Chapter eight: Evil's Return
Samus stood in the downstairs study of Budehuc Castle as he brought himself out of his memories. He remembered his entire life from when his father was killed like it was yesterday. Even the first time he arrived in Budehuc was a couple months ago. After arriving back at the Great Hollow, Lilly decided to go back to Tinto without telling Hugo, dragging Samus and Reed with her. However, they had almost reached the edge of Grasslands when Lilly had heard that the Flame Champion had showed up at Brass Castle and was fighting off Harmonians. Lilly instantly did an about-face and rushed to Brass Castle as quick as she could, followed by Reed and a somewhat relieved Samus. He felt that he wasn't quite prepared to leave Grasslands yet.
Arriving at Brass Castle, Samus had seen that the battle had just finished and the Harmonian forces fled. Inside Brass Castle, Lilly had walked past Hugo and Sgt. Joe, looked around and asked where the Flame Champion was. Samus chuckled to himself when he remembered Lilly turning around to see Sgt. Joe casually pointing at Hugo.
After finding out that Hugo was the Flame Champion, Lilly and her attendants joined the apparent 'Fire Bringer' army that Hugo was leading. Samus was surprised when he found out that Budehuc Castle was the base for this army.
Samus opted to hang around in the study for three reasons: One, it was right below the library, so Samus could go upstairs to read whenever he liked. Two, Anne had also joined the army and set up a Tavern just down the hall, so Samus could see her often. Three, a young man named Mike had also set up in the study, challenging anyone to a game of cards. Sure, he seemed cheerful, but Samus didn't quite trust him. There was just something about Mike that didn't seem right.
Samus was often visited by a small dog named Koroku after meals. Samus had always given Koroku some scraps leftover from meals. The dog might've been called a little weird because he could open doors, but Samus actually cared for it. Well, that was more than he could say for Mike. Whenever Koroku approached him, Mike started talking in his usual happy tone, but quickly changed to a quiet hiss of hatred. It wasn't loud at all, but loud enough for Samus to hear.
Eventually, a third person inhabited the study, a strange military man named Jefferson. He was respected by some and despised by others like Juan and Barts, the farmer. He was always freaking Samus out with his strange titles he always gave to everyone else. Samus was tempted to find a different spot to hang around, but stayed because he wanted to keep an eye on Mike.
Deciding to find something to do, Samus left the study and walked around. Lilly had gone on a mission with Hugo, Lucia, Beecham and Aila, and took Reed with her. Samus was wondering why Lilly chose Reed, though. Maybe it was because of his Rage Rune or the fact he was slightly stronger than Samus.
Samus decided to go outside. Hugo and co. were always recruiting more people to help fight in the army. Samus had actually made good friends with people like Duke, Toppo, Rico and especially Anne. He wasn't the only one. Reed had made several friends, but none as close as the young rancher, Kathy. The two of them had even started dating and still are. Samus could even remember Reed saying to him a couple months ago that he couldn't fall for someone that much young than himself.
Samus sighed, thinking of all the people that had fallen in love since joining the army. Jacques and Aila had only just started going out, and Jacques was feeling a little worried about Aila going on this mission. Edge had opened his heart to Mamie, the young cook, and the two had quickly fallen in love. Rody had even got Belle to expand her thinking beyond Hugo and the two were starting to hang around each other more. Samus was planning to express himself to Anne before the war was over, but wasn't sure whether to reveal himself as Cyra or not.
Outside, Samus walked into the 'front yard' of Budehuc. No sooner did he walk into the area did Ace charge past him with a bouquet of flowers, probably for a woman who was hanging around in the castle. Samus shook his head and continued walking. He spotted Cecile and walked over to her.
Hearing someone coming, Cecile looked over her shoulder and saw Samus walking towards her. She smiled. "Hey, Samus!" She greeted. "You enjoying your break?"
Samus sighed. "Yes and no. I'm beginning to worry about everyone."
Cecile chuckled. "I wouldn't worry, Samus. They're all great fighters."
Samus rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I just have this strange feeling that something's going to happen."
"What's the worst that could happen?" Cecile asked.
Suddenly, as if on cue, both Samus and Cecile heard a strange noise coming from the gate. Staring at the noise, the two saw a swirling, white portal standing on end, floating several inches off the ground. Suddenly, a figure was thrown from it, landing face-first on the stone step. As quick as it appeared, the portal vanished.
