Chapter 22: "Horn Hazards!"

"Ambeeer! Where are you?" Alaylle glances back and forth as she tries to find a certain Ambernite. "I knew I should have eaten lunch here… but noooo… I just had to go to Geffen…" Alaylle looks at the ground and sighs. While she looks at the ground, she spots a huge black beetle with even larger than normal mandibles. "Kyaaaaaa!"

Alaylle jumps high into the air with an extremely frightened face. "Giant buggie!" The moment she lands from her jump, she runs away frantically from the giant insect. Alaylle blinks her eyes and looks back… the beetle isn't chasing her at all. She takes out her monster book and, from a safe distance, looks up what the beetle is. "Hmm… Horn? That's kind of a fitting name for a bug with such big jaws… although… maybe 'Jaws' would be a better name? Or maybe 'Bites', or 'Chews', or… uh… anyway." Alaylle quickly shakes her head to get herself back on subject.

"Hmm… Horns are a type of huge insect that feeds on plants. Can be identified by the distinctive sound of their mandibles striking each other as they walk. Despite their intimidating and threatening appearance, these beetles are quite docile. However, if angered and threatened, this beetle will not hesitate to lunge at the offender with a painful scissor-like snap of its mandibles." Alaylle plays with a stand of her hair by winding it around her finger. "I guess they're okay then… Better not get one angry!" She quickly puts away the monster book. "Uh… now… what was I doing again?"

Alaylle quickly brightens. "Ah, that's right! Amber! Where are you Am-huh?" Alaylle looks down at the ground when she feels something nudge her shoe. "Oh! There you are Amber!"

Amber the Ambernite looks up at Alaylle expectantly.

Alaylle blushes and looks away. "Don't give me that look… I know I'm late! One of my friends distracted me with a game of cards!" Alaylle sweatdrops when she realizes how terrible of an excuse that sounds. "Anyway! Let's get started on that training, Amber!" Alaylle smiles happily.

Amber nods and looks up at Alaylle again.

"Ready, huh? Okay, let's start then! Here I go!" Alaylle pulls her chain out of her sleeve, runs towards Amber and strikes the top of Amber's shell with her chain.

Naturally, Amber has withdrawn into her shell and already started rolling once the chain strikes. The chain strike even helps Amber start rolling.

Alaylle readies another strike as Amber turns around and tries to roll bash her. She strikes the top of Amber's shell again with her chain, and barely manages to get out of the way of the rolling shell.

Amber doesn't seem affected by the chain strikes at all, and continues to pick up rolling speed. The next two passes against Alaylle are the same; with Amber's roll missing, and Alaylle's chain bouncing off the shell.

"Eyahh… That shell… my chain doesn't do much of anything against it… gotta try something else…" Alaylle readies her chain again for another strike.

Amber suddenly pokes out of her shell while the snail shell's opening points towards the ground, giving the spinning shell enough lift to make a jumping tackle at Alaylle.

Alaylle takes the hit and hops back a few steps from the impact. Even though her clothing protected her from the tackle, it still stung. "Oww… Wow… I never thought you could jump, Amber!" She watches the Ambernite roll off for another strike and watches the way the shell rolls. 'Oh! I got it!'

Amber rolls back towards Alaylle for another strike, when Alaylle suddenly strikes the lower part of Amber's shell. The shell starts swerving wildly and then starts spinning horizontally rather than vertically. Amber's shell tips over and spins on its side on the ground. Amber comes flying out of the shell's opening the moment the shell starts spinning on its side on the ground.

Alaylle quickly runs and catches Amber softly before she hits the ground. "Eyaahh! Amber, are you okay?"

Amber's eyes are all swirls, but she dizzily nods.

Alaylle walks over to Amber's shell and sets Amber back into it. She then starts fanning Amber with her hands.

Amber slowly recovers and looks up at Alaylle.

"Hmm… that spinning shell is really something! Its just… well… if you hit it from the side… the shell sort of goes nuts, doesn't it?"

Amber nods.

"Hmm… we'll figure out a way to get around that! Let's go again!"

Amber quickly nods and withdraws back into her shell.

Alaylle readies her chain. "Okay! Let's start!"

Amber simply stays still in her shell.

Alaylle blinks her eyes. "Huh? I guess you want me to attack first…" She quickly strikes the shell with her chain… and sweatdrops as the chain just bounces off the shell. "Okay… let me try it this way!" Alaylle strikes the shell again and again, from all sides of it… and the chain just continues to bounce off.

Alaylle stops for a moment to catch her breath. She manages to say in between breaths, "Amber… what… are… you… doing?" She goes up to Amber and tries picking her up. The shell is firmly anchored to the ground. Alaylle sighs and then tries pulling the shell off the ground.

