Argh. I stink at descriptions, so I'm sorry if the descriptions in this chapter are misleading.
One other thing… at the end of the other chapter, FFN for some reason put the word "opHo" at the end. I have NO idea why. So don't assume that as something important. _
*Chapter 4: Some Explaining*
Hope stared at her savior. He stood about six feet tall, not including a green helmet he wore. On the left and right side of the helmet was a device that looked like a blade on its side. A red jewel was in the center of a silver band on the bottom of the helmet. He wore green shoulder armor, outlined with silver, along with another green, silver-outlined, piece of armor on his chest. The shirt he wore was like a brownish-red. Two iron bracelets were evenly spaced apart on his arms, and in-between them, his shirt was colored celadon. His pants were colored celadon too. He also wore brown boots, and a purple cape that came down to his ankles. A belt made of metal and leather was around his waist. His hair was yellow and about shoulder-length. There was a purple mark on each of his cheeks too. Hope assumed he was human, but when she looked closer, she saw that she was wrong. His ears were narrow and pointed; not at all like humans. His orange eyes also gave the fact away that he was unlike anything normal she had ever seen. In right hand was a normal-looking sword with a silver handle, the blade gleaming silver. Blood dripped off the point.
Hope was at loss of what to say, but the stranger saved her from having to try and think of something. "Are you alright?"
"Um… I think so… thanks for saving me," Hope replied cautiously. She was uneasy with this guy; what if he suddenly turned and decapitated her? She got the feeling that he wouldn't though.
"I am glad I could help," he responded, wiping the blade clean on the grass before sticking it back into the belt he wore. Hope felt better with it put up.
"Who are you, and how did you come here?" she asked.
The stranger gave her a confused look. "You summoned me of course. How else could I have gotten here?"
Hope felt pretty stupid. Of course; that's who he was… "You're my Soul Monster? I've never even seen a card that looks like you!"
"Look at the card. It should explain who I am."
Hope examined the card and was surprised to see the face wasn't blank anymore. Instead, it had the following written:
Elven Swordsman
Level Four
Main-Type: Earth
Sub-Type: Warrior
Attack: 1400
Defense: 1200
Description: An elf who learned to wield a sword, he baffles enemies with lightning-swift attacks.
The picture was blank though. Hope assumed that was because he was outside of the card itself.
"So you are Elven Swordsman?" Hope inquired.
"That is correct. However, each Soul Monster has a "nickname". Mine is Gaston, so you may call me that," he replied.
"I like that name," Hope said. Then she laughed. "It's a good thing you all have nicknames; I'd feel sorry for whoever got Dark Knight Gaia Of The Gale! What a mouthful!"
Gaston nodded. "You get the point. What is your name?"
"I'm Hope."
"That's a pretty name. Somehow, it seems right with you, although I can't explain why," Gaston said.
"Thanks," Hope said, her face turning slightly pink. Trying to break her uncomfortable state of mind, she asked, "Do you know where we are?"
"In Teknisk Wereld. What did you think?"
"Teknisk Wereld?! But everything is so real!" Hope said, shocked.
Gaston shrugged. "Good technology makes it look and feel real. There isn't really another way to say it."
Hope glanced over at the beetle and shuddered, looking away. "What is that thing?"
"A Hercules Beetle. Big and deadly, but their chests are very vulnerable," Gaston explained.
"I see…" Hope trailed off.
"So, what do you wish to do now?"
Hope thought. "I don't know. I just appeared in this forest after trying to get to this world. I have no idea how to get out."
Gaston began walking. "It will do no good to just stay here."
"Good point," Hope said, following him.
After a few minutes of walking, Gaston asked about Hope's family.
"Well, I my mom and dad are divorced," she explained.
"I'm sorry I asked," Gaston apologized.
Hope shook her head. "It's ok. I live with mom, although I see dad often. I also have a half-sister named Amy."
Gaston looked puzzled. "Half-sister?"
"My dad was originally married to another woman named Sandy," Hope explained. "They had Amy, and dad divorced Sandy. He remarried my mom, and they had me."
"I see," Gaston said.
"I just call her my sister though. She's twenty, and is in collage most of the time, trying to become an astronaut. If we're lucky, we might see her here. Her Soul Monster is a Big Bangirl."
"Ok, I'll keep an eye out for her," Gaston assured.
After a few more seconds of walking, they suddenly heard a commotion up ahead. A monstrous roar, and a clang of a sword was easy to recognize.
"What's going on?!" Hope asked, looking scared.
Gaston drew his blade. "Let's check."
They walked ahead, and saw that it was a battle between two monsters, with a spectator.
A huge, purple dragon was flying around a swordsman, trying to strike him down with a pair of mean-looking talons. It had four wings, and the dark-purple feathers on them looked dangerously sharp. The small orange jewel on its forehead gleamed in the sun as it came down to strike, a purple blur, with its red, bird-like tail standing out. It also had a tail that looked like a dragon's.
The swordsman jumped aside as the dragon came down where he was standing seconds ago. The swordsman's armor was a deep blue, with orange stripes in detailed places on it. A robe, the same shade of blue, was on his lower half as well as the armor. A helmet was also an accessory he wore; it curved forward and ended in a point. His sword looked very unusual, but also deadly. One side of the blade was flat. The other had a wave-like appearance; two sharp points came out from the blade. Two strange, green jewels were on the sword's more-flat side. His blond hair came down to a little bit more than shoulder-length, and his skin was a pale blue.
The spectator of the match was a human, but Hope had never seen anyone who looked like him. He wore a tunic colored green, orange, and brown in various places. He wore gloves and boots; the left boot and right glove were gray, while the right boot and left glove were brown. He wore a hat that was shaped circular that matched his tunic. His hair was white, with a short ponytail. What caught Hope's attention were the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. They were very deep looking, like if you looked too far you would lose your way in his mind. Right at this moment however, he didn't even look in their direction.
"Ruecian, let's finish this up!" the boy said. "We need to get to the town again!"
The swordsman nodded, and leapt at the dragon with an amazing speed. The dragon gave a squawk of surprise, but didn't have time to do anything else before the swordsman sliced him cleanly in half.
Gaston sheathed his blade. "Looks like there was no need for this…"
The boy turned around and walked up to them, the swordsman following. "Sorry we ignored you guys; we had to finish this battle. Sky Dragons are pathetic, but they can get nasty if you don't watch out."
"That's ok, I understand," Hope said. "I'm Hope, and this is Gaston. Who are you?"
"I'm Rue, and this is Ruecian. I recognize you as an Elven Swordsman Gaston, but I can see you don't know what Ruecian is. He's a Super Magical Swordsman-Black Paladin. Black Paladin for short," the boy explained.
"Nice to meet you two," Hope said politely. "We are trying to get out of this forest, but don't know which way to go. You mentioned a town. Could you please direct us?"
Rue thought for a minute, and then smiled. "I will do that, if you can do something for me."
"What do I have to do?" Hope asked.
"Just play me in a friendly duel," Rue said. "No stakes or anything; I just wanted to see how some arrangements in my deck work out."
"Um… I've never done a serious duel before," Hope said nervously. "I'm not sure I would do it correctly."
"Then it is better that you learn when there is nothing to lose," Gaston said sensibly.
"Good point," Hope responded. "Ok, I'll do that."
Rue activated his Duel Disk. "Then let's get ready."
To be continued…
