31 - Smoothie

The red dot from before whizzed around and Toast started to writhe in my arms.

~Lemme go! I need to catch!~

I put two and two together and realized Toast had activated Laser Focus. He was probably just trying to see better in the dark but it saved our lives. I covered his eye with my hand to make him close it, and the laser dot disappeared. I gave him a kiss on the head to thank him even though he had no idea what he had done for us.

Kettu was acting more cautious now, and waiting for us to make a move. She was guarded, still posed close to the ground, with one hand holding her up and the other threatening us with sharp claws. Her wing that we'd hit with the Acid Shot was reduced to a bony frame, but it had stopped melting so we would need to hit her again with something else now that she was grounded.

I took advantage of her patience and tried to tell the group my next plan, but Kettu's large ears twitched and honed in on me, and I couldn't let her listen in. Then I had an idea; 

Since Toast is better at focusing his Telepathy, maybe I can tell him to tell the others?

It was worth a try, and I didn't know how much time Kettu would grace us with. I made my plan as simple as I possibly could, and asked Toast to tell everyone else. I just had to hope it worked. The plan I relayed to Toast?

Everyone play with lady, Toast shake.

I held my breath and waited, and all at once my party took off in different directions. I rejoiced and hugged Toast before letting him down from my arms.

Tamon raced forward at Kettu, and used his speed to zip around her and hold her attention. She held in place and watched him carefully, and arched her back like a cat when he used his Afterimage skill and duplicated himself.

Hassel ran into the minefield of fruit pits from before, and started picking them up and hammering them at Kettu. Whenever she would dodge or look away from Tamon, he would come in close and try to cut at her with his shortblade. I saw her swipe at Tamon in retaliation but half the time she would hit his afterimage. He did take a few scratches himself but he was fast enough to dodge anything lethal. His ability to keep the focus on himself and ensure Hassel's safety for her long range attack was impressive and tickled my RPG fantasy.

Nice combo attack!

Meanwhile, Maja had headed for the shoreline behind us with Zay'tun. Neither of them could be of any direct help for my plan, and she knew what was coming, so she headed to a highpoint where she could oversee the fight for healing, but keep herself and Zay'tun safe. 

I was grateful to have a party with good heads on their shoulders. Even Tamon.

Hassel and Tamon's combo set was effective, but not for long. After getting a few good hits in, it was clear Kettu wasn't going to tolerate being backed into a corner and she bellowed out.

"ENOUGH."

She stood back up to full height, and the dense and heavy aura from before leaked out of her. Clouds started to form in the sky, like a storm was brewing, and little sparks appeared around her. It reminded me of the Guildmaster powering up, and I feared for my friends.

Thunder reverberated through the orchard, and I yelled for Toast to use Shield+ one more time. I could tell he was starting to lose energy and was panting heavier. The downside of a lazy pom!

He looked back at me and sighed, and I felt my eyes furrow at his ill-timed attitude, but suddenly the shields popped up in the nick of time, as lightning cracked all throughout the area. It destroyed trees, and fires began to light, and my panic reached its peak as I prayed the shields would hold out longer than the lightning.

I decided it had to be now, and called Tamon and Hassel back behind me. They made a break for it away from Kettu, who held her hand out and directed the lightning strikes at us, growing frustrated that her attacks had no effect.

When they'd made it to safety, I called out to Toast.

"SHAKE!"

Toast took off like a bullet towards Kettu, and a rumbling started beneath our feet. Kettu redirected everything she had at Toast, and my heart raced as I worried the timer wouldn't last.

My greatest fear came to fruition. Kettu, enraged, lifted both of her hands to the sky, and the shields faded away. I screamed for Toast to run or use another shield but he had already started his own attack, violently shaking his body like he was trying to dry off. The rumbling from the ground and the sky combined in our chests, and I watched on in horror.

Kettu crashed her hands down, and a bolt of light bigger than any of the previous ones blasted down on Toast, just as he had raised himself up, and stomped his little paws into the dirt.

Dirt and dust exploded up into the air, and I couldn't see the fate of my dog.

I ran towards where I had last seen him blindly, the tears that had been forming gushed out and streaked down my cheeks. I called out for him aimlessly, and my heart broke when there was no answer.

I fell to my knees and reached around me, weakly repeating Toast's name, when a paw touched my leg.

~There you are! Dadi!~

I frantically scooped up Toast and cuddled him tightly. His fur was singed and he looked so tired. I wept and apologized over and over.

The dust settled and revealed a massive crater in the orchard, and Kettu was nowhere to be seen. Tamon sprinted to it and called out that it was just rocks and boulders inside, but then leapt away as a battered hand reached out.

Kettu slowly hoisted herself over the edge of the crater, and fell flat into the dirt, lying motionless.

We all watched her with apprehension, but she didn't move, and after a few minutes of tense waiting, we celebrated.

Maja hurried over to me, and began healing Toast. Zay'tun licked his head for comfort.

"Poor small Toast, how did you ever take that last attack?"

I think she meant to ask rhetorically, but Toast replied with his signature 'Hehehe', and his pink bubble Barrier popped up around him.

We regrouped, exhausted, but happy to be alive. I knew we had won but I couldn't shake the feeling that Kettu hadn't been fighting us seriously. She did spend half the battle throwing fruit at us.

As tired as everyone was given we were attacked in the dead of night, the sun was starting to come up, and we had to move on before we could set up camp. The orchard was still burning and I didn't want to wait and see if Kettu would get up. 

Maybe demons don't pixelate away?

We sluggishly started our trek out of the orchard, knowing we had to go south thanks to Vuohi and Sammakko, when we heard a voice. 

"Wait."

I turned stiffly towards Kettu, but she was still in the same position in the dirt. I passed Toast to Tamon, and hesitantly walked closer to our prone foe. Everything in my body told me I shouldn't approach her, but she was speaking and I couldn't hear her until I was within arm's reach.

"Listen to me, Hero's companion."

She figured it out! I'll listen! Please don't kill me!

"I know what you seek to do, but it would be a mistake."

"I don't understand."

"Alku doesn't care for this world, my Lord is much better suited to rule it."

"I still don't-"

"You will see, just as the last hero saw. Find a small temple past the trees. Descend the stairs. Follow the hall making a left when you see the first lantern, and a right when you pass three lanterns more, an-"

Kettu proceeded to give me exceedingly complicated directions, and I could have sworn my brain leaked from my ears at one point.

"Now go, Hero's companion."

Where?!

I left Kettu's side in utter confusion, and just walked past my worried friends as they barraged me with questions I couldn't answer.

We were off to find the Demon Lord.