Two Candles

The ice-cold snowy winds thankfully began to die down after a few hours. As they left, they left evidence of their existence behind in the form of a thick white carpet encasing everything above ground. The clouds that they brought left too, leaving a silver ray to peak through and paint the frozen grounds with a welcome, although not warm, light. Ori appreciated it most dearly, much more comfortable in the sunlight. It also made what he was doing easier.

The smaller spirit faced down his opponent, drawing his paw back as if he were struggling with the weight of it. Suddenly, the weight was too much, and one hoof slid forward with the relieved paw above it piercing the very air with a bang. In an instant, the previously snow-covered ice of the lake was smoothed enough to skate, and the awestruck expression of his opponent quickly turned to a blinking flinch before being covered entirely by the blast.

"HAAA!" Ori's warrior cry was nearly as impressive as the blast, and was much louder as it echoed throughout the trees surrounding the lake, scaring off a flock of malnourished crows. He stood completely still for a moment as the powdery flakes found their way to the ground, too stunned to move. He only just regained enough of himself to draw his fist back and resume his normal stance just gracefully enough as to look intentional.

The force of the blast had been enough to blow out the campfire on the shore.

Finding his way back to reality, the little spirit's eyes were blown wide with awe as he admired his palm, turning it this way and that. Nothing he could think of to say could possibly describe his amazement at his newfound power.

Almost skeptical of his newest student's origins, Tsui nearly praised his pupil as future grand master material before catching himself. "Very good, Ori. You've learned faster than I had expected," he said, raising an eyebrow. Ori tried his best to stay humble too, but the sheer power of his new skills made it difficult. "Me too," he said with muted excitement, "I… err, We had a great teacher back in the day."

"HA!" Tsui laughed, "You most certainly did, if he can teach like that." Mellowing out, he continued, "Well, I don't think there's much more I can really teach you on the subject. You'll improve with experience, but you're somehow already good enough to pass any metric I would set. I think we're ready to head out into the darkest corners of the forest and live to tell about it. Along the way, I might have some other tricks to show off, who knows?" he hinted with a confident smile.

Ori would have begged for spoilers, but at that moment his stomach had other ideas. One loud growl later, Ori was asking the more pertinent question: "Shouldn't we eat something? I mean, we'll need our strength more than ever, right?" Tsui laughed again, "Your paws aren't the only loud ones today, hmm? Sure, let's go gather some more fruits for you." To his surprise, however, Ori violently shook his head. "No, fruits won't be enough to give me the strength we need. You've shown and helped me with so much so far, it would be impolite of me not to at least try your favorite food." He paused to take a breath, looking towards Tsui as he said it: "I want you to show me how to fish."

…

The two spirits crouched beside an artificial hole in the lake's frozen surface. "The key to fishing, little friend, is timing. With your tiny paws, it'll have to be extra perfect to catch anything." Ori looked down at his paws in disappointment, they were as small as the rest of him. Not wanting to discourage the child, Tsui continued, "Lucky for you, speed is important too, and you've proven to be a master at that." He then stuck his own paw arm deep in the freezing water and stilled, entirely without complaint. "It's really just a matter of your own patience, the fish will visit you sooner or later. Oh, but it seems I'm lucky today. Just a little closer…" Tsui's paw ripped its way to the surface, flying through the air above it at great speed. A fish as big as one of Ori's forearms landed in the snow beside the expert survivor. "Ha! That's a great haul for a first demonstration, and I think you've got the gist. It's your turn now!"

Still staring at the massive fish, Ori was both impressed and curious as to how the fishing strategy was even possible. He stuck his forearm into the water, feeling the veins closing and opening in such a way to make the icy water feel as though it were a lukewarm bath. Not many would be able to fish like this without getting frostbite in minutes.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he closed his eyes to divert all his focus onto his submerged paw. Only seconds later, he was registering the smallest of contacts and flinging his own arm out of the water with an unlucky fish of his own. He marveled at the fish he'd caught with his own paw and turned to communicate his new skill to Tsui when, unfortunately for both involved, the fish squirmed too hard and flung itself from Ori's paw, just to land directly in his open mouth and sending him into a coughing fit. Tsui, however, was a quick thinker and used his paws to dump a large quantity of water down the poor spirit's mouth. A few painful swallows later and the ordeal was over, with Ori feeling as though he had just swallowed a fist-sized rock.

