Chapter 6: The Deal
Senel was resting near a tree. A girl around his age sat next to him. She had blond hair and wore a blue dress.
"Senel. Wake up." The girl said.
"Mmm." Senel turned on his side. "Just let me sleep…a little longer…"
"Come on, get up." The girl said.
"Just a…little longer…" Senel said.
"All right." The girl smiled softly. "Just a little longer, but that's it.
"Thanks Stella…" Senel drifted back to sleep.
--
"Wake up!" A voice shouted.
Senel woke up with a jump start. A quick glance of his surroundings revealed he was outside at the bottom of a cliff still alive.
Wait, he was still alive! But that didn't make sense, he had been tossed of the top of the cliff which was estimated to be 100 feet above him. There was no way he could have survived. Senel then noticed the wounds he had received earlier were healed.
"Finally, you're up!" A voice said. "You sleep like a rock!"
Senel looked to his left and saw a little 9 year old girl standing next to him. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a white dress, red shoes, and wore a flower on her head. She also had a brown purse strapped around her arm.
"How…an I alive?" Senel asked.
"I couldn't believe it either." The girl replied. "All of a sudden you just fell from the sky. You're whole body was wrapped up in a golden light!"
"Golden light?" Senel asked. "Wait, never mind about that, did you see a blonde girl and a bunch of red soldiers?"
"Nope." The girl shook her head.
Darn, so much for that question.
"You look so gloomy." The girl said. "Come on, snap out of it!"
Senel remained silent.
"Well, whatever." The girl shrugged. "You're awake now, so let's go. I want you to take me to the city."
"Me? Take you?" Senel asked in surprise.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" The girl asked. "By the way, my name is Harriet. Harriet Campbell. And you?"
"Senel Coolidge." Senel answered.
"Okay, Senel, listen up." Harriet said. "I want to go to the city right away, so I need you to take me there."
Senel thought about this. It would be a good idea to return to Werites Beacon for now. Senel currently had no idea where Shirley was currently being held. The best thing to do would be to head back and gather information.
"Hurry up and make up your mind!" Harriet demanded.
"All right, all right…" Senel reluctantly agreed.
They then began to walk down the dirt path. Just then something dropped out of Senel's pocket.
"Senel, you dropped something." Harriet said.
Senel turned around and picked it up. It was the shell Pippo gave him. The shell glowed for a split second.
"Hey, no procrastinating!" Harriet shouted.
"All right, were going, were going." Senel sighed.
They then continued to walk down the path.
Hang on Shirley, I'm coming.
--
In a base hidden on the Legacy, Melanie and Cashel finished locking Shirley in her cell.
"Enjoy your stay here Merines." Cashel sneered. "Lord Vaclav will summon you when he's ready."
Melanie and Cashel then walked away.
Just then, something in Shirley's pocket began to glow. Shirley took the object out and examined it. It was the shell Quppo and Pippo gave her.
"Senel?" Shirley asked. "Senel is that you?"
There was no response from the shell, but Shirley knew the answer.
"Senel, your alive!" Shirley spoke directly to the shell. "Oh, thank goodness you're alive. I'm here Senel, I'm okay. Don't worry…"
Hello… A voice echoed through Shirley's head. Can you here me?
Where did that voice come from, the next room perhaps? Shirley walked up to the wall and spoke. "Is someone there?"
I knew it. You must be a new one. Where did you come from? You're one of the of the Ferines, too, aren't you?
Shirley gasped at the mention of the word "Ferines".
--
Senel and Harriet finally arrived at Werites Beacon.
"Is this Werites Beacon?" Harriet asked.
"Yeah." Senel answered.
Hmm, so this is where he lives. Harriet thought.
"Is this your first time here?" Senel asked.
"Hmm? Ah, yeah." Harriet answered. "I just arrived on the Legacy recently."
"Will you be okay on your own from here?" Senel asked.
"Sure." Harriet answered.
"If you run into any trouble, go see Will." Senel said.
"You mean Will Raynard?" Harriet asked.
"Yeah." Senel said.
All right! I can't believe I found him so quickly! Harriet thought. "Senel, take me to see that Will guy."
"You're still ordering me around?" Senel raised an eyebrow.
Harriet made a pair of puppy eyes.
"I don't even know if he made it back okay or not." Senel sighed before leading her towards Will's house.
Just then they spotted Will talking to Chloe. Harriet hid behind a nearby wheel barrel.
"That's Will and Chloe." Senel said. "It looks like they're both all right."
"Senel come here." Harriet whispered.
Senel hid behind the wheel barrel with Harriet.
"Why are we hiding?" Senel asked.
"Shh. Quiet!" Harriet whispered. "So that's…Will Raynard…it's really him…" Her eyes then narrowed. "Who's that woman with him?" Harriet asked. "Is that his lover?"
"Somehow I doubt that." Senel replied. "He's too old for her."
"You never know." Harriet said. "My mom always used to say 'A man and a woman don't need a reason'."
"Hmm." Senel said.
