Disclaimer: I do not own Prius Online. This is the story of Prius Online told in the point of view of a Lon Femina named Nayruukana, who is going to become an envoy in Fera Centrum. There will be improvisations on the storyline and things that don't happen in the game. This is to give the story a more emotional edge and will hopefully give the characters depth. Nayruukana, Jamais, Kojo, Amethyst and Poker are mine.
Rise...
I am the one who sleeps in the heart of stars.
Rise, Chosen One.
You are the true 'Xenor', who bares the fate of the world upon his shoulders.
Let the starts guide you to find the child thise destiny is entwined with yours...
Then march forward,
and come to me...!
"Let's mess with those idiots Lon Mas!" She smiled devilishly. "Remember, all you have to do is 'investigate' the cuisine they made for their ridiculous festival and get rid of their little guards, ok? I'll take care of the rest!"
That's what she said, but now I'm not so sure.
I stood crouched outside the Lon Mas camp site, gazing cautiously around from behind the bushes. When I saw no one I crept out from my hiding spot, sniffing around for a scent.
"There is no need. I sense no one nearby."
I turned to my Anima, relaxing my stance at her words. "That's good, thanks Amethyst." I smiled gratefully.
"There is no need for thanks." She said. It was emotionless, and I sighed inwardly.
When Amethyst and I met three weeks ago, it had been the most joyous moment of my life. Something inside my soul had been screaming 'It's her! It's her!' and I had rushed toward her through a valley of water, and her towards me. We were destined for each other, as told the path of the stars.
But after we had left the holy place, I quickly found out she had no emotions. Or she hid them very well, but either way, it's been difficult to bond with her. The only emotion she shows is curiosity; never happiness, or sadness, or anger. She never wants to talk about anything. I don't know her at all, but even so I love her to pieces.
We would die for each other, yet I'm not even sure why.
"Let us handle this quickly."
"Agreed!" I whispered back in reply. I was unsure as to why I was whispering, but I felt too nervous to talk normally.
I stalked over to the meat cooking over the fire, no longer caring about being caught and just wanting to leave quickly. I gathered up several large chunks of the large meal and stuffed them in my bag, surveying the area carelessly in haste.
"Watch out-" Amethyst called out, and whirled around. She was gone.
"Amethyst? Amethyst?" I frantically yelled, running towards where she last stood in hopes of finding her.
As I rummaged through the bushes, a large hand wrapped around my shoulder, and I was shoved to the ground before I could react. I landed with a cry, and when I tried to stand up two pairs of hands grabbed my elbows and hoisted me up into the air.
I kicked my legs and screamed, wanting my friend to come and help me. She said she would be here! She said she would help me if I called!
"Shut your mouth, you damn Lon Femina!" I complied reluctantly. I gazed around for Amethyst, trying to spot her pig-tailed pink hair in the grassy terrain.
"Where's Amethyst?" I tried questioning. I doubted they would listen though.
"Who?" I bristled, blundered by their stupidity.
"My Anima, Amethyst. Where is she? What have you done with her?" I tried to make it an order, but my voice shook tremendously, and it was embarrassing to know that they could hear it.
"I am fine." A bell-like voice chimed in. I swivelled my neck around awkwardly, trying to look behind me over the Lon Mas's broad shoulders.
Amethyst stood still as stone, held by the shoulders by a green-toned Lon Mas. "Thank Houl." I sighed in relief at her safety, but with a hint of annoyance also. There wasn't the slightest hint of fear anywhere on her; it was like it was a Wondering Onion that was holding her.
"What did you think you were doing to our camp, wench?" My hand snapped towards the Lon Mas in front of me, all traces of relief gone. This was the first time I had seen a Lon Mas up close; well, that I could remember at least.
He had wild brown/white hair that stuck up all over the place, and yellow eyes that obviously showed who the leader was around here. He stood about five inches taller than me (I am, apparently, a rather short Lon Femina) and had barely any clothes on, much like us Lon Femina's. All he wore was a belt across his heavily built chest, a pair of wrist band weapons, and a waist band that was similar to a Lon Femina's, with the piece of cloth hanging in front of his…well, you know. Area.
"Well?" He demanded harshly, and I squeaked in surprise.
"I…um, I was told to…" I trailed off, unsure what to say.
"Told to what?" He asked, sounding inpatient.
"Ur…your food, it's in my bag, I, um, ripped off a whole bunch of it. It's kinda of ruined now, sorry." The Lon Mas's eyes widened and he snatched my bag off my shoulder, ripping it in the process. I didn't say a word, looking forward anxiously, cringing at the disbelief on his face.
"Do you know what this meal was for?" He said quietly.
I hesitated. "Um…for a party…?"
"This meal was a celebration feast and gift to those who had returned from war, and to mourn those that were lost!" He shouted, suddenly angry. I gasped quietly, and then let my head drop in shame. "This meal was going to be given to men who had been without good food and water for months now, and you have the audacity to rip it apart?"
I couldn't speak. My lip trembled. I felt horrible. I felt sick, sick to my stomach. What had I done?
"Well? What snappy comment do you have for me, bitch? What excuse are you going to come up with? Say that we Lon Mas are too stupid for war? Say that the food we painstakingly hunted down and prepared for our good men was burnt to a crisp?" He paused for a moment. "Well, SAY SOMETHING!"
"I'm sorry!"
The area was silent. The grip on my left arm loosened enough that my foot could touch the ground, but my right arm was clenched so tightly that I felt the blood stop pumping through my arm. It was a lopsided position, but I didn't care at that point.
"I'm sorry." I repeated, quieter than before. It felt wrong to yell when everything was so quiet. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it meant so much to your people. Even so, I shouldn't have done it anyway, because it was stupid and childish. I'll hunt you down another one of those…things for you, so you can still have your celebration. I'm sorry." No one said anything. "I'm sor-"
"Yes, we heard you." He cut me off. No words were spoken for a while, the only sound the whistle of the wind through the trees. Heavy steps sounded and a blistered hand grabbed my chin. I was forced to look up and straight into the eyes of the Lon Mas. "…You're crying."
Crying? "What I did was horrible. I'm crying because I've been cruel and now it's not just me paying the consequences. Someone else was hurt."
"Crying is a weakness." He dropped my chin and stepped back. "You are not a Lon Femina. Not in my book. You're too weak-willed."
The words stung, but I admitted them. I knew I was different.
"Put her down." He commanded the ones holding my arms. As I stumbled onto the ground where they dropped me, two small hands wrapped around my fingers. I squeezed Amethyst's hand tightly and bent down, giving her a gentle hug and checking for any injuries.
"What is your name?" The Lon Mas demanded harshly.
"Nayruukana." I answered quickly, hugging Amethyst tighter.
"Nayruukana, I hereby sentence you to Fera Centrum, where you will join a party to insure you keep your word. Be at the main square by 6:00pm. You will regret it if you do not come."
"I will come. I will keep my word!" I said strongly, the first words I hadn't said out of fear since I had arrived here.
And with that, they left as quickly as they appeared, leaping into the forest.
I got up in a daze, pulling Amethyst along as I returned to the Eastern gate. I looked for Lippa, who had sworn she had my back, and would be waiting for me by the gate.
She wasn't there.
I beat down my frustration as I mounted the Celero back to Natura Asylum. When the Celero stopped, I hopped off and helped Amethyst down. She was nothing like as 'light as a feather' in my arms, but I still marvelled at how the stars had chosen me to be her partner. The partner of this wondrous, beautiful creature. I smiled strongly at her, and she gave the tiniest hint of a smile back.
The moment was broken when a Hume cleared his throat, waiting to use the Celero. I apologized and moved swiftly, placing Amethyst down as gently as I could. She stretched her arms to the sky, and I smiled.
"Feeling a bit stiff?"
She looked at me curiously. "I think so. Is that what this is? Being stiff?"
"Yeah, that's right. It's when all your muscles feel too tight and you have to," I demonstrated with my arms. "stretch them."
"Oh. Okay then." She stood patiently next to me and I sighed, knowing the conversation was over and that was all I was going to get out of her for the next ten minutes.
"We have to pay a visit to Matriarch Yopura. I'll need to tell her about what's happening." I said it more to myself then anything, and Amethyst nodded.
"So, you actually showed up, huh?" I sputtered out of my daze, staring at the Lon Mas who was suddenly in front of me.
"Of-of course. I gave my word." The Lon Mas gave me a funny look, and I bit my lip, not wanting to say anything more that could be counted against me.
"Come on, then. We have a long way to go." He turned around and started walking away, and I followed quickly, scurrying after him. I tried to keep as close as would seem normal because the other Lon Mas around this town were staring at me; casting me looks of disgust, amusement and disdain, and it made me uncomfortable.
"Um, excuse me?" I stammered.
"What?" The Lon Mas said impatiently.
"I just thought that I should, um know your name? I keep on calling you 'The Lon Mas' in my head and I don't want to be disrespectful…" I trailed off as we had stopped walking and I almost bumped into his back.
He was staring at me hard. "What right have you earned to know my name?"
I flushed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't- is it some sort of custom? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I just thought I was being rude and-"
"You sure like to talk a lot, don't you?" He said, seeming to be speaking to himself. We started walking again.
"Only when I'm nervous." I replied anyway.
"You're nervous?"
"Mm."
"…Hmp."
He led me through the town, and I glanced around frequently, partly out of boredom and nervousness, but mostly out of fascination.
The town he lived in was so large and amazing! The buildings were huge; the flea markets were like riots with all the people flowing around to buy new wares. And they had an ocean here too. I wasn't exactly sure where on the map they were because I had come here through the Terasil Gate, but it couldn't have been far as they were having their celebrations so near the Eastern Gate. There were so many things similar between the Lon Mas and Lon Femina; it made me wonder why we lived such separate lives.
"What are you looking for?" He said, startling me.
"Nothing."
His eyes narrowed. "Then why are you looking around? Keeping the layout in mind so you can plan an attack?"
"No!" I yelled, horrified by the idea. "I just think your home is amazing! It's so big and fantastic, and you live right near the jungle; and I can see so many interesting temples from here in the village, they must be huge! It must be wonderful to call this place home!"
He didn't reply for a long time, and he seemed really startled. I realized then how loud I had been, and cautiously looked around. And to my horror, every Lon Mas within a twenty meters was staring right at me.
I squeaked quietly, and clutched Amethyst's hand for support. She seemed to understand and squeezed my hand back, giving me the comfort I needed.
I hated being stared at. It made me feel vulnerable and weak, and it felt like the whole world was trying to place itself on my shoulders. I hated the pressure of eyes on me, because I had had enough of it for the past few weeks. The pressure of everyone trying to get me to remember things I had never even heard of, the disappointment in their eyes when I failed; I hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it.
I waited for judgement, expecting scolding for once again getting something wrong. "…I'm proud of my home."
I stood still. Looking up, I saw he was already walking away. "H-hey, wait up!"
"Okay men, you know what we're after. Let's move out and get this done as soon as possible." The Lon Mas leader said.
"Yes sir!" The other three replied, and I panicked.
"Y-yes sir!" I gulped when one of the three looked at me disapprovingly.
"Understood." Amethyst stepped in. "We will achieve the task to our farthest ends." All eyes went on her, and she grabbed my hand. I squeezed it gently, wondering vaguely if she was standing up for me, or was upset.
"Move out!" The Lon Mas leader said, and they all started running head log into the forest.
Why they were running, I had no clue, but I was in the middle of a forest, with no map to guide me through this uncharted territory with unknown dangers, so I had better follow them.
I ran after them, jumping past trees and over bushes as they strayed far from the path. After about twenty minutes of this crazy sprint, I called back to Amethyst. "How you holding up back there, Amethyst?"
No reply.
"Amethyst?" I slowed to a stop, looking back for the first time since we started running. She was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh no," I whispered. "No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening. This can't be happening."
When had I lost her? A few minutes ago, or when we first started? I had no clue whatsoever. I felt like crying; how could I have been so stupid? I had left my Anima, my partner, somewhere out here, alone, and I had no clue how to find her. This was the disaster if the century.
"What's keeping you back there?" The Lon Mas called to me. "What's taking so long? Pick up the pace, would you?"
"Shut up!" I was upset. I was ashamed. I was afraid. And what else did fear have to form into when disaster strikes, if not anger?
"Excuse me?" He sounded shocked, yet also expectant. He had been waiting for this; for me to kick up a storm because I was a Lon Femina.
"No, I'm- I'm sorry, but, Amethyst…she's gone!" I shook my head. "I have to find her."
As I ran back the way I came, the Lon Mas yelled behind me, but I wouldn't stop now. I couldn't. She was out there somewhere, and god dammit I would find her if it killed me.
I ran for ten minutes calling out Amethyst's name, not caring who or what heard me. As long as Amethyst could hear me and replied, everything would be fine. I had to believe that. I had to.
Something caught my eye and I stopped running, looking towards the small, almost unnoticeable path I almost gone past. The perfect size path for a little Anima to scamper off to, and I was drawn to it. That had to mean something. I followed the path, taking deep breathes to calm myself as I pushed vile thoughts from my head.
The bushes and thorns of the path suddenly ebbed away and I found myself entranced. I had ended up in a huge clearing, surrounded entirely by the rows of trees, only sunlight having a granted entrance. The grass under my feet was covered in flowers that had only just blossomed as spring started, and the smell of them was so strong I felt intoxicated by the sweetness if it.
But this wasn't really observation. I could have given a lot more detail if I had actually been paying attention, but I wasn't at all. All of my focus was on the petite young figure crouched in the middle of this wonderland.
"Amethyst…" I whispered.
"Hm?" She turned around, facing me and giving me her curious look. "Hello, Nayruukana. Look at this, what is it? I followed it because it was strange and I hadn't seen one before. It looks silly."