Samus and Cecile rushed over to the figure's side. Samus took one look at the outfit and knew it was Aila. Turning the girl over on her back, Samus looked at Aila. She was bruised and cut in some places, but she seemed all right. He noticed that she was trying to stay conscious.
"Aila!" Cecile said. "What happened?!"
"Let's get her into the Infirmary." Samus instructed Cecile. Cecile nodded as Samus scooped the barely conscious girl into his arms and ran off, followed by Cecile.
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A small group stood around an awake Aila, who sat in a chair in the Infirmary, shaking with fear. Among the group were Samus, Cecile and Jacques, who stood beside her.
"Aila, can you please tell us what happened?" Samus asked.
Aila shakily nodded. "We were g-g-going through Mt. Hei-To, inspecting some sort of strange energy m-mister Piccolo told us about." She stuttered, obviously scared stiff about something. "A squad of s-skeleton warriors arrived and a-a-ambushed us. We were c-captured and brought before the man who was giving off the strange energy. He said he was going to k-k-kill us for snooping around, but Beecham and I managed to escape with Hugo's Blinking Mirror. He th-thrust the mirror into my hands and activated it before getting caught again. I escaped, but not before getting attacked by the s-s-soldiers."
Aila suddenly broke out in tears, muttering something about it being her fault. Jacques closed his eyes and placed a comforting hand on Aila's shoulder.
Cecile approached Aila. "Aila, what did this guy look like?" She asked.
Aila paused and looked up slightly, as if trying to remember. "He was t- tall, wore white and green armour and h-had a hairstyle even stranger than R-Reed. It was all g-gelled up into a single s-spike." She replied.
Samus eyes sprang open. That almost sounded like...
"Did you catch his name?" Samus asked quickly.
Aila nodded. "It sounded like 'Solon Jhee.'" She replied.
Samus' heart his heartbeat race. He couldn't believe it! Solon Jhee was still alive?! Slowly, Samus backed away from the group, all of which were too preoccupied thinking about what Aila had said. Samus turned around and ran from the room.
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Samus sat at a table in his room, in deep thought. He just couldn't understand how Solon Jhee, the man responsible for killing his parents, was still alive, even after Samus heard that he had died several years ago.
Well, Samus knew what he had to do. Hugo, Lucia, Beecham, Lilly and Reed were all being held captive on Mt. Hei-to and could be killed at any moment. He jus had to save them, making sure that Solon Jhee died for good.
The question was: Whom should he go as? Samus or Cyra?
Samus had always carried a good amount of Karayan material just in case he ever need to go back to being Cyra. He had even made a Karayan outfit, knowing that he wouldn't grow anymore. He still kept his father's sword, and to this day, it was still sharp.
Samus narrowed his eyes as he stood to his feet. He had made his decision. He was about to walk over to a trunk lying on the floor when he realized something. Samus walked over to the door to his room and opened it. Arthur tumbled into the room.
The boy looked up from his spot on the floor and saw Samus standing over him, arms folded with an angry look. Arthur gave Samus a cheesy grin before scrambling out of the room.
Once sure that he was alone, Samus shut the door and walked over to the trunk. He pulled the trunk into the open and opened it. Reaching inside, Samus pulled out an outfit made of a different leather than Tinto.
It was time to get to work.
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Samus stood in front of the mirror to look himself over. He wore an orange and black shirt made, the two different colours of material neatly sewed together. His pants were made of black Karayan leather and his sandals were made of tough material. Samus held a pair of scissors in his hand, staring at his hair in the mirror. His hair was the main thing that would make people recognize him, even if he WAS dressed differently.
Slowly, Samus grabbed some of his hair and started cutting it.
A good half hour later, Samus was sneaking around the castle. If anyone saw him, he'd figure that they'd get suspicious.
Samus was succeeding in sneaking around anyone he encountered as he journeyed towards the ranch. Why the ranch? Because Thomas had already sent a rescue party to Mt. Hei-To and Samus wanted to get there first.
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Thomas sat at a table, thinking. Caesar was also nearby, pacing around. Both were clearly worried that the rescue party they had sent out would fail in the rescue attempt. Both though that things couldn't get worse.
Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open as Kathy ran into the room, breathing heavily. "On of my horses is gone!"
