Warnings/thanks: Thanks to the people who are still reading, please note this is a sequel, thus you probably won't get quite a bit of the storyline. To save yourself some initial confusion and major headaches, go back and read Omoide Raivu Matsudai. Also, if you don't play the game, most likely there are going to be quite a few plots twists you won't get.
Revisions: Okay, I have had quite a few people tell me that my incorporation of the game in the first story was downright sucky (they used much nicer words though. :D) and to be honest, at first I had no clue what you were talking about, then I reread the first 5 chapters, and guess what? I cringed. I quite literally cringed. As such I have decided to edge away from the game in that manner and hope my changes will be more to your liking. :)
Author's notes: You may have noticed by now that the titles of my stories in this series are not English. To solve some issues, no, they are not English, but in fact Japanese. My tribute to the makers of FFXI:D Anyway, prepare to be hit by a blast from the past! (That was cheesy beyond all belief. T.T) With old characters, jokes and systems!
Title: Okaerie Nasai
Translation: Welcome Home
Chapter 1
6 years later
Silence.
A hollow emptiness.
A place that had once been filled with laughter, cheer and merriment, now desolate . . .
Quiet.
Eerily silent.
A grave.
Night had fallen on the ruins of the kingdom bringing out the dark spirits, ghosts, banshees, fallen bodies now reduced to bones with little next to no flesh. They made gruesome sights, these beings of the skeleton family, their skin hanging like paper thin rags off their bleached white bones. Eyes gaping hollows as they grimly clutched a weapon of horror, kept together only by some magic of a vengeful soul. The ones who had destroyed this kingdom, Orcs, Gobs, Yagudos and Quadavs, all had fled this place now, a cursed ground. It is said that when the wind blows, it is a wailing lament of the lost lives, an eerie scream of eternal agony. And through this broken kingdom, this accursed land, soft footsteps echoed off the crumbling walls. Gentle padded feet moved silently, stealthily and gracefully through the rubble, expertly avoiding the decaying structures. Ghosts and skeletons saw the form, but dismissed it, even they could sense the power radiating from the form, it was a person not to be toyed with. The tall form easily maneuvered through the city with comfortable ease, a sign that this being knew the city well. After a few minutes of walking, the Elvaan reached the castle steps, climbing them calmly he made his way through the castle. Passing through passage after passage, ghosts lingering in the halls gave wails of terror and vanished from in front of him. Making it to the royal gardens, he continued his trek, with some unknown purpose. Suddenly he paused in front of an arch carved into one of the walls, it was designed marvelously and shined with a radiance as moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees overhead onto it's engravings. The wall seemed out of place, for it looked freshly made, clean and unaffected by the passage of time. The Elvaan drew a hand out of the folds of his cloak and held his hand up, the back facing adjacent to the wall. Suddenly he seemed to wince with pain as a spark of fire ignited upon the back of his hand, slowly it curved a picture onto his skin, all the while leaving a burning pain on the surface of his skin. When it finished, an odd rune flared on the wall, right in the center of the arc. With a sudden sound of wheels turnings and a lock being turned, the stone inside the arc simply vanished, as if it had never been there. This completed, the Elvaan stepped inside the courtyard.
"You're late." A calm and feminine voice commented blearily. The Elvaan turned to find a Mithra, draped in an equally concealing cloak leaning against a tree, arms folded. The Elvaan chuckled.
"No, you just got here yourself, your breathing pattern tells me as much." He commented smirking. The Mithra paused, before laughing.
"Okay, I give. I was late too." Calmly she lifted her hands up and pulled away her hood.
"Glad to see you still like being so open Wiicloud." The Elvaan commented. Wii gave a crooked smiled before sighing and glancing around.
The courtyard was circular in shape, surrounded on all sides by thick cement walls with twining wire overhead. Positioned in a special part of the grounds, it was always lit by some form, whether from the sun, moon or glow flies that flitted around, it was always lit by some means. Whenever light struck the overhead wire, it shimmered in rainbow colors, the lush vegetation was kept at bay by some unknown force and water tricked on the rims of the walls, creating a beautiful lagoon that ended only by a bridge placed in one section, leading to the door the Elvaan had walked through.
"You've taken good care of this place." She commented softly. The Elvaan nodded.
"It is the least I can do." He replied in a soft voice. Wii glanced at him for a moment, before walking to the center, where 4 gravestones were placed. Each with a name carved into it.
Queen Tilaphiopa
King Persenion
Prince Faros
Wii raised an eyebrow at the last one, then turned a questioning gaze at her companion who shrugged. It had been so hard to get Queen Tilaphiopa's body from Sandoria, but the guards hadn't even been guarding it heavily, and with a warp spell, they had been out of there quickly and easily. As for the last tombstone, the coffin sat in front of it, shining and prim, and it looked like it was ready to be dropped into the ground below. Shivering at the sight, the Mithra turned back to the Elvaan and sighed.
"Is there anything I can do you get you to change your mind?" She asked softly. "The girl is innocent, she has no idea of what is to befall her!" The Elvaan shook his head in reply.
"Regardless. She is a danger." He said calmly. Wii didn't respond for a moment, before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"If she has no chance to develop her powers . . . if she doesn't get the ability to increase to her full potential then-!" But the Elvaan was already shaking his head.
"No. We can not take that chance." He said calmly, before his eyes narrowed. "Wii, I know what you've been doing. You assigned those two ShadowRiders Vinne and Rominace to keep her from turning into her other form. It won't work, she must be destroyed." Wii bit her lower lip and opened her eyes to half mast, her gaze sad.
"Does life mean so little to you that you would destroy it without even looking for another route?" The Elvaan snorted.
"You ask me to seek compassion? To learn what it is and express it? You are a fool. I can no more feel compassion than I can happiness, love, comfort . . . I can feel nothing but contempt, hatred and anger Wii. You should know this by now." At this sentence, the little Mithra exploded in anger.
"Then do you feel nothing but contempt for Edwan! I noticed his grave isn't in this place Negative! Is it because you feel nothing for the man who saved your-!" She was suddenly cut short when she found a sword at her throat, its blade digging into her skin, causing droplets to fall, she felt sweat run down her temple as she stared into cold amber golden eyes that had narrowed into slits. He had moved with inhuman speed to pin her against a tree, his blade poised to kill.
