Chapter Two: The Cliffside
Mint groaned. It has been half an hour since the group left the ruins and began the search for Elena's parents.
'Godforsaken forest! It's like we've walking in circles!'
Mint recalled what they had encountered so far. They had fought against five weak Mandolas, a pack of Saber Tigers, and two hundred and thirty-four pesky, snapping Pollywogs (if only Mint didn't try threatening the previous Pollywog). However, there was still no sign of Elena's parents.
'Sheez! They could be anywhere in this forest,' Mint thought. 'How the heck are we supposed to find them?'
She looked at the group in front of her, noticing that she was behind everyone. It was then that she noticed Aurora's weapon, the two-handed sword that dangled over her shoulder, wrapped in its clothed sheath.
'She's never used that sword whenever we were attacked by those monsters. Only those moves. So... Why wouldn't she use it then?'
She spotted something gleaming from the sword beneath its cloth-sheath. A gem reflected the sun's rays that beamed though the treetops. Curiosity crept over her.
'I wonder...' She slowly reached for the sword to peek under the cloth and see what the weapon looked like. Without warning, sensing the intruding presence, Aurora grabbed the handle and pushed the handle down. The blade levered up, hitting Mint under her chin.
"Ouch!" Mint yelled. "What'd you do that for?"
"I suggest that you keep your hands off my stuffs," Aurora said coldly, glaring at her.
"Oh yeah!? I haven't seen you using that sword of yours so why the heck would you carry that junk!?" Mint roared.
"For your information, this is not junk, you expletive!" Aurora shouted.
"What did you call me!?" Sparks of lightning shot between their eyes as their paces slowed.
"When will those two get along?" Coco wondered, looking back at the pair growling at each other.
"Probably never," Cosmomi replied.
"So... You know magic?" Rue asked the elves.
"That's incredible," Elena stated excitedly.
"Yup," Cairo said in answer to Rue's question. "You might say that I'm Aurora's best student!"
"What do you mean? You're a Third-Class Sorcerer," Coco remarked snidely with incredulity. "You haven't even learned half of the basic skills about magic."
"What!?" Cairo demanded.
"What I say is fact. Every spell you cast always fails. Not only that, you 'know' only about four spells of green magic."
"My spells never backfire! And I do know others!"
"Well then, what's the Raindrops type spell then?" Coco asked with a smirk on her face.
"Uh... It's... Um..."
"Ha! You don't even know what that blue magic spell is!" Coco declared as she grinned.
"I do know!"
"Why don't we talk about something else?" Rue asked, hoping to end the argument by changing the subject. The elves looked away and muttered something under their breaths.
"Wow. You both know a lot about magic. Your parents must be very proud of you," Elena said.
Cairo's ears suddenly shot down as he looked away while Coco's eyes hung low.
"What's wrong?" Rue wondered.
"It's nothing. Our parents died a year ago..." Coco replied sadly.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Elena apologized, realizing her mistake.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Rue told them.
"It's okay. We got Aurora," Cairo told him, a bit more cheerful than his sister.
"How did you become her apprentices?" Elena wondered. Rue figured she was changing the subject on purpose.
"We met her," Coco told them. "After we were expelled from the Magix Guild."
"Expelled?"
"It was a year ago."
The bell rang at the top of a school tower. Young students walked out of one of the top magic schools in the East Heaven Kingdom, Magix Guild, as the setting sun dove behind the mountains.
Flying in the orange sky was a pelican carrying a mailbag over his shoulder and wearing a blue post office hat. (A/N: I took this bird out of Legend of Mana, but note this: this is a different bird, as it's a guy. The one in the game is a girl, okay? ...Or was she a 'he'?)
He flew over the kingdom and soared east towards a hillside. A little town, called Umarizu, stood on top of the hill, surrounded by three oak trees. Smoke rose up from the chimneys and clouded the pelican's sight and made him cough.
"Cough, cough! Choke, choke! People these days! Why couldn't they just come up with something that doesn't pollute the air!? Cough, choke!" the pelican coughed. He slowly landed on the front porch of a house. He knocked on the door with his right wing and the door creaked open.
"Oh. Hi, Pelici. Brought any mail?" Coco wondered as she smiled at the mail-pelican.
"Yeah. You have three bills, and a letter from the Magix Guild," Pelici said, handing her the mail from his bag.
"Thanks," Coco said politely. She threw a fish into his opened mouth for payment. The pelican then took off after politely saying goodbye to the elf. She closed the door and looked at the mail she received.
"Cairo, you got a letter from school!" Coco called. Cairo looked over his shoulder from a book he was reading. He had been studying in his room. Books were piled high on top of his desk.
"A letter? Maybe it's a certificate! Maybe I've become a Second-Class Sorcerer!" he exclaimed with stars gleaming in his eyes.
"Get real. Fourth-Classes don't get promoted to the next two classes in just three months. That would only happen as a miracle," Coco said snidely, handing the envelope to Cairo. She tossed the bills onto the table and looked over his shoulder. "Wonder who it's from?"
