Tuesday, April 5, 2005

   Chapters 1-10 in Tales of Irmphitria
Chapter 1

“Rogue!”
Rogue Shanirrim woke up suddenly. Wondering where he was, he quickly determined that he was in geometry class. Why Geometry? How come it couldn’t be at home, in his comfy bed, awakening from a nap? Rogue thought. He tried in vain to remember his dream. It had been such a good dream. The voice called once again: “Rogue, hurry! It’s your grandpa! He’s dying!” It was only at these words that Rogue finally lost all his drowsiness. “Grandpa Genis is dying?!?!” He was out of the schoolroom before he could even comprehend what he had said. Xiana was right behind him. When they finally made it to Grandpa’s house, there was already a small crowd of people surrounding Genis. Rushing up to his grandpa, Rogue realized that his grandpa, the only member of his family who actually loved him, was in his last moments of life. “Grandpa! No! Please, don’t go!” His grandfather spoke then what were his last words: “Rogue. Please...find Lloyd, and tell him...about...the...rising...of...cru---” Genis stopped there. Rogue was outraged. “Grandpa! Grandpa! No!” The crowd around them started murmuring about Genis’ sanity. “Of course, at 500 years old, what else would you expect? Ranting on and on about how he and some Lloyd person fused two worlds to form Irmphitria! Absolute rubbish!” Prof. Taisaine was saying, “I should know, I’ve been a history teacher ever since this village was founded---” Rogue was devastated. Grandpa Genis was the only member of his family he had ever liked. With him gone, Rogue didn’t know what he would do. Then an idea came to him. Before he could stop them, the words flooded out of his mouth. “I’m going.” “What do you mean?” asked Prof. Taisaine. “I mean I’m going. I’m going out to try and find this Lloyd person.” Rogue repeated. What am I doing? I don’t have any idea who this Lloyd guy is! Rogue thought. “I’m going with him” Xiana said. “I don’t care if you think I’m crazy, as well. Genis seemed to know what he was talking about when he told Rogue and James his stories. I wish to search for Lloyd as well.” Footsteps could be heard echoing from the stairs. A battered-looking James appeared at the top. “Thought you were gonna go without me, eh, Rogue? I’m going, too.” Prof. Taisaine seemed to still be in shock from Rogue’s statement. Three people believing Grandpa Genis seemed to be too much for him to cope with at once. “Now...Now, see here...” he began. “No, you see here!” Rogue yelled. “We’re looking for him no matter what you say, you got that? If you wanna stop us, them we’ll just fight back.” He drew his sword, a sword that Grandpa Genis had given him, saying that it had once held immense power over time and space. What had he called it? Ah, yes: The Eternal Sword. It had long since lost nearly all of its power and was nothing more than an average sword, but it was still the only proof Rogue had. “Fine, fine. But I swear you’re all making a grave mistake. I hereby give my permission for Rogue, Xiana, and James to leave the village in order to search for this “Lloyd”. Pack some rations and be on your way. Go now. I’ve got a pounding headache.” The Mayor said with obvious anger. As Rogue left Grandpa’s House with Xiana and James, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Xiana, I never expected you to say that.” he said. “Oh, really?” Xiana sounded amused. “Raine has told me the same stories Genis told you. Although, Raine passed away a few years ago, I still believe as I did then the stories she told me.” Rogue was a little embarrassed that she had responded with such a personal reply. But then again, Xiana hardly ever revealed any information about herself, so perhaps it was a good thing. James was ready to go. “Well, he told us to get some rations, right? It’ll take a while to get through the Ahash Forest to Iselia.” “Actually, James, the nearest village would be Mizuho.” Xiana corrected. “We should head there first.” And so, the adventure began. Rogue, James, and Xiana stocked up on supplies and headed towards the northeastern exit of the village.



