little to none. She has been asleep for nearly eight hours, yet there has been no movement from her."
"That is odd..." Nathaniel said, trying to piece everything together. He beings to pace through the room.
"Nathaniel, if you are looking for the rest, they are outdoors having breakfast."
Nathaniel nods. "I shall join them, then."
He comes out of the cabin and finds everyone with a plate in hand. He sits in a chair.
"Good morning."
"Good m-morning, Nathaniel.." Isabelle says with a smile on her face.
"What took you so long to get up?" Kenzo asks.
"Well...the walk here has tired me. And I wanted to check on Catherine first."
Kenzo looks to Nathaniel. "How is she?"
"There has been no change, good or bad, since she has been placed there."
"Well, that's...news. I hope she doesn't need any help."
Nathaniel shakes his head. "Not important. For now, our hunt for Timebreakers continue.."
Arsenio immediately jumps up. "That's what I'm talking about! Let's go kick some ass, yeah?"
"Yes.." Nathaniel says. "We shall split into two groups. Kenzo, Isabelle, you shall take the north side. Arsenio and I shall take the south."
Isabelle, Arsenio, and Kenzo nod.
"Good luck..." Nathaniel says.
Isabelle nods back. "You too.."
The two groups leave the cabin at the same time, going separate directions.
Arsenio follows behind Nathaniel. "This is going to be fun."
Making a time warp, the two enter in search of the remaining Timebreakers.
On the other side, they appear in a graveyard, looking for any sign of activity. Nathaniel and Arsenio stand back to back.
"Hey Nate, what year is it?"
"I went to the time I felt had the most Tempural Energy."
"Because it has a high chance of hiding one of these things, right?"
"Yes.."
"Alright then..." Arsenio smirks and activates his Gift, waiting for the right time to attack.
"Arsenio, put that away." Nathaniel says, holding Arsenio's arm down. "We are not sure if this cemetery is the location of our Timebreaker as of yet."
Arsenio grins and puts it away. "Whatever you say."
He slips his hands into his pockets. "So, what are we looking for?"
Nathaniel looks at his watch. "Look for anything out of the ordinary. An object could be the Timebreaker we're looking for. Arsenio nods.
"Of course, a Timebreaker could have the ability to blend in with their surroundings. In that case they would probably be near you."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind..." Arsenio smirks and looks around.
Suddenly, Arsenio rises and whispers quietly into Nathaniel's ear.
"Not sure if that's a statue or not... I've got a bad feeling about it though.."
Nathaniel turns around and looks in the direction Arsenio had looked. A normal statue of a knight, standing with a sword in one hand, and a shield in the other.
"There is one on my side as well. Keep looking at it. Try not to look away."
Arsenio nods. "Got it."
Nathaniel turns back around and scans the place. There are still plenty of statues, and no clues at all.
"Which one is it?" Arsenio whispers again.
Nathaniel turns around, looking at the statue and the one on his side.
"They are both completely and absolutely identical. There is no difference the two."
Arsenio again activates his Gift, pointing it at the statue in front of him. Nathaniel then does the same, but pointing it at the statue on his side.
"There's no point in hiding anymore, the gig is up."
Knights' eyes turn a horrifying green. The eyes then stare straight at Arsenio and Nathaniel.
Without hesitation, the statues pull out their swords, challenging the two. Immediately, Arsenio charges an electric beam. A suit of armor covers Nathaniel.
***
On the other end, Isabelle and Kenzo have just discovered D'Jor the Genie, who, instead of attacking them, asks the two each a riddle, starting with Kenzo.
"What does man love more than life, hate more than death or mortal strife, that which contented men desire, the poor have, the rich require, the miser spends, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves?"
He then snaps his fingers, thin lines of magic connecting them to the palm of his hand. "Answer incorrectly, and I'll have your soul."
Kenzo then begins to look down as though lost.
"Hmmm..."
Isabelle tries to think as well. "If we don't say the correct answer..."
"They can take us, I know. That's why I'm thinking so hard about this.." Kenzo says. "...I'm going with my gut. I'm gonna stick with.."
He pauses for a moment and then looks at Isabelle.
"Trust."
D'jor laughs. "Wrong, you are."
With a tug of the line, Kenzo is ripped from his body.
"K-Kenzo!"
Kenzo's soul yells from the orb it was held in. "Don't worry about me, Isabelle, just try to answer the riddle yourself!"
Isabelle nods. "...C-could you do a different riddle?"
"Since I am a generous genie, I shall give you a different riddle.."
He clears his throat, then begins telling the riddle.
"You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?"
Isabelle was familiar with this one, as Ezra had told a lot of riddles to stump her when she was younger. If only if she could remember the answer to it.
She thought long and hard, then saw a flame-lit lantern on a building nearby, which instantly put the answer into her head.
"I-It's a candle!"
... D'jor shrugs. "Correct."
He puts Kenzo's soul back onto his body, and removes the soul stealing line.
His soul is safe, but yours is still at risk. There is another riddle to solve."
Isabelle looks a bit more confident.
"You've got this, Isabelle..." Kenzo encourages.
D'jor clears his throat once again, preparing for the riddle. Isabelle takes a breath....
To be continued in Prodigy: Casters of Time: Chapter 9
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