Tides of Twilight - Chapter 5: Revenge of the Spriggans

As Nanaa once told me, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Previously, you arrived in Eden Forest, where you got to work on retrieving some strips of bark from the Sacred Tree that would aid you in getting Mrs. Medina's spriggan problem under control. While you were gathering, you found a warm, glowing jade stone etched within the inner layer of the Sacred Tree. Adhering to your strangely reminiscent appeal towards this stone, you decide to pull it out...

The stone illuminates in your hand as you grasp it, sending an immediate flash of light that practically blinds you. Within seconds, you are sent into a sea of white with no sense of direction whatsoever. 

You: (Placing a hand over your brow) Ugh... what's going on? I can't see. (Looking down at the stone) Was it the stone...?

 ~*~

The brilliant light dims a little bit, allowing you to at least see your own shadow. You don't know where you are standing, or if you are even standing on solid ground at all. However, as the light continues to fall back and dim the entire area, you see two figures revealed as it draws away. Two boys; just about in their teen years. One of them is blonde, and the other bearing a dark head of brown hair. 

Both of them appear to be in disarray as they lay sprawled against the infinite and radiant landscape. You get a good look at the tattered and wounded pair as they crawl towards each other intently, still itching to continue what could have possibly been a fight against one another. Just then, you realize that one of them has noticed you. Straining to look at you through the one eye that isn't closed and pouring blood, the brown-haired boy throws his head aback and appears to gasp. 

The blonde haired boy turns upon gauging the other's reaction and gazes at you, showing just as much surprise. He squints his eyes and struggles to push himself up with his arms. 

Blonde boy: Y... You? 

Brown haired boy: (Weakly) What are you... doing here? 

You: (Blinking) What...? Who are you-- (Sudden jolt causing you to cower) Ah! 

Your vision suddenly becomes extremely blurry. The two boys become nothing but a pair of distorted shapes that spiral into a diminishing vortex of light, which then forms a familiar twilight eye that watches you. It closes and disappears. You feel yourself falling to your knees and grasping your forehead as you attempt to stabilize yourself. It felt as though you were being forced through the floor. Once everything stops and you are faced with the palm of your hand, you pull it away only to realize that the hand you are now looking at is but the hand of a child. 

Within that little hand, you hold the exact same stone you had pulled out of the Sacred Tree only moments ago. In front of you, you see the exact same tree. You look deeply into the stone and its reflection, seeing your child self staring back at you. Without hesitating, you grit your teeth and thrust the stone back right through the Sacred Tree. 

Another vortex ensues, once again beginning the spiral that consumes all of the existence around you into that single eye of twilight. You turn around to see two distorted, child-like shapes being sucked into the vortex as well. These two children- whoever they were, appeared to have been watching you thrust the stone into the tree. Everything was so hazy, but eventually, you spiral back into reality. 

 ~*~

Sprawled across the ground in Eden Forest, you awaken with the glowing stone in hand.

You: (Groaning, sitting up) Ugh... what in the world was that? Another dream? But... I don't recall going to sleep. (Holding the glowing stone up) Whatever that was, I got the stone now. 

You have acquired the Autumn Frigicite!

Description: ...Wait, it's acting strangely.

You wince in surprise as the jade-colored stone begins to dissipate right into your hand. Disappearing before your very eyes, it becomes nothing but an emanating hue of emerald light coming from your palm. In time, that too, disperses.

You: (Pressing your fingers against your palm) It's gone... somehow. I can still feel it within me, though. Did I just absorb it or something? 

You hear a chime coming from your satchel...

You: Eh? (Reaching in and pulling out Nael's pearl) What's wrong with this thing? 

The chiming stops, and Nael's face appears! 

Nael: (Clearing his throat) Aherm. Hello? Is anyone there? Fledge? Helloo! HELLOOOOUUUUUAAGHH!

You: (Eyebrow twitching) Stop that! I'm here, sheesh. 

Nael: Ah! There you are, Fledge. (grin) Where have you been? This is like the second time I call! 

You: Why are you putting so much emphasis on that? You make it seem like you've been calling for hours. 

Nael: Well, Mrs. Medina got worried! She thought maybe the spriggans got to ya. 

Mrs. Medina: (Voice in the background) What? 

Nael: ANYWAY, how are things going on your end? The spriggans here ain't going anywhere, Fledgie.

You: (Rubbing head) Sorry. I got... side tracked. But I have the bark now, so I'll be heading back.

Nael: That's GREAT! Hey, hey, Fledge! Check it out. This music is totally you right now. One sec- (Calling over his shoulder) Can you turn that music pearl up, please? 

Mrs. Medina: (Voice in the background) Oh? Er- Very well. 

A YOUTUBE LINK APPEARS! (Not really)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_li0VJisNk

You:  Gah... what is this? It sounds like elevator music from hell! How is this me?

Nael: (Bobbing his head to the music while whistling) I don't know! It just reminds me of you, hehe. 

You: If you don't stop that racket right now, I'm going to punch you in the teeth when I get back... 

Nael: (Cups a hand over his ear and gives a humble smile, motioning that he can't hear you because of the music) 

You: (Sigh)

You make your way back to Eden, unable to stop the overly upbeat music playing from Nael's pearl. You are like a walking jukebox of elevator music. Kind of hard to imagine you have a fight waiting for you back at the windmill with music like this. 

~*~

Eden

You have returned to Mrs. Medina's windmill.

