Chris: Awww….I gots no reviews. Actually, I got one, but only because I asked him to read my story in a review. Oh well. Guess I'm still not well-known enough to the people who visit the FE section now. Dratness. Or maybe it's just because this is an action/adventure story. Or maybe it's because my update times are so long that people don't care enough to review. How am I supposed to know?
Zero-Blazer: Yeah….I'm really slow at setting up plots. I like to show what's going on before actually assigning "quests" and stuff. Eh, the plot'll be coming up soon enough. Like…Chapter 4 or 5 or something. Bah….I don't like plots that much because it reminds me I actually have to stay within some sort of area. But for this one, I'm giving each of the different groups their own sideline quest stuff. Hope you like it when I make it.
Aaaanyway, after this, I'll be updating FEH and…if my laziness goes away, Farina's Diary too. GASP! It'll be the last chapter for that!
Farina: Yahoo -throws party- My diary is gonna be great!
Chris: Right. Oh, and I actually need to write a real chapter for the original fic…Bah…I'll do that soon enough. Oh, and for this chapter…This is the Etruria chapter. And a tiny sub-plot thingie. Yay. And you may think that I have shoujo-ai in this chapter. Eh, think whatever you want. I don't know what it is.
Chapter 2: Journey for Victory
"Take that!" Lyena, a young 14 year old student, threw a ball of fire at her opponent, a young girl who was dressed in bright-blue robes. The robed girl waved her hand and the fireball dissipated against an invisible barrier. Lyena stamped her foot on the ground, pouting. "That is not fair, Sylea!"
Sylea giggled, her long purple hair shaking. She was only 13, but was renowned in the school as one of the best mages in the country. "I can't help it if I can block your spells." She smoothed her robes and straightened out her white blouse and blue skirt. A wooden staff was held in one hand, and she picked up a small tome from the ground. "Hey, I wanna try out this spell that I found. I think it'll do well against wyvern riders." Her silver eyes were twinkling mischeviously.
Lyena backed away slowly. "Uh…I'm sure it will work out great…But I really don't know."
"Aw, come on, Lyena! It only took a couple of days to clean up the cafeteria!" Sylea ran up to her friend, looked at her pleadingly.
Lyena looked nervously at the book Sylea held in her hand. The last spell she had created worked extremely well. Perhaps too well, since it blasted part of the cafeteria away. The two of them had been chained with cleaning and cooking duty for a month. Lyena ran a hand through her blond hair and finally nodded.
"Fine…I guess. But if you blow me up, I'm going to haunt you, okay?"
Sylea gave a happy cheer and rushed back to her spot, scanning the words inside of the tome. "Okay! I'll cast it at low power so it doesn't hurt that much!" Lyena nodded shakily. She was still extremely nervous, but swallowed and waited for her friend to cast the spell.
"Here we go!" Sylea closed her eyes, chanting the words in the book. "Darkness eternal, hear my plea. Bring destruction to those I see. Show them no mercy, show them your might. I pledge my life so others may fight." The moment she finished the spell, the sky grew dark, and a streak of black lightning struck the ground in front of Sylea. The black…thing, there was no other word to describe it, formed itself into a vaguely humanoid shape.
"You called me?" The shape pointed at Sylea, who had stepped backwards in fright. Her eyes were wide as she clutched her small book, shaking her head in small motions.
"Uh…N-No…W-Well…Y-Yeah. I did cast the sp-spell…B-But I never thought it would…uh…call you."
The figure appeared to glare at the terrified girl, and then turned to Lyena. "Did you participate this is foolish action as well?"
"U-Um…Well…Yeah, I said it was fine."
"YOU FOOLS! MAGIC IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED AS A PLAYTHING! It appears I will have to teach one of you a lesson." He pointed to Sylea again. "Since you started this, you will have to pay the consequences. I believe you remembered the last time of that spell, right?"
Sylea nodded fearfully.
"Very good…However, instead of your life, I believe I'm going to try something different this time. Killing hapless beings becomes so boring after a while, don't you agree?"
