Chapter 2! I'm keeping it up so far.Review or may your eyes fall out!
Hahahaha! O_o
Ryan couldn't sleep. Going out to fight at night meant sleeping during the day, and Ryan was not yet accustomed to it. He remembered that he was supposed to meet Ari, though, and he opted to give up on sleep and started putting on his armor. He decided to bring his sword instead of his saber; it hadn't helped him last night, he remembered wryly. Finally he was ready, and he grabbed his mag and satchel of supplies before heading out.
The ship was enormous, and most of its size was due to the amount of living quarters it contained. Ryan took many turns before arriving at the portal area, and he saw few people. He leaned against the wall, waiting for Ari to arrive, when a gruff voice alerted him.
"Out of the way!" The voice belonged to a very intimidating looking Racast, his enormous feet thudding on the metal floor, who was being followed by three people rolling a vat of what looked like grape juice. As they sauntered by, though, Ryan leaned over to get a whiff of it, and grimaced. This was not ordinary grape juice.
Immediately, the RAcast had him pinned against the wall, while the other three looked away nervously. "What business do you have with us?"
Ryan panicked, unsure of what he had done. "Um, I."
Suddenly, Ari's voice rang out, cutting through Ryan's nervousness. "Hey, Merk, relax! He's with me, okay?"
The RAcast-Merk, apparently-gave Ryan a menacing glare before letting him go. The other three, a collection of scruffy looking civilians, grabbed hold of the vat and hurried off with it, Merk following, giving Ari a brief nod to acknowledge him. Ryan was just confused.
"You know those guys?" He said, turning to Ari for clarification.
Ari chuckled. "You, my friend, just stumbled upon the underground liquor smuggling operation. If I wasn't a common patron of their product, you could have been in a lot of trouble."
Ryan began to understand. "But liquor is."
Ari slapped him on the shoulder, much to Ryan's discomfort. "Exactly-liquor is outlawed on Pioneer 2. Since we've landed, though, people brew the alcohol on Ragol and smuggle it into their rooms. The people you just saw run the biggest speakeasy on the ship."
Ryan gaped. He didn't know whether to be frightened, awed, or both. Ari grinned at his reaction, and said with a smile "Once we explore Ragol a little more, I'll take you to one of their parties. It's quite a time."
Ryan decided to let the offer hang, for now. He had never drunk alcohol before, and had heard numerous things about what it did to people, including sickness. He motioned Ari to the portal, and Ari agreed, stepping into the blue rings of light. With a flash, they disappeared from Pioneer 2.
The darkness would have been pitch, but their mags illuminated the night. Ari raised an eyebrow, looking at Ryan's mag.
"A Varaha, huh? Not bad, for a Hunter." Ari sported a very pathetic looking Ushashu. "I couldn't really level it properly." he explained sheepishly. "I save all my money for Trifluids."
Ryan nodded; he had heard how difficult it was for Forces to hang onto money. He began to trot out into the first area, but Ari stopped him with a hand on his arm. "What." Ryan began to protest, but then Ari pulled back and with a flourish, cast two spells. Immediately, Ryan felt his body pulse with a surge of adrenaline, his mouth left hanging open in surprise. Ari smirked.
"Shifta and Deband, remember? I never fight without them."
"Oh.right." Ryan felt foolish; he had forgotten that Forces could use those techniques. They were useful, though, as with the adrenaline now being pumped through his blood, he felt more alert and prepared.
"Now we go!" Ari said happily, running on ahead. "It'll be neat to see how much stamina you have."
Ryan paused, reflecting on what an interesting choice of words that was, before following.
As they ran into the first room, four Bartles appeared, roaring at them before charging. Their speed was incredible, given that they were really nothing more than a mutated looking turtle, and Ryan found himself surrounded very quickly. He swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting all of them, but nowhere near enough to critically injure them. They flinched, and then two of them working in tandem hit Ryan hard over the head, knocking him on his back. He was quickly on his feet, swinging his sword again, when another claw hit him in the back, and Ryan stumbled. He fumbled to use Resta, his slow casting abilities an ever present curse, but before he could, a huge blast of fire lit the entire room. The Bartles groaned and died, their bodies decaying almost instantly. Ryan quickly cast Resta, healing the numerous small scratches the Bartles had given him, and then felt stupid, remembering that Ari's techniques would have been much more effective. He looked over at him apologetically, but Ari simply beamed at him.
