Chapter 2: The Hooded Man
As the dust settled and Ceodore had recovered after he was briefly knocked out, he was met with a terrible sight.
The Red Wings ship was crippled, and all of its soldiers, including Biggs and Wedge, were apparently dead.
As he looked around, he suddenly heard Biggs" Hey... over here".
Ceodore hurried over to the fallen captain and said" Captain, are you all right?".
Biggs replied" No, I'm sorry... Prince Ceodore. I could not see you safely back to baron...".
Ceodore shrank back" You risked your life for me. If I were more of a soldier this would not have happened".
Biggs spoke up one more time" Listen, Ceodore. You must return to Baron... no matter what, this is my last order".
The red wings captain closed his eyes, as he took his last breath. Ceodore nodded and said" understood, I will go back to Baron, no matter what" then took his leave.
As the prince/red wings soldier started his journey, he ran into some imps and a flame hound. Ceodore easily defeated the imps, but the flame hound spat a stream of fire at him, which he barely blocked with his Iron Shield.
His opponent was tough, but Ceodore desperately tried to survive though his chances were remote. Just as he was about to give up, a mysterious figure suddenly swept into the action and delivered a fatal blow to the flame hound, which melted into thin air.
Ceodore's rescuer was clad in a dark shirt and pants, with a purple robe and hood covering his head and back. His face was hidden partially by his cloak.
Ceodore gasped" Thank you".
The man replied" you didn't look helpless here, but taking on a monster of that caliber on your own was close to suicidal".
Ceodore addressed his rescuer" I'm Ceodore, who are you?".
The hooded man said" I don't have a name. I discarded it. What about you?".
Ceodore said" I am a member of Baron's Red Wings Air Force, have you heard of them?".
The man replied again" who hasn't heard of them would be a better question. That's the most famous unit in Baron's military. What became of the airship you were on?".
Ceodore spoke up" it crash-landed back there. I need to return to Baron, and I don't need an airship to claim that I am a Red Wings soldier".
The hooded man calmly spoke" I see. Well, I'm headed to Baron myself, I have urgent business there. First we should head to Mysidia".
Ceodore inquired" is there an airship there?"
" Something even better" said the man.
Shortly after arriving at Mysidia, the hooded man spoke to Ceodore" the Devil's Passage is located in this town, its been sealed, but we may find someone who can break the seal at the Hall of Prayer"
"Understood" said Ceodore.
As they entered the hall of prayer, they were greeted by a young woman with pink hair and a white dress.
Ceodore spoke first" hi, I'm..."
"Ceodore? Is that you? Its me, Porom, we haven't met since you were little" said the woman.
Ceodore asked" Really?"
"Yes, I helped Cecil in his quest, years ago" said Porom.
The hooded man spoke up" We came here to ask permission to traverse the Devil's Passage to Baron."
Ceodore added" the airship I was on crash-landed, we need to get to Baron quickly".
Porom shrugged" so that explains the unease I felt earlier, a hoard of monsters were headed in that direction. I cannot go with you, but I will send for some help".
She turned towards the stairs leading to the Crystal Chamber and the Prayer Dias" Hey guys! Could you come down here?".
At Porom's request, a Black Mage and a White Mage appeared.
The Black Mage spoke" yes my lady?"
" I need you two to accompany Ceodore to Baron" explained Porom.
"It will be done" said the White Mage.
Porom turned back to Ceodore" The White Mage can break the seal on the entrance. But be careful, the Devil's Passage wasn't named so for humor's sake."
" Thanks Porom" said Ceodore.
As Ceodore and the two mages left, Porom noticed the hooded man" Who are you?"
"No one you know, I think" said the man as he proceeded to follow Ceodore and their temporary allies.
After buying supplies and setting forth to the Devil's Passage, The White Mage broke the seal on the entrance and they went on their way.
The Devil's Passage was treacherous with energy-draining tiles, but Ceodore, the Hooded Man, and the two mages moved on, pausing a few times to heal themselves.
After a long trek, the group eventually made it to the other side of the passage. Ceodore and his new allies however were unprepared for what has happened at Baron Castle, as the mysterious girl had defeated Baron's royal guard and did something to Cecil.
Pretty mysterious end to the chapter huh? As for the hooded man, I know what his true identity is. But if anyone who reads it didn't play all the way to the end of the Main Story or don't want to know yet, I won't say it here. Well anyway, please feel free to review. Oh, and I took the time to fix a few errors so it'll be clear.