AN: Alrighty... Second chapter... Not much to say here...
Eien Kaosu: Well. To go along with his personality change, I had changed his dagger to a Cursayer, which is the other lvl 90 weapon for STR bandits... Did I not change all the names? Ah well... (Goes back and rewrites...) Chase... Chase... Eh. I won't say. Seifer's cool, in my opinion at least, and his alikeness to Ryker becomes kinda important to the plot... Kinda...
Attic-Window: They changed... -Looks around cautiously- And Aradia coulda cracked... Ryker coulda too... Maaaybe...
Judgment Flame: Eh... Ryker doesn't like sympathy. He really changed over the years...
Cookie: Everyone's taking Hien as the comic relief... Ah well. He's pretty funny.
Planting his staff firmly in the ground, Hien began to chant under his breath. Seifer looked on with a bored expression. "Hurry it up, Hien. I wanna get some breakfast, I'm starving!"
Sighing, Hien sped up his lengthy chant and raised his arms. The several Red Snails in the surrounding fields turned suddenly into Blue Snails. "O-okay... I f-finished."
"Hmm... Wasn't much of a down-grade. You know, if you really wanted to practice Doom effectively... You'd probably have to go somewhere... Maybe... Victoria Island..."
"W-well... S-Seifer, you already got me to agree to go with you to Victoria..."
"I know. I'm just reinforcing it just in case you wimp out or something..."
"W-why would I w-wimp out?"
"Your stutter just answered your question."
Hien gaped at Seifer as he strode off. "W-wait... W-what do you mean by that?"
Seifer waved over his shoulder. "Nothing! I'm gonna go snoop around the harbor, see if I can find a ship that's headin' out soon... Maybe we can... commandeer one..."
Hien sighed and continued working on his spells. "H-he can be so--"
"Talking aloud to yourself again?" Alex stepped from the shadows and stood casually to the side as Hien stammered out a greeting.
"M-Master Alexei! W-what are you doing here?"
Alex smiled slightly. "I like to know what my apprentice is up to. He can get himself into trouble sometimes..." Hien nodded and Alex started to walk off. "Well, good luck with the training!"
Hien nodded. "A-alright..." Just how much did he overhear?
XxX
Aradia swung wildly through the streets. "Ah! Ayrill it's a glorious day to be alive!"
Ayrill watched, stunned, as her mentor pirouetted through the streets of Southperry. "Umm... Are you alright Aradia?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well... You're acting strange..."
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" She said, beaming.
Are you hiding again? Why Aradia? What could it be that was so bad... What was it that you have to repress to forcefully?
XxX
"Hey, you know of any ships a me and a friend could charter?"
The fisherman looked up at Seifer, perplexed. "Ah, why would you be askin', lad?"
Seifer smiled reassuringly. "Well, I've had this fascination with the sea since I was young and I just wanna see what's like, ya know what I mean?"
The fisherman smiled. "Aye, that's the call of the sea... We've all been beckoned to her at some point... But it's particularly dangerous out there now, lad."
Seifer blinked in surprise. "Really? Why?"
"Ah, you wouldn't want to listen to the ramblings of an old fisherman..."
"No, c'mon! Tell me!"
"Alright... They say the monsters from the legendary Dungeon under the sea have come up to the surface. They even say the Doom Flounder has coume too..."
"The... Doom Flounder?"
"Aye. It's the strongest monster in the deep..."
"Hmm... Thanks for the info, old man!" Siefer waved and began to walk away.
"Anytime, lad... Anytime."
XxX
"Lara... Please, come inside."
"No! Not until I see Ryker come back!" Lara, a dark-haired, bright-eyed beauty stood resolutely outside on the doorstep of her family's house. If you can call this a house, She thought bitterly.
"He won't be back for a while, you can't stay out there the whole time... What if you're seen?"
"Mom! Don't worry so much! I can--"
"You really should go inside, Laramie." Ryker spoke softly, his voice a mix of stern and affection.
Lara stiffened in surprise. "Ryker! My name's Lara! Not Laramie! Laramie's so... Angsty. When did you come back? I didn't see you come in..."
"Good. That means Kronos didn't either." Ryker slipped away, a shadow among the pristinely white stone that was the Golem's Temple.
"He's too old for you, Lara." Lara's mother said quietly. "Lara? Where'd you go?"
XxX
The normal jungle ambience was disturbed by the soft rustling of the leaves as Kronos stalked through the wilderness. "I assume you have some information for me."
The young girl stiffened. "Y-yes, master."
"Good."
"He's back."
"Is that all?"
"No... I brought the location of Kryptos."
"I've known that all along, girl."
"I... I'm sorry, master."
"Very well. Go, and next time I see you, I want more... important information."
"Of course."
"And they trust you completely?"
"O-of course master. They have no reason to doubt me."
"Good. I may be a demon lord, but I do need spies... And the Kryptos, at the moment, are my biggest threat."
XxX
"Seifer."
Seifer whipped around to face his mentor. "A-Alex! What are you doing here?"
Alexei sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You know full well why I'm here. Why do you seek to go to Victoria Island? I thought you didn't believe it existed."
"I never said I did. I just--"
"You're looking for adventure, correct?"
Seifer glanced up, but hid his surprise. "Yeah..."
"Well, I'm afraid I can't allow you to go."
Seifer clenched his fists. "So know we get down to the real conversation." He looked up to find he was talking to thin air. "Ale--"
Alex placed his sword-tip at Seifer's throat. "You are not going."
Seifer backed up. "Why? Why do you want me to stay here?"
"I have seen the devastation Kronos can wreak I--"
"I don't care! I can take him on!"
"No you can't! I forbid you to go!"
Seifer whirled on his master. Almost in slow-motion, Seifer hurtled past Alexei. Sliding to a halt, Seifer punched Alex in the back. "I'm going!"
"You strike your own mentor?"
"You can't stop me."
Seifer pushed past his mentor angrily. Alexei made no move to stop him. He's becoming more and more like a man he's never even met...
AN: How was it? Was it relatively good? Well, feel free to review. See ya next time...