Chapter 3: The Observer
Wandering the fields of Renais is a young man with almond-colored hair that's semi-spiky while wearing a traveler's garb of maroon and black with maroon cloak, black & maroon shirt with black pants and brown boots. The man has a completely blank look on his face as he wanders around.
The man wanders through the village of Ide, and sees the people going about their business. Though his face is expressionless, you can almost tell there's a tone of curiosity and wonder.
He soon sees two kids playing with a ball, until the boy throws the ball a bit hard, and it goes past the girl, soon bouncing until it touches the man's foot.
As the girl grabs the ball, she looks at the blank-faced man looking at her and says, "Who are you? I haven't seen you here before."
"That is because I just arrived." says the man in an emotionless tone.
The girl looks curiously at the man, but then smiles and asks, "Do you want to play with my brother and me?"
"Play? What is that? That sounds like something you refer to as a verb." says the man. "It is... One I'm not familiar with."
"You don't know what playing means? That's odd. Even kids know what playing means." says the girl.
"There is much I do not know about you or your species." says the man. "Human emotions and actions, I do not understand."
"You're kind of weird." says the girl. She then smiles and giggles, then says, "But you're also kind of funny."
"Weird. Funny. Two words that are very different, yet also can be used in a similar context." says the man. "There is much that makes me wonder how such illogical acts can be so commonplace among your kind."
The girl laughs and says, "You're almost more of a kid than I am!"
"I suppose one would think that... Even though I am beyond mortal comprehension." says the man. "And I guess you might be afraid of what I said being one, so... No it is not what you call an insult. It is what you call fact."
The girl laughs again and says, "Come on, mister. We'll teach you how to play. Um, what DO I call you?"
"For many eons, I have only known myself by the personification, Ophis." says the man.
"Okay, Ophis! Come on! My brother and I will show you how to play!" says the girl.
Ophis follows the girl almost robotically.
"Okay, watch me, Mr. Ophis! I'm going to throw to my brother, and he's going to throw it to me." says the girl.
"I am watching. Closely as you would put it." says Ophis.
The girl throws the ball to the boy, and he throws it back, both continuing this for a bit.
"Do you see how to do it, Mr. Ophis?" asks the girl.
"So, that is how you 'play'? You throw a bouncy, round object back and forth? Seems too simple to be considered fun. I do not understand the logic." says Ophis.
"There's no logic needed!" says the boy. "You just throw a ball between each other and see if you can catch it! What's not to understand? Here, try it!"
The boy throws the ball to Ophis, but it just hits him, the odd man not bothering to lift his arms to catch it.
"Oops! Sorry. But you're supposed to catch the ball." says the boy.
"I am sorry. I do not fully understand. Give me another chance, please." says Ophis.
"Sure, and remember, you got to catch the ball exactly." says the boy.
The boy takes the ball back and readies to throw it as he asks, "You ready this time?"
Ophis gives a single nod.
The boy throws the ball, and Ophis throws up his arms with supersonic speed, catching the ball instantly.
"Hey! That was good! And pretty good reflexes too." says the boy.
"I believe the proper term I give to you for your 'compliment' is 'thank you'." says Ophis.
"Now throw it to me, but not so hard. Just... Toss it." says the boy.
Remembering what he saw, Ophis throws the ball back to the boy, and he catches it, saying, "Yeah! That's it! You have the idea now?"
"For some reason, I believe I do." says Ophis.
"Then let's play!" says the girl.
And with that, the three get down to playing.
However, outside the village, trouble is brewing as a bandit says, "Ah, here's the village! Bone and his crew ransacked it before, but lost their lives doing so."
"We've managed to get enough time to lick our wounds those two years, and now, we're about to avenge Bone!" says another bandit.
"I believe one of the ones of that village that defeated our guys was named Garcia." says the bandit looking like the leader. "They say he was a feared Renaian general, but that won't mean squat when we bring this place to the ground, and for good this time! Alright, you scoundrels! Take up all the exits, and blockade the place! I'll take the front with some men, and we're going to force 'The Great Garcia' to face us for real!"
