SF Story can't-think-of-a-title

[Javaman]

GASP CLIFFHANGER

[Gatrie: Guns Blazing]

moar bizz!!

[Percivalé]

[Feel free to skip slightly-long author's note]

... Aaaaagh I feel so bad for the delay

BUT LOOK, BIZZ IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER

This chapter was originally going to be horribly long, so I split part of it into chapter eight... so chapter eight is already partway finished now.

I actually adore this chapter with everything that I have, kinda. I don't care if it's a little short... and stay tuned for chapter eight, because chapter eight introduces more characters AND more things are going to be explained. There is also a very subtle character development going on. ANYONE WHO CAN GUESS THIS DEVELOPMENT LATER ON GETS A COOKIE

and then plotline will be all 'what' but that's full of spoilers and you don't want thaat... well, enjoy!

[Author's note ends here!]

Chapter Seven: The Sides to a Square

"What are you doing here? Show yourself!" Javaman had shouted, drawing his thick blade quickly. The shadow above in the trees chuckled darkly; the wind was sharp again, and everything around them was immersed in shadows as a duel was about to commence...

"Javaman!" Desdemona shouted before everything else was, all of a sudden, nothing...

----

The next morning, Bizz awoke in a slight sweat. It was early; or, at least, she thought it was, since everyone else had still been in the quiet embrace of slumber. The clouds still darkened the sky. She didn't know this, though seemed to enjoy the peace and comfort of the tranquil darkness. She needed to think. The swordmaster knew this from the dream that accompanied her thoughts mere moments ago. She had wished deep in her heart that the fleeting dream hadn't been so short-lived as it was; she simply had not the wit to decipher the miniscule stint of time it had etched into her memory. Still exhausted, the young girl sighed, making barely an effort to rise out of the bed she had been staying in.

Time rolled by sluggishly, minute by minute. It was a snail, the mollusk slowly making its slimy trail through the bare dirt of the world. Everything seemed to be in a paradox of halted time- time couldn't stop, yet why did it seem like it had? A watched clock never moved, they said... it had all been paradoxial, too. Common thoughts, metaphors and otherwise intelligent statements were so impossible sometimes!

"You've been stirring a while in here," echoed a voice from what seemed to be the other side of the corridor. Bizz squealed quietly under the covers; she then pulled them off hesitantly and rose out of bed with a subtle yawn.

"Nightmare, I swear you have supersonic hearing or something," Bizz mumbled, her voice hoarse and raspy. It was as if she hadn't even used her vocal cords in the longest time.

"Seems we have quite a sore throat, too," replied the enigmatic trueblade in a lighthearted manner. He entered Bizz's temporary room almost silently. "I haven't had all that much sleep tonight, either. I almost envy Lyle... I swear the man sleeps like a rock."

"Hah... I wouldn't know, I haven't seen him sleep," Bizz replied groggily. She stretched tightly with another drowsy yawn; something tinged in her mind just then. "Hm.. by the way..."

"Yes? What is it?"

"I... had a dream last night," Bizz began, "I don't know what it meant. I only have a vague recollection of it... but I can't help but think it might mean something. Maybe I'm just crazy..."

"... Hm," Nightmare responded, his expression now solumn. He drifted carefully up to Bizz's sleeping place and sat down on the edge of the fancied cot. "Think you would mind telling me about it?"

"Actually, it's what I've wanted to talk to you about since I woke up..." Bizz paused for a minute to ponder and transform her dream into words, and possibly also for dramatic effect. After a few more minutes, she continued, "... Okay, so, there was this huge square. ... It was divided into four smaller squares, one to a corner. Holding them in place was a small triangle.. and the four little squares were all differently colored."

"What colors were they?" Nightmare asked.

"... I can only remember the colors of two... one was white, and the other was of a greenish tint. The triangle in the middle... I'm not sure if it had a definate color... except, something happened to it. It vanished. I don't know how, but it was just gone in an instant, and the squares then started to separate from each other. ... I think that's all I can recall..."

"... I see." There was a period of time that had the feel of a room of taciturn antisocials. If time had feel to it, then that had been an almost-definate description. Bizz blinked and had her head tilted to one side in curiosity and visible fatigue.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked almost immediately after the time of feel was up.

"No, you're fine. .. Well, I'd better get everyone else up and ready," Nightmare decided, "You had better get changed up and prepared yourself. We're heading for Sirya today to investigate some evidently strange behavior."

