When the Forest Goes Quiet

Although a hint of sunlight still graced the soon to be dim skies, nature had gone suspiciously silent a tad too early, as if a spell of slumber had been cast upon it in an instant.

The sudden calm in the trees was not as blissful as Saratoga hoped. Instead, a suspense built around the duo, causing them to quicken their steps through an evergreen forest, which sprawled as the final biome before the mountain.

Mysterious lights began dancing in the deeper parts of the forest, especially in where shade was abundant. Both had the futile hopes that these were harmless will-o-wisps, but outwardly prepared for something far more dangerous.

“Lux…” Saratoga frantically scrambled through her bag for more black and white powder. “Where is it? I know I didn’t use it all up.”

“You mean, the black fire you made when you saved my life?” Moliugas asked. “Hurry and get it out!”

No matter How closely her hands searched or her eyes scanned, there was no powder available to produce a light thieving flame.

A shimmering rattle shook across the trees, followed by a screech with the frequency of nails to a blackboard.

“Impossible! Where did it go?!” Saratoga’s voice became more panicked as she realized that the black and white powders were the only things missing from her bag.

A glowing crystal construct leaped into the air and zapped toward the ground with a thunderous blast. Moliugas just barely managed to dodge the hit.

The crystal glass that formed the lux’s body had scattered upon impact with the cobblestone, but slowly reeled back to its proper position in a menacing fashion, forming the wolf-like frame that struck fear into its foes.

It prowled forward and shook its head, sputtering static outward and striking the trees.

“Run!” Moliugas announced, tugging Saratoga’s hand and blazing across the path.

The lux construct let out a reverberated bark, chasing close behind. At its call, others of its kind came rushing out of the corners of the forest, brightening the shade of the trees with their luminous bodies.

With fleeted steps, the witch and rind had made it to the base of the mountain, but to their fear, so had the lux, who intercepted their only way up.

In a protest to death, Moliugas spit a flame at the lux in their way. The flaming saliva burst on contact with the glass construct, but only served to grow its ire.

Saratoga’s bag of tricks wasn't empty, but threats were closing in on all sides, and that powder was her only means to slay one of these light-aligned beings.

“Saratoga, run!” Moliugas lowered himself and flashed an aggressive flame through his mouth. “You must reach the mountain and save your mother!”

The rind may have been brave, but even he knew his body would be a meager chew toy to these hounds of glass. Even still, he wanted to return the favour for her rescuing him before.

“I can’t leave you!” the witch cried, reaching into her bag and grabbing a stick with a wick attached to one end. She held it up and pointed the wickless end toward a lux. “Light this!”

As instructed, Moliugas lit the wick, hearing a big boom as bits of shrapnel burst from the other end and sprinkled the lux. A crack formed on its glassy surface, but it wasn’t defeated.

“Curses!” Saratoga shouted as her emergency defensive option was consumed. There wasn’t enough time to prepare a second shot.

Hope was at its lowest as nearly ten, perhaps more, witch hunting lux circled around them, preparing to seal their doom.