Chapter 2

Hey, what’s up? I’m James. James Remmington. I’m a little of a dramatic, but I think my creativity really adds to the story. When Xiana asked me to keep a travel log for us, I was more than happy to oblige. Then, after all my hard work, Rogue goes and complains that it’s stretching the facts too much! How am I supposed to work like this!?!? Oh well. This particular adventure happened just as we entered the Ahash Forest from Anastraunda--- “James, you aren’t supposed to make it a biography, you know.” Rogue, who was looking over James’ shoulder, said. “You’re just supposed to record our travels in a book. It’s not that hard. Like, maybe: We went to Mizuho through Ahash Forest. It doesn’t need any spicing up. It isn’t like anyone’s going to read it besides us.” James would have very much liked to say “like you know anything.” But seeing as how Rogue was the whole reason James was here, he decided to go along with it. “Okay, okay. Geez, I’m just bored. What else am I supposed to do?” “Hmm...I know! Let’s look through the rations you brought!” Rogue suggested and started to reach for the pack on James’ back. “I-I don’t think we need to...ah, I mean, I know I packed everything and---” James sputtered out. “Why are you acting all weird? I’m looking in that pack, James, whether you like it or not. Move over!” Rogue opened the pack with a jerk and several dozen books fell out. “THESE ARE YOUR RATIONS!?!?!” Rogue’s face was contorted with rage. “ARE WE GOING TO EAT THE PAGES OR SOMETHING!?!?!” James tried to think of some way out of Rogue’s rage, but there was no escape. Rogue’s eyes were blood-red, which didn’t mean anything good for James. “Now, now. Settle down, you two.” Xiana said suddenly. “If we hurry we should be able to make it out of this forest before dark, and find something to eat in Mizuho. The chief is kind, and is always willing to give hospitality to those who ask it. Perhaps he even knows of our mysterious Lloyd. Although I must express how foolish it was to pack books instead of food. If we weren’t so close to Mizuho, I may have gotten mad...and mad doesn’t do me any good...” Xiana seemed to think she had said too much, and stayed quiet for the a while. James almost had to stop himself from kissing Xiana as he picked up his books. He had had a crush on Xiana since he was 9 years old. Yet he had never had the courage to ask her out. She was only two years older than he was, but she had always been miles out of his league. A snake sped by them. James shuddered. He hated snakes. He supposed he would never learn to like them. Ever. 3 ninja stars speeding right in front of his face disrupted his thoughts. “What the?” he exclaimed and lost his balance, causing him to fall over. Rogue started clapping. “Very graceful, Mr. Remmington. Bravo, Bravo.” “Rogue, this is not the time.” He glanced in the direction the stars had come from but saw nothing. “I though I saw---” But what James thought he saw, Rogue and Xiana never did find out, because at that moment a girl with dark eyes, overly large canines, and long, almost claw-like nails appeared before them. “Who are you? And state your reasons for trespassing onto my land,” this girl said. “We are in search of a person named Lloyd. We wish to go to Mizuho for food and supplies.” Wow, James thought, Xiana doesn’t lost her head in a crisis. The mysterious wolf-girl went on, “My name is Kage. I will allow you to pass here only if you aid me in finding a certain snake.” “And if we decline?” Xiana asked. “If you decline,” Kage went on, “Then I will have no choice but to kill you all” Rogue, of course, said his favorite line: “Then we’ll just have to fight back!” “Wait.” Xiana’s calming voice stopped Rogue for a second. “She seems to have reasons for stopping us. Think about whether or not we should agree to help her for a second. Then decide.”


