Author Notes: Brother and I are just playing the game again. Oh the joys of Smurf.
Reviewer Responses
Phoenix Lord – Thanks. I wasn't going to pair her up because of 2 reasons. 1) Mary-Sue's are usually created to fall in love with a fan character and 2) She already has someone else. XD Nah, I won't bomb you. I'll just poke you with a stick. XP
Seiken Densetsu 3 – You don't say?
Chapter 1 – On Pain of Memory
The memory pains me so,
I remember it like it was yesterday.
I can't escape it,
It's burned into the back of my eyelids.
Kris pulled out a thin sheath of metal from a gold chain around her neck. Raising it to her lips, she blew in it producing a sort-of high pitched squeal. Sort-of, only because she herself couldn't hear it at all. Kris waited for ten minutes before she sighed and put it back where it belonged.
I was hoping too much, she told herself.
But privately, she wondered how she was going to do her performance at Wendel. All the past times she did an act, she had aid. The dragons were the main show, not her. People were more interested in the incredible agility and dexterity they demonstrated with some persuading from her. She was only there to get the show moving and was sidelined. Kris honestly preferred it that way, not liking to be in the spotlight of anything. However, if she wanted money without having an angry mob of people wanting their hard earned coin back, she was going to have to change the routine so that she was the main attraction.
Kris ducked under the overhang, taking the time to wash her hands in the mini waterfalls that partially obscured the grass path she trod. Looking at the very detailed map she held (the sea monsters that decorated the sides were particularly interesting), she used her amazing powers of deduction to deduce that she was standing in front of the Cave of Waterfalls. Hey, it wasn't her fault the map maker went overboard with the intricate details and put in the names of the places in tiny writing almost as an afterthought. Kris decided then and there that when she got money, she was going to get a better map. A map that was actually readable would be nice. Uh...not that it would help much anyway, considering she couldn't read and had to ask someone what the tiny text had said.
The first impression she got when she stepped foot in the Cave of Waterfalls was that it was dark. Very, very dark. And smelly. Kris didn't want to know what she had just stepped in, but got the distinct feeling it was guano of some sort. She hoped the civilians of Wendel wouldn't mind her tracking all sorts of crap into their town.
After walking some way through the cave, Kris got tired of walking through the dark. Yes, she could see the walls, but she couldn't see much of the ground, and she was getting annoyed at the soft squishing noises almost every time her boots touched the rocky floor. Taking out a small clear sphere from inside her jacket, she gently breathed on it, coaxing the light from within it to glow a little brighter. Almost immediately she was swamped by screeching bats, angry at having their gloomy abode defiled by the light. Cursing at her stupidity, she dropped the globe, muttering more profanities under her breath as she heard it shatter upon impact. Ducking to avoid the swarms of the flying rodents flying out of the cave, she trudged onwards, hoping that she'd be coming out of the accursed cave soon.
Carlie ran out of the Temple of Light, practically bouncing down the stairs in her hyperactivity. Even though the dream was scary, ominous and foreboding, all in one, Carlie was glad she would be able to see all her friends again.
"Durian, Hawkie, Angie, Lizzy and Kevkev are all coming! Yay!" she sung happily, skipping through the quiet streets of Wendel. A dog paused in his pointless circling to sit down and took the time to playfully snap at the small, blonde cleric, who retaliated with a soft bonk to his nose.
It suddenly seemed like a good idea to go see the waterfall in the Cave of Waterfalls. It was such a pretty thing, and it'd be nice to take the time listen to the water flowing along. And her friends would have to pass through the cave if they wanted to get to Wendel, so she could surprise tackle-glomp-hug them as they came in. Hee, they wouldn't know what hit them! With that in mind, she set off, a spring in her step and her weapon, Judge Mentes, in tow.
"No more zombies to bash," Carlie said, disappointed. "No matter! Evil, evil person can hit lots!" she reconciled herself cheerfully.
As she entered the rocky 'bridge', she heard a "What the-?" of surprise before she collided into someone. The other person had braced themself against impact, but Carlie hadn't, and found herself slipping off the narrow edge. She couldn't help but get a feeling that her hanging for a dear life of this ledge felt somehow very familiar...
