Star Ocean: The Second Story, Into The Vast Darkness
Chapter 4: Claude to the rescueAfter talking to Rena in Shingo Forest, Claude decided that even if the people in Arlia could not help him with his predicament, maybe someone in another town could. Also, the possibility still remained that his communicator would work in a new area. As the young man started to leave the town from the north exit, entering a vast plain with a large road in the middle, forests and mountains surrounding it, he was stopped by a small boy. "Mister," started the boy with a foreboding tone, "If you head out of the town you had best stay on the road. The forests are dangerous nowadays." Claude thanked the young boy and went on his way, not the slightest bit worried as long as he had his phase gun. He promised Regis he wouldn't use it unless he had to, and with his new sword the earthling didn't think he would.
Before Claude left he had asked a few of the locals where the nearest town would be and that was where the young man was headed. Salva, the prosperous mining town located two or three miles from Arlia, was Claude's destination. As he made his way along the road to Salva, he took a closer look at his surroundings. The time was around noon by now and the sun shown brightly overhead, reflecting off of the young man's golden hair and making even more beautiful the land's façade. A quarter of the way to Salva, Claude spied two large forests on either side of the road; the one to the left a hundred and the one on the right around 500 yards away.
The season on this planet was similar to Earth's spring, fairly warm and bright. The green foliage was a splendid sight, far more beautiful in person than on a hologram. Birds sang their cheerful songs and filled the air with pleasant music to be enjoyed by anyone who cared to listen. Behind the forests were mountains so tall that they seemed to challenge the sky with their height, covered with lush, green vegetation. This place was so nice that Claude considered asking Rena if she would like to go camping here sometime.
There was one thing that struck Claude as odd. There were no great beasts, such as the ape that attacked Rena, or any others that may pose a threat. All the young man could see where rabbits, a deer or two, and the occasional furry creature, which looked like a squirrel with three tails. He had no idea why the boy in Arlia had deemed this grand valley dangerous until he got almost all the way to his destination.
Standing on the road waiting for passersby was a group of five bandits. Each of the thieves wore a matching tan tunic with a hood over their heads and a short sword at their sides. All of them had large money-pouches tied to their belts that looked to be filled with coins, coins that had probably not been earned honestly. Not wanting to deal with such unscrupulous characters, Claude decided to try and walk around them. When the young man walked off the road the five formed a straight line in front of him, not allowing him to pass. "Give us all yer money and then ye can pass, if not, ye die." proclaimed the tallest of the bandits, whom Claude assumed was the leader.
"I have no money, sirs," Claude started to lie, "I am a poor traveler visiting relatives in Salva and they will be angry with me if I do not make it in time. Please let me pass." The head bandit turned his head to the left and then the right, making eye contact with each of his henchmen. "If ye have no money, then how'd ye get such fine clothes and a sword? Kill him."
Each of the accomplices drew their swords and began to circle around Claude. Well, shit...The young man drew his sword as well and turned it to the leader. "You are correct, I am no ordinary traveler. I am a great swordsman from the town of Earth, and if you do not let me pass I will kill you all." Claude really hoped that would work so he wouldn't have to phase gun these foul knaves... Four of the men sheathed their swords and stepped back, only the leader still drawn. "I would love to test your amazing skills." Challenged the leader, and quickly, without warning he rushed at Claude and slashed his sword down towards the young man's head.
Claude reflexively stuck his blade up in the air, blocking the bandit's with a loud clash. The recoil sent both of them back a few steps and gave the earthling enough time to prepare for another blow. The other four bandits stared in awe. No one had been able to block their master's quick slash before, not even the old leader... Claude held up his sword preparing to block again and said, "As I said, I am a great warrior from Earth. Let me pass." After being humiliated in front of his men, there was no way that this man would let him go, and Claude knew that. The young man blocked two more blows from the bandit master before retaliating. Right after the second slash hit, Claude thrust his sword forward, narrowly missing the other, more experienced man's face. Because of his awkward position, the bandit could not strike with his sword, but kicked Claude in the stomach knocking him on his back.
The leader of the bandits gripped his sword with the blade pointing down and raised it high above his head, the sun glinting off of it, and prepared to run through the disabled young man. Crap, crap, crap! As the man began to thrust down, Claude quickly pulled out his phase gun and blasted the bandit into oblivion. All the other bandits saw was the boy raise his hand and an intense blue light come out, enveloping their master. When the light faded he was gone, not a trace of him left, and they trembled in fear. Claude got up and stepped towards the bandits, who had turned and prepared to run away.
