Chapter 9: "The Beginning of a Dream…"

Alaylle hums as she places some diced crabmeat into a pot and stirs the contents of the pot with a wooden spoon. She then turns around to see a man staring at the cooking pot and trying to keep from drooling. "Father Renauld! Honestly… it's going to take about half an hour… I don't know why you keep torturing yourself by watching dinner cook!"

"Eh heh heh… sorry Alaylle… it just smells so good!" Father Renauld walks sheepishly back to the dining room to wait until dinner is done.

Alaylle shakes her head, removes the spoon from the pot, covers the pot, and balances the spoon on top of the lid. She walks quietly into the dining room and smiles happily at Father Renauld. "Well… I'm going home for the night… See you tomorrow!" She waves goodbye happily as she leaves the room.

"Ah, Good Night, Alaylle!" Father Renauld waves back and seats himself at the table. "Hmm… half an hour… how to pass that time…"

Sister Nun quietly walks into the dining room, rolling her eyes slightly at how Father Renauld is waiting for dinner. "Excuse me Father, this package just came in for you." She gently places the package on the table.

"Aahh… thank you, Sister Nun…" Father Renauld carefully opens the package and glances inside. He pulls out a letter, unfolds it and reads quietly to himself. "Hmm…"

Sister Nun quietly mutters darkly to herself about what Father Renauld called her and leaves the dining room quietly.

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Alaylle quietly lies down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'Hmm… it feels good to do absolutely nothing after cleaning and cooking all day…' she lowers her gaze from the ceiling to her mirror and slowly gazes about her room. A mirror, a few dressers, a small desk… a typical girl's room-Daddy picked it all out, of course. She looks from her room to her window, from which she can see a half-moon quite clearly. She is about to doze off when a loud, clear sound goes through the air. Alaylle hops out of bed quickly as she hears the bell ringing. "Mommy! Daddy! The attack bell is ringing!" She quickly changes out of her nightclothes and into her normal clothing and rushes out of her room.

Indeed, outside several people are laughing insanely as they lift bundles of decayed twigs over their heads and throw them at the ground. The twigs break apart from their bundles and a moan or scream is heard as the restless soul in the twig takes the form of a monster. The summoned monsters quickly begin attacking Prontera, its people, its buildings… anything that gets in their way.

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Alaylle and her mother and father gather quietly near the front door of their house, still inside.

Alaylle's mother shakes her head. "Oh my... Another attack on the city..."

Alaylle's father frowns for a moment as he thinks. "We really shouldn't stay here... it's not safe..."

"Dear... take care of Alaylle... I'm going to go help the wounded adventurers out there..." Alaylle's mother glances at her husband significantly.

Alaylle's father nods. "Don't worry... I'll keep her safe... we'll head to the church and see if we can help the wounded there too."

"Mommy... please be careful..." Alaylle gives her mother a warm hug.

"Oh, don't worry, dear... I will..." Alaylle's mother gently strokes her daughter's hair and she hugs back. She releases Alaylle from the hug. "Go while you can, you two..."

Alaylle's father nods and opens the door, cautiously leading Alaylle out with him. Alaylle's mother walks out cautiously, and then runs towards the fountain square.

"Alright... stay close... and stay alert, Alaylle" Alaylle's father secures his swordmace on it's sheath.

Alaylle and her father carefully walk onto the path north-west to the church. "Back, Alaylle!" Alaylle's father quickly unsheathes his swordmace and attacks an Elder Willow. Alaylle dashes behind her father while looking around nervously.

Alaylle rubs her eyes and takes another look at the monster coming towards her. "Daddy!... There's... a... Um... a Pupa moving towards us!"

Alaylle's father grumbles as he finishes off the Elder Willow with a few strikes. "Argh, I hate these things! They just keep coming!" He dashes at the moving Pupa and starts striking it with his swordmace.

Alaylle hides again behind her father while keeping watch.

Alaylle's father laughs as he smashes the Pupa. "Your old man's still got his touch, Alaylle! Let's get going while the getting's good!"

Alaylle nods as she follows her father further along the path. "Umm... Daddy... if we're being attacked so often... is Mommy gonna be okay?"

Alaylle's father leads Alaylle to the church door. "Oh, don't worry about your mother... she'll be fine!" He sheathes his swordmace and knocks loudly on the church door. "Hey! Let us in! If we were monsters, we wouldn't knock would we! I know someone's behind this door!"

