Garo

Elias hefted his pole spear, set the band around his elbow and waited. He was ankle deep in muck and starving. He would be willing to go all the way into the muck, he would scour the bottom of the pond, if only to get something to eat.

“Garo”

Exactly the warning he was waiting for. Elias acted quickly, as the space around him shimmered and warped as he winked out of existence, quickly reappearing directly next to the croak of his companion. He launched the pole spear as the change happened, his timing getting better and better through months of practice. The spear pierced through the water into the grime beneath, and a flailing mass at the tip let Elias know that his aim was true. He gripped the back of the spear and hefted up his catch and was somewhat disgusted by the legs sprouting from the fish. A massive mudskipper, pierced through the body, dangled from the end.

“I didn’t realize there were other legged water creatures other than frogs like you, Garo.” Elias mused. “This thing is hideous, and hopefully it doesn’t taste like the mud I took it from.”

His frog looked at him, seemingly amused himself.

“Garo.” He croaked. He leaped to his master’s shoulder, expanding his throat with pride.

“You’re right, thank you Garo,” he patted the frog on the head, “and I’ll likely eat it even if it does taste like mud.”

The two quickly busied themselves with setting up camp and making fire. Elias’ stomach growled the whole way through as Garo croaked and Elias jumped around the trees beside the pond. As he found each log of firewood and hefted it, Garo croaked and he reappeared at his campsite. Elias skipped back and forth, disappearing and reappearing with armfuls of wood. With a final croak from Garo, Elias reappeared at his campsite and set to work making a fire and cleaning the mudskipper.

It was gruesome work as blood mixed with pond scum as Elias prepared the amphibian to the best of his ability. He felt a hint of guilt in preparing this creature so closely in relation to his frog companion but he swallowed it down as his stomach growled with intense anticipation. He knew he would either eat the slime ridden creature or starve. Elias had been near starved to death enough to know he would prefer the former over the latter.

He put the mudskipper on two skewers over the fire and waited, his stomach grumbling and mouth watering the whole time.

As the flesh curled in on itself and the meat dripped over the fire, Elias had decided he could wait no longer and reached for a skewer.

“That's a nice smelling meal you’ve got over there!” A voice called from the treeline.

Damn, Elias thought as he disappeared from his campsite and reappeared atop the branches of the tallest tree nearby. “Damn it all,” he whispered to himself as he quickly surveyed below. Elias had been on the road long enough to know that strangers were never a welcome sight. Strangers walking up on your campsite inevitably want something from you. He had been too careless, too starving to have waited, and found a safer location to make camp.

“What the hell?” One said, wild confusion evident in his tone. “Where did that kid go?”

“Who cares?” said another, “he left us dinner.”

Two wiry men slinked out from the treeline, they were dressed in rags and the blades at their hips indicated they were ready for a fight if Elias had stayed.

The two men made their way over to Elias’ abandoned campsite, grabbing the skewers and kicking dirt over the fire. They rummaged among the surrounding area to no avail. Elias had taken himself out of their view and thankfully had kept all his belongings with him at all times. He never knew when he would need to make a quick escape. What they did manage to steal was his dinner. They made their way away from camp, boasting and laughing as they chewed on on the mudskipper. Clearly proud to have scared Elias away so thoroughly.

Well Elias would not have it, he was starving and angry that his dinner had been taken from him. The day having turned to dusk, Elias would have too hard a time catching anything else, and he didn’t dare light another fire for fear of the bandit’s returning. He could run and hide well, but if he was caught asleep or forced to fight, he wasn’t so sure he would last.

His mind set on revenge, he winked out of existence and reappeared at the base of the tree he had been in. He winked in and out of space, moving forward quickly but quietly, not giving in to the chance of giving himself up due to clumsy walking. He set himself to hunting the two men, and they had been heavy footed and clumsy. They clearly had no concern of being followed.

Soon, he appeared at the tree line of their camp, he squatted low and peered through bushes to get a lay of the site. The two men sat by their fire, full bellied and relaxed. Elias fumed at the sight. He quickly scanned his surroundings, spotting a caravan close behind them. Hellbent on revenge for his stolen dinner, he thought a rummage through their belongings was acceptable punishment. If any coin or food happened to make its way into his pocket, it would be all the better.

The space around him shifted, and he was behind the wheel of the cart, peering around it. The men were sat no more than fifteen paces away, their blades looking far more threatening up close. Rusted and dark with dried blood, these men had surely done their share of banditry.

