hi

In the end, it ended on a good note, but...

If you think of me as a friend, then why did you say "yes"? If you said the relationship wasn't a lie, why did it feel so fake? If you never truly returned my feelings, why did I not feel betrayed until now? In the end, why did it feel like you toyed with my feelings?

looking smart sucks

I need to start pretending to be mildly retarded. Academic talent is a terrible thing to have when it causes people to expect you to display the same competence in other areas.

Orianna, The Lady of Clockwork

[Passive] Clockwork Windup
autoattacks deal 5/10/15/20/25/30 (+0.2 AP) magic damage
base damage changes at 1/4/7/10/13/16
+15% per hit up to 3x, lasts 4 seconds
does not damage structures

[Q] Command: Attack
40/45/50/55/60 Mana
6/5.5/5/4.5/4 second cooldown
60/100/140/180/220 (+0.6 AP) damage
10% less damage per target, minimum 40%

[W] Command: Dissonance
70/80/90/100/110 Mana
9 second cooldown
70/120/170/220/270 (+0.6 AP) damage
3s slow, 2s haste (25/30/35/40/45%)

[E] Command: Protect
60 Mana, 9 second cooldown
10/15/20/25/30 armor/resist to attached champion
80/120/160/200/240 (+0.6 AP) shield
75% of shield as damage to enemies it passes through

[R] Command: Shockwave
100/125/150 Mana
120/105/90 second cooldown
150/225/300 (+0.7 AP) damage

Astrocamp! Many ups and downs...

So like, on Wednesday I left to a little camp place where they had cool science stuff and above average food. I ziplined, hiked, played dodgeball, looked at stars, rock climbed, crawled around in an easy maze, fell from 100 feet in some crazy fall, and watched liquid nitrogen/dry ice/hydrogen balloon explosions. Pretty nifty, and all with my girlfriend :D. tho it just feels weird to stay glued to her side, i gave her space like half the time. The food they had was eh. From rock tacquitos to cheeseburgers to amazing hot chocolate to PASTA YEAHHH. and yes i ate fruit/salad too ok. did you know pinching the bottom of a banana like a monkey is more effective than pulling the stem yeah ok i didn't also i sang mulan with my gf like 5 times woot woot BE A MAN WE MUST BE SWIFT AS A COURSING RIVER etc etc
'Course, I just left the shitty stuff for the end. Dorms were meh, I didn't expect much, but I ended up doing an all-nighter for the first time in like 5 years. It was just so hard to sleep with a stone pillow. Showering was okay the first day. Then, it just turned into a hellish nightmare. The retarded people before me were idiots, and someone knocked down the shower curtain as someone was showering so they ended up being naked to everyone. I was dead last in the shower line because my teacher called me to get my inhaler at the worst time possible. EVEN BETTER, I ENDED UP SHOWERING IN SOMEONE'S FECES. i showered the whole time without even realizing that someone had crapped in the shower. Then everyone like flocked to the shower as I finished. Some people ended up thinking I did it. Typical. Pissed me off for the majority of the morning. People, huh. All retards.
Oh, how do people memorize star formations? They all look the same to me...they're all rather interesting tho

Men are so predictable

Normally, I'm a sweatshirt jeans kind of girl. But today it was HOT, and I didn't do laundry for a while, so I only had my nice clothes left. So I wore a dress and heels to class. I admit, it's pretty short, and it makes me a little self-conscious. On the way, a bunch of guys smiled at me, and a couple even winked. Oh, why are men so shallow and lame? Nobody would give me a second glance if I were wearing my usual clothes. Except for that one guy who randomly stopped me and asked for my number last year. That was weird.

kekeke

alcohol is definitely the best sleep aid ever made ^_^
also playing ryze drunk makes people really angry
can't imagine why
tiem to read another terrible boring chapter of bleach and then go to bed
good night cool people!!!

p.s. fried rice is delicious

The Hanging Tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three
Strange things have happened here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight on the hanging tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee
Strange things have happened here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight on the hanging tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free
Strange things have happened here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight on the hanging tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me
Strange things have happened here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight on the hanging tree

By Suzanne Collins. Read it in class today after quickly memorizing it. Not like it's hard, same 5/6 lines every stanza <_<. Mis told me to blog while pointing a gun at my head, so here I am! First period rather uneventful, although a friend was talking about anime she recently watched...but they're all stuff I never watched since yuck romance. not my flavor. 2nd period I read that poem, kinda eh with a creepy ending. 3rd period continued on, lots of failure because people couldn't recite the Gettysburg Address. 4th period uneventful etc, wow my day was boring. 5th period i just messed around with Grace. nothing new in fact. today though you get 2 free games on Playstation Network Store if you log in. Little Big Planet and Infamous, WHOO! Lots of backlog stuff to do...too bad i'm leaving for a place called Astro Camp tomorrow. I need to buy a present for a certain graceful person, buy tales of symphonia, finish ratchet and clank, grind dfo until i'm like 40, STILL finish radiant historia, watch hidan no aria, read zombie-loan, maybe climb ranked elo if i ever muster the patience to carry idiots. yeah. bye.

there goes another

Today a girl I've known for two weeks basically straight ^ told me I was confusing her gaydar.

I used to find things like this entertaining. Now I'm just kinda ambivalent about it. Wonder how long it'll be until it's just annoying?

Just Wondering...

Why do people get so worked up over bad players? If you think about it, calling someone mentally retarded/having down syndrome just because they're unobservant is kind of...going over the top. It's kind of depressing how people are so insensitive. People blindly fling insults around, not thinking of how serious the words are. I'll stop here before I start ranting about cyber-bullying.

Also, where did everyone go? Blog posts don't have to be tales of meeting flying super pigs. Everyday events are just as exciting. So blog!

Here's a song I know Chang will love!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEQj6RrQbgA

alcohol and not-alcohol

So apparently, the above is NOT alcohol ...

But this is.

Some aspect of the law regulating this here is seriously wonky.

Music and Games

It's true that I am a few years ahead of us, but I'm pretty sure most of you have played SNES games in emulators. In fact, even though I own a SNES, most of the games I played were with emulators as well, I am just keeping mine to sell to a museum in 50 years. Anyway, the games spawned during the SNES era had a very interesting approach to music compared to the systems before. The SNES itself was, at the time, a great technological advancement, in terms of cartridge space, sound channels and layers. It was a boon for gaming in general, because the tech boundaries were being overcome, and now they didn't need to be so restricted in the creativity realm because they would still bump into a byte wall, but not as often. So, along with graphics improvements, the music also took a big step further.