"Stop!" shouted the young man fiercely, "And give me all of your money before you run like children!" The thieves untied their money-pouches from their belts and threw them in Claude's general direction, and then ran as if being chased by an entire army. The earthling returned his phase gun to his pocket and thought to himself for a moment before continuing his journey to Salva. My phase gun may soon run out of power... I really need to learn how to use this sword.
Claude had finally reached the town of Salva. A rich mining town, Salva was located in between the ends of the two mountains that surrounded much of the southern coast of the continent that the young man was in, forming a sort of natural wall on both sides of the city. Much of the ground had been paved with dirt and sand, giving it a brownish color and this town was also much larger than Arlia.
The buildings nearest the southern entrance to the town were several houses with white walls, now brown and black from soot and dirt from the mines. Among the many houses was a small jam store with a blue roof, which sold every jam from grape to strawberry. To the southeast of the town were even more houses and the Happy Penguin Inn. Up hill from all that was a combination jewelry store and armory, a concept Claude felt was very odd. Up north was a tavern with a discolored, rusty roof that had a dirty "Gr n ope in" sign hanging from it that looked as if it had been there for ages.
The most exquisite building in Salva was the mayor's manner, which stood three stories tall and had several large windows that allowed light to shine into each room. Even though it was right next to the entrance to the Salva Drifts, the local mine, the manor was kept dirt free and immaculate. Claude assumed that the mayor had hired people to wash his house daily, because he must certainly be rich.
After asking around a bit and trying his communicator once more, Claude decided that there was no way for him to get back home from here, but he did not give up hope just yet. Certainly his over-protective father was looking for him. What the young man did hear in town was some disturbing information about the mayor of Salva's son. Alen; that was the boy's name; had been acting very strangely. Normally he made daily trips to Arlia to visit a childhood friend of his, whom he had fallen in love with and repeatedly got rejected by, thereby creating a funny spectacle for the citizens of both towns, had been held up in his house for the past two weeks polishing a strange stone. Though this was all very interesting, Claude decided he had best finish up his business and head back to Arlia. While in town, he used the money he had "acquired on his journeys" to buy himself some nice leather boots, leather armor, and a leather helmet, which the armorer helped him put on, and for Rena he purchased a fine robe, a necklace, and several jars of jam.
Suddenly Claude did not feel so bad about running into those bandits, and with his new armor he felt invincible. Gifts in hand, the young man made his way back to Arlia whistling a happy tune. As he reached the town his whistling fell flat and stopped. Westa, Regis, and a few others were waiting for him at the entrance. They explained to him quickly how Rena had been captured, but because it was by the son of a powerful mayor there was nothing they could do about it.
"I don't believe this," started Claude angrily "Son of a mayor or not your own flesh and blood is in danger! You people make me sick that you would sit and do nothing!" The angered young man paused for a few seconds to think. "If you will not save Rena then I will do it myself. I am not of this village, so no harm will come to you..." Claude set down the robe and jam he was carrying and dashed in the direction of Salva at full speed, not even stopping to hear Westa thank him for his bravery.
The young man ran and ran and ran, not pausing for anything. It felt as if pure adrenaline and not blood was pumping through his veins. He had to get to Rena before anything happened to her. The girl had been so nice to him that he could not stand the thought of anyone putting their hands on her. Claude got to Salva and headed straight for the mayors house, which he had viewed earlier that day.
The earthling jiggled the handle, revealing that the door was locked. He kicked it once and again and even tried ramming his shoulder into it, but it was no good. The door would not budge. Damn it! How am I supp... the phase gun! Claude pulled out his phase gun and blasted the two doors right off their hinges before something caught his eye. The phase gun was out of batteries. You have got to be kidding me... The young man took off into the house. He had to find Rena now. Slowly a crowd began to gather wondering what had just transpired...
-
Rena woke up in dank room that smelled of soot and sulfur upon an altar, with her arms bound by rope. Now awake, she instantly remembered what had happened just hours before and looked around for Alen. "Alen! What in the world has gotten into you? You can't just kidnap me and tie me up like this! I thought you were a good friend, but I was wrong!" Rena's eyes started to tear up at the thought of her friend behaving so rude and uncaringly.
