"Tuck, Tuck, Tuc---"
’Clang, Clang’
’Spark, Spa--’
"Arrrhh!!" Eli’s cry echoed through the cavern as he seized the neck of one skeleton monster, swinging it around with increasing force before driving his Celestria into its skull.
The skeletal foes moved with surprising speed, their movements erratic and unpredictable. Yet, Eli, with his heightened senses, anticipated their every move, his eyes glowing with yellowish sparks power as he tracked their lightning-fast attacks.
With each strike of his trident, sparks flew, illuminating the darkness of the world as the monsters fell one by one.
However, despite Eli’s efforts, he encountered a frustrating obstacle: no matter how many times he struck them down, the skeletons would reassemble themselves, fueled by the sparkling energy coursing through their forms.
Undeterred, Eli adapted his strategy, wielding Celestria to defend against their relentless onslaught while utilizing Ember’s unique abilities to his advantage. With a deft flick of his wrist, he directed Ember to act as a lightning rod, drawing the energy from the creatures’ bodies and channelling it into the ground below.
"Come on, Arlyne, fight!!" Eli shouted, his voice echoing with urgency as he watched Arlyne grip her thin sword, her hand trembling in fear as if she faced her inevitable demise.
’Tsk’ Eli clicked his tongue in frustration as he surveyed the relentless Legion of Thunderbonii that seemed to multiply endlessly with each passing moment.
’Where are they before?’ He thought.
He had been locked in combat with them for what felt like an eternity, and there was no end in sight.
"SHIT!!" Pearl’s panicked cry rang out as she ran and ran away from a flurry of attacks from the relentless monsters, her movements erratic with fear.
’Grrrr’ Eli growled in frustration, his patience wearing thin. This was no time for games; they were not seriously fighting for their lives.
’Thud’
Reacting swiftly, Eli leapt into action, narrowly evading an incoming sword strike.
’Clang, Clang’
With precision, he encased the skeleton’s neck in chains of ember before driving his weapon into the ground, and just like before as if lightning left their body causing the lifeless creature to collapse.
’Chukkk!!’
The sickening sound of flesh being pierced reached Eli’s ears, and he turned to see Arlyne clutching her stomach, a look of agony etched on her face.
’Tsk’ Eli clicked his tongue in annoyance, his heart pounding with concern. Without hesitation, he darted to Arlyne’s side, appearing behind her in an instant. Gently lifting her in his arms, he quickly scanned the area for Pearl, who was trembling as she wielded her blue spear.
With a determined expression, Eli swiftly moved to Pearl’s side, hoisting her onto his shoulder alongside Arlyne.
"I never thought Rock’s artifact would help me in this predicament," Eli muttered to himself as he retrieved a peculiar multicoloured ribbon-like feather from his pocket. Carefully, he wrapped it around the sharp edge of Ember, the blade pulsating with unknown energy.
"SSHHHH!!!"
Eli hurled Ember into the sky, his voice barely audible over the chaos of battle. "Far away, empty place."
The multicoloured ribbon shimmered with ethereal light before bending the trajectory of Ember, guiding it towards a distant destination with unerring accuracy.
’SSSHHHHIIIIIIII!!!’
With a deafening rush of air, Ember soared through the sky, pulling Eli along with it as he clung to its chain, leaving the bewildered skeletons below in their wake.
Suddenly, his eyes turned reddish-black, and his hand pulsed with black veins. Eli’s consciousness slowly faded as he entered Arlyne’s soul world.
Within this ethereal realm, Eli found himself surrounded by a vast expanse of white, with a radiant sphere emitting pure energy at its core.
However,
’Spark, Spark’
The tranquillity was disrupted by the presence of a sparkling yellowish-blue humanoid figure attempting to breach the sphere’s defences.
"As I thought..." Eli muttered, a sense of resignation in his tone as he bid farewell to the unknown intruder,
"Goodbye!"
The humanoid figure turned to face the newcomer, only to be met with a massive reddish-black maw that consumed it effortlessly, leaving no trace behind.
With a satisfied "burp" Eli exited Arlyne’s soul world, his consciousness now slowly shifting to Pearl’s.
In Pearl’s soul world, Eli encountered a similar scene: boundless white space with a central sphere of pure energy. Yet, there was a notable absence of any hostile entities within this realm.
Frowning in contemplation, Eli found himself abruptly interrupted by a gruff voice echoing from behind.
"Interesting...!" The voice exclaimed, catching Eli’s attention.
He swiftly turned around, only to be met by another sparkling humanoid figure bathed in yellowish-blue light.
"What are you?" the figure inquired, its curiosity evident in its tone as it regarded Eli with intrigue.
Eli remained silent, his gaze assessing the figure from head to toe. ’It’s not a fiend then... What else could this be?’ he pondered.
"Intriguing... A human who would devour a soul... Truly intriguing..." the figure mumbled, its surprise palpable. It pressed further, repeating its question with heightened curiosity, "What are you?"
With a cryptic smile, Eli responded, "A monster just like you," before swiftly consuming the figure.
Coming out from the soul world.
"-ha-ha-ha-"
Surveying his surroundings, Eli took a moment to catch his breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. His attention then turned to Arlyne and Pearl, who lay unconscious nearby.
Rushing to their side, Eli checked their eyes for any signs of abnormality. To his relief, their gazes seemed to have returned to normal.
However, before he could assess the situation further, a deafening roar shattered the air,
"THUNDER!!!"
"BOOMM!!!"
The protective wall Eli had erected crumbled under the onslaught.
"Tuck, Tuck, Tuck...."
The familiar typing sound resonated once again, prompting Eli to steel himself.
"Let’s play! BONII" He declared, before disappearing while leaving a trail of sparks...
"Spark, Spark"