Note: It was kinda last minute, but an idea came to me regarding Kevin and Ludgar that I couldn't get out of my head, and I decided to go through with it. It's just touched on here but will be expanded greater in time. I'll admit that I don't have too much to say in these particular notes, as I've been kinda feeling down lately.
References to Heroes of Mana as well as references to characters that have an important place in the characters' life (a la Loki) will be expanded on later.
Watts and Koropokkurs
"You're to move out? Where to?" Goremand questioned, Ludgar positioned against one of the once gorgeous statues that had been more than half-ruined.
"We're to scout out a different location." the beastman answered. "Once the preparations have been made, we're heading out to scope out the other Mana Stones. We've wasted too much time here as it is." he then growled under his breath. "Are you SURE that you can't do anything about the new barrier?"
"No can do, I'm afraid." Goremand answered, but despite this, Ludgar raised a brow.
"You don't seem too upset about it." he observed.
"You forget, that the Priest is getting up in years. And such a maneuver must've taken much out of him. So," the jester then paused, going into a small, mad fit of giggling. "All we have to do is wait for him to croak and boom! The barrier is gone and we can waltz right through!"
"And we have no guarantee as to how long that'll take." the beastman replied. "I'm not going to dawdle around here anymore." he then began to walk away.
"W-Wait!" the jester called out. "You're not going to just up and leave, are you?! The Master-"
"Of course not! What do you take me for?!" Ludgar called back. "I'm no fool! We don't need one, seeing as you already dress the part!" though he didn't show it, the commander could've sworn that the jester enjoyed getting him all riled up. "I'll assign a squad to keep control of things here while I lead the other half to search for the other Stones. Speaking of…" he then narrowed his eyes towards Goremand. "What news is there from Ferolia?"
"Oh, you know, the usual," Goremand answered nonchalantly, only serving to agitate Ludgar even more. Damn him. "Ol' Gauser's wanting you guys to hurry, and he said that he'd give you all a good spanking if you don't get on it soon!" he remarked with a chortle, the beastman only rolling his eyes. How did he get stuck with such an imbecile?
"Firstly, you shall address him as 'His Majesty' you clown. Second," Ludgar paused, not entirely believing what he was about to ask. He far from wanted to, yet despite the immaturity of the jester's report, he was technically obligated to find out. "What word have you received from your head man?"
Goremand smirked. "Well, firstly," he began in a mocking tone mimicking Ludgar's own. "You shall address him as 'Master'-"
"He is YOUR Master, not mine." the beastman interrupted. "And as far as I'm concerned, he's little more than some benefactor that's given zero details about himself." it would do him no good to say it, so he didn't, but he still regarded this 'Master' as odd. "But back on topic, just what have you received from him?"
Goremand tilted his head. "He speaks the same as your king." the jester answered. "We are to move out and secure the other stones while we bide our time here waiting on the Priest." he smiled upon saying the last part. "Master shall be waiting with bated breath."
"Will he now?" Ludgar asked.
"Oh yes, indeedy!" Goremand chuckled. "He's been waiting a long, LONG time to finally get in a word with him!"
"Sounds like he has some history with the old man." the beastman commander observed. Again, this only fueled his suspicions.
"Well...that's only for me and the Master to know. There are personal matters that don't need to come into this. You understand, right?"
Ludgar only snarled in response, having had his fill in listening to the jester. "Keep an eye on the prisoners. If I have need of you, which is unlikely, I'll call for you." with that, he went away from Goremand, walking through the empty, ransacked hallways of the expansive manor.
The disgusting human that owned this place...he was just one of the many reasons that this invasion had taken place. The only thing that Ludgar would complain about regarding his king was that it took him this long to realize that this needed to be done far sooner. He had little knowledge of his days in the Peddan War, it has been little more than a boy, but still, he suspected that his collaboration with outsiders, particularly humans, had clouded his vision and made him blind to all those damnable cretins had put their people through. Once upon a time, they were treated as little more than animals: kept in cages and chains, as well as whipped, hell, some were paraded around in freak shows and circuses for entertainment! Ludgar's great-grandfather was one of these unfortunate individuals. Though, as his father said, he managed to escape and release all the other 'freaks' and fellow beasts. And the owners of the circus...well, let's just say that for many of the former captives, there was good eating that night. His grandfather took no part in that, however. Beastmen had been known as killers of humans, yet their meat was not for eating. They were a fierce people but made a clear distinction between that and total barbarism.
