Rescue In The Crystal Caves

It hadn’t been all that long since she’d last visited Sakuramori and Sienna had ever since then had a special place in her heart for it. It’d been where she’d first met Taurus and the discovery of her summoning talents had been revealed to her. So, it was with a bright smile on her face and light footsteps that she headed towards one of the houses in the village, who from what she’d heard were in desperate need of help. The job flyer hadn’t said exactly what the problem was but that wasn’t going to stop her from helping out if she could. She was a member of the trading company now and Sienna dearly wished to start proving herself to them, as well as to help spread their already glowing reputation across the land.

The trip to her employers house was pretty quiet and the girl felt rather relaxed as she took her time and enjoyed the lovely scenery. The creatures of the forest didn’t bother her, as she did her best to give off the impression that she wasn’t a threat to them and in answer, they let her pass them. She’d always had a fondness for animals and that had only grown deeper given the nature of her spirits. Many of them were creatures of nature, after all. The instructions to get to the little house were certainly detailed and Sienna was able to reach the place without any trouble.

Reaching the centre of the forest, she came across a sweet little cottage and rapped on the door as soon as she was close enough. The house looked almost like something you’d see out of a fairy tale and she couldn’t help but chuckle. Sadly though, that chuckle didn’t last for very long, as the door opened and she found herself face to face with an unhappy looking man. He seemed to be almost in tears and the girl’s smile faded from her face, to be replaced by a far sadder expression.

“Please tell me that you’ve come from one of the guilds,” he said, an almost pleading look in his eyes, “We desperately need help.”

“I have,” the mage answered soothingly, “I’m Sienna from The West Fiore Trading Company and I’ve come to do just that.”

“Thank god,” the brown haired man said, his tone slightly less depressed, “Please come in, my wife and I will explain everything.”

Nodding, Sienna followed him inside and into a small kitchen, where a tearful woman was sitting at the dinner table. She was in a far worse state than the husband and it was heartbreaking for the mage to have to watch. It only made her more eager to help the couple though and after taking a few moments to calm himself the husband spoke, “We appreciate you coming so quickly, Sienna. Our daughter has gone missing and we can’t find her anywhere. She’s always walking around and playing with the other local children but last night she didn’t come back. We’re scared stiff and have no idea what to do.”

“It’s OK,” Sienna replied with as much sensitivity as she could put into her voice, “She couldn’t of gone far and there must be some clue as to where she’s wandered of to…”

“It’s those monsters in that cave, I know it!” the wife erupted, tears still streaming down her face, “We’ve told her a hundred times not to go to that place but she does it anyway.”

“Cave? What cave?” the mage asked, raising her eyebrows slightly at the revelation.

“It’s one made of pure crystal,” the husband answered, placing a calming hand on his wife's shoulder, “There are creatures in there and so we haven’t been able to search. We don’t actually know if she’s in there or not but it seems the most likely of options. I don’t think the beasts are aggressive, just frightened, as every time anyone from the village has gone there, the monsters chase them out but they don’t cause harm. It seems as though they are just guarding their territory.”

“They are mindless animals!” the wife shouted, her voice a little more than a croak, “They’ve taken my baby from me and who knows what they’ve done to her?!”

“If these creatures only care about defending their home when they’d have no reason to capture your daughter, they’d just scare her off,” Sienna answered after some thought, “I think there’s a little bit more to this. Don’t worry, I’ll go and have a look around this cave. If she’s there, I’ll bring her home, I promise. Please don’t worry any more, I’ll find out the truth for you.”

With a nod of her head, Sienna made to leave but just as she started to move towards the exit, the husband would gently take her shoulder and stop her, “Please forgive my wife. You must understand just how painful this has all been for her, for the both of us. She doesn’t mean to be so snappy but this had taken its toll.”

“It’s alright,” Sienna responded softly, “I understand and I’ll do everything I can to bring your daughter back to you.

