Giraku
10-02-2008, 11:57 AM
<p align="center">Walking in a Frostfell Wonderland </p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center"> </p><p>It was early morning when Giraku returned home to Gorowyn, Almost immediately however he felt a change in the air. He wandered the docks for a bit, and saw strange striped canes, and small gift boxes all around. The same was true in the city, these odd objects dotted the city. From the tavern merry songs were drifting through the doorway and into the central chamber. </p><p>"Such strange things..." he muttered, as he began circling the pool at the bottom of the city. "What is that?" There on a platform was a very bright tree, trees were never very common in Gorowyn to begin with, but one so brightly decorated? Such things were never seen. Giraku approached it, staring at the shining lights. </p><p>"Hellos!" called a voice from behind the tree. "You comes to visit Frostfells?" </p><p>"What?" Giraku peered around and was surprised to find a small Goblin smiling up at him, he reached for his sword.</p><p>"Hey no needs for that!" The Goblin exclaimed, "Mes not bad gobby," </p><p>"What do you mean?" Giraku replied hesitantly.</p><p>"Is a Gigglegibbler Goblin, we no fight we love jokes and shiny stuff, and..ummm...pies! Yes pies...and umm...."</p><p>"It's okay." Giraku interrupted, "I believe you, but why are you here?"</p><p>"I is here to take people to Frostfell." The goblin said giddily. "Just step into that closets" It pointed over behind the tree.</p><p>"Alright." Giraku replied a bit more confident, after all why would that standard allow for this creature and his closet to be in Gorowyn if they were dangerous? He stepped over to the closet and slowly opened the door, it creaked a bit, but as he peered in he saw that on the other side was snow, lots of it. He looked back at the goblin who nodded vigorously, so cautiously Giraku stepped through the threshold, into the snowy landscape. </p><p>The other side was very cold, but it wasn't as cold as Giraku had thought. The snow blindness began to wear off after a few moments, he peered around curiously. He stood on a high plateau, overlooking an ocean dotted with ice islands. In the center of one island there was a massive brightly lit tree similar to the one in Gorowyn only so much bigger. Fauns danced around a camp fire nearby singing songs similar to those he had heard drifting from the tavern in Gorowyn. He blinked a moment unsure if what he was seeing was real, but sure enough rainbows, of all things were connecting the islands, and what's more people were walking on them! He walked towards a nearby one, his foot slipped and he found himself sliding down the bridge to the snow below. </p><p>When he landed he blinked a bit, only to hear some giggling nearby, he turned his gaze toward the sound and there stood a group of tiny elves. They looked like High elves and half elves and wood elves, but they were so very small. They looked at him still giggling, then it occurred to Giraku how ridiculous he must of looked. A big sarnak Sittign in the snow with a big rainbow behind him. He laughed at the picture that formed in his head, and with a smile he pulled himself up and gazed around again, the elves had run off toward the giant tree so he followed along. </p><p>It seemed to be much, much bigger up close, he gazed up at the branches before looked along the ground. He spotted the little elves, but now there were fae with them too, as well as a few goblins. He hurt some muttering nearby, he looked and there was one of the fae looking very cross. Her arms were folded in front of her, and she kicked lightly at the snow. She was dressed in very fancy garb, even by Kelethin fae standards. </p><p>"What's wrong?" Giraku asked the little fae. </p><p>"Its that McScroogal, I am getting sick of him trying to use Frostfell for profit..." </p><p>"Who?" Giraku asked looking more than a little confused.</p><p>"McScroogal, he's a gnome who's main interest is money, it walkways has been and he's really mean about it. Last year the Gigglegibbler tried to convince him to change but its only gotten worse, He now has a whole factory producing his Frostfell decorations, so he can turn a profit, it isn't right!" She kicked the snow again in a huff.</p><p>"Well...is there anything I can do to help?"</p><p>The little fae's expression almost immediately brightened. "Yes there is, Mr. ..."</p><p>"Giraku" </p><p>"Mr. Giraku then, I am Queen Bunny." She said with pride. " and what you can do, is travel to the Steamfont mountains, and track down McScroogal at his factory near Klakanon." </p><p>"Huh? Y...you're a queen? "Giraku stuttered. </p><p>"Yes I am, now will you help?" She asked impatiently.</p><p>"Of course your highness, "Giraku said half giggling at his joke as he bowed. </p><p>"Hurry I can't stand this another minute." She glanced up at the tree and began muttering to herself again.