How many of you can think of a tune, or bgm, or sfx of any sort from those games. I'm sure we all remember mounting Yoshi and his squeeze, or whatever noise that was, that they decided to turn into "yosheeeeeee" later on. Or some of the tunes in Chrono Trigger, like the Millenium Fair and Chrono's Theme; Secret of Mana's Fear of the Angels / Where Angels Fear to Tread; Final Fantasy's Prelude and Overture, and the list goes on. It was during the SNES that music started to become not only important in the game, but a character itself.

One of the best things in Final Fantasy, or what made FF what it is today (even if it isn't that good anymore), was the contribution Nobuo gave to the series. I have no doubt in my mind that if he had not been part of the first 10 games, it wouldn't have gotten that far. And proof of that are the cutscenes we got from 7 and onwards, where we never had any dialogue or voice acting, only the event and a bgm with it. If you never played FF9, youtube the cutscenes, mainly the events involving Bahamut's raid into Alexandria. The tune when Eiko descends from the airship and meets with Garnet will always be imprinted in my mind. The scene was shorter than 20 seconds, but had so much power.

Japan has a lot of good musicians that are usually in charge on certain brands. We will always be seeing Motoi Sakuraba working in the Star Ocean universe, Yoko Shimomura in KH and Mana series (she is in charge of FFXIII Versus as well), Kenji Ito and Masashi Hamauzu in the Saga series, among others. Music (and the musician's way to protrait) is so powerful, that you can endura bad games with good music, but the opposite is a lot harder to happen. Think of Unlimited Saga (ps2) to illustrate the first. And good music will always enchance gaming experience, just look at how good the Super Mario Galaxy OSTs are, and how enjoyable the game becomes with it.

Most of us are looking forward forward to GuildWars 2. Jeremy Soule did a very good in the first installment, and I hope 2 will be just as good if not even better than the first one. GW2 does have a more "epic" feeling about everything, so the music will probably follow that road.

Also, for you guys in NA, if there is ever a video game concert in your area, DON'T MISS IT. It is the most amazing experience, even more amazing than playing the game.

hi. no one posts here anymore. is this dead already

Chapter 10 (had to edit this a BILLION times)

