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 Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:12 pm
Hello! I feel kind of awkward because I'm the only who's posted a story here. Anyway me story is called "The Protectors." I am the author and there will be more then more chapter. I hope everyone likes it!
Note!! The people are called humals. I'm telling you this so you don't think that I made a typo.
~The Protector~
Chapter One:
The Legend Arises
For the past seventy years of the laborious jobs presented to the humal youth and elderly alike, many rumors, and stories shared between workers kept the hope alive. In the town of Morin, it has been almost twenty years since a new law upheld the structure by sending a dubious group of peace keepers called "The Eyes" to Morin. Because of the fact that the king trusted the soldiers to act benevolently and watch over the people, abused power came without hesitation. The Eyes took most of the villagers' rations, leaving only a third of food large families needed. During the period of mistreatment from their so called guardians, the children of times to come became malnourished and very sickly from birth. It was more common to see pallid and feeble-looking little ones no more then a few years at most, wandering the streets and alleyways with a look of fatigue and hopelessness then it was to see a healthy, carefree group of children playing games and with dolls. But there were a few on lucky ones to prevail from the damned life of Morin. A teenaged boy by the name of Levi of the Yitr Family has decided to aim for a chance to join The Eyes based only the fact of the payroll salary, keeping in mind the torture he and his family have endured under them. Seeing many people die of unjustified illnesses and poverty, Levi dedicates himself to save his village after first saving his mother, who too has contracted a nearly incurable illness, by earning money for her medicine. "Levi.....You don't have to go......" A ailed woman with long brunette hair and pale emerald eyes, barely dressed in nothing more the a few, thin layers of patched dresses followed weakly behind her energetic, eighteen year old son as he hectically ran throughout their small hut and gathered his so few belongings. Her name was Adrien."There are other ways to...." She stopped immediately as soon as a spur of rapid and vicious coughing began to uproar from the bottom of her throat. "Mother?!" The teenager dropped the bag he clutched the instant the woman paused and coughed so hoarsely and weakly. Rushing to her side, he grasped her hand and guided her to the wooden rocking chair that rested near their fireplace, placing a wool shawl that was made many years ago on her shoulders. "Mother...Please! You mustn't get so worked up over my decision. I know you don't like it, hell I don't even like it. But The Eye soldiers earn so much wager and your medicine......That miser of a doctor has raised such a steep price for it." The teenager ran a frustrated hand through his short, spiky black hair and closed his hazel eyes, while sighing sadly. Though he was dressed in nearly as bad as clothing as his mother, he really didn't care about his own state as long as she was alright. "But I won't ever see you again Levi......" Adrien replied with a teary-eyed tone. "It won't be that long. Honest. I'll only be there until I earn enough for the medicine, then I'm going to come back. It might take a year at most! So just be a little patient Mother." "But you're all that I have since I lost your father. Do you have any idea what I would do if I lost you too Levi?" "I'll be fine. I've talked to Marie and her parents. They're going to let you stay with them until I've finished my job. You'll need someone to watch over you." Adrien looked speechlessly to her son and soon let out a tearful sigh. She brought her hands to her face and began weeping uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry Levi....I'm just a burden......" She slowly whispered between cries. "Don't say such things! You know that the only people to blame are The Eyes. Please Mother. Don't take this upon yourself. Father would have never accepted it!" "............Oh Levi..." For the next few minutes the two silently stayed in their stances as Adrien looked down shrouded in sadness, while Levi closed his eyes once more and turned away from his mother. He would have stayed in that position if a sudden knock on the door had not interrupted the moment. Slowly walking to their shoddy wooden door, Levi cracked it to about halfway open and stared in somewhat surprise at the guest. Marie stood only feet away from the doorway. She was wearing a long, red dress that lengthened to about inches above the knees and a forest green wrap over her shoulders and chest area. Her long blond hair braided over her shoulder and blue eyes gave her a beautiful smile. The seventeen year old girl gave Levi a sweet smile and a big hug before walking inside after him. "Marie! Uhh... You're here a little eh early..." Levi, somewhat dumbfounded, managed to say as he looked hazily to Marie with a tinge of crimson across his face. "I had to come see you off. Remember? You're so silly sometimes Levi." For as long as Levi could remember, he was always friends with Marie. He first started talking to her after meeting her accidentally, during his younger days. He bumped into a younger girl unintentionally and knocked her to the ground. He discovered that the blond haired girl bruised easily and out of guilt offered to carried her home (which he struggled to do, but eventually succeeded.) "Hello Misses Yitr." Marie sweetly spoke to Adrien while giving a short bow to the seated woman. "Oh Marie. It's wonderful to see you dear. You aren't too ill now are you?" "I should ask you that. I know we both basically have the same illness, but you have so many more chronic symptoms. I really hope you get better." "I wish the same for Morin. Those "Eyes" have done nothing for our profit." Adrien spoke coldly as she gazed out the nearest window in sorrow. "Well. Don't worry Mother. I'll change that while I'm there. I think I should get going now." Levi spoke once more after retrieving his bag from its resting place on the floor. He slowly approached his mother and peered solemnly to her, kneeling before her chair in the process. "Mother.....Please understand....I have to do this." "I know but that doesn't mean I want you to Levi........." Taking a deep breath, Adrien looked down to her son with rivers of tears flowing freely and bent down to embrace him one last time. "Please be careful....." She pleaded tearfully before releasing Levi and returning to the spot on her chair. "I will Mother." "Levi......Come back soon.." Marie added while walking to Levi and clinging onto his shoulders, giving him a short kiss on the cheek. "Marie......" Levi sputtered in surprise from the blond's gesture and looked down at her in surprise. He brought a hand to his cheek in the same place Marie's lips were seconds ago and stared with a shocked look on his face at nothing. "I'll be waiting Levi..." She happily replied and giggled at the teenager's reaction. Levi smiled a big pearly smile in slight embarrassment as he slowly walked past the two women and out of the doorway of the house. He clutched his leather bag as tight as he could with slight anxiety. Levi turned back once more to see Marie in the hut's doorway waving eagerly to him. Casting a wink to the blond, Levi turned to his front afterwards and began trotting with a sense of pride, feeling like the fifteen miles he would have to walk would be nothing more then a short jog.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:13 pm
Chapter Two:
Rumors Though Levi was in high hopes during the first few miles of his prideful trot, he began to slowly wear down in doubt with each further step taken. Though he was well built for his age, he came to lose breath quite easily from the little stamina he held and due to the fact of how poorly in shape his breathing was. He was never quite use to walking to such a distant place as The Eyes fort in Morin. (To be honest, Levi had never even traveled so far away from the village before.) But despite the fatigue that began to overwhelm him, Levi continued on and did not stop to rest until he came to be only one mile away. There was a town of humals, called Kiye, just near the reaches of the Fort where Levi chose to rest. It was very bustling and crowded compared to the peaceful scenes of Levi's village. He decided to explore the tavern near the alleyways and soon to the blacksmiths to find a weapon suitable for him. After pushing through a thick metal door with a maxim of ' Kiye Forgers: If it ain't Kiye's metals, then you're damn sure dead' inscribed onto it, Levi stepped inside the armory and gazed around in awe. Many shelved long swords glistening in the pale light caught Levi's attention first, but he eventually moved on to inspect other assortments of weapons such as axes and spears. Glancing around the store a few moments later, Levi raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of a mid aged man seated on the floor while leaning against a wall in deep sleep. He was dressed in rusty looking armor and had gray highlighted blond hair that looked awfully faded. What the? Hmmm....He really shouldn't be sleeping on the job. He's lucky I'm not a thief. Levi thought with a stare of disbelief. "Um excuse me sir.." Levi quietly spoke to the man while slowly approaching him. At first the old man continued on snoring without even a hint of waking up. "Sir! Wake UP!" Levi repeated another time but with a louder tone following. "What!?" The old man yelled in surprise, quickly fluttering dim ebony eyes and moved his head around in alarm. "Who are you?" He snapped at Levi after quickly spotting him. "I'm..Levi...I live in the town about twenty miles away from Kiye." "Ahh..So you're from Li'ren are you? What are you doing so far away boy?" "I've come to earn money for my mother. She's very sick. So I'm going to join The Eyes sir." Levi replied quickly while feeling somewhat awkward as the old man eyed him is suspicion. "Are you crazy boy? Or just plain stupid?" The old man harshly looked at Levi with a unreadable face while shaking his head in disapproval. "It's thanks to them stupid "Eyes" that I've lost so much business. Nowadays I only get pity costumers." "You think I actually like the idea? If my mother didn't need medicine that costs so much, then I'd try to do something else. So please sir, can you tell me what weapon I can buy with this?" Levi replied coolly and retrieved a small leather pouch of copper coins that he saved up in the past year by doing small errands from some of the villagers and shop owners. "It's about fifty coppers...."Levi muttered with a growing feeling of shame at his own poverty. "........." For a moment the shopkeeper stared at the leather sack and placed a hand on the bottom of his chin. "Hmm.....Sorry kid, but the cheapest of my weapons are at least triple the amount you have because of the metaling." "Oh...Thank you for your time then..." Levi muttered in disappointment and turned to make his leave. "Now hold on! I ain't finished. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get rid of one of my unpopular weapons. But it won't be all that great boy." "...? What do you mean?" "I like you kid. I think you'll be a good influence on them Eyes. But you can't abandon your decision or I'll come hunt you down. Got it?" "Yes. Thank you very much....I don't know what to say..." Levi turned back and walked towards the closest counter while still wearing a look of speechlessness. "I'll go get it. Stay." The old man quickly said and eagerly rushed into a door near the counter, humming a small tune in the process. He must be excited to finally have a serious costumer it's been like he said. I wonder if Li'ren isn't the only place that The Eyes have caused suffering for.... Levi thought deeply while thinking about whether or not he would even be accepted into The Eyes among other things. In the meantime, Levi swore he heard a lot of banging and crashing coming from the area the old man had entered just a few minutes ago. "Ahh! Found it!" The storekeeper returned grasping a wooden box at least a foot and half in length in his arms. He gaily re-approached the counter on the side opposite to Levi and laid the box in front of Levi. (Whom bent down closer to get a look at the box.) On the front there was a very plain sketch of a rose with a single word just underneath it. Baya. "What is it exactly?" Levi asked, rising an eyebrow while slowly touching the surface of the box and immediately pulling away. "Baya's been in my family for generations and it would be such a shame to see her sealed in the box. She's a bit picky about who touches her so take care of her boy or else." He explained while giving a light chuckle in between each sentence. Slowly opening the box's cover, he reached a hand inside and pulled out a beautifully designed dagger measuring a few inches less then a foot. Its handle was colored a golden shine and silver streaks and the blade was femininely curved to a smooth sheen and glisten. Levi slowly reached for the dagger's handle as soon as the older man motioned for him to take it and almost dropped the dagger after feeling a small shocking surge pulsing underneath his skin. "Eeh! What the...." "Oh......I think Baya already likes you. Ha ha!" The old man responded while venting out a hearty chuckle. "Just make sure you tell her good night and wipe the blade with a cloth every fortnight." "Uhh...... Sure...." Levi complied awkwardly while pulling out a leather sheath from the bottom of the wooden box, carefully sliding the dagger inside and attaching it to his belt after finishing. "How much do I owe you sir?" "Ah. Don't worry about paying me. Just remember what I told ya'. Don't abandon The Eyes if you're accepted because they'll execute deserters. But I have to warn you of a dangerous secret I heard a couple of drunk Eyes talk about a few weeks ago. About five months ago, there was a terrible giant monster at least fifty feet tall rampaging through Kiye." "The Eyes caught the beast and killed it right?" Levi asked, now feeling somewhat curious. "Nope. I hear they're training the giant to obey them and do their bidding. I think their target's become the King himself. This was coming from a pair of drunkards after all. But even so watch yourself boy." Levi quietly nodded his head in agreement and pondered on this for a few moments before moving from his place. "That is a bit troubling isn't it? I hope it's nothing though....." Levi whispered aloud in great worry. He then shook his head to abadoned the thoughts and turned to the blacksmith, bowing in appreciation. "Thank you sir. My name is Levi." "Call me Uray." The old man replied and held his hand out to Levi and the two gave each other a respectful handshake before Levi decided it was time to move on. Levi thanked Uray once more for Baya and headed out of the armory. Feeling his hopes rise once more in anticipation as he patted Baya once and continued on to the fort of The Eyes.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:18 pm
Chapter Three:
Mystery
It wasn't long for Levi until he came in sight of a large ominous building, greater in size and structure then anything he had witnessed in his life. Levi stopped in his tracks and gazed breathlessly at the building. Though he was still far from reaching the building, he could obviously see that it was at least a building reaching to a minimum of one hundred feet. But why The Eyes would need such a large and spacious area was unknown to Levi. Could what Urya told me be true? Why would The Eyes even want to control a killing machine like a giant? Levi asked with doubt if he should keep going and could easily turn back before anything happened. " Wow! That place looks pretty big compared to even you, humal!" Levi nearly jumped into the air after a unknown voice suddenly spoke from nowhere. He glanced around in shock, hoping to find the source of the feminine but squeaky sound. But after a few moments of checking both to his front and backside, Levi began to doubt if the voice was real or just a part of his imagination. " Aww! Some humals are so cute when you're surprised! If I was your size, I'd cuddle with you!" Levi raised an eyebrow after hearing the same voice speak once again. He turned his head once more and gazed in somewhat suspicion. "Who's there?" Levi asked while slowly reaching his hand to Baya and retrieving it from the sheath in case someone was ready to ambush him. " Your hands are cold!" The squeaky voice cried in disapproval and gave a shivering sound. " You should really wear gloves if you plan to hold me so much!" The voice added flirtatiously. Levi nearly dropped Baya again when the dagger began sending off a pulse similar to before in Urya's armory, but in a larger quantity. He gasped in surprise when the dagger began to glow and slowly reform into a small figure of a teenage appearing woman. At most she was a length of six inches, wearing a matching red top and skirt. She had long red hair braided behind her back and glistening jade eyes. " Hi there humal! My name's Baya!" She spoke sprightly and slowly sat down on Levi's flat palm. For a moment Levi stared in disbelief at the tiny woman that sat in the palm of his hand and accidentally tilted his hand over, sending the tiny figure falling to the ground. Luckily the girl was close enough to Levi's front and quickly grabbed onto a fold of Levi's vest. She then let out a hoarse scream of fright (which sounded soft and squeaky to Levi). Levi quickly came to his senses and lowered one of his hands to catch the tiny person, bringing the hand up to eye level and stared in an apologizing stare. " You.......dropped me? How could...you be so careless?" The girl asked tearfully. She brought her face to her hands and began to cry fearfully. " Wahhh! Wah! You cold hearted humal! You can't treat....sniff.....a girl bad!" Levi was still speechless of the surprising sight. He slowly opened his mouth but couldn't think of anything to say to comfort the girl. "Um....Baya?" He began, and understandingly only to hear more sobbing coming from the small girl. "Uh......Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." " Wahh!!..sniff... You're horrible!" Levi flinched at Baya's comment and sighed in confusion. He never liked the sight of women crying due to how much his mother cried because of her feelings of being useless. Levi moved the hand cradling Baya and slowly sunk to the ground and sat cross-legged. Baya surprised from the sudden movement, looked around and then up to Levi. "Look...Baya.." Levi quietly explained, looking at her directly and slowly speaking to her. "I didn't mean to drop you.......I'm sorry..." Baya looked in silence at Levi and closed her eyes. Instantly she let out a small giggle, which eventually turned into a rather loud giggle. " Hahaha!! You humals are so easy to fool!! I can't believe you actually bought it!" "What?" Levi asked dumbfounded while staring blankly at the small girl. " Silly humal! It was a joke! A ruse! And you're face! Heheheh!" While still laughing humorously at what she thought to be hilarious, Baya failed to notice Levi's face now showing anger and his hand tilting over his vest's pocket. " Wha? Hey!" Baya cried in somewhat annoyance as she fell into the pocket. " I demand you to let me out!" "Sorry. Can't hear you over my laughter at your twisted idea of humor." Levi stated coldly while continuing on his way to the large fort. He paced angrily and crossed his arms in disappointment. Of all the weapons, I get a dagger that turns out to be an insane little fairy person! Just my luck. Levi grumbled in thought while slowly coming closer and closer to the ominous building. Eventually he came to be only feet away from the place that could help him earn enough money to save his mother practically. He stared up to the long upwards heights that the building reached to and thought how small any humal was compared to it. Standing guard at the front of a large metal door was a fairly tall man wearing black armor with golden insignia on it. He wielded a long silver sword and a short handed axe. "What business do you have hear?" He coldly asked with a sense of not really caring. "Hello sir." Levi answered respectfully and bowed to the man before continuing on. "I'm here to try out for a position with The Eyes if that's alright." "Hm.....Another one? Just great. Where's you birth town?" "Li'ren..." "Age?" "I'm eighteen." "Hmmm a bit young, aren't you? Any weapons with you Leaf?" "Levi, sir. And yes.....I have a dagger...." Levi answered somewhat cautiously. "Unsheathe your weapon and let me examine it." "Huh?" Levi asked with a distressed tone. He didn't know if he heard the man correctly. Besides why did he need to see Baya anyway? "Mandatory procedure. Now show me your weapon boy!" Levi froze in despair. What was he supposed to do? There wasn't anyway he could ever show Baya to someone like the guard. He wasn't even too sure whether or not the man would believe him about Baya. They'll never let me in now. They'll think I'm a nut. Levi thought as he felt his hopes diminish, obeying the man's orders and reached into the vest pocket to retrieve Baya.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:22 pm
Chapter Four:
The Eyes Levi couldn't help but to feel that he should maybe tell the man that he lied about having a weapon. Maybe I'll just act like I lost the dagger. What am I supposed to do? Levi thought while slowly inching his hand closer and closer to his vest's pocket. But before he could do anything to react, Baya stuck her head out from the pocket and giggled in delight. She looked around in curiosity and stared at the guard like he was a ghost. She eventually smiled again and waved to him. Levi stared in horror as Baya began to thrash around excitedly. " Franzie! It's me Baya!!" She cried in happiness. ".....Baya? Baya!" The guard exclaimed as he stared at the small figure in speechlessly. He then raised an eyebrow at Levi and slowly ordered Levi to take Baya out of his pocket. " Why aren't you at Uray's?" He asked quietly while cradling Baya in his left hand. " Well.. " Baya began while motioning for the guard to bring her to his ear. She then began to whisper into his ear while giggling every now and then. Levi swore that he saw Baya pointing at him once while the guard gave him a questioning glance. "You dropped Baya boy?!" The guard now focused on Levi and gave him a cold squint. "Uh...well....I....didn't mean.." Levi stuttered while watching the guard cross his arms as if waiting for an explanation. "Look I'm sorry! I already told her that sir! It was an accident!" After hearing this, the guard looked down to Baya (who rested on his right shoulder) and released a howl of laughter. "Yep. Good call on that one Baya." He murmured humorously. " I told you he would Franzie!" Baya added sprightly while casting a large pearly smile to Levi. "......Not again......" Levi whispered to himself in annoyance. He sighed and stared blankly at the guard. He focused on Baya, after seeing her begin to giggle in her squeaky voice uncontrollably. "Not funny Baya." Levi stated with a sour tone. " Aww Franzie! Levi's so cute when he's angry!" "Baya. It's Franz. You know that." He replied while handing Baya back to Levi's hand. Franz chuckled lightly after seeing Levi's face and patted him on the shoulder once. Levi looked curiously at ebony eyes and the visible bits of blond hair he could see hanging out from under Franz's helmet. He didn't look much older then Levi. (Maybe at most five or six years and a small goatee growing on the tip of his chin.) But other then that he looked rather young. "No hard feelings?" Franz asked while holding his hand out to Levi in a familiar manner. Levi slowly took the hand and looked questioningly to the older man. "Uhh yeah. So you two know each other?" Levi asked. He raised an eyebrow at Franz's blank face and sigh. "It's a long story but yes. Let's just say I'm........ acquainted with Baya's maker. Anyway, in two days you're going to take the first initiation of The Eyes. But you're allowed to stay here at Miron's fort until the examination day. The test won't cover anything too specific. So just be sure to study the rules, low level spells and magick crafting, and mythical creatures' lore." "A test already?" Levi asked in a somewhat shocked voice. He knew that it would be difficult to get into The Eyes, but he was going to have to take a test in just two days over things he didn't know. "This is the big leagues Levi. The Eyes isn't a small store you get into by answering some questions. They want to know what you know." "Good thing you aren't giving the exams. Eh, Low Member Franz?" Levi nearly gasped in surprise as an unfamiliar voice with a questioning tone slowly seeped from the air. He couldn't tell who the voice's owner was, but prepared for any possible surprise after the whole episode he went through with Baya. Suddenly appearing behind Levi was a man with blue eyes and short brown hair with the bangs parted to the right side, mostly covering his right eye. He wore a black collar type piece around his shoulders with a red dotted design and a black vest underneath the collar. His long black pants that covered light gray boots had a similar design running down the trimming while a flowing ebony cloak clung to his neck. In the man's hand, he clutched an elegant black staff that touched the ground just from his hand. An engraved ruby lying at the top, which was encircled by the staff, gave a shimmering look to Levi's eyes. "If you were, you'd give all the answers away. It's no fun when a test taker already knows all the information." The man added humorously as he gave a light-hearted chuckle. "High Member Dayzel!" Franz blurted while falling to the ground on one knee. "Forgive me High Member! I was assisting this boy......" "At ease. I meant no grudge Low Member. If it is all right, I shall take things from here." The man softly replied while giving a strange motion with his hands to the metal doors. "Of course High Member! Please do whatever you think is necessary!" Franz stated seriously