Latale
Chapter 4: Shangri-La
CHappie 4 is now posted~!
this was actually done in a hectic schedule and in partials so don't expect a very wholesome plotline (when I meant not very wholesome it means not directly connected, don't think anything else please and thank you)
I love Shaowee she's my fourth favorite boss in latale(next to Ocean King, DMP and HELL), but you can only battle her via scenario quest but she's still awesome.
Erhu- is a 2 stringed instrument from China, most commonly known as China's violin, it produces sharp sound and is strung by a bow similar to a violin's. Just to let you know :)
It was a dark place… "Am I floating freely here? Is this were it all started?"
That dark place where everything about me seem to have started, I have no memories prior to from that place, surely I have some memories before I saw that bright light shine down to me. Nevertheless, I cannot remember anything at all.
However, this place was different. The ball of light that shone on me was now at least ten feet from me going upward. I was lying, no floating with my head facing the white orb. However, even if I am facing that orb, I can't reach it, No matter how far I go up. Even if I reach it, what will it do?
I drifted slowly upside down, which I did not know which way was up or down, so I based it on my waking position. There was a red and orange glow it was faint and blurry. Beside it is, what seemed to be a purple rose, I wondered what a rose would be doing there, and besides I have never seen a purple rose before. It was weird that the purple rose has a red stain on it. Suddenly I felt pain hitting me in the head. Again, and again
That's when I realized what was hitting me.
Kyiin's POV
I woke up in a moving carriage. Traditional though, it was pulled by a horse with a hood and supplies in the back. I felt like I was on a totally different era, knowing the latest technology from Elias, that can teleport you from one city to another.
"Where are we?" I asked
"In a carriage on the way to Aioch" My black haired companion said as she raised her blue guitar away from my head.
"Wait Are you hitting me with that guitar?" I shouted
"Well it's about time you wake up; you've been sleeping on the entire journey. And being the guy on the group you should be the one carrying us when we accidentally sleep rather than being the one carried by two women your age!" She shouted at me.
"I'm Sorry, How long was I out?" I asked scratching the back of my head as I gave an embarrassed chuckle.
"Long enough for us to reach Aioch! And also you missed the view on cherry lake. It was gorgeous!"
"Oh, by the way Shaowee sends her apologies. Plus she told us where to find the next Iris fragment."Luli answered in delight
I looked at our new piece of Iris fragment as I wonder how and what happened in Shangri-La
~flashback~
We arrive at the city of Yong Gyoung at dawn. The sun will rise on the gorgeous city in minutes and still we have everything on dead end.
After what happened in Fairy Castle everything completely reached a dead end, I have nowhere to go. No new destination, No news about Iris still being alive, No idea where she might be, and even still I have no reason to find her. But in that dead end there was a small hole that could open our path to Iris. Just when I heard the name Shaowee
Once we reached Yong Gyoung, Luli and Corelle was desperate for sleep. They went to a local inn and made an accommodation, I promised to follow them after I fix something up.
Looking for Shaowee isn't that hard at all. I ask some locals where she might be, they replied that Shaowee sits in the center of Yong Gyoung playing beautiful music to soothe people, so it's just a matter of waiting for her to arrive and bother her.
Although I'm restless I still manage to be energetic I went sightseeing in Yong Gyoung the city was larger than Elias but apparently the population in Yong Gyoung is much less than Elias'.
I asked a couple of people about Shaowee and Iris; and they were happy to help an innocent traveler. They said that Iris once came to Yong Gyoung to seek for people to go with her and fulfill world peace; Shaowee was the one who responded that, however Iris and Muwen were asked to slay an agasura demon that has been terrorizing locals that live in Arcadia a place near Yong Gyoung. Iris defeated the demon and along with its sanctuary the Shangri-La it was plunged into an alternate dimension consisting of a temporal time loop. They said that Shaowee joined Iris' party and head out to seek a place known as Valhalla but never to return, Shaowee did return months after the entire world has thought Iris has vanquished for good, they said she returned with cuts and bruises no one sane can do to anyone, she made it back to Yong Gyoung just when she was out of energy to continue, and fainted. When Shaowee awoke no one in the village could make her talk about the journey at all. She only tells the happy parts of their journey. Especially the stories were she and Kazno were together. Some say that she values her erhu more than her life; some say that the erhu has something to do with Iris being gone. It was no doubt that Shaowee's erhu was a piece of Iris' memory fragment.
