Time for chapter eight! Sorry if this took so long but you know…it was THAT time of year again. Ugh…anyway, please enjoy.
Chapter Eight: Ossasa Trail
"Ok, so now where do we go?" Lloyd asked.
"I don't think there's another seal on this continent," Raine said, "We'll have to go to Palmacoasta."
Genis cheered with delight, "Palmacoasta's the biggest city in the world! Right Yoku?"
"Yup." Yoku said nodding, "We can take the ferry from Izoold."
"A-a ferry?" Raine asked, "Can we walk?"
"Sure," Yoku said, "If you want to take a five day detour."
"I vote ferry." Lloyd said.
Raine was out-voted on walking to Palmacoasta.
"How long will it take to get to Palmacoasta by boat?" Colette asked.
"Two to three hours if we're lucky." Yoku said, "Max's boat usually takes about two and a half hours."
"That sounds good." Lloyd said.
"We'll have to go through Ossasa Trail first." Kratos said, "It's a dangerous road though."
I remember the "dangerous" parts…Yoku thought.
(A/N: Insert "sweat-drop")
"Well, we don't stand around in the heat for starters." Genis said, "Let's get going!"
(Later…)
"So this is Osassa Trail…" Lloyd said, "Looks a bit rocky. I sure hope someone doesn't sprain their ankle or something."
He was right, most of the path looked like it went through a few rock-slides. Several grass covered cliffs surrounded the party.
"STOP!" A girl's voice shouted from somewhere above them.
"Who's there?" Lloyd shouted drawing one of his swords. Everyone looked up. A teenaged girl with jet-black hair, an open pale purple tunic, a large pink bow, and almond shaped eyes stood on the cliff.
She jumped down cat-like.
"Those clothes…" Raine said startled.
"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" she asked commandingly.
Colette stepped forward, "Oh yes, me."
The girl motioned into a graceful fighting stance, "Chosen One…" she said flicking out a strip of paper, "PREPARE TO DIE!"
She rushed at Colette. Lloyd prepared to strike. Colette tripped over backwards and tripped an orange switch. The assassin froze as the ground beneath her dropped away.
"Uh-Oh…." Genis, Lloyd, and Yoku all said in unison.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The assassin shrieked while falling into the depths of the pit. There was dull thud and everyone winced.
"Uh-Oh…" Colette said. She carefully leaned over the edge of the pit. No one could see the bottom.
"That had to hurt." Lloyd said, "I won't envy her when she wakes up."
"Will she be ok?" Colette asked.
Genis frowned and said, "Well…with the average weight of a seventeen-year-old and acceleration due to gravity…the impact shouldn't be fatal. But still…ouch."
"Ouch." Yoku repeated.
"Shouldn't we try to help her?" Colette asked.
"Colette!" Yoku said in slightly cracked voice, "She just tried to kill you! Serve her right for falling down a pit."
"She's right." Raine said, "If you hadn't flipped that switch, you would've been killed Colette."
"That girl must have the worst luck in the world to end up standing on a trapdoor…" Lloyd said.
"It's a maintenance shaft." Yoku said, "There's a mine not too far away from here."
"But…" Colette said looking down the shaft.
"Leave her be." Yoku said, "We should get a move on anyway."
"Yoku's right." Kratos said, "The footing here is poor and we shouldn't dawdle here anyway."
Raine pulled the switch closing the shaft so no one else would fall down on accident. Colette still looked worried about her attacker, something that didn't happen everyday…
"When we get through here, Izoold will only be a few hours away." Yoku said, "Good thing there's no rockslide or it would take us forever to get there."
"You said it." Lloyd said, "Didn't it take you uh…four days? Due to a rock-slide?"
Yoku ignored Lloyd.
"I can't wait to see Palmacoasta!" Genis said.
"You'll see it soon enough." Raine said.
As they passed a boarded up mine entrance the boards fell down. The assassin was there-fuming.
"STOP!" She shouted, "You're not going to be so lucky this time."
"Oh, thank goodness you're all right." Colette said walking up to her.
Lloyd was gaping at Colette as if fearful for her sanity. The assassin was looking at Colette with an expression that clearly said: "Is she always like this?".
"D-don't move!"
"A wise decision," Raine said pulling her Battle Staff out.
