Ori and the Stranger

Chapter 14

     Blitz sat on the pontoon, tapping his fingers together impatiently. Ori hadn't been gone long, but Blitz didn't like the thought of him being alone. He could get hurt, or worse. And Blitz didn't want to lose his only friend. Blitz started to look around, considering finding his own way out of this place. But he almost slapped himself. He wasn't on his own this time; he had a partner to look out for. Something he admittedly wasn't used to. But, nonetheless, he had gotten himself into this mess. Hopefully Ori would get him out of it.

     Several minutes passed. Blitz grew more and more restless. He began looking around once more, once again considering leaving on his own. He stood up to get a better look, but was greeted by a sharp pain all up his body, forcing him back to a sitting position with a wince. Even if he wanted to, his injury would keep him from leaving. So, as much as he hated it, he would have to wait.

     Another several minutes passed. Nothing. Blitz's restlessness was growing almost unbearable. But then, a loud crash cut through the silence from above. Blitz immediately turned his gaze upward, and saw a quite disheartening sight: boulders, falling from an edge a hundred feet above him. Blitz couldn't move fast enough due to his injury, and could only watch as the boulders crashed into the lake to the left of the pontoon a little too close for comfort, spraying putrid droplets all over the pontoon and Blitz. Luckily, his suit protected him, but he still disliked the smell and the sight of the droplets simmering on his armor, and so he rapidly brushed them off. The pontoon bobbed dangerously from the ripples caused by the boulders, and Blitz could only sit and wonder. What was happening? Was it Ori? Was Ori okay? Blitz wanted to know, but he had no way of answering his questions. He hated it.

     Another bunch of boulders fell. Then another. Then another. After several minutes, the boulders finally stopped falling, and Blitz was once again plunged into silence. His restlessness grew with each passing second as he sat and waited for something to happen. Anything.

     At long last, after a few more agonizing minutes, something finally happened. Blitz heard a distant, muffled click, followed by a mechanism firing and the sound of stone grinding against stone. Blitz immediately shot up, gaze whirling in the direction of the noise. Finally!

     "Ori?! Is that you?!" Blitz called out, staring down the tunnel that led to the Ancestral Tree. His spirits soared as he heard Ori call back. "Yes, Blitz! I'm here!" After a few moments, Blitz saw Ori scampering up the tunnel, Sein floating above him. The little spirit was clearly as excited as Blitz was. Ori rushed over the pontoon and rammed directly into Blitz's chest, wrapping him into a hug and knocking Blitz onto his back. Blitz let out a yelp, and stared down at Ori, not returning the hug. After a moment, Ori looked up at Blitz's surprised face, and his happy expression changed to one of confusion. He quickly unwrapped himself and got off of Blitz. "Sorry," Ori said, looking away from Blitz as Blitz sat up.

     Blitz didn't know how to respond to what had happened, so he changed the subject. "Well? What did you find?" he asked, looking at Ori expectantly.

     "Well, I found a little passage that led back down to the Ancestral Tree cavern, so that's how I found you. I also ran into a little trap," Ori explained.

     "Is that what those boulders were all about?" Blitz asked with a little chuckle. He chuckled again when Ori nodded.

     Sein seemed impatient with the two. "Come, come, there is no time to chat! This detour has given the Gumon more time to get away!" she ordered.

     "I don't think he's getting far with that injury," Ori said to Sein.

     Blitz snorted. "I can walk just fine, thank you."