Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I already have two stories out there that I should be continuing but this thing just wouldn't leave my head and I ended up caving. As some of you may have guessed, this is a novelization of the second Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP. I'll be writing this as I play the game so expect there to be more than a bit of dialogue taken from there, I'll also be taking several liberties regarding both the dungeons and fighting styles. Now, without further ado, let's get this show on the road.
In the depths of space, lies a sun orbited by three planets. This Solar system is known as the Gurhal system and it's inhabited by humans and their various creations.
CASTs: Synthetic men and women made in the image of humans. However due to their many advantages many of them believe themselves superior to the other races. Their accuracy and speed of thought is without par. Newmans: A religious race that value spiritualism and are both honorable and kind. They lead the Communion of Gurhal and are attuned to Photons, allowing them to use TECHNICs with ease. And, finally, Beasts: A physically strong race made to survive in the harsh climates of their planet. Their physical strength is fearsome but they are by no means inferior when it comes to using their brains.
Over a hundred years ago, these races were at war, a war that had lasted half a millennium and had no end in sight. Fortunately, it was brought to an end by a group composed of members of every race that fought for equality among everyone. This group was the one that ultimately founded the GUARDIANs, Gurhal's protectors. However, peace does not last forever, and during the centennial celebration of the war's end, Gurhal was attacked by an enemy no one had ever seen… the SEED.
The SEED brought Gurhal to the brink of collapse, and only the valiant efforts of Ethan Waber, Alford Tylor and many others brought an end to this chaos thanks to the destruction of the HIVE and the sealing of the SEED in a subspace prison. However, not everything was solved that day. The battle with the SEED, and later the Illuminus, was long and hard, and left deep scars on both the planets and the people living in them. Three years after the SEED were vanquished for good, there was a system-wide lack of resources due to the damage.
Still, hope was not lost, the Inhelt Corporation brought about a very feasible theory for subspace travel, which would allow the inhabitants of Gurhal to travel beyond the stars in search of a new place to live. Every government backed this project, every corporation, no matter how small or poor, helped in every possible way. This project was the one that would save everyone.
To further their investigations on the matter of subspace, Inhelt Corporation recruited several mercenaries in order to explore a recently discovered Relic site, a place where one could find lost knowledge from the Ancients, Gurhal's previous inhabitants, and that is where our story begins…
1st Universe - Spreading Wings (Awakening of an Angel)
A young Newman walked through the entrance of the Relic site and into the first room, which was bustling with people. His light brown hair covering one of his crystal blue eyes as he scanned the room, pointed ears listening intently to find a conversation that interested him. The Newman's name was Kirei Kirigaya, he was a freelance mercenary who specialized on Technics and medicine, but he was also a decent fighter. He was clad in a white and blue hakama robe with a light blue muffler around his neck.
Up ahead, the Newman spotted two Casts talking. One was covered in white armor over a black bodysuit with what appeared to be shields floating over his shoulders, he had a red eyes shining from a helmet patterned after De Ragan's head. The other was clad in elegant-looking brown suit of armor, with what appeared to be feathered hair flowing from his helmet. The red eyed one caught Kirei staring at them and made a gesture, offering him a spot with them. The brown clad one nodded in his direction, his greenish-blue eyes sparking as he did.
"You a freelance too?" The elegant one asked curiously, and Kirei nodded in response. "I knew this place was going to bring the very best."
"To be honest, this is my first big job." Kirei admitted bashfully. "I've barely done stuff worth mentioning before taking this one."
"Don't worry. We're all in this together." The white Cast told him in a supportive tone. "With as many people as we have here today, someone's bound to have your back."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." The Newman smiled, reassured. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kirei, Kirei Kirigaya. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I go by Vasque, Vasque Alchain. The pleasure's mine." The brown clad Cast replied, offering a hand Kirei shook eagerly. "My friend here has yet to give me his name however."
"Hawk Magnus." At the white Cast's introduction, Kirei felt the other one grip his hand a bit harder, as if startled by those two words. "Nice to meet you."
"No way. Are you…?" Vasque began but was cut off by the red-eyed Cast's raised hand.
"Yes I am, but I do not like to talk about it." Hawk replied in a very cold tone. "So, please, don't bring that up." It sounded more like an order than a request, but Vasque seemed happy to oblige him.