</p><p>Giraku was hurrying through Gorowyn to the docks, so he could catch a griffon ride to the Butcherblock Mountains; he had to pass through there to reach Steamfont anyway, so the sooner he arrived the better. Once he told where he wanted to go to the Griffon tamer he mounted the bird and was off. It didn't take very long to arrive in Butcherblock's Sarnak camp. He was always in awe of the sheer cliffs here; it was like a natural wall defending faydwer. There deep grey seemed to fit to this place, home of the creations of Brell. He always spent time honing his skills here, making certain to push back the aviaks, and kobolds when he could. </p><p>As he made his way through the mountains he thought back to the time he had found an odd valley path here in the mountains. How it wound up around to a broken wall, and how eerie it felt, as the blackbirds there simply stared at him. Watching as the grass seemed to be dying just beyond it, and how strangely there were no creatures to be seen but those blackbirds, with their staring eyes. </p><p>He was coming close to the greater Faydark forest as he continued to remember, rounding that last bend and gazing at the strange bridge that seemed broken and falling apart. How the great mansion at the top of the bridge almost seemed to watch him approach, and how the feeling of evil grew as he neared it. </p><p>As he neared the top a scream of terror echoed throughout the otherwise completely silent valley, the gates of the manor flew open as a human ran from the from it. The human's eyes were white as snow, a dead man's eyes, his skin pale from horror. He had run straight into Giraku the only words that escaped his lips still echoed in Giraku's mind. </p><p>"Garanel...he.....killed them.....all dead...he killed them all..." It was all the poor soul would say, maddened by whatever was within that place. The man stumbled away from Giraku, his final word rang loud and clear. "Unrest..." before he stumbled a tumbled through one of the holes on the bridge. Not a sound came until a splash then nothing but dead silence. </p><p>Giraku shivered as he remembered this, but as he snapped back to reality he thought about the job at hand. He had just arrived in the Steamfont Mountains and was heading to Klakanon as he had been instructed too. As he passed the rising columns of stone, avoiding lions and coyotes, he observed the geysers that the mountains were known for, before he finally found the path to Klakanon. He marveled at the giant gears that lined the path, but wondered where in this place McScroogal had hidden his factory. As he neared the entrance to the clockwork city of Klakanon itself, it made a faulty step, and plunged downward into the earth. </p><p>When he opened his eyes he found he had fallen right into where he wanted to be, the walls were lined with machinery. Gigglegibbler Goblins stood at various desks writing greeting cards and crafting various McScroogal Corp. products. He looked around he saw a central platform in the center of the room and a pair of stairways, or what more looked like ramps, in the back. </p><p>"Alright...I'll have to clear these guys out first, so none of them get hurt." Giraku thought to himself as he gazed about the room for some kind of attention getter. He walked over to one Goblin and said. "You need to leave, now." But the goblin did not even look up. After wandering around a bit, he spotted his answer, a fire alarm.</p><p>Emergency use only, false pulling will call security. The sign next to it read. Giraku wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled it down. A loud wailing noise fired up from speakers hidden within the walls. All the Goblins reacted almost immediately filing towards the door. Some were screaming about being on fire, but Giraku simply laughed at this.</p><p>Special cabinets in the wall opened as clockwork guards marched out activated by the alarm. "Security breath, alarm pulled. Get the intruder" The various clockworks near 10 of them had Giraku surrounded within moments. They stood nearly as tall as a full grown human, with a shiny metal casing, and a saw blade in place of one of there hands. There other hand held sharp metal claws, They were very intimidating creatures. On the risin platform in the center of the room a small elevator rose, when the door opened a small angry looking gnome stepped out. </p><p>"You! Why did you empty my factory!?" he bellowed. "I am merely tring to turn a profit!" </p><p>"Are you McScroogal?" Giraku called.</p><p>"I am." </p><p>"You need to stop using Frostfell to turn profit it isn't right!" Giraku called back.</p><p>"And why not? Everything is for profit! It's the reason you're here, the reason you fight monsters and kill ten rats! The reason you slay dragons, its all to make a profit!" Mcscroogal shot back.</p><p>"You are wrong! Not everything is for profit; Frostfell is a time for peace and togetherness!" Giraku realized after he said it that it was quite possibly the corniest thing he had ever said, but he was right.