The Friendly Bald Giant

Side Note: So, this is now where the story telling and adventures start. After this Chapter it wont be just short random stories, It'll just continue off this story.

The Search

There was a rumor of an ancient scroll had come directly from Tech, who had prised the secret from a rogue spellman during a routine arrest. Tech knew such a artifact was real, and he needed the scroll's rare arcane knowledge to complete the grand grimoire he was writing. He told Yami about it and Yami was very much so interested in the scroll. Yami was determined to track down an enchanted spell scroll.. Because that held the legendary power to reduce Yami to an average height. Tech told Yami that he will have to set out into the treacherous Whispering Woods to find this said magic and also to find a magic user to cast it upon him.

Yami's top-shelf dusting and orderly bookshelves would have to wait, a quest of profound personal importance called. After days of thinking how he will start this new found journey, he decided to set out and search for this scroll. Joining Yami on the trail was his high spirited friend, Yoshino, whose sharp eye and unmatched marksmanship complemented the giant’s sheer brute force. She also had nothing else to do. Someone had to still play pranks on Yami as he Adventured into the unknown.

"Keep your eyes sharp, Yami," Yoshino warned, her hand resting on the grip of her bow as her gaze darted through the thick canopy. "These woods aren't fond of trespassers."

"Let them try us," Yami grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of his heavy broadsword, his trusty Monokuma bear tucked securely into his leather sash. "No overgrown thicket is keeping me from that spell scroll."

Before Yoshino could reply, the canopy exploded above them. A horde of razor-clawed Wood-Lurkers dropped from the branches, their splintered wooden bodies creaking as their red eyes flared with fury. Jagged wooden tendrils lashed out like whips, slicing through the air.

"Ambush!" Yoshino cried out. In a flash, she dropped to one knee, pulled three silver-tipped arrows from her quiver, and notched them in a single fluid motion. THRUM! The string snapped forward, and the arrows hissed through the air, piercing the throats of three leaping beasts and pinning them straight into the trunk of a massive oak. "Two more on your left, big guy!"

"On it!" Yami roared. He drew his massive blade with a deafening screech of steel. A Wood-Lurker lunged for his throat, but Yami caught its wooden maw with his bare, armored left hand. With a grunt of effort, he hurled the beast directly into two others, then brought his broadsword down in a devastating, sweeping cleave. CRACK! Sparks flew as the blade shattered the creatures into a shower of harmless embers and splintered bark.

As the dust settled, Yoshino spun around, scanning the treeline with another arrow ready. "Is that all of them?"

Yami didn't answer. He suddenly froze, his broadsword lowering as his eyes went wide. A soft, haunting murmur echoed directly inside his head, calling out in a low, crystalline voice.

Yami... come closer, Yami...

"Yami? What is it?" Yoshino asked, stepping toward him and lowering her bow slightly. "Did one of those things nick you?"

"No," Yami murmured, his voice distant as he turned toward a shadowy ridge. "Someone... something is calling my name. It’s luring me."

"Calling your name? I didn't hear a thing," Yoshino said, her brow furrowing. "Be careful, it could be a siren trap!"

"I have to check," Yami insisted, stepping forward as if entranced. Guided by the persistent voice, he pushed through a thick wall of brambles, Yoshino following close behind with her bow drawn. Right at the base of a jagged cliff, they stumbled upon the moss-draped mouth of a hidden cavern.

"This place gives me the creeps," Yoshino whispered, her eyes scanning the pitch-black entrance. "Are you sure about this?"

"It’s in here," Yami said softly, stepping into the cool, damp cave.

Deep within its gloom sat a natural stone altar, and upon it rested a single, breathtaking purple rose. It didn't just bloom; its glass-like petals gleamed and sparkled like raw, radiant crystals in the dark.

Yami... set me free, Yami...

"Look at that," Yoshino breathed, lowering her arrow in awe. "It’s glowing like a jewel. But Yami, don't just touch random magic plants!" Ignoring the warning, Yami stepped up to the altar. "It called for me, Yoshino. I have to know." He reached out with a massive, armored hand and carefully plucked the glowing stem.

"Wait, don't!" Yoshino began, but it was too late.

