Arc 1 - Chapter 1: The Overgrowth
Long ago, three races ruled over Earth: HUMANS, MONSTERS, and MUTANTS.
One day, war broke out between the full blooded Humans, and the Monsters and Mutants.
After a long battle, the humans were victorious.
The sealed the monsters and mutants underground with a magic spell.
Many years later...
MT. DARKSTONE, 201X
Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return.
A human girl was out adventuring, and found an open crater in the ground. Upon trying to inspect, she tripped on a tree root and fell down. She somehow survived, having landed on a pile of flowers. She was out cold for a while, but she eventually woke, to find herself in a strange place. With the light shining in through the crater, she was revealed to be a brown haired girl in a purple shirt with a pink flower on it, as well as jean shorts and sneakers.
Noticing only one way to go, the girl went down the hallway that lead through a mysterious gate. Upon passing through, she entered another room with light shining in, though what worried her was what appeared to be feminine shadow person standing under the light, with glowing white eyes that featured black pupils, and a glowing mouth. The girl approached the shadow.
"Greetings! I'm Shadoo. Shadoo the Shadow!" She boisterously said. "Hmmm... You're new to the Underground aren't ya? Oh dear, you must be dreadfully confused. Somebody should really teach you how things work down here. I guess little ol' me will have to do. Ready?" She asked.
The light in the area diminished as an orange heart appeared in front of the girl. Shadoo soon spoke again. "See that? That's your soul, the very power of your being. Your soul starts off weak, but you can make it stronger by gaining lots of LV. Now you may be thinking, 'What's LV,' am I right? Well don't worry, that's why I'm here. It stands for LOVE!" She exclaimed.
Something about Shadoo's over-enthusiastic nature made the girl uncomfortable.
"You want some LOVE right? Well let me share some." Shadoo said with a wink. She then summoned black smoky projectiles. "Down here, LOVE is shared through special fragments of magic. Go ahead and catch as many as you can!" She said as she sent the magic at the girl.
Finding it very sketchy, the girl ducked as the magic fragments flew over her.
"Uh, don't worry, I know they may look a bit scary to a human like you, but I assure you there's nothing to fear. Come on, let's try again." Shadoo said as she sent more at the girl.
Still not trusting it, the girl rolled to the side to dodge.
Shadoo was starting to become frustrated. Her pupils disappeared from her blank white eyes and her mouth gained a toothy structure. "You know what I'm trying to do don't ya? You just like seeing me suffer." She said in a creepier voice. She trapped the girl in a circle of the magic fragments, and started to draw them in while laughing maliciously.
Suddenly, a sparkling electric bolt flew in an zapped away the fragments. Shadoo looked over in shock, only to be zapped away herself into the dark corners of the room, where she disappeared. The attacker stepped forth, revealing herself to be what appeared to be a blonde teenage human girl in a teal robe with magenta accents. However, upon closer inspection, under her gloves and boots, what could be seen of her limbs appeared to be made of straw. The girl also noticed they rustle when she walks.
"What an awful creature, attacking an innocent child." She said. She then turned towards the little girl. "Ah, hello there, there's no need to be scared anymore. My name is Leni, and I watch over the Overgrowth. I stroll around here every day to see if anyone has fallen into the mountain, and you're the first person I've seen in a long time. Now come, I will help guide you through this underground jungle." She said.
The light from before began to shine from above again, and Lavender's soul was no longer visible. "This way, uh, oh how rude of me, I never let you introduce yourself. What is your name little one?" She asked.
The girl told Leni her name.
"Lavender? Oh, that's such an adorable name! Now as I was saying, this way!" Leni said as she walked off. Lavender decided to follow her. Through the door was a room. The floor covered in leaves and the walls made of thick vines that curled overhead to form a roof. Leni made her way up a mossy stone staircase. Lavender walked forward.
*The astonishing nature of the Overgrowth strikes you with awe. You have Faith that you'll make it out. Overgrowth - Entrance
Lavender made her way up the stairs, and continued to follow Leni. The room features what seemed to be large buttons embedded into the stone ground. Leni turned to face Lavender. "Welcome to you new home, Lavender. Allow me to teach you the ways of the Overgrowth." She said. Leni then walked over four of the buttons and flipped a switch to open the door.
Leni spoke again. "The Overgrowth is full of puzzles. Old tricks of distractions and doorkeys. You must know how to solve them if you want to get around, so please try to get comfortable with them. Funny, when I was your age I wasn't very good at these myself. I was the ditz of the family back then, but I eventually figured it all out. Now let us continue." She said. Lavender followed Leni through the newly opened door.
In the next room, Leni explained the puzzle. "To get trough here, you just have to flip a couple of levers. Don't worry, I've labeled the ones you'll have to flip." She said as she walked off. Lavender made her way down a stone path and across bridges over flowing rivers. She saw a lever with a sign pointing at it. She pulled the lever down, and went back to the path.
Further down were two more levers. The sign between them pointed to the left one, so Lavender flipped that one. The vines behind Leni sank into the floor, revealing a pathway. "Good job! I'm so proud of you! Let us move to the next room." She said as she continued onward. Out of curiosity, Lavender tried to pull the other lever, but it didn't even work. She just decided to move on.
In the next room, there was just a scarecrow. Leni then spoke up. "As a human in the Underground, monsters may try to attack you. You will have to be ready for this, but don't be scared, it's rather simple. When a monster attacks, you will enter a fight. When in a fight, use your words. Reason with your opponent and resolve the conflict. Practice on this scarecrow." She said, and walked over to the exit.
Lavender approached the scarecrow, and then the light dimmed as her soul appeared again.
*You encountered the Scarecrow.
Lavender attempted to talk to the Scarecrow, but it didn't seem much for conversation. Leni seemed happy either way. The lights began to shine again, exiting battle mode.
"Amazing, you got it! You're very good at this." Leni said before walking off. Lavender followed. "There is a puzzle in this room, I wonder if you'll be able to solve it." As they were walking, the area suddenly entered fight mode as a monster jumped in front of Lavender.
*Toxatoad attacks you!
Lavender was ready to do something, but Leni stepped in, starting at the monster with grimace. Toxatoad began to sweat and slowly move away. The fight ended. They continued forward to a field of thorns. "Oh dear, on second though, hold my hand for this one." Leni said. Lavender did so. Leni walked Lavender around in an odd pattern, but as they walked, the thorns sank into the ground as their feet came near.
After they crossed, Leni turned back. "I'll have to mark that one, it's a bit too dangerous." She said as she walked on. Lavender followed suit. Through the door, Leni was waiting. "You have done great so far, Lavender. But I have a difficult thing to ask of you. I want you to walk to the end of this stretch by yourself. I'm sorry." She said as she ran off. Lavender was more confused than scared.
Lavender began to walk down the seemingly endless stretch of the Overgrowth. After finally reaching the end of the corridor, Leni appeared from behind a pillar. "Hello again. No need to fear, I didn't leave you. I was behind this pillar the whole time. It means a lot that you trust me, and there was a reason for this silly little exercise. I needed you to practice being on you own, for I have something to take care of up ahead. So I will give you a cellphone. If you ever need anything, just call." She said before she walked off.
Lavender knew she'd get bored, so she decided to continue forward. She entered a room that branched off in two directions. Lavender took the left path, but ended up in a room that contained nothing but a bowl of berries. The bowl said 'take one' on it, so she did so, and decided to walk off. She then went down the path to the right of where she came from. She walked a little ways down the corridor, and looked around at the stone pillars.
*It seems this may have been a shrine of some sort, giving you wonder. You have Faith that you'll make it out. Overgrowth - Old Shrine
As Lavender attempted to walk further, she was once again ambushed, and the area entered fight mode.
*Toxatoad has returned!
Lavender took Leni's advice and gave Toxatoad a complement. It didn't seem to fully understand what it meant, but was flattered anyway. Suddenly fight mode went away as Toxatoad jumped off blushing. Lavender felt good having done something nice, and decided to go on. The next room seemed empty, but as soon as Lavender reached a certain part of the floor, cracking was heard.
