I'm so glad I got a review! It's always nice to hear from readers of my story and to know that it currently has a fanbase of...one. Yay! Since my SSBB fic's action flatlined recently, I'm planning on a battle scene here – I'll die if I don't! :) Anyways, yea...please add reviews if you like my story, because I always feel inspired the more I hear back. A lot of you are probably dying to learn the secrets this story bears (muahahahaha...) so I'll start now. Oh, wait! One last thing. For any Final Fantasy fans, I'm planning on writing a comedy Dissidia cross-over fic. However, I'll have to get to a certain point in my SSBB fic first. Why? You see soon...
Chapter 3 – Voyage
Another day in Bejewld...Lina thought to herself, I hope we'll actually be able to leave today.
"You awake, Lina?" Gourry asked as he poked the sorceress in the back.
She whipped around and gave him a death-glare. He responded in a short yelp of fear.
"Yes, Gourry, I'm awake. I was more worried you wouldn't wake up."
"Huh? Why?"
"Do you not remember last night? Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to. You forget everything, don't you?"
"Do I? I don't remember ever forgetting anything..."
"Hey!" Cecil exclaimed, "I brought food, so quit talking and start eating."
The sweet aroma of bacon and eggs invaded the small room. Sitting at a small table near the window, Filia, Cecil and Henrietta were already eating. Cooked with the scrambled eggs were chopped green bell peppers and cubed potato. As Lina sat down at the table, she noticed that the eggs looked way better than any normal eggs – they were perfectly solid, but they had the lustrous gold color of still-cooking eggs.
"Mm." Lina said, almost drooling out of hunger, "The food they sell here is looking better every day..."
"Actually," Henrietta interjected, "C-Cecil cooked them."
"Really? Not de Oro? Not you?"
"N-no! I couldn't crack an egg without either destroying it or spilling it somewhere else!"
"Well, color me surprised."
Lina dug her fork into the eggs – they were almost too beautiful to eat...almost – and the vegetables and stuck it all in her mouth. The flavor was amazing! The eggs were full of savory sweetness, the potatoes were almost creamy and the peppers gave it all a satisfying crunch. The bacon was even better – it tasted like someone had taken bacon, wrapped it around an apple slice and sugar coated it all!
"Oh my God! This is amazing!"
"Well," Cecil said, "I bought ingredients straight from the farmer's market and used the inn's public kitchen next door."
"Mm...I guess we'll have to do that more often!"
The small group continued to eat piles and piles of the eggs. Cecil must have cooked for a long time, because it was a whole hour until all of the eggs were gone. Lina walked over to her bed and pulled on her boots.
"C'mon guys," she exclaimed, throwing on her cape, "it's time we leave this town!"
"All right," Cecil said, "you guys go ahead. I'll hang back for a bit."
"Okay, suit yourself. We'll try to find a stagecoach or something, but if we can't then we'll just have to walk to the next town."
"'Kay."
Everyone promptly left, but Henrietta stopped and turned back when she heard clicking sounds. She walked back up the stairs and seemed a little surprised.
"What are you doing?"
"Just typing up our journey so far. This laptop hasn't been working quite as well since I had to start using this hand-powered charger. Still, it's better than being completely gone from modern civilization."
"I-I suppose. Try not to l-l-let anyone st-steal it, though."
"All right. You just go on ahead."
The girl did so, almost tripping over herself in her rush for the stairs. As she stumbled out of the inn, she caught hold of Lina's arm.
"What's that about?" Lina asked.
"Oh, good...I th-thought that I got someone e-else."
"Why do you worry about this stuff? Of course you grabbed my arm – are you blind?"
"Actually...y-yes."
The three others outside stopped, breathless. Was she kidding? Lina didn't actually guess right, did she?"
"Wait, you're really blind? You can't see?"
"No, I can't."
"But...then how come your eyes are open?"
"Many people where I come from are blind and can still open their eyes. Couldn't you tell I was blind? M-my pupils are k-kind of h-hard to see and I n-need people to h-hold onto me wh-when I'm walking."
"Yea, but...that was just kind of strange. How come you could fight off so many monsters?"