I glanced at what she was looking at, but couldn't see so I stepped closer. Once I stood behind her, I saw her pointing towards a yellow and black bug perched on a flower petal. "A bee?"
"A bee is what it's called?" She said, misunderstanding my question.
"A bee?" I repeated, and she stopped talking. "You had me worried sick over a bee? I ran the entire forest for you, thinking some bestia had gotten you, but you had just run off to look at a bee?"
"I was curious."
"You're always curious. What if something had happened to you while I wasn't here? I'd never be able to live with myself if…" I couldn't even finish the sentence.
"But you know how to revive me."
"That's not the point!"
"What is the point?"
"The point is I'd be heartbroken to see you in that form again! I've already seen it once; it's proof of my incompetence as your partner, proof that I don't deserve you."
"But we are destined for each other." She argued back. "There is no other partner for me, or for you. The stars bonded us together from the moment we were created. There is nothing you have to do to deserve me, because you already have me."
"And yet I keep losing you, again and again." I fell to my knees in a pathetic slump. "I wouldn't even know what to do with myself if you were gone, because…you're everything to me Amethyst. Everything. From the moment I met you, you became the most important thing in the world, and that will never change for me."
"And you are everything to me. That will also never change for me." She turned back towards her bee, ending the conversation.
"But…" I trailed off, feeling all the energy drain out of me. She was safe and sound, so why was I worrying so much? Why was I so angry? I closed my eyes, wanting just a few moments of peace before I had to return to the Lon Mas.
"Uh oh…" I glanced up, and saw Amethyst had moved to the other side of the field.
The bee she had been looking at the gone, leaving behind in its place the most hideous beast I could ever remember seeing. It was as if it had been supersized, to the point where it was larger than me. But now that it was larger, I saw details I hadn't seen before. It didn't have fur on its yellow and black body, but sleek skin that shone under the sun's rays. It didn't have two eyes, it looked like it had a million. But I couldn't have known that when it was so small. And it had a stinger.
One big enough to kill a buffalo with one prick with all the poison in it, and big enough to completely demolish a hut with its size. It would no longer be a harmless prick.
And it was pointed straight at Amethyst.
"NO!" I sprinted towards her with speed I hadn't known I possessed as I watched the dagger-like stinger descend on her.
Time seemed to slow as I launched myself in front of her, covering her entire body with mine, not willing to leave an inch of her open to attack.
It was almost a numb moment for me, when its stinger pierced the skin of my waist. It was probably numb from the poison, but the searing pain still appeared, burning me to the point that I was breathless. I didn't regret it though. I had switched my life for hers; Amethyst would run to get the Lon Mas for help, and I would be left to the wasp's mercy in the mean time. But it would be okay, because she would be okay. That was all that mattered in my world.
An inhuman screech filled the air and I found I had the energy to cringe as my ear-drums near popped. The stinger wriggled in my wound, stretching it open and bringing pain I hadn't thought possible. I resisted the urge to scream though, because of the look on Amethyst's face. It was the most emotion had ever seen on her face at any one time, and it was fear. Pure, mind-numbing fear.
The stinger pulled out of me and my taunt body relaxed, arms loosening around Amethyst so she could have a chance to run for help. But it turns out we didn't need it.
Amethyst struggled as she was pulled from my arms and I smiled gratefully at the Lon Mas that took her. My smile stopped though as something prodded at wound and I yelped, trying to turn my head to see what was going on.
"Stay still, dammit." I obeyed, at least knowing the wasp hadn't come back for more.
"Nayruukana…" I glanced up slowly at my Anima, who now stood three feet away from me. A Lon Mas had a hand on her shoulder, and she was staring at me fearfully. I tried to smile, but cringed in pain instead as my wound was once again prodded. She looked pained.
"I'm okay." Even as I said it, the poison flowing through my veins had made my legs numb, and the rest of my body was burning. "I'll be fine. As long as you're safe, it's okay."
"You sound so weak." Her voice shook, and her eyes were so confused. "I don't understand what I'm feeling right now. But I think I understand what you said earlier. 'I'd be heartbroken.' I think I'm heartbroken Nayruukana, seeing you like this. I don't want to see you like this."
"Yeah, well, if you hadn't run off like you did, you're Xenor wouldn't be in this situation." said the Lon Mas Leader, who was the one messing around with my wound.
Amethyst cringed and I bristled. "Don't say such things to my Anima! She didn't know, she- Ahh!"
"Shut up, would you? I'm trying to get the poison out of your body, but you're not being very helpful. Now, unless you want to die a slow and painful death, I'd suggest keeping quiet and letting me do my work."
