The Spirits Animals Cult Story Remastered

Cloaks of Red, Masks of White

The Four Fallen stood in front of the dark forest, having been standing there for over five minutes, completely silent. "So... who goes first?" Conor asked, holding the strap to his pack, and his staff in his other hand. "I vote for Rollan." Abeke raised her free hand, also holding the strap to her pack. Rollan whipped his head around to look at Abeke, with a look saying, "ARE YOU NUTS?!" which was exactly what he was going to say. "Are you nuts?! I'm not going first!? Why can't Meilin go first?" Rollan gestured to Meilin, who was fixing her hair. "Because if something happens to me, you won't have your number one fighter anymore. So I vote for you also." Meilin finished putting her hair up in a bun and looked at Rollan with a sly smile.

Rollan only glared at them and then turned towards Conor, who was staring into the forest still. "Do you have a say in this at all, Conor? Who do you think should go first?" Rollan asked, tilting his head at Conor. Conor looked up from where he was, securing his staff to his pack. "You," Meilin smirked, one hand on her hip. "Out-numbered!" She said in a condescending tone.

Rollan glared at everyone before taking out one of the daggers that Abeke gave him. Conor's eyes widened. "Abeke... Did you seriously take the weapons made out of rhodium?!" Abeke nodded. "Diamond tipped too." She shrugged. "I just thought that..." Abeke said, looking into everyone's eyes, "That this is the biggest thing we've ever done, so, it's natural that these would be the first ones I'd take." Meilin was speechless. "I... well... I- I think that we'd better get a move on. Rollan, get on with it!"

"Why did we have to move at night... During Fall too! It's so cold!" Rollan complained for what was maybe the hundredth time. His complaining was true enough though, his breath rose in a mist and he unleashed a torrent of fresh complaints.

"It's freezing!"

"I'm hungry, why couldn't we just bring more food?"

"It's freezing!"

"Why do I have to go first?"

"It's freezing!"

"ROLLAN, SHUT UP!" Meilin screamed as she slapped him in the face. Rollan huffed as he rubbed his cheek. "Fine! You lead!" Meilin drew her sword as she took charge. They walked for hours. The sun was starting to rise before Conor, who was in the lead now, shouted. "Look! T-The Redcloak's Tower!"

There it was, silhouetted against the red and gold sky. The early morning sunlight shone on the copper roof of the tower. The dew on the grass was like diamonds, and the ocean rose and fell soothingly. Guarding the entrance was-

"Worthy!" Conor shouted as he ran towards the boy who was once his master. Worthy - formerly Devin Trunswick - turned around sharply and broke into a grin. The two boys hugged each other. They began chatting at once. The only thing that made Worthy stop was when Conor said, "- And we came here to see if you guys wanted to come with us back to Greenhaven." Worthy froze. "W-We come back with you guys?" His smile faltered. "I'd like that... But we need to see if that's alright with King." Abeke and Rollan gasped. "King..." Abeke whispered. "He's... alive?!" Worthy nodded. "Yes, he is. He'll be pleased to see you guys." Meilin looked up with interest. "Hmm... This place is quite pretty. Maybe I can try gliding off the rooftop." Despite how independent and proud she seemed, Meilin still became very fond of the glider, even though she would never admit it. Worthy beckoned them inside.

The first unexpected encounter was Shadow. Rollan stared at her open-mouthed as if she was a ghost. "B-But y-you... How did you... I watched you... T-The Wyrm..." Shadow flinched at the mention of the ugly, slimy beast that almost drained her of her life force. "It dropped me when it went after you. Thanks! You being there saved me, barely." She went on with her story. "Worthy nursed me back to health. He's the greatest!" She walked over to him and kissed him on the lips.

The group looked on in surprise. Worthy looked back at them. "Oh, I never told you. We married," He held out a hand. "Three times." Meilin smacked her forehead. "Are you guys that unstable?" Shadow shook her head. "The opposite." Abeke giggled. "Sounds like someone just likes weddings. We're on our way to see King. I never got to thank him for almost dying for me." Worthy cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? So he was injured because... Oh well, at least it was for a noble cause! Onward my fellow comrades, and we shall vanquish the vile beast that is the stairs! We shall fight, or perish bravely in the charge!"

The group laughed as they tore up the stairs, past rooms, and finally got to the topmost floor. Worthy stopped. "Here." He knocked. They heard King's voice. "Come in!" They opened the door. King was sitting at his desk, reading a book. "What is... It..." His voice faltered as the group squeezed in. "Guys..." He stood up and his face broke into a shy smile. He hugged Abeke and Rollan, gave Conor a one-armed squeeze, and gave Meilin a quick handshake, to which she drew away quickly.

Once the hubbub had subsided, King sat back down. "What brings you guys here?" Abeke was the first to speak. "We wanted to know if you guys wanted to come back with us to Greenhaven Castle." Shane's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"Well," said Rollan. "There's not much to do, and since the war's over, we need some company. Besides, if there's another war, it'd be good to stay close. We can't exactly keep sending envoys, or letters back and forth." The thought of future battles and the idea of having more allies close at hand gave the group a strange sense of comfort. Conor piped up. "Besides, I'm sure Greenhaven would be a lot more... comfortable. I'm sure we can suit you guys... and..." King seemed to be pondering. He was silent at the mention of future battles. "We accept. We will go to Greenhaven."

There was a moment of silence before the group erupted in cheers. Even Meilin managed to crack so much as a smile. Worthy clapped his hands together. "Great! How about while you guys find your other friends, we come along too." Meilin bit her lip. "We can't take all of them. We'll take our closest friends here." After some back-and-forth conversation, they came to a conclusion: They would take King, Worthy, Shadow, Jolt, and Howl. The rest would stay at the tower, and Stead would play the role of "Grand Acting Leader" as Worthy called him.

In a few hours, the preparations were set. Meilin leaped out of the window of Shane's office and spiraled down with her glider. She softly landed and with a proud expression as she retracted the wings. Abeke plucked her bow string and Conor adjusted his staff again. As the group set off Rollan yelled.

"FINE, I WON'T COMPLAIN! YOU'RE LEADING THOUGH!"

"Hmph, fine! You touchy, idiotic, bird-brain!"