Author Kirby here.
Thanks for the reviews as always. Sorry for not putting one up in a while. My life just kinda got really busy, really fast, so I'm trying to fit in writing to my busy schedule as well. I might start putting up notices in my bio as well, so get ready to look for those as well.
Get ready for a long chapter this time. It took me quite a while to write... my longest chapter so far. So free up some time and read the next chapter.
Disclaimer: DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU AGAIN!
Chapter 7: Secrets of a Dark ED ---------------------------------
Edd took in a deep breath and sighed. "It's great to be out in the sun again!"
"I know, I thought I would have gone crazy if we hadn't gotten out of there!" Eddy exclaimed.
Zidane nodded. "It is nice to get out of the mist. People hardly go there in the first place," he said. "Anyways, lets focus on the task at hand. We need to get the princess to Lindblum, right?"
"Right" Everyone but Steiner affirmed.
"Now just hold on here, the princess is going straight back to the castle as soon as we can get transportation!" Steiner said.
"And another thing, I think it would be a good idea for Garnet to assume a new identity. Everyone is looking for her, and not us." Zidane stated. "So, if we keep on the down low, then we can easily get to Lindblum without causing too much trouble."
Steiner was slowly getting redder in the face. "Now you listen here you thief. The princess does not need a new identity!"
Edd shook his head. "Unfortunately Steiner, I would have to agree with Zidane. If the princess gets caught, we get caught too, and quite frankly, I don't want to see one of your prisons." Steiner stopped yelling at Zidane and turned to Edd.
"Well... if Master Duo thinks its okay, then I guess we can go along with it." Steiner sighed. "But the princess must agree to it."
Garnet nodded her head. "I think it is a perfectly fine idea. But what shall my new identity be?"
Ed smiled. "You should be named Nazz" Eddy covered Ed's mouth before any more suggestions came out of his mouth.
"Monobrow, we weren't asking YOU!" Eddy said.
"How about Sara?" Edd said. "And before you try and silence ME Eddy... this is not spelled the same as Sarah back at home."
Eddy stopped for a moment. "No way... I am NOT bringing a memory of that little... brat along with us on this trip." The group sat for a moment and pondered on what to rename Garnet as.
Finally, Vivi came up with an idea. "How about Nikki?"
Steiner smiled. "A wonderful suggestion Master Vivi"
Edd nodded his head. "Its nice... almost reminds me of... ah" he dosed off into thought until Eddy elbowed him back to reality.
Eddy folded his arms. "Its alright." (Though I could have thought of that.)
Garnet nodded. "I like it. I shall now be known as Nikki to everybody." Everyone nodded his or her head. But before they left their cliff side, Zidane had one more thing to say.
"Hey Nikki, you're gonna have to change how you talk if we are going to pull this off." Zidane said.
Nikki looked confused. "Change how I... speak."
Zidane nodded. "Yeah... you gotta be more casual in how you talk, and not so formal."
Nikki smiled. "I can... okay." Everyone smiled and began walking down the cliffside.
-Ahead of them was a lush field of grass with a few forests scattered about. In the distance they could see a small village and even farther out they saw South Gate. The group of seven journeyed across the field and finally arrived at the village. Everyone sighed with relief as they entered the village perimeter. -
Eddy dropped to his knees and began kissing the ground. "I thought we would NEVER get here!"
"It is so not modern! I want to touch everything." Ed said, and ran off into the village, but Edd held him back.
"Hang on there Ed, I think we should find a place to stay for the night." Edd said. "Lets look around for an..."
"The Inn's over here Duo" Zidane pointed. Edd just shrugged and went inside, dragging Ed behind him.
-Everyone filed inside the small resting place and took a look around. There wasn't much in the inn. There was a small fireplace next to the door and a small table for dining. On the other side of the room was a door that probably led to the beds. Behind the counter was the innkeeper who was dosing off slightly. Zidane just shrugged and shook him awake. -
"Huh... wha?" muttered the innkeeper. He looked around and stared at Nikki for a moment.
"Hey buddy, I know she's cute, but it's rude to stare. Now how about some food and a room?" Zidane asked.
The innkeeper just nodded. "Oh, sure. Let me get you guys something." he said, and walked into a back room. The clinking of plates and pottery could be heard as interesting aromas wafted out of the back room. The three Eds began to drool, remembering how hungry they were. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the innkeeper brought out a big plate filled with different types of fruits, and meats on it. There was also a pitcher of red liquid with ice in it. The seven heroes didn't even wait to begin digging in. Everyone had a bit of everything, and nothing was left over when they were finished.
The innkeeper whistled to himself. "You guys must have been pretty hungry, huh?"
Edd nodded. "We haven't eaten in a while."
The innkeeper smiled a bit. "Alright, the room's over there behind that door." he pointed. "Good night." Everyone else gave their goodnights and went into the room. Inside were seven small beds around the perimeter of the room. There were a couple bookshelves here and there and a small table in the center of the room. Once everyone was inside, Zidane locked the door and everyone sighed with relief.
"Well... so far so good." Zidane said.
Nikke looked a bit confused. "Zidane, are we all sleeping in this room?"
Zidane nodded. "Yeah... that's how it is in the country. There aren't any private rooms in these inns."
Edd patted Sara on the back. "It won't be too bad Nikki." he comforted.
Nikki nodded. "I guess you are right Duo... by the way, what is that sound?" Everyone looked around for the source of a slight whistling noise. Ed was lying in bed, fast asleep. Everyone just smiled and got in bed too.
