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“Uhh, Sein? How much longer until we reach the Ginso Tree?” Asked a tired little Ori, her legs starting to hurt her from exhaustion. It had been a long day, running around Nibel, fighting creatures and doing acrobatic acts can take a toll on somebody, no matter how young the spirit.
“No much longer, Ori, we are getting closer, half a day at best.” Answered Sein, floating about.
Ori was startled by their answer, “Half a day?” Shyly adding, “I- I don’t know if I can go that long, could we get some rest? And besides, it’s getting darker.” She practically begged, the sun was close to hiding in the horizon, and, given the spirit’s natural light, they may be spotted easily if they decided to keep walking in the dead of night.
Sein gave a quiet hum, as if thinking, “Alright, we are going to do this, I will go look for a cave or crevice for you to sleep in and you just rest here, it will be safer that way, okay?”
At which the young spirit gave an unsure whine, but relented “Okay, just… be quick about it, will you?” She told the Shine.
“I will, worry not” Sein reassured, “You just lay down and get comfortable, if anything happens, just call me and I will come as soon as I can.” Sein reassured, nudging against Ori’s cheek, which got a giggle and a blush from the young sprout.
And with that, Nibel’s Shine parted in search for a place to rest. Ori, on the other hand, decided to lay down against a tree, playing with her thumbs to pass the time.
…
A few minutes had passed since Sein’s leaving, and Ori was getting impatient. After all, one can only wait idly for so long. Just as Ori was about to give up and go after Sein, she heard a roustling of leaves nearby, at which she got excited, it seemed like her wait had finally come to an end!
“Sein! You finally-”
…But it wasn’t the Shine’s ethereal voice that Ori heard, but a different one, a masculine one, that was screaming.
“HELLO!? IS ANYBODY HERE?” Yelled the voice. At which Ori froze over it.
After getting no response, the footsteps grew closer, and Ori, scared as a little glowing mouse, scurried up a tree and hid behind a branch, praying to the light that the figure would not see her.
“Pero, la luz que me parió, ¿tan difícil es encontrar un maldito espíritu por acá? ¿Qué carajo pasó para que esté tan desolado?” The figure scoffed in an odd language as it walked closer, into our spirit’s view. Fearful, she retreated further into the branches she was hiding in.
The figure was taller than her, notably so, it’d easily double her height. It wore a weird kind of cover of a dark colour over its shoulders. But what struck her the most was its face, on a surface level it looked similar to her; long, flowy ears; two antennae connected at the base; and big eyes with blue-ish pupils.
However, there were four details that differentiated it from her –other than the height–; first, it didn’t have hooves like her, but rather paws, like Naru’s; second, it had some sort of darker spots near its eyes, that made it so its eyes were more noticeable; Third, its fur wasn’t pure white like hers, but of a reddish hue instead; and lastly, there was these tufts of fur that started at top of its head and went down that didn’t look like an antenna, coloured with a darker red near the ends of the tufts. So they could be a spirit, but she wasn’t sure.
Suddenly, a wretched smell, sulfuric in essence, pulled her from her thoughts. She recognized the origin of the smell, a decayed, an ooze, if she had to guess. Her intuitions were told right when said decayed slithered into view, a slimy mass with a deep, purple colour and sounds akin to burbling all over its body. She was slightly scared at the sight, since Sein wasn’t there. But this could also serve as a test, to see this strange figure’s true intentions. If they were also a decayed, then they wouldn’t be hurt by the ooze.
However, the figure looked… repulsed About the ooze’s form? “...ew, just what are you?” they asked, taking a step backwards “wait, you must be one of those… corrupted beings Miko mentioned. Heh, he told me you were ugly, but not this much, didn’t anyone tell you you smell?" The ‘spirit’ teased, taking another step back as the ooze slithered even closer.
“Well, he did also mention you were weak to light… I wonder…” the ‘spirit’ hummed, before making a weird tool out of thin air? It took Ori by surprise, it wasn’t anything like she could do.