"With you to distract them, I can cast spells without getting smacked! I can make them easier for you to fight, too. Don't worry, just fight as you usually do, and I'll take care of you." Ari seemed very excited about the newfound partnership, and Ryan found himself echoing Ari's sentiments. It would certainly be easier, now that he had Ari to cast support spells, and to attack if he ran into trouble.
As they progressed, Ari focused on healing Ryan when he needed it, and casting Jellen and Zalure on the enemies, while Ryan led the enemies away from the comparatively frail Force. Ryan still found himself being knocked to the ground more often than he liked, but there was little either of them could do about that.
Ryan jumped into a room for a brief respite, Ari following, and then Ari peered at something behind Ryan's back. He turned, and his jaw dropped open in surprise. Before them stood a large stone pillar, apparently ancient, and inscribed with familiar characters, but in a different language.
"What.what's that?" Ryan managed to stutter, backing away from it. "Its way too old to have been put there by Pioneer 1.isn't it?"
Ari frowned, then looked resolute and approached the pillar. He placed his finger on it, and began to trace the characters, repeating them curiously as he did so. "M.U.T."
Suddenly, they heard a sound, like machinery from under the ground, and the pillar began to glow and rotate. Ari jumped back as if burned, and Ryan gasped in a brief moment of fear.
"Okay," Ari said nervously, inspecting his hand for any wounds. "Apparently this thing isn't made from stone."
Ryan looked closely at the strange pillar, but was reluctant to approach it after what had happened. "Are you okay?" He tried not to let any unnecessary concern color his tone, and when Ari nodded, he motioned for the door. "Let's get out of here, then." Ryan said. "I don't like that thing."
Finally, after hours of fighting and weary despite repeated castings of Deband and Shifta, they neared the dome. Ari perked up at the sight of it.
"That's where the dragon will be! C'mon, we'll be able to get him now!" He ran ahead, Ryan hard pressed to keep up with the lighter equipped Force. As Ryan caught up, though, Ari stopped dead, and Ryan practically slammed into the two Hildelts that had just leapt down from a nearby tree that overhung the dome.
They roared, pounding their chests much like monkeys, before one of them punched Ryan hard in the chest, sending him sprawling a good ten feet away. The two began to surround him, their large size making escape impossible. Noting the danger that Ryan was in, Ari began firing bolts of Gizonde, hoping to distract the monsters from Ryan's prone form. One of them finally noticed Ari, who began firing faster in hopes that he could kill it before it advanced on him. Instead of walking toward him, though, the Hildelt leaned back before spitting a Gizonde of its own, stunning Ari painfully. Now that his techniques were temporarily impossible, Ari backed up fearfully, doubled over in pain from the electrical shock, as the Hildelt lumbered toward him much faster than he would have liked.
Suddenly, a sword swung from behind, cutting the Hildelt through the torso and convincing it to turn. Ryan had gotten up, and when the Hildelt had attacked Ari, had taken the opportunity to dispatch the other. He swung his sword again, taking more time with each swing to increase the damage done, and finally the monster succumbed to its wounds, screeching as it died. Ryan leaned on his sword for a moment, panting from exertion, before looking at Ari as if to ask if he was alright.
Ari smiled and nodded, still wincing from the shock, but he knew it would subside shortly. When it did, he cast Resta, healing both of them completely, Ryan sighing with relief at the sudden absence of pain. Ari grinned, apparently amused by Ryan's reaction, and Ryan blushed and looked away.
"Okay, now the dragon!" Ari said, breaking the silence. "We just need to take that portal there."
"Who put the portal there?" Ryan asked, looking at it distrustfully.
Ari blinked, temporarily disconcerted. "I don't really know, actually. Another Hunter, I suppose. But don't worry!" He added, noting Ryan's look of skepticism. "I've been through it before; it leads to the dragon."
Ryan shrugged and stepped into portal, Ari casting one more Shifta and Deband before following. "Remember," he said, in a more serious tone. "Don't breathe directly through your mouth. The air in there is so cold that it can damage your lungs temporarily."