"You alright, kid? Been a while since I saw someone hungry enough to eat a fish raw. Most of us civilized carnivores prepare our fish before eating them, but who am I to judge?" Tsui laughed. Ori didn't smile, though. "What about the fish?" he complained. The taller spirit just shrugged. "Well—" he started, rubbing the child's belly, "enjoy your meal, heh… But you don't look happy about it. Why so sad, buddy? Didn't you want to fish so you could eat one?"

"Well, yes, that's true. But not like this!"

"Ah, don't worry. Fish don't feel anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, I'm not worried about the fish's feelings; I know they aren't like you or me. It's just… I wanted to mentally prepare for that, and instead, I just swallowed it whole like some savage creature of the night, digesting it alive… I killed it."

Tsui shook his head. "Don't be silly. It killed itself when it jumped into your mouth, kid. Stop blaming yourself for its own foolish actions. Now, if you wanna end up actually digesting it to get big and strong like me and avoid the fate of the spirit in the story, we're gonna go gather those special berries I talked about earlier. Just once we've caught enough fish, okay?" Tsui winked. "Just try and hold off on eating any more until then, unless you change your mind!"

…

It wasn't much later when Tsui was struggling not to drop any of the number of fish he was carrying, letting out a breath as he laid them down in the snow for future preparation. Ori followed his friend around a few trees, wondering where he was going without the fish when he suddenly bent down to examine the snowy ground. "They mostly grow underneath the protection of tree cover. The darker the better. I'm no gardener, but I'm pretty sure they love the cold." The spot he was investigating didn't reveal anything, but it was only a few minutes and two spots later before he was successful. "Ah, there we go." Tsui removed some snow off of a seemingly dead bush that had died while still very small, revealing some small, glistening purple bulbs hanging from each limb. Ori's initial confidence swayed. "Are you sure those are the berries you ate? I'm not certain I could imagine anything more toxic-looking than that. Not to mention that I've been here some time, and I don't remember ever seeing those." Tsui was rummaging through the snow to find any of the berries that had fallen off the branch, and answered without even turning his head, "Definitely, kid. I've eaten so many of these things, that, well, considering I'm still alive, if they're supposed to be poisonous then they're not doing a very good job at it. I can't speak for every creature in the forest, but believe me, for us spirits, our bodies handle them very well. Besides the effects I told you about, of course. Remember, if these weren't around then I wouldn't have survived." Ori wasn't completely mollified, but he trusted Tsui to at least not be trying to poison him. He'd had ample opportunity to kill him earlier if that was his goal. "Now," Tsui continued, "while I finish finding berries in the snow, I'd be grateful if you'd find some nice firewood. Your snow blast from earlier didn't do our campfire any favors, and I like my fish cooked."

Various pieces of decent wood were scattered about everywhere, and the two spirits were standing over their blacked former fire with a few fresh sticks, an armful of dry wood, some berries, and some fish of varying sizes and colors. Tsui grabbed two of the sticks and effortlessly rubbed them together, and quickly a small flame started in the coals of their last one. A few small logs later, the fire was ready for cooking. "Now, there is several ways to prepare a fish, but the simplest and my personal favorite is still with a spit. We piece this feller here with one of our sharper sticks"—Ori flinched—"and keep him nicely above the fire to make him crispy and delicious. Try and aim for about this height here." Tsui motioned to the fish as he set up the stick on two grooved ones at a few inches above the logs. "Too low and you'll sear the outside while leaving the inside raw, too high and it'll take ages to finish."

A few minutes passed, Tsui slowly spinning the fish to heat it evenly. Ori was carefully watching the procedure with a morbid curiosity, unsure of whether to be disgusted or excited to eat the fish. Once its outside browned and began to look a little crispy, Tsui created a small blade out of light and cut the fish open, using one of the cleanest pieces of wood as both a cutting board and a plate. Ori took the plate when it was handed to him, and decided his best course of action was to pray for the fish before eating it in the same way his family had thanked the world for their soup a lifetime ago. "Little fish, we thank you for your kindness, to allow us to eat you and keep our own strength in the darkest times." Tsui nodded at this. "I see you eat with mindfulness. That's what you meant before." Ori nodded back, and Tsui smiled as Ori bit into the fish. "Tomorrow's the day, Ori. Under normal circumstances, I'd be reluctant to bring a child into battle with me, but you look like you're more experienced that children should have to be, and you're right that we can't wait any longer. We're going to your village, Ori. Get some rest, and enjoy that fish. We have a tough day on our hands tomorrow."

