Tormund and Roberta #1, Jerdana's Orb

Tormund and Roberta were walking along a beach together.

      "So, is this the closest route to Maraqua?" asked Tor.

      "Yes," replied Roberta. "We swim out to that rock over there and then head straight down." Tor gulped and looked down at his armor.

      "Well, in case you haven't noticed, this armor is rather heavy. I'd sink like a rock!" exclaimed Tor.

      "That's why I brought this," said Roberta. She pulled an old and worn book out of her knapsack. "It's a spell book, so I should be able to find something to help us. A potion to help us breathe underwater along with a spell or two." She began flipping through the book until she came to a page with a picture of a suit of armor on it. Just like the one Tor had on. Roberta skimmed over the page and then slammed it shut. She stepped back and spread out her arms.

      "Spells of magic really bright,

      turn this suit of armor light!" she chanted.

      Suddenly Tor was lifted up off the ground.

      "Help me!!" he screamed grabbing onto Roberta's shoulders. His hands slipped off and he slowly floated upwards. Roberta then reached out and grabbed his hand. "I think your spell worked too well!" he yelped.

      "No! It's supposed to be like this!" Roberta said. She then carried Tormund like a balloon over to a tree. "Hang onto this until I can create the potion to breathe underwater." Tor nodded and clung to the tree. Roberta then pulled a piece of kelp, a vial full of salt water, and some sand out of her knapsack. She poured them all into an empty bottle and shook it up. There was suddenly a big explosion and Roberta was thrown back a couple of feet. She landed with a loud POOF in the sand.

      "Roberta!" cried Tormund. Roberta then slowly got up and walked over to a burnt spot on the ground. She brushed away the sand and picked up the undamaged bottle. The concoction inside had turned a dark green and was bubbling dangerously.

      "Okay, it's ready," she said. Roberta walked over to Tor and stuck the bottle in his mouth. He drank the elixir and then grimaced.

      "Ew! It's SALTY!" he cried. Roberta took the bottle and then gulped down the rest. Tor was right; it was very salty.

      "Alright, let's go," said Roberta. She walked over to Tor and clasped him tightly so he wouldn't float away. She then waddled over to the ocean trying not to be lifted off the ground. Roberta and Tor gulped looked at each other, then walked into the water. When the water was high over their heads, Roberta let go of Tor. He floated upwards a few inches but remained in place.

      "Your spell worked!" said Tor. Roberta nodded and the two swam downwards into the dark waters. In no time they had reached Maraqua. "Where do we go now?" asked Tor. Roberta thought for a minute, then swam up to a Maraquan Acara.

      "Excuse me, but how do we get to Old Maraqua?" asked Roberta.

      "Just follow the path, but I wouldn't go there if I were you; those ruins are where The Drenched live!" replied the Acara.

      "I think we can take them on," scoffed Roberta. She nodded to Tor and the two swam off towards the ruins.

      Soon they arrived, several of the once grand buildings had crumbled and one pillar with King Kelpbeard carved into it threatened to topple at any minute!

      "Gee, it's scary here," whispered Roberta. As they swam on, little did they know of the evil presence lurking behind a rock. The two friends swam on until they came to a once grand marble statue of King Kelpbeard.

      "I think we should rest," suggested Tor. Roberta nodded and they sat down. That was when the Drenched struck. Roberta and Tormund barely had any time to react when the three sisters came surging forward. Before Tor could even draw his sword, the oldest one grabbed him around the neck and and drew him near. "Who are you?!" Tor screamed, struggling to get free.

      "We are the Drenched," cackled the youngest one, eyeing him. "For intruding upon our lair, you shall pay dearly."

      "You leave him alone!!" screamed Roberta, drawing her wand. All three of the Drenched Sisters glared at her. The oldest one, with her fist still clenched around Tor's throat, swam up to Roberta until they were nose to nose.

      "I'd be quiet if I were you, girly! You should consider yourself lucky that we haven't killed you yet!" she said. Suddenly Roberta blasted the oldest sister with her wand. The Drenched Sister screamed and let Tormund go. He quickly swam up to Roberta and grabbed her hand.

      "Let's get out of here!" Tormund cried. The two swam off while the Drenched sisters called after them.

      "You can never escape!! We will ALWAYS be watching you!!" Tormund and Roberta didn't look back but kept swimming forward.

      Soon they had reached the place where the Darkest Faerie used to be imprisoned. By now all that was left were a few pieces of broken stone and the chain where Jerdana's Orb should have been.

      "Where's the Orb?!!" screamed Tor.

      "Help me look!" cried Roberta. They got down on their hands and knees and began pawing around in the sand.

      "I found it!" cried Tor, holding up the red and gold Orb. It glittered strangely in the water as he twirled it around in his fingers.

      "I'll be taking THAT!" screamed a voice. Tor turned around but it was too late. The middle Drenched Sister swooped down and grabbed the orb.

      "Give that back!" cried Tormund. The Drenched sisters then began tossing it around like a nightmarish game of Hot Potato! Suddenly Roberta snuck up behind them and grabbed the orb before the youngest sister could get her hands on it.

      "Run, Tor!!" screamed Roberta as she swam with all her might. She then ducked under the pillar with King Kelpbeard carved in it. The middle Drenched sister then blasted it with a beam of energy. The bottom crumbled away and the whole thing came toppling down on Roberta.

      "NO!!" screamed Tor. He swam over to the fallen pillar and began hacking away at it with his sword. When most of the pillar had been chopped away, he pushed it off of Roberta. He first scooped up the now unconscious Roberta in his arms and then put the Orb in his pocket.

      "You'll NEVER escape!!" screamed the Drenched. Tor just turned around and swam like crazy. He swam up closer to the surface while the Drenched kept trying to blast him with bolts of energy. But at the moment, Tor didn't care about that, the only thing on his mind was protecting Roberta. His head burst the surface of the water and he swam madly for the shore.

      In a matter of seconds he reached the beach. Tor struggled to stand up and carry Roberta at the same time. He set her down on the sand and turned around to look back at the Drenched Sisters. All three of them were glaring at him with pure hatred burning in their eyes. Tor shivered and turned away. "Roberta, are you alright?" whispered Tor. Roberta suddenly gasped and opened her eyes.

      "I'm fine..." she whispered back.

      "But how did you survive?" asked Tor. "That pillar must've weighed two hundred pounds!"

      "True," said Roberta "But you see, before the pillar collapsed on top of me, I blasted a shallow hole in the sand with my wand. It managed to protect me from being crushed. Unfortunately I couldn't get in fast enough and the pillar bashed me over the head. That's why I lost consciousness."

      Tor breathed a sigh of relief and then hugged her. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said.

      Roberta smiled and said, "Did you get the orb?"

      "I got it!" Tor laughed, pulling it out of his pocket. He tossed it up in the air then quickly caught it again.

      "Good; now we can stop the Darkest Faerie!" said Roberta. Tor nodded, stood up, and helped Roberta up. The two friends smiled at each other and walked off.

The End