--------------------The next morning---------------------
-Edd was lying in his bed, completely exhausted from the day before. He didn't care that he wasn't following his normal schedule of waking up at an exact hour; all he cared about was getting a well-deserved rest. He was having the most interesting dreams though, and he couldn't exactly make out what was going on in them. All he knew was something was tickling his foot...-
"What the... EDDY, WHAT IN SAM HILL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Edd shouted, backing up into his bed. Eddy was holding a golden feather and was tickling Edd's foot with it.
Eddy folded his arms. "'Bout time sock head. Everyone else got up an hour ago, including Ed here." he said, and pointed to Ed, who was bouncing on his bed.
Edd rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. "I'm sorry Eddy. Yesterday was very exhausting, and I really needed some sleep."
Eddy shrugged. "Well, at least you're up. Now we can go look around the village." A dull 'Thud' was heard and Edd and Eddy looked across the room. Ed was lying on the floor, chuckling like his normal self.
"Well what do you know, I can't go through the ceiling." Ed mumbled. Edd shook his head and Eddy was laughing his head off.
Edd got out of bed and slipped on his shoes. "Well, we know Ed is feeling like his normal self again." he said, and walked over to help Ed up. The three Eds finally got together and walked out the door to see Zidane sitting at a table.
Zidane beckoned the Eds to come and sit with him. "Hey guys, come over here for a minute, I gotta to talk to you for a bit." The Eds just shrugged and walked over to where Zidane was sitting. Each one of them pulled out a chair and sat down. That's when Zidane pulled out a small bag filled with a jingling... something. He dug around in it and pulled out a few round coins.
"Now that we have the time to have this conversation, I'm going to show you guys the important things in this world, and our first stop takes us to the most important thing, gil." Zidane began.
Edd raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming those coins are gil, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Right. Gil is what you need to buy stuff. The more you have, the better off you are."
Eddy grinned. "So gil is money in this world. (I like the way this guy thinks. He thinks money is the most important thing in this world too)"
"I guess you could call it money. Now, this small coin is a one gil piece." Zidane said, and grabbed a small bronze colored coin. "These are very common, and really can't buy you much. Now this one..." he continued, picking up a silver colored coin. "...Is a 25 gil piece. A couple of these can buy you a potion or two, which is good. This one right here..." he picked up a gold colored coin, "...is a 100 gil piece. One of these usually means one potion. Now this one..." he picked up a dark red one. "... is the 1,000 gil piece. These are good for buying weapons and the like. Finally, this big blue one..." he picked it up, "... is the 10,000 gil piece. If you have a couple of these, you can probably get yourself a decent piece of armor, or a nice weapon. So that's gil, any questions?"
Eddy was drooling by that point. "Just one. Are we going to get some of that?"
Edd slapped his forehead, and Zidane just shrugged. "Maybe later, I have a few more things to teach you. You know about abilities right?"
"Right." Ed, Edd and Eddy replied.
"Good, that saves me half the trouble of what I am about to tell you. There are two types of abilities, support and attack. Support abilities can protect you from nasty things like poison, slow, petrify, and even heat." Zidane explained.
Ed asked a question this time. "So I can be like... a guy who is immune to stuff?"
Zidane nodded. "Yeah. Status effects are really nasty. There are common items that can cure most of them though. Others go away when you kill a monster. But I'll tell you about status effects at another time, I still have to tell you about abilities." he said. "Support abilities can also boost your performance. Some abilities let you move faster in battle, or stop magic that is thrown at you. Those take a while to learn to do properly though."
"You mean we have to learn how to do these things?" Eddy said.
"It's obvious you can't just magically do them Eddy!" Edd responded. "Things like this must take practice and hard work."
Zidane nodded. "Yeah. Once you learn an ability though you can do it all the time. Now, attack abilities are individual abilities that you can learn. To learn these, you need to be compatible with the ability. If you can do it, you can learn it!" he said.
Eddy thought back for a moment. "Like my double strike?"
"And my fire?" Edd chimed in.
"And my stuff that I haven't found yet?" Ed smiled.
Zidane shrugged. "I suppose so. Most of the time, these abilities take the magic right out of you, so that's why you feel exhausted after using them a certain number of times. You'll know when you need a re-fill on magic though, and when that happens, we give you an ether for a quick boost, or we have you rest and regain your strength. Everything make sense so far?"
Edd closed his eyes for a second and processed the new information. "Yeah. It's a bit strange at first. Our world has none of these things you talk about, but yeah, I think we can catch on."
Zidane smiled. "Good, because we need to talk about one more thing... your equipment. Also know as what you wear."
Ed smiled. "You mean we get to go shopping for clothes and stuff now?"
"Yeah Ed, that's exactly what I mean. We really need to get you guys some new clothes so you don't stick out so much." Zidane said, and walked out the door. It was true; the Ed's didn't look a thing like anybody else in this world, so they decided it was for the best to get a change of clothes. They followed Zidane across the road to a small shop selling armor and other things. A young woman was running the shop, and she looked a bit bored when they walked in.
"Welcome to the local equipment shop, anything I can get you?" asked the woman.
