Thank you for all the reviews...I'll take this time to reply to some of them...
Tom Valor- Misako cranky and threatening? I guess being stuck with Shoichi is finally getting to her =P. And as for Cirdan...I was supposed to borrow a friend's sailor character, but he wouldn't let me use her. I then tried an elven captain...but I couldn't get into an elven perspective. So I then gave up and used the current version of him...I could of come up with something else but I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean while I was writing that chapter ;;
the kyo-dai-TAKO!- Misako is you're mom's name? Oo I used a name generator...strange coincidence =P
Yuka Ishida- thanks...but I will work harder to make this story even better
Soji- thank you...I will try to update weekly due to school.
Any who...on with the fic
Chapter 4: The Unexpected Ally
Our dynamic duo have been exploring the Undersea Tunnel of Byalan, currently they have traveled deeper into the cavern and have reached another floor. Right now however, they are running from a pair of angry Thara Frogs.
"'I'll just take a few eggs.' You said, 'They sell well.' You said." Misako yelled at Shoichi, waving her arms around while running.
"Hey...how was I supposed to know that they were still being guarded!?" Shoichi yelled back.
"Hello! Eggs are always protected by their parents!" was Misako's angry reply. But she then felt something grab her leg and trip her, but Shoichi didn't realize that it happened.
"Kero! (Get her!)" one of the frogs bellowed, the other had its tongue wrapped around Misako's leg. They then hopped closer to Misako, ready to attack.
Misako screamed out, "Shoichi-kun! Help me!" She then tried to kick the Thara with her keg caught off, but it only made them angrier.
Shoichi stopped dead in his tracks when he realized Misako was in danger, he turned around and made a mad dash back. He readied his sword and he yelled to the monsters, "Get away from her you pink hopping monstrosities!"
The frogs turned around and glared at Shoichi, identifying him as the egg-napper. They left Misako and started moving towards him. "Kero! Ke-Kero Kero, Ke-Ke! (It's him! The one who tried to steal our eggs!)"
Shoichi dashed passed them, slashing as he ran through. He stopped next to Misako. He helped her up and asked, "Are you ok?" He then looked at the pair of frogs, readying his stance.
Misako blushed and nodded, saying, "I'm fine...Thank you..."
"No prob..." he replied. He then ran at the frogs and performed a jumping slash at one of them. But battling two monsters at once, that move was a bad idea, he managed to hit one, but due to recoil, he couldn't recover fast enough to block the other's assault.
"Winds of life, grant this warrior speed to stop this strife! Increase Agi!" Misako chanted, casting the said spell on Shoichi.
Shoichi felt a sudden burst of energy and he felt lighter on his feet. He started dodging the blows of the two frogs, and countering with his own slashes. But this power boost was short lived, it wore of soon enough and he couldn't dodge as well.
"Kero, Kero-Kero! (Now, get him!)" the frog commanded his partner, they surrounded Shoichi and started attacking him on both sides. The pair had started pushing Shoichi backwards slowly, but it didn't stop him.
"Be careful Shoichi-kun!" Misako said, she then cast a Healing spell on him.
Shoichi was stuck blocking, unable to counter the double attacks from his adversaries. He started thinking up of a plan, 'What can I do now? I'm caught in between a rock and a hard place...Magnum Break won't help me here...'
The frogs then double-teamed him again, knocking him back enough for him to lose his balance.
An idea then hit him, he thought about it, 'Just maybe...screw it, I have no options left!' He then yelled out, "It's not over yet!" He readied his sword and pulled off a continuous spinning slash, it had managed to cut one of the Thara's throats, causing it to limp back gasping for air, while the other just dodged it. But, when he stopped spinning...he was completely dizzy, he said in a dazed tone, "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea."
The last Thara frog took the opportunity to try to land a deathblow on Shoichi, but he managed to regain his bearings and counter with a quick stab to the frog's throat.
With both of the threats eliminated, Shoichi feel to his knees and used his sword as support to keep himself up. He was breathing a bit heavily.
Misako then walked to his side, and pat him on his back, she said calmly, "And today's lesson is?"
Shoichi replied tiredly, "Never steal from a monster nest."
Misako chuckled in response and she sat down next to him, saying, "Good boy."
"Let me just catch my breath for a moment..." Shoichi added, he then asked his partner, "Do you think we should try going deeper into the cave or just stay here for a while?"
Misako looked up to think and then replied, "It's up to you...don't get to ahead of yourself though..."