Ryan nodded, his eyes widening, before they teleported to the crater that had been the dome.
The first thing Ryan noticed was the intense cold, and he repressed the urge to gasp, remembering Ari's warning. The cold left his mind, however, when the dragon flew into the icy chamber, roaring its challenge at the two intruders.
Ryan charged the creature's feet, noting that it must be similar to its daytime version, but was surprised when the dragon reached him in just two strides. He got over it quickly, though, and began swinging his sword, hitting its feet every time. The dragon stopped, then, and began to breathe ice, but Ryan didn't take notice as he concentrated on hitting its feet. Suddenly, the dragon lurched and fell, Ryan just barely able to avoid being crushed underneath it. He refocused on the dragon's body as it lay temporarily inert, his sword hitting it in both its foot and its wing. He then noticed Ari, on the other side of the beast, casting Foie after Foie, a look of intense concentration on his face. 'God, he looks so.Damnit!' He berated himself, 'now's not the time to think like that!' He returned to focusing on slicing the dragon, and finally, the beast got back to its feet, roaring in rage and pain. Ryan backed up, just managing to hit the feet one more time, as the dragon launched itself into the air. Ryan stood under it, hoping to hit it as it came down, until he heard Ari yelling from across the dome.
"Get away from it! It's going." He didn't hear the rest of his message, as he saw the dragon spiraling down in preparation of burrowing. Ryan quickly followed Ari's advice, running to the side of the dome, as the dragon dove into the ice, breaking it into shards. Ryan shuddered as he imagined what it would be like to be hit by that.
He heard the unmistakable sounds of claws scraping ice as the dragon burrowed underneath, the ominous mound heading first toward Ari, then toward Ryan. Suddenly, the mound vanished, and Ryan looked around confusedly for a moment before he saw Ari gesturing frantically at him to come toward him. He did so, and cursed his own idiocy at staying still as his movement allowed him to barely escape the dragon's burrowing in the rim of the dome behind him.
Finally, the dragon surfaced, bellowing and flinging sharp shards of ice around the dome. Ryan ran towards it, ready to attack, and Ari began casting Rafoie over and over, filling the sky with red flares of light. As the dragon landed, Ryan accidentally ran into the shockwave and was thrown backwards, his sword skittering out of his hands onto the icy floor. He quickly grabbed his saber instead and continued to run at the dragon until he was within range, hacking at the monsters feet as the lights from Ari's Rafoies continued to flare.
Suddenly, the icy cavern shook, and the monster roared. Ryan backed up, fearing an attack, but instead the dragon stumbled, and fell onto the ground, its heavy body further shaking the cavern. Before Ryan could even approach it again, it began to decay, the body melting to bare bones, and then to nothingness, as nature's entropy took effect.
Ryan stopped in shock before smiling; noting the amounts of looted treasure the dragon must have taken from other hunters who had failed in their endeavors to kill it. Suddenly, Ari practically tackled him in an enthusiastic hug, spinning in a circle before putting him down. Ryan reminded himself to stay calm, Ari was just happy, not...interested. He sighed somewhat forlornly, but Ari's exuberance banished it.
"We did it! I finally beat the dragon! Or, we beat the dragon! Now we can get to the entrance to the caves!" He clapped his hands happily before practically dragging Ryan into the portal back to Pioneer 2, smiling as they teleported back.
"I can't believe it! We did it, without having to go to that damn hospital once! We have to celebrate!" Ryan just blinked, unsure of how to respond.
"C'mon!" Ari said, smiling. "Tomorrow night, I'm taking you to that speakeasy I told you about earlier. It's got everything-Booze, music and women! I'll show you how to properly celebrate a victory!" Ryan smiled and nodded, intrigued with the whole idea. Ari hugged him again, and Ryan nervously extricated himself, afraid that he would betray his attraction physically, and backed up.
"Alright, I'll meet you.here, tomorrow?" Ryan asked uncertainly, and Ari nodded happily, before he added, "Don't tell anyone about it! They have to have a certain amount of secrecy to be able to function."
Ryan nodded before turning to go back to his home. He knew that Ari might feel slighted at the sudden abandonment, but he was tired, and his constant resisting of his own emotions was tiring as well. When he got home, he collapsed into bed, his battle weary body succumbing quickly to sleep.