Cairo opened the envelope and pulled out a card. The symbol of the school was printed on the front of the letter and a wax seal showed the crest of the East Heaven Kingdom. He broke the seal and opened it.
A magic circle was drawn in the middle of the opened letter and, in an instant, a hologram appeared. It showed a woman wearing a violet cloak and a dark green robe. She had long ears and mauve-colored eyes. Worn around her forehead was a small tiara with an eye-shaped ruby in the middle. Over her eyes was a small pair of horn-rimmed glasses.
"Hello to my two dearest pupils, Coco and Cairo," the woman greeted.
Coco gasped, nearly jumping out of her shoes. "Sorceress Helena!!!"
Sorceress Helena was their teacher in Potion and Spells class. She was very strict and would suspend anyone who disobeyed a single rule. Despite all that, she was kind and encouraged her students to do well. Fear clamped her as Coco could only guess why she had sent them a letter.
'We're gonna get suspended! I knew it! ...Why us!?'
"I'd like to inform you of some news," the hologram continued. "You, Cairo, are now promoted to Third-Class Sorcerer."
"What!? You!?" Coco exclaimed with dropped jaws.
"Me?" Cairo wondered, pointing a finger at himself.
"Congratulations, Cairo," Helena said. "Because of your excellent report for this semester, you have been promoted."
Coco sighed with relief and fell into a chair. "For a moment there, I thought that we were about to be suspended."
"However," Helena continued. "This is just half of the news. You and Coco are expelled from the Magix Guild."
Coco stared at the hologram, her eyes hollowed with horror. "...Expelled?"
"I am sorry, but most of the students in the Magix Guild believe that you were the cause for the blowing up of one of our five laboratories just recently, and the headmasters came to an agreement to expel you."
"What!? But we-!" Coco began, but was cut off.
"I knew you two would be upset to hear this because I know that you wouldn't do such a terrible thing. But this has to be done. I apologize for this. It was a pleasure teaching you two." The hologram then began repeating itself from the beginning.
"I can't believe this!" Coco screamed, nearly ripping her hair off her scalp. "Expelled!? Why wouldn't they believe us that those two pig-faced kids were the ones who blew up the lab on purpose!? What do you think Cairo?"
"Yeah, sure..." he said and continued staring happily at the hologram, listening to the part of being promoted again. Coco trembled with fear and rage.
"Do you know what 'expelled' means?" she asked coldly.
Out of the blue, several knocks were heard, which made the two elves jump. "What the-!?" Coco shouted.
The door flew open and two boys wearing olive robes and star-like hats dashed in the room. One held a scroll. He looked to be about thirteen. The boy behind him was plump and looked about two years younger than him.
"Prefects!?" Cairo exclaimed.
"Coco, Cairo," the older one said.
"Y-Yes?" Coco stammered.
"I'm sure you know of your expulsion by now," the young plump prefect stated with a grin as he picked his nose.
"So here is the rule you must keep in mind," the older one told them. The plump one handed him the scroll. "First here are your expulsion papers." He gave the scroll to Coco. "Now, the rule you must keep in mind is that you are to 'never' come near to school again. Good day."
"What did we do to deserve this!!!? " Coco cried. Tears poured down her cheeks like waterfalls. Cairo stared at the two prefects, his jaws dropped, now realizing what the expulsion meant.
"...So, Coco, what do we do now?" Cairo wondered. They had left their house and were at the entrance of Ohelhaill Woods, a forest that lay between two mountains. Travelers would walk through the route to reach the next town, Sylaio.
"There's nothing to do here. We can't afford to pay the rent if we're no longer students," Coco replied. "And we can't prove to the headmasters that we didn't blow up the lab. We don't have any evidence." She gave a sigh, looked at the forest, and gripped hard on the wooden handle of her broom. "I wonder what mama and papa would think of us now."
She gazed at the clear sky as the sun rose from its hiding place. "It's been almost a few months since they died. We learned a lot from mum and papa and had a lot of fun in Sylaio," she continued. "Until that day..." She fought hard to keep herself from crying. "Papa and mama... They couldn't save themselves."
Cairo looked up at her as she glanced away. "From that day on, we have had to look after ourselves. We had to join the Magix Guild. In order to survive, we had to do all those assignments to get rewarded money. I don't know what we're going to do now that we're expelled."
"Don't worry, Coco! We can still manage on our own!" Cairo declared confidently as he walked away.
"But we have no house to live in, no money to support ourselves, and we can't continue learning how to become sorcerers..." She sighed, her brother's self-confidence not rubbing off on her.
Cairo didn't listen and picked up his bag of books, his only belongings for the journey. He threw it over his shoulder and grinned.
"Then we'll head back to Sylaio!" he shouted, pointing to the forest.
"...And pray tell me why we should head there?" Coco questioned. A sweatdrop rolled down her cheek.