"Th-that's-"
"A secret. Damn, how did I know you were going to say that?"
The group hadn't realized it, but they had traveled pretty far from the inn. Behind them, Cecil was huffing through crowds.
"Hell, no! Where did they go? When I catch them, I swear I'll-"
He was interrupted when someone bumped into him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir!" Cecil exclaimed, looking up at the six and a half foot tall man.
"Oh, please. It was my fault. I should be more careful."
As the man walked farher away, Cecil thought he recognized him somewhere.
"Hm...long sandy hair, scarred face...hey! I'm missing a bag of gold pieces!"
Damn! The wanted posters! I knew I recognized that face!
Cecil remembered the description.
An unnamed criminal who is currently charged with multiple counts of grand theft, murder and treason. Targets nobles and other apparent rich folk. Reward: 300,000 gold pieces.
"Gah! That was half my money! I'll get that bastard!"
Cecil dashed towards the direction that the man had gone. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten too far...
The city changed very slowly, but it was noticeable. When he had started running, the buildings had been rather pleasant, with a Victorian era like appearance. The farther he got from that point, the closer he got to the outskirts of town. With outskirts come sad little tin shacks.
Children chased each other around, oblivious to the fact that they lived in a horrifyingly different neighborhood then the people just an eighth of a mile away. Everyone seemed to be quite content here, acting like a normal community with everything. Just like back home, children broke things, women sat on patios talking to their little gossip groups and teenagers were hanging out in the slightly darker places, occasionally doing more than talking.
It's sad and happy at the same time – they have nothing, but they manage to imitate the lives of the normal. How interesting...
For the second time today, Cecil bumped into someone. The boy been running, and now both he and Cecil were on the ground.
"Sorry, didn't see you there, kid..."
"Watch where you're going! I've gotta get there quick!"
Stopping the rather rude child, Cecil asked, "Where?"
"To get money from the nice man, duh! What are you, retarded?"
The boy bolted off further away from the city.
A man distributing money? In this place? Shady...it could be that thief. And "retarded?" Did children really call people that back here? No, Cecil! That doesn't matter – focus on the money.
He dashed off after the kid, hoping that this man was his thief. The farther he got, the more depressing the scenery got. The only sign of joy in any way, shape or form was the occasional tree. Soon though, Cecil saw a gathering of people.
"There. This 'man' must be there. I'll have to get a good look without alerting him...Levitation!"
Cecil soared through the air, trying not to alarm the group. Fortunately, they were distracted by the promise of gold. The man was the thief. Cecil recognized him, all right. Messy sand-colored hair going down to his shoulder blades and a black leather jacket with white fur on the ends of the sleeves and around the back of the collar. He was handing out other people's money, and he seemed quite content. Cecil waited for the crowd to disperse, then slowly got closer to his prey. As he landed, he hid behind a large rock and peeked behind it, trying to find a good plan of attack.
"Y'know," the man said, not even turning to face Cecil, "I know you're there. Come out."
Cecil stepped out from behind the rock. "Hello. How'd you know I was there?"
"Because most of the people I steal from send someone to get the money back. I didn't think you'd come personally, though. I suppose you have some combat experience?"
"Oh, yea. I killed a giant octopus yesterday. How about you?"
"A good thirty-five royal soldiers. Why don't we have a little battle?"
"Sounds good to me, thief."
The thief unsheathed two curved daggers from scabbards attached to his waist. He held one up, the other down. Not a common sword-style.
Cecil threw a Fireball at him, without uttering a word. A chant-less spell was rather weak and uncontrolled, though, so the thief cut it in half mid-blast. He dashed towards Cecil, swinging his blades in opposite directions. Cecil just barely dodged, and the thief wasn't done.
He smashed the hilts of both blades onto Cecil in the middle of his flip, and he crumpled to the ground. He was forced to roll away from several sword slashes, each closer than the next. He pulled his legs up and kicked the swordsman away, also getting up. He punched the thief and fired another wordless Fireball at his enemy. This one connected with the thief's shoulder, although it just blackened his clothing a little.