"Be silent you bitch, you don't know what you speak of." The Elvaan hissed, his voice sending a chill down her spine. Wii didn't dare to try and suck in a breath to her screaming lungs, one more inch at the rise of her throat and she would die. They held that position for a moment, before the Elvaan instead slammed the butt of his hilt into her gut, causing her to choke in pain, finally he let her drop to the ground and started to walk off, leaving Wii to gasp and clutch her throat. Pausing before the door, the Elvaan spared her one last glance over his shoulders.
"I will kill her, and her body will rest with her family in the grave I have made for her." He said motioning with his blade at the last tombstone, before he sheathed his sword and walked out of the secret courtyard. Wiicloud stayed there for another moment, before finally regaining her breath and glancing up, her eyes rimmed with tears.
'Artemis . . . I can't handle him. I'm not the person you thought I was . . . I can't do anything. I'm helpless . . . all I can do is protect her with all that I can. I can do nothing more.' She thought with a last glance at the tombstone. Finally dragging herself to her feet, she started to leave the courtyard.
'That grave shall remain empty for as long as I can make it.' The Mithra finally through determined, turning her back on the tomb and starting out the door. The letters engraved upon the stone sending chills down her back. Four graves, three filled, the last empty. Waiting.
Queen Tilaphiopa, King Persenion, Prince Faros . . . and the last.
Princess Ginryu.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, and all seemed eerily silent. Save for the distant rumbling and shaking of the ground. Down the road traveled a fast and seemingly unmatchable form. A golden yellow feathery plumage was a comfortingly familiar site to all those it passed, and the great form was as infamous as the Moogles. Not a single individual could remember when or if there had ever been a time without either, and both were notoriously famous for their usefulness. As the scaled feet slapped the rough and dirt covered ground with resounding thumps, the rider's race could be easily defined through their method of riding. One hand gripped the saddle reign while the other was free, and the body curved backwards in a graceful arc. Garbed fully in the armor of a Centurion, the Elvaan's raven black hair would have been shoulder length, cut in jagged ends if it hadn't been flying in the wind, trailing behind like some black flag. Amber golden eyes sparkled with the prospect of a new adventure, new thrills, and the mourning of left behind friends. Her slightly tanned skin was clearly evident, and with a height of 6'3, she was the spitting image of a female Elvaan. Her name was Ginryu Nadasvia.
'I can't believe I'm returning to Sandoria . . . I mean I know mom and dad wanted to come back . . . but for Altana's sake, I'm 18 years old! Why do I need to follow?' The Elvaan thought anguished. 2 weeks ago, Cahaurme and Lillith had left for Sandoria, giving Gin some time to say goodbye to the friends she had made. It wasn't forever of course, they were adventurers and the chances of seeing each other again were extremely high, they just wouldn't be able to see each other as often anymore.
6 years since the fall of Tavnazian, Jeuno had become the new hub of activity for Adventurers world wide. During this time, Gin had learned thousands of tricks, millions of strategies, and had made countless friends from the thousands of Adventurers that filtered through the grand city, Jeuno was her home.
And now she was being forced to return to a place she hated, she and her family had been banished by royal order, ashamed, humiliated and disgraced, now they were returning?
In all honesty, Gin knew she was being unfair. While she and her father were Adventurers, they could easily adapt to a new life in Jeuno, the unofficial Adventurers home nation. Her mother, Lillith, however, had been raised on the ideals of disdaining Adventurers, her entire life in Sandoria had focused on social status. Her entire existence, it seemed, depended on having neighbors and friends she could gossip and chat away with, but in Jeuno they had been surrounded by shops and travelers, private homes for families were practically unheard of, almost everyone possessed instead a mog house in the place of a normal home like Sandoria, Bastok or Windurst. Gin sternly reminded herself that it was for her mother the reason she was doing this. Her mother had suffered on their account for 6 years, the least Gin could do was support her mother. Right? Gin sighed heavily as she dodged tree branches, riding through the area of West Ronfaure, she was surprised to realize she had missed the shades of the forest and the sounds of the lush and vegetated land, Jeuno's surroundings had left quite a bit of want for scenery, and the forests of Ronfaure were a lovely change.
'Still . . . I'm going to miss Bardock.' Gin thought a tad wistfully as she thought of the Elvaan back at Jeuno. A high ranking Paladin, Bardock had taught her almost everything she knew of Adventuring, and it hadn't been too long before they had fallen in love. She had been hoping to speak with him before she had left, but he had been called away to unofficial business in Davoi, and she hadn't been able to wait.
'I'll just send him a message via rider . . . it won't be too hard, and I'm sure he'll be fine.' She thought a bit too cheerfully. 'I'm just disappointed he won't be here to see the Ceremony.' She thought, finally thinking of the true main reason she had come to Sandoria. It had been for the Official Ceremony. With another sigh as she saw turrets on the horizon, she urged her mount faster and bit her lower lip.
"Sandoria . . . wonder if it's still the same messed up place . . ."
"Sandoria -grunt- is such . . . -pant- a freaken . . . -gasp- CRAPPED UP PLACE!" A voice snarled angrily.
"To your left, no your left! Dammit your other left!"
"Why not actually try to be useful instead of yelling at me and doing nothing you lazy prick!" Chster demanded angrily in a wheezy voice as he pushed the giant statue, panting heavily.
"Because it is what I do Chster." Byuu said smirking. "It's my job, now start pushing!"
"Stupid . . . freaken . . . snobby . . . Elvaans!" The Hume grumbled as he resumed his task.
"Hey, not all of us are stupid, freaken, snobby Elvaans." A female voiced protested. "And Byuu . . . why aren't you doing anything?" Laiata asked as she walked past with a stack of papers.
"Oh but I am." Byuu replied smiling evilly. "I'm supervising."
"The equivalent of doing nothing I'm afraid." Zig muttered as he approached them from behind. "Well then, if you have nothing to do but watch, you can help me with this blasted seating arrangement." The Commander of the Adventurers army growled dully, holding a peace of parchment before him and a quill tucked behind his ear, he was looking absolutely frustrated and seemed on the close verge of tears. Coming over, Byuu glanced at the paper with a dull sigh, then his eyes registered the site before him and he immediately blanched.
"Good heavens, what is this mess!" He demanded in shock looking at the nearly black sheet of paper that seemed to be dripping with ink.
"Well . . . I think that's the pedestal symbol." Zig said gingerly pointing to a patch of black near the top.
"Ugh . . . this is why I am the thinker, and you people are the lowly action-carry-outers." Byuu moaned as he snatched the quill from behind Zig's ear. "And you do not stick these behind your ear, it is unseemly. Begone foul thing, and take that horrid ink splat with you." He teased, Zig huffed and with his hands on his hips, imitated anger and stalked off.
