Alibert and Ruel headed back to the square after they finished cleaning out all the surviving monsters.
While neither had suffered any serious injuries, Ruel quite unhappy about the grey stains which covered his tunic.
“Aw, great…” the Enutrof grumbled as he shook it with disgust.
“Thanks to those slimy critters, I’ll have to waste Kamas on cleaning up my clothes.”
Alibert, on his part, was more concerned about Yugo.
He had not see the boy in a while and, while he had the skills to take care of himself, he could not stop worrying.
Once he saw him safe and sound in the square, he sighed with deep relief.
This morning had been full of chaos, and, with everything that happened, he didn’t even have the time to wake Yugo during the attack.
He rushed towards his son and gave him a big hug that almost took his breath away.
“Are you all right, son?
Did they hurt you?”
“Relax, Dad,” Yugo answered with a big smile.
“Those monsters were so slow they couldn’t even touch me.”
Once the hug was over, Yugo greeted Ruel, who couldn’t help but smile at seeing the boy was all right, ignoring even the stains in his tunic.
Yugo also saw that Evangelyne and Amalia were at the town square.
As he approached to check they were okay, something in Amalia’s expression troubled him.
Her face was still pale, and though she tried to hide it, the experience had clearly affected her more than she wanted to admit.
“Hey, Amalia…
is anything wrong?” Yugo asked.
“It looks like the fight really got to you…”
She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but traces of unease still remained in her eyes.
“Thanks for checking on me, Yugo, but I’m better now.
It was just the stress of the battle.
That’s all.”
Yugo watched her carefully.
He knew she wasn’t being entirely honest, but before he could ask anything else, Ruel interrupted at the worst possible moment.
“So, harmless and adorable little creatures, huh?” he snarked.
“Those critters nearly turned us into trees.
Why in Rushu’s name did they go and attack us!”
Amalia’s face immediately turned serious and, when she gave her answer, her voice was full of a deep sadness.
“Normally, they are.
When the forest is in balance, its spirits are playful and friendly.
But something’s gone wrong…” She lowered her gaze, as if putting it into words physically hurt.
“These spirits were empty, without even a shred of life inside them.
Something…
terrible has happened to their home.”
Meanwhile, Alibert was surveying the square to assess the state of the town.
Even though the heroes were cheering, victory had come at a far too steep cost than anyone would like to admit.
Many villagers didn’t escape in time and were now transformed into statues of gray and rotting wood.
He could hear the survivors’ grief throughout the town, their cries filling the square with deep sorrow.
Alibert felt his heart harden with resolve.
He couldn’t let this happen again.
As the town’s protector, it was his duty to find out the cause of such threat and eliminate it once and for all.
He took a deep breath and raised his voice with authority.
“Your actions have saved the town once again, brave heroes, but this isn’t over.
I’ve seen the monsters flee toward the Whispering Forest, and I fear that, unless this threat is fully eradicated, they could return and attack this town once more.
We need to organize an expedition and find out what’s going on before it’s too late.
Can I count on you?
I promise a generous reward for your help.”
Ruel’s eyes gleamed when he heard reward.
Before anyone could speak, he stepped forward with a confident smile.
“You don’t even have to ask, old friend.
Those monsters are gonna regret the day they stained the great Ruel Stroud’s tunic.
Besides, that reward you’re promising sounds awfully tempting.”
Percedal nodded with determination at the prospect of a new adventure, while Evangelyne and Amalia took a moment to weigh the decision.
But Yugo had already made his.
“Let me come too, Dad!” he shouted.
“I’m clearly strong enough to take on dangerous monsters.
I promise I won’t let you down!”
Alibert looked at his son with both pride and concern.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” he anwered.
“Give me a moment to take a few things from the tavern.
Yugo, come with me.
There’s something important I need to tell you.”
The other heroes nodded and Yugo followed his father without hesitation.
But, the moment they entered the building, Alibert’s tone changed and his expression turned completely serious.
“Son, I know how much you love adventures.
You showed great courage today, but this time I can’t bring you along.
It’s too dangerous out there.”
“But I won against the SHushu!” Yugo protested.
“You saw it yourself!
I have a new power that makes me way stronger.
I can be a hero, Dad!
Just give me a chance!”
Alibert sighed and shook his head.
“You don’t understand, Yugo.
Being a hero so much more than just being lucky and winning a fight.
You’re still young and inexperienced, and you always seem to rush into dangerous situations without thinking.
This isn’t a game, son.
Out here, actions have consequences, and one wrong move can cost you your life.
Understand?”
Yugo clenched his fists with anger.
“It’s always the same!” His voice was shaking with frustration.
“No matter how hard I try, you still see me as a little kid.
