Disclaimer: I do not own Dust: An Elysian Tail. Dust: An Elysian Tail is property of Humble Hearts and Microsoft Studios.
Tail of a Crystal Clear Soul
The Cirromon Caverns; a previously undiscovered network of caves and passages winding below Aurora Village. What started off as seemingly nothing more than a dark tunnel, nearly devoid of all life, soon flourished into a strange and wondrous ecosystem, filled with bright and exotic flora. But it wasn't the cavern's natural beauty that had brought Dust and Fidget to this place. Their reason was far more dire. The normally reclusive creatures of the cavern had encroached into Aurora Village from below, indiscriminately attacking any citizens nearby. Although they were able to ward off the unexpected assault, they were left with the question of why? So the two descended into the depths of the cavern, hoping to solve the mystery of what could have provoked this sudden aggression.
Unfortunately even after hours of searching, they seemed to be no closer to finding an answer. The labyrinthine tunnels made it feel like they were going in circles, and every step seemed to be wrought with peril. If it wasn't razor sharp rock spikes or toxic spore spewing fungi trying to kill them, then it was one of the cave's many aggressive denizens. For someone who didn't live here, it would seem no wonder the creatures of the cavern would want to escape such an unforgiving environment. But no, the fauna down here had adapted to such harsh conditions. There must have been something else driving their aggression. Something must have changed.
"Ohhhhhh, Dust, how much further do we have to go?" Fidget whined as she fluttered behind her stoic companion.
"Until we find the source of the disturbance." he replied flatly.
"But do we even know what we are looking for?" she argued "Ahrah, can't you use your magic 'destiny sensing' power to tell us where we need to go?"
"You know that is not how my ability works." the blade replied indignantly "Besides, are you not equipped with a special sixth sense of your own?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, hehe." Fidget scratched the back of her head in embarrassment "Let's see... Mmmm..." she closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples like she was doing some sort of psychic reading "MMMM... I'm picking up something faint from that direction." she said, pointing to a nearby tunnel.
"Are you sure?" Dust question skeptically.
"Hey, who has the sixth sense here? Have I ever steered you wrong?" Fidget shot back.
"Uh..." Dust started, but a cough from Ahrah made him reconsider answering.
"Ooooooh!" Fidget fumed "I'll show you two. I bet what we are looking for is just around the next bend. You'll see."
Dust couldn't help but chuckle a little at the nimbat's outburst "Relax Fidget, I trust you."
"Hmph!" Fidget pouted, putting up a front of indignation.
The trio made there way down the path Fidget had indicated, to her chagrin, finding that around the next bend was not what she was sensing, but rather a passage leading them even deeper into the caverns. At first things along the path were quiet, a welcome diversion from all the monsters they had been fighting, but as they descended further into the depths, the earth suddenly began to rumble around them.
"EEK!" Fidget yelped, breaking her aloof act and clinging to Dust.
"An earthquake?" Dust questioned, working to maintain his balance until the shaking subsided.
"It appears that the tunnels ahead are extremely unstable. We should proceed with caution." Ahrah warned.
"Fidget, are you sure there is something down there?" Dust asked.
"Y-Yeah, and it's close." she replied, still a bit nervous. She already didn't like caves, and the thought that the walls could collapse around her at any moment wasn't helping with that.
"Okay, let's make this quick then." Dust decided, picking up the pace as they headed further into the tunnel.
But they didn't make it far before trouble reared its ugly head. A pack of rock-hounds crawled from the crags, growling and gnashing their teeth, clearly unhappy at the trio stumbling into their territory.
"Just our luck." Dust commented, readying himself for battle.