And it certainly helped that his grandfather had been, along with Gauser's own grandfather, one of the founders of the Kingdom of Ferolia. Essentially, it began as a bunch of rag-tag members of his race, natural inhabitants of the unnamed land, and escapees like his grandfather. Their ambition was simple: create a country for themselves. Away from humans where they could rule. The two strongest of the group were his grandfather and Gauser's, and thus, as was the custom, they fought for dominance. There was already an intense rivalry between the two and the two groups they led, yet the simple fact was, as with them, humans, and beasts alike, there can only be one alpha. Gauser's grandfather emerged victorious, and his grandfather took his followers and settled in the west of the Duskmoon Forest, while Gauser's took to the east, eventually setting up the present-day fortress. Ludgar held no resentment towards his king for this, it was simply the way of things. The strongest takes the head. True, eventually, the two tribes would be united, but that was before his time, he quite literally was born just after it happened.
Once Ferolia was "officially" established, the human inhabitants didn't accept their claim of sovereignty, but they were quickly dispatched. Many escaped, yet those that didn't were taken care of. Good riddance, if one were to ask Ludgar. Fewer humans, the better. There was one particular group that resided there, a rather curious group. Their land was already home to that of the Mana Stone of the Moon, and in turn, it was said that Luna, Elemental of the Moon, resided there as well. He himself had never seen her and pondered whether or not she was there at all, but there was a group of humans that believed such. So much so, that they had dedicated themselves to aiding her. They didn't proclaim her as a goddess figure of sorts, yet nevertheless, held her in high regard. Having once resided in what was now the farming town of Mintas, this sect made it their duty to guard and tend to the Stone, and in turn, Luna herself. They had made their home and constructed a large, towering structure that rested in the depths of the Duskmoon Forest that was supposedly used to watch the cycles of the moon to indicate when Luna's power would be strongest, a la a full moon meant full power while a new moon meant her power was at her weakest. They took such times seriously, believing that the stages of the moon controlled the dormancy of the beast sealed inside the Stone, or so Ludgar had heard. Thus, they all gathered around, or rather, specifically their young women, and performed a sacred ritual in which they would deliver their own power that supposedly kept the Stone and the beast inside at bay.
Where this sect was now, no one knew. Many had assumed that, once the beastmen had seized full control over the area, they were driven out or killed with the rest of the humans. Others say that members still lived in the darkest parts of the already dark forest, hiding from sight and continuing their rituals for the Mana Spirit of the Moon. Though some rumors persisted that one among that particular group somehow found their way into their kingdom by secret. Perhaps literally, perhaps not, it varied from person to person. Yet, while it wasn't openly discussed, some say that whomever this human was, they had struck something rather...intimate with their king.
If he were some member of the clergy, Ludgar would've declared such a thing blasphemous. Gauser, intimate with a human?! Nonsense! Besides, everyone could see that he had a queen by his side: Queen Shandra no less. Beautiful woman, he was told. Ludgar had never seen her, however, as she had perished at or around the time he was born, so he knew her beauty only by reputation. Yet she was told to have long, violet hair and skin of bronze with fierce eyes and sharp but smooth claws. Indeed, from what he had heard, she sounded like a lovely specimen. Still, he had to admit...it was somewhat puzzling to think that the weakling Prince had come from such powerful individuals. The Prince...Ludgar clenched his fist in anger. Damned weakling...damn him and that pup of his. He had heard of what had happened to the pup, yet not much on the details. All he knew was that it was dead, and frankly, good riddance. The Princeling was already a disgrace as it was, yet perhaps that thing's death would at least spur some sense into him. What was he doing wasting time on such things anyhow? The fact he even had the privilege to do so, let alone walk around and maintain respect just because of his position...oooh, it was sometimes unbearable!
Still, even with that, in the end, he always managed to prove himself superior. Privilege and position meant nothing if one didn't have the power to make use of it. And wherever the Princeling was, he would be dealt with accordingly. Yes, that was it, Ludgar told himself, fighting against the small, odd bit of resistance that crept into his core. He...he was a soldier first and foremost, one in service to his king. And should it come to that...so be it.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Rabite Forest
"Wait! Stop!" Charlotte called out, continuing to pursue the small, sprite-like creature, Kevin following behind and calling for her to come back.
Geez, why did he sign up for this mission, the small being wondered to himself. He had forgotten just how much ground humans could cover due to their size! Nevertheless, the boss's orders were clear. At least one of these four had to get to their home, especially since none of them seemed like they had any direction on where to go from here. Looking up, he sighed as he saw the main clearing and made a mad dash for it, ducking behind the bushes and out of sight.
"Wait...aw." the blonde half-elf sighed. "He's gone."
Kevin took a moment to catch his breath, stunned that such a small girl could speed off like that. "Maybe...we should leave them alone. Might scare them."