"I apologize for that." The other Cast offered his hand as both apology and greeting. "It's an honor to work with you."
"Likewise." Hawk replied shaking Vasque's hand and later Kirei's. "Although I do wonder how long we'll have to wait before we go in."
"So, while we wait, I have a proposal to make." Vasque began, drawing their attention. "I was thinking of taking a few people with me when we go in, you two seem as good as I'll get so how about we group up?"
"I'd like that, actually. A Relic site can be quite dangerous from what I've heard…" The brown-haired Newman said.
"Indeed they are." Vasque informed sagely. "We're undoubtedly safe here, but no promises about that when we go further in. So, young Kirigaya agrees. What about you, Magnus?"
"I have nothing against that proposal of yours." The white Cast nodded his agreement as he spoke. "And Hawk is fine. I don't really care for formalities."
"Fantastic. So, what are your specialties?" Vasque asked rather amiably. "That way we can make sure we won't get in each other's way as we explore."
"I'm the sort of guy that fights up front, if that's what you're asking." Hawk replied, his voice gaining a slight bit of warmth to it as he did, showing that he was more comfortable with them now. "I specialize on taking enemies out fast. However, my only ranged weapon is handgun and I am unable to use healing Technics, or any Technic at all for that matter."
"So basically, you're a vanguard fighter huh?" Vasque muttered with a hand on his chin. "Good. I specialize on ranged attacks and I'm quite proud of what I can do with a rifle. I can easily cover you as you charge in. also, if push comes to shove I am good enough with both the spear and the greatsword. What about you, kid?"
"I specialize on Technics, although I excel at healing. I also can fight quite well with a saber and with daggers and I'm decent with a gun." Kirei replied nervously. "Is that good enough?"
"That's actually quite good." Vasque told him with Hawk nodding in agreement. "How long have you been at this, Kirigaya?"
"About six months, mister Alchain." The young Newman replied with a smile. "I've done a couple extermination jobs, but those were nothing to write home about and I had help from the GUARDIANs."
"That's a pretty good skillset for such a short amount of time." The white Cast complimented, which made Kirei smile even wider. "What about weapons? Let's go over what you have with you."
Minutes flew by as the group of three chatted about the soon-to-happen operation. Eventually, the conversation died and Hawk broke off with them in order to search for a possible fourth member. A couple minutes later, a female voice got both Vasque's and Kirei's attention.
"Can we just go home already? Please?" A blond human girl, at most sixteen years old, dressed in a light red jacket with a set of purple winged headphones around her neck, was begging at a shabby-looking male Beast, who was taller than any other person Kirei had ever seen, dressed in a purple longcoat.
"This is no place for one so young." Vasque muttered loud enough for Kirei to hear. "And I'll wager that girl's no mercenary." Kirei nodded his agreement but kept on watching the couple as they talked.
"This is a Relic Site! A Relic Site, you hear me!?" The girl was shouting now, but the male Beast was barely affected by it.
"Remind me why I pay you?" Those words stopped the girl's rant and she then looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "Look, it's safe here. Now, I'm going to find some work for you to do." The man then pointed at the ground the girls was staring at. "Don't wander off, understood? Stay put."
"Oh man. What now?" The girl said aloud, looking around the site. "I don't like this place at all."
Kirei was about to stop looking in her direction, until he saw her clutch her head and start heaving, as if she was in pain. The people around her did not seem to notice so he muttered a see you later to Vasque and jogged up to the girl's side. Just as he kneeled by her to ask if she was okay. The entire site trembled, as if an earthquake had struck.
"Everyone, move it." A male Beast was shouting from the entrance. "The doors are closing!"
It was true, the main gates were, slowly but surely, sliding towards each other. The people inside panicked an rushed towards the door, but it was painfully obvious that not everyone would be able to get out at the rate it was going. That was until a calm voice was heard over the panicked screams.
"Activating SUV weapon system!" Kirei recognized the slightly mechanical voice as the white Cast's, Hawk Magnus. His acquaintance was standing relatively close to him and the girl as a massive, black and gold colored robotic torso appeared behind him and flew towards the doors, using its arms to keep them open as it copied its owner's gestures. "Hurry up and move it! This isn't going to last!" He roared at those who had stopped to look at him.