By the time I stop asking questions to the local folk of Yong Gyoung, I was tired and sleepy, not to mention Shaowee hasn't arrive at her said spot. I went back to the inn to find two sleeping raged girls. It seemed they had a cat fight the pillows were thrown across the room some a ripped and the furniture provided in the room was completely out of place or destroyed.
Looks like I won't have money after I'm done paying this.
Corelle was lying on the bed face down and her blanket doesn't cover her right foot. I left her in that position knowing that they might be a bit grumpy from the lack of sleep and hit me. Luli was lying in the floor like she collapsed in that place and was sleeping as cutely as ever.
Not that idea again!
By the time I was going to lie to bed soothing music played from the statue in the center of Yong Gyoung. Surely that was Shaowee playing her erhu I immediately stood up and left the room but before I meet Shaowee I went back to the room and pick up the sleeping Luli Bridal style and lay her onto the bed.
By the time I arrived at the place where Shaowee was performing. There was a huge circle surrounding her, a group of people that has closed their eyes to just listen to her beautiful music I excused myself for my rudeness of shoving them away as I made my way to Shaowee by the time was In front of everyone Shaowee was wearing a traditional Yong Gyoung outfit with flower designs on her fit duster like dress, her scarlet hair unites with the wind and are blown beautifully to the direction of the wind. She was playing her erhu of what seemed to be the same piece of Luli's music box. I listen to it intently memorizing every note it gave.
Exactly the same
But at the point where Luli's music box was suppose to stop she continued to a different piece the transition was beautiful it was sudden and uncalled for but still I feel like it's part of the song. The melody soothes me, the music was sad and melancholic it affected me much by bringing tears to my eyes but I never let it fall. I don't know why but I feel a bit related to the meaning of the music even if it has no words in it. The emotion of the music really made a point to the listeners.
By the time Shaowee finished her performance. There was a huge wave of hands clapping the crowd cheering her name and others whistling to support her. Shaowee bowed in front of the crowd and smiled as she walks away. I was devastated and ran towards her. A group of people covering my way to her I struggled and finally I made it to the fountain near the statue. She was just sitting there until she noticed I was looking at her.
"Hmm? Can I help you?" Shaowee asked me innocently
"Yes, I have heard you've been with Iris. I need to find her." I said
"Hmm. Are you traveling alone?" She asked.
"No, actually my friends are in an inn resting."
Did I say right are they already my friends? I don't know about that but it seems we are stuck on the same situation and helping each other out.
"Bad… Anyways if you're just an ordinary traveler I can't tell you anything about Iris, It would ruin your purpose." She answered
"What do you mean ordinary? Aren't we all ordinary? I mean I don't look like a monster. Do I?" I answered smartly
She laughed before answering my question.
"You define ordinary for everybody… How intriguing, anyways traveler by any chance do you know anything about Iris' journey?" she asked me now staring at me confusingly
"None" I plainly answered
"None?"
"None" I said firmly
"Strange… Iris was a good friend of mine. She helped me achieve many goals and take out the boredom out of my life. Sometimes when face a dreadful journey with the certain goal of never coming back. The journey has really put me at the brink of giving. But still it was fun!" She told me
"Look, I need to find Iris I don't even know wh-"I tried to say but she cut me off
"What is that in your satchel?" she asked pointing at the sandglass I have taken from Oberon and Titania.
"Huh? It's just a sandglass from Oberon and Titania. I don't think it has relevance to Iris or anything although I don't even know why I picked that out of all the gold inside the castle" I said as I give the sandglass to her
"Oh yes it does matter." she said inspecting the sandglass from every angle before handing it back to me
"What are you –"she cut me off again
"Listen traveler, I want you to go alone for this quest. It's not safe for your friends to come. Only the Iris seeker can fulfill this duty." Shaowee said looking at the view of the red crop field beside Yong Gyoung
"But I am the Iris seeker. At least that's what Zoe told me." I said scratching the back of the head and smiling."
"I know, I can tell you'd be the Iris seeker. How did I know? Don't bother asking"
"Listen Iris Seeker by midnight the space loop of Arcadia will cease and start all over. Meaning you won't get lost inside it. Go there and enter the dungeon consisting of the time loop."
"Why would I want to do that?" I asked
"You want an Iris' Memory fragment right? Then do it for me. At the end of the dungeon lies Hyunmu's room, you have to defeat the agasura and take a cloud from its shell."
"Clouds? How the hell did it get to its shell?" I got confused over the topic at hand and started looking like a dumb kid.