He jumped back and to the left, circling Cecil. After circling his prey several times, he lunged at Cecil and twirled around, slashing at Cecil and cutting his clothing. White cloth was scattered across the ground. Blood seeped out of a shallow cut. It bled more and more, the faster Cecil dodged each stroke of the blade. Soon, there was a crimson splotch on the side of his snow-white shirt.
"Freeze Arrow!"
An icy blue arrow of magic flew from Cecil's "air-bow" and hit the thief directly in the chest. It froze and shattered at the same time, cutting into his skin with diamond dust. His sleeves suffered a little bit of cuts, but he remained perfectly fine.
Recovering, the thief used a nearby rock to spring into the air. He kicked Cecil in the gut, knocking him over and knocking the wind out of him. As Cecil lay motionless on the ground, the thief put his foot on Cecil's chest, leaving him unable to get up. As Cecil closed his eyes and prepared for the worst, he hoped it would be fast. It never came.
The sound of steel clattering against stone rang in his ears, and he opened his eyes.
"Wh-why don't you kill me?"
"I have no intention of killing a good person who didn't even try to fight back."
"Was it really that obvious?"
"Yes, it was. You didn't even plan to take the money back, did you? If you did, you would have taken the gold straight from those people the second they got it. The question is: why did you fight me if you didn't want to take the money back or hurt me?"
"I don't know. That's just the way my brain works. So...can I get up now?"
"Oh, sure."
The thief stepped back and grabbed hold of Cecil's hand, heaving him to his feet.
"So, stranger; what's your name?"
"Cecil. You?"
"Gray. Gray Wolfgang: wanted thief, killer and rebel."
"Heh. Good to know ya. Well, I suppose our little battle ends here, eh?"
"I guess. If you ever find yourself in Bejewld again, come and find me. 'Til then."
Gray walked off into the distance, leaving Cecil behind.
"Well," the sorcerer said to himself, "I guess I should find Hen and the others. They've probably had a coach flagged down for hours. Ray Wing!"
He surrounded himself in a bubble of compressed air and wind and blasted off towards Bejewld. It had taken a long time when he was running, but it took only about five minutes by air bubble. He soon flew over the Ruby, the Sapphire Bay, de Oro and finally The Golden Dragon. His orb dissipated just as he reached over his group of friends.
"Where the hell have you been?" Lina exclaimed.
"Y-yea! We were really w-worried, Cecil!" Henrietta said with a strained voice.
"You jerk!" Filia scolded, "It's not nice to keep women waiting!"
"What about me?" Gourry asked Filia.
"Er..." she replied, "I'd rather...not answer that..."
"But does that mean that I-"
"Shut up!" Lina exclaimed, "Let's just get to the coach!"
They walked over to a station that had a coach parked there. Unfortunately, the coach left the second they got within a few yards of it.
"What?" Lina complained, "But we reserved it!"
"C-calm down, Lina!" Henrietta exclaimed, "We're all hungry anyways!"
"Wait," Cecil said, "you guys didn't eat all this time?"
"Nope," Filia replied, "so we could take you out for dinner if this happened. I guess we need to take you to a seamstress, too."
"Oh, yea...I got a little roughed up a bit ago..."
"Really? What happened?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. I lost some money, though...but that doesn't matter."
"Okay...then we should find somewhere to eat."
"How about de Oro again? It has some good seafood."
The group agreed and they backtracked to the restaurant. This was the third day in Bejewld, and hopefully the last. It had been Cecil and Henrietta's goal to not even stay for a day. Same with Lina and Gourry. Filia, on the other hand, didn't have plans to leave at all until yesterday. Everyone was off their schedule, and it seemed to be getting worse and worse. Maybe something would happen today and they'd end up staying at the Ruby again.
Finally, the group found themselves outside of de Oro. It had finally been fixed after two man-lobster attacks, and it was shinier than before. All of the chairs were polished to a shimmering chocolate color. The tables were covered in brand new red silk tablecloths with gold trim.
As the group seated themselves near a window, the exact same waiter as always came to wait on them. He smiled at the prospect of the riches the group would bring today. He wasn't as surprised as the first time when all but two people bought easily a hundred silver pieces apiece. Within a few minutes, there were multiple tables covered in a seafood spread.