"Oh come on, you know you chew the ends of your quills when you think no one is looking." Laiata murmured to him grinning as she passed by winking.
Byuu turned beet red.
The group currently stood in the parade grounds of North Sandoria, altering how it looked for an upcoming event. Tensions between the forces and the other three nations had fortunately lessened a great deal since the incident six years ago, and relations had been improving ever since, but now things were tense, and extremely stressful. For the Adventurers anyway. Every 3 years the Commander would hold the 'Official' ceremony, called only that for a lack of a better word. Adventurers, when they started out were considered inexperienced warriors, or for a more impolite term, 'noob.' When they were deemed to have reached a level of 20 through experience, they were no longer considered inexperienced, but more or less, intermediate warriors, and again the impolite term 'advanced noob.' Annoying honestly, those ridiculous titles. It wasn't until the level ranking of 30 that they were officially considered as true warriors, and experienced adventurers. Yet there was one key thing that would still set them apart. Level 1 to 30 Adventurers were freelancers, mercenaries honestly. They had no true position, and often wandered around the lands of Vana'diel, doing odd jobs and simply just traveling. Now if an Adventurer had just passed the 30th level, or were precisely on the dot, they could then attend the Official ceremony, a ceremony where generals from all over Vana'diel gathered in a meeting spot, and the freelancers would gather as well. It was where generals would look over the freelancers and choose members they thought suitable for their own battalion and as such, the freelancers would finally become a part of a battalion, falling under the command of a general and would finally become officially, a part of the army.
Thus, it was going to get crowded. That and the fact that so many of the coming freelancers would probably be hoping to get into a specific battalion based on rumors or status.
"I heard the most famous battalion that the freelancers want into this year is the Goonies!" A female voice suddenly whispered, rather loudly. Zig blinked in surprise at this interruption in his musings and turned to find two female Adventurers from the RogueKnights battalion, they were whispering excitedly to each other as they walked past.
"What?" The girl's companion cried in shock. "Why would somebody want such a corny name for a group?"
"Apparently it was an inside joke between the General and his second in command! Anyway, the reason everybody wants in is because rumor has it, that's Commander Ziggeraut's own unit!" And so on went the whispers as the two females eventually walked off. Zig turned red and sighed, indeed he did run the battalion known as the Goonies, in it was Chster, Byuu and many of his other close friends, even his generals had a pearl to this battalion, though they mostly stayed to their own groups.
"Stupid Chster . . . I finally get my own private battalion and the fool convinces me to name it the Goonies." He grumbled shaking his head.
"Whew! Finally!" Chster finally voiced, breaking into Zig's thoughts. The Elvaan looked up in surprise at the Hume who wiped sweat from his brow.
"Hey Zig, I'm parched, what say we head down to the tavern and get a couple of drinks?" He asked tiredly. Angelsheart, a sly, witty and quick Mithra, came up behind them with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you kidding? With all the freelancers in this area, that bar is going to be packed." She said audibly in disbelief.
"Well where else can we go since Kiary got us kicked out of the Lion's pub, permanently." Zig commented with a raised eyebrow at the mentioned Mithra who flushed, Zig and his generals currently stood in a circle in the middle of the finished decored Parade Grounds.
"Hey, if she hadn't done it, I would have. That stupid Elvaan . . . calling us soulless bastards who weaken their ranks . . ." Angel muttered sourly.
"Yeah, yeah. Temple and Royal Knights are jerks, we have the point. Chster is right, I'm quite parched." Byuu commented dully with a rolled up piece of parchment in his hand and a quill in the other. Chster glared at him.
"PARCHED? YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING YOU LOUSY-!"
"Enough, enough!" Zig broke in. "Alright, let's head for the Port and grab a drink at the Rusty Anchor."
The Elvaan walked down the cobbled street, giving a forlorn glance around him and a heavy sigh. His silver hair, a common trait among the Elvaan race fell in jagged locks around his eyes and head. Deep and translucent eyes, that were flecked with green, stared out in open curiosity. His face was one of maturity, yet good will and friendliness. With another sigh he rubbed the back of his head as he gazed around.
"Augh . . . I hate Sandoria, I always get lost." He muttered. "Uhm, excuse me?" He directed to a passing group of Elvaans, they looked like fishermen by their attire. They spared a glance at him. "Hi, I was wondering if you could help me find my way to North Sandoria. You see I'm sort of lost and-"
"Get lost Adventurer." One suddenly interrupted with a scornful voice.
"Yeah, we don't need your kind around here vagabond!" His companion added in. The Adventurer blinked as they continued to walk on, jeering and laughing mockingly.
". . . . and the people here are mean." He finally mumbled with another forlorn sigh.
"Hey there." A new voice interrupted. The Elvaan yelped and jumped three feet into the air, before spinning around. A newcomer had snuck up behind him without his realization and he gaped in open shock as he tried to regain composure.
"Oh, whoops! Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" The Mithra said cheerfully, her eyes glinting with mirth and a mischievous gleam. The Elvaan laughed nervously.
"Oh, that's alright. I was just . . . surprised." He said a bit nervously. The Mithra smiled.
"Well, sorry for surprising you." She said with an open grin. Her silver hair fell in neatly combed locks around her face, and her headband kept most of it back. With dark brown stripes on her face, she was dressed in the getup of a Blackmage, and held a rolled up scroll in her hand.
"Eh . . . no problem." The Elvaan replied a bit uncomfortably. The Mithra pretended to take no notice.
"Well I noticed you were a bit lost, and wondered if I could help you?"
"Oh! Well thank you!" The Elvaan suddenly replied enthusiastically. "You must be a citizen if you haven't gotten lost." He commented with a bit of a sheepish laugh. "You're awfully nice for a Sandorian, if you don't mind me saying so."
"Not at all." The Mithra replied with an equally cheerful laugh. "But I'm not Sandorian if that explains it. I'm a Windurstian. You?" She said happily. The Elvaan blinked, before laughing again.
"Okay, my bad. Sorry, I hail from Bastok. How come you don't get lost?" The Mithra smiled mischievously.
"Luck. I happened upon a nice citizen who sold maps, and so . . ." She unrolled the parchment in her hands, to reveal an elaborate map of Sandoria. "Anyway, I just wanted to help a fellow Adventurer." She said calmly. The Elvaan gaped.
"You're an Adventurer too? Great! Let me guess, you're here for the Official Ceremony right?"
"Right!"
"That's great! Why don't we find some place to eat and talk?" The Elvaan said enthusiastically.