Suddenly she felt someone grip her arm and heave her back onto the relative safety on the bridge. Carlie felt her wriggling feet come back in contact with something solid.
"Geez, for a kid you sure weigh a lot."
Carlie put her hands on her hips and pouted, even though she knew her rescuer wouldn't be able to see her expression. "Carlie not a kid! Carlie is fifteen!"
The stranger let a low whistle. "You're only a little more than ten years younger than me." Whoever it was patted the blonde girl on the head despite the danger in doing so.
"Don't pat Carlie on head!" she raged, swinging her flail blindly at whoever it was. The weapon didn't meet the resistance the cleric expected, and she almost overbalanced and fell again.
"Hey, careful there," the stranger said gently, attempting to calm the girl's annoyance. "I'm going to Wendel to see the Priest of Light. Do you know the way?"
The feeling of déjà vu was back. "Know the way?" Carlie laughed loudly. "The Priest of Light is Carlie's grandpa!" Completely forgetting that the stranger shouldn't be able to see her in the darkness, she said, "Follow me!" and ran off.
It seemed the stranger was perfectly at home in the dark though, and followed the cleric with barely a sound. They came out of the caves a short while later, the fragrance of flowers wafting over and removing the guano smells from their noses. Carlie turned around to make sure that her rescuer had followed her successfully and see who it was.
The blonde cleric found herself facing a petite woman only a little less than a foot taller than herself wearing clothing that was weirder than any of her 'Mana Hero' friends. Beads were threaded through some strands of her longish black hair, the colour of her hair itself a rarity. A black choker encircled her throat, a few pendants hanging on thin, golden chains from her neck. Her clothing was made up of bright colours, mostly reds and oranges. Gold edging lined the ends of her short coat and the long sleeves of her shirt. She wore a pair of form fitting pants tucked neatly into her boots. A slightly large belt encircled her waist, a pair of hoops hanging from it.
"Wendel's bit past here," Carlie told the strange woman. "But Grandpa's busy. Try tomorrow morning."
The woman regarded the small cleric with her green-eyed stare before sighing wearily. "Thanks, kid," she said, patting Carlie on the head.
"Carlie not a kid! No patting on head!" Carlie raised her flail threateningly.
The woman gave Carlie a broad smile. "Whatever you say, kid," she grinned, jumping to avoid the end of the girl's weapon smashing into her foot. By the time Carlie yanked the flail out of the ground, the stranger was already gone.
Night had fallen upon Wendel, the lanterns outside the inn and pub guiding people towards their business like fishes swimming towards and angler fish's glow and into its mouth. Hawk strolled through the streets, noticing something subtly different about the small town. Last time he was here, there was a slight air of tension about the place, but now it was filled with a sense of light heartedness. Not to mention another attraction...
The thief found himself drawn towards the sounds of cheering and light coming from spinning flames in some sort of act. Using a nearby railing, Hawk used it as a step to jump onto the roof of a nearby house. He got a marvellous view of the performer as she flipped backwards, flicking the two flaming hoops around her legs high into the air. Landing deftly on her feet, she leaped again, her small form cutting a graceful figure in the cool night. Gripping the thin, silvery staff she had standing up in the ground with her right hand, she whirled it about her body, the hoops somehow catching on the end of it. The hoops continued spinning, kept on the end of the staff only by the fast circular motions. Suddenly, the small woman abruptly stopped the movement, the hoops flying back up into the air. Whirling around, she planted the staff vertically into the ground. She waited at the base of it, poised to jump.
Just as the hoops had reached the peak of their ascent, she jumped, flipping and landing with her left hand on the top of the staff. Just when everyone, including Hawk, had thought she had missed the hoops as they began their descent, her legs moved in a blur of movement, miraculously catching them and keeping them spinning. She kept that pose for a moment longer as the audience clapped loudly before she extinguished the flames on the hoops, slipping them onto her right arm and hopping off the end of her staff. The petite woman bowed amidst general applause while the people watching put money on the coat she had laid out on the ground.
After long moments of lingering, loitering and attempts to strike up conversation with the performer, the crowd dispersed. Hawk watched her scoop the coins from her coat and put it into a small pouch before she put the coat back to its normal use. He couldn't help but notice her only using her left hand to do the job, rather than both. His mind immediately snapped back to his dream from the Goddess earlier in the morning.