Zidane walked up to the counter. "Yeah, my friends here need a new change of clothes. They just came in from out of town and didn't bring much with them."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, since you are new around here, I guess I can give you a slight discount." she said. "The equipment is in the back. You can try stuff on that you like, and then pay for it up here"
"Thanks, I guess... come on you three." Zidane said, and led them into the back room. There were many different types of robes, vests, hats, gloves, boots and other types of clothing in the back. The Eds looked around for a while and then tried on a few things that they liked.
-Ed wound up picking out a vest similar to Zidane's. It fit him very loosely and allowed air to circulate through it. It was also made a fuzzy material that was nice and soft. On his head was a red headband that provided a bit of color to his empty face. He was also wearing a pair of boots made of a leathery material that allowed for swift movements, and easy traversing on rough terrain, but still provided comfort. He was also wearing a pair of gloves made of the same leathery material his boots were made. It allowed him to grip his sword much better, and provided him with a bit of flexibility when needed. He had on a pair of blue shorts, made a rough material that would take a beating, but allowed for easy movement in the heat of battle. -
-Edd had chosen a more interesting dress up. On his head, over his traditional sock hat, was a steepled hat that looked similar to Vivi's, except it was a bit longer in length and hung down a bit more. The plus side was that it was as light as a feather, so it didn't bother him too much. He had chosen a simple, light vest and some durable shorts for the midsection of his body. The real attraction was the robe he had chosen. It was a deep blue in color and hung down to the back of his ankles. It was made of the same material his hat was, so it was light and moved with him as he walked. On his feet was a pair of boots that were durable and light, providing him with a sturdier base to stand on. Finally, on his hands were a pair of deep red gloves that were light, and made it easier to grip things. -
-Eddy had chosen a setup nearer to Ed's. He had on a similar vest that Ed had on; except this one was a bit heavier that Ed's and provided a bit more protection. On his head was a dark blue headband with the knot hangings going down the back of his neck. His pants were made of a heavier, blue material that seemed to be quite durable, and were easy to move in. His boots were made of the same material that Edd had chosen, and these let him keep his ground when hit, but still be able to go in for swift attacks. Finally he had a simple pair of leather gloves that allowed him to hang on to his lance better. -
-When the three Ed's had chosen their new looks, they called Zidane in to have a look. He examined the three of them, and finally nodded in approval. The four of them headed to the counter and paid for all of their new equipment. When everything was good and finished, they headed back out into the sunlight to break in their new clothes. -
Edd stretched his arms and twisted around to see how flexible his new attire was. "It's amazing what a simple change of clothes can do to a guy!" he said happily. "Thanks for picking up the bill for us Zidane."
Zidane shrugged. "Don't mention it. It's the least I could do after you guys saved my neck a few times."
Ed was having the time of his life in his new clothes. "These things are so cool, and they feel light as a feather." he said. He was running back and forth across the road, testing his newfound speed. Eddy was adjusting his clothes a bit... they were a bit large for him.
"Maybe I bought a size too big guys?" Eddy said.
Edd shook his head. "You'll grow into them eventually Eddy. Just give it some time." he assured. Eddy nodded a bit and smiled.
Zidane gave the guys a quick good-bye as he ran off to find everyone else. ("Stay out of trouble you three" he left them with.) The Ed's just looked at each other and sighed.
Edd looked around. "Not much to do around here, is there?"
"Yeah... this place is boring. There's nobody around either. I just want to get to this Lidbloom place soon before I die of nothing to do." Eddy grumbled. The three began walking down the dusty town road and looked around. A few kids were playing in the street and there wasn't a grownup to be seen.
Edd sighed. "Kinda reminds you of back home, doesn't it?"
Ed nodded. "Yeah... I miss everybody. Do you think we can get back?"
"Only time can tell Ed." Edd answered.
-The three continued down the road, looking into the local shops to see what was for sale, but nothing really interested them that much. The sun was high in the sky, and the Ed's were standing around outside with nothing to do. Nikki had gone by a few minutes ago back to the inn, only giving a quick hello to the three as she passed. Edd was looking around and saw Vivi standing around near a fence. Edd wondered what he was doing when two men came up behind Vivi and grabbed him. They took him into the nearby windmill and disappeared.
Edd frantically tapped his two buddies. "Guys, I just saw Vivi get captured by two strange men!" Ed and Eddy looked shocked.
"What the... who... why?" Eddy stammered.
Edd shrugged. "Guys, you go and follow them into the windmill. I'm going to go and get Nikki, because I haven't seen Zidane or Steiner all day." The three nodded to each other and ran off in two different directions. Edd quickly ran into the inn to get Nikki while Eddy and Ed went to examine the windmill. Edd grabbed Nikki by the arm, only briefly explaining about what happened and almost dragged her to the windmill. When they got there, Ed and Eddy were gone too.
Edd scratched his head. "Now where could they have... aha!" he said, pointing at the ground. There was a manhole-sized hole in the ground with a ladder leading down into it on the side. Edd and Nikki nodded and began climbing down. It took them a few minutes before they reached the bottom, and when they got there, Ed and Eddy were standing in front of them with their arms folded.
"Took ya long enough sock head" Eddy said.
Edd straightened his hat and sighed. "Patience is a virtue Eddy. Now, any idea where those guys could have taken Vivi?"
Ed pointed down a rock passage. "Gee Double-D, you must be slipping, cuz there's only one passageway down here."
"Oh... hehehe" Edd said, with slight embarrassment. "Shall we continue on then?" The four of them continued down the rocky passageway until they came to a rather large barrel and a small hut. They heard voices and jumped behind the barrel just as somebody walked out of the hut.