"Because someone might be able to help us!"
'Does he even know what our situation is!?' Coco thought angrily. However, she smiled at her little brother. She knew that there was no place for them in the Eastern Continent, and that Sylaio, their hometown, would be the only place for them to go to.
"Yeah, let's go then."
"And maybe there's new spell books there! Let's hurry before sunset."
"..."
"Cairo, are you alright?" Coco wondered. Cairo panted hard like a tired dog. His strength to carry his bag of books was draining away. His throat was dry, sweat stained his cloak, and his feet felt sorer the more steps he took.
"I'm fine... Huff-Huff-Heave-Heave..." he panted. "Why wouldn't I be? I can still walk to the ends of Aédura."
"Bringing those books along will only slow us down, Cairo. They aren't even important."
"They are too!" Cairo shouted as Coco walked ahead.
"Suit yourself. I'm gonna leave you behind if you don't catch up," she told him, leaving him behind.
"Hey, wait up!" Cairo called but Coco only waved a goodbye. "Don't leave me!"
A warm breath of air tickled his left ear unexpectedly. Someone spoke behind him. "Don't worry, kid... You're not alone."
With a chill crawling down his spine, Cairo slowly looked behind him to see a gang of bandits grinning down at him, flashing their daggers and crooked swords.
"Aiieee! Coco!!!" he cried, dashing away from the gang of bandits. "Help me!!!" He quickly hid behind his sister as she looked at the gang. One bandit, who had a patch over his right eye, stepped forward.
"Don't you know it's dangerous for a bunch of kids to be walking in these woods?" he sneered.
"You'd better not be messing with us. I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Coco bluffed bravely.
"You must be very brave, or very dumb, in order to have the gall to say that!"
"Better not underestimate me..." Coco held out her hands. Gathering within her palms was a glittering orb of scarlet light. "'Cause I happen to be a Second-Class Sorceress."
"Huh!?"
"Flare!" Coco commanded, and a sphere of fire shot from her hands and exploded when it reached the gang of bandits. She turned tail and darted away. Cairo scampered to his feet and ran after her. They pushed themselves deeper into the forest, shoving branches aside.
Coco gasped as they came to a huge oak tree. Steep rocks and huge roots blocked the sides of the tree. It was a dead-end. A chuckle alerted them of someone behind them, and they looked back. Only five bandits were growling at them. They had seized their weapons. Among them was the one-eyed bandit, their leader. The only difference was that the bandits' clothes were singed and their faces were smudged with soot.
"Now you're really gonna get it, you little brats! Get them!" the one-eyed bandit ordered. Cairo clamped tight to his sister. The elves closed their eyes as the bandits charged at them with their weapons clanking in the air.
"Hold it right there!" a voice from above cried.
The bandits stopped in their tracks and stared into the branches of the oak tree. Sitting on the braches in the shadows of the treetop was a cerulean-haired girl with a long, gleaming two-handed sword in its cloth-sheath slung over her shoulder. A green blob looked down at them near her. She grinned down at them. The gentle breeze blew her hair across her face.
"Qwee!" the blob squeaked.
"Didn't your mothers ever tell you not to bully other kids?" the girl inquired. "Tell you what... If you leave them alone, then I may reconsider fighting you."
"Oh, yeah!?" the bandit yelled. "And what if we don't!?"
"Then you've just signed your death warrant." She stood up, somersaulted in the air, and landed safely on the ground. The blob followed her, bouncing onto the ground like a ball. The stranger looked at everyone and smiled.
"Alright, folks!" she said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's see how good you thugs really are."
"You're gonna regret that you ever toyed with us! Get her!" the one-eyed bandit ordered. The thugs charged in her direction.
The girl held out her hand and a small beaming sphere of light sparkled in her hand. "Satellite!"
An orb surrounded with stars of light shot from her hand straight to the bandits. The thugs shielded themselves from its glittering brightness. With its brightness blinding them, preventing them from running away, the spell exploded in front of them. The blast scattered everywhere. They lay on the ground, quivering with pain. The blazing white spell had given them agonizing burns.
"C-Curse you..." the one-eyed bandit coughed and fainted.
The elves gaped at the amazing sight that had occurred before them.
"Are...are they dead?" Cairo wondered cautiously. The girl looked at the little elves. Coco glared at her and stood in front of Cairo, but relaxed, puzzled as the girl smiled at them.
"Don't worry. Killing isn't my thing. You two all right?" she asked. They nodded in reply. The blob was sniffing the burnt scent that rose from the bandits. It wriggled its nose and bounced away. "You should have been more careful. There are many bandits and monsters roaming around these woods."
She bent down and picked up a pouch that was attached to a ripped belt. She threw the bag in the air, catching it again in her hand. Coins jingled in the bag.
"Of course, if you beat them up easily, you get a nice reward," she stated, smiling at the elves. "Where are you two headed? Sylaio or Umarizu?"
"Uh... Sylaio!" Coco answered after a short pause.