Alen approached her and began to speak, his voice and words not sounding like his own, but rather forced by something that Rena could not see. "Rena, my darling, I have been in love with you since the moment I met you. Time and again I have asked you for your hand, but you turn me down, saying that you would only like to be friends. Rena, I cannot be friends with a girl as beautiful as you, and I want to make you my wife."
"You can't do this!" Rena began to scream at the top of her lungs, appalled. "I don't care how beautiful you think I am or how much you think you love me, you cannot just kidnap me and force my hand! That isn't love! That is just sick! You, Alen, are sick! What happened to my good friend? What happened to the boy that treated me nicely and respected my wishes? What is your problem? Untie me right now or you will be sorry!" The angry girl yelled as she pulled on her restraints.
"The time has come for us to be one. We love each other. In love... in love... in love..." Alen said strangely and then began reciting words from the Book of Light, which were commonly said at wedding ceremonies. Rena struggled and struggled to get free when the door to the room that they were in slammed open. "Rena!" shouted a very familiar voice before Claude burst into the room, sword drawn. The strong young man ran straight up to Alen and slammed his fist into his face, knocking him headlong into the wall and shattering his nose.
Claude quickly cut the ropes holding Rena and asked her if she was okay. Claude came to save me... Rena nodded and said that she was fine. Claude turned to Alen and pointed the tip of his sword at his chest, light from the candles strewn about glinting off of it. "How dare you try to kidnap Rena? I should kill you right now, you sick ba-" Alen lifted his hand up, causing the air to stir, and with great force and a wave of red light, Claude and Rena were knocked backward.
The young man was immediately back on his feet and looked ready to stab the hell out of Alen. Rena got back on her feet as well. Though not as strong as Claude, she was in very good shape. "Alen..." Rena muttered softly. Slowly Alen stood, a strange green stone floating about him, and he began to do something very odd. His muscles began to budge and his black armor started to tear. The young man put his head down as his hair started to grow, and when he brought it back up his eyes emitted a terrifying, bright-red light.
By now his breastplate had torn off, revealing his new, dark-pink skin. His hair, now dark gray, ran all the way down his muscular back. His greaves had torn completely off, letting his newly enlarged feet show. The last thing to change was his teeth. Large, jagged fangs protruded from his mouth, each looking sharp enough to tear through flesh. No longer a man, Alen stood 7 feet tall, a gigantic demon that looked to be spawned from the depths of Hell. Meanwhile the stone seemed to laugh more and more maniacally at Rena and Claude as it grew brighter and brighter. Alen... He used to be such a nice guy...
Without warning, the newly created demon lunged at Claude, knocking him nearly across the room. The young man slammed into the floor and slid a few feet before quickly rising to his feet and charging. The injured Claude struck back just as quickly, forcing down his new sword at Alen, or what used to be Alen. Wow! Rena now saw that Claude was not the type to be beaten. As great a monster as he was hit by, he did not stay down for more than a few seconds. Incredible...The large beast blocked Claude's sword with his enormous arm, protecting his face but causing incredible injury to his right extremity. The sword slid half way into the bulk of the arm, dark crimson beginning to flow from the wound. The large beast screamed in pain, and punched the young man off of him, sending his sword flying with him.
"Claude!" screamed Rena, preparing to run and help the fallen young man. Slowly but steadily he rose to his feet, Alen gripping his deep cut on the other side of the room, blood flowing like a waterfall through his fingers. The boy winced and shook with pain. "Stay back, Rena. This is dangerous." He managed to get out, breathing heavily. Rena could now see the tiredness in his eyes. He must have ran all the way to Salva...
Hurt, but not prepared to be beaten, the young man charged at Alen, his sword held up high. As the beast rose it's left arm to block, Claude slashed down, not hitting it, but rather missing on purpose. The clever young man turned his sword upward, and Rena watched in awe as he ran it straight through the chest of the demonic creature. Turning his back to Alen, he grasped the end of the sword, walking toward Rena and pulling it free. Only a few short feet away, the monster fell. The glowing, green stone that hovered in the air faded and shattered.