"You hear something?" Said the guy.
"No... come on, we need to get this one all boxed up" Came a voice from the hut. Four heads peeked out from behind the barrel as a short man came out with Vivi behind him. Another man followed behind him and the four headed off down the passageway. Our four heroes went back behind the barrel and began to speak in hushed voices.
"I don't get it... why in the world would they want to box Vivi up?" Edd whispered.
Nikki shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, but look at the barrel. That symbol that is on it has been on some of the other barrels in Alexandria Castle."
"Could there be a connection between the castley thing and this big barrel?" Ed pondered out loud.
"More than likely... but right now, lets go save Vivi" Eddy said and peeked out from behind the barrel to check if the coast was clear. Eddy gave a nod and they tiptoed down the passageway that the men who had Vivi went. They came into a room with various boxes and devices, but nothing looked out of the ordinary in there so they continued on. They traversed through another hallway and wound up in a room with a weird machine that seemed to be producing... eggs. The four glanced around and heard a slight sniffling coming from a small box in the corner.
Edd walked over to it and knocked on top. "Vivi... are you in there?"
"Duo... is that you?" came Vivi's voice.
"Hang on Vivi... we'll get you out of there!" Edd said and motioned for the others to come and help him. Ed pried the top of the box off with his sword and then Eddy and Nikki lifted Vivi out of the box. He looked a bit shaken, but he was fine.
"Vivi what happened?" Edd asked.
Vivi shrugged. "I don't know. I was just standing near the fence when these two men came up from behind and grabbed me. I was so shocked; I didn't know what to do. All they said was 'How'd you get out?' and stuffed me into a box."
"You should have fought back Vivi." Eddy said. "You can't let people go and push you around like that. You gotta... shout at them, tell them to get off."
"Shout?" Vivi asked.
"Yeah... when you shout at someone, you get the adrenaline pumping and get more power." Eddy explained.
"Almost like trance... but not quite," Edd said.
Vivi nodded. "Alright... I guess I can try that next time. But first I want to see what they were doing here."
"You sure... after all that you've been through today?" Edd asked.
Vivi nodded. "I'm sure. I want to know why they wanted me."
"I would also like to know what the connection to Alexandria Castle is." Nikki said.
Edd shrugged. "All right, I guess we can keep going, but be careful." The four of them continued down another passage to see where the weird egg machine was leading. They eventually came to a place where the eggs went into a closed area. There was a pane of glass in the to look into, but it was a bit foggy.
Edd peered into it to see what was going on. "I think these eggs are... hatching."
"Can you see what they are?" Nikki asked.
Edd squinted to see through the glass. "No... I really can't see much... too much fog. Maybe if we went a bit further."
Nikki nodded. "Alright... lets keep moving.
"Ed... oh Ed." Eddy called. Ed had dropped behind a bit to look at something, and Eddy was getting a bit impatient. He twirled around to go get Ed. "Ed, would ya mind hurrying it up a bit!" he shouted. Ed was staring into a glass window with his tongue hanging out.
"Ch...cha...chick....chick... CHICKENS EDDY!!!" Ed shouted. Eddy slapped his forehead and began digging around in his back pocket. He pulled out a roll of packaging tape, tackled Ed, and promptly began taping his mouth shut. When Eddy had finished, he put the tape away and stood Ed up.
"Are you trying to get us CAUGHT you idiot!" Eddy growled.
"Mph... mmmppp... mnmpp" Was all Ed could manage.
Eddy sighed. "Now come with me and DONT FALL BEHIND!" He dragged Ed by the ear down the hall to where Edd, Vivi, and Nikki were standing. Edd was folding his arms and Nikki was giggling slightly. Vivi was just shaking his head,
"Are you quite through?" Edd asked.
"Yeah... lets keep going... I want to get on with my life." Eddy grumbled.
-The four kept going down the hallway to find out what the eggs were being used for. They went down the hall, turned a corner and what they saw made them gasp. -
"They look... look... like..." Edd stammered.
"What the heck is going on here?" Eddy said.
"What are they?" asked Nikki.
"They... look like... me." Vivi said.
Edd was still recovering from shock. "They aren't totally like you Vivi... some of the parts are different."
"Why are they doing this?" Vivi asked, walking forward.
-The four stood there while Ed looked down the hall. He had heard some voices coming from that direction but couldn't say anything thanks to the tape placed over his mouth. He began to sweat as the voices came closer. Finally, he had no choice -
(Oh, Eddy is so gonna get me for this.) Ed thought and grabbed the four others. He ran around, checking for a place to hide. Finally he wound up running into a strange machine that was boxing the creatures. Inside, they were carried down a conveyor belt and then small boxes fell on top of them, completely trapping them inside. The five of them were carried along the conveyor belt, and were put into an even bigger barrel.
(I am so going to kill Ed if we get through this) Eddy thought.
Chapter End ----------------------------------
Nice job Ed... stuffing the poor guys into boxes. Well, it took me a while, but this chapter is... DONE!!!
EXTRA NOTE: I changed Sara to Nikki after consoling some of my friends about names. This is what I'm sticking with from here on out, so... too bad if you dont like it. :P
Coming up next chapter. The Eds hitchhike on a cargo ship, but not before trying to be stopped not once, but TWO times. Oh boy.
Be sure to read the next chapter, "Cargo Ship, with ED to Spare."
Review please... those are nice. smiles
This is Author Kirby, over and out!