"I can't move them..." a voice whispered in horror. "My hand..."
Surely...she wasn't this new evil?
If she is this evil, I've gotta keep her in Wendel until the others arrive, Hawk thought, Then we can confront her somewhere that's less populated, just in case.
Just as she turned to go to the inn, Hawk suddenly appeared in front of her, leaving her blinking in surprise. "Where'd you learn to do all that amazing stuff?" he asked, letting a little honest admiration creep into his voice.
The staff suddenly spun and aimed for his head. Deciding that he'd rather not get hit on the noggin with it, Hawk hopped aside. Geez, he hadn't even made a pass on her and she was already doing the Angela act, only without the princess' customary "EAT CANE, SCUMBAG!" Talk about an extreme defence mechanism...
"Hands off the money, dirtbag."
Oh. That was why.
"I'm wounded," he said melodramatically, putting a hand over his heart as if she had stabbed him. "What makes you think I'd have my hands on your money when they could be on this vision of loveliness in front of me?"
The staff reversed in its direction, this time aiming for his crotch. Hawk hurriedly flipped backwards, almost feeling the air from the staff's passage. "I haven't seen anyone who possesses an ounce of the beauty you have," he continued, grinning broadly as if nothing had happened at all.
The woman mirrored his grin. A long pause. "Okay, what do you want?" she finally asked.
"Just a night with the most stunning lady that my humble eyes have ever seen."
She rolled her eyes in disdain. "You must be pretty desperate." Her attitude suddenly changed. "Though I must admit, you are kinda good looking. I would've thought women would be clamouring to have a night with you."
"Oh, they do, but they're nothing compared to your radiant beauty. Their make-up and fake good looks are enough to make me feel sick."
The small woman smiled, taking up his arm. She snuggled up to him and leaned against him, her hands surprisingly cold against his forearm. "Alright then, it's a date!"
Hawk relaxed a little.
He didn't even see the staff coming. It slammed into his stomach, causing him to lean over, hissing in pain.
"In a hundred year's time," she scornfully threw over her shoulder as she walked off.
Hawk watched her walk off with a wince. She didn't seem evil (cold-hearted, maybe), but he had learnt from past experience that even the cutest little kitty could have a soul of evil.
She'll be coming back, he thought with a grin, pocketing a small bag of money.
Kris didn't know whether she should be angry or amused when she discovered the conniving little thief had stolen all her hard earned money. The innkeeper, however, was less than happy. Why did they all hate her so?
"If you don't have any money, you can get yourself out of my establishment," the innkeeper said coldly, refusing her a room despite the number of customers she had attracted with her performance just outside.
Kris finally decided she was irritated. Damn cold-hearted businessmen. She toyed with the idea of bashing him over the head with her staff and getting a few hours of sleep in the inn's bed before she ran off, effectively skiving on yet another bill. Nah, tonight she'd like to have a bath and some decent sleep.
Plastering a dumb smile on her face, she struck a Stupid Pose and declared loudly, "I shall be back! With money!" before zipping away.
The innkeeper simply rolled his eyes at her departure.
The moment Kris stepped outside the inn, she slowed her pace down to a leisurely walk. Whatever had possessed her to do such a stupid thing? Must've been the 'rabite' she ate on the way to Wendel; she always knew those cute things were evil. Ever since she ate it, she'd been doing odd things all day...
Now, where would a ladies' man wanna-be thief hang out on a night like this? Kris thought absentmindedly.
That question wasn't too hard for her to answer. Kris wandered around in search of the nearest pub. The building in question was most lit up place out of all the businesses, the many lanterns making the bar practically glow in the night. Kris winced at the harsh lights assaulting her eyes as she stepped in, trying to blink away the spots of green appearing in her vision. There was the usual mingling of people, and, of course, people getting drunk, though Kris noted with interest that no one started any brawls. Must be because the city was 'holy'.
She quickly spotted the thief from his long, purple hair, talking with two other ladies, their interest in him painfully obvious. He had his arms draped across the back of the long chair, the two women practically sitting on his lap as they tittered away. Kris weaved through the throng of people, and managed to catch a portion of their conversation.
"Another drink, ladies?"
"Oh, Sir Hawk, you're too kind!"
