Latale: A Memory's Venture
Chapter 7: Dark Moon's Encumbrance
School's out.. I can do more this time ^^
Hope you like it...
What's with the number 7?
My Dream it's the same, a large scream, then a flare of red spirals upward, and then it appears. A rose dyed in blood, a chalice, with some seeds nestled in the bottom of a red fluid, a diamond-shaped topaz necklace, a pink decanter, a doll, my sand glass and lastly a white light above.
I reached for that light, it grew bigger and bigger until it engulfed all the items. Including me
When I regained my vision, I was again in Dark Moon Castle, sepia mode, my vision blurred in some parts, as well as my hearing. There was an argument. Between a girl with wavy hair and another woman, slim wearing some sort of wool cape, her hair was short just beneath her ears, her earrings were oddly shaped like a star and a crescent moon.
The Castle's interior is a mess (different from wrecked) the treasures and items scattered in the wooden floor.
"The King and Queen, they left!" shouted the short haired woman. Another woman, didn't react she just continue walking.
She made her way to the throne. And uttered, "Well, I guess this city is mine now." then she just laughed devilishly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand just like an evil person laughs maniacally.
The short haired just stared, and then a huge big grin appeared on her face.
Corelle's POV
The doors burst open, the ninja guardian is defeated but not dead. I doubted if I can defeat the loyal servant with only Kyiin with me, to top that, he's completely in trance acting only on his instincts, I need someone to command and lure out the enemy, I only got a non-listening, persistent jerk.
I rushed in, never-minding if my companion even follows me, it doesn't matter, and time is short. The Princess must be suppressed before she destroys everything I worked for, Again
The loyal servant was a simple poor boy, He was rescued by the Princess when the plague inffected the city, he serves the Princess without hesitation on her actions.
The servant had pink hair, a long thin strand extending on his back, he wears a large yukata for males, which is too large for anyone anyway, and his sleeve runs even larger at the end, his arms and hands barely noticeable. He peculiarly wears a skirt rather than short, but that must be his formal outfit, He carries a large fan around his hands, and declares that a fan is more deadly than a knife. His name forever resounding in the ears of the people. Tengu.
Tengu is a bastard, the moment I saw opening at his attacks, he comes up with a spinning attack where he flails his fan around, dragging me back and forth and stopping all my attacks. It's disturbing and unethical, for me of course.
After a while of being flailed back and forth then thrown out of bounds by his Pressure wave attack, Kyiin finally stepped into the scene. Blocking Tengu's downward attack on me, which was sure to finish me off.
"tsk" He said
"Blasphemous creatures, I wish I can destroy right now. But I have been given orders not to kill you yet, though that would be a shame."
"Shut up, Swishkabob" "I'm not here to talk to you and your large mouth. Now do me a favor and swallow something to keep those teeth away from me, it's disgusting!" I shouted
Tengu completely insulted. Assaulted us directly, leaping a few meters and lunging at us like a cat out of the bag.
Kyiin again block the attack, his knuckles making a formidable small shield. Tengu retreated and readied his Pressure-Wave stance ready to blow us off to space at the moment we reached his range of attack.
"I got this" I said to must be still in trance Kyiin.
He nodded only, His irises were back to where it must be, there is no more solute-like particles floating in his empty eyes.
Tengu sensed my long range attack and quickly tried to dodge it by lunging into me, but I was quicker, The moment he pounced, I stopped my magic for long range and switch to a short range attack.
"Earth Storm" I shouted devoid of any accent or stresses, subsequently a tornado like wind started enveloping me, rocks and boulder alike started spinning wildly around, Tengu was caught in the middle of it, in the end. He was the one who ate his own words.
"I'll tell you one more time Tengu, You're weak."
"Ha! The princess will punish you and your insolence, how dare you defy her Castle with your meek words?" And with that he laid down and his body vanished leaving his clothes lying to where he landed.
"Defy? It was a wreck really, they should know the word, repair and redecorate."
He laughed. Kyiin laughed his back finally.
"Where the Hell did your mind go?" "In Luli Paradise?"
I saw him blush but afterwards he just stared at me with empty eyes.
"I saw her, Chon Palm, with Iris, at the Princess' throne. What exactly happened?" He said trying to get some answers from me.