Thanks for the reviews as always. Sorry for not putting one up in a while. My life just kinda got really busy, really fast, so I'm trying to fit in writing to my busy schedule as well. I might start putting up notices in my bio as well, so get ready to look for those as well.
Get ready for a long chapter this time. It took me quite a while to write... my longest chapter so far. So free up some time and read the next chapter.
Disclaimer: DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU AGAIN!
Chapter 7: Secrets of a Dark ED ---------------------------------
Edd took in a deep breath and sighed. "It's great to be out in the sun again!"
"I know, I thought I would have gone crazy if we hadn't gotten out of there!" Eddy exclaimed.
Zidane nodded. "It is nice to get out of the mist. People hardly go there in the first place," he said. "Anyways, lets focus on the task at hand. We need to get the princess to Lindblum, right?"
"Right" Everyone but Steiner affirmed.
"Now just hold on here, the princess is going straight back to the castle as soon as we can get transportation!" Steiner said.
"And another thing, I think it would be a good idea for Garnet to assume a new identity. Everyone is looking for her, and not us." Zidane stated. "So, if we keep on the down low, then we can easily get to Lindblum without causing too much trouble."
Steiner was slowly getting redder in the face. "Now you listen here you thief. The princess does not need a new identity!"
Edd shook his head. "Unfortunately Steiner, I would have to agree with Zidane. If the princess gets caught, we get caught too, and quite frankly, I don't want to see one of your prisons." Steiner stopped yelling at Zidane and turned to Edd.
"Well... if Master Duo thinks its okay, then I guess we can go along with it." Steiner sighed. "But the princess must agree to it."
Garnet nodded her head. "I think it is a perfectly fine idea. But what shall my new identity be?"
Ed smiled. "You should be named Nazz" Eddy covered Ed's mouth before any more suggestions came out of his mouth.
"Monobrow, we weren't asking YOU!" Eddy said.
"How about Sara?" Edd said. "And before you try and silence ME Eddy... this is not spelled the same as Sarah back at home."
Eddy stopped for a moment. "No way... I am NOT bringing a memory of that little... brat along with us on this trip." The group sat for a moment and pondered on what to rename Garnet as.
Finally, Vivi came up with an idea. "How about Nikki?"
Steiner smiled. "A wonderful suggestion Master Vivi"
Edd nodded his head. "Its nice... almost reminds me of... ah" he dosed off into thought until Eddy elbowed him back to reality.
Eddy folded his arms. "Its alright." (Though I could have thought of that.)
Garnet nodded. "I like it. I shall now be known as Nikki to everybody." Everyone nodded his or her head. But before they left their cliff side, Zidane had one more thing to say.
"Hey Nikki, you're gonna have to change how you talk if we are going to pull this off." Zidane said.
Nikki looked confused. "Change how I... speak."
Zidane nodded. "Yeah... you gotta be more casual in how you talk, and not so formal."
Nikki smiled. "I can... okay." Everyone smiled and began walking down the cliffside.
-Ahead of them was a lush field of grass with a few forests scattered about. In the distance they could see a small village and even farther out they saw South Gate. The group of seven journeyed across the field and finally arrived at the village. Everyone sighed with relief as they entered the village perimeter. -
Eddy dropped to his knees and began kissing the ground. "I thought we would NEVER get here!"
"It is so not modern! I want to touch everything." Ed said, and ran off into the village, but Edd held him back.
"Hang on there Ed, I think we should find a place to stay for the night." Edd said. "Lets look around for an..."
"The Inn's over here Duo" Zidane pointed. Edd just shrugged and went inside, dragging Ed behind him.
-Everyone filed inside the small resting place and took a look around. There wasn't much in the inn. There was a small fireplace next to the door and a small table for dining. On the other side of the room was a door that probably led to the beds. Behind the counter was the innkeeper who was dosing off slightly. Zidane just shrugged and shook him awake. -
"Huh... wha?" muttered the innkeeper. He looked around and stared at Nikki for a moment.
"Hey buddy, I know she's cute, but it's rude to stare. Now how about some food and a room?" Zidane asked.
The innkeeper just nodded. "Oh, sure. Let me get you guys something." he said, and walked into a back room. The clinking of plates and pottery could be heard as interesting aromas wafted out of the back room. The three Eds began to drool, remembering how hungry they were. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the innkeeper brought out a big plate filled with different types of fruits, and meats on it. There was also a pitcher of red liquid with ice in it. The seven heroes didn't even wait to begin digging in. Everyone had a bit of everything, and nothing was left over when they were finished.
The innkeeper whistled to himself. "You guys must have been pretty hungry, huh?"
Edd nodded. "We haven't eaten in a while."
The innkeeper smiled a bit. "Alright, the room's over there behind that door." he pointed. "Good night." Everyone else gave their goodnights and went into the room. Inside were seven small beds around the perimeter of the room. There were a couple bookshelves here and there and a small table in the center of the room. Once everyone was inside, Zidane locked the door and everyone sighed with relief.
"Well... so far so good." Zidane said.
Nikke looked a bit confused. "Zidane, are we all sleeping in this room?"
Zidane nodded. "Yeah... that's how it is in the country. There aren't any private rooms in these inns."
Edd patted Sara on the back. "It won't be too bad Nikki." he comforted.
Nikki nodded. "I guess you are right Duo... by the way, what is that sound?" Everyone looked around for the source of a slight whistling noise. Ed was lying in bed, fast asleep. Everyone just smiled and got in bed too.
