74 United family (1/2)
”Are you... Evlin's friends...?”
Gustav and the rest of his friends were mesmerized by seeing the figure of a young boy coming out from a source of light while wearing a white robe in the middle of the church of the south god.
If one was to look at the situation from afar it would think that a kid was about to be eaten by a group of monsters considering that the entire team was still wearing disguises and pretending to be creatures to avoid the attention of other monsters. A plan that had its fair share of successful moments and failed moments so far.
Gustav, who had fused with a pegasus and now was looking like a centaur with wings observed the kid in front of him.
”Are you... the south-”
After the glimpse of light finally started to fade, the small boy managed to get a closer look at the individuals who were surrounding him.
”Aaaaghhh!!!! Horse demon!!!”
The kid started to scream at the sight of Gustav's monster form and extended his hands towards him.
”Stay back!!!”
”Wait!! Calm down!!”
He released an attack in panic and a ball of blessed energy went flying towards Gustav. The winged centaur was engulfed in holy power and became alarmed with the idea that the south god was about to burn him.
”Stop!!! I'm not- ... Huh...?”
But before he realized, the power of the small kid didn't harm him at all. In fact, before he noticed, Gustav no longer was in his disguised form. He was back to being a blond young normal-looking man.
”... I'm back to normal...?”
The rest of his friends looked at him in shock and proceeded to look at what was behind him. A knocked-out white horse with wings was laying on the ground under Gustav's feet. Auren who was now looking like a half-man half-bull monster approached the kid with curious eyes.
”What did you do?”
”Aaaaghhh!!! Don't hurt me!!!!”
The child panicked again and released another ball of energy towards Auren. And just like before, Auren was separated from his monster half and stood up looking like his old human form while a minotaur was out-cold on the floor.
Gustav tried to make the kid realize they were not enemies so that he would stop attacking them.
”South god! Calm down!! We are here to help you!!!”
”He- Help...!!??”
”Yes!! Help! We were sent from the goddess of the west to save your kingdom.”
”Oh! Oh... Sorry... I... I assumed you were demons trying to capture me...”
”No, this is just a disguise Evlin gave us to avoid letting the demons know that we were here.”
”Oh...! That's right...! So you guys are the friends who were with Evlin!”
”You... You know Evlin?”
”I do! She was keeping me company in the white void! We became friends as well!!”
South was talking with a huge wide smile and shaking his fists up and down while using the word ”friend”. Gustav started to wonder just when was the last time this kid ever talked with someone.
”So you are the ones who will help me!! I see! I see! I'm counting on you!!”
”Huh... About that... Can you lend us some help too?”
”Ah, sure! Anything for my saviors! What do you need?”
”For some reason, Evlin still isn't waking up. Do you know if there is something wrong if her??”
There were many things Gustav wanted to ask from South. How to get the power of curses, how to defeat the demons, how to save Ashley. But right now, getting Evlin back was their top priority.
”I'm sorry... I can't help with that...”
”I see... So even a god doesn't know what's wrong with her...”
”Oh, I do know... It's just that I can't do anything about it...”
”You do!!?? Then tell us!! What happened to her?”
”Shes being imprisoned in the white void by the tempest magician's tracking spell.”
”Tempest magician...? You mean Xadi? Xadi imprisoned Evlin?”
Gustav remembered stories that Evlin and Ashley would sometimes tell about their fight with the tempest magician. Apparently he was targeting the two of them to make Evlin his apprentice by force. They managed to defeat him right before meeting with the group for the first time but not without a lot of struggle.
”Yes... And the only way to free her is by defeating him and taking the source of his powers...”
”Evlin's gauntlets... He's using her gauntlets to keep her locked in the white void?”
”Correct...”
This was a bad outcome. Gustav was hoping that they would be able to get the team back in top-shape before Marcus arrived. But now, they needed Marcus and his group to arrive if they wanted to get Evlin back. Auren looked at Gustav with concerned eyes.
”Gustav... What do we do...?”
”... We need Evlin back... But for that, we need to take Xadi down...”
”But the only ones who faced Xadi before were Evlin and Ashley, and both of them are out of reach...”
South god heard that and widened his eyes as if he just remembered something.
”Oh! That's right! Evlin was really worried about her sister! Where is she?”
The group started to look down in an united sense of defeat afraid to answer that question. Gustav took a deep breath and tried to talk again.
”She was captured by the dryad and is being used as a power source... We have no idea where she is...”
”Oh... Oh, no... Evlin is gonna be so sad...”
”...”
”What should I do? If I come back to Evlin's side now she will start crying just like West said...”
Ria heard that and approached South.
”Isn't there any way you can wake up Evlin with-”
”Aaaaaghhh!!! Dragon-lady!! Stay back!!!!”
South received another jump-scare after seeing Ria's dragon fused form and once again, released some energy that brought her back to her human form, much to her disappointment.
”Noooooooooo!!!!!”
”S- Sorry... I forgot you were just acting as monsters...”
”My monster body!!!! Whyyyyyy????”
Ria fell on her knees and started to cry a bit after returning to her original form. Gustav on the other hand was very curious about South's panic attacks.
”How are you doing this...?”
”Huh...?”
”Your power... How are you returning us back to normal? Do you know recreation magic as well?”
”Oh... This isn't recreation magic... Gods cant use magic, they can only use the power of holy energy... But since I'm so weak right now I can't really hurt anyone so I'm using a power called purification.”
”Purification?”
”Yeah... It's a power that allows me to remove any impurity from a human body.”
”... Does that... Could you use that on Ashley?”
”Maybe...? But after you guys leave this church I won't be able to contact you again.”
”What? Why not?”
”Gods can only interact with humans when they are looking for someone to be their champion candidates or to reassure their command.”
”Champion candidates... South, you don't have a champion?”
”If I did, do you think my kingdom would be in such a dire state...?”
Gustav looked at South and then looked at Auren and Ria. He then came up with an idea.
”South! Make me your champion!”
”What??” x 5
South and the rest of the group had their mouths wide open from Gustav's suggestion. Auren approached him to try and make him change his mind.
”Gustav! What are you thinking?? You will be a slave for the rest of our life!!”