"But why did he come out in the fiwst pwace?" Charlotte questioned. "Wouwn't that mean he WANTED to be seen?"
Kevin pondered her words for a moment. Indeed, they had merit to them...but still, such a creature didn't even exist where he had hailed from. Thus, he had little to go off of behavior-wise, yet he couldn't deny that, while the small being had run away, he DID indeed approach them first. The instinctual alert of danger perhaps had overtaken him and caused him to run...or perhaps, he was indeed meant to lead them. To get their attention and then draw them to where he wanted. But if that was the case, then what was so peculiar about this area?
Save for the small, gargoyle statue that rested in the center of a small circle of stones?
Wait a moment…
Hair on the back of his neck rose, Kevin's golden eyes widening as he noticed the stone statue's eyes begin to glow as if it had suddenly sprung to life. "Charlotte!" he called to the girl who was searching through the bushes for the small creature that had fled from them. "Charlotte, get away!"
"Huh?" she got no more out before she felt the beastman's hand seize her wrist.
"Gotta go!" was all he said. "Danger!"
"Dangew? Whewe?" Charlotte asked, looking around. But neither she nor he got another word out.
The glow from the gargoyle's eyes grew to be brighter and brighter, glowing with such intensity that both Charlotte and Kevin found themselves blinded by the light, raising their hands to block it from view. Yet this did little good, their sentences about to be carried out. Then, while they couldn't entirely see, from the brief bits and pieces that were seen out of the corner of their eyes, the sky appeared to be getting further and further away, the trees taller and taller, and the bushes that they once stood over beginning to coat and hide them in their shade.
"WAHHH!" the blonde girl shrieked, looking to herself, then Kevin, then the world around them. The far larger world. "Wh-What's going on?! What happened?!"
"I...I don't know." Kevin answered, eyes darting around and gaining a general view of the environment around them, realizing that nothing had changed. Nothing but its size. Had...had they just shrunk?!"
"AHH!" Charlotte hollered, hands taking clumps of her hair and pulling. "Oh no!" she cried out, tears beginning to develop. "What are we gonna do?!"
"H-Hey. Hey, calm down." Kevin assured her, drawing close to her. "Hey," he said, voice firmer. "Calm down." he placed his hands on her shoulders, she in turn sniffled, yet her weeping had died down. "Predators might be-"
"P-Pwedatows?!"
"N-No! Calm down! Please!" Kevin was practically begging at this point, as well as slapping himself for letting the word come from his mouth. Yet he needed to quell Charlotte's wailing. If not the Hell Riders or hounds, they'd surely catch the attention of something if she kept this up. Then, as if responding to his internal concerns, he heard...and felt something approaching. And it was drawing ever closer.
Taking the girl and essentially flinging her over his shoulder, the beastman made a beeline for the bushes and once they reached them, the surprisingly thick leaves shielding them from sight, Kevin and Charlotte looked to see the massive creature was little more than a simple Rabite, yet at their current size, it looked like a mammoth monster. Herbivore or not, it was silently agreed between them that the further they got away from anything that could potentially get to them, whether by accident or intentionally, the better. Going forward, Kevin held a firm grip on Charlotte's hand, the two walking side by side as they went further and further into the bush.
"Whewe awe we going?" Charlotte questioned, Kevin in turn sighing.
"Don't know." the beastman confessed. He had little idea how they were in their current state, yet his mind kept going back to the small creature that the girl had given chase to.
Despite his size, and the direction that he had gone in, leading them right to that statue, all of it seemed rather deliberate. He was reminded of a tactic that some of the natural creatures of Duskmoon Forest utilized: though he knew of no time when there had been any, humans once did reside in Ferolia, though the kingdom wasn't established back then. Human farmers usually had dogs to herd and guide the animals, and the wolves of the forest would come and act friendly with them, laying on their back and displaying their stomachs, a sign of trust and playfulness. Over time, the dog would be intrigued by having found a playmate and would follow them into the woods. Right into the jaws of the rest of the pack.
Yet the small being, while he displayed a similar tactic, Kevin found his instincts not shouting out any signals for danger or a warning to stay away. Quite the contrary. It seemed that all of this was, in some strange way, meant to benefit them. How he had yet to figure it out, but so far, there were no signs or sensations that they were being watched or followed by anything or anyone.
Just then, Kevin's ears twitched. "What's wwong?" Charlotte asked.
"You hear that?" the beastman asked, the girl listening in, and indeed, she heard something. Voices. Several voices chittering and chattering. Kevin slowed his pace, yet nonetheless, approached and drew closer to the source of the noises in an effort to further investigate. A large (or it was large from their newfound perspective, at least) rock served as cover, Kevin and Charlotte ducking behind it.