"I told I don't know!" I said, not wanting to give any more information on the poor seeker who is just a kid.
The Doors burst open; it was the door to the Dark Moon Princess's throne room.
Luli's POV
At the door of the Dark Moon of the 16th Day, we sat together; He wipes his eyes back and forth holding back tears that flow. There was an ancient armor scattered all over the place, and paper stringed at the door, its calligraphy is not on my linguistic list of patterns, I can't translate it.
Raavi was still pretty upset about the whole new Iris seeker thing; He still wanted the last one to come back and badly. He's holding his music box extremely tight, so tight that he can break it into pieces.
The previous Iris seeker, I wonder who that is? I've never heard about Iris seekers ever since, Kyiin is one of them, Now that I think about it, Kyiin isn't his real name right? I gave it to him when we met. I wonder what's his real name, who is he, why is he amnesiac and why he is so interesting. Not that I've been staring and watching him all this time. I mean he's kinda mysterious, like Corelle as well. (Am I the only one who's not interesting?)
"So who was the previous Iris Seeker?" I ask him courageously.
"Hmm?... oh her, she's very brilliant, very beautiful, and very skillful." He said looking up to the open skies
"I mean what she look like?"
"I doesn't matter now right? She's good as dead."
"Don't say that! I don't want Kyiin to end up dying as well." I said hoarsely
"Kyiin? That the new Iris Seekers name? kinda weird" He said
"I know, I gave it to him. He's amnesiac, end up on our inn, He said he didn't remember his name, so I gave him one."
He laughed and smiled, his eyes still tainted with tears.
"Wait a minute… I just realized something! What the Hell are we doing out here when the Engineer you're looking for is in there?" He said smiling to me, He stood up and extended his hand to help me lift up.
"Beats me." I shrug reaching for his hand, he was still trembling but his hands were soft and warm. Just like Kyiin.
Kyiin's POV
At the throne room of the Dark Moon of the 16th Day The princess sat in her special little throne.
With only minutes before she decides to implement her selfish decree to kill me. We have to defeat her.
Corelle, enraged at the sight of the Princess, spread her wings out wide, and quickly flew towards the Princess who was just retrieving her bow and arrows, from a stack of weapons beside the throne chair.
The Dark Moon Princess, I was told she was heartless and cruel, but I gotta admit she's beautiful, her dark purple hair curved in a fashionable way on her back, a purple dress and a yellow skirt a big purple bow tie tied in her neck rather than a collar.
Wait… Dark Purple Hair? She the woman in my first flashback? But that woman look so calm and friendly, but the second flashback did looked like her only much younger. It means she took over Aioch at a very young age, yet she is filled with hate, anger, and violence?
"The Iris Seeker? Your 3 days late, I'll be sending you to your grave" she muttered devilishly.
"2 minutes" she uttered softly.
She wielded a large pink bow, with a crimson-pink jewel in its center; there was a non full arc on her bow where her hands held it. She cradled her quiver on the side of left side of her hip, her other hand on the tight string on her bow.
Corelle's attack was useless. She got kicked by the princess in the gut, causing her to bend down a bit. The princess then trapped her shoulder blade through the arc on her bow. It was locked deep, a simple pull backwards will break Corelle's shoulder blade for good.
3 shots fired a flash of red, yellow and green gone way past me, the last one hitting a side of my left arm.
"1 minute" she said
I dashed to help Corelle but it was too late, the princess used Corelle's bent knee to lift herself up, in an amazing move, she fired three shots simultaneously downward to Corelle, she got punctured in three vital places on her body.
"30 seconds"
Then with a twist and turn, she was know upside down, still in midair, about to fire a large red ball towards me, It fired eventually, the impact was so tremendous, that it knock Corelle down flat on her stomach, the shot propelled the Dark Moon Princess backward and with a half somersault execute gracefully, she was standing on her two feet back towards us, without any bruises, scratch, injuries, or any abrasions in her body.
The ball did hit me hard, but my knuckles caught it, the impact still hurt, but I not out of danger's way yet, the ball was getting massive and massive as the time agonizingly flew by. My left knuckle cracked and was bound to get shattered, and eventually I'll get shattered.
Still with her back towards us, she snapped her fingers, and the ball exploded on me.