And with that, the bandits get to work.
Meanwhile, Ophis continues to play with the boy and girl until suddenly, a woman's voice shouts, "BANDITS!"
"Huh?" asks Ophis.
"Bandits!? Now!?" asks the boy.
"No, not now!" says the girl.
"Bandits? What are bandits? From your tone, they sound bad." says Ophis.
"Are you kidding!? Bandits are the worst! They raid and pillage villages, and hurt innocent people!" says the boy. "But... Maybe Garcia and his son will help us."
"Y-Yeah! That's right! We have Garcia and Ross! W-We have nothing to fear!" says the girl. "They helped defeat the Demon King after all."
However, as they say that, bandits almost flood the area, and both Garcia and Ross come out in time to fight off some until some bandits start taking hostages and the leader comes in and says, "Simpletons of Ide! Listen and listen well! We want the one known as Garcia to come and face us!"
"I am he!" says Garcia. "What do you want?"
"Ah! So it was you and your brat that killed Bone!" says the leader.
"You mean that two-bit, brain dead numb-skull that attacked our village 2 years ago? Yeah, I couldn't forget him!" says Ross. "Dad made minced meat out of that guy! Good thing, because it was him that I got injured in the first place!"
"And if you've come to finish the job, you're making a grave mistake!" says Garcia.
"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but my men have this place surrounded, and your people too weak to do anything!" says the leader.
"So, these are bandits." says Ophis. "Why would they do something so meaningless?"
"Bandits don't need meaning; they're just evil!" says the boy.
"Huh? Who said that? You, you little brat?" asks the leader. "You've got a lot of nerve!"
Ophis then walks out in front of the bandits.
"Oh, so it seems another wants to be a hero." says the leader.
"I am not a hero; I do not know what that is." says Ophis. "I just want to know why do you all do something so illogical and unproductive. Do you do this for... enjoyment? To hold dominance? To become successful?"
"Yes to all three!" says the leader.
"But why? Why do people have to be sacrificed just for such things? It does not make sense." says Ophis.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Were you born under a rock, pal?" asks the leader.
"No, I was not born under such a thing. But... I do dwell beneath the ground." says Ophis. "I've done so for an amount of time that mortals like you could not comprehend."
"I wasn't meant to be taken literally." says the leader. "Listen, we're bandits! If we see something, we take it! And if no one hands it over willingly, we take it out of their hides! Simple as that! Even an idiot like you should understand that!"
"Idiot? What is an idiot? I am not an idiot; I've never heard of such a thing. Are you an idiot?" asks Ophis.
Getting really riled up, the leader says, "Okay, wise guy! If you're trying to piss me off, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"
"But... I have not yet fulfilled my mission." says Ophis. "And what do you mean by 'piss off'? Do you mean as in me doing the human action of urination on someone?"
"ARRRGGH!" shouts the leader. "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU, YOU MORON! YOU'RE GOING TO BE SORRY FOR EVEN GETTING ON THE BAD SIDE OF THE DREADED NAGAR!"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE JUST DOESN'T KNOW ANY BETTER!" shouts the girl.
"Oh yeah? Well here's an answer to you! GARY!" shouts Nagar.
A bandit archer fires an arrow at the girl, but she dodges, the arrow hitting and deflating the ball.
"Oh no! Our ball!" says the boy.
The girl begins to well up with tears and cry.
"Ugh! I can't stand today! Put those kids out of their misery!" says Nagar.
Garcia and Ross try to act, but something sparks inside Ophis and he says, "If you're going to bring harm on such people, then you've made a grave miscalculation."
Suddenly, like out of a sci-fi horror movie, large, black and green, bone-like tendrils burst out of Ophis's back, one at a time until there are four, green liquid splatting out as it happens, horrifying everyone, villagers AND bandits.