Shoichi smirked and stood up, telling her, "Don't worry, I won't. We'll stay in this area for a while and then proceed to the next floor."
"That sounds good." Misako replied, standing up and fixing her robes.
Somewhere around the corner, the cloaked figure was there, watching them, but through the hood, you can see that his eyes were focused on Misako. He slowly said to himself, "Why is she here? And who is that with her? No matter...I will continue watching over her." He then started moving, keeping a decent distance away from the two.
Shoichi had turned around, and the man fled into the shadows. "Hmm..." was all he said.
"What is it Shoichi-kun?" his friend asked
Shoichi shook his head, replying, "Nothing...just had the feeling we were being followed."
"It's probably just another explorer or something...like you said, a lot of people come here." Misako stated.
The swordsman nodded, but kept silent, thinking, 'Usually when I have a bad feeling, it comes true, better hope it doesn't'
The pair had been fighting in the somewhat spiral section of the cave for an hour, occasionally stopping to rest before journeying on again. But, Shoichi still couldn't shake the feeling they were being followed.
Shoichi was now standing in front of the old staircase that led to a more dangerous area of Byalan; he looked to Misako and asked, "We're going in...need to make any last preparations?"
Misako shook her head and said, "Nope, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
They ran down, ready for anything...as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they encountered the mermaid like Obeaune.
The mermaid shrieked loudly, and moved towards Shoichi, using its tentacle like hair to attack him.
Shoichi parried, and retaliated with his Broad Sword, pushing it back slowly as he kept attacking.
"I will not let you out of here alive." The mermaid stated threateningly, attack Shoichi with its claws.
"Is that so? Too early for cheap talk you know..." Shoichi replied confidently.
Misako had begun casting Blessing and Increase Agi on Shoichi, so he won't have trouble if he gets mobbed again.
"Take this!" Shoichi yelled as he stabbed the mermaid's arm, followed by an upward slash.
The Obeaune screamed out in agony, but it didn't give up, it continued its assault, but it wasn't attacking as effective as before. "Foolish humans...you have no idea what you're getting yourselves into." It stated...before screeching out, "Help me my sisters!"
Shoichi landed the final blow with a stab it its heart, but as he sheathed his sword, he said, "What was that supposed to mean?"
"I dunno..." Misako said shrugging, unaware that numerous Obeaunes had been moving to the source of one of their kinds cry for help.
"Anyway...lets get moving..." Shoichi said, but he saw that they were being surrounded. "Oh crap..." he added, while looking at the countless monsters just marching up to them.
"What is it?" Misako said oblivious before seeing the monsters, she added "Oh crap..."
"Surrounded by fish ladies, with not many options but to run or fight...since we can't run anywhere...were stuck with fighting!" Shoichi proclaimed
"Are you nuts!? No one can take this many on at once!" Misako shouted at Shoichi, waving her arms wildly.
The mermaids slowly advanced, wanting to attack all at once while they were arguing about what to do.
"Look we can't do anything else! Wait...do you know how to make a portal?" Shoichi asked.
Misako shook her head, replying, "I only know how to teleport..."
"That's good enough! I have a Butterfly wing on me anyway...lets escape while we can!" he took out the said wing, but sadly, the Obeaunes had begun attacking.
Shoichi was taking all the hits, but he couldn't do anything, he could only scream in pain. He yelled out while he was surrounded, "Run Misako! Run while they focus on me!"
Misako shook her head, not being able to move from that spot, yelling, "I won't leave here to die!" She healed him, but he was taking to many hits.
"Just do it!" he ordered her, trying to attack but to no avail.
"Misako, can I be of assistance?" a voice asked her as the cloaked man emerged from his hiding place.
"Who are you?" she asked, healing Shoichi again.
"No time to explain...I must help your friend" He said, as he adjusted his cloak so that his gloves were now ready, it appeared that he was a monk. He then ran towards the mob, punching and kicking until he reached Shoichi, who was badly injured. He picked him up, and jumped to Misako's side, setting him beside her. "Tend to his wounds, I'll take care of this." He told her, before charging up his spirits and running at the horde of fish people.
Misako kneeled beside her comrade, and said softly, "Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere..." was Shoichi's weak reply.
Misako held her hands out over him and focused, they began glowing green and she started healing Shoichi.
"YAH!!" the monk screamed, as he punched the ground beneath him, making a shockwave, causing the surrounding monsters to be knocked back. He finally absorbed his spirits into his hands, and started charging all his energy around him.
