Chapter Eight: The Vagrant

The huge gates of Carona opened widely, allowing the gang to enter into the quiet town. Change seemed unknown to this town that rested near the coast of Minea Ocean. The princess arched forward, the pain in her knees urging her to ease it. Her legs were sore from the encounters of monsters and the long walk through the forest. Concurring to the cries of agony, she massaged the soreness.

"Finally, we're here," Mint mumbled.

"I'm tired," Rachael muttered, catching Aurora's concern.

"Why don't you rest at the inn, Rachael? Coco and Cairo are there," Aurora noted.

"Wait a minute," Fiona cried. "I thought those elves were back in Sylaio."

"But instead of following my order, they hitchhiked a ride, which in the end, they got themselves some cleaning duty to do once we get back to Sylaio!" Aurora snapped angrily.

"Is she always this harsh at them?" Rue asked quietly to Fiona.

"I'm guessing it's an instinct," Fiona presumed

"What does that suppose to mean!?" Aurora yelled.

"I'm gonna go see them," Rachael told them before running off to the inn with Flare and Black following her tail, who needed a catnap since he lacked his usual eight hours of sleep.

"Bye," Rachael shouted, waving to Aurora.

Aurora sighed happily as she waved goodbye to her little sister. As soon as Rachael stepped into the inn, Mint realized the wary Fiona was examining her surroundings.

"What's up with you?" Mint questioned.

Instead of answering Mint's question, Fiona asked, "Do you guys know where the Grass Fields are?"

"Over there behind the inn. You can see it through the window of a cabin," Rue replied. "Why?"

"Before we went looking for you, we stopped by the tavern for some info. There was a notice saying something about a battle. The price said 1,000G."

"Really?" Mint intoned, a spark glittered in her eyes.

"Yeah. Earlier I checked and no one was there. Thought the guy who posted the notice left for a while. Maybe we could check it out?"

"I don't know," Rue opposed

"Oh, come on. It's like having a quick peek," Fiona recommended.

"...Well, I guess we can go and see what's there," Rue replied after a quick thought. They did need a break in between after the long journey to the Underground Ruins.

"Alrighty, let's go!" Mint shouted with approval as they went to the Grass Fields.

Down a slope they walked after the small route between the inn and Klaus' house, a field of extensive grass greeted their view. Not far, the Minea River stretched far and long. Standing upon the grass field was a red tent and a burnt campfire. A man in his early twenties was sitting on a log by the campfire. He wore Spanish-resembling clothing and heavy boots. Over his blazing red hair was a deep blue cowboy-sombrero hat. A small dog, wearing a red collar woke up from its sleep and sniffed the air. A foul scent fiddled with its nose. It looked up and growled at the flying cat.

"Uh-oh," Cosmomi droned, his ears fell low. Without anyone's knowledge, the dog began chasing after the cat. "WHY ME!?"

The four walked closely to the strange man. One eye suddenly peered from under the hat, a grin unhurriedly followed.

"Hey, boy, are you here to challenge me?" the man asked unexpectedly.

"Who are you...?" Rue asked, seeing it was right to ask.

"Sure you wanna know...? Alright, I'll tell ya." The man stood up from his seat and looked over them with pride. "I'm a weapon maker, a vagrant and a swordsman. I'm Rod the Blade Star!"

Hearing the name shout into the sky, the dog screeched across the grass and ran to his master. Cosmomi sighed with relief once he crashed onto the fields, his wings exhausted with fatigue. The small dog barked loudly at the four.

"That's Johnny Wolf. My best pal," the man told them.

A short moment of silence hung before Mint asked away. "I'm confused. Are you a weapon maker or a swordsman?"

"I already told ya. I'm both. I create my own weapons and test them in battle," Rod cried proudly.

"So...you're a swordsman that makes weapons?" Rue wondered.

"Yeah. The best way to test my artwork is for me to use it. Nothin' beats using my artwork against a great rival in combat and the thrill of a heart to heart battle. Gets my heart warm, know what I'm sayin'?"