"Ah.. so, Masu and the others are going too?"

Nightmare nodded. "They agreed on going with us... and there is strength in numbers, after all."

"I love that phrase..."

With a smile and a wave, Nightmare ambled calmly out of the room. Bizz concluded that watching that man walk had been one of the coolest things she had ever seen in her lifetime.

----

Discussion in the palace halls of Sirya were relevant.

They had said a spy informed them of the group's future trip through the kingdom's border, and among them stood the true princess of the smaller portion of Kishonan...

-//-

[Percivalé]

FREAKING DOUBLE POST

hay

Edited January 11, 2009 by Bizz

[Oguma]

BIZZ, YOUR STORY IS GAWD.

And hay.

[Gatrie: Guns Blazing]

i sense hax.

hax=kewl

[Javaman]

WHAT HAPPEN TO ME

[Mufasa]

Alright! I'm finally caught up! Sorry for the wait Bizz. I'm ready for more!

[Oguma]

WHAT HAPPEN TO ME

You died.

[Percivalé]

You died.

And how do you know that? ;D

[Oguma]

And how do you know that? ;D

Knowledge

[Percivalé]

DFTSHDLFJHSDLKFJSDLFHSLDK AAAAAAAAUGH

So yeah, I have spellchecker now! AUGH THOUGH I'M SORRY FOR THE DELAAAY, and I'm sorry that this chapter sucks. ; ;; BUT CHAPTER NINE WILL BE BETTER I PROMISE I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT AND EVERYTHING

well now it's tiiime foor

ENTER THE not so AMAAAZING CHAPTER EIIGHT! NOW WITH %90 LESS TYPOS.

Chapter Eight: Two Sides to Every Story

”What… what am I, anyway? And how do you know all of this?

“The truth lies in the center of the square, beloved Idea of the Skies. It always does…”

“Yeah, I hear that all the time. The triangle is the answer. I… still don’t understand it completely, really. This whole story you’ve been telling me, I feel as if it’s in a whole other language and I’m far from fluent in it. Augh.”

“ You’ve matured since you last visited.”

“I… have?”

“Dear One, it is time for us to part. You need to find who you are… and confront the fact that things aren’t always what they seem.”

“Why do you keep saying that? What do you mean? Everything you say… is a puzzle! I’m not awake… I don’t even comprehend these… phrases I utter to you. These are words? I’m someone of the disguises? I like… role-playing? I’m a certain word? Everything is a question!”

“Everything is. Everything is anything.”

“Wait, no, the questions are still coming! Don’t cut me off—“

“Farewell, Levity. You’re no longer an idea… a mass of small thoughts… this is not you. You are now you, and also someone else…”

“—damn it!”

“Hey, you! Finally, you’re awake!” A cheerful, beautifulvoice rang out into the chilled air, “I was getting worried there for a minute… I thought maybe I’d been too slow!”

“You were quick enough,” The boy responded simply and quickly. Almost immediately afterwards, he breathed a groan and shifted his position on the makeshift bed he found himself conveniently rested in; he didn’t remember breathing to be this rigorous, nor did he expect himself to wake up. The excruciating pain caused him to have almost preferred his previous physical state of existence, albeit he dispelled that thought as fast as it had had crept into his mind. He figured he should’ve been grateful for his obvious second chance. His visual acuity had still been inaccurate, so he didn’t bother checking his surroundings; the light hadn’t really appealed to him at this moment.

“Oh, try not to move too much,” The woman replied, “You might aggravate your wounds.” After a few minutes of silence, she continued, “So… do you have a name?”

“Will,” A muffled voice faintly muttered.

“Will? Ah, so familiar… I’m Bianchi!” Something seemed to stir outside as her name sounded through the normally still air of the facility. Will had moved again, another soft moan accompanying it. “You’re lucky, you know.”

“Lucky for what?”

“What do you mean, ‘for what’? You almost died, silly! You should be thanking me!”

“Oh, right,” Will managed hoarsely, “thanks. Speaking… kind of hurts.” He had been telling the truth, after all; he hadn’t recalled speech being this painful, either. It had been like with every word he attempted, he was stabbed with a knife, and fifteen knives were enough for one day if he did say so himself. Well, he would have said it himself, albeit fifteen plus seven wasn’t fifteen and thus would’ve been a paradox; he wasn’t rather fond of paradoxes, either.