Kris stopped in her tracks at the name. Sir Hawk? She nearly punched herself in the face for being so stupid. Of course! Long purple hair, tied in a thin tail, tanned skin, amber eyes, thief...damn, he was one of them 'Mana Heroes'!
Even if the subject hadn't interested her, Kris had payed enough attention to the stories and songs praising them to know who they were. Damn! She wanted little to do with the heroing business. However, her money was at stake here.
"Ah, what can a man do when he has such beauties choosing to spend their much valued time with a humble, low-born like me?"
"Flattery," Kris interrupted, leaning over the back of the chair with a sardonic smile. "Keep them talking, and they won't notice when take their money from them."
"Do you even know who you're talking to, girl?" one of the woman sneered as the other wrapped her arms protectively around Hawk's neck and tucker her head under his chin. "Have more respect for your betters!"
Hawk turned his head so that he could see the petite woman better. "Ah, you again?" he said with a grin. "Come to join me and these ladies?"
"Sorry, but I don't intend to join your harem anytime soon," she replied, a cheek muscle twitching at the snobbish tone in the woman's voice.
"Aw, don't pay any attention to the mean and nasty girl, Hawkie," one of the women beseeched sweetly, making Kris feel inwardly sick at the pathetic woman. "She's not worth any of your time, hon."
Kris smirked, agilely jumping over the chair and brining her face an inch away from Hawk's face. "Oh, on the contrary," she breathed, a finger idly tracing the side of his neck down to his collarbone. "I can make it worth much, much more," she whispered huskily.
Suddenly, her lips locked onto Hawk's. Taken by surprise, he tried to pull away, but Kris held him fast. The two other women shrieked in anger, their hands reaching out to grab her and tear her away from the object of their affections. But she, as slippery as a snake, had already slipped out of their grasp.
She gave the thief an enigmatic smile. "Ah, sorry, but I've not the time to toy with you."
As quickly as she had approached him, she was gone again. Kris knew Hawk had gotten the message from the expression on his face. She'd won both games.
It was good to feel the weight of money on her belt again.
"I'm terribly sorry, Lady Riesz, but there have been a lot of tourists ever since you and the others...ah...saved the world. More people have been coming to Wendel for guidance, and we–"
Riesz cut off the innkeeper's hurried explanation with a hand. "It's alright," she said, understanding. "Are there any rooms at all left?"
"Um..." The innkeeper ran a finger down his list. "A few, but if you want a bath, you'll have to use the public ones, and they're not very–"
"That'll be fine, thank you," Riesz interrupted, not wanting to listen to his my-rooms-are-not-worthy speech. Honestly, the amount of pampering these people insisted on dumping on her was starting to get really annoying.
The innkeeper nodded in relief and slipped a key into Riesz' battle-worn hands. "Have a nice stay!"
Riesz leisurely strolled to her room, her scary looking lance gently tapping her shoulder as she walked. Putting the key into the keyhole, she unlocked the door to her room, shaking the winged crown from her blonde hair and placing it on the bedside table. The amazon leant her spear against the wall before she collapsed gratefully on the bed, weariness wracking her limbs. She had been shocked to discover how quickly she tired, now that she had been mostly holed up in Rolante with restoration work as well as peace treaties with the other nations. Technically Elliot was the crown ruler and was meant to take care of these things, but he wasn't really old enough, so Riesz had to take care of most these things. She felt like she was being suffocated under all the paperwork, so this excuse to get out of the country was a welcome relief.
Her skills with the spear hadn't diminished. It was only her endurance that had come from climbing the Path to the Heavens that had waned. Riesz got the distinct feeling that her muscles were going to hurt a lot tomorrow. But right about now, a bath sounded good.
Riesz left her spear, crown and the small bag of money in her room before she locked it up and made her way down to the 'dreaded' public baths. Upon arrival, she found a place to hang her clothing and screens to change behind for the more modest. Shedding her armour, she wrapped herself in the inn's complementary robe and walked around the corner to the big room containing the bath.
Luckily, there was only one other person in the baths, who looked up upon the amazon's entrance before going back to taking out...beads?...from her black hair and putting them in a pocket of her coat nearby. Riesz slipped out of the inn's simple robe, hung it on the hooks on the wall nearby and slid into the bath, offering a greeting to the other woman sharing it.
