Chapter #3 - Mother Instinct

Chapter #3 - Mother instinct

The sun is falling, marking the end of the day, as our heroes walk through the Azuorph forest, as the first stars begin to apear in the darkening sky. Rettan and Jellirox are headed to Centaur wondering if the answer of Laoni´s location lies there.

"Ret... Bro..." called Jellirox.

"Yes Jello?" asked Rettan.
"There is a special kind of Mushroom im suposed to take to my tutor Ayla that lies deep within this forest. Can we look for it?" said Jellirox.

"Um... sure, its on the way to Centaur anyways right?" said Rettan.
Rettan and Jellirox kept walking, searching for the special Mushroom that shines in the dark.

Meanwhile, at an unknown place. A dark place, only lit by lava, in a terrifying looking lair, guarded by Hell guardians... Apozen sits in his throne, still with his face completely covered due to the last attack, still alive.

"There must be a way to catch that Rettan... But he still gets away, even from that Birdman I sent to attack him... But I am sure I have found the person that will aid me finding them..." Said Apozen in a furious way.

Suddenly little girl giggles are heard from the darkness, Apozen looks all around, and a little finger pokes his shoulder. It was a little puppetlike girl, even though she had a sweet face, evil could only be expressed by her look. Apozen got mad and tried to crush her with his arm, but the little puppet giggled and floated right in front of Apozen.

"You will have to do better than that big bad devil" said the little puppet while giggling.

"What do you want Fleurygal?!" screamed Apozen.



"Oh Lord Apozen you know you need aid from my superior and horrorific mind right?" giggled Fleurygal while skipping around dancing.

"What do you have planned?" asked Apozen.

"Pretty easy my lord. But for a change I will have to become your right hand, em´ I being clear?" asked Fleurygal.

Apozen agreed as Fleurygal grinned in an evil way. She agreed to plan the killing of Rettan. So she warped with her magic a servant of hers. From the darkness of the warp, a man in a tuxido steps out, with black cape, a big hat, and grudge in his heart and eyes.

"This man my lord, I have a small um... "deal" with him, he is the most powerful magician ever, So I think its a good idea to hire him as a personal servant and assign my "special" misions, such as killing that idiot." Said Fleurygal.

Apozen looked at the dark magician and asked for his name.

"My name... is Waveblade my lord... it is my pleasure to be your elite server" said the Dark magician while saluting Apozen.



Apozen laughed, and smiled at Waveblade, and sent him back to the world, with the mission of killing the survivor angel.

Back in Azuorph forest. Rettan and Jellirox have been walking all over the forest through a long night. Until they feel a red flash that starles them, and all the animals begin to run and fly away very fast. Rettan and Jellirox felt awkward and just kept walking, until Jellirox manages to see the shining Mushroom and runs to it, which was in the shadow of a tree. As soon as Jellirox puts the mushroom in her bag, her attention is cought by a strange object.Rettan walked up to Jellirox and also becomes paralized of such an object.

"Its a pretty egg right bro?" said Jellirox.

"Why yes, but what does it have inside?" asked Rettan.

"I don´t know, but we should take it, poor baby its all abandoned" answered Jellirox while snuggling the egg and covering it with leaves and putting it away in her bag aswell.



In that moment a huge creature attacks Rettan and Jellirox making them run. The creature was an Azuorph, it was a huge green bug like creature, with huge sword arms, and two radar eyes, and it could float. Rettan and Jellirox ran from the Azuorph, as they concluded that was the mother of the little egg. While running Rettan asked Jellirox to give back the egg, but Jellirox disobeyed because the Azuorph was being extra agressive against their normally passive attitude and that the baby egg could be in danger if she did. Rettan and Jellirox kept running until they found themselves completely surrounded by the entire comunity of Azuorphs, they were surrounded, for a sure death. As soon as the largest Azuorph charges to attack them, a slash divides the creature in half, when the dead Azuorph crashes agaisnt the floor, a warrior with a red suit, and red hair is revealed. The warrior quickly throws a smoke bomb and manages to escape with Rettan and Jellirox, leading them to a fort with a huge in the middle.

