THE MOMENT
"Here we are," Molly stopped in front of an empty, blue-tiled fountain. It was around 10 feet wide and only about two feet high, with a decorative bowl towering up the center of it. The blue tiles on the bottom were caked with dirt and mold. The hundreds of copper and silver coins strewn in it looked older than any of the three friends.
"What's this?" Rerun asked. The short, brown-haired boy stepped up on the edge of the fountain; but, Valentine, their third, was still taller than him. She was a tall, lean girl with long wine-red hair that reached her waist.
"The fountain of youth," Molly answered. She quickly glanced around the otherwise empty mall. It was daytime and the skylights filled the wide hallway with light. There was no sign of movement anywhere else. "Let's try to get this done quickly, I don't want a patrol showing up mid-fight," she said. Valentine and Rerun nodded as Molly reached into the pocket of her white robe. She produced a shiny golden coin, then immediately flipped it forward with her thumb.
The spinning coin arched in the air and into the empty fountain. Except, as soon as the coin dipped below the sides of the fountain, it made a plopping sound as if it fell into water. And, it released a small splash of water that wasn't there before; the water only existed once the coin was in it. The coin sank to the bottom and disappeared. Then, the water began to swirl in the fountain; a low rumbling roar filled the air.
"A water elemental?" Valentine asked. The water in the fountain seemed to be rising upward and taking shape. "Well, I see why you brought me," Valentine smirked at Molly. "This should be easy," she continued her thought when Molly nodded.
"Please," Molly asked Valentine. "We might need to make several attempts...,"
"Then, let's get through them...," Valentine hopped up on the edge of the fountain. Rerun pulled out a silver hand-held bell and struck it once as the water elemental finished coalescing in front of Valentine.
[Breezy] A deep voice spoke in the air around them and a gentle tornado gathered around the black sheathe of valentine's sword.
[Assassinate] A red puff of smoke erupted into existence and hid Valentine. The water elemental noticed the smoke; then, he roared in pain and exploded splattering water everywhere. The living mass of water collapsed all at once; but, it left the fountain empty of water again. Except now, a single coin glowed green among the dirty ones.
"Sorry...," Molly shook her head as soon as she spotted the green glow. "Looks like we're going again." She turned around to walk away.
"You're not going to check what that is?" Rerun asked before he followed her and Valentine.
"This isn't the first time I've tried to farm this Ability," Molly replied. "I've already gotten all its other drops several times over. There's nothing worth selling. But, I got bored of doing it alone," she said as they turned a corner onto a new, empty hallway. She stopped walking and summoned her Slate with a flick of her wrist. She tapped at the surface a few times, then dismissed it again.
"What Ability are you trying to get?" Rerun asked as Molly walked around the corner and towards the fountain again.
"It's a Ressurection spell," Molly answered.
"Don't you already have that?" Rerun asked. Molly nodded.
"I do. This version can be cast in combat though," she explained. The trio reached the fountain and Molly cast a golden coin in without hesitation. The water began to swirl again and Valentine readied herself. Her sheathe was still wrapped in wind from Rerun's Ability, and she focused her attention on the rising water.
[Assassinate] She moved as soon as its form was solid. Water sprayed everywhere once the beast was defeated.
"This is waaaaaay faster," Molly giggled. "Thank you so much!" She glanced into the fountain. A green glowing coin sat on the bottom and she spun on her heels to leave and try again.
"I can't imagine how long it takes you as a Healer," Valentine giggled as they walked.
"You know, at the time I didn't think it was that bad. I can't put out burst damage like you can, so the fights took some time. But, they were fun. Until I actually timed myself once," Molly giggled as she turned the corner.
"And?" Valentine asked.
"And then I called you," Molly grinned. "It takes me almost an hour by myself."
"An hour??" Rerun asked.
"Yeah," Molly nodded as she summoned her Slate to reset the quest. "That's kind of why I don't have it yet," she shrugged. "It's not like the Fountain of Youth is hard to find."