NEXT DAY, 12.29 PM
Sig's House
Juliet: Sigfried? Aren't you going to the combat classes?
Sig: (Chokes slightly on his lunch) Say what?!
Juliet: You forgetful boy. Don't you remember? You promised to meet Proteus at the Great Chamber at 12.30.
Sig: (Rather hesitantly) Well—
Juliet: Nervous, dear?
Sig: (Lying) Err—yes.
Juliet: (chuckling kindly) Don't worry about that. Your father was more worried than you were the first time he went to his combat classes.
Oh no, please Mother, no, Sig thought, biting his lip. If there was one thing he didn't want to hear was the story of how Dante found his beastly powers.
Juliet: He used to be so clumsy, too! Honestly, your father looked so funny during his classes. But with some patience, a few mistakes and a lot of practise, things turn out right for him eventually.
Juliet sighed for a moment, suddenly remembering the death of her husband.
Juliet: (Less cheerfully) Your father would've been proud of you, Sig. If he were here now—
Sig: (Gently) Mother, please.......
Sig took hold of her quivering hand and held it gently.
Sig: Father's gone. I know he would be proud, but wishing that he would come back isn't really the right thing to do. Father wouldn't want you crying to death over his absence.
Juliet: Oh, Sigfried. Forgive me. You're right. I should stop all this useless mourning and concentrate more on life and you. I'll start right now, in fact.
Sig: That's great, mother.
Juliet: Oh, look at the time! Proteus is expecting you at the Great Hall! Hurry now, nd do becareful!
Sig: (Leaving out through the door) I will, Mother!
Becareful, yeah right. Sig knew he had no choice against this, and if he refused they'll have to pay the fine. Sig knew they could never afford to pay that much money, and he didn't want to disappoint his mother as well. So reluctantly he swallowed his revulsion and dread, and sprinted off towards the direction of the Great Chamber.
At the Great Chamber.......
Proteus: (Arms crossed) Sigfried!! About time you showed up!
Fenris: (Teasing) Gobbling up lunch as usual?
Sig: Quit it with the remarks, Fenris. Am I late?
Proteus: You can bet your life you are! Classes are about to start any minute!
Sig: (Rather sharply) You're actually excited about this, aren't you?
Proteus: Well, aren't you?
Sig didn't reply. Fenris: All right, enough squabbling you two. Come on, we'd best go inside.
The Great Chamber. Sig had always admired its greatness and awe. But now he approached them with escalating dread. His green eyes looked up to the faraway, domed ceiling above him and studied the colossal area of circular space in front of him. He felt so minute against the vastness of it all, and even with a crowd of almost 150 young Metamorphagans it only filled just one-quarter of the chamber. It was lit all around by huge torches and a few Eco crystals, so it wasn't very bright.
Sig made his way among the crowd, standing close to Fenris and Proteus. He waited tensely for the lesson to begin.
Sure enough, it did.
******: ALL LINE UP!!!
Almost immediately, the crowd of Metamorphagans fell silent. Striding among their midst was a large and broad-shouldered Metamorphagan whose eyes were two burning, dark coals. His skin was tanned, with large arms and long legs. His thick back hair was tied into a long ponytail, and a strange white streak ran down from his forehead to the back of his hair. Half of his face was badly scarred, and so was the rest of his muscular body. Sig gulped.
******: So, this is the measly group of Metas that the Circle has to offer me. Discard all those thoughts of being Peacemaker because like it or not, you will taste blood soon enough.
He strode on more, eyes studying the now petrified crowd. His next words were steely.
******: As you have heard, Metalheads are attacking our city for the Dark Eco that we have here. Due to the lack of weaponary, we are compelled to learn the arts of Metamorphagan combat. This is the new order of the City. I agree to it fully.
He stopped walking, right in the centre of the crowd.
******: I am Vorador, your new tutor in the ways of Transformation and Combat, two skills a Metamorphagan MUST master. I must warn you that I do not tolerate disobedience, and those who refuse to sacrifice their sweat and blood for the good of this damnable city will have to deal with me. Am I clear with that?
Nobody answered, but Vorador knew they were listening. So he continued.
Vorador: So.........shall we begin?
Vorador had the students all lined up parallelly in straight lines behind one another, so that he could address them more carefully.
Vorador: According to 'The Crux', a book written a long time ago by an anonymous Metamorphagan writer, Transformation is used to defend ourselves when we are threatened and nothing more. It must not be used to settle arguments, to show supremacy or to simply kill for no reason. This concept has been used for years; But.......Lucky for you I don't believe in such frail statements. I kill for fun.