"Kirigaya! Hawk!" Vasque shouted from the entrance as the rest of the people fled the scene. "Come on!"
"Sorry, but I'm not leaving her!" Kirei shouted back as he held the girl by the shoulders, who was still clutching her head in pain.
"And I can't move right now!" The other Cast replied, his voice strained with effort as the sounds of bending metal filled the room. The arms of his SUV were bending under the strength of the doors' mechanism. "Get out of here, Vasque, and make sure you bring help to get us out once things have calmed. I'll take care of both of them."
"Understood!" The other Cast replied, saluting Hawk as if he were a superior military officer. "I wish you luck."
Just as Vasque turned around and crossed the doors, the SUVs arms broke off, allowing the doors to continue their journey towards each other at an increased pace as the mechanical construct disappeared to where it came from. The girl's headache seemed to subside shortly after, and her first reaction was to run towards the almost completely closed doors, ignoring the two other people in the room with her.
Emilia Percival hadn't had a good day. First she had been dragged into a Relic Site by the boss against her will. Then she had been left hanging in there while he went off wherever and got a killer headache for her troubles. And to top it off, when the headache subsided she found herself being locked inside of the Relic site. Alone! She was understandably pissed about that.
"Open up, will ya?! Come on! Let me out of here!" She shouted as she banged the doors with both hands and feet. "Is this someone's idea of a joke?! Because I'm not laughing!" She kicked the door some more. "I know you can hear me! Open this tin can up!"
While she vent her anger on the door, Kirei approached the kneeling Cast. He was breathing heavily from the strain of keeping his SUV out for such a long amount of time. Without wasting time, the young Newman brought out his wand and cast a basic healing Technic to assess the damage Hawk may have been dealt. Satisfied with learning that it was nothing beyond his capabilities, he cast a medium-strength cure, after which the Cast's breathing resumed its normal pace.
"Thanks." Hawk breathed and one could feel the relieved smile he probably wore under that helmet in his voice. Kirei cast a couple lower strength cures to round things up and then returned his wand to the storage.
"I said we should go home, but did he listen? No." Emilia sighed as she spoke. The young Newman walked up to her while white Cast stood up and started looking over the area. "Who are you?" She asked, surprised to see the other two people in the room.
"I'm Kirei Kirigaya." The Newman said, with a small smile on his face. "The Cast over there is Hawk Magnus." At the mention of his name, the Cast in question raised a hand in greeting before continuing to look around for a possible exit.
"I guess I wasn't the only one locked in here." She muttered before replying. "I'm Emilia Percival. Any idea what that fuss was about?" Kirei shook his head. "Yeah, me either. It all happened so fast…" She sighed. "Next thing I knew, the place was empty. What are we gonna do?"
"Well. The way I see it we have two options." Hawk said as he approached them and Emilia took a step back. "What's the matter?"
"No offence, but you look both shady and scary." The girl blurted before covering her mouth.
"That so?" The male Cast laughed for a few moments, not offended in the least. "Let's change that, shall we?" As he spoke, his body glowed white, blinding both Human and Newman for a second before it stopped. "Is this better?"
Where a few seconds before stood an armored warrior with a De Ragan motif, now stood a Cast clad in light Parts. A Revsys set if Kirei recalled what little he knew about Cast parts well. The previous one, he now knew, had been an Evors set. It was colored the same as the other set of armor and had a shining violet emblem on the chest. The face under the helmet was revealed to be pure white, with Cast markings running vertically over both deep red eyes, he also had a messy set of black hair.
"Yeah. Now it's much better." The girl nodded and smiled a bit. "Now, what were you saying?"
"Right. The way I see it, we have two options." The Cast resumed. "We can either wait until Vasque gets here with help… or leave a note, try to find an exit and contact them as soon as possible."
"Wait a minute! Don't tell me you're actually considering going deeper into this place?" At the Cast's casual nod she took a step back. "Are you crazy? This is a Relic site! Who knows what could be down there."
"Nothing the three of us can't handle, I believe." Hawk replied, looking at both of them before adding. "If we're careful."
"We could always trek back if we find nothing after a while." Kirei thought aloud. "We were going to explore this site in the first place so we might as well do it."
