BRICK! OW! Jeez, I'm doing my exam.s, give me a break!
BROKEN BRICK! ...itai...
"I've figured it out," Riesz said. The three of them had spent hours poring over books, trying to figure it out.
In the centre of the large table were the items that had been found on Carlie's dresser. A gold charm bracelet, with tiny charms representing the eight spirits. And aquamarine ribbon. A shred of red cloth from a cloak. A jade statuette of a dragon. A porcelain figurine of the Mana Goddess. A necklace with a pewter Mana Stone pendant on it. The note had been turned over to show a sketch someone had done of the three Heroes, and it had been left with the things.
"She left us clues because she wants us to stop her," Riesz said.
"Well duh," Hawk said. "But how does that help us?"
"She wants us to stop her," Riesz repeated.
"That doesn't make much sense," said Heath.
Riesz jabbed a finger at her book.
"She's gone crazy - "
Hawk coughed. "Understatement."
"Be quiet!" Riesz snapped. She continued. "I've seen it in the army - she's snapped from the stress."
Heath raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't noticed," he said. "She looked...sane."
"She was fifteen when she destroyed the Dark Lich," Riesz explained. "How old is that in elf years - barely an infant who's walking and talking? She killed Deathjester, Koren, Jagan, not to mention countless monsters. She even saw a field of dead people in the Mana Holyland!"
"Okay, so that might explain the whole must-kill-friends thing, assuming that she did try to kill us," Hawk said, "but the demon script? Out of nowhere."
"Dead spirits..." Heath had caught on. "They hadn't been put to rest properly, so they returned to Carlie to haunt her. And because of the battle fatigue, she couldn't handle them, and they took over. Her aging - it's stressing her out."
Hawk leaned forward and started to sift through the items with a dagger. "When Mana disappeared, the eight spirits must've died. They've got Carlie." He pointed at the other items. "Ribbon - Bigieu. cloth - Koren. Dragon - " Hawk paused. "Haven't a clue."
Heath looked away. Hawk and Riesz exchanged looks, then decided that it might need explanation later.
"Goddess - it must be the old Goddess. Mana Stone - the Godbeasts."
"Goddess, she has gone crazy," Riesz gasped.
Heath could only stare in shock. "Twenty different beings, all talking to her," he managed to say.
"And I still think 'gone crazy' is an understatement," added Hawk. "But did you notice something? She's in control. She hasn't - yet - turned into a screaming homicidal maniac. Carlie's probably using someone else's brains - I'm not saying she's stupid, but she has better to work with - and forming her own strategies."
"But what is she trying to do?" Riesz mused.
Hoping to shed some light, Hawk flipped to Carlie's translated poem in his book:
In order to survive, all living things in this world fight desperately and devour those they defeat.
Must one kill other living things in order to survive?
Must one destroy another world in order to allow one's own world to continue?
The wounded in turn wound and torment those weaker than they themselves are...
There are only the killers and the killed...
The sinners who are judged, and the victims that do the judging.
What meaning is there to such a world?
There was a moment of silence, then Heath understood.
"She's going to end the world."
And thank you Squaresoft for the poem.
BROKEN BRICK! ...itai...
"I've figured it out," Riesz said. The three of them had spent hours poring over books, trying to figure it out.
In the centre of the large table were the items that had been found on Carlie's dresser. A gold charm bracelet, with tiny charms representing the eight spirits. And aquamarine ribbon. A shred of red cloth from a cloak. A jade statuette of a dragon. A porcelain figurine of the Mana Goddess. A necklace with a pewter Mana Stone pendant on it. The note had been turned over to show a sketch someone had done of the three Heroes, and it had been left with the things.
"She left us clues because she wants us to stop her," Riesz said.
"Well duh," Hawk said. "But how does that help us?"
"She wants us to stop her," Riesz repeated.
"That doesn't make much sense," said Heath.
Riesz jabbed a finger at her book.
"She's gone crazy - "
Hawk coughed. "Understatement."
"Be quiet!" Riesz snapped. She continued. "I've seen it in the army - she's snapped from the stress."
Heath raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't noticed," he said. "She looked...sane."
"She was fifteen when she destroyed the Dark Lich," Riesz explained. "How old is that in elf years - barely an infant who's walking and talking? She killed Deathjester, Koren, Jagan, not to mention countless monsters. She even saw a field of dead people in the Mana Holyland!"
"Okay, so that might explain the whole must-kill-friends thing, assuming that she did try to kill us," Hawk said, "but the demon script? Out of nowhere."
"Dead spirits..." Heath had caught on. "They hadn't been put to rest properly, so they returned to Carlie to haunt her. And because of the battle fatigue, she couldn't handle them, and they took over. Her aging - it's stressing her out."
Hawk leaned forward and started to sift through the items with a dagger. "When Mana disappeared, the eight spirits must've died. They've got Carlie." He pointed at the other items. "Ribbon - Bigieu. cloth - Koren. Dragon - " Hawk paused. "Haven't a clue."
Heath looked away. Hawk and Riesz exchanged looks, then decided that it might need explanation later.
"Goddess - it must be the old Goddess. Mana Stone - the Godbeasts."
"Goddess, she has gone crazy," Riesz gasped.
Heath could only stare in shock. "Twenty different beings, all talking to her," he managed to say.
"And I still think 'gone crazy' is an understatement," added Hawk. "But did you notice something? She's in control. She hasn't - yet - turned into a screaming homicidal maniac. Carlie's probably using someone else's brains - I'm not saying she's stupid, but she has better to work with - and forming her own strategies."
"But what is she trying to do?" Riesz mused.
Hoping to shed some light, Hawk flipped to Carlie's translated poem in his book:
In order to survive, all living things in this world fight desperately and devour those they defeat.
Must one kill other living things in order to survive?
Must one destroy another world in order to allow one's own world to continue?
The wounded in turn wound and torment those weaker than they themselves are...
There are only the killers and the killed...
The sinners who are judged, and the victims that do the judging.
What meaning is there to such a world?
There was a moment of silence, then Heath understood.
"She's going to end the world."
And thank you Squaresoft for the poem.