"Time's up, maggots" she uttered mischievously.
Again it was all black.
Corelle's POV
The arrows are illusions, but still they felt so real when they punctured my heart my lungs and some point on my stomach, I'm sure I'd be dead, but I begin to succumb by the pain radiating from the points where her arrows hit. I struggled to stand, barely holding ground.
Kyiin is again unconscious laid on his back bleeding profusely, I can't take a step closer to examine, much more to create magic wings and fly myself to him. Not an option, I was only standing facing the Princess, nothing more nothing less.
"Should I say Hello? Or nice to see you again?" She said to me sarcastically.
"It doesn't matter, your dead within the hour."
"I think you know more than anyone that I can't die" she said to me making me look stupid.
"Save It, Grandma."
"Still the same as always?"
"Shut up."
She laugh "Do me a favor and wake him up please, before I kill more intruders."
Kyiin's POV
Black again, it goes as usual, a scream, the rose, chalice with seeds, necklace, decanter, doll, sandglass, and light, as usual it engulfed me.
But it is different this time; I stood at some sort of graveyard, the crosses and tombstones protruding in a random manner from the soft ground.
In the center, there was a door, I hesitated to open it, but I guess its contents won't be much of a bother; it is a dream after all.
Inside the door was a large hall, the tiles where black and white, red curtains draped the side, a table with a pen a paper and a vase of flowers appeared every now and then, I just walk aimlessly in the hall, unaware of what was inside.
Near the end of the hallway there were seven doors. They were all identical, 3 doors on the left side 3 on the right and 1 big massive double door at the dead end.
"How's my replacement doing?" An emerald haired woman suddenly appeared in the hallway.
"Dead I think."
Symphony laughed at my comment. "You collected me so far, so whenever you come here, I'm the only one around."
What does that mean?
"Listen Sixth" she said dead serious "Don't die until you find him. I need him here, you understand right?"
Again what the hell?
"What do you mean I collected you?"
"My decanter stupid, all the seekers have their own soul item; all you got to do is collect them, then your home free."
"Then where can I find the next" I hesitated, knowing she'll answer she doesn't know.
"How am I supposed to know? I'm the first seeker remember?" she answered scornfully
"For starters, why don't you look at the papers?" she said turning in her wet dead form again.
"Let's get one thing straight, please don't turn to your dead form again. I terrified just by looking at you."
The hallway shook, like there was a massive earthquake that broke out.
"Symphony! What the hell is happening?" I asked facing towards her, but she was already gone, for the next few minutes, the quake shook the hallway with great intensity.
Then I remembered what she said before she was gone. I ran towards the table that contains the papers, I struggle to stand and walk with the unstable ground caused by the earthquake.
I manage to grab one of them and sat down in the corner. The hallway slowly shattering to pieces and the earthquake pounded the non existing space of my mind.
An angel that has fallen by worldly desire, she travels continuously until the light has finally reach her, but the light was too bright for her, it melted her heart and soul and let it drop into a shining stone of sin, the devils have feasted on her soul ever since. An empty vessel carries a mourning pride, the life itself will begin to wither, and she'll finally fall in the graveyard along with the others.
"Okay, that doesn't make any sense." I said as I stood to get more papers in the table, but as I did the part of the hallway break to pieces and I fell to an abyss.
Corelle's POV
"He won't, that sucker is a heavy sleeper." I said, tightening my grip on my dagger.
"My, my. I guess I have to settle things the hard way right?" Dark Moon said in delight.
"Goodbye!" she shouted before she unleashed a handful of arrows at my direction.
"You wish, bitch!" I said making a huge half-circle wind that revolves around me. The arrows that pass it, gets thrown in a different direction.
I dashed towards her, my dagger tearing her dress.
"Hey! This is worth of millions!" She shouted.
"Ohh… the Dress is going to kill me now."
"Hmpf" she scoffed before unleashing another set of arrows, I just created the half circle circulating wind to protect me.
She dashed straight forward, holding more than 10 arrows set on her bow. She jumped up high, and fired Ice arrows all over the area, my foot froze with the floor, unable to move the slightest bit, and I change my dagger to a Blue Corala Orb, and use it to amplify my control over the ice element. The ice cracked and shattered. But before it touches the ground, I lifted them up with my magic, and directed them towards the enemy.