"..." Nonetheless, Rue did not completely understand what the vagrant was saying.

"Just the thought of great battles motivates me to make better weapons."

"Hmm," Fiona hummed to herself. "Sounds like fun."

"Hey, let us see some of your weapons," Mint demanded.

"I can't do that," Rod replied. "I only show my weapons in battle."

"Oh, come on...! Ok, I'll fight."

"Mint, you're not serious, are you?" Rue asked with astonishment.

"For some reason, she's not," Aurora muttered.

"What? Don't make me laugh, baby. Fighting you isn't gonna warm my heart," Rod discharged and looked at the sky. "A fight without heart is meaningless. Sorry, baby. Why don't you go home now?"

"...Fine," Mint yelled, turning away. A couple of steps away from the distracted vagrant, Mint turned sharply and jump-kicked at him, landing a powerful kick at his chest. "How's your heart now, huh!?"

"You know what? She's as reckless as Fiona," Aurora mumbled.

"What does 'that' suppose to mean?" Fiona threatened. Rod got up from his fall.

"Damn. Nice kick, baby! You sure fooled me with that cute face," Rod admitted. "Looks to me you got one helluva heart."

"Stop calling me baby! I'm not your baby! I've got a name," Mint yelled. "It's Mint."

"Mint, eh? Ok, Mint, let's see how good you really are," Rod agreed and turned to the silver-haired boy. "How about it then, boy? Care to fight me as well?"

"What?" Rue uttered with surprise.

"Your weapon caught my eye. My weapon versus your weapon. My heart versus yours."

"Hey! Wait a minute! I thought it was between us!" Mint demanded.

"Let's do it," Rod shouted, ignoring Mint. "That thing on your back isn't ornamental, is it?"

"Ok. I'll fight you," Rue consented, grabbing hold of his Arc Edge. Johnny Wolf barked aloud.

"Alright. Before we fight, tell me your name."

"Rue."

"Rue, eh? Ok, Rue, let's see if you got some heart!"

"Hold it!" Aurora yelled, catching the vagrant's attention. "You got yourself a third challenger."

"And who might that be? That demi-human?" Rod asked.

"Maybe..." Fiona intoned. "But I'm not in any mood to fight."

"It's me that will be fighting you," Aurora demanded, pointing a thumb at herself.

"You? Don't make me laugh, baby," Rod laughed.

"Better not underestimate me..." Aurora murmured softly as she reached to the handle of her blade. She threw it over her shoulder and held the two-handed sword in her hands. Immediately, the cloth that had encased around the blade, fell into a large ribbon clashing to her back belt. "Cause I'm tougher than I look!"

A resemblance of the sword triggered thoughts in several minds.

'That sword... It looks familiar,' Rue thought suddenly.

'Where have I seen it?' Mint thought, trying to remember when she last saw it.

"Aurora!" Cosmomi screamed with shock. "You said-"

"Yeah, yeah. I did say that. But change of plan, Cosmomi."

"Oh, great," Cosmomi sighed. His eyes widened with fright when he heard growls behind him. Wishing he had not turned around – which he had – he faced the dog once again. He screamed and began to run or fly as fast as his legs or wings could take him.

"Go bark a tree, you mutt!" Cosmomi spat, disappearing into the grass. "Owww! That's my tail!!!"

Aurora withdrew the sword from battle. "My name is Aurora, got that?"

'Aurora? Could she be...?' A startled face painted over Rod but a smirk emerged over. "Aurora, eh? Ok, Aurora, let's see how good you really are. Oh, I forgot."

"What?" Mint spat.

Rod took a moment looking at the sky again before turning to them. "I need you to pay up before we fight: 100G."

"No way!" Mint shouted in distrust.

"What!?" Rue shouted. "Why do we have to pay you?"

"That's my rule. Hey, if you win, I'll pay you 1000G."

"Really!?" Mint uttered.

"The money just makes it a little more interesting. What matters is heart! So, you still up for it?"