The monsters wasted no time in assaulting the intruders, but Dust was just as quick to defend, using Ahrah to strike down any beast that got close. Though he possessed superior skill, the beasts were hardy and persistent, giving the warrior more trouble than he would have liked. He slashed at one beast, rolled to avoid another, then jabbed his blade into the closest one and brought it over his head, slamming it to the ground. But no matter how many foes he dispatched, they just kept coming, and he was starting to feel winded from the constant battle. Another monster lunged at him, forcing him to block it with Ahrah. The beast's jaws clamped around the blade, and it pressed forward, attempting to topple the warrior. But Dust proved to be stronger, twisting to the side with enough force to dislodge the monster and send it careening into another hound that was trying to flank him. Both beasts were sent flying and slammed hard into the far wall, causing the tunnel to begin another episode of violent shaking. The monsters seemed to sense the imminent danger and scattered quickly as rocks started to fall all around them.
"WAH! We have to get out of her!" Fidget cried, darting around nervously.
But Dust was stuck trying to maintain his footing, and could barely walk, let alone run.
Fidget flew in and grabbed his sleeve "Come on Dust, we have to move!" she panicked, trying to pull the wobbling warrior forward.
Suddenly she heard an earth shattering crack directly overhead. Her gaze darted upward, her eyes growing wide with horror as she saw an avalanche of rocks descending upon their position. The world seemed to slow to a crawl as adrenaline shot through her system. What could she do? Dust was too heavy to move. Her mind raced, seeking a solution. But even her distorted perception of time was not enough to form a fully composed thought. On pure instinct, she fired a burst of magical energy from her paws. The blast sent Dust toppling backwards, but also sent Fidget flying in the opposite direction just as a hail of stones crashed down where the pair had been standing. The reckless nimbat crashed to the ground, the impact leaving her dazed while the rest of the disaster ran its course. Eventually the tremors began to die down, once again leaving the passage silent and placid. Fortunately Fidget had seemed to endure the catastrophe relatively unscathed. At worst, her fur was matted with a thick layer of dirt as the earlier rock slide had kicked up a cloud of dust that shrouded the surrounding area.
"Dust?!" Fidget called out between coughing fits as she slowly sat up. Hearing no response, the disoriented nimbat called out again "Duuuust?!", this time only answered by the echo of own voice. As her senses returned, worry quickly welled up inside of her. She looked around frantically, trying to locate her silent friend, but as the dust settled around her, she found that her worst fears had been realized. Where there had once been an open tunnel, was now a blockade of solid rubble. "Oh no! No, no!" Fidget flew up to the newly formed wall, desperately pounding her feeble fists against the hard stone "Dust! Dust!" But again she was met with nothing but silence.
Worry quickly spiraled into panic. What was she going to do? What could she even do? She had not been apart from Dust since they began their journey together, and they had never made any plans on what to do if they became separated. Should she wait for Dust to come find her? But what if he was injured... or worse? On top of that, there was also the chance that more monsters could show up at any second. And despite how much she loved to boast about her power, deep down she knew that without Dust, she was almost completely defenseless. No, she couldn't stay here. Her best bet was to find a way back to the surface, and hope Dust would do the same. With a deep gulp, Fidget mustered all her remaining courage, and set out into the unknown darkness.
Despite her urgent desire to be free from this labyrinth, the nervous nimbat proceeded slowly and cautiously. Without Dust to protect her, she felt exposed and vulnerable, and she really didn't want to risk another encounter with monsters. There was also the fact that she had no idea where she was going. All of these tunnels looked the same to her. The only thing she had to go on was her sixth sense. Whatever they had been looking for earlier was still nearby, and it made her feel ever so slightly more comfortable to follow that feeling rather than wander aimlessly. With any luck, it would be a Teleport Stone, and she would be one step close to getting out of here.
She continued to followed the sense like a game of hot and cold until she was practically burning. And there it was, the mystery object her sense had been pulling her toward. Jutting from the ground was a pristine dark crystal, far larger than any she had ever seen before. She was oddly captivated by the precious stone, flying closer to get a better look. The edges were so sharp and clean, like the crystal was artificially crafted rather than natural formed. Mesmerized by its beauty, she felt compelled to touch it. Her paw reached out, drawing slowly closer to the smooth reflective surface...
"Hi!" a voice suddenly resonated from the crystal.
"WAH!" the nimbat yelped, snapping out of her trance and turning to flee from the phantom crystal.
