Tales of Phantasia: Second Run

Introduction

Hello, Tales fans! Hmm… that sounded a bit discriminatory. Hello people!

No, not yet. Hello sentient life-forms. Ahh, better! Now everyone who can sue me is happy!

Okay, now that I've said hello, let me introduce myself. My name is LigerHero and I'm a long time writer but a short time fanfic-erer (yeah) so this is my first contribution and I'm a bit nervous.

…p-please be gentle…

Ahem, anyway, this story is based on the videogame Tales of Phantasia by Namco. You were probably already aware of this otherwise you wouldn't have checked this story section but even if you weren't and you stumbled in here by accident while searching for some hot girl on girl action- well, I don't have any of that but I have something to please your other bone! (funny bone -cough-)

This parody is strictly for fun and I hope you enjoy it. Maybe even spread the word, no??

All right, brace yourselves! Here we go! Hoo-aah!

Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

The sun, the stars, bright neon clouds of distant galaxies, all hung directly overhead. The sights of the clearest nights... magnified one hundred fold. There was no ceiling in this place, or walls for that matter. There was only a white marble floor that expanded forever, its flat surface broken only by the shapes of thousands of white pillars, reaching up into the night sky and supporting the stars themselves. Cless marveled at the room while making sure to keep Dhaos in the corner of his eye, a fitting arena for the final battle.

Across the endless expanse of marble floor, among the many white pillars that reached into the night sky, stood a mismatched group of young warriors. They were battered, and panting with exhaustion. The leader, Cless, stood his ground with sword outstretched providing cover for his companions. Most of his friends were lying on the floor unconscious. An exhausted young priestess would scurry from one to the other and periodically yelp "first aid!"

Cless turned away from the dying wretch who once proudly called himself Dhaos. He craned his neck to spy his friends with a sidelong glance. "Mint, hurry, he's on his last limb now!"

The priestess, Mint, nodded. "I'm doing my best... First Aid!" A weak flash of green light smothered fellow teammate, Arche. The young witch, who had just previously been unconscious, slowly opened her eyes. "... five more minutes... " With that she turned on her side and snored lightly.

Cless shook his head, "you guys are hopeless, Dhaos could--" His ears perked up at a sudden sound.

"...I...m... I'm..."

Dhaos kneeling on the blood stained marble floor, tried his best to shut the gash in his stomach.

He groaned, his warm lifeblood spilled onto his lap despite his efforts to close the cut.

"I'm..."

He croaked, his words had difficulty leaving his throat. His body wouldn't cease shaking, his time was near... but he showed no sign of resigning to his fate... not while a trickle of life was left in him.

Cless gritted his teeth, he'd just gone three rounds with this man and was exhausted, almost at his breaking point. There was no time to wait for his companions... he broke into a charge.

"I'll kill you! Your evil dies here and now!" The still wind howled as he recklessly slashed at the air. His ominous, purple blade hummed in his charge. The strongest blade in existence... it would meet its mark.



The distance was closing between both men. Dhaos wouldn't move, as if lost in a trance he lay there kneeling. "I'm... I'm..."

No farther than twenty feet away, Cless leapt into the air, He raised his sword above his head for the finishing strike, "Die!"

Dhaos' head jerked up, "I'm not finished yet!" His right hand, covered in his own blood, shot into the air. He opened his palm, releasing a surge of blue light - hitting Cless square in the chest as he came crashing down. A cackle of energy later... and Cless never hit the floor.

The endless room was silent, with the exception of the rasping gasps coming from Dhaos. The weakened group stared in horror as he approached them...

--(Somewhere else)--

"Bye, mom and dad!" His father called out to him, urgently but Cless couldn't hear. " Hah, I'll bring us a feast tonight!" he walked away from the Alvein sword-fighting School, Cless waved good bye without even turning back. He walked across the town bridge and marveled at the swimming ducks on the river below. Everywhere the people greeted him with smiles. He went to the town store and bought his supplies. Stepping out of the building he inhaled deeply. it was such a beautiful day.

" Ahh, the birds are singing, the people are smiling, and the sky is... falling!?"

Crashing from between some clouds, at least two miles outside the town walls, A dark shape descended, spiraling to the earth. Cless watched with mouth agape. He watched until the shape disappeared from sight, blocked off by city walls. Cless snapped to attention. His mind was racing. "What was that thing?" He stood still in his spot until curiosity got the better of him and nudged him through the town gates. "Chester can wait a bit... I gotta find out what that was."

--(And we're back!)--

"Save us Chester!" The young archer turned towards his friends, who were huddled in a group behind him. He stared at them in disbelief. "Me!?" Arche nodded, "Yeah, you're a strong man, aren't ya? Protect us!" Chester stamped his foot, "But Klarth is a guy, too!"

"Ooh, my hip! My back, my everything! -cough- The passing of time has been so cruel to me!"

"You're twenty-nine, damn it!"

Suzu, the small ninja girl shook her head, "Don't talk back to your elders! Dishonorable!"

Mint, very depressed, sighed "Cless wouldn't think twice about..."

Arche blurted "MOVE YOUR ASS, CHESTER!"