Ori looked into the horizon at the fading sun, it's beautiful orange-red rays breaking through the hollow-looking trees that had by now become completely barren of any leaves. He stared off, searching for permission on his new diet from whatever entity was responsible for granting it. The fish in his hands had been alive earlier today. "Ahem. Ori," Tsui grabbed his attention with an obvious glare. "We need to eat this evening to have strength for tomorrow. Fill your belly, kid."

…

Morning came, and with it the spirits began their dangerous trek into the woods, two candles against the darkness. Their flames were strong, but the fumes were oppressive, and the lights weakened as time went on. The two knew they were on a time limit; no fire, no matter how bright, could withstand being smothered forever. Despite it all though, neither was willing to turn back.

Half an hour passed, and Tsui had a worrying thought. "In all my years I never…" mumbled Tsui. "Ori, I've had my fair share of fighting evil, but I've never, ever heard of anything even approaching this outside of some of the spirit legends back in Nibel. The air is only getting thicker and harsher as we approach, and we still have a ways to go." Ori froze. "Tsui, what if the air's like this in the village too? What about the inhabitants?"

"I'm sure the inhabitants had time to escape if it's lethal there too. What I'm worried about is us finding out the village is empty too late for us to make it back somewhere where we won't suffocate. The path back isn't easy, and while I can only make wild guesses as to how long we can breathe this before something serious happens, I'm worried it may not be long enough to ensure we can get back to safety if they aren't there. We might already be beyond the point of no return."

"So what's our course of action? We can't turn back on the village, but if we're too far in…"

"The choice isn't ours to make, Ori. You're right we can't turn back on the village, we can only continue as we are. When dealing with situations this bad, there's no guarantee of survival, no matter how prepared we are. There's no counter for bad luck."

Ori shivered.

"DUCK!"

Ori dove to the ground as a glowing blue arrow flew right over the top of his head, right where his neck was moments earlier. The first ghost spirit's entrance through a bush behind the living ones had nearly been the last encounter, but while a crushing blow from Tsui was enough to send a cloud of shattered crystals hurling through the poison air, it was immediately apparent this wasn't the end as dozens poured out of the bushes in an ambush.

"Get ready Ori, the beginning of the wave has only begun!"

The usually competent fighting skill of the ghosts proved to be woefully inadequate in comparison to the masterful abilities of the living duo, but even as the hail of blows manged to land against a block or parry without fail and the air became choked with a second unnatural, unhealthy substance, sheer numbers still found their strikes getting ever closer and the blocks coming later and later.

It was Ori who broke first. No level of skill with a sword would defend someone from powerful and constant attacks from every direction at once, let alone give the wielder an ability to participate offensively as well. Given the choice between sharp implement and more blunt options, Ori threw himself against the crowd and bounced off a hammer swing to send him sailing away from the crowd with only a few minor injuries.

"Tsui! There's too many of them! Get out of there!" A hammer blast against the ground sent ghosts flying every which way, and the taller spirit came bolting out, shoving still stumbling ghosts to the side with his broad shoulders. "Agreed. Run!" Tsui bolted off in the direction of the village, and Ori was set to follow when suddenly, the strange voice from earlier came back, stronger this time.

"Ori, help us! Help us, Ori!"

Ori didn't even hesitate, immediately changing direction towards the source of the voice. Another rang out from his right.

"ORI! Where are you going?"

"Tsui, we need to help them!"

"But it's too dangerous! The darkness will completely devour you! We don't have time for detours!"

Ori didn't change course. Every step drained his endurance, every strike deflected only served to make his weapon heavier until he could hold it no longer. Hundreds of shards floated in the air behind his path from dozens of his and Tsui's successful blows, but he'd need more than a sword to combat an army.

He altered his path slightly as Tsui altered his, joining them back into one before immediately turning back in the direction of the voice.

"Ori, seriously, I don't think we can keep going this way!" warned Tsui, fear edging his voice for the first time.

"We have to try! It's why we're here!"

And so it was that the two kept running as though they were two parts of an inexhaustible machine. Ori's bounding athletics and Tsui's long strides, along with the almost innavigable layout of the thickening trees served to distance them from their pursuers, and only once the only sounds either had heard for five minutes were from themselves did they stop, exhausted.

