Rose Tea

Chapter Three [Wilbur]

Wilbur was left alone after that pig just left him behind without even so much as a second thought. It already felt like another eternity had passed since the pig left but there was nothing he could do. After sleeping for so long he'd forgotten everything but two things. The fact his name was Wilbur, and that he was waiting for a hero to save the day.

As for why he was waiting for a hero, even he didn't know. He was sure the answer would be in his book; Wilbur floated down to his abandoned book in the chest. He reached out, but of course, his faded fingers passed right through the worn, leather cover. There was no way he could access the answers to his problem given his current disposition.

Wilbur sighed.

He floated down to the surface of the water and sat hugging his knees just above the surface. He wondered how long he would have to wait before someone finally found him again. He wondered if there was any way to go back inside his book because at least there the passage of time felt sweet. This was not how he imagined returning to the land of the living.

Wilbur sank beneath the surface of the water, he wished he could feel the cool temperature of the water or feel what it felt like to get soaked. All were feelings lost to his memories. He didn't even remember what air tasted like, or the feeling of rain on his skin.

A noise came from the stairs that could barely be heard beneath the water's surface. Wilbur peeked his head just above the surface of the water. His eyes widened in surprise as he shot out of the pool of glowing water, "Pig!"

A familiar, and at this very moment, a very welcomed figure emerged from the darkness of the staircase, "It's Techno," the pig, Techno, halted at the edge of the pool of water and dropped a large sack at the foot of the pool. Wilbur couldn't be more glad to see the pink hairy monster and his muddy tan overalls.

"Techno! I can't believe you came back, you might actually be the her–"

"No," Techno held up a hand to stop the ghost from speaking. Wilbur frowned in response but held his tongue, "Let me make this clear. I am not your destined hero or whatever, but you did offer up some land, so, I will help you look for your chump–I mean hero, and then you give me a quiet place to live in return."

Wilbur didn't need to think about it very much, anything to leave this cave he's dwelled in for long enough, "Sure thing my friend!"

"Not friends, barely acquaintances," Techno responded. He began to wade through the water towards the little island before reaching the rusty chest his book was tossed in.

Wilbur simply nodded and smiled as he floated beside Techno's hunched form. He watched him with eager eyes. He was a bit tall, maybe over 7 feet, so seeing him slouching over the tiny chest, just to grab his book was a little hilarious. "So why the change in heart by the way?"

Techno grunted, "Just because." After grabbing the journal, Techno began to wade back to the other side.

"Careful with that, don't get it wet. You need to be able to read it later." Wilbur nervously watched as the book neatly skimmed the water's surface as Techno's arms swung side to side.

"What for?"

"For your mission of course! We need to know what to do or where to go," Wilbur breathed a sigh of relief as Techno made it to the other side. Though he was beginning to wonder if it was actually better to wait for a different hero than this guy who just haphazardly threw his book into his sack and slung it over his shoulders. No, never mind, it was now or never. He couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"You mean you don't know what you're even doing? Sounds like a pretty shit ghost doing a pretty shit job, if you ask me."

"Well it has been a really long time since I was probably placed here, you can't exactly expect me to remember everything," Wilbur rolled his eyes; he could do without the pig's banter though. He followed the pig up the cramped stairs to what he assumed would be the surface. Wilbur chuckled internally watching the massive pig squeeze his way up the cramped stairs with a little torch held in front of him.

"I don't know," Techno snorted, "if it's your only job to be annoying and shout about destiny, then I would expect you to know what that destiny crap is."

Wilbur furrowed his brows, but before he could make a retort they arrived at the top of the stairs and he saw it. The sky above, the distant sight of trees, and stars that shimmered in the blackening night. High above them was a large cavern opening with a rope dangling above. Oh, how he wished he could feel again the cool breeze of the night air and smell the fresh scent of a forest so green. He was almost too stunned for words to notice Techno nearly at the top of the hole using the dangling rope.

"Are you coming Ghostie?"

"It's Wilbur!" Wilbur turned his attention back towards Techno.

"Uh-huh–" Wilbur saw Techno stop, though not at what. But after a few moments, Wilbur saw the glowing eyes and heard the rattling bones. From the sky above monsters crowded around the edge of the hole and fell without care down below. They piled up in swarms in front of Wilbur.

"Ack! Monster!" Wilbur shrieked and flew up and behind Techno in response to the growing swarm falling through the hole in the ceiling to their cavern below.

Techno glanced back at Wilbur while holding onto the rope, "Is this going to be your response every time we come across a monster because I'm seriously contemplating leaving you here instead."

"Just go!" Wilbur tried pushing the massive pig up, but of course, his ghostly hands had no substance to them. Techno climbed the last few inches up and together the both of them noticed they were surrounded from above also.

"Shit," Techno looked around. Wilbur saw his eyes widen as an arrow was shot from above and he slid down a few feet. Techno hissed at the rope burns.

