Author's Note 1: I do not own any songs or any albums that have been used before or later in the story. I used those as for the reader to know what Cyrus is listening to on his MP3 Player (as well as the fact that the MP3 that have been used and will later be mentioned are my favorites.)
Part 10.1: The Thugs and a Runt
The next morning, Nel woke up from her sleep. As she sat up, she remembered the item Cyrus let her borrow. She opened her hand which the MP3 Player was revealed. She then looked back at Cyrus who's back was turned, still sleeping. "Thank you again," she thought. She got out of bed and walked over to the sleeping shizznit.
Nel started to shake Cyrus gently, and he started to rustle a bit. "Oh ma, I just want some more cotton candy," Cyrus moaned. Nel shook him again, but still nothing.
"It seems I have no choice." Now it was time for some tough love. She shook Cyrus with vicious force.
In a few seconds, Cyrus halted his shallow snoring and woke up, arms flailing and eyes rapidly blinking. He took heavy breaths from the violent ordeal. He then sat up in the bed and looked at Nel with a groggy look. "Shizznit!" Cyrus yelped. "What was that for!"
"Oh, you're up?" Nel asked in a partially snide, yet smooth manner. "Hope you didn't mind the wake up call."
"I minded. Like I said when we first met, you got some sense of humor, there."
"By the way, here's you're, what did you call it... MP3 Player."
"Hey, thanks." He reached for the item and tucked it in his pocket. "So how was it?"
"Well, I must say. I'm pretty intrigued by this piece of equipment. Now I know the reason why you don't see anything like it here."
"Hmm... Well, thanks. Anyway, I'm up. So what's next?"
"We should check if Fayt and Cliff are up as well."
"Let's get crackin'." Cyrus got out of his bed. The two walked out the room and stopped at Fayt and Cliff's door. "Hey, you guys up in there?"
"Come on in," Cliff invited on the other side of the door.
They entered the room and saw them already standing. "Well, did you get a good night's sleep?" Nel asked.
"Yeah, not bad," Cliff replied. "This place is just about right for a man of noble birth like me."
"A noble birth..." Cyrus commented.
"As you people say, very funny…" Nel said. "But at any rate… We must leave for Aquios at once." Fayt, Cyrus and Nel exited the room. Cliff was left speechless.
"Hey, wait! You act like you don't believe me!" he hollered as he raced to catch up to the trio. They left the inn, ready to embark on their journey to Aquios, but their plans had to wait.
"It's you!" screamed an elderly voice. An old woman ran over toward the group. Out of breath, the woman was gasping uncontrollably. Quickly, she caught her second wind and began to speak. "What a relief, I thought you'd gone!" she exclaimed.
"You're Ameena's neighbor—" Fayt said. "What's wrong?"
"Please, you've got to help me! It's Ameena!" the middle aged woman said.
"Ameena? Did something happen to her?"
"Ameena was on the Mountain of the gods when she suddenly had an attack—she can't move! I-I'm too weak to carry her so I came back to get help!"
"An attack?" Cliff yelped. "Then there was something wrong with that girl after all!"
"I'm afraid so," the neighbor said. "Ameena has always been a frail girl… Oh, I should never have taken her up that mountain!"
"Ma'am, where did Ameena collapse?" Fayt asked.
"In the mountains on the way to Sanmite. It's the forest to the west of the animal trail that runs alongside a pointy rock… Can you help her?"
"Past a pointy rock…" Nel pondered. "That'd be Duggus Forest. It's the forest that lies to the west of this town."
"To the west, got it!" Fayt was about to go off on his own, but he was stopped by Cliff's voice of reason.
"Hey, hey, hang on a second!" he said.
"Look, Cliff, Nel and Cyrus, you wait in Peterny. I'll go rescue Ameena myself!"
"Bah. You really think we'd let you go by yourself?"
"Tsk. You by yourself in a forest?" Cyrus said.
"Not a chance," Nel said. "Not only that, Duggus Forest is full of bandits. I think it'd be safer if we all went together."
"Bandits?" Fayt said.
"The Moonshadow Clan," Cyrus said. "The stories about that crew are infamous all over this town. They're the most audacious gang of tricks around here."
"That ain't good," Cliff said. "Come on, let's hurry and get over to that Dugga-whatchamacallit Forest, pronto!"
"Let's go!" Fayt replied. The four ran to the western exit.
"Good luck to you!" the middle aged woman hollered. Outside the village of Peterny, a vast expanse of grassland covered the area. This was the Samnite Steppes, a broad expanse of wilderness that connected Peterny with The Lost City of Surferio. Cutting through the landscape, a small river flowed. Their destination was (if on a compass) to the south. That meant they had to walk down the plateau to their left and cut through the stream. They stopped near a large grove of trees which marked the jungle.
"Well, this is it," Nel said. "Duggus Forest. This is the home base of the Moonshadow Clan. We should be careful, not just of the bandits and monsters. There are many passages and dead ends in this area as well as countless rock slides. We'll have to pick our paths wisely." They proceeded into the forest.
"Hey!" Cyrus said as he remembered something crucial.
"What's wrong?" Fayt asked.
"I almost forgot." Cyrus began digging in his backpack again. What he pulled out was a large folded piece of paper.
"What's that?" Cliff asked.
"I have a feeling you know, bud." Cyrus opened the large sheet. It was as everyone thought.
"Oh no," Cliff said, disgruntled. "Not another map."
"Oh yes. I got it from some woman back in Peterny." In reality, this map came from the same source that the last map came from; the computer. Unfortunately, Cyrus knew that if he said where he really got it from, there would be some consequences that could change the flow of events. Again, he couldn't say anything until the time was right. "This will make our search easier."
"Okay," Fayt said. "Now, let's hurry."
The group followed behind Cyrus for an hour. At first, Cyrus was reading the map just fine, until he was starting to have a little trouble. "Okay, if we go this way... No, that's not right. Maybe if we take a right turn... Hey, there's no tree on this map!"
"Oh no," Cliff said.
"Don't tell me you've got us lost!" Nel said.
"Wha-? Me?" Cyrus said in a problematic tone. Cyrus started to a nervous snicker. "That's funny." He knew that he needed help. Luckily, he saw where the saw the solution on the map. It was to the left fork. "It's left? Yeah, left. Now let's go." Cyrus began to rushing through the turn.
"Hey, wait up!" Fayt yelled as the others ran to catch up.
In a few minutes, on the path they took, they heard a tired moan. Cyrus stopped. "Oh, now you stop?" Cliff asked sarcastically.
"Hey, listen." The moan was heard again.
"It sounds like someone needs help," Fayt said. "Don't worry!" he yelled. "We'll be right there!" The group followed the trail until they were lead into the a small clearing. There, they saw a small girl sitting on the ground... with a twist. She appeared to be 15 inches tall and had two pairs of wings similar to an insect.
"No way!" Cyrus exclaimed. The group gathered around the seemingly weakened creature.
"I'm…not long for this world," the creature said in her shrill voice.
"A fairy?" Fayt said in amazement.
"They're rare," Nel said. "This is the first time I've seen one, too."
The diminutive creature looked up at this strange assembly of giants. Then she looked back down. "... They'll surely eat me alive!" she said to herself.
"Hey! Don't look at me! I don't eat bugs!" Cliff said.