Peering around, they saw what appeared to be an entire community nestled in between a thickened wall of branches and leaves, homes made of hollowed-out tree stumps and large mushrooms appeared to sprout everywhere, some small and serving as something of makeshift stairs while others towered over some of the 'homes' and served as either a place for shade or decoration. The creatures wore sewn-up bits of cloth to dress in robe-like attire, many wearing caps that bore a similar look to Charlotte's and bore long noses with comically long ears.
"Whoa…" Charlotte began. "It's a Kowopokkuw town!" she was about to go out from behind the rock, yet Kevin held her firmly.
"No, not yet," he commanded. "Don't know if they-"
"Ah, THERE you are!" Both of them were drawn to the sight of one of the creatures, this one appearing to be far older in age and bore a long, white beard and mustache, wearing robes of white and a small hat atop of his balding head. Both Kevin and Charlotte found themselves likening his appearance to that of the Priest of Light. "And here I was beginning to think that you two had gotten yourselves eaten out there."
The Dwarven Tunnels
Indeed, it was unnaturally quiet.
Duran surveyed the area around him, taking in each and every detail so he could get a firm grasp of the layout. Images and memories of the Cascade Cavern came to his mind, though, unlike the damp tunnels, these were bone dry and bore a red, earthy color instead of the blackened teal and violet. No iridescent plants resided in these tunnels, held up with pillars of wood and lanterns hanging up above. The tunnels themselves were wide and quite easy to walk through, but unlike the mountainous pass in the Rabite Forest, it would take a good deal of navigating than simply "heading forward" to find who he was looking for. Thankfully, or perhaps not, the tunnels themselves seemed rather quiet, little more than the occasional chitter and squeak from some of the Batmos hanging above, yet they seemed to be content with staying up in the shadows. And from the looks of it, no sign of any Goblins or Hobgoblins. Still, that perhaps only meant that Duran should've been on higher alert.
There was the issue of this Jewel Eater apparently being around, and not to mention, one of the dwarves, some Watts person, had up and gone missing. And given that he was already here and was the "future wielder of the Mana Sword", despite his insistence that he wasn't, was the 'future wielder of the Mana Sword', the dwarves practically begged Duran to go out and look for the lost member of their tribe. Thus, here he was, wandering through these long, barren tunnels with aged, worn-down tracks for mine carts and dim lanterns above, searching for any sign of a dwarf, let alone someone else.
Again, the words he told her still rang in his head.
"You ok?" Faerie questioned, Duran sighing in turn.
"Fine," he responded. "I'm just...not entirely used to this sword yet." it was clearly a lie, yet it was a subject also on his mind. Due to the current condition of his sword, he couldn't exactly go out with it as a good means of defense. The dwarves had offered to take care of it, saying that they'd do anything for the future wielder of the Mana Sword.
"We're the best blacksmiths around!" they proudly proclaimed. "Bronze, silver, gold, we've got you covered! Hell, we've actually been considering trying to make a sword out of diamond!" Duran had to admit that he would've been curious to see. Still, despite the temporary replacement weapon they had provided for him, nothing would feel right in his hand but his father's sword. Yet it was too late to do anything about it now. Like it or not, he had to wait for his beloved weapon to be mended because his fool self broke it in the first place. And even then, he was still wrestling with whether or not it was the worst that he had done in the past hours or so.
"Hey, if Lumina says she's alive, she's alive." Faerie assured him.
"Yep." the Light Elemental replied in kind. "I feel her. She's still with us." Currently, the human was following the Spirit's lead, the wisp floating before him. "And this Watts guy is close to." Lumina was about to add that, at the moment, he could sense his lifeforce more strongly, yet decided to keep such information to himself. No sense in sending the young man into a mad dash into literal danger.
"Is...that all?" Duran asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Is that all you can tell me?" the human reiterated. "Nothing about where these tunnels go?"
"Hey, I haven't been here before," Lumina answered. "Though I'll admit, I DID meet your king some time ago."
"You met King Richard?" Duran asked, quite taken aback by this.
"Yep! Though he was technically a 'Prince' then. Hardy little guy too. He and his best friend were quite a team! That Roget made a good decision letting them tag along!"
It was then that the young man stopped dead in his tracks, befuddling the Spirit, as well as Faerie, yet the latter felt an intensity radiating off of her host. "This...this was during the Peddan War, right?"
"Uh, yeah? Why?" Lumina questioned.