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Lloyd didn’t really feel a great chance of scenery, but he could definitely tell a rapid incline when he felt it. Walking up a mountain reminded him of a never-ending staircase. Already he could feel the weight adding on his legs. Moreover, he came to the realization that even Waka had no clue where they were going. This was basically a wild goose chase without the goose. By the time this was over, he’d never want to be in the snow again.
“Are we there yet?” Erik whined.
“Where’s there?” Waka feigned ignorance.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Relax, we’re bound to find something at the top of the mountain.”
“What are we even looking for!? Finding something here is like trying to search for a needle in a haystack! Hell, it’s five times worse!”
Lloyd concurred with that statement. All they saw was whiteness, and it continued and stretched forever. Every now and then there was a tree placed off to the side, alone by itself. At least there was a visible path this time that encircled the mountain in a large coil.
“Have some patience,” Roy said with a tinge of annoyance beneath his words.
While Erik and Waka bickered, Lloyd heard a distant howl from above. He motioned for quiet, and they stopped their argument in bemusement.
“BRAWW!” a distant cry could be heard above them.
“See? We will find something up there,” Waka said, probably having a smile on his covered face.
“It won’t necessarily be something good…” Erik sighed.
They must’ve reached the halfway point of the mountain, for there was a picket sign that said “5 miles” onward. The trek beyond was uneventful, in spite of Erik’s continuous whining. Finally, near the top, they reached a small cave. It was dark and Lloyd could hear the trickling of water deep in.
“This wasn’t here before…” Waka muttered.
“Maybe it was dug up?” Lloyd guessed.
“I suppose that’s possible.”
Roy walked in as a scout, curious but cautious at the same time. For a moment he disappeared into the darkness. Then he reappeared with some news.
“Someone has been living here. Let’s check it out.”
The rest of them ambled into the recess in the mountain, wondering who could possibly live inside a mountain. The darkness dissolved when they turned the corner, for there were dim lights brightening up the interior. They were stunned when they saw a bunch of bloody carcasses scattered about the rocky ground. Most were unidentifiable and looked like they were killed a while ago. The bodies had rotted and a few bugs were circling around it, grateful for the little food they can obtain in the severe cold.
“Urgh…” Erik looked like he was about to puke.
“Isaac! This is terrible…” Waka put his hands to his head in disbelief.
“Who’s Isaac?” Lloyd questioned.
“Our village chief…But he’s the strongest ice sorcerer in our whole tribe! It isn’t possi-“
“BWARRR!” something yelled, and the ground shook in repetitive tremors.
Everyone’s heart skipped a beat as a giant yeti stepped into the cave behind their backs. No one had noticed it enter, and now everybody was frozen in fright. Lloyd never knew that yetis were real. But this one was gigantic, barely fitting into the small cave itself. Its white fur poured down its body like stalactites, and the feet were huge and seemed like they could stomp a hole through a human. The yeti also had a grizzly beard around its entire mouth.
“Those eyes…” Roy said quietly.
Indeed, the yeti had the same jet-black eyes that Lloyd and Erik were all too familiar with. Reeve must’ve been controlling this beast somehow. Waka was confused at Roy’s declaration, and looked at Lloyd for clarification.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
The yeti harumph’d at them, aggravated that it was being ignored. It snorted loudly, then charged straight at Waka.
“Whoa!” Waka dove out of the way, scratching his knees with the icy ground. Waka, his legs now glued to the earth, couldn’t get up. The yeti stomped over to him, a great looming silhouette above him. It lifted its large fists in the air, ready to crack Waka in half like an egg.
Roy burst out in incantation, “Tuitionem nostri vincula, si-“
“Mors expectet draconis mea ventus!“
Waka held his hands side by side, and a wave of fire rippled out, flying and making a direct impact with the yeti’s chest.
“GUAHH!” the yeti throbbed with pain, gray fur charred into a dark brown.
Waka then clicked his fingers together in a sort of finale, “Inimica destruent pulvere ardentis inferno!“
An inferno exploded with a fiery plume where the yeti stood.
“GUAHHH! GUAH, GUAHH!” the yeti screeched, but its words were blocked out by the sizzling columns of flames. Sooner or later, all that remained was a black pile of soot.
The rest of us stayed silent, awed with Waka’s spell. Lloyd still couldn’t believe his eyes. Roy’s abilities seemed like child’s play compared to Waka’s stunning display. Erik’s mouth was agape, unable to recognize the yeti anymore. Meanwhile, Waka struggled and finally escaped from the ground’s clutches. He went deeper in the cave, expecting to find more corpses that were once his acquaintances and friends.
Roy brought them back down to Erath, “Let’s go. There’s something deeper in here, if Reeve had a yeti to welcome us.”
They travelled in side, the lights growing dimmer by the second. When all was darkness, Waka ignited his hands and used them as a gimmicky torch.
“Hey, look! There’s light up ahead!” Erik hollered.
But Erik’s assumption was incorrect, for it was not light at all. Stuck in a medium-sized block of ice was a spherical blue orb shining with some mystical form of radiance. It practically hurt Lloyd’s eyes just looking at it. On the other side was none other than Reeve, trying to crack open the ice with his morphed claws. His quarterstaff was laid carelessly on the ground, far away from him.
“Reeve! Stop right there!” Lloyd demanded.
Reeve continued picking at the ice, “Hello. How are you doing today? Did the yeti treat you well?”
Waka snickered, “Yup, just fine. It’s burnt to a crisp now. Who are you again?”
“Oh, I’m Reeve Llewelyn. Nice to meet’cha.”
“Oh, Lloyd, you have a brother?”
Lloyd growled, “Nothing of the sort.”
Roy charged at Reeve, because everyone else was idling by as Reeve was dragging time, no doubt with an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, Roy definitely knew it had to do with that little orb he was digging out.
Roy was about to punch Reeve when Reeve suddenly shot his claw forward, grabbing Roy’s arm and forcing it to a standstill.
Reeve looked up, “Now, now. Don’t be so feisty…”
He stared a little longer at Roy, transfixed on something. He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion, and then smiled a great big grin.
Reeve burst out in maniacal laughter, “Ahahaha! I didn’t notice! You’re a replica, just like me! Hahaha, that’s rich.”
Roy looked back at him with apathy, “So what?”
“I didn’t think Luke would make another dead ringer. Guess the man never learns, does he…?”
*CLINK* *CLINK* the orb was only an inch away from Reeve’s grasp.
“What do you mean he never learns?” Lloyd asked, interested.
“Well, I might as well enlighten you now. You see, alchemy is, in essence, taboo. By using alchemy, you are defying god’s will. Luke knew that, yet he still pursued a lost cause. Your father was the one that tore the world, not me,” Reeve declared.
“That’s a lie!
“Nope, it’s the truth, kid.”
Reeve cackled, “Then he made another replica, thinking nothing would happen this time! Ha, what a riot. Humans are crazy.”
Reeve finally broke through the obstructing ice, and pried out the cobalt orb. The orb, now in Reeve’s hands, emitted an absolutely brilliant glimmer, brighter than the sun itself. Roy covered his eyes, but tried using his other hand to grab it.
“Water abscondita dicitur, tristibus demergendum indignatio mea!”
Roy was instantly blasted with a tidal wave to his face, shooting him backwards like a horizontal geyser. Reeve had just conjured a wave of water, but how? Did it have something to do with the cobalt orb he now held? While Lloyd pieced the puzzle together, Reeve scoffed, expecting a little more opposition from his “little brother”.
Waka ran around the ice, “Roy! I’ll back you up! Mors expectet draconis mea ventus!”
Reeve nonchalantly fumbled in his pocket for something as a fireball was shot at him. He must’ve found what he was looking for, but Lloyd couldn’t tell what it was. Then Lloyd recognized it as another orb, this one colored dark red. Reeve stood his ground, raising the orb in front of the fireball. The fireball hit the orb, obviously, but instead of frying Reeve, it was being sucked in by the orb, until all you could see inside the orb was a harmless ember. Then, Reeve did the unthinkable:
“Ifrit, spiritu pulverem inimicis faces Tartareos!”