"Not so fast, you two!" Emilia shouted. "You know you could end up dead in there?! Or worse?!"
"I've already been worse." Hawk replied coldly, much like when Vasque had brought up his past, and the room's temperature seemed to diminish at those words. "Trust me."
"Fine! Be that way, mister white!" She snarled angrily at being spoken to like that. "But I'm not staying here alone. If you guys are going, I'm coming too!"
"Go over your equipment and then come over there. I'm going to check the next room." The Cast nodded towards the door at the other side of the room and walked towards it, presumably to calm down.
"What's up his butt?" Emilia asked the Newman by her side as she went over what little she had brought to the site. Not that she had much more in terms of weaponry.
"He just reacted badly to what you said." Kirei told her as he did the same thing. "I just met him today, but what I've seen of him is really nice. Plus, he wrecked his custom SUV to allow the other people in the room to get out. You know how much Casts value those things, right?"
"You mean he sacrificed his SUV for a bunch of people? Really?" Emilia was aghast at that. "But those things are expensive! Custom models even more so. And Casts love their SUVs as if they were their children."
"As I said, he's a pretty nice guy." Kirei smiled under the muffler. "By the way, how are you feeling?" At the girls curious look he clarified. "I mean, about that headache you had. Anything hurts, even a little bit? Disorientation? Whatever you may find that feels wrong with your body, really."
"Nothing." The blond girl replied. "You a medic or something?"
"Or something, actually." The Newman joked as he stood up from the ground. "I'm good at healing people but it's not what I'm doing to get the money. It just comes with the merc trade."
"I see." Emilia nodded as she too stood up. "Well, I suppose we've kept him waiting long enough."
The two of them joined Hawk in the next room and soon the group of three set out into the Relic site. The first few rooms they went through were thankfully empty but soon they found out that the site did have a few inhabitants.
"There's something I should say before we go in there…" Emilia whispered as the surveyed the situation. There were seven creatures, Evil Sharks, crawling around the room, looking for anything they could eat. "You see, I may be armed but I, eh… Haven't been in all that many fights. To be fair, I have never done this before."
"Well, there's a first time for everything." Hawk replied, he had a violet edged Buccaneer saber in his left hand and a strange black gun with dark element bullets on his left. "Don't worry about going in too close. That's what I do, and Kirei here will look after you. Right?"
"Yeah." The Newman smiled at her, and that gave Emilia a bit more confidence. He was carrying a strange saber in his right hand, a double bladed Ice element weapon by the name Exam that Hawk had lent him and look woy too huge for a thin guy like him. Flying over his left shoulder was a cute looking round robot. "You and I just need to watch his back and take care of any stragglers. Right?"
"I'd appreciate a bit of cover fire, but that's about it, yeah." The Cast replied with a confident smile.
"Alright then, we've got your back." Emilia told him. "Good luck."
"Thanks." He said, and charged in while they both followed and stared in awe at what unfolded.
In an instant, Hawk had closed the gap between him and the first Evil Shark, the creature could barely cry out an alert before three very precise slashes sent it to the next world. Its closest partner jumped at the Cast, only to be dodged with ease and kicked to the ground before being shot seven times in the back of the head. By then, the other five had noticed the intruder and his deeds.
One of them apparently believed circling the enemy was a good idea, it thought better the moment both Kirei and Emilia thre Fire Technics at it, roasting its legs and slowing it enough for Kirei to slash across its face, killing it. While this happened, Hawk had shot another to death while holding back attacks from the other two.
That was when Kirei heard Emilia scream and turned around to see the missing creature lunge at Emilia. He focused and sent another fire Technic, hitting it mid-jump and allowing the girl to get out of the way.
"Don't you touch me!" She shouted before clubbing the monster with her staff . She then swapped it for a gun and shoot the thing to death. Sighing in relief when it stopped breathing.
"Good job, both of you." Hawk said in the same way a teacher would to his students. He had already dispatched the other two monsters while they weren't looking.
"Thanks, I guess." A kneeling Emilia replied as she caught her breath. "And thank you, Kirei. You saved my life there."
"It was nothing." The Newman replied modestly.
"It was something. You caught that thing mid-jump!" The girl told him with a smile. "That can't have been easy."
