Mystic Heart Odyssey
Part 8: The Wound Awakens
Chapter 1
Welcome to the start of the next episode of Mystic Heart Odyssey: The Wound Awakens! Starting right off with plenty of magic and mild chaos, yay!
-Llox
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Lykou stumbled and just barely managed to avoid bumping into a tree as he exited the portal. His protective instincts kicked in as soon as he was steady and he whirled around and braced himself just in time to help catch the squirrel that came tumbling out a few moments later, fully expecting her to be freaked out and disoriented. As much as he and Kuna had tried to reassure her beforehand, he fully expected her first portal trip to send her into a panic, so he prepared himself to hold her until she calmed down again- and secretly he hoped Kuna would sing to her again.
What he did not expect, however, was for her exit from the portal to be accompanied by a large arc of energy that knocked him over along with Gleam. With the squirrel on top of him, he twitched for a moment, his fur slightly singed from the bolt. He quickly shook it off, however, when he noticed her twitching and muttering some kind of gibberish incoherently. He tried to hold her, but she wasn't squirming in the way he'd expected- it was erratic and directionless, not exactly trying to get away.
``Sev-sev-seventeen were the number of fishfishfiiiii I WANT TO nownotthen,'' she rambled as she twitched and spasmed in his arms. His concern grew stronger when he caught sight of her face. Her pupils were different sizes and there he could tell she wasn't all there, even without listening to her nonsense. ``Kkkkkkwhen they flew to the GREAT RIVER IN THE SKybound turnips-'' suddenly she jerked out of his grasp with surprising strength and rolled to the side, miming a climbing motion into the air from on her back. ``???? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ???????! ??? ????? ?? ???????!''
Lykou's own eye twitched as he stared at her. Although he remained vigilant to make sure she didn't wander off, he refrained from grabbing her again, out of fear of hurting her by mistake in another unexpected and sudden movement. And for the moment she didn't seem inclined to get off her back, in any case.
Kuna came through the portal a moment later and caught himself on the same tree Lykou had bumped against, using his walking stick to help steady himself. He glanced around curiously until he spotted the two of them on the ground and grew concerned. ``Hey, you two alr-''
``FIE! Fie and ashes are but clouds on-'' Gleam blurted out, suddenly sitting bolt upright. A strange half-angry look came over her face as she pointed accusingly at... nothing, in the middle distance. ``He aha koe i t?hae ai i taku kaka? Ka whiwhi ahau i to ahurei!''
Kuna facepalmed and Lykou's jaw dropped. ``Oh great, this again...''
``Did... did she just use raptuva words?'' he asked, then furrowed his brow and checked his medallion. ``Wait, why didn't-?''
``If I had to guess,'' the sereva said as he came over and carefully knelt down on the squirrel's other side, while she continued muttering, rmabling, and gesticulating at random. ``There's no real intent or understanding there because of.... whatever's causing this.''
``Oh... right,'' Lykou said, watching their friend warily. ``Wish I knew how to help her snap out of th- OUCH!'' As if on queue, the squirrel had spun around and smacked him, although already her focus was on a bush just past his shoulder.
``Divide the commonranks of YoUr beST undErStanDiNg and when they.... I....'' Gleam rambled, then gradually trailed off and started to waver as he expression shifted from a bizarre manic state to a tired, dizzy one. Slowly, she lifted a shaky hand to her head and slumped back a bit.
Quickly shrugging off the smack to his face, Lykou reached over and caught her, gently pulling her into his arms. ``Woah, easy.... you back with us now?''
``Ffssuhhhh....'' she said, blinking one eyes, then the other out of sync a few times. Finally, her eyes traced back and forth between the concerned boys on either side of her. ``Wha happen...?''
``Ehhh... guess you don't remember this time, huh?'' Kuna said, gently stroking her side.
``You had another one of those weird magic freaak outs,'' Lykou told her. ``Where you just start spouting nonsense and acting weird.'' He glanced over at Kuna. ``Happened right after she came through. Portal zapped her and me both, like with some other magic things. Then... well, you know the rest.''
``Shit, that's not a good sign,'' Kuna said. ``Hope that doesn't happen with all portals...''
Gleam curled up in the konuul's arms a bit and folded her ears down a bit, holding herself self-consciously. ``Dammit...''
``Hey now, don't go beating up on yourself,'' Kuna said, taking hold of her hand gently. ``It's not your fault, you know.''
