Chapter 1 – Zone Eater
Gogo was all alone in her little cave. She had been for what felt like year. Here in the Zone Eater, there was no way to tell time, and she could've been there for months, years, or even decades. "Now that's just absurd," she thought. "I can't have been here for decades, can I?" She had been growing sick of having forest rodents for her meals, but luck favored her, as the Zone Eater had swallowed a small group of pheasants, and as such, she had been eating well. She hummed a little tune while savoring her little treat, but stopped when she heard footsteps, human footsteps…
Hearing the sounds of people, she quickly put on her helmet. Being androphobic she got extremely nervous around men. Especially so if there were no other women with her, and she could tell from the heaviness of the footfall, she could tell there was at least one man. At first glance her helmet looked something of a mix between a hood and a mask, but in all actuality it was a typical crystal helm covered in various cloths and fabrics. Well, maybe not typical, as her left horn was a custom addition.
As the footsteps drew nearer she started to hear a conversation. First a loud voice belonging to a male, probably in his late teens or early twenties, very flamboyantly said, "Wow, look at all the cool treasure we found in here guys! I told you we'd find some good stuff in here!" "Sir Locke," said another voice, probably in his late forties, "I doubt a jacket and a hairpin qualify as treasure, even to one such as thyself." The first voice replied something along the lines of "You couldn't tell a piece of treasure if it cut you into pieces," and his real words caused Gogo to blush as they were quite… "colorful."
A third voice, this time female, and like the first voice, probably in her late teens, intervened saying, "Girls, girls, you're both pretty, but let's just finish exploring this place and get out of here." Both men grumbled, "Fine" and the woman whispered something to them that Gogo couldn't hear, and the three walked in Gogo's general direction, weapons in hand, concerned there might be a monster.
Gogo came out of her hiding place, and in a deep voice said, "What business do you have in my lair?" "Wh-who are you?" asked the female voice. "I am Gogo, jack of all trades and master of mimicry. I have stated my name, but who are you?" The female voice nervously said," I am Terra Brandford, and these are my companions, Locke Cole and Cyan Garamonde. Locke is a thief—" "TREASURE HUNTER" "—Okay, treasure hunter, and Cyan is, or rather was, retainer to the king of Doma."
"Was? Did something happen to king Geoffory? Did the Cristophe family attack? If so why didn't Doma's espers help?" "Cristophes? Leo would never do such a thing. He was a good man," said Terra, a tear in her eye, remembering the noble general. Cyan looked at Terra and whispered something to her that Gogo couldn't hear. What he said was, " Miss Terra, Doma hasn't had a king Geoffory in more than a thousand years."