"His friend...he wouldn't have happened to be named Loki, would he?" Duran turned to look at Lumina, the wisp's eyes widening. He didn't answer, yet the human already knew the answer.
"Digging my way into your heart..." Before any words could be exchanged, everyone heard a voice singing a tune, said tune echoing down the tunnel they were currently traveling down. "Dig, dig, dig, until I hit the rock." picking up the pace, Duran turned around a corner and saw a stout figure, clearly a dwarf, with a blue jumpsuit on, a grey undershirt, a brown beard and mustache, and golden, glowing eyes amidst a darkened face. He was currently digging away at a rock wall, what appeared to be blackened shards lodged inside being picked at with a pickaxe and placed into a brown sack. "Gonna...aw, damn. What else rhymes with rock? Eh, whatever." he continued to sing to himself, but then stopped. "Who goes there?" whirling around, the dwarf spotted the human peeking around the corner.
Koropokkur Village
"Um...hi?" Kevin greeted the bearded humanoid, he in turn raised a brow.
"Relax, son." he then said. "I know you two came here following one of our own. If anything, that's why he was sent."
"Wait." Charlotte then said. "You KNEW we wewe coming?"
"Indeed." the old koropokkur answered. "And we had to make sure you got here by the orders of Domperi himself."
"Domperi?" Kevin asked.
"Yep. Head of this entire community you see here." the old creature explained. "Only...he's been out for a while." he continued. "Which is a bit of a shame, because you'll probably need to give him a minute or two if you guys are ever going to get Jadd back from those nasty beastmen."
Both Kevin and Charlotte looked at each other, then back to the koropokkur. "You know about that?" the shorter girl asked. "Then...then pwease!" she begged, running over to him and, in her desperation (and to his chagrin), taking fistfuls of his beard in her hands. "We gotta do it! My fwiends...they'we twapped thewe! Those big biwds took them! Pwease!"
Kevin approached and gently removed the young girl (despite being the same age he was) from the koropokkur, for which he looked mighty grateful. "Then Domperi...where is he?"
"Well…" the small being began, straightening out his beard. "First off, kindly keep her AWAY from my and anyone else's facial hair, if you would."
"Sowwy." the blonde apologized, rubbing the back of her head and smiling sheepishly.
"Second, Domperi IS still in the village, but he's out and about at the moment."
"Well...where, 'out and about'?" Kevin asked.
"Hmm, it's hard to gauge." the koropokkur aswered. "He could be over here," he gestured to the left. "Or somewhere over there." then, he gestured to the right. "I don't know. He could be anywhere." Kevin and Charlotte then looked dejected. "But," he continued. "He IS somewhere in the village. That I guarantee."
"Well...do you know where he is?" Kevin asked.
"Hm? Well, as I said, he could be here, there, or anywhere. I'm not sure where he'll end up next. But, the folks around here will know. Give them a small chat, and they'll let you in on some clues as to where he might be next."
"...that's it?" Charlotte asked. "That's aww, you have to say?"
"It's the best you're going to get. Now, if you want to find him, hop to it!" the old koropokkur commanded, moving past the two shrunken people. "I've got to complete another lap around here before my arthritis begins acting up again." with that, the elderly creature moved past them, leaving them alone.
They stood there for a moment, secretly hoping for him to come back, yet it was clear after a bit that he had intended for them to actually walk around here and begin this scavenger hunt for the particular koropokkur. "Weww…" Charlotte began, surveying the multitude of houses and other small creatures all around. "Whewe do you wanna stawt?"
Dwarf Tunnels
Well, there was not really any point in hiding out. Emerging from their hiding place, Duran stepped out, the dwarf abandoning his digging and going over to him. "What the...a topsoiler?" the dwarf asked, quite surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, are you Watts?" Duran questioned, ignoring the dwarf's question.
"Yeah, that's me. But these are dwarven lands. What's a human like you doing here?"
'Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have to be if things turned out better…' the soldier thought but kept it to himself. "I'm looking for someone," he explained. "You wouldn't have happened to see a girl around here, have you?"
"A girl? Well, no, but…" Watts then paused, a small glint coming to his eyes. "What's she look like?" he asked, albeit with some anticipation. "Is she a topsoiler like you?" he then chuckled. "I heard they actually shave their beards."
"What? They don't…" Duran began but then sighed. "She's got long, purple hair and kinda pale skin. And she wears a…" the human paused. "Well...how to describe it. It's a little...showy."
"Hmm...sounds hot," Watts admitted, only to then turn back to his mining. "Too bad I'm busy right now."