The two girls could only stare at the figure as it pulled out a necklace, made out of obsidian. There was an aquamarine pendant strung along the stones, and 13 symbols were carved on it. The figure placed the necklace around Sylea's neck, and chuckled as the pendant glowed black.
"I bid you farewell, for now." The figure giggled like a little child. "Have fun!" It disappeared into the clouds, leaving behind a mocking laughter. Lyena looked nervously at her friend. They never expected something like this to happen, especially with a harmless little experiment. Suddenly, the pendant flashed green, and Sylea screamed in pain. When the bright light dissipated, both of the girls watched in fascinated horror as a rune was inscribed on the top of Sylea's left hand. The rune, shaped like a crow, shone for a moment before staying permanently on her hand.
"What the hell was that!" Lyena rushed to her friend, and ran a hand over the scar that now etched Sylea's hand. She also inspected the pendant, and found out that there was a crow symbol on the aquamarine pendant as well. Sylea's eyes widened and suddenly she collapsed, falling in Lyena's arms. Lyena tugged at the necklace that was around her friend's neck, but for some strange reason, it wouldn't come off. The blond-haired girl looked around frantically, and half-carried, half-dragged her friend to the infirmary wing of the school, before dashing towards to the library to research what she had found….
-
"I guess that's why I'm here." Lyena, now 16, stood outside a cave near the outskirts of Etruria. She straightened out her mage's robes and her pink skirt and red shirt. Her friend had been banished from the school because of that incident 2 years ago. However, Sylea was able to obtain lodging in the form of a small cave near the ocean. Unbeknownst to her teachers and superiors, Lyena had been smuggling food to her younger friend, immensely afraid for her safety, since the western border of Etruria was extremely close to the Western Isles.
Plus, Lyena had figured out the meanings of the runes, and had shared her findings with Sylea. The 12 symbols were runes from the Vampiric Zodiac, and it was said that when anyone of any race was inscribed with all of the symbols, they would be immediately turned into a vampire. However, a new rune was infused only once every 2 full moons. It was a primitive method, and most of the demonic race rarely decided to waste time with such things when it was much easier to infuse vampiric blood, or in the terms of demons, steal a person's soul. However, the rune method is very useful for infecting someone far away, especially since the curse can be carried through jewelry and various other objects.
Lyena nervously stepped in the cave, carrying a small bundle of clothes and food as well as a small stack of reading and magic books. "Sylea? Where are you?"
"Lyena!" The young, purple-haired girl dropped from the ceiling, nearly giving her friend a heart attack.
"D-Don't do that!" Lyena brushed back some of her hair, her hands still shaking. She looked at her friend. Sylea didn't look any worse for the wear. Her hair was slightly longer, but other than that, she was fine, mostly due to Lyena's smuggling. Lyena's eyes moved towards the other tattoo's that had adorned her friend's body. Accompanying the crow on her left hand was a scythe rune on her right hand. In the middle of her left leg were scratch-like tattoos, and to match it, a wolf was on her right leg. A crescent moon lying on its side adorned the space below Sylea's right eye and a talon was inscribed above her left eye. The rest of the tattoos were covered by Sylea's clothes, which had changed into a simple blue robe and white dress.
Sylea bowed apologetically to her friend. "I'm sorry, Lyena." She absentmindedly scratched at the crow etching, wincing at the memories. However, she caught herself and tucked her hands behind her back, flushing embarrassingly.
Lyena softened and handed her the packages. "It's okay…Last full moon's tonight, huh?"
"Y-Yeah…" Sylea managed to put a brave smile as she accepted the things, but her friend could tell that she was seriously scared. "I-If…I didn't find that tome…" Sylea broke down and began sobbing in Lyena's arms.
"I-It'll be okay…We'll find a cure…Right?"
Sylea looked up at her friend's eyes, her own eyes shining with tears. "T-Thank you…for getting me these things."