Utilizing the absorbed magic from Waka’s spell, Reeve raised his hand to the sky, a devilish grin on his face. Suddenly, a giant sphere of fire began growing on top of his hand. It grew bigger and bigger, almost like a terrifying meteor of hell. Soon, the ball of death was virtually as enormous as the sun. Reeve hurled the ball of hellfire at his foe, Waka chosen to die by his own hands. Waka made a mad dash, scared out of his wits, but the meteor flew faster than a speeding comet, and exploded with a giant blast radius, incinerating Waka where he once was.
“Dammit! I won’t let Waka die alone! Eat this, Reeve!”
Erik ran and tried to flank Reeve while he was preoccupied with Waka, whereas Lloyd couldn’t decide what to do without Roy’s assistance. Hand to hand fighting would be worthless in a surreal battle of fireballs and swords, so Lloyd was completely stumped, his feet locked in place.
“Eat this, Reeve!” Erik swung his Holybrand downward.
Reeve stopped the sword with his metallic claws, and quickly dropped the red orb into his pocket with a plop. He still had the element of surprise, with his last trump card. Reeve pulled out a third, final orb shaped like a lemon. Bursts of static circulated around it with a hissing hum, crackling and buzzing, very much alive.
“Et perfluctuat transfigere fulmine Deus!”
A bolt of lightning shot out of the third orb, struck the Holybrand, which then conducted and electrified Erik. Erik hadn’t anticipated his sword accidentally becoming a lightning rod, and could not retract his movements in time.
“GRAH!!!” Erik exclaimed in unimaginable pain and dropping his sword.
Reeve ignored the sword and kicked Erik right in the face, laughing crazily like some cruel and twisted lunatic. Erik went down for the count, unable to fight any longer.
Lloyd stood there, still as a statue. He couldn’t move, not after seeing his friends defeated so easily. Reeve would clearly kill him right on the spot if he chose to act.
“Aw, is someone a little afraid of me?” Reeve had instantaneously teleported in front of Lloyd, and he yelped in surprise.
“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” Reeve said in a mocking voice.
Lloyd grew more and more bitter by the second, locking his teeth in place. Without thinking, he threw a punch at Reeve, but Reeve slashed him on the left arm with his claws, similar to a graceful dance.
“AUGHHH!”
Lloyd screamed, for it felt like razor-sharp needles stabbing through his soft skin. Lloyd clasped his arm as it stung horribly with sharp indentations cut across it. The wound seemed to scream as tears of blood dropped from his arm. No words could express the amount of torture inflicted upon Lloyd right now as he fell backwards to the ground in anguish.
“Tsk, tsk. Looks like replicas will always surpass the original. However feeble your counterpart may be, at least he gave some fight. You’re not even worth looking at, coward.”
“Although, I must say, my research has finally come to fruition. These orbs of alchemy allow full control of fire, lightning, and ice, and they influence nature itself. However, fire and lightning were on Rukefellth and Alcatran, inaccessible to me, and this little orb took more than a few years to discover,” Reeve twirled the blue orb in circles.
“But it was only a matter of time until the two halves of Erath became whole, and now I’m basically invincible! Patience sure pays off!” Reeve laughed uncontrollably.
“Now, with the world at my bidding, I believe it’s time to checkmate. At Scourge Sanctuary, I will permanently eclipse Erath in total darkness. These orbs will allow me to take over this whole world! Now, goodbye forever. Ianuae Magicae ad Sentaro!”
“NOT YET!” Lloyd got up, pain throbbing in every inch of his arm as he forced himself upright.
Lloyd ran at Reeve, who was taken off-guard. Lloyd tackled Reeve, a bullet shot out of a gun, and they crashed to the ground with a noisy thud. Lloyd and Reeve tussled with each other, but Lloyd was clearly on his last leg. Reeve overpowered him, grabbing his gashed arm and crushing it between his metal claws. He made sure to dig each pointed appendage straight into Lloyd’s squishy flesh.
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!” Lloyd felt like his arm was being torn in two by a
Reeve threw Lloyd off of himself, his sniveling smile now transformed into pent-up rage.
“Do…you…want…to…die?”
Reeve brandished his claws and dove for Lloyd’s heart. Lloyd felt unimaginable fear in these last seconds. Time shifted to a halt, and every other point in time seemed fast forwarded in relation. His body definitely couldn’t move, for it was completely out of juice. Lloyd was about to die. Death. The absolute end of life. Was this meant to be? No…he couldn’t let death overtake him. Never. Never! He raised his hand…
Lumine…
“Lanceae Sanctae penetrant lumine!”
A crystal-clear spear of light shot forth from Lloyd’s palm, penetrating through Reeve’s abdomen like sliced butter.
“Sh-“ Reeve barely mouthed before coughing out blood from his mouth.
Reeve tried to pull the spear out with his claws, but they burned his claws with intense luminescence. He jumped backwards, a hole in his stomach, and crawled backwards in genuine panic.
“Cough…cough…dammit…you’ll pay for this…I don’t know how you learned how to use magic…but you’ll pay with your life… Ianuae Magicae ad Sentaro!”
In a flash, Reeve disappeared into a portal below him, just as before. Reeve also took all the light with him, and the darkness overtook them for a second time in the cave. Silence. Pure, utter silence. His friends were all beaten senseless, and he yearned to know of Waka’s fate. But he could not will his arm to push himself up. So he lay there, all by himself. His thoughts were beyond scattered. Did he…use magic? How…? Where was he, anyway? He just couldn’t tell. It was so very, very dark…
“…Hey, get up.”
Lloyd opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep. Roy and Waka were in front of him, Roy supporting Waka from losing balance. Waka’s right arm held a flickering fire, that barely lit the dim room. His sleeves were burnt off completely, and his skin looked like it had shed. His left arm was completely scorched with burn marks, and looked as if it would never, ever heal. It didn’t even look like an arm anymore. Roy, however, was fine. His clothes may have been drenched, but since he was only knocked unconscious, Lloyd doubted if he had any injuries.
Waka smiled as best as he could, “Hey there. My arm looks like nothing compared to you, heh.”
“Lloyd, did you use…magic…?” a voice behind him softly spoke.
Lloyd could tell that Erik was behind him, but couldn’t move to see his condition. But it was fine, for Lloyd could not answer Erik’s question. Frankly, Lloyd didn’t know himself. He closed his eyes again in puzzlement, until Erik moved in front of him and hoisted him up. Lloyd winced in pain, because his left arm was being pulled, and every inch it stretched screamed with torment. But, now he could see Erik. Erik’s hair had a few burn marks, and smoke rose up from the cooked strands. His clothes were also mildly singed, but other than that, he looked relatively fine.
Roy and Waka limped past Erik and Lloyd, and Roy stopped for a moment and glanced at Lloyd.
“I see.”
Huh? Did Roy know something? Lloyd was totally and utterly confused, and he felt like he had no one to consult. He didn’t need to know that Roy wouldn’t tell him a thing. Erik and Waka brought Roy back up to date, since he fell unconscious and missed the action against Reeve. Eventually, they reached the exit.
“Phew, we’re almost outside. I was a bit tired being a walking light bulb.” Waka said merrily.
Erik stopped in his tracks, “Hey, wait a minute. The blizzard’s stopped!”
The endless blizzard that had been happening for such a long time seemed to have stopped completely. The depressing forecast had finally cleared up, leaving only the shrill sound of wind blowing. Lloyd thought it was strange, though, for it was actually day before they had climbed Mt. Creston. However, right now, the sky was blacker than night itself.
“There’s a solar eclipse…” Roy stated, practically reading Lloyd’s mind.
Lloyd looked up, and saw that there really was a solar eclipse. Reeve had said he would eclipse the world, and Lloyd guessed that this was what he meant. In place of the sun was a black and ill-omened circle. At the rim were specks of red, and there were still white rays of light from the obstructed sun. Nothing else was in the sky, so Lloyd couldn’t figure out how he could’ve missed a black ball of evil high in the sky. Lloyd had never seen a solar eclipse before, so this was definitely a once in-a-lifetime chance.
Erik dropped Lloyd down gently and marveled at the eclipse, “It’s too bad a solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes…”
Roy walked down a slope, going on ahead, but not before saying, “We should return to Blizzandria.”
Waka nodded, “We should get ourselves fixed up. Flora should be able to help, so what do you say we get your wound fixed up, Lloyd?”