"Sure thing. There's a pub a little while away, we can rest up there." She replied with a nod. "By the way," she held out her hand for him to take. "I'm Lillianna Myphellis, level 30 Blackmage. Call me Lilli!" Lilli proclaimed happily. The Elvaan smiled and took her hand.
"Madon Tsuwamono, a level 30 warrior. Mabs."
"Inconceivable." Cane growled surly. 6 years had done little to change him, he was after all an ageless being. At the current moment, he was garbed as an official of Sandoria. His shapeshifted brown hair was long and tied into a simple ponytail, yet the mere act of it made him seem regal and majestic in some unknown way. Tall and graceful, he in no way stood out among the Elvaan race, yet it was not his true form. 6 years ago after his ingenious plan had split up those children, he had assigned spies to watch each individual child, and now he held papers with their final reports. The spies he had assigned to keep watch over the 7 children had all sent back the same message.
They were all in Sandoria.
"Bloody freaking inconceivable." He repeated with a hint of a feral growl to his voice as he read over the papers. How had all 7 children managed to reach level 30 at the very same time? Not only that, but end up in the same city all at the same point? If it was a coincidence, it was a rather convenient one, but Cane did not believe in coincidences.
"Blasted Goddess, I'd stake my soul- if I had one- that she's behind it." He muttered grimly.
"Talking to yourself again Cane?" A sly female voice murmured softly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder easily and sighed.
"Shouldn't you be training the Beastmen Celan?" Her silver hair and crimson eyes stood out like a limelight and her mouth was twisted into a delicate sneer.
"Train the Beastmen? I am afraid to say that the task is impossible Cane. Those Orcs are dumber then road gravel and are just as thickheaded as well I'm afraid. Trying to teach them battle strategies is like teaching Sandorian Elvaans to be kind. Impossible." Cane smirked.
"Just do your job, is Cliff finished his task?"
"Not yet, he is still unable to find a way into Necronia. Apparently those barriers have not faded with time as you suggested." Cane's smirk slipped from his face, turning his eyes cold.
"Useless. Are you telling me that for 6 years we have studied those barriers and still know nothing?"
"If I wasn't, I'd be lying." Celan replied with a mocking grin. Cane's scowl turned downright feral.
"Get out!" He snapped turning his face back to his papers. Celan inwardly laughed while bowing to her superior.
Superior . . . lord how she hated that name, but as long as she wanted the power of darkness, she would have to continue calling him that. With a sharp turn she started to leave, before stopping.
"Oh, Cane?"
"What." He demanded, less a question, more of a statement.
"Catch." Cane turned his head, then his eyes widened and he very nearly dove for the bottle tossed at him. Clasping his hands around the frail object, he snarled at her.
"What is wrong with you, you idiotic whore!" He bellowed as he clutched the bottle of memories close to his body. Celan shrugged.
"That is Ginryu's memories. Look at the bottle." She commented. Cane did so, then turned white. The memories inside had seemingly grown much brighter, and the runes were starting to fade, a sign they were being strained.
"Bloody girl . . ." He growled. "Why give this to me? Just rewrite the runes!"
"I tried dumbass. 12 times yesterday I tried and the result is the same. The ink just keeps evaporating into nothing." She snarled. Cane frowned, then shook his head.
"Fine, I will think of something, now begone." He snapped and turned around again. Celan sighed and headed for the door.
'Bloody arrogant son of a bitch. We'll see how long that attitude lasts you when I kill you.'
'I'm amazed I still know my way around this place.' Gin thought dimly as she sat on a stool in the Rusty Anchor. The bar was indeed quite packed and was loud with the noise of many Freelancers. She herself was one of them. She had entered in North Sandoria and had, on the advice of a few passing Adventurers, attempted to eat and rest up in the only true place that would take their kind and serve them decently besides the armor and weapons shops. Taking a long gulp of her drink- orange juice, she had no taste for alcohol- she returned to observing the people inhabiting the space of the bar. Funnily enough, there seemed to be a group of Temple Knights into the corner, 7 or 8 of them, all Elvaans, and all looked surly. There was one that however caught her eye. In the midst of his friends who were laughing, and making quiet jokes about Adventurers, there was one who wasn't. His eyes cold eyes were stern and gave the impression that he never laughed. His orange hair was bright despite his cold appearance and fell in jagged short ear length locks over his eyes as he stared moodily at his drink.
'Whatever. As soon as I get into a battalion, it will be all over and I doubt I'll have any reason to come back to this place.' She thought calmly as she took another sip of her juice, that's when there was a sudden gust of wind and the smell of salt and sea filled her nose. The door to the pub had opened once again. Glancing in that direction, her eyes rested on a silver haired Elvaan and Mithra. She blinked for a moment, feeling as though distant recognition, then it passed and she was looking at two strangers.
"Okay, that level 46 Monk was right." Lilli proclaimed dully as she glanced around. "This place is PACKED." In the pub there was barely an inch of open space, rowdy Adventurers were all joking, laughing and chattering away in anticipation of the ceremony. She blinked again, looking around for a table.
"Hey tall and skinny!" She called to Mabs who looked a bit flustered. "See any space?"
"No . . . not really." He commented a bit disdainfully as he was bumped for the fifth time. The Mithra sighed.
"Terrific, we'll be here all da-HEY!" She suddenly yelped as she felt a sharp pinch to her behind. Glaring behind her, she looked positively outraged as her hands pulled her skirt down protectively. "Keep your hands off the rear pervert!" She snapped angrily at the grinning Hume.
"Aww, but you're just so adorable, and that butt is really-!"
"I believe you owe the miss, an apology." A cold voice suddenly murmured softly, barely audible over the notice, but clear nonetheless. Mabs had drawn his sword in mere seconds and had placed it at the Hume's throat. His face was calm, and his eyes merciless. Lilli squeaked herself, she hadn't even seen him move.
"Uh . . s-sorry?"
"Not at me, at the Mithra." Mabs corrected softly.
"I-I'm sorry Miss! Now please call off your boyfriend!" He squeaked, making an assumption. Mabs sheathed his sword and grinned politely.
"Well done. But I'm afraid I am not this young lady's boyfriend, I am merely an escort." He said with a cheerful grin. "Have a nice day." And he turned to Lilli who was observing him in a bemused fashion.
"Was it something I said?"