The fairy then became aggravated after that insult and flew in Cliff's face. "How rude! I'm not a bug!" Suddenly, the small creature began to tire and slowly landed to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Fayt asks.
"If I could only feel the mountain mists on my face and drink pure water from her springs, I'd feel much better…"
"Okay. We'll go get you some spring water." Fayt then turns to Cyrus. "Cyrus, where's the closest spring?"
"It's on the last fork we were at. That's a good ten- fifteen minutes at the most."
"Alright then," Nel said. "Lead the way."
Cyrus walked to the path and they took a left. They kept moving on the path until they saw a large pool of water. "Well, this is it: mountain spring water."
"Are you sure?" Cliff asked.
"Yep. It's clearer, fresher and it doesn't boil."
"Yeah... sure."
Cyrus shook his head, tired of having to argue with Cliff. "I swear," Cyrus thought, "he must be oblivious to the obvious." "Well, let's get us some H2O and get outta here." The group nodded and Fayt scooped the water in a small bottle. They trekked back to the tired fairy who was laying down on the ground. She heard their footsteps and stood up.
"Here, spring water," Fayt said as he handed the bottle to the fairy.
At that moment, the fairy began to chugging down the drink. In a few minutes, she was back to full strength and hovering. "Phew… That's better," she replied. "Thank you! Tell you what, I'll let you in on a secret! Did you know that in this forest, there are trees that have turned into monsters? They block the forest paths, they do!"
"I see…" Fayt said. "So what should we do?"
"Burn 'em down?" Cliff said.
"No, stupid!" the fairy shouted. "I'll be your guide! Those old trees can't fool my eyes! But it'll be up to you to deal with them."
"That's cool!" Cyrus said.
"C'mon! This way!" The fairy started leading the group through the forest. Throughout their travels, the group had to defeat the tree-like Grapebinds, evade monster-made rock slides, and defeat a few of the clan members. In a few hours, the fairy led them to a small house in the middle of the forest.
"Could this be the bandits' hideout?" Fayt asked himself.
"Perhaps," Cyrus said. "Maybe they have Ameena in there…"
"Won't know until we take a look," Cliff said.
"Yeah," Nel said in agreement. "Wanna check it out?"
"Okay," Fayt replied.
"I'll go scout out the area. You guys take care of this." Nel parted from the group and stood at the entrance.
"I wonder where the fairy went off to?" Fayt wondered.
"Must've high-tailed it," Cliff said. "If you were near a bandit's base, would you stay, especially if you were an oversized bug?"
"Good point," Cyrus said. The three went inside the hideout.
In there, a small boy was locked up in the cage. He was about twelve years old and wore a pointy helmet that had a cracked lens and what appeared to be tape on one side. "Who's there?" asked the kid. The three saw the little kid locked up and rubbing his eyes. "…Who're you guys?" he asked before he hiccuped.
"That's not... Ameena," Fayt said.
"Who the heck is this little guy?" Cliff asked.
"Don't know," Cyrus simply replied.
"Some little boy the bandits captured, I guess," Fayt said. "Don't worry. We're not here to hurt you," he assured the boy.
"Then ya gotta help me!" The boy squealed. "Let me outta here!"
"What happened? How'd you end up in there?"
"I didn't do anything wrong…" The boy started crying out loudly.
"Okay… Is there no one else but you here?"
"Nope..." the sniveling boy said then hiccuped.
"So you haven't seen a girl around here? Her name's Ameena…"
There was a brief, quiet pause. "Three..., two..., one...," Cyrus counted down.
Then suddenly, the boy broke down. "Gah! Gimme a break!" the boy yelled. "Forget about that, ya moron! Just get me outta here, now!"
Fayt was surprised boy the kid's outburst. The young boy knew that he blown his cover. "Well, well, the cat's outta the bag," Cliff said in an amused voice. "He's really a little brat."
"Oh man," Cyrus said. "And his act was sooo convincing, too."
"I blew it..." The boy said under his breath.
"You can say that again…" Fayt replied.
"I'll be good, I'll be good!" whined the caged kid, as he sat back down. "Oh, get me outta here, guys! Come on!" he begged.
"Who are you anyway?"
"Me? I'm Roger. Sir Roger to you. I'm a captain! I'm very important, ya know," he said with his arms folded.
"That's more information than we need, thank you," Cliff said.
"Shuddap, ya big lummox!" Roger snapped. "If someone's askin' for help, shouldn't ya just lend a hand? Yeah, you should care about others. Least, that's what my Papa always said. And he was always right!"
"Yeah," Cyrus said. "But your dad's not here, for one. And second, you don't really deserve our assistance, 'captain,'" he said and taunted him with a salute.
"Come on, have you no hearts, ya big bullies!"
"Unbelievable..." Fayt said.
"I heard that," Cyrus said in agreement.
"What's going on in here? Did something happen?" a voice asked. They turned around and saw Nel at the doorway.
"Huh? Where'd that lovely voice come from?" Roger said.
Nel came closer to the cage where the voice was coming from. "Someone in there?" she asked.
"Oh wow, a beautiful lady! Oh, please let poor ol' me outta this cage!"
Nel was not amused by the Roger's flirts and cries for freedom. "…Who's the little kid? Is he with the bandits?"
"No, ya got it all wrong, miss! Actually, I'm…"
"Annoying, insane and incompetent," Cyrus said.
"What was that?" Roger yelled.
There was a brief pause in the room. Fayt then decided enough was enough. "Looks like Ameena's not here. Let's go," he suggested.
"Huh, sounds good to me," Cliff agreed. "I'm sick of this brat anyhow."
"You can say that again," Nel replied.
"Yeah," Fayt said.
"We've got more important stuff to do," Cyrus said.
"That's just plain cold!" Roger yelled. "I'm askin' for help!"
Suddenly, the door behind them opened. "What the--? Who are you?" asked a surprised voice. The group looked behind them and at the door, two Moonshadow Clan members stood, ready to attack.
"Hey look, the morons are back!" Roger said. "My boys are gonna tear ya to pieces! Better say yer prayers!"
"What did you just say?" asked one of the bandits.
"Hey," Cliff started, "when he said 'my boys,' did he mean…"
"Yeah, I think he meant us…" Fayt said.
"I'm afraid so," Nel replied.
"Shizznit," Cyrus said in disappointment. Without further to do, everyone drooped their heads and sighed.
"Yer dead meat!" the bandit yelled.
"Too late to grovel now!" Roger hollered. "There'll be no mercy this time. Get 'em, boys!"
"Heh, kids," Cyrus said, "what can you do?"
"Shall we?" Nel asked.
"Let's mess 'em up!" The group of four started fighting with the two adversaries. In a few minutes, the two clan members were thrown out of the hideout. They picked themselves up and pulled out their daggers.
"Hey, how 'bout we make it fair?" one of the members asked. "Even the odds, ya know?"
"Sure..." Cyrus said in a diabolical tone with a smile to match. "Better yet, let's make this interesting. A partner and I'll take you both on without a weapon." Cyrus slid his sword back in the sheath. Then he turned to Cliff. "So Cliff, you want a piece?"
"I'm all set," he said with an eager tone as he punched his fist in his other hand.