Chapter 11

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

“Whoo, looks like we’re back,” Erik said, beyond exhaustion.
The four men arrived at Blizzandria after rigorously travelling down the mountain. Luckily, the blizzard had stopped, and the wind no longer pelted their faces with snowfall. Without a blizzard, Frostmeyre seemed much more serene in comparison. Erik wondered if they had snowboards for sale. Who knows, in 10 years, Blizzandria could very well be a booming snow resort! But then he remembered that those people weren’t exactly ordinary people, and that they definitely wouldn’t agree with his sentiments.
The group made a beeline to Waka’s home. A few villagers were outside, staring intently at the sky. The blizzard had come and gone, but what replaced it only spooked the townsmen half to death. The solar eclipse was still in the sky, a dark omen of things to come.
“Weird…you’d think the eclipse would’ve gone by now…” Erik whispered quietly.
Roy input his own opinion, “I don’t think it will. You told me that Reeve would eclipse the world before teleporting to Sentaro, correct? This eclipse will last forever, is what he said.”
Waka cleared his throat, “Reeve most likely went to Scourge Sanctuary, the source of this all. In the faraway past, wicked wizards built a temple that could darken the world simply by harnessing those orbs in Reeve’s possession. I was under the impression that they no longer existed, though…”
“Where is this “Scourge Sanctuary?” Roy asked.
“It is in the far north of Frostmeyre, past Sentaro. I am sure that there is a way to dispel this accursed darkness somewhere in there…”
Lloyd stayed mute, purposely staying out of conversation. That spear of light he conjured out of nowhere...it still mystified him.
As soon as Waka entered his little hut, Flora ran out of her room screaming, “Daddy! Daddy! You’re back!”
Waka hugged her compassionately, “There, there. I’m back, now.”
“I was so scared! No one ever comes back! And then the sun went dark, and then, and then,” Flora sobbed and began spouting gibberish as she bawled. Waka stayed silent as she cried her heart out.
Flora sniffled, stifling her tears, “…You’re hurt.”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay. You can heal me back to tip-top shape, remember? I need you to heal my friends too.”
, “…Okay. But only if you promise to stay here.”
“I will.”
Flora put her hands to her chest, and began chanting, “Mira Seraph benedícat nos tua radiis!”
Flora’s petite hands began shining light green. Somehow, the glow fave off a warm feeling that practically calmed Lloyd into an alluring sleep. She clenched her hands on Erik, who yelped in surprise. Her palms were as warm as an oven! Under Flora’s care, his bruises changed from a swollen black, into pinkish flesh. She healed Roy, then Waka, saving Lloyd for last. Waka also grabbed a new change of clothes from his little encounter with fire. As she tried grabbed ahold of Lloyd’s gashed arm, Flora puffed her cheeks up, and then relinquished her green hands.
Waka was perplexed, “Flora? What’s the matter?”
“…Won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. It’s weird…” Flora put her hands to her hips in a childish way.
Waka gently grabbed Lloyd’s arm and held it closer to inspect it. Lloyd uncomfortably tilted his forearm to give Waka a better view, although it wasn’t really needed. The gruesome gash was about the length of half his forearm, plain in sight. Waka put his right hand to his forehead and exhaled a sigh.
“Lloyd, your wound is intoxicated with poison magic. I’m afraid that at this rate…you’ll perish.”
Lloyd’s eyes grew wider than he ever knew they could. He stared at his gash again, ever so black, then back to Waka.
“Is…is there anything I can do at all? I mean, I don’t want to die…”
“I’m afraid your magical prowess isn’t strong enough to counter it. I daresay you’ll wither away with poison because you aren’t a sorcerer.”
Not a sorcerer, huh…Lloyd thought. In order to live, he needed to learn magic and gain enough strength to combat the poison with his own sheer will. However, Waka didn’t think that he had any magical ability within him. But there was something wrong with that statement…he DID use magic, didn’t he? That holy spear that he stabbed through Reeve…
“Hey! Mr. Aerowitz!” a young, short-haired man entered the hut, dressed in warm attire.
“What is it, Ellis?”
“The council requests your presence, sir. They wish for the whereabouts of Chief Isaac, since you are the only one to have braved the terrible Mt. Creston.”
“Chief Isaac is dead.”
“…I see. Please come with me,” Ellis left.
“My apologies, Lloyd, but seems we will have to discuss this at a more opportune time.”
“Wait! Please…” Lloyd paused.
“I want…no…I must learn magic!”
Time stood still as Waka stared at him, curiosity piqued. Lloyd only looked back with more intensity and resolve. He didn’t dare blink, nor flinch. If he continued on this journey as is, he would only be a burden.
“…We’ll see about that,” Waka disappeared into the sunny afternoon, although it was obscured with an eclipse.
Flora looked at Lloyd with naïve eyes, “Mister, are you a magician? Are you like my father and I?’
Lloyd replied, uncertain, “I hope so, Flora. I sure hope so.”
Erik put his hands on Lloyd’s shoulders and shook him, overcome with excitement, “Dude, you’re going to be a wizard! How awesome is that!?”
Roy, as pessimistic as usual, reprimanded Erik, “It’s not set in stone. You can’t say for certain that he will become one.”
Erik scoffed, “Says the replica! I bet you were just born with magic…”
“Correct. Luke Llewelyn created me by integrating magic into me via alchemy. However, there are drawbacks. I am able to enhance anyone but myself, as I have demonstrated many times before, but I am unable to learn any new spells.”
Erik put his fingers to his chin thoughtfully, “So, what you’re saying is you’re not a true spellcaster?”
“Essentially, yes. My spells are arguably artificial.”
Lloyd tapped his feet in anticipation. The prospect of learning magic seemed radical to him. In fact, he couldn’t wait for Waka to return. Lloyd was ready for any sort of trial that he would have to pass in order to become a sorcerer, whatever the cost.
About thirty minutes passed, and Waka returned with good spirits, “Good news, guys! I’ve officially become the chief of Blizzandria! Isn’t that amazing!?”
Waka rejoiced, because he had never before been given such an important job. As the fifth chief of Blizzandria, he would try his utmost to work towards Blizzandria’s success.
Erik congratulated him with glee, “That’s great! You’re the head honcho now!”
Waka stopped to shrug, “Well, that’s not always a good thing. I can’t leave the village, for one. I’m also in charge of magical conduct, but this is a pretty small village, so it should be fine.”
The news honestly seemed trivial to Lloyd. The promotion seemed marginal at best, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood for it.
“Waka.”
Waka turned his attention to Lloyd, “Ah, that’s right. You wanted to learn magic, hmm.”
