Ch. 4 – Plight Of The Isles



"Don't get the wrong idea," Dante said quickly as he stood up, setting the orb on the table. "You're all in a terrible situation, one greater than my ability to appreciate. I just… I don't think I'm the right person you need for this. I'm only twelve, for crying out loud."

"I only agree partially with you on that," Prospero replied, "you are indeed very young and inexperienced in life, let alone the ways of combat. However, we're not in any position to be picky about the details."

Dante backed away. "So, why can't you find someone who is? Why can't you just pick a person – any person – who's exactly what you're looking for? Hundreds of thousands of people are more capable than I am in my world, if not the multiverse. Why me?"

"Because I cannot just pick and take anyone," Prospero said, "only those who've picked up the game. And right now, you're the only person in your world with a copy of it."

Feeling more irritated by the moment, Dante tried to peel the fabric off his forearm. It stuck to him like glue.

"So?" he asked as he continued trying to get it off, "Why do I have to do it? It's not like my world's in danger or anything."

"Isn't it?"

Something in Prospero's words made Dante pause and look up. The expression on the old man's face wasn't angry or exasperated. If anything, he looked sad.

"I thought the same thing once," he said quietly, "I found out about the danger and did nothing, thinking it couldn't affect my people. Now, I am the only one left."

He sighed and shook his head. "Of course, I now know there's not much I could have done that would have prevented it; I knew only a little about the Void at the time, nothing that was useful."

"However," his eyes met Dante's again, "I keep wondering what if. What if there was a chance that I could have done something? Odds are I might have perished with my people… or been able to save at least a few."

Dante wanted to argue, but he quickly realized there was truth in Prospero's words.

No matter how he looked at it, if what Prospero said about the Void was true, it was only a matter of time before his world was next. It might not be for years to come, and he might not be around when it did, but it didn’t make it any less dangerous.

He was in a place where he could help and possibly stop the threat before it came to his world.

Dante looked back at Prospero – the sole survivor of his world and the last of his kind – and at Kibou – a creature given extraordinary powers to help stop that same threat. The therivorum stood next to the old man, gazing inquisitively back at Dante. Was he even aware of the situation? Was he any older than he was?

"I…" Dante tried to speak, unsure what to say, "I still…."

He was cut off as an explosion shook the room, making them fall to the floor.

"What the heck was that?" Dante shouted as he pushed himself up. In a flash of green fur, Kibou was at his side, helping him stand.

"It appears as though we had less time than I thought," Prosper said, leaning against the table. "Imperius is making his move."

Dante paused. "Imperius? I thought you said it was called –"

"Imperius is the king of the Cross Channel Archipelago," Prospero quickly explained, "and a great king he was. For years he kept the Void's forces at bay, keeping the inhabitants safe. That changed a year ago when he turned on us and started attacking villages."

Another explosion sounded much further away, but they could still feel it.

"Huh? But why would he do that?" Dante asked.

"No one knows," Prospero sighed.

He had rummaged in his pocket again, taking out a leather satchel. Opening it, he quickly scooped the items on the table into it.

Dante stared as more items than the bag should have held were effortlessly slipped inside. When the table was cleared, Prospero closed it and held it out to him. "Take this."

Automatically, Dante reached out before considering whether it would be too heavy for him. He was surprised to feel the satchel weighed practically nothing.

Prospero picked up the orb from where Dante had placed it and threw it over to him. "Keep this on to you at all times. We're going to have to move, and quickly."

Before Dante could respond, Prospero snapped his fingers. An instant later, one of the doors burst open, and his staff flew out and directly into his hand.

"Come!" Prospero started towards the large double doors, which flew open at his approach.

Dante shared a look with Kibou before they both quickly followed.

Once outside, Dante only had a few seconds to take in what was happening.

As Prospero had told him, they were at the edge of a village of different-sized wooden huts. It was built in a jungle clearing with a river running down the middle. While it was still dark out, Dante could see the glow of sunrise just starting to appear over the trees.

Everywhere he looked, there were more strange creatures, like the ones he had seen when he first arrived in that world. Most were running around in a panic, but Dante was able to get a good look at some of them.