Chapter 3

“We’re attacking her, no matter what!” James replied. “Why not? You can’t be all that tough. You can’t even catch a stupid snake...” James shuddered at the thought of a snake. Kage was clearly mad now. James...why did you have to make her so mad? Xiana sighed. “Yeah, we’ll make you wish you hadn’t gotten in our way!“ Rogue was getting excited at the thought of his first battle with Genis’ sword. It was a marvelous blade, but it did need a little sharpening. Xiana took out her Meivo, preparing to battle. “Indeed. She won’t win.” Rogue and Xiana rushed towards Kage. James was doing all he could in self-defense. Everyone was low on health from lack of food. Xiana began casting First Aid. Rogue ran straight towards Kage, who was bombarding James, and used Sonic Swirl. Kage was knocked back a ways, and James received some time to recover. James began casting Fireball, just as Xiana finished casting First Aid on James. Meanwhile, Rogue kept walloping on Kage. “Fierce Demon Fang! Light Spear! Victory Light Spear! Super Lightning Blade!” Xiana was amazed that Rogue could use so many attacks in a combo. James cast Fireball, then Aqua Edge, then Wind Blade. Xiana soon picked up that he was trying to find a weakness. She tried it, too. “Photon!” Kage took some major damage from that hit. So, her weakness is light, interesting...Rogue was starting to lose TP, Xiana noticed. “Rogue! Pull out! You don’t have much TP left!” “What are you talking about?” Rogue amazingly said through mouthfuls of special moves. “Demon Fang! Sonic Thrust! I’ve got plenty left! Light Spear Cannon! Double Demon Fang! Don’t worry about me! Lightning Blade!” Rogue kept on saying his attacks, but no attacks came. He was completely out of TP. Xiana sighed. Rogue never took into account how much TP his attacks used. “What the? I said LIGHTNING BLADE! Come on! Super Sonic Thrust! Work!” Rogue kept on trying, until Kage regained enough strength to begin attacking him again. “James, why didn’t you pack Orange Gels?” Xiana asked in exasperation. James hung his head. “I said I was sorry...” “Never mind. See if you can draw her attention towards you.” Xiana told him. James gave her a look of complete dismay. “Me?!?! M-Me? Why?” “Do you want Rogue to die? Now, hurry!” Xiana began casting Charge and James threw his spear at Kage. Kage suffered a direct hit, and Rogue escaped. Xiana cast Charge, and Rogue once again began using special attacks one after another. Xiana began casting Holy Lance. “Super Sonic Swirl! What the---Guardian!” Rogue was hit by an attack Xiana had never seen before. “Dark.....Synthesis!” Kage cast the spell at the same time Xiana finished casting Holy Lance. “Holy Lance!!!” Kage was wounded too much by that last attack to continue battling. She staggered away. Meanwhile, the effects of Dark Synthesis had made our heroes lose HP at a constant rate. That last attack...I’ve never witnessed anything like it before... Unfortunately, none of them had any strength left to make it to Mizuho. They all collapsed of exhaustion right there and then.

Chapter 4

Kage was confused. How could I lose? Kage thought, I am undefeatable, there’s no way I could lose...I sensed something about them the moment I met them...They WILL find that snake for me.... She decided to leave them be...for now. She needed to regain her strength, and train much more. Where had the group said they were going? Mizuho, wasn’t it? Well, in that case, she would just have to follow them, until the day that she had enough power to defeat them. Yes, that would work. And so, she went to her den and slept. In the morning, she smelled something. Wait... it’s a...CAT. I will make that cat start begging for death, Kage thought. With that last comforting thought to cheer her, Kage ran off towards the scent of the cat. But what she found wasn’t a cat. It was a girl, with cat ears. One red ear, one white ear. After getting over the initial shock of seeing a cat-girl, Kage followed her. Eventually, she jumped out in front of the cat-girl, who didn’t seem to notice Kage until she ran into her. “Ah!” the girl exclaimed, and fell down into the mud. “AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” The strange girl began screaming and yelling and running all over the place. Kage now began to wish her wolf instincts hadn’t brought her to this girl. The girl then started to stand in one place, hissing at Kage. Kage to this day doesn’t understand what on earth was going on in that girl’s mind, but she didn’t like it. Suddenly, the girl stopped hissing. “Excuse me for not introducing myself. I’m Tama. Who are you?” Kage was now scared of this girl, and started to back away slowly. “I asked you for your name! Give it to me!” the girl sounded menacing. Kage broke into a flat out run. “Don’t you dare run away from me!” she shouted after Kage. The girl ran after Kage. She was much faster, and caught up to her in no time. “Hi!!” she said, “Why are we running?” Kage was so confused that she passed out. “Okay, you can take a nap! I like naps! Naps are fun!” the girl informed Kage as she continued on her way. Kage woke up a few hours later with a throbbing headache. She headed for her den, not realizing who she would meet when she arrived there.