I kept my mouth shut, at least grateful that they had arrived when they did. I didn't really want to think much about what would have happened if they hadn't. I kept my eyes on the ground, feeling so tired suddenly. I just wanted to sleep for a while.
"Hey." I looked up reluctantly. The Lon Mas holding Amethyst was smiling at me kindly. "Don't worry too much about that ol' sour puss. He's not always that mean; but you wouldn't tell it looking at his grumpy old face, would you?"
"Shut up, Kojo." Kojo gave a hearty laugh, and I would have laughed along if I knew it wouldn't give me a headache.
"As its obvious now, my name is Kojo. You know what it means?" I shook my head. "It means 'born on Monday'. How lame is that? A name that tells you what day you were born on. What does your name mean Nayruukana?"
"I don't know."
"So your mother didn't ever tell you? Huh, that's weird. What was your mother's name, then?"
"I don't know." I didn't elaborate, and hearing the mood turn sour, Kojo changed topics.
"So this is your Anima, huh? Pretty name, Amethyst, why did you call her that?"
"Her eyes…" Amethyst's eyes, while emotionless, were hard as steel, and had a particular shade of purple that spoke to you on so many levels.
"Ah, I see what you mean. It's a good thing I don't have an Anima, or I'd call her 'Sparky' or 'Voodoo' or something."
"Why 'Voodoo?" I was concerned what the answer would be. These were names you would give to a bestia!
"Oh, well, you know, because they can do all that awesome magic stuff. They can raise your accuracy, and lower the enemy's defence, and they can control those massive Gigas, and…" He paused, and looked at the Leader. "I want an Anima too!"
"Stop whining, you idiot."
"Aw, you're so mean, chief."
I giggled. I really couldn't help it, they were just like two brothers having a spat, but not really meaning it. It reminded me of…of…something. Someone. Somewhere. Something.
Something.
"Sit up."
"Huh?" Was my oh-so intelligent response.
"Sit up; I need to wrap your wound." The Leader said again.
"Oh, right, sorry." I realized I had at some point been flipped over onto my back, so I slowly sat up, careful not to make it worse. Blood flowed quickly from the wound and I cringed from the sight of it.
"Shit." The Leader said, and I paled when a cloth was roughly pushed against my wound. "Hold that there for a sec."
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't be so violent with her. Look, she looks like she's about to vomit! She doesn't have our muscle strength, you know." The Leader blew him off, but still double-checked on me. I didn't want to appear weak, so I lifted my arms and carefully applied pressure with the cloth, indeed feeling quite sick now he had hit my stomach. His gentle shove felt like a punch to me, and my muscles were useless to block it as they had all weakened due to my time spent unconscious.
The Leader reached over to his bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a stack of bandages. He swiftly removed the cloth and starting wrapping my stomach, hands steady and strong. But he was gentler this time, making sure not to bump my wound too hard and didn't apply more pressure than needed. It made me feel a bit ashamed of myself, and that I had let down the Lon Femina name, but it made me feel better too. Like someone actually cared about the little things.
"Done. You're good to go." He finished off his wrapping with a well done knot and stood up, putting his bag on.
I stood up too, but accidently moved to quickly and fell down again. A hand appeared in front of me. "Need some help, my lady?" I smiled at Kojo, and I took his hand with a slight blush. Who wouldn't blush if a handsome, funny stranger offered you his hand and sweet words?
He pulled me up, and I carefully bowed. "Thank you for saving me, everyone!"
The Leader and Kojo looked a bit startled while the other one remained passive (I will from now on call this one 'Poker'). Kojo quickly broke into a smile, and said, "Your welcome!" and the Leader didn't say anything.
Amethyst trotted over to me and squeezed my leg, hugging me tightly. I wanted to bend down and hug her too but I knew I couldn't, so I settled for patting her on the head.
"Can you run with that?" The Leader asked.
"I think so. I'll give it a go." I replied, remembering I had a job to do.
"Let's go then."
We started running again and I noticed that we were going at a considerably slower pace, and I thanked the stars that the Lon Mas weren't as bad as everyone made out. I smiled at the thought of telling Drill Master Grazela about it, hoping that maybe this could lead to some sort of friendship between the Lon Mas and the Lon Femina.
After a while of running (the whole time with me having a firm grip on Amethyst's hand), we came across open skies and grassy plains. The trees had abruptly ended and you could see straight ahead of you as far as the eye could see now. This would make hunting both easy and hard at the same time.
"Okay men-" The Leader started.
"And women!" Kojo burst out and winked at me, smiling ear to ear.
The Leader glared at him before continuing. "Okay, we will be hunting the Ghimora Adherents for the feast. We need eight of them, so each of us should get two. No messing around. Now, let's go!"
