Ghale's Journey: The Criminals of Saetl

Chapter 6

Ghale would stare in awe at the gigantic tree—not being able to talk back. "I SEE. UNABLE TO SPEAK, YES? WELL YOUR NAME DOESN'T MATTER, AS I ALREADY KNOW IT, GHALE." Ghale would inhale deeply, readying himself to speak. "What do you want from me?" The tree would sound as if it was cackling but Ghale couldn't tell if that was the twigs and trunk creaking—or just the actual voice. "WHY MUST YOU MEDDLE INTO MY PLANS? YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE BERSERKERS AT PEACE TO CLAIM THE REGION OF SAETL. YOUR KING IS A LAZY BAG OF FLESH ANYWAYS. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HE HAS A DUKE REBELLING AGAINST HIM!"

"What?" Ghale would ask, confused. "Are you the reason I'm knocked out, too?" Ghale would ask Roytus again. "NOT PARTICULARLY.. I JUST POPPED INTO YOUR CONSCIOUS WHILE THAT DAMN MISTAKE AND GALARUS FOUGHT IN YOUR MIND.." Ghale's eyes would widen. "Galarus and Azama were fighting inside MY MIND?" It would seem Roytus was laughing again. "THEY BOTH WANT YOU TO TAKE THEIR OATH! FIGHTING FOR YOUR SOUL AND WILL."

"But I'm too young to take an oath.. Aren't I?" "YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO YOUNG TO TAKE AN OATH! NOW—ENOUGH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERING. IT IS TIME FOR YOUR CURSE." As Roytus said this, one of their branches would creak and slowly drop down towards Ghale. A fruit-like object would be on the very tip of the branch, pulsing grossly. Ghale would grab the fruit and look at it as it pulsed in his hand. "And if I don't take this?" Ghale would ask, rebellion filling him. "IF YOU DON'T, I KILL YOU." Ghale would shiver, actually taking that into consideration. Even if this was a dream world—he didn't know what Roytus could do—especially when he can just swoop in his mind at basically anytime they wanted, clearly.

Ghale would stare at the pulsing white fruit, as if it was staring back, telling Ghale 'Eat meee...' Ghale could feel the presence of Roytus becoming impatient as the tree's presence was looming over him, anticipation in the tips of its branches—supposedly.

Ghale would close his eyes and eat the fruit as quickly as he could. The fruit would taste nasty—like old shoes and spoiled oranges. After Ghale finally got it through his throat, he could feel his stomach churning. Ghale would fall to the ground, coughing blood out from his mouth, choking and gurgling on it.

"YESS... FEEL THE POWER OF TWIGS INTERTWINE WITH YOU SOUL.." Ghale would feel something deep inside him choke up—as if his very soul was now in a tied up rope. Ghale felt suffocated, barely able to breathe as the coughing stopped. Ghale could feel something moving in his head, moving his thoughts around—as if it was making room for itself. "W-what did you–" Ghale would cut himself off, as his own mouth was starting to speak for somebody else but himself.

"Thanks, Roytus." He would hear himself say as his mouth started to grin. He could feel himself turning his head to look at his body, stretching it and getting a feel for it. "Giving me such a young body to work with! You're too kind, my lord." Ghale could hear the tree laugh. "You're so welcome... Elder Polar."

Ghale would wake up on a bed, this time in a new place. He would see Dreg talking with somebody else—arguing, maybe? As Ghale's eyes adjusted, he would then see Kyrie and Boris to his right, looking at the two of them arguing. Ghale would look everywhere else, taking in where he was. He assumed he was in a local healer hut, but further inspection, and he realized he was actually inside someone's house. By just looking around, you could tell whoever lived here was quite old, the furniture being barely used for some reason, broken chairs here and there, cobwebs forming on spoiled food jars, and much more.

As Ghale picked his head up and looked at Dreg, he would immediately turn away from the argument and would let out a quiet "No.." He would swiftly walk up to the bed Ghale was on and would immediately open one of his eyes wider. "Ow, Dreg, what're you doing?" Ghale would ask, shocked from his immediate inspection of his right eye.

Ghale would hear the person Dreg was previously arguing with start laughing. "That tree ACTUALLY put somebody inside of him! This HAS to be the funniest damn thing I've seen YET with you, Dreigon." The man would say as he walked up closer. Ghale would be able to finally make out with this man. He was quite short, but he had a very muscular build. Clearly, this elderly man was a Yushel, with scratched and nearly torn off cat ears and a hidden tail, probably hidden in his armor he was wearing. The armor the man was wearing would be pretty bulky, nearly puhsing Dreg aside from how large it made him. The man would also have a large greatsword on his back, glowing with a green substance covering its edges.

"What happened to me?" Ghale asked, genuinely curious about what happened to his body. "You're... You're infected with.. Another mind." Dreg would say, sighing harshly. The older man would chime in. "Infected? More like just given an annoying split personality! Tell me, boy, or whatever your name is, how in the HELL did you get in contact with Roytus?" Ghale would explain what happened to the old man as he scratched his beard on his chin, listening intently.

"I got lost at the part where the ring was being held out to you, honestly." Ghale would hear Kyrie admit, her arms folded and shrugging with her shoulders. "Well, I still don't understand entirely how he shoved that little annoyance in you. Through a dream? That's impossible! Unless it's a 'True God' from what I've heard in my thousand years of living." The old man would explain to Ghale, and his eyes would widen. "A thousand!? You gotta be kidding!" Ghale would exclaim, sitting up.

The old man would grin suddenly. "So, Dreigon hasn't told you about his great and very handsome mentor yet? Well, I'd be damned! I'd be glad to tell you who I am." Ghale would look at the man with confusion. "Who are you, then?" The man would stand as tall as he could and puff out his chest. "I am Elder Nova Cadence! The most powerful Rogue on the Forge!"