Alright, done with chap 2! Go me!
Ryan couldn't sleep. Going out to fight at night meant sleeping during the day, and Ryan was not yet accustomed to it. He remembered that he was supposed to meet Ari, though, and he opted to give up on sleep and started putting on his armor. He decided to bring his sword instead of his saber; it hadn't helped him last night, he remembered wryly. Finally he was ready, and he grabbed his mag and satchel of supplies before heading out.
The ship was enormous, and most of its size was due to the amount of living quarters it contained. Ryan took many turns before arriving at the portal area, and he saw few people. He leaned against the wall, waiting for Ari to arrive, when a gruff voice alerted him.
"Out of the way!" The voice belonged to a very intimidating looking Racast, his enormous feet thudding on the metal floor, who was being followed by three people rolling a vat of what looked like grape juice. As they sauntered by, though, Ryan leaned over to get a whiff of it, and grimaced. This was not ordinary grape juice.
Immediately, the RAcast had him pinned against the wall, while the other three looked away nervously. "What business do you have with us?"
Ryan panicked, unsure of what he had done. "Um, I."
Suddenly, Ari's voice rang out, cutting through Ryan's nervousness. "Hey, Merk, relax! He's with me, okay?"
The RAcast-Merk, apparently-gave Ryan a menacing glare before letting him go. The other three, a collection of scruffy looking civilians, grabbed hold of the vat and hurried off with it, Merk following, giving Ari a brief nod to acknowledge him. Ryan was just confused.
"You know those guys?" He said, turning to Ari for clarification.
Ari chuckled. "You, my friend, just stumbled upon the underground liquor smuggling operation. If I wasn't a common patron of their product, you could have been in a lot of trouble."
Ryan began to understand. "But liquor is."
Ari slapped him on the shoulder, much to Ryan's discomfort. "Exactly-liquor is outlawed on Pioneer 2. Since we've landed, though, people brew the alcohol on Ragol and smuggle it into their rooms. The people you just saw run the biggest speakeasy on the ship."
Ryan gaped. He didn't know whether to be frightened, awed, or both. Ari grinned at his reaction, and said with a smile "Once we explore Ragol a little more, I'll take you to one of their parties. It's quite a time."
Ryan decided to let the offer hang, for now. He had never drunk alcohol before, and had heard numerous things about what it did to people, including sickness. He motioned Ari to the portal, and Ari agreed, stepping into the blue rings of light. With a flash, they disappeared from Pioneer 2.
The darkness would have been pitch, but their mags illuminated the night. Ari raised an eyebrow, looking at Ryan's mag.
"A Varaha, huh? Not bad, for a Hunter." Ari sported a very pathetic looking Ushashu. "I couldn't really level it properly." he explained sheepishly. "I save all my money for Trifluids."
Ryan nodded; he had heard how difficult it was for Forces to hang onto money. He began to trot out into the first area, but Ari stopped him with a hand on his arm. "What." Ryan began to protest, but then Ari pulled back and with a flourish, cast two spells. Immediately, Ryan felt his body pulse with a surge of adrenaline, his mouth left hanging open in surprise. Ari smirked.
"Shifta and Deband, remember? I never fight without them."
"Oh.right." Ryan felt foolish; he had forgotten that Forces could use those techniques. They were useful, though, as with the adrenaline now being pumped through his blood, he felt more alert and prepared.
"Now we go!" Ari said happily, running on ahead. "It'll be neat to see how much stamina you have."
Ryan paused, reflecting on what an interesting choice of words that was, before following.
As they ran into the first room, four Bartles appeared, roaring at them before charging. Their speed was incredible, given that they were really nothing more than a mutated looking turtle, and Ryan found himself surrounded very quickly. He swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting all of them, but nowhere near enough to critically injure them. They flinched, and then two of them working in tandem hit Ryan hard over the head, knocking him on his back. He was quickly on his feet, swinging his sword again, when another claw hit him in the back, and Ryan stumbled. He fumbled to use Resta, his slow casting abilities an ever present curse, but before he could, a huge blast of fire lit the entire room. The Bartles groaned and died, their bodies decaying almost instantly. Ryan quickly cast Resta, healing the numerous small scratches the Bartles had given him, and then felt stupid, remembering that Ari's techniques would have been much more effective. He looked over at him apologetically, but Ari simply beamed at him.