"What do we do!" Wilbur panicked.

"How should I know, monsters aren't supposed to be attacking me. Unless you have a magic trick up your sleeve we're a bit cornered right now,"

Magic.

Suddenly, Wilbur remembered something. The first time he had been here, it wasn't a cave. At least not like this, drab and grey. Before the cobwebs were thrown in and moss and vines had climbed the walls, this cave was carefully formed by a great fire, controlled by a talented mage. There used to be pillars shaped by waves of lava and the floor used to be pristine and almost glass-like. It was shaped to be a grand home but was repurposed to be secure, and if there was one thing that mage had told him numerous times, there was always an escape plan for emergencies.

"Go down!" Wilbur pointed down to the ground.

"What?! There's a swarm of monsters down there!"

"Trust me," Wilbur flew down, he looked up waiting for Techno who faltered. Wilbur waited, he could see the hesitation, and he didn't think it was because of fear. After what felt like a painstaking minute, Techno descended, and with good timing too. More arrows were shot down at him and a spider launched itself into the pit, just missing the top of Techno's head and passing straight through Wilbur.

"Where are we heading?" Techno jumped the last 2 feet to the ground as Wilbur flew forward and waved him over.

"This way, I remember being told about this hallway just to the left of those stairs." As the monsters stumbled towards them, he and Techno made their way to the left, "Help me find the false brick, one of these you should be able to push in," Wilbur led Techno to the wall. It was impossibly dark, Techno no longer had his torch since he had disposed of it at some point between climbing the stairs and climbing the rope. It had surely been trampled on by the slowly approaching monsters by now. But Techno complied.

Wilbur watched their backs as Techno pressed and hit the wall, "Come on, come on!" There was a click and the wall, with a great groan, slid down into the ground revealing a glowing passageway.

"Why are they always tight!" Techno squeezed himself into the hall as the wall slid back up. Wilbur waited until the door was closed before phasing through the wall. That was one perk of being dead, he supposed. The sound of monsters smacking into the wall behind them sent shivers down his nonexistent spine.

He didn't have time to look as Techno grumbled as he squeezed his broad body through the tight hallway, Wilbur flew through him to the front. The halls were glowing a faint green due to crystals embedded into the surfaces of the walls, floors, and ceiling. At the end of the hall was a room that opened up. The room was lit brightly with these crystals and Wilbur could see the carvings of intricate runes in the center of the floor.

Techno pushed himself out into the room and nearly stumbled onto the floor, "How is this an escape? We're trapped!"

"O-one moment," Wilbur grasped strands of his ghostly hair as he stared at the floor. He was desperately trying–praying to remember what was mentioned in the past. What was it? Who told him?

'So, the important thing to remember about magic, it's like a living being. It lives and breathes like an animal and is all around us–at least that is how I imagine it,' Wilbur couldn't quite make out who was speaking, only a shining smile as the person moved their hands in and out like they were pulling the air with every move. 'You can push it and pull it and shape it at will.'

'Magic can transform into anything, it is the user of magic that must transform it.'

The ground beneath him felt solid, he saw shoes shined to perfection and then noticed the trickles of fire that began to carve their way into the stone. He jumped, fearing he would get burned. That only earned him a snicker from the mystery man beside him. The fire left behind grooves and marks in some indecipherable language, 'Is this sort of precaution really necessary? This place is being built in the middle of nowhere.' Wilbur recognized his own voice.

'Ask me that when you suddenly need a quick escape, you can never be too careful. If I'm going to live here, I want to be prepared.'

'Haha, you're more cautious than you act, fGcTnR.'

Wilbur only heard garbled nonsense as he spoke the mage's name. Who was it? Why could he not remember their face or their name? He urged the memory to continue and reveal whatever would help them escape.

'To activate it, you just need to say Where the Wind Blows...'

"The Fire Burns!" Wilbur sprung up. The memory dissipated and he lost the sense of his feet on the stony ground.

"Huh?" Techno remained confused, but that didn't matter.

"Come on, get in the center," Techno reluctantly stood in the center of the runes as Wilbur floated beside him, "Where the Wind Blows the Fire Burns!"

The ground rumbled and the runes began to glow a fiery red before flames shot up from the ground straight into to ceiling. Wilbur squeezed his eyes shut, fearing Techno would be screaming because he made a mistake.

"What the fu–" Techno was cut off as the burning fire disappeared and what was once a glowing cave room was now a dark abyss. Wilbur heard Techno cough and shuffle his feet along what sounded like a padded floor before Techno exclaimed with loud grunts. There was a crash and a thud, "Where did you take us!"

That, Wilbur, didn't know. Since he couldn't remember who had told him about that room, he didn't know where the spell would even end up. But wherever it was...it was dark, and by the amount of sneezing, very dusty. Guess that was another perk of being a ghost.

~~~~~

Word Count: 2101

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