It was the eleventh anniversary of the Chimeriad death. For the eleventh time; Gaius made his way to the center of town. This is where the memorial stood; a gigantic bronze statue of a chimera. It would be a perpetual reminder of what the King of Rieze Maxia achieved; and what he had to sacrifice to get there. It was impressively large and could be seen even at the entrance of the city.
Arriving at the memorial, Gaius stared in a quiet awe. The statue was decorated with sympathetic floral arrangements; and hand written notes from the citizens. Each written with a personal message of gratitude and condolences. Some even left Gaius Dumplings in remembrance of the Tactician; whom had created them in the first place. Each member of the Chimeriad had laid down their life to further Gaius' reign; and there wasn't a day that gone by that he didn't feel a tinge of gratefulness for their sacrifice; though if he had one regret; it was losing his best friend.
Quietly, Gaius left a silent prayer and couldn't help but feel proud and impressed by the amount of flowers that littered around the memorial. If he had one vice, it would be pride for his townspeople.
After a long while of silent reflection; Gaius pivoted quietly on his heels and went to return to the castle; though he stopped upon hearing a loud scolding coming from the Baker's shoppe. The tone was all too familiar and Gaius knew exactly who was being scolded and why. Exhaling softly, the king made his way to the shoppe.
"Get back here and pay for that, yer pesky spirit!" The middle age man hollered while throwing a ladle towards the flying thief. An innocent giggle escaped through her full lips. Gliding elegantly to the left, she evaded the incoming ladle and opened her mouth to speak.
"Oh my, you don't have to be so forceful. A simple please would suffice."Muzet nearly cooed as she gave the baker a little wink.
"That batch of bread was for a customer!" Yelled the baker as he grumbled more profanity under his breath.
With a twitch of an ear, Muzet's smile faltered a bit but she wouldn't allow herself to show the wound of his words. She was a great spirit after all.
A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she went to speak coyly.
"Well, if you like, you could take your grievance to Gaius and I am sure he would reimburse you for your lost honey buns and bread."
"Muzet." Gaius' voice rippled through the square; as usual, it was bold and authoritative; all excepted from the King of Rieze Maxia.
"What in Maxwell's name are you doing this time?" Gaius asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Muzet frowned a bit and flew over to him.
"I was having a little bit of fun; though I am sure that the bread man would disagree."
"My lord, your spirit companion stole from me. This isn't the first time that she has done this."
Gaius' brows furrowed forward as he glanced to the mischievous blue; how many times would he have to come to the aid of his people because of her fun? Things certainly hadn't changed in ten years. Muzet did nothing but smile in return; as if she had been a perfect angel. Gaius could feel another of his ebon strands of hair fade to an aging grey; one of many contributed by Muzet.
Sighing, the king fished through his pockets for a gold coin. Holding it to the baker, his gaze softened.
"I apologize on her behalf. Take this, this won't happen again." He spoke with resolve as he glanced over to the spirit. He put emphasis on "Will it?"
Recognizing the seriousness of his tone; Muzet stood a bit straighter and nodded; like before; she held back the urge to pout like a scolded child; best not to show it. Keep the smile.
The baker reluctantly accepted the payment but not before shooting a menacing glare to the spirit. Grumbling under his breath; he went to return to his bread shop. Spirits belonged in their world and unseen; ever since her appearances, his business was declining due to the thievery.
Muzet rolled her amber hues and gazed over to Gaius; an innocent smile returned to her features once again; which would cost Gaius another grey hair; he was sure; though he was fortunate that he wasn't going bald.
"Muzet, you can't keep stealing. Next time, I won't be here to save you." Gaius scolded in his usual tone as he motioned for the woman to follow him.
"Come, let us return to the palace." It wasn't until he took his first step when a loud banshee like screech rippled through the entire city. The deafening tone pulsated through the terrain and caused the ground to tremble under its might.
"What was that?" Gaius asked as his attention snapped upwards and towards the source of the terrifying sound. The next thing he witnessed was the large colorful wings cascading over the sky and eclipsed the sun from view. The wings didn't look like normal by any means; but more like a metropolis of nerves rushing through the skeleton of each individual feather like shapes. Gaius came to the only plausible conclusion: It was a Great Spirit.
"Muzet, what matter of spirit is this?" The king asked as he placed a firm hand upon the hilt of his blade. When he looked to her, he was mildly concerned by the look of fear in her eyes.
"Muzet?"
"This is no spirit in any sense of the word. I believe, it is a spyrite and not a nice one."
Before Gaius could reply, the monster screeched again and this time caused tremors to split the roads. Street lamps exploded under the pressure of its voice. Gaius struggled to keep on his feet but he would not buckle; he would not bow to such a creature. Forcing himself upward; he drew his blade and sent a strong towards the beast.
"Demon fang!" Gaius' voice bellowed as he prepared another atre attack. The great Spyrite cried as the attacked tattered through its magnificent wings; though it wasn't enough to incapacitate it; only angered it.
Just when it was about to holler another devastating attack; three daggers fell from the sky and trapped it within an arte; the very same one that made the Conductor famous.
"Gaius!" Rowen called as he made his way over towards the king; Elize followed behind him.
"Hey Gaius, big buddy ol' pal! Whatcha gon do with that scary thing in the sky!?" Teepo cried as he chomped onto the king's face; giving him a Teepo kiss. A soft giggle escaped from Muzet as she watched with amusement.
"T-Teepo!" Elize cried as she pulled him off of Gaius. Huffing she began to scold the plush toy.
"Teepo! You're embarrassing me!"
"Hey!" Came a voice from the end of the road. Alvin stood with Leia; who stared in shock at the caged Spyrite.