"CHOSEN ONE PREPARE TO DIE!" the girl rushed at Colette so suddenly she plowed Lloyd over. Lloyd rolled and drew his twin blades out simultaneously.
"You'll have to get pass me first!" Lloyd shouted.
"GAURDIAN! WIND!" A large skeletal creature emerged from the scroll the girl was holding, "You thought I'd be a pushover huh?"
"MANA ARROW!" Yoku shouted firing an arrow at the assassin. She easily dodged it and when she glanced at Yoku, it was almost as if she recognized her.
"DEMON FANG!" Lloyd shouted slashing at the assassin. She exploded into a cloud of, "PAPER?"
"PYRE SEAL!"
Lloyd was thrown forwards by the blast of the spell he landed in a crumpled heap near the mine entrance.
"ANGEL FEATHERS!" Colette shouted, her fuchsia wings glowed and several bright feathers shot at the Wind Guardian.
"STALAGMITE!" Yoku shouted, this time attacking the real assassin.
"FIRST AID!" Kratos shouted healing Lloyd.
"Thanks…" Lloyd said wiping blood off his mouth.
"PHOTON!" Raine shouted. The Wind Guardian crumpled when the attack hit.
"RAIN OF MIST!" Several mist shrouded arrows struck the Wind Guardian.
"DOUBLE DEMON FANG!" Kratos shouted cutting through the assassin.
"ARRRGGGGHHHH! TAKE…THIS! CORRINE!"
A small fox-like creature hit Kratos right in the gut. He grunted stumbling backwards. The creature then bonked Genis on the head.
"HEY! That hurt!" Genis shouted, "FIREBALL!"
The creature vanished in a puff of smoke. Yoku shot another arrow at the Wind Guardian. Finally, it disappeared.
"One down," Lloyd said.
"One to go," Yoku finished for him.
"PYRE SEAL!" the assassin rushed at Colette again. Colette tried to dodge, but tripped in mid-air. This also caused her attacker to trip an fall on her face.
"Owww…." She scrambled upright stepped backwards and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Who was she?" Lloyd asked.
"I think she may have been a Kunoichi." Yoku said.
"Kun…oi…chi?" Lloyd asked.
"A female Ninja."
"Nin…ja?"
"They're a race of warriors." Yoku said, "They usually relay on stealth on agility rather than brawn alone."
"We should get a move on." Kratos said, "She might decide to come back-with friends."
"Yeah, he's right." Yoku said, "And having to fight an army of Ninjas is a real pain in the butt."
"Tell me about it." Lloyd said rubbing the area where he had been hit.
"Hey, isn't that the exit?" Genis asked pointing down the trail.
"Yeah." Yoku said, "Hopefully someone will have a boat we can hire."
"I hope we meet that girl again." Colette said.
"WHAT?" Both Lloyd and Yoku shouted in unison.
"I hope we can be friends!" Colette said.
"Colette, that girl was an assassin." Lloyd groaned.
"Yes, like me, an AS-SAS-IN. She was hired to kill you Colette!" Yoku groaned.
"You do know what assassins do for a living…"
Colette didn't even seem to hear them, "I'm sure we'll get along when we ask her name."
(A/N: Colette's more of bimbo than I thought…)
"Ok…so how far is Izoold?"
"About one or two hours away from here." Yoku said shouldering her bow.
Izoold
"Phew! It smells like fish!" Lloyd said, "This must be a fishing village."
"Ahhhh…." Colette said, "The air smells so nice and salty."
"Yeah," Yoku said, "I don't know how anyone can get along without salty air."
Raine was deep in thought.
"Professor, is something wrong?" Lloyd asked.
"It's about that woman…weren't her clothes…rather…unique..?"
"Maybe she was raised by a Dwarf too!" Lloyd suggested, "My dad made my clothes for me. Didn't her outfit look similar to my clothes?"
"Is this what happens when one is raised by a Dwarf?" Kratos asked chuckling.
Colette and Genis giggled. Yoku chuckled, grinning.
"I don't think so Lloyd, her outfit didn't look remotely similar to yours." Yoku said.
"Tch…" Lloyd said.
"Let's go get a boat now." Genis said impatiently.
"Let's see…Max might be here. He has a boat." Yoku said.
At the port
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T?" Yoku shouted at Max, "This is important you know!"