"With you to distract them, I can cast spells without getting smacked! I can make them easier for you to fight, too. Don't worry, just fight as you usually do, and I'll take care of you." Ari seemed very excited about the newfound partnership, and Ryan found himself echoing Ari's sentiments. It would certainly be easier, now that he had Ari to cast support spells, and to attack if he ran into trouble.
As they progressed, Ari focused on healing Ryan when he needed it, and casting Jellen and Zalure on the enemies, while Ryan led the enemies away from the comparatively frail Force. Ryan still found himself being knocked to the ground more often than he liked, but there was little either of them could do about that.
Ryan jumped into a room for a brief respite, Ari following, and then Ari peered at something behind Ryan's back. He turned, and his jaw dropped open in surprise. Before them stood a large stone pillar, apparently ancient, and inscribed with familiar characters, but in a different language.
"What.what's that?" Ryan managed to stutter, backing away from it. "Its way too old to have been put there by Pioneer 1.isn't it?"
Ari frowned, then looked resolute and approached the pillar. He placed his finger on it, and began to trace the characters, repeating them curiously as he did so. "M.U.T."
Suddenly, they heard a sound, like machinery from under the ground, and the pillar began to glow and rotate. Ari jumped back as if burned, and Ryan gasped in a brief moment of fear.
"Okay," Ari said nervously, inspecting his hand for any wounds. "Apparently this thing isn't made from stone."
Ryan looked closely at the strange pillar, but was reluctant to approach it after what had happened. "Are you okay?" He tried not to let any unnecessary concern color his tone, and when Ari nodded, he motioned for the door. "Let's get out of here, then." Ryan said. "I don't like that thing."
Finally, after hours of fighting and weary despite repeated castings of Deband and Shifta, they neared the dome. Ari perked up at the sight of it.
"That's where the dragon will be! C'mon, we'll be able to get him now!" He ran ahead, Ryan hard pressed to keep up with the lighter equipped Force. As Ryan caught up, though, Ari stopped dead, and Ryan practically slammed into the two Hildelts that had just leapt down from a nearby tree that overhung the dome.
They roared, pounding their chests much like monkeys, before one of them punched Ryan hard in the chest, sending him sprawling a good ten feet away. The two began to surround him, their large size making escape impossible. Noting the danger that Ryan was in, Ari began firing bolts of Gizonde, hoping to distract the monsters from Ryan's prone form. One of them finally noticed Ari, who began firing faster in hopes that he could kill it before it advanced on him. Instead of walking toward him, though, the Hildelt leaned back before spitting a Gizonde of its own, stunning Ari painfully. Now that his techniques were temporarily impossible, Ari backed up fearfully, doubled over in pain from the electrical shock, as the Hildelt lumbered toward him much faster than he would have liked.
Suddenly, a sword swung from behind, cutting the Hildelt through the torso and convincing it to turn. Ryan had gotten up, and when the Hildelt had attacked Ari, had taken the opportunity to dispatch the other. He swung his sword again, taking more time with each swing to increase the damage done, and finally the monster succumbed to its wounds, screeching as it died. Ryan leaned on his sword for a moment, panting from exertion, before looking at Ari as if to ask if he was alright.
Ari smiled and nodded, still wincing from the shock, but he knew it would subside shortly. When it did, he cast Resta, healing both of them completely, Ryan sighing with relief at the sudden absence of pain. Ari grinned, apparently amused by Ryan's reaction, and Ryan blushed and looked away.
"Okay, now the dragon!" Ari said, breaking the silence. "We just need to take that portal there."
"Who put the portal there?" Ryan asked, looking at it distrustfully.
Ari blinked, temporarily disconcerted. "I don't really know, actually. Another Hunter, I suppose. But don't worry!" He added, noting Ryan's look of skepticism. "I've been through it before; it leads to the dragon."
Ryan shrugged and stepped into portal, Ari casting one more Shifta and Deband before following. "Remember," he said, in a more serious tone. "Don't breathe directly through your mouth. The air in there is so cold that it can damage your lungs temporarily."
Ryan nodded, his eyes widening, before they teleported to the crater that had been the dome.