"But what about Nayruukana? She can't fight like that, right?"
Poker glared at me.
"No, no, it's fine! I use a bow and arrow so I don't directly fight. I'll make sure to do my part." I said, determined to do what I came here for.
"I will be watching over her." Amethyst put in, and I smiled at her. She didn't smile back, but at least she wasn't upset like before. Still as emotionless as the day I met her, and compared to her fearful face from before, I found I didn't mind so much.
"Are we done with the interruptions yet?" The Leader asked, and I flushed.
"I'm ready!" I said.
"Well then, let's finally go."
We had demolished the area. Ghimora soldiers had been falling left and right. Even though we only needed to kill eight of them, they just kept on coming, and there's no way all four of us could have fitted on the Celero. They didn't come after they saw me though.
I knew what Ghimora were. They were Lon Femina betrayers, who had abandoned their lives and become wild bestia, forever trapped between Lon Femina and bestia due to the dark magia. As far as I could tell, they kept their memories and emotions, but were driven by their senses. The most emotions I had seen them show at the times they crossed the border into Natura Asylum were anger, fury, and greed. That's why I was so surprised to their reaction to me.
I had shot one down, then two, then eventually at least six, when one of them finally had the brains to look up at what was shooting them. I was up on a hill, far above the area and killing from there, knowing that I wouldn't be able to move much with my wound. It was actually quite relaxing; piecing them with my arrows felt like a justice to the Lon Femina's and I was rather enjoying having some power for once. Amethyst seemed to be enjoying it too, taking the time from her flower picking to use her Burn every once in a while on random Ghimora soldiers, and she smiled when they looked bewildered as to why they were suddenly on fire.
When one looked up in fury, I aimed for her head, piecing through her skull quickly. But not quick enough to kill her before she screamed in terror, attracting the attention of everyone around her. The others looked up at me, and they all started screaming too, running for the hills and abandoning their weapons. It was almost scary how quick it had happened. One second they were angrily trying to stab us with spears and staves, and the next the field was empty. They had fled the second they saw me, with mind-numbing fear and escape the only things in their minds.
The Lon Mas stared too, wondering what the hell had just happened. I wondered that too. Traitors of the Lon Femina were scared of me to the point of screaming…
But…why? What had I done? That was the question about everything, though.
What had I done in the past? Had I ever been here before? Had I ever seen a Ghimora before now? Did I use to know any of these Lon Femina before they had changed? I didn't know, didn't have a clue. Everyone in Natura Asylum refused to tell me anything, saying I would discover these things on my own. But how could I? What would I need to do to get my memories back?
Anything…I would do…anything…
"Nayruukana…? Nayruukana!" Amethyst's voice was the only thing that I heard, and I had the slightest feeling that I was falling.
"Damn!" That far away voice was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.
"What am I supposed to do with her?"
Ugh...
"Just watch her. I'm only gonna be gone a second, so just, watch her. She probably won't wake up anyway." Heavy steps pounded away.
What the...
"Damn. 'Watch her' he says. What am I supposed to do now?" The voice sighed. "Ah, fuck this. I'm not watching her."
More heavy steps leaving the room, and then silence. I groaned quietly, and a hand fluttered against my cheek. "Nayruukana? Nayruukana, please wake up."
Amethyst. My Anima. She would know what's going on. "Amethyst…"
"Can you open your eyes?"
I did slowly, looking up at a low ceiling that wasn't the green, leaf shelter of my hut. "Amethyst…where are we?"
"The Lon Mas healing camp."
Lon Mas! "Lon Mas!" I sat up quickly, but gasped when my stomach ached.
"You don't remember, do you?" She said it like it was to be expected. I wasn't that bad at remembering things.
"Gimme a sec."
I thought carefully, trying to think of what happened before I fell asleep. Okay, I was with Lippa, went to Lon Mas camp, ruined the food, promised to- Oh! Okay, I remember now.
"Alright, so why are we here?"
"You fell unconscious at the end of the fight with the Ghimora. You fell off the top of the hill, around a fifthten meter fall," I did what? I mentally checked myself if I felt any bones broken. "and the Lon Mas Leader caught you before you could hit the ground." Oh, good. That explains my lack of broken bones.
"We better head home now." I got out the bed carefully now that I remembered my wound, and took Amethyst's hand. I saw my bag on the far side of the room and grabbed it. "Let's go, Amethyst."
"I'm back, how is she, Judo?" The Lon Mas leader brushed the cloth entrance away, and looked at the bed. When he saw I wasn't there, he did a double-take and looked around. He saw me out of bed and scowled. "What are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm going home. Thank you for your hospitality." I made to step towards the door, but he blocked my path. "What?"
