Another chapter is up and ready. Hm, seems I forgot to mention that last chapter somewhat ended in a cliffhanger, oh well. This one is mostly talking, but there will be more action next chapter.
Disclaimer: I might be getting a little redundant here, but Dragon Quest IX is created and copyrighted by Square Enix.
Chapter XII: Bloomingdale
Arianna and her team arrived back at Stornway via the Zoom Spell and walked on back to the Quester's Rest inn. The town had once again begun enjoying peace, since the incident with the Wight Knight had been resolved.
"Man, feels great to be back again" sighed Trent.
"You can say that again. I will go check on Erinn and Patty at the inn, while we're here" said Arianna.
The six entered the inn to find that someone else they'd never seen before had arived. It was a blond woman in her early to mid thirties with a green and white dress with white shoulder-length gloves. Aisha guessed that she came from a wealthy family, given the fancy attire.
Next to the blond woman, the Innkeeper, Erinn addressed the violet haired Celestrian"Hello Arianna, it's been a while, how have you guys been?"
"It's a long story, but there's been a lot going on. Who is the new girl?" inquired the Celestrian.
The blond woman smiled"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sellma. I came here the other day to sell my wares, just to help drum up a little business in this inn. I realize that you may not have heard about me, but let's just say that I came from quite a ways from Stornway."
"You're a merchant? What do you have for sale?" inquired Alicia.
The merchant replied"I have some very expensive, very valuable stuff, if you guys are interested. I also carry common items, but rare goods are my specialty."
"We'll keep that in mind. Erinn, how's business?" inquired the female warrior.
The Innkeeper replied"The inn has become quite popular. In fact, special guests occasionally show up here and there. The guests in question tend to come from faraway places, they are actually famous people according to themselves. I always let celebrities stay in the Royal Suites upstairs."
Patty took notice of the Martial Artist hanging with the rest of the violet haired leader's group"Hey there, my name is Patty. Would ya' mind telling me your name?"
The Martial Artist replied"I'm Sasha, ma'am. I recently joined with Arianna's group, and we're on a mission."
Arianna addressed Sellma"You said you have rare stuff, right? Have you seen anything like this?" She showed her one of the Fyggs.
The merchant blinked"Hm, nope, can't say that I have. I have nothing like that in my inventory, but I have a hunch that it must be important. But come to think of it, I heard some very unusual rumors in my travels before I arrived at Quester's Rest. Rumors are just that, though, nothing but rumors."
"Rumors? About what?" said Conrad, puzzled.
The blond woman glanced at him briefly before replying"My source of information is classified, but I was informed about the so-called Zere Rocks and that earthquake the other day. No biggie, I just go about my business, but enough about me. I will show you one of the rare goods I recieve here and there."
Sellma reached into her sack, which lay to her right, taking out a mysterious, weapon with a white head and light brown shaft.
"That's a interesting weapon you have there, Miss Sellma" said Trent.
The merchant responded"Just call me Sellma, okay? You don't need to be so formal with me, I'm not that old. Now, this Celestial Lance is worth a whopping amount of gold, if you are interested."
Trent was surprised"That's amazing. If I had a lot more money on hand then what my group is carrying, I could probably afford it."
Sellma put the spear back in her inventory bag"Hm, that's too bad. Anything else you might be interested in?"
"Not at the moment, but we're happy to shop here. Erinn, that celebrity you mentioned, do you know who that might be?" inquired Arianna.
The Innkeeper replied"I don't know for sure, only that she came from parts unknown to stay a bit at the Quester's Rest. By the way, Sasha, right? Would you like the register yourself into Patty's Party Place? It's kind of a small adventuring guild run by Patty, who also works at this inn."
The Martial Artist thought for a moment, then said"As the daughter of a great Master Martial Artist, I am traveling to train my body and spirit to become a master Martial Artist myself. But I would be honored to offically become a member of Patty's Party Place."
"That's great, welcome to the club" smiled Patty as she put down the Martial Artist's name on her list of Adventurers.
Arianna addressed the innkeeper"Erinn, would you mind if I pay our mystery guest a visit at the Suite?"
Erinn nodded"Why not? You volunteered to help out with the inn. It's only right that you get to meet the guests who come to the Quester's Rest. But just so you know, some of the special guests who come here are quite eccentric, some of the regulars claim that they must come from other dimensions. Oh, looks like you're tired, would you like to spend the night? I'll give you a special staff rate."
Arianna smiled"Yes, my friends and I needed to rest after today. Will twenty gold be enough?"
"Absolutely, have a nice stay" smiled Erinn as the pueple haired Warrior forked over the coins.
Conrad addressed the Martial Artist"I think I'll chill a bit at the parlor. Would you like to join me?"
Sasha nodded"We all need the rest."
"I shouldn't need to say it, but enjoy your rest while we're here team. I don't know when next I'll break from our traveling" said Arianna.
Trent and Arianna went to the elevator which lead up to the suites. Alicia and Raymond headed outside to check on things outside, while Conrad and Sasha walked into the parlor.
The former three headed upstairs to a series of rooms and walked on until they came to a closed door at their right.
Just as Arianna knocked, a voice spoke out"Yes? Who is it?"
"I'm Arianna, I want to meet you" said the purple haired teen.
The door opened to reveal a young woman with pueple clothes, brown silk gloves, blue eyes and reddish hair which is held up in a bun. She looked surprised"Oh, are you a part-timer at this inn? I never saw you before, even in the evenings. I'm not complaining, just wondering."
The purple haired warrior replied"I'm only a promoter for the Quester's Rest, I am not a permanent staff member. I don't get paid much, but that's not my primary concern. May I ask your name?"
The red head replied"My name is Ashlynn, a Sorceress from Sorceria in another world. My pursuit for knowledge led me to this wonderful inn, that Erinn is a great innkeeper. The newcomer, Sellma isn't bad, but I could tell that she has a hidden past. I automatically assumed that Patty at this inn was the same person from my world, but quickly dismissed the idea."
Arianna shrugged"It's a pleasure to meet you. Is that talk I briefly heard about you and other guests on this floor being from other dimensions true?"
"I don't understand everything, myself. I only came to visit the inn yesterday, as it was mentioned on the billboard in front of this town's entrance. Now I don't mean to be rude, but I'm a busy woman and must leave this place in two days, starting this evening" said Ashlynn.
"What do you mean?" said Trent, perplexed.
The sorceress replied"The kingdom of Stornway is part of your world, correct? Well, the world is full of mysteries. Aside from people from my home, otherworlders are allowed to visit, but we can't interfere too much in your world. King Zenith spoke to me of this, but whether or not that is true is unknown. I will return to my world to focus on my studies."
"I don't mean to pry, but how did you come to this world?" said Trent.
"King Zenith has spoken to me about a Celestial Entity named Pavo, apparently he alone among his kind can and/or dare to open doors and portals to other worlds and dimsensions. There is that, and a mysterious light storm penetrated a fourth wall somewhere, I have connections in my world in the 'real' realm, but it is far too outrageous to inform the king of Somnia in my world. Whatever the cause of the fourth wall collapse is, I intend to study it from my world" said the red headed sorceress.
"I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay, Ashlynn" said Arianna, turning to walk away.
"Same to you, oh and one more thing. Take this with you, Patty made this for me, but I don't really need it. It has magical properties built in through alchemy, and my own magic" said Ashlynn, handing over what looked like a wig resembling her hair.
Arianna accepted the present, saying"Thank you."
As Trent and his companion went to one of the regular rooms, the blond swordsman spoke"You know, the mysteries that Ashlynn spoke of sound like something worth looking into. Maybe we could check it out after finding the Fyggs."
Arianna shook her head"The Fourth Wall is nothing to be concerned about, whatever it is. Even when we get the Fyggs and I return them to the Observatory, I don't know what may happen after that is done."
"Will you still be around?" inquired the blond.
Arianna replied as they reached one of the bedrooms"Don't misunderstand, the primary reason Celestrians were helping people was so they could gather enough Benevolessence, a crystalized substance which only pure Celestrians could see. With that substance, we helped the Yagdrasil Tree bear fruit to the very Fyggs we're looking for. The Starflight Express was to be my people's ticket to the Realm of the Almighty, before the Lightstorm happened. But let's not dwell too much on this, we must depart tomorrow for Bloomingdale."
The two entered one room with two separate beds. Trent addressed the violet haired warrior"See you tomorrow, then?"
"Yes, good night" replied Arianna.
Conrad and Sasha bought an early dinner consisting of some fish and chips and were eating in the parlor a few minutes earlier.
"What do you think of our quest, Sasha?" said Conrad.
The Martial Artist replied after swallowing a bite of her fish sandwhich"Our quest for the Fyggs are so far successful, but my intuition says that some great evil is at work, the Earthquake we experianced could not have been a coincidence. Earthquakes are rare enough that there shouldn't have been any at Angel Falls or any of the other places that Arianna visited."
"I am not very supersitious myself" shrugged Conrad around a bit of his sandwhich.
Sasha sighed"Well, we should probably go to bed soon."
The two finished their dinner and went to one of the vacent rooms.
The following day, Trent, Arianna and the rest of their group left the inn after paying Sellma and Erinn another visit. The group started to leave when Ashlynn caught up"Wait up."
"Yes?" said Arianna.
The sorceress replied"If I go with you, will I find a library where I can study a bit while I am here? I'm not asking to join your party, I must add."
"That's not a good idea if you're not allowed to interfere much" frowned Trent.
"I must find as much information as possible so that I can tell King Zenith about the rift between dimsensions. I actually have a spell which can be deadly to monsters, not that I will actually fight alongside you" said the sorceress.
"Okay, you can tag along with us to Bloomingdale. I know you have your reasons" said Arianna.
The group stopped a short distance from the castle town, Arianna spoke"Hold hands everyone, I am teleporting us to Dourbridge. We'll head southwest from there to Bloomingdale."
They held hands as Arianna instructed, then the Celestrian cast Zoom. Instantly, they came to Dourbridge.
"Okay, you lead the way Arianna" said Ashlynn.
The group walked southwest from Dourbridge's east exit. The trip was uneventful, save for an encounter with some Slime Knights. Arianna, Trent and Sasha fought them off, then the group continued on until they came to another port town.
Arianna spoke with Ashlynn"We escorted you this far, I have my own business in Bloomingdale."
"Let me come with you a little farther" insisted the Sorceress.
"Very well" said the Celestrian.
Bloomingdale consisted of not only houses, but a garden of flowers here and there. The air was pure in the flowers' fragrence. Raymond breathed"It's beautiful."
"I'll bet" said Alicia.
"I must go to the manor to ask where I can look at some books. Arianna, would you mind taking me back to the inn after I explore the town some?" inquired Ashlynn.
"I will" said the Celestrian.
The group walked on, talking to the townspeople until they came to a harbor with a ship docked.
"This might be just what we need for sailing the seas" said Trent.
An old man approached"Hey, you folks interested in that ship? It's never been used in a long time. If you want it, go ask Madame Marion Bloome at her manor."
"We will" said Arianna.
The six went to a large mansion at the center of town, Trent guessed that was what the old man talked about. Alicia spoke"What do you think this Marion Bloome is like?"
"No idea" sighed Trent.
They entered the manor, where they met with one of the servants who directed them upstairs. A group of people were in one of the rooms having an audience with a blond woman in a red dress.
When they aporached and the woman saw them, she spoke"Oh, hello, how can I help?"
"Marion Bloome, right? I am Arianna, my companions and I want to borrow the ship docked at the pier" said the Celestrian.
Marion Bloome shrugged"Well, I see why not. But wait, are you one of 'them'?"
Arianna sensed something was wrong, then said"Do I look like a Celestrian to you? If it is what you're asking, I must say yes."
That blond woman seemed to explode in anger"Hmph! I don't trust you and I withhold my promise to lend you the ship. Now leave me alone!"
Shocked, the six heroes and the other people holding an audience left the manor.
One of the men scowled"What did you do to anger Marion Bloome? Now she won't want to help anyone."
"What can we do?" frowned Trent.
Another older man replied"Why don't you go see Randolph? He made her a doll when she was little. Maybe he can help you talk to her."
Following the man's advice, the six went to another house southwest of Marion Bloome's manor. There, another old man spoke to them"Yes?"
"Randolph, right? We need your help, Marion Bloome seems to be in a mood right now" explained Arianna.
The man sighed"Very well, I'll come with you."
They returned to the manor within the next couple minutes, only to be met with a shock at Marion's room upstairs.
Trent saw a note and read it"huh? Looks like she was kidnapped."
"That's horrible" said Randolph.
Arianna spoke to the dollmaker"My friends and I will handle this." Randolph nodded, and left the house. The group examined the note when Ashlynn joined them.
"Arianna, I saw what happened just a couple minutes ago. Marion was kidnapped by bandits from a cave up north, at least I heard that's what you said when I heard you read the note. I was there, but I didn't cast spells to save her because I could not risk wrecking the house."
The Celestrian sighed"The thieves are demanding randsom and call themselves members of the F.I.C.K.O. We must save her, or we won't get to borrow the ship."
The group rushed out to the town's outskirts. Arianna spoke"Did you find what you were looking for, Ashlynn?"
The Sorceress shook her head"Actually, I kind of lied. I was bored, that's all. I know I can't interfere too much, but I want to teach F.I.C.K.O a lesson. The Prince of Somnia, a friend from my home dimension, would have done the same, you kinda remind me of him, Arianna."
"Okay, but let's not brazenly storm the cave. We need to asess the situation" said the Celestrian.
The group turned their attention north, and walked to the cave.
Cliffhanger time, I hope this dosen't annoy anyone too much. I will pick up where I left off next time. I apologize if the paragraphs aren't long enough, I'm just trying to type this fic so that it's easy to read.
By the way, I owe a few explanations. To those not in the know, the Special Guest characters in DQIX aren't playable. I just thought to give them a bigger role then they had in the game. Ashlynn will be in the next chapter, but that will be it for her.
If I am rushing, sorry. The Bloomingdale Arc in DQIX was the most tragic side story in my opinion. After Ashlynn, using anymore guest characters might be a bit awkward. As for the parts I made up about the special guest characters, there was no actual explanation on how characters from previous DQ games appear in Sentinels of the Starry Skies besides the Download option or whatever that was. I had not played DQIX in a while.
Please feel free to review.