Unsurprisingly most of them appeared "jungle-themed," predominantly monkeys and parrots. Still, others looked like walking trees and flowers. Most were smaller than Dante, but a few towered several feet over his head.

There was another explosion, this time right in the heart of the village. Voices cried out in terror as timber and rocks were sent flying.

"Prospero!" called a gruff voice.

The bear creature from before came towards them, mindfully making his way through the crowd, careful not to push or step on anyone.

"There are at least three battalions worth of troops surrounding us!" he said as he approached. "Matuu is leading the attacks from the sky while Guntur is directing the troops on the ground."

As the light increased, Dante began to make out dark shapes darting through the air and between the trees.

"It's as I feared," Prosper said. "With Imperius' highest-ranking generals coming after us, we have no choice but to retreat."

The bear creature nodded in agreement. "I thought as much. If you start the evacuation, I can lead our defenses to give you time to –"

"No," Prospero said, stroking his beard in thought. "They'll be expecting brute strength as appose to magic. It won't be much of an advantage, but it should be enough."

"You can't be serious!" The bear looked outraged by this. "I've been training our troops myself, and you know how strong I am."

"Which is why I would trust no one else to protect the evacuees, Doncath," Prospero said, placing a hand on the bear's shoulder. "You can protect them better as they seek refuge. Allow Gilda and I to keep the forces busy while you escape."

Doncath opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by another explosion. This one was right next to them.

Once Dante's ears stopped ringing, he looked to see Prosper holding his staff up, the gemstone glowing. He had cast up a shield before any damage could be done.

"Go, quickly," Prosper insisted.

Doncath hung his head as he turned and started off.

Once he was gone, Prospero quickly turned to Dante and Kibou.

"Go with Doncath and the evacuees," he said urgently, "if you're caught, then all hope will truly be lost."

Dante's grip on the orb tightened. He felt more scared than he had ever been in his entire life, but he nodded. Next to him, he heard Kibou give a small bark of affirmation.

Prospero gave a small nod of his own before turning once more and running off. Dante watched as he headed towards another familiar figure, the faerie lady he had seen along with Doncath. This must have been the Gilda he had mentioned.

For a moment, Dante stood there, unsure of what to do.

Then Kibou tugged at his tunic, drawing his attention to where many creatures around him were headed.

Near the spot where the river exited the clearing, Doncath stood tall, calling for those who couldn't fight. The river disappeared into a hole in the ground, and as he got nearer, Dante could see a steep set of stone stairs disappearing into a dark tunnel.

It didn't seem very safe, but continued explosions made up Dante’s mind.

At Doncath's insistence, they all filed into the tunnel one or two at a time, not moving too quickly as the steps were slick from the river.

As he and Kibou passed by, Dante could have sworn that the bear creature had briefly shot a glare at him. He didn't have time to speculate as they all hurried into the tunnel's darkness.

More of those glowing crystals were down in the tunnel, evenly spaced so they provided enough light to illuminate the stairs. The steps eventually began to even out into a path through the caverns, the river continuing alongside all the while.

For what felt like hours, Dante hurried with Kibou and the others. The sensation of fear was palpable around him from the creatures – most of which were probably still kids like himself. They were all different yet united in a common cause, fleeing for safety.

The tunnel path gradually widened, and the glow crystals became less frequent while light from ahead increased with each step.

The next thing he knew, he was stumbling out of the mouth of a cave. They were back out in the jungle, in the shadow of a mountain. Ahead of them, the path turned into the trees while the river continued until it poured over the edge of a cliff.

With more coming out of the tunnel, Dante and Kibou quickly moved out of the way.

A few minutes later, Doncath finally arrived last.

"We're still not safe here," he said, looking warily around, "the nearest refuge will take us an hour to walk to if we hurry. Stay close together and keep an eye out for danger."

Without waiting for a response, Doncath led everyone along the path as it followed the cliff edge. Gradually, the route began to slope downwards until they were back within the trees.

Dante hurried to the head of the group, Kibou keeping right behind him until he was even with the bear creature.

"What about the others?" he asked. "The ones who stayed to defend the village. What's going to happen to them?"

Dante didn't imagine it this time as Doncath fixed him with another glare.

