Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

"…get to the other realms!?"

As Flare finished the questioned, he realized the person he was asking was no longer around. In fact, the room he had been standing in a moment ago wasn't around either, nor was the bright light that had filled his vision and blocked the world from his view momentarily. As he stared forward, all the redheaded teen could see were rolling green hills being assaulted from above by a torrential sea.

The Flamian blinked, staring in awe at the amount of water cascading down around him. The question that had moments ago been the focus of his mind vanished as he turned, glancing back and forth in every direction as he was relentlessly pelted by the rain. Words couldn't describe the sight – we wasn't even sure he could call was he was seeing rain. It was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

The redhead raised his eyes to the sky, staring up at dark gray mounds of clouds that dominated the air above, hiding the blue expanse and the fiery orb that hung beyond entirely from view. His mind raced, almost unable to accept what he was seeing as the torrent cascaded into his face. His clothes were already soaked and his hair was once again plastered against his head. He was wetter than he could ever remember being in his entire life.

He spun his head downward, glancing in every direction to see the storm fill the world. He couldn't see its end, or its beginning. Rain fell everywhere. His eyes fell on a town carved into the land, roughly the size of his own village. His gaze widened, his mouth falling open as he stared at a literal line of water that dug its way through the village. He twisted his head back and forth, following its path from one horizon to the other, dumbfounded by the amount of liquid that the strange channel must have contained.

"This is incredible!" The Flamian exclaimed, turning an exuberant grin toward the other three people with him. "Are you guys seeing this!? This is amazing!"

As the boy's red eyes scanned the faces of his new companions, though, he didn't find the same level of exhilaration coating their damp faces. They looked back at him – all three of them – like he was some sort of idiot. The smile on Flare's face faded slightly as the criticizing looks bore into him.

"Isn't it incredible?" he asked, not comprehending their apparent disillusionment.

"It is kind of weird… I guess." Frost replied first, cupping his hands together a moment to watch as they slowly filled with the rain. "I've never seen so much melted snow and ice. Or see it come from the sky like this."

Frost parted his hands, letting the small amount of water they had collected crash to the ground as he turned to look at the fiery headed teen once more. "But it's kind of warm here, so I guess it makes sense."

"It's just rain."

Flare turned his focus to Ivy as the young woman responded as well, simply shrugging.

"I suppose its coming down a little hard… but I wouldn't say its 'incredible'." Ivy added, turning her eyes toward the sky above as the water continued to pelt them all.

"It's just rain!?" Flare exclaimed, unable to accept the nonchalant attitude these people were taking. "Are you guys looking at this!? This isn't rain! This is like… like…"

Flare paused growing frustrated as he tried to find someway to describe what was happening there – some word or phrase that epitomized what they were standing in. But he had no such word – such a term didn't exist! Or if it did, he had never been taught it.

"Gah!" he screamed, throwing his arms down in irritation. "It's beyond words!"

"Flare…"

The Flamian turned to the last of their group – the blue-haired girl – as Myst stared back it him. It was only then that he realized the water pelting them all wasn't even touching her. The droplets bent away, as if afraid to meet her skin as they fell, fleeing to the ground around her as they poured from the sky.

"Where is it you're from?" Myst finished the question, though Flare was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"The Fire Realm…" he answered plainly, calming himself down as he watched the rain avoid her. A sense of pity arose in his stomach as he stared. How horrible it had to be for her to not feel that water crash against her skin.

"I see." She smiled, nodding. "Then I bet it is pretty amazing to you, huh?"

Flare simply nodded before turning to look back out over the land, watching as the downpour crashed into the hills and town, coating the land in more fluid than he had seen in his entire life – possibly more than the Fire Realm had seen ever. The Flamian sighed, turning back to the girl.

"This is the Water Realm, isn't it?" he asked, a pang of envy striking his heart. "This is your realm."

Myst nodded, smiling kindly toward the Flamian boy as he lowered his head, staring at the pools of water at his feet. The water fell so fast it didn't even have enough time to evaporate or drain away – it was piling up on the surface.

"Wow." Flare kneeled down a moment, sitting in the water that coated the ground. "So this is normal for all of you?"

"Yeah." Ivy replied, her voice suddenly sounding full of pity for him.

"It's a little less wet, and a lot more cold where I come from." Frost answered, scratching his head as he turned to look around where they had been deposited. "It also doesn't come down as hard… unless its hail. You better watch the-heck out when it's hailing! Woo, buddy, does that crap hurt!"