"...I have a better idea," Aurora suggested, standing forward. "Let's make this a little fair. If you defeat all three of us, you get 1,000G from me."

"What!?" Rue and Mint shouted in unison.

"But if we win all three battles, we get the 1,000G."

"Aurora, are you sure about this?" Fiona asked.

"I wanna see if he can take three battles in one day," Aurora droned with a carefree grin.

Fiona just shook her head, a smile coated.

"Hmm, sound interesting," Rod agreed. "O.K, let's do it but you have to pay up."

"Sure. Here's 300G," Aurora told him, handing him the correct amount from her moneybag that she took from her bag. "Mint will go first, then Rue will come next. After the second battle, it's my turn."

"I will look forward to that battle, Aurora." Rod flashed a grin and walked to the tent, disappearing behind the curtains.

"Aurora," Mint called. "Do you HAVE that kind of money!?"

"Relax. There's nothing to worry about. I got that covered," Aurora assured her.

"Yup," Fiona agreed, leaning back on the surrounding side of the precipice. "Her endless supply of gold coins never ceases to amaze me."

"Endless?" Rue gasped. "You have that much?"

"So what's the big deal? It's only gold coins," Aurora muttered.

"Only?" Mint inquired loudly.

A gleam of silver raked the curtains open. Rod walked out of the tent with two identical swords made of silvery metal. They were sharp enough to cut a tree in half.

"Mint, are you ready?" Rod shouted and held up his weapon. "Check out my new weapon. It's called 'the Silver Breeze'."

"Wow...!" gasped the silver-haired boy. "What a weapon!"

"I'm not impressed," Mint scorned. "It's just a sword."

"It's more than a sword," Rod explained, again with pride of his masterpiece. "You'll find out in a second."

The battle began. Rod dashed up to Mint and started throwing the swords at her in swift speed but she quickly dodged. She leaped away, landing in a far distance and began cooking up a spell, her rings spinning furiously.

"Flare!" she commanded and shot a blazing ball of fire at Rod.

But quick as lighting, he held his swords and the fireball defused away, once a touch of the silver swords.

"Not bad, for a sorceress," Rod chuckled. "But can you dodge this!"

Swiftly, he whooshed straight to Mint with the sword, aiming front. Mint hurried to the left, avoiding the sword. Only a bit of her hair was cut off.

'Sheez!' Mint thought. 'He's good...but not good enough!'

Rising her rotating Duel Haloes, a sparkling ember of light streamed with power. "Vulcan!"

The rapid fire shot towards Rod, targeting his open back but he easily demolished the spell with a flirt of one sword.

"Vulcan!" Speedily, Mint cast another white spell but this time, it missed as the vagrant evaded it.

"Heh," Rod laughed. "Looks like you need some target practices, eh?"

"WHAT!?" Mint growled, grounding her teeth. "SHUT YOUR TRAP!!!"

Wrathfully, she fired the spell again and again and again. However, Rod easily dodged all her spells with his speed. 'Dammit! This isn't working. I gotta use another spell. But which one?'

Rod again scurried straight, his sword aiming at her. As she evaded to the left, the tip of her skirt was sliced by the sharp edge of the sword.

"Not bad on her reflexes," Fiona hummed.

Aurora looked back at the demi-human. "You think she can win?"

"I have a feeling she's cooking up a strategy," Fiona droned, a grin showed. 'So what spell will you be using, Mint?'

Mint cursed under her breath as she dodged the darting sword again. 'Dammit! Vulcan doesn't work, neither will Flare! I need a spell that can take him down at all angles.' A sudden thought sparked a plan that dared her to try. 'Angles? That's it!'

She dodged the next dash of the sword and leapt away, raising her rings into the air.

"Time to end this," Rod shouted, holding the two swords in the air and spun like a top. At an angle of 360 degrees, the swords were cutting the air.

But before the spinning vagrant drew near the princess, her rings spun with the power of white magic.

"Spread!" she yelled and fired five rapid flames of light at different angles, all spreading like the rays of light. Two passed by the vagrant but three successfully hit him, bringing him down to a fall. The swords dropped from his grasp and stabbed the ground.