“Thank you, she means the world to us,” he replied, “Please don’t disturb the creatures in the cave if you can help it. I know what my wife told you but they aren't vicious unless provoked. I’m sure that if you just act friendly towards them then you’ll be able to avoid any conflict. I can’t believe that they’d just abduct our child for no reason and I know deep down, my wife does too. All you need to find the cave is to follow the forest path, it will lead you right to it.”

“I’ll do my best to be careful,” the summoner answered, smiling reassuringly to try and help him relax, before taking her leave and closing the back door behind her. The red-headed mage wasn’t quite sure what she was in for but determined to find the girl and so she quickly took to the forest path.

(1013 Words)

It was hard to get the faces of the unhappy couple out of her mind and a slight frown crossed her features as she made her way through the forest again, pondering over the job. No matter how much she thought about the scenario, it still didn’t quite add up. Why would these crystal creatures just take this girl if they were truly as vicious as the wife had said they were? They had managed to live in peaceful co existence up until then so what had set them off if that was the case? The honest and saddening truth was that capture wasn’t the likely outcome if they had taken the child and it was difficult for the girl’s mind to briefly drift to a more likely outcome. Shaking her head, she’d push the unpleasant thought to the back of her mind and instead focused on a more positive line of thinking. Perhaps the girl had simply got lost in the caves and couldn’t find her way out again? It was just as likely as her being captured and the redhead mage decided to try and focus on that possibility instead.

A sudden flash of light would interrupt her thoughts and a happy cry would burst forth from beside her. Having to giggle at the randomness of the event, Sienna turned her gaze downwards to her spirit, who’d decided to grace the summoner with her presence. Looking back up at her was Sylveon, one of the mage’s few support type spirits and by far one of her most gentle. The cream coloured feline was always cheerful and her lovely eyes always brought a smile to her summoner’s face. Rubbing her head against her leg, Sylveon would happily start walking along her mistress as she walked, enjoying every moment that she could spend with Sienna.

“Fancied a little walk in the forest, did we?” Sienna chuckled, receiving a nod of her spirits head in answer as they walked on down the path. “I’m not sure we’re going to face here but it’s important that we don’t make any sudden moves, OK? There’s going to be a lot of creatures and they’re probably going to be a little nervous. So let’s play it cool.”

Sylveon simply rubbed her head against the summoner’s leg in response to show her approval, before starting to sing a soothing song, both to settle her summoner’s nerves, as well as a sign of her affection. The mage had to smile and softly stroked her loving spirits head.

As the duo continued on their trek, the forest path would eventually come to an end, resulting in a large rock face, with an opening at the centre of it. “Well, I guess we’re here,” Sienna stated, glancing down at her spirit, “Ready to have a look around?” The spirit nodded in answer and with that, the pair walked into the cave, into the darkness that lay within.

At first, there was only darkness but after travelling down for a few minutes, the pair would come out to find themselves in a beautiful cavern, decorated with beautiful blue and white crystals. Sienna’s eyes widened at the pretty site and as she and her spirit began to explore the area, her mood couldn’t help but be lifted. Regardless of what happened, it had been worth coming, just for the site alone. Yet, it was difficult to find the way forward at first, given how many exits there were, each one leading to a different part of the cave. Which way should they go? Which path should they take?

Her thoughts were rather swiftly cut off as a sudden warning cry from her spirit, caused the girl to tilt her head upwards, revealing a large number of crystal like creatures above her. They looked like living stalactite and as soon as they realised that they’d been seen, the group would suddenly drop to the floor, causing the exploring duo to have to get out of the way quickly. There were at least a dozen of them and for a moment they gathered in a formation, as though they were expecting Sienna to attack. Yet, the girl did no such thing and took a couple of steps back, giving them some room.

The reaction was swift and the group of creatures would suddenly come forward, their eyes bright and happy, desperately trying to rub themselves up against the summoner. They were rather sharp but seemed to be aware of that, making it as easy as they could for Sienna as she happily started to make a fuss of them. Sylveon was also getting in on the action and happily played with a few of them, crying happily as she enjoyed herself. One of them got a little overzealous and was able to knock the mage off her feet but she just giggled as they came around her, curious and friendly.