Chapter 5

It was still dark when Tama arrived next to the group. Seeing a perfect opportunity, she immediately started searching their bags. She found only books. Hey, these could still be worth a couple Gald from some book addict, she thought, but I was really expecting more than this. Disappointed, she began to continue on her way, when suddenly one of the group, a half-elf by looks, awoke. Tama was amazed he could make himself heard through the human’s horrendous snoring. “Ugh, wha..? Hey, you! Get back here with our stuff!” he shouted. Tama ran as fast as she could, forgetting why she was even running. The half-elf was fast, but not as fast as herself. With slight smugness, Tama entered the village before sunrise. She found some books in her pocket, and wondered how they got there. When she went to the chief's house, and the vice-chief bought them from her, he gasped as he read the first sentence. When asked where she received it, she said she couldn’t remember. “Well, my young lady do you realize that this is the legend of Lloyd Irving, the hero who created Irmphitria? The whole village of Mizuho has been searching for proof of this story for longer than I can remember, ever since the legendary Chief Sheena passed away. What is your name?” Tama was very surprised to be asked this, of all questions. Hardly anyone had ever even bothered to know her name. She was considered a freak by everyone, ever since that experiment. The experiment that had caused her to have cat ears, clumsiness, and very short-term memory loss. The experiment had been an attempt to fuse her with some dead girl’s soul, and ever since then she could hardly remember anything. After a moment’s surprise and thought, she replied, “Tama. Tama Kudurugi.” “Well, my dear Tama, we’ll need to get you into some respectable clothes, for tonight we celebrate the revival of history!!” The festival was wonderful. It had many sparkling lights, candy, and other wondrous things. Tama almost passed out with excitement. And best of all, she was the one the people were celebrating! Her, of all people!! Several different people arrived that day, and she seemed to remember three of them slightly. Excited, and hoping that her memory was finally coming back a little, Tama was able to enjoy her festival time to the fullest. Near the end of the celebration, as all of the guests were gathered around the bonfire, several people pointed skyward. Explosions and flashes were obvious against the black sky. A single star, unique because it was purple, was glowing in the sky. It seemed to have turned all of the others off by its appearance. Tama thought., as many others did, that this was only a performance designed for this celebration. How very wrong she was. A single star, dwarfed by the purple one, fell from the sky. It hit the separated seconds before it hit the ground in the Ahash Forest. Tama was surprised that the forest didn‘t catch on fire. No one spoke for a long time, until the chief finally broke the silence with a chilling remark. “Cruxis has risen again.”


Chapter 6

Jack ran, but he couldn’t escape it. The explosion was going to engulf him, and he’d never see the light of day again. Not that he saw it very often as it was, but that wasn’t the point. Mithos had finally done it. He had finally blasted Derris-Kharlan out of its orbit. Despite his and Kratos’ efforts to stop him, Mithos’ strength had prevailed in the end. Kratos was running right beside Jack. Jack was wondering if he’d ever live to meet this Lloyd that Kratos always talked about. He sounded like an amazing person, he could learn a lot from him. Jack’s thoughts were disrupted by a sudden shattering. He turned around, expecting to see Mithos, but he saw instead a hole in the side of Derris-Kharlan. “Kratos! Let’s jump! It’s our only hope to escape Mithos!” Jack yelled at Kratos through the noise. Kratos remained indignant. “No!! You go on without me!! I promised Lloyd that I’d stay here!” “Kratos you’re coming with me whether you like it or not!” Jack yelled back. He practically pushed Kratos out of the comet, and then jumped out himself. He and Kratos pulled out their angel wings, causing an extremely bright light. It almost blinded Jack, who even had angel senses. I guess it’s brighter here, since there’s not atmosphere or something, Jack thought, Man, I hope that no one on Irmphitria sees this, or they’ll be after us. Jack wondered if discrimination had disappeared from the world over the near 5 centuries that Kratos had spent in Derris-Kharlan. Jack was only 18, but he was unique for one reason. Ok, maybe two. Reason number one was because he could remember his past life. Everyone has a past life, but only a select few can remember it. He was one of them. He used to be an alchemist, but he didn’t know very much of it anymore. Reason number two was because he had never lived a human life. When he had been born, he was immediately transported to Derris-Kharlan for reasons still unknown to him. Kratos had raised him like a son, and he had learned many angel techniques. Mithos was still his only rival. Mithos, unfortunately, had also been one of those select few who remembered their past lives. He had been born, and had known all about attempting to bring his sister, Martel, to Derris-Kharlan. Maybe, if Irmphitria was free of discrimination, Mithos could rest in peace. Maybe... Jack’s came back to earth with a jolt (literally). He thought of his parents, and wondered if he would be able to see them for the first time while he was down here. He was suddenly aware of a horribly aching pain all over his body. He looked around for Kratos, but he knew that they must have gotten separated during the fall. He had to tell someone about Mithos, before it was too late. But he hadn’t the strength to move, and nobody was around. He had no doubts that he was going to die right then and there. Kratos was probably half a world away from him.