"Hee-Hee-Hee! I win!" Mint cheered, jumping with joy.

"Damn, you're good," Rod admitted, getting up and seizing his swords. "That was a good fight."

Rue walked up to the princess. "Mint, are you alright?"

"A few cuts but A.Ok," Mint assured him. "Heh," Aurora scorned. "Didn't think you could win."

"What was that!?" Mint demanded.

"Now," Rod spoke loud. "It's your time, Rue. Get ready."

"And he can still fight?" Mint asked but no one answered her question.

"Good luck, Rue," Aurora encouraged.

"You'll need it," Fiona told him from her resting place.

"Thanks," Rue thanked and walked forward with his Arc Edge in hand.

Taking position, Rod held his swords high in battle mode. "Now let's start."

With a sudden move, Rod used the same technique of his quick speed on Rue again. However, Rue dodged the sword. Rue held his weapon and attacked. Rod swung his sword upwards. The sound of two blades resounded in the wind. Rue and Rod backed away with a jump and dashed towards each other.

Again and again, their blades met and the noises filled the atmosphere.

"Not bad," Rod confessed and took another spinning trip. Rue quickly embraced his Arc Edge and the axe weapon endured the cutting-edge of the twirling swords.

'He's good!' Rue told to himself.

Rod stopped spinning and jumped to the side for safety. No sign of lightheadedness was impaled on his face.

"No way. He's not even dizzy after that spinning," Aurora intoned with surprise.

Again, Rod zoomed up to Rue with sword in front and Rue dodged. The silver-haired boy leapt away. He raised his Arc Edge and charged. Rod did the same with his Silver Breeze.

CLANK!

One sword soared in the air. Below the flying cat threw his claws at the evading dog. The sword thrust between them, inches from harming them. Cosmomi gapped a gasp. Johnny Wolf yelped with fright.

Rod had fallen in defeat, his hand hurting with sheer pain.

"Are you alright?" Rue asked.

"Damn, you're good. That was quite a fight. You win," Rod announced.

"Alrighty! He did it!" Mint applauded.

"Not half bad. A little slow on attacking but not bad," Fiona muttered with a smile.

Rue stepped out of battle as Rod got up from his fall.

"Rue, you ok?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah," Rue reassured her.

A grin flashed from her face. "You're really good. Better than I am."

Rue scratched his head sheepishly, a blush of red rose on his face, as he giggled.

Rod went to the sword that dangled far. The flying cat, Cosmomi had flown the coop with the dog on his tail again. Cosmomi soared zigzagged around and streamed past the river.

CHOMP!

"Yeeelp!" Cosmomi shrieked.

In the clutch of the dog's mouth was his long tail. With the weight on his tail, Cosmomi was thrown forward and into the river. Johnny Wolf let go as the strange flying cat plummeted into the cool water. Green heard a big splash and bounced to the river where bubbles fluttered to the surface.

Suddenly, dewdrops spat up as a wet, cold flying cat jumped out of the river. "ARGH! I HATE WATER!!!"

"Now it's my turn," Aurora exclaimed. But before, she stepped into the battlefield. Rod turned away and disappeared into the tent.

"Hey, where are you going?" Mint demanded.

It didn't take long before he came out again. This time with something different.

"Ready, Aurora?" Rod asked as he held two scythes in the air. The handles looked like the Silver Breeze, but attached to them were golden curved blades.

"What is that?" Rue wondered in amazement.

"This is my latest creation," Rod uttered. "It's called 'the Golden Gale'."

"Heh," Aurora hooted. "I'm impressed. Looks like you got talent but do you have experience?"

"We'll see about that."

"You're on!" she shouted and seized her sword. She charged and swung the Dragonblade at the vagrant but Rod defended himself with his Golden Gale.

With good footing, Aurora leapt away and charged again. Each strike she threw, Rod shielded himself with his scythes. The vagrant then swung the curved blades but Aurora easily dodged as the cold blade ran inches near her kimono. She backed a step away and thrust her sword at Rod. Again, he evaded the blade.