"Then let's lay the funk down." Cyrus put in his ear pieces and set the MP3 Player to "Bombs Over Baghdad" by Outkast. Then he turned his hat backward. In no time, both he and Cliff charged at the bandits. Cyrus used a sharp kick with the knee that connected to the target's stomach. The bandit backed up, holding his stomach. He then stood straight and prepared for his a symbological attack. In the nick of time, Cyrus broke from his pursuit and dodged the attack by leaping to the side. It turned out to be Lightning Blast. Cyrus jumped to the air and landed on the bandit. Then he pushed him down, still holding the man, rolled onto his back and launched him forward. "Now that's what I call a Roundhouse," he said. The bandit slowly got up and had a nasty scowl. In moments he started screaming and blindly thrust his dagger at Cyrus, but none of the strikes made contact. When the bandit stopped and opened his eyes, he didn't see Cyrus anywhere. He kept looking side to side. It wasn't until he slowly turned around that he got a spin kick in the face from his enemy. Cyrus foot landed right on the bandit's jaw, which made him fly to the left, spinning in the air at the same time. The bandit saw the dark-clothed kid towering over him and without any strength, fell unconscious. "That was quick," Cyrus said to himself. Then, he noticed something shiny that poked out of the bandit's pocket. He took it out and saw a small key that might free Roger. Cliff had already finished with his guy as soon as Cyrus picked up the item.
"Well, that wasn't hard," Cliff said. "So what's that?"
Fayt and Nel walked over to Cliff and Cyrus. "I have a pretty good idea," Cyrus said. "It must be the key to Roger's cage."
"Do we have to let him out?" Cliff asked in an agonized tone.
"I guess," Nel said.
"Besides, maybe he might know where Ameena is," Fayt said. "Plus, it wouldn't be right to leave him in there like that."
"Honorable, aren't you?" Cyrus said in a low tone. Fayt held out his hand. "Alright, you're the boss." Without further to do, Cyrus dropped the key into Fayt's hand.
The group went back inside to hideout and opened Roger's cage. "You saved the day! Thanks!" Roger said.
As soon as Roger left the cage, Cliff saw something that made him go into shock. "What the heck?" Cliff blurted. "He's got a tail!"
"What?" Roger said. "What's the big deal? My tail's the softest around, I'll have you know!" he explained in a nasty tone.
"You're a Menodix, from the Sanmite Republic, right?" Nel asked.
"Yes, that's right, Miss!" he replied in a friendly tone.
"The Samnite Republic?" Fayt asked.
"It's a country of humanoids located northwest of Aquaria. I'm sure you noticed lots of humanoids in Peterny. Almost all of them are from Sanmite."
"Interesting..." Cyrus said.
"But it's strange to find a Menodix around here. Everyone knows they almost never come down from their highlands."
"Well you see, Miss, it's kind of complicated," Roger said.
"Complicated... yeah, right," Cliff said.
"Why did the bandits capture you?" Fayt asked.
"That's a secret!" Roger said. "You know, a real man has things he can't even tell his girl."
"So let me get this straight, Ricky Racoon," Cyrus said, "getting crammed in a cage and blubbering behind bars is also part of being 'a real man?'"
"Hey the name's Roger, got that! And that was just part of a master plan! It was fool-proof!"
"Sure. Only problem, the user is already a fool." Cyrus pulled his brim down in front of his eyes and folded his arms. Roger was about to snap again when Cliff interupted.
"And what about this secret?" Cliff asked. "After we just saved your... tail?"
"What an odd kid," Nel said. "Let's leave him. I really don't want to hear his story anyway." Roger was, at the moment and perhaps the first time in his life, speechless. "We're not interest."
"Oh, but I'd really want you to hear about it, Miss… I really do!" Roger said as he started begging Nel to stay.
"Someone stop me before I wring this brat's neck." Cliff threatened.
"So? Why did they capture you?" Fayt asked.
"It was a dare," Roger said.
Fayt's face changed and looked sympathetic for the young runt. "A dare?" he asked.
"Yup, that's right. Ya see, me and my gang are enemies with this other gang back in Surferio. I challenged their leader to a dare to see who was the bigger man."
"A dare, huh? What was it that you did?" Nel asked.
"A test of courage. We dared each other to slip into the legendary Moonshadow Clan's hideout in Duggus Forest and steal the treasure therein! A test fit for real men!"
"I see… So you screwed up and got caught," Cliff said.
"...Shaddup, moron!"
"So now we know how you got here," Fayt said. "Be more careful on your way home. Later."
"…What'd you guys come here for, anyways? Not to clear out the bandits, I guess?"
"We're looking for someone," Cyrus said.
"Looking for someone? A girl?"
Fayt stopped in his tracks and turned back to Roger. "Yeah."
"I see… Well, I'll give ya a hand then."
"Huh?" was the only response Cliff made to Roger's proposal.
"I said I'll give you a hand, ya big lummox!" Roger snapped. "Besides, I know this forest much better than you guys do."
"Thanks for the offer, but…" Fayt said.
Roger quickly turned back and started to his charm. "Huh…? You're gonna refuse an offer from someone as irresistible as me?"
"Um... yeah," Cyrus said as he nodded his head.
"You're up to something, I can tell!" Cliff said. "You really gonna help us?" Roger was dumfounded and dropped his head as soon as he knew that he was once again found out. "As I thought."
Nel knelt down to Roger's level with a face that looked as though she pitied the Menodix. "Let's hear the truth," she said. "What do you really want?"
"Oh, well, Miss, ya see…I…um…uhh…" Roger started stumbling, twiddling with fingers to try and figure out how to say it.
"Go on," Fayt said, "we won't get angry."
"Yeah," Cyrus said. "I don't know about Cliff, but the rest of us aren't the kind to hold grudges."
"Well, I haven't exactly gotten the treasure from that dare I made, you see."
"Treasure?" Cliff asked.
"That's right, moron," Roger snapped. "It's a gold statuette…"
"Well, what's stopping you? Go get it!"
"Well, I would if I could, but the bandits' leader has it. And all I know is he's somewhere here in the forest."
"I get it..." Fayt said.
"So your plan is to leech on to us and hope you get lucky and we'll get that treasure for you?" Cliff said.
"Uhhh…that's one way of putting it…" Roger said.
"Well, why not?" Nel replied in nonchalance. "We might need some help after all."
"Are you outta your mind?" Cliff said, not liking her idea one bit.
"It's been some time since Ameena collapsed in the forest. We need to find her soon and bring her back to town. If this little guy really knows this area as he says, he could guide us."
"Well… I suppose."
"That's right!" Roger exclaimed.
"Part of me is saying that this is insane," Cyrus said, "but I guess there is a method to the madness."
"…Okay. What now?" Cliff asked Fayt.
"Hmm… Roger…was it? So, you'll help us out?" Fayt asked.
"I owe it to ya guys! Heh he he, just leave it to me!"
"Yeah, but what about that dare?" Cliff asked. "Yer not done yet, are ya?"
Roger task had slipped his mind. "Don't tell me you forgot?" Nel asked.
"Heh, does it really matter?" he said. "I mean, you guys are searchin' for someone in the forest, right? So, that means we might run into the guy I'm lookin' for! I'll help you guys find that girl and if we run into the bandit leader, you guys can help me slap him down! That way, everyone ends up happy."
"Okay," Fayt agreed. "Let's go."
"Go, go, go!"
"We've already wasted some crucial time," Cyrus said. "Let's hurry." The group left the house accompanied by their new teammate, Roger. As they got near the trail, everyone stopped as they saw a tall man approach. Unfortunately, Roger wasn't paying attention and accidently bumped into his legs.
Roger got up and was 'surprised' by the man towering over him. "Look o-o—out! Ah! You!"
"Wha'?" the man gasped.
"This would be…the boss?" Fayt asked in a whisper.
"Yep, no doubt about it." Nel said.
"Yeah, has to be," Cliff replied. "He looks kind of evil."
"No argument there, son," Cyrus said.
"So it's you, that little brat from before," the man said, looking down at the minuscule Roger. "What're you doin' here? Didn't we put you in a cage or something?"
"How do yah think you're gonna get away with putting Roger, man among men, in a steenkin' cage? Purdy women are the only ones who can catch this man, let me tell you!"
"Wow!" Cyrus thought. "For a little Procyonid, he sure does have a big superiority complex. With the mouth to match."
"What the heck are you talkin' about?" the chief yelled back at Roger. "Get back to your cage already!"
"What kinda fool do you think I am? First of all, how'd I win the Real Man Contest if I went back in that cage?"
"Shaddup and do as I say! What's this 'Real Man Contest,' anyway?"
"It's a contest to see who's the real man, duh!"
"Wha'?"
"Never mind that! Just hurry up and gimme your treasure!"
The group became confused after Roger made an order to the Moonshadow Clan Chief. "Wait a minute, who said anything about that?" Cliff asked.
"Huh? Didn't I mention it?" Roger asked.
"No, not a single word," Nel replied.
Roger, once again, became speechless. "Um, er, anyway," he turned back to the chief to continue his persuasion. "Cough it up! Shut yer trap and gimme the goods. Stop wastin' time! Argh, just…just gimme it!"
"Who do you think you're kiddin'?" asked the chief, haughtily. "Why would I give you my treasure?"
"You don't understand anything, do you? What kind of fool are you? Wait, I know! You're a dumb-dumb, that's what kind! Gimme the treasure!"
Cyrus started to make the sound of fire burning. "Hey," he said, "I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm afraid Sir Scowlalot over there just got burned."
"Huh?" Nel asked with a confused look on her face. "He doesn't look like he's on fire?"
"No, it's just a saying for a person making a good insult toward another person."
"Ah, I see..."
"Who're you callin' a dumb-dumb! I've had enough of you! I'll smash you to smithereens!"
"Hah! Like you could ever beat me! Come on, you guys! It's time to fight!"
"Hey, hey..." Cliff intruded, trying to get the chief's attention. He turned toward their direction, still looking pretty pissed.
"Can I ask you one thing first?" Fayt asked. "Did you see a girl with long hair picking flowers around here?"
"I don't know!" the chief snapped. "And why would I tell you guys if I did, anyway? You come around here, cracking jokes about me! Man, do you think it's my fault I look evil?"
"Oops, he heard us," Cliff said.
"It certainly looks that way," Nel said. "And I think you hurt his feelings, too. Maybe you'd better stop talking now."
"Nice going, Cliff," Cyrus said as he put his hand on his head and shook.
"Yes. Even though it's true, it looks like he's kinda sensitive about the whole subject. I won't say another word," Cliff said. Unfortunately, he just couldn't resist preying on the poor man's insecurity. "But man… He really does look evil, don't you think?"
"Why you!" the chief yelled. He walked over toward them to and drawn out his dagger, but Roger rammed right into him causing him to stumble.
"Hey!" he said. The chief regained his balanced and looked straight at Roger with an evil intention. "How about ya keep you're eyes on me, ya dumb-dumb!"
"You'll pay, you little brat." The chief ran toward Roger, dagger wielded up high. He was about to strike at the boy, but Roger dodged out of the way. The chief turned around and began using Wild Thrust, stabbing him swiftly, but to no avail. The man was worn out and Roger started to chuckle and scratch his nose. Now it was his turn to retaliate. Roger pulled out his ax, swung back and spun toward his opponent. Spinning at full speed, ax held out, he violently filleted the chief. After the second revolution, the chief was thrown into the air, slamming down a few yards away. Slowly, the leader picked himself up. Unfortunately, he recovered too slowly. A few yards away, Roger prepared for a final assault. His ax reflected the light from the sun and a malicious smile came upon his face. In a few seconds, he jumped in midair, and came slamming down on the foe. The blow knocked out the leader, on impact. The battle was over.
Roger walked up to the unconscious body of the former Moonshadow Clan chief and picked his pocket. There he found the prize that he's been fighting for; a small gold statuette. "Yeah, that's it!" Roger said in triumph. "That's a win for me! Hehe, take that, Lucien!"
"Congratulations!" Fayt said.
"Whoa!" Cyrus said. "That was one sick onslaught, Rog!"
"Woohoo!" Roger then turned toward Nel. "This is thanks to you, m'lady!" he said.
"Hey, hang on a second, there," quoted an irritated Cliff as he, Cyrus and Fayt knelt down and gave the little Menodix mean looks. "What're we then, window dressing?"
"Oh yeah. Thanks, I guess."
"You guess?"
"Well, I guess I could thank you, too. I guess." The three weren't satisfied. "Thanks, kinda, in a way," Roger said, but the looks on their faces grew even more fierce. "Well, it's not like I don't want to, um, thank you or something like that." They still didn't buy it. "Whew. Nice work." There was no response from any of 'em. Roger knew he had no choice. Cyrus even put his hand on the grip, giving Roger the motivation. "Okay, okay. Thank you very much."
"All right, that'll do," Cliff said as they got back to their feet.
"Anyway, forget about these two for a moment," Nel said. "We must search for Ameena, immediately."
"You're right," Fayt said.
"Let's get a move on," Cyrus said. Both Cyrus and Fayt began accompanying Nel and left the scene.
"Hey!" Cliff yelled.
"Wait a minute!" Roger yelled. Both were trying to catch up with the trio that were gonna leave them in a middle of a giant forest.
Author's Note 2: Just so I don't get any complaints later, a Procyonid is a family of mammals that belong to the group called Carnivora. They evolved during the Oligocene and include the modern day racoon. I used this reference because in the game dictionary, they noted that Menodix were evolved from Racoons.
Part 10.2: The Mad Mud
Minutes after the search continued, Cyrus plugged his ears and began listening to a track from "Panzer Dragoon Orta" called "Eternal Glacies." It wasn't just because he wanted to, in his case, he had to. Behind the group, Roger and Cliff started arguing. The music blocked some of the constant bickering that was exchanged. Unfortunately, not all of it could be tuned out. Cyrus even turned the volume to its maximum, but to no avail. Nel and Fayt were also at the mercy of the high pitched shouts. Bags covered the trios eyes and the heat from above caused sweat to pour down from their faces. "I'm beginning envy the sweat drops right about now," Cyrus said.
"Why do you say that?" Fayt asked.
"Cause they don't have worry about staying here with these loudmouths for long."
"I agree," Nel said, then Nel was amazed to know that Cyrus was able to respond. "Hold on. How can you still hear us."
