King of Storms ???
Luca and Louis - The Lightning Island: Search for the Beast's Blood
Just as the call ended, the agreement to search for the Stones of Existence was sealed. After hearing the disconnect tone, I turned to Louis, who turned to me and said in a tone laced with worry and curiosity:
"Alright, where exactly are we going to find these Stones of Existence? This is a mission like finding a needle in an ocean of lightning, Luca." He was covered in bandages, and his slightly dishevelled hair looked a bit comical.
As he spoke, he pulled the novel out of his bag. This copy was the first volume concerning the East, and its cover was truly a royal proclamation. The deep purple background was framed by shimmering, royal golden borders and embellishments. In the center, a prominent, striking shape glittered, inlaid with vibrant emerald green accents, creating a regal and captivating contrast. This color combination suggested opulence, power, and the pursuit of the precious.
He held it for a moment as if he expected to find the answer printed on one of its pages. He seemed absorbed in his search, so I left him and walked slowly toward the cave entrance. My shoes splashed in scattered puddles, and the cave's chilling cold dominated the space. The sound of lightning and thunder seemed ready to strike anyone who dared challenge it. Completing this beautiful tableau...
My feet stopped at the cave entrance as I looked outside. That "beautiful" scene was completed by the burning trees, adding a dimension of madness to it. It was as if the storm itself was breathing in anger. Every lightning flash cast quick, distorted shadows of the tree branches that had resisted the fire but hadn't escaped the lashing of nature.
"Louis, what do you say we go look for the blood first?" I asked him, looking outside.
"The blood... Didn't you say you knew where it was?" Louis replied without looking up from the novel.
"Now is the right time to go out," I told him, turning my gaze back to him. I watched as he finally stopped reading and looked at me with a look that clearly said, 'What nonsense are you talking about?'
He said, "Go out..." I felt he wanted to object, but his features softened for a moment as if he were thinking, and he finished:
"Wait, why do you think this is the right time to go out?" He sounded like he was looking for confirmation of his suspicions.
"You know the storm calms down every now and then, so I calculated the duration and timing while you were tending to your wounds, and I realized it will be quiet in about ten minutes," I explained. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wait. Hold on a second, there's no clock here, so how did you calculate it? Don't tell me you measured..."
I interrupted him as I walked back, picked up my bag, and rummaged through it: "Yes, exactly what you think. I calculated it myself. But don't worry, I learned to do this because of that ridiculous competition where I was forced not to look at a clock for three days and still know the time... And who do you think is responsible for me participating in that competition?" My voice was pointed, and I fixed him with an accusatory look.
"Heeeey, heeeey! The winning prize was fifty thousand dollars! Of course, I'd send you there, and besides, we needed the money!" Louis defended himself quickly, his voice carrying a note of justification, but he couldn't hide the faint, knowing smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. He finally closed the novel with a soft snap, accepting defeat in this round of mutual blame.
I looked at him for a moment, an involuntary small smile tugging at my lips at his pathetic attempt to defend that old decision. The argument was just a joke we used to lighten the tension, especially in places like this cave, where nature's fury roared around us.
"Alright, where can we find the blood, and what did you mean earlier when you said it was behind that waterfall?" Louis asked as he returned the book to his bag.
"Do you remember that rumor that Storm Island has a beast that controls these storms?" I asked him.
Louis's expression suddenly changed, the look of jest completely vanishing, replaced by sharp focus, as if the word "Beast" was the key that rearranged everything in his mind.
"A rumor?" Louis said, standing up, momentarily ignoring the bandages on his body. "But no one ever confirmed it was real."
I looked at him for a moment and said, "Well, sometimes the truth is what creates the rumor. In any case, there's no harm in checking, and you know we can't leave here without a Crystal."
Louis gave me a quick glance, like someone weighing his options carefully, then shook his head in a manner that seemed like surrender to the inevitable. "Yes, I know, we can't get out of here without a Crystal... and we can't make a Crystal without Grade Six Beast blood. Therefore, this legendary storm-controlling Beast is our first target. I understand the logic, you time-calculating genius." His voice held a slight mockery, but the determination was clear in his tone.
I pointed toward the cave entrance, where the burnt trees briefly illuminated with every lightning flash. "The novel mentioned a massive waterfall in the eastern part, which is said to be the 'Beast's Gate.' The rumors say the Beast resides behind it, where the storm's energy gathers terrifyingly. We won't need to confront it, just confirm its current existence."
"Well, I can't imagine us being able to wound it to take its blood, let alone defeat it. I feel like I'm walking to my death," Louis said, shaking his head sadly, then added, "I don't think it's impossible, but I think we need a few things first," he said while searching his bag.
I had already pulled a dagger from my bag. I looked at the small dagger in my hand. The yellow handle was beautifully inlaid with blue, sharp and gleaming to a worrying degree. It was a piece of art and a gift from Melis. True, I am proficient at carving wood and stone with it, but the thought of using it against a legendary creature... was absurd. I sighed and returned the dagger to its special leather sheath.
