Creatures Caves

Chapter 2: What are you?

After running for quite some time Acello found himself a few huts away from Zoora's dwelling, his muscle memory must have led him here. She couldn't possibly be alive, her once organized home looked like a shredded hovel. Despite his antagonistic feelings he entered her house, upon his immediate search she was gone

With his head hung low he trudged out through the doorway. Before he got far he heard a muffled groan, could it be her? He tracked the noise back to her askew bed, underneath it he discovered a badly beaten, hardly concious Zoora. "We have to get out of here Zoora, NOW!" he shouted.

"Ughhh, are they gone? Ow, my head kills! Help me up." she commanded.

"We really have to go, the Banshee made it to the corination, I didn't stick around to watch it all unfold. All I know is we have to leave now! They could be on their way!"

"True, what about the others? We can just leave them can we?"

"Us magma's are very solitary be nature, I know they would leave if they were in the same situation and I wouldn't blame them. It's just how it is."

"Fine, oh but I hope their okay! Where do we go anyway?"

"North, over the mountains, the pass will be easy to cross it's the dry season."

"A plan, that's something, let's go."

The two friends kept to the shadows as they narrowly escaped the seige on the kingdom. Neither of them had ever left the desert, in fact very few norns traveled between any territories. As the mountain pass drew near Acello and Zoora decided they had traveled far enough to rest without fearing an ambush. They eventually dozed off, their thoughts racing.

A sharp "Crack" sprang Acello to life, meanwhile Zoora slept like a rock. He readied himself for a fight, however, his fighting stance was rather pathetic. Thankfully the creature standing before him wasn't a grendel, unfortunately he didn't know what it was. He'd always heard his grandfather say, "Better to face the enemy you know than the one you don't." He skittishly greeted the creature, maybe it spoke norn. "Hello, creature, do you speak norn?" he slowly spoke.

"Yes, I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to me that way."

"Sorry, I just don't know who you are or what you are. I've also been through a lot lately."

"Understood, we all have those days. Hey, you got a copper wire? I need one for my automatic sludge gun."

"What? I don't know what you're taliking about, what are you if you don;t mind me asking?"

"I believe you're species refered to us as ettins long ago"

"Yes, now I know! I've read about you're kind in school; I thought you were extinct?"

"No, just in hiding, it's safer that way for us."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, I left in search of copper wiring, see I'm an inventor and I need it."

"You seem friendly enough, we were just going to head through the pass if you'd like to accompany us? Safety in numbers and all."

"I'd like that, I'm so relieved to have met friendly folk in such a hostile area."

"We'll get going if that's alright, let me just wake my friend."

After waking Zoora up and introducing the ettin who refused to tell his name (he didn't want to get close to them) they set off. Zoora was suspicious of the ettin but swalloed her feelings for Acello. The pass, rugged as it was, was beautiful! Wild flowers in vibrant colors, lucious grass underfoot, this was certainly no desert.
Before they knew it they were at the halfway point (it was marked by a sign). Acello felt great, things were looking up and he and Zoora were happy, maybe they could start a life together? Caught in his daydream Acello almost missed the ball of sludge that came flying at him. He ducked just in time! Before the next sludge ball came flying Acello had just enough time to see who his assailant was. I was an ettin with a red bandana around it's head. Suddenly the ettin they Acello and Zoora had been traveling with twisted Zoora's arm behind her. "Give me everything you've got, little prince!" he demanded. The ettin at the sludge machine wore a satanic grin while Zoora wimpered with a pleading look on her face.

"No, you'll get nothing! Why betray us, we've done nothing but show you kindness?"

"Its a grendel eat grendel world, kid. Us ettin gotta take advantage when an opportunity comes a'knockin."

"I get it, but that means you won't mind if I-"

Before either ettin could utter another word Acello punched the one holding Zoora and snatched her back. The two were off running immediately. Being that the sludge gun was the ettins' only advantage and that it was extremely heavy, the chase wasn't worth it for them.

Eventually the norns made it to the end of the pass, and what they saw there would change everything...