"I tried to raise the volume up, but their arguing was even louder than that," Cyrus said. "If I left itup like that any longer, I'm pretty sure I'd get an aneurism." He turned to Fayt who was on his right side. "Yo homes, you wouldn't mind shutting 'em up would you?"
"I calmed them down earlier."
"Nel?"
"I did it after Fayt."
With out any thought, Cyrus knew it was his turn. "It looks like I'm next... Yay," he said in an exasperated tone. He turned toward Cliff and Roger, still pretty worn out. "Say guys." Their attention was finally focused on Cyrus. "Who wants to play a game?" he asked.
"A game?" Roger asked. "Yeah, that be fun."
"I don't think..." Cliff was then interrupted by a pissed of Cyrus.
"Shut up, you're playing!" Cyrus snapped quickly.
"Sca-ree," Cliff replied in a low tone.
"Now, the game the quiet game. Me, Fayt and Nel will be the in charge. It goes like this, you can talk if any of us asks you something."
"Like what?" Roger asked.
"Like, how far are we to the flower field?"
"Not far," Roger said. He then took the map and circled moved his fingers through the route. "This is where you're looking for," he said as he tapped his finger to the destination.
"Okay." Cyrus got out a pen and marked the spot. "Now, like I said before, we're in charge. You guys follow us to the destination that is marked on the map."
"Okay..." Cliff said.
"Now the rules. No talking. That includes no whispers, no arguing, no vocal communication whatsoever until we get there."
"What if we do?"
"Have any of you guys heard of the Donner Party?" The two nodded. "Lets just say, it didn't end up with a happily ever after. In fact, they loved each other so much, they could eat themselves to death. The thing was, they did." The two had gasped after Cyrus' tale. They had a good idea on what he meant. Cyrus made a malicious smirk. "Now anyone care to test this theory?" he said as he held up his sword. They shook their heads in fear. "Good. Now come on." Cyrus headed back the Nel and Fayt who stood up ahead.
"So, how did it go?" Nel asked.
"I have a feeling they won't say anything anytime soon," Cyrus replied. "All you need is to use a little... persuasion, and they'll do just about anything."
Fayt was silent. "You've been using cannibalism, haven't you?"
"Nu-uh!" The two stared at Cyrus. "Okay, maybe I did. But it was the only way!" Cyrus quickened his pace. Fayt looked down and shook his head. Throughout the day, the group had to evade even more rock slides, take down a seemingly infinite amount of monsters, and for Cyrus, remind Cliff and Roger about the 'game' that they were playing every time they were about to argue. By late afternoon, the group had made to an entrance that lead to the last stage of the forest.
"Okay, so this is it," Cliff said.
"So it would appear," Cyrus agreed.
"Are you sure we'll find Ameena in here?" Fayt asked Roger.
"Of course. The flower bed is here."
"Okay," Nel said. "Then let's go."
"Foward, march!" Roger yelped and he marched forward, ahead of the group. The group had odd looks toward each other. The only response Cyrus made was a shrug and followed the bushy tailed boy through the trees and toward a large clearing. As soon as the group entered, they were engulfed in a fog that covered the entire field. "Oh no! Where is everybody?" Roger yelled. "Hey guys!" The group looked down on him with embarrassed looks.
"Hey, Roger," Cyrus said. "Yo." Roger looked up and saw Cyrus waving above him and the faces of his other comrades.
"Uh... So where were you guys?"
"Oh, I don't know," Cliff said. "Maybe here the whole time?"
"Yeah," Fayt said, "wherever 'here' is."
Cyrus scanned the thick terrain. He then looked back at the map and laid it on the ground. "Alright, we're right here," he said as he pointed to their current location. Everyone knelt down to see the map. "If we turn this way and keep going this direction," he ran his finger diagonally to the northwest passage, "then we should be able get to Ameena."
"Alright then," Nel said. "We have no time to loose." The group arose and ran the route. As soon as they entered the opening, they came back to the field. Cyrus looked around and they only saw a thick fog. Roger tugged on Fayt's pant leg and pointed to another opening right next to them. The group noticed and they went that direction. Unbeknownst to them, they were spat back out to the field. The group began to look confused. Cyrus saw another unused passage and shook Nel's shoulder. He pointed to the other route and she nodded. Again the group ran through it just to get thrown back into the area that they started from.
"Ok," Nel said, "I think we're in an enigma here."
"No kidding," Cliff said. "Didn't we just start here?"
"This fog is messing us up," Roger said.
"So what do we do?" Cyrus said.
"I think I know," Fayt said. "This fog maybe thick, but if we find the cause..."
"We might be able to use the passageways. "
"But how?" Roger asked.
Cyrus was scratching his head, then an idea popped into his head. "Of course!"
"Of course what?"
"You see, when too much water vapor near the surface is getting evaporated at once, condensation occurs; which is the dispersing of water into its molecular components, Hydrogen Oxygen. This causes a thick layer of crystalized H2O particles to gather in a large mass, resulting in a dense cloud which lays upon the ground and when sunlight refracts upon it, the cloud turns white. This event happens only near a large and warm body of water." The group looked at Cyrus in surprise. It was one of the few times that he said something that was either informative or helpful. "What? I took a Meteorology class, ok?"
"Oh, that explains it," Cliff said.
"But enough of that. Roger, where's the nearest spring?"
"Well, the last time I remember, it was Northeast from the field."
"So that would mean it's right next to us," Fayt said. The group slowly turned and saw another passageway.
"Let's hope we won't be ricocheted back here," Cliff said.
"Let's hurry," Nel ordered. The group nodded and they raced through the entrance. By the time they got there, they saw a large spring that was covered in a lower amount of fog.
"Is this where the fog is coming from?" Fayt asked.
"Either way, there's definitely something suspicious about this place," Roger said.
"Okay, what do we do next?" Cliff asked.
"Uh-oh," Cyrus said.
"What?"
"Something's coming," Nel said.
"This looks like trouble!"Roger replied. Suddenly, a large creature arose from the spring. Its fingers were large and tapering. Its body appeared as though it was made out of the very mud itself.
"Whoa! I've heard of getting down and dirty before," Cyrus said. "But actually being down and dirty, now that's just ridiculous!"
"We better be careful," Nel said. The creature, Mudman, started dragging itself toward the group by pulling with it's long arms. Cliff and Roger charged at their enemy. In seconds, the two were kicking and punching and the behemoth. As soon as the other three came to slash at the foe with their swords and daggers, Mudman started swinging its arms, making himself a twister that juggled Cliff and Roger. Though they felt the pain, the group got back up. Roger performed his Fiery Ax, which he leapt up at the foe and dive bombed it with a scorching hot ax. Cliff ran toward it and used his Sphere of Might, which formed a large orb of energy that created a good amount of damage. Nel, stepped back and performed the symbological art of Fire Bolt while Cyrus and Fayt teamed up with their Blazing Swords. Mudman saw that Fayt and Cyrus getting into the mix would be trouble. In the nick of time, the monster swept its long arm and made a small twister that thrown everyone off their feet. With the rest of the group down, but not truly out, Mudman quickly turned his attention on Nel. He dragged his body large body, but Nel saw its charge. She jumped into the air and was hurled at the beast. The damage was considerable, but not enough to stop it. She then spun in the air, slashing the target which caused it to bounce back, but it recovered and used its Mudman Punch, an attack which fired each fist like a rocket straight at Nel.