"I agree with her." The Cast veteran interjected. "You did good. Both of you." He then sat on the ground. "Let's take five, then we keep on moving."
"You're surprisingly tolerant, you know?" Emilia ventured as they rested. "For a guy who can do that in a fight, I mean."
"I know what it is to be the new guy on the field. My instructor did this for me too back in the day." Hawk replied with a smile. "I'm just following her advice."
"Glad to know." She sighed in relief. "You guys are good. We might get out of here alive after all."
"By the way, who are you working for Emilia?" Kirei asked out of the blue. "I mean, I did see you talking with that Beast man before the mess started. He did say he was paying you."
"That would be the boss." She took a deep breath. "You see, I work for a mercenary company, even though I have no experience in fighting whatsoever." She hugged her legs as she spoke. "Not that he cares, mind you. He dragged me here to this deathtrap because he says I'm lazy." She then pouted. "He gets under my skin! Who's he to tell me when I have to work?!"
"You do realize he's your boss, right?" Hawk asked a bit mockingly, getting glared at in the process.
"Although I agree with her that dragging her here only for that is kind excessive." Kirei commented.
"On that, I can agree too." The Cast nodded.
"Finally, someone who understands." She smiled before continuing. "I know I'm a little bit picky with the work I do and that it's been a while since I did any… but still!" She then noticed they were both giving her odd looks. "What are you looking at me like that for?"
"I retract my earlier statement." Hawk said in an overly serious tone. "Dragging you here was a good choice."
"Whatever." She waved him off. "With your help, I'll definitely get out of here. And then I'll give him an earful he'll remember forever!"
"Well then. We should move it then." Kirei suggested, getting a nod from Hawk, but Emilia was mumbling something about the SEED and that definitely got their attention.
"…Come to think about it. I don't remember any records fo Relic Sites going active before or after the SEED attacked. I guess some may have activated, but no one can say." She then stood up and started pacing. "Alright, we know the Relic Sites react to the elementary particles of the SEED, but that doesn't explain the disruptions observed in the magnetic field. And besides, the SEED have been gone for three years but this has activated now. So basically, this place must be run by some sort of program, and something has triggered it… or, something like…that?"
"Are you an expert on this kind of stuff or something?" Kirei asked, curious.
"Or… have you ever been to a Relic Site before?" Hawk added, which seemed to shake Emilia a bit.
"This is just stuff you can pick up if you pay attention, nothing important." She replied after a few seconds of silence. "And no… I haven't been to a Relic site before." She then sighed. "Look, just forget everything I said. No one ever believes me anyway."
"I think I'm safe to assume we both believe you." Hawk assured her with a hand on her shoulder.
"I'd actually like to hear more." Kirei added with a smile. "It sounded pretty interesting."
"Huh. Really?" She was left stupefied by their replies. "Well, this is hardly the time or the place. Let's move it."
"Yeah, let's." The Newman replied while Hawk simply nodded.
They wandered inside the Relic site for an hour, fighting whatever creatures they found and opening the way towards its deepest ends. By the time they reached the last chamber, even Hawk was beginning to feel tired.
"How much of this place do we need to wander to find the damn exit?!" Emilia complained for the umpteenth time before taking in her surroundings. "All these machines here, they're the site's automated defenses. I shudder to think what would happen if these things activated"
"Oh crap!" Hawk said under his breath. "Get out of the room, slowly."
"What? Why?" Kirei asked before heavy steps were heard and out of a corner, a massive mechanical monster appeared. It was crackling with energy all over its golden body and carried an enormous halberd in its hands. It roared when it saw them. "What the…?"
"You gotta be kidding! I should just keep my mouth shut sometimes!" Emilia complained as the construct jumped high and landed behind them, blocking the exit.
"Okay, this one seems to be the only one functional." The white Cast informed with relief in his voice before switching his usual sword and gun for a pair of orange-red energy disks. "We beat it and then run back to the entrance. Vasque's bound to have brought the rescue team already."
"We've handled the entire site up until this point." Kirei told himself out loud as he gripped his saber and readied a technic. "We can handle this."
"What do you mean 'handle this'? You're going to fight that?!" Emilia shouted at them but then shook her head repeatedly and growled. "Alright, you say we can do this, so let's do it, dammit!"
