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“Wake up,” a voice sweetly called out to me. “Wake up. Everyone’s waiting.”
“Five more minutes mom,” I replied. “I won’t be late for school. I’m always on time…” I rolled over in the bed.
“Fine,” the sweet voice responded. “You brought it on yourself.”
What could a voice do? It’s still too early for school.
“COLD,” I screamed as ice cold water came cascading down waking me in a shock. “Aqua!?”
“I warned you,” she smiled as she griped the collar of my shirt and threw me to the floor. “By the way, isn’t that armor uncomfortable to sleep in?”
Oh yeah, I’m still wearing that.
I got up from the floor, turned to Aqua, and said, “No. It hasn’t bothered me at all.” I looked her from head to toe as I brushed away some water from my face. “Aren’t you uncomfortable in that Japanese school girl look?”
“No,” she smiled shyly. “I’m just peachy.”
She walked out of the room and down the stairs.
Man, what’s gotten into her? She’s more forceful than this.
‘It isn’t obvious,’ Pholadin’s voice echoed through my mind.
Pholadin?
‘She’s fallen to the law of this world, the law that was placed upon this world when the leader of the kaijin army was killed.’
What law? Who was the leader?
‘I’ll tell you later. For now, your friends are waiting.’
I headed downstairs and found everyone talking to someone behind the counter.
“Hello! I hope you had a good nap,” Jane joyously waved ay me.
“Jane,” I said confused. “How did you find us?”
Ruby stepped forward, “It turns out that she lives here.”
“At the inn?”
“Yeah.”
“But-,”
“Shared business.”
“I have something for you guys,” Jane called out. “We were just waiting for you before I give it to you guys.” She pulled out a pair of deep shimmering red lizard skin gloves and a black cape with an embroidered black leather collar. “I used the lizard skin to make some fireproof gloves and the bat wing to make a designer collar for a cape. Well, what do you think?”
“I’m keeping the cape,” said Chris as he stuffed it into his bag.
“I’m putting the gloves on,” Said ruby as she snatched the gloves and slipped them on. “Nice.”
Eric stared blankly as he mumbled, “My stuff…”
“Okay,” Jane smiled, “have a nice trip to the library.”
We all waved good bye as we left.
“She’s too damned cheery,” Chris muttered.
“Kane,” Terra started on her way out of the inn. “What happens if we can’t get past the guards?”
We walked a ways along the planks of wood before he answered, “Then we have to abide by their trial.”
“Trial,” Aqua asked as we came before the library that had returned to its natural frost-free state.
“A set of three matches that must be fought alone,” Kane replied as he opened the library doors. “Each one is very difficult, and they must be fought by the one who will receive the blessing.”
We continued forward into the library as our minds began to drift into worry about how Aqua will be.
Will she be okay? Can I really let her do this? I can’t.
“Don’t worry,” Kane directed at us. “There is a break in the rules, so one of you can help her. And, I must apologize. I didn’t think Bahamut would ask for such a thing.”
“Bahamut,” Eric yelled. “You mean that really cool dragon guy from that one game!?”
“Dragon,” Kane stopped walking and turned to face us. “Bahamut is not a dragon. He’s a giant fish.”
“A FISH,” we all yelled.
Kane continued walking across the floor of the library and down the stairs leading to the lower levels until we came to the shrine room. He opened the door, and we followed him to a knob less iron door with three intertwined circles engraved on it on the other side of the room.
“Who dares,” a voice rang into the room.
“What was that,” Terra asked in alarm.
“Who dares to trespass in this sacred place,” the voice continued.
“We are pilgrims who seek passage to Charlo,” Kane answered.
“That is no reason to be here.”
“Bahamut has demanded that the blessing of water be placed on the new knight.”
Knight? What is he talking about?
“Very well,” the voice answered. “We three accept this challenge.” The door opened upwards and we entered a dark room.
“So, what do we do here,” Chris asked impatiently.
The door slammed shut behind us, and several crystals instantly lit up blinding us. As our eyes adjusted to the light, we made out that this room wasn’t made of reeds or wood. It was made of polished white marble from the floor to the walls and the ceiling, and another iron door with the same three intertwined circles was on the other side of the room, seventy yards away. But, right before the door was a pool of water preventing anyone from crossing without getting wet.
“This room is so beautiful,” Aqua said in awe as she walked forward in front of us.
Then a blue light swiftly flashed separating Aqua from us.
I dashed to her, “Aqua,” but I was forced back to the door behind me by an invisible force.
“It’s a force field,” Eric’s wandered off as he gawked and poked the force field a few times. “These things are fun,” he smiled stupidly.
Terra pulled him away, “That’s enough Eric. Do you remember the last time you tried to bounce off something like this?”
He thought for a second. “You mean the time with the bounce house and the anvil and the neighbors roof?”
Terra nodded, as I got up.
“I still don’t know how you got a hold of the anvil though,” Aqua shook her head in disapproval. “But, what do we do now?”
“I’ll try a Luster Break,” I responded.
“That won’t work on this one,” a voice echoed through the room. “This one will only lift when the battle against me is over.”
“Where are you,” Chris shouted.
The water before the door began to bubble, and a shadow slowly became bigger and bigger. Then something leapt from the pool with a crash of water and a shock wave to the marble floor. When we opened our eyes, a giant crab stood before us.
“It’s huge,” Terra said in awe.
“I didn’t know crabs got that big,” Chris said dumbfounded.
“That thing’s at least ten feet tall,” Ruby said in shock.
“And, twenty feet from foot to foot,” I added.
“This is Cancer,” Kane said bluntly. “He may be a crab, but he is as vicious as any fierce beast in your world.”
Cancer? Three guards? Hold on.
“Kane,” I started.
“Yes,” he replied.
“The other two guards are their names Scorpio and Pisces?”
“Well, the prize goes to you now, doesn’t it?”
“Let the trial begin,” Cancer’s voice shook the room.
Aqua reached into her bag, pulled out her spear and readied her position.
 Levias · Wed Jan 31, 2007 @ 12:47am · 0 Comments |
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