What?! After all that, he just goes back to mining!? Duran fumed, yet before he could speak a single word, Faerie emerged from him. "Mister Watts, please. You haven't seen any-"
"Whoa!" the dwarf jumped back. "What are you?!"
"Um, a faerie, sir." Faerie mentioned. "Sorry, I forget that you all aren't accustomed to seeing creatures like me." she continued. "But back on topic, I heard Gnome was around here somewhere."
"Gnome?" Watts questioned. "Of course, he's around here! He's our guardian! Why this whole mine was courtesy of him watching over us and protecting us!"
"Ah, so he's still up and doing his thing!" Lumina then emerged, Watts nearly having a heart attack at the sight of the elemental. "Oh, yeah. Not accustomed. Sorry." he said sheepishly.
"Wait...if you," Watts began, pointing to Faerie. "And you are here," then to Lumina before going to Duran. "You've got the Mana Sword!"
"Uh, no." Duran shook his head.
"But he will!" Faerie cut in, the human in turn groaning. "And we need to open the Mana Sanctuary to get there!"
"And to do that, we need Gnome's help!" Lumina added.
"Well...that's too bad!" Watts then said, much to everyone's shock. "He's been missing as of late!"
"M-Missing?" Faerie stammered. "What do you mean 'missing'?"
"Just that. Missing." Watts said in between strikes with his pickaxe. "His shrine isn't too far away from here, and while he isn't there ALL the time,"
"Well, yeah. Just hanging around one place can get pretty boring." Lumina admitted. "I'll take any opportunity to get out."
"He hasn't been around lately."
"And...you're ok with this?" Faerie asked. "As in, no one around here's thought that your guardian not being around lately is just a LITTLE bit odd?"
"Well, it was just yesterday that he couldn't be found," Watts said. "But hey, I think he'll turn up later." he dug up more of the black material lodged in the rock wall. "Besides, I've got more important things going on right now. This is the first batch of nitromyte I've found in ages!"
"Nitro-what?" Duran asked.
"Nitromyte." Watts answered. "Most valuable mineral next to gold, platinum, and mythril. Hell, might be more valuable to the right people!"
The three were confused. "What do you mean 'the right people'?" Faerie questioned.
"Eh, you know. Those humans outside have a variety of tastes. Most of them are a little weird for me," he said, looking at Duran. "But hey, if it pays."
"Pays?" Duran asked. Then, he remembered. Back in Maia, that short crazy guy. Bon Voyage, was it? Yeah, and he was ranting about something when he had first taken off to Wendel...nitromyte. "Wait, the hell am I doing?! I don't have time for this!" he declared. "Lumina, where's Angela's…'force' coming from?"
"Hmm…" the spirit focused his senses, bright eyes surveying the area. Yet before he could answer-
BOOM!
An earth-rattling tremor wracked the entire area, nearly sending Duran and Watts off their feet. "Whoa!" The dwarf cried out, holding onto the wall for some stability, everyone afraid that the very walls would collapse around them due to how violent the shakes were, Duran's company having flashbacks to the shakes all the way back in the Cascade Cavern. Then, as soon as it began, it stopped, everything going silent and still once again. "Uh…" Watts stammered, eyes darting around. "See ya around!" with that, he grabbed his bag filled with the dug-up nitromyte crystals and scurried away. "I'd get outta here if I were you!" and with that, the human, faerie, and spirit were left on their lonesome.
Duran looked upward with caution, gripping the side of a wall with a calloused hand, lips tightening. No, he wouldn't be leaving. Not for a while, he suspected. And the Elemental Gnome had nothing to do with it. He wouldn't be going anywhere until 'she' was found.
Unknown Chamber
Poke.
Poke, poke.
She was dimly becoming aware that her bed had become quite uncomfortable. Daresay, it felt like she was sleeping on a pile of rocks. Then, senses began to come back to her, along with the aches and pains that had formerly wracked her form. She stirred, steadily coming back to consciousness, yet all the while clinging to the dim hope that all of it had been nothing more than a horrible nightmare. That she was back in Altena, in her bed, and the whole entire thing had been a terrible dream. Yet such a luxury would not be granted to her it seemed, Angela, opening her green eyes and seeing that, indeed, she was practically sleeping on a pile of rocks.
And something had been touching her. Touching her rear end.
Even more, the location she was currently in bore little resemblance to that of the canyons that the large bridge had served to cross over them, yet from what she could gather, she was in a cavern of sorts. Far or near, up or below, she couldn't say. But one thing was certain: she didn't come here by herself. Someone or something had brought her here.
Poke.