"It isn't safe to go through this forest. Lucky for you, I just so happened to be out here training," the girl told them. "How about it? I'll take you to Sylaio. You'll need some protection in order to get there in one piece."
"...Do we have to pay you?" Coco asked, suspicious.
"Who said anything about paying?" the girl said, smiling. "Sylaio is only about a mile from here if we take the path by the river."
"Why are you helping us when we just met?" Coco questioned.
"What? Is it wrong to help others?" the girl asked. Coco, in surprise, shook her head. She didn't want to think it was wrong, but it was strange to her that a stranger was helping them.
"Well, do you want to go to Sylaio, or wait here for those bandits' friends to come?" the girl inquired. "Oh, and my name is Aurora. This little guy here is Green."
"Quee!" Green squealed.
"What are your names?" Aurora asked. The elves smiled.
"It's Coco."
"I'm Cairo!"
"So you two are sorcerers, huh?" Aurora wondered. "That's interesting."
Coco rolled up her long sleeves and dipped her hands into the cool water. She cupped her hands and washed her face with the water in them. They had stopped to take a break near a lake as they still had a few hundred meters to cover.
"Yeah," Coco replied, drying her wet hands with a towel.
"I just went up one class!" Cairo exclaimed. "Now I'm Third-Class!"
"Congrats, then," Aurora congratulated.
"Of course, Cairo only knows low-class spells," Coco told her with a wide grin on her face.
"I do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
A sweat-drop dropped down Aurora's head as the two elves argued. Her shoulders quivered as she held her breath. Coco and Cairo stopped quarreling and looked at the girl. She burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Coco wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry... But you two shouldn't be fighting because of what classes you're in," she explained, wiping away a tear. The elves looked at each other with quizzical looks, and then to her.
"It doesn't matter who's higher or lower. It's who you are. Don't make a big deal out of it," she told them, smiling. They were astonished by her words, staring at the smiling girl, who had only become their friend that day.
"Well, we'd better head on," Aurora suggested, picking up her sword, which was leaning against a boulder. "It's nearly sundown. Monsters roam to all comers at night."
"Not so fast!"
They looked to their left to see the five bandits back on their feet. The one-eyed bandit, now with more bandages wrapped around his right eye, stood in front of the gang like a leader. He grounded his teeth hard and pointed an index finger at Aurora.
"You're not leaving until we get some payback from you!" he declared.
"Yeah! Payback!" the other four bandits echoed.
"Sheesh! I thought that spell would've knocked you out, but I guess not." Aurora sighed. "What is it with bandits these days? They never seem to give up."
"How dare you say that, you little punk!" the bandit shouted. He looked back into the forest. "Brandoe! Get over here!"
A growl echoed in the forest. The birds in the treetops flew away as something shook its way through the trees. The earth rumbled beneath their feet. A twenty-foot monster stomped out of the forest and gave a mighty roar.
Its head and shell were like a tortoise's. It had razor-sharp claws and the tail of a lion. It stood on its hind legs. A mane of hair ran from its head down to its hairy tail like a horse's. However, it had a bald patch on top of its head. It gave another roar, which made the elves jump.
"Heh... Now they have a Kappa?" Aurora remarked.
"That's a Kappa!?" Cairo hollered.
"But Kappa are only supposed to be two feet tall!" Coco exclaimed.
"Yeah, but some do grow to a large scale," Aurora told them.
"You're kidding me, right?" Coco pleaded.
"Get her, Brandoe!" the bandit ordered.
At his command, the Kappa stomped towards Aurora and the elves at a fast pace.
"Get out of here, you two!" Aurora shouted, pushing the two elves aside. Before she could grab her sword, the Kappa swung a claw at Aurora, lifting her into the air. Blood gushed from her lungs and out of her mouth.
The Kappa dashed into the lake, still holding her captive, and drove her into the cliffside that surrounded the lake. She felt pain shoot through her like a dagger stabbing her back as the claw of the Kappa drove her deeper into the cliffside.
The claw let go of her and the Kappa roared like the monster it was. Blood trickled down her head. She opened one eye to see the Kappa back away, slowly lifting up one arm. It was ready to give another blow.
"Coco! You gotta do something!!!" Cairo cried. "Or else she'll die!"
"I hear you!" Coco yelled back, but looked up uneasily. 'Maybe the Drop Ice Type Spell will work. But it's a Super Effect! I haven't even gotten that far yet!'
"Coco! What are you waiting for!?" Cairo shouted.
'But Aurora's in trouble... Even so... What if I fail and–'
"Coco!!!" Cairo's shouted.
"Is it wrong to help others?" The recalling of Aurora's words finally snapped Coco out of her thoughts.
"R-Right!" The elf held out her hands and concentrated. Slowly, a small beam of blue sparkling light emerged in her hands. She sensed a fresh, cool sensation run through her body.
"Huh!?" the bandit shrieked. "Stop her!"