“Oh, ahh, of course!” Bianchi flustered a little before preparing to leave the room. “I’ll be letting you get more rest then, all right? I’ll be back in a bit, in case you need anything!”

”… Food…” Will’s restless mind had whispered before it fell into the never-relenting darkness once more.

“Opal, can I ask you something?” Bizz asked as the united group began their long travel forward to Sirya; a tiny prickling sensation had formed at the back of her mind and she had to know these things.

“Hm? What is it, Bizz?” Her friend had responded. The other girl seemed to sigh slightly.

“Since a little bit ago, I’ve had this… weird feeling.”

“How so, dear?” Opal’s hair had been flowing slightly in the wind. Bizz watched it with a rather whimsical tone of emotion; it distracted her to such an extremity that it resulted in a few moments of silence. Opal had her head cocked to one side, and her friend eventually shook her head free and continued.

“Well, uh, I don’t know. I feel like I’m here and that I’m also somewhere else.”

“When did this start happening?”

“Since a few hours ago… before we set out…”

“Hey, are you two all right?” Nightmare called out from the front; it took the duo of friends a few ticks to realize they had fallen drastically behind. Opal had replied with a “yes!” and the two promptly caught up as their path to the small kingdom had grown gradually shorter as their destination went from being around seven miles away to about three, though not without the occasional rests now and there and even an incident with a bear that strayed too far out of the forestland. Freohr had known how to handle animals then most anyone else, however, so that hadn’t in reality been a major threat.

Needless to say, Opal and Bizz’s conversation had been halted since then; it actually hadn’t continued until sometime after the arrival at Sirya, very far after a strange woman greeted the group right at the entrance and exclaimed with a wide grin that had almost been frightening, “Welcome back, Fimbulvetr Symble, true princess of Sirya!”

-//-

[Percivalé]

Chapter Nine: Unexpected Visitor

After a while, whatever it was didn’t quite understand where everything was or what had been existence for the longest time anything could remember. Some force- a strange little vibration in the back of the throat- caused a tiny sound to be uttered from behind what turned out to be more important later than anyone could imagine, albeit at the current time it had just been another place with a few people loitering around the nooks; shady people, yet people at that. No one had heard the tiny noise, so another one was made, and then another, which soon evolved into a full-fledged melody, except she hadn’t known why she was singing or how she was doing it. Nothing made sense. When something happened, it was everything when it came from the commanding person’s perspective; kind of like in war, for instance.

Something nearby had projected through the air in a matter of a quick second; it had missed her hair by inches as she was making her way up from the horribly cold ground, even though she hadn’t known how she knew it was cold except that it was also white and silky. She had been near to oblivious of the unknown projectile and instead had been picking up handfuls of the white stuff she suddenly knew was snow, and let it sift through her fingers and blow into the wind back into the bleak whiteness of uncertainty. Her eyes drifted everywhere. Never for a moment did she think another long projectile meant anything until she heard numerous footsteps around and about her, for she was too enthralled in the wonderful, gleaming snow until she was surrounded by the shady characters. They stared at her, and she had stared back with a rather confused and lost expression, and soon the stares had turned into suspicious glares. This girl didn’t know anything of fright, so she flicked her hair in an attempt to make her self-confidence seem more than it really was, or maybe to look more intelligent.

First, there was a priest. This girl had thought priests were holier than to be a shady person looming into the darkness of origins (even though she hadn’t remembered in the first place), so she tilted her head to the side in curious expression. He had stepped up slowly, and eyed the girl with a kind of fixed, scanning stare that had penetrated right through you into your very soul. She shuddered involuntarily.

“And who, by any chance, might you be? Snooping around in places where you don’t belong, eh?” Even his horribly interrogating voice was sinister, unlike her own which could make notes and melodies she hadn’t had prior knowledge of even being in her repertoire, yet they were so suddenly there. She wanted to sing more to keep her heart from beating so terribly fast, but when she had attempted, all she had managed was a pathetic squeak. All of that music, gone to waste just like that? It had to have a use for something; suddenly, she considered the concept of saving it for later. So, you didn’t always have to use things right away! Right?

“… Answer my question!” The priest snapped, interrupting the girl’s winding train of thought. She gasped slightly and stared back at him, blinking.