Elias thought he had been right to escape from their view as quickly as he had earlier. A confrontation with them could have been deadly. There was also no telling if they had any magical ability like himself. Magic was not a rarity and he would be even worse off against any form of offensive spell than he would be at the end of their blade. Any confrontation would have to be avoided.

He craned his head around the well of the caravan to get a glimpse of the inside. A clear view helped quite a bit with his ability. In a blink he was inside and froze, as two small forms gasped and skittered back in the darkness. Elias could hear the clattering of chains against wood as they did so. Elias caught a glimpse of two small children, frail and skinny.

“Whats going on in there?” one of the bandits shouted, alerted by the sound from within the caravan. Elias heard shuffling feet and the drawing of steel as they approached the caravan. Elias quickly ducked low, locking eyes with the children. He quickly raised one finger in front of his lips, praying they would not give away his presence as he vanished from the caravan and reappeared in the brush several paces away. His body pressed low to the ground as his mind reeled.

Those men, those monsters had children chained up. Elias raged internally as he was reminded of his own past. His own capture and enslavement. He was an orphan, and had been alone on the streets. An easy target before, he cherished his newfound ability. He had been able to free himself from his own chains with the help of Garo.

He looked down at his companion. The noble frog whose shared magic had saved him time and again throughout the years.

He had to do the same for these children.

Elias steeled his resolve, a plan forming in his mind. He was unable to teleport anyone with him. However, he could take objects with him that he was holding. He was willing to bet that one of the two men had a set of keys on their person. So, Elias thought that the best course of action for now, was to wait.

The sun set and dusk turned to night as shadows overtook the campsite. The moon was high in the sky and the area was awash in the light. Elias would have preferred the darkness of a new moon, but one cannot change the phases of the moon, and Elias could not abandon his mission. He had felt the same shackles around his wrists not too long ago. He would not let these children suffer as he had.

The bandits slept in shifts, however, they did not seem to be the most alert pair. They were laden with drink, Elias could smell it off them from his hiding space near the caravan. Elias waited, and the time between shifts of watch gradually faded, until they were both snoring.

Elias moved quickly and quietly, holding his breath as he disappeared from his hiding space and appeared near the man who he had noticed had drank the most first. Carefully he padded the man's pockets, checking for any cord hanging from wrist or neck. And to Elias’ great dismay they were empty short of a few gold coins, which Elias pocketed for the trouble of his meal.

Fearful of having to check the other, but certain of his task, Elias steeled himself and jumped to the next man. Breathless and fearful of any wrong move, Elias kept his feet planted, careful to not make any noise on transition.

Silently he appeared before the other man, quickly but carefully checking his pockets, wrists and finally, his neck. Elias felt a small cord of leather. Sending a silent prayer up he hooked his finger around the cord and teleported back to his hiding space beneath the caravan.

He held his breath and waited for some sign the man had been alerted to his presence. A loud snore let him know he was okay, for now.

Elias let out a sigh of relief as all had gone to plan so far. Next would be the part he was still uncertain of. He could not teleport a person with him, so bringing one of the kids with him was out of the question. But Garo was able to teleport him, so Garo should be able to transport someone else with him. It was his best bet and it was worth a try.

Quietly he grabbed Garo, and appeared inside the caravan. Earth turned to wood under his feet and the dim light inside the caravan made him pause. His eyes worked to quickly readjust to the light as the space changed around him.

Two young girls, to Elias’ surprise they were identical, huddled in the far corner. Their eyes wide with fear of the sudden arrival of Elias. They choked back a gasp at his presence as Elias quickly held a finger to his mouth to signal quiet, and with the other he held up the key.

“I am here to help,” Elias said, daring to let out the faintest of whispers. He scooped up Garo, handing him to one of the twins as he quickly worked the shackles off her legs.

“Hold onto him,” Elias whispered, “he’s going to get you out of here but it can only be one at a time.” The girls froze, their hands shaking and faces falling in understanding.

“It will be quick, it's the only way I can get you both out of here and to safety.” He finished taking off one shackle and quickly worked on the other. “He’s going to take you somewhere away from here, when he does, don’t move anywhere, he will come back and get your sister quickly.”

The girl who was nearly free paled. “I’ll be alone out there?” she whispered.

“Only for a second and then we will all get out of here fast, okay?” Elias pleaded.

The girls shook their heads, they were terrified, and Elias understood their fear. He could not have imagined breaking free from his own chains had he not formed this ability. He was fortunate, so he had to use what he had to help others.

He held the hands of the first and looked into her eyes, determination set in his face.