"No, wait! Please don't go! I didn't mean to frighten you!" the voice implored her.
Fidget stopped upon hearing the voices plea. "Don't you know you shouldn't jump out at people like that?!" she fumed.
"I'm sorry." the voice apologized "It's just that it's been over a millennia since I've seen another living soul. I got a bit excited."
"What?!" Fidget exclaimed. She couldn't have heard that properly. "Did you just say that you are over one thousand years old?!"
"Yes. You see, I was trapped down here by an evil fiend. That monster attacked my home, but when I tried to stand up to him, he imprisoned me in the this crystal and entombed me in this cavern. I've been stuck down here ever since." the voice explained "But now that you're here, you can finally free me!"
"Hmmm, I don't know..." Fidget replied skeptically. The voice seemed sincere, but was it really wise to trust a complete stranger? She didn't know anything about this mysterious being, and without Dust around, she had no one to protect her if things took a turn for the worst.
"Please! You don't know what it's like to be trapped, alone and afraid in a deep dark cave for centuries, wondering if anyone will ever find you. Please, I'm begging you!" the voice pleaded.
Fidget couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the unfamiliar entity. Being afraid of caves herself, she didn't even want to think about what it would be like to be trapped in one for a whole year, let alone hundreds of years. And she knew that if she were stuck in such a predicament, she would certainly want someone to rescue her.
"Weeellll, okay." the nimbat conceded, still a bit reluctant.
"Really? You'll do it? Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I don't know how I'll ever repay you!" the voice squealed ecstatically.
Fidget inspected the crystal with a puzzled expression "So, how exactly am I supposed to help you?" she asked.
"I am trapped in here by a special seal, so we need a strong source of magic to break it." the entity explained.
"Strong magic you say? Well you're in luck, because you're looking at the strongest source of magical energy around." the nimbat boasted.
"Really? That's great! Then the rest is easy. Just place your paws on the crystal's surface and channel your magic through it. That should be enough to break the seal." the entity instructed.
Fidget placed her paws on the crystal as the voice had directed. It felt unnaturally cold to the touch, like it was chilling her very soul. "Okay, here I go." she said, letting her magic flow into the prison.
A dim glow emanated from her paws, slowly growing in intensity until a blinding light engulfed the entire room. Soon the bright light began to fade, and Fidget blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear up her blurred vision. As her sight came back into focus, she found that she was staring face to face with... herself? Was it just her reflection again? Had her attempts to break the barrier failed? No, something was different. She could clearly see the cavern walls behind herself, something that didn't show up in the reflection before. What was going on?! Fidget scowled in confusion, but contrary to her own expression, her reflection broke into a wide grin.
"I can't believe it! I'm free! I'm finally free!" the nimbat in the reflection shouted. She was overjoyed, darting around wildly before landing to stretch "Oh, it feels so good to stretch after all this time."
Fidget was shocked. That was her body! But then, where was she... The nimbat started to put the pieces to together, and hesitantly looked down at her paws. She yelped in disbelief as she beheld her own translucent digits. No, no, no, this couldn't be... She was now the one trapped inside the crystal!
"W-What did you do to me?!" she asked, still in disbelief.
"Hah! You gullible little fool. I wasn't trapped by some ancient fiend. I AM the ancient fiend!" the body snatcher proclaimed "I used to reign over this world with an iron fist, none daring to question my rule. That is, until a small band of heroes had the gall to rise up against me. Unfortunately I had grown complacent in my power, and I underestimated them. After a hard fought battle, the heroes managed to emerge victorious and I was left weakened. But they too were scarred from battle and lacked the strength to destroy me completely. So they trapped my soul in that crystal and cast me into the earth, where I was supposed to spend the rest of eternity as punishment for my crimes. To think, I had just about given up hope of anyone ever finding me, and then you stumbled right into my lap. And now that I'm finally free, I can reclaim my rightful place as ruler of this world! Hahahahahaha!"
Fidget might have found the sight of the cackling nimbat boasting about taking over the world a bit comical, if it wasn't for the very real peril she found herself in. "H-Hey! Give me my body back!" she demanded, trying to sound strong, but unable to hide the waver in her voice.
