Leyland Adventures Chapter Thirteen: Part Eleven

Diary Entry #12

"Today was incredibly exhausting. During my tedious journey to retrieve the Ice Gemstone, I found myself in Carrigo Village. Next thing I know, I'm fighting Bengale for the Everest Icicles on his back. Well... I was required to duel him anyway for the shard. I was a bit disheartened to see my sword shatter due to his might, but I had a spare just in case. However the day wasn't all bad, I helped plenty of people and donated many weapons to the village. I was gifted with the Bromide Sword which I used to fight off a gang of Chillchad Wolves. It's a bit heavy, but manageable. In conclusion, today was grueling but I'm satisfied I could help the people I've encountered."

End of Entry Twelve

Just as she closed the page, Tysashi had awoken from his slumber. With a powerful yawn, he turned to Aradressa who was dressed in her sleeping gear. A smile automatically appeared on his face as he hadn't seen her all day.

"Hey, Aradressa. How was your day?" He emerged from the covers, extending his limbs.

Hearing his magnetic voice, she took her alluring eyes from the diary to focus on him.

"Well, it was a day of various tasks. To cut it short, I gathered a shard of the Ice Gemstone and donated weapons to a small village. I received a new weapon, the Bromide Sword." She directed her finger to the wall beside her bed where the sword was held.

"Oh, did the other one break or something?"

"Correct. The Bromide Sword is a worthy replacement for the Shandolyn Sword."

"Well Aradressa, it was nice to speak to you today. I'm sure your mother told you, but I'm heading out to Kiyoshi Woods to search for Malodan. Afterwards, I'll be visiting Kanpoi's Edge tomorrow for a guaranteed catch. Have a great night, Aradressa."

Contrasting to Tysashi's upbeat attitude, an unexplainable feeling loomed over her. The outside world was silenced as her inner thoughts gained volume. She could feel her heart pulse as walls of sorrow suffocated it. Just as he walked past her, she escaped from the silence and promptly gripped his hand.

An alarm ringed in his head as he faced her. As their skin made contact, he sensed something was awry. She held her head down with her hair sharing the appearance of a still waterfall. Perplexed, he kept silent with his mind still scrambled.

"What time will you return?" She asked, finally breaking the sudden silence. Their eyes traversed paths as he gave his answer.

"Well, I really don't know when I'll be back. I guess I could search around for thirty minutes before I come back. Then again, there's the possibility I might encounter Malodan, so it's unpredictable."

She paused before responding, understanding that there was no possible way for him to give a reliable time.

"I see, please be cautious. There will be guards outside the castle awaiting your return."

"I will, I'll try to return before midnight. Goodbye and goodnight, Aradressa."

"Goodnight and good luck, Tysashi." With that said, she released him. He went out the door as she took comfort in the bed. No matter how much she wanted to protect him, it would go against Aquiline's limitations. This, of course, would bring a variety of problems to the already weary table.

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Tysashi stood outside the entrance of Kiyoshi Woods, receiving a rush of cruel memories from his past experiences with the area. With a deep exhale, he entered the forest with unwavering confidence. Tall, bulky trees stretched into the sky with Hindi Grass and Lumi Mushrooms around the trunk. The chirps of numerous creatures filled the lull forest. For now, the environment was serene and vivid.

The aroma of unrestrainable nature swam around him. Once he traveled deeper into the woods, a pint-sized girl with curled, blonde hair came into view. Her elegant locks obscured her right eye. For a second, he thought she was merely an illusion, but he wasn't in Jisastu Forest. Of course, his initial thought was to ask the girl if her parents were nearby.

"Hey, little girl! Where are your parents?!"

The girl quickly turned her head to see him. She could feel her heart skip a beat as he made an unexpected arrival.

"I don't have parents." She kept her distance until the stranger would introduce himself.

"Oh...you don't have parents? Then why are you out here alone?"

Crossing her arms, she replied with a nasty attitude. "Well, if you must know, I'm here to take a break from my friends. Don't worry about me being lost, and I certainly don't need a grown-up to watch over me. I know my way back. Now then, who are you?"