Rena rushed to Claude as he started to stumble and grasped his arm, propping him up. "Claude! Are you alright?" asked the girl, terribly worried. The young man breathed heavily for a few moments, and then stood up straight. "I... I will be fine. Don't worry." he uttered. Rena shook her head and told him to stand still, which he did. She raised her hand and slowly it started to glow and grow warmer. A green light surrounded Claude and he began to grow warmer, his bruises fading and his cuts closing up. Soon his energy was restored and he felt as if he had never fought at all.
Ever since she could remember, Rena had the ability to heal. A scraped knee, a bruised elbow, or the occasional eye wound that Dias acquired from stick fighting, Rena could heal in a jiffy. She used no herbs, no medicines, just the powers that emanated from her hands. Rena was the only one in the entire village of Arlia with such a power, so she hid it from everyone except Westa and her closest friends. I hope Claude doesn't think I am weird.
Claude just stood there, seemingly in awe. Rena took his hand and slowly turned him towards Alen, who had turned back into his old self. "Poor guy," spoke Rena aloud. "That green stone thing must have done something to him. When it exploded he turned back to normal." The young man nodded his head in agreement. Slowly, the fallen Alen moved his hand. The pair stepped back, away from him. "He's still breathing..." Claude though out loud. Rena walked over and knelt beside him. She healed him the same way she healed Claude, showering him with green light and warmth. The gashes on his arm and chest closed and he slowly stood up.
"Ouch... My head... Where am I? Rena? Who is that guy?" the once again human asked, confused. Rena and Claude walked him back out of the secret room in the mines where the fight had happened, back to his mansion, and the three, the house staff, and the local carpenter discussed what had happened. Ever since Alen had found that strange stone in the depths of the Salva Drifts he had been acting rather peculiarly. He had stopped eating, rarely talked to his staff, did almost nothing but polish the stone.
The young man admitted that once he found the stone, he felt like he could do no wrong. He felt stronger, faster, and greater than any other. After that he could not remember anything and his thoughts grew fuzzy. Alen could not believe what he had done to Rena, kidnapping her like that. He felt terrible and apologized again and again and again. The young man was so ashamed of his actions that he vowed never to ask Rena out again. She forgave him, of course, because he was under the control of the stone, but still he felt awful.
Rena and Claude headed back to Arlia, where they were greeted by a mob of worried friends. Westa rushed to the head of the crowd and gave Rena a big hug. "I was so worried!" she shouted, clinging to her daughter. Oh, mother...Regis gave Claude a pat on the back and told the pair to meet him at his house later to discuss what had happened. Before they did that, however, Westa made sure to stuff them both full of food.
They ate, rested and soon day became night. The sun had just set and the sky was streaked with blues and purples and dotted with the brightest stars. The weather was cool, calm and almost perfect. Regis greeted Rena and Claude at the door and they stepped into his sizable kitchen to converse. "So, this stone was controlling Alen, correct?" started the somewhat confused mayor. "Yes," replied Claude "As soon as the stone was destroyed he changed back to normal." Hmm... could it be? Rena piped in with something she thought was very important. "Changing people, making them more violent, doesn't that sound like the Sorcery Globe?" The swift girl could see the information click in the minds of the two men. They all remained quiet for a bit before Regis broke the silence.
"Mr. Claude," he started and after pausing for a bit, continued, "I would like to ask you to please investigate the Sorcery Globe. I know you are not the Warrior of Light, but you are a great warrior all the same. You managed to save Rena, not once but twice, and I fear that you are the only one that can put a stop to this suffering." Rena watched Claude stop and think for a moment before raising his head. "I'll do it. Not because I am some hero, but because I think this might be worth checking out." The boy tried to say as humbly as he could.
Rena poked Claude on the shoulder to get his attention. "Claude, I want you to take me with you." The young man stared at her, shocked, while Regis did not seem to look affected at all. The sweet girl felt that rather strange. "But, Rena, it will be dangerous. I can't put you at risk like that." The girl gently rested her hand on his. "You are going to need a guide since you aren't from around here and my powers will come in handy. Please, Claude, take me with you." He couldn't say no, because he knew she was right. Besides, who would want to go on an adventure all alone?
"Mayor, what do you think?" asked Claude, trying to appear unsure. "I think that the girl is right. I will talk to Westa about it. Now, Rena, why don't you run home for a moment? I would like to talk to Claude alone." She nodded and headed out the door to her home. There was something she wanted to tell Claude, so she decided to wait a bit and then go get him. Rena took out her pendant and wiped it with a piece of cloth before putting it away again. Mother...