"Hey," the lady replied, leaning back and sighing contentedly.
They rested in silence, enjoying the warmth and comfort as the warm water eased their weariness. The black haired woman then dunked her head in the water and scrubbed at it as Riesz' mind floated back to the mission charged by the Goddess.
How was she going to know who was this evil? The few clues she'd been offered were like the string that a person would jerk out of reach of a protesting kitten. Her main clues of finding the person were the scars on her back and the ruined hand, but those could be hidden by clothing. What was she going to do? Ask everyone to strip so she could see if they had certain distinguishing marks?
Riesz couldn't help but snort aloud at the ludicrous thought, drawing a strange look from her companion. The blonde returned it with an innocent face. The other woman shook her head before going back to leaning against the edge of the bath.
Oh goody, she must think I'm insane or something, Riesz thought dryly.
"So...what brings the Lady Riesz from her kingdom in Rolante?" the stranger asked suddenly, fixing the amazon with her emerald stare.
Taken aback at the sudden interest in her, Riesz blinked in confusion. "Saving the world again, apparently," she replied, waving it away as if it was a minor thing.
"That's nice," the stranger said blandly. "Though if the world was in danger, I would've thought that the desert rat would spend less time chatting it up with the ladies."
There was only one person Riesz could think of that got called a desert rat.
"Hawk's here?" she exclaimed in surprise, choosing to ignore the less than polite reference to the thief.
"Definitely." The woman splashed some of the water on her face. "Stole my money too," Riesz heard her mumble under her breath.
Riesz caught herself before she laughed out loud, not wanting to offend the woman. He hasn't changed much, it seems, she thought with some amusement. But if she doesn't have any money, how'd she get in here?
Riesz voiced her last thoughts to the stranger.
"...I got it back off him."
The amazon waited for the lady to elaborate, but none was forthcoming. Not willing to infringe on the woman's privacy, she let the topic drop, instead asking, "I heard I missed a performance by an acrobat or something. Did you see it?"
The stranger let out a short laugh. "Of course I saw it. I am the performer," she replied with a grin.
Riesz smacked her head in embarrassment at her mistake, the action accidentally splashing the woman in the face. She spluttered while Riesz apologised profusely. The blonde didn't notice the evil grin spreading across the stranger's face as she pretended to choke. Before Riesz could react, the woman placed a hand on the amazon's head and pushed her under the water. When Riesz surfaced again, annoyed at the suddenness of being dunked, the stranger was already out of the bath, gathering up her clothing to get dressed behind the screens. Riesz only got one tiny glimpse of the woman's back, but that was all she needed to have the horrific image burned into her mind.
Crisscrossed all over the woman's back were the tell-tale scars, a vivid white against her skin. Riesz shut her eyes. The scars were so much more ghastly in reality. She could practically feel the pain that must've been inflicted on the woman to create such wounds. It wasn't pleasant at all. And the injury to her hand looked worse than the dream had depicted it, a set of teeth marks creating a set of long, garish scabs over it.
However, she couldn't deny that she was relieved her search was over already. Riesz was gripped by a sudden worry as part of the conversation with the woman came back to her.
"Hawk's here?"
"Definitely. Stole my money too."
"Hold on, if you don't have any money, how'd you get here?"
"...I got it back off him."
The woman hadn't said how she got it off him, and Riesz would've liked to think that Hawk had given it back to her, but then again, the Navarrian wasn't known for returning what he stole. Riesz sighed and shook her head.
I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble again, she thought wryly.
Kris thanked the stranger, who gave her a small smile and moved off to do whatever random townspeople do. Testing the tightness of the belts on her sleeves, she found another reason why she wished she was still travelling with someone. Shrugging on her coat, she set off towards the Temple of Light, squinting as her eyes slowly adjusted to the early morning sun. The clerics were just opening the double doors to allow people to come in upon her arrival. They greeted Kris as she passed through, acknowledging them with a nod. She leisurely strolled through the temple, admiring the intricately carved statues and candles lining the walls.
Somehow, she wasn't surprised when something cannoned into her as she turned the corner.
"Ow..." Carlie rubbed her head. Noticing Kris, she exclaimed, "You again! Carlie thinks you're following her..."