Clearly, there was no malice in these animals and it again made her ponder as to whether the child was even here. Yet, her attention was swiftly captured as she turned her head to see Sylveon in conversation with one of the creatures, seeming to be having a discussion about something. “Do they know where the child is?” she’d ask with a tilt of her head. Her spirit turned towards her and nodded her head vigorously, before pointing her tail towards the leftmost exit.

However, before Sienna could stand up, Sylveon’s eyes would briefly burn blue as her mind reached her summoner’s, speaking through telepathy, “Mistress, forgive me for having to contact you like this but we have to be careful. The other creatures aren't as friendly as these little guys and they we could be in trouble if we don’t watch out for them. We must tread carefully.”

Telepathy was a gift that the mage had with all of her spirits but not all were as willing to do so as others. Some thought it was rude to intrude on their mistress's mind, while others just had little to say. Sylveon had always been timid about it, regardless of how many times Sienna had told her that it was alright. With a nod of understanding, Sienna would disentangle herself from the happy little creatures and return to her feet, before summoner and spirit would take the path that had been pointed out towards them, heading deeper into the cave.

(1069 Words)
(2082/3500 Total WC)

The caves darkened the further that the duo delved and as time wore on, it became harder and harder to see. Yet, with her loyal spirit nearby, Sienna didn’t feel nervous or afraid and just continued moving forward. She had faith in her own powers and those of her spirits, which was enough to keep any negative thoughts out. Besides, given the friendly nature of the little creatures she’d just met, the mage was more hopeful than ever that a peaceful resolution could be found Yes, the warnings from her new friends were still in the back of her mind but that didn’t damper her spirits in the slightest. Everything would be fine. She’d find the child and bring her back to her worried parents.

The pair would come out into an antichamber after a while and Sylveon’s ears soon began to twitch as she detected movement. There was definitely something in the room with them and as the two began to slowly look around, the mage’s eyes would fall upon another pair, peeking from behind a large crystal formation. Another crystal creature but a far more elegant one, with multi coloured gems attached to its face. It didn’t come forward and the look in its eyes contained a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Sylveon would attempt to move forwards but the animal would show its fangs and take a step backwards. Thinking about how best to handle it, the mage would simply sit down beside her spirit, gently running a hand down Sylveon’s back affectionately. The cream coloured feline would cry happily again and lay down, laying her head on her mistress's lap.

Watching all of this, the animal would eventually relax and once it realised there was no fear, would slowly start to come forward, revealing that it was in fact a form of crystalline fox. A creature of beauty indeed and despite its timidity, it eventually garnered up the courage to move closer to the duo, before sitting down in front of them. Its curiosity seemed to get the better of it and would finally nudge the mage’s other hand with its head, which Sienna would take as a sign of friendliness and resulted in her stroking the fox softly with her other hand. It acted just as the first creatures had, nervous to begin with but just needed a little kindness in order to bring out their true nature. They were no threat to anyone who gave them the respect they deserved and Sienna began to wonder if there was more to this abduction than just a random act. Had these creatures been provoked?

After a few minutes passed, Sylveon would attempt to speak to the fox and after a few moments of hesitation, the two would start exchanging some kind of communication that the mage simply didn’t understand. She desperately wanted to learn the truth about what was going on and was keen to find out the entire story behind it all. However, Sylveon’s expression turned rather grim as the conversation continued and the fact that the fox was beginning to get anxious again was enough reason for Sienna to guess that the answer wasn’t a pleasant one. The fox would clamber up onto its back legs and make a roar that sounded like a human shouting and then made a gesture that looked like it was holding a pickaxe or some kind of mining material.

Once the fox had finished, it would almost give a human like sigh and lay down again, looking despondent, while Sylveon would reach out with her telepathy again, “It’s terrible, mistress. The people who live here have been mining the crystals from these creatures and selling them for profit. I can’t believe that anyone would do such a thing but it seems to be the truth. That’s why the guardian of this cave has taken the child, mistress. In order to protect her own. She thinks that by taking the girl hostage, the humans will stay away out of fear and leave them in peace. There used to be a lot more creatures in here but the humans just kept digging them out and using them as a source of money. The ones we’ve seen are pretty much the only ones left. We can’t let this go on, mistress.”