Chapter 7

Kratos could sense Jack’s mana from where he laid. Jack couldn’t be more than a few miles away. If only his body would do what he told it to, he could go and help him. He also sensed the mana of one other who shouldn’t even be alive anymore. He sensed the mana of Sheena. No, don’t delude yourself, Kratos reasoned, she couldn’t be here anymore. She should be dead already. You must be imagining things. The mana, however, seemed to get closer. Sheena’s mana seemed as strong as it had been the last time he had seen her nearly 500 years ago. The scent of Sheena’s mana seemed to get closer and closer, until it was right next to him. He couldn’t resist the urge. He called out, “Sheena! Show yourself! It’s me, Kratos! Please help me!” He felt a great surge of helplessness. He was crying for help from Sheena. Well, at least it wasn’t Zelos. A voice answered him: “Who are you talking to? I will aid you, but if you are planning an ambush then I won’t relent from killing you.” Kratos couldn’t help but think that if she had survived all these years, then she may have lost some of her memory. Perhaps the name Kratos wasn’t familiar to her at all. He would accept her offer, though. “I am planning no ambush. I am in dire need of health, and my companion is most likely dead. I thank you for your hospitality. If you are not Sheena, then who are you?” Sheena’s voice sounded amused. “I am called Kage. And don’t think that I’ll help you out for free. No, if I agree to aid you, you must aid me.” This seemed so familiar to Kratos that he almost laughed, but didn’t dare take the risk. “It would seem that you have left me with no choice. I accept your offer.” Kratos supposed that he could help Sheena/Kage and then could go on a search for Lloyd once he regained enough strength. If he could get Sheena/Kage to get back her memory, then maybe she would join him in his search. He would at least inform her about Cruxis. “Well then, let’s get going, tough guy.” Sheena/Kage lifted him easily with one hand, and carried him somewhere. He didn’t have enough consciousness left to figure out where. When he awoke he found himself underneath some blankets among some rocks. Sheena/Kage was cooking fish over a fire when he awoke. “Here. I don’t usually cook my food, but I thought I should at least give it a try. If I burnt it then don’t complain, because that’s all you’re getting until the sun is in the middle of the sky.” One look at the “fish stew” told Kratos that this was indeed Sheena. What he had in front of him was Sheena’s famous curry, except with fish instead of meat. There was even a pineapple. “I don’t know why,” Sheena/Kage said more to herself than to Kratos, “but that came really easily to me, even though I’ve never cooked anything in my life...” She immediately resumed her current activity and didn’t seem to realize that she had said anything. “We should get going soon, if we’re going to find that group. They said they were going to Mizuho, and that cat slowed my progress down a few hours. We’ll lose track of them if we wait any longer. Are you coming?” Kratos had only just started his seafood curry, but he downed it in a gulp. “Fine. Let us go now. Why were these people headed to Mizuho?” Kratos wondered aloud. “Oh, they said that they were looking for somebody named Lloyd, whoever that is. They were even strong enough to beat me, so they should be strong enough to catch that wretched snake.” She trekked on, leaving Kratos dumbfounded. He at least knew he was in the right place, although he did worry about Jack. He hurried and caught up with Sheena/Kage, hardly believing his good fortune.