"Never!" the fiend shot back "I'm not going back into that crystal ever again!"
"B-But I helped you. I trusted you!" Fidget cried out, feeling utterly betrayed.
"It's not my fault your such a sap. Oh, boohoo, some big bad monster trapped me down here and I just want to be free. You ate up my sob story; Hook, line, and sinker." the fiend mocked her.
Fidget could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was this fiend seriously making fun of her after she had just saved them? This creature truly was a monster. The nimbat's sorrow shifted to anger "You won't get away with this! Dust will find me, and then you'll be sorry!"
"Dust?" the fiend seemed intrigued "You aren't alone down here?"
Fidget clasped her paws over her mouth, realizing she may have said too much.
"Well then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't find you... Or maybe he SHOULD find you." the fiend said with a mischievous grin. They cleared their throat before speaking again, only this time, imitating the trapped nimbat "Oh Dust, thank goodness you found me! It was so dark and scary, and I was afraid I'd never see you again!"
"Hey! I don't sound like that!" Fidget shot back, a bit insulted by the unflattering impression.
"Hey! I don't sound like that!" the fiend mimicked her.
Fidget was at a loss for words. She wasn't sure whether she should be angry or afraid. On the one paw, the fiend seemed so childish, not at all like the ruthless tyrant they claimed to be. But on the opposite end, she was still trapped inside this crystal, and that little monster was threatening to steal her only chance to escape.
"Well I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I have a world to conquer. Who knows, maybe someday I'll come back and tell you all about it. Not!" the fiend taunted her one last time before taking their leave.
Fidget's desperation returned as she watched the fiend start to fly away with her body "No! Wait! Don't leave me here! Please! Come back!"
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. She watched as her body flew into the darkness, leaving her alone and helpless. What was she going to do?! In a panic, she immediately began probing every surface of the crystal, looking for any potential cracks or flaws that could be used to escape. But her efforts were futile, the barrier was flawless. She tried to channel her magic into the crystal once more, but found that her powers were completely gone. She was trapped! A sense of claustrophobia started to creep over her. Though her prison wasn't cramped per say, it wasn't exactly spacious either, and the prospect of being stuck in here for the foreseeable future was a terrifying one. She began to hyperventilate. Wait, was she even breathing? Did she even need to breathe?! Ah, this was all so confusing and sudden! She curled into a fetal position and trembled.
"It's okay, Dust will find you. It's okay, Dust will find you." she repeated to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. And surprisingly it was starting to help. She let her mind wander, distracting her from her current predicament. She thought back to her first meeting with Dust. Their journey through The Glades, Archer's Pass, and Abadis Forest. The people they met in Aurora Village, and their encounter with the tragic villain Fuse. Though relatively speaking they hadn't been together that long, Fidget felt like she had lived more in these last few days than she had the rest of her life. And there was a sort of chemistry between them that made it seem like they were destined to be together. Yes, Dust would find her, she just had to have faith.
But what was she supposed to do while she waited? She needed to stay alert and keep an eye out for Dust, so she couldn't go to sleep. Could souls even sleep? Ugh, these kinds of question kept coming up. Perhaps her first order of business should be to find out just what her soul could and could not do. First was breathing. She sucked in a lungful of air and held her breath, but no matter how long she waited, she felt no signs of asphyxiation. Then their came sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to relax her mind, but she simply didn't feel tired. She supposed all this made sense. Breathing, sleeping, eating; these were all physical needs of the body, and she was just a spirit now. But this seemed more like a curse than a blessing. Although she would never starve, it also meant that she would never get to enjoy her favorite foods again. Just the thought of never eating another cupcake filled her with dread. And not having to sleep meant there was no way to pass the time, no dreams to whisk her away from this accursed prison.