To be continued...
Samus stood in the downstairs study of Budehuc Castle as he brought himself out of his memories. He remembered his entire life from when his father was killed like it was yesterday. Even the first time he arrived in Budehuc was a couple months ago. After arriving back at the Great Hollow, Lilly decided to go back to Tinto without telling Hugo, dragging Samus and Reed with her. However, they had almost reached the edge of Grasslands when Lilly had heard that the Flame Champion had showed up at Brass Castle and was fighting off Harmonians. Lilly instantly did an about-face and rushed to Brass Castle as quick as she could, followed by Reed and a somewhat relieved Samus. He felt that he wasn't quite prepared to leave Grasslands yet.
Arriving at Brass Castle, Samus had seen that the battle had just finished and the Harmonian forces fled. Inside Brass Castle, Lilly had walked past Hugo and Sgt. Joe, looked around and asked where the Flame Champion was. Samus chuckled to himself when he remembered Lilly turning around to see Sgt. Joe casually pointing at Hugo.
After finding out that Hugo was the Flame Champion, Lilly and her attendants joined the apparent 'Fire Bringer' army that Hugo was leading. Samus was surprised when he found out that Budehuc Castle was the base for this army.
Samus opted to hang around in the study for three reasons: One, it was right below the library, so Samus could go upstairs to read whenever he liked. Two, Anne had also joined the army and set up a Tavern just down the hall, so Samus could see her often. Three, a young man named Mike had also set up in the study, challenging anyone to a game of cards. Sure, he seemed cheerful, but Samus didn't quite trust him. There was just something about Mike that didn't seem right.
Samus was often visited by a small dog named Koroku after meals. Samus had always given Koroku some scraps leftover from meals. The dog might've been called a little weird because he could open doors, but Samus actually cared for it. Well, that was more than he could say for Mike. Whenever Koroku approached him, Mike started talking in his usual happy tone, but quickly changed to a quiet hiss of hatred. It wasn't loud at all, but loud enough for Samus to hear.
Eventually, a third person inhabited the study, a strange military man named Jefferson. He was respected by some and despised by others like Juan and Barts, the farmer. He was always freaking Samus out with his strange titles he always gave to everyone else. Samus was tempted to find a different spot to hang around, but stayed because he wanted to keep an eye on Mike.
Deciding to find something to do, Samus left the study and walked around. Lilly had gone on a mission with Hugo, Lucia, Beecham and Aila, and took Reed with her. Samus was wondering why Lilly chose Reed, though. Maybe it was because of his Rage Rune or the fact he was slightly stronger than Samus.
Samus decided to go outside. Hugo and co. were always recruiting more people to help fight in the army. Samus had actually made good friends with people like Duke, Toppo, Rico and especially Anne. He wasn't the only one. Reed had made several friends, but none as close as the young rancher, Kathy. The two of them had even started dating and still are. Samus could even remember Reed saying to him a couple months ago that he couldn't fall for someone that much young than himself.
Samus sighed, thinking of all the people that had fallen in love since joining the army. Jacques and Aila had only just started going out, and Jacques was feeling a little worried about Aila going on this mission. Edge had opened his heart to Mamie, the young cook, and the two had quickly fallen in love. Rody had even got Belle to expand her thinking beyond Hugo and the two were starting to hang around each other more. Samus was planning to express himself to Anne before the war was over, but wasn't sure whether to reveal himself as Cyra or not.
Outside, Samus walked into the 'front yard' of Budehuc. No sooner did he walk into the area did Ace charge past him with a bouquet of flowers, probably for a woman who was hanging around in the castle. Samus shook his head and continued walking. He spotted Cecile and walked over to her.
Hearing someone coming, Cecile looked over her shoulder and saw Samus walking towards her. She smiled. "Hey, Samus!" She greeted. "You enjoying your break?"
Samus sighed. "Yes and no. I'm beginning to worry about everyone."
Cecile chuckled. "I wouldn't worry, Samus. They're all great fighters."
Samus rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I just have this strange feeling that something's going to happen."
"What's the worst that could happen?" Cecile asked.
Suddenly, as if on cue, both Samus and Cecile heard a strange noise coming from the gate. Staring at the noise, the two saw a swirling, white portal standing on end, floating several inches off the ground. Suddenly, a figure was thrown from it, landing face-first on the stone step. As quick as it appeared, the portal vanished.
