1 Heraldic Mage
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Happy?
**Cross Castle Town, Inn**
We rent the two rooms. Claude and Ashton are in theirs, while Rena and myself are in the other. I lay on the bed, just staring into nothing. Rena is looking out the window.
"Homesick?" I ask. Rena just sighs.
"Yeah, a little." I give a small smile.
"Don't worry, it will pass." I begin to think back to when I decided to become a treasure hunter. My parents, of course, hated the idea. I was supposed to be the perfect lady. Yeah, right. I lay back and fall asleep.
"OK, do we have everything we need?" Claude is taking charge this morning.
"Everything except Ashton." Rena replies. I look around. Where is he anyway? When I look over at the weapons shop, I see him running out. Everyone turns to him.
"What kept ya?" Claude asks.
"I saw a pair of short swords that were better than the ones I had. So I went and got them." He pulls out a pair of newly forged short swords. Boy are they sharp! But they also look beautiful. Someone was definitely having a good day when they made those.
"Wow." Rena seems impressed too. Claude just shakes his head. Guess he isn't really interested. We head out for the Cross Mountains. We quickly find that getting there is easy, but getting up it isn't. The monsters here are exceptionally strong. Luckily, we are able to defeat them. We come up to a part that is complete vertical. We look up. I turn to them.
"Don't tell me we have to climb that…" I am really not dressed for it. Claude smiles, then starts climbing. Ashton follows him. Rena gives me one more look.
"If you are scared, feel free to stay here." Then she goes up. Scared?! I am not! I start climbing up behind her. I get to the top, and everyone is staring at a huge nest. I don't really know if I want to meet the bird that lives here. Rena steps forward.
"I don't understand… this should be it…" Ashton looks like he is going to pass out. After that climb, I can't really blame him this time. But then something else happens. He starts to glow faintly. We all turn to him.
"Ashton?" Claude asks. He doesn't respond. Instead he turns away from us… and faces a huge demon bird! We all look up at it. Ashton steps forward.
"Long time no see Xine…" his voice sounds a little different… I don't understand.
"Ashton?" Claude tries to get his attention. "What's going on?"
"I can't believe you have had to stoop so low as to possess a human." The bird can talk?! That's it… I am never using my Heraldic powers to cook breakfast again.
"There are times when one must do what is necessary to survive." Ashton still sounds strange.
"Wait… that is Gyoro and Urunun talking!" Rena says. That explains it.
"Do you actually think you can fight me in that form. As if you could beat me in your former self." Great, now the dumb bird is laughing at us.
"We shall see." Ashton… or the dragons controlling him… draw the short swords. Xine seems amused.
"Well, then. If you so wish. Let us battle." The fight begins.
**about ½ hour later**
I am really hating this. The bird is hovering over us. He seems, different now… probably because we took his beak off and handed it to him. He looks straight at Ashton.
"I don't know about these demon dragons living with humans…" he says. Ashton looks down, but Gyoro and Urunun look straight up.
"We have always been alone. Now we know companionship." Xine seems to think a moment.
"Well, then you have something I don't…" With that, he files straight up into the air. I see something falling, and Claude has the Silver Goblet out. The tears fall right into it. We all turn to Ashton. He draws his swords.
"All right…lets get that… demon… bird?" He turns to us. "Where did it go?" We just smile at him. "Great, now I'm all confused."
"Aren't you going to get rid of a certain couple of dragons?" Claude asks. Ashton seems to think a moment. Then he looks at us.
"Yes… I must have come here for that reason…" Claude growls a bit.
"Well then, we need to get back to the Salva Drift. You need to be at the place where you were possessed." We head back down the mountain. Most of the monsters seem to have lost their spirit, so it is relatively easy getting down. We head over to Salva. As we are walking, I can't help but notice that Gyoro and Urunun seem, well, a bit depressed. I can't really say I blame them. The poor things…
**Salva Drift, Dragon's Lair**
"All right Ashton. We have the Silver Goblet and the Tears of the King. Now you just need to recite the pledge." Claude hands Ashton the Goblet. Ashton takes it, but doesn't look happy.
"Err… yes…" He turns toward the interior of the nest. "We shall now begin the purification ceremony with my accursed body in front…" Gyoro and Urunun start protesting. Rena tells them to be quiet. Ashton continues. "Oh god of purification, please rid me of…" They start protesting again. All of us yell out. Ashton looks down. What is wrong? This is what he wanted. So why is he stopping?
"I can't do it…" Ashton almost whispers. "I… I just can't…"
"Ashton…?" I say. He turns to us.
"But that was why you helped me. If I do this, there will be no reason for me to go with you anymore. Gyoro and Urunun, I don't want to leave you either…" I smile. Rena steps up.
"Do you see now Ashton?" Ashton nods.
"I'm sorry I put you through all that…" he says.
"Ashton… if you want, you are more than welcome to join us." Claude says, extending a hand. Ashton takes it and they shake.
"Thank you." We head out for Herlie. This time, we should be able to cross.
