Star Ocean: The Novelization
Chapter One: The Clatos Brigade
Clatos, a Town on the Planet of "Roak"
Roak, an earth-like planet somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy. A shadow of glorious days past, but yet still a beautiful, seemingly untouched by advanced civilization, world. However, as of recent, a horrible pestilence has begun to eat away at the residents, an odd malady that turns whoever it infects into stone. In fact, only the continent of Moore, the continent Clatos was on, remained untouched by it for the moment…. But all that was about to change, but not just yet…
On the streets of the town, a figure ran past other residents, towards a house on a hill next to the town's north exit. A girl, in her late teens was the person in question, her maroon-blond hair bobbing with each hurried step. She seemed to have a very agile, feline grace to her movements, and for good reason, which could be told by the feature swishing behind her…a bushy tail, its fur the same color as her hair. This girl was no Human, rather, she was a being called a "Fellpool". While humans were descended from apes, the Fellpool race was descended from cats. Other than the telltale, er, tail, their ears were also pointed and elflike and much better at hearing than any human's.
"Gyaaa," she squeaked "I'm gonna be la-ate! That's Ratix's forte, not mine!"
Speaking of Ratix…
"Man, it's quiet around here." spoke a male voice. The owner of this voice was another Fellpool, with short, platinum blond hair. His eyes always seemed to have a happy tone, seemingly eternally shut. If you would be able to see the color of his eyes, you would be completely mesmerized by their brilliant emerald green hue. He wore a red bandanna around his head, and bluish-silver armor over a short tunic that ended above the knees, his legs below them wrapped in completely white material all the way to his toes. This however, is not the Ratix in question, rather, he is Ratix's best friend and fellow guardsman of the town, by the name of Dorn Marto.
"Yeah, but quiet also means peaceful." responded another male. This was Ratix Farrence, the hero of our tale. Like Dorn, he was also of the Fellpool race, and wore the same kind of armor, only with intricate yellow designs engraved onto it. He also wore a headband, a dark green one. Other than that, his style of dress was completely different from his friend's, a brown, long-sleeved shirt, a pair of pants the same color, he wore boots with armored greaves strapped to them. And then, there was his cape, brilliant and long, the same color as the rest of his clothing. His hair was a blackish blue, and would be truly unruly and flyaway if not for it being tied back into a ponytail. Like Dorn's, Ratix's eyes were green, but rather dull in comparison.
"What do you think of Milly?" Dorn suddenly asked.
Ratix's face turned into a look of questioning at that statement.
"Hmm… what do you mean?"
"This is just between you and me, but… she's so full of herself! And she's a tomboy…"
Ratix's face changed right there and then, as the girl from before entered the room, Dorn too busy with his talking to notice either her or Ratix's uneasy face. The girl's face became shocked for a second, as she began to walk forward, clenching her fists as Dorn continued. This girl, of course, was the Milly in question.
"On top of that, she's kinda dumb…"
The girl's face was now contorted with anger, a vein on her forehead already bulging.
"And she's also a bit of a loudmouth, too-OOF!"
That's when the girl's fist slammed into Dorn's back, and really hard at that.
"And just WHO are we talking about!" she exclaimed with a slight growl.
With that, Dorn turned around in surprise, and began to stammer and sweat profusely.
"Er, er, uhm…"
"You should be doing your JOB, NOT sitting around and talking!" she squawked.
"I told you, there's nothing to do!" Dorn whimpered, bracing for another hit from the girl.
At last, Milly calmed down a bit.
"Why don't you go patrol… or something. Heh, I'll even come with you."
"Looks like I'm stuck…" Dorn muttered to himself in annoyance.
Ratix nonchalantly got up and the trio went out to do their patrolling. And just in the nick of time too, because just as they got outside…
"What the--!"
Two figures bound across the roof of one of the buildings, dressed completely in gray, pants, shirts, and caps, even their tails. They leapt down, right next to a bystander, and the two looked at him, grinning, brandishing their knives.
"H-help! Thieves!" the bystander shouted as he ran.
Meanwhile, at the south entrance of town, more people ran as another pair of the thieves came through the gate, chuckling, tossing their blades from one hand to the other.
"Just great." Ratix mumbled.
"What are we waiting for! Let's teach 'em a lesson!" Milly cried.
"I'm ready." Dorn said, brandishing his broadsword as Ratix did the same with his thin-bladed one. Milly, having no weapon decided to stay behind and let them take care of the work. With that, the two boys ran towards two of the thieves. "You're going down!"
The thieves turned around in surprise, looked at each other, and chuckled, running forward, their knives drawn and ready.