and unemotionally while still on his knee. "Now, now Low Member. No need for such formality, but it is appreciated. Come along now." The man half turned to Levi and motioned to the large door. He took off at a even pace to the door and paused for the door to open. Levi quickly followed the man and gave a short nod to Franz who mouthed ' Good luck' to him with Baya still in his palm. As soon as the doors opened wide enough to precede through, the man went through with Levi struggling to keep at his pace. Making an unexpected turn every once in a while, Levi found it hard to stay close to the man. Apparently the man noticed this and began to slow his speed and gave a quiet chuckle. "Sorry about that. I've been told I'm quick paced." "Oh...It's no problem sir. I just have a hard time to have long stamina." "So I see.......I just noticed I didn't happen to catch you're name." "My name's Levi sir." Levi nervously answered back while taking a small gulp at the man's demeanor as he turned to look at him. "Levi? Hmm...You must be from Li'ren then. Am I wrong?" Levi couldn't help but to stare in disbelief at the man. How could he possibly know that? Can he read people's mind or something? Levi thought as he gave a dumbfounded look to him. "Wow....Are you physic?" "You look a bit stupefied Levi. Heheheh. But it's understandable. I grew up in Li'ren though. Your accent gave it away." He answered simply and began to hum a small tune. "We are trained in The Eyes to listen for things like someone's accent for identification purposes." "Even little things like that sir?" "Yes. And please no more 'sir'. Call me Dayzel for now. So I see you have a Token." "Token?" Levi answered with a somewhat dense look. He began to look himself up and down for something that resembled a token-like coin or anything among those lines. "Yes. That gorgeous little weapon you have. She looks well taken care of." Dayzel replied while placing his index finger on Baya's head and patting her gently. Baya reacted by giggling greatly and smiling in approval. "So that's what she is? A....Token? What exactly is a Token Dayzel?" Levi asked. "Basically a Token starts as an item. But when the item is blessed by a mythical creature, such as a scale of a mermaid or a fang of a chimera, and the item is forged into a weapon, it gains the ability to manifest into a living creature. It is then classified as a Token. But because not many mythical creatures are seen nowadays, it's extremely rare to get a Token. Your Token has to be the first one I've seen in years excluding my Token, Ran. You should consider yourself to be lucky to have your little friend." "You have a Token too?" Levi asked as he watched Dayzel draw his staff to his front and begin chanting. "Yes I do. I acquired him after I was lucky enough to receive a dragon's scale. Say hello Ran." Dayzel urged to a small figure he held in his hand. It was a male with long blue hair that was styled in a rat tail. He wore a blue vest and long blue pants. His eyes were a dark cold brown color. Though Baya stared with great curiosity at him and even waved to him, Ran made no movement until Dayzel said something to him. "Well it seems we've arrived at your resting area. I've taken the liberty to see that the materials you'll need to study are in the room." "Thank you Dayzel. I wish there was a way I could repay you." "Just be sure to pass the initiation Levi. Good luck and get some sleep." Dayzel stated with a somewhat warm tone. He then gave a short bow and turned away. "Sadly I have other matters to take care of. Study those books mi'boy." With that Dayzel took off with his prior, fast pacing. "Wow.....He was a bit too welcoming...." Levi quietly murmured to himself as he opened the door and proceeded into his room. "Those eyes.... and his face.. How cute!!" Baya cooed as she squealed in delight of her deep thoughts. "Ooohhh....I want to see him again! Ran......"She sighed and giggled with an infatuated look once more. Levi looked around the room in great anticipation and stared hysterically at the sight that awaited him. Stacked from on the floor that reached to the ceiling of the room was a great amount of thick books. Levi almost felt like turning back and leaving the fort after seeing the books. It was only this that the test would cover? How was Levi supposed to know this in just two days? He vented a sigh of disbelief and slowly approached to the stack. After lying Baya on a nearby counter, he carefully pulled the first book that came to his attention. On the cover, it read: "Temina's Guidebook to Creatures Big and Small." For the rest of the night Levi sat on his bed and skimmed the wording of different books until falling asleep in his position. He assumed that nothing could wrong, but failed to know that Baya was thinking mischievously and decided to sneak out of the room to do some exploring.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:25 pm
Chapter Five:
Secrets Before Baya had gotten the idea to sneak away, she waited patiently until Levi began to snore by pretending to already have fallen asleep and slowly made her way onto his bed by jumping from the counter space. She climbed over his arm and stopped on his chest to watch for any sudden movements. She sat for a few moments on his chest as it rose and sunk down constantly until being positive that Levi was in a deep sleep. She then tiptoed over to the side of Levi's face and stood on her toes to give Levi a quick kiss on the cheek. " Bye bye Levi....I'll be back soon....."Baya whispered quietly and let out a small giggle. She nimbly made her way to the side of Levi's bed and grabbed onto the long bedsheets. Baya turned her head back once more to be sure that Levi was still sleeping and,after being satisfied, began to climb down the bedding. Luckily Baya was only centimeters away from the ground due to the fact that she accidentally lost her footing and fell the remainder of the climb to the ground. " Ow! Hehehe!" Baya began to laugh with her squeaky voice as she rose to her feet while dusting off her red skirt. Baya hastily scampered to the only huge wooden door of the room and looked it up and down before deciding to carry out her plan of exploring. She took one last glance to Levi and slowly crouched down to crawl underneath the doorway, which was roomy enough for Baya to fit under. At first from Baya's view of the door's gap, the hallways looked deserted and lonely until a familiar voice echoed from further down the hallway from the door followed by the man the guided Levi to his room. What was his name, Dayzel? Baya pondered as the tall man passed the doorway. Baya felt her hope rising the instant she spotted Ran sitting on Dayzel's left shoulder and eagerly crawled out from the door to pursue him. Ooooh!! It's Ran!! I have such good luck! Baya would have squealed infatuatedly, had she not been so close to Dayzel. But after only a few minutes she found it difficult to keep up with his large pacing with her small body and quickly grabbed onto his left boot. She almost felt like letting go due to how nauseated she was beginning to feel. " Master....Are we guarding the beast tonight?" Baya heard Ran quietly ask of Dayzel and couldn't help to swoon over Ran's deep voice. Though she didn't know what beast he could possibly be talking about and waited curiously for a reply. "Yes Ran. Highest Member Cole has given me the privilege to take night watch until further notice. You shall keep watch at the front door, while I stand at the back door." " If you wish it Master then I shall obey." That was Ran's only reply. He said nothing more and by the tone of his voice seemed contempt to Baya. Dayzel's walking became quiet once more and to Baya it took for an eternity to Dayzel to halt, but when the opportunity did arise, Baya quickly released of her grip of the boot and scrambled to the nearest wall for shelter. There, Baya quietly peeked out from her cover to see Dayzel kneeling on the ground to deposit Ran in front of a large ominous door with many chains running from each side and top to bottom, as if like ivy clinging to the door. "Remember Ran. If you have to use force to guard the door, then by all means." Bayzel stated with a slight warning tone and rose up to his knees once more. He gave Ran one last curt nod and headed off down the hallway. " Of course Master. I won't fail you." Ran answered coolly, standing upright and crossing his arms as he glanced down each hallway in a suspicious manner. Jackpot! Baya sighed with a yearning thought and checked down the hallway that Dayzel had departed once more. She became giddy after seeing that he was no longer in sight and slowly stepped out from the wall's cover. Baya approached Ran in a somewhat carefree manner, but with each step taken it