An Owl's Rise



Evelyn and Aralee braced themselves for the worst when they noticed the giant monster Jack-o'-Lantern running from something else. But it soon became clear that their fears were unfounded.

A massive spear made of sand skewered the monster from behind, and the huge pumpkin collapsed into a heap before disappearing and leaving behind several iron tokens.

Now fully in Evelyn and Aralee's line of sight was Otis, looking proud of the kill he had just confirmed.

Yet, his expression soon shifted to one of shock when he saw Evelyn and Aralee sitting at the other end of the corridor.

"EVELYN!" Otis shouted, flying at full speed towards her.

It only took Otis a few seconds to cross the distance and he landed right in front of Evelyn with one of the happiest expressions she had ever seen on him. Second only to right after they had reclaimed his ancestral home.

"I was so worried when we all got separated. I am glad to see that you are alrigh-"

However, before Otis could finish his sentence, he noticed that Evelyn was far from doing well. She currently had a sickly look to her, and her normally powerful aura was much weaker.

He then for the first time truly looked towards Aralee and saw that she was far worse off and had slumped over against the wall of the maze now that the threat was over.

"Evelyn, what is wrong?" Otis asked, his mood shifting instantly to one of panic.

He began asking several questions about what had happened or if there was anything he could do to help, but his concern was really only halting Evelyn from continuing to make the medicine that she and Aralee needed.

"Otis, I will explain what happened to you in a bit. Right now, I am making the medicine that we need to recover. Just keep watch for us and do not bother me until I am done." Evelyn said, pain and discomfort from the poison making her a bit less friendly than normal.

Immediately Otis realized that he had upset her. He may have wanted to understand the situation and help, but he was actually just slowing Evelyn down.

"I am sorry, I will make sure that the nothing else interrupts you." Otis said, before taking to the air and acting as a sentry for Evelyn and Aralee.

Without any more distraction Evelyn went back to creating the true andtodte that were cure her and her sister.

It only took her a few more minutes to complete and with Otis watching out for them she was able to devote her entire focus to the endeavor.

There were now a half dozen completed pills sitting at the bottom of Evelyn's cauldron and with her talons she gripped one and brough it closer to properly examine them.

'Pretty subpar, but it should do.'

Thanks to the poison weakening her, Evelyn had not been able to create the absolute best true antidote pills that her skill level would normally allow her to.

Of course, for any other alchemist of a similar rank as her, they would have been more than satisfied with the quality, but Evelyn held herself to higher standards because of all the advantages she had.

Nevertheless, it was not really the time for her to criticize her work that was done under less-than-ideal situations and Evelyn swiftly tossed one of the pills into her mouth and swallowed it.

Within just a minute the properties of the alchemical item began to spread throughout her body and she felt the deadly poison being neutralized.

'That feels much better.' 

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief as the pain from the poison began to dissipate.

Still, the damage that had been done to her system still lingered and she needed to drink another healing potion in order to fully fix herself.

"Aralee, the antidote is ready." Evelyn said, informing her sister.

Aralee's languid demeanor seemed to completely vanish the moment Evelyn announced this, and she rushed over to her despite the stress the poison was putting on her. The prospect of recovering her health was enough to give her a burst of energy.

She hastily took one of the pills and swallowed it, and it was not long before she let out a blissful sigh as the medicine did its work.

"How are you feeling now?" Evelyn asked once a couple of minutes had transpired. One pill had not been enough to completely neutralize the poison for her and she had needed to take another. She wanted to know if Aralee was in the same situation.

"No, I think that I am fine. I do not feel any of the poison in me anymore. I did not get hit by nearly as much of it as you did." Aralee said, holding her head up high and speeding out her wings to show that she was doing fine.

Yet, in the next moment, she began to waver, and fell over onto the ground.

"Aralee!"

Evelyn was alarmed to see her little sister suddenly collapse and rushed right over to assess her condition.

"Evelyn, what is wrong?" Otis asked, as he landed right next to her after hearing her outburst.

But by the time Otis had arrived Evelyn had already calmed down now that she knew what was going on.

"It looks like Aralee has reached her limit. She simply fell asleep. After some rest she will be fine." Evelyn said, her distress from earlier having vanished. 

"We cannot leave her like this. She will wake up quite sore if she sleeps on the ground like this. Help me prop her up onto a cushion."

Otis nodded his head and began assisting Evelyn to make Aralee comfortable while she slept.

Once they had assured that Aralee would be able to rest peacefully, Otis turned towards Evelyn and asked for the details of what had occurred.

"Sorry, Otis. You are going to have to wait a little while. I pushed myself just as hard as Aralee. I cannot stay up any longer."

Evelyn slowly began to wobble and just keeping herself from falling over as Aralee had was all she could do.

Thankfully, Otis was plenty understanding and helped her get settled in as well.

"Please watch over us Otis. There is no one else I can leave this to." Evelyn said as her consciousness was fading.

"Of course. You can count on me, Evelyn. I will make sure that nothing disrupts your sleep. I would even turn a god away for you."