The tool had two distinct sections, a wider part at the bottom and a thinner one at the top, it also had some sort of webs running from one section to the other. The bottom part looked a little spiky, with the two bottom corners extruding, ending like the bottom a drawn star. So maybe it's some sort of weapon, like a hammer or a club? That theory quickly fell apart though, once the ‘spirit’ put the heavy part against their body –with a hand under the thinner top part, and the other over the wider bottom part – and proceeded to… strum it? What surprised the girl, though, was that, aside from making an odd, sharp sound, the tip on the thinner side emitted a weird wave of light, directed to the ooze. When it hit it, the withered seemed to recoil, so it must’ve hurt it? (Similar to how Sein does it, then?).
However, since the ooze was still moving, they kept strumming the tool, making different sounds and sending waves of light, until it finally popped, leaving a purple puddle where it once stood. Staining the ‘spirit’s fur slightly, since they were kind of far. With the tool fading away shortly after.
The figure groaned, “Ay dale, voy a tener que limpiar esto después, por suerte no es mucho…” They sounded like they were trailing off in that same, odd language.
“Woah…” Ori awed at the showoff, she didn’t know someone could do that!
But the other spirit heard her awe, and twisted their body in her general direction with furrowed brows, “Huh? Who’s there?”
She yipped, she was screwed, was she too loud? Is she in danger? Should she call Sein, or is it too late? With her brain preoccupied with these thoughts and fear racing through her mind, her grip on the branches slipped off for a fraction of a second, before plummeting against the ground, chest first with a thump.
“Woah! Are you okay, la-” the figure asked, trying to get closer.
But Ori recomposed herself however she could and backed up quickly, terrified, with eyes as open as plates and shrunken pupils, extending a hand in the hopes of them not taking another step
“S-STAY BACK! I-I’m not harmless, I w-will hurt you i-if… you take a… another step forwards”, She stammered, her heart nearly stopping when her back hit a trunk. Fearful, she pulled back into herself, shutting her eyes close and shielding herself with the same arm she extended earlier. “Please… don’t… hurt me… S-sein, where are you? come soon… please…” She whimpered, with a tear rolling down her cheek, she was done for, she couldn’t do anything with Sein. It seems that this is how her story ends… Then, did the Spirit Tree give her all of his power for nothing? Sadly, it looks like he did. And now, with nowhere to run and no way to fight, she can only wait for the final blow….
Only the hit, slash, or blow never came. Confused, Ori moved her arm and, through teary eyes, she saw the spirit kneeling? They were still far, luckily. “Woah, sorry, lass, I didn’t wanna scare you… here, let me help you up!” they offered, but seeing Ori still flinched when they moved forward, they sighed at themselves, “Ah, sorry, I think I have to at least present myself, shouldn’t I?” They giggled. “You can call me Duchko, I’m the lead guitarist and creator of my band, ‘Light’s Bane’!” He explained, proudly, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially someone as young as you.” He added that last part with an aspiration, as if wanted to make her feel calmer.
Ori was confused, too many new concepts at once, but the most important was, probably, his name “I see, thank you, uh, D-dutch… Duj… Duko? Zuko? Uh, how do you say it?” She was struggling with pronunciation.
But he wasn’t angry, or even bothered, he just laughed a little, “No, no, it’s ‘Dujko’, like with a J!” He explained, cheerly. “Anywho, do you have a name, lass? Or should I just call you ‘Tree Lady’?” Duchko teased, with a slight smirk.
Ori blushed a little at that, “It’s Ori,” she said, softly.
“Ori? That’s a wonderful name, nice to meet ya! C’mere, let me help you stand up.” He offered, getting closer to here while extending a hand…
…Before being hit with rays of light.