--------------------The next morning---------------------
-Edd was lying in his bed, completely exhausted from the day before. He didn't care that he wasn't following his normal schedule of waking up at an exact hour; all he cared about was getting a well-deserved rest. He was having the most interesting dreams though, and he couldn't exactly make out what was going on in them. All he knew was something was tickling his foot...-
"What the... EDDY, WHAT IN SAM HILL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Edd shouted, backing up into his bed. Eddy was holding a golden feather and was tickling Edd's foot with it.
Eddy folded his arms. "'Bout time sock head. Everyone else got up an hour ago, including Ed here." he said, and pointed to Ed, who was bouncing on his bed.
Edd rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. "I'm sorry Eddy. Yesterday was very exhausting, and I really needed some sleep."
Eddy shrugged. "Well, at least you're up. Now we can go look around the village." A dull 'Thud' was heard and Edd and Eddy looked across the room. Ed was lying on the floor, chuckling like his normal self.
"Well what do you know, I can't go through the ceiling." Ed mumbled. Edd shook his head and Eddy was laughing his head off.
Edd got out of bed and slipped on his shoes. "Well, we know Ed is feeling like his normal self again." he said, and walked over to help Ed up. The three Eds finally got together and walked out the door to see Zidane sitting at a table.
Zidane beckoned the Eds to come and sit with him. "Hey guys, come over here for a minute, I gotta to talk to you for a bit." The Eds just shrugged and walked over to where Zidane was sitting. Each one of them pulled out a chair and sat down. That's when Zidane pulled out a small bag filled with a jingling... something. He dug around in it and pulled out a few round coins.
"Now that we have the time to have this conversation, I'm going to show you guys the important things in this world, and our first stop takes us to the most important thing, gil." Zidane began.
Edd raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming those coins are gil, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Right. Gil is what you need to buy stuff. The more you have, the better off you are."
Eddy grinned. "So gil is money in this world. (I like the way this guy thinks. He thinks money is the most important thing in this world too)"
"I guess you could call it money. Now, this small coin is a one gil piece." Zidane said, and grabbed a small bronze colored coin. "These are very common, and really can't buy you much. Now this one..." he continued, picking up a silver colored coin. "...Is a 25 gil piece. A couple of these can buy you a potion or two, which is good. This one right here..." he picked up a gold colored coin, "...is a 100 gil piece. One of these usually means one potion. Now this one..." he picked up a dark red one. "... is the 1,000 gil piece. These are good for buying weapons and the like. Finally, this big blue one..." he picked it up, "... is the 10,000 gil piece. If you have a couple of these, you can probably get yourself a decent piece of armor, or a nice weapon. So that's gil, any questions?"
Eddy was drooling by that point. "Just one. Are we going to get some of that?"
Edd slapped his forehead, and Zidane just shrugged. "Maybe later, I have a few more things to teach you. You know about abilities right?"
"Right." Ed, Edd and Eddy replied.
"Good, that saves me half the trouble of what I am about to tell you. There are two types of abilities, support and attack. Support abilities can protect you from nasty things like poison, slow, petrify, and even heat." Zidane explained.
Ed asked a question this time. "So I can be like... a guy who is immune to stuff?"
Zidane nodded. "Yeah. Status effects are really nasty. There are common items that can cure most of them though. Others go away when you kill a monster. But I'll tell you about status effects at another time, I still have to tell you about abilities." he said. "Support abilities can also boost your performance. Some abilities let you move faster in battle, or stop magic that is thrown at you. Those take a while to learn to do properly though."
"You mean we have to learn how to do these things?" Eddy said.
"It's obvious you can't just magically do them Eddy!" Edd responded. "Things like this must take practice and hard work."
Zidane nodded. "Yeah. Once you learn an ability though you can do it all the time. Now, attack abilities are individual abilities that you can learn. To learn these, you need to be compatible with the ability. If you can do it, you can learn it!" he said.
Eddy thought back for a moment. "Like my double strike?"
"And my fire?" Edd chimed in.
"And my stuff that I haven't found yet?" Ed smiled.
Zidane shrugged. "I suppose so. Most of the time, these abilities take the magic right out of you, so that's why you feel exhausted after using them a certain number of times. You'll know when you need a re-fill on magic though, and when that happens, we give you an ether for a quick boost, or we have you rest and regain your strength. Everything make sense so far?"
Edd closed his eyes for a second and processed the new information. "Yeah. It's a bit strange at first. Our world has none of these things you talk about, but yeah, I think we can catch on."
Zidane smiled. "Good, because we need to talk about one more thing... your equipment. Also know as what you wear."
Ed smiled. "You mean we get to go shopping for clothes and stuff now?"
"Yeah Ed, that's exactly what I mean. We really need to get you guys some new clothes so you don't stick out so much." Zidane said, and walked out the door. It was true; the Ed's didn't look a thing like anybody else in this world, so they decided it was for the best to get a change of clothes. They followed Zidane across the road to a small shop selling armor and other things. A young woman was running the shop, and she looked a bit bored when they walked in.
"Welcome to the local equipment shop, anything I can get you?" asked the woman.