“.. Uh… Levity?” That was her name, though it sounded so... unusual when slathered upon her tongue. She yawned and rubbed the back of her face with her sleeve in response to her own voice; she couldn’t remember the last time she heard herself speak, if at all. Then, how could she sing? Her heart skipped a beat as she discovered the man in front of her had been giving her “the eye”, most likely suggesting she had been insane, albeit with no words. It was so interesting how many soundless words you could fit into a single gesture! Levity winced. “… What?”

“Levity?” The enigmatic man had retorted, “So… you honestly think you can get me to believe that your name is a word?”

“… Uh… well, isn’t it?” The girl asked in an obviously puzzled manner, scratching her head nervously.

“… I see. You’re a different one. Lost your memory, or are you trying to toy with me?”

“I… admit that I don’t think anyone in their right mind would want to toy with you, sir.”

The other soldiers behind the priest had taken a few steps back, including the snipers that obviously aimed at Levity before, bows lowered. The silence followed like the blankets of snow and the approaching evening that would bring with it the aftermath of unknown circumstances. To their surprise, their commander had started to laugh. Levity was somewhat taken aback, though she did sigh in obvious relief.

“Ha… I like you, girl. If you’re so lost in the middle of nowhere, come to our side. I’m rather short-handed at the moment… it could be worth your while.” A satisfied grin worked its way across the man’s face, making Levity shuffle her feet in the powdery snow. This was when she noticed she had been wearing boots. They were long boots, a deep leathery brown.

“Depends. What am I supposed to be doing, and what are you doing to be all hidden in a place like this?” She had still been looking down, either examining the rest of the new outfit she never thought she had, in attempt to avoid the man’s sinister face, or possibly both, all at the same time. It was fun to multitask!

The grin became an even more pleasured smirk. “Well, we happen to be… looking for something, and a certain little place has caught our eye… would you assist us?”

“… Depends… do I get to sing?” The measures were still there, after all, printed to her brain like a permanent tattoo.

“True… princess?” Most of the group had turned to Fimbulvetr to see her smile a kind of sheepish smile, and there had been a sudden air of smugness about her. The girl had walked forward to the Siryian woman who was obviously giddy with joy over the royal’s return. She turned to her friends gathered at the entrance to the holy capital of Sirya and bowed. “I should’ve told you all sooner,” she began, “except I had to keep it all in secrecy. I’m... a spy of sorts, you see. Sirya gets its information in many ways.”

“A spy?” Nightmare replied, stepping up with one hand to his side and the other hanging limp, “Sirya would use its own princess as a spy?”

“D-don’t say it like that!” Fim shouted, “I mean, it took a lot of convincing to have them let me even come this far! When they finally entrusted me to you for the yearly parade at Serold for once, I thought I’d be useful and have some fun as well…”

“So young…” Came a murmur from most likely Opal as Fim started to gesture towards the main gate of Ira, continuing before Nightmare could get a second word in.

“I’ll tell you the rest when we’re all escorted to the palace! I sent Raggy (Songbird commented on how cute the nickname was, and considered giving her own pegasus back home a similar alias) with a message to the main castle up ahead to prepare treats for you all and stuff.” Fimbulvetr was beaming at this point, both hands on her hips in pride. It was that young, innocent naivety that was truly bliss sometimes.

~

“So… you’ve been doing this kind of thing for a while, then?” Lyle had asked, a tone of curiosity in his voice. Opal had meanwhile gone to look for Bizz; something had made her wander about and sulk somewhere for one reason or another.

“Yeah! And Bizz is actually related… to me, too…” Fim’s voice had been trailing off a bit as she watched Opal chase Bizz down the long hallway. You could just hear the sweatdrops from the back of everyone’s heads. “… It’s the royalty relation… we’re sisters, and we love each other, of course, albeit she’s easily embarrassed by it, I suppose…”

“Meaning she always avoids the subject like this? It’s kind of stupid,” Masu had scoffed; Lyle gave him a death glare, and Songbird and Freohr both coughed in unison.

“So!” Songbird shouted elatedly in an attempt to change the subject, “How much do you know about the recent goings-on, then?” Even though they hadn’t physically been doing it, she and Freohr by their very presence itself seemed to be leaning forward in anticipation so far that they’d come close to snapping even the hard redwoodtree table of ages.

“Well… all right, brace yourselves!” Fim shouted ecstatically, eyes glimmering with delight, “Lyle, I know where you live!”

Cymbeline woke up.