"Huh? Oh, no. You're just . . . interesting. Oh- hey!" Lilli suddenly said pointing, Mabs glanced over and immediately noticed what she was pointing at. A large Galka, as if there was ever a small one, was waving his arms, nearly clouting 5 people in the head who were ducking quickly and yelling out warnings. Lilli smiled and instantly started weaving through the crowd using her agility and skills to her advantage, leaving Mabs, a tall and slightly clumsy Elvaan to fend for himself.
Several minutes and a load of apologies later, both Adventurers found themselves sitting down at the table next to the bemused Galka.
"Hoy there." He called in greeting. Mabs raised an eyebrow as he sat.
"Hoy?"
"It's a Galka thing." He replied calmly. "I noticed you two were having some trouble finding space and was going to offer the free chairs at this table since the little mite here already helped himself to a chair." He said with a grin at a Taru who chuckled lightly. "But you must not have seen me."
"We were . . . occupied." Lilli offered hesitantly. The Taru who sat next to the Galka snickered.
"We noticed. Not surprising honestly, I thought you were going to kill the guy with a spell." He offered happily.
"What do you mean not surprising?" Mabs asked surprised as a waiter came over looking flustered.
"Juice." The Taru said immediately.
"A platter of appetizers and water please." The Galka continued as the waiter hurriedly scribbled it all down.
"Juice as well please. Oh! And can you bring some cookies?" Lilli asked excitedly. The waiter gave her a strange look.
"You Adventurers and your weird requests . . ." He muttered dully before turning to Mabs.
"Nothing for me thank you." He said calmly. The waiter nodded and hurried off.
"Anyway, what I mean by not surprising is the fact that since there seem to be so few female Adventurers, and citizens rarely like to mingle with us, it isn't surprising at all that the male Adventurers would hit on the female ones we have." The Galka said calmly with a smile. Lilli looked a little taken aback.
"Well that's stupid . . ."
"It is."
"Anyway, allow me to introduce myself." The Taru interrupted happily. "My name is Bagel Nygel." He said with a nod of his head, it was here Mabs noticed he was sitting on a stack of thick books that had been placed on top of his chair.
"And I am Halloween Rutyver. Friends call me Hal." He said with a nod.
"Cool, I'm Lilli and this is Mabs." Mabs nodded his head calmly with a friendly smile. Over at the counter however . . .
'Trouble comes this way . . .' Gin mentally noted as she finished her juice, one of the Temple Knights had come over to the counter, presumably to order a drink. He too was dressed in the Centurion's armor and as he walked up, she noticed a bit of sway to his posture.
'Undoubtedly drunk.' She thought calmly, then sighing she glanced back at her drink, and sloshed it around a bit in her cup, the heavy footfalls came closer, and she was just wondering where the ceremony was taking place when she felt the heavy weight of armored arms wrap around her body and she was suddenly pulled back with a squeak against the body of the Temple Knight, his breath stank of wine and his speech was heavily slurred.
"What's a beauty like you doing in a place like this . . .?" He asked softly, his breath making her want to retch.
"If I had known it was a place like this, I would have avoided it." She replied with difficulty as she struggled to straighten herself. That was before she felt his face ghosting over her hair and she froze. Only one man was allowed to do that, and he wasn't him.
"You smell nice . . ." He said with a chuckle.
"And you smell sick. Get off me." She growled attempting to shove him away, but with so little room in this packed building, that was impossible.
"You're just playing hard to get . . . I saw that sidelong glance you gave me." He said arrogantly. Gin froze, what the hell was wrong with this man! She was about to elbow him in the gut, when she felt fingers sliding along her side and they were headed south.
"PERVERT!" She yelled and grabbed the hand with full intention of flipping him over with a move a monk had taught her. Pulling him over her hip, she let him land flat on the ground with a thud, he gave a squeal of pain as his head smacked the wooden floor, bloated by the humidity of the surroundings and stayed like that, dazed. Gin made a disgusted face at him and was about to leave, having already paid for her drink, before she realized there were three forms blocking the door. More Temple Knights, his friends presumably.
"We'll make you pay for tarnishing the honor of our order!" He snapped. Gin raised an eyebrow in obvious scorn.
"I think he's tarnished it enough, move out of my way." She growled and started forward, instead of moving aside, they moved forward, their swords drawn and ready to strike. Gin scowled.
"Fine, lets play that game." She snarled drawing her sword in a swift movement, she had quite a few issues against Temple Knights. 6 years ago she had remembered them for their vindictive cruelties they had done to her and her . . . parents?
'What the. . . ?' Gin thought with a bit of a sway, something felt missing . . . a large gaping hole in her memories. Shaking her head she snapped back to reality and stood in guard stance.
"I'll take you all on you pigheaded sons of a bitches." Gin growled, feeling suddenly extremely irritated. The Adventurers around her all gave encouraging yells and calls of approval, you could tell the Temple Knights were not very popular. She raised her sword arm and took a step forward, when there was suddenly an iron strong grip upon her hand and she was forced to halt in her steps as pain flared.
"Not here." A soft and icy voice said. "If you want to fight, I will take you on. I won't let you harm my unit any further Adventurer scum." Gin glanced to her right and scowled.
"And to think I thought you were slightly respectable." It was the orange haired Temple Knight.
"You whore!" A voice suddenly yelled, all eyes suddenly reverted to the knight that had been tossed onto the ground. He had managed to get to his feet, spittle flying from his mouth and his eyes in livid rage. "I'll gut you for that you Adventurer bitch!"
"That is hardly appropriate." Mabs countered as he got to his feet, eyes filled with a righteous anger. Lilli also got to her feet.
"My god, at least the Adventurer perverts have some morals!" She snapped.
"They're right, this is a very unfair act!" Bagel piped up.
"Please do not make good of your threat, or we will be forced to fight by her side." Hal also commented as he too stood. The Temple Knights glared.
"Bring it on Adventurer scum!"
Zig and company were walking down the path of Port Sandoria, joking and sharing laughs.
"I wonder how packed it's going to be." Chster mused.
"I wonder if anyone is going to recognize Zig." Angel commented glancing at her commander who sighed.
"Lets just hope it doesn't start another riot." He muttered surly. Laiata laughed.
"Well you're a very popular man among the Adventurers!"
"And besides," Kiary put in. "Starting fights is my business!"
That was before a body came flying out of the doors to the Rusty Anchor. The Temple Knight landed with a large thud and a groan of pain followed. It was immediately followed by another large form that had seemingly be thrown out, with a graceful flip, Gin landed on her feet, sword poised to strike. The doors opened again, revealing the orange haired Elvaan.
"You will pay for your words you filth!" The knight on the floor snapped as he attempted to stand. Unfortunately, before he could raise his head he found the tip of a deadly sword at his throat. Mabs smiled charmingly.
