Lunar: Well, here's Chapter 2. More of a filler chapter than anything. Sorry about that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this.
Chapter 2: The Desert Oasis
It's been three days since Lloyd and Genis met Mia. Currently, they and the protozoan, Noishe, are traversing the Triet Desert. Mia was leading the group, proudly marching and not letting the heat get to her. Genis was right behind her, sweating, but still keeping up. As for our protagonist, well… he was half-passed out, being carried by Noishe.
"This is so boring!" Lloyd yelled.
"If it weren't for the random monster encounters, I'd probably be in the same boat as you, Lloyd," said Genis.
"So… hot…" Lloyd complained.
"Well, that's what you get for deciding to charge into the Triet Desert at full speed, causing you to nearly get heat stroke," Genis chastised Lloyd.
"You think the Triet Desert is bad! Ha! You should have been there with me when we were in the Grann Desert or the Desert of Death or the Kauku Caverns! Those places, my friends, were HOT!" said Mia.
"Urgh…" Lloyd sighed. "Why is this desert so hot!?"
"According to legend, somewhere in this area is a gate that leads to Efreet. The heat in this area is due to Efreet's influence," Genis answered.
"How can one person do such a thing?" Mia asked.
"That is because Efreet is not a person, Mia," Genis responded. "Efreet is one of a group of beings known as Summon Spirits. They rule over the elements. Specifically, Efreet is the Summon Spirit of Fire."
"So Efreet uses his power over fire to alter the environment so that it becomes a desert?" Mia deduced.
"More or less," said Genis.
"That's good to know. I always like learning. Never know when a single piece of knowledge could mean the difference between life and death," said Mia.
"Agreed," Genis said.
Meanwhile, Lloyd had been lost in though, a rare occurrence for him.
"A gate that leads to Efreet?" he whispered. "Genis! Could that gate be…"
"Yeah. I'm sure that's the seal that Colette's headed for," Genis interrupted.
"Ah! Then that means Colette's in this area somewhere. …Man, you know a lot of stuff!" Lloyd praised.
"That's because I don't sleep in class like you do," Genis argued.
"Shut it, Genis," Lloyd ordered.
"I wonder where exactly your friend Colette and her companions are," Mia said.
"The Triet Desert covers a vast area, so it's not going to be very easy to find her," said Genis.
"They probably stopped by the city, right?" Lloyd asked.
"Yeah, I hope we can find something there," Genis sighed.
"It'd be nice if Colette left behind some sort of evidence or mark that she was there," Lloyd mumbled.
"Like the wall at school," Genis smirked.
"Heh. I doubt that'll happen again," Lloyd chuckled.
"Yeah. I guess you're right," Genis said, shaking his head.
"Genis, what do you mean by 'Like the wall at school'?" Mia asked.
"Well, as you put it yourself, Colette is a klutz, and a bad one at that," Genis started.
"We were cleaning out the school when Colette tripped, going right through the wall, leaving a hole in it that shaped perfectly like her," Lloyd continued.
"Wow. I don't think I know of anyone that clumsy. The closest person that comes to mind is Malakov," Mia said.
"I remember you telling us about him. Loves to get drunk and get in debt a lot. His sister, general, and fiancée often have to bail him out of situations," added Genis.
"Yeah, from the sounds of it, you would think he's a horrible warrior, but he's got some skill with the sword," Mia informed them.
"I'd rather be drunk and in debt right now than be stuck in this stupid desert," Lloyd whined.
"Stop complaining, Lloyd," Genis fussed. "Besides, we're here."
Lloyd lifted himself off Noishe to see some buildings and an oasis nearby.
"We made it to Triet! Last one there is a rotten Desian!" Lloyd shouted as he shot off towards the city.
"How is it that he's down in the dumps one minute then a hyperactive knucklehead the next?" Mia asked.
"Raine says he might be bipolar or have Attention Deficit Disorder, but you didn't hear that from me," Genis whispered.
With that, Mia, Genis, and Noishe walked off to catch up to Lloyd.
They managed to catch up to Lloyd just outside the city limits, nearly passed out.
"Got too excited and passed out from heat exhaustion, eh, Little Ike?" Mia asked.
"Name's… not… Little Ike…" he moaned.
"I have the perfect solution for this," Genis said.
He pulled out his kendama and chanted, "Icicle!"
Ice erupted from the ground, pelting Lloyd. He immediately shot up.
"Cold! So cold!" he shouted, shivering from the cold.
"Better now, Lloyd?" Genis asked.
"Ugh… I did not like that, but thanks," Lloyd replied. "So, we're finally here in Triet. Let's see if we can find Colette, the Professor, and Kratos."
They walked into the city to begin their search. As they did, they spotted a group of Desians. Lloyd, Genis, Mia, and Noishe quickly hid in a nearby stable, not wanting to start a fight inside the city.
"This is an order from Lord Forcystus! A human named Lloyd is on the run with an Exsphere. His identification code is unknown and has two accomplices with him. Form a cordon in all areas immediately," a Desian ordered.
"What does this Lloyd look like?" a second Desian asked.
The first Desian held up a wanted poster, which had a crudely drawn photo of Lloyd on it.
"His likeness and description are on the wanted posters. We're counting on you," the first Desian informed them.
"Yes, sir!" the other Desians replied.
The Desians split up to explore different parts of the city. One of them puts up a wanted poster, and then walks off.
"Man… wanted posters and search parties. They're really serious about wanting your Exsphere, Lloyd," said Mia.
"We need to hurry and find Colette," Genis suggested.
"Hey, I thought we were looking for Colette to protect her," said Lloyd. "This is more like we're looking for her to get help."
"Does it really matter why we're looking for her? You think too much when you don't have to!" Genis yelled.
"Fine… Let's just leave Noishe here for now and search the city for clues," Lloyd suggested.
"And make sure to avoid all Desians. We don't want to start any trouble right now," Mia added.
The three of them left Noishe in the stable and began their search for Colette. As they did, Lloyd wanted to get a better look at the wanted poster and approached it.
"Is this the wanted poster?" Genis asked.
Lloyd's photo was distorted, to say the least. His hair looked like a porcupine, his eyes were shut and his face looked swollen. His head was too big for his body, he looked like a chibi, and his signature outfit was… gaudy… and seemed to be spandex-like.
"…Am I this ugly?" Lloyd asked, his self-esteem waning.
"It's good. They'll never find you with this," said Genis. "…I think…"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Boyd drew this. He thinks he's an artist, but he can't even draw stick people. You should've seen the Valentine he drew for Mist last year. We couldn't tell if what he drew was a heart or a slab of meat," Mia chuckled.
"What's whit this poster!?" Lloyd bellowed, his attitude suddenly shifting. "They got me all wrong! They've ruined my handsome face! And I don't wear spandex like some long-haired pretty boy disco freak!"
Somewhere on Derris-Kharlan…
"ACHOO!"
"Are you coming down with something, Lord Yggdrasill?"
"No. But I do think someone's taking about me! I swear! If the Grand Cardinals are making yet another gay joke about me, heads are going to roll!"
"Of course, milord."
"Really? I think it looks a lot like you," Genis smirked while Mia just laughed.
"Oh, really? THANKS for your opinion, Genis," Lloyd sarcastically replied, giving Genis a cold glare.
"I… I was just kidding," Genis stuttered, suddenly worried about what Lloyd would do.
Lloyd just huffed and walked off. Genis and Mia shrugged and accompanied him. As they explored the city, they noticed a crowd. They walked over to the crowd to see what was going on.
"Come one, come all! Come see the hole that the Chosen made in this wall!" someone announced.
The three warriors went wide-eyed and forced their way through the crowd. When they got there, they each had different reactions. Mia started laughing out loud. Genis was shaking his head in amusement. Lloyd was just smiling. The hole in the wall was exactly like the one Colette had made at the schoolhouse in Iselia.
"Looks like you were wrong about the 'hole in the wall' thing, Lloyd," Genis chuckled.
"For once, I'm glad I was wrong. At least we now know that Colette was here. But where is she now?" Lloyd asked.
"You did say that they're looking for a seal. The place where Efreet resides, correct? But where is it?" Mia asked.
"That, no one knows," Genis said.
"Let's keep looking. We'll find a clue," Lloyd urged his companions.
At Lloyd's urging, the three continued their search. They searched high and low, looking for any clues as to where Efreet resided. Then, Mia noticed something.