She evaded all of the ice shards "what a resourceful thing." She grabbed to her quiver a set of arrows bundled together, and set it to her bow.
She charged a large bluish and whitish orb in the center; I on the other hand charge a small orb of wind in my left hand as I hold my dagger to my right, with a swift I unleashed a large gust of wind creating brown dust to blow into the back.
She just jumped high and evaded my gust, "Phoenix Scroll!" she shouted and unleashed a blue and white phoenix-shaped energy, bawling towards me. I generated my wings for defense, It exploded on me, but my wings took the impact. Using the black smoke the explosion produced as vision disadvantage, I performed a spinning round off directly towards the princess, I luckily landed on her bow light as a feather.
"Ten Flames" I said softly, just enough to let her hear what's coming. Then two red rune circles appeared beside me, spawning little yellow balls of light floating in the area, once the rune closed I immediately jumped away from her bow with another graceful execution of a round off, When I landed, the balls started to trigger their explosion.
The explosion was huge and deafening, a gust of wind made me step back a little, but when the smoke cleared, The Dark Moon Princess is still standing unscathed.
I turned my voodoo doll into my time and space orb and let it charge to her. It hit her bow and made her move slow.
"What the…" She reacted.
"The time and space orb is capable of altering any laws binding with the time and space continuum, for short, it made you move slow." I said maniacally.
Turning my orb to a Toad smoke staff, I charge towards her. "Dark Dragon." I said as a dragon shape black mass with violet squinting eyes appeared behind me, putting a large amount of pressure to anyone who is in range. The princess tried to back away, but since she move slow she failed to do so, after the black mass disappeared, I change my toad staff to my Corala orb, with three back handsprings. I was far enough to cast Hailstone, with a flick of my fingers, a huge hole appeared overhead her, large amount of pointed ice fragments came pouring in, with the added effect of ice, she was frozen to where she stood.
"And now, it's time to deliver the final blow."
"Wrath of the Elements, Celestial Pole!" I shouted as I created a large green rune just a few centimeters from my hand, unleashing it potential, The energy fired, everything in its path have become a black pile of ash, and so will the princess.
The entire throne room was reduced to ashes, everything was burned, the smoke still covers the result of what the Dark Moon Princess has to be, but I'm sure she's no recognizable anymore.
I look for Kyiin who was supposed to be still behind me, away from all the explosions and destructions, but when I looked at him, he was thrown in the farthest side of the room, still bleeding, I wanted to check on him, but I need to see if I've defeated the princess.
I struggled to see through the black smoke, then suddenly, a single of arrow, pierce from the center. Acting instinctively, I let flew my corala orb to it, hoping to block the arrow from me, but it was the wrong orb, it was my time and space orb instead, once it hit the arrow it broke to pieces, that would only mean, that the effect of slowing down time of the princess is cancelled.
The room started returning back to its normal state, it was a temporal loop after all, I can't permanently destroy it. The black smoke has begun to clear up, revealing a still unscathed Dark Moon Princess.
"How come…" I hesitated to ask.
"I'm in a time loop, nothing can kill me."
"Yes technically, but this loop does not return until I am still interfering with the loop. Then how come this room returned to normal and you unscathed?"
"Pitiful child, huge amount of energy still can incapacitate me, nor destroy me. Nothing can." She shouted as she sprung towards me, trying to bash her bow to my skull. With my orb broken, I created my Javawalk Moon Dagger, trying to block off her attack.
A kick in the gut; A tumble overhead, I kick in the back, A tight grip in my shoulders, Ice Arrows hailing down. Is all I manage to take to my head, before a large blue and white Phoenix-shaped energy hit me and threw me to the air.
"I'll see you in the graveyard then." She said, before unleashing five arrows to a small vibrating hole, It created five different holes near me and spew out one of the arrows each puncturing me.
"So long, pride" with that, the arrows exploded.
Or maybe I thought they did, I just made a black smoke of something, and my vision was too blurred to see.
When I came to my senses, I was lying down like a dead girl, with Kyiin cradling the back of my neck and my knees; his still bleeding from his forehead, his left side of the head is entirely covered in blood.
"Interesting, I must let Siam and Sophia, know about this." The Dark Moon Princess chuckled.
"What happened?" I ask trying to recall the past events.
"You're hit pretty bad, I don't know how, but when I caught you, the arrows vanished."
"I'll call off the decree to kill you, you're too much interesting than I thought." She scoffed then laughed maniacally again.
"What the Hell are you trying to prove, with that kind of decree?" Kyiin shouted
"I was trying to speed things up, plus I keep all my words, so when you came late, there wasn't anything I can do but kill you. But seems like I can't"
"I assume you want to know about Iris so came to me." She said sounding bitter.
"You're a good psychic, we aren't predictable at all." I said sarcastically, trying to sit up in a comfortable position.
"And I suppose, the brains of your group, who apparently had a brain size of a microbe, had figured out, I was siding with Chon Palm with that topic. Right?"
"Absolutely" Kyiin replied smiling, the blood on his face is still dripping. How can he smile at this kind of moment?
"Then I guess I'll have no more argument on my side of the story, Iris was nothing more than a try-hard bitch who just wanted fame." She said harshly biting her lip.
I smiled at that comment.
"Then whatever your side is, I just want to know where she is, and her story, you're with her until the end of her journey right? Then please tell." Kyiin asked desperately.
"Why am I going to tell you? You wouldn't believe me anyway." She said then laughed.
"Try me, I'll believe anything." Kyiin answered scornfully.
"Really, you're that much of a fool?"
"Really. Now quit blabbering nonsense from that parrot mouth of yours and get a move on with what we need" I said.
She laughed, "Simple, Iris special necklace is what you need, it's like her soul item, I assume you already what that means, it was split to seven pieces six are scattered by the immortals, and the seventh is still with Iris until now."
"Iris, special necklace… It means Iris is still alive?" Kyiin said happily.
"I guess you can say that, but not in the way you think." Of course to obtain her soul completely, you need to patch together the seven pieces of Iris shards."
"And how will we do that? Put glue in it?" I replied sarcastically.
"Tape will do" she in the same manner.
"It has to be done in a ceremony, out of bounds in the time and space, normal continuum." The shards must be diffused with the black mass that has contaminated the seven corrupted items, Each one scattered as well"
"For short it has to be done in Siam's dimension. Collect the 7 seekers' soul items and performing a ritual to bring back Iris's Soul?" I said summarizing her boring speech.
"Very Good, but you missed something, it has to be done with Iris's body for her soul to enter in."
"Wait, you're confusing me, If Iris is alive how come we are only looking for her body?" Kyiin asked.
No reply. She only laughed.
"It will be your burden now, I won't take it back so no backing out now. No matter what happens?"
Kyiin nodded
"Also, I heard from Knowledge that a friend of yours has my music box."
"Yeah, Luli has it, why?" Kyiin answered.
"A piece of Iris's soul shard is in there, but the shard can only be unlocked but playing the entire melody to the end." "I scattered its vital parts before turning it over to my Engineer. 4 cylinders and 7 significant gears, it's scattered throughout Jiendia as well so why don't you just find them."
"What's with the seven?" Kyiin asked.
"Beats me" she answered in disdain.
Kyiin's POV
So now, I have a lot to do, Finding 7 gears, 7 seeker soul items, and 7 Iris soul shards, more likely, this is going to be a long journey.
"One more thing" She said to us.
"What happened in the past, is not the past, but will be the present and future, please keep that in mind."
What the hell does she mean? Furthermore, I saw Corelle's expression change from bitterness, to disbelief, something was off, but I just can't figure out what it is. Am I dumb or what?
The suddenly, the doors flew open, revealing a girl with pigtails and black hair, carrying a blue guitar. She was some boy with blue hair wearing an Engineer's outfit.
"What the Hell are you doing here? You supposed to wait outside once you found the Engineer." Corelle shouted that echoed throughout the room.
"What do you mean? I was hoping to find the Engineer inside the Dark Moon Castle, but it looks like he's not here." Luli sighed.
"Does the person beside you look like an Engineer?" Corelle said smiling fully
"Yes he does, but I suppose he's not THE Engineer." Luli answered. I can see Corelle's nerve marks from here.
Luli's eyes grew wide at the realization "You-You're the Dark Moon Castle's Engineer?" She asked to the boy who stood beside her.
He nodded, "and you said you're gonna help me find him! It could've been better, If you said that from the start!" Luli exclaimed
"IDIOT!" Corelle shouted, the sound reverberates throughout the room; Dark Moon Princess covered her ears while I think mine bled. She threw her corala orb at Luli's face.
"I'm surprised you didn't notice first, I said a lot of stuff that link to the person you look for, like Dark Moon Princess gave me you music box, et chetera," He laughed
"Well it's not my fault; I didn't know what he looks like! It's kinda hard to focus after you almost got rape but a group of men!" Luli shouted
"Wait, you were ALMOST raped by men?" I shouted trying to catch her attention.
"As he said, he already gave you clues to who he was, yet your still stupid enough not to recognize it!"
"WAIT! YOUR WERE ALMOST RAPED BY MEN?" I shouted
"Well why don't you bring back time and do it yourself, I bet you'll find more hard than it sounds, so shut your trenchant mouth!" Luli exclaimed
"No I won't I'm not as stupid as you! So shut your pie hole and do your job properly!" Corelle exclaimed at her.
"WAIT! YOU! WHERE! ALMOST! RAPED! BY! MEN?" I shouted to my loudest voice yet they still won't hear me.
"Almost, I totally saved her, and awesomely kick the butts of those flunk-out ninjas." He said to me, sounding awesome, for what first impression?
"Guess we owe you thanks." I said.
"No Prob, by the way, you must be the Iris Seeker." "Raavizani, Head Engineer for the Dark Moon Castle. But call me Raavi" He said reaching out his hand for a handshake; he was a bit taller than me, so I kinda have to look up. I think it makes no difference; it's still hard to pronounce.
"Kyiin, Yeah, Luli made that name." I said shaking his hands, And that blabbering girl with pink hair, is Corelle"
"Huh, I guess I have to introduce myself to her later." He said in delight
"Yeah, later is a good idea, when the two of them started that kind of stuff, it takes hours to calm them both down"
The Dark Moon Princess walked towards us, I readied myself to block any attack she's going to blow. But I notice that knuckles were both shattered.
She took out a towel and wipes it harshly on my face. "Clean your face will you?" She said, before turning to her throne and sitting like a cruel queen, she threw me some sort of new knuckles; both are large for my hands, way too large. But when I put it on, it was actually very light and easy to move.
"Gulliver's Hands, best equipment I can give to you here, afterwards she used some sort of magic to repair Corelle's shattered orb to its state before.
"As for you, I think you have repaid you deeds" She said to Raavi, tossing him some sort of key necklace and he wears it.
"Now get out of my face, and take you blabbering girlfriends with you" She said dead serious.
We dragged Luli and Corelle out of the loop.
"Oh, and Corelle" The Dark Moon Princess scoffed. Corelle glared at her like an angry beast waiting for a chance to tear her apart.
"Tell Knowledge, about the Ancestral Magic that saved you." She laughed maniacally again.
"Sure, I'll tell, after I kill her of course."
When got out of the Dark Moon Castle, Luli was treating my deep wound in my forehead, Raavi was talking to Corelle, but still she's as cold as ever, He's basically flirting with her, yet she just doesn't care?
Nah.. I don't want to think about unrelated stuff anymore, I just want to find Iris, Period.
"So where we headed?" Raavi asked.
"We're supposed to look for Iris' shards and Seeker items, their all valuable collectibles" Corelle said trying to push away Raavi from her.
"And the best collector in entire Jiendia, is the head of the Thief Clan." Luli exclaimed excited.
"Right, Van Giwoo, a member of Iris' former party, finding him would be easy, Thief Clan resides in the Pyramid ruins, all we gotta do is to find, which part of the Pyramid do they reside in."
"And so we have Elfa for." Corelle and Luli said in unison, how intriguing their minds seem to compliment the other, rare for the both of them, since they always disagree and all.
"So venturing through the desert? Then I'm just gonna get some supplies." Raavi saids he ran towards the Aioch bar.
"Corelle, why did you call Knowledge "her"?" I asked
She chuckled, "Oh, you'll meet her soon. But don't die when you do 'kay?" she said smiling.
Hope you liked it!
Final main OC introduced...
Next Chappie: The Queen's Mausoleum