Chapter 5: Knucklehead, meet Spell Boy

Sorry about the slight delay with this chapter. I had a busy week, next one will come out sooner. Hopefully...

Luvitianus(Guest): Thank's for the help, I'll try to cut down a bit more on those errors. Although I am aware that Victoria was largely unpopulated at the time, I feel this story would be much easier to tell as well as understand for other people.

LadyMelodyLily: Yes Magic Flare. It was always one of my favorite skills for evans. Simplistic yet looks nice: =0

~~~~~~~~~~Start~~~~~~~~~~
Wind whipped in my face as Ryko carried me over the plains. Beautiful as they were, I had to admit I prefered the icy tundra more the deep waves of the frigid ocean and reflecting sheets of ice. Ah how I wished to be there now, unfortunately I had some business to attend to.

And I had better get to my destination quick seeing as how the sun was already halfway through its journey through the sky.

"Come on Ryko! Let's go boy, we're on a time limit here."

My partner heard me and started to speed up as the plains disappeared and we came into a deep wooded area, Ellinia, home of the fairies.

~~~~~~~~~~With Mercedes~~~~~~~~~~

A certain blonde royal was making her way out of town for a walk after a particularly vicious round of paperwork, completely evil papers…

Mercedes POV

After about 6 hours of grueling work I finally took a break and decided to go for a walk. Luckily I knew a secret way past the gates or else Philius would be nagging me in the morning.

The forest around me was quiet and peaceful, the occasional slime or fairy would make it's appearance but nothing more.

The serene grace of Ellinia's lush foliage calmed me more then any words or medicine ever would. Our beautiful Maple World would be destroyed by the Black Mage if he wasn't stopped. Unfortunately the current heroes only included Freud and myself. I knew of another who might be considered but I hadn't seen him for months now.

And as I thought about this, it distracted me from noticing a rather speedy and quiet approach from behind me.

"BOO!"

In a second my bowguns were out and aimed at the neck of a certain polearm wielding knucklehead.

All POV

As Aran (as you all probably know by now.) snuck up behind Mercedes he was wondering what luck he had. Mercedes was NEVER this out of it!

"Boo!"

And it only took about half a second for him to find a bowgun pointed at his face and neck.

Mercedes was surpised to say the least. "Aran! Why are you here?"

For a moment her eyes reflected pleasant surprise, then they hardened.

"Of course that's all the more reason to fire. You annoying twit…"

"W-Wait! Don't shoot, I bring a message this time from Chief Koori!"

Mercedes narrowed her eyes, so now the old man wants to play diplomacy eh?

"Fine, hand it over, we'll see what the chief has to say now that he's lost a few warriors the Black Mage."

Aran gritted his teeth at the insult to his comrades.

"They weren't just some warriors Mercedes, they were brave souls on the field of battle. They died for the village, their families, and their sacred honor.*"

"Hmmm...? It all sounds very heroic doesn't it. But in the end it changes nothing, at best the Root Alliance will gain an ally it was already expecting. Their deaths changes nothing."

The tension was oppressing, both were at eachother's throats. Literally, Aran had taken out his polearm, Maha, and it's blade was dangerously close. Likewise, Mercedes simply needed a twitch of her finger to fire a magic arrow through Aran's throat.

"Enough you two, this argueing isn't what we need right now."

And like a rubber band being stretched, the force rebounded on the one who let it go.

They both glared intensely at Freud, their own arguement forgotten. If looks could kill, everything around Freud would be dead.

"What do you know damn magician, the warriors of my tribe gave up their lives to fight for their world, and this stuck up royal pain decided she would mock them for their noble sacrifice."

"And you're saying you're not?"

"What?!"

"You think those noble warriors would want you to waste time argueing and threatening the chance of a an alliance which would protect their village?"

Aran seemed to have run out of steam with his arguement at this point, Freud had a point after all.

"And Mercedes you apologize to Aran, I know what happened in the past," at this Mercedes glare made her blue eyes look like chips of ice, Freud ignored her and continued, "but that doesn't mean you can disregard others in a similar situation."

Mercedes' eyes were shaded by her hair as she didn't respond.

"One more thing, you might want this back."

Freud produced, to general amazement of the Elven Queen, the Royal Tiara from his pocket.

With as much poise as she could muster at the moment, she walked up and took the tiara from Freud's hands and left without a word.

And that was that.

~~~~~~~~~~Somewhere over Maple World~~~~~~~~~~

"Master, I must insist, for your own good, that you at least attempt to train yourself."

"Oh calm yourself Gaston I can hold my own already."

"Master you were almost caught by the Elven Queen not two days ago and yet you sit here slacking off."

Phantom merely gave Gaston a bored look an returned to his seemingly favorite pastime as of late: gazing for hours on end into a spinning card on his finger that he himself could see.

And then the floor beneath the luxurious couch he was lying on opened up beneath him and dropped him into a 20 foot hole.

"GASTON!"

"Yes Master Phantom?"

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Gaston, seemingly unfazed, flipped a switch on the wall labeled, "Special Training Menu."

"Sorry Master but this is for your own good."

"THE HELL IT IS!" Phantom screamed as he ran from about 20 giant orange mushrooms.*

"Just know Master, the faster you get this done the more time you have to do what you please."

"DEVIL, DEMON, EVIILLLLL!"

"See you later Master." Gaston calmly replied

As he strolled away, Gaston ran into a certain information gatherer.

"Ah Collette, anything to report?"

"Yes Gaston, may I ask if you know where Master Phantom is?"

Gaston scratched his head, on one hand not telling the master immediately may result in another, as he liked to call them, Phant-o-rant. On the other hand the master might ask Collette to let him out. Then he thought of a solution.

"Let us go see Master Phantom together shall we?"

And so they began they walk back to the training pit where they heard the end of Phantom's epic struggle eith he mushrooms.

"Blason Phantome!"

And the last mushroom was slashed apart by his attack.

"Ah Gaston, Collette, wonderful timing what's going on?"

Collette stepped forward.

"Well boss, we have once again found the location of the Skaia."

~~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~~

A/N

And that's chapter 5 everybody, hope you enjoyed it!

Read and Review Please!

-Lunarfeather

P.S. I have no clue why but sometimes linebreaks don't appear where I want them to...