"Oh, Yune!" she exclaimed. "A fortuneteller's tent! I have to get my fortune read!"
Mia then sped off, eager to learn her fortune.
"A fortuneteller?" Genis pondered.
"Let's go see. Who knows? Maybe the fortuneteller will point us in the right direction," said Lloyd.
The two headed over to the fortuneteller's tent and went in. They found Mia right in front of the fortuneteller, talking with her.
"Welcome to the House of Fortune. What would you like me to divine for you?" she asked.
"Two things: the location of my five missing friends and what exactly my white-clad archrival is up to right now," said Mia.
"Also, I'd like to know where Colette… where the Chosen is now," Lloyd interrupted.
The fortuneteller thinks for a moment, and gives her answer.
"Understood. That'll be 300 Gald," she tallied up.
"What!? That's expensive! First the House of Salvation, and now you! What's next? I'm gonna get charged to breathe or something?"
"…Did you say something?" she asked, as if she had been snapped out of a daydream.
"Ah, n… no, I…" Lloyd stuttered.
"Here," said Genis said as he handed over the Gald.
"I will start with the lady's requests, then the young man's," she replied.
The fortuneteller began to gaze into the crystal ball, searching for answers.
"Ah! Young lady! I see your five missing friends! I can see the general location of where they are. Good news, they're all alive and well. Now I shall tell you where they are. I see that a blue cat represents one of your friends. He is currently sitting in a jail cell, but don't fret! A crimson knight will free him soon and you will meet up with the knight and cat. The cat will be the first you reunite with," the woman started.
"The cat must be Ranulf, but who's the knight and why is he jailed?" Mia pondered.
"Your next friend is represented by lightning. She is in the lands east of here, in the city of many boats. She is hungry, but otherwise okay. You will meet her when a relative of the mage's deceased friend is in mortal peril," she predicted.
"She must be talking about Ilyana, but who's this 'relative of the mage's deceased friend'. She could be talking about Genis' friend Marble, but I'm not sure…" Mia thought.
"The third friend is symbolized by an orange-brown cat. She is stuck in a village of adventurers, hiding from mercenaries, awaiting the blue cat to save her," the fortuneteller continued.
"She has to be talking about Lyre and she's being hunted down, but she can take care of herself for now. Where is she, though?" Mia asked herself.
"The fourth friend is symbolized by wind. He is in an ancient city, learning about the past. You will meet him right before the time of sacrifice," she informed Mia.
"Most likely Soren there. …A sacrifice? A ritual of some sort, I guess," Mia told herself.
"Your fifth and final friend, whom is most precious to you and is represented by blue flames, is now currently residing in a city of water. He is acting as that city's guardian. You must reach that city before the Chosen's third trial. Otherwise, his life will be in grave danger!" the fortuneteller warned.
"That's Boss!" Mia exclaimed in her head. "I know that Boss can handle himself, but I'm still worried…"
"Now, as for you white-clad archrival, Miss, I see her more clearly than your friends. Right now, she is in your ruler's castle, in the throws of passion with a dignitary of her country. The man who speaks so much, yet says so little, constantly asks her to marry him, but she refuses, stating her duty to the Emerald Queen is more important. Your rival is also thinking about you and your friends as well, wishing for your safety," she finished.
"Lucia and Bastian… When will they get their act together?" Mia thought as she shook her head.
Mia took out a piece of paper and a pen, quickly writing down all the fortunes for future reference.
"I've done the lady's fortunes; now for the young man's," said the fortuneteller.
She gazed into the crystal ball once more, searching for answers.
"Mmm… I can see her!" the fortuneteller exclaimed. "The Chosen is heading for the oasis that is said to have been destroyed when Efreet went out of control."
"…Is that true?" Genis asked.
"The Chosen's companion said so, so there's no doubt," the fortuneteller replied.
Lloyd and Genis sweatdropped at that comment and took their leave, taking Mia with them before she could ask for more fortunes and spend more of their Gald.
"I guess that really wasn't any help. We didn't learn any useful information," Lloyd sighed.
"But we did. I now know that my friends are safe and sound, for the moment, and that I'll find them soon. And I learned that my rival is STILL refusing to get married," Mia corrected.