Amber suddenly pushes the shell off the ground and tackles Alaylle as she's lifting the shell.

Alaylle gets hit by the tackle and falls over onto the ground with Amber's shell on her stomach. This time, she's the one with swirlly eyes.

Amber pokes her head out of her shell carefully, so as not to slime Alaylle's clothes.

"Eyahhh… Amber… that was dirty… but… it sort of serves me right for not realizing what you were doing…" Alaylle slowly gets up to sit in a more proper way rather than the sprawl on the ground she was in from falling. Amber slowly rolls off of Alaylle's stomach as Alaylle stands up. Alaylle smiles happily at Amber while breathlessly saying, "Whew… let me catch my breath."

Amber looks up at Alaylle and nods.

"You know, Amber… somehow I think you'll be the one training me rather than me training you." Alaylle giggles.

Amber sweatdrops and nods.

A strange soft ticking sound starts coming from the east. The sound slowly glows louder and louder… and the ticking turns into a sort of "clacking" sound.

Alaylle inclines her head. "Say… Amber… do you hear that sound? It sure is getting loud…"

Amber looks up at Alaylle, looks towards the east, and then nods.

Alaylle closes her eyes for a moment. "It sounds like… that beetle thing I saw before I found you… only… this sound is a lot louder. What was that beetle called again?… Oh yeah! A Horn." She opens her eyes and turns towards the sound. Her eyes widen at what she sees.

A huge swarm of Horns is coming from the east. Not only that, but the Horns are viciously biting anything that gets in the swarm's way. Trees and plants are mercilessly being chopped down by the Horns. A few Ambernites can also be seen rolling away from the swarm.

Alaylle hops to her feet quickly. "Amber! Quickly! We have to run! Those Horns are biting everything in sight!"

Amber nods, but then halts as the sound of Horns starts coming from the north and south.

"Uh oh… that's not good… Umm… Oh! I know! I saw a bridge in the northwest! Let's try going that way!"

Amber nods again and quickly rolls in the northwest direction while Alaylle runs after her.

Alaylle looks back for a moment and sees the Ambernites confusingly trying to decide on a direction to retreat. "Ambernites! This way! Quickly!"

The Ambernites quickly orient on her voice and roll towards the northwest.

Alaylle and the Ambernites make it to the wooden bridge in the middle of Ambernite Field. Several Ambernites are already crossing over the bridge, but some have fallen onto their sides from their panic.

Alaylle quickly runs onto the bridge, picking up any Ambernites that have fallen and finishes crossing when the bridge onto the small island in the middle of Geffen River. Suddenly, the bridge connecting the island to the east part of Ambernite Field becomes loose and falls into the Geffen River.

"Whew… everyone alright?" Alaylle gently places the Ambernites she picked up onto the ground. The Ambernites nod slowly and Amber rolls up to Alaylle. "Aahh… thank goodness… you're alright, Amber!" Alaylle smiles happily. She then turns around. "Eep! The bridge is down!" Alaylle looks further away, to see the Horns making short work of the eastern support posts that once held the bridge up. "…I wonder why the Horns are so violent? My book said they were pretty docile…" Alaylle looks back to the Ambernites. "But at least lots of you escaped!" She walks over to the west part of the island and spots another bridge. "Well… at least we can leave the island… and the west part of Ambernite Field will be safe too!"

Alaylle sits down next to Amber and talks to her. "Still… I wonder why the Horns did that? But… Oh! I know! Let's take back your home! I'll help of course!"

Amber thinks for a moment and then nods.

Alaylle looks towards the other Ambernites. "What do you say?"

All the other Ambernites quickly nod.

"Alright! It's decided then! I'll help train you all!" Alaylle smiles happily.

"Only… uh… tomorrow… right now it's getting late, so I gotta get home before Mommy starts cooking!" Alaylle sweatdrops.

Amber looks worriedly towards the southeast.

"Huh? Oh… how will I get home? Don't worry! There's another path from Geffen to here other than the one over there! Plus… I have this!" Alaylle happily pulls out a Butterfly Wing.

Amber sighs with relief.

"Okay! So tomorrow, I'll meet you in West Ambernite Field, Amber! Make sure you gather everyone up, okay?" Alaylle makes a fist. "We'll take back your home!… Sorry… I always wanted to do that pose… Karian always does it…"

Amber sweatdrops at Alaylle's posing and starts to wonder if being trained by Alaylle is such a good idea.

End of Chapter 22
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Chapter 23 Preview!

Alaylle: "Against an enemy of that number… there's only one option!"

Alaylle: "We have to overpower them!"

Alaylle: "With both tricks, power, and a little teamwork too!"

In the Next Chapter: "Thinking Outside the Cart"

Corin: "Just what are you doing, Alaylle?"
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