Nael: Welcome back, Fledge! How was the forest? Run into any trouble?

You: No, it was quite boring and dull. Very pretty, though. But there was one thing...

Nael: Eh? (Tilts head) What would that be? 

You: (You contemplate telling him about the stone, but unable to even explain that yourself at the moment, you save it for another time) Well, never mind. I was just wondering about the bark's power is all. 

Nael: Oh, well, speaking of which-

Mrs. Medina: (Coming in through the door leading into her home) Oh! You're back already? That's wonderful! Have you brought the bark, then? 

You: Yes, it's... (Reaching into your pack) Right here. 

Mrs. Medina: Wonderful! Please, do be careful. Spriggans have a terrible bite, especially when agitated... you may begin when you feel like it. I'll be waiting inside my home. (Bowing her head before heading back inside) 

You: Right... thanks. (Looking over at Nael) You're not going inside with her? 

Nael: (Grins and taps his chest with his fist) Aw come on, Fledge. You know I'm tougher than that! (Hiding his journal behind his back) 

You: Uh-huh. Be sure to get my good angle in that journal of yours, m'kay? (Unsheathing your onion sword and setting the pack in the middle of the circular windmill chamber)

Nael: Bah! Aye-aye, I got ya covered. (C***s his pen and reloads a new page) Good luck, Fledge! 

You: Thanks. 

You place a bundle of bark in the center of the room and search your pack, only to realize you don't have the means for lighting a fire.

You: Oh, shoot... I must have run out of flint while lighting my campfires. 

Nael: (Scoff) You still use flint to light campfires? My dear Fledge, tsk tsk. (He reaches into his own satchel and pulls out a small red crystal, holding it up) This, among many others, is a Fire Crystal; Just another modern household item that makes life easier. Get with the times, my friend! (Hands it to you)

You have received a Fire Crystal!

Description: A crystal infused with fire. 

You: Okay. Well, I'm going to light this thing... so don't blame me if you get your butt bitten off. 

You chuck the Fire Crystal into the pile of Sacred Bark. The crystal shatters and forms a small burst of flames that dies down into the bark and creates an ember. 

A small cloud of smoke rises towards the gears above... 

The spriggans quickly become agitated and begin shrieking as they catch wind of the smoke from the sacred bark. They convulse for a few seconds before pulling away from the rusting gears and attempt to flee. 

However, when they find that there is no way out, they turn to the source of the smoke. There is about ten of these creatures, no larger than a rabbit. As they all turn to look at you and the burning bark with their beady red eyes, they gather together along the wall and grab the smallest one of their own. 

Having picked their sacrificial lamb, the spriggans work together to chuck the squealing victim towards the pile of bark, causing you to jump back in surprise. It shrieks and dissolves into a mound of soot over the pile of bark, dispersing the ember and rendering it harmless. 

The rest of them begin to climb down the walls, enraged...

Nael: Clever little things! (Begins to write) 

You: Here they come... (Readying your onion sword) 

A spriggan jumps off the wall towards Nael! 

Nael: Agh! (Smacks it away with the hard cover of his journal) Incoming, Fledge! 

You: Huh- OH! 

You swing your onion sword towards the incoming spriggan as if you were playing some sort of ball game. 

Critical Hit! The spriggan takes 50 points of damage. (50/100HP)

Nael: (Scrunches his face, holding his fist up) Oghhhh! You got him right in the eye! Look at all that soot flying around- Oh crap, heads up! (Points at the other spriggans coming at you from the walls) 

Spriggan #1(100/100HP) approaches...

Spriggan #2(100/100HP) approaches...

Spriggan #3(50/100HP) approaches... You: They're everywhere... 

Spriggan #4(100/100HP) approaches...

Spriggan #5(100/100HP) approaches...

Nael: (Watching with wide eyes as they begin their relentless assault on poor you) Whoa... If I had to explain what they were doing to you, I'd refer you to an image like this:

 

Nael: Yikes... maybe we should have looked into getting a better weapon, no? 

While being thrown around like a ragdoll by the little black demon balls of hell, you do happen to take out a few of them with your dull blade. Eventually you begin to get an edge on them as they start perceiving you as a threat and keep their distance. 

The spriggans decide to stop toying with you and get serious. They begin to act strangely, crowding together and piling themselves up against one another. Their soot-like bodies begin merging and taking shape into an even bigger version of a spriggan with limbs. Its shriek is now more like a rorar, and it proceeds to engage you.

___________________________________________

Guardian of the spriggans. (1000/1000HP)

You: (Backing up against the wall) Um... Nael? 

Nael: (Way behind you, nearly dropping his journal) Y-Yeah...? 

You: YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A GIANT SPRIGGAN!

Nael: (Holds his journal over his face as the Spriggard roars) I didn't know they could do that!

~*~

To be continued...

Author's Note

No choice this time, sorry! That's reserved for the next chapter.

Also, I'm really sorry for not adding any new chapters the last few days. Real life can be such a drag! But I'm free now and am itching to shove out some new chapters!

Reviews

[Anniejuran]

lololololol poor us D: and oh god a boss :C Nael better help us or i'll be D: and lol the elevator music from hell :D

[Buddha]

cool about time you bring a new chapter =)

the animated picture with the ball made me laugh out loud lool

you make the flashbacks sound like something out of a movie..

[okina]

hahah oh man you know the boss is going to be tough if it's name is in giant firey letters xD

Can't wait to see how we're gonna beat him!