To be continued…
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Happy?
**Cross Castle Town, Inn**
We rent the two rooms. Claude and Ashton are in theirs, while Rena and myself are in the other. I lay on the bed, just staring into nothing. Rena is looking out the window.
"Homesick?" I ask. Rena just sighs.
"Yeah, a little." I give a small smile.
"Don't worry, it will pass." I begin to think back to when I decided to become a treasure hunter. My parents, of course, hated the idea. I was supposed to be the perfect lady. Yeah, right. I lay back and fall asleep.
"OK, do we have everything we need?" Claude is taking charge this morning.
"Everything except Ashton." Rena replies. I look around. Where is he anyway? When I look over at the weapons shop, I see him running out. Everyone turns to him.
"What kept ya?" Claude asks.
"I saw a pair of short swords that were better than the ones I had. So I went and got them." He pulls out a pair of newly forged short swords. Boy are they sharp! But they also look beautiful. Someone was definitely having a good day when they made those.
"Wow." Rena seems impressed too. Claude just shakes his head. Guess he isn't really interested. We head out for the Cross Mountains. We quickly find that getting there is easy, but getting up it isn't. The monsters here are exceptionally strong. Luckily, we are able to defeat them. We come up to a part that is complete vertical. We look up. I turn to them.
"Don't tell me we have to climb that…" I am really not dressed for it. Claude smiles, then starts climbing. Ashton follows him. Rena gives me one more look.
"If you are scared, feel free to stay here." Then she goes up. Scared?! I am not! I start climbing up behind her. I get to the top, and everyone is staring at a huge nest. I don't really know if I want to meet the bird that lives here. Rena steps forward.
"I don't understand… this should be it…" Ashton looks like he is going to pass out. After that climb, I can't really blame him this time. But then something else happens. He starts to glow faintly. We all turn to him.
"Ashton?" Claude asks. He doesn't respond. Instead he turns away from us… and faces a huge demon bird! We all look up at it. Ashton steps forward.
"Long time no see Xine…" his voice sounds a little different… I don't understand.
"Ashton?" Claude tries to get his attention. "What's going on?"
"I can't believe you have had to stoop so low as to possess a human." The bird can talk?! That's it… I am never using my Heraldic powers to cook breakfast again.
"There are times when one must do what is necessary to survive." Ashton still sounds strange.
"Wait… that is Gyoro and Urunun talking!" Rena says. That explains it.
"Do you actually think you can fight me in that form. As if you could beat me in your former self." Great, now the dumb bird is laughing at us.
"We shall see." Ashton… or the dragons controlling him… draw the short swords. Xine seems amused.
"Well, then. If you so wish. Let us battle." The fight begins.
**about ½ hour later**
I am really hating this. The bird is hovering over us. He seems, different now… probably because we took his beak off and handed it to him. He looks straight at Ashton.
"I don't know about these demon dragons living with humans…" he says. Ashton looks down, but Gyoro and Urunun look straight up.
"We have always been alone. Now we know companionship." Xine seems to think a moment.
"Well, then you have something I don't…" With that, he files straight up into the air. I see something falling, and Claude has the Silver Goblet out. The tears fall right into it. We all turn to Ashton. He draws his swords.
"All right…lets get that… demon… bird?" He turns to us. "Where did it go?" We just smile at him. "Great, now I'm all confused."
"Aren't you going to get rid of a certain couple of dragons?" Claude asks. Ashton seems to think a moment. Then he looks at us.
"Yes… I must have come here for that reason…" Claude growls a bit.
"Well then, we need to get back to the Salva Drift. You need to be at the place where you were possessed." We head back down the mountain. Most of the monsters seem to have lost their spirit, so it is relatively easy getting down. We head over to Salva. As we are walking, I can't help but notice that Gyoro and Urunun seem, well, a bit depressed. I can't really say I blame them. The poor things…
**Salva Drift, Dragon's Lair**
"All right Ashton. We have the Silver Goblet and the Tears of the King. Now you just need to recite the pledge." Claude hands Ashton the Goblet. Ashton takes it, but doesn't look happy.
"Err… yes…" He turns toward the interior of the nest. "We shall now begin the purification ceremony with my accursed body in front…" Gyoro and Urunun start protesting. Rena tells them to be quiet. Ashton continues. "Oh god of purification, please rid me of…" They start protesting again. All of us yell out. Ashton looks down. What is wrong? This is what he wanted. So why is he stopping?
"I can't do it…" Ashton almost whispers. "I… I just can't…"
"Ashton…?" I say. He turns to us.
"But that was why you helped me. If I do this, there will be no reason for me to go with you anymore. Gyoro and Urunun, I don't want to leave you either…" I smile. Rena steps up.
"Do you see now Ashton?" Ashton nods.
"I'm sorry I put you through all that…" he says.
"Ashton… if you want, you are more than welcome to join us." Claude says, extending a hand. Ashton takes it and they shake.
"Thank you." We head out for Herlie. This time, we should be able to cross.
To be continued…