was a light, careful one. " Hi!" She murmured to him in a timid manner and stopped only inches away from him. Boy he sure is a lot taller then me. Baya though in awe as she looked up to Ran's face. He was at least two inches taller then her, which meant he was most likely around eight inches in height. At first Ran said nothing to her and stared speechlessly at her, so Baya decided to try another method. " Hey!! DO. YOU. TALK?" " What are you doing here? How did you find this place?!" Ran replied as his cold brown eyes darted to Baya's. He crossed his arms and looked down at her coldly. " I followed you and Dayzel." Baya answered sprightly and giggled at Ran's reaction. " So what's behind the big scary door?" She asked while looking over Ran's shoulders to the giant doorway. Being up this close to it, it looked even big for a humal's perspective. " That is private information. Now go away!" Ran coldly replied and moved to block Baya's view of the door. " Can I see what's inside?" Baya asked while trying to move to another spot, but to be blocked again by Ran. " No!" " Just a peek?" " No!" " Why?" " I already told you! Now go back to your room!" Baya grunted in annoyance and crossed her arms. She then stared directly into Ran's eyes before turning away. " Fine you win...." She whined with a pouty lip and slowly began to stomp off, stopping at the nearest corner. That's it! She thought with a new idea brewing and brought her hand to her chin. Earlier in Levi's room, Baya remembered reading about some of the deadliest creatures on Temina and specifically remembered a creature called a Chimeric Hobgoblin. It was born when someone used a Chimera's fang and fused it with an alchemist spell and it was not a creature to trifle with. The only way to defeat it was with black magic. " A Chimeric Hobgoblin!! Oh no!" Baya cried with a fake cry of horror and scrambled back to Ran and the door. " Eep!! Chimeric....Hobgoblin!!" " What?!" Ran blurted with a tone of disbelief. He then glanced to the hallway and raised his arm to Baya. " Stay here! And don't think about going under the door!" " Who me? I wouldn't dream of it." Baya replied sweetly and innocently as Ran darted to the edge of the hallway and slowly walked out of view. " ...He may have a cute face, but he's so gullible...That and I'm such an adorable actor....Heheheheh." She took one last glance to make sure that Ran hadn't returned yet and slowly crawled under the great door's gap to the ground. When Baya had reached the other side of the door, she stared in fear and awe of the sight that awaited her. She felt her body freeze in disbelief at the secret hidden behind the door. It was a gigantic figure chained to the wall by its neck, waist, both wrists, and both ankles. (And to her astonishment, Baya swore that she saw two wings attached to it.) Though Baya couldn't see any facial details or its gender in the darkness, she knew that the giant was sleeping by its position and by the fact that its chest was rising up and down as Levi's was. " I'm just a flea compared to that thing....." Baya whispered in a shaky voice. She instinctively wanted to go closer to it, but knew that she could be killed accidentally if the giant turned over, or purposefully if it somehow spotted her. " It has to be....at least sixty feet tall........" "Actually seventy-five feet. But good estimate little Token." Baya nearly jumped at the sudden voice of Dayzel. She hesitantly turned around to see the man standing only inches away from her, looking down at her with slight disappointment. "Someone's been a little too curious. Such a pity that it has to come to this...." Dayzel sincerely mumbled while darting his eyes to Baya and watching in slight interest. " Wh......What do you mean?....." Baya asked while slowly backing away, only to bump into Ran, who now stood behind her. "You've seen too much I'm afraid...Forgive me for this little Token......" Dayzel replied while kneeling before Baya, placing an index finger on her forehead. He began to murmur some chanting and closed his eyes in the process. Before Baya knew what was happening or do anything to react, she began to feel extremely dizzy and slowly closed her eyes as she helplessly fell back into the arms of Ran. She felt her consciousness slipping away as she heard Dayzel and Ran say unidentifiable words. "Take her to her room Ran. She's caused a lot of trouble tonight hasn't she?" Dayzel quietly whispered to the Token who now held Baya in his arms and gave a small humorous chuckle at the sight. " Forgive me Master. I had no intention to allow her into the room." Ran muttered with a low sense of dignity and hastily bowed to the man. "Don't apologize Ran. She's a miniature fox. Heh heh. I think you need a women like that in your life." Dayzel added and couldn't help but to give a quick laugh at the Token's reaction. "Now now Ran. I was joking. But please hurry her back to her room if you will." " Of course master." With that Ran had crawled under the door way once more and disappeared from sight, leaving Dayzel to ponder amongst things alone. "Hmm....Like I suspected.....It seems that it will happen very soon...tsk..From the state of things, The Eyes will have no choice but to use you for their gain......." Dayzel murmured to himself and gave one back glance to the giant and sighed disapprovingly. "I am sorry Faven....." With that Dayzel disappeared from the room as mysteriously as he had appeared. By the time that Baya had awakened the next morning, she had no memory of her little expedition of the night before.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:27 pm
Chapter Six:
Knowledge
From the look of the room, the sun had rose not even an hour ago, as Levi slowly cracked his eyes open and gave a weary yawn. When Levi began to feel more awake a few minutes later, he was taken by surprise to see Baya lying not even inches away from him in a deep slumber, clinging onto his ring finger. For a moment he wanted to climb out of his bed, but quickly decided against it after watching Baya to check to see if she was sleeping soundly. It'd probably be better to let Baya sleep for a while. Besides I wouldn't be able to study, especially if she was wound up like yesterday. Levi quickly confided to himself and carefully lifted Baya's small body as he climbed from the bed. He stared blankly at Baya as she tossed over and began to mumble something about Ran, stroking her scarlet braid as he gently placed her back onto the bed. Levi glanced around the room with a distressed stare as the memories of the events of the day prior. He gave his arms a good stretch while focusing his stare on the large pile of books that Dayzel had magically left in his room. What amazed Levi more then the fact that a man looking like Dayzel could actually carry that many books, was that Dayzel was able to somehow able to get the books into the room before he took Levi there. Was it even possible to accomplish such a feat? That would have to be a thought to ponder on at another time and Levi knew that fully well. He picked up the nearest book lying on his bed and opened over to a folded page while taking residence in a lonely oak chair lingering near the corner of the room. For hours Levi sat reading without moving from his position, reading up to knee deep in page over page as he struggled to remember random facts that popped out at his eyes. At numerous times, Levi felt his stomach rebel by giving off a loud grumble, but ignored it by a quick turn of a page. At some parts Levi didn't even understand the concept of what was written on the pages. The thing the stumped Levi for the rest of his time was the three sentence definition of Alchemy. Alchemy is the most principle installment and consuming method of arms and soul used to create or modify certain items with outcomes depending on the quantity and quality of key items placed in brew before adding charming incantations; derived from a route term that explains the concept of the equalities of exchange that is given as a valuation of the ingredients wished for the alchemist's satisfactory. Alchemy is also used to rebuild a structure of a balanced beam in the building blocks lying suspended in any specific creation made with any non-specific indirection. Levi couldn't count the amount of times he reread the maxim and failed to understand the phrasing, but he did know one thing, he wasn't going to learn half the things he needed to know just from reading the books. "Maybe if I can find Dayzel again.....He might help me if I ask nicely......." Levi mumbled to himself as he heaved a great sigh and placed the current book on the closest counter, folding the page over to keep his place before doing so. He sat for a few minutes of silence aside from Baya's somewhat