At that moment, Louis had finished searching his bag. He pulled several items out of it.
What... what nonsense is this guy planning? I thought silently, staring at Louis's bizarre assortment of "gear": a Cube, a Speaker, a non-functional Radio, two Raincoats, and... Hot Pepper Sauce? It looked like he'd emptied his old jacket pockets instead of an adventurer's bag.
I slowly raised my left eyebrow, a clear question mark etched on my face. I didn't say anything; I just waited for a logical (or at least, funny) explanation from him.
Louis looked at the scattered items on the ground in front of him, then raised his eyes to me with a confident smile.
"Luca, don't underestimate my tools!" he said in a theatrical tone.
"Alright, let's hear your brilliant plan, Louis," I said, leaning slowly against the damp cave wall, unable to prevent a slight note of sarcasm from creeping into my voice. My entire posture conveyed total skepticism.
I looked at the small cube he held as if it were a secret weapon and at the bottle of hot pepper sauce that reminded me more of a failed fast-food meal than anything that could defeat a legendary beast. The speaker and radio were just junk in my eyes.
"What exactly is the function of this survival gear against a Grade Six, storm-controlling Beast? Are we going to convince it to surrender by challenging it to solve the cube? Or perhaps... are we going to burn it with the hot pepper sauce?" I asked with feigned seriousness, my eyes avoiding direct contact, afraid of bursting into inappropriate laughter in this charged atmosphere.
"Alright, alright, no need to rush. First, the radio and speaker are distraction tools. Luca, I told Evan to make this speaker before we went camping. I asked him to make a speaker that could shake the whole area with sound, just in case one of us got lost in the forest. As for the radio, it's an important tool because it's currently broken; this means it can emit an extremely loud static sound. For a creature that has only ever heard the sound of lightning, what do you think will happen when it hears something else, louder and stronger?"
I nodded slowly; I felt some sliver of logic seeping into Louis's insane plan. True, the tools looked stupid, but the environment was the critical factor here. A beast accustomed to the roaring sounds of thunder and lightning wouldn't expect such annoying, artificial noise.
"Sound might be an idea... but what do the Cube and the two Raincoats have to do with 'distraction'? And are we going to cook the Beast using the hot sauce?" I asked, my sarcastic tone losing some of its edge, though I still found the Cube particularly strange.
Louis let out a small sigh, as if scolding a child who didn't understand the importance of his plan.
"Luca, this isn't an ordinary cube. This is Evan's Cube."
He told me, pressing one of its buttons, and it transformed into a large Chainsaw.
I stared at the ordinary-looking cube that suddenly transformed into a large chainsaw, roaring with a muffled sound. It was like a scene from a bad sci-fi movie, yet it was real, dangerous, and in the hands of the crazy Louis. Shock froze the words in my throat.
I raised my left eyebrow again, but this time it wasn't sarcasm; it was pure astonishment. "A Chainsaw? For camping?" I mumbled, my eyes still fixed on the roaring saw in his hands.
"Well, you know... I mean... the bridge at the edge of the forest was cut off the last time we went camping, so I thought, what if we rebuilt it?"
The plan was a perfect mix of Louis's brand of madness and logic: bringing an overly powerful tool for a simple task. Despite this, he seemed extremely nervous when he spoke.
"Louis, did you eat something spoiled? Are you planning on helping someone for free?" I asked, genuinely worried about him.
"Well... maybe after it was built, I was going to charge them two dollars or more to cross it."
"..."
"....."
I regained my composure with difficulty, ignoring the "crazy" bridge-building idea Louis was planning. This was Louis; he always found a way to turn anything into a personal profit project.
"Alright, the Chainsaw... the Destroyer... might be useful for cutting some branches, or maybe for a gap in the defenses of a legendary Grade Six Beast," I said mockingly, gesturing toward it. "But what about the final addition to your assortment?"
Louis's eyes gleamed as he picked up the small red bottle, as if he were about to reveal the secret of the universe. "Alright, alright, look at it. It looks like a normal pepper bottle, but I present to you the hottest pepper on earth. Do you know how much I paid to buy it?" Louis said while hugging the sauce bottle.
"Well... then why did you buy it?" I wondered about the important purpose that led him to sacrifice his money for this.
"Blackmail," he said frankly.
"Blackmail???" I repeated, widening my eyes in surprise.
Louis looked at me with a wide smile, the smile of a conspirator whose game was revealed but was still proud of it.
"Yes, blackmail. Remember that problem with that clumsy leader? The man who tried to forcefully buy my grandmother's land?" Louis said, shaking the sauce bottle slightly, as if it were a lucky charm.
I instantly recalled the problem. It was a weeks-long battle of lawsuits and threats, and Louis had suddenly vanished one day, only to return later with the problem somehow resolved without any logical explanation.
"You're talking about the owner of the three corporations! The man who fears nothing, who owns an army of lawyers?" I said, trying to link the shiny sauce bottle to this person. "What does the hottest pepper in existence have to do with him? Did you... threaten to use it?"