'She's good with that sword!' he admitted to himself.

Aurora screamed a war cry, raising her blade. She clashed hard at the protecting weapons. But with Rod's strength, he pushed her away. She screeched across the grass field, breaking the earth.

Gradually, Rod held high the golden scythes. "Time to show you what this baby can do."

With a swing of his hands, he battered the ground with the weapons. The blades disconnected away from the silver swords and flashed to the startled Dragon Guardian. She dodged them easily.

"Looks like you missed," Aurora snickered and launched herself forward. A tug stopped her and pulled her down to earth, bringing her face to the soil. She quickly got up, turned around in wonder and spotted the two blades locking the case-cloth to the ground. "What the hell!?"

"Aurora, watch out!" Rue's cry alerted her into the battle. Up in the sky, Rod had leapt and was taking the silver swords down at her. Swiftly, she swayed her sword, batting the blades away and just in time, defended herself with the Dragonblade.

"You're good for a person with skills," Rod scorned.

"You the same," Aurora muttered, a grin painted. She drove Rod away and jumped away in a good distance.

"For a young gal, you know how to fight," Rod laughed.

All he received wasn't a mock of angry but the carefree grin and the point of the blade metres away from him. "I'll show ya what this gal can do."

She seized the blade to the sky and focused with good concentration. Light exploded from her and absorbed into the blade. Everyone stared at this bizarre technique as the blade lifted away from her unwilling hands.

"What the heck is going on!?" Mint screamed beyond the howling wind that stirred in the atmosphere.

As if trapped in a trance, Aurora willed her essence energy into the sword. Her chi-power seeped away and entered into the crystal. The blade gathered the energy with power, charging with light. Once the blade fully glowed, the metal shining with enormous supremacy, Aurora seized hold of her blade and dashed towards the astonished vagrant.

"Luminaire Sword!" she shouted, raising her blade and bringing the blade of light clashing at Rod.

Quickly, Rod held his weapons for protection but the power beholding in the sword was too great. A crack muttered in the screaming call of the power. Rod saw a small chip on one of the scythes. Before he knew it, it shattered before his eyes. His creation broke in a million pieces.

'The Golden Gale...' he thought with surprise but he still had one weapon left. He grinned.

As the light and power disappeared, Rod got his chance. He pushed Aurora away from distance. However, she braked over the grass field and saw the vagrant charging at her. She darted like an arrow, her blade over her head.

"Is she crazy!?" Mint shouted.

"She's letting herself be open! She's gonna get hurt!" Rue shouted with anxiety.

"No, she's not," Fiona uttered softly. "She has never lost a battle. She won't lose this one either."

The sound of weapons slashing metal captured them back into the battle. The Dragon Guardian and the vagrant stood afar, their weapons had already struck. A sudden crack was heard as in a minute, the remaining weapon of the Golden Gale shattered. The metal pieces fell to the ground. Rod felt a cut on his left cheek and the warm blood seeping out. A tear on his hat was marked. In amazement, he fell down in sheer defeat.

"Damn, you're good as they say you were," Rod declared. "So...you're indeed Aurora the 'Dragon Guardian'."

"What!?" Rue and Mint shouted in surprising unison.

Cosmomi sighed. "Guess the secret's out."

A growl alarmed the cat. His ears shot up with fright. He gulped loudly and turned around. Behind him was a very angry little dog, baring his teeth at him.

"Ahhahaaaa!" Cosmomi cried and again, the chase was on.

"You're 'the' Dragon Guardian!?" Mint shrieked.

"Also known as Bandit Killer," Fiona added as she left her leaning place. "As far as I counted, I'd say it's about thirty-six bandits, right, Aurora?"

"Sort of," Aurora declared.

"Wait. You knew?" Rue asked.

"Of course I knew," Fiona replied. "I've been with her for three years now."

Aurora turned to the vagrant and led a hand. "That was a pretty good fight, Rod."