loud, but soft snoring thinking of any alternatives he would have to find after he failed the examination. Levi's lingering sense of foreboding was his cue that there wasn't any sane way to pass the initiation. Levi felt so burdened with depress, he almost considered to just give up and sneak away until a sudden knock at the door. "Hello Levi? Knock knock! It's Dayzel!" Levi stared speechlessly in disbelief at the door. It was seemingly improbable that Dayzel had coincidently stopped by for no particular reason as soon as Levi had wanted to talk to him, but he wasn't in the position to complain. No one could blame him for wanting a bit of help right? Immediately after quietly rushing to the door, Levi slowly opened it and peered curiously at the visitors waiting. Levi focused his attention of Ran at first (who was leaning against Dayzel's neck) but slowly looked up to Dayzel in slight surprise. In his arms, Dayzel carried a huge tray filled with some fresh smelling bacon, biscuits, and a few large pieces of steak. "Uhh....Hello Dayzel....I was just reading..." "You've been awake and have done nothing but read all that time?" Dayzel stated with a slight dumbfounded tone, but instantly let a heartwarming chuckle out to follow. "Well someone's really up to some standards I should say. Hungry?" Dayzel asked sincerely while offering the tray up. "Uhh...I..." Levi stammered while eying the mouth watering food in envy. Growing up in Li'ren, Levi, let alone almost every single family, never got to experience such a big meal. He sighed and opened his mouth to politely say 'No thanks' but his stomach quickly interjected and gave a yes with a long and slightly painful growl. "Well I believe that's a yes. Don't be so modest Levi. I'm sure you've been studying hard." Dayzel murmured as he stepped through the wooden door into Levi's room. Now that Levi had a clear view of Dayzel's facial details, he glanced at every visible detail while Dayzel focused on finding a place to set the tray. He looked older then Levi and even older then Franz by a few years. Despite that though Dayzel looked extremely young and extremely well-built to Levi. Hmmm....Dayzel looks really familiar....I wonder if I've met him in Li'ren before. Levi pondered on his reminiscing for a few moments but quickly let the thought fade away after Dayzel had set the tray down near the counter. "Will it bother you if I set Ran down here Levi?" Dayzel turned to Levi while pointing to a spot on the bed very close to Baya. "Um sure, go ahead. Is he sleeping?" "Well yes and no." Dayzel calmly replied as he gently lifted the Token into his palm and carefully deposited him onto the spot near Baya. Almost instantly, Baya had surprisingly scooted over and wrapped her arms around Ran's neck. She then began to mumble an inaudible statement, most likely about Ran Levi concluded, and giggled in dazy voice. "What do you mean Dayzel?" Levi asked in disbelief with casting a questioning glance to the man. Dayzel sighed and shook his head irritably before taking a long strip of bacon from the tray. He then tugged the other oak chair in the room to a spot close enough to Levi to talk to, but not so close that they were only inches away. "Well it's a bit complicated matter. When Ran was firstly ' born', if you will, he had the very characteristics of a dragon. He was a bit snippy and had a distinguished attitude problem. Eventually he had mellowed out in the last few years, but every now and then he instinctively acts like one of the untamed, scaled beasts. This is truest for his sleeping cycles. Ran does sleep, but he is also awake subconsciously. Even the smallest hint of a threat and Ran will snap awake." "It sounds useful." Levi stated while taking in the tale with large quantities of interest. What would Baya be like if she was similar to Ran? Levi wondered as Dayzel looked down to Ran in somewhat pity before looking up to him again. "At times yes......Though you are quite lucky to have a Token such as yours. Not every man gets to take a treasure from a Deity like the Queen of Fayrees." Dayzel murmured wishfully and chuckled in slight envy of Levi, patting him on the shoulder in a salute of congratulations. "Huh?" Levi asked with a confused tone. He raised an eyebrow curiously and waited for some type of explanation. He leaned over in his chair swiping at three pieces of bacon from the tray and gradually devoured them. "........Didn't you make your token yourself Levi?" Dayzel asked him. He gave Levi a perturbed stare as Levi opened his mouth to slowly mutter where he had received Baya. "Well.....No.......Uray, the Kiye armor shop keeper, just gave a dagger to me for free yesterday. But at that time, I didn't know it was actually a she! I thought Baya was just a dagger! Honest!" "And she accepts you? How queer...... Well you've proven a believed fact to be wrong Levi." Dayzel replied with a heartening laugh. "Before this moment, I truly believed that no Token would ever accept anyone as their master aside from the man who found a blessed item and smithed it into some weapon of sorts. They are very loyal creatures to their creators, no matter neither the treatment nor torture they receive. Tell me Levi.......Is your father a magick user?" Levi silently looked to the ground at this question. He almost felt like shrugging the question off by a harmless white lie, but even if he did, it seemed like Dayzel, let alone anyone, could sense the truth regardless of hearing it or not. "My father....." Levi began with an almost unbearable sense of sadness overwhelming him. "He died when I was only a few years old.......I don't really remember anything about him, but I do know that I look a lot look he did." "Oh......Forgive me for being such a nuisance then.....You don't have to say anymore Levi." "Thanks Dayzel....But you sound like you know what kind of token Baya is." "Actually I do. But it won't be any fun if I tell you. You'll have to find that out on your own if you really want to know Levi!" Dayzel murmured sprightly while clasping his hands together. "Oh.....Ok then!" "Hmm.... I suppose it's time for me to go then. I enjoyed our little chat Levi." Dayzel replied to Levi, walking over to the bedside and gently yanking away Ran from Baya's clutches and placing him on his shoulder and slowly turned away to the door. "Thanks for the food Dayzel!" Levi called out to the man before he reached the door. "No problem. Goodbye Levi." "Oh wait Dayzel! I nearly forgot to ask you something. Ummm....In that book over there, it gives a three sentence definition for Alchemy. Could you...maybe....explain it to me?" Levi nearly smacked himself in the forehead for almost forgetting to ask Dayzel the exact question he wanted to see Dayzel for in the first place. "Hmmm....I don't see any harm in it. Most of these books are nearly a hundred years old. Perhaps I should rewrite them........Well pay me no mind. Alchemy is simple Levi. It is just a way to combine two or more things together. Though they don't know it, everyone either sees Alchemy or uses it everyday." Dayzel stated, while nodding his head in agreement to his own commenting. "What.....But I thought Alchemy....was only for magick and things like making Tokens..." "Ahh. See how those silly books mislead you? Think about it Levi. When a blacksmith makes his weapons and armor, what does he do? He combines the flames and minerals. What about when a woman bakes something as simple as bread? She mixes the flour and water to make something totally unique of the two. Technically alchemy is just a detailed method of creating something new and indifferent of the items used." "Wow.....That makes a lot of sense to me now.......Why couldn't the books say something as simple as that?" "I must have accidentally slipped that one in. But I'm glad you asked that Levi." "Wait.......Dayzel? Did you put it there on purpose, just so I would ask?" "I'm glad I did then. You are quite a perceptive lad Levi. Let me tell you that the best for The Eyes is someone who doesn't know everything, but instead a man or woman who can learn. Simply learn and use that to their advantage. I must go now without any other delay. Good wishes to you." After Dayzel took his leave, Levi stood for the next few minutes simply stupefied and amazed at the same time of Dayzel's wisdom. He couldn't find himself to speak or even move from his spot. He didn't now whether Dayzel had truly meant by what he had said, or if he was just pitying Levi. But deep inside, Levi really wanted someone to have faith in him. So he confidently reread the definition of Alchemy once more and snickered in triumph at the wording.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:29 pm
Chapter Seven:
Falsehood Though he couldn't really understand the reason as to why, but after Levi had asked Dayzel to reword Alchemy for him everything was somewhat easier to understand during the reading. He even learned how to do some simple mathematics using Alchemy. Levi searched for an example written in the book, fetching some ink and a feather after finding the easiest problem to practice with. When a magma rock retrieved from a cooled volcano (Ax^r3) is fused with a piece of hard ice from the Higher Mountains (Gxy^rt7) name the end result and list it in its proper name. Levi reread the problem once and slowly brought his now covered tip of the feather to a small blank corner on the page. The product is molten ice (Dy^t4). The instant he finished and checked his answer on the answer part of the book and found it to be correct, Levi felt an extreme sense of pride overwhelm him. He looked at the problem in victory and slowly closed the cover of the book. " Levi......" The weary and soft voice of Baya caused Levi to take his eyes away from the book's cover to where she laid on the bed. " Levi....I'm hungry......" She whispered and let out a small yawn. "About time you woke up lazy." Levi murmured while chuckling at Baya's small body as it slowly stood up, only to fall back down seconds later. " Food!" Baya hissed grumpily and crossed her arms. "Alright. But only because you asked so nicely little hissyfit." Levi stated while gingerly standing and lifting the tray from its position that it was left in by Dayzel. He then carried the tray to the bed and laid it directly in front of Baya (who seemed to now be in some pain). " Ooh...My head hurts.....What happened last night?" Baya muttered irritably, grasping her temples in an attempt to take the building pressure away. "Did you not sleep well? You got a lot of it last night..." Levi stated and slowly sat on the bed, now watching Baya worried, yet guiltily interested at the same time. " Urgh.....I don't really remember what happened after I snuck out.....How did I get back here?" Levi didn't know whether to feel pity for the small girl at the moment or to be angry with her. "You snuck out." He repeated with a witless tone and squinted down at Baya. "When exactly?" Levi then added, looking down at Baya harshly. " Uh.....After you fell asleep....." Baya whispered timidly, after realizing that she had admitted to deliberately sneaking away and doing all kinds of mischief. " But I don't think I was bad. Honest!" "Look who that's coming from Baya. How am I going to keep you from acting like this? Maybe I'll ask Franz...." Baya gasped after hearing this and jumped up from her spot. Flailing her arms, she clung onto Levi's nearby hand and shook her head desperately. " No! Don't tell Franz! I'll be good now! I promise!" Levi looked down at Baya blankly for a moment, but raised an eyebrow following. He slowly cracked an evil smile, deciding to test out a theory that Levi was beginning to have about Baya. "Why shouldn't I?" He asked teasingly and laid back over the bed, his arms behind his head. " You can't!" Baya restated, frenziedly climbing on top of Levi's chest and seating down grudgingly. "Still not convinced Baya." Levi murmured and turned onto his side, causing Baya to fall onto the bedding. She stayed in her position out of shock, but whimpered in worry as she began to sniffle. " Please! Franz doesn't deserve to have to worry about me right now, especially since his father......" Baya began and halted to a stop after saying 'father'. She mumbled to herself about having a big mouth and turned away. "And?" Levi questioned, poking Baya in the gut and urged her to continue. " ......." At first Baya had made any indication if she was going to say something or stay quiet, but soon became fed up with Levi's pestering and grunted. "Fine! But You can't tell Franz then Levi!" "Alright, alright. I promise Baya." Levi smiled sincerely and rubbed Baya's crimson head with his index finger. " It started when Franz wanted to first join The Eyes nearly five years ago. I remember it like it was only yesterday..." Baya quietly stated and looked down in worry. " Franz was the age of nineteen or twenty during his first initiation. When he was growing up in Kiye, it was always his dream to be a member of The Eyes. (No matter how insignificant.) One the day when he received his letter for the date of the examination, Franz was ecstatic. But after Franz told his father, he was scorned and repulsed. No matter how much Franz tried to convince him, his father never changed his opinion of how low Franz's standards had become. No matter how hard Franz tried, he was never able to make his father proud of his decision. What made the matters worse was when Franz sneaked away to take the initiation." "He passed though right?" Levi interrupted and rolled his eyes in a foreboding sense, ignoring Baya's unmerciful glare at him. "Let me guess. The dad had second thoughts and welcomed Franz back with open arms?" "No! The exact opposite you nincompoop!" Baya hissed angrily and crossed her arms. "When Franz's father found out, he just became so upset and on edge. There was so much unbearable tension between the two, so Franz decided to leave in the dead of night without saying a word.""Oh........" Levi muttered in an apologetic tone and sighed. He was at a lack of words at the moments and looked down again. " So you better not tell Franz Levi! Or else!" Baya fumed at him. She made a soft mutter and with a flash of light, the dagger that Levi had not seen since earlier yesterday was now lying in her place. "Ah! Baya! I wasn't going to really tell Franz. Bay..ARGH!!" Levi stated sincerely and slowly reached for the dagger. He hadn't expected to feel a rather irritable shock pulsing from the handle and, majorly surprised by Baya's action, dropped the dagger back onto the bed. "Come on Baya.." Levi pleaded, while reaching for her again. The results were more intense and painful. "Baya stop it right now!" Levi ordered fiercely and grabbed the handle once more and ignored the first waves of shock being sent into his hand, though the pain felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing his hand and then burning it some. He hastily fetched the sheath that Baya had been previously carried in and shoved the dagger inside. "Fine. Act like a spoiled brat Baya. But I'm not letting you out until you cool it." He stated, mocking Baya's attitude as he attached the sheath back onto his belt buckle. For some fortunate, but strange reason, Levi noticed that the shocks coming from Baya immediately died down after being contained in the holder. Maybe that was also a special property of a Token. Either way it was really useful, Levi decided and shrugged the thought off. Deciding to take a small walk, Levi slowly gathered and placed the books he had finished and neatly arranged them into a neat stack. He then straightened up his room by remaking the bed and laying the tray, still half full of food, on its previous place. After he was positive that the room was acceptable to leave, Levi eagerly opened the wooden door and stepped into the hallways. "Goodbye for now room." Levi whispered and shut his door behind him. "Hey Leaf!" A husky voice called behind Levi the instant he stepped out of the room. Franz's deep voice only made Levi jump from surprise after a sudden grab on the shoulder turned him around. It's Levi! Do I have some weird ability to find whoever I think about or something?! He angrily thought and distinctively remembered correcting Franz on his name just yesterday. "Hello Franz." Levi sighed and looked to the older man questioningly. He was surprised to see that Franz wasn't wearing any of the armor he was yesterday. At that moment, he only wore a plain black top and leather legging with some type of sturdy boots. He face seemed more rugged now that the helmet was gone and his blond hair sparkled freely in the dim light seeping through some higher windows. "I see you're still in one piece boy. Good to see, good to see." Franz murmured in a good good humor and lightly (but felt quite the opposite) punched Levi's right arm. "It's nearly noon and you were still locked in your room? You look like you could use a break." "Well....I guess that's true, but I don't really know my way around here." "Good thing I came by then eh Leaf? It's my day off of guard duty, so follow me. I'll give you a small tour. Wait....Where's Baya?" "Oh...Baya?" Levi asked suddenly, unsure of how to answer. He looked cautiously from Franz to the dagger sheath and sighed nervously. He looked back up to Franz and pointed to the sheath. "Right here. She upset about something really unnecessary....." "Ah. That's little Baya for you. She's what you would call a frail flower." Franz replied with a chuckle and nodded his head. "I remember in