The Kappa turned its attention to the little elves and bellowed. Cairo could hear his knees trembling. He looked at his sister, who was still focusing on the spell.
"Coco! It's coming this way!" he cried.
She didn't pay any attention to him. She focused entirely on the spell as flittered sapphire ice crystals gathered in the sphere of dewdrops. The Kappa lifted one heavy arm and drove it towards the elves. Cairo screamed with fright and covered his head with his arms.
"Icicle!" Coco shouted as she cast the spell. Each dewdrop formed a sphere of blue magic that quickly froze into spears of ice and darted into the lake. The water surface instantly solidified, trapping the Kappa in its path. Cairo gaped at the mighty spell his sister cast. Coco stared, astonished.
"...I did it! I cast a Super Effect Spell!" Coco cheered proudly, but fright washed over her as a roar shook the ground.
"I don't think you really stopped it, Coco!!!" Cairo cried. The Kappa raised an arm into the air and fired it at the elves. Coco quickly shielded Cairo with her arms, both of them screaming in terror, waiting for their fate.
KA-CANK!
Aurora, who was still bleeding seriously, jump-kicked the Kappa at the side of its head unexpectedly and landed on the solid ice. She somehow managed to crawl out of the crumpled cliffside.
"Hey! Ugly! It's me you want!" Aurora yelled, getting the attention of the monster. She flashed a grin. "Come and get me!"
The Kappa launched a fist at her as she skated across the ice. The claw drove itself into the ice, breaking the surface, and a long block of ice rose above the cold water. Suddenly, Aurora circled around the Kappa, skating towards the long block of ice.
"What're you doing!?" Coco cried. She didn't answer, and instead jumped onto the block. She faced the Kappa and pulled a raspberry at it.
"Can't catch me, you stupid turtle!"
Outraged by Aurora's threat, it raised a fist and fired it into her direction.
Aurora grinned and swiftly backed away a few paces. The beast hit the end of the block of ice and the other end threw her into the air like a kite (A/N: A kind of bird of prey, not the toy) taking off. "As they say, 'Give me a long enough lever...'"
"'...And I can move the earth!'" Coco finished. As Aurora was thrown above the Kappa, she held out her hands and the same sphere of sapphire droplets appeared on her palms. She felt gravity bringing her down towards the Kappa's opened mouth where a wet tongue flicked around. She quickly aimed the glittering sphere at the monster's foul mouth.
"Icicle!!!" she yelled. Spears of ice shot in its mouth, turning the Kappa into a block of ice, which shattered to pieces and plummeted onto the frozen lake. The ice-covered surface broke from the rain of icicles.
Aurora screamed as she plunged into the lake and felt her body chilled to the bone by the icy water. She rose to the surface, gasped for air, swam to shore. She held onto land and shivered.
"Cold! Cold!" she exclaimed with chattering teeth.
"Aurora! You're alright!" Cairo shouted with glee.
"Did you say Aurora!?" the bandit shrieked. The young girl got up from the subzero lake and squeezed the water from her hair.
"Damn... That was a trip... Now..." She turned her attention to the gang of bandits. The four bandits trembled with fear behind their leader as she reached behind her to grab the sword that dangled over her back. She grabbed the handle and slid it out of its cloth-sheath, and she pointed the sword at them. The leader gasped at the sight of the sword.
The two-handed sword was almost the same height as her. The blade was sharp and deadly yet gleamed with holiness. A colorless jewel embedded in the handle gleamed a shiny rainbow color.
"I think you guys need to be taught a little lesson..." Aurora taunted with her carefree smile.
"That sword!" a muscular bandit cried in fear.
"You're the Dragon Guardian!!!?" the leader exclaimed in disbelief.
"What!?" the elves shouted, shocked the she was "the" Dragon Guardian.
"Yup! My name is Aurora the Dragon Guardian! Now, you want some payback? I'll give it to you!"
Before the four bandits could get ready to fight, Aurora charged at them with incredible speed and slashed the bandits, one by one. Her sword cut through their metal armor and weapons. The broken pieces fell to the ground, and the four bandits collapsed in the dirt. Their leader fell to his knees and panicked, seeing his comrades lying on the ground.
Aurora glared at the frightened bandit. "Now it's your turn..." She shot at him like an arrow and swung her sword with a heavy blow.
Coco blushed, shutting her eyes behind her hands. Cairo's mouth dropped. Shredded clothes drifted in the air. The bandit collapsed on the ground, his skin showing. He quickly got up, wearing only his underwear, and ran away like a coward.
"Wow..." Cairo breathed.
Aurora held her sword over her shoulder and the cloth-sheath magically wrapped itself around it. She looked at the elves.
"Y-You're really the Dragon Guardian?" Coco gasped.
"Yeah. Sorry I never told you who I truly am. And Coco... You've really improved your magic skills."
"Huh?"
"Not all Second-Class or Third-Class Sorcerers can cast that Drop Ice Type Spell properly. But you seem to have cast it with ease."