Rod stared at the carefree smile that was on her face as he took her helpful hand. She pulled him up onto his feet.

"I'm impressed by your creation and swordsmanship. Sorry about your weapons though," Aurora apologized.

"That's alright," Rod reassured her. "I'm impressed that I got to fight the famous Dragon Guardian herself!"

"Hold EVERYTHING!"

Everyone turned to the princess. She stomped furiously towards the cerulean-haired girl. "You mean to tell us that you're the Dragon Guardian and you've never told us about that!?"

"So I kept a little secret. Big deal," Aurora told her, shrugging her shoulders. "And besides, I thought it would be okay not to attract attention while finding the relic."

"If you're the Dragon Guardian, that explains how you summoned that dragon," Rue exclaimed, recalling the incident in Carona Forest.

"Oh, that? That wasn't a dragon at all," Aurora explained. "Actually, that was Jolt the Lighting Guardian."

"Jolt? You summoned Jolt?" Fiona asked, giving her a look.

"What else could I do? We were gonna be trampled by a giant unicorn."

Fiona sighed and shook her head. 'A giant unicorn, huh...? I wonder...'

"That was a good fight indeed. That sword of yours is truly strong. I heard it could slash through any metal. And it did," Rod stated, holding up the broken scythe. He reached out into his pocket and held out a bag of gold coins. He handed to Aurora. "Here's the 1,000G as promised. Buy yourself a good meal or somethin'."

"Alright!" Mint cheered and jumped with joy.

"Thanks," Aurora thanked.

"Yes, thank you," Rue joined in.

"Come by again, ok?" Rod questioned. "I'll fight you anytime."

"I'll look forward to that," Aurora declared.

"Arrrghhh! Help me!" A scream finally captured their attention. Running around the grass field was Johnny Wolf chasing hightail after Cosmomi.

Cosmomi screamed one more time with tearful agony. "WHY ME!!!?"

"Do you think he's alright?" Rue asked as the gang exited out of the Grass Fields.

In the arms of a worried Dragon Guardian was Cosmomi. Stars spun around his eyes as Johnny Wolf had easily beat him at the game of chasing.

"Really pathetic," Mint mumbled. "Said he's not a flying cat but gets chased by a dog like any other cat."

"I...am...not...a...cat...!" Cosmomi uttered dizzily.

"Give it up, Cosmomi," Aurora sighed.

"So what are we going to do with the money?" Fiona inquired.

"I say use it to buy us some decent dinner," Mint proclaimed.

"I have a better idea." Everyone turned to Aurora who was now divided the money into four bags. The tired flying cat lay over her shoulder.

"Here." She tossed the three bags: one to Rue, one to Fiona and the last one to Mint. "Now we're equal."

'Yeah, right.' Mint looked at the small bag, which only contained two hundred and fifty gold coins, wishing it were the total amount instead.

"Are you sure about this?" Rue asked.

"Yeah, it's our money now so it's best to share it," Aurora explained. "And I'm not really into cash."

"Guess that's solved," Fiona uttered with a grin.

With a sudden notice, the Dragon Guardian received a suspicious stare from the princess. "What?"

"So, you're the Dragon Guardian, huh?"

"Yeah, so?" Aurora affirmed.

"Hmph," Mint mocked. "I don't believe ya."

"Mint, you did see the Dragonblade in her hand," Fiona elucidated. "That means she is the sole wielder of the sword, the Dragon Guardian."

"And let me guess, you have some kind of special powers that aids with the Dragonblade, right?" Mint shrieked at Aurora's face.

"Well..." Aurora hesitated but reached into her bag, taking out two spheres of colored glass, one bright ruby and the other sapphire. Each had a symbol, reflecting its colour and power: a black symbol representing a flick of blazing flame was printed within the red orb and a black symbol embodied a dewdrop of flowing water was nested within the blue sphere. "Yeah."

"Are those...?" Rue asked.

"Elements. Keychains that can upgrade the Dragonblade into greater weapons, which are given by the uder-gods of Cytherea, the Elemental Dragons," Aurora explained. "Yep, they are."