There was no mistaking it now, something WAS touching her! Whirling her head around, she came to see the form of a small man with somewhat tannish skin and bright, blue eyes, which looked rather shocked that his subject of interest had awoken. His beard was comically large, full, and red, a brown jumpsuit serving as garments along with boots on comically big feet, and comically big, pointy ears. He even had a floppy, green hat with a fluffy ball attached to the end of it. "What the-" Angela began, turning herself over and scooting up against a nearby wall. "How dare you!"
"Oh! Uh…" the small man stammered, fiddling with his thumbs. "It's not what it looks like!"
"It looks like you were touching my ass!" the Princess asserted. "And it certainly FELT like it, you perverted little troll!"
The little man then seemed to fume. "Hey! I'm no troll! In fact, I'm somebody who you should be respecting, topsoiler or not!"
"Topsoiler? What…" Angela began. "You know what? Never mind. I don't care." she directed her attention back to her current company. "So what are you, aside from a pervert?"
"I'm Gnome! Mana Spirit of the Earth, and Guardian of this here land!" the little man proudly proclaimed, getting atop of a nearby stone to stand on as if he were on a stand and saying something important. "And I'm NOT a pervert either, missy!" he jabbed a finger in Angela's direction. "I was checking to see if you were even alive!" Angela only huffed and folded her arms. "Though…" he murmured under his breath. "You do have a nice rump…"
"You little-" suddenly, Gnome's hand came to cover her mouth.
"Shh! Not so loud!" he hissed. "I don't know about you, but I'm not wanting that big guy to come on back here."
"Bmph gmph?" the young woman said, only to realize, and then remove the spirit's hand from her mouth. "Big guy?"
"Yeah. Big guy." Gnome said. "REALLY big. One of those Jewel Eaters, I think." before the young woman could even ask, the spirit kept going on. "If it was just that, then no problem. A bunch of other guys live around here, ranging from batmos to goblins and their cousins,"
"Ugh, here too?" Angela groaned, remembering well the small 'war' she and Duran had stumbled into. Duran...why was he coming to her mind? She heard every word of what he had said to her on the bridge! He hated her! And frankly, she hated him! Insensitive jerk! She would be fine without him! Good riddance! Hell, he could've fallen off that bridge for all she...well...no. She wasn't sure she wanted it to go that far. Still...didn't change the fact that he was a complete ass. Wait a moment, she had gotten off track. "What's a Jewel Eater?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. There's no way you're from around here. Sorry, heh heh." Gnome chuckled. "It's a creature native to this country. Though it's usually born a good ways away from here. They never come this far."
"What do you mean?" Angela questioned. 'And what was that about you being all 'hush hush' beforehand?'
"Well, not that you'd probably be familiar, no disrespect though, heh," Gnome answered. "But they eat, well, jewels. Or mainly minerals. And while these mines have them in spades, they fail to compare to those in Daria. Jewels as large as boulders, silver, gold, so many lovely, precious stones!" he declared with pride, then rubbed his knuckles against his suit. "All courtesy of me and my management of this area, of course."
"Uh-huh. Very impressive." Angela answered sarcastically.
"It's a lot of work to maintain this whole land." the small spirit told her. "But lately, things have been a little rocky. If you forgive the pun." he continued on. "It must be the work of the Stone…"
Though he had little interest in the little man, spirit or not (he was totally lying about checking whether or not she was dead, little pervert), once that was mentioned, Angela's interest was ignited. "The Stone?" then, to Gnome's surprise, she drew closer. "Tell me something," she asked. "Have you seen anyone...well, anyone else like me down here? Like...dressed similar to me? With wands? Or maybe someone in a red cloak?"
"Red cloak?" Gnome shook his head. "Nope, never seen anyone like that. But no matter how hard that ol' lout tries and tries, he's never getting out of that rock. Still," he brushed a hand through his beard. "If what you say is true...and my powers aren't feeling like they used to, then maybe it's time that-" he then paused, she and he feeling distant, but reverberating shakes, the source coming in their direction and drawing closer and closer…
Since its birth a few months ago, the large creature could sense that something in its environment had been...off. When it was a newborn and hatched from its egg, its mother having since passed after laying it, as were the conditions of its kind, it had begun dining on the rich gems and minerals found all in the crevices and caverns of Daria.
It was then, however, that it came upon a mineral far larger than any diamond it had seen.
A massive, towering, floating rock that was centered in one of the deepest chambers of the valley, glimmering and shining as if it were basking in the sun, yet no rays of the great star could ever hope to reach this far. How was such a thing possible? The creature approached the massive Stone, the object seemingly beckoning it to come closer. 'Come, come, come, little one.' it seemed to say. 'I am rich, I am nutritious, I shall make you grow big and strong.' Whether they were words or thoughts that the animal had, it knew not. Yet the Stone was so tantalizing, that it seemed lost when looking at it. Just as the taste was all it wanted. Just one, small taste…
It was then that everything changed.