Waka took off his yeti mask, setting it aside, and shook his head side to side. His face seemed rather young, and he had very pale skin from being in the frigid north. He had rather thick eyebrows, and some peach fuzz growing above his upper lip. As for his broad nose, it didn’t really have any defining features. Waka did have light blue eyes, just like his daughter. He definitely looked a lot younger than expected, maybe passing for early 20’s. Lloyd wondered where his wife had vanished to. Surely she couldn’t have torn this poor family apart?
“Let’s see… Inspectis animam tuam!”
A small, flickering light materialized from the ground. It entered Waka’s pupils and dilated them. Waka’s eyes turned indigo, and he scanned Lloyd from top to bottom. Lloyd wondered what his eyes were seeing. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be an invasion of privacy and all that jazz. When Waka finished the magical examination, his eyes reverted back to their former color.
“…Lloyd, I’ve discovered that you do indeed have magical capability. It’s quite remarkable, really.”
“Really!?”
Waka’s eyebrows clumped closer together, “Well, it’s rather…peculiar. I don’t really know how to divulge this information to you.”
“Is there something wrong with Lloyd!?” Erik burst out, unnecessarily exaggerating the situation.
“Well, there’s a seal on your magical spells. The seal prevents you from casting anything at all. Someone must have placed it on there for your safety, because I’ve never seen anything of the sort before in my life.”
“Does this mean you cannot break the lock on his spells?” Roy inquired.
“Sorry, this isn’t my form of expertise.”
Lloyd looked down at the ground, downcast. He had been looking forward to this, only for his hopes to be dashed. It would’ve been better if life did not spoon-feed him with lies.
Flora perked up, tugging Waka’s sleeve, “Wait, daddy! What about Professor Altair?”
“Hmm,” Waka hummed thoughtfully, “That old coot? He just might do the trick…”
“Who’s Professor Altair?” Lloyd really wanted to know, anyone would’ve done the job at this point.
“It’d be easier to take you to him than to describe him. Come on,” Waka led the way out the door as everyone else followed.
“Wait for me!” Flora cried, and ran on her short legs to catch up with the adults.
The group stepped out into the cold, hopefully for the final time. Waka and Flora jumped ahead of them and led the way south to a large double-doored house beside the council hall. Smoke billowed out a treetop-like chimney. It bore a striking resemblance to Lloyd’s father’s laboratory. Flora pushed the two doors open at the same time and hopped in. Everyone else followed suit, but immediately they smelled something revolting.
Erik plugged his nose, “Ugh, it smells horrible in here!”
A semi-transparent, green gas filled the room. It smelled like terrible mixes of ethanol, vinegar, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and all these other liquid Lloyd couldn’t discern. Through the smoke he saw a bunch of potions and test tubes under boiling temperature. There were a few rats in boxes, running in elaborate mazes with cheese as their one and only goal. One animal in a cage looked nothing like Lloyd had ever seen. Its skin looked like moldy green slime, with skin and bone legs, and all clumps of fur had fallen off and lay dispersed on the floor. The beast had blood-shot hazel-nut eyes, and it was frowning sorrowfully. The…thing must have been injected with something that caused its body to turn into jellified, green pudding.
“What are you young’uns doing here!?” a man with a gas mask sprung out from a blind spot in Lloyd’s eye, startling everyone.
Waka greeted him, “Why, hello, professor. We need your assistance for something only you could do.”
“What is it? I’m on a strict time schedule here! With this experiment, it could drastically change the rat’s life as we know it! My previous experiment was a failure, but this will most certainly succeed!”
“I need you to unseal this boy’s magic,” Waka extended his index finger to Lloyd.
Altair, who had a green-stained lab coat, walked over to Lloyd, within a few inches, and did a check up on his body. Lloyd felt extremely uncomfortable during this, because strangers were constantly examining him. Where exactly was his so-called magical capability? Surely they didn’t need to look at him over and over…
Altair took off his gas mask, not even noticing the horrid, pungent smell that entered his nostrils. Erik assumed that his elongated nose no longer functioned, because Altair had been exposed to this vile odor for more than Erik could imagine. Altair’s face was wrinkly and old, and he had gray hair at the sides. He was bald in the center of his cranium, so he must have been at least fifty years old.
Altair pushed his glasses up, “Ho. You don’t see anything like this every day! There’s a multi-layered seal specifically preventing any magic from leaking through on you. Only someone who’s very adept at magic could’ve done this. Luckily, though, one of the seals has been broken recently.”
“It was probably Mr. Llewelyn,” Roy speculated.
“But why would my dad block me from using magic?”
Erik put out a guess, “…Maybe he wanted to keep you safe? I don’t think Alcatran’s all that friendly with mages. I mean, I would be pretty speechless myself if you spewed fire outta your mouth, y’know?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
Waka seemed deep in thought, but soon spoke up, “When did you break a part of the seal, Lloyd?”
“I think...at Mt. Creston.”
Waka nodded, satisfied, and then went back to the matter at hand, “Well, you can fix it, right, Altair?”
Altair snapped, “Of course I can! What do you take me for, some useless bag of bones? Just give me a moment…Breaking seals is a delicate matter…”
Altair brought his hands together in a sort of prayer pose, and mouthed a bunch of incomprehensible words, “Obscuratio fugiat tenebrasque in. Id incidit lumen illustrare. Tunc solum verum invenies pacis. Unlock.”
He raised his hand; fingers stretched out, and then unexpectedly stabbed through the right side of Lloyd’s chest and removing it just as
“What the he-urgh!” Lloyd clenched his chest tightly, reeling back in pain.
He collapsed in coughs, “GRAAAGH! Ouch, what…did you do!?”
“What do you think I did?” Altair grunted, insulted, “I removed your seal, you ungrateful little boy, what else!?”
Flora immediately came to the rescue, “Mira Seraph benedícat nos tua radiis!”
She cured Lloyd’s newly-formed wound, and miraculously closed it up. Lloyd continued to breathe heavily, the pain still very vivid in his memory. There were minute puddles of blood on the floor, freshly drawn from him.
Altair sighed, “People these days…they don’t know respect!”
Altair walked away and started mixing some test tubes with each other, causing puffs of explosions in his face. Then he quickly shoved his gas mask back on his face and went back into his own world.
Waka pat Lloyd on the back, “Good job enduring the pain. You should be able to use magic, now. Just try it; the incantations will come easy to you!”