"Threat... no, why use such a strong word? Everything that happened was just a simple accident," he said in a dramatic tone, as if he were the victim here.
"A simple accident," I repeated incredulously. Well, I was worried about what he did.
"Well, all that happened was my hand slipped by mistake, and part of the hot sauce flew off by mistake (for which there is no cure except the one I bought), and a lot... I mean, a little of it scattered into a bowl that had no owner, and it's not like I made them leave the food alone and wwwwell, let's just say I made a deal with him for his life, and I also got my money back for the sauce. That's all there is to it, and besides, it's better for him than being cut up by Melis."
"Well... Louis," I said, looking at his innocent, childlike smile, processing the latest piece of information that shocked me. The shock wasn't at his minor criminality, but at its effectiveness. The man who didn't fear an army of lawyers was terrified of a bottle of hot sauce. "You own the greatest biological weapon for threatening corporate tycoons, and you hide it in your bag."
I shook my head in mock despair, but my smile was not artificial at all. Louis was a mix of childlike madness, love of money, and trickery, which is why he was the greatest and worst money-obsessed person.
"Let's get back to the legendary Beast, 'Corporate Blackmailer'," I said, refocusing on the mission. "What's your plan for using this 'Liquid Extortion'?"
"Simple. I plan to smear some of it on the chainsaw and your dagger, and if it has eyes, I plan to wound them with the saw or the dagger. And as you know, pepper can kill someone just by putting a little bit on them. What will it do to an eye?"
He said with a crazy grin on his face and quickly added: "As for the raincoat, it's reflective, as you can see, which means it won't see us easily. Well, I bought it to prank Lowian, but well, I guess it'll be useful now."
I looked at Louis's face, illuminated by a spark of excited madness, and then at his unconventional arsenal: the disguised Destroyer Chainsaw, the burning hot sauce, the sonic disruption tools, and the reflective raincoat. I couldn't decide if this plan was genius or utterly foolish, but it was our only plan.
"So, the plan is: sonic disruption with the radio and speaker to distract the Beast, use the reflective raincoat for camouflage and reflection, and then we use the chainsaw covered in the hottest pepper sauce in existence to wound its eyes... if it even has eyes," I summarized the plan slowly, trying to grasp every part of it.
Louis nodded with the smile of a planner who had finally convinced his partner of the madness. "Exactly! A simple and effective plan, Luca. We're not looking for a defeat as much as we are looking for blood, and distraction is the best way to achieve that. Get your dagger ready; it looks like the storm is calming down soon... and we have to be behind that waterfall before the lightning roars again."
Louis held the Destroyer Chainsaw, now transformed back into a cube, in one hand and the hot sauce bottle in the other, and tossed the reflective raincoat to Luca. "Let's go, partner. Let's face the King of Storms and annoy him a little."
Louis gave me one last serious look, a look that wiped away all the previous sarcasm and jest. His determination perfectly matched the mission's danger. I caught the reflective raincoat he threw to me, feeling the cold, synthetic material between my fingers. It was lightweight, a dull silver color that reflected the cave's dim light. "The raincoat..." I muttered, still finding the item strange compared to the "dagger" that was back in its leather sheath. But this was Louis; the strangest things were the most effective in his hands.
I started examining the cave's edge again, where the frequency of the lightning strikes had noticeably diminished. There were only two or three minutes left until my calculated "relative calm" that we were waiting for. The cave had become colder and quieter.
I put on the raincoat and fastened it, feeling the reflective material obscure my features in the remaining cave light. Logic was absent, but the confidence Louis spoke with was enough for me to follow his madness. I felt the storms had subsided relatively, so I looked at him and found that his bag had disappeared, while he held the radio in one hand and extended the other to me, as if asking me to take the speaker.
I took the speaker, feeling the cold metal in my hand, and as he put on his coat, I said, "Hurry up! The storm has calmed down. We have about an hour before it returns." Louis had already started moving toward the cave opening, his reflective coat making him look like a faint silver ghost in the strange light.
I followed him with cautious steps, my reflective raincoat turning me into a silver shadow that blended with the ominous residual lighting. As we passed the edge of the cave, a strange, deceptive calm engulfed us. It wasn't complete silence; there was a faint hum of latent energy in the air, and the smell of ozone and burnt trees filled my lungs. The charred trees stood like lost black ghosts, and every puddle on the ground reflected the gray sky heavy with thick clouds.
"The eastern side," Louis said in a low, muffled voice from behind his raincoat, pointing with his hand to a path barely distinguishable between the rocks and broken branches. "We're in a race against time, Luca. Every minute now means the storm is closer to returning."
"I know," I replied, tightening my grip on the speaker. "We'll walk steadily and quickly. Remember, camouflage is our weapon now."
We began to jog lightly through the destroyed landscape, keeping a short distance between us. As our feet hit the muddy ground, I couldn't stop my mind from thinking: If this Beast doesn't exist, we will have risked our lives for a rumor. And if it does exist... can hot sauce and a chainsaw stop the King of Storms? That was the question the massive waterfall, the "Beast's Gate," waiting for us deep in the East, would answer.