"Hmph," Mint mocked again, turning her back away and crossing her arms.

"Wow," Rue cried in amazement. "I thought Elements were just a legend."

"Not exactly. There are four more scattered around Cytherea. I only have two now," Aurora told him.

"Well, then. Let's go see this Klaus you guys keep talking about," Fiona exclaimed. All agreed.

As Mint and Fiona walked to the house of Klaus' family, a call stopped Aurora.

"Uh, Aurora?" Rue spoke.

"Yeah?" Aurora uttered questioningly.

"I think you should have this," Rue explicated, giving her back the bag of gold coins. "You deserved it more than I do. And you did pay for us."

"Nah, keep it," Aurora told him, handing back the bag to him.

"But-"

Aurora shook her head. "It's ok. You don't need to pay me back anything. I don't mind paying for others."

"But you could give the money to Mint, seeing that she's always treasure-minded," Cosmomi muttered.

"Like I would... We should get going. Thanks, anyway," Aurora thanked.

"Sure," Rue replied and the two went to Klaus's house where the others were waiting at the door. The gang entered into the house and was told by Mira that Klaus was in his study room as usual. With that, they walked down the stairs and met the face of the doctor.

"Thank heavens, you're all back," Klaus sighed with relief and realized there was an extra companion with the trio. "Who is your friend?"

"Nice to meet ya," Fiona greeted. "I'm Fiona."

"Fiona, huh?"

"Something wrong, Klaus?" Aurora asked.

"That name sounds somewhat familiar... Ah, it will come to me sooner or later. To tell you the truth, Fiona, this is the first time that I met a demi-human."

"Yeah, you might say that," Fiona uttered a little nervously but kept her nerves calm. 'Oh the Guardians! He nearly found out who I am! At least he doesn't recall... Phew!'

"Doctor..." Klaus' attention turned to the poignant silver-haired boy. "I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked. "Did something happen at the ruins?"

"Um..."

"Well, it didn't go too well," Mint explained.

"We had some problems along the way," Aurora told him and the trio notified their encounter in the ruins.

"So this Belle and Duke took the tiara from you," Klaus repeated what they had said about the Treasure Hunters.

"Yeah!" Mint scorned. "Those dirty rats. I swear if I see them again, I'll-"

"Now, now, calm down," Klaus halted her. "I'm sure we can get it back somehow. For now, let's do research on this cube and book you found. Looks like this will keep us busy for a while. You know, you came back at just the right time. I just found something very important."

"What is it?" Rue asked.

"Did you found some leads?" Aurora questioned.

"Well, you know those materials we brought back from the atelier? I looked through them again while you were gone, and you're not gonna believe what I found. The location of the relic! I know where it is!" Klaus declared.

"Really!?" everyone shouted with astonishment.

"Yes, there is no doubt. In fact, it's located very close to Carona. The relic is at the lake ruins."

"Where!? Where are these ruins!?" Mint demanded.

"There's a lake not too far from here with old ruins floating in the middle. Until now, nobody had a clue who built them. Who would've thought that they were built by Aeons."

"So... That's where the relic is sealed?" Rue inquired.

"Yes, Elroy was trying to break the seal at the lake ruins."

"So if we break the seal of the lake ruins," Aurora stated. "We can get the relic!"

"That's right! And..." Klaus began, turning to the cube on the table. "This cube was made for that very purpose."

"Alright, Klaus! Let's go!" Mint shouted with uncontrollable joy.

"What?"

"We can break the seal with that cube, right? Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the lake ruins!"

"She's got a point there," Fiona noted.

"Oh, at last," Mint proclaimed. "My long quest for the relic is almost over!"

"Ahh, not exactly," Klaus said. Mint face-faulted, disbelieving what he had said.

"What do you mean by that?" Aurora asked.

"There's still a big problem."

Mint quickly got to her knees. "What problem!?"

"It's not easy than said. To break the seal, we're definitely supposed to use the cube."