</p><p>"Bah humbug." The gnome said. "Get rid of him!" </p><p>The clockwork began to move in , Giraku quickly drew his sword, striking out at the nearest clockwork denting its casing. He was surrounded by the machines and had no way to free himself he would have to break them. His right hand crackled with purple energy, it formed a orb and he threw it at another clockwork knocking it down on its back, Giraku jumped up and drove his blade, point down, through its chest shattering the gears within. Two of the nearest clockworks began rotating there Saw-blades and stabbed at Giraku with them, he rolled forward holding the now ruined clockwork on the end of his sword, as he rolled the sword went up clockwork attacked allowing it to catch the blades, reducing it to ribbons.</p><p>There was a small box nearby, and as the clockworks chased, all blades spinning quickly now. Giraku reached it and opened it surprised to find explosives. He grasped two and hurled them at the clockworks, they dodged, but two of the crafting tables were decimated by the blasts. One of the clockworks jumped high holding its blade arm in front of it as it came down toward Giraku. He ducked to the side and kept running, a few moments later a loud blast was heard. Looking back he saw that the clockwork's blade had struck the bomb box and detonated the entire box, while its part flew across the room its pieces smacked against its companions, the blade and claws piercing the armor and ruining the gears of three more clockworks, cutting the number by half.</p><p>"You fools!! Get him get him!!" McScroogal screamed. </p><p>Giraku's hand crackled again with energy, he moved his arms in a few short rotating motions. A few seconds later a skeletal fist burst through the metal floor. The skeleton drew itself through the floor sword in hard and charged at the clockworks. The skeletons that Giraku could summon only survived temporarily before his magic ran out and it fell apart, but it would do for the moment. The creation cleaved the mechanical head of one of the few remaining clockworks, and as it turned the others 4 rotating saws shattered it to pieces. </p><p>The options were becoming very limited, Giraku realized. He looked at the approaching clockworks, "I have no way out of this..." Was all that could he could think. He charged forward hoping an idea would come to him. His hand glowed green as the clutched one clockworks mock neck. The machine's body crack and fell apart. He jumped back, but not fast enough as one of the ever spinning blades slashed across his chest, cutting his armor and a bit into his scaled flesh. </p><p>McScroogal's laughter rang out through the echoing room as he watched his machines work. Giraku growled in fury at the pain that shot through all of his senses. He stared at the oncoming machines; he felt a fire build in his throat as he glared at them. With a roar he let loose a stream of flames at the machines engulfing them in fire and heating the metal. </p><p>"Metal is softened by flames!" He though aloud as he relished he had found his answer. He lunged forward sword in his hands. With a leap he jumped and cleaved the things in half. There upper torso continued to drag themselves forward but it was no use, Giraku had them now, with a few swift kicks to there heads the clockworks came to a halt and lay still. He turned towards the gnome, and with a great leap landed on the center platform before him. </p><p>McScroogal stared blankly at Giraku, his expression quickly replaced by fear. "Please don't hurt me!" The little gnome coward. </p><p>"Relax I wont..." Giraku said his voice cracking as he winced from the wound in his chest. "But only because this is the Frostfell season...Profit indeed."</p><p>The gnome just stared, This beast had ruined his factory and his machines, and now he was sparing his life, despite trying to use his contraptions to end him. "T...thank you...." </p><p>"You...your welcome" Giraku winces holding a hand over the wound. He turned and with a few movements of his hands a portal over his head was opened pulling him from the factory and back to the land of Frostfell. </p><p>He landed in the snow under the giant tree. Looking around he spied Bunny. "Queen Bunny?" He asked.</p><p>"Yes?" She asked turning to face him her anger seemed to have subsided now.</p><p>"McScroogal's factory has been ruined; he won't be causing any more trouble. At least not in the way he was..." Giraku responded a bit hesitantly thinking about how else the little gnome could cause problems. </p><p>"Grand!" The small Fae exclaimed. "Since you were so good as to help me, Ill give you a Frostfell gift!" </p><p>Giraku blinked at her unsure of what she would give him, but the Fae muttered a few magical words and summoned a special bright red hat just Giraku's size, she fluttered up above his head and put it on him.</p><p>"You look adorable!" She said with a large smile. Giraku smiled back slightly embarrassed, but he rather liked the warmness of this cap. So with thanks he went off to explore the rest of the wonderland. </p><p>"Perhaps..." He thought. "I could come to really love this holiday."</p>