Kiye when I used to play with her around three or four. She was there before my birth though. Can't really say what my old man was thinking when he made her though. Maybe it was to idolize my mother while she was still alive. She died giving birth to me you know." "I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you.....I can relate though.." "Ah don't beat around the stick Leaf. I never really knew her, so I guess its better that way. Just wish that grouchy old miser of a father would lighten up though." "So I hope I'm intruding or anything, but who is your father Franz?" Levi slowly asked and looked at Franz with a sincere look of curiosity, not nosiness. "Oh....Him?" Franz asked blankly and turned away, looking up to the nearest window. He reached into a back pocket and retrieved a small pouch of cigarettes, withdrawing one and carefully lighting it. It was rare to see cigarettes in Li'ren due to how expensive it was for just one, but not unheard of. Levi personally hated the smell of smoke above other things, but decided to politely ignore the horrible cloud of smoke and continue listen to Franz as he slowly opened his mouth to speak. "My father huh? It's been a while since I've even seen his face. I wonder how he's doing.........You've already met him though Leaf so maybe you could tell me. Remember the armor shop owner, Uray? That's my old man....See the family resemblance?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:34 pm
Chapter Eight
The Arena "Uray..is..your father?" Levi unwittingly stuttered, casting a look of disbelief towards Franz while his mouth gaped open. "Yeah. He's my old man. Stubborn and all. I'm flesh from his loins or something among those lines, right? Anyway before I forget, I have something I want to show ya Leaf. Since you're taking a breather from all those pages and books." Franz suddenly took a few steps and turned his face back to motion for Levi to follow. At first Levi was slightly hesitant to follow, but he shrugged off his foreboding sense and followed quietly behind Franz. "So, what is it that you want to show me?" Levi asked bluntly, eying the back Franz's head in cautiousness. "Well when someone in The Eyes just needs a good old spar without troubles, they just go to The Arena." Franz answered back, heaving off a loud chuckle. "So what exactly is The Arena Franz?" Levi asked in a dubious manner and instinctively raised an eyebrow. He took the fact that the farther they walked the more crowded the area became into note. Visibility of either side of the hallways began to diminish as it became apparent that a growing number of mysterious people look like what one would call a delinquent were gathering. Levi couldn't help but to feel edgy. The mens' faces bore questionable motives, even if they were Eye members. "It's just a place to train ...and earn cash while you’re at it." Franz replied. "What? So it's just a cage fight?!" Levi blurted and took a few steps away from him. "There's no way I'm going anywhere near a place like that!" "I though you might say that. Just take it easy Leaf. It's just a friendly fight. There's no danger whatsoever. You just register to fight and then your opponent is randomly." Franz stated cheerily, revealing his hands to make a thumbs up motion with each hand. "People bet on their favorite to win. You duke it out for nothing more then fifteen minutes (at most I add) and the fight's over. The winner gets the money. I mean would a cage fight be allowed in a place like The Eyes?" Silently, Levi crossed his arms and stared up bleakly at the older blond. After a few sober minutes had passed, Levi sighed and bowed his head in disappointment, following Franz with a hanging head. He had a bad feeling that something dreadful was going to happen. "Why are you bringing me here anyway?" Levi asked seconds later, keeping his hand close to his pouch of the little money he had and watching anyone who passed by. "Just to see if Baya's a bit rusty after these five years. And the fact that I want to see that reigning champion of The Arena, Sam the Steel, go down! That monster's cost me nearly five hundred golds." Franz replied with a begrudged tone. Until Franz had mentioned it, Levi hadn't even remembered Baya or even bothered to check on her. Now that he thought about it, Levi felt it was unfair to yell at her. "Hey Baya." Levi whispered and tapped the dagger's handle that remained uncovered. There wasn't any response, but Levi took it into notice that he no longer felt a shock come from the Token. Maybe she was calm now? Suddenly Franz came up to a halt and caused Levi to bump lightly into his backside. Directly in front of the two stood a dark colored wall; designs of gold and silver ran from where the top of the door and the ceiling met. Taking a quick glance, Franz nodded contemptibly and knocked against the wall thrice. Instantly something on the other side of the wall knocked back (three times exactly) and after the knocking ceased the wall immediately faded and crumbled down. Revealing a long dark and narrow hallway and a man dressed in a similar style armor of Franz's stood directly in the pathway. Franz gave a curt nod towards the man and motioned for Levi to follow him once more. Franz explained to Levi that knocking was to identify how many people were waiting outside the chanted door total. The number of Tokens with the people is included in this because since Tokens were rarely seen, or so Dayzel had said, it was an advantage to have one. For about ten minutes or so after the two would be walking silently, one who walked in a manner of knowing what to expect while the other trotted unsure and frantic with worry. Everything changed when a bright light became visible at the end of the gloomy halls; loud and unexpected voices began to flood from the new opening. "Leaf. My friend," Franz heartily spoke, standing aside and moving his arm in a sweeping motion, "welcome to the sanctuary of souls who have unquenchable needs to fight!" Levi could only gape at the sight. There must have been at least a hundred people in the area. A majority of them were dressed in nothing more then an attire similar to Levi's style. He assumed them to be peasants as Levi himself was. While others though could easily be singled out because of rich they appeared or the fact that some people were dress in a pirate style; Short, ten leggings and white shirts that bore blue stripes with the red handkerchiefs on their heads. Every single person though was gathered around a large stage that held ropes tied around each end. Standing in the center of the arena were two figures. The man at the right corner wore a long cape and matching silver gauntlets, a silver chest plate, and large silver helmet. He gave a cocky pose and drew his sword, aiming towards the fighter who stood on the opposite side and quickly charged. "Silly man." A feminine voice cooed, followed by a unbelievable flash of skeptical after seeing the result. Lying outside of the ring laid the man in the armor; his helmet lying far on the ground from him. He now held at the minimum of four bruises on his face, a trace of blood ran from a cut just above his eyes to the dirt floor. The group of people began to cheer wildly and spontaneously, yet enthusiastically shouted 'Steel Sam' over and over until a man wearing a white vest came into the arena, raising his hand to encourage the crowd even more. "Once again.....the winner...We all know her as the vixen of the stage! The Invincible! The One and Only! Steeeeel SAAAMMMMM!" He yelled sprightly, grabbing the hand of the woman who now stood beside him and raising into the air. The woman wore a simple black vest that cut off just before her belly button. Her leggings ran down to the knees and her boots low cut. Violet shades of hair shimmered in the spotlight. On her right hand clung a long black glove that ran from the elbow and held cuts from each finger. On her left hand, she bore a gauntlet that gave off a green shimmer. Levi couldn't get a good look, but even so far away he could tell that the gauntlet was not a normal one. Though she looked very youthful and beautiful, one noticeable thing about her was the deep scar that ran along her right eye. "So who thinks that they have what it takes to fight Steel Sam? Anyone?" The man in white called and laughed cheerily after the majority of people began to boo to the idea. "Hey Leaf. Get up there." Franz turned his head to Levi and motioned him it towards the stage. "What?!" Levi cried. After seeing the display of the power the woman had, it would only get him badly injured if not killed. "Yeah. I registered ya to fight Steel Sam before I came to find you." Levi could only stare at Franz in great horror.
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