Sierra & Lyle

Sierra walked into a saloon in the town of Greenridge, and sat down at a table. She began to hear the stories almost immediately. They spoke of a group of archeologists who wanted to excavate a ruin nearby. Rumor had it that this ruin was of the ancient Shaman Kingdom, Adlehyde. Problem was, there were monsters inside. These archeologists wanted groups of two or more Silver Wolves to go inside, and search out the secrets of the lost civilization, and their magical treasures.

Like most people, Sierra had heard the stories. Two millennia ago, the Shamans were accused of summoning the demon that tried to attack Filgaia. Once the demon was dealt with, the warriors and heroes of Filgaia decided to kill off the Shamans. Nobody knew how many survived, but most were killed in the attack. When disasters began happening, even the people who believed them to be innocent were starting to doubt. But no proof had ever been found of whether it was true or just created out of fear.

"I want to go to this ruin," Sierra stated, "Probably, I can earn some great treasures in this little jaunt. Problem is, I need a partner in order to continue onwards, and I don't know where to find one."


"Hey! What about me? Don't I count for anything? After all, I'm just a Wind Mouse, I can't help in any way. Besides get treasures and switches that are out of reach. I guess I'm not good enough to hang around the Great Sierra anymore," complained a very hurt Kyoku.

Sierra replied, "It isn't like that. They probably want a second fighter to help me out. And you're just too small to hold a weapon and strike down a monster. If I come in, and say that my partner is a Wind Mouse, I'll be laughed at. But I still need you Kyoku, you're my best friend."

Kyoku looked her friend in the eye, and noticed her sincerity. "Alright, I forgive you Sierra. We've got to find you a human warrior to help, then. I guess you're right about that, there's no way I can fight. I've always been the one who hits switches and chests, while you've taken care of the enemies."


"You're looking for a partner?" a voice inquired of Sierra, "Then allow me to offer my assistance to your cause." Sierra turned in the direction the voice had come from, and saw a young man was standing there, with shiny jet black hair and brown eyes that radiated excitement.

* * *

When Lyle had walked into the Greenridge saloon, he began to listen to the rumors, as was his usual way of working and finding jobs. The stories about Aldehyde were the most intriguing. A whole kingdom that existed long ago, where everyone knew magic and a demon had been summoned. And the inspiration for the naming of the Kingdom of Sorcery, Neo-Adlehyde, where the people who had revived the tradition of calling on the powers of the elements in order to cast magic. There had to be a treasure in a place like that, one that could buy him a bride, and get his mother the operation she needed in order to fully recover from her illness. Lyle just needed to find a partner to help him out.

"My partner must be a woman, one that is cute preferably. And she's gotta be strong, no weak little stringbean. Hopefully, female Silver Wolves come to this tavern, all I seem to see is the usual riff raff and tavern scum," Lyle said to himself, causing all to look at him strangely.

He scanned the people in the tavern. The few women who were there had already found a male companion to travel with, or were the usual married couples out for a night on the town. But after some time, his eyes fell on a girl at a table with unusual blue hair. Not that it fazed Lyle, he'd seen people with blue hair before. Neo-Adlehyde had a few, for one. And she was pretty cute, in his opinion. As he began to walk closer, he saw the white and black Wind Mouse sitting on the table near her.

He asked, "You're looking for a partner? Then allow me to offer my assistance to your cause." Lyle could see the girl looking up at him, trying to size up the person who had approached her.

* * *

The two had sat down together, and got to talking. Sierra looked at Lyle, and smiled. "Sure, you can come along with me. But only until we are able to finish up with the search through Adlehyde's ruins. I prefer working alone, with only Kyoku as my partner, but I need a human partner for this job. So, let's just get going and get this over with, do I make myself clear, young man?"

"Clear as crystal, gorgeous," Lyle replied, "My name is Lyle Kenjutsushi, a swordsman who would be more than willing to help a cute girl. What do they call you, miss?"

"My name is Sierra Kenju. But don't you get sweet with me. I really don't care about men or getting a date. All I need is to find treasures and get rich. Kyoku is all I need, I wouldn't even have agreed to your terms if I could have gone at this alone. But since I need a partner, like I said before, I chose the first person to approach men. No need for me to find the right person, since all I plan to do is leave you when we get the treasure and divide it amongst us," Sierra said.

Lyle thought, 'This girl is quite cold. I wonder what happened to her to cause this. Maybe there is something I can do to help. Maybe I can't resist a pretty girl, but I am chivalrous when it comes to them. And you can never let a girl be hurt, in body or in mind. This one needs me, I won't leave her until I am able to get her to open up to me and tell me what is wrong with her.'

The two then began to go over the map. Once that was over, they gathered their stuff, and began to leave the saloon. The ruins were located to the north, so that's where they went. Sierra looked at Lyle, noticing that the man was looking at her with a protective eye. 'I really don't need a protector, but he seems to want to do it anyway. What am I to do about this guy? Oh well, I can always lose him in the night, if he just won't leave me alone. Then, things can finally get back to normal for me and Kyoku.'

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

We mirror this chapter with the other two next time, and then we get into the actual mission.