Spirit Stories - Blaze #4

Hey jammers! Tallstar107 here with the next Spirit Story!

I was hoping to finish off this arc this time around and get started introducing some main characters for the next story, but I didn't want to overwhelm you guys with a really long story, so I cut it off. I will definitely finish up with Lis being the only main character, because I know she's pretty boring after a while. Anyway, here we go!

Slowly, carefully Lis felt her way down the stairs. Any trace of light was gone within moments, and she looked around, trying to see something. She wasn’t sure if her eyes were open or closed. Suddenly, she stumbled, the ground level beneath her feet. She almost choked on the musty smell. Unable to see anything, she could only assume she was in a basement of sorts.

Lis snuck stealthily through the basement. She went a long way without seeing anything. Warily, she continued, even more alert than ever. She knew that she should have seen something by now, heard something. The lack of obstacles unnerved her.

All of a sudden, Lis heard a whirring noise, and she whipped around. She could see things blurring past her. Then, she could see something white, glowing. It was an eye. Electricity sparked around the phantom.

Shuddering, Lis backed up. With a cry, she looked down and saw what she had stepped on - a deer skull. Panting, she felt pains in her chest and knew her asthma was acting up. Looking up, she saw she was cornered. She clenched her jaw, eyes closed, breathing fast.

Why am I here? Lis sighed. I can’t even defend myself. She waited for the strike to come, but it didn’t. Squinting beneath half-closed, she saw the phantom looking around, confused. I’m invisible, she realized. She started to quietly slip away, then stopped herself. Don’t run away.

Lis felt around for her sword, realizing that anything she touched became invisible too. She swung it through the air and it met the phantom. It didn’t slice through; rather, she felt electricity jolting the sword around in her hands as the phantom slowly sunk to the ground.

I did it. Her heart screamed in victory.

Lis wrenched the sword off of the phantom and stood, gasping for air. She suddenly felt tears stinging her eyes. I killed it, she realized. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she spun around and continued on her way.

* * *

Lis’s eyes screamed for light. Her lungs screamed for fresh air. She wondered vaguely whether she had gone deaf or if there really was no sound at all. Was she imagining that green glow at the end of the hall? End of the hall…

With a gasp, Lis rushed forward. The green glow was coming from a room to the left. Lis turned and found herself in a room filled with crystals. Green, glowing crystals. This is it. Liza had said she would know when she found Greely’s power. She knew. It just… seemed right.

Lis also knew what she needed to do. She picked up a tiny crystal from the ground that wasn’t glowing. She held it up and closed her eyes. She immediately felt like a magnet, absorbing the energy from the crystals into the vessel she held. Opening her eyes, she saw the glow of other crystals had faded, while the one in her hand was blinding to look at.

By the blinding light of the crystal, Lis could see scratches on the wall, as if made by sticks. She hurried over and knelt, holding the crystal like a candle. A plan… Her eyes flickered over it, comprehending. The phantoms meant to weed out the alphas to take over Jamaa themselves. But the scratches… they were weathered and coated in dust. They must be years old, she realized. How long have they been planning?
Lis quickly shoved the crystal into her sword’s sheath and raced back to the stairs as quickly as she could. A sense of foreboding was chilling her spine. I need to get home.

She was right to be wary.

Because as she ascended the stairs, she found herself, and the entire palace, surrounded. By phantoms.

Hehe, cliffhangers.  Don't we all love 'em?

That's all!  See ya in Jamaa!