"You'll understand when you get there. Now once you got the cloud bring it to me and I'll exchange it with a memory fragment. In order to stop the abomination that the people of Yong Gyoung started I must permanently destroy Hyunmu along with the treasure inside it loop." She told me seriously
"Will you do it?"
I thought hard about it. I'm going to risk my life again to battle that demon whatever it's called and this time I have to do it alone as Shaowee said or I won't get the Iris' Memory fragment and my nonsense quest will end quickly without satisfying results
"I will. I will do it" I said firmly
Shaowee smiled at the comment.
"Also, I just want to ask you about the music you were playing." I asked her. She seemed to be dumbstruck by my question
"What about it?"
"You see my companion obtained a sort of music box with exactly the same music piece as you played. Only that it plays the first part of the music you created. I was wondering what was that music and where can I find the other pieces"
"Your companion got that music box huh. It was the Dark Moon Princess' music box, she gave it to Oberon and Titania as a gift to allow us to obtain the space and time fragment to open the deepest part of the space-time loop. But it wasn't complete Dark Moon Princess took out the cylinders out of it leaving the first one and gave the metal cylinders to the people in our party."
"Do you know to whom she gave them. I wanted to complete that music box to please her and her rants about it."
Shaowee laughed at me.
"Dark Moon Princess kept the last piece gave one to Levi and one to Chon Palm. But they've been missing since Iris' journey ended years ago." If you want to complete that music box for your girl I suggest you go to Dark Moon Princess in Aioch, you'd be surprised how that small thing has a lot to do with Iris." Shaowee commented
And with that I have a new destination after this. I'm not gonna let our journey face a dead end again I don't want to deal with cluelessness ever again. And besides that Luli's music box is somehow connected to Iris. How?
By evening I was able to go back to our completely messed up room. I wasn't going to tell them where I'm going tonight but I have to get it done before dawn. Or else they'll try to find me and everything will go out of place. When I got back, Corelle nowhere to be found, Luli manage to sit up and play her music box, I don't think she wants to look on what she and Corelle did.
"Hey" I said to her. As if it is the easiest thing to say to her. Well it is… whatever.
"Hi did you sleep well?" She asked, she must have thought I got some sleep too.
"Yeah slept pretty well, but what exactly did you do to the place?" I asked
"Long story, we trashed the place because she thinks it's an insult to any music player to use their guitar as a bashing weapon."
"GRRRR… That girl has really put me in a state of mental paralysis and honestly it's not going to be pretty when I snap"
"Okay how will I know you're under your mental paralysis thing?" I laughed hard. She seemed take my joke as insult and turned her head away from me.
I laughed hard again...
"Kyiin… When I said I want to go with you in this journey… I meant till the end 'kay? No matter where we go… I'm going with you" she said seriously. You sometimes I just don't get them. They're angry then suddenly their all serious, I mean make up your mind!
"Whe-Where did that come from?
"Just promise it" She told me seriously looking deep into my eyes. I felt a warm sensation climbing up my cheeks
"I-I" I stuttered…
Just then Corelle swung the door open.
"Get changed!" she shouted carrying a new pack of clothes and throwing it to the bedside.
"What?" I said looking at what I'm wearing, from what seemed to be a now black jacket of what I'm wearing before…
"You two look like you haven't bathed for days!" she exclaimed
"Hey! I just took a bath this morning that's not very appropriate to say." Luli said
"Well your clothes don't actually seem to declare that… So I took the initiative to buy you two some new clothes."
"Well, why don't you bought yourself one, you look a bit dirty too" Luli said to her pointing on her red dress that was covered with a few smudges of dirt and earth
"Ha! That's why I have a bank… I have four sets of this outfit and a bank that's like a wardrobe now; surely I can get new clothes from every city via their bank." Corelle exclaimed
"Well maybe if you said that before, Kyiin and I won't be such dirty companions like you wanted!" Luli was completely angry at Corelle. And I was not in the mood to watch them destroy the room all over again.
"Okay both of you out!" I said as I pushed Luli out of the room.
"I'm not gonna let you trash the room all over again, I'm gonna fix the room and take a bath. Why don't you two get together and take a stroll in the city?" I asked
"wait-" Luli exclaimed as I closed the door of the room in their faces.
Wait I just closed to door in their faces that's got to be harsh and uncalled for. I better say sorry if they ever come back. As of now I have to fix the place up.