"Huh!? You know magic too!?" Cairo exclaimed.
Coco nearly facefaulted. "Of course she knows! She cast that white magic spell, Satellite!"
Aurora giggled, sticking out her tongue sheepishly. "Well, a Dragon Guardian needs to know a few tricks up her sleeves too, right?"
They laughed lightheartedly and after a moment's pause, continued along the path leading to Sylaio.
"Oh, so that's how you met her," Rue said.
"Yeah. After we came to her house, Cairo begged on his knees to be her apprentice," Coco smirked. She had not spoke of Aurora's true identity, the Dragon Guardian for she knew if she did, Aurora wouldn't be too happy. She would be mad.
"I did not! I was just asking!" Cairo shouted, glaring at his sister.
"Admit it. You were groveling," she told him, rolling her eyes. "And besides, I wanted to be her apprentice too, so that's how we became apprentices."
Rue looked behind him at the two girls still quarreling. He suddenly came to a stop as he looked back up. Elena, Cosmomi, and the elves turned their heads in the direction he was looking. The two arguing girls, Mint and Aurora, stopped quarreling with each other, wondering why the group had halted.
"What's up with you guys?" Mint wondered. Aurora looked up and saw why they had stopped. Mint glanced up as well. Before them was a cliff that reached the sky. It wasn't very steep, and no monsters seemed to be lurking about.
"I guess we have to climb," Rue said.
"Yeah. Guess so," Aurora replied. "But I don't think it's safe. We'll need to take some safety precautions to climb up."
"Like what?" Mint croaked.
Aurora reached into her bag and pulled out a small stone disk with an image the showed a creature. It looked like a medium-sized thin woman with leaves and flowers as her hair and dress. Her eyes were shut, and she had no hands or legs.
"Is that a monster disk?" Rue wondered.
"Monster disk?" Mint echoed.
"You mean you don't know what a monster disk is?" Aurora laughed. "Heh! I can't believe you..."
Mint grounded her teeth. She wanted to either strangle that girl, or blow her away with her green magic.
"Yeah, it is. This is just one of a few monster disks that I have," Aurora said in answer to Rue's question. She flipped the coin-like disk into the air and a light wind swirled around the disk. "Release your powers and come forth!"
A blinding green light burst from the disk and took the shape of the creature encased in the coin. It bathed in green light. As the light dimmed, the creature from the image hovered in front of them.
"Wow..." Elena breathed. "It's beautiful!"
"That's a Dryad, a forest spirit!" Mint exclaimed.
"So you do know a few things, huh?" Aurora sneered.
"Is that an insult!?" the princess yelled, glaring at her angrily. Aurora simply ignored her.
"This is Lilith. I caught her a year ago," she said proudly.
"But I thought Dryads are shy and rarely ever seen..." Rue thought out loud.
"Yeah, but she got to know me." Aurora smiled at the Dryad, patting her vine-like hair. "We'll use her vines to climb up. Just to be on the safe side."
"Not a bad idea," Cosmomi admitted.
"Qwee!" Green squeaked.
Rue nodded his head in agreement. Aurora gave Lilith the signal, and vines immediately shot from her leafy arms and rocketed up the cliffside. The Dryad gave a tug on the vines, which seemed to have gotten a grip at the top. Aurora pulled on the vines to make sure that they were tight.
"Okay. Each of us will go up, one by one, but slowly. Rue, you go first."
"Sure." Rue grabbed a vine and pulled himself up the cliff.
"We have to climb?" Mint looked at the immense height of the cliff as Elena went up next, followed by the elves.
"What do you want us to do? Teleport? Now get moving!" Aurora ordered.
Mint growled at her as she reached out to grab the vine. She began pulling herself up. 'It would've been better if we just flew!' she thought sarcastically.
The platinum flying cat soared up with the help of his two pairs of wings. The blob hopped onto a boulder and gazed at Aurora, who was looking back at the forest. Green squeaked at her, which caught her attention and she picked the olive blob up, placing him on her shoulder.
She grabbed the vines and started to climb up the cliffside, not knowing something was watching them. A blazing fire trembled behind some bushes. Flames the fire dragon watched the group climbing up the cliff.
"This is the start of their adventure... But does the future look bright for them...?" he asked himself. He nodded his head gently. "I'm sure it will..."
Small red sparkling lights emerged from his fur and, slowly, he vanished, leaving a trail of crimson dust.
"Mom! Dad!" Elena called as she ran to two middle-aged people at the top of the cliff. A chestnut-haired man with gray sideburns sat on the grass with a limp leg. Standing next to him was a violet-haired woman.
"Elena, what are you doing here?" the man asked, who seemed surprised that she was there. He pushed up his glasses.
"What am I doing here!? You haven't come home for five days!!!" Elena exclaimed. It was then that she noticed that the man's leg in bandages. "What happened to your leg!?"
"I just twisted my ankle. Nothing to worry about. I can still walk," he assured her.