Cyrus stood back up and saw that Mudman was going to unleash a most devastating attack, favorably known as Mudman Blast. "Nel! Get out of the way!" Cyrus shouted, but Nel was already hurt by the ball of muck that was blown at her. In the last few seconds, Cyrus ran pushed her out of the way just in time to save her from Mudman before he slammed his large hand down on the ground. The attack sent the mud splashing in all directions and made a loud thud. Nel had survived. Unfortunately for Cyrus, he received a lot of damage from the impact. When the rest of the group got up, they saw Nel shaking the body of Cyrus.
"Cyrus! Get up!" she yelled. Cyrus' eyes slowly opened to see the face of Nel peering over him. He also saw another face, the enemy's. Cyrus' pupils shrunk in surprise. Nel looked behind to see Mudman's arms opened wide, ready to finish them both with one crushing clap. Luckily then a yell was heard from behind it that cancelled the attack. It was the cry of Roger as his ax sunk deep inside Mudman's muddy hide. Along with him was Fayt and Cliff. The monster found himself overwhelmed by the team. Nel and Cyrus found this as an opportunity to perform their healing techniques. As soon as they were revitalized, Cyrus' blade began to glow the symbolic red and blue lights. He was about to learn a new move. Though looking a little banged up, the two stood in battle positions. Nel launched herself up and catapulted at the Mudman. Cyrus studied the move and did the same thing... with one small change. As soon as he jumped up, he somersaulted toward the monster with the sword held in front. The assault from Cyrus gave the monster a large amount of damage. Cyrus face had a nasty smile on it. His calculating eyes were focused on the target. Now, he knew the time was right. Now, he knew it was time... for Shadow Slash. The group stepped back from the creature, knowing not to get caught in the crossfire. The dark aura had shrouded his body like a large, black flame. Holding his sword out, he ran towards Mudman at a high speed. Mudman tried to counter by using Poisonous Punch, but Cyrus ran right through the toxic cloud made by the attack. In the blink of an eye, Cyrus made a large gash through the creature. By the time the attack was complete, he was already on the other side of his adversary, sword held up, body still engulfed in a dark aura. Time stood still for a minute until Mudman roared out in pain. It was over and Mudman melted into a puddle of mud which then went back into the lake, never to return again.
As soon as Judgement Day came for Mudman, the fog had lifted and the sun was shining brightly once more. "The fog has vanished," Nel said.
"Come on," Fayt said, "we'd better hurry up and find Ameena."
"Well then," Cyrus said, "let's get going." Cyrus pulled out the map. "Remember the passage we were at before we came here?"
"Yeah."
"That's where we're going."
"Alright gang," Roger said. "Let's move out gang." Roger said. The group walked to their next destination, hoping they weren't to late. Behind the group, Nel was keeping her pace with Cyrus who was listening to "Just Got Wicked" by Cold from the Jet Grind Radio Soundtrack.
"Cyrus," Nel said.
"Yeah?"
"I want to know... why did you do it?"
"Huh? What do you mean...?"
"You risked your life to save mine. Why did you do so?"
"That's teamwork for ya, Nel. We stand together, or together we fall, right?" Cyrus smiled and chuckled.
"You're correct. Sometimes, you can't go at it alone."
"That's right. But how about we focus on the goal in mind. Let's hurry and find Ameena." Cyrus and Nel caught up to the rest of the gang and they continued to fallow the trail.
In under half an hour, the group had arrived at the large flower bed at the end of the path. Laying on the ground still sleeping, was Ameena. "Ameena! Ameena!" Fayt called, but no response. The group rushed toward her aid, checking if she was still alive.
"This who yer talkin' about?" Roger asked.
"Yeah," Cliff said. He turned back to the rest of the group and asked, "Well? She okay?"
"She's still breathing," Nel said, "but… I don't think her chances are good."
"Let's get her back to town quick!" Fayt said. Ameena began to groan.
"See ya guys later then," Roger said. "Glad we found the girl!"
"Thanks," Fayt said. "We really appreciate your help."
"Don't sweat it. One good turn deserves another." Roger said.
"There's no way we could thank you enough, homes," Cyrus said. "I have a feeling that we will pay you back sometime, Rog."
"That's alright. All that matters is that our work here is done. See ya." Without further reason to stay, Roger hurried on back to his home in Surferio.
"Let's hurry," Cliff said.
"Yeah," Fayt agreed. Fayt picked up Ameena and carried her to back to Peterny where she could get the medical aide needed.
Part 10.3: Helping Hands
Back in the town of Peterny, the group laid Ameena in the bed of her middle aged guardian's house. They were anxious to know if she would survive. In moments, a doctor came in started using her symbology to revive the unconscious body of Ameena. The doctor signaled that she was alright. "I'm so happy she's home safe, thanks to all of you," the middle aged woman said.
"Aah, it was nothing," Cliff assured.
"We were just helping someone that needed it," Cyrus pointed out.
"No, no, the doctor said that, had you found her much later it might have been too late," the woman reported. "Oh, I feel so sorry for the poor girl. She lost both of her parents, and now this disease…"
"Ma'am?" Fayt said as he turned to the woman.
"Oh, it's all the war's fault! If it wasn't for this war, Ameena's parents wouldn't have died, and she could have lived in peace…"
"That's why the killing has to end," Nel said. She walked over toward Fayt and the woman.
"Indeed—But there's not much we can do. All we can do is make Wishing Charms and pray that Apris ends the war… If only I had the power, I'd smash those Airyglyph scum into little pieces…" the woman clenched her fist and pressed it down hard in the palm of the other hand. "I…I feel so powerless!"
"Power..." Fayt quietly said to herself. Suddenly, the stirs of Ameena were heard as she was slowly waking up. "Ameena?"
"Huh? …Fayt? Why are you here? I…" Ameena tried to get up, still shaking from the effects of her attack.
Fayt quickly ran to her bedside. "Don't get up, Ameena. You have to rest!" he said as he gently lowered her back to the bed.
"Why are you here, Fayt? I thought you were going to leave for Aquios today…?"
"Well…"
"These people brought you back here after you collapsed," the woman explained. "You collapsed on top of the mountain, Ameena. I couldn't carry you all the way home—so I came back to get help. Well, that's when I saw this boy…"
"I see… Fayt, everyone, thank you very much. I am so sorry for the trouble I've caused you all…"
"Nah, don't worry about it," Cliff said.
"He's right," Nel said in a kind tone. "You just concentrate on resting up and getting better."
"Okay."
"And, Ameena?"
"Yes?"
"I asked that doctor to take care of you for me. If you start feeling worse, go see her right away."
"But…how will I pay her?"
"That's not a problem. We've already come to an agreement about the fee. It's all taken care of."
"I, I can't let you do that!"
"You need to learn to take favors when they're offered. Don't worry—you don't owe me anything. That doctor is an old friend of mine. I'm happy to use my connections to help."
"She's right. Listen, she says it's okay, so it's okay!" Cliff said.
"But..."
"How about this?" Just think of it as payment for the Maiden of Irisa? Does that sound fair?"
"That was a gift."
"Come on, just say 'yes.'"
"You want to see your friend again, don't you?" Fayt asked. "You'll need to get better as fast as possible if you want to do that, right?"
"I…don't know how to thank you."