``Yeah, you can't help it,'' Lykou said, pulling her into a warm embrace.
``Still,'' Gleam grumbled. ``I hate being a burd-''
``Don't even finish that sentence, or I'll tickle you,'' Lykou warned with a smirk.
``He'll do it, too,'' Kuna agreed with a smile. ``Trust me.''
Gleam smiled faintly after a moment and sighed. ``Alright, alright....'' she relented, then looked around. ``Where are we now anyway? Definitely looks... different.''
They all took a moment to take in their surroundings now that they weren't busy dealing with a bizarre freakout. They were in a forest, albeit a more sparse one, and on the edge of some rolling hills with even fewer trees and bushes.
``Well, no telling what it's called, but yeah, every place is a bit different,'' Kuna pointed out. He scratched his head. ``The hills remind me a little of Clovaria, but it's a bit warmer than there.''
``More trees, too,'' Lykou pointed out. ``But still less than most other places. Should be easier to watch out for potential trouble.''
Gleam looked around, then shivered slightly. ``So this is what it's like... being some place new. Huh....''
Lykou chuckled. ``Now you know how I felt when Ku and I first woke up in that cave.''
``Should we wait here and see if Zyn shows up?'' Kuna asked. ``Would be nice if he could gives us some info about this place.''
``Hmm....'' Lykou rubbed his chin thoughtfully while the squirrel in his lap continued eyeing their surroundings in mild fascination. ``No, it's not the best camping spot and we still have a fair bit of daylight from the looks of it. We should try to find some place near water to set up. He'll find us sooner or later, I'm sure.''
``True,'' Kuna said, then grunted as he got back up, then offered a hand to Gleam. ``You alright to continue, Gleam?''
The squirrel gratefully took his hand and folded her ears down again with a slightly bashful smile. ``Yeah. As long as I don't have to touch anything magical anytime soon, heh.''
``Fair,'' Lykou said as he got up after her. ``So which direction now, Ku?''
Kuna concentrated, then nodded out into the hilly terrain. ``Somewhere out that way. We should be careful though, things could be hiding among the hills.''
``True. We'll have to stay on guard until we have a better idea what may be lurking around here,'' Lykou said, then gently rubbed Gleam's shoulder when she noticeably tensed up. ``Don't worry, we'll protect you. Just stay between us and remember those tips Ku taught you.''
Gleam gulped and nodded nervously. ``A-alright...''
*****
A group of voices was having an enthusiastic conversation under the canopy of a silvery gazebo-like structure deep in the spirit world. Zynshal was hiding away behind a multicolored wall a short distance away with a frown. He'd been spending a fair amount of time looking into the strange valley where Gleam had been anthropomorphized, but soon found that word of the ascended squirrel had been spreading around the spirit world- and other jarzin- quickly.
``A squirrel? Surely this is some kind of joke, or a translation issue...''
``Translation issue? For a spirit? I doubt it. And the lunvariss aren't known for their humor.''
``Whoever they got it from, then. I mean, why a squirrel?''
``We're talking about a pair of mundanes, here. Rumor is they somehow did it by mistake, so-''
``I refuse to believe that. Imagine a pair of mundanes pulling off something so grand by accident.''
``Are you calling Ynglrus a liar?''
``No, I'm just saying that if it wasn't intentional on the part of the mundanes, they must have been guided through it by someone else.''
``Well it wasn't one of us, and you know how the spirit court looks at that kind of thing these days.''
``Syltheans then? The tree is back now.''
``It hasn't been long enough. Some have crossed over, yes, but mostly scouts so far, and they've mostly stayed in the Arbassla's valley for the time being.''
``It could be... you know who.''
There was a brief silence, followed by some whispering. ``That would be like her, wouldn't it?''
``Perhaps, but we'd have gotten some kind of warning to stay away if it was, I imagine.''
``So... anyone have any connections to them yet? I'd love to pay them a visit and see this ascendant squirrel for myself.''
``If we did, do you think we'd be standing here talking about it?''
``I hear Uvinos is looking into it. With any luck, we'll all be able to visit these mundanes soon.''