"I don't believe you want to do that sir knight."
"This fight is between you and me, no bystanders, no allies. Clear?" The Temple Knight ordered softly. Gin smirked.
"What kind of person do you think I am?" She asked setting herself into guard stance. "I'm not you." The Temple Knight snorted, knowing full well the unflattering status of Sandorian Knights among the Adventurers. He began to walk forward, one hand twirling his scythe in a slow arc, nearly mesmerizing Gin, but she was too clever for such tactics. She did however find it slightly odd he would be using a scythe, as most knights went for a sword . . .
"Before we begin, a sharing of names is mandatory, seeing as it would shameful to disgrace you and not give you a chance to redeem yourself." Gin commented blithely with an innocent smile on her face. The knights face immediately darkened with anger, but he kept a reign on his emotions with frightening ease.
"Very well, as you deem those your rules, you may introduce yourself prior to myself." He replied without missing a beat. Gin laughed.
"Alright then." She swung her sword down and straightened, the tip of her blade curved and poised, ready for an attack as her shield arm perched upon her hip. "I am Ginryu Nadasvia, daughter of Cahaurme and Lillith Nadasvia. A level 30 redmage freelancer." She explained curtly. Mabs felt something stir within the back of his mind.
'. . . Ginryu? Familiar name . . .' He thought blinking sweat from his eyes. The blade of his great sword still balanced precariously on the edge of the temple knight's throat. Lilli and the others had emerged during the range between Gin and the other Elvaan's exchange of banter and now in some way or other, prevented the other knights from interfering. The T.K's lips curled at the edges a slight as he smirked, hiding mirth.
"Very well Lady Nadasvia, I am Lazarus Krucyer, Temple Knight in name to his Majesty, Prince Pieuje. Captain of the 12th unit. Ranked by Adventurers status, I am a level 30 warrior." He explained calmly. Gin smirked.
"How intriguing, two level thirties, both in a fight to determine honor and worth."
"Indeed." He replied softly, then Lazarus suddenly stopped the twirling of his weapon and gripped it with two firm hands, smiling he abruptly charged her, blade pointed forward.
"En guard!" He yelled as he swung at her. She yelped and jumped back, barely avoiding the blow and mentally she cursed herself for her lack of guard. He smiled and ran forward again, his blade a whirl of strikes in front of him. She parried them with difficulty and he began to push her back towards the water. She couldn't let him do that, he would trap her! Suddenly in a brave move, instead of blocking the blade of the scythe with her sword, she blocked it with her shield and winced as she felt the sharp blade cut through the metal and cursed her terrible defense. With his blade temporarily stunned, she crashed the hilt of her sword into his head in his brief moment of weakness. He let loose a growl and jumped back, in the process of doing so he wrenched his weapon from its hold in her shield and held a hand to the injury she had created. Blood trickled from beneath his wound and he scowled at her. She smirked at him.
"Cheap tactics, cornering is in no way honorable sir knight." She said mercilessly. Lazarus grinned at her as his hand dropped to his side, blood smeared on his temple, she really had just broken the skin, nothing more.
"What would an Adventurer know of honor?" He asked ruthlessly. Gin simply smiled.
"Apparently more then you claim to." She murmured softly, her voice a bit distant. Lazarus frowned, what was she up to? Why wasn't she trying to rush him? Nervously he blinked sweat and blood from his eyes and tried to focus on what she was saying, it wasn't easy, the blow to his head had rattled him a bit. She smiled, but her heart wasn't into it. It was like she was in a trance. Suddenly he froze, remember what she had said.
" . . . daughter of Cahaurme and Lillith Nadasvia. A level 30 redmage freelancer."
Immediately he started forward, cursing himself for not realizing it sooner, too late she had already finished chanting her spell.
"Bind!" He froze in his spot, eyes wide with surprise at what had occurred.
"My god . . ." Byuu whispered softly. "She chanted in her mind, how many people can do that?" He asked in awe. Chster grunted, a tad bit disconcerted.
"Not many. Add to that, she was talking to him while she chanted, her ability to divide attention is remarkable." He said softly. Zig glanced at him, a tad amused.
"Chster, are you jealous?" The Hume looked at him incredulously.
"Me? Jealous!" He scoffed the mere idea as both Lai and Angel shared a glance, both giggled quietly.
"Uhm, commander?" Angel finally offered. "Is it a good idea to let them fight like this?"
"Why not? It is officially the start of the ceremony, I want to see what this generation is like. Whether they're a bunch of soft footed pansies, or if they actually know how to hold their own." He said folding his arms with an anticipated look on his face. Angel sighed, typical Zig. Back to the fight,
Gin immediately finished chanting another spell, and immediately swirls of green lightening encircled her sword hand, the infamous spell from the redmage line. Enthunder.
'And me and my ridiculous armor, that lightening is going to find me an interesting grounder.' Lazarus thought frustrated, before it hit him.
Grounder. He smiled inwardly as he set himself calmly, shifting into guard position, he laughed mentally as he realized she was simply biding time. She knew he was greater in speed then her, and that would disable her ability to cast spells, well not for much longer, experimentally he shifted his feet, and found to his joy the spell had worn off. She was still too busy chanting to notice. He suddenly shifted his blade and dashed forward, something was nagging in the back of his head, but he was too flushed with the prospect of victory to listen.
Mabs felt torn, desperately he wanted to shout out a warning to the Elvaan female Ginryu, but that was dishonorable, and Mabs avoided dishonor like the plague. He hated to say it, but she was on her own.
Worrying for naught, the minute Lazarus got within two feet of her she finished.
"Slow!" Lazarus gaped in open surprise as she easily maneuvered away from the swerve of his blade, time seemed to slow for him and he mentally swore.
She had killed his speed.
Gin smirked. Suddenly her blade whirled in an arc and swung at his side, with difficulty he blocked it with the edge of his scythe and kept his two feet planted firmly on the ground, as soon as their blades clashed he felt a great jolt run through him, but aside from that, it did nothing. He smirked, his plan had worked, having kept his two feet firmly on the ground, the lightening had gone south rather then stay inside. Gin realized this and smiled approval.
"Well done, but you have nothing else I'm afraid save for strength and your defense, but what good will they do you with no speed? I am afraid to say I no longer have desire to shed your blood any further. I have beaten you, I could kill you now and you would be helpless, this duel is over." She declared and sheathed her sword before walking away. Lazarus scowled.