Samus and Cecile rushed over to the figure's side. Samus took one look at the outfit and knew it was Aila. Turning the girl over on her back, Samus looked at Aila. She was bruised and cut in some places, but she seemed all right. He noticed that she was trying to stay conscious.
"Aila!" Cecile said. "What happened?!"
"Let's get her into the Infirmary." Samus instructed Cecile. Cecile nodded as Samus scooped the barely conscious girl into his arms and ran off, followed by Cecile.
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A small group stood around an awake Aila, who sat in a chair in the Infirmary, shaking with fear. Among the group were Samus, Cecile and Jacques, who stood beside her.
"Aila, can you please tell us what happened?" Samus asked.
Aila shakily nodded. "We were g-g-going through Mt. Hei-To, inspecting some sort of strange energy m-mister Piccolo told us about." She stuttered, obviously scared stiff about something. "A squad of s-skeleton warriors arrived and a-a-ambushed us. We were c-captured and brought before the man who was giving off the strange energy. He said he was going to k-k-kill us for snooping around, but Beecham and I managed to escape with Hugo's Blinking Mirror. He th-thrust the mirror into my hands and activated it before getting caught again. I escaped, but not before getting attacked by the s-s-soldiers."
Aila suddenly broke out in tears, muttering something about it being her fault. Jacques closed his eyes and placed a comforting hand on Aila's shoulder.
Cecile approached Aila. "Aila, what did this guy look like?" She asked.
Aila paused and looked up slightly, as if trying to remember. "He was t- tall, wore white and green armour and h-had a hairstyle even stranger than R-Reed. It was all g-gelled up into a single s-spike." She replied.
Samus eyes sprang open. That almost sounded like...
"Did you catch his name?" Samus asked quickly.
Aila nodded. "It sounded like 'Solon Jhee.'" She replied.
Samus' heart his heartbeat race. He couldn't believe it! Solon Jhee was still alive?! Slowly, Samus backed away from the group, all of which were too preoccupied thinking about what Aila had said. Samus turned around and ran from the room.
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Samus sat at a table in his room, in deep thought. He just couldn't understand how Solon Jhee, the man responsible for killing his parents, was still alive, even after Samus heard that he had died several years ago.
Well, Samus knew what he had to do. Hugo, Lucia, Beecham, Lilly and Reed were all being held captive on Mt. Hei-to and could be killed at any moment. He jus had to save them, making sure that Solon Jhee died for good.
The question was: Whom should he go as? Samus or Cyra?
Samus had always carried a good amount of Karayan material just in case he ever need to go back to being Cyra. He had even made a Karayan outfit, knowing that he wouldn't grow anymore. He still kept his father's sword, and to this day, it was still sharp.
Samus narrowed his eyes as he stood to his feet. He had made his decision. He was about to walk over to a trunk lying on the floor when he realized something. Samus walked over to the door to his room and opened it. Arthur tumbled into the room.
The boy looked up from his spot on the floor and saw Samus standing over him, arms folded with an angry look. Arthur gave Samus a cheesy grin before scrambling out of the room.
Once sure that he was alone, Samus shut the door and walked over to the trunk. He pulled the trunk into the open and opened it. Reaching inside, Samus pulled out an outfit made of a different leather than Tinto.
It was time to get to work.
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Samus stood in front of the mirror to look himself over. He wore an orange and black shirt made, the two different colours of material neatly sewed together. His pants were made of black Karayan leather and his sandals were made of tough material. Samus held a pair of scissors in his hand, staring at his hair in the mirror. His hair was the main thing that would make people recognize him, even if he WAS dressed differently.
Slowly, Samus grabbed some of his hair and started cutting it.
A good half hour later, Samus was sneaking around the castle. If anyone saw him, he'd figure that they'd get suspicious.
Samus was succeeding in sneaking around anyone he encountered as he journeyed towards the ranch. Why the ranch? Because Thomas had already sent a rescue party to Mt. Hei-To and Samus wanted to get there first.
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Thomas sat at a table, thinking. Caesar was also nearby, pacing around. Both were clearly worried that the rescue party they had sent out would fail in the rescue attempt. Both though that things couldn't get worse.
Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open as Kathy ran into the room, breathing heavily. "On of my horses is gone!"
To be continued...