"So, what's the problem? We have the cube."

"But the question is 'how do we use it?'."

"Oh."

"Yeah, you're right," Cosmomi agreed. "It's not easy than said."

"Look at this thing. It's just a cubic block," Klaus pointed out. "There's no way to open it or do anything. Without some kind of instructions, I have absolutely no idea how to use it."

"Ok," Mint pronounced. "I'll just hit it real hard and... Forget it. I'll probably break my hand."

"That would be playing dumb if you ask me," Aurora murmured.

"Well... What now?" Klaus questioned the gang.

"Come on, Klaus!" Mint yelled, which nearly scaring Green. The green blob jumped away and onto the shoulder of its master. "Think of something! We know where the relic is. We even have the key to break the seal!"

"Doctor, isn't there any way we can find out how to use the cube?" Rue asked. Klaus just cupped his chin and deeply thought of a positive answer.

"There's got be a way," Aurora told them. "We're so close in getting the relic."

"Hmm... We could try asking her but... Actually, I'd rather not deal with her," Klaus yelled, shaking his head.

"Who is this person you're talking about?" the silver-haired boy inquired.

He stared around, noticing their determined faces. Knowing there wasn't any other way, Klaus gave in. "...There's a magician named Fancy Mel. She lived in an atelier beyond the forest. I honestly don't know how to describe her. She's just weird, I guess. So, I'd rather try to stay away from her, if possible."

"I don't think we have a choice."

"Mel would be able to tell us how to use the cube, right? Then we have no choice but to see her," Fiona consented.

"You're right, but... You don't know her," Klaus elucidated worriedly. "She's so... If you go see her, you'll regret it. Trust me."

"But...unless we find out how the cube, we'll never be able to get the relic," Rue reacted.

"Hey, I don't care," Mint exhorted. "I'm going. I'll go anywhere for the relic!"

"I'm going, too. Klaus, I made a vow that I find the relic at all cost, even if it kills me," Aurora gushed. Everyone became silent as pairs of eyes looked at her. "Ok. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. But the thing is, we all have to get the relic, no matter what we have to do to get it. Beside, what's so bad about this Mel?"

"Doctor, please give us the cube," Rue assisted. "We'll go ask Fancy Mel. I'm sure we'll be able to find out more about it."

"...Alright. I'm making you all do so much. Thank you," Klaus thanked and turned back to his table, seizing a quill and a paper. "I'll give you directions to Mel's atelier and also directions to the lake ruins."

Once finishing the directions, he handed it to Rue and said to them, "Good luck. I'm counting on you."

Nodding their heads, the gang said their goodbyes to Klaus and departed out of the study room, unprepared of what was going to be ahead of them.

Vickie: FINALLY FINISHED!!! ...Oh no. Now I gotta studying for my exams. Sobs

Aurora: Oh quit whining and get on with the reviews already.

Vickie: Fine. Mumbles under her breath about how annoying Aurora is

Aurora: I heard that.

Vickie: � To AG, the reasons why it's back to 10 is because I had taken some extra chapters to redo them. Sorry about that. And it wouldn't be good if there was ToF2 cuz then we authors wouldn't think or write how the second story would go. My next fanfic of Strands of Destiny got a new relic, new characters, new enemies and new encounters for the trio. Grins Anyway congrats on finishing the game and thanks for reviewing. To Dark Knight Gafgar, I see you have a set of game characters with you. Guess you play a lot of games.

Aurora: Yeah, and you played over 20 RPG games, Vickie. Must be a world record by now.

Vickie: So what if I like RPG games only!? Sheez! Oh, and Dark Knight Gafgar, the ToF/CC crossover won't be updated until Pauli and I have finished halfway through it but if you like, I can send you a sample of it via email, just to see your opinion about it. Last thing though, the crossover is actually a combination of my gonna-be second fanfic, Strands of Destiny and Pauli's (Or should I say his brother's, Witten's Hand) second fanfic, Chrono Cross: Twist of FATE. Well, that's it. To everyone, please review. Please PLEASE review!