That had in actuality been the best possible description for it; her world hadn’t been there, but then she opened her eyes and it suddenly was. She also still contained the recollection of memory inside of her head, playing back exactly like a reel of film. There had been a fight. Javaman and the dark apparition had been fighting; dueling, in fact. She remembered the ghastly scene where it all turned into a field of hallucinations, and then he had said, “Remember the four sides to the square”, and in an instant there was a kind of flash, and she and her sister has screamed…

She hid her head in her arms immediately after she had caught a glimpse of the strange field she’d inhabited now; the shaman was alone, and hadn’t a clue of where anyone else was. She still remembered the whispering of the shadow that she had assumed to be a man, a man of malign intentions, and her rather keen sense of hearing that picked up a name. They were searching for something, someone, most likely multiple people. She had reason to believe there had been more than one thing they were searching for, and a short anecdote- as if she’d rehearsed it almost flawlessly- made its way into a murmur from her lips:

“There was a man, world-renowned for his strength, orphaned and the true king of Kurai… though blind, he cut down a whole battalion that took a wrong step towards the wrong place…”

The dark-haired girl put a hand to her chest, wrapping her robes around her as she shivered; she had missed her sister and Javaman already. Working her way slowly up until she had finally been at a full stand, she looked to the horizon- the sun had already been setting its way to sleep as its colors were dulling from orange to red. When she squinted, she could make out a wax crescent moon that had been hiding all day, like the moon always had since the day the world was born. She took a deep breath, and recited the story again. Somehow, she had wanted to find this man. She wanted to tell him that something was coming.

-//-

[Percivalé]

Chapter Ten: Shadows in the Wind

”We are in the correct position, yes?” The mercenary had asked the cleric down next to him; the two had been almost entangled in the nearly-bare brush, along with the smaller, frail girl that had still been hiding in the healer’s arms. It was almost dark now, seemingly the best time for the enigmatic triad to be working- priestess, mercenary, and strange, voiceless girl.

“… Yes.” The woman had said nothing else. The girl she had still been close to cradling was trembling violently. The mercenary took another disappointed look at her and sighed. The sigh, however, had been rather ambiguous in the core of its nature; it could have been in antipathy or merely in exhaustion, for it had seemed forever ago since he’d had a decent sleep.

“Well, at least you seem to understand the works of this better than me. I guess I’m just kind of in it for the pay.”

“Of course, typical mercenary behavior. It’s just fine with me.”

“How so?” Ninji had inferred curiously; he’d never received that type of response before. Cynthia merely shrugged.

“You’re a good fighter. You’re worth your pay. You don’t overcharge like most mercs nowadays, and you come in handy.” The blind cleric turned her head; a faint siren had been drifted to her senses. “… I think that’s our cue. Quick, run to inform the sniper squad- I have to remain here, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“Just go!”

“Fine, fine!” In a strange sense of duty and somewhat irritation, Ninji swiftly sprinted his way through the dense thickets and straightaway to his assigned destination.

In the vast dinner room of the Siryan palace, Bizz, Opal and Masu drank tea as everyone else stared at Fim with eager expressions on their faces; all except for Lyle, who simply looked flabbergasted.

“You know… where I live?” Lyle blinked in a puzzled expression. “I… don’t see where you’re going with this.”

Fimbulvetr sighed and crossed her arms where she sat. “I think you very well know where I’m going with it, true prince of Niran.” Everyone in the room save Nightmare and Chris froze at this point to stare at Lyle. “Yeah, that’s right, I’m the best spy ever.” Fim’s gloating would drive even her wyvern crazy.

“How did… you find that out?” Lyle asked curiously with a tinge of confusion still poking at his brain. Bizz coughed hard- she knew everything.

“My sources never fail,” Fim explained. “I also know that Nightmare is the king of Kurai and Chris is actually the prince of Eroya, and his coronation is rather soon. We visited Serold as just lower rich nobles, but you and I were all really more than that.” The room experienced a painfully awkward silence, which was broken by a touch of whistling from Songbird.

“You know, the royal families of Kishonan are all really strange…” Freohr replied whimsically, “Everyone hides their identities while others are spies, and some relatives isolate each other, hence some of the parents… is that how they prepare their children to act on their own or something… ?”

“Well, actually…” Nightmare began, but was interrupted by a distant shout. Everything was dropped as a servant maid came running into the dining chamber, terrified out of her wits. More shouts were starting to ring through the giant building, creating a morbid musical of paranoia as more and more cries continued to chime into the ensemble.

