Storm
1918 Words
We reached a rural village in the morning. The place bustled with people. Children played outside while their parents tended the farm. A side from the farm animals and children, the place was quiet. Fresh air blew across my face.
“Young lady, I think you have stepped on something,” an aged man on a yak pointed.
“Eww… what is this?” She reacted.
“It’s animal refuse. The best source of fertilizer we have here.”
“From where I come from, it’s a lucky sign when you accidentally step on animal poop,” Vampire explained.
“You call this luck?”
“Old man, do you have something to wash this with?” I asked.
“You can pee on it. We only rely on the water droplets from the sky, which happens weekly.”
“That can’t be good,” Kun pointed to the sky.
“Your friend is right, she is lucky today. I must be on my way now. Take care, children,” he took off.
“Dang it, I forgot to ask about this Crassus guy,” I sighed.
“Where did he go? He couldn’t have disappeared that fast at that pace,” Vampire said.
“We must take shelter soon before the clouds pour themselves on us,” Girly urged us.
The children ran to their homes with their parents. The animals suddenly disappeared when it rained. The doors clicked every time we approached a house. Then the crops grew wildly, snapping their mouths at us.
“Great, it got to us already,” I sighed.
“We have no choice but to beat them,” Vampire said.
“It’s time to put my new weapon for a test drive,” Kun smirked.
“Let’s finish this before my allergy strikes,” Girly grasped her weapon.
Kun took out his new arsenal. It was a blue bomb that looked like a water balloon. We separated in groups of two. Kun and I took one side while Vampire and Girly went to the next.
Tomata Noir slithered its way to greet us. It had vines crawling beneath the ground. The fruit opened at us as it hissed. It spouted red acid while it made its path towards us. I looked at the others. They were facing another monster called Kernel Pops, which also had vines but had a spiky personality.
The monster darted towards us. It spat red acid, which hit my arm. It dealt burn damage to me, decreasing my health bar every minute. Kun evaded the initial attacks flawlessly. He was like a flying squirrel shifting from tree to tree.
Then the vines intertwined. They crashed their fruits at us at blinding speed. It sent us flying some distance. Then it charged for a bite, but I intercepted with my sword. I pushed my sword against it, hoping to buy some time until Kun recovered.
“Kun, wake up! I need your help,” I tried kicking him.
“Okay, okay, I’m up, I’m up. Geez, I was only trying to get some sleep,” he yawned.
“At a time like this? Get your butt out of there and help me beat this beast.”
It pushed me some distance away. It was gaining in on me. Then, I heard some explosions followed by bright lights. The monster squealed in pain, then smashed Kun with its vines.
“No!!! Kun!!!” I cried.
All the flames of hell ran through my veins. I focused the heat to my palms, then pushed it out. I have unleashed Devil’s Finger. It burned through the plant, removing its filthy vines off Kun. The attack was super effective, as the message that popped up would put it.
“Kun, are you alright? Speak to me, buddy! Don’t die on me… We still have so much to do together…,” I rushed to his side.
“I’m not dead yet, you i***t,” he slapped me across the face.
“Oh buddy, I thought I had lost you. Do you remember this scene?”
“Oh, come on, get off of me. You’re freaking me out.”
“Was I too close?” I laughed.
“You’re the funny guy now, huh? You know Keith—,“ he disappeared before finishing his sentence.
“Hey man, where did you go?” I asked.
“Help! I’m going to be sick!” A vine got around his ankle and his face became green.
“I’m coming, man.”
“Eww, that doesn’t sound good when you say it.”
From a distance, I heard Vampire and Girly laugh. Anyway, I blasted my new found skill again. Kun got free from the vine, but a two more came after us. This looked like that cartoon where every time the hero sliced the monster, it split into many more.
“What do we do now? More of it keeps coming at us like cockroaches,” Kun panted.
“We have to find its weakness. I am running out of references,” I replied.
“From an anime that I have re-watched a couple of times already since quarantine, we can try to locate its heart.”
“How? We don’t even know how it looks like.”
“Use your eyes, man. Something has to look different about this monster.”
The monster began attacking us again. The rain poured out like Zeus was taking his anger at us. The visual was not twenty-twenty any more as it raged on. The vines slammed at us in a line. There was no time to dodge, so we ran away from them.
“Hey, I think I see something,” I called out to him.
“It is the heart?”
“I don’t know, but it looks weird.”
“The suspense is killing me, man.”
“I see something that looks like a red teardrop, and I think it’s an artichoke placed above the heads.”
“Artichokes don’t look like that. It must be a banana heart. What is it doing there?”
“How should I know?”
“Anyway, we have to get it and destroy it.”
“It’s easy for you to say.”
Another round of attacks dropped at us. This time, it barely missed us, but the shock wave blew off half of my remaining health. I used my sword to support my weight. I looked at myself and I had cuts all over my body.