After a while of sorting what are the trash and completely trashed furniture. I was able to fix the place up a bit, although I couldn't do anything on the destroyed parts of the furniture and pillows I decided to put them in trash and pay for them along with our accommodation.
Wow the money that merchant gave me is really going to be in the hands of the innkeeper because of all this.
After fixing up the place and taking a bath. I wore the new outfit Corelle gave me. It was a simple long sleeved with shirt with the sleeves puff out. The second layer of the outfit was a short sleeved orange shirt with matching gold outlines and a brown cotton belt. The pants fit perfectly on me, though it was just a simple brown pant.
I have to thank Corelle about this because it fits me perfectly, She so lucky to get my proper size still.
By the time I finished it was nightfall. The two haven't returned and I'm starting to get worried. I still need secure that they sleep tonight so I can sneak out by midnight and do Shaowee's request alone, although it would totally break my promise to Luli, I have to do it. For Iris.
I anxiously waited for them for hours. I don't know how long. Until they both open the door. Carrying tons of paper bags, Luli carried about seven paper bags on each hand. Corelle carried even more she used magic to float the other paper bags.
"Okay.. You two look like you had fun"
"Fun? I was wonderful; I haven't shop for clothes for a long time." Luli said
"And I suppose Corelle paid for you?" I said doubtingly
"Nope. Mom and Dad sent money through mail. I got tons of new clothes, plus Corelle accompanied me to the bank to save some." She said happily
"Well, Corelle said the bank stores clothes too right? Well while you're there why didn't you deposited those? Because certainly I'm not carrying that along to Aioch" I said anxiously
"Not a problem. Corelle and I plan to bank all of these tomorrow but we have to try them on first. Even if we have tried it on for the size in the shops, I still need to see how it looks on me." She said to me grinning sheepishly
"Yeah right… but not tonight I'm beat up already. Shopping is more tiring than battling… Imma go to sleep now. Goodnight to the both of you" Corelle said and laid face down on the bed.
"Yeah me too I think I might hit the hay now. Oh by the way Kyiin the Rubashka suits you well. Good night." Luli said to me
I felt a warm feeling coming to my cheeks again. And this time I knew it was visible, good thing Luli wasn't facing me.
I laid in bed a little to relax my back and stared at the ceiling for a while. I couldn't let myself sleep or I'll miss the time that I need to go to Arcadia. When the clocks strike midnight I quietly tiptoed out of the room. The two was still in deep slumber when I left.
By the time Yong Gyoung was a peaceful at night unlike Elias. The way to Arcadia was easy to find The route was simple. Climb to the highest and is the stairs found there. Go further until you reach a gate contains a pack of black tigers. From there I can see the gate to the Shangri-La the sanctuary of the agasura Shaowee wants dead. But I have to get passed these tigers. So I opened the gates than contain the tigers and dashed as fast as I could to the nearest ladder and climbed up. When I get to the top there was another pack of hungry tigers.
I practically have to take on them. So I made my way across them by shoving them away, cartwheeling away from them or practically kicking them and punching them with my knuckles. They emit a sound like any hurt animal would, by the time I reached took out the last tiger. The space loop began distorting the field the tigers where transferred to different parts of the area some even stuck in midair unmoving. Surely the anomalies bothering this field can trap a lost person inside it, like me. So I decided to enter immediately inside the dungeon.
Hyunmu's Room
There was a sudden change of surroundings. From the beautiful Arcadia's brown earth and waterfalls, it change into an even more beautiful green pastures and sharp cliffs that have no end or either I can't see it because of the fog covering it. I practically made my way to a lot of enemies doing the exact same techniques that I tried before. Even if I'm still inexperienced to battling I can say I handle the mob of monsters pretty well. That's until I battled a turban shell
The monster annoyed me, it sang a soothing song that takes me out of reality for a while when I snapped out of it, I was someplace else. It made the route to the monster I needed to kill even more confusing I was practically lost in the ravine of the place.
As I continued the path to the agasura I found the entrance to its room. By I have to cross a horizontal rope that was extremely long at the drop been at least ten feet or more. I can say once I fall, I'll break my bones gruesomely and die. I crossed it carefully as my hands shake. It failed me at times that my shaking hands slips from the rope and I almost fall. Luckily at reach the end of the rope and used a lot of time to recover from the fear.
I better not tell Luli that I have fear of heights or she'll be listing that as a way to make fun of me.
After the feeling is gone. I stood up and entered the room of the monster.