She jumped back as a section of the floor crumbled away. Lavender got back up and got a running start, jumping over the pit. After that, her phone began to ring. "Hello, it's me!" Leni's voice came from the phone. "Out of curiosity, do you prefer vanilla or chocolate?" She asked. Lavender answered the question. "Ah, I see. Thanks, just another little thing I know about you. Bye bye!" Leni said before hanging up.
Lavender made her way through a few empty rooms. Well, not entirely true, but whatever buttons she had to press were already being held down by rocks. As she was walking, the area suddenly entered fight more.
*You encountered Slimy
Lavender saw that the monster wasn't really up for battle, so she lowered her arms as a sign of sparing. Slimy smiled and bounced past her, ending battle mode. This encounter left Lavender confused, as it didn't seem to have a point, but she decided to just press on anyway. Lavender soon saw another mutant laying on the floor. Lavender walked up, to hear angered noises coming from her, so she attempted to talk to her.
When she rose, she appeared shocked. Her skin was snow white, long jet black hair, and eerily matching blank eyes that leaked inky tears with bright white pupils. She also didn't appear fully solid and had large holes in her hands. Her long black dress reached her ankles, topped with fancy shoes. If Lavender had to guess, she seemed to be in her early teens.
"Wait, you can see me?" The corrupted looking mutant asked. Lavender nodded. "Oh, it's so nice to have someone to talk to. Well, I still did, but one more wouldn't hurt. What's your name?" She asked. Lavender told her. "Ah, well hello there. I'm Nevermore." She replied. "I typically just wander the Underground because, well, look at me. In this state barely anybody can see me. You're the second person who's talked to me." She said.
Lavender asked her about the first. "Oh, just an old friend with a sharp memory. Say, I have an idea. If you're looking to escape, I'll come along and help you. Nobody will be able to tell since they can't see me, and it would be nice to have somebody to talk to on the go around the Underground. What do you say?" Nevermore asked. Lavender agreed. "Great, I can't wait. Let's go." She said.
Lavender continued to walk through the Overgrowth with her new companion, Nevermore. The two eventually made it to another fork. This time, Lavender chose to go right, and ended up in a bat bake sale. Nevermore examined everything. "Ah, the bats, they come from a little area to the east. The girl who controls them kinda looks like me." She said. Lavender didn't wanna buy anything and went back to take the other path, and the two continued to follow the stone path.
Suddenly Lavender's phone began to ring. Leni's voice came out of the phone. "Hello, I just wanted to tell you this since I just remembered myself. It's actually been a long time since I've cleaned up. I haven't had company in a while, so cleaning kinda took the backseat for a while. If you happen to find anything laying around, feel free to take it, but only what you need please, bye bye." Leni said as she hung up.
In the next room was a bunch of holes, down one was a switch, but each had a way back up. Nevermore spoke. "You know, I could look under there and see which is the..." Before she finished, Lavender jumped down a hole. "...or you could do that." Nevermore said. Down at the bottom, Lavender entered another fight.
*Cabpatch rose from the ground.
The monster looked to be plant-like. Nevermore flew in. "Oh, Cabpatch. When they attack, just catch the green projectile." She explained. Cabpatch attacked by flinging magic projectiles resembling cabbage. As Nevermore pointed out, one was green, which Lavender caught in her hand. It disappeared and Lavender felt better than she did before. Cabpatch was happy, and retreated back into the ground, ending the fight.
Lavender made her way out of the pit, and Nevermore flew up through the floor. "I looked, it's the next one over. Let's be more careful next time." Nevermore said. Lavender jumped down the right hole and flipped the lever in the pit. As she was about to leave, fight mode was entered yet again.
*Cyclo drew near.
The monster was humanoid, but had one eye and snow white skin. It looked sad. Nevermore chimed in. "This is Cyclo. They sometimes get picked on. Just be friendly." She said. Lavender then approached Cyclo and hugged them, making them happy. Cyclo disappeared in a gust of fog and wind. The fight ended, and Lavender made her way back up, with Nevermore coming through the floor. The two made their way onward.
The two made it up a set of stone stairs, and there was a fork in the road. The two could tell the left led to Leni's house, because that path was wider and more well kept. Interested, Lavender decided to go right. She and Nevermore ended up on a balcony overlooking what seemed to be an old temple. It was an astounding sight. They then noticed a wooden knife laying on the ground. Lavender decided to take it in case she had to defend herself.
Nevermore spoke. "I guess it wouldn't be the worst idea, but I recommend you wait before pulling out a weapon down here. Monsters and mutants are very defensive about potential threats." She said. Lavender understood, and the two made their way back to go towards Leni's home. However, when they arrived back at the branch, fight mode was engaged.
*Minimoth and Hisser appeared!
Minimoth was a moth-like monster that looked very timid. Hisser was a monster that resembled a cockroach. Nevermore grimaced. "Ugh. Listen close, Minimoth doesn't want to fight, they were dragged into this fight by Hisser. Hisser thinks that they can beat you because they're with somebody." She said.
Lavender made her first move by making a sinister grin. Minimoth was scared off. Hisser, now alone, started to sweat. They launched magic projectiles that resembled flying cockroaches. Disgusted, Lavender pulled out her wooden knife and cut down the projectiles as they drew closer. Having witnessed their attack blocked, Hisser also backed off. Both bugs now terrified, Lavender lowered her weapon, the sign of sparing. The two were happy and left as fight mode ended.
Nevermore looked on. "Wow, not bad for your first two on one fight. Hate to tell you, but it won't be the last or worst, but with skills like that, I doubt they'll stand a chance against you." She said. Lavender smiled as she put away the wooden knife and strolled onward, towards Leni's home. Before making it far, Lavender heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." Leni walked forward, and noticed Lavender. "Oh my, how did you get here? Did anyone hurt you, cause I'll make sure you get an apology." She said. Lavender shook her head. "Oh thank goodness. It wasn't smart to leave you alone for so long. I shouldn't have tried to surprise you like this. Oh...well I can't hide for any longer. Come take a look." Leni said as she walked onward. Lavender and Nevermore followed to see the house Leni lived in.
*Making it here all by yourself has given you a sense of accomplishment. You have Faith you'll make it out. Overgrowth - Home
Lavender went inside. Leni was waiting. "Do you smell that? It's vanilla-chocolate swirl brownies. I figured you'd like to celebrate your arrival here. I have another surprise for you. Come this way please." Leni said as she walked to right side of the house. Lavender and Nevermore followed. Leni stopped at a door. "Here it is. A room of your own. Wait, is something burning? Uh, make yourself at home." Leni said before running off.
Nevermore watched as she ran down the halls. "She's something else." She said. Lavender went into her new room. She looked around, but there were just locked cabinets, boring toys, and empty frames. Being really tired from the day she had so far, Lavender just turned out the lights and decided to go to sleep. Nevermore just decided to lay her ghostly self in the corner and pass out to pass the time.
When Lavender woke up, she found one of the brownies Leni made on a plate. Nevermore also woke up and saw this. "Oh, I see your predicament. No need to fear. Since the stuff down here is made of magic and energy, you'll be able to pocket that without problem." Nevermore said. Lavender picked up the brownie, and it entered a sort of magical orb-like state, which allowed her to put it in her pocket.
Nevermore spoke again. "Another great thing about monster food is that it takes a really long time to go stale, way longer than any sane person would be willing to wait for, so you don't have to worry about preserving it." She said. Lavender nodded in response and left her room. Lavender walked down the halls and found Leni reading a book. Leni looked up.
"Oh, up already I see? I just want to say, I'm really happy to have somebody here. Oh, pardon me, did you want something?" She asked. Lavender asked Leni about going home. "...I have to go do something. Stay here." She said before running off quickly.
Nevermore looked on. "That doesn't sound good. You better follow her quick!" She told Lavender. She understood and made haste. Lavender saw that a previously blocked off staircase was no longer blocked, so she and Nevermore made their way down. At the bottom was a long corridor, where they found Leni, standing still facing away.
"You wish to return to your home do you not? Ahead is the end of the Overgrowth. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it so that nobody shall ever leave again. Now please, go back upstairs." Leni said with a slightly hurt tone in her voice. She went further down the corridor, but Lavender followed instead of listening to her.
