Ori and the Spirits Within

Chapter 3: Rejoice in the Glades

The celebration was bigger than ever before. It was like every Moki in the entirety of Niwen came to the Wellspring Glades just to see the hero in all of his glory, being carried by his overjoyed mother. Naru tried to calm them all down, with little effect. Once she sat Ori down, all the Moki rushed him with questions about himself.

"What was it like, being a tree?" "How did you defeat that big, bad spider?" "Just how brave are you?" "Do you want some food? I'll get it for you!" It was overwhelming, but also entirely welcoming. He didn't fully understand what they were talking about, but he could swear he had never felt such a joy whelming up within him. As the Moki continued with questions, he noticed two other figures approach him. One, stoic and strong, dark grey in color, carrying a makeshift hammer. The other, a blue bird, with a large golden beak, and a small satchel on his back.

"Well, if it isn't the Savior of Niwen," the bird said. "It pleases me to see you well."

"Thank you... umm... actually, my memories got kinda lost during my revival, so what's your name again?" Ori replies.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame. Whatever. I am Tokk, and it's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Tokk," he said, turning towards the other figure. "And you are?"

"Grom, a gorlek and builder of these glades. Well, partial builder. I'd have you to thank for bringing me all that Gorlek Ore for the renovation of the glades." Grom chuckles to himself.

"Oh... well, you're welcome."

"These glades have never looked so alive. Ever since you left, the Glades have been getting more and more populated. It was a hefty workload, but Gumo came around to provide his support. So, I have to thank him as well."

So Gumo is a craftsman, and tinkerer. Good to know. "Well, I'm sure he doesn't mind helping out people here and the- Gah!" He immediately yelps, as he finds a Moki behind him, carrying around a small stick that he poked at Ori's side with.

"Ah, the second bravest soul in Niwen has come back from the dead. No matter, you are still no match for the bravery of me, Mokk the Brave!" The Moki says as he poses heroically. Mokk the Brave, the bravest creature in all of Niwen? Ori just started giggling at the Moki's over the top tone, leaving Mokk confused. "What's so funny, Spirit?"

"I came back from the dead, after sacrificing myself for the entirety of the land and my family. I think that makes me more brave than you." All the Moki gathered around the debate happening between the two.

"What? Do you not recount the time I took on the mighty Howl single handedly? Here's my proof!" Mokk states, as he holds up a fang from his bag, supposedly from this creature named Howl. Ori didn't know exactly what Howl was, but he could assume it was a big foe, considering that the fang he was carrying was quite big itself. Quite impressive, but did he really take him down by himself? Or, was he taking advantage of the fact that he had amnesia? Whatever it was, one Moki stepped into the conversation.

"Well, Ori took on Shriek single handedly. And that fight shook Niwen to its core. Where's the similarity in that?" All the Moki gasped, as Mokk turned to the interjecting Moki.

"Come on, a giant wolf is much more intimidating than some pathetic bird."

"Who are you calling pathetic!?" Ku jumps in, slightly angry at Moki's ridiculous claim. "That "pathetic bird", as I'm sure you're aware of, almost killed me and Ori with its imposing stature. In fact, you may have taken on Howl and survived to tell the tale, but I'm pretty sure Shriek actually killed Howl in the Silent Woods. So, wouldn't that make Shriek more powerful than Howl automatically?"

"Well, Shriek was going easy on him. That's why my fight against Howl was more brave than anything else. Since I had no powers to help defend myself, I had to get creative in my triumph over my foe." Ku was seriously enraged now, but she's not known to be violent. So instead, she decides to "go in for the kill".