Level 6 - Loss v2

The forest had grown dark and foreboding.  Before, it had been friendly, in a way, and welcoming despite the corruption looming over them. Now, though, it was more than a little dismal.

Poe led his companions -- his friends-- through the trees that seemed to be reaching out, trying desperately to grab them, to restrain them, to keep them from their goal. The way Lanky shook whenever Poe wasn't near appeared to indicate his uneasiness. It was almost certain that he was shaking more and more with each step forward. He was frightened, as he very well should be. The world around them was growing darker, more dangerous and hostile-- they could all see it, plain as day. Even the fireflies seemed to be a little dimmer than before, yet they still managed to keep the darkness at bay as the group of companions collected them. Each one of them knew the fireflies were necessary to drive away the darkness, even if they didn't say it.

As the dark pressed in on the companions, they struggled to proceed through the trees, to the next brazier. With each step they took, they needed more and more fireflies to keep the dark from smothering them all. The lantern on Poe's back was growing dim. The weight of the dark was hindering their progress, slowing them nearly to a stop.

Finally, a group of fireflies came into view. They looked as though they were hiding in the branches of the trees. Only Lanky would be able to reach them. Climbing into the dead tree, Lanky moved closer to the floating lights. Just as he reached them, the tree crumbled beneath him as fingers of the corruption overtook Lanky.

The corruption appeared to be strangling  Lanky as it stole the light from him, killing him with agonizing slowness.

At first, they were shocked, able only to stand and stare. It couldn't have happened-- Lanky couldn't actually be dead. It had to be a trick of the darkness, something to stop them from progressing, from destroying the corruption.

But it wasn't. Their friend was gone.

Poe knew they had to move on. If they sat there, mourning the loss of their friend, the corruption would win. Poe moved forward, Skitzo followed almost as if he didn't know the Lanky had just died. Grumpy, on the other hand, was all too aware of his new-found friend's death. Skitzo scurried off and brought back some fireflies to his friends. They made it to the brazier, but only just.

The companions trudged along, the darkness and the loss of their friend weighing down on all of them. Once again, Poe needed his friends  to help him keep the light alive. There is no other option-- no fireflies are visible, but there is a rock that Grumpy can break to free the trapped ones. Despite the fear of losing another friend to the corruption, Poe sent Grumpy to break the rock and retrieve the trapped fireflies.

Grumpy pushes forward, still upset over losing his friend. He breaks the rock with the trapped fireflies, releasing them into the air. Before he can grab them and return with them to Poe, boulders that had been resting on the now-broken rock collapse, crushing Grumpy into non-existence.

Poe and Skitzo look on in horror as the freed fireflies float off into the darkness. Poe knows he needs to lead the way forward, and the only way to go is over the fallen rocks-- and his fallen companion. There is no choice but to press on, so with a heavy heart and Skitzo trailing behind, Poe continued, determined to annihilate the corruption.