The moment his fingers touched it, the crystal petals burst into a dazzling cascade of lavender light. The rose unraveled in mid-air, spinning violently as a warm breeze washed over the cavern. The luminescence slowly faded to reveal a small, enchanting pixie floating gracefully between them. She possessed smooth, rich delicate skin that caught the ambient twilight, sweeping long dark hair that drifted past her waist, and eyes as deep and warm as polished dark timber. Her gown was fashioned from the vibrant purple petals, and behind her fluttered long, translucent wings made of shimmering crystal that clinked like crushed glass.

"Whoa!" Yoshino gasped, taking a step back and staring in disbelief. "That was definitely not a normal flower!"

The pixie stretched her delicate arms, her crystal wings fluttering rapidly. "Finally! You have no idea how cramped it gets inside a crystal rose bud," she chimed in a voice like ringing glass, floating right up to eye level with the giant. She crossed her tiny arms and smiled brightly. "Thank you for answering, big guy. I'm Lychee!"

Yami offered a rare, remarkably gentle smile, extending his massive shoulder. "I am Yami. And this is Yoshino." The three couldn't be anymore different but yet have something click within one another, and to trust eachother so quickly.

Lychee giggled, fluttering up to neatly land on Yami's shoulder. "I like you two already! So, where are we heading?"

Yoshino lowered her bow entirely, letting out a laugh at the absurd sight of the tiny fairy nestled comfortably on the giant Dark Lord's shoulder. "We're on a quest for an enchanted spell scroll, Tech sent us after it. Think you can help us navigate these woods, Lychee?"

"A secret spell scroll?" Lychee gasped, her deep brown eyes lighting up with excitement. "Oh, I know these woods inside and out! Follow me, team, our real adventure starts now!"

With Lychee perched happily on Yami's shoulder and chattering away, the trio turned back toward the cavern entrance, ready to face whatever wild magic lay ahead.

As they emerged from the damp subterranean chill of the cavern, the sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, catching the crystalline edges of Lychee’s shimmering wings. Perched contentedly on Yami’s broad shoulder, the tiny fairy zipped back and forth around his head, humming a little tune that echoed off the ancient trees.

Yoshino adjusted the leather strap of her quiver, watching the pixie with a skeptical, arched eyebrow. "So, Lychee... you're a flower pixie locked away in a glowing crystal rose inside a hidden altar. You must have some serious magic up your sleeve, right?"

Lychee paused mid-flight, hovering right in front of Yami’s nose. She tapped her chin with a tiny finger, her deep, timber-brown eyes blinking innocently. "Magic? Oh, absolutely! I can do this!"

She closed her eyes tightly, balled her little fists, and let out a dramatic, strained grunt. The trio stood in silence for three long seconds. Nothing happened. A single pinecone tumbled off a branch nearby and thudded quietly onto the dirt.

"And... that was?" Yoshino asked, tilting her head.

"A super-cool somersault in mid-air!" Lychee cheered, doing a quick, harmless loop-de-loop before plopping back down onto Yami’s shoulder padding. "Look, as far as I know, I don't have a single drop of spellcasting power. I’m pretty much completely powerless. Well... except for being incredibly charming and knowing where the best berries grow!"

Yami let out a low rumble of a chuckle, carefully lifting a finger so Lychee could lean against it. "No magic is fine by me. You're good company."

"Which brings us back to our main problem," Yoshino sighed, pulling out a faded parchment map and scanning the drawn borders of the forest. "Tech's intel got us the lead on the enchanted scroll, but the arrest report was clear, the scroll itself only holds the formula for shrinking a giant to average height. It doesn't cast itself. We still need a high-tier magic user to actually read the incantation and weave the spell for Yami."

Lychee perked up, her long crystal wings clinking together like delicate chimes. "Wait! A powerful spellcaster and a hidden scroll? I might not have magic, but I know who does! There’s an old, eccentric illusionist who lives in a hollowed-out Mana Willow deeper in the grove. She owes me a favor for helping her find her lost glass monocle last spring!"

Yami nodded solemnly. "Then our path is clear. To the Mana Willow first, we secure our spellcaster, then we hunt down Tech's scroll."

"Lead the way, little guide," Yoshino smiled, slinging her bow over her shoulder as the party set off into the deeper, uncharted reaches of the Whispering Woods.