"H-hah…No problem." Lyena wiped and trembling hand over her eyes. "I…I've gotta go back. We're expecting a major offensive from the Western Isles…" Lyena patted her friend before dashing back towards the city of Alton, the capital of Etruria. Sylea watched Lyena run off, and then pawed through the packages her friend had brought. She winced as she grabbed her necklace, wishing she could toss it off and throw it into a corner to rot.
"What's this?" Sylea found a small photo album. Inside, she found pictures of all her old classmates, all of them looking cheerful and happy. Once again, tears formed in her eyes as she imagined all of them, fighting in this endless war. In the last page of book, there was a picture of her and Lyena, in a part of Etruria that was untouched by the war. Her tears fell, marking the page with wet droplets. Sylea closed the album, and clutched it close to her chest, silently rocking back and forth.
-
"Master Lucius?" Lyena peeked through the doorway inside the Alton Magic Guild. The tall, blond haired man turned and saw Lyena outside. He beckoned her in, and Lyena entered.
"I'm certain you've heard the rumors about the legendary weapons, right? The 8 that were scattered around the world?" Lucius clasped his hands behind his back, pacing through the room.
"Um, yes. There was Durandal, Aureola, Apocalypse, Armads, Exaccus, Malte, Miurgre, and Forblaze, right?"
"Exactly. Well, the people on the top have decided to send people out on a search for some of the weapons, hoping that they will gain us an edge in the war. They have also heard reports of attempts by the Western Isles to retrieve these weapons as well."
"And…What am I supposed to do?" Lyena tilted her head to the side, extremely confused.
Lucius faced the young girl, his deep blue eyes will with sorrow. "They have deemed you old enough to embark on this quest. We have received some help from Lycia as well. You will not have to travel alone." He shook his head. "I protested against sending someone so young, but the Etrurian council had their sights set on winning the war. So, you will have to leave immediately." Lucius turned around, facing the window instead.
"B-But, I can't, sir! I've…uh…I've still got some things I need to study!"
"Yes…Your friend, Sylea, right?" Lucius didn't look back, but he knew that he had struck home.
"H-How did you know!" Lyena stepped back, surprised.
"Ah, I've known for a long time." Lucius waved his hand carelessly. "Such loyalty like that should be commended. However, this time, you will have to leave your friend."
"Y-Yes…sir." She turned to leave, but Lucius stopped her.
"Ah yes…One more thing. There are other weapons, not as strong as the legendary weapons, but still mighty in their own aspect. The council has termed them mythical weapons."
"And they want us to find those as well?"
"Yes, but make finding the legendary weapons first priority. The mythical weapons we know of now are Ragnarok, Branwen, Odysseus, Thetis, Masamune, Twilight, Yatagarasu, and Isis."
"Very well, Lucius." Lyena bowed to her commander and left the room, going to her room so she could get ready for the trip.
"I am sorry, child, but someone with such youthful enthusiasm and energy must go on this quest. Finding those weapons will not be easy, and the trials can drain you both physically and mentally." Lucius stared out at the countryside, intending to make his rounds, but then he heard a warning bell and rushed outside, holding a tome under his shoulder.
"Sir Lucius! We're under attack from the south! The seers believe that their forces outnumber us 3 to 1!" A soldier ran up and saluted to the senior officer.
Lucius closed his eyes. "Very well. Stay inside the stronghold and take down as many as we can! If they break through…Well, you know what to do."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted again and ran off, yelling orders at the soldiers.
"Good luck, my children." Lucius prayed for his soldiers' safety and ran to his position in the battlements.
Chris: Actually, I just decided to end it here. I have no idea why, actually. Just felt like it. So yeah, I still haven't introduced everyone in this war. Whoo. Well, review please, and hopefully I'll be putting everyone in the next chapter
Oh, and if you need a list of the groups so you can remember who's in them after I've intro'd them all, then just ask in a review or something.
Mia: So review!
Chris: I already said that.
Mia: Your face said that! Oh!
Chris: Sigh…
