Metroid: Mission Alpha
Episode 25: Mystery of the Ruins
I forgot to mention before, but I got some advice from a friend on my writing a little while ago. I've been using this advice to try improving my writing since episode 23.
Samus and Alpha had decided to return to Lavolca and visit the ancient ruins there, in hopes of finding evidence of the suggested rivalry between the Chozo and the Greblai and Silhouites. With HQ leader Michael still recovering from injuries, the two adventurers were on their own this time, but they would do their best to carry out this mission successfully.
The Gunship landed on Lavolca's surface; the armored woman and the male Snacanid inside stepped onto the planet. They looked ahead, where the enormous cave was, and behind, where the rocky landscape was. "We haven't encountered the Lavolcian ruins before," Samus spoke, "Which way should we go to find them?"
Suddenly, a screeching sound was heard from above. Samus and Alpha looked up, seeing a bird-like creature soaring overhead. It was about Alpha's size and had dark red-orange feathers. Its belly and the bottom of its tail were white, and it had black markings on its wings and on the bottom of its tail. It had long feathers on its head, yellow and white wingtips, and deep golden eyes. Stunningly bright light glowed from its wings, leaving a trail behind it as it flew. "Michael told me about that creature," Samus said, "It's a Shinix, a mysterious Lavolcian creature that has highly reflective wings."
The Shinix flew back and forth over the landscape behind Samus and Alpha, seemingly looking over at them as its wings glowed in the sunlight. "It looks as if it wants us to follow it," Samus said. Alpha and she ran across the area, and the Shinix began to move forward. Across the warm and quiet landscape they went, passing rocky areas and sparse grassy areas. After some time, the bird-like creature circled around above a huge gate that appeared very old. On each side of it sat a tall and wide pedestal.
Samus and Alpha stopped. "Could that be the ruins?" Samus wondered. She ran to the gate, which had a message carved in an ancient language on its front. "Let's see if I can translate this message," she activated a translation feature of her visor, which could decipher foreign languages in writing. Then she read the translation aloud: "Only those who pass the test at this point shall enter the ruins of ancient Lavolca." The bounty hunter looked up at the pedestals for a moment. "That must refer to those structures. They appear to resemble torches-Alpha, try using your Fire ability on them."
Alpha obeyed and breathed fire at the pedestals. Immediately their tops went ablaze, and the gate flashed with light. It slowly creaked open, brilliant light emanating from within; and then, the Lavolcian ruins became visible, revealing ancient yet striking features and tall, aged buildings. Samus and Alpha gasped in awe. "The ancient Lavolcian ruins," Samus breathed. Speechless from the sight of the ancient beauty, the two of them entered the gate.
As Shinix perched upon the branch of a lone tree, Samus and Alpha walked through the ruins, gazing at the built structures it contained. While crumbling and worn in spots, they clearly had been intricately designed and showcased an old Lavolcian heritage. The ruins appeared to have once been a large city, where it could be imagined that it had been a busy and bustling haven to Lavolcians long ago.
Eventually Samus and Alpha came to a building larger and grander than the others. Designs resembling various types of creatures lined parts of its outer walls. Samus translated a message carved above the door: "The Great Lavolcian Temple: This is the heart of our fine city, and a sacred place to gather." She managed to pull the door open, which creaked loudly from age and lack of use. "Maybe we'll find what we seek in here," she said.
Samus and Alpha entered the temple, finding a sight to behold; while the first room seemed only to be an entrance, its overall appearance was mesmerizing. The walls were lined with colorful stained-glass windows that let the sunlight in, filling the room with a soft, beautiful light. A worn and faded red carpet formed a path leading into the next room, the door of which was still standing open. The two visitors moved to the next room, the door swinging loosely with a slight squeaking sound as they walked by it.
The next room was much bigger than the first, with rows of seating inside. At the back of the room was an empty, dust-covered altar; at each side of the altar stood a tall statue resembling a Greblai holding a staff. The statues showed signs of wear, yet they still had a formidable appearance, with watchful looks in their eyes. Despite the gentle, calming feeling of the light shining through the windows, the silence and stillness in the building gave it a somewhat eerie feeling. The only sounds were the squeaking of the door and Samus and Alpha's footsteps as they walked through the room. Remaining quiet, both of them went over to a door in one corner and Samus carefully pushed it open.
The next room had a smaller amount of light than the previous ones, and was closer in size and emptiness to the entrance room. On one wall was one plain window, and on another was a huge statue resembling the head of a Greblai with closed eyes. "What could be the purpose of this room?" Samus wondered softly. Alpha ran over to the wall opposite the statue and yipped. Samus followed and looked at the wall, which was covered with ancient drawings. Though the drawings were slightly faded and dirt-covered, it was still possible to tell what they depicted-Greblai, Silhouites, and other Lavolcian creatures in different situations. "Good work!" Samus said, "These drawings might provide an answer!"
Samus's eyes moved to one drawing on the wall, and her breath caught in her throat. The drawing showed several bird-like beings in fighting poses standing across from a group of Greblai and Silhouites. "Look at this!" she exclaimed, "I know those beings anywhere-those are Chozo!" Alpha watched as Samus translated the two lines of text below the image and recited the translation: "The Chozo…fight against the Greblai and the Silhouites."
Samus looked up from reading in surprise. "What? Does this mean Master Silhouite was correct? From what I remember, the Chozo were a peaceful race-it doesn't make sense for them to just attack the Greblai and Silhouites! If they did do this, there was a reason…wasn't there?" She paused for a moment and then sighed and turned around. "Let's go back to HQ and tell Michael about what we've found. Maybe once he's recovered, he can help us research this more."
Samus and Alpha took a few steps after turning to leave the room. Suddenly Alpha felt part of the floor drop beneath his left front paw. He jumped back and yelped in surprise. Samus and he both looked down to see that he had stepped on a small switch on the ground. Then they looked over at the statue-its eyes opened, blazing with a mysterious light. The mouth of the statue opened, releasing a large boulder. "It's a trap!" Samus shouted, "Run!"
The two of them raced out of the room and zipped past the rows of seating in the next room. The door to the entrance room swung harder as they ran by it. By the time Samus pushed open the front door, the boulders had strangely multiplied to two and were moving quickly! Once Samus and Alpha came outside, they saw that the entire temple was glowing. It was odd, but they knew there was no time to think about it, and they ran on without any pause.
Samus and Alpha tore across the ruins, their hearts pounding in their chests and their legs taking them at full speed. By now there were three boulders that somehow seemed to follow them. Soon, they heard a familiar screeching and looked up-there was Shinix, flying in circles in the air. Samus and Alpha ran toward it and soon came to the gate at the ruins' entrance.
Once outside the ruins, Samus looked up at the pedestals, which were still on fire. "Alpha, try using your Water ability to put out the flames!" she said quickly as the boulders drew closer. A stream of water came from Alpha's mouth, putting out the flames. Immediately the gate flashed with light and then slowly closed, and all was quiet again. Samus and Alpha heard only their own breathing as they stared at the closed gate in the sunset. Then they looked back to see that Shinix was flying away. "That Shinix led us into and out of the ruins when we needed guidance," Samus noticed in wonder, "It's as if it was sent to help us. Do you think…?" Alpha and she looked up at where the creature had been in the colorful sky.
A few minutes later, the two were back in the Gunship, ready to leave Lavolca. "All right, now we can head back to HQ," Samus told Alpha, "We have learned something, but at the same time, we have even more questions than before! Hopefully we'll all be able to answer them, and soon." Alpha agreed, and then the Gunship lifted off toward its destination.
(Original story from July 2017)
We are now halfway through this series!