"If they're lucky, they'll fall with honor upon the battlefield," he replied, returning to the path. "If any of them survive, they'll be taken to Imperius' fortress on Keahi Island. If that happens, it will only be a matter of time before they're handed over to the Void."

"W – what?" Dante's mind was still reeling with information. "But why would he… or anyone want to help the Void like that?"

"I don't know," Doncath snapped back at him, sharp teeth clicking dangerously as his eyes flashed.

The boy was taken aback by the creature's response. "Are you… mad at me for some reason?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say mad per se," Doncath's voice was now dripping with malevolent sarcasm, "more like disappointed. Our world is in danger, and Prospero has been saying how only a human could help us defend it."

It clicked in Dante's head. "And… the first human to show up after so long…."

"… is you. So, pardon me if I'm not feeling pleased about the hand we've been dealt."

While Dante agreed with the bear, he didn't think saying anything else would improve Donath's mood. He and Kibou quietly moved back to the middle of the group without another word.

The day wore on as they continued along the path, the hour seeming to drag unnaturally long.

They were just passing over a hill when Doncath pointed ahead of them.

"There they are – the temple ruins."

Further ahead, just visible in the trees, were the remains of buildings, now covered in vines and other plant life.

They didn't seem very safe to Dante, but he guessed they didn't have many options.

Before they could move forward, a hawk-like cry cut through the air coming from above.

Something large and green fell from the sky and landed on the path ahead. It had a canine-like body with a falcon's wings and head and a fox's ears and tail. The creature resembled a griffin from Greek mythology, and Dante remembered seeing something similar on the game cover.

The creature stumbled and fell, dropping something from its beak. Dante didn't know which was more alarming – the fact that the beast was hurt or the realization that it had been carrying Prospero's staff.

"Dad!"

Dante was almost bowled over as something rushed past him. A smaller version of the griffin hurried over to its parent, Doncath following right behind.

"Garrus, what happened?" the bear demanded. "Why aren't you defending the village with the others?"

"The village has fallen," the griffin, Garrus, said, shaking his head, "they were too powerful; there was nothing we could do. I only just managed to get away when they captured Prospero."

"And led us right to you."

The new voice had come from overhead. They all looked up to see a humanoid bird-like figure hovering above them. The morning light glinted off the large, silver wings that extended on either side of him as he glared down at the group. Behind him, several flying creatures – birds, insets, and even some reptiles – took positions as they prepared to attack.

Next to Dante, Kibou started to growl, baring his fangs and flattening his ears.

"Matuu!" Doncath shouted angrily. "These islands are your home! Why are you siding with Imperius in his goal to decimate them?"

At these words, the expression on Matuu's face changed, becoming regretful.

"It's not as simple as you make it out," he started, "there's more to this than just Imperius' whim."

"Now, now, Matuu!" boomed another voice. "They don't need to know about all the finer details."

Behind the group, an enormous, green ogre-like creature lumbered from the trees. He was the biggest one there, towering over Doncath by more than twice the bear's height. In one hand, he carried a club with a bolder tied to the other end. More creatures flooded out behind him, leaving the refugees surrounded.

"The only thing that matters now is that they should surrender or be subjugated," the ogre said gravelly.

He grinned evilly and added, "I'm all for a good trouncing. It's more fun that way."

"Guntur, behave yourself," Matuu snapped. "Remember, we're supposed to bring them in alive."

The ogre, Guntur, hefted his club effortlessly. "Whatever, that's no fun."

Dante looked back and forth between the two opposing groups that surrounded them.

A shiver of fear was running through the refugees. Doncath readied himself for a fight while Garrus got shakily to his feet. Next to the boy, Kibou continued to growl and glare back and forth between Matuu and Guntur.

Cold horror took root in Dante's chest. Whether he was ready or not, he was about to be in his first fight.

---

Things quickly develop and our hero is forced to flee; however, it isn't long before things get rough again, and it looks as though combat is inevitable at this point.

Here's also where my biggest issue with this draft comes to light - coming up with names for creatures ^^; a lot of it comes from taking so long with writing, and I kept pushing myself to just get it finished as quickly as I could.

But now that I've finished, I can devote time to coming up with proper species names and whatnot. Things that help the world feel more believable, ya know?

Read and enjoy ^_^

~Aaron