"So we're in the Water Realm, then?" Ivy questioned, turning toward the blue-haired girl. The tomboy wrapped her arms around herself, beginning to shiver from the rain and the thin clothing she was wearing.

"Yes." Myst answered, turning to glance around a moment. Her eyes fell on a few patches of upturned grass, and muddy footprints not far from where they stood. "I think we're right where I was before Lance pulled me from here."

A wave of panic flooded over the nymph as she suddenly lifted her head, spinning around as she searched for any signs of The Serpent or her grunts. After a few seconds of franticly scouring the area, she realized no one else was around. Myst let out a sigh, shaking her head – they were safe for the moment.

"So this is the Water Realm?" Frost inquired, oblivious to the moment of panic his companion had just experience as he surveyed the land. "Ya know… honestly… I thought it would be wetter."

"Wetter!?" Flare exclaimed, turning his head up to give the white haired fool a dubious stare. "How could it be any wetter than this!?"

To emphasize his point, Flare swung his arms out, crashing them through the rain, motioning to the soaked and inundated landscape that surrounded them. The only remotely dry spot nearby was the area right beneath Myst where the rain oddly refused to fall.

"We could be underwater." Frost answered with a shrug.

"There's an under-water!?" Flare's eyes widened, as he turned to look at the small puddle on the ground. He thrust a palm down, planting his hand there a moment, trying to reach this magical zone beneath the water's surface. But it didn't seem to work very well.

Ivy couldn't help but giggle slightly as she watched the strange redheaded boy splash about in the rain – the look of pure wonder filling his eyes. It vaguely reminded her of her little brother Chip, back when the boy was only two, and he would run out and jump and roll and play in the spring showers. As she watched Flare play, she got the sense that she was a little more like these three that she had first thought. The one playing in the rain in front of her, after all, had jumped at the chance to join the quest they had been given – barely thinking about it. It had made her think these people were warriors – soldiers who had been fighting for years. But as she watched Flare splash in the puddles, she couldn't help but get the impression these three might be a little closer to normal than she had first thought.

Ivy's smile gently faded, though, as the task they had been given consumed her thoughts once more. She groaned quietly to herself, shaking her head as she turned from the young man playing in the rain.

"… So what now?"

The question seemed to remind everyone there of the situation they were in. Myst and Frost turned to look at her, and Flare's splashing came to a halt as the inquiry reached his ears as well. The Flamian picked himself up, shaking the water from his head pointless as he glanced at the face of each of his new companions, stopping as his gaze reached the blue-haired girl.

"Well, it's your realm, Myst." Flare stated, nodding toward her. "Do you have any clue where to go from here? Or what we need to do?"

The blue-haired nymph paused as the eyes turned on her, seeking answers. Unfortunately, she didn't have them.

"I'm not sure." She frowned, and shook her head as she replied. "The Serpent keeps her lair's location secret, and she rarely emerges from it."

"So what do we do, then?" Ivy questioned her as well.

Myst sighed, lowering her head to stare at the ground. For once she wished one of those cryptic visions would come to her and show her what to do, but she wasn't so lucky. This time, the portents of the future were hidden from her gaze – they'd have to figure it out without them.

"I'm don't know." Myst replied, raising her head with a frown. "But we should at least get out of the rain."

"Why!?" Flare asked incredulously. "This is amazing! I'm never going inside!"

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind getting out of the rain for a bit." Ivy countered, still shivering from the downpour. "I'm getting a little cold."

"Yeah, water isn't as much fun as snow." Frost agreed, nodding as he held out his arms. His sweater and thick pants were inundated with water, weighing down the already heavy clothing even more. As he shook his limbs, a second torrent fell from them, crashing to the ground before quickly being replaced in the sleeves by more water from the sky.

"How come you get to be dry?" Frost asked indignantly as he pointed toward Myst.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Flare shot back. "It must be horrible to not be able to feel this!"

"How are you doing that?" Ivy tilted her head, watching as the downpour seemed to hit some sort of invisible sheet projected around the blue-haired girl, pushing it away from her body as it grew too close. "Is that a power of your sword?"

"S-sure." Myst replied hastily, forcing a smile. "That's it."

The girl averted her gaze from the group, quickly turning to look for her house. Without really thinking about it, she had projected her magic around her when they had arrived, but she hadn't really considered the idea that these three didn't realize what she was yet. They didn't realize yet that she was cursed. If she could… she'd like to keep it that way.

