The escape from Jad wasn't as hard as they thought it would be. They simply had to run through all the guards, which Riesz and Duran called 'ghost wolves' and Hawk called 'Beastman mobile sprites lacking an opacity variable'.
Which he also called 'ghost wolves' after a manacing wave from Riesz's lance.
The ship made its way overnight to Free City Maia as Hawk and Riesz were entertained by a cutscene from Duran, who showed them home movies and slides of him and his fellow soldiers getting beat up by a man in a long red cape. When they got there they ran around, talked to some NPCs, then followed the Golden Road so they could get to Forcena to help King Richard, who they figured could help them. They weren't sure how, but even a King had to have a clue as to why the world was falling apart. Well, Hawk did have a clue, but King Richard could probably explain it without throwing around terms such as 'probability variables' and 'free-ranging bugs', which sounded a lot like farming Hornets to Riesz and Duran.
The bridge was conveniently located in a cave off the side of the road. The trio entered it and looked around.
"That's how people from Forcena get to the rest of the world?" Hawk asked in disbelief.
"Well, yeah," Duran said, confused.
"A wood and rope bridge over a gaping gorge?"
"It's worked ever since the beginning of time," Duran said primly. "I don't see what's wrong with it now."
"Do you want to talk about crosscurrents and resonant frequencies?" Riesz asked.
Hawk gave the Amazon a suspicious look. "That sounds like something related to Square."
"Rolante. Wind Kingdom. We're not all pretty blondes in skimpy uniforms."
"Really?"
"No, that'd be Navarre."
"I resent that."
"Let's just cross," Duran suggested.
"Um, point?" Hawk raised a hand. "Is this the only way in and out of Forcena?"
"Yes..."
"Then it seems likely that, despite your confidence in this bridge, we'll likely be ambushed and, despite our best efforts, the bridge will be permanently destroyed. I think we ought to at least head back to that save point, in the event that all three of us do get killed."
Riesz and Duran stared at Hawk, then looked at each other.
"Did you just catch all that?" Duran asked.
Riesz sighed. "Sadly enough, yes. Just do as he says and don't ask for explanations, because sooner or later you'll find out that he's right and the explanations are just plain insane."
"Insane?"
"He believes in a supernatural being called Square and because of it our world's falling apart," Riesz said.
"The Goddess," Duran nodded.
"No, it's Square," Riesz corrected. They went up to the silver Mana Goddess statue standing in the cave and ignored Hawk as he started talking to thin air. "He's made it clear that this Square is even more powerful than the Goddess."
"O...kay..."
"Told you he was crazy."
"No, you said I was insane."
"Shouldn't we prepare our weapons before we head in, assuming you're right?" Duran asked, cutting off Riesz's response.
"You can't," Hawk said. "Not unless you're on the same screen as a monster."
"Screen...?"
"Room or area in Square terms," Riesz explained quickly.
"Sure I can - "
Duran grabbed the sword from its sheath and tried to draw it. However, it was as though the thing was stuck to its cover and his back. No matter how hard Duran pulled, the sword wouldn't come out. Hampered by his awkward position, Duran hopped about, arms groping at his back for his weapon.
"If you weren't so right, this would be hilarious," Riesz commented.
"Aren't I always?" Hawk asked innocently.
By now the swordsman had come to a logical conclusion abou his sword's un-draw-able-ness. Since Hawk knew what he was talking about, he clearly had done something about the sword.
"WHAT'CHU DO 'BOUT MY SWORD?!" roared Duran.
"Eep!" squeaked Hawk, sounding much like either a little girl or a mouse, and he ran down towards the bridge.
"FIX - MY - SWORD!" Duran bellowed. He leapt and easily caught Hawk smack dab in the middle of the bridge.
"Whoa, watch it, crosscurrents!" Riesz yelled warningly. This, however, didn't stop Duran from trying to maim Hawk by chopping him up in itty bitty pieces with his sword. Riesz attempted to get in the way and get them separated, but when Duran called her an accomplice in crime she decided that the Navarrian deserved what he was getting. Well, maybe not, but when a man is waving a large broadsword at you any excuse sounds good.
"I thought killing the PCs was our job," commented a female NPC to another, watching the fight. Duran looked up and his rage only grew.
"ALTENANS!" the swordsman shouted and lunged towards the NPCs.
"I told you, I told you so!" Hawk yelled, now completely hysterical from his brush with death. He pointed at the Altenan mages coming in from the other end of the bridge. "They send a boss monster at us, then we're forced to find a new way to get to Forcena, likely by one of the most improbably devices you can imagine! It was devised by Square and it will happen!"
Riesz lost it then. "WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR GODDESS-CURSED SQUARE?!" she shrieked, whipping out her lance.
At the same time Duran reached the Altenan soldiers, only to smash into an invisible barrier and fall into a heap. Hawk, now completely losing it, pointed and screamed, "Square's Law of Untouchable Hostile Non-Playable Characters! Square's Law of Untouchable Hostile Non-Playable Characters!"
"Shut up, SHUT UP before I BEAT YOU TO DEATH!"
The soldiers dodged aside as Hawk fled, screaming like a madman, back to the Golden Road's end of the bridge, a Hostile Playable Character hot on his heels. The Altenans followed up by using one of their Machine Golems to drag Duran's unconscious body back with them before triggering the self-destruct device.
"There's something wrong about a fight going over this easily," one of the Altenan guards commented to another.
"By the way, why are we called 'Altenans'?" asked a second as the bridge casually blew up. "What about 'Altenian', or 'Altenish'?"
"I've been fond of 'Altenese'!" piped up a third and much-shorted soldier.
"Well it wouldn't do well for us to stand out, being the Magic Kingdom and all," the first soldier said cynically.
"Disneyworld?" asked the short Altenese soldier. "We've got the big castle and all - "
" - would boost the economy - "
" - get rid of our image as a bloodthirsty nation that would sacrifice its own children to attain power - "
"I'll run it by the Queen when we get back," the first soldier said. "Come on, we've got an invasion of Forcena to stage. I hope the Forcenans are willing to at least look like they're going to fight."
"Why do we call them Forcenans?"
"Personally, I've always been fond of 'Forcenese'."...
It's been almost a year since my last update. Why? Because the voices in my head stopped talking. Only recently did I get back to playing SD3 - this time with my nine-year-old cousin, who enjoys playing Hawk in the game. Ha ha! I'll also take a moment to plug my website, - hopefully there's stuff there that you haven't read yet and will stave you off during the next muse drought.
Anyway, I'm very sorry that it took me this long to update. I write if I feel like it...if I don't feel like writing, I don't. Sorry if that came off sounding, um, however I didn't want it to sound, but you can't rush things. I was, however, motivated by the reviews I got - more reviews than ANY of my other stories, which makes me smile - possibly the only story that has a death threat as a review, good motivation there... ::looks around nervously::
REVIEW!
REVIEW!
REV - ::is shot:: AUGH! ...Don't worry, it's only a flesh wound, flesh wound!
Thursday, December 30, 2004