“Everyone, quick!” The mistress was frantically ushering people through the dining chamber into another hallway, “You have to hide! We’re bein’ ambushed!”

Fim shot up. “Where’s mother? Is she underground?” The maid nodded quickly.

“Yea, the Queen should be safe. But, you must get away, now! There’s a whole lot of ‘em, an’ they’re floodin’ in quick!” The woman rushed through the group into the hallway she’d let the others escape into, making a gesture for the others to come as she disappeared down a flight of stairs.

Bizz picked up the smell in the air; throughout the terror and the accumulated mass of emotions, something caught her sense. It was dark and cold, and sent a wave of disturbance throughout the swordmaster instinct inside of her. All fighters of this class had to know what it was; it was crucial for their survival.

“Snipers,” Nightmare concluded before Bizz or Opal could even begin, “They’re the enemy of us. Their arrows aren’t cheap, either, nor are their skills.” He rubbed a hand down his face as if, for the first time anyone had ever seen, he had finally been cornered. He took a moment to ponder the options. “I think those of us capable should fight them back ourselves; running away would be pointless, for they would only eventually reach those hiding underground.” Bizz felt a grain of panic lodging itself in her throat. She couldn’t explain it; she wanted to run, but she wanted to stay.

“Uh, Nightmare…”

“Hm?” The trueblade responded quickly.

“Have you ever felt like you were here but also somewhere else and then--” Songbird’s screaming had overshadowed her voice as a man broke into the great room, followed by another and then two more. The sniper’s hostile gaze fixed onto the group, his eyes scanning amongst them as if choosing whom to kill first, which was obviously what one would assume.

“We’re under orders to search for four very special people,” The sniper said in a deep voice, “If our arrows can’t kill you, you’re coming with us. But if they can…” He clicked his tongue as the men behind him readied their bows and drew arrows from their quivers, “then I guess you’re just unlucky.”

“Four sides…” Bizz muttered under her breath as Freohr, Fim, and Songbird began to flee into the backway; Songbird grabbed Bizz by the wrist and dragged her down forcefully with the others, whilst Fim had done the same to Opal. “Wh-what are you doing?!” Bizz asked in a demanding tone.

“Nightmare says we have to go. We have to make sure everyone downstairs is safe. And…” Songbird didn’t finish her sentence; Bizz somehow already had a vague idea of what she had been planning to say, and looked down as the group of girls raced into the underground.

“Mother… uh… I’m home.”

“Oh… oh, my Stars! My little Erish, it’s been three years!”

“Indeed it has.”

“Ahh, Erish… It’s rather unfortunate that we have to meet under this kind of circumstance…”

“Well, actually, it’s Bizz now… I go by that name wherever I travel.”

“I see… Bizz? Aaah, the candlelight is so dim, I can barely see your face… but I can tell you’ve matured so much.”

“… Mother, what happened to Father? I would’ve asked sister Fim about it, but… I decided I would rather confront you about it.”

“… Haha… your father died a year after you left home. There was another assassination attempt…”

“W-wait, I heard about that! Nobody told me that the King died!”

“Well, we never exactly made it public. The common people… they always believe what the higher classes tell them, and question nothing. Oh, sure, there’s the occasional riot… but I think people are just afraid…”

“To know the truth, you mean?”

“Mm-hm.”

“… Mother, I missed you so much. I’m sorry that… I wasn’t here when Father was murdered.”

“Oh, my silly daughter… you should be grateful that you were gone at such a time. After all, there was nothing you could’ve done, and if you had been here, we might’ve lost more than just him.”

“Probably. …”

“… You’ve got that face. Some of your comrades are swordmasters, aren’t they?”

“And trueblades. One of the senses is going erratic. Excuse me, but I must tend to something.”

“You go teach them a lesson, my lovely Erish… I’ll be waiting!”

“I wonder if they’ll be all right…” Opal muttered to herself in the darkness of the emergency basement. She sighed and sat on the floor with her back against the hard wall, trembling slightly. She felt someone’s hand touch her shoulder and though she turned her head to face them, she still couldn’t see their face. “… Thanks.”

