“What the fuck?” Clover breathed out.
“Where did the fucking ground go?” Felucia cried out. “What’s going on here?”
They jumped back quickly as the step they were on broke off with a snap, the two girls watching as the loose piece fell all the way down into the pit before vanishing in the haze.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Clover shakily stuttered. “What the hell happened? What’s doing this to my home? Did those other monsters plan this?”
“This isn’t The Sisterhood’s doing,” Felucia said shaking her head. “They don’t have the means to cause something like this. It’s like Eden itself is falling apart below our feet.”
“Fuck!” Clover screamed as she looked up and down in frustration. “We’re trapped between the gemini and oblivion! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! This is as bad as it can possibly get!”
Upon uttering those words the area started to rumble again, this time with Felucia and Clover stumbling to the side and bracing against the wall before quickly backing up a few steps as more dropped out from below them. Felucia grunted while holding onto the wall before she and Clover slowly looked down as the rumbling was growing louder. The haze at the bottom of the chasm slowly shifted to a bright crimson, waves of heat suddenly rising and increasing with growing updrafts of smoke.
“You just had to open your mouth,” Felucia snapped.
“That heat…” Clover cautioned, the elf and sand wraith then jumping in fright as they saw the haze parting to reveal molten lava and burning rock rising with bursting geysers erupting from it.
“Oh… my…” Felucia breathed out as she turned pale.
“Climb. Climb!” Clover screamed as the pool of magma quickly started to rise upward with a violent vibration rolling through the forest. The elf and sand wraith turned and dashed up the stairs as fast as they could while heated air was blown through the hollowed tree in a powerful gust.
Running about in a panic elves and monsters of The Sisterhood were scrambling in all directions within the elven forest, all of them slowly halting and turning towards the grand timber that now had pillars of smoke blowing up from under it.
“What the hell is that?” a witch nervously asked.
“I have bad feeling,” a goblin whimpered while stepping back.
“The royal tree,” an elf softly said as a tremor shook the forest heavily.
“What is going on down there?” Daniel asked as he and the gemini paused from feeling the temple shaking beneath them. “What did you two do this time?”
“This isn’t us,” Jovian and Jacqueline mused together while looking around curiously.
With a thunderous boom an eruption of lava and charred rock blasted up all around the mighty tree from underneath, shooting molten stone and searing magma up and out in all directions as the royal tree’s roots were lit ablaze and engulfed with the volcanic emission. Every monster nearby screamed as the forest was bathed in a deep red light from the fiery hail and then watched in terror as it rained down all throughout the village. Trees were struck with burning globs of lava that quickly seared right through them, more of the forest floor gave away with monsters and elves dropping down where broiling steam vented up from, a group of trolls were hit with a heavy molten chunk that plowed them down into the burning ground, witches shrieked and ran about while a few were clipped by raining lava and burst into flames violently, and the grand tree shook as what little foundation it still sat upon was being melted away.
Within the hollowed timber Clover and Felucia were sprinting up the stairs while watching in fright as a torrent of liquid magma tore through the hollowed tree below them at high speed.
“We’re going to die!” Felucia cried out. Clover looked up and saw a near-endless flight of stairs awaiting them, then down to the lava that was quickly annihilating the steps below while racing towards them. They managed to climb just a little higher before they stumbled with their footing and dropped onto the stairs, both then gripping each other close as they were engulfed in a fiery light while staring in horror as the rising lava quickly closed in on them.
“I hate this fucking world!” Felucia screamed out. Clover stared with unblinking eyes at their approaching deaths before she shut them tightly and screamed the loudest she had ever done in her life.
“DAN!”
Chapter 2
Welcome to Flame Haven
In the world of Eden, things didn’t always go as planned. A loving deceleration from the heart could still result in rejection from that pretty girl down the street, a well-planned attack on an enemy stronghold could end in failure from a more resilient defense than expected, and even carefully constructed schemes, be they for noble or mysterious purposes, could hit a snag or two that would completely throw them into jeopardy. But this didn’t mean all was lost, rather there might still be a way to turn defeat into triumph. It’s said that desperation and fortitude could sometimes help those overcome insurmountable trials and succeed when things look their darkest.
Although the costs of such a victory could also become much steeper.
*****
Between the ground shaking so suddenly, the horrible roar of Eden itself rumbling below, the waves of scorching heat coursing through the air, and the shrieks of monsters sounding out all throughout the forest of Green Haven, it was difficult to say which caused Cindy more fright at that moment. Especially given how loud she herself was screaming as she lay tucked into a ball on the ground with Squeak covering her.
“Waaaaah!” the sand wraith wailed as she held her hands over her face. “What’s happening? This isn’t what I wanted to happen! Make it stop! Make it stop!”
Squeak slowly looked up and around as she held onto the crying sand wraith, seeing eruptions of fire and charred rubble blasting upward within the forest. Elves were running about in a panic while others were dropping from above with hard impacts onto the forest floor as their entire home was shaken to its very core. Monsters from The Sisterhood were scrambling around in disarray, struggling to get each other and the elves to control themselves and failing miserably.