Lloyd felt the place where he’d been shockingly stabbed only moments before. He definitely didn’t feel different…Until a bunch of words just flew into his brain, words he’d never heard of in his life, clearly from a different language. Lloyd, taken aback, remembered the light spear he had created so luckily against Reeve, and decided to try it again.
Lloyd hesitantly mouthed a few words, “Lanceae Sanctae penetrant lumine...?”
Nothing happened. Zip, zilch, and Waka snickered after watching his failure.
Waka stifled his laughter, giggling quietly, “Oh, Lloyd, I’m sorry. I forgot to go over the basics with you. Hmmm. Where should I start…”
Roy interjected, “Lloyd, channel your energy into your palm. The majority of magic is expelled out of your palm; it is very rare that you’ll spew fire or anything else Erik fantasizes.”
“Hey!” Erik put his hands to his hips in annoyance.
Lloyd glanced at his palms skeptically, “I…don’t think I can do that.”
Waka encouraged him, “Regardless, just use your instincts for now. It’ll come to you eventually.”
“Lanceae Sanctae penetrant lumine! Lanceae Sanctae penetrant lumine! LANCEAE SANCTAE PENETRANT LUMINE!” Lloyd repeated countless times.
Lloyd stamped his feet on the ground, “This is stupid! I don’t even get what that senile old fart did to me! It’s not like it worked, anyway.”
“I’m leaving,” Lloyd stormed off.
But before Lloyd could open the door, Ellis recklessly pushed open both doors, nearly nicking Lloyd’s nose.
“Mr. Aerowi-er, chief, we’ve been looking all over for you!” Ellis declared with alarm.
“What’s wrong, Ellis?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but there have been reports of an army marching towards us from Sentaro!”
“What!? Preposterous, no one’s lived in Sentaro for decades!”
“That’s just it, sir! Apparently, the army is undead!”
Waka shook his head in incredulity, “That’s…impossible…”
Roy gave an explanation, “Wasn’t that the army he was boasting about back in Rukefellth? Something about his undead legion…?”
Ellis looked at the bigger picture, “Whatever it is, our village doesn’t have enough manpower to fight it off.”
“Don’t worry, you have us!” Erik punched his chest, showing that he was ready for action.
“Who might you three be, again? I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Ellis’s face was dubious at best.
Waka intervened, “These are my accomplices, Lloyd, Roy, and Erik. Two of them are sorcerers, and the other is a swordsman. I’m sure they’ll provide more than enough support to our cause.”
‘Sorcerer…yeah right…” Lloyd murmured dejectedly.
Ellis did not look convinced, “Well, if you say so…”
“Daddy?”
Flora tugged at Waka’s sleeve, clearly wanting something. Waka tilted his head behind him, ready to comply.
“Can we please leave…it’s stuffy in here…” Flora coughed.
“Ah, right,” Waka remembered the green gas that filled the air, causing problems for Flora’s immature lungs.
Erik had put the repulsive stench out of his mind, but he could ignore it no longer, and started gagging. He rushed out the door first without waiting for anyone else. Shortly after, he reappeared in a flash, his face now filled with panic.
“Guys! Quick, come outside! NOW!”
Lloyd came outside as he was told, more than welcome to purify his nose with fresh air. But sadly, it seemed that he was never allowed a break in life. As soon as he stepped out, Lloyd saw a black army headed towards them, from the north. Blizzandria’s population was at most half of the undead mass. Marching at pace, the group of people looked like they would reach Blizzandria in no time flat.
“Is that what I think it is?” Lloyd didn’t want it to be true.
Waka nodded, “Sure is.”
Flora, however, was as clueless as a swimming lemming, “What is it?”
“Don’t worry, Flora. Can you go inside for a moment?”
A questionable expression overtook Flora, but she listened and strolled off by herself.
“Looks like we’re not getting a good night’s rest tonight,” Roy said pessimistically.
That remark caused Erik to look up at the sky, ever so black with the moon covering the sun. Did it count as night or day, now, considering that the time never changed? He wondered how Reeve could have feasibly stopped the orbit of both celestial objects. Scourge Sanctuary must have been built by the greatest sorcerers who ever lived, if they could act on an extra-terrestrial level.
Ellis was beyond horrified, “Sir, what do we do!? We’ll never drive back a force like that! Most of our villagers have never fought a battle!”
“Well, it’s never too late to learn!” Waka ran to the nearest house, alerting them of the situation.
He repeated this to each and every house, rallying them up at the center of Blizzandria. Soon, the snowy square was packed with young men, women, grandparents, and even children ready to fight for their village. To gather them all so quickly was an amazing feat Waka accomplished, but the militia numbered only about fifty. Reeve’s army amounted to at least a hundred soldiers, maybe even more. Things did not look too bright for the remote town of Blizzandria. Nonetheless, Waka stood in front of the whole town, clearing his throat, and spoke.
“Listen up, my long-time friends! I’m sure you know me very well, but my name is Waka Aerowitz! Chief Isaac has perished while serving his duty, but fear not! I am the new chief of Blizzandria! I shall see to it that Blizzandria will achieve prosperity and greatness!”
Much applause was heard, but sadness also emerged from the tragic news of Chief Isaac’s death. Waka continued once the cheer died down.
“My fellow citizens, as you can plainly see, an army is on its way here! They seek to destroy our village! It may be too much of me to ask, but we must fight them!” Waka dropped and bowed to the people, ‘Please, otherwise our town will cease to be!”
Silence.
“Yeah! I’ll kick their butts!” a rash young boy bragged.
A man spoke, “They’re no match for us magicians!”
The woman next to him nudged him, “But honey, there’s so many…”
“Who cares?”
Some old bearded men Lloyd presumed as councilmen were off to the side, muttering, “Already he’s off causing problems for the city. Do you think we should’ve given chief to someone else?”
“Who!? Any other candidate is either a weak old man or a strong-headed young man with no experience! Don’t worry about it, he’ll be fine…”
Erik gestured to Waka, “Doesn’t he look like a natural-born leader? He almost belongs there!”
“He’s a good public speaker, I’ll give him that,” Roy went along with it.
“Are you with me, or are you with me not, Blizzandrians!?” Waka urged.
The negative remarks died down, and the crowd rallied into one, singular cheer, “Chief Aerowitz! Chief Aerowitz! Chief Aerowitz!”
But the crowd’s cheers thinned out, because they could hear a very loud, repetitive noise. Stampeding across the thick snow was a bunch of skeletons, zombies, liches, vampires, apparitions and specters, even demonic creatures that no one had ever seen in their life. Each monster had varying faces, but their eyes showed only one thing, and one thing only: murderous intent.
Someone sounded a bell and shouted, signifying the beginning of the end.
“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”