I’m old enough to take care of myself, dad.
Tell me what I need to prove myself and I’ll do it!”
“For the Gods, just listen to me!
You’re still not ready!”
Father and son continued to argue, their words full with anger and neither of them willing to back down.
As they bickered, none of them realized that something was beginning to stir in the tavern.
They didn’t see the shadow seeping through the cracks in the floor.
They didn’t feel the dark presence rising behind them.
A corrupted spirit had hidden inside the tavern.
One who was waiting all this time for the moment to strike.
A tragedy was about to unfold.
“No is no, Yugo!
If you promise me you’ll stay here…” Alibert paused, knowing he had to play his last card.
“I’ll tell you everything I know about your real family.”
Those words struck Yugo like a thunderbolt.
His father had always avoided that subject, deflecting every question with vague answers or by changing the topic.
But now, for the first time, he seemed willing to talk.
That was something he cared about even more than adventure.
“All right, Dad.
I promise I won’t go on the mission.
But please, you have to fulfill your promise.
Tell me everything…
absolutely everything.”
Alibert let out a relieved sigh.
He hated that it had taken an argument to get here.
And the timing couldn’t have been worse.
He looked at his son in the eye, and his face turned somber as he began to tell this long-awaited tale.
“I didn’t find you under a tree, Yugo…
The truth is, one night…
something incredible happened.”
His voice began to fill with intensity.
“I saw a star fall from the sky and strike the earth, unleashing a burst of shining light.
When I went to investigate, I saw something I will never forget.
In the place where the star had fallen…
there was a man.”
Yugo held his breath.
“A man?”
Alibert nodded, wonder and unease flickering across his face.
“He was an old man with pitch-black skin and silver hair.
He wasn’t an Enutrof, a Sadida, or of any race I’d ever seen or heard.
And yet…
he didn’t seem afraid.
He just walked towards me as if he already knew who I was.”
Yugo’s throat went dry.
This was more incredible than any of Ruel’s stories.
“And then…
he gave you to me.”
“Yes,” Alibert smiled sadly.
“He was carrying a baby in his arms.
A little one with blond hair and blue eyes…
You.”
Yugo felt the world tilt beneath his feet.
“Dad…
what else did that man say?”
Alibert took a deep breath.
“He said…
he said that…”
Suddenly, before he could continue, the innkeeper howled in pain.
Yugo jolted in fear, a chill racing down his spine as he saw his father fall to the ground clutching his ankle.
And there, by his side, was a slimy monster.
Its claws were dripping with blood as it prepared to strike again.
The boy was so angry he didn’t even hesitate.
He roared in fury, pulled out his frying pan and began to violently smash the creature until it was reduced to slimy pulp.
But, no matter how many times he struck the monster, he could not prevent the inevitable.
The curse had already begun to spread.
It started with the ankle.
In a few seconds, Alibert’s foot turned to wood and that same rotting texture began to spread up his leg.
The tavern keeper looked up at his son with eyes brimming with tears.
This might be the last time he ever saw him.
“Yugo…” His voice trembled with pain.
“You’ve made me so happy these past twelve years…
I love you with all my heart.”
The curse continued to climb up his body, transforming his skin to bark and making his voice grow weaker.
But he couldn’t stop now.
Not when he was on the brink of revealing everything.
“That man…
he told me that you…”
He opened his mouth to finally say the words he had been holding onto for twelve long years.
But no words came out.
The curse had spread all across his face.
It was over.
Where Alibert once stood, now there was only a lifeless wooden statue.
Yugo was first silent, unable to process what just happened.
This had to a nightmare he would soon wake up from.
He clutched his father’s hand, hoping to feel some warmth, some sign he still had life within.
It was cold as a corpse.
As much as he wanted to deny it, this tragedy was completely real.
Fully overcome by grief and shock, Yugo fell to his knees and let out a blood-curdling scream.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he screamed, his heart aching with an unbearable pain.
His uncontrolled emotions made surges of blue energy erupt from his body, bathing the room in blue light.
All his power, all his rage, all his grief.
It was bursting forth and threatening to consume everything around him.
Outside the tavern, Yugo’s companions were still celebrating until they heard the scream.
Without thinking, Ruel barged in to see what was happening with his shovel in hand, ready to protect the boy from whatever was inside.
The rest of the group followed him weapons in hand, all of them ready to fight.
But, when they saw the scene, they went from shock to denial to grief.
Ruel was the first to approach.
He couldn’t, or better said, he refused to believe what was happening.
He shook Alibert’s petrified body with all his strength , trying to get any kind of response or sign of life.
As hard as he tried, it was all in vain. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He was holding nothing but a piece of wood that looked like his best friend.