All hope wasn't lost though. She could still see, hear, and speak, even without her body, so maybe her other senses worked too. She reached her paw down between her legs, rubbing at her delicate folds, but unfortunately all she felt was an odd sensation of pressure, not even the slightest hint of pleasure. It was called a pleasure of the flesh after all, of which she had none. "Oh come on! These rules make no sense!" she complained out loud. It was like being a detached soul was designed to be the worst form of torture imaginable.
She sighed in frustration. Inspecting her current state had only made her feel worse. She needed something to take her mind off her troubles. She looked out into the cave around her, deciding to spend some time taking in her surroundings. She followed cracks, counted rocks, anything to keep her mind occupied. She even spent time inspecting every nook and cranny of the cavern wall. She finally stopped when she felt she knew every square inch of the room like the back of her paw.
How long had it been? It felt like hours had passed, and she feared that if she had to endure it for much longer, she would die from boredom. But just as it seemed like she might actually do so, her ears perked up as a distance sound pierced the silence. The noise started to grow in intensity... It was a voice! And not just any voice, she recognized that voice. It was Dust! A great wave of relief washed over her. She would finally be saved!
A few moments later, her eyes lit up as her savior in green came into view... but her heart sank instantly at what followed. An orange nimbat, the very fiend that had trapped her here. They had managed to get to him first.
"Are you sure we are going the right way, Fidget?" Dust asked the fiend in nimbat's clothing.
"Um... yeah, definitely this way." the impostor answered.
"Okay. If you say so." Dust replied, starting to follow the body snatcher.
"No! Dust! Don't listen to her!" the real Fidget shouted, pounding on her crystal prison.
"Huh? Did you say something?" Dust turned his head to ask.
The fiend was mortified, not even realizing they had led Dust right back the original Fidget.
"Nonono! I didn't say anything! It must have been... an echo. Yeah that's it, an echo." Their eyes darted in Fidget's direction for just a moment, a brief glint of darkness flashing in their sclera.
"Dust! No! It's... Mmmph!" Fidget's pleas were cut off as a dark smoke suddenly covered her mouth. "Mmmph! Mmmph!" she clawed and scratched at the smoke, but to no avail. She was silenced, her only means of communication stripped by the fiend's malevolent power. She returned to banging on the crystal, hoping against hope that he would somehow notice her.
"Are you feeling okay?" Dust inquire the flustered impostor "Ever since that rock slide, you've been acting very strange, even for you."
"Y-Yeah, just a bit rattled I guess. I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again." the fiend lied.
"Alright. Well let's just focus on finding a way back to the surface. Maybe some fresh air will help you clear your head." Dust suggested.
"Yeah, some fresh air sounds wonderful!" the impostor agreed, a bit too enthusiastically.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Fidget screamed as she watched her savior drift back into the darkness with her doppelganger. Once they were out of earshot, the dark cloud obstructing her voice dispersed as quickly as it had appeared "Dust! Dust! Come back! Don't leave me!" she slumped against her crystal prison, slowly sliding down the wall as tears welled up in her eyes "Please don't leave me." she uttered, totally defeated.
She couldn't believe this was happening. Her one opportunity for salvation was gone, and the chance of anyone else stumbling upon her was practically nonexistent. She was truly trapped down here, alone and forgotten forever. She didn't even want to think about it, it was too horrible to imagine. So she just lied there, sobbing, letting her emotions flow freely. It wasn't fair, she had just wanted to help, she didn't deserve this! But as Fidget wallowed in self pity, her despair started to turn into rage. Ooh, it was all that fiend's fault! They lied to her! They took advantage of her good nature! They were the reason she was doomed to such an unthinkable fate! Fidget swore that if she ever got out of this, she would hunt that monster to ends of Elysium and bite their face off!
She threw herself at the crystal, pounding away relentlessly as the prison wall, determined to break free. Her assault continued for hours until her anger finally subsided. Though she didn't feel physically exhausted, it was becoming emotionally taxing. No matter how many strikes she made, not a single scratch was left on the pristine crystal surface, making the effort feel futile. On top of that, it was frankly becoming quite monotonous. She needed a change of pace, at least for a while. But what else was there to do. She thought she had already used up all of her options just waiting for Dust, but now she had an entire eternity ahead of her. It looked like she would have to get creative.