I saw Kun charge at the beast. Vines tried to grab a hold of him, but he slipped through them with grace. He hopped on one of them as the others tangled around him. He was faster than anyone in his species as he reached for the heads.
At the top, red spores rained on him. He wobbled the moment it reached his nose. His nose and ears let out streams of blood. He bypassed some heads until he saw the heart. Suddenly, a loose vine sneaked up behind him.
“Kun, behind you! Watch out!” I screamed, but the storm swallowed my voice.
He flew a few feet away. To make matters worse, a barrage of lightning bolts stabbed him. He rolled and rolled to the side until he clung to the edge. My lungs and esophagus choked as I saw the scene. My heart couldn’t take it, I was losing breath.
“Kun, I’m coming! I won’t let them take you,” I forced my legs to walk.
Every step burned my lungs. I pulled myself towards the monster. Kun’s tiny hands slipped. I breathed sighs of relief when his hands caught to a lower branch. Our eyes met, and we nodded in unison.
“Hey ugly! I’m right here, come and get it!” Kun taunted the beast.
The vines focused on him, making it possible for me to reach the base without incident. I suddenly remembered the time when I broke my arm as a child climbing one of these. I winced and looked at the stitches on my arm. My hands shook as I grabbed on to one of the branches.
“I-I can’t do it,” I retreated from the branch.
“Don’t go on a wet blanket on me now. Do you want me to die?” I barely heard his remarks.
“If you die, we can still revive you in the next town.”
“You bastard! You are more useless than Vampire. Have you no balls or guts?”
“They are not with me right now.”
“Just let them kill me. Our friendship still stands, even if you freaking did nothing to save your only friend. I understand. Goodbye Keita, it was nice knowing you,” he closed his eyes.
“No!!!” I pulled myself towards the branches. “Don’t do this, man.”
Kun let out a sharp scream of agony. The vines struck through his chest, then ripped him apart. My eyes burned with rage as I climbed to the top. His head dropped to me with perpetual sadness etched on his face. His image burned into my head before his body completely vanished.
I howled with the raging storm, and the monster echoed my sadness. Slowly, vines crept up to my body. I let it take me above its heads with their mouths wide open. Red spores blew at me as I was getting closer.
Images of Kun flashed before my eyes. Suddenly, his words sounded with the chaos surrounding me. My eyes swelled as my impending doom encroaches closer. Then I heard an explosion. Acid splattered at my skin, dealing more damage to me.
“Keita, do you hear me?” I heard a familiar voice.
“Is that you, Girly?” I snapped back to reality.
“Get a hold of yourself. This isn’t the Keita that I know.”
My eyes were wide open as my mouth. I remembered the number of times I have rescued her in the castle. I won’t let Kun’s sacrifice be in vain. I summoned my sword, then closed my eyes. I felt Kun’s hands then a new skill unlocked, War Javelin.
My sword and shield merged with his bomb. It formed a thin metal rod with a pointed edge. I locked in on my target and punctured the heart after throwing it. The monster screeched. The vines loosened their grip on me and I made a run for it.
Moments later, shards of light came out from the heart, then a thunderclap. The monster fell flat on the floor like a falling tree. The vines and tomatoes withered slowly. Then, a loud thud sounded as it completely returned to the soil.
“As my grandma would always say, ‘From ashes to ashes.’” I watched as it disappeared.
On the other side of the battlefield, I heard a loud cry of something alien-like. A thud and a flash of lightning followed it. Finally, Girly and Vampire joined me.
“I’m so sorry about Kun, man,” Vampire looked sincere.
“I’m sorry, Keita. If I only acted sooner, I—“
“Don’t blame yourself, Girly. I should be the one responsible. If only I wasn’t a chicken, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry,” I interrupted.
“We can restore him back to the next town, right?” Vampire suggested.
“But first, we have to find this Crassus guy.”
“He should be here somewhere.”
The sun broke through the darkness. The village people rejoiced as they opened their doors. Children started playing again as if nothing happened. The parents approached us to shake our hands. My face still mourned our loss.
“Thank you for saving our village. You must be tired. Come to my home and we will have a feast,” offered one of them.
I couldn’t even speak to anyone, so we just followed the round man to his house. His house was composed of light materials, but it was stable enough to withstand the common storms. It had a low table, but had no chairs. He requested that we remove our shoes before setting foot inside.
“Welcome to my home, heroes. Make yourselves comfortable here while I prepare the food,” he smiled at us.
“Thank you for the hospitality. May I ask you a question?” Vampire finally spoke.
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Do you know a guy named Crassus? A merchant said that he can help us.”
“Ah, you must have met my brother Hermin. You came to the right place and right person. How may I be of service, heroes?”
The smell of smoked fish filled the area. He laid out fresh leaves in front of us where our food sat. We asked blessings for our food, then helped ourselves.
- Writer