Zidane walked up to the counter. "Yeah, my friends here need a new change of clothes. They just came in from out of town and didn't bring much with them."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, since you are new around here, I guess I can give you a slight discount." she said. "The equipment is in the back. You can try stuff on that you like, and then pay for it up here"
"Thanks, I guess... come on you three." Zidane said, and led them into the back room. There were many different types of robes, vests, hats, gloves, boots and other types of clothing in the back. The Eds looked around for a while and then tried on a few things that they liked.
-Ed wound up picking out a vest similar to Zidane's. It fit him very loosely and allowed air to circulate through it. It was also made a fuzzy material that was nice and soft. On his head was a red headband that provided a bit of color to his empty face. He was also wearing a pair of boots made of a leathery material that allowed for swift movements, and easy traversing on rough terrain, but still provided comfort. He was also wearing a pair of gloves made of the same leathery material his boots were made. It allowed him to grip his sword much better, and provided him with a bit of flexibility when needed. He had on a pair of blue shorts, made a rough material that would take a beating, but allowed for easy movement in the heat of battle. -
-Edd had chosen a more interesting dress up. On his head, over his traditional sock hat, was a steepled hat that looked similar to Vivi's, except it was a bit longer in length and hung down a bit more. The plus side was that it was as light as a feather, so it didn't bother him too much. He had chosen a simple, light vest and some durable shorts for the midsection of his body. The real attraction was the robe he had chosen. It was a deep blue in color and hung down to the back of his ankles. It was made of the same material his hat was, so it was light and moved with him as he walked. On his feet was a pair of boots that were durable and light, providing him with a sturdier base to stand on. Finally, on his hands were a pair of deep red gloves that were light, and made it easier to grip things. -
-Eddy had chosen a setup nearer to Ed's. He had on a similar vest that Ed had on; except this one was a bit heavier that Ed's and provided a bit more protection. On his head was a dark blue headband with the knot hangings going down the back of his neck. His pants were made of a heavier, blue material that seemed to be quite durable, and were easy to move in. His boots were made of the same material that Edd had chosen, and these let him keep his ground when hit, but still be able to go in for swift attacks. Finally he had a simple pair of leather gloves that allowed him to hang on to his lance better. -
-When the three Ed's had chosen their new looks, they called Zidane in to have a look. He examined the three of them, and finally nodded in approval. The four of them headed to the counter and paid for all of their new equipment. When everything was good and finished, they headed back out into the sunlight to break in their new clothes. -
Edd stretched his arms and twisted around to see how flexible his new attire was. "It's amazing what a simple change of clothes can do to a guy!" he said happily. "Thanks for picking up the bill for us Zidane."
Zidane shrugged. "Don't mention it. It's the least I could do after you guys saved my neck a few times."
Ed was having the time of his life in his new clothes. "These things are so cool, and they feel light as a feather." he said. He was running back and forth across the road, testing his newfound speed. Eddy was adjusting his clothes a bit... they were a bit large for him.
"Maybe I bought a size too big guys?" Eddy said.
Edd shook his head. "You'll grow into them eventually Eddy. Just give it some time." he assured. Eddy nodded a bit and smiled.
Zidane gave the guys a quick good-bye as he ran off to find everyone else. ("Stay out of trouble you three" he left them with.) The Ed's just looked at each other and sighed.
Edd looked around. "Not much to do around here, is there?"
"Yeah... this place is boring. There's nobody around either. I just want to get to this Lidbloom place soon before I die of nothing to do." Eddy grumbled. The three began walking down the dusty town road and looked around. A few kids were playing in the street and there wasn't a grownup to be seen.
Edd sighed. "Kinda reminds you of back home, doesn't it?"
Ed nodded. "Yeah... I miss everybody. Do you think we can get back?"
"Only time can tell Ed." Edd answered.
-The three continued down the road, looking into the local shops to see what was for sale, but nothing really interested them that much. The sun was high in the sky, and the Ed's were standing around outside with nothing to do. Nikki had gone by a few minutes ago back to the inn, only giving a quick hello to the three as she passed. Edd was looking around and saw Vivi standing around near a fence. Edd wondered what he was doing when two men came up behind Vivi and grabbed him. They took him into the nearby windmill and disappeared.
Edd frantically tapped his two buddies. "Guys, I just saw Vivi get captured by two strange men!" Ed and Eddy looked shocked.
"What the... who... why?" Eddy stammered.
Edd shrugged. "Guys, you go and follow them into the windmill. I'm going to go and get Nikki, because I haven't seen Zidane or Steiner all day." The three nodded to each other and ran off in two different directions. Edd quickly ran into the inn to get Nikki while Eddy and Ed went to examine the windmill. Edd grabbed Nikki by the arm, only briefly explaining about what happened and almost dragged her to the windmill. When they got there, Ed and Eddy were gone too.
Edd scratched his head. "Now where could they have... aha!" he said, pointing at the ground. There was a manhole-sized hole in the ground with a ladder leading down into it on the side. Edd and Nikki nodded and began climbing down. It took them a few minutes before they reached the bottom, and when they got there, Ed and Eddy were standing in front of them with their arms folded.
"Took ya long enough sock head" Eddy said.
Edd straightened his hat and sighed. "Patience is a virtue Eddy. Now, any idea where those guys could have taken Vivi?"
Ed pointed down a rock passage. "Gee Double-D, you must be slipping, cuz there's only one passageway down here."
"Oh... hehehe" Edd said, with slight embarrassment. "Shall we continue on then?" The four of them continued down the rocky passageway until they came to a rather large barrel and a small hut. They heard voices and jumped behind the barrel just as somebody walked out of the hut.