Just then, Will and Chloe noticed some commotion going on behind the wheel barrel.
"Oh, I just remembered there's something I need to do." Harriet said. "Bye bye!" She than ran off.
Will and Chloe then spotted Senel.
"Senel, what are you doing here?" Will asked.
"A man and a woman don't need a reason." Senel said. "Yeah,, that may be true."
"What?" Chloe asked.
"There was this girl thinking you might be Will's lover." Senel said.
"What?!!!" Chloe growled before she ran up to Sennel and gave him a hard slap on the face.
Senel was knocked to the ground.
--
It had been five minutes since the incident. Senel and Chloe were now inside Will's house. Senel had a red hand mark on his cheek.
"You didn't have to hit me that hard…" Senel muttered.
"Shut up!" Chloe growled.
Just then Will entered the room. "You're certain you encountered Vaclav?"
"Absolutely." Senel replied. "His soldiers called him by name."
"So, Vaclav was behind the attack on the bandits' lair…" Will mused. "I should have realized it when I saw all those red soldiers."
"Many of those soldiers are part of a force that carries out secret operations." Senel explained. "I'm not surprised you didn't recognized them."
"Well, I'm surprised you did." Will replied. "Vaclav Bolud. Third prince of the Crusand Empire, a militaristic country in the southern part of the mainland. Over the past few years, Crusand has been steadily increasing it's power by going to war with other nations. It seems Vaclav has been leading an independent division of troops from battlefield to battlefield across the land."
"Vaclav's confidant's are his three executive officers, otherwise known as the terrors." Chloe said.
"Right." Will nodded. "Melanie the Crimson specializes in fire eres, just as her name implies. Cashel the Phantom is known for his deceptive illusions in battle. And Stingle the Vicious is a master of the sword. People say he wears a mask at all times." He then paused for a few seconds. "While Melanie and Cashel are Veterans, I've heard Stingle is a relative newcomer. Perhaps he has some reason for choosing to hide his identity."
"Damn you, Vaclav!" Chloe shouted. "What are you scheming? Why did you abandon the frontline and come to the Legacy?"
"What's the matter, Chloe?" Senel asked.
"You can hardly blame her." Will said. "The Holy Kingdom of Gadoria--her home country--is at war with Crusand at this very moment."
"How did you know I'm from Gadoria?" Chloe asked. "I never told you that."
"The Valens are a famous family of knights in Gadoria." Will replied. "I've at least heard of them."
"I see…" Chloe mused. "So the Valens name is known far and wide…" She then snapped back to reality. "Raynard! We can't just sit here while Vaclav runs free on the Legacy!"
"Yes." Will agreed. "We cannot let this go, even if it means taking on an country's army."
"First, we need information." Chloe said. "We have to discover Vaclav's whereabouts and motives."
"Precisely." Will nodded. "That's why I've contacted Jay the Unseen."
"Jay? The Jay?" Chloe asked. "He's famous for having more information than anyone on the Legacy."
"We should be receiving an answer soon." Will said. "I'm going to check into it now. Would you accompany me."
"Of course." Chloe said.
"I'll go, too." Senel said.
"No you won't." Will said.
"Why not?!" Senel asked.
"You even have to ask?" Will sighed.
"How should I know?!" Senel replied.
Will shook his head in disgust. "Do you think we can trust you to travel with us after you just ran off on your own like that?"
"I had my reasons." Senel replied irritated. "And besides, I told you we were only going to be together until we got Shirley back!"
"Yeah, and then, after charging off on your own, you wound up losing her." Will crossed his arms. "Now, after all that, you come crying back for our help. You expect us just to say okay?"
"I didn't come crying back for help." Senel said.
"Then good luck working alone." Will replied. "Chloe and I will continue working by ourselves. Don't worry. If we rescue Shirley first, we'll be sure to contact you. Let's go Chloe"
Will and Chloe left the room.
"Wait." Senel called out.
As Will left the room, Chloe stopped and turned around to face Senel.
"Despicable." Chloe said before leaving the room.
Great, just great! So far Senel still had no idea about where Shirley was being held. Still, perhaps that Jay guy Will was talking about might bring around a clue. Senel didn't know about Jay's whereabouts. Perhaps the best solution for now would be to go around town and ask about him.
Senel then left the room.
--
The moment Senel stepped outside, he was greeted by Norma.
"Yo Senny." Norma said cheerfully.
"Norma…" Senel mused.
"Looks like you made it back in one piece." Norma said happily. "I was so worried about you!"
"You were?" Senel flatly asked.
"Or not." Norma smiled.
"Make up your mind." Senel sighed.
"You can gripe better than that." Norma said. "Come on, get mad."
Senel didn't say anything.
"I guess Teach and C must have come on you pretty hard, huh?" Norma said. "Well fear not Senny! Norma's on your side!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Your going to rescue Shirl, right?" Norma asked. "I'll be right there along with you!"
"Your not going to criticize me just like the others did?" Senel asked.
"Of course not!" Norma chirped. "I trust you!"