"She's scary when she's mad…" Genis said.
Max cowered in front of the angry Yoku, "L-look Yoku…I would but I can't I have a date with Layla…"
"THAT'S IT?" Yoku shouted.
Max nodded and backed away toward his boat, "You're the one who dumped me."
"You dumped him?" Lloyd asked, "Were you two going out?"
"Shut up Lloyd." Yoku said icily.
Max turned on his heel and ignored the party. No matter how much Yoku tried, even with Lloyd's help to get his attention on ferrying them to Palmacoasta.
"We'll just have to get Layla to talk him into it." Yoku said.
After asking around they were told that Layla lived in the north-west area of the village.
"Let's see if she can help us." Yoku said knocking on the door. A red head woman opened the door.
"Can I help you?" She asked adjusting her cap.
"Yes," Yoku said, "Max won't ferry us to Palma-."
"YES THIS IS IT!" Layla shouted interrupting Yoku. She dashed out of the house nearly mowing Yoku over.
"What the heck…was that about?" Genis asked.
"Well…we won't find out by standing here…" Kratos said.
Back at the port
"Layla…I told them no! We're going out today…" Max moaned.
"You will ferry them to Palmacoasta. You did after-all chased this attractive young lady around since the third grade."
"She called Yoku attractive." Colette said.
Layla sighed heavily and turned to Yoku, "I'll make him ferry you and your friends to Palmacoasta, if you deliver this letter to my dear sweet Airfried."
"Who-?" Genis asked.
"He's a pirate." Yoku said, "I've heard of him."
"Ok." Colette said, "We'll deliver it to him."
"Thanks." Layla said, "Now you've got no choice but to ferry them and possibly continue unrequited love for Yoku."
"Don't bother Max; I didn't have much time for boyfriends anyway." Yoku said tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
Max sighed with a look of disappointment and defeat on his face, "Ok, all aboard."
"YAAAY! PALMACOASTA HERE WE COME!" Genis cheered leaping up and down on the boat.
"HEY! CAREFUL!" Max wailed, "Last kid who did that fell off! Lucky for him he could swim."
"Oops…" Genis said.
"You don't know how to swim dontcha?" Yoku asked.
Genis shook his head looking overwhelmed. Raine meanwhile was trying hard as she could to stay put in the middle.
"This boat is far too small." She said critically, "Someone could easily fall off."
"Sorry if my boat is that small…but I don't have a lot of pocket money-so you happy?"
"Are we there yet?" Lloyd asked.
"It's only been ten minutes and NOW you're asking that?" Genis asked.
"I only say that line when we happen to be halfway…" Yoku said.
Kratos said nothing. (MAN. He's passive.)
Colette pointed at one of the clouds and said, "That one looks like a bunny."
"It looks like fingers…" Lloyd said, "If you turn your head."
"Oh, sorry." Colette said, "I didn't know it was fingers."
"You don't need to apologize…" Lloyd groaned, "I said it looked like fingers if you turned your head; that's all…"
"Oh, sorry." Colette said.
"No need to apologize…" Lloyd said.
"Sorry…" Colette said.
"Never mind…" Lloyd said shaking his head.
"Is she always like this?" Yoku asked.
Lloyd nodded, "You don't know the half of it…" Lloyd felt his stomach flip-flop again, Why am I feeling like this around Yoku? Maybe it's empathy…I mean…we went through similar problems…Only…she had it worse…
"Hey! I think I can see Palmacoasta now!" Max said.
"Yaaaaaaaaay! We're gonna see Palmacoasta!" Genis and Colette cheered.
They're like kids in a candy store…Yoku thought grinning, "We can crash at my house. There's plenty of room."
Finally…Max's boat docked at Palmacoasta.
"Annnnn-d disembark." He said, "Enjoy your stay in Palmacoasta."
"Finally…we're here…" Lloyd said, "I thought I was going to die of boredom…"
"You do get bored easily…Genis wasn't kidding." Yoku said.
"What?" Lloyd shouted indignantly, "What has Genis been telling you Yoku?"
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SANGOCHAN: HAHAHA! What a great way to round off a chapter! Keep checking fooooooooooooooooooooor…(Drumroll) Chapter Nine: Palmacoasta- The city by the Sea.