The Svaltia, for that was the constructs name, charged forward, its halberd coated in lighting and pointed at the group, who dodged it by jumping aside. Both Kirei and Emilia then threw Fire Technics at its back while Hawk charged in and slashed repeatedly at its right leg with his Twin Diska until the mechanical beast swung his halberd at him a bit faster than he expected. The strike sent him towards a wall, but the Cast recovered fast enough to use it as a jumping point and rejoin the fray.
"Keep firing at it and don't let up." He commanded as he swapped the disks for a pristine white blade and a black shield.
"Alright, I'm going to help him." Kirei told Emilia as he jumped forward. "You keep up the cover fire."
"I got it!" She replied as she sent another wave of fire. "Be careful!"
Sending a wave of fire to accompany Emilia's own, Kirei ducked under the monster's halberd and struck its arms with his blade in two swift yet elegant motions, performing the Photon Art known as Rising Strike. He then dodged to the side, avoiding a swing of the halberd and sent another wave of fire at the robot's head. Unfortunately, he hadn't predicted the monster's speed correctly and was caught off guard by a strike of its halberd.
"Heh. Pathetic." He heard Hawk say as a loud clang echoed the chamber. The Cast had blocke the attack with the black shield used his sword to cut the Svaltia's weapon, leaving it unusable. "Ok. Don't let up guys! Fire everything you've got!"
"Begone!" Kirei shouted as he fired his most powerful offensive Technic at the beast's head.
"Ready, aim, fire!" Emilia cried as she shot the overcharged bullet in her handgun at the Svaltia's head.
"It's over for you!" Hawk stated as he ran up to the Svaltia's shaking form and delivered a strike on its knees, making it kneel, followed by a slash on each arm and, finally, a cleaving strike to the head. The Svaltia fell on its back after the last attack and the sounds of its functional existence stopped for good.
"Yay! We got it! The bigger they are, the harder they fal!" Emilia shouted in glee as she ran up to Kirei and Hawk. The Newman was kneeling on the ground, thoroughly exhausted by the events of the day, while the cast had his hest armor broken, revealing white skin underneath and a wound that, while not deadly, was still disturbing. "I knew we could do this! Piece of cake!"
"Emilia, behind you!" A startled Hawk shouted as he started running towards her and Kirei. She barely had time to turn before the Cast was there, shield poised to block the heavy mace moving towards her.
"Another one!" She cried in horror before the mace struck their Cast protector and sent him against a wall. The impact cracked the surface and Hawk was rendered unconscious. The new Svaltia took another step towards them and raised its clawed hand to strike. "No, this can't be…"
Before she could react, she was shoved out of the way and got a clear view of Kirei receiving the attack meant for her as he sent a Fire Technic at the Svaltia's face. She ran towards the young Newman and kneeled by his side.
"Why did you do that? It should be me lying there, not you!" She told him as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Run… I'm in no shape… to… do that again." Kirei managed to get out as a pool of blood surrounded his body and his eyes started closing on their own.
"No! Don't close your eyes! Answer me!" Emilia shouted as she shook his shoulder. "Why is it always like this?! Why do I always end up alone?!" She cried as tears ran down her face. "Please wake up! Open your eyes! Don't leave me alone! I don't want to be ALONE!" She screamed the last part as her body glew gold.
The light coming from her body struck the Svaltia, which had recovered from Kirei's attack and was stalking towards her, and vaporized it on the spot. Upon reaching Hawk and Kirei's bodies, however, the golden glow started repairing them. Hawk's eyes fluttered open in time to see Emilia, covered in golden lines and floating in the air, talking to herself.
"Don't worry. You're never alone." A voice that was Emilia's but at the same time wasn't said. "I'm always with you."
At that point the glow subsided and Emilia's body fell to the ground, unconscious. Hawk also felt his consciousness leaving him and let it happen. He had no strength left at the moment and everyone appeared to be safe.
Well, that's that. I hope you guys enjoyed this little thing I cooked up and while I have no idea about when next chapter will be up. Please be patient on that regard. I also apologize If I've made any mistakes regarding the backstory of the Gurhal System, while I have played a few Phantasy Star Universe games I don't have all the data with me right now and I might have slipped up somewhere.
I hope to read your reviews about this story. Thank you for reading.