Ruin Skeletons!

Their travels continued the landscape changing with time. A flat plain field turning into the region of mountains that reached for the sky, the area littered with ravines as the grass continued to dance it slow steady rhythm. 

With a grin, the young elf sat on the edge of the ravine looking into the cracks, the place scattered with Lightcrystal.

'These should be enough, yeah?' He grunted as he climbed down the ravine, his gaze set on the Lightcrystal below, plopping down eventually, landing on his feet from the height he had climbed.

Taking long confident strides throughout the ravine, walking under a arch made out of stone, leading to the other side of the ravine. He lashed away at any Lightcrystal he could find, his pickaxe digging into their hard outer shell as fragments and sparks fly, his hands guiding the tool in a steady beat, of his own drum, loading everything onto his back until he finally had enough.

'Great, now we just get out of here,' He said, wiping the sweat off his brow as he continued forward.

'You make it sound so easy, yet you have no idea where you're going do you?' The elf muttered under her breath, her face held up by the palm of her hand.

'I'll figure something out..' He sighed, walking through the ravine. 

A deadly silence would fall upon them, a silence that couldn't be easily broken, Kaluar's footsteps echoed in the ravine, the young elf on his shoulders lightly kicking her legs in idleness.

'Come to think of it,' Kaluar muttered, 

'You never gave me a name did you?' He looked at the young elf hoping she would answer his inquiry, the little girl sighing before shaking her head.

'I don't have a name.' Her voice felt a bit down, as if reminded of something she wanted to forget causing Kaluar's brow to furrow.

'Okay then!' He announced, his hands pumped into the air as he walked, hoping to hype her up.

'From now on! You shall be called Celi, the girl who's tale shall live forever!'

A smile etched on Celi's face, quickly turning away from Kaluar to hide her happy grin, but he already noticed, a small smile playing at his lips too.

'Was that really the best you could come up with?' Celi mocked him.

'A thank you would be nice.' He muttered bitterly but soon burst out into a soft laughter, Celi too joining him not too long after. Their laughter would only get louder as time progressed, soon to be cut short by something moving in the distance.

Kaluar's ears perked up at the noise, his gaze turning to the dark corners of the ravine, light bouncing off of shimmering blades, hollowed eyes staring into theirs, bones rattling, working like machines just to move out of the shadows.

The tension thickens, the air mimicking the cold touch of their blades as they got closer. A sense of red splashed against the canvas danger approaching ominously, the screeching of their blades against the stone floor filled the air as sparks fly. 

'Woah! What are those things!?' Kaluar exclaimed, stepping back holding his musket close to him, his feeling weak as his gaze landed against the horrific sight.

Skeletons wearing the armor of the fallen, adorned with their scars and experiences all laced into a mark within steel, holding stories of promise and adventure before meeting their end. 

'They're ruin skeletons! Weak but dangerous when in high numbers, they normally form at damp places near ruins!' Celi panicked, holding on to his ear for support of his sudden movement.

'There are ruins near by?!' Kaluar shouted back in a panic.

'Didn't you hear what I just said!?' Celi shouted.

As if in a second, adrenaline kicked in as the skeletons charged forward, their feet digging into the ground, their blades swinging at our hero. He stumbled further back, the wind whistles in his ear as the blades narrowly avoid his face, falling onto his back, quickly fumbling with the straps that held his musket to his bag. 

His fingers ran along it's intricate design as he found the trigger, his fingers pressing against it, the device shooting off an explosion of fire. The skeletons falling back shielding their hallowed eyes from the blinding light, some of them crushed by the force of the explosion.

Kaluar raised his arm shielding both him and Celi from the falling ruin skeleton debris.

'Ok time to go!' Kaluar shouted, holding his musket close as he ran, pushing off the ground with all his might, each step deliberately adding momentum running as fast as he could with his teeth gritted as hard as he can. The sound of rattling approaching him, the skeletons giving chase from behind, their blades still held high, chasing after him.

'Wait.' Kaluar thought to himself, gripping the handle to his musket as tight as he could.

'What am I doing? Gerard would never run away.'

His grip got tighter and tighter the wooden handle cracking under the pressure of his grasp. He looked behind him, his teeth gritting looking at his foes, soon stopping in his tracks, standing under the arc above him.

'H-hey what are you doing!? They're getting closer!' Celi cried, but Kaluar didn't say a word, slowly he raised his musket to the sky, aiming at the arch and pulling the trigger.

A stream of concentrated flames shot out of the musket, the flames sniping through the arch causing it to crumble, rocks fall into the ravine, the stones serving as a second grave to his foes.

Kaluar breathed heavily, the adrenaline finally wearing off as he stared at the skeletons he defeated.

'Are you crazy? What if that didn't work! Celi shouted at him, watching as the young hero slowly puts his musket on his back, his heart still pounding threatening to rip out of his chest at any moment.

'If it didn't work.' He murmured, catching her attention as he finally spoke.

'I'd stand my ground. I'd fight till the very end.' Kaluar lifted his hand to the sky, his fist attempting to catch the sun as he looked at it, a determined glint in his eyes. Breathing heavily as he felt the fear left his body. 

'I don't care how many scars I get in the process, I'd wear them all with pride because i'll never get a scar on my back. For I always face my foes.' Celi looked at him, her lips slightly agape as she remembered those words, her gaze softening, seeing this side of a child she'd just met. 

'Jeez,' she muttered to herself a soft smile playing at her lips.

'What kind of Ruin hunter did I get drafted to this time.'