"Get on the bed." I didn't move, defiant for once. "Now." He growled.
I got on the bed. I sat down awkwardly, not sure what I was supposed to do now.
"Arms up." I put my arms up without question, getting used to the ever harsh commands that appeared without warning.
He undid the dirty bandages that were around my stomach, carelessly throwing them to the floor in preference to the new, fresh bandages that were in his hands. "Where's Judo?"
"He left under a minimum ten seconds after you gave him charge." Amethyst said, the corners of her eyes narrowed slightly. "Although I must say, I didn't really like him much in the first place."
"I'll deal with him later." He finished wrapping the bandages, and I smiled. The others ones were becoming quite smelly.
"Thank yo-"
"Grand Warmaster Gaurun wants to see you, now." He got up and walked away from the bed, stalking out of the door.
I inwardly huffed; he always walked off without me. "I'm sorry, who is that?" I followed. Amethyst trotted after.
"He's the Military Leader of the Lon Mas. While the Elders hold power, he does also as he commands the military actions of the tribe."
"W-what does he want with me?" I stammered, confused.
"Heck if I know. Probably going to judge you or something." He murmured.
"Oh, right, ok. No problem." Judge me? As in, trials and accusations? I hadn't done anything wrong! Well, yes I ruined the feast they were preparing for the men who had just returned from war, but I had done my bit, right?
"You're the talk of the town, you know." He said, interrupting my thoughts.
"Oh, really?" I said.
"Yeah. All I hear when I turn round a corner is 'There's a Lon Femina in Fera Centrum.' Everybody knows your name now too, thanks to Kojo, so don't be too surprised."
"Alright." I said.
He didn't say anything else so I didn't say anything either. We walked through the town that I was starting to recognize and I still found myself marvelling at it. I even paused for a second to stare at a large hut with decorative patterns all over the roof, but Amethyst pulled me along before anyone could look at me weirdly.
"That's him." He said.
I looked ahead at where he was pointing and saw a big, burly Lon Mas over- looking the area. He saw us and waved us over. I gulped, suddenly over run with terror.
"So,"Grand Master Gaurun said, voice booming. "You're the famous 'Nayruukana' I've heard about, huh?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm Nayruukana, Lon Femina, from Natura Asylum. Hello." I nervously shot my hand out. "It's nice to meet you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Call me Gaurun." He said and shook my hand. "And who is the child?"
"This is Amethyst, my Anima." I wrapped an arm around her shoulder encouragingly.
"Pleased to meet you, Gaurun." She gave a curtsy in a cute fashion, giving her a forest princess look.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you too, little one." Gaurun said. "Now, straight to business. I-"
"Hey, don't start without us!"
Kojo and Poker came running over to us, waving frantically. Well, Kojo did. Poker just kind of trudged nearer and stopped as far away from me as politely possible.
"You guys were about to start without us!" Kojo accused.
"You were late." The Leader said, shrugging as if to say 'nothing I could do'.
"Boys, boys, calm down." Gaurun said. "Nayruukana, you understand that you did a bad thing, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"And why do you think it was bad?" He questioned
"That meal wasn't just for a meaningless party; it was a celebration, and symbolised something special and important to you. I don't understand your ways but the least I can do is respect them, which I did not. That is why I am sorry." I kept a firm gaze, wanting my feelings to get across through more than my words.
"While what you did was foolish, I can see that you are sincerely apologetic about what has happened, and you have surely made up for yourself in my eyes. However, it is not me who has summoned you here, so I'm unable to make final judgement. That is my son's decision." He slapped the Leader on the back.
"Hey, don't I get a say, too?" Kojo said. "I think she should come to the celebration. See exactly what she worked so hard for."
Poker grimaced, and I internally panicked. "Me? Come to the celebration? Oh no, I don't think that would work…" I was the one to initially ruin it; there was no way I'd be welcome!
"…You're going."
Huh?
"You ruined it, you're the one who should attend. Have a look and understand exactly what this celebration is about. It'll teach you not to be disrespectful to other's culture." That's what he said, but his eyes told a different story. He could see I was uncomfortable, and he was playing on that.
"Is that your final decision?" Gaurun said.
"It is."
"Good! Now that that's out of the way; Nayruukana." Gaurun faced me fully, which is slightly intimidating for a short Lon Femina.
"Yes…?"
"I was told by Kibuka that when you were carried through the gate, he could still here the Ghimora screaming! What on earth did you do to them?" He asked.
"Oh, I, um, don't know." I stammered.
"No, really, tell me, what did you do to get them in that state? Kibuka says they're not even coming close to the gate in fear of you!"
"I don't know."
"Come now, you must have some idea." He encouraged.