The monsters tried to attack before he could finish, but they failed, the monk had all his energy focused for an ultimate attack.
"ASURA STRIKE!!!" he yelled out, causing a giant explosion to happen wiping out all the surrounding monsters. He fell to his knees exhausted.
Misako stood up, as well Shoichi, but Misako asked their savior, "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"
The monk stood up and took off his hood, revealing a man with Silver hair, gray eyes and a red bandana around his head. He said in a mocking tone, "I can't believe you can't recognize your own brother..."
Shoichi stood there while Misako gasped and walked slowly up to him, and she asked softly, "Tadashi oni-chan?"
The monk smiled and replied, "Yup, it's me squirt."
Misako hugged him and asked, "I haven't seen you since you ran away from home...what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to protect you...but it looks like you don't need me for that." He stated, referring to Shoichi.
Shoichi scratched the back of his head and said, "Thanks for the help back there..."
"No problem, and thank you for taking care of my sister..." Tadashi replied.
"Are you going to stay with us oni-chan?" Misako asked her older brother.
"Maybe...for a while...so we can catch up..." the monk stated, shrugging.
"And oni-chan..." Misako said, promptly stomping on his foot, adding, "That's for calling me squirt."
Tadashi jumped up and down holding his foot, saying, "OK, OK, sorry!"
Shoichi couldn't help himself and just laughed at the two siblings. "Hey you two, you can catch up later...why don't we just leave this place and rest up?" he said, holding out the butterfly wing.
The siblings nodded, and they both teleported outside, while Shoichi used the wing and went outside as well.
When they got out, it was night out. They checked the pier and saw that no boats were arriving or departing.
"No choice but to camp." Shoichi stated.
Tadashi nodded, and he got a sleeping bag out of his traveling sack. He said to both of them, "It's a nice night anyway..."
Later, they all then set up a camp area, a fire lit in between them, while they were sitting around it....
And so ends the adventure in the Undersea Tunnel, where do you think they will go next? Find out next time!
Next chapter synopsis- the party begin divulge into their pasts under the blanket of stars. They then return to Izlude and discuss a possible visit to Payon to try their luck in that dungeon.
To be continued!
Tom Valor- Misako cranky and threatening? I guess being stuck with Shoichi is finally getting to her =P. And as for Cirdan...I was supposed to borrow a friend's sailor character, but he wouldn't let me use her. I then tried an elven captain...but I couldn't get into an elven perspective. So I then gave up and used the current version of him...I could of come up with something else but I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean while I was writing that chapter ;;
the kyo-dai-TAKO!- Misako is you're mom's name? Oo I used a name generator...strange coincidence =P
Yuka Ishida- thanks...but I will work harder to make this story even better
Soji- thank you...I will try to update weekly due to school.
Any who...on with the fic
Chapter 4: The Unexpected Ally
Our dynamic duo have been exploring the Undersea Tunnel of Byalan, currently they have traveled deeper into the cavern and have reached another floor. Right now however, they are running from a pair of angry Thara Frogs.
"'I'll just take a few eggs.' You said, 'They sell well.' You said." Misako yelled at Shoichi, waving her arms around while running.
"Hey...how was I supposed to know that they were still being guarded!?" Shoichi yelled back.
"Hello! Eggs are always protected by their parents!" was Misako's angry reply. But she then felt something grab her leg and trip her, but Shoichi didn't realize that it happened.
"Kero! (Get her!)" one of the frogs bellowed, the other had its tongue wrapped around Misako's leg. They then hopped closer to Misako, ready to attack.
Misako screamed out, "Shoichi-kun! Help me!" She then tried to kick the Thara with her keg caught off, but it only made them angrier.
Shoichi stopped dead in his tracks when he realized Misako was in danger, he turned around and made a mad dash back. He readied his sword and he yelled to the monsters, "Get away from her you pink hopping monstrosities!"
The frogs turned around and glared at Shoichi, identifying him as the egg-napper. They left Misako and started moving towards him. "Kero! Ke-Kero Kero, Ke-Ke! (It's him! The one who tried to steal our eggs!)"
Shoichi dashed passed them, slashing as he ran through. He stopped next to Misako. He helped her up and asked, "Are you ok?" He then looked at the pair of frogs, readying his stance.
Misako blushed and nodded, saying, "I'm fine...Thank you..."