A moment of silence followed as the pair stood half-collapsed in the snow, too paranoid to sit down fully. Tsui quickly broke it.

"Ori, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"I think so, yeah… One guy back there got me pretty good in the back of my calf with the flat end of his blade, but nothing serious. You?"
"Nothing more than a few bruises, shouldn't bother me too much. We got lucky getting away like that. I can't envision us defeating them without an army of our own to help us out, so from here on out, stealth is a priority alongside speed. Speaking of out, where in the name of the Spirit Tree are you taking us? I thought the village was off that way," he asked, pointing his finger off in the direction they were originally traveling in.

"I—"

"Your presence grows stronger, Ori."

"That voice! It keeps asking for me, that's where we're going."

"I don't—"

Ori yanked his friend behind a nearby tree, silencing him instantly. A loud hiss had echoed through the trees around them, as though someone had shot an arrow right past them traveling at speeds rivaling those of sound. "What was that?" Ori whispered. "Not sure, didn't hear anything…" mumbled Tsui, trying to cover everywhere Ori wasn't frantically scanning.

Steps. Some creature was running with steps hitting the ground three or four times a second, getting louder with every passing instant. Ori's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stopped breathing as his deepest instincts told him without even looking that he wasn't safe, something shiny was approaching with tremendous speed right towards his back. He ducked again, and a living arrow of light shot past the confused and terrified spirit, flying off into the darkness. He screamed in fright and dove for further cover, but the sound quit as quickly as it came, silence ruling as it had with only the sound of wind brushing through hollow branches, nearly deafened by whatever evil force dominated this part of the forest.

"Ori, are you alright?" Tsui was concerned and caught completely off guard by Ori's shout. As quickly as he could, he shot to Ori's side and comforted him. "What happened?" he asked, still spooked at the prospect of an unseen threat. "Tsui…" Ori started quietly, "Did you see that too?" The smaller spirit took a deep, shuddering breath. "Am I losing my mind?" A short, though still agonizingly too long moment of awkward silence followed, with Ori turning to face Tsui with his expression just asking the same question. Tsui had actually not seen or heard anything other than Ori's scream, and while he didn't want to have his little friend thinking himself insane, the last thing he wanted was for either of them to be killed by actual insanity in the incredibly hostile environment they were in. "Ori, I didn't see or hear anything. I was a little preoccupied with our continued survival, so perhaps that's why I didn't see it, but even if it was real our chances of survival have already drastically decreased and the longer we stay here the lower they get. I don't usually like admitting fear, but this has been the closest brush with death I've ever had and I'd really like to live to see tomorrow. I'll ask you again, and I want you to think hard about this: Are you sure you want to continue on this path, knowing you risk our lives or worse to an unknowable but extreme danger? I still remember the way out."

"Yes." Ori's answer was immediate, as though connected by a chain. He didn't need to think twice about this, to go against his decision would be to reject his innermost parts of himself. "Tsui, someone needs our help. We can't leave them, if we're able to do anything, anything at all to save them, the risk is worth it." Tsui tried to hide his disappointment at the decision, he was near certain Ori had condemned them both to death at best. The darkness was eating them alive, and since his statement about remembering the way out was only a half-truth he knew he wouldn't be able to escape without Ori's full cooperation. He nodded, hoping against hope that the child knew what he was doing.

Unfortunately for the both of them, the silence wasn't to remain much longer. A buzzing sound, this time audible to both spirits, grew from a decent pounding to a significant roar above their heads. The sound was disturbing on an instinctual level, that of giant flying insects, crossing their path and blocking them as though intending to prevent the spirits from reaching their goal. Some dark energy had obviously possessed them, every eye was a strange purple color, and all were pointed towards the now fully battle-posed spirits. An ear-piercing noise rang from their wings when all of them simultaneously deployed their razor-sharp and obviously venomous stingers to point directly at those who would intrude the darkest parts of the forest.

Meanwhile, deep within the darkness of the frozen night was a stealthy Mori, carefully jumping from tree to tree without ever touching the ground. He had avoided multiple "patrols" so far, and while he hadn't seen any for nearly ten minutes, he wasn't about to try his luck down there. While he was completing one of the larger jumps to get to another tree entirely, he nearly missed as sudden loud crashes sounded through the forest from far away. It sounded like someone was shattering a large piece of metal over and over again with such force that it could be heard from miles away.

"Merciful Spirit Tree, I found him!"