"Wh-What!? What is he!?" asks a bandit.
"Oh gods!" says Nagar. "What the hell kind of freak are you!?
"Something you could never understand." says Ophis. "Goodbye, Mr. Idiot."
Soon, a tendril stretches out in the blink of an eye, impaling Nagar through the heart, lifting him up like he weighs nothing, and tosses him like yesterday's trash.
"He's... HE'S A MONSTER!" shouts a bandit. "A LEFTOVER OF THE DEMON KING!"
"Calling me things I do not know will not change the outcome." says Ophis.
Archers fire their arrows at him, and they indeed hit. But Ophis doesn't seem a bit phased as they all get pushed out of his body.
"So you wish to fight from a distance." says Ophis. "I can do that too."
Soon, Ophis's tendrils begin to fire searing beams from the end points, scorching bandits to where they burst into flame-like energy before becoming charred skeletons in an instant.
The bandits now more terrified than ever, one says, "SCREW THIS SHIT! I'M OUT OF HERE!"
"Me too!" says another bandit.
The bandits then try to run, but Ophis's tendrils fire more lasers, each one searing the bandits - each one screaming in bloody agony as they get hit, the energy destroying their flesh and organs - to a smoldering skeleton until all are dead.
Though the bandits are dead, the villagers are still frozen with fear, and Garcia approaches Ophis and shouts, "What kind of being are you!? Are you here to hurt us as well!?"
Ophis looks at Garcia and says, "I just saved your village. Is that not enough to show I mean you no harm?"
"Dad, don't confront him." says Ross. "You saw what he did. If he wanted to destroy this village, he could have any time he wanted to."
Realizing Ross has a point, Garcia lowers his aggression.
Ophis pulls his tendrils back in and says, "It seems my presence concerns you all. For that, I will leave." Ophis bows politely and says, "I believe the human term for one departing is 'have a good day'."
And with that, in robotic motion, Ophis leaves the village.
"Who is that guy?" asks Ross.
"I don't know, Son." says Garcia. "But I've got this gut feeling we'll see him again one day."
- An Old Grudge -
Ester continues to roam the land of Renais as she moves forward, her companions back in their orb forms.
Ester's stomach growls a bit, and she says, "I'm getting a little hungry, but we don't exactly have any money. And I don't want to scare any more humans. Maybe we should do some hunting."
"That might be for the best." says Aiya.
"There should be plenty of game in the woods around here." says Sergus.
"Very well." says Ester. "Let's hunt for some food."
Ester soon catches wind of what looks to be a black bear.
"Alright, there's something I could eat." says Ester.
"So how do we approach this?" asks Sergus.
"We could hunt it from a distance since bears are territorial." says Aiya. "But I doubt it'll be a problem with Ester's strength and stamina."
"Ah, I think I'll just kill it from a distance." says Ester. "But how to go about that. I wonder..."
"Just to let you know, we can also produce weapons with our energies, so you can use that to do your hunting." says Sergus.
"Very well. Do that." says Ester.
Soon, in his Eye of Chaos form, Sergus forms a sword of red energy, then shoots it forward, hitting the bear in the neck, causing it to keel over dead.
"That was good." says Ester. "Now we can eat."
Later on, near a campfire, Ester is eating the cooked bear meat and says, "Mmm... Pretty good. Should do more than to keep me full until I can think of what to do while on the road like this."
"Suffice it to say, we may have to be around humans if we're to get anywhere." says Aiya. "I know it's a risk right now, especially considering you'll have to drink more blood or feast on more souls to get your powers back."
"I figured as much, but... I don't know how I should go about it." says Ester.
"Neither do we, but we'll need to be around some humans in order to get a true sense of direction." says Sergus.
Soon, from a small distance, a man in a black and yellow robe while having brown hair and beard sees Ester. As he does, he flashes a menacing grin on his face.
The man gets up closer and says, "Well, well... It seems you've awoken at last."