"Don't think yourself so great scum." He snarled furiously, and suddenly with a shocking amount of speed launched himself at her. She heard the noise and turned with surprise as he blade suddenly flared up in her face. Without thinking, she threw up her guard and the blade struck her arm and lodged itself into the skin. She winced heavily, her own fault. She had dropped her guard like an amateurish fool. If Bardock could only see her now . . .
"You dropped your guard again! How many times do I have to tell you, defense is one of the most critical things you will ever need as a melee fighter!"
"OKAY! I got it, god why are you being such a hard-ass!"
"-sigh- Because if you keep making these mistakes, one day you'll find yourself in a position you'll regret deeply. You won't get it easy Gin, you can't learn it slowly like everyone else, they're growing up in areas where they can learn slowly. You're growing up in an area where the monsters are tougher, the Beastmen are more vicious, and where everything you see either aggros you, or will link on you!"
"God I know that! Why are you stating the obvious?"
"Because dammit I don't want you dying because of a stupid mistake!"
And she had disappointed him. What the hell was wrong with her? Her anger mounted and soared practically, and as Lazarus smiled he pressed his weapon in further, determined to make sure she would be unable to hurt him again after this, that was before white light started to radiate. He stared openly as a white mist began to roll off from her skin and her eyes turned a deeper golden color. Zig and Byuu both started as the light began to appear.
"What on Earth . . .?" Byuu whispered softly.
"Is she . . . glowing?" Zig asked stunned.
"I think it's sort of obvious she is Zig . . ." Angel muttered dully. "And I definitely don't like the feel of that power, it makes me feel . . . numb." She finished softly as the hairs on her neck tingled..
"She's right Zig, it's scaring me." Lai murmured gently as she glanced at Gin in apprehension. Suddenly Gin swung up her shield arm while yelling;
"Berserk!" And with a sudden red flare, her fist slammed into his gut and sent him reeling back in sudden pain. Lazarus choked out a gasp of pain and fought the urge to fall to his knees, damn . . . how the hell had she . . . ?
"How the hell do you know that ability?" He snarled, his eyes livid. "That's a warrior trait!" Gin simply smiled, if not a bit homicidally.
"I am a mage, yes. But to stick with pure mage attributes as an Elvaan, would be suicide. I simply went for my races' more . . . prominent side." She said softly smiling.
"War sub." Bagel suddenly supplied. "Ingenious, she's right. A pure Elvaan Mage would stand no chance against a warrior." He whispered awed.
"Incredible. There are Elvaans who use their head." Lilli murmured with a tinge of humor. The white light continued to float out into the air around her, and Lazarus couldn't help it, it was starting to scare him. Gin smiled and raised her bloodied arm.
"Time to die." She hissed malevolently. Suddenly a sharp whistle sounded, and Gin froze, her eyes widened in shock, and she abruptly dropped to her knees, gasping and clutching at her throat.
"W-what-?" She got out before she broke into a complete coughing fit.
"H-hey! Are you okay?" Mabs called out abandoning his position and running over to the female Adventurer. The Temple Knight that had been held under Mabs's sword immediately fled, trying to regain his honor, in the sudden calamity that followed, the others fled with him. Gin's eyes were closed and she was gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Mabs looked her over worried.
"Hey, come on! What's wrong!" Gin glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, before closing them again and holding a hand to her chest which labored to get breaths out.
"B-back . . . . t-throat . . ." She choked out, her face going unnaturally pale. Mabs quickly glanced back, and his eyes widened.
"Holy shit there's a needle!" He yelled out startled. Lilli ran up staring.
"What?" Mabs pointed to the back of her neck and Lilli gaped, there was indeed a long thin projectile, sticking from the back of her throat. It seemed to be centered into a nerve-point, and it was a miracle she hadn't passed out. Lazarus was watching this uncertainly, the light that had began to appear started fading like morning fog and Gin's eyes had seemingly gone back to normal.
"Don't touch that!" A voice boomed, all eyes immediately reverted to Hal who ran up.
"I vaguely recognize this . . . it's an acupuncture dart." He said calmly glancing it over and gently running his large fingertips over the skin around the dart. "It will be difficult to get out without injuring her, Mabs talk to her, keep her awake." He ordered to the Elvaan who nodded.
"Hey . . . hey Gin? Ginryu right? Hang on girl, come on, say something, how do you feel?" He asked worriedly, brushing hair from her eyes. She gasped.
"Pain . . . body . . . numb." She hissed.
"Hold her head still." Hal ordered as he set himself firmly behind Gin. Mabs obeyed by yanking off his gauntlets and placing his hands on both sides of her face.
Gin surprisingly found his warm and callused hands comforting, so similar to those of Bardock . . .
". . . sir?" Lai whispered. Zig shook his head, he wanted to see what this particular group would do.
"It's killing me to just watch this sir." Angel murmured gently.
"I know . . . sorry Angel." Zig whispered in apology. Angel nodded her head at him smiling softly.
"It's okay, I know. Research, let them learn how to survive." She recited calmly.
"I'm scared of what will happen if they don't learn these lessons." The Adventurers' Commander explained calmly.
"Damn!" Hal suddenly snarled. "This thing won't budge without injuring her spinal chords without some sort of . . . lube." He snarled.
"Lube? What do you mean?" Bagel demanded angrily.
"Something like . . . oil! Or lotion, anything to make it slide out without friction!" He growled running his hands through his hair frustrated. Lazarus stiffened, true the pain in his stomach was dwindling, but he still hesitated.
'Adventurer scum . . . let her die . . . just one less vagabond in the world . . .' Suddenly his mind flared with pain as a memory swamped his head.
"Well look whose back men. The traitor Cahaurme." A T.K jeered at the Elvaan. Cahaurme simply smiled.
"Still spineless as ever I see Luc." Cahaurme commented, the Elvaan Ceraule and a female by his side. Lazarus glanced over from his post under the gate into North Sandoria.
"Like you're one to talk you gutless worm. The girl is a curse and yet you left our lord for her."
"She is my daughter Luc. I fear my loyalty lies more to my family when a traitor attempts to kill them." Cahaurme said icily, his voice cold. Luc scowled, his hand going for his sword.
"You dare to speak of Prince Pieuje in such a manner you basta-!"
"Enough." Ceraule broke in. "Return to your duties Luc." He ordered. Luc gaped in open shock, before scowling again.
"Consorting yourself with scum like him? You have no honor, I challenge you both here and now!" Cahaurme sighed audibly with a clear roll of his eyes.
"No, I will not fight you." The former T.K said calmly. Luc spluttered.