"Even then, it's dangerous for a little girl to wander around this place unsupervised. Though, given by your stare, I guess I can't change your mind. Anyhow, I'm Tysashi! No need to be worried, I won't hurt you. Also, I'm just a teenager."

She examined him; nothing about him seemed threatening. Even then, she wouldn't let her guard down that easily.

"Ok well, you can call me Annabelle. What are you doing here? And what's with the basket of fruit?" She surveyed.

"I'm searching for a creature named Malodan, which is why I have a basket of his favorite fruit. I was told that he could be found in these woods, so I decided to test my luck. If you know him, think you could help me out?"

Annabelle turned away to ponder her decision, closing her eyes. "Well, I don't know. How can I trust you?"

"Umm, do you know a girl named Aradressa? If you do, I'm her friend."

"Yup, I met her a while back in Jisastu Forest. She returned the gemstones which belong to my friends and me. We gave her Piku Liquid as a thank you. Anyway, everyone knows Aradressa. To earn my trust, tell me something unique about her."

"Something unique...oh, I got it! She has a special Trait which makes her look the same no matter how old she is. Speaking of age, how old are you?"

"Technically, I'm eight, though my age doesn't matter. As a spirit, we don't show signs of age. We'll just look the same as we did before our death. Anyway, I believe you now."

"So you're a spirit as well. Moving on, would you like a berry?" He offered, taking a knee to reach her height.

The indescribable aroma of the berries got to her. Her body had gotten light from the scent. Taking his offer, she took a berry, looking back at his proud smile. The blaring alarms in her head settled as she bit into the berry. A nuke of flavor detonated in her mouth; each bite was another nuke. With immeasurable satisfaction surrounding her, the blaring alarms in her head settled.

"Hmm... I'll help you on one condition. You'll be having a tea party with me!" She exclaimed.

The legendary hero agreed to her conditions. In response, Annabelle led the way to her secret area, free from harm.

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Eventually, the two reached the hidden location. Tysashi was presented to a wide stump with a teapot and a pair of teacups beside it with two smaller stumps to the left and right. Edged rocks were scattered around while Lumi Mushrooms happily sat on the ground. Hindi Grass lit the area with glittering light. Pink roses were neighboring the five trees organized in a circle, making for a gorgeous sight. The radiant moonlight helped the multiple petite ponds stand out with dazzling water.

"Wow, you sure know how to pick a beautiful spot. I'm impressed."

"Tell me something I don't know." She retorted, seating herself as he did the same. "So Tysashi, what do you want with Malodan?" She poured herself a cup of Lumi Mushroom liquid while pouring Tysashi a cup as well.

"Well, I need to defeat him to get a shard for the Aqua Gemstone. You see, I'm not from here, and the only way to get back to my homeworld is to collect all twenty gemstones."

"That explains why you have no wings, though I've seen plenty of wingless fairies before. Moving forward, Malodan would absolutely destroy you. You're too scrawny to face him. You have no muscles, and I don't see any weapons on you. It's just not gonna work."

"Well, I may not look like much, but I'm way stronger than I appear. Even without weapons, I defeated Aquiline. If it wasn't for my victory against her, I wouldn't be here right now."

Annabelle took another lengthy sip, working on her next statement. "Well, even if you defeated her, Malodan is a tough cookie. Not only is fighting him difficult, but finding him is even more difficult. Since you have accepted my request, I'll help you look for him. Don't expect me to spend all night helping you; you get fifteen minutes and then I'm heading back. Got it?"

Instead of calling Annabelle out for her bittersweet behavior, he nodded whilst finishing his cup.

"Good. Before we go, I have to pee so wait for me." Before her ruby heels could hit the ground, the surface trembled fast enough to cause vibrations to sprint up their spines.

The tea set crashed to the ground along with the basket as the ground gradually rose into the air. Due to the impact, the berries popped like balloons. With swiftness, Tysashi inspected the area, realizing Annabelle's spot has five trees organized in spherical fashion. With that sudden realization, he took her hand and leaped off the rising ground.