"You hear something?" Said the guy.
"No... come on, we need to get this one all boxed up" Came a voice from the hut. Four heads peeked out from behind the barrel as a short man came out with Vivi behind him. Another man followed behind him and the four headed off down the passageway. Our four heroes went back behind the barrel and began to speak in hushed voices.
"I don't get it... why in the world would they want to box Vivi up?" Edd whispered.
Nikki shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, but look at the barrel. That symbol that is on it has been on some of the other barrels in Alexandria Castle."
"Could there be a connection between the castley thing and this big barrel?" Ed pondered out loud.
"More than likely... but right now, lets go save Vivi" Eddy said and peeked out from behind the barrel to check if the coast was clear. Eddy gave a nod and they tiptoed down the passageway that the men who had Vivi went. They came into a room with various boxes and devices, but nothing looked out of the ordinary in there so they continued on. They traversed through another hallway and wound up in a room with a weird machine that seemed to be producing... eggs. The four glanced around and heard a slight sniffling coming from a small box in the corner.
Edd walked over to it and knocked on top. "Vivi... are you in there?"
"Duo... is that you?" came Vivi's voice.
"Hang on Vivi... we'll get you out of there!" Edd said and motioned for the others to come and help him. Ed pried the top of the box off with his sword and then Eddy and Nikki lifted Vivi out of the box. He looked a bit shaken, but he was fine.
"Vivi what happened?" Edd asked.
Vivi shrugged. "I don't know. I was just standing near the fence when these two men came up from behind and grabbed me. I was so shocked; I didn't know what to do. All they said was 'How'd you get out?' and stuffed me into a box."
"You should have fought back Vivi." Eddy said. "You can't let people go and push you around like that. You gotta... shout at them, tell them to get off."
"Shout?" Vivi asked.
"Yeah... when you shout at someone, you get the adrenaline pumping and get more power." Eddy explained.
"Almost like trance... but not quite," Edd said.
Vivi nodded. "Alright... I guess I can try that next time. But first I want to see what they were doing here."
"You sure... after all that you've been through today?" Edd asked.
Vivi nodded. "I'm sure. I want to know why they wanted me."
"I would also like to know what the connection to Alexandria Castle is." Nikki said.
Edd shrugged. "All right, I guess we can keep going, but be careful." The four of them continued down another passage to see where the weird egg machine was leading. They eventually came to a place where the eggs went into a closed area. There was a pane of glass in the to look into, but it was a bit foggy.
Edd peered into it to see what was going on. "I think these eggs are... hatching."
"Can you see what they are?" Nikki asked.
Edd squinted to see through the glass. "No... I really can't see much... too much fog. Maybe if we went a bit further."
Nikki nodded. "Alright... lets keep moving.
"Ed... oh Ed." Eddy called. Ed had dropped behind a bit to look at something, and Eddy was getting a bit impatient. He twirled around to go get Ed. "Ed, would ya mind hurrying it up a bit!" he shouted. Ed was staring into a glass window with his tongue hanging out.
"Ch...cha...chick....chick... CHICKENS EDDY!!!" Ed shouted. Eddy slapped his forehead and began digging around in his back pocket. He pulled out a roll of packaging tape, tackled Ed, and promptly began taping his mouth shut. When Eddy had finished, he put the tape away and stood Ed up.
"Are you trying to get us CAUGHT you idiot!" Eddy growled.
"Mph... mmmppp... mnmpp" Was all Ed could manage.
Eddy sighed. "Now come with me and DONT FALL BEHIND!" He dragged Ed by the ear down the hall to where Edd, Vivi, and Nikki were standing. Edd was folding his arms and Nikki was giggling slightly. Vivi was just shaking his head,
"Are you quite through?" Edd asked.
"Yeah... lets keep going... I want to get on with my life." Eddy grumbled.
-The four kept going down the hallway to find out what the eggs were being used for. They went down the hall, turned a corner and what they saw made them gasp. -
"They look... look... like..." Edd stammered.
"What the heck is going on here?" Eddy said.
"What are they?" asked Nikki.
"They... look like... me." Vivi said.
Edd was still recovering from shock. "They aren't totally like you Vivi... some of the parts are different."
"Why are they doing this?" Vivi asked, walking forward.
-The four stood there while Ed looked down the hall. He had heard some voices coming from that direction but couldn't say anything thanks to the tape placed over his mouth. He began to sweat as the voices came closer. Finally, he had no choice -
(Oh, Eddy is so gonna get me for this.) Ed thought and grabbed the four others. He ran around, checking for a place to hide. Finally he wound up running into a strange machine that was boxing the creatures. Inside, they were carried down a conveyor belt and then small boxes fell on top of them, completely trapping them inside. The five of them were carried along the conveyor belt, and were put into an even bigger barrel.
(I am so going to kill Ed if we get through this) Eddy thought.
Chapter End ----------------------------------
Nice job Ed... stuffing the poor guys into boxes. Well, it took me a while, but this chapter is... DONE!!!
EXTRA NOTE: I changed Sara to Nikki after consoling some of my friends about names. This is what I'm sticking with from here on out, so... too bad if you dont like it. :P
Coming up next chapter. The Eds hitchhike on a cargo ship, but not before trying to be stopped not once, but TWO times. Oh boy.
Be sure to read the next chapter, "Cargo Ship, with ED to Spare."
Review please... those are nice. smiles
This is Author Kirby, over and out!