Chapter 3: Rude creatures are people too
It was really quite handy to have something to follow, even if they didn’t know for sure it would result in them escaping the red crystal realm. It was mainly handy due to the Red Crystal Realm being quite maze-like in structure, that and the crystal was clearly moving about. Along with that, Olice would sometimes find herself walking upside down or sideways on things. What was up and what was down did not at all stay consistent.
None of this perturbed Olice, being used to living in the Witch of Dimension’s tower, besides it wasn’t unusual for the Red Crystal Realm to be the way it was. It was after all originally part of the shadow realm, Awarth, before Ceilron Shail ripped it apart of course.
So, Gander and Olice followed the ribbon without incident for some time, that is until Gander stopped quite abruptly. Olice almost lost her hold on the ribbon.
“Oooh! Don’t do that Gander!”
Olice’s irritation was quickly replaced by curiosity, she knew that Gander wouldn’t have stopped for no reason.
“Quiet, and lisssten Missstresss”
Olice almost voiced an objection, but instead did as Gander told her. She wanted to know what it was. She listened carefully.
“Why, there is some sort of rumbling, snoring?” Olice posited.
Gander grinned.
“I’m amazed you recognized it, consssidering that you are asssleep when you begin to ssssnore like that!”he said
Olice stamped one of her little feet.
“I do not snore!” She protested.
“You are of coursssse right Misssstresss, I’m ssssure nobody would call the tremendoussss noisse that comessss from your tiny body sssssnoring, no they might missstake it for the noisse of sssome great beassst”
Olice scowled at Gander, who was cackling, then she smiled.
“Oh Gander, do go and find the source of that snoring, I don’t think we’d want to encounter anything that we can hear snoring from all the way over here!”
Gander looked nervously in the direction that he heard the snoring coming from.
“As you wisssh Missstressss” He hissed.
With that, Gander floated away as fast as he could.
Olice took a moment to savour having gotten one over Gander for once. What she didn’t know was that Gander had been intending to investigate the source of the snoring before being ordered to do so.
Gander returned as quickly as he departed.
“Come, but do not make any noissse, I can’t quite tell what it isss that iss sssleeping, but it iss powerful, and ssssleeping deeply.”
Olice nodded and together they made their way onwards, amid the twirling spires of crystal and the twisting walls. They soon came across the source of the snoring. A massive mound of crystal was moving gently as if it was breathing, little bits of crystal crumbling off of it with each snore.
The path spun around and up above the mound, growing wide and strong as it became like a spiral staircase, suspended without support in the air above the mound. The ribbon went all the way up the stairs, and Olice could not see the end of the stairs.
“That’s really far” Olice complained, whispering to Gander.
Gander merely gave a low warning hiss.
Olice whimpered, remembering the mound.
Olice made her way carefully around the mound. She was doing quite well until she came around to where the stairs were just beginning. An eye had opened on the mound. A great big amber eye, staring right at her.
“WHY I DO DECLARE, WHAT A CURIOUS BEING, IT LOOKS LIKE A CHILD, BUT HAS THE SPIRIT OF A BEAST!” The mound said, crystal sloughing off of it.
Olice couldn’t help herself.
“How rude! I’m a human!” Olice said.
“RUDE? WELL, RUDE IS NOT INTRODUCING YOURSELF ISN’T IT? HMMM?”
“You didn’t introduce yoursssself either” Gander cackled.
“WELL I GUESS THAT MAKES US ALL RUDE UNSOCIALABLE CREATURES”
The Mound rose to its feet, more crystal falling off of it. Whatever it was had furry black legs and an abundance of orange fur, though its belly was covered in white fur.
“NOW, HUMAN DID YOU CALL YOURSELF BEAST-CHILD? WHAT IS A HUMAN EVEN?”
“Why, its any hulf, dwarf or elf, and a few others” Olice rattled off.
Gander moved in closer to Olice. The mound shook more crystal off, revealing the being to be a massively oversized fox, or at least one with curling horns, four tails and an amber orb in its chest.
It was a Kitir, a spirit that was once the spirit of a fox, but gained power after growing more tails, horns and a Fox Orb. Fox spirits naturally become one after a hundred years, gaining a tail for each hundredth year after. Kitir can also be born to kitir, but these are far less powerful than one grown from a fox spirit. Kitir born from kitir have to spend a hundred years without any tail and without voice.
“MY TRULY DO YOU KNOW NOTHING, ARE YOUR ANCESTORS NOT WOLVES? DO YOU NOT NOW CALL THEM BEASTS? WHAT OF MINOTAURS, GNOLLS AND BOGGARTS, WOULD YOU CLAIM THEM TO BE SUB-HUMAN?”
“Oh. I never really thought of that, I suppose hulf really are a beast race” Olice said innocently.
“ALL YOU ‘HUMANS’ ARE ALL THE SAME SO… WAIT WHAT?”
“Well, if the hulven are descended from wolves, and if wolves are beasts, then we could also be called beasts” Olice repeated.
“WAIT, LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT, DO YOU CONSIDER BEASTS TO BE PEOPLE?”
Olice mused about it.
“Only those with greater will, that’s what I’ve been taught anyway!”
“WHAT OF YOUR VILE BOUND SLAVE-SPIRIT?”
“Why, of course Gander is a person, and he isn’t a slave spirit. If he was, he’d not cause me so much trouble, I can tell you that!” Olice huffed.
“You didn’t deny I was vile Misstresss” Gander pointed out.
“That is because you are mean and wicked Gander! You are not at all sweet, or cute, or nice”
The kitir looked a bit nonplussed.
“WELL, THIS IS QUITE AWKWARD, I WAS GOING TO TRY TO EAT YOU AFTER CLAIMING YOU WERE A HORRIBLE PERSON”
“That isn’t very nice, you shouldn’t eat people, not even horrible ones.” Olice said, moving up the stairs at Gander’s urging.
“I’m fairly sure there isn’t much eating on her anyway” Gander claimed.
“OH BUT SUCH A VIBRANT SPIRIT! I MAY BE TOO LAZY TO KEEP THE CRYSTAL FROM GROWING ON ME, BUT I COULDN’T POSSIBLY LET SUCH A THING PASS ME BY!”
The kitir got a particularly hungry look and began drooling, and bared his teeth.
“NO I SIMPLY MUST EAT YOU!!”
The eyes of the kitir flashed yellow.
“RUN NOW” Gander commanded.
Olice yelped and scrambled up the steps and the kitir only got a mouth full of crystal for his troubles.
The kitir clung onto the stairs and began chomping his way up them, lazily figuring he’d get Olice easily enough that way. Olice managed to keep ahead of the kitir with Gander’s help. Gander didn’t dare fight with the kitir, he was just glad the spirit was too lazy to use the full extent of its power.
Olice however tired quite quickly. She was only a little girl, and she had already been walking quite fair. Gander glanced up above, he nodded, confirming something in his mind.
Gander quite deliberately and suddenly pushed Olice off the stairs. Olice screamed, but stopped as she found herself falling upwards, away from the Kitir, which soon vanished from her sight.
She did start screaming again when she thought about what was going to happen when she stopped falling.