Goraldia: The Element Wielders

13: Dangerous Creatures

We're coming to the end of the plains. There is another forest on the other side, but something was off. The trees looked weird. They looked shiny. I can't investigate them from this distance, though. I tell everyone, "C'mon guys, we're almost to our rest site." "Oh thank god," I hear for the first time from Ophelia. On we go into the unknown forest.

The sun is down now, but the moon is still a silver ball in the sky. I can see the trees much clearer now, but it's still a little dark. The trees have a wide base but quickly yet gradually get slimmer. As they grow upward, they curve away from the base and curve back. Half of my height above me, the trees split from a trunk to multiple thin branches. Above the split, the tree doesn't ascend very far before all the leaves take over. The leaves have a crystal-ish shape, and seem to shine in the moonlight at certain angles. The bark courses with translucent material that shines like the leaves. At the split through the middle of either side of the trees are gems. Inside the tree. It looks natural, like it wasn't placed but grew instead. The veins I saw, glinting up and down the tree, are gems, too. Like gem sap. The trees grew the gems! These were the coolest trees ever. 

I lead us into the gem forest, in the direction of the next item. Several hundred feet into the trees, a piercing sound finds its way to me. We all stop moving and try to listen to where the sound came from. It was a screech-bark sort of sound. It's silent for a while. It sounded like a mix between the high pitched ring that comes from an electronic and an alien chihuahua. The noise got higher and quieter before disappearing. We waited in the darkness, listening for the screech again. The wind rustled through the trees giving off a light clinking noise. Nothing happens.

Then, multiple screeches shriek out, all much louder this time and all around us. Out from nowhere, dog-like creatures jump out from behind the trees. They surround us and watch us carefully, though with what, I have no idea. Their faces were simple, with only a mouth that trisects and travels up their face, and gems for eyes. The dogs were completely crystal. The same veins on the trees course down their bodies as well. Their claws are long sharp gemstones. They stepped forward and back, like normal wild animals, looking occasionally to the biggest one, obviously the alpha.

"I don't think they plan on leaving us alone," I murmur. "I think we entered their territory."

"What do we do?" Ophelia says uneasily, a little louder than I would have liked.

"Fight," Max responds. She's right, but there are at least six of the gem wolfs. It will be tough.

The alpha screeches and one dog launches at the automaton, tearing into the gears. We all look in surprise at the bot, now with its mechanics flying everywhere. Then the alpha gives another, longer screech and the battle begins.

"FIGHT!" I encourage my party. Ophelia isn't really ready to fight yet, so Max, Yrisi, and I are forced to protect. The dogs pounce almost at once. I charge my right fist and smash it into one dog's gem face at sonic speeds. The lightning surrounding my fist takes the blow for me, and the dog goes flying backward, chunks of crystal flying about. A second dog leaps at me right after the first, from a different angle. I shove my arms forward and grasp the dog's shoulders, which keeps the dog's crystal teeth gnashing inches away from my face. The dog's weight pushes me back to the ground, and I land hard. But before the dog lands on top me, I roll back and kick up, the heels of my feet digging into its chin, lightning swirling around. In the air now, I spin backwards to a stand. The first dog had gotten up but was staggered. I send bolts its way, hitting it in different places. I knick it back after every hit and tear off a bit of crystal every time. After I got it weak enough, I charge a larger bolt. The dog got enough time to start running at me. As it leaps to me, I send the big white hot bolt directly in its mouth. Like a spear, it pierces its way down the dog's body. bits of lightning find their way to the surface as the bolt passes through and sputter around. The parts of the dog that were not made of gem turned to gem and the dog shatters, buffeting me. Anticipating the second dog's return, I get both my fists ready. As I thought, the dog ran at me again. It gets a foot away from my neck and I crush its head between my fists. The second dog shatters and I turn to the rest of my team. Three more had been killed but two remain, the alpha and the one on the robot. The mech was completely useless and Yrisi was hurt. Ophelia was sitting next to Yrisi. OH GOD, NO! YRISI! 

The alpha charges at Max and me with the other dog. I run at the alpha in rage while Max spins around chucking fireballs at the other one. I lean forward close to the ground and raise my arm to the alpha. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yell out in my charge. White flashes around the edges of my eyes and my field of view expands. White crowds my eyes and I lose sense of place and time.

I regain consciousness a ways away, past where I was. I turn around to see big red shards where the alpha previously was. The other dog is gone as well. I notice everyone is looking at me. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, I ask, "What got into you guys?"

"Do you know what you just did?" Max implies.

"I ran through the alpha. I think," I say, unsure.

"You, like, turned into lightning!" she yells at me.

"O...oh," I think aloud. It was silent for a while until I remember Yrisi is hurt. I run over to her to see how bad she was hurt. She got bit on her arm and scratched across her torso. The torso cut isn't very deep, but the bites on her arm are. 

"Now would be a wonderful time for Icarus to be here," I say.

"Is he good at fixing wounds?" Ophelia asks.

"Something like that," I reply. "Icarus.... He can heal." We were all silent for a while.

"I'm gonna send a beacon. Yrisi are you able to move?"

"I think I am," she responds slowly. She struggles to get up but has to lean Max.

"Ok, go ahead. I'll catch up," I tell them as I walk back. I find the tallest tree a few dozen yards back and position myself near it. I place my hands as high up the tree as I can and start the beacon. The tree makes it slightly easier to cast. Halfway up to the sky, the lights return. Unknown to me, these would be the last lights to appear. Regardless, my lightning is much brighter than the lights, neon they may be. The beacon is successful and I run back to catch up. 

I get back in no time at all; they had not gotten far. "Let me support her," I instruct. I get on Max's side side and we awkwardly transact Yrisi. "I gotcha. I gotcha," I say quietly to comfort Yrisi. Ooooooh my god, I think, I am holding Yrisi. Her arm is around my shoulders. I'm holding her waist. This is the best day ever. No. The worst day ever. How could I let her get hurt. Damnit, Icarus, why did you have to get yourself captured. 

We hobble along for what feels like forever. "I feel sick," Ophelia alerts us. 

"How so?" Max inquires. 

"I hurt all over. I don't know why."

"We can stop for the night if you want," I tell her.

"Thank you," she responds gratefully.

Our party stop to sleep in a slightly bigger clearing. Everyone sits or lies down except me. "I'll take first watch," I tell them. There's no way I can sleep knowing Yrisi is hurt. Everyone agrees and Max claims the second watch of the night. Everyone drifts off, even Yrisi. half an hour after everyone is asleep, I listen and watch the world around me. The moonlight fractures through the gem leaves and the sounds are calm and serene. I thought sleep would elude me, but sure enough, my eyes start to droop and I lay back. Nothing is gonna hurt us in the five minutes I'm gonna rest. I'll be back up before anything can happen. That was my last thought before I fell into a deep sleep. I would not wake up until morning.