“My name is Elias, what’s your name?” he asked simply, a warm smile on his face.

“Bini,” they both spoke in unison.

Elias looked at them both puzzled. “She’s Bini and you are..?” he whispered, gesturing to the other girl.

“Bini.” she replied simply.

“We’re double.” the first spoke.

“Shes me,” the second added.

“I’m her,” the first continued.

“We are Bini,” they finished in unison, in a hushed tone.

Elias looked at them incredulously. It would not be the craziest thing imaginable given his own ability, but he had never seen this kind of duplication magic before. Exactly the type of ability people could exploit if given the chance. He thought that that might be why they had been held captive here. All the more reason to free them.

“Just hold onto Garo and then we can all get out of here soon, okay?”

“Okay,” the first said unsteadily as Elias quickly worked to free the second.

“Garo go somewhere close but hidden, then come right back as soon as you can.”

Elias felt the magic surge from Garo as he prepared to teleport Bini, and as he did so, as Elias should have known from the beginning, to use his ability. He croaked.

“Garo.”

They were gone in an instant, brutally announcing their exit and Elias’ fears were immediately realized as he heard movement from the camp.

“Damn it all,” he hissed as he frantically worked to free Bini from the final shackle.

“What the hell's happening in there?” came a voice from outside, the ringing of steel resounded as weapons were drawn.

Elias panicked as Garo had not yet returned. He heard the men approaching the caravan and he had to think fast. Elias fumbled with the final shackle, getting it off as the doorflap of the caravan was being pushed open. The shackle dropped and he shoved Bini to the far end of the caravan out the other side, telling her to run. Knowing she would not make it far without Garo, he prepared himself.

The first man entered the caravan locking eyes with Elias before he disappeared, reappearing beside him, hurling out a weak punch to the man’s jaw. He was buffeted more by surprise than by the force of Elias’ untrained fist.

The bandit recovered quickly and lashed out with his sword. He swung clean through the air, slicing through the canvas as Elias disappeared.

He reappeared behind the second man outside the caravan and kicked him hard in the back of the leg. The bandits' legs buckled and he dropped with a short cry. He swung out at nothing as Elias was already gone.

Reappearing at the backside of the downed man he hitched back his fist and jabbed the man hard in the noise. A crunch indicating he had done considerable damage this time.

He was feeling good, he had never lasted in a fight before but the adrenaline of the moment, the drive to save these girls was fueling him.

He snatched the blade from the man reeling and clutching his broken nose. Elias had little experience with weapons but he thought that a blade would be better than his fist. He jumped back to the caravan, ready to strike.

Stars filled his vision as a fist connected hard with his chin, he crumpled to the floor of the caravan, suddenly unable to control his limbs.

“Did you really think you could take both of us boy?” The voice of the man that had struck him spoke from above.

“I could see you getting cocky, but a second hit on my partner was one too many.” The man kneeled down and leaned in close.

“You think you could just come in and take our best source of gold? One of those girls can double my gold, but both of them? I was sitting pretty.”

A blow landed hard into Elias’ ribs, forcing the air out of him. He curled in on himself and wheezed. Unable to control his magic, he couldn't focus on his surroundings to teleport.

“Garo”

“What the hell is that?” the man recoiled as Garo appeared in front of him.

“Garo.. to me.” Elias muttered, reaching out his hand to his companion. The frog leaped, and before he could reach him, was skewered in the air. The bandit slamming his blade down hard slamming Garo into the wood.

Elias choked out a weak cry as his familiar, his friend, laid pinned, unmoving to the wood. Tears staining his vision as he despaired his one true friend, gone. He lashed out with his fist to no avail. A boot came crashing down on his wrist, a crack resounding through the area as Elias howled.

Suddenly a familiar weight appeared on Elias’ body. He heard a familiar croak.

“Garo”

Elias felt the wood of the caravan shift to earth as his surroundings changed and he was outside. The two Binis were crouched over him, and he thought he was seeing in doubles entirely because they both held an identical Garo in their hands. He looked on at them, incredulously as he nursed his broken wrist. Shouts of anger rang out in the night in the direction of the camp. Elias looked back to see they were still within sight of the caravan.

“No more chains Bini. No more copying gold, or anything for anyone.” Elias looked at the girls. “But first we need to leave this place for good.”

He looked at Garo, both of them. He felt their magic, somehow more than before. He laughed, Garo certainly seemed twice as powerful. In unison their croak rang out.

“Garo”

“Garo”

The group of them vanished from sight.