"And I know of the place the fortuneteller told us about. It's a group of ruins southwest of here called the Triet Ruins," Genis added.
"You know where it is!? Then let's go!" Lloyd shouted.
He attempted to take off, but Mia grabbed Lloyd's white scarf, keeping him there.
"Not so fast, Eager McBeaver!" said Mia.
"Hey! Mia! Let me go! We gotta go meet up with Colette!" Lloyd pleaded.
"Actually, it would be a wiser idea to remain here in Triet," Mia suggested.
"Why would you say that? I think Lloyd's right; we need to get to Colette as soon as we can," said Genis.
"Think about it for a minute. They're going to some ruins southwest of here. This is a huge desert and Triet is the only city in it," said Mia.
"I don't get it," said Lloyd.
"…Ah! I get it. Because Triet is the only city around in this desert, Colette HAS to come back here for supplies after she visits the seal!" Genis realized.
"Exactly. It would better to remain in Triet and wait for them to return than to exhaust ourselves trying to catch up to them at the ruins," Mia clarified.
"But that'd mean not seeing Colette for several days!" said Lloyd.
"What's wrong, Little Ike? Can't go a couple more days without seeing your girlfriend?" Mia teased.
"Colette's not my girlfriend!" Lloyd yelled.
"Hahahahaha. Okay, okay. Think about it this way. If we stay here in Triet until the Chosen arrives, I can spend this time training you. You'll get stronger," Mia suggested.
"…I suppose you're right. But let's start training right away!" Lloyd proclaimed.
"Sure!" Mia replied.
The three then began to search for an inn to stay at. As they did, they ran into a group of three Desians.
"Hey! Doesn't he look like the guy in the wanted poster?" Desian #1 asked.
"Let's see… Yeah, he looks just like it!" Desain #2 replied.
"Good for you Lloyd. They say you're good looking," Genis smirked.
"Do I really look that bad?" Lloyd asked.
"Of course not," Mia answered.
"You must be Lloyd!" Desian #1 shouted.
"…Yeah, that's right," Lloyd admitted.
"Hey, what about your usual 'Who are you to ask for my name' thing?" Genis asked.
"I'm not gonna even bother," Lloyd sighed.
"Heheh… I guess you can't run away with a poster of your face everywhere!" said Desian #2.
"You're really starting to piss me off!" Lloyd yelled.
"Get him!" Desian #1 ordered.
The three Desians then charged Lloyd and company.
"Lloyd, the swordsman is yours. Genis, get the one with the crossbow. Whipping boy is all mine," Mia ordered.
"Got it," said Lloyd.
Lloyd charged the enemy swordsman. The Desian swung his blade, trying to decapitate him. Lloyd blocked with his left blade, then swiped with his right blade, and turned on his heel, slashing the Desian with his left blade. As the Desian stumbled, Lloyd rushed up to him; Lloyd swiped at him right, left, right, and then followed it up smacking the Desian upwards then jumped and did a downwards slash with his Tiger Blade attack. The Desian fell to the ground, dead.
Genis dodged several arrows fired by his opponent. He fired blasts of water to distract his foe. He then ran and stopped in front of him, and swung his kendama. The kendama's ball made contact with the Desian's chin, sending him flying. Genis then cast Lighning, electrocuting the Desian. When the Desian made contact with the ground, Genis caused stones to erupt from the ground to bludgeon his opponent, killing him.
Mia was dancing around, dodging the whip her enemy was using. When the Desian swung again, Mia put Alondite in front of her to block. The whip hit the blade and wrapped about it. Mia yanked hard, causing the whip and the Desian to fly forward. She then sent her blade through the Desian's chest, twisted it, and ripped it out. The Desian died at that moment, lying in a pool of his blood.
"Heh. All talk," Lloyd scoffed.
"Lloyd, don't let your guard down, or you'll regret it," Mia warned him.
"I'm not letting my guard down. It's just that they were so pitiful… Whoa!"
The last thing he recalled was an attack at his back, Mia and Genis rushing to his side, and two Desians getting a hold of him. Then all went black.
Lunar: So Lloyd's been knocked out. Uh oh. What will happen? And can you figure out what the predictions the fortuneteller made means? Regardless, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter: Escape from the Enemy Base.