"What the hell is that thing!?" She asked as she gripped her staff.
"Muzet seems to think it is a Great Spyrite." Gaius replied as he eyed the thing warily. Rowen cleared his throat as he took a step closer to the king.
"Perhaps it would be wise to call Jude and Elle. Perhaps they could tell us how to contain it properly and return it to their facility."
Without hesitation; Gaius pulled out his GHS and flipped it open. When it blinked on; it spoke with an automated voice.
"Good day, Erston. How are you?" The voice asked.
"Call Elle." He commanded in a dominating tone; one that usually caused his enemies to tremble. The phone beeped and spoke again.
"Calling….Elle."
Gaius nodded firmly. "Thank you, Diane."
"….You named your phone…Diane?" Alvin asked in disbelief.
"That was the name that appeared on the box." Gaius replied as he listened to the dial tone. When Elle had answered; Gaius skipped pleasantries.
"Elle. There is a great Spyrite rampaging through Kanbalar. We have it trapped for now, but get here and contain it." He ordered before closing the phone. Turning, he faced the beast and glared.
"Muzet, can you tell us anything about it?" Elize asked as she strolled over to the blue spirit.
"All I know is that Jude and Elle were working on creating the first Great Spyrite. They must have succeeded."
"Why does it look so bizarre?" Leia asked next as she watched the thing struggle against its prison.
"From what Jude had told me…in theory; it takes a form of the booster handler's subconscious; like a childhood fear, albeit it looks more like an imaginary friend."
"Or an alien." Alvin chimed as he crossed his arms.
"What are you two doing in Kanbalar, anyway?" Rowen asked as he shifted his weight to his left leg; his right had become a bit achy as of late.
"We're here to write an article on the Gaius Dumpling recipe." Leia explained with a grin, which earned a slight grunt of disproval from Gaius; that blasted jingle was still just as common as the first day of its conception. Damn that Wingul.
Before another word could be uttered; the Spyrite bellowed its war cry scream and flexed its muscles before attempting to break the barrier. It succeeded and unfurled its massive wings. They flapped strongly and caused a whirlwind; it engulfed the party and threw them around the square. The Spyrite sped its way towards the Xailen Temple.
As quickly as it left, Elle and Jude arrived to the scene.
"Gaius!" Elle cried as she rushed over to help him up. He grumbled; disorientated before getting to his feet.
"You have impeccable timing." The king grumbled more as he reached down to assist Rowen to his feet.
"Ya didn't break a hip did ya, Gramps!?" Teepo asked as he floated over to the elderly man.
"I'm fine, Teepo, thank you for your concern." The butler smiled as he tidied up his outfit.
"Where did it go?" Jude asked as he took Leia's hand and pulled her up. Elize got to her feet and dusted off her dress. The only one who seem unhinged by the attack was Muzet. She had the fortune to be able to fly out of the way.
Gaius crossed his arms and frowned deeply. He motioned west; where the temple lay.
"Towards the Temple." He spoke as he rubbed his temple in attempt to soothe the pounding that formed in his head.
Jude nodded then. "If we trap it again in the barrier; Elle and I will be able to permanently contain it in a Spyrix container." Gaius' brows knitted together at the mention of Spyrix but said nothing. He just nodded sternly and motioned for the party to move.
When the party arrived to the Xailen temple, the spyrite was perched on the tiled roof, as if it was some high dragon; and proclaiming that it was the king of all.
In fact, its body began to contort and unhinge. Its form changed into that of a dragon; great in size; horns sprouted from the roots of its head while its snout became long and thin. The scales turned white as snow. This was the true form of the beast; a large reptile with rows of teeth not unlike a great white shark; long two sets of fangs protruded on each side of its mouth; like some venomous serpent.
"It changed its form?!" Elle screamed as fright shook her to the core. She couldn't say why, but that dragon looked incredibly familiar. She couldn't think more on it for it spanned its wings over the area and casted a shadow over the party.
Otherworlders, this is where your true story begins. Do not disappoint me.
The beast spoke, not with his mouth or tongue; but directly into the minds of the party. Its voice echoed through their heads in a horrible grunge like tone; inhumane and demonic.
Before the party could protest or move; the group could feel themselves fall into darkness.
The first thing Elle heard was the uncomfortable groaning of her companions. As she startled awake, she gazed over their surroundings. Thick, full forest of greens, oranges, and browns stretched for miles. The trees were so tall that if she stared up too long, she would become dizzy.
When the others aroused from their sleep; they stood and glanced at each other. Even Muzet had landed ungracefully; grumping a bit, she pulled a thin twig from her hair and smoothed it back in attempt to detangle it.
"I don't think we're in Rieze Maxia anymore." She spoke unenthused because of her landing. Elize stared around and looked to her; her eyes widen at the realization that they weren't in Kanbalar anymore.
"W-What?"
Rowen seem to be at a loss for words as he surveyed the area. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.
"This place is unfamiliar."
"What did that dragon mean by "Otherworlders?" Leia asked as she helped Alvin to his feet. Gaius glared in a random direction; he shouldn't be here, he had a world to run and his absence would cause mass panic. He surveyed the area in the event there was enemies or monsters..
"We should stay together." Jude spoke up but he was cut off by a distant scream. Elle pivoted suddenly and took off into the direction of the scream. "Someone is in trouble!" she cried. If Elle had one fault, it was her recklessness.
"Wait! We don't know the area!" Jude called and sighed before jogging after her.
"It could be the Spyrite!" Ella replied without stopping. The party followed; not knowing of this new strange world they seem to fall into.