Leni, having heard them following, stopped again without turning around. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I've seen it over and over. They come, they leave, they die. If you leave, they... Lori... will kill you. I only want to protect you from that." Leni said as she ran off yet again. Lavender continued to ignore Leni's advice and followed her still.
Leni once again stopped, this time at the bend in the corridor. "Don't try to stop me, this is your final warning." She simply said before continuing further. Lavender still continued to follow, meeting Leni at a big door at the end of the corridor. "You want to leave so badly? You're just like the rest. There is only one solution. Prove yourself to me. Prove you can survive out there." Leni said. The corridor entered battle mode, the green foliage turning a deep red around them as Leni turned to fight.
*Leni blocks the way.
Not wanting to fight, Lavender tried to spare Leni, only to get not response. Leni raised her hands as the same sparkling electric bolts from before flew from her hands towards Lavender in a pattern. Lavender grew tense, but the helix pattern made them fly perfectly around her. Lavender tried yet again to spare, but still no response. This time Leni fired her bolts more seriously. Not expecting this, Lavender did her best to dodge, but was hit four times, bringing her down to 4HP out of 20.
Still not giving up, Lavender continued to spare, only to be met by the same lack of response. Leni fired more bolts, but they seemed weaker. Lavender still got hit a couple times, bring her down to 2HP. Lavender still stood her ground and spared, Leni's face finally shifted into a pondering glance. Leni attacked again, but she purposefully shot her attacks way off to avoid hurting Lavender anymore, only to be met with another spare.
"What are you doing?" Leni asked, as she used a fake attack again in an attempt to intimidate Lavender, but no matter how hard she tried, Lavender kept sparing. "Fight me or run away. What are you proving this way? Stop looking at me that way." Leni said. Lavender kept sparing. "I know you want to go home, but please go back upstairs. I promise to take care of you. I know I don't have that much, but we can still have a good life here. Just please, stop making this so difficult." Leni said, not even attacking at this point.
Nevermore turned to Lavender. "Keep going, you're reaching her." She said. Lavender spared again. "How pathetic is that? I can't even protect a single child." Leni said, on the verge of tears. Lavender openly dropped her weapon. "No, I understand. You'd be unhappy being trapped down here. The Overgrowth is not really that big once you get used to it. It wouldn't be right to keep you here. My loneliness, my fear, I will put them aside." Leni said.
The corridor finally exited battle mode, the foliage finally restoring to its nice green color. Leni continued to speak. "If leaving is what you want, then I will not continue to try and stop you. But I do have one request: Please do not come back. I hope you understand." Leni said as she got on her knees and hugged Lavender with a tight embrace. "So long." Leni said as she went around Lavender and walked away, looking back for a moment.
Lavender made her way through the door, and made her way up the Overgrowth. The corridor became brighter as they went down. Eventually, they reached the end, to find a room that looked awfully familiar. A light shining down in the middle revealing a familiar shadow.
"Clever. Veeery clever." Shadoo hissed. "You think you're real smart don't ya? In this world, it's kill or be killed. But you had to play by your own rules." She snarled as her toothy mouth and blank eyes returned. "You spared the life of a single person." She said, her face then returned to normal. "You didn't kill anybody. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You'll die over and over and over until you tire of trying. What then?" She asked.
Shadoo's face twisted into an even more dramatic form of her creepy face. "Will you kill out of your frustrations? Or will you just give up entirely on this world and let me inherit the power and control? I am the queen of this world's future. Don't worry my monarch, my plan isn't regicide. This is much more interesting." Shadoo said as she burst into maniacal laughter. After a few seconds, Shadoo sank into the dirt, disappearing.
Nevermore looked at Lavender. "Man, does she ever shut up? She's isn't even that strong, she just cheats." She blankly said. Lavender just made her way onward. After passing through another large set of doors, Lavender saw the light of day once again. As she made her way outside, she uncovered her eyes to see a straight path through a forest covered in snow and mud.
Loudtale Orange
To Be Continued...