Zyn quietly swore, then slipped away as the conversation continued. He knew he should report back to Inkari, but he was worried that in the time that he was doing so, the other jarzin would track Lykou, Kuna, and Gleam down. And while they'd mean well enough, they'd only end up causing the trio stress and complications with their obsessive fascination with them. His tail twitched and he crossed his arms as he mulled over what to do. It didn't help that he felt bad about not getting a chance to scout ahead for his friends. Finally, he took a deep breath and straightened himself out. ``Fuck it. She probably already knows by now anyway. I better check back in with them and warn th-'' he said to himself, then froze when he turned around and saw Inkari standing a few feet away, leaning against a twisted pillar of etherstone with a faint smirk and her arms crossed. He quickly put on a totally unconvincing smile. ``Ohhh, Inkari, good! Hi! I was just going to-''
``Directly interfere with Lykou and Kuna's journey rather than inform me of the gossip that's been running around the spirit world like wildfire recently?'' Inkari helpfully suggested. ``I know.''
Zyn's smile faltered and he tensed up even more. ``Uh-... I-...''
``Fortunately, as you just said, I already know all about Gleam,'' Inkari continued. ``Aelana filled me in a little. Annnnd she may have mentioned an `unusually helpful and decent' young jarzin cohort of mine being sure the boys weren't in over their head at various points recently.''
There was a tense, prolonged silence that felt like forever to Zyn. His smile faded completely as he realized the jig was up. He wasn't sure what she'd do to him, or just exactly how much detail she knew about how much he'd been helping Lykou and Kuna, but surprisingly, the thing he was most concerned about was no longer being able to continue doing so. With that thought in mind, he suddenly rallied a bit and furrowed his brow. ``L-listen, I-''
``No, you listen,'' Inkari said, suddenly standing up straight and glaring at him. Shadows and smoke began to gether around her menacingly as she stalked towards him. ``I gave you specific, clear instructions when I invited you to help me out. Observe, offer specific guidance in one or two areas, but otherwise keep away. Let them handle things on their own, and don't interfere.''
Zyn anxiously took a few steps back. As much as he wanted to stand up for himself, he knew he was no match for her by a long shot. ``But they-''
``And what did you do?'' Inkari continued, narrowing her eyes as her tone turned extra icy. Darkness began to surround both of them. ``You decide to sneak around behind my back and go the extra mile for them. You told them how to handle demons, you scout ahead for them, you constantly talk to them... hells, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were becoming personally attached to them. Befriending them. You know the rules about jarzin fraternizing with mundanes, and yet you're flagrantly disregarding them.''
Trembling slightly with mixed emotions, Zyn's eyes darted around as Inkari got up in his face. There was no escape, and he had a sinking feeling that being turned over to the jarzin elder council would have been the least of his concerns. Still, whatever fate she had in store for him, he felt a pang of defiance shoot through him again. He furrowed his brow and clenched his fists as he glared back at her. ``...yes. And nothing you or the council do or say will make me regret it. I'd do it all over again.''
They locked eyes for a minute, as little arcs of orange chaos energy lept around in the smoke that surrounded them. Suddenly, then tension shattered as Inkari grinned and immediately dismissed it all, patting him on the shoulder. ``Good. I knew you were the right one for the job.'' She immediately conjured up her pipe and lit it, then began casually puffing on it. ``Thanks for not disappointing.''
Zyn blinked a few times and let his mouth hang open for a moment in stunned silence. ``W... huh??''
``Kid, I'm Inkari. What part of my legends makes you think I'd have any interest in a lackey that just blindly follows orders?'' she replied with an arched brow. For a moment, a second set of floating, indigo eyes hovered in front of her eyes as she sized him up. Then she dismissed the sight before continuing, ``You have agency. It's what drew me to you in the first place. You see rules as important, but worth breaking when they get in the way of doing the right thing.'' She glanced away with a coy smirk as she took another drag from her pipe. ``...and I appreciate someone that'd do what I want while giving me a little plausible deniability.''
``Y... you mean-'' Zyn started to say, dumbfounded, then suddenly frowned and shot her a Look. ``Wait a damn minute. Are you telling me...'' His tail twitched irritably and he pointed an accusatory finger at her. ``You mean I'm part of this whole thing too? You're manipulating the fate of me, a fellow jarzin?!''
``You know I always hated that F-word,'' Ink grumbled with a slightly disgusted look, but then grinned again. ``But yeah, more or less.''
Zyn narrowed his eyes, dropped his hand, and pouted. ``That's just not right...''
``Oh? I was just praising you for bending and breaking rules when necessary,'' Ink teased. ``And now you're surprised I do the same?''
The younger jarzin opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it again when he realized she had him there. He grumbled. ``...still...''
