Star Ocean: The Second Story, Into The Vast Darkness
Chapter 6: The King of Cross and Celine Jules, Treasure HunterThe sun rose and a bright, yellow light shone into Claude's room, waking him from his slumber. Beside him lay Rena who had been forced to share the hotel room's single bed, though it did not bother her at all. Because she was so innocent and sweet, she could not see the fault in sharing a bed with her male traveling companion. Claude admired the girl's purity among all the other things that he thought so great about her.
As the earthling started to get up, the girl began to stir. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she stood up. "Good morning, Claude. How did you sleep last night?" The young man smiled and replied, "Great. The bed was very comfortable." Rena smiled back. "I told you so! And you thought I was gonna take all the covers. Hehe... Okies, let's go see the king now." The pair got up and walked out of the inn. Now that the sun shone, Claude could admire this outstanding capital.
To the west was the market square, filled with vendors and merchants from all around, hoping to strike it rich by selling their wares. Meats, exotic fruits, swords and armor, anything you could possibly want to buy was located in this area. Claude still had a bit of money left from those bandits, plus what he had pilfered from the lizard man the day before. Perhaps he could buy a better sword after their audience with the king...
To the east stood hundreds upon hundreds of tall apartment buildings constructed from durable stone. These apartments somewhat resembled those of Earth, each having a porch to walk out on and a window. Upon many of the porches were plants and chairs and most had clotheslines hanging from them, connecting to another apartment on the other side of the street.
This city, unlike the other two cities that Claude had seen so far, had paved roads. As a result, the town was far cleaner. No muddy boots to track dirt into the many homes and shops located in Cross. In the center of town was a grand circle of grass, surrounded in some parts by a short, black fence. North of the town center was Claude and Rena's destination.
Cross Castle was an incredibly large structure, made of fine marble that glistened brightly in the sun. The road to the caste was imbedded with beautiful stones of several shades of reds and pinks. Around the castle's perimeter was a tall, white wall, almost a foot thick, which looked to be made out of the same marble as the rest of the castle. In the very front of the wall was a metal gate, that's dark color contrasted sharply with its surroundings.
On each side of the gate was a statue in the likeness of a solider, each one carved with exquisite detail, from the top of the helmet to the toes of the boots. Amazing... As the pair entered the structure's interior, Claude soon saw that the inside was just as grand. All around stood guards, maids, and those seeking an audience with the king. On the beautiful white walls hung splendid pictures of the kings before and varies battles. Near the entrance in the middle of the great hall stood two men at a desk.
Rena walked over to the man standing on the left. "Excuse me," the sweet girl started, "We would like to have an audience with the king, please." The two men at the front desk looked at each other and began to chuckle. "Young lady, there are at least fifty other people that want an audience with the king. Why don't you come back tomorrow?" The girl reached into her robe and pulled from it the letter of introduction that Regis had given her. Once she presented it to the two men, their expressions drastically changed. "Pardon me ma'am, we didn't know you had a special invitation from Regis. We will get you an audience right away."
The man on the right ran up the stairs to the throne room and came back about ten minutes later. "The king will see you now." Claude and Rena walked up the stairs to the throne room. Upon crossing the doorway, the pair witnessed a recently married couple leaving. The king had just finished making their marriage official. The king had white hair, a long white beard and wore a long, vast, red robe that completely covered his body down to his feet. Rings adorned his royal fingers and upon his head rested a golden crown, embroidered with jewels.
Claude and Rena slowly approached the king, bowing to his highness before he spoke. "Rena, it has been so long we almost did not recognize you. The last time that I laid eyes upon you was when Regis presented you to the kingdom. You have grown into a fine young woman. What is it that brings you to my court?"
Rena began to explain about her and Claude's investigation of the Sorcery Globe. From behind, Claude could hear someone arguing with a guard, but it soon fell silent. After the sweet girl finished her explanation, the king spoke once more. "We do not know much about the Sorcery Globe. All that we do know is that it landed on the continent of El. Take this passport and travel money to the port of Clik. A ship there should be able to bring you to El. Good luck on your journeys."
Claude and Rena bowed to the king once more and a guard handed them the items. It was still early in the morning, so they figured that it would be a good idea to leave now. So far, the young man had gotten to see two underdeveloped towns, a castle, and very soon a port. This mission was going better than he could have ever hoped, even though this wasn't planned.