"It's fine," Cyrus said.
"Don't mention it," Cliff said. "Fayt?"
"Yeah. Ameena? Sorry, but we have to go."
"You do?"
"I'd like to stay and help you get better, but there's something important I have to do." Nel became silent, knowing what Fayt was talking about. "It's something I've thought about a lot. At first, I was just going to run away from it all, but then I realized: sometimes, you're the only one that can make a difference. And if it's something that might help people you've got to give it a try!"
"Yes…"
"Fayt, you don't mean--?" Nel said in surprise.
"That's right, I'll cooperate with you. Of my own free will, of course. So let's go…before I change my mind again."
"Uh…okay!"
"Well," Cyrus said, "it's safe to say that you've got my vote, G"
"Thanks, Cyrus."
"You're as easy to read as always," Cliff said.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Fayt then turned to Ameena. "All right, we have to go now. I'm sorry, ma'am—please take good care of Ameena."
"I will," she said. "You folks take care of you own work, whatever that may be. Leave Ameena to me."
"Thank you," Fayt replied.
"Fayt."
"Huh?"
"I'll see you again, right?"
"Yes, you will."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"I am too… Take care!"
"All right." The group exited the room.
Cyrus was the only one left. "Ameena."
"Yes?"
"Don't give up hope."
"I won't." With that said, Cyrus took a bow to Ameena and left the room himself.
Inside the living room, Cliff sat in a table chair while Nel stood next to him. Fayt and Cyrus entered and they both knew that Nel still wanted to make sure if Fayt wanted to proceed. Fayt turned his back and thought as Cyrus rested on the wall. Fayt nodded his head, signaling to Nel that he still wished to assist. After being satisfied, Nel left the room and waited for them to come out. " You sure about this?" Cliff asked.
"Yeah," Fayt answered.
"And you Cyrus?"
"I'm fine with what he decides. I have no objections, dog."
"I see." Cliff turned back to Fayt. "So, whatever happened to that precious UP3 you used to worry about all the time?"
"Ah yes, well… I've made up my mind. I'll do whatever it takes to end this war. That's all."
"Heh. Well, you know my saying," Cyrus replied, "'Question all authority. Even the ones you like.'"
"There are things I can do, that no one else can do! If there's a chance I can help…'" Cliff replied by using his own saying, "Hah! Cool, kid, very cool."
"Either way, we've interfered so much already, it's not going to make any difference, is it?" Fayt asked. "And there's no guarantee we'll ever get off this planet."
"Making a virtue of necessity, huh?"
"Is that wrong? I have to do something if I'm ever going to get out of here and find my dad…"
"You got the right idea. And I think you could use a little gung-ho, y'know?"
"You think?"
"Well, that's the way I prefer to do things, anyway."
"Yeah. A little too much if you ask me," Cyrus said.
"What was that?" Cliff asked in a frank tone.
"Nothin'" Cyrus complied quickly.
"All right, let's go. She's waiting." The two nodded. They left the house to hook up with Nel.
"Took you long enough," Nel said. The gang turned around and saw her waiting near the window. "What were you talking about?"
"Oh nothing—I was just asking him if he's going to miss Ameena," Cliff said.
"Silly question. Of course he will."
"Lay off the teasing, all right? It's not like we're going out, geez!"
Nel chuckled softly. "That's what they all say," Cyrus said.
"Oh yeah, about the doctor… Thanks," Fayt said to Nel
"Don't thank me. I was just doing…what I wanted to do."
"But..."
"Actually… That doctor is one of my subordinates."
"You mean like Tynave?"
"Well…they're not all doing the same thing—but they are all agents of Aquaria, and they help me out when I need it."
"How nice," Cliff said.
"That's cool," Cyrus replied.
"Just the same, please accept my gratitude," Fayt said.
"I said don't worry about it," Nel replied. There was a short pause and Nel looked up at Fayt, still wondering if what he said was true.
"What is it?"
"Can I really believe what you said back there?"
"About what?"
"That you'll do what you can. I take that to mean you'll cooperate with us?"
"Yes, I will."
"Hmm… Well, I welcome your change of heart. I'll have to thank Ameena and her friend. But are you really sure about this?"
"I'm just going along with what he decides," Cliff said.
"And I'm support him as well," Cyrus said.
"Right… I've made up my mind."
"In that case… Thanks in advance."
"You're welcome. Now—let's get to Aquios!"
The group left the residential zone of the east side and were about to continue on their journey north to Aquaria, but an idea popped into Cyrus' head. "Hold it!" he shouted. The group turned to him, wondering why he stopped their current trek.
"What's wrong?" Fayt asked with his arms folded.
"You starting to have second thoughts?" Cliff questioned.
"No it's not that..." Cyrus said, trying to figure out a way to tell them.
"Come on, spit it."
"Well, we all know that there is a big war going on right?"
"Right..."
"And there is a chance that one weapon won't stop it entirely, right?"
"What are you saying, Cyrus?" Nel asked.
"What I'm trying to say is that we need some more assistance with the current state of things."
"You're right," Fayt said. "But who do you have in mind?"
"I think I know..." Cyrus ran toward the west exit with the rest of the group not far behind.
Past the plains of the Samnite Steppe and through a passage that cuts between the mountains is a village that sit on a lake. It's called the Lost City of Surferio. In a small island that is connected by a wooden bridge, is Roger and two cohorts of his friends. At their disposal, was a group of books that another friend of theirs picked up at the bottom of the river. One of Roger's comrades, a husky kid that wore a robe and held a stick, looked through the pages, wondering what the artifacts read. "It's impossible," he said. "I can't decipher these tomes mean."
"Oh, come on," the other kid said. He was a bit taller and looked like his eyes were closed. Like Roger, he also had on a helmet, the only difference was that it was in better condition. "Maybe you didn't read it right, Melt!"
"I'm the only one who can read this print, Dribe! I'm sorry, but it's no use."
"Hmm... This is a strange predicament," Roger replied.
The boys dropped the books and began to think on how to solve this mystery. "Yo..." a rough, yet familiar voice called.
The boys turned around and saw a Fayt, Cliff, Cyrus and Nel. "Ho! It's you guys!" Roger said. Great to see yah!"
Melt was confused. "Hey, who are these guys?" Dribe asked.
"Oh. These guys are trying to be my henchmen. I guess that'd make them your underlings or something."
"Huh?" Cliff said in a skeptical tone.
"…You're joking," Melt said.
"Come on, Roger, tell the truth!" Dribe insisted.
Roger thought about it through and reluctantly spilled the beans. "Sorry, hehe, just kiddin'… I had them help out in the 'Real Man Contest' a while back."
"Ah, okay then. Heh, I thought there was something funny going on. These guys seem pretty strong and all."
"The name's Fayt Leingod. Nice to meet you."
"Cliff Fittir."
"Nel Zelpher."
"Cyrus Splicer. The big shot on the west side."
"Howdy, nice to meet you guys, I'm Dribe. I'm one of Roger's crew."
"I'm Melt. So you guys were the ones helping Roger. Heh, don't bother speaking. I see all, and know all."
A questionable look appeared on Fayt's face. "Heh, yeah, this guy can read the stars, just a little," Dribe explained. "He says weird things sometimes, but don't let that bother you."
"Wow… The ability to read the stars…" Fayt said.
