The Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo- Short Story Collection

Ichino Tundra Chapter 1- Prison Break

(13B) The Lands of Ralosia: The Ichino Tundra (7k Words)

The Masked One strikes again!

Aero has lived with the tribe of wolf riders around Lupine Lake for some time, and their chief deems it time that he joins their ranks proper, but the boy doesn't feel that he's ready for such a commitment. When Aero hears of the prison break of the outlaw Cook, he heads towards the snowy Ichino Tundra to bring him back in.

(2/8/21) Self edited, Audio Edited, and Peer Edited

Peer editing by @mikrokosmostae

Peer editing by Mikrokosmostae

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~Chapter 1- Prison Break~

~Age 990 B~

         The Masked One looked down at a peaceful lakeside community of people who live off the lands. The tendrils of the full face mask wrapped around the boy's head wriggled vigorously. He wore a hood to hide them. They were reacting to his proximity to the village surrounding Lupine Lake and what was there. Their teepee homes were stitched together from animal pelts.

         The Masked One dug into his pockets and pulled out several orbs, some conjoined together, others hanging loosely on their own. There were two blue orbs, three green ones, a pink one and a yellow one. The duplicate orbs were of no use to him - he needed the complete set of five for these to be of any use. All he needed was a red one. There was one lying in wait in that community in the hands of a 15-year-old boy named Aero.

         After weeks of watching, the Masked Boy determined that Aero always kept the orb on him. He considered going down there, attacking him, and finally completing his set. But the black-haired boy was strong, and the tribe of wolf riders was truly fearsome, with many great warriors. There was no way he'd be able to handle all of them. Either he'd have to separate Aero from the tribe, or he'd have to find another orb.

         The Masked One jumped into the air and began to drift through the air. He flew north, towards the Ichino Mountains, a region yet unexplored by him. There was a shrill in the air as snow started to form in the air.

         The boy landed near a home that had a clothesline of garments splayed out. He looked for the warmest-looking clothes and took it for himself before flying back into the air. The coat was oversized for him, but it would help him stave off the cold.

         As he drew closer to the turbulent and freezing weather of the Ichino mountain range, the tendrils of the boy's mask began to wriggle slightly, becoming more vigorous as he ventured. There had to be an orb nearby.  He flew in the direction that produced the strongest reaction from the mask until he came upon a large snow-covered mountain. He circled the mountain until he honed in on the orb's location.

         The boy walked across packed snow towards a cave, and the mask's tendrils chaotically moved around him. Another orb must be inside. But with the cold, he needed to be quick; it wouldn't be safe to stay in this weather for long.

         He came upon the mouth of the cave, which was completely covered in a thick sheet of ice. He flew through the air and delivered a stern kick to the wall, and it cracked at his impact. Yet, the wall withstood his strength. He stood back and pointed his finger, and a bright purple beam burst from it and struck the ice, yet it still stood.

         The boy punched at the air several times, and bursts of purple light emerged from him each time, striking the ice wall. It certainly damaged it, but only slightly. At this rate, he'd be at it for quite some time. By then, he'd freeze.