“Ori! I heard your cry for help! Did something happen!? Did this do anything to you?” Sein asked, their worry palpable through their surface, it looked like they were glowing more than usual, which was weird, since that only happens when they’re going to-
“Sein! Don’t attack him! He's a good spirit, I swear!” Ori begged Sein as she stood up, wincing a bit due to the fall, and put herself in the middle of both, to avoid the Shine from getting closer.
“Are you sure, Ori? I heard your screams. Just see how he looks, are you sure you are okay?” Sein asked again, at which Duchko looked at them, confused.
After dusting off the dirt he got due to the impact of the sudden attack, “I… I hope you mean this.” Duchko clarified, motioning to the remnants of the purple goop still on his fur. “Anyway, I swear I wouldn’t do anything bad to anyone, especially another spirit.”
Ori noticed that wording, and the spark of excitement flared away, Wait, so you are another spirit!? I didn’t know we could be so different.” Ori stated, with starry eyes, looking over the obvious differences between the two.
“Well, it depends on the forest where a spirit’s from, some have more or less distinctions from one another. I, for example, come from Nilef, which is quite diverse when it comes to a spirit’s look.” Duchko laughed, before catching himself, confused, “Wait, you said that like if you've never seen another spirit at all. But… you have seen other spirits, right?”
“Uhm, well…” Ori stammered, with her tail caught between her legs. “I’ve seen glimpses and ghosts of them, but never one face to face.” She said, sadly.
“Oh, poor lass… So, what are you two going to do now?” Duchko asked, with a concerned expression.
“We’re looking to restore the elements, and thus, the forest, we were on our way to the first one, actually. We just decided to rest here for the night.” Sein explained, floating near Ori.
“Yeah… I just got a li- a little…” Ori sneezed, covering her nose with her elbow. “Sorry.” she apologized with a sheepish laugh.
“Oh, are you cold? Here, have my jacket, it’ll keep ya warm” Duchko said as he took off his jacket and handed it to Ori.
“I… I don’t know if I can accept it,” She declined, raising her hands, “I mean, you wouldn’t have anything for yourself.”
But he insisted, shrugging, “Eh, this isn’t anything but a breeze, don’t worry for me. I insist”
Ori groaned a little at his nonchalant response, but relented, taking the jacket and putting it on… At which Duchko stifled a laugh, earning himself a bump from Sein. He wasn’t wrong though, since the jacket that fitted nicely in the musician’s body was too big for her, the sleeves were too big, almost covering her entire arms. While the main area draped down to her knees.
“You know… I think it works more like a blanket on ya.” Duchko joked, giggling. After calming a little, he slumped down on the ground, “Welp, we better get comfy, shall we?”
Before accepting his offer, Ori wanted to make sure something, “Hey, Sein? Did you find a cave?”
“I wasn’t able to, no, believe me, I looked” Sein said, a little sadly.
“Oh, well, maybe after this little break we can go look for one?” And so, with a sigh, Ori plopped down, cross legged on the floor, “It has been… a really strange day, at least now we can finally rest a bit.” She thought out loud as she brought her knees to her chest, thinking about everything that happened. And longing at the now far past where she was peacefully playing through Swallow’s Nest with Naru, living her days as a normal kid. Not worrying about… Whatever this is right now…
“Uh… Ori? Are you alright? You’re crying a bit” Duchko asked, concerned.
Sein followed after this, also worried, “Is this about Naru? Poor child, I know you’re sad about her, so I understand why you want to rest now.”
Ori chuckled a little, but still, she buckled upon herself, trying to cover herself with the oversized jacket however she could.
Seeing her expression, Duchko summoned his ‘tool’ again to a startled Ori. However, it wasn’t the same, instead of sharp angles, the body had a more gentle shape, forming two gentle curves, one on top of another, hugging Duchko’s thigh as he sat down on the floor.
“You know? I find it easier to relax when I listen to music, so it might help you too, wanna try?” The ‘guitarist’ offered.
“But, doesn’t that hurt things?” Ori answered, mildly worried, looking at the instrument in the musician’s hands.
