06-21-2018, 05:17 PM
The leaves shuffled, a passing wind brushing through the long, twisting limbs of the dense overgrowth. Branches knocked together ominously, catching the ear of any who might listen, but the darkness consumed the answers to anyone who might glance about to unravel the mysteries of the night. The bramble-thick path that wound beneath the trees had not been walked in some time it seemed, and any of the comforting lights of civilization were long behind any who had made their way out so deep into the Tangle. Even the moon abandoned the undergrowth, her light gobbled up by the canopy above.
A dry sprig snapped underfoot, and a dim green light shone out as the young man stumbled down the trail. His wary eyes glances around for anything lurking in the darkness that might have noticed him, another breeze rustling the limbs of the forest. He took a deep breath and kept on, sweeping his fist back and forth, the ring on his finger held high like the lantern that he had claimed as a namesake.
“Only a little further,” he reassured himself under his breath. His top caught on yet another barb of an encroaching plant, and he tugged it free. He paused and pulled out his shirt and lamented yet another hole in the fabric. He sighed and dropped it, trudging forward, his sneakers sinking into the mud below.
A distant gust came nearer, and again the entire forest shook. However, this time the traveler’s eye caught the glint of something in to foliage nearby. He spun on the toes of his feet, breath catching in his throat. He held up his rigs, beaming wavering light into the vines and branches that surrounded him.
After a moment of reticence he summoned up the courage to speak, “Who’s there?”
The jungle did not answer him. He squinted his eyes, swinging his precious green beacon back and forth fruitlessly. He sighed and exhaled, taking a moment to slow his trembling breathing. He closed his eyes and calmed his thumping heart, and the ring on his finger ceased its flickering. He shook his head and laughed gently to himself, gently mocking his overreaction.
He turned once again to his course. He took a few more steps before he heard the crack of a twig. He jumped and leveled his ring at the darkness, choking out, “Show yourself!”
Bleak nothingness returned his call. “Damn it!” he snapped, half to himself and half to the foreboding and all-consuming black. He began to walk backwards slowly, eyes darting from tree to tree, his glowing weapon whipping between the shadows and trembling leaves. His chest thumped heavily in his chest and his mind ran wild with the possibilities. The emerald light upon his finger dimmed and stuttered. He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows, and the light swelled once again.
He focused for a time and a small, gleaming, hard-light revolver appeared in his hand. He aimed it into the darkness, a new sense of confidence swelling with a gun between his fingers.
“Is that all it takes?” a soft voice echoed, and the boy gasped, nearly jumping off of the trail. “For you to give in to fear?” A mocking laughter filled the air, echoing from trunks and stones, seeming to come from every angle at once.
“SHOW YOURSELF!” the child boomed, putting on his best baritone. He pulled back the hammer on the gun and turned completely around, checking behind himself, then back around again. “I’m not playing around! Come out or I’ll shoot!”
He grit his teeth when the voice did not answer, and another draft whipped at the leaves. He narrowed his eyes and carefully scanned his revolver back and forth, awaiting whatever might come for him. The crunch of leaves crackled in his ear and he brought the gun up to bear, blasting off a shot. The green beam illuminated the forest it whizzed harmlessly through the air, lighting up the trees and ferns it passed by.
Laughter haunted the air once again, reverberating in his head almost as much as it did outside of it. “The green light of Will…” the voice purred. “I hadn’t expected to be so disappointed. So flawed. So weak.”
A scimitar tore into Jack’s back as Taeket dropped from a tree overhead, her yellow robes fluttering around her as she landed. The fledgling Lantern called out in pain and twisted about, but the gerudo warrior had already ducked under his shot by the time her took it.
Her blades ate into his inner thigh and he yelped, falling to a single knee. She gingerly placed the tip of her weapon under his chin, looking down at him from under her crooked nose. “I am giving you a chance that we wouldn’t give many.” Her eyes burned with disgust, her voice weighted down by the depth of her detestation for the man. “You will join us, or you will die. You will die over and over again until we cease being entertained by your destruction and send you to whatever this place calls hell.”
A dry sprig snapped underfoot, and a dim green light shone out as the young man stumbled down the trail. His wary eyes glances around for anything lurking in the darkness that might have noticed him, another breeze rustling the limbs of the forest. He took a deep breath and kept on, sweeping his fist back and forth, the ring on his finger held high like the lantern that he had claimed as a namesake.
“Only a little further,” he reassured himself under his breath. His top caught on yet another barb of an encroaching plant, and he tugged it free. He paused and pulled out his shirt and lamented yet another hole in the fabric. He sighed and dropped it, trudging forward, his sneakers sinking into the mud below.
A distant gust came nearer, and again the entire forest shook. However, this time the traveler’s eye caught the glint of something in to foliage nearby. He spun on the toes of his feet, breath catching in his throat. He held up his rigs, beaming wavering light into the vines and branches that surrounded him.
After a moment of reticence he summoned up the courage to speak, “Who’s there?”
The jungle did not answer him. He squinted his eyes, swinging his precious green beacon back and forth fruitlessly. He sighed and exhaled, taking a moment to slow his trembling breathing. He closed his eyes and calmed his thumping heart, and the ring on his finger ceased its flickering. He shook his head and laughed gently to himself, gently mocking his overreaction.
He turned once again to his course. He took a few more steps before he heard the crack of a twig. He jumped and leveled his ring at the darkness, choking out, “Show yourself!”
Bleak nothingness returned his call. “Damn it!” he snapped, half to himself and half to the foreboding and all-consuming black. He began to walk backwards slowly, eyes darting from tree to tree, his glowing weapon whipping between the shadows and trembling leaves. His chest thumped heavily in his chest and his mind ran wild with the possibilities. The emerald light upon his finger dimmed and stuttered. He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows, and the light swelled once again.
He focused for a time and a small, gleaming, hard-light revolver appeared in his hand. He aimed it into the darkness, a new sense of confidence swelling with a gun between his fingers.
“Is that all it takes?” a soft voice echoed, and the boy gasped, nearly jumping off of the trail. “For you to give in to fear?” A mocking laughter filled the air, echoing from trunks and stones, seeming to come from every angle at once.
“SHOW YOURSELF!” the child boomed, putting on his best baritone. He pulled back the hammer on the gun and turned completely around, checking behind himself, then back around again. “I’m not playing around! Come out or I’ll shoot!”
He grit his teeth when the voice did not answer, and another draft whipped at the leaves. He narrowed his eyes and carefully scanned his revolver back and forth, awaiting whatever might come for him. The crunch of leaves crackled in his ear and he brought the gun up to bear, blasting off a shot. The green beam illuminated the forest it whizzed harmlessly through the air, lighting up the trees and ferns it passed by.
Laughter haunted the air once again, reverberating in his head almost as much as it did outside of it. “The green light of Will…” the voice purred. “I hadn’t expected to be so disappointed. So flawed. So weak.”
A scimitar tore into Jack’s back as Taeket dropped from a tree overhead, her yellow robes fluttering around her as she landed. The fledgling Lantern called out in pain and twisted about, but the gerudo warrior had already ducked under his shot by the time her took it.
Her blades ate into his inner thigh and he yelped, falling to a single knee. She gingerly placed the tip of her weapon under his chin, looking down at him from under her crooked nose. “I am giving you a chance that we wouldn’t give many.” Her eyes burned with disgust, her voice weighted down by the depth of her detestation for the man. “You will join us, or you will die. You will die over and over again until we cease being entertained by your destruction and send you to whatever this place calls hell.”