"Um... Thank you for saving us... but where are we, and who are you?" asked Rettan.
Jellirox was playing with a bunch of snails and feeding them mushrooms as she also showed the egg to the snails.

"I am the warrior that protects this snail lake from any beast, and my name, is Rauchel" Said the warrior as he smiled.
"Snails?" asked Rettan.

Rettan looked around him and saw a whole community of snails, all over the place, all of them coexisting together as a tribe, the harmony of their living was evident thanks to Rauchel´s care.

"So Rauchel, what do you exactly do?" asked Rettan.

"I protect this community because they raised me here since I was abandoned in this forest. I learned the art of fighting when my master Gullio came here constantly, I built this fort like place, surrounding the lakefront. I also working on the making of an armor, but I still need to study it. Ive made defense structures too" answered Rauchel.

Jellirox and Rettan were amazed by looking at Rauchel´s best crafting work, a big catapult.

"Well, Im glad you like the catapult, but we must find a solution about this Azuorph situation, we are currently trapped here you know... I mean look from the watch tower" said Rauchel.

A small blue snail with a greenish shell and a tie goes up to Rauchel and snuggles agaisnt his foot.

"Oh this is Whirl, we have been friends for a long time" said Rauchel laughing.

"Aw he is so cute!" Jellirox screamed while grabbing and petting Whirl.

Rettan climbed up the watch tower and saw an infinity of shining eyes in the darkness, and the blade-like arms recflecting the moon. The Azumorphs waited for their pray to come out. After that Rauchel made dinner, as Rettan wondered what to do next, and Jellirox played with the snails. Dinner was made, Rettan and Jellirox told Rauchel all about their journey in search for Laoni.

"This is not good guys, we have been trapped like 6 hours here" said Rettan.

"We gotta make it to Centaur quick, my sister in law is in danger" claimed Jellirox.

"There is something going through my mind, but im not sure..." said Rauchel.

"EVERYTHING IS FINE RAUCHEL, Its... my wife..." claimed Rettan worried.

Meanwhile, between the whole mass of Azuorphs, A man is seen, laughing, staring at the fortress, smiling and laughing gently. It was Waveblade, who was controlling all the Azuorphs with his magic. Suddenly from the shadows Fleurygal comes out and laughs while skipping through the branches.

"You are taking quite long to kill two humans and a powerless angel my Wavey" Claimed Fleurygal.

"Let me be, patience is golden" said Waveblade.

"But time is money" replied Fleurygal.

"Remember... I have that precious little thing that once belonged to you, you dont want me to do anything with it, right Wavey? Oh c´mon! Hurry up and don´t make little Fleury wait!"
remarked Fleurygal while laughing and warping back to the shadows.

"... Time for me to attack then" mummbled Waveblade.

Back in the Lakefront fortress, Rettan and Jellirox are sitting in the catapult. As Rauchel looks nervous with his sword, not knowing if he should cut the rope or not.

"AAAAAAAAAAH DON'T DO IT! IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY?!" Screamed and whined Rettan.

"Bro, the only way is for Rauchel to uh... *gulp* Send us flying with the catapult" explained Jellirox.

Rettan kept screaming and trying to get down from the catapult as Jellirox tried to keep him still, Rauchel began to explain the plan, if they were launched very far from the Azuorphs, they could have the chance to escape running from them, all the way North to a path that would take them to the exit of the forest.



"PLEASE DONT DO IT!! I BEG YOU!!" Screamed and squirmed Rettan.

"3..." counted Jelli.

"2..." counted Rauchel.

"Rawr... " attempted to count Whirl.

"AAAAAAH" Screamed Rettan.

Rauchel cut the rope as Rettan and Jellirox were launched to the air, Waveblade managed to see that and tried to trap them with his magic, altering their course, making them crash to a tree which they got stuck in the treetop. Waveblade warped himself below the tree and laughed at them, the Azuorphs began to hit the tree attempting them to fall down. The mother of the Azuorph egg got below the tree too.