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As Rena and Claude headed for the city's exit, they noticed something going on in the town square. On the ground lay a map with two people standing on each side of it. The one, a man dressed like a heraldic wizard, Rena could not see very well, for the sun was in her eyes. The woman, however, Rena could see very clearly. She stood about five and a half feet tall, and looked to be in her early twenties.
This woman had long, shiny, silvery-violet hair that hung down just below her shoulders. Upon her head she wore a pointed gold and purple hat, as well as a white and purple robe that seemed just a bit too short. Around her body, as if suspended by some unseen force, hovered a white shall. The beautiful woman also wore a gold necklace and gold hoop earrings, that accented her deep, crimson eyes.
In red, from the inside of her thigh to the top of her left breast, were tattoos of some ancient writing that Rena could not read. My, she looks like a tramp. No, I shouldn't think bad things about someone I don't know; that would be rude. It seemed like the two of them were arguing about the map on the ground. "The map is mine, whore," began the man, "You only purchased it at the auction through trickery and deceit, hand it over or I will be forced to kill you." Rena could hear Claude muttering about that not being the proper way to speak to a lady. The sweet girl agreed.
The young man couldn't stand to see a man treat a lady like that, so he ran in between the two. "Hey! You shouldn't talk to people like that! It's rude!" Angered at the interruption, the man simply raised his hand and knocked Claude back with a burst of wind. Rena ran over to help him as the woman started to speak. "Now, now... there was no need to strike the boy. I think you may have to pay for that." Rena and Claude watched in awe as the two people raised their hands at each other, fire building at their fingertips. While the man's attack was still readying, the woman shot a fireball out of her hand and knocked the man backwards. Slowly he stood, grasping his burnt chest. "You will pay for this, whore!" he shouted as he turned and ran.
The woman walked over to Rena and Claude and shook the young man's hand. "That was very brave of you, rushing to help me like that," the woman began, "My name is Celine Jules. I am a treasure hunter. What's yours?"
"Claude Kenni." The boy replied.
"And I'm Rena-" the girl tried to pipe in, but was interrupted.
"Nice to meet you, Claude. You know, I was about to go on a treasure hunt just now, using this map. It sure would be nice to have a big, strong man like you to accompany me. What do you say?"
"Hey, you can't just interrupt Rena like that, and furthermore-" Claude was cut off.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you and your friend like to come on a treasure hunt with me?" I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.
"Well, no, not real-" The woman cut him off again.
"What was that, darling? I couldn't hear you?"
Rena sighed, leaned over, and whispered into Claude's ear. "We might as well go. We might find out something about the Sorcery Globe, and besides, I don't think she will take no for an answer." Claude nodded in agreement. "Fine, Celine, we will go on your dumb treasure hunt, but only because we are investigating the Sorcery Globe." The woman smiled and grabbed his hand. "Alright! Let's go, Claude! Oh, and you too, Rena." Claude snatched his hand from hers and shook his head. Haha. Claude hates her, too.
"So, where exactly is this treasure?" asked Rena. Celine explained that the treasure would be located in the Cross Caves, natural caves just south of Cross. Though they had been explored many a time, this new map was said to know the place of a hidden treasure that Celine was very interested in. She would lead, and Claude and Rena would protect her. Very simple. This is going to be terrible...
OK! So that was chapter 6. I apologize for the chapters being short lately, but that will change very soon. Like, as in next chapter. It will take a lot longer than a day to write, though, so bear with me. Oh, yeah, and even though I am usually all professional-like, I think it is time for some fun. So, I made up this here quiz. Are you more of a Celine or a Rena?
1.Would you prefer:
a. A dollar b. A hug
2. Do you believe in abstinence?
a. Yes b. No
3.Do you prefer:
a. Shortcake b. Rabbit
4.Would you rather listen to:
a. DMX b. The Doors
5.Do you swear often?
a. Yes b. No
6.Do you like little kids?
a. Yes b. No
7. Are you:
a. An optimist b. A pessimist
8.If you find money, do you:
a. Keep it b. Return it
9.Should you:
a. Fight b. Run
10.Even or Odd?
a. Even b. Odd
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Okay, here are the results:
Celine: Rena:
A B
B A
B A
A B
A B
B A
B A
A B
A B
B A
Well, if you were a Celine or a Rena, include it in your reviews. Until next chapter... Live well.