The vampire and her two orb companions look to see the man there.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" asks Ester. "No, I wouldn't. I don't know anything right now. But curious, you seem to know me."
"Indeed, I do, and all too well." says the man.
"Then do you know how and why I got my powers?" asks Ester. "Please, I need to remember my past."
"Oh, there's no need in that case." says the man. "You do not need to know. And you most recently do not need to live." As the man says that last line, he pulls out a stone, which begins to glow, and soon, the man changes from his human form into a giant black and red dragon, roaring loudly with extreme fury.
"Huh? He's... A-A dragon!?" asks Ester.
"And I don't think he's going to let us go free." says Sergus. "Time to fight back!"
The dragon tries to smash Ester with its giant paw, but the vampiress jumps out of the way, and soon, her irises turn red while her pupils dilate, and she says, "Sergus! Aiya! Fight back!"
Ester sends her two orbs forward, soon both changing to their warrior forms, and attempt to strike the dragon, but it flies up, and soon begins to breathe a stream of fire at the three.
All three dodge out of the way barely in time, but the woods are catching on fire quick.
"Oh no! The forest is going to burn down! So much destruction will happen if he keeps this up!" says Ester.
"Ester, do you feel any more of your powers flowing into you?" asks Aiya.
"I-I... I think so." says Ester. "Let's try one!"
Ester throws her hand forward, and suddenly, from all directions, a volley of ice shards begin to pelt the dragon until he's completely frozen.
"Well, it's a start, but we need more of your powers active." says Aiya.
"Still, that should hold him maybe." says Sergus.
Suddenly, a glow of green begins to eminate from the ice.
"Or maybe not." says Sergus.
With a violent explosion, the ice breaks from a burst of green energy, and the dragon is now surging with more power.
"Ha! You really have gotten much weaker, Daywalker!" says the dragon. "Pity you never took part in much of the power I am currently using! Shame! But you can think long and hard on everything, including your transgressions, in the afterlife!"
Soon, the dragon begins to fire another blast of fire, but this one also glowing green.
"Uh-oh, I get the feeling this next one is going to be a lot stronger!" says Aiya. "Take cover!"
Ester and the other two jump as the dragon fires the green flame, this flame burning everything to the point the very trees it touches begin to deatomize in near nothingness.
"What kind of power is that!?" asks Ester. "It feels familiar, but I can't put my finger on it!"
"No time to wonder now!" says Sergus. "I don't think he's going to let up!"
As the three land, Ester feels an energy inside her, and she hears a voice go, "O mighty Daywalker! Use my power to bring my calming chill to this beast that wishes you no longer in this world! I am Crystala, the Maiden of Azure Ice! Summon me, your familiar of the winter winds!"
"I heard a voice, and I think I know what to do." says Ester. She closes her eyes as she stands up slowly, her right hand glowing with power as it turns dark with lines of blue running through it, and she raises her glowing hand into a fist as she shouts, "BLESSED FAMILIAR OF THE WINTER WINDS! COME FORTH AND DISPEL THE TERROR BEFORE ME! COME, MAIDEN OF AZURE ICE, CRYSTALA!"
Soon, emerging from an icy energy, appearing on some kind of throne from the looks of it is a light blue, skimpily-dressed woman that resembles Shiva from Final Fantasy XV as she stands up and gives a serious expression to the dragon that seeks to kill Ester.
"Ah, so her powers are returning." says the dragon. "Not that it matters much. I will see you dead, Daywalker! And I'm going to bring about your end, one way or another!"
Soon, with a wordless command from Ester, Crystala throws her left hand out, and catches the dragon in a massive wind tunnel of chilling ice, but the dragon fires its green flame to combat the ice with little trouble, though Crystala flies out of the way, and soon, multiple Crystalas show up and surround Ester as they ready to bring down the dragon. Soon, all but one of them begin to fly around until they all dissolve into chilling wind that begins to ice over the dragon in attempt to freeze him completely.