Finally, the cause of the event revealed itself. Malodan had concluded his awakening, delivering a powerful roar. Gargantuan piles of dirt fell off his grimy shell as the magnificent, colossal beast shook its head. His limbs were just as dirty, painted with soil. The shard was guarded by vines on his underbelly. The two stood in shock as Malodan commenced his migration to Swealie Sea.

"What are you waiting for, let's get after him!" Annabelle commanded, freeing him from his state of immobility. She took his arms and took him to the skies where he truly received an idea of how humongous Malodan is. His figure alone snapped the trees from their base.

"Alright Tysashi, I'm gonna bring us closer to his super dirty face. Luckily, Malodans aren't aggressive, so we should be fine."

"That's cool, do what you can, Annabelle." He smiled, putting confidence into her young soul.

With a smirk, she pushed her glittering wings to bring them closer to Malodan. The oversized turtle could pick up their scent as they grew near. Sensing them as a roadblock to his destination, a pink orb of gas formed above the center of his shell. At peak size, it was launched at the two at severe speeds.

Before Tysashi could warn her of the attack, Annabelle was hit by the gas. Not only was her vision cloudy, but her will to stay awake had began to steadily become nonexistent. Tysashi shouted her name multiple times, although he gained no response.

"So...tired..." She whispered as her eyes were shutting themselves down.

"Annabelle, if you're tired, please find a safe place to land!" No matter how much he yelled, Annabelle was deaf to his concerns. Ultimately, the lack of energy caused her wings to cease their fluttering. In turn, they had submitted to the laws of gravity, plummeting down.

Annabelle's unconscious body fell faster than Tysashi's, whose necklace flew off due to heavy winds blowing upwards. He willingly ignored the loss of the necklace in exchange for Annabelle's safety. His heart beat a million times a second with his mind racing. Despite this, he swam towards Annabelle, enclosing her in his arms as he awaited the inevitable crash to the ground. Although he wasn't positive if Annabelle could get wounded, he wasn't about to take that chance. With her secured in his arms, his heartbeat mellowed out as his mind repaired itself.

"It's ok, Annabelle. I won't let you get hurt. Even if that means I have to take one for you, it'll be worth it."

With the ground approaching rapidly, he clenched his eyes shut. His grip tightened before he hit the ground. During his return to the surface, he was swarmed by multiple branches and leaves. He could feel the tip of the branches rip his clothing but his handle on Annabelle remained as strong as his will to protect her. At last, he landed on the ground. The blow wasn't as severe as he had predicted; now he could feel delighted with his sacrifice.

He loosened his hold on Annabelle, taking a prolonged stare at her face. "Heh, not a single scratch." He ran his hand across her golden locks, shooting a breath of relief from his lungs.

Her eyes lazily opened; her memories were currently disorganized. "T- Tysashi? What happened, where did Malodan go? And what happened to your necklace?" She asked with a frail voice.

"Well, you got hit by pink gas and fell asleep in midair. I was able to cushion your fall by holding you near my chest. Luckily, I crashed into a tree. Malodan left, and I really don't know where my necklace is. It's probably broken, though. Anyhow, the necklace is the least thing I'm concerned about. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just...out of it right now. It's weird, Malodans aren't usually defensive until they sense a threat."

"Maybe it's because he's carrying a shard."

"Yeah. Anyway...thanks for saving me. I'm sorry Malodan got away...it was all my fault."

Seeing as she deflated her ego, he came in to deliver a positive side. "Hey hey, it's ok. I care about your safety more than catching Malodan. Besides, at least now I know where he's going next. So actually, you helped me. Thank you, Annabelle."

His uplifting tone of voice was impossible to resist as her mood lifted itself up to the heavens.

"So...what are you gonna do now?"

"Well, I have to go home for a shower in preparation for tomorrow. But anyhow, thanks for everything and goodnight. Make it back to your friends safely."

"I will, goodnight Tysashi."

The two exchanged smiles and waves as they went their separate ways. The thoughts of each other lingered for the entire journey back.