"An astrologist.. Tight," Cyrus complimented.
"What are ya guys doing?" Cliff asked.
"Hey! I just found this awesome item!" Roger said.
"Hey, you didn't find that," Dribe squealed, "Geloro of the Greem tribe found it…"
"You fool! Yah didn't have to tell 'em that!"
"...This is it," Melt said.
"A book?" Nel replied.
"That's right," Dribe said.
"A mysterious book, dug from the ruins on the bottom of the lake bed…" Roger explained. "It just reeks of adventure! But I don't really understand what it says."
"You don't understand what it says?" Fayt asked.
"I don't know these characters," Dribe answered. "Only Melt can read it, and even he doesn't understand the whole thing. All I know is, it seems to be talking about a certain place."
Cliff walked over to the books to read a page from one of the volumes. "Yeah, I can't read this stuff…" Cliff reported. He then turned to Dribe to ask him, "What does it say?"
"Hidden spring in a sea of rolling white fog; what will the stalwart father and son who stand guard think? Caves as dark as death. The five attributes come into conflict. What light can reveal them? The rotted corridor, guarded by archers of the gods. The Sun King sleeps in his coffin. What shall the mute corpse say? Which of the three shall claim the kingless throne? Does the sacrifice of the winged messenger of the gods gaze at hope or despair? At the end of the caverns where the copper sleeps, the northernmost wiseman gazes upon the lake. Is it an ancient power sealed below the roots? Burning flames of the underworld. The red twins, looked down upon by the giant from the tribe of long ears. Who can release that inner power? …That's all of it."
"Hmm… I don't get it," Roger said. "What's it talking about?"
"All I know is, it sounds like a bunch of riddles telling you where to find stuff…" Dribe guessed.
"Verily so," Melt said in agreement.
"Guess all we can do is go on an adventure and find out!" Roger suggested.
"Nooo, are you kidding?" a concerned and terrified Dribe complied. "It's daaaaangerous!"
"Well of course it is! Adventure's gotta be dangerous!"
"I haaaaate danger."
"Grr, you gutless wonder!" Roger said in an agonized tone, stamping his feet in rage. "You call yourself a man?"
"…But, it said 'burning flames of the underworld!'" Roger scoffed. "This will be nothing but trouble!"
Roger knew that arguing with Dribe would get the conversation nowhere. "Oh, all right! You guys, help me out here!"
"What?" Cliff said in shock.
"I said help me! And in return, I'll help you guys out on your adventures, too!"
"Yeah, but…"
"What's wrong with that? All you gotta do is help out with our treasure hunt while you're on your own adventure."
"So what'll it be?"
"I'll leave it to you," Nel said.
"Hey it's the main reason we came to place. You've got yourself a deal, Rog."
"Yahoo! All right!" Roger yelled in gratitude.
"Take care of our crazy brother…" Dribe said to Cliff.
"He's in your hands now," Melt added.
"I'll see you guys then!" Roger said. "I'll pick up some presents for you guys, too, don't worry!"
"Great!"
"Laters!" the group left the island to pick up some equipment. But unknown to them, a suspicious character positioned himself by the area. He wore a large cloak and weird glasses. His ears poked out from his hood, twitching in glee. He rode on the head of a large, frog like creature called a Greem. "Heh… Well, now, that was interesting. A book of riddle describing places… Guess I'll go tell my excitable young boy about that right away." The boy chuckled while the Greem stuck its tongue out. Without much to stick around for, the hooded character gestured to his frog-like accomplice to leave the area and head for home.
"So, you came here for me?" Roger asked as they were restocking supplies at a store.
"That's right. Cyrus here insisted that you should tag along," Fayt said.
"Yup. Besides little man, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten Ameena home safetly. And as a bonus, now you get to go on an adventure dog."
"Gee, thanks, Cyrus!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cliff asked. "I mean, what use will he be?"
"Don't worry, homes. He'll serve a very useful purpose," Cyrus said in a smile. "Trust me."
"Fine, but how about we rest somewhere first," Nel said. She was right to suggest it. Along the way here, they had to defeat lots of monsters that they've encountered. It hard to say that they hadn't arrived at one hundred percent and it's almost late.
"Alright, m'lady," Roger said, trying to charm Nel. "I know a perfect rest spot. C'mon!" The group looked at Cyrus, each with their shares of whimsical looks. Cyrus shrugged his shoulders, and with the group behind him, they followed Roger until they saw a large house on the other side of the lake. "Here it is."
"Big house," Cliff said.
"Aren't you such a detective, ya big lummox. This home belongs to the mayor which happens to be my dad."
"Cool," Cyrus said.
"Well, let's go on. My mom'll set up some beds. Although she does read stories non-stop."
"Riiight..." Cliff said.
"Let's go." Roger, Cliff and Fayt went inside, but Cyrus saw a strange, metallic figure laying near an old ruin at the edge of the cliff. Cyrus walked over to it, Nel knew that he was curious about the object.
"What's this?" Cyrus asked.
"Well, isn't it a battle mech, pride and joy of you engineers from the technological superpower of Greeton?" Nel asked.
"You mean this contraption came from Greeton?"
"What, you didn't know? This is one of those ancient battle mechs that they used to drive the Ancient Kingdom of Aquor to ruin."
"Wow, so this is what it looks like up close!" Cyrus thought while taping on the armor. "Though this automaton supposedly uses the symbological force of its operator to move, the functions and other items required to work it are absolutely unique, especially for movement. It may be convergent to the robots we've supposedly made in my time era, though I bet it would but them to shame. I bet that if this was their past innovation of superior technology, then they were already in the twenty first century. If that's the case, they must be even more advanced than back then. It's a shame we won't be able to see any. It be hella cool if we did, though."
"How is it you do not know what this is, yet you hail from Greeton?" Nel asked in suspicion. "Are you immigrants or something?"
"Duh... yeah? Yeah, that's right. Cliff and I immigrated there. So we're not exactly up to grasp with the ancient history, yet."
"Hm... I see. Well, I did hear about all sorts of friction with the native Rockfolk and other races there in that kingdom. Maybe that is why Fayt's father was abducted?"
"That summed it up. You might be on to something there."
"Well, I guess we should get back with the rest of the group."
"Yeah, we better or else Cliff would strangle Roger and Fayt could go totally insane." Nel chuckled thinking that scenario might actually occur. They went inside and saw Roger's mom reading an old story. From the looks on everyone else's faces, they must've heard it so many times. Cyrus stuck his headphones on and turned on the radio. That night, at around 11:30 at night on Cyrus' watch, the horrors of story telling was over and everyone was snoring in their sleep, except for Nel, who couldn't get to sleep. She got out of her bed and shook Cyrus. One hard shake and Cyrus was up. "Wha- Nel?"
"Cyrus, is it okay if I borrow your device?" she asked.
"Fine, but make sure to get it back by tomorrow."
"Okay." Cyrus pulled his headphones off and gave the MP3 player to Nel. In a matter of seconds, Cyrus was knocked out, snoring like the rest of the guys. Nel bowed and placed the headphones in her ears. She wrapped the blanket around her and went to sleep. The next morning, the group woke up. Nel gave the radio back to Cyrus and after saying farewell to Roger's parents, they left Surferio and headed for the Royal City of Aquaria.