A single tear fell down the old Enutrof’s cheek before he screamed with rage.
“Alibert!” His voice was shaking.
“You can’t…
you can’t leave us like this!
No, I won’t accept this!
Wake up, old fool!
COME BACK!”
As he tried to find an answer, a solution to this problem, an idea came to his mind.
Maybe there was still a way to save his friend.
Ruel turned to Amalia, his voice now reduced to a desperate plea.
“Amalia…
you’re an expert in curses, spirits, and nature, right?
Is there some way to save him?
Is there a cure to this curse?”
The Sadida had a look at Alibert’s petrified body and felt a lump in her throat.
While she had not known him for that long, he had been so kind to them and was clearly a great father.
He did not deserve to die like this.
She had to save him no matter what.
Amalia knelt beside Yugo and firmly held his hands.
“Of course there is!” she declared.
“This curse was cast by a forest spirit, right?
And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that anything cursed by a spirit can be healed by another.
I’m sure that deep in the Whispering Forest there must be a spirit of great power who can help us.
If we find that spirit and convince them to break the curse, your father and the entire town can be saved!”
Yugo looked at her with a glimmer of hope in his still-damp eyes.
“Is that…
true?” His voice was barely a whisper.
“If we do that…
we can bring him back?”
Amalia nodded.
“Your father isn’t dead, Yugo.
He’s just petrified.
If we break the curse, he’ll be back to normal as if nothing happened.”
Her words filled Yugo with hope, banishing all the grief and pain in his heart.
He sprang to his feet and, without thinking, gave her a strong hug.
One word, one sincere and beautiful word, came from his mouth as a whisper.
“Thanks.”
Amalia blushed.
For the first time in her life, she felt something new, something that filled her with happiness and excitement.
A feeling she wished she could hold onto forever.
But, as was inevitable, the hug came to an end and the sensation began to fade.
Yugo, full of renewed determination, turned towards the rest of the group and shouted with confidence.
“Well, what are we waiting for?
We’ve got a town to save.
Let’s go to the Whispering Forest!”
“Well said, young man.
Wherever you go, you can count on Sir Percedal of Sadlygrove, knight of the Order of Shushu Guardians,” Percedal declared as he raised his cursed sword.
“Adventure and glory await!”
“Alibert would never approve of his son running off on adventures…” Ruel muttered, seemingly full of worry.
But, before Yugo could answer back, the old man gave him a sly grin.
“…without me.
Count me in, boy.
The great Ruel Stroud will protect you no matter what!”
Yugo smiled and looked at Amalia, still waiting for her to join the quest.
The Sadida first had a look at Eva seeking her opinion, who then gave her a slight not.
That was all she needed.
With eyes bright with emotion, she turned to the young hero and gave her answer.
“We’re coming too.
With my knowledge of nature and Eva’s amazing archery skills, no monster in that forest will be able to stop us.”
Now that the quest was ready to start, Az chirped with enthusiasm and flew in circles around the group.
Yugo was at a loss for words.
His heart was overflowing with so much gratitude a tear slipped down his cheek.
“Thank you, everyone, ” he said.
“Now, let’s go on an adventure.
The whole town is counting on us.”
“You heard the kid,” Ruel chimed in and thumped his chest.
“The Whispering Forest awaits!
If we want to bring this place back to normal, there’s no time to waste.”
Full of newfound resolve, the five heroes headed out to adventure.
But, before leaving town, Yugo turned to Az and gently stroked his head.
He had one last look at his father’s petrified body and then spoke to his pet in a gentle but firm voice.
“I’ve got an important job for you, Az.
Stay here and watch over my dad.
Make sure nothing happens to him.
Got it?”
The bird let out an angry chirp.
He didn’t like one bit the idea of being left behind.
Yugo, knowing his friend all too well, used the one trick that always works.
“I know you don’t like it, buddy, but I need someone I can trust here.
If you do a good job…” He pulled out a small bag of birdseed and shook it temptingly.
“I promise you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”
Az swooped down and ate up all the food in the blink of an eye.
Then he looked up with pleading eyes, hoping for more.
When Yugo refused, he sighed in resignation.
Now, the bird had no choice.
For now.
Though his pride had been wounded, and sooner or later, he’d make his master pay.
“I knew I could count on you, Az,” Yugo said with a laugh.
“I won’t be gone long, I promise.
See you soon!”
Now that the sun was at its zenith, the heroes left behind the town of Emelka and headed off towards the Whispering Forest.
When silence settled once more, Az flew up to Alibert’s petrified head and perched there, waiting for his master’s return.
Even though he could be insufferable at times, life without him would be so empty.