"This was not a nice flight, AGH I NEED MY WINGS!" whined Rettan.

"Brother, who is that man below?" asked Jellirox while holding the egg.

"I--" answered Rettan while being interrupted by a large tackle of an Azuorph right to the tree causing everything to shake.

Waveblade got mad and casted an energy ball and threw the spell to Jellirox which was being directed to the Azuorph egg in her hands. Jellirox turned around, making the energy ball hit her back and knocking her off the tree while Rettan tried to grab her but failed. Jellirox hugged the egg and tried to land on her feet so the egg wouldn't be damaged, putting her life in danger to protect the egg. The mother Azuorph saw that with her hypnotized eyes as Waveblade prepared another energy ball.

"You stupid girl made me miss my target!!" claimed Waveblade while aproaching to Jellirox with an energy ball in his hand.

Jellirox protected the egg in her arms as Waveblade screams and casts the spell directed to her and the egg to end their lives, Jellirox closes her eyes waiting for the attack to kill her but suddenly hears a loud cry, she slowly opens her eyes and sees the Azuorph mother in the middle taking all the attack.



As soon as the flashes ended, the Azuorph mother collapses to the ground, and Jellirox runs to see it. Quickly Rettan jumps furiously from the tree to the ground and takes out his dagger pointing it to Waveblade.

"Who are you?!" demanded Rettan.

"My name is Waveblade, and I am a principal servant of Lord Apozen, I am the greatest magic user of all time, and yes my mission is to exterminate you" laughed Wavevlade while presenting himself.

Rettan runs to attack Waveblade, trying to stab him with his face. Waveblade grabs the dagger tightly with his hand and begins to bleed and insanely laugh.



"You actually managed to reach me, you have me impressed for just being an inferior being, and angel with no powers" said Waveblade laughing.

Waveblade notices that with the bleeding he lost control of the Azuorphs, as Rettan smiles and tells him that all the Azuorphs are agaisnt Waveblade for hurting the mother of the Azuorph egg. Waveblade looks at himself surrounded by the creatures and finally warps away from the scene. Quickly Rettan runs to Jellirox and the mother Azuorph and sees Jellirox crying hugging the egg.
"Whats wrong?!" asked Rettan.

"The mother... is dead..." cried Jellirox.

Rettan remained silent...

"Before she died, she looked at me, like I could understand what she was saying, like we had a connection... She said... to take care of the baby... and that I had the courage and protection of a mother, and that the baby will be fine with me" cried Jellirox.

"You are his mother now" whispered a small breeze...

As the sun began to rise, Rauchel, the Azuorphs, Rettan, Jellirox, and the snails gathered to dig the Azuorph mother a grave, and a dawn of hope started to shine in everyone´s hearts, inspired by a mother´s sacrifice to save her child. The Azumorphs went back into the forest with an inspiration, as the snails did too.Rettan and Jellirox walked with Rauchel and Whirl all the way to the forest exit.

"A new day starts, and so will a new life too, good luck to both of you my friends, this route will lead you directly to Centaur city" said Rauchel.

"I guess its time for us to be more optimistic and more positive in our thoughts and actions, Im sure the future in Centaur will bring many answers, and you will to good to Rauchel" claimed Rettan.

Whirl beings to crawl to Jellirox and looks at her. Jellirox smiles to Whirl as he takes off his snail tie and gives it to her. Jellirox smiles even more, happier and hugs Whirl.

"Well well well, a snail tie is one of the largest meanings of friendship or affection that can come from a snail, you have impressed me quite alot Jellirox, well my friends, someday we will meet again." smiled Rauchel while speaking.

As so, Rettan and Jellirox leave the forest of Azuorphs, headed to Centaur city, where either their journey will end, or begin. With a new companion waiting to be born, in a new day.

Meanwhile in the darkness... Waveblade is seen, with fear in his face...

The singing of a little girl is heard, as Fleurygal apears right in front of Waveblade...

"You failed me today... Little Fleurygal is mad now, and so, you shall be punished... hehehe" said Fleurygal as an infernal scream of torture echoes in the darkness...

To be continued...