“Daniel!” Cindy screamed, gaining Squeak’s attention. “I’m scared! What’s happening? What do I do? Fire! Fire! FIRE!”
Squeak shook the girl by her shoulders, causing Cindy to spasm and quickly jolt from her hiding spot with a frightful scream, her eyes snapping to the ant girl as Squeak squeaked at her with a worried frown.
“Squeak? What’s going on? Why is there- FIRE!” Cindy shrieked as she saw a nearby tree engulfed in flames. She quickly scrambled around and held onto Squeak, burying her face in her bosom while shaking her head. “What’s going on? I don’t like this! I don’t like this! Fire! Loud noises! Make it stop!”
Squeak shook her again and pulled the girl’s head up to look her in the eye, squeaking a few more times before Cindy screamed from another violent tremor rolling through and promptly hid her face in the ant girl’s breasts once again.
“I can’t do this!” she sobbed shaking her head. “I didn’t know there was going to be fire! And loud noises! And fire! And… and… I’m scared! Daniel! I need you!”
Squeak showed a frustrated look as she noticed other monsters running around nearby; goblins, arachne, trolls, all of which didn’t seem to pay them any mind given what was happening in the forest.
“I’m scared,” Cindy whimpered with eyes shut tight. “I… I can’t do this. There’s too much fire. Everything is shaking. This is too much. Please, I can’t. I want to go home. I want to go back home with Daniel.”
Squeak pulled her back and squeaked at her sternly, with Cindy watching as the ant girl made indecipherable hand signals while squeaking at her before pointing all around them and waving her arms about in strange patterns. After she finished saying whatever it was she wanted to say Cindy sniffled and slowly looked at the chaos surrounding them, seeing elves running everywhere while burning trees were falling with thunderous crashes and plumes of fire. Squeak glanced ar
ound at the chaotic scene then squeaked at Cindy with a concerned frown, the sand wraith watching as she said something more before standing up and guiding the frightened girl back onto her feet by her hands.
“But… Squeak,” Cindy sniveled. “I can’t… I can’t do this. I’m not ready. I’m not.”
Squeak took a slow breath and then started to squeak something at her before she suddenly stopped, her eyes moving over towards something that caught her attention as she then showed a pained look on her face. Cindy followed her gaze before gasping as she saw an elf lying on the ground further away with a large timber crushing her into the ground, the dead monster remaining still and peaceful amidst the anarchy surrounding her. Though what really tore into Cindy’s heart was the sight of a smaller elf in the mother’s arms, with only her short blonde locks visible as her body rested below the fallen tree.
“No,” Cindy breathed out. “Not… a child. No. That’s so cruel.”
She shook her head before looking around to seeing elves running about on fire, others struggling to hold onto broken rope bridges before falling with loud screams, and others trying to leap away from falling debris from the fiery trees that many unfortunately could not evade.
“This is terrible,” Cindy whined. “They’re all scared. They’re dying. Make… make it stop, please. I don’t like any of this.”
She took a few steps forward before stopping, the sight of fire everywhere petrifying her in fear while that of the elves in peril pierced her heart. A few shaky breaths escaped her mouth before she turned to see Squeak gazing around at the grim sight with remorse, the ant girl slowly turning her eyes back to her and squeaking while raising an eyebrow. Words faltered in Cindy’s throat as she saw the ant girl watching her, with Squeak slowly motioning with her arm towards the outskirts of the village that led away from Green Haven. Cindy looked over towards darkened woodland behind them then turned to Squeak with a nervous gulp.
“We can both leave that way?” she asked, with Squeak shaking her head before pointing to her and then towards the edge of the village. She pointed to herself then at the burning forest before squeaking at Cindy again.
“But…” Cindy slowly said. “I don’t want to leave you here. You… and Daniel… I don’t want… but I…”
She looked back and forth between the burning village and the way to safety a few times, a nervous whine being made before she turned to Squeak. The ant girl squeaked, waiting for Cindy to decide what to do, while the sand wraith turned her gaze back to the mother and daughter that were slain beneath a fallen timber nearby.
No answer was given, not a word being spoken as Cindy stared at the sight with sorrow. After a moment Squeak sighed then squeaked while gesturing Cindy to leave the forest, with herself then turning to walk off before stopping as she heard a different sound. Slowly she glanced back to see Cindy shaking a little while her heartbroken eyes were locked onto the sight of the elven child that was crushed under the tree. Again the sound was made, a slight crunching noise, before Squeak noticed Cindy’s hands were now clenched into fists at her sides. She compressed them tightly, the sound of grinding gravel being heard as the sand wraith looked down to her fist as a few loose grains of sand fell from it.
Squeak opened her mouth to speak before a powerful boom sounded off, her eyes quickly turning upward as she witnessed the grand temple appearing to violently explode from its side. She squeaked softly in surprise, her concern for Daniel and Clover quickly escalating as she saw fiery debris flying off from the side of the temple down to the forest below. Turning back to Cindy she saw the sand wraith still staring at her fist, a stunned look on her face as she appeared to be withdrawn into her thoughts. After a moment Cindy slowly turned to Squeak, a few tears forming her eyes as she showed a stubborn scowl.