Swords clashed with daggers as the two parties dueled, neither getting in a hit, both were swift, and both knew how to fight quite well.
Ratix bent over backwards dodging a slash from the knife of the thief, and giving him the chance to make a move, he swiped his sword, grazing the thief in the chest, slashing up his shirt and cutting a horizontal gash into him, green ichor seeping from the cut. With that, the thief backed up and ran for his life.
Meanwhile, Dorn was still fighting the other, the thief's knife missing him entirely as he jumped back. Dorn took this chance to swipe down, relieving the thief of his right arm. The thief screamed and cursed, looking at his twitching arm laying on the ground. He began to retreat, but the lack of blood soon got to him and he passed out cold only feet from the south exit.
The other thieves saw this, and looked at each other, and then the two charging them, then each other again.
"Gotta run!" they both exclaimed and fled, jumping over their fallen comrade, running behind another figure, a fat, slouched figure wielding an axe, and wearing a green Viking helmet. This guy was Baird, one of the most wanted men on the Moore continent.
"They's tougha than we thought, ain't dey?" exclaimed the thief, named Bitts, who had gotten the chest wound.
Baird scoffed.
"Don't make me laugh! They's nothin' but kids! Lemme show youse how it's done…"
"We're not kids!" Ratix shouted in offense "We're members of the Clatos Brigade!"
"Don't talk to us like that just because your guys are wimps…" Dorn said matter of factly.
"Yeah!" Milly chorused, keeping her distance by just a bit as she raised her hand towards the armless thief, sparkles suddenly engulfing the stump, the bleeding stopping and the wound healing cleanly. That thief had lost his arm, but his life would be spared, this time. Still, he stayed prone for the moment. "You weaklings."
"What didja say!" Baird bellowed angrily, checking the sharpness of his axe with his thumb.
"Let's get 'em, boss!" Bitts yelled, as the four criminals charged.
Now, the real fight was on. The thieves weren't the big problem, Baird was. He smashed straight through Ratix and Dorn's defenses, knocking them backwards and away. Luckily, their armor saved them from any real harm other than some bruising. Ratix got up again, just as Bitts ran up from behind, knife ready to exact revenge on his body.
"Look out, behind you!" Dorn yelled, just in the nick of time as Ratix whirled around, his sword finding itself going through Bitts' torso, fatally wounding him, a state of shock etched on his face.
The other two thieves rushed Ratix in anger, but Dorn smashed the flat of his sword on one's head, knocking him out cold, his free hand punching the other in the face, sending him falling flat on his back, green pouring form his nose.
Baird was absolutely pissed off now, and roared, swinging his axe at Dorn, slashing into his shoulder. Baird grinned and raised it to strike the killing blow to Dorn's head, only to have his arms cut off at the elbows by Ratix, his axe flying wildly into the air, before landing in Baird's skull, this helmet falling to the ground in two as his body landed on his face with a sharp thud, the green quickly pooling underneath him.
After a few minutes, the trio cleaned up the mess and tied up the survivors. The townspeople began to give their thanks.
"It was nothing…" Ratix told the crowd "It's just what we do. It's our job."
Milly began to giggle and laugh at this.
"Huh, aren't you cool."
Ratix turned to Milly and gave her a dirty look, grumbling, as she simply stuck out her tongue.
Later that evening, the three brigadiers were now at Ratix's house.
Ratix's mother, who had hair like his, and wore a green dress, walked to the group, holding a tray with several teacups.
"Your tea is ready." she said with a smile "Please make yourself at home."
Milly took the tray with a smile, placing it between her and Dorn, Ratix shaking his head, not in the mood for some at the moment.
"Those thieves were a piece of cake, wouldn't you say?" Dorn asked, taking a sip.
Milly giggled.
"What are you talking about? They were pretty dangerous."
Ratix stayed silent, turning away a little.
"Ratix, what's wrong, you don't seem too cheerful." Milly said.
"He's been like this lately." his mother said, sighing, as Ratix stared out the window at the stars.
After a while, Milly and Dorn were set to leave.
"See you later." Dorn said, giving a wave.
"Okay." Ratix replied, still looking distant.
"Show us a happy face tomorrow, Ratix." Milly responded, truly worried as they two turned around and left, thanking Ratix's mother.
"Come back again." she responded.
With that, Ratix wandered off to his room, putting on his nightclothes, and plopping down on the bed, and snuggled under the covers, his face still filled with doubt.
"Because being quiet means it's peaceful?" he sighed, closing his eyes and struggled to get some sleep. Finally, he drifted off.
To be continued.