"Eh heh heh... Point taken..." Father Renauld opens the door. "Aahh... Alaylle! Didn't expect you!... Come in, come in!" Father Renauld lets both of them in and locks the door once they are in. "Whew... such dangerous times... Well Alaylle, you're welcome to spend the night here... it is rather safe here... Aahh... Who might you be?" Father Renauld takes a good look at Alaylle's father.

"Ahh... thank you, Father Renauld!" Alaylle looks back and forth between her father and Father Renauld. "Umm... how did introductions go again?... Oh yeah! Daddy, this is Father Renauld... Father Renauld, this is my Daddy!"

"Heh heh heh... no need to call me 'Daddy'... Corin is fine." Alaylle's father sheepishly grins.

"Aahh, nice to meet Alaylle's father at last! She's such a fine young lady." Father Renauld smiles at Alaylle as she blushes. "And rather modest too."
Alaylle blushes slightly deeper.

"Heh... that's good to hear... so this is where you've been going when you leave the house eh, Alaylle?" Alaylle's father smiles at his daughter.

Alaylle, still blushing rather deeply nods slowly.

"Well anyway, if there's anything we can do to help, let us know!" Alaylle's father grins and offers his hand to Father Renauld.

Father Renauld shakes Alaylle's father's hand. "Aah well... unless you know how to split one Yggdrasil Leaf for about 20 wounded people, I'm afraid all you can do is just make yourselves comfortable." Father Renauld sighs and shakes his head, "Far too many wounded, and everyone is exhausted from healing... and not enough blue gemstones around to invigorate the wounded either..."

Alaylle's father glances over at Alaylle. "I think my daughter can do something about that... May I have that leaf?"

Father Renauld inclines his head as he gives the leaf to Alaylle's father.

Alaylle's father gives the leaf to his daughter. "Here dear... can you go make some tea out of this?"

"Huh? Umm... okay!" Alaylle gently takes the leaf and runs off to the church kitchen.

"So full of energy... I brought a bunch of red potions and some rubbing bases to make salves out of them..." Alaylle's father points to the cart he's lugging around. "Though... honestly, Alaylle's better at the mixing than I am... I have a few she made a while ago still, so I'll help right now." He takes a bottle of thick pink liquid from his cart and gets to work.

Father Renauld heals those that he can, but there are simply far too many, and he starts feeling tired.

"Hey... don't overdo it! And... if your magic is quittin' on ya, do things the old fashioned way!" Alaylle's father grins and gives him a bottle of the pink healing salve. "Don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty! It's not really dirt, anyway!" Corin laughs.

"Hmm... there is that..." Father Renauld takes the bottle with a smile and starts applying it to the wounds of the people.

Alaylle walks in, carrying a hot teapot carefully. "Umm... who do I give this tea to?"

"Hmm... anyone who's pale or unconscious, Alaylle... just pour a cup into their mouth." Corin glances at her. "Oh, and after you're done serving them all tea, come make some more salve, okay?"

Alaylle nods and gently pours cups of tea and just as gently opens the person's mouth and pours the cup into it. She repeats the process several times, and soon, the church is filled with conscious people complaining about summoned monsters.

Alaylle then starts mixing salves out of the red potions... and then starts applying them to those still injured. Alaylle sometimes pauses in the middle of her work... thinking to herself...

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"Aahh, it's great to be back home, safe and sound!" Corin grins broadly as he lies down on the bed in the master bedroom.

"Hmmhmmhmm... yes, home is wonderful isn't it?" Neyrilla smiles softly as she glances over at her husband.

Alaylle awkwardly walks into the room in her night clothes. "Umm... Mommy and Daddy?... I'm thinking of becoming an acolyte..."

Alaylle's mother and father glance over at Alaylle.

"Dear... if that's what you want... we'll be behind you all the way." Neyrilla smiles gently at Alaylle.

"Hmm... still... you shouldn't rush into it... it's quite a large decision! Take some time to think it over first, okay? Especially since it is rather late!" Corin grins at Alaylle. "Good Night, Alaylle!... We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"

"Oh... alright... Good Night, Mommy and Daddy!" Alaylle walks out of the room covering her mouth to hide a yawn.

Corin inclines his head and looks over at Neyrilla. "Hmm... what do you think of that, dear?" Neyrilla looks at her husband. "Hmm... she'll do what comes to her... we'll see what it is, I guess..."

End of Chapter 9
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Chapter 10 Preview!

Alaylle: "I think I've decided! But... you want me to do something first?"

Renauld: "That's right! One more thing... and everything will be set!"

In the Next Chapter: "A Treacherous Decision!"

Corin: "Don't think you're alone on this, Alaylle!"
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