The first thing Ryan noticed was the intense cold, and he repressed the urge to gasp, remembering Ari's warning. The cold left his mind, however, when the dragon flew into the icy chamber, roaring its challenge at the two intruders.
Ryan charged the creature's feet, noting that it must be similar to its daytime version, but was surprised when the dragon reached him in just two strides. He got over it quickly, though, and began swinging his sword, hitting its feet every time. The dragon stopped, then, and began to breathe ice, but Ryan didn't take notice as he concentrated on hitting its feet. Suddenly, the dragon lurched and fell, Ryan just barely able to avoid being crushed underneath it. He refocused on the dragon's body as it lay temporarily inert, his sword hitting it in both its foot and its wing. He then noticed Ari, on the other side of the beast, casting Foie after Foie, a look of intense concentration on his face. 'God, he looks so.Damnit!' He berated himself, 'now's not the time to think like that!' He returned to focusing on slicing the dragon, and finally, the beast got back to its feet, roaring in rage and pain. Ryan backed up, just managing to hit the feet one more time, as the dragon launched itself into the air. Ryan stood under it, hoping to hit it as it came down, until he heard Ari yelling from across the dome.
"Get away from it! It's going." He didn't hear the rest of his message, as he saw the dragon spiraling down in preparation of burrowing. Ryan quickly followed Ari's advice, running to the side of the dome, as the dragon dove into the ice, breaking it into shards. Ryan shuddered as he imagined what it would be like to be hit by that.
He heard the unmistakable sounds of claws scraping ice as the dragon burrowed underneath, the ominous mound heading first toward Ari, then toward Ryan. Suddenly, the mound vanished, and Ryan looked around confusedly for a moment before he saw Ari gesturing frantically at him to come toward him. He did so, and cursed his own idiocy at staying still as his movement allowed him to barely escape the dragon's burrowing in the rim of the dome behind him.
Finally, the dragon surfaced, bellowing and flinging sharp shards of ice around the dome. Ryan ran towards it, ready to attack, and Ari began casting Rafoie over and over, filling the sky with red flares of light. As the dragon landed, Ryan accidentally ran into the shockwave and was thrown backwards, his sword skittering out of his hands onto the icy floor. He quickly grabbed his saber instead and continued to run at the dragon until he was within range, hacking at the monsters feet as the lights from Ari's Rafoies continued to flare.
Suddenly, the icy cavern shook, and the monster roared. Ryan backed up, fearing an attack, but instead the dragon stumbled, and fell onto the ground, its heavy body further shaking the cavern. Before Ryan could even approach it again, it began to decay, the body melting to bare bones, and then to nothingness, as nature's entropy took effect.
Ryan stopped in shock before smiling; noting the amounts of looted treasure the dragon must have taken from other hunters who had failed in their endeavors to kill it. Suddenly, Ari practically tackled him in an enthusiastic hug, spinning in a circle before putting him down. Ryan reminded himself to stay calm, Ari was just happy, not...interested. He sighed somewhat forlornly, but Ari's exuberance banished it.
"We did it! I finally beat the dragon! Or, we beat the dragon! Now we can get to the entrance to the caves!" He clapped his hands happily before practically dragging Ryan into the portal back to Pioneer 2, smiling as they teleported back.
"I can't believe it! We did it, without having to go to that damn hospital once! We have to celebrate!" Ryan just blinked, unsure of how to respond.
"C'mon!" Ari said, smiling. "Tomorrow night, I'm taking you to that speakeasy I told you about earlier. It's got everything-Booze, music and women! I'll show you how to properly celebrate a victory!" Ryan smiled and nodded, intrigued with the whole idea. Ari hugged him again, and Ryan nervously extricated himself, afraid that he would betray his attraction physically, and backed up.
"Alright, I'll meet you.here, tomorrow?" Ryan asked uncertainly, and Ari nodded happily, before he added, "Don't tell anyone about it! They have to have a certain amount of secrecy to be able to function."
Ryan nodded before turning to go back to his home. He knew that Ari might feel slighted at the sudden abandonment, but he was tired, and his constant resisting of his own emotions was tiring as well. When he got home, he collapsed into bed, his battle weary body succumbing quickly to sleep.
Alright, done with chap 2! Go me!