"I really don't know. I…I lost my memory sir." I admitted. I was trying my hardest to keep a cool head, the last time I thought about it too hard I fell off a cliff.
Though he know seemed sympathetic, the questioning still continued. "Oh! When did that happen?"
"Four weeks ago, I woke up and didn't know a thing. I was told I had preformed Miraculous Revival, and had been asleep for two weeks before I woke up."
"Miraculous Revival! You must be someone really special, huh? So what do you know?" Kojo said excitedly.
All this attention was making me uncomfortable. "Apparently, I have to discover everything on my own to give me time to adapt properly. But they have told me how the accident happened. I was with my team, the Falanx Battalion, but we were sent on a mission in a dungeon somewhere, and we failed."
"What?" The Leader spurted. I jumped and he repeated himself. "What team did you say you were on?"
"The Falanx battalion." I replied, eyeing him carefully.
"And who was on that team with you?" He asked sternly.
"I don't remember their names, but I've been told a Hume, a Beriah, an Ayin, a Lon Femina and a Lon Mas. Basically one of every race with two Lon Femina, me being one of them."
Before the Leader could say anything else, Gaurun put a steady hand on his shoulder. The Leader stopped his frantic questions and fell silent.
"Would you happen to know what's happened to the rest of your team? They haven't given any of us Lon Mas down here any word to how they are doing." () said, trying to mask his worry.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been told that all my teammates have died on that last mission. I died as well, but managed to live due to Miraculous Revival."
The Leader stormed away, snapping at his father's hand when he tried to reach out to him. Kojo went after him without a word. () himself looked very tired suddenly, and didn't bother to hide the new pain that dulled his eyes. "I'm sorry about him. You see, my eldest son fought in the Falanx Battalion and hadn't returned home from his last mission. We hoped but…we knew this situation was a possibility."
"I am so sorry." I whispered, not sure what else I could have said. "I was on his team and yet I wasn't able to keep him alive. I'm…I'm so sorry."
Amethyst clutched my hand and I squeezed, feeling something other than curiosity about my old team for the first time. I felt guilt mostly. I was the only one that came back alive; although I had died as well. Had I been any help to my team or was I as useless to them as I am now? I wanted to remember them, perhaps them most of all from my memories.
"Do not be. It wasn't your fault. Perhaps one day when you regain your memories, you can tell us about his brave adventures to places we never hoped to go. He never spoke mush about his missions, you see. Always kept quiet about whatever went on, and was very humble, saying it was nothing." He turned around and swiped a hand at his eyes. "Take her to the gate, would you? I think I need a moment in my hut."
"Yes sir." He nudged my shoulder. "Come on, move it."
"Right. Goodbye Gaurun. Thank you for your kindness." I took a step forward, and then stopped. "I will come and tell you stories about your son one day. When I get my memories back, that will be the first thing I do. I swear it."
Poker walked me to the Terasil gate, and I left without so much as a goodbye. The mood was set, and it wasn't one that was made for pleasantries. When I came back through the Terasil Gate, Gate Keeper Tre greeted me with enthusiasm even though it was late at night, and I responded best I could. After that I trailed back to my hut, the bow on my back feeling like a pile of bricks.
I flopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Amethyst copied me, flinging her arms out so one rested on my stomach.
"…I want my memories back." I said after a long silence.
"Me too." Amethyst said in a brief moment of emotion.
"I'm a lot weaker then I used to be." I stared at my hands and flexed them, wondering how they could have been strong enough to lower bestia to their knees.
"Then you should get stronger." Amethyst said.
I thought about it for a second, and decided it was a good idea. "Alright then. I'll get stronger."
I flipped out of bed and Amethyst followed. "How?"
"Getting rid of bestia is a good start. We're going to the jungle; not too far from the beach though, it's late and we shouldn't get lost." I stocked my bag with new arrows and I saw Amethyst standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf with all the potions on it. In the end she grabbed a stool and got them much more easily. I may as well keep that stool there.
"How strong are we going to get?" She asked.
"As strong as we were before. Maybe stronger. We'll do our best, either way."
"Right."
We were ready. "Let's go."
Hello everyone! Katunei999 here, up and ready to go with…a new story!
Yep, that's right folks, thanks to an awesome new game I'm playing called Prius Online made by gpotato I am once again inspired enough to get off my lazy but and get to work on a new story! It's one of the coolest games ever, and I'm totally obsessed right now. You can get it by:
1) Making an account on gpotato
2) Downloading Prius Online (or any of their other games)
3) Start playing!
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So just leave a review about what you think, and if you think I should get serious about it. And if you already play Prius online, PM me; maybe we can play together! ^_^
Love Katunei999 XOIXOIX