“I don’t… want to be here,” she shakily said. “I want to go home with Daniel. I want us all to go home.”
She paused, taking a moment to wipe her tears away, before glancing back to the fallen mother and child as a shaky whimper escaped her lips.
“But I don’t want the elves to die. I don’t want them to be afraid like I am. I don’t… want children to die.” Hesitating for a second she then turned to Squeak with a worried frown. “If we go now… if we leave them… they’ll die, won’t they? They’ll all die here, won’t they?”
Squeak glanced around at the burning village then slowly nodded at Cindy. The sand wraith rubbed her eye before nodding at her with a forced look of determination.
“I want… to be brave. I want… to help them. I do. I want to do what’s right. Let’s go. We have to help them.”
Squeak smiled a little and nodded before they saw a large treeside dwelling dropping from a timber and crashing into a hut built into the base of the tree. Rope bridges snapped and dropped those along them with loud screams while burning leaves and ashes were fluttering in the air. Cindy watched in dismay as elves were running around in a panic while Squeak looked back up to the grand temple, seeing the tree branches above it starting to catch fire while another blast of blazing red light seared upward from the top of the building in a sharp arc.
“What do we do now?” Cindy asked. “We need to get the elves out of here. We need to tell them to go to where Alyssa is. But… how are we going to do that?”
Squeak kept a sharp eye on the grand temple, her antennae twitching a few times as she contemplated their choices. After a moment to decide she turned her attention over to a nearby dwelling built into the base of a burning tree, the sounds of screaming coming from within it while flaming branches were falling around the home from above. Remains of a toppled rope bridge were strewn about on its side while a mesh of flaming branches and leaves were piled up on the other. Squeak grabbed Cindy’s hand and raced them towards the home, both coming up to the door that was blocked by a burning chunk of timber. Cindy quickly backed up while Squeak looked around at seeing the residence practically covered in fiery debris while the screams of those within grew louder.
“It sounds like there are elves inside,” Cindy worried. “Hey, are you okay in there?”
“Are you fucking serious?” an elf shouted back. “We’re trapped in here and everything is on fire! Do we look okay to you?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see you. All I see is your house burning.”
“Oh my god!” a young girl cried out. “How fucking stupid is that bitch? We’re going to burn in here, you shithead! We’re not okay at all! Help us!”
“Wow, you’re mean,” Cindy retorted with ire. “I was just asking if you were okay.”
“What kind of asinine question is that?” the woman shouted back. “We’re trapped in here and there is fucking fire building up around us!”
“Well then get out of there,” Cindy childishly retorted. “Why are you staying in there if everything is burning?”
“Gee, what a wonderful question. How about the fact that the goddamn door is stuck! Do you honestly think if we could leave we would choose to stay here and fucking die? The windows are blocked and the door won’t budge at all! We are trapped in here, you idiotic cunt! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I didn’t know the door was stuck,” Cindy whined. “It just looks like there’s some burning stuff in the way out here in front of it. How was I supposed to know it was stuck too?”
“For fuck’s sake, someone else other than her, help us!” the elven woman shouted. “Get us out of here, now!”
“Anyone with an actual brain, please!” the child added.
“Hey!” Cindy retorted while Squeak at this point was just watching the scene unfolding with a deadpan look on her face. “Just because I don’t have one of those brain thingies you have doesn’t mean I’m dumb! I’m trying to help you elves here even though I’m scared right now, so stop being so mean to me!”
“You’re doing a horrible-ass job so far!” the elven woman shouted back. “We’re still trapped in here and you’re just running your fucking mouth! I’ve a got a kid in he
re, dammit! I want her to live to see another day! Do something other than yapping your lips, we’re going to be roasted alive in here!”
“The fire’s growing bigger!” the elven child screamed. “Do something and get us out of here! Move your ass!”
“Why are elves so mean?” Cindy whined shaking her arms about in a fit. “I’m trying to be good and they’re yelling at me! This isn’t fair!”
Squeak rolled her eyes with a huff before grabbing Cindy and pushing her back. She pulled her pickaxe aside in her hand before striking it into the fiery debris in front of the door, the ant girl then yanking it aside where it sizzled with a flash of fire and ashes. Squeak punched her hand through the door’s handle, gripping the creaking wood tightly before ripping open the door and swinging it aside with a slam. An elven woman and her child quickly ran out while smoke and fire erupted outward from behind them, themselves along with Cindy and Squeak running away before broken branches from the tree above slammed down into the building with fiery crashes. The mother screamed while holding her child close, both watching their home collapsing into burning rubble with pillars of smoke rising up from it, before turning to the sand wraith and ant girl next to them as they slowly caught their breath.
“Thank you,” the woman panted. “Thank you for- holy shit! What happened to our forest?”
“What’s going on?” the child cried out as they went wide-eyed at seeing their forest falling into chaos around them. “Why is everything on fire? What’s happening?”
“Who are you and what is the meaning of this?” the elven woman demanded with a fierce glare at the two girls. “Why is our forest on fire? What-”
Chronicles of Eden - Act XII Page 4