The room is the same as the entire area. The difference is that it had two huge piles of golden items piled up on both sides. When I entered I hid on the nearest pile of treasures that I can see and examine the monster I'm against.
The Hyunmu was an extremely large turtle maybe bigger than Invoke and it's more terrifying than the huge dragon we fought before. It had a beard in its jaw, its feet were so massive than occupies the entire width of the area, it had a yellow fiery design to its feet that glows brightly. Some say that the Shangri-La is the gateway to the Hyunmu Mountain where the legendary monster of Hyunmu resided, well I can prove them wrong because Hyunmu's shell is the Hyunmu Mountain, its shell was shaped and decorated like a mountain range, and since it's a mountain the peak had clouds in it. That's what Shaowee wants, and I'm not going to disappoint her.
I raged into the surprised monster and punched it in its feet. The Lamia knuckles must be sharp because it was buried in Hyunmu's flesh and when I retrieve it out. Blood came spewing out. However Hyunmu wasn't hurt at all there was no roar or anything to signify that it was hurt. Instead I stare at it reluctantly as it whips its tail to me bombarding me to the wall on the other side.
Hyunmu was slow in moving and I manage to get up and steady my stance even before it even reached me. I ran towards it this time. Using its foot as a stepping stone and climbed up its body to its head. Hyunmu began to shake me off but my hold was tough enough to hold I aim steadily on the back of its head where its brain might be, and buried my sharp knuckles to its head. Hyunmu aggressively shook and managed to throw me away right to the cliff of the area. A held on the ledge and lift myself up to the side of the ledge.
As I got up and sat on the ledge I face the Hyunmu hoping its dead. My Lamia Knuckles still buried into its head. Suddenly my knuckles flew away from its head directly pin itself to the earth beside me. I picked it up and charged and basically flung myself to the monster. I did crazy attack move like cartwheels, pirouettes and summersaults towards it trying to kick or punch a weakness from it, Only to find myself exhausted and being flung to the back wall by whenever Hyunmu attacks me. I was tired of attacking repeatedly so I plan my next attack to be my last giving it everything I've got. When I charged Hyunmu lifted its forelimbs up and preparing to crush me but I suddenly noticed that the earth began to crack I position myself to an edge of a crack and as Hyunmu crashed his forelimbs to the ground the earth lifted, creating a spiked earth protruding from the ground and a platform that pushed my jump farther, I grabbed Hyunmu's scale near its eye and accidentally stepped into its eye. Hyunmu finally cried out a roar of pain. I gained hope and buried one of my Lamia knuckles to its eyes and letting it go as I slide down its neck to its shell. The fight was long for me like I've been battling Hyunmu for almost a day. As I reached Hyunmu's shell to retrieved a cloud, and leave as soon as possible. The Iris' memory fragments start flashing in my eyes
The Lever… The Gate impaled Hyunmu's shell creating a hole in it… A black hole…
I move by instinct as if I knew what that could do. I found the part where the gates impaled Hyunmmu's shell. I raised my foot to the highest point it can reached which is a straight horizontal line and brought it down with force to the open part of Hyunmu's shell.
The monster did not shriek neither did it roar. It simply stopped moving and gently crashed to the ground.
"Kyiin!"
I suddenly felt fear, Luli followed me into the dungeon. I know I broke my promise but I was more worried on what would happen if someone else would be here for that reason I ran towards the girl that have started this journey with as she watch Hyunmu glow and explode in light.
"How dare you leave me!"
"You promised me that wherever we go we go together. And how do you ex-" Luli shouted at me. As I hurriedly ran towards her as she was hit by a black orb.
"Luli!" I shouted before another black orb hit me at my fall I tried opening my eyes to another person coming inside.
Scarlet hair, A fit dress and a wooden instrument on her hand. I was filled with horror as she dragged the unconscious Luli across the area, afraid that she was going to do something to her, and pinned her with a dagger. It was unnecessary she wasn't going anywhere yet.
I watch her pick me by my hair to my feet and pinned my sleeves on the back wall with two same daggers, maybe from Hyunmu's loot because it resembled like a cloud.
"Hello Iris Seeker…"
HOPE U LIKE IT~! Nah.. still have no readers.T.T... not a problem anyway ^~^
CHappie 4 is finished but the Hyunmu scenario isn't yet. It continues on Chapter 5 and an Iris' memory fragment story that will make it a bit longer ^^
Next Chappie: The Musician and her Story
*TYRO*