-
"Mr. Claude, it did not surprise me that Rena asked to go with you," Regis began to explain to the confused earthling, "Rena is not of this village. The healing power that she has, only she has. One day Westa was picking herbs in Shingo Forest when she heard a strange noise. She followed the noise deeper and deeper in until she came to a small clearing. In that clearing, leaned up against a tree was a strange looking device.
The sides of in looked to be made out of some metal, such as iron or steel, and over the front was a thick sheet of glass. Westa cautiously approached this strange contraption and upon examining it found a small red button. She pushed it in and the glass began to rise, smoke and vapor pouring out of the crack. What lay inside both shocked and confused the woman. It was a baby with beautiful blue hair, dressed in robes with a hairpin and a pendant. Rena.
Being a couple not blessed with children, Westa and her husband brought Rena home and raised her as their own. Not a single person objected. That woman tried as hard as she could to make Rena fit in and got rid of the device that the girl had been found in. She did not have the heart, however, to destroy the pendant, which had surely been a gift from Rena's birthmother.
As hard as Westa tried, the young girl still noticed that she was different. At five months old she had already learned to speak. Even though the other children accepted her, everyone noticed something special about her. Most of them clung on to her as a very good friend, others, like Alen for example, fell in love with her, but everyone noticed that difference, that special something. But most explicit was her ability to heal. No other person in Arlia, or on this continent seemed to share that gift.
Westa made the girl hide it, but as long as Rena knew about it she would be different anyway. It is my belief that Rena may have even overheard Westa and I discussing this, which we have many a time. Of these things I am sure. Rena knows she is different and she wants to find out why, and I think she may find the answers she seeks investigating the Sorcery Globe with you. So I ask you, Mr. Claude, please take the girl with you and please watch over her."
Claude stopped for a moment to let all that he had just heard sink it. He promised to take good care of Rena and after being thanked many times by Regis headed off to bed. He lay down and closed his eyes when something peculiar made him sit up. He heard a faint rapping sound on the window, so he walked out onto the balcony.
-
Rena threw a couple rocks at the bedroom window of the mayor's house hoping to get Claude's attention. After a few short moments, the young man appeared on the balcony. The girl yelled up at him to meet her at the bridge because she needed to talk to him. He met her there shortly after, wondering what she needed to talk about at this hour.
The night had cooled down significantly more than earlier, but was still rather comfortable. The light from the moon shone bright, reflecting off of the river, which looked as black as oil under the night sky. The stars twinkled and the air, though rather cool, was quite calm.
Rena broke the silence of the night with her voice. "Claude, I have a reason for wanting to go with you. Westa is not my real mother. I heard her and Regis talking one time after my dad died." She stated, her normally bright and cheerful smile faded a bit. "Rena, Westa is your mother. Just because she didn't give birth to you, doesn't mean that she isn't." said the young man, trying to comfort her.
The girl turned to look at him. "Westa is my mom and she will always be, but I want to see what became of the woman who gave birth to me. I have questions that I need to ask her. I need to know about these strange powers and why I am different. It's hard not knowing, Claude."
"Alright," Claude began, "I will take you with me to investigate the Sorcery Globe and we will try to find out about your mother while we are at it." Rena smiled and gave Claude a big hug. "Okies! Well, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We have to go to the capital city of cross and speak to the king about our journey. I can't wait, Claude. Goodnight!" Rena took off in the direction of her house and quickly climbed up to bed. She was excited. The girl was about to go on an adventure with Claude, find out about her mother, and maybe even save the world from the evil Sorcery Globe. How incredible!
Rena woke up early in the morning and went to get Claude. After saying their final goodbyes, and receiving a letter of introduction from Regis to the king of Cross, the two started on their way. Who knows what kind of adventures lay ahead? Rena could not wait to find out. She pulled the robe that Claude had bought her closer to her body. Even in the spring, the mornings were still a bit chilly. Arlia was behind her and a world full of adventure was beyond. This was the start of Rena's journey.
I would just like to personally thank everyone that reviewed my story so much for taking the time to do it. All the reviews were positive and I hope yall really enjoyed chapter four. Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed my story, and thank you to everyone who reads it. I will try to make it more and more exciting as the story progresses.