Unfortunately, the dragon is having none of it as he glows another green surge of energy and blows off the ice, sending all flying onto their backs, Crystala dissipating into particles.
"He's... He's so strong!" says Aiya.
"We can't let ourselves be defeated now!" says Sergus.
Not too far off is Ophis as he wanders the woods, but soon gets a sensation.
"I sense... Pieces of it. Pieces of my power." says Ophis. "It seems someone is using my powers at this time. And so, my mission truly begins."
Wasting no time, Ophis runs forward towards the battle.
The dragon flies over Ester and the two representations of her powers, and he says, "Ah, what a pity, what a pity. All this time in wanting to get my revenge, and the target of my ire has become so pathetically weak. All the good sealing you away did. Well, no time to wax sympathetic or disappointed. It's time to rid this world of you for good, Daywalker!"
As the dragon is about to fire another flame breath, he gets a look of fear in his eyes, and flies out of the way to dodge a beam made for him that disintegrates a tree much like his flames did.
"Oh no! He can't be here! Not after all these years!" says the dragon with legit panic.
"So, one has decided to use my power in such a way I do not deem acceptable." says Ophis as he appears, the four tendrils already emerged from his back. "I do believe I will take my power back now. By force if you prove to be too, as the human word would describe one, stubborn."
Truly fearful for his life, the dragon says, "No way am I staying here now! I've got to run!"
The dragon flies away as fast as he can, Ophis firing beams at the dragon from his tendrils, but thankfully, the dragon's aerodynamic wings and the energy he's using make for a speedy getaway.
"Alas, my mission continues." says Ophis. "Perhaps it will for a long time. But I have as long as it takes for anyone of my kind."
"Who is that?" asks Sergus.
"I don't know, but... He did save us. Though unintentionally from the looks of things." says Aiya.
"Uh, thank you, whoever... Or whatever you are." says Ester.
Ophis turns to the three and says, "Not many have told me thank you. I saw you were in danger, but I did not think you'd take it personal in such a way."
"Well, that dragon was about to kill me, so... Even if you didn't mean it, thank you." says Ester. She stands up, brushes herself off and says, "I'm Ester. I don't remember much, but it's nice to meet you. Oh, these two with me are Sergus, the big, red scary one, and the other being Aiya."
"I do not believe I have seen beings like you before." says Ophis. "I can tell Sergus and Aiya are not human, but for you Ester, you look human, but are not in such a way. Or perhaps you are. There are many energies within you that it is confusing to me."
"Well, basically, I don't know how it happened, but I'm a vampire." says Ester.
"Vampire. I do not believe I am familiar with such a being." says Ophis.
"Really?" asks Ester. "Who are you, anyway?"
"For many eons, I have chosen to identify as Ophis." says Ophis.
"Ophis, is it? I can tell you're not human yourself." says Ester. "With those... things... Coming out of your back."
"Indeed. I am beyond mortal comprehension, existing for many years under the ground." says Ophis. "I am merely using this vessel, what one would call a 'puppet' to observe the world above and find the missing fragments of my power while my actual body lies beneath the earth, beneath the ocean."
"I see." says Ester. "Ophis, do you mind if we travel together?"
"You wish to travel with me? Why?" asks Ophis.
"Well, I'm pretty lost right now, and you seem to be the same yourself." says Ester. "Perhaps if we stick together, we can look out for one another. What do you say?"
"I see the logic behind your statement, if only a little, and it is true I do not have much direction." says Ophis. "Very well. I do not know why, but you are a curious person. Even if you did not ask, I would still choose to accompany you."
"Great! I guess... We're traveling buddies now." says Ester. "Oh, but the forest is still in shambles. Maybe talking here isn't such a good idea. Let's head on in a different direction."
"Where are you going to?" asks Ophis.
"I'm not sure." says Ester. "But maybe by sticking together, we'll be able to help the other out while figuring something."
And with that, the group travels together, leaving the forest.
To Be Continued in Chapter 4