“No problem,” Freohr replied; the other girl recognized her voice. “Bizz is always saying swordmasters and their kin must stick together throughout anything…”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that about her…” Opal brought her knees to her chin. “She’s right about it, though. I mean, when you think about all of the pros and cons of the fighting style, the defense thing is definitely a problem… a sniper with good aim could definitely—“

“Noo, don’t talk about that now!” Songbird shrieked from another part of the room- the where had been a mystery. “Don’t forget about the others fighting up there! And… my brother… aaaah!”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Opal apologized, “… Where’s Bizz, anyway?”

“She’s… talking with the Queen,” Freohr replied; suddenly a small candle flame approached and Freohr was shoved to the ground. “H-hey!”

“Excuse me, I’m sorry, oh damn, I have to get…” Bizz paused as another flame added more light to the once-consuming darkness.

“Bizz, what are you doing?!” Songbird exclaimed a little too loudly. Opal quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. “Mmm-ff!!!”

“I know when she gets this way… Bizz, did something happen above?” Not even the dim light could hide the expression of ardent concern on Opal’s face as Bizz looked into it for one fleeting moment; she jerked away and muttered something incomprehensible. “What?” Opal leaned in closer to listen.

“I think… I… think…”

Lyle cursed loudly as his opponent drove the spear into his left shoulder; the pain caused him to kick the man hard in the gut as a burst of flames suddenly engulfed him and the lance forcibly drawn out of his body. His assailant howled loudly and crumpled to the ornate floor as he was gruesomely burned alive, his shrieking drowned out by large cracks of flame. Lyle’s vision fixated on Masu giving a kind of relieved sigh, albeit it hadn’t been long before the excruciating pain literally drove Lyle backwards into a wall. Nightmare had already sensed the disturbance in a quick speed and made his way just as fast; Chris and Masu held their own, despite Masu’s fire tome almost being worn to the core, as the injured trueblade sank down with his back against the wall, gripping his shoulder slightly. His sword lay idle a few feet away.

“Lyle, can you hear me?” Nightmare asked quietly, kneeling down to Lyle’s level, “You better not be dying on me.”

“Hah… I don’t think it’s that severe,” Lyle managed, his gaze down to his knees, “It just… hurts… badly, that’s…” His mind had trouble processing the words, and Nightmare shook his head slowly as he stood again.

“Damn it, we need to get you out of here,” He muttered more to himself than to the person he had intended to be speaking to, “I don’t think you’re in the condition to be fighting any longer.” His ears caught the sound of someone’s footsteps approaching up the echoed hallway of the flight of stairs, and, in a strange turn to their favor, he heard shouts of arriving attackers already dying at the source, the large doorway that’d already been decorated with blood and scattered bodies, bows, lances and broken arrows.

A flash of green sliced its way through another of the foes as a few of the ones still alive had already begun to retreat. The trueblade who emerged had indeed been clad in a dark, grassy-green color, and brown hair. He twirled his sword around once before sheathing it and set his eyes on the scene before him. “… Shit, am I late?”

“Just in time, actually,” Nightmare replied from the other side of the dining hall, “Can you help with this?” He gestured to Lyle, who now lay semi-conscious on the hard floor.

“Hahah, glad to help!” The man replied; he was none other than Toa Lord Sothe, and with his appearance, the giant palace had finally been shrouded in peace.

-//-

Teehee, I am sneaky

[Freohr Datia]

omg....................................BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHY THE HECK HAVE I NOT READ THIS EARLIER?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Bizz your writing style is so awesome!!! I'm glad you reminded me that you had a story written (ooh with me in it =D). I usually like to write, myself, but my style can't compare to yours at all! It's exciting!

Well I don't have time to say more cause I've spent much time reading (doing other things too). I haven't finished reading yet. I still have chapter 10 left but sadly my dad wants me to get off (with school and all <_< ). So I'll read Ch. 10 next time I get on. =)

*huggyz and thumbs up*

Chapter Six: Searching for Reason

I don't know where the snow comes from. What I do know is that its purpose is to bring silence. Snow itself is the personification of silence.

"What would it take

For things to be quiet,

Quiet like the snow?"

lol that part reminded me of those lyrics =)

EDIT: ok I read the 10th now =)

OOOH!!! TLS! =D (lol peace?)

Yay!!! More!!!........ Now I seem to be the only one on this topic that will ever say "moremoremoremore!!!" Just about everyone else doesn't come on here anymore =/ Well, at least not much anymore. Some are on a few times...

Edited August 21, 2009 by Freohr Datia