Kris picked herself off the marble floor and dusted herself off. "I'm here to see your grandpa, remember?"
A light of realisation passed over the little girl's face. "Ah!" she cried out, jumping up. "Gramps' still sleeping, and Heathie's busy." Carlie grabbed Kris' hand. "Come, help light candles!"
Before Kris could protest, Carlie dragged her towards the temple's chapel. Upon arrival, Kris couldn't help but be in awe at its majesty. It wasn't the same as the 'living' winged temple she used to camp out in on bad days, but it was still something to me amazed at. Rows upon rows of candles stood tall and proud around the biggest, most detailed of the statues she had ever seen. The statue's wings were carved with so much care that they appeared almost real. Kris stared at it, drawn to the delicate features of its face, the expression of peace on the heavenly visage something she had always yearned for. As Carlie hummed a rhyme softly to herself, standing on tip toe to light the candles, the flickering flames seemed to give the statue life.
Unconsciously, Kris found her feet moving, bringing her before the magnificent statue. She hesitantly raised a hand to the statue, unsure of whether she would be unintentionally doing something blasphemous, given that she wasn't much into religion to start off with. Carlie caught sight of the movement and nodded encouragingly, obviously used to such hesitation from others.
"Try!" she said with a smile. "Goddess give peace!"
Kris wasn't quite convinced, though, but under pressure from the cleric's warm, cheerful smile, her resolve broke. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she reached out to the statue. The moment her fingertips touched the surface, her world suddenly turned dark, a flash of pain going across her consciousness. Her heart contracted, feeling like it was being crushed by an iron fist. Kris tried to tear her hand away from the statue, sensing her pain was coming from it, but she couldn't move it, held to the stone as surely as a person caught in a bear hug.
"You shall not destroy all that I've sought to renew!" a voice shrieked in her head.
Kris couldn't contain a scream of agony as she felt all her scars tear open, reliving the circumstances that created all her old wounds. Blood splashed across her vision into the terrible, blinding light of the Goddess wreaking havoc upon her body to protect her world. Someone...familiar appeared.
"Blaine...?" She squinted up despite the pain the light inflicted on her. He turned and gave her a warm smile before fading away to nothingness.
"No!" Kris screamed, mentallly scrabbling, trying to clutch onto the image. "Don't take him away from me again!"
She spiralled into despair as he disappeared from her consciousness completely. She'd failed him again, and this time there wouldn't be a second chance. Tears of frustration threatened to leak out of her eyes. The light beckoned invitingly, wanting to draw her into its warm embrace of death. From within herself, darkness rose up to battle the light with growling snarls and vicious snaps.
"Nonono.Letusgo."
Kris suddenly felt herself break contact with the holy statue, staggering back a few steps and collapsing to her knees, hearing a final cry of frustration in her mind. Her chest heaved, coughing out blood as her ribs and sides seemed to ache as if she had run a thousand miles. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she struggled for air. She could feel the red liquid trickle between her fingers and stick to her shirt. Kris weakly stumbled back up to her feet, vision blurred by her pain, but still able to see the gathering of priests and clerics, all apparently drawn by her screams. Carlie, as well as almost everyone else, had an expression on shock.
She could barely see the priest that stepped forward with an terrified expression on his face, pointing in her direction. "A demon!" he cried. "A demon has come to our lands!"
Author Notes: No, Durian is not a typo. What? Don't tell me you didn't notice the fact that most of the sprites for SD3 don't have black hair! See! Rabites do strange things to your brain! Hawk could sell them in the black market as drugs! XD Huh...should I have any pairings? Currently I'm debating whether I should write any romance, since it's completely new territory for me. Also, I'm not too good with the whole flirting thing either.
I also have the final class changes (even though they might not even appear in the fic) as Angela – Magus, Carlie – Bishop, Duran – Swordmaster, Hawk – Rogue, Kevin – Warrior Monk and Riesz – Star Lancer. These aren't based upon my favourite class changes (or else most of them would be Dark-Light. Power houses man!), but mostly from their personality and the description of they types of people who become these classes. If you want them as a different class, feel free to drop a review and give a good reason why Kevin, for example, should be a God Hand instead. If I find your reason for a certain class better than what I've chosen, then I might go change them.
Oh, and R&R I tell you! XP