The moment its tongue met the Stone's surface, it felt its large body wracked with trembling, images of small, bearded men working in mines, drinking, eating, going about as they did their daily tasks of digging and collecting whatever the tunnels held flashed through its mind. What was that place? It had never seen it before, let alone know such a place existed. And the gems there were nothing compared to those all around it. But, for reasons it didn't know, they seemed to glimmer and glow in a way the supply around it didn't. They were smaller, but they looked far more...appetizing. More rich and succulent.
Go. the Stone seemed to say...or rather, implanted in its mind. Go and see. Go down and see. Eat, eat, eat…
Yet another image was prevalent in its mind. The image of a little, bearded man, a spirit of sorts. A spirit that could lead it to more food...
With little protest, the creature began its trek to an unfamiliar land, following the images that it had seen. And so far, it had found what it was looking for: smaller stones that tasted sweet, and a few strange figures that lived down here. They were startled by its presence, yet mostly left it alone. As it entered the small chamber that it had decided would be its resting place, as well as a spot for some particularly nice stones just beneath a thin layer of rock, its eyes widened when it saw that the figures it had brought were missing.
"THAT'S the Jewel Eater?!" Angela hissed, Gnome nodding in turn. "Goddess…"
"Big fella, ain't he?" the spirit said, he and the human had taken refuge from behind a rock. "This one looks young though. Even more confusing as to what it's doing down here."
"But if it eats gems, why did it take you?" the young woman asked. "Better yet, why'd I get taken here?"
"It's not so much gems that it eats exclusively. It's the minerals." he then gestured to her. "Minerals that you're probably covered in."
"What? But I haven't-" Angela began to protest, yet then remembered. The river down below…
"The Dwarves have ways to filter the water to make it drinkable, and then they collect what lies at the bottom. But if you fell in…"
Then, a massive, long, pink appendage or tentacle emerged from seemingly nowhere and swished around, both Gnome and Angela ducking away from it, yet the latter wasn't as fortunate, as it touched the tip of her crown, immediately registering that it had found what it was looking for. The appendage wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her up from her hiding place, the young woman able to truly see what had brought her to this place.
A large, mole-like creature with small eyes and large paws with massive, blackened claws perfect for digging and tearing up the earth. Upon its body rested lined, spiked, and ridged scales of dull brown and it bore a long, snout-like mouth with puckered 'lips' where a long, winding tongue came out from. Angela kicked and struggled, Gnome rushing up and grabbing ahold of her. "Ow, ow, ow! That's my hair!" she shrieked, her scalp being assaulted by the spirit's hands. "Do something else!"
"It's no good!" Gnome replied. "My powers have been growing weaker and weaker with each passing day!" Whether to demonstrate or try to get the creature's attention off of her, the little man produced a series of small shards of clear crystal that manifested from nowhere, all aiming for the Jewel Eater. Yet when they struck, they just bounced off as if they were little, minuscule pellets. "H-Hold on, missy! I'll-" yet before Gnome could get another word out, the Jewel Eater jerked its pink appendage and flung Angela to the side, knocking the spirit off his feet and having him tumble to the ground. "What way is this to treat a representative of Mana? I tell you…" he moaned in pain.
Angela found she was free from the Jewel Eater's grasp, yet not for long, as the tongue seized her ankle and steadily began to draw her closer and closer to the creature's snout. She grabbed and pulled, striking the appendage with her wand, yet nothing seemed to do any good. The 'lips' began to part slightly, the tip of her boot just mere inches away from entering its mouth…
Only for it to suddenly stop.
At first, Angela was confused, yet she heard the sound of something striking something else with incredible force. Something striking the creature's hardened backside. Like a blade meeting a solid wall. Wait a moment…
Letting her go, the Jewel Eater whirled around, coming to see yet another human before it, unable to smell as many minerals on him, yet the sword he held in his hands was carved from the purest iron.
Even more delicious food.
Note: Truth be told, I always kinda liked how Gnome was a bit of a jerk in Secret of Mana, yet he also has a playfulness to him, so I kinda combined his SoM and ToM counterparts together.
The Jewel Eater still looks the same as it does, yet given it's an underground dweller, I sort of made it more convenient for it to move through the earth, as its 'fur' are actually tightly compacted scales that help it move and tear through rock. And it may just be unintentional, yet I can't help but picture a pangolin when describing it. Seriously, look them up, they are adorable!