Duchko looked at the younger spirit with some confusion, before getting what she meant, and laughed “Ahh… you mean when I fought that blob?” He wondered, before waving air with his hand, “Don’t worry about that, when I play guitars –or any stringed instrument, for that manner– I can create shapes with the music I do, and those can, well… hurt, as you saw, but only if I want to! Don’t worry about it.” He finished with a chuckle.
That was a relief for Ori… kind of, but she wanted to enjoy the moment, so she did her best to ignore any anxiety she may have. Thankfully, Sein noticed this and flew towards her, positioning themselves on top of her lap.
“Don’t worry, Ori, if anything happens, I’m here” Sein whispered. As a response, Ori patted their surface in acknowledgement.
After setting that aside, Ori focused on their strange visitor, “So, what are you going to do with that?” She asked, motioning towards the ‘guitar’.
“Why, tell you about my land, of course!” He explained happily, strumming the instrument. To Ori’s surprise, instead of a sharp sound, a soft, calming one came out from the guitar. And rather than a wave of light, five… butterflies? Came from the instrument. After a bit of fluttering about they all rested in the ground, and proceeded to melt, forming some sort of little land. All the while Duchko played a calming song with the instrument.
“This… is my forest, Nilef. Or, well, a representation of it.” Duchko chuckled. “This is a land where art crosses each and every street, from the quiet painters of the south to the vivid singers and dancers from the capital. All under the protector branch of my mom, the Spirit Ceiba. Which is a nice Spirit Tree, especially for being the first one in Nilef.” He said gladfully as he made a new thing appear on the map, some sort of tree, wide at the base and midsection, and thinner on top, with a bushy leafage, and a section near the top of the trunk, where a sphere rested in a wooden ‘throne’.
Ori was amazed by this, “So, are there more like you, then? Musicians, I mean.”
“Of course! It’s not like I’m the only sp-” Duchko managed to catch himself in that sentence, and continued with a cough “It’s not like I’m the only guitarist in the land. Although I am the only one in this harder hitting rhythm, I think so, at least. Others prefer a more melancholic or romantic tone.”
Surprisingly, Sein also looked like they wanted to inquire our visitor further with questions of their own, “So, I take it you have your own Shine, along with the Spirit Tree?”
“Yes, we do. Seas is their name, and they’re as lovely and motherly as you, Sein! Just… they wouldn’t hit a total stranger for no apparent reason.” Duchko teased at a… scoffing Sein?
“Well, I had a good reason to, alright? I did not want you hurting Ori, that is all” Sein explained, mildly bothered.
“Eh, fair. Either way, I feel there are some spirits that would take a liking to ya if you met ‘em.” He riddled, before strumming again and making three light droplets stir down and to the map, all with different sizes and, just like the spirit had in front of her, some were using objects to decorate their bodies. One, the tallest of the three, looked similar to her, only the tail being slightly different – sort of jagged near the ends instead of a smooth tail, like a bundle of grass–, and a sort of long stick on its hand; then, the one a little shorter than the first, looked to wear some sort of vine around its neck, and had a lot of fur in the back of its head, flowing to its shoulders; and lastly, the shortest one, it didn’t seem like it had two eyes, with one being covered in the same fur Duchko had. Surprisingly enough, the last two didn’t seem to have hooves like her, but paws? “I know they might seem… unique at first, but I can assure you, they’re good spirits. Like, for example… her!” He exclaims as he makes one of the ‘spirits’ move forward, it was the one eyed one. “At first, she may look fierce or intimidating, but really? She has a soft heart, probably just like yours!” He giggled.
Ori laughed a bit, “They really seem like good friends Duch-” she yawned, it looked like the soft music, Sein’s glow and her finally resting after a while running around got to her. “Sorry, I guess today tired me out more than I thought.” Ori shyly admitted.
“Eh, don’t worry, you go to sleep, we’ll take care of ya.” The male spirit winked, and dismissed the projection with a slow, finishing tune.