He laughed chillingly.
Vorador: When you transform, your world will change. You are no longer human, and murder will be your main priority. Thanks to ancient powers of the Moon-Sapphire, however, we are able to contain these savage instincts, giving us the ability to think and to even speak at certain times. It harnesses the power of moonlight, thus allowing us to transform at any time upon our own will. But such powers aren't easy to control. We are humans by blood, but beasts by fate. To master these powers, we must master ourselves.......our confidence, our emotions and mostly, or desires to make a kill with this new found strength. I have seen many young Metamorphagans being misled, and their foolishness ends with their peril. I don't want that same mistake from you.
He turned to the crowd.
Vorador: These combat classes will only last a few months. But the learning that aspects of transformation and combat skills will require life-time effort. So now..........................
He trailed off in a long speech, and while the other students listened in attentively Sig was lost in a sea of self-loath. He couldn't believe it. Months of training how to kill and how to fight. Months of becoming a Metalhead. It sounded so unholy to him, and he was more than grateful when the lessons finished four hours later. He walked out empty and feeling souless, suddenly dreading the next lesson.
Proteus: Whoa!! That Vorador person sure knows how to put us up straight! I'm shaken but I can bet he's a good teacher.
Fenris: What do you think, Sig?
Sig: (Not answering)
Fenris: Are you all right? You've been acting weird of all the sudden......
Sig: I'm fine.
Proteus: Liar. C'mon, Siggy, you can tell us. We're your bestfriends, surely we can help you out!
Sig: Look---it's just that I don't like being a Metafor very much.
Proteus: Really? Set your mind on Peacemaker that much, eh?
Sig: Sort of.
Fenris: Don't worry, Sig. You'll get over it soon. I mean, it's going to go on for four months. Maybe you'll change your mind sooner or later.
Humph. Sig thought, the corner of his mouth twitching. That's easy for you to say.
..........................................................................................................
Thraxenel: (Being mauled by Dragon of Zanarkand's Hura-Lycans) NO!!! STOP!!! MERCY!!!!
Dragon of Zanarkand: Muahahahaha!!! Feel my wrath!!!!
Thraxenel: I'LL UPDATE SOON, I PROMISE!!! No, no....NO MORE!! Argggghhhhh!!!!
Jak-Daxter: (Clamps eyes shut with a sigh) I can't watch this. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Juliet: Sigfried? Aren't you going to the combat classes?
Sig: (Chokes slightly on his lunch) Say what?!
Juliet: You forgetful boy. Don't you remember? You promised to meet Proteus at the Great Chamber at 12.30.
Sig: (Rather hesitantly) Well—
Juliet: Nervous, dear?
Sig: (Lying) Err—yes.
Juliet: (chuckling kindly) Don't worry about that. Your father was more worried than you were the first time he went to his combat classes.
Oh no, please Mother, no, Sig thought, biting his lip. If there was one thing he didn't want to hear was the story of how Dante found his beastly powers.
Juliet: He used to be so clumsy, too! Honestly, your father looked so funny during his classes. But with some patience, a few mistakes and a lot of practise, things turn out right for him eventually.
Juliet sighed for a moment, suddenly remembering the death of her husband.
Juliet: (Less cheerfully) Your father would've been proud of you, Sig. If he were here now—
Sig: (Gently) Mother, please.......
Sig took hold of her quivering hand and held it gently.
Sig: Father's gone. I know he would be proud, but wishing that he would come back isn't really the right thing to do. Father wouldn't want you crying to death over his absence.
Juliet: Oh, Sigfried. Forgive me. You're right. I should stop all this useless mourning and concentrate more on life and you. I'll start right now, in fact.
Sig: That's great, mother.
Juliet: Oh, look at the time! Proteus is expecting you at the Great Hall! Hurry now, nd do becareful!
Sig: (Leaving out through the door) I will, Mother!
Becareful, yeah right. Sig knew he had no choice against this, and if he refused they'll have to pay the fine. Sig knew they could never afford to pay that much money, and he didn't want to disappoint his mother as well. So reluctantly he swallowed his revulsion and dread, and sprinted off towards the direction of the Great Chamber.
At the Great Chamber.......
Proteus: (Arms crossed) Sigfried!! About time you showed up!
Fenris: (Teasing) Gobbling up lunch as usual?
Sig: Quit it with the remarks, Fenris. Am I late?
Proteus: You can bet your life you are! Classes are about to start any minute!
Sig: (Rather sharply) You're actually excited about this, aren't you?
Proteus: Well, aren't you?
Sig didn't reply. Fenris: All right, enough squabbling you two. Come on, we'd best go inside.