"You're a terrible liar." Senel shook his head in disgust.
"I guess there's no point in keeping that up." Norma sighed. "I don't necessarily agree with what you did, but I got my own priorities."
"What do you want?" Senel asked.
"Shirl's brooch." Norma answered.
"That's not a jewel you know." Senel said. "You wont be able to get any money for it."
"No dummy." Norma sighed. "I want the stone in the brooch. That stone looks like something I've been searching for forever. The Everlight."
"That's not what it was called though." Senel said. "It was called the…something…Tear."
"I'll tell you what." Norma said. "How about you get me that stone in exchange for me helping you rescue Shirley?"
"That's a tough choice." Senel said.
"Oh come on!" Norma said. "Don't you think her life is a lot, lot, lot more important.?"
"Well, I cant guarantee anything, but I can at least talk to her." Senel answered.
"All right, fair enough." Norma said. "That will work for now."
"All right." Senel nodded.
They then shook hands to seal the deal off.
"So what do we do now?" Norma asked. "Did you hear anything from Teach and C?"
"He said something about having contacted 'Jay the Unseen'." Senel replied.
"Seriously?!" Norma asked. "Wow!"
"Is this Jay guy really that special?" Senel asked.
"Special isn't the word!" Norma answered. "They say he knows more than anyone about what's going on around the Legacy. But he's really cautious. Nobody has ever met him in person."
"Then how do you get information from him?" Senel asked.
"You send him a letter in a certain way, and the answer comes back with the information you requested." Norma replied.
"What a pain." Senel sighed.
"All right, let's go follow Teach." Norma suggested. "Then we can figure out what those guys know."
"That's your plan?" Senel asked.
"Hey, no complaining!" Norma said. "Now let's head to the fountain plaza."
"Why the plaza?" Senel asked.
"The rumor says that's were Jay's answers come from." Norma replied. "Come on, lets go."
They then headed to the fountain plaza.
--
The moment Senel and Norma got to the main plaza, Senel wished he had sent Norma to the plaza alone. Standing in front of the fountain was Curtis and Isabella, the Bantam Bouncers.
The same bouncers Senel had been forced to fight the other day.
Just then Curtis spotted Senel.
"Uh…" Senel said.
"We meet again!" Curtis shouted.
The crowd then circled around Senel, Curtis, and Isabella. Four choir girls stood near Curtis and Isabella.
Music then began to play and the bouncers began to sing.
"The boy is here!" Curtis sang. "We found him at last! Let's hurry up and kick his a-"
"We waited so long for this day to come!" Isabella sang. "Let's take it slow and have some fun!"
"Get ready! Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!" The choir girls sang.
"Oh yah!" Curtis finished the last lyrics of the song.
Curtis and Isabella then got into their attack stances.
"Uh, Senny, did something happen between you and those people?" Norma asked.
"It's a long story." Senel said. "Well, maybe not, but I still don't want to talk about it."
"Hmm…" Norma walked up to Curtis and Isabella. "I don't know what happened, but I think you should forgive him."
"Such an offense cannot be so easily forgiven!" Curtis replied. "Right Isabella?"
"Yes Curtis." Isabella answered.
"Come on, have a heart." Norma pleaded. "Think about Senny's situation. He needs to go and save his beloved sister."
"They don't care about something like that." Senel said.
"What?!" Curtis gasped in surprise. "Your doing this for love?!"
The choir girls left and the crowd surrounding them loosened up.
"Tell us your story, brother." Curtis said.
"Wait, you do care?!" Senel asked in surprise.
"Hah ha ha." Norma laughed in triumph.
Senel then explained his situation to the bouncers. From raiding the bandits' hideout…navigating through the crystal forest…escaping the underground tunnels…fighting the Long Long Demon…and finally being caught by Vaclav's army and loosing Shirley.
"I see." Curtis nodded. "I understand completely. We'll do whatever we can do to help! Won't we Isabella?"
"Yes Curtis!" Isabella nodded in agreement.
"You just say the word, brother!" Curtis said.
Why is he calling me brother?
"If you say 'sing', we shall sing as we have never sung before!" Curtis said.
"Uh, thanks, but I'll pass." Senel said.
"So now we're looking for Teach. You know, Will. Did he come this way?" Norma asked.
"Did he come this way, Isabella?" Curtis asked.
"I saw him with Miss Valens." Isabella answered. "They were headed for Port-on-Rage."
"Port-on-Rage, huh?" Norma said. "All right, Senny, we've got our next destination!"
"To get there, head towards four o' clock once you exit the city." Isabella said.
"Brother! When you bring back your sister, I will grant you a special present!" Curtis said. "Let that rouse you to success!"
"What kind of present?" Senel asked.
"A place as an official member of the Bantam Bouncers!" Curtis answered proudly.
"Who the hell would want that?!" Senel asked.
"Let's get going Senel." Norma said.
"All right." Senel said.
Senel and Norma then left the plaza.
"Good luck, brother!" Curtis called out. "May your journey be successful!"