Ink chuckled and patted his shoulder again. ``Hey, I'm proud of you. But now you get to take a break for a little while.''
Zyn stiffened up. ``Wait what? But-''
``I'm taking back over for a bit, Zyn,'' Ink said, then sighed and rolled her eyes a bit as he visibly deflated in front of her. ``Relax, you'll be able to see them again. And I promise they're in good hands. But for the time being, you're off observation and babysitting duty.''
``You know they hate you, right?'' Zyn said. After hesitating for a moment, he added, with a frown, ``And in Lykou's case, no offense, but I can see why. This is a long time to keep him away from-''
``I know, I know,'' Inkari said, holding up a hand. ``Spare me. I get it. Believe me, I don't do these things without good reason. But rest assured, they'll make it there, and I'll make sure the homesickness doesn't become too unbearable. And I'll be sure to let them know you're concerned for them and will see them again when you can.''
Zyn fidgeted a bit and seemed to be thinking things over. ``So... what, I just go do whatever now?''
``As long as it's away from those three and the places they're going,'' Ink said, then gave him a serious look. ``And this time, so there's no wiggle room for creative `interpretations', let me just be clear- you are not to go near Lykou, Kuna, or this... `Gleam' again until I say you can, got it? And this time, Chaiko and Baniv will actually be watching out for you, instead of just pretending not to see you.''
Zyn looked a bit embarrassed, then sighed and nodded slightly. ``Alright...''
``Good. Now cheer up and go have some fun somewhere, take some time to unwind,'' Ink said, then glanced off in the direction of the silvery tent in the distance. ``I better go handle the rumor mill and prepare to intervene.'' She turned back to him and winked. ``Take care, kid.''
After the older jarzin shot away as a stream of smoke, Zyn let out another sigh and began wandering off aimlessly. But eventually, something occurred to him. ``Wait... she said I had to stay away from those three, but not... and she even mentioned...'' Slowly, a grin crept across his face. ``Probably an intentional loophole, but fuck it. Better than sitting around doing nothing important.'' He focused for a moment, summoning up some soul energy. The light leaped up into the sky and he watched it dart across the stars, then looked down at his hand, where the path was replicated in miniature. He knew he'd have to be careful- loophole or no, he knew he was on thin ice if others found out the extent of his meddling and `fraternization', but he wasn't about to completely walk away from the people touched by Ink's grand scheme, whatever it was. ``Time to go get a better look at that cutie...''
*****
Lykou, Kuna, and Gleam tiredly trekked through the hilly, grassy terrain, gradually growing more and more fatigued. Although less foliage initially made travel easier, the hills gradually became steeper the further they went, slowing them back down after a while. Eventually they decided they'd make camp at the first decent spot they could find. Unfortunately, none seemed to be forthcoming. The few trickles of water they came across were too tiny to be much use to them, and the trees were too scraggly and sparse to make good firewood.
Finally, when they crested a particularly large hill, they saw that they were about to descend into a larger valley with several thicker patches of trees, including a snake-like chunk following a meandering path through the valley. Lykou spotted a creek in the distance through a gap in the trees and they eagerly began making their way towards it.
But they were interrupted when some bushes nearby began rustling with increasing intensity. Gleam ducked behind Kuna and Lykou brandished the axe. The konuul was still fatigued, so he hoped threatening would be enough to fend off whatever it was. ``Can you sense what it is?'' he asked the sereva.
Kuna furrowed his brow in focus, then looked confused. ``Uh... no. Either I can't separate it from the bushes, or whatever it is isn't alive,'' he said, then visibly cringed. ``Please tell me we're not facing more moving dead things...''
Lykou folded his ears down. ``Fuck, I hope not. I've had enough creepy for a long time...''
They braced themselves as whatever it was appeared to be moving forward in the bushes. But when it emerged, all they saw was the grass swirling around- and a faint grey blur in the air. Kuna immediately perked up in mild amusement and relaxed a little. ``Oh. Duh, that explains it.''
Lykou tilted his head and lowered the axe ever-so-slightly. ``Spirit?''
``Yep. Wind spirit. Not an elnu though,'' the sereva said as the strange entity slowly approached them in a meandering path, causing the grass to shift and whip around in a circular shape as it moved. ``A... hmm, what were they called again?'' He scratched his head as the spirit gradually drifted closer. ``Syphri, I think? Something like that.''