“We’re not going to,” Sienna answered, her face twisting in disgust by what she’d heard, “We have to take the girl back but we’re not just going to leave these poor creatures to be wiped out either. Did your new friend tell you where we can find this guardian?”

“Yes,” her spirit quickly replied, “If we follow the path, we’ll come out in the middle of cavern, that’s where the guardian will be. The fox also warns us that the guardian is far less trusting than she is and definitely more than the creatures we found earlier were. She’s not going to respond well if we come on strong with her and she can hit hard if she’s angered.”

Nodding her head, Sienna would slowly clamber to her feet once more and stroke the crystal fox’s beautiful head, before she and her spirit moved on with their journey. The fox would watch them go with a tilt of her head, before hurrying back to the entrance in order to round up her fellow crystal creatures, just in case things went wrong.

Walking through yet another long passageway, Sienna and her spirit would eventually come out into the central hub of the caverns. It was an absolutely enormous area and sitting in the centre of it would be a large crystal, with a creature hovering in the air. Laying before it would be the child that the pair had been looking for, unconscious on the floor. The creature itself almost looked human, wearing a pink and white assortment of crystals that looked very similar to a dress. It’s eyes were fully locked on to the pair as they approached and she spoke before they could even approach.

“Don’t come any closer, girl,” it said, it’s voice clearly feminine in nature, “Your kind has done enough damage to ours without you coming here. Go away and leave us alone!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Sienna explained, “I’ve come to take the girl back to the family and one way or another, I’m going to do it. I know what the people here have done to you but taking a child doesn’t make it right. You need to give her to me because if you don’t, it’ll only make things worse. I don’t want to harm you and I haven’t hurt any of the creatures that you’re defending here. So please, trust me and let me take the girl home.”

“I don’t want to harm her and the only reason I’m keeping her here is for our protection,” the guardian replied, “If I let you take her then what stops the humans coming back down here and wiping the rest of us out? Your kind are so obsessed with greed and you don’t care what or you you have to step on in order to get what you want. What assurance could you possibly give that would stop them from coming back if I return the child?”

“My word,” Sienna answered honestly, “That’s the only assurance that I can give but I promise you this. I will not see another one of your kind be abused by those who live here. I feel the same way about my spirits as you do your charges. If Sylveon here had been mistreated as you have then I would be just as upset, just as angry as you. We’re very similar, you and me. We both hold our families dearer than anything and that’s why you should trust me about this. Please, give me the child.”

For a short time, the creature seemed to think it over, before slowly nodding her head and picking up the girl. She’d then hover over to Sienna and deposit the girl into the mage’s waiting arms. “Alright, take her but please keep to your word. I can’t bare to see any more of my family being taken from me, we’ve lost so much already.”

“I will do and thank you for seeing reason,” Sienna replied with a respectful nod, before turning away and leading her summon back the way they came, the sleeping girl in her arms.

The trip back was uneventful and the looks of joy and relief as Sienna returned the girl to her parents would be ones that the redhead would remember for a long time. However, they were tainted by what she’d learned and once the initial euphoria had subsided, the mage would take the husband aside.

“In order to recover your daughter, I made a promise that I expect you to keep,” she said evenly, “No more mining of that cave and no more abuse of those that live within it. Your lust for money has almost wiped out an entire species of creatures and it stops, now.”

A momentary look of anger would cross his features but after looking at his daughter and wife, it would fade away and he would nod his head, “Very well, I can’t argue with that. We will no longer continue with our activities and leave them in peace. My daughter’s life is worth more than me to any amount of jewels. Thank you for showing me that and thank you for saving her.”

He would then place a small bag of jewels in her hand as a reward, before returning to his family, while the mage took her leave. It hadn’t been the most challenging or exciting of missions but she certainly appreciated her loving companions more now than she’d ever had before.

(1637 Words)
(3719/3500 Total WC)

(Thread Completed.)