"Anyway, my house is down that way if you guys want to get dry." Myst turned back to Ivy, smiling as she forced the conversation to change topics. "I might also have some clothes that you can change into."

"That'd be great!" Ivy exclaimed, beaming a smile as she clapped her hands together.

"What!? No!" Frost yelled out at almost the same moment. "Now what am I going to look at!?"

"You're going to be staring at my fist pummeling you into unconsciousness if you don't watch it!" Ivy threatened, glowering toward the white-haired teen.

"If you're dressed like that, I'm up for it." Frost grinned cheesily, taking a moment to wink and nod his head toward the girl.

"Gods, I hate you." Ivy sighed, shaking her head as she continued to shiver. "Let's just get going!"

"Aww, do we have to?" Flare whined, frowning as he took another look at the sky above him.

"It's alright, Flare." Myst laughed, smiling at his innocence. "It rains like this all the time here. You won't miss anything."

"That's both incredibly awesome and really depressing." Flare frowned, lowering his eyes back to the group. "I wish it'd rain just once like this in the Fire Realm. We'd be set for months."

"You know what's really awesome, though?" Flare grunted as Frost slapped an arm down around his shoulder, pulling him in close as he held his other hand out in front of them.

"Ice!" Frost exclaimed, beginning to wave his arm in front of them in a wide arc. "Ice and snow as far as the eye can see! And temperatures so frigid they make it feel like the cold is burning your skin off! That's fun times, right there!"

"That doesn't sound awesome at all." Flare shook his head, shivering at the very idea.

"Remind me never to have you plan… anything." Ivy commented.

Myst giggled, turning to head down the hill. "Come on guys, this way."

Ivy turned, jogging a moment to catch up with the nymph as she continued to hug herself for warmth. Frost sighed, pulling his arm from around the redhead, and moved to follow. With little other choice, Flare did the same.

"So this is the start of our journey, huh?" he asked aloud, not directing the question at any of them in particular.

"That's right!" Frost replied emphatically. "The Mystic Bladesmen, reunited! Flailing helpless before evil, and screaming fearfully in the face of danger!"

"Those are inspiring words…" Flare stated sarcastically, shaking his head as a small grin tugged at his lips.

"Can we not use the term 'Bladesmen'?" Ivy questioned, turning back to look at the two guys. "We aren't all 'men', after all."

"You got a problem with men?" Frost asked, grinning as he stared at the green-haired girl. "Oh, I get it! You drink for the other canteen! Hear that, Umbrella Girl!?"

"That's not what I meant!" Ivy screamed defensively, her cheeks flushing red. "I just meant I don't like being referred to or thought of as a guy!"

"Well then you shouldn't change your clothes." Frost countered, grin widening. "Dressed like that, ain't nobody gonna mistake you for a man."

"Shut up…" Ivy sighed, spinning around to face forward once more.

"She does have a point, though." Myst commented, looking back for a second as the green-haired girl gave up. "We really aren't 'men'."

"So, what?" Frost inquired. "You want us to say 'Bladesmen and Bladeswomen' all the time?"

"That is kind of a mouthful." Flare nodded in agreement.

"No." Myst replied, facing forward once more. "Just not 'Bladesmen'."

"I suppose you're right." Flare shrugged, lifting a hand to stroke his chin as he thought. "I kind of don't like the idea of calling ourselves the 'Mystic Bladesmen' anyhow. Makes me feel like we think we're the originals or something."

"So what do we go by then?" Frost asked, looking to the redheaded teen walking beside him.

"Not sure." Flare answered, shrugging. "It needs to be something gender neutral, though, and non-specific."

"And awesome!" Frost added, nodding his head emphatically.

"And awesome." Flare agreed, nodding as well.

"What about Bladespersons!" Ivy shouted her suggestion, beaming a smile as she spun around again.

Frost shook his head, sighing. "Go back to looking pretty, grasshair. Leave the thinking to the smart ones."

"Grasshair!?" Ivy paused a moment. "Smart ones!?"

"What about… Bladewarrior?" Flare raised his eyes, interrupting the argument before it could begin. "It's non-descript."

"And pretty awesome." Frost nodded his head in approval.

"Myst? Ivy?" Flare turned his gaze to the women of the group, seeking their approval as well. The two looked back at him, pondering the name a moment.

"I kind of like it." Myst agreed, nodding her head as well.

"I suppose it's better than 'Bladesman'." Ivy sighed. "It'll do."

"There we are, then." Flare smiled, proud of himself. "Until this quest is finished and we've defeated The Dragon King, we are Bladewarriors."