``Is it... dangerous?'' Gleam asked anxiously, backing away a bit as the spirit continued approaching them.
``Maybe we can talk to it,'' Lykou suggested, eyeing the what little he could make out of the spirit with immense fascination. ``Or is it one of the `basically like an animal' types?''
``Yeah no, they're not very talky, but it's just a small one, so it's not really dangerous,'' Kuna said with a shrug. ``Just be glad it's not one of the big ones.''
``Oh? Are they more agpffttfuck!'' Lykou blurted and started flailing slightly as the winds suddenly started buffeting him. His hair, fur, and clothing were being blown all over the place, and he quickly had to push down his kilt as the wind inadvertently started to lift it while the entity invaded his space to investigate him. He was both annoyed and embarrassed... but also a bit amused. Not to mention it kind of tickled. ``Pfffftfffuck off dammit!''
Kuna couldn't help but snicker a bit. ``Not quite Whironui's breezes, huh?'' he playfully teased, only to suddenly start having a similar reaction when the spirit shifted over and invaded his personal bubble instead. ``Thhhppt what the-'' With his sareo being made of light material, its flaps lifted up, showing off his rear and crotch for all to see, making him blush and stumble backwards, flailing with zeal. ``Hey, fuck off dammit!''
As Lykou paused in the middle of trying to smooth some of his fur back out as he couldn't help but ogle the flustered sereva with a faint blush. But he quickly snapped out of it and smirked. ``Not wearing the shorts today, huh?''
``Pfffshut up!'' Kuna said as the spirit finally left him, leaving him blushing and glaring playfully at the konuul. His fur was adorably mussed up, much to the konuul's immense amusement. ``I... I need to clean and mend them a bit, that's all.''
``More like you wanted to feel a bit naughty,'' the canid teased with a wink. ``Something tells me you secretly liked that.''
Kuna blushed harder. ``Whatthffffshutuphowdareyou,'' he blurted and charged the konuul.
Lykou laughed as he fended off the flustered sereva.
``Uhhh, guys??'' Gleam said, backing away from the approaching spirit fearfully. ``Um... y-you sure it's safe?''
``Other than- hey, quit it!'' Lykou started to say, then got interrupted by a cervid trying, ineffectually, to wrestle him to the ground. ``-other than just- pffft, Ku! Getting messy fur, you'll be fine-oof, hey!''
Gleam continued to back away, then tripped and fell backwards. Before she could get up, the spirit had arrived and she began to flail around and panic a bit as the winds thoroughly mussed up her already somewhat unkempt fur and hair. Still, she couldn't help but giggle a bit when she realized how ticklish it was. ``H-hey, quitit!'' she blurted out as a grin crept across her face. She found it frustrating not being able to find a physical form to struggle against, and started trying to scramble away again. But for some reason, the spirit seemed especially fascinated with her, making it hard to escape even when she was back on her feet. ``Guys, help! It w-won't hehehe leave me alone- aaa stop! Hehe...''
Lykou and Kuna stopped their play-wrestling and quickly turned their attention to the squirrel. They both blushed again slightly as the wind lifted the poncho, showing off her admittedly cute body to them once again. Lykou facepalmed and chuckled. ``Maybe you should loan her your shorts,'' he suggested quietly.
``Or at least makes her a pair of her own,'' Kuna agreed, then stalked over, waving his walking stick at the spirit. ``Hey, c'mon, leave her alone! You've had your fun.''
The spirit continued harassing the poor squirrel, completely ignoring him. Gleam yelped and tried to bolt away, but somehow the spirit stayed right on top of her, as if attached to her somehow. ``Gyahhh! Why won't this thing leave me alone!''
``Maybe something to do with the weird magic you've tapped into?'' Lykou suggested. ``Or maybe it hasn't seen a squirrel-person before either?''
Kuna rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers. He dug something out of his bag, then ran over to Gleam. ``Gleam, c'mere! I have an idea.''
The squirrel didn't need to be told twice. She rushed over to Kuna's side, still flailing and freaking out slightly. The sereva pulled her into a one-armed embrace as the winds started hitting them both, then lifted up a certain magic crystal and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a conflicting set of breezes began to stir up. Though they weren't as strong, the effect was immediate. The spirit suddenly jerked away and began fleeing up the hill.
Kuna opened his eyes again and smirked as the newer breezes also faded. ``Go find someone else to mess with, you goofy wind,'' he called after it as it continued fleeing. He pocketed the crystal with a satisfied smirk, then quickly started looking Gleam over. ``You alright?''
Gleam blew some hair out of her eye and rubbed her arm bashfully. ``Y-yeah... that was weird, though.''
``Hehe, yeah. Honestly, a lot of spirit encounters tend to be kinda like that. Weird, occasionally distracting and annoying, but harmless,'' the sereva explained. ``Our... other experiences on this trip notwithstanding.''
``Smart thinking, Ku!'' Lykou praised as he joined them. ``How'd you know that'd work?''
``It was just a hunch,'' Kuna replied with a shrug. ``Figured if it felt the influence of a much bigger, more powerful spirit on our side, it'd be more inclined to listen and back off.''
``Oh yeah, that makes sense,'' Lykou suggested, then folded his ears down a bit. ``Dammit, why didn't I think of that? Some spirit chaser I am...''
``I'm sure you would have in a moment,'' Kuna assured him as he helped Gleam smooth her fur back out. ``I was just a bit closer anyway.''
``Hmm, fair,'' Lykou replied, then sighed. ``Man, it's weird how I dedicated my life to being a supposed expert on spirits before this journey, but obviously I know next to nothing about them.''
``Aw, Kou,'' Kuna replied, quickly rushing over to hug him. ``Your enthusiasm still counts for something. You can't help that you never actually got to meet one before we met.''
``And you handled that better than I did, anyway,'' Gleam pointed out with a wry smirk. ``Leave it to a dummy like me to try literally running away from the wind.''
``Hey, don't you start too,'' Kuna said, reaching over to pull her into a group hug. ``No more self-deprecation, you two. That's my thing.''
``We won't if you won't,'' Lykou replied with a grin, embracing them both.
``What he said,'' Gleam added.
Kuna glanced between them, then giggled a bit and gave them both a one-arm squeeze. ``You two are too sweet, you know,'' he said. ``Anyway, let's keep going. I want to set up camp so we can relax for a while. Maybe I can do some meditating and scrying practice tonight.''
``Sounds good,'' Lykou said as they continued on their way. ``Maybe clean up a bit in that creek, too.''
``You and your love of the water,'' Kuna teased.
Gleam giggled a little, then pondered back over recent events. ``Hey, you said it's a good thing that spirit wasn't one of the bigger ones... does that mean the bigger ones are dangerous?''
``Well, yeah, but not intentionally,'' Kuna replied. ``They're just as curious, but don't know their own strength. Which is... a lot. Like enough to rip up some of the biggest trees in some cases. So... you can imagine what that leads to.''
Lykou winced. ``Yikes. I can imagine. Reminds me of a storm when I was little. Several houses in Lakefire got really messed up and had to be replaced.''
``That's terrifying,'' Gleam said, shuddering a bit. ``I know storms can be scary, but not that scary...''
``Oh definitely,'' Kuna said soberly. ``Kou, you probably don't even know the half of it, where you're used to. For some reason storms seem to be worse in some areas than others. In valleys like where Lakefire is, I guess the mountains sort of block things a little bit. But I remember seeing some terrifying storms one time when I was little. We were going through an area kind of like the Shakonu lands... we barely managed to avoid one that left whole chunks of the ground torn up as it passed. And we nearly got trapped in a flood another time.''
``Flood?'' Lykou asked, his eyes widening. ``Shimmer Loch gets a bit big sometimes... but I get the impression you mean more than a bit of soggy feet in the morning.''
Kuna nodded. ``If we hadn't moved, we might've gotten washed away. Was like a new river formed in the woods after a particularly crazy storm came through.''
``Oh yay, new fears to add to my collection,'' Gleam said, her eye twitching a bit.
Kuna winced, then smiled apologetically and wrapped an arm around her. ``Hey, don't worry, those kinds of storms are rare. And hey, we made it out okay in the end,'' he said, then frowned and twitched a bit. ``Probably thanks to the spirit-weavers, though, I guess.''
Lykou frowned as well. ``Well, I'm glad they were good for something at least,'' he muttered. ``Even if they were still rotten heartless bastards in the end.''
``Yeahhh, let's not dwell on that,'' Kuna replied, then turned his attention back to Gleam with a faint smile. ``Point is, don't worry about it. Those kinds of things are rare, and as long as you're careful, you can survive them fine. And we've got each others' back, so there's that too.''
``Exactly,'' Lykou said, shooting him a big smile.