"Phew... Thank goodness," she sighed with relief, falling to her knees.
"I'm sorry, darling," the man apologized. "I guess I got too caught up in my research again. I can't believe that you got here all by yourself. Are you alright?"
"Actually, some brutes almost mugged me, but Aurora, Mint, and Rue the Pollywog saved me," Elena explained.
"Rue?" he echoed, looking at the woman with a bewildered expression.
"The Pollywog?" the woman asked.
"Hello," a voice said nearby. The adults looked up at the rest of the group who had followed.
"You're...?" the man began, but was cut off by Elena.
"His name's Rue, but I call him Polly," she said. "Polly's really amazing. He's a Polly, but he can turn into a person. But usually he's a person and his name is Rue, so I call him 'Rue the Pollywog'."
Aurora, Mint, Cairo, Coco, and Cosmomi stared blankly at her, blinking several times. Green stared at everyone with a confused look on his face. Rue, however, did not seem amused.
"Hold on, honey I'm getting confused," the woman said.
"Hey, I'm as confused as you are," Aurora stated.
"Yeah, what the heck is she talking about, Rue?" Mint asked.
Rue said nothing.
"Eh, you're Rue, right?" the man asked.
"Yeah," Rue replied.
"And you two must be Aurora and Mint?"
"Yep. I'm Aurora."
"I'm Mint."
"Who are those two kids?" the man wondered.
"I'm Cairo."
"My name is Coco."
"I'm Cosmomi."
"Incredible! A talking cat!" the man cried, shocked to see him talk.
"I'M NOT-!" Cosmomi spat, but Aurora stopped him again.
"Give it up, Cosmomi..." she sighed.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Klaus. I'm living in Carona with my family. Oh, and that's my wife, Mira," the man introduced.
"Hello," greeted Mira. "It sounds like you helped Elena through a lot of trouble. Thank you for helping her."
"Yes, thank you..." Klaus blushed. "Gosh, I'm so ashamed. I completely forgot about my daughter. The relic is the only thing on my mind."
"Are you looking for the relic?" Aurora wondered.
"Well, yes."
"We're looking for the relic too," Rue told him.
"Well, this is a coincidence. So, why are you all looking for the relic?" Klaus asked.
Minutes later, after explaining to him...
"So you three came to Carona to look for the relic," he said.
"Well... You might say that," Aurora said evasively.
"Yes. I have to find the relic, no matter what," Rue declared. The girls looked at him with puzzled expressions.
'Have to?' Mint thought.
'No matter what?' Aurora wondered.
"Sir, is there anything you can tell me?" Rue asked sharply.
Silence filled the air. Rue realized that he had spoken in such a sharp tone.
"I'm sorry... We just met, and I'm already being pushy," he apologized, looking down.
'He seems so determined about something,' Aurora thought. '...Just like me.'
"My, you're so serious," Mira noted.
"Ah, don't worry about it. If I were in your boots, I'd be just as earnest. So, if there's anything you want to ask me, don't hesitate to, okay? And it's not 'sir'. Just call me Klaus, or Doctor if your want." Klaus told them. "Oh, by the way, I'd like to ask you three a favor."
"Sure, anything," Rue said politely.
"Alright," Mint said.
"I don't mind," Aurora told him.
"I was thinking. If it's okay with you, why don't we look for the relic together?" Klaus wondered.
"Sure. We'll be happy to," Rue and Aurora agreed in unison. Realizing their speech, they looked at each other. Rue began to blush but Aurora just giggled. Mint took a minute to think about it.
'It would be a lot faster if I looked for the relic with them...' she thought, then said, "Well, if it's looking for the relic, I guess I'll be in as well."
"Great. It's decided then. Let's do our best to find the relic."
"Thank you," Rue thanked Klaus.
"Well, shall we get started?" Klaus asked. The trio nodded.
"Great. Could you come this way?" Klaus got up, despite his hurting leg, and walked slowly towards to the other edge of the cliff. Rue, Mint, Aurora, and Elena followed him and looked down the steep cliff.
"Wow! It's so steep," Elena said. A sturdy, yet unsafe path went gradually down the cliff to the bottom.
"This path leads to an atelier," Klaus explained.
"An atelier?" Rue echoed.
"It's a magician's workshop," Mira clarified. "We believe that, a hundred years ago, a magician lived in this atelier."
"We also believe that there is some information about the relic. Of course, before you all came, I tried to walk down this path, but I ended up slipping and twisting my ankle," Klaus explained.
"So, you're saying that you want us to go to the atelier to look for the information, right?" Aurora asked.
"I hope you don't mind doing this."
"Hey, that's okay. I've been through many obstacles and none of them were too difficult to handle."
Mint bent down and studied the height of the cliff. "Dang, this is crazy," she whispered softly to herself. "But..."
"I'll look for a safe path for -," Rue began, but was cut short.
"Mint!" Elena cried. Mint had unexpectedly jumped off the cliff and shouted, "See ya." She plummeted down, disappeared through the tree branches that grew close to the cliff.
"Geez!" Rue exclaimed.
"Sheezh! What does that idiot think she's doing?" Aurora yelled.
"Well, aren't you going after her?" Cosmomi wondered.
"Huh?"
"Well, she might be on her way to the atelier. Don't you think she might get there first and get the information while you're left behind?" the flying cat pointed out.
Aurora's eyes twitched with sparked. Flames of anger could be seen in her eyes. Somehow, between the two girls, a rivalry was formed.
"What!? I'm not going to let a two-timer get away with the relic first!" she shouted. She jumped off the cliff.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" cried Cosmomi, flying after her. As Cosmomi flew down after her, Green leapt off the cliff, both creatures disappearing beneath the treetops.
"Well, they seem like very good friends," Klaus stated.
"More like great enemies," Coco told him.
"...I'll go now and look for a path," Rue said quietly.
"Good luck," Klaus said.
"You'd better hurry," Coco suggested. "I think Aurora and Mint might get into a fight by the time they get down there."
"I will," Rue assured her.
"And please hurry," Cairo pleaded. "I want to see what kind of information is there. I'm so excited."
Rue nodded and, with that, he jumped off the cliff and plummeted out of sight.
"Cairo, right? You want to look at the information?" Klaus asked.
"Yep, I'm hoping to find magic," the little elf answered.
"That's interesting."
"Cairo, here, is only a third-grade sorcerer," Coco sneered.
"I am not!" Cairo yelled.
"I hope those three will be alright. There's monsters lurking all over those cliffs," Klaus said.
"Don't worry," his wife said. "They seem tough. I don't think they'll get hurt. Elena, don't exaggerate, ok?"
"Ok," Elena replied.
Curtains open. Chibi Victoria appears on stage.
Chibi Vickie: "Hi, hi! My name is Chibi Vickie and I'm here to explain the points that Older Vickie has numbered. During the fanfic, you'll see words that are numbered. That's what I'm here to explain the details about them."
Magic
Chibi Vickie: "As some of you know, there are seven different colors of magic, each according to their Effect, Type, and Name. Effect is how powerful the spell is. Type is what form the spell is, and Name is, of course, the name of the spell. For example, Flare, the most common spell, is a Power Effect and a Fireball Type. Sorcerers and others, who are eager to learn, learn spells depending on their skills and knowledge. They are graded in classes. There are five different classes. Fifth-Class is beginner, Fourth-Class is rookie, Third- Class is intermediate, Second-Class is expert, and First-Class is supreme. Mint, Maya, and Coco are Second-Class, while Cairo's Third-Class."
Mint: "Why am 'I' Second-Class?"
Chibi Vickie: "Because you've been neglecting your work! Nyah, nyah!" Sticks tongue at Mint
Mint: "Why you little brat!" Reaches out to strangle her, but is pulled away by Rod "Let me kill her!"
Students
Chibi Vickie: "In each school of magic, students have assignments to do, like finding herbs or casting the right spell to weaken a monster. If they succeed, they are rewarded with money, which some use to buy clothes, food, spell books, potions, and pay for their houses. As for the two elves, since that have no parents to look after them, Coco, being Second-Class, has to succeed in many assignments in order to pay the rent and to pay for necessities."
Cairo: "Hey! How come I didn't get any assignments!?"
Chibi Vickie: "Easy. You've only 'become' a Third-Class, and have you forgotten? You were expelled."
Coco: Hits Cairo on the head "How could you have forgotten that we were expelled, Cairo!?"
Monster Disk
Chibi Vickie: "Monster Disks are small disks that can catch monsters. Travelers use these to catch monsters and tame them for good use. For example, the common bird, Chocobo, is used for Chocobo-riding or pulling carts, and Dryad, the forest spirit, which is rarely seen, is know for having all cures and helps travelers to rock-climb."
Vickie: And now for the ne-"
Chibi Vickie: "Wait! Me not finished! I have to explain about Aédura!"
Vicloe: "Uh, could you explain that in the next-?"
Chibi Vickie: "Aédura is on of many continents in the world of Cytherea. In this continent, there are four kingdoms: East Heaven Kingdom, West Solaris Kingdom, North Gale Kingdom, and South Neumond Kingdom. Some of you know what a few of these new words mean. Solaris means 'Sun' and Neumond means 'New Moon'."
Vickie starts to quiver with anger
Chibi Vickie: "Also, there are many towns, cities, and places, like Carona, Sylaio, Umarizu, and oth-"
Lights turn off
Chibi Vickie: "Huh? Who turned out the lights? ...Hey what're you gonna do with the bag!? Arrgghh!!! Let me go! Help! Mmph!"
Sounds of someone struggling are heard in the background. Lights on. Next to Victoria is a bag with something struggling inside it
Vickie: "Now that that's over... I'll get on to the next chapter."