"C-COWARD! YOU REFUSE TO FACE ME!" At this Cahaurme and Ceraule shared an amused glance.
"You misunderstand Luc." Ceraule commented. "A duel between two warriors from opposing sides may be caused by a disagreement, but to duel each other with honor and nobility is to create a bond between each other." He said calmly. "Between two honorable duelists, a rivalry and chance of friendship has the chance to blossom through the language of the blade." He said calmly. Cahaurme smiled.
"And simply, I do not wish to duel you because I would never wish to be your companion in a million suns."
'Friendship through the language of the blade . . .' He thought with difficulty, dully his fingers brushed the pole of his scythe that lay on the ground beside him, the blade gleamed with fresh blood. He glanced at the Adventurer girl's arm, and noticed the blood that trickled from the nearly dried wound. Then his fingers gently brushed his head, blood too still existed there, and it was nearly dry. He paused for another moment, before standing, his scythe sliding against the ground as he picked it up.
'I'll be a damned fool for this.' He thought grudgingly as he walked over, reaching into his satchel. Bagel noticed this and immediately planted himself in front of the Elvaan.
"You won't touch her T.K! Surely you have more honor then to attack a helpless fighter!" He snapped angrily. The Elvaan stared in mild surprise before sighing.
"Aren't you Taru-Tarus supposed to be meek, gentle and happy?" He asked dully still searching for something in his pack.
"Yeah, well I'm a new breed!" Bagel cried in retort.
"Whatever." Lazarus said calmly finding what it was he was searching for. Pulling it out he grabbed the Galka's hand and placed it on his palm.
"Take care of her. Silent kind, standard issue for a T.K." He said calmly and started to walk off, grabbing a kerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood from his head. Hal gaped down, then his eyes widened.
Silent oil.
Unorthodox, temporary side effects definitely, but oil. Quickly he yanked the cork from the bottle and gently used his finger to guide the oil along the edge of her skin, and along the needle itself. From the lack of skin reaction, the needle hadn't been poisoned at all. Willing this to work, he handed the bottle to Lilli who took it immediately, then rubbing his hands on his pants, the Galka gripped the needle with his thumb and index finger and looked straight at Mabs.
"Hold her steady. Help him." He told Lilli who nodded. Mabs immediately held her head straight with firm hands and Lilli wrapped her arms around the Elvaan tightly. That's when Hal began to pull, Gin's eyes whitened and her body spasmed. Lilli gritted her teeth and held her tightly, Mabs did the same as Bagel took the Elvaan's hand and held it tightly. Hal scowled and continued to pull it out and finally, with a soft sound that sickened the Galka, it slid out fully, leaving a small pinprick of a hole in her skin.
"Cure 3." A voice suddenly intervened and all of them, save for Gin glanced at the caster. Angel smiled gently. "I just figured you'd been through enough." She said softly. Hal glanced back at the area of the hole, and smiled. It had completely vanished.
"You were pro. Well done." Byuu said with a soft whistle. "Damn that was so tense my shoulders are killing me." He said dully while gently beating his fist against his shoulder.
"Excellent, all of you." Zig said calmly. "Especially you Sir Krucyer." He said to Lazarus who was passing by. The T.K gave him a slightly bemused look. "Your help was most valuable."
"Whatever." Mabs ignored all of this however, he was checking Gin, and reassuring himself she was fine. Finally color drained back into her face and her eyes brightened slightly.
"Ginryu? Are you okay?" Gin blinked again, then looked at him.
". . . what? Who-? What happened? Who are you?" She asked a bit dazed. Mabs grinned.
"My name is Madon Tsuwamono, it seems someone disliked you enough to puncture you with a dart." He said calmly looking at Hal who was staring at the slim metal rod with deep mistrust.
"Do you know where it's from?" Lilli asked gently, and Hal didn't reply.
"If I may." A soft voice interrupted. Hal and Lilli yelped as they glanced up to come face to face with Zig. He held his hand out and Hal immediately gave him the needle, having recognized who he was. Zig examined the needle with a curious stare, his tips running over the length of the thin projectile.
'I know this . . . oh dear goddess damn me now . . . tell me I'm wrong . . . tell me I made a mistake . . .' Lai found it particularly interesting that her crush's skin went dead white.
"Zig?" She asked softly. Zig glanced at her, then sighed and put the needle into something that could have passed for a glasses case, that accomplished he pocketed the small object with a smile.
"I will investigate this, thank you for your assi-tance!" The last half of his word suddenly accented as there was a large explosion followed by the entire port area shaking heavily. Water sloshed the walls of the dock as a ship flew in, hitting the water shakily. Zig could have sworn the pilot must have been drunk. Chster gaped openly from his spot on the ground while Angel hissed uncharacteristically.
"What on Earth was THAT!" Zig began, when his yell became accented again as another explosion shook the foundations of the port, and this time he realized it seemed to come from the ship.
"That's no transportation ship." Lazarus said immediately, he had come back, his eyes stunned. "For one thing it's two hours early and . . ."
"And? Kiary prodded him.
"It has cannons." The simplicity of his statement struck them all like a douse of ice water.
"Well shit me now!" Chster snapped drawing his sword as the others immediately went for their weapons, rumor had spread of what these were.
The plague of Vana'diel, men from the humid Elshimo Lowlands, true vagabonds and pursuers of the black side of profit. The inhabitants of Norg.
Zig sighed. Just what he needed to make his day.
"Pirates. Great. Just bloody great."
Disclaimer: I own the plot and OCs. All characters belong solely to who made them and I write this with the sole purpose to entertain.
Author's notes: Ladies and gentlemen, another chapter dedicated to Thefrogkiller for his incredibly awesome song which he dedicated to me (I think) it was so awesome and now is currently on my permanent playing list. :D
Also, you may notice Angel got more screening time, hee hee, this was on purpose, she is going to get a few more significant parts from now on. ;D Points to consider for the next chapter; what is Cane up to? What's wrong with Gin's memory bottle? Whose Negative and who shot that dart at Gin? More importantly, is the prophecy ever going to come to pass now that none of them remember each other, and even more so, they're on opposite sides!
And basically, the reason it took so long is because I have two drafts of the first chapter, it took me two writings of the chapters to get it the way I wanted, if you want them send me an email and I'll be happy to email them to you. There might be scenes I will use from them, but doubtful. Oh, and sorry this chapter was so long, I just had to keep writing, there was no real feasible ending spot before Zig's line. Originally it wasn't even supposed to end there, but I suppose 13 pages is enough for my first chapter. ; ;