And thus, Ori stretched and got comfortable, curling up into a ball, unconsciously grabbing Sein and putting them in the middle of her body, hugging them.
“Welp… it seems she could’t resist. I do hope she doesn’t mind” he thought out loud as he reached her, picking her up while trying not to bother her.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
“So! Sein? Where do you think a cave would be?” Duchko asked while carrying the sleepy spirit.
“Well, I was sure we passed one when we got that ability. But I could not find it, I am sure we can find one easily though” Sein answered from their fluffy prison.
“...What is it you are planning? Why are you here?” Sein inquired, suspicious of the newcomer.
Duchko was caught off guard by the Shine’s question. “I- well, we were travelling through various forests, playing our music, but when we didn’t see a spirit around we knew something was wrong. But I decided to venture alone, I didn’t wanna risk ‘em, they are just too… harmless.” he admitted, a little sad. “So I went alone, trying to find anyone, really.”
“Oh, I did not know that, to be honest, I thought you were trying to hurt Ori when I first saw you.” Sein lamented.
At which Duchko just chuckled, low so as not to wake Ori up, “Nah, I wouldn’t do that, I ain’t no traitor to the light.” He answered before looking at the kiddo in his arms, it made him smile, thinking back to a more peaceful past.
“Interesting choice of words, Duchko” Sein noted, slightly confused… “But I am glad you are on our side, to be honest, I was thinking this could also work as a way for Ori to grow up and… protect herself, something tells me she will need it in the future.”
At that cryptic response, Duchko looked at Sein confused and slightly worried, “Uh, anyway… Since you also have a Spirit Tree, what do you think about its spirit? Do you like ‘em?” He asked, wanting to change the subject, he didn’t notice he was petting Ori, but once he noticed she was purring, he didn’t stop, it was relaxing to him.
Sein, somehow, sighed at the question, “You mean Shur? Of course I do. He is a bundle of love, he always wore his heart to his branches, specially with our children, even if he was in a different plane than them.”
“I see…” So it is really similar in every forest, Duchko thought.
After a bit more walking, the carrier spirit stopped at the sight of what looked like the entrance of a cave. “Do you think that could work, Sein?” Duchko asked, while laying Ori on the ground, and placing a hand on his hip.
“I think it could be a good place, here, let me go forward to see if it is safe to rest” Sein proposed, but Duchko stepped forwards before Sein.
“You take care of Ori, I’ll look at this, okay?” He insisted, and jumped in without waiting for their answer. “Well, it does have some… Icky roots, wet spots, and bulbs on the walls, but other than that it’s not much.
“Icky roots? Wait, do not touch them, they might hurt you! It is decay!” Sein warned Duchko, which was not going to touch one… nope, not at all.
“Damn, I see. Well, if they’re corrupt then… Can I use light?” He wondered out loud, manifesting his guitar and playing a strong tune, trying to keep it down so Ori stayed asleep. It worked all the same, and in no time the cave went from cold and decayed to just cold.
A bit later, a red head emerged from the entrance “Welp, it’s done! Now let’s bring this sleepy spirit to her temporary house.” Duch said as he reached for Ori once again, with Sein following soon after.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Sein asked, as the trio went inside.
“Well… just leave her here and probably go back to the ship, since it looks like this is a two person adventure.” Duchko laughed as he set Ori in the cave, and he stepped back.
“Are you going to leave right now? What about the clothing you shared with Ori?”
“Eh, it’ll be a gift, I have another one back where I came from. I wanted to try it out anyway, so no biggie.” He said, shrugging.
“Are you… sure?”
“Yup! Totally”
“Alright then. Good luck on the track back.”
A pause from Duchko… “Alright, I’ll be careful, I wish you two the best.” The Nilefian saluted while walking towards the exit, only stopping at the very edge, looking back at the Nibelian duo. But he waved and smiled. Disappearing into the night.