"Ah," Lina sighed, "this is much better. I suppose you'll be paying the bill, Cecil?"
"Only if you'll pay the tailor-seamstress person."
"Agreed!" she then whispered under her breath, "Heh...if this keeps going on my way, I'll have eaten everything on the planet and he'll have paid for it all..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Oh! Nothing! Just about...how good this lobster looks!"
She emphasized her "point" by ripping open a lobster and inhaling the meat. It did seem to be getting better every day. The meat was sweeter, juicier...and free! It was all free! She grabbed what seemed to be more meat and took a bite without looking. She was surprised when it jumped out of her hands.
"Ow, Lina!" Gourry yelped, "That hurt! You could have bitten my arm off!"
"Oh...sorry? I wasn't looking."
Everyone else at the table was trying hard not to laugh. Really hard. It was to no avail, though.
"Oh my god!" Cecil exclaimed, "we should have gotten a video camera or something!"
"Video camera?" Lina asked.
"Long story. Doesn't need to be told."
"Okay..."
The rest of the meal was eaten in pretty much absolute silence. The only sounds were the occasional loud gulp or hiccup. By the end of the meal, there was nothing left on the plates but shells and bones. And the occasional really slimy looking creature that no one wanted to eat.
"Well," Henrietta said, "I guess m-me and Cecil will g-go get his clothes f-fixed. You guys fl-flag down a taxi. Lina, y-you said that you'll p-pay that bill?"
"Yea, yea. How much do you need?"
"M-maybe about half the amount that this dinner cost."
"What? That's expensive!"
"W-well, th-the problem is that the m-materials are rarer for this region then where we come from."
Lina sighed, "Okay. Cecil, if your clothes get ripped again, your going to pay for the repairs."
With a mock salute, the sorcerer exclaimed, "Yes, ma'am!"
The two left Lina, Filia and Gourry behind.
"Well," the swordsman said, "I guess we go find the coach again?"
"Yes, Gourry," Lina answered, "yes we do. Now let's go."
Lina dragged Gourry along by his arm and Filia followed close behind. They soon found a stagecoach that hadn't been used by anyone, yet. It was waiting on the corner of the street. It was getting dark now, so being in a coach of some sort was going to be quite dangerous. Bandits and the sort especially liked to attack coaches in this area, but it was less dangerous than walking by yourself. After all, non-fighter types couldn't defend themselves. The group could, however. It was just easier to use a coach.
"Okay," Lina said to the coach driver, "we need to get to the next town over. How much will that be?"
"Well, the closest town is the city of Cadia to the north. Each ticket will be three silver pieces."
"Here's twenty, get us five tickets. The rest you can consider a tip."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Very soon, Cecil and and Henrietta had caught up with them. Cecil's clothes were mended so perfectly that you couldn't tell they were ripped at all. Everyone climbed into the coach and leaned against the satin walls. The couch-like seats were very soft, covered in cushions. This seemed to make Cecil a little bit antsy.
"What the hell are you so worried about?" Lina asked.
"Er...I suppose this is fancier then most carriages, right?"
"Well, yea. We're riding first-class, here."
"Uh...what would happen if, say, a group of bandits attacked?"
"We'd kill them. Or at least send them to a burn ward somewhere. Why so many questions?"
"Oh, no reason. So, how long do you think this will take?"
"Probably four and a half hours. It'd be a few days if we walked. Feel free to go to sleep. I know..." she yawned, "I...will..."
She closed her eyes. If was amazing how fast you could fall asleep on a coach that was hopping up and down. It must have been all the running around they had done today. Sleep came easy, and her eyes were clamped shut. All went dark, and even the clopping of the horses' hooves couldn't keep her awake.
Yea, I know you probably expected more out of a chapter. I cut this chapter off because I'm on a vacation for a day or two, so I just cut it off there. I know you probably expected something to happen, but just remember that I never name a character if I'm not going to use them again. Keep that in mind. Anyways, goodbye for now, farewell, adios and everything else.