Chester released a prolonged sigh, "Damn it." He raised his bow at Dhaos who was now steadily approaching them. Chester searched for an arrow but was surprised to find his quiver empty. "Oh, bloody hell!"

Dhaos inched forward with each passing second. Wherever he walked he left a bloody trail. His face was now livid. Slowly he made progress as he stumbled from one foot to the other, all the while holding his gash closed. "...Please... " He struggled to speak but his words came out as nothing more than a whisper. "You have me all wrong... sure you've all been swayed by the hasty generalizations of that bumbling fool..." He winced "... I'm actually a fairly nice guy once you get to know me."

"What did he say?" Mint asked, as she huddled close to her friends.

"HE'S GONNA EAT OUR SOULS!" Arche yelped "we're done for!"

Klarth shook his head vigorously, "No, I'm too young to die!"

Chester snorted "You indecisive bastard!"

"Something is happening!" Suzu exclaimed.

Suddenly appearing between Chester and Dhaos was a blue sphere of light. It pulsed brightly three times before melting away, revealing a new figure kneeling on the floor. The figure stood up.

The group in the background cheered, "CLESS!" The boy looked a bit disoriented, "Uhm, hello?"

Dhaos grimaced, "Damn it... I though I rid myself of this thick headed imbecile..."

Cless frowned, "I beg your pardon?"

Mint rushed forward and greeted him with a hug, "Cless, you're alright!"

Cless rapidly turned his head every which way, "I'm... sorry?"

Mint tightened her hug, "I thought you were dead, Cless. I was so sad..."

"Woah, who's this hot chick that knows my name?"

Upon seeing his mortal enemy, Cless, Dhaos was overcome with rage and screamed out in classic bad-guy fashion. "Enjoy your little reunion, while it lasts, mortals!" Slowly he limped towards them. "I'll...kill... you all!" He made little progress, "just gimme a minute or two."

From the sidelines Arche screamed, " Kill him, Cless!"



Cless turned his head every which way. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kill? I'm sorry, but I'm just some country bumpkin who is lost and incredibly confused, right now. Okay? I just happened to find this guy... I thought he looked like me... I held his fancy sword and I wound up here. I don't even know any of you!" He craned his neck and spotted Chester. "Oh, hey bud, what are you doing here?"

"Cless, quit being an idiot and kill 'im already!"

Cless frowned "No, no, no... I am not going to kill anyone. "

Mint stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

"Cless, when I thought you were dead it made me realize how much I loved you. If we get out of this alive... I will make hot, passionate, unrestrained monkey love to you!"

Everything was quiet. Cless raised The sword of time, "This purple sparkly gay sword will be your demise, demon!"

Dhaos, stood still, watching as he bled from his innumerable wounds. "Oh fuck! "

--(Somewhere else)--

"Oww..." Cless woke up with a pulsing pain resonating from his head. He sat up and touched his tender cranium. His hand retracted as he winced. "Owwwwww!"

He opened his eyes and viewed the world through foggy vision. Shapes were indistinguishable, only colors were perceptible at the moment. The earth was green and soft. The sky was blue...

Where was he? He wondered.

Eventually he regained his bearings. "Wha?" Slowly he rose from his resting spot. "What the hell?"

He had awoken beneath a tree... somewhere in a desolate field of green. "Where am I?"

He rose to his feet slowly but steadily. In the distance, not far off, he could see the familiar gray of stone walls. "Is this another one of Dhaos' tricks?" He reached for his sword but was startled to find it missing. Warily he stepped forward. Seeing to his satisfaction that the ground didn't sink under his feet and that Dhaos didn't appear out of in thin air he nodded. "It's not a trick" He frowned "The ground, the breeze; it all feels so real." He gulped a lingering feeling of suspicion hung in the back of his mind, nudging at him but the feeling was quickly overcome by worry as he looked up at some distant stone walls. "I've got to find the others..."

"This place... Is Toltus? But how?" He brushed the many buildings he passed, almost as if to assure himself that what he was seeing was real. "Cless! " A hand grasped him by the shoulder and spun him on his heels. "You left before I could tell you, Cless! You..."



"D-Dad!?"

The older man, scarred and nicked from many past battles nodded, "Yes, I'm your father."

He frowned, "And playing dumb won't get you out of this scolding. I told you..." He reached in his pocket and whipped up a necklace, "To never let this thing out of your sight. I called out to you earlier but you disappeared."

"I did?"

Cless' father sighed, "Yes, can't you keep track of yourself either?" He clasped the necklace around Cless' neck, "There... now you're ready to... where's your sword?"

"Uhm... I..."

"Chester passed by looking for you. No need get one from home, just borrow mine." He unsheathed the sword from his hip and slid it into Cless' sheath. "there" the older man said with a satisfied grin. "now go along," and like a top, Cless' father spun him in place and shoved him in the direction of the towns southern exit. "Hurry up, Chester is waiting!"

Dumbfounded, Cless stumbled into a walking pace. He muttered to himself as he turned back. "What the hell is happening?"

--

So, how was it? Love it or hate it you better damn well review it. Ha, I write for no one but my self, but it's your reviews that give me the incentive to share my stories. If ya liked what ya read then speak up and you'll be sure to get a whole lot more.