"No prob..." he replied. He then ran at the frogs and performed a jumping slash at one of them. But battling two monsters at once, that move was a bad idea, he managed to hit one, but due to recoil, he couldn't recover fast enough to block the other's assault.
"Winds of life, grant this warrior speed to stop this strife! Increase Agi!" Misako chanted, casting the said spell on Shoichi.
Shoichi felt a sudden burst of energy and he felt lighter on his feet. He started dodging the blows of the two frogs, and countering with his own slashes. But this power boost was short lived, it wore of soon enough and he couldn't dodge as well.
"Kero, Kero-Kero! (Now, get him!)" the frog commanded his partner, they surrounded Shoichi and started attacking him on both sides. The pair had started pushing Shoichi backwards slowly, but it didn't stop him.
"Be careful Shoichi-kun!" Misako said, she then cast a Healing spell on him.
Shoichi was stuck blocking, unable to counter the double attacks from his adversaries. He started thinking up of a plan, 'What can I do now? I'm caught in between a rock and a hard place...Magnum Break won't help me here...'
The frogs then double-teamed him again, knocking him back enough for him to lose his balance.
An idea then hit him, he thought about it, 'Just maybe...screw it, I have no options left!' He then yelled out, "It's not over yet!" He readied his sword and pulled off a continuous spinning slash, it had managed to cut one of the Thara's throats, causing it to limp back gasping for air, while the other just dodged it. But, when he stopped spinning...he was completely dizzy, he said in a dazed tone, "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea."
The last Thara frog took the opportunity to try to land a deathblow on Shoichi, but he managed to regain his bearings and counter with a quick stab to the frog's throat.
With both of the threats eliminated, Shoichi feel to his knees and used his sword as support to keep himself up. He was breathing a bit heavily.
Misako then walked to his side, and pat him on his back, she said calmly, "And today's lesson is?"
Shoichi replied tiredly, "Never steal from a monster nest."
Misako chuckled in response and she sat down next to him, saying, "Good boy."
"Let me just catch my breath for a moment..." Shoichi added, he then asked his partner, "Do you think we should try going deeper into the cave or just stay here for a while?"
Misako looked up to think and then replied, "It's up to you...don't get to ahead of yourself though..."
Shoichi smirked and stood up, telling her, "Don't worry, I won't. We'll stay in this area for a while and then proceed to the next floor."
"That sounds good." Misako replied, standing up and fixing her robes.
Somewhere around the corner, the cloaked figure was there, watching them, but through the hood, you can see that his eyes were focused on Misako. He slowly said to himself, "Why is she here? And who is that with her? No matter...I will continue watching over her." He then started moving, keeping a decent distance away from the two.
Shoichi had turned around, and the man fled into the shadows. "Hmm..." was all he said.
"What is it Shoichi-kun?" his friend asked
Shoichi shook his head, replying, "Nothing...just had the feeling we were being followed."
"It's probably just another explorer or something...like you said, a lot of people come here." Misako stated.
The swordsman nodded, but kept silent, thinking, 'Usually when I have a bad feeling, it comes true, better hope it doesn't'
The pair had been fighting in the somewhat spiral section of the cave for an hour, occasionally stopping to rest before journeying on again. But, Shoichi still couldn't shake the feeling they were being followed.
Shoichi was now standing in front of the old staircase that led to a more dangerous area of Byalan; he looked to Misako and asked, "We're going in...need to make any last preparations?"
Misako shook her head and said, "Nope, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
They ran down, ready for anything...as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they encountered the mermaid like Obeaune.
The mermaid shrieked loudly, and moved towards Shoichi, using its tentacle like hair to attack him.
Shoichi parried, and retaliated with his Broad Sword, pushing it back slowly as he kept attacking.
"I will not let you out of here alive." The mermaid stated threateningly, attack Shoichi with its claws.
"Is that so? Too early for cheap talk you know..." Shoichi replied confidently.
Misako had begun casting Blessing and Increase Agi on Shoichi, so he won't have trouble if he gets mobbed again.
"Take this!" Shoichi yelled as he stabbed the mermaid's arm, followed by an upward slash.
The Obeaune screamed out in agony, but it didn't give up, it continued its assault, but it wasn't attacking as effective as before. "Foolish humans...you have no idea what you're getting yourselves into." It stated...before screeching out, "Help me my sisters!"
Shoichi landed the final blow with a stab it its heart, but as he sheathed his sword, he said, "What was that supposed to mean?"
"I dunno..." Misako said shrugging, unaware that numerous Obeaunes had been moving to the source of one of their kinds cry for help.
"Anyway...lets get moving..." Shoichi said, but he saw that they were being surrounded. "Oh crap..." he added, while looking at the countless monsters just marching up to them.
"What is it?" Misako said oblivious before seeing the monsters, she added "Oh crap..."
"Surrounded by fish ladies, with not many options but to run or fight...since we can't run anywhere...were stuck with fighting!" Shoichi proclaimed
"Are you nuts!? No one can take this many on at once!" Misako shouted at Shoichi, waving her arms wildly.
The mermaids slowly advanced, wanting to attack all at once while they were arguing about what to do.
"Look we can't do anything else! Wait...do you know how to make a portal?" Shoichi asked.
Misako shook her head, replying, "I only know how to teleport..."
"That's good enough! I have a Butterfly wing on me anyway...lets escape while we can!" he took out the said wing, but sadly, the Obeaunes had begun attacking.
Shoichi was taking all the hits, but he couldn't do anything, he could only scream in pain. He yelled out while he was surrounded, "Run Misako! Run while they focus on me!"
Misako shook her head, not being able to move from that spot, yelling, "I won't leave here to die!" She healed him, but he was taking to many hits.
"Just do it!" he ordered her, trying to attack but to no avail.
"Misako, can I be of assistance?" a voice asked her as the cloaked man emerged from his hiding place.
"Who are you?" she asked, healing Shoichi again.
"No time to explain...I must help your friend" He said, as he adjusted his cloak so that his gloves were now ready, it appeared that he was a monk. He then ran towards the mob, punching and kicking until he reached Shoichi, who was badly injured. He picked him up, and jumped to Misako's side, setting him beside her. "Tend to his wounds, I'll take care of this." He told her, before charging up his spirits and running at the horde of fish people.
Misako kneeled beside her comrade, and said softly, "Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere..." was Shoichi's weak reply.
Misako held her hands out over him and focused, they began glowing green and she started healing Shoichi.
"YAH!!" the monk screamed, as he punched the ground beneath him, making a shockwave, causing the surrounding monsters to be knocked back. He finally absorbed his spirits into his hands, and started charging all his energy around him.
The monsters tried to attack before he could finish, but they failed, the monk had all his energy focused for an ultimate attack.
"ASURA STRIKE!!!" he yelled out, causing a giant explosion to happen wiping out all the surrounding monsters. He fell to his knees exhausted.
Misako stood up, as well Shoichi, but Misako asked their savior, "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"
The monk stood up and took off his hood, revealing a man with Silver hair, gray eyes and a red bandana around his head. He said in a mocking tone, "I can't believe you can't recognize your own brother..."
Shoichi stood there while Misako gasped and walked slowly up to him, and she asked softly, "Tadashi oni-chan?"
The monk smiled and replied, "Yup, it's me squirt."
Misako hugged him and asked, "I haven't seen you since you ran away from home...what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to protect you...but it looks like you don't need me for that." He stated, referring to Shoichi.
Shoichi scratched the back of his head and said, "Thanks for the help back there..."
"No problem, and thank you for taking care of my sister..." Tadashi replied.
"Are you going to stay with us oni-chan?" Misako asked her older brother.
"Maybe...for a while...so we can catch up..." the monk stated, shrugging.
"And oni-chan..." Misako said, promptly stomping on his foot, adding, "That's for calling me squirt."
Tadashi jumped up and down holding his foot, saying, "OK, OK, sorry!"
Shoichi couldn't help himself and just laughed at the two siblings. "Hey you two, you can catch up later...why don't we just leave this place and rest up?" he said, holding out the butterfly wing.
The siblings nodded, and they both teleported outside, while Shoichi used the wing and went outside as well.
When they got out, it was night out. They checked the pier and saw that no boats were arriving or departing.
"No choice but to camp." Shoichi stated.
Tadashi nodded, and he got a sleeping bag out of his traveling sack. He said to both of them, "It's a nice night anyway..."
Later, they all then set up a camp area, a fire lit in between them, while they were sitting around it....
And so ends the adventure in the Undersea Tunnel, where do you think they will go next? Find out next time!
Next chapter synopsis- the party begin divulge into their pasts under the blanket of stars. They then return to Izlude and discuss a possible visit to Payon to try their luck in that dungeon.
To be continued!