Chapter 8

Krystal groaned. She hated mountain climbing more than any other kind of journeying. Especially climbing mountains that were tall. The Fooji Mountains were proving to be quite an obstacle. If it weren’t for that wretched space rock, she would’ve lived a quiet life in her village, with parents. Unfortunately, she was the sole survivor of that incident, and no one knew she existed. Such a shame, too. She could’ve been rich. The Imperial Research Academy had discovered a link between her and Zelos Wilder, some hero from ancient times. His reputation is still well known in Meltokio, and the whole population was surprised to discover that she was the only known relation to him. He was supposed to be her only existing blood relation (if the rumors that he was an angel and had eternal life were true) excluding some kid in Meltokio that no one knew about. That’s why she had been searching all over Irmphitria: To find Zelos if he still existed. Finally pulling herself up to a ledge, she saw the most fantastic thing in the world. She didn’t know it, but she actually had the best view in the world of the imploding of Derris-Kharlan. She watched the two stars fall from the sky, and one of them flew right above her, and she actually felt a breeze when it sped past her, and could’ve sworn that she’d heard screaming. And what an enormous gust it was!!! It nearly blew her off of her ledge. The spectacular show didn’t last very long, and if Krystal ever wanted to get over the Fooji Mountains, then she needed to move on. She could Meltokio looming in the distance. She hoped that she’d find some clues about Zelos there. Well, she wouldn’t get anywhere just standing there. She continued on her way to Meltokio.

Chapter 9
Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely...

Cruxis
Human
Analyzing
Morpher

That’s what I’m called...but you may call me Cham...excuse me, but may I ask who you are?

Chapter 10

His pen hit the table with a clatter. Blake listened hard, but heard nothing. He could’ve sworn that he’d heard something, but it must’ve just been some idiot fan screaming his name. It happened a lot. But it had caught his attention, and that was saying something. Being the only alive descendant to the great Zelos the Chosen, he was always busy signing autographs. When he had finally returned to his hometown of Meltokio, he had been bombarded by fans screaming his name when they first saw him. Of course, he had to agree that he was the most stunning piece of man in this city ever since the great Zelos himself. People said he had had a sister, but she had died in some village when it blew up. The doors to the Great Hall flew open, knocking an unfortunate fan nearby out. The woman who walked in wasn’t alone. She walked with a girl, about his age. Blake rushed over to her by instinct. “Ooh, who are you, gorgeous? You certainly look outrageous.” The woman cleared her throat. “Master Blake, it would be wise to stop flirting for one second to find out who this girl is.” Blake knew something serious was going on now. Nobody ever stopped Blake from flirting, not even the King. Yet this woman, this unknown stranger was telling him to stop flirting? Ridiculous. Just to prove her wrong, he started to kiss the girl. The girl’s reflexes were sharp, though, and she slapped him hard in the face. He still had a red mark there. “Jerk!!! Are you sure that he’s MY brother? I hiked all the way from Luin, nearly dead from the explosion, even over the Fooji Mountains, just to see THIS loser?” The woman awkwardly nodded her head. “Omigosh, you’re serious? This isn’t some joke?” Blake was experiencing mixed emotions, completely torn between joy, sorrow, anger, disgust, and embarrassment that he had tried kissing his own sister. “FANS!!! OUT!!!” He pointed at the door to emphasize his words. Most of his fans couldn’t get out fast enough, after seeing the look of confused rage on his face. “I...uh...think we set off on the wrong foot there, ah... I’m Blake. What’s your name...?” Blake laughed nervously. The woman finally announced who she was. “Master Blake, this is your sister: Krystal. As you know, in this city, women have power over the men, so you must realize that she outranks you.” Blake couldn’t believe that, he wouldn’t believe that. “Oh come on. There have been thousands of claims to bloodties with Zelos. How do you know she’s a real descendant? Did you do a DNA Test?” Blake knew the answer before it reached his ears. “I’m afraid so, Master Blake. She arrived just this morning, half-starved. We cleaned her up, and fed and watered her, and then--” “You treated me like a slave, is what you did!! Cleaned me up, yeah right... I should fire you for spilling lies to my brother, and in my presence, too! Yeah, that’s right, Blake. They put me in a dungeon and fed me measly little portions of cheese and bread, and then gave me about 4 sips of water from a grimy cup. The even whipped me when I mentioned Zelos. And until I told them I was from Luin they wouldn’t even do a DNA Test. The idiots...” She seemed to be enjoying her new seat of power in Meltokio. She pointed at the woman. “I can tell him myself, okay? So just get out of my site before I fire you.” Hearing this isn’t good news for anyone in the castle, especially from a noble barely lower than his Majesty himself. Krystal went on, “Listen Blake,” She said his name as though trying it out, “I hereby order you to accompany me in a search to find our ancestor, Zelos, who has supposedly lived since the regeneration of the world. You don’t have much choice. That’s an order.”
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