Chapter 3
"He said they'll come to us." Izzy said. Matt was pacing before a fire. It was a cold night on the Isle of Screpia. The moon was full and there was not a cloud in the sky. "Yes but they should've been here by now." He tossed a stick in the fire. Izzy took a bite of his fish. "They're just slow I guess." Matt leaned against a tree. "That's just stupid though leaving them alone with Pixter? Why didn't Cloud stay with them?" Izzy took another bite of fish. "I don't know. Just calm down and have some fish. They'll be here by tomorrow."
The group huddled around a small fire. The cold wind blew off the ocean. "I'm starving." Rika said. Kidd's stomach growled in agreement. The only one in the group that seem content was Kouji. He pulled his trench coat tight over his body. "We would've had dinner if ya'll would've caught some fish." Pixter said. "I hate fish," Sora grumbled. Pixter looked at her. "Get used to it. That's what we'll be having for a while." Surge looked at the forest. "Why can't we go through the forest?" A gust of wind dampened the fire. "Why?" Pixter said "because bands of wandering orcs live in the forest. And no one in this group could have a decent chance against them." "Why don't they come out on the beach?" "For two reasons, they hate the sun, and they hunt by scent. They can't smell you out here because of the salt." Kouji stood up and began walking toward the water's edge. Rika got up and followed him. "Well I'm hittin' the sack and I suggest ya'll do it too." Pixter said. With that he disappeared in a cloud of dust. "This whole thing is screwed up and makes no sense." Kidd muttered. Sora tossed a twig in the fire. "Do any of you remember what happened before we came here?" Surge asked. Sora shook her head. "No, nothing. It's like all of our memory was erased." Kid said. The clouds parted and a full moon shone down on the group.
He had no clue why he was here. He was scared but didn't want to admit it. Kouji Ichioui would never admit being afraid. He was the strong one, the tough one, the one with the most open wounds. Scars of his past still haunt his present. He couldn't remember anything from his direct past, yet his scars pulled his memory our of the dark whirlpool of unknowing. Everyday of his life the pain haunted him, tormented him, constantly reminding him of his dark past. Only one thing brought calm to his turbulent world. The sea. The quiet lap of the waves, the smell of salt, the knowledge that when you wake up tomorrow that it will still be there, in it's never changing cycle. He stared out into it. The moon reflected off the water. It rose one each wave and crashed in each swell. It was the calm that he sought. Suddenly he sensed someone behind him. "What do you want." He coldly said. Rika had followed him from the fire. "Nothing, I guess just to talk." Rika said. He turned to look at her. "They talk." Nodding toward the group huddled by the fire. "I know." He turned back toward the ocean. "Then why-" "Am I here?" She finished for him. "I don't know you just seemed more like me than them." There was a pause. "There is no one like me. You don't even know me in the slightest bit. You have no knowledge of my past or what I feel every day. You are not like me." He bent down and picked up a piece of driftwood and tossed it out in the ocean. "Well you don't know me so we might be alike." He snickered "Doubtful."
It was Izzy's turn to take watch. He leaned against a tree and whispered to it. Soon it's roots came out from the ground and formed into a chair. He sat down in it. There was definitely benefits being a Druid. He slouched in the chair. The night was cloudless and the moon shone down into the little clearing. He pulled a pipe from his pocket and struck a flint. He took a puff and began to think when it all began, when it all started. It seemed like such a long time ago. Even though your body doesn't age in this world your mind still does. Faint memories of his home town were suppressed by the cold reality of this world. H couldn't remember the last time that he had eaten an old fashioned home cooked meal or actually slept in a bed. All he could remember was the harsh memories of past battles and countless bloodsheds of this world. Limbo was not a pleasant place to be, especially being a guardian in this time. From being a straight A student to being a druid. Life sure tosses you some unexpected curves. But was this even life's course or was this some other divine spiritual force? He stood up from his chair, which in turn sunk back into the ground. He began pacing around the small clearing. The fire had died down to a smoldering heap of ashes. The dryness of the grimd reminded himself that this world cares for no one, and cares for nothing. He knew that his job would be finished in this world soon. It was marked by the arrival of the lost spirits yesterday. They were the ones that were destined to vanquish Mephisto, the dark lord of this world. He looked up at the moon. It sat there alone in the sky, no stars, no clouds. It was about time to switch shifts. He walked over to where Matt was sleeping. He knew better than to kick him to get him up. Once when he tried it, he almost got his leg cut off. Taking a step back he picked up a stick and threw it at Matt. In a flash a blade flashed in the moonlight and cut the twig in half. Izzy chuckled. "Always awake when you're asleep." Matt rolled over. "It's time already?" "Yep" Matt sprung up. "Well get some sleep, morning is coming early."
'Why did I even volunteer for this stupid job.' Rika thought. She had agreed to go with Surge to find fire wood, and now outside of the fire ring she was freezing. She picked up meager pieces of drift wood that wouldn't last them more than an hour, but that's all there was there. 'Damn luck.' She thought. 'I didn't ask for this, I didn't want this, why the hell am I here?' She had always been the smart student who slacked off, she was popular but not popular, she had a good life. Now her path of life had a hole in it, and she fell into it. She was confused and scared but she didn't want to admit it. She was a born leader, yet now she didn't want to lead. She wanted to be lead, out of this place. Surge was a couple of steps ahead of her. The hadn't said a word since they left camp. He was a strange one, yet not as odd or cold as that Kouji. His personality could freeze hell over. But then again she could be cold like that at times. That's what troubled her friends and family. If she got angry she would go into a dark rage and begin to break things and the dark aura around her would make others feel great hatred for her and what she did. "Hey I think we got enough." Surge said. "Yeah, sure." She muttered. They began their walk back to the fire.
Kidd was already asleep. Sora knew she should get some sleep but she didn't feel safe here. She didn't like Cloud's words, "This is not a pleasant world, especially for you." The words did not bode well with her. This whole world creeped her out. She looked around. Kouji was still standing on the water's edge. Rika and Surge were out looking for more wood. She shook; partly from the cold, partly from fear. She always had to be the strong one in the family. Her mother left when she was in fifth grade and left four other kids alone with her and her father. Her father worked long hours which forced Sora to take on the role of mother. She sighed. Raising four children when you're only in sixth grade wasn't the easiest thing in the world. When she was in ninth grade her father was fired and she was forced to take on a job. Life was never fair to her. All her dreams and aspirations were pulled from her as her life kept spiraling downward. A tear formed in her eye. At the end of the ninth grade the youngest, Tommy, developed leukemia and died in the following month. They had no money at the time and the medications dragged the family in the hole. She kicked the sand. 'Never fair, life is never fair.' She thought. Now life had cast her out of its sight and into an unknown world full of strange and dangerous creatures and even deadlier secrets. She heard someone walking up and she quickly wiped her watering eyes. She turned to see Rika and Surge walking back to the fire. 'Might be able to get some sleep now.'
He looked up into the night sky; the moon was directly above them. Matt was sitting on a rock outside directly outside the clearing. The night was rather bright for once from the full moon. Then again he wasn't inside the forest like usual. He pulled out his orc dagger. Its light blade and rugged metal made up for it's crude appearance and composition. He slid out a sharpening stone and began scraping away at the blade. Flakes of blood and metal chipped off the blade. He had taken it from the first Orc that he had slain. It was the only weapon that he had taken from battle. All his other weapons were crafted from dwarves and imbued by the elves, making them the deadliest weapons one could bring into battle. His kiriss' and mace came from Mt. Cornilla while his sword came from the western dwarves in the Crystal Mountains. But there was one weapon that he had crafted himself. His staff. The staff was like no other; the wood was from the heart of an Ent, the blades, and it had been blessed by the greatest from each species. It rested at his foot, tired from the relentless battles. He slid the knife back into its shelf. Matt stood up; his mantle cloaking his body, rendering him nearly invisible in the forest. He walked over to the smoldering fire. The ashes barely glowing, like beady eyes hiding amongst the burnt. A slight wind blew through the trees, ruffling their branches. Matt sighed, knowing the pain and death that came with the group of teens that had arrived. He had read the ancient scripts, he knew what would happen. He didn't want to be the one to tell them that only a few will survive, the rest will perish. Half chuckling he thought of his situation. He always liked being in control of things, but death would not, could not be controlled. She had a mind of her own. He had stared into her face, into her eyes and defied her many times, and walked away from her. That's why he knew this quest would be his last. Returning to the stone he sat down for his shift had just begun, and he must ponder over his next move.
Surge was the last one awake, except for the stature. He stared intently into the fire. As a child he always was venturing out into the woods behind his house, always acting like a great explore journeying through unknown jungles. He always liked new or different experiences, and this would definitely qualify as a new experience. But here he fest something different, something he usually never felt back at home. Fear. He felt fear dance in the shadows of his mind, and he despair hiding in the darkest corners of his mind. He didn't want to show his fear; at home he was the brave one, going ahead of the group, always the one to walk into uncertainty first. Yet now he didn't want to be the one to go ahead. All he wanted to do was to go home to his own bed and sleep soundly, never to think of this place again. Sleep. The word echoed in his head, it dulled his senses. He felt it calling, beckoning for him. His eyelids became heavy; the fire became a little line, and then darkness. He fell forward and slept soundly to the sounds of waves.
Kidd awoke to the sound of the waves, the never ending waves. She opened her eyes slowly, letting the predawn sun filter through her eyelashes. The sun was creeping over the edge of the ocean. All was good. A bird call came from the forest, signaling that a new day had come to the island. Unfastening her metal clip, she let her blond hair hang down. It was a tradition for her to braid her hair every morning. As she did she looked around the fire. The girl named Sora was curled up in the sand next to the fire, like a kitten. Surge was sprawled out over a log, partially on it, partially off. Kouji was sitting Indian style with his head in his hands, sound asleep. But the last girl was not with them. Finishing braiding her hair she scanned the beach for her, but she was not to be seen. She clipped her braid and stood up, brushing the sand off herself. Stretching she noticed a break in the trees a farther on down the beach and a trail of footprints leading toward it. 'Well there's nothing else to do' She thought as she started after the footprints. Kidd qualified as a free spirit. She never listened to anyone's advise except her own and did whatever she wanted. Her mom, a model, was never at home and her dad was always away on trips. On the weekends when neither of her parents were home she would throw parties which usually raged on all night, powered by drugs and alcohol. Her life was one long joyride with parties at pit stops. But what did she care, her parents were rich, she never would have to work with the inheritance she would be receiving. Reaching the parting in the forest she peered in. In its eerie appearance it provided shade from the piercing morning sun. Walking into the forest she noticed a small path of crushed underbrush. Following the path she came to a rock with clothing sprawled over it. "Rika?" She called out uncertain. There was the noise of water splashing. "Yes?" A voice came out. Kidd peered around the rock; Rika was in a small pool of water with her back to Kidd, her red hair was out of its bun and it reached the small of her back. The pool was illuminated by shafts of sunlight shining through the trees. "Who is it?" She called out. "Oh it's just me Kidd, when I woke up I didn't know where you were and-" She was cut off by a snarling in the bushes. "Wha~wha" Kidd muttered. Rika sank down into the water. Kidd searched the brush for where the sound came from. She knew she wanted to think it was her imagination but as soon as she saw two beady eyes it was real. Rika spotted it too and let off a soft whimper. The creature stepped out from the underbrush. It's body was like that of a human, two legs, two arms, but its skin was black and it's hair dark and matted. It wore crude leather armor but toted a rather large sword. "Well well well, looks like human meat for breakfast." The creature said. "Even enough for all of us" he added. As soon as he said that Kidd turned around to face two more creatures of similar stature. Rika sand lower in the pool as Kidd began to back up. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit," kept repeating in Kidd's mind. "Why did I ever leave camp looking for this girl? Now you're going to be some creatures breakfast for it." As the first creature began to wade in the pool toward Rika a dark figure fell from the trees in between the creature and Rika. The dark figure moved and light flashed off something metal and a scream pierced the air. Dropping its sword in the pool, the first creature buckled over and fell into the pool of water. Kidd had her back pressed against the rock as this happened. The other two creatures surrounding her noticed the figure and their slain friend and took off into the woods. Rika laid trembling in the water staring up at the figure, face still cloaked. He walked past her and up to the rock where Kidd was still clutching. "Release your grip Kidd, you have no reason to be afraid. Yet this incident should teach both of you a lesson to always heed warnings of others that had come before you. Rika stand and dress then both of you should return to the group." Kidd opened her mouth to ask a question but was silenced. "All will be explained tonight." With that the man leapt into the trees and disappeared.