Fidget did everything she could to keep herself occupied. Listing off her favorite foods, singing her favorite songs, and recounting the events of her life were just some of the things she did to kill time. Occasionally she would go back to attacking her prison, hoping that even the tiniest bit of damage would accumulate over time. She would scream for help, wishing that some unlikely passerby would hear her. She would curl up and cry, lamenting the cruel fate that had been cast upon her. Day in and day out, this pattern continued, the weary nimbat whittling away at her entertainment options. How long had this gone on? Weeks? Months? Years? Without the sun, she had no way of knowing. It was driving her crazy.
Gradually boredom and loneliness pushed her to the brink of madness. Her mood began to swing wildly. She could be laughing hysterically one second, and a sobbing mess the next. She could go from thoughtfully contemplating the meaning of life to plotting a wicked revenge against the vile fiend who put her here. But she still tried to cling onto the last vestiges of her sanity, constantly reminding herself of a few important details. Her name, her purpose, Dust. But as time went on even the meaning of these things became lost to her. They were just word, things she could not put faces or feelings to. And as her desperation grew, her morals began to crumble, until she was willing to do anything to escape this hell, even doom another soul to take her place. She would be no better than the fiend who trapped her here, and she didn't care.
Only the stalactites growing from the cave ceiling could give any semblance to the flow of time. Fidget watched as they grew, marking the passage of decades and centuries, until they finally reached the cavern floor. She couldn't take it anymore. She just wanted this never ending nightmare to be over. In another fit of rage she threw herself at the crystal wall, launching an all out assault that lasted for years. This time her anger did not subside until she was too exhausted to fight any longer. Wait... exhaustion? That was something she literally couldn't remember the last time she had felt. She looked down at her paws, and gasp in shock at what she saw. Her paws were fading! In fact, her whole body had started to fade. When had that happened?! The change had been so gradual, she hadn't even noticed.
Another feeling she hadn't felt in a long time crept to the surface... imminent dread. Was her soul not actually immortal?! Had she been slowly decaying away this whole time?! She didn't want to disappear. She had thought she was willing to give up anything to break this curse, but now that she was actually faced with the possibility of fading out of existence, she found that she wasn't ready. She had to escape, but how? Over the millennia, she had already tried everything she could think of, and now she was weaker than ever. No matter how she looked at it, she was doomed. There was nothing she could do except lie there and wait for her inevitable demise.
Unfortunately that demise would not be a quick one. Deterioration of the soul was an incredibly slow process. It had taken eons just for her to reach this point, and it would take several more for her soul to vanish completely. And as bad as Fidget thought her imprisonment was so far, the worst of it still lied ahead of her. On top of the overwhelming boredom, she was now plagued by constant fatigue and the ever present fear of death. She was too weak to continue her assault on the crystal, and in a few centuries she lacked the strength to even speak, further reducing her chances of someone finding her. Furthermore she could sense that her memories were starting to slip away. Originally she thought that most of the things she had forgotten were merely a result of the passage of time, but this felt different, like pieces of her were already fading away. It was only another millennia or so before she couldn't even remember who she was, where she was, or why she was here. She was just a trapped soul, exhausted and frightened by an overwhelming sense of dread she no longer understood. All she knew was that she didn't want to be here.
At this point there was hardly anything left of her. She was so faded that only the keenest of sight would even be able to see her. The poor nimbat just lied there, panting as a stream of constant tears run down her cheeks. She was so tired. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but was terrified that if she did, they would never open again. So she fought it, like an exhausted worker desperately trying to stave of slumber. She had... to stay... awake. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep it up anymore. Her spirit simply had no more to give. Her lids grew heavy and her vision began to blur. No... she didn't want... to disappear. With that final thought, her eyes fell shut and her soul faded completely. At long last the tortured nimbat embraced oblivion.
![[Commissioned] Ori in Shackles](https://va.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3341/3341658_NefariousMaximus_ori_in_chains_3_noncustom.jpg "[Commissioned] Ori in Shackles")