Chapter 12

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“Whoa!” Erik said as a skeleton with a blunt sword charged at him.
Erik quickly unsheathed his Holybrand and slashed it down. The skeleton broke into a pile of bones, and clumped to the ground with a *THUNK*. But as soon as he struck it down, another monster attacked him, this one by the name of a lich. It grabbed his shoulders as he struggled against it fearlessly. Erik shivered at the sight of its face, for it had an icy breath and exhaled out frosty smoke into his face, with brazen blue eyes. Erik stabbed straight through it without any remorse, and it died easily enough, but only another creature took its place.
“Man! These guys never quit! Lloyd, can you lend me a hand?”
Lloyd shook his head, “I can’t! I…I still can’t use magic. I’m so useless…”
He had lost Roy in the crowd of enemies and allies, so Roy’s magic was out of the question. Once again, he was the weakest link, without doing anything as Erik tried to protect him. Frustration clouded his mind, but this wasn’t the time. Lloyd would not be a useless bystander as it is. He had to do something!
The rest of the villagers weren’t having that many problems. The majority were ice-oriented, so they could only cast ice magic, unlike Waka. They froze any that came their way, and left it at that. It may not have been defeating their foe, but incapacitation did the job. Even the old men seemed to be holding their own, with more than enough spells at their disposal. Reeve’s army was being knocked down one by one like bowling pins by the second. Magicians were just on a whole other level entirely, filling Lloyd with envy and jealousy. He was too preoccupied with the battle as a whole to notice someone drawing closer to his rear.
“Found ya!”
Lloyd swerved around to meet his adversary, but a swift punch jabbed him in the face, causing him to stagger and lose ground.
“Long time no see! What was your name again?”
A familiar face Lloyd knew all too well was standing in front of him, a tiny, mischievous imp by the name of Arthur. Arthur giggled, which was a scary combination with his fangs. They looked sharper than ever. Curiosity swept Lloyd’s thoughts, and he wondered what Arthur needed to do in order to keep them in tip-top shape. He was ready and raring to go against Lloyd one more time, since their fight had been cut short.
“...Lloyd.”
“Lloyd, huh! What a cool name! Arthur wishes he had that name,” Arthur complimented.
“Oh, shut it.”
“But, but, Arthur’s just trying to be nice! Father always says not to get on anyone’s nerves, so I’m being a good boy today!” Arthur frowned.
“I’m not in a good mood. Go away and play somewhere else.”
“You’re mean! Arthur doesn’t like you anymore!” Arthur dove for Lloyd, and Lloyd simply could not react fast enough to stop him. Arthur hit with the force of a freight train, head butting Lloyd’s stomach.
“Agh!” Lloyd crashed into the snow, cushioning him from harm, but he desperately gasped for air.
Arthur laughed at Lloyd’s expense, a bone-chilling voice that could be heard over everything. It almost made Lloyd cower in fear, but he steeled his heart and turned his fear into strength. He threw a punch that collided with Arthur’s nose, but he was shocked to find that Arthur had let himself be hit for the fun of it, laughing after the punch. Lloyd yelled angrily, aggravated to be bested by a little brat. The prospect was embarrassing in itself.
“You’re really slow today. What’s wrong?”
Lloyd answered with an angry groan, but knew that fighting him was pointless. He was outclassed in every aspect of fighting as it is.
“I’m bored,” Arthur complained, then quickly grabbed Lloyd by the throat, strangling him. It was the last thing Lloyd had expected. Arthur sadistically continued to compress Lloyd’s neck, as he writhed around to break free.
“Urgh!” Lloyd barely managed to cry out.
Lloyd felt his air whittling away, consciousness fading from the world even though he couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Magic…why couldn’t he use magic…what did Roy say again…? Channel your energy…
Lloyd closed his eyes and pictured a rush of light, since he didn’t really know what magic was made of. The light shined in his head, brighter than a supernova. The ray was indescribable, a wonder that possessed him and clouded his thinking. Whatever it was, to Lloyd, it gave him a sense of warmth, and a sort of fluffy feeling. He reached out with an imaginary hand, clenching this unexplainable light in front of him. Once his fingertips touched the light, it inexplicably dissipated into his arm, becoming a part of his soul. Now, he subconsciously knew what to do. No one needed to tell him anything. He understood.
“Lanceae Sanctae penetrant lumine!”
The almighty lance of God shot out of Lloyd’s hand, stabbing straight through Arthur’s heart at mach speed. Arthur didn’t make a sound, and fell backwards, dying instantaneously.
Lloyd huffed and puffed, never before so grateful for an inhalation of air. His heart pounded in the heat of the moment, but slowly receded in a bit. Lloyd laughed to himself, relieved. He’d done it. He’d casted magic out of his own will! He still couldn’t really understand it himself, but a sense of pride washed over him. His legs started shaking and gave way as he tumbled to the icy ground.
Erik rushed to Lloyd after realizing they had split up in the chaos.
“Lloyd! You okay!? What happened?”
“I’m fine! Behind you, watch out!”
Erik spun around and instinctively blocked an attack. A spirit, somehow given physical form, would’ve assassinated him, if it hadn’t been for Lloyd’s helpful tip. Erik saw, from a quick glance around that this was one of the last undead monsters that Reeve had sent as a battalion. The rest had been either decimated or frozen by his allies.
The nameless specter had a blue outline enveloping it, and it wore an eyepatch over the left eye. Its clothes were ragged and torn, but a red sailor’s hat remained. The pirate had some type of gladius, one decorated with blue jewels at its hilt. Erik figured that it was probably stolen as well in a bundle of loot before his death. The ghost looked like a typical buccaneer of some sort in day’s past.
“ARRR!” the ghost mindlessly yelled.
“You must be a pirate, by the looks of it. Care for a duel?”
“ARRRRRRRRR!” the pirate yelled even louder, meaning yes.
The pirate slashed with his shortsword, but Erik met every blow with stunning precision and force. Each strike, more strenuous than the last, resounded with the clanking of steel between the two enemies. The ghost, however, had no battle mentality, and Erik could easily tell in the exchange of metal. Every collision showed more and more of the pirate’s ineptitude, and Erik, already a veteran, saw the skill each slice of the gladius conveyed. This ghost had no resolve, no resolution. He thrashed about aimlessly, a little kid playing with his toys. Erik bided his time, waiting for the right time to strike. Then, he momentarily saw his chance after the pirate stepped in like an amateur and could not recover in time.
“Got ya!” Erik swung his sword straight down on his head, splitting him in half. The pirate bled toxic smoke, and exploded into a cloud of indigo dust. Erik coughed repeatedly, shielding his mouth from the chemicals.
That takes care of that, Erik thought, before a blazing tornado of flames erupted to his right, scorching the snow into vapor and turning all in its path into nothingness. The terrifying screams of zombies could be heard as they melted in the flames. