Chapter 5: In the face of danger
He uses the small window of time to gather his bearing. Taking deep, concentrated breath as he wipes some sweat off his face with his sleeve. All the while he never took his gaze away from the one he's fighting, his old friend the Wind Spirit herself.
They're currently in another spar to test how well he can fight with the new addition of his sword. Firmly griping the handle in his right hand, he aims the newly blessed sword downward. The forest dweller is starting to get used to its weight. The way it feels in his hand as he sends a strike to counter Sylph's barrage of winds all the way to when he's maneuvering around the forest.
"Fuhhh..." Exhaled the purplette. Loosening all the muscle in his body in case the fairy tried to pull a sneaky on him. It wouldn't be the first time Luka got flung through the air as one of her devious pranks.
With her iconic smirk, Sylph covered her surrounding area with a verdant gust of wind, leaving him with little to no line of sight. Now, basically a sitting duck inside of a tornado, Luka ready himself for what's to come. Could be another distraction like last time, or maybe she'll decide to switch things up and get creative. Either way, he's not letting all of his efforts these past couple days training with his new weapon go to waste.
With resolve in his heart, he stared into the storm ahead.
One...
Two...
Three...
The seconds tick by without anything happening until he senses a change, a huge shadow envelope him from behind and he makes his first move. Leaping to his left, his eyes widen as he sees a dead tree being thrown where he was before. The loud noise it makes causes him to flinch.
'Did she really have to do that?' Sure, he was the one who told her to stop holding back the last time they spared. But throwing a tree in the middle of a spar is kind of overkill, isn't it?
So caught up in what just happened, he almost missed the sphere of wind sneaking up on him from above. Sylph must've made them to trap him inside - ending the spar right then and there.
Foiling her sneak attack, Luka swung his sword upward, cutting a perfect line through the sphere. It struggles to maintain its form and dissipate to thin air.
A faint huff was heard somewhere behind him, Sylph no doubt annoyed one of her clever tricks doesn't work on him like they used to back then. He smirks, an idea forming as he turns to his hiding friend. "It's no use Sylph. I know where you are now!"
At this, the wind spirit panicked. "Eeep!" And as she moves away from where she was, he immediately senses her, leaping forward to catch the surprised fairy in his hands before landing. Gently letting go of her, he could already see the gears in her head spinning as she figured out what just happened.
"Ya' tricked me!" She pointed at him accusingly. "That's no fair!"
"Why not?" He asked, tilting his head jokingly.
She shook her small hands above her, still in the palm of his hands. "Of course it is!"
It should be noted that his friend isn't actually angry; if not for the wind around them calming down from a storm to mildly windy day, then from the smile in her eyes. They continue to bicker back and forth like that for a bit before walking back into their home.
"You're getting better at this." Came from her suddenly, he was halfway through the old wooden door before pausing.
"Hmm?" Luka stared ahead, his friend floating near with her usual cheer.
"Fighting I mean! Back then you were all tense and uncomfortable every time you had to resort to it. But now you're all like Whoosh! And Wapow! And you start to get all cool with that steel gaze of yours!"
Stumbling back, Luka almost fell before the wind pushed him back up. "W-wait, really?"
"Yeah, I know right? Never knew you had it in you buddy!"
Huh.
Luka looked down at the sword on his waist, now in the custom leather sheath he had made.
'Having a weapon does help a lot.'
"Thanks buddy, couldn't have done it without you though."
"You're doing it again, Luka! Just take the complement!"
"Ah."
Once more, the day would have ended with a heartwarming scene. Two close friends basking in each other's company, joking around as the banter gets sillier over time like they always do. Luka would have loved it too, another cherished memory added to his life.
Fate has another plan, however.
As soon as he felt it, any joy immediately melted off his face. Sylph must've felt it too because even the usually jovial wind spirit takes on a grim expression.
Whatever that thing is, it's awful.
Luka can already tell it's going to be very unpleasant for everyone involved. Yet it didn't stop his feet from moving.
===0===
It all started well this morning; her mother had wanted to try out a new recipe for dinner and the two of them had ventured into the forest to pick up the ingredients.
"Ready?" Her mother's reassuring voice reached out to her.
"Yes, mother." She replied, donning her familiar traveling outfit. The brown leather gloves reaching up to her elbows feel snug against her skin.
No less than a minute after the mother and daughter has found what they needed; they stumble across a scene straight out of a nightmare.
Donna would have screamed if not for her body freezing in shock.
With its disturbingly long vines strangling the life out of several other monster girls, the parasitic looking dryad monster turns its head towards them. There was nothing in those eyes, the only thing she could make out was instinct. And from the way it dropped the bodies of their previous victims - now an empty husk on the ground - they were now aimed at the pair of mother and daughter.
A hand pushed her back, it was her mother. The older elf used to be a ranger patrolling around the forest for any threat towards their kind before she retired to dedicate her time in raising Donna. There was no denying that she was stronger than the average monster roaming around. She had to be for her job after all.
But even so...
"M-mother..."
"Donna, get back to the village." Gone was the warm tone she would use for her close ones, her mother's voice now carried with them an edge. "Tell them to gather all capable of fighting to hold a line until the rest of could evacuate."
"Is there any way I could-"
"No. Go now." Sharp and curt, she continues. Not once did she take her eyes off the rampaging monster before them.
She rigidly took a step back, indecision riddling every inch of her mind. What would happen to her mother if she left? Would leaving her here ended up condemning her to death? She doesn't know. But the fear of such a possibility was strong enough to root her in place, sweat dripping down her pale face.
It moves then, with speed that did not match its appearance. And as she watches her mother face off against the impossible foe, ready to sacrifice herself for the one behind her, one thought surfaces in her mind.
'Why...?'
One of the vines separated from the monster as her mother's dagger cut through it. She didn't have her bow, so she had to resort to close combat. Instead of reacting in pain, the dryad continues emotionlessly.
'Why did all of this have to happened?'
The giant flower on the side of the dryad's body opens, and like a set of maws they clamp down on where her mother was before she dodges at the last second. It left the place once filled with greeneries empty and a hollow feeling in her heart. If that attack had landed, she would have been an orphan.
'If I was stronger, maybe I could have help.'
A desperate war cry left her mother's mouth as she charged in. She only got so far as another vine snuck up behind her, whipping the former ranger into a tree and snapping it in half. All the while the dryad barely moves from where it is. Donna had to wonder if it had been toying with her the whole time.
Her fist was clenched so hard that it bled.
Her mother lay unmoving as the dryad got closer; she could see all the wounds her mother had managed to inflict healing completely. Remembering the state of the monster's previous victims, a crushing sense of hopelessness consumes her. Donna doesn't want to witness her mother turning into a husk.
"HEY!" Shouted Donna. It pains her to go against what her mother told her, but she'd rather die than just stand there as her mother was about to die. Donna throws wind magic at the dryad without any incantations, it was pathetic, barely strong enough to graze it. But enough for it to notice her.
"..." Lifelessly turning to the elf, the monster ignored Donna's unconscious mother and started moving towards her. Alright, step one completed. What's next?
Honestly, she was kind of flying by the seat of her pants with this. And as multiples vine races through the air ready to leave holes in her body, she saw her life flashes before-
In the corner of her eyes, a strangely familiar green blur emerges.
FWOOSH!
===0===
'I was late...'
Looking over the destroyed clearings, Luka couldn't help but winced. What was once a beautiful place filled with life was now an ugly patch of damaged earth. Not to mention the casualties.
'Sylph, see if there's anyone you can help.'
Placing the shocked elf girl down, he surveys the surroundings for any other survivors that needed his help. When he was greeted by nothing but silence, a deep feeling of shame threatened to swallow him whole.
It's just how wrong this all feels. That not even the wind plays around like they usually would.
And all of this happened because of her... the one he had been dreading to see. With large plants growing from the left side of a woman's corpse, its dead eyes does nothing but unnerve anyone who stares into them, and a mindless instinct to attack those around it indiscriminately. Saying it looks horrifying would be an understatement.
Behind the forest dweller, the dryad stares ahead with something akin to confusion. The prey it had tried to consume was gone. Faster than it can conceived, something has taken its target and disappeared to thin air.
"Hey..."
It turns to the sound, spotting another prey to be consumed. Though unlike its other prey, this one didn't look horrified by it. There was... an expression the dryad had never seen before on his face.
"Can you hear me?" He spoke softly. Strangely enough, it could not sense his presence like it could the other inhabitant of the forest. To the dryad, he was both there and not at the same time.
However, this fact did not stop it from trying. Sending out multiple of its vines to capture the prey before it, almost as if an invisible barrier was protecting him, not even one manages to reach him. Instinctively understanding it would not work on him, the monster tried a different approach. Secreting an intoxicating incense from the flowers all over its body, the dryad filled the surrounding area with it, the air turning pink for a moment before readying the second phase of its attack.
Luka stood right in the middle of it all, unmoving. He didn't have to worry about the scent permeating the air, for he knew the wind would never let them near him unless he asked them to let it happen. Instead, he took out the wooden sword on his waist: Iris.
Turning to the girl behind him, Luka realizes she's the same girl he saved back then.'If I remember right, her name was...'
"Miss Donna, are you alright?" He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
She blinked. Eyes widen in shock at what's in front of her.
"I'm sorry for not coming sooner. I wish I'd know how bad it was." His words carry with them a feeling of sincerity so strong it's impossible to deny.
She stood up shakily, "You... y-you're the one who..." She stuttered out.
Now seeing her up and better than before, the forest dweller turns his attention back to the dryad he was trying to pacify before. Still standing there with the same lifeless expression and preparing what he assumes was another powerful attack.
"Don't worry." Luka said, surprising the elf more and more. Because how could anyone be so calm in a situation like this!?
Narrowing his eyes and focusing on his connection with Sylph. "This will all be over soon." He finishes under his breath. Just then, with a single swing of his sword all the pink incent was swept up by a torrent of verdant wind coming from the forest itself. Almost as if the forest itself has come to help, they all dissipate into the air, clearing the area instantly.
How did he-!? Not only did he take command of the winds around him, but he also just effortlessly cleaned the air around them from the dryad's toxin in mere seconds. To have this much control of the element is something only available to monsters either born with a lot of talent or with a powerful bloodline. For a human to be able to do all of this. It's unheard of!
Before she could ask him about it, the dryad continued with its second attack. All the flowers on its body rush to him in an attempt to hold him down. Like before with her mother, they close down on where he was, unlike with her mother however, Luka stomps his right foot down and thrust Iris forward. The wind generated from that move was enough to disrupt the flowers' formation and cause them to ram into each other. Completely missing him in the process.
The dryad, despite having no emotion, was further befuddled by what had just occurred. Something that Donna could honestly relate to right now.
"..." The purplette takes on a complicated expression. Thinking to himself for a bit, he wonders how he could solve the puzzle that is this dryad before it got worse. That is until he got an idea, one he hopes would do the job.
'Hey Sylph.' He called out to his friend.
'What's wrong Luka? You're doing great, by the way!'
'Thanks. But not that,' He explains to the spirit. 'I think I know how to put a stop to this.'
He could feel her excitement through their mental link. 'Alright! Is it gonna be a cool final attack or something? Do you want my help summoning a tornado!?'
'N-no! Not like that.' He must clarify, something like that would not help the situation at all!
'Oh? Then what is it?'
'Well, do you remember how back then I couldn't sleep whenever there's a storm?'
'I do! You would just roll around in bed until I... Oh! I get it!'
'Yeah, I was hoping it might work on her too.'
'But what if it didn't?' Asked the wind spirit.
He grimaced. 'We think about that when we get there...' Looking over, the monster was about to deploy another one of her attacks. He better hurry up.
"Here we go..." Like in the spar before, he loosens all of his muscle in preparation. Lowering himself to the ground to center himself, he firmly holds Iris forward.
...
The air was still, no movement from either of them was made.
...
Luka took a deep breath.
...
And when he exhales, he did so with an explosive step towards the dryad.
SWOOSH!
This time seeing him, the monster sends out everything it had. From multiple vines covering him from every side to all the flowers coming at him once more. Luka slides himself past the vines rolling to the right, he got up and weave his way past all the flowers' attempt to take a bit of him and finally, when he was right in front of the dryad, he swung Iris downward.
The whistle accompanying his swing was faint, yet in that moment. It was heard by everyone.
[Sylph's lullaby]
A verdant circle of runes appeared below them both, right where he had stabbed into the ground with Iris. After that, a tangible music note accompanied by a soft tune appeared and started surrounding the dryad from every angle.
At first, the monster would trashed around in response to the music note around it, but the longer it went on, the dryad started getting more and more sluggish. Soon it stopped moving entirely, slowly blinking its empty-looking eyes.
"..." For a seemingly unfeeling monster they sure are stubborn, aren't they? Luka lifted himself up, putting Iris back in her sheath as he did so.
Walking over, softly petted the dryad on its human head. "It's fine, you can rest now."
That seems to do the trick as soon the monster begins to be lulled to sleep by his newly created spell. Its breathing became slower as it fully succumbs to a deep slumber.
"Phew..." He let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. Looks like that worked out just fine. He's glad... Luka really didn't want to think about what he would have to do if it didn't.
"You put it to sleep?" Came a voice right next to his ear.
"Ah!" He jumps. Turning to see who it was, he was greeted by one white hair, emerald eyes elf girl that he had saved just now. Oh, right. He forgot about her there for a second.
As the two of them stare at each other, neither of them seems to know how to 'break the ice' as Sylph has pointed out in his head. Eventually, wishing to end the awkwardness and feeling a little bad for her, he decides to say something first.
"Well..." That is until, he remembered very quickly the fact that he has zero conversation making skills. So, he kind of just put his foot in his mouth there...
Fortunately for our favorite forest dweller, his action seems to have the elf make her move too. "Your name!" She shouted out, pointing her finger at him suddenly.
The purplette was surprised at first but then proceeded to thank his lucky stars for her giving him a simple question. "R-right! My name is Luka. Just Luka."
"Luka..." She said his name slowly, as if tasting it. "Luka." Then she repeated it, this time she said it quickly. "It fits." She said as she palms her fist.
"...Right, that's my name." He awkwardly added.
If she was kind of ignoring him for a second there, now she's all up on his face! "Why did you save me?" She asked.
"W-what?" He stumbled a bit at that.
"On that day! It was you who saved me after I fell into the river by accident!" She said out loud, face getting closer to his.
Maybe a little too close. Stepping back a little, he wonders how he's supposed to answer this one. After all, the only reason he's even talking to her now is because he has no other choice. Like, it would be pretty rude to just run away now, wouldn't it?
"On that day..." He begins, deciding to just answer her honestly. "I Remember I was just about to start my day like usual. Everything up until that point was fine until… I feel something bad was happening nearby. At first, I don't understand what it was but when the wind told me that someone's life is in danger I ran over there as soon as I could."
"Yes! And then what happened?" To have her ask him that is kind of odd considering she was there herself, but he continues with his recalling anyway.
"I saw you when I get there."Luka tried his best to not look away when her eyes bore into his, "You were drowning on the other sideof the river, so I jumped in and pulled you out." His face saddened as he remembered the state she was in back then. "I called out to you, but I didn't get any answer... that's when I realized you weren't breathing at all."
Donna went stiff at that, being told about how bad her situation back then was might have too much for the elf. Seeing this, Luka went quickly to the next part.
"B-but then I use my wind magic so it's fine!"
"You did that too?"
"Well, I mean. The wind did most of the work clearingwater from your lungs, so..."
"But you did help me?" Insistently, she asks again.
He was a little worried considering how his last interaction with a monster went, but so far nothing really bad like him being chased down or getting licked in the face has happened. So hey, that's already an improvement!
"...Yes?"
Donna takes a moment to let it sink in. Breathing deeply, she wore a determined look on her face. Stepping forward, she took his hand in both of hers and-
Woah there! Face ablaze, Luka was about ready to split before he looked back at her.
He felt his breath leave him as she stared into his eyes. The shining smile she gave him radiated so much joy that it left him speechless. Eyes like uncut emerald express her feelings better than any words ever could, yet that didn't stop her from still saying them.
"Thank you, Luka..."
The sheer gratefulness coming from those three simple words floors him.
How could he possibly reply to that!?
'Damn! She's cute~!'
'That's not helping, Sylph!'
As if the world itself had taken pity on the purplette, a distraction in the form of a worried mother stumbled towards their direction. They were some bloods on her cloth, but the elf woman seems to be doing fine, if not a little dazed.
"Donna! Is that you?" The older elf seems to be looking for her daughter immediately after waking up from her earlier battle.
"Mother!" Turning around, she was surprised to see her mother getting up from the hit she took earlier.
"Are you alright!? What happened after I was knock out?" Asked the disheveled looking woman,choosing to focus her attention more on the safety of her child than anything else.
"I'm fine mother! But what about you? How are you walking around just now?"
Now standing in front of her daughter and relief to see her without any injuries. The elf woman pauses, thinking to herself for a moment before rubbing her hand through her hair in a mix of confusion and frustration. "Well now... my daughter, it seems the attack from before must have cause more damage to me than I thought."
"What do you mean mother?"
"Back then... when I was down, I saw... a human moving me somewhere safer."
Donna gasps, further astonished by the heroism shown by Luka and the things he has done to help them both. From the perspective of her mother on the other hand, it's nothing buta hallucination created by the mind of a mother in a desperate situation.
"It's probably nothing." She says to Donna, "My mind must have been playing tricks on me." Hearing this, the younger elf was quick to correct her mother.
"No that's wrong!" Her sudden declaration shocks her mother, but she continues, "You were not seeing things mother! It's true, Luka did help us both!" finishing her words, there's a spark in her eyes.
"...Who?"
"Luka! The one who saved me on that day, and us from that dryad today. Look! There he is!" Donna turns around, ready to introduce her savior to her mother.
If not for the fact he was nowhere to be seen. The purplette had completely disappeared from the area.
...
"..."
"...?"
By now the mother was a bit worried for her daughter. She's been standing still looking at nothing for the past five minutes without saying anything.
"Donna? Are you truly alright, my dear?" She tried using her calm, motherly voice to reach to her.
Thump!
It doesn't seem to be working, however, as Donna started stomping the ground in anger.
"Darn it! Not again!"
"Ah. She's doing it again..." Sigh her mother, already used to her daughter's tantrum.
A huge gust of wind shows up then, almost throwing her back and stopping Donna's moment of frustration as they both stared in awed at the giant sphere of verdant wind. After a bit, it disappears, leaving them alone in the forest of spirit once again.
'What in the name of the first was that...?'
"It's gone." Said her daughter under her breath.
"What is?"
"T-the dryad, the monster that was attacking us. Luka put it to sleep with a spell and now it's gone!" She told her, pointing at the spot it once was.
Instead of an answer, now she has a lot more questions.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's note: Next chapter is the one where Luka decided to explores the world and the start of his developing sense of self. So please tune in for that!