The Great Chamber. Sig had always admired its greatness and awe. But now he approached them with escalating dread. His green eyes looked up to the faraway, domed ceiling above him and studied the colossal area of circular space in front of him. He felt so minute against the vastness of it all, and even with a crowd of almost 150 young Metamorphagans it only filled just one-quarter of the chamber. It was lit all around by huge torches and a few Eco crystals, so it wasn't very bright.
Sig made his way among the crowd, standing close to Fenris and Proteus. He waited tensely for the lesson to begin.
Sure enough, it did.
******: ALL LINE UP!!!
Almost immediately, the crowd of Metamorphagans fell silent. Striding among their midst was a large and broad-shouldered Metamorphagan whose eyes were two burning, dark coals. His skin was tanned, with large arms and long legs. His thick back hair was tied into a long ponytail, and a strange white streak ran down from his forehead to the back of his hair. Half of his face was badly scarred, and so was the rest of his muscular body. Sig gulped.
******: So, this is the measly group of Metas that the Circle has to offer me. Discard all those thoughts of being Peacemaker because like it or not, you will taste blood soon enough.
He strode on more, eyes studying the now petrified crowd. His next words were steely.
******: As you have heard, Metalheads are attacking our city for the Dark Eco that we have here. Due to the lack of weaponary, we are compelled to learn the arts of Metamorphagan combat. This is the new order of the City. I agree to it fully.
He stopped walking, right in the centre of the crowd.
******: I am Vorador, your new tutor in the ways of Transformation and Combat, two skills a Metamorphagan MUST master. I must warn you that I do not tolerate disobedience, and those who refuse to sacrifice their sweat and blood for the good of this damnable city will have to deal with me. Am I clear with that?
Nobody answered, but Vorador knew they were listening. So he continued.
Vorador: So.........shall we begin?
Vorador had the students all lined up parallelly in straight lines behind one another, so that he could address them more carefully.
Vorador: According to 'The Crux', a book written a long time ago by an anonymous Metamorphagan writer, Transformation is used to defend ourselves when we are threatened and nothing more. It must not be used to settle arguments, to show supremacy or to simply kill for no reason. This concept has been used for years; But.......Lucky for you I don't believe in such frail statements. I kill for fun.
He laughed chillingly.
Vorador: When you transform, your world will change. You are no longer human, and murder will be your main priority. Thanks to ancient powers of the Moon-Sapphire, however, we are able to contain these savage instincts, giving us the ability to think and to even speak at certain times. It harnesses the power of moonlight, thus allowing us to transform at any time upon our own will. But such powers aren't easy to control. We are humans by blood, but beasts by fate. To master these powers, we must master ourselves.......our confidence, our emotions and mostly, or desires to make a kill with this new found strength. I have seen many young Metamorphagans being misled, and their foolishness ends with their peril. I don't want that same mistake from you.
He turned to the crowd.
Vorador: These combat classes will only last a few months. But the learning that aspects of transformation and combat skills will require life-time effort. So now..........................
He trailed off in a long speech, and while the other students listened in attentively Sig was lost in a sea of self-loath. He couldn't believe it. Months of training how to kill and how to fight. Months of becoming a Metalhead. It sounded so unholy to him, and he was more than grateful when the lessons finished four hours later. He walked out empty and feeling souless, suddenly dreading the next lesson.
Proteus: Whoa!! That Vorador person sure knows how to put us up straight! I'm shaken but I can bet he's a good teacher.
Fenris: What do you think, Sig?
Sig: (Not answering)
Fenris: Are you all right? You've been acting weird of all the sudden......
Sig: I'm fine.
Proteus: Liar. C'mon, Siggy, you can tell us. We're your bestfriends, surely we can help you out!
Sig: Look---it's just that I don't like being a Metafor very much.
Proteus: Really? Set your mind on Peacemaker that much, eh?
Sig: Sort of.
Fenris: Don't worry, Sig. You'll get over it soon. I mean, it's going to go on for four months. Maybe you'll change your mind sooner or later.
Humph. Sig thought, the corner of his mouth twitching. That's easy for you to say.
..........................................................................................................
Thraxenel: (Being mauled by Dragon of Zanarkand's Hura-Lycans) NO!!! STOP!!! MERCY!!!!
Dragon of Zanarkand: Muahahahaha!!! Feel my wrath!!!!
Thraxenel: I'LL UPDATE SOON, I PROMISE!!! No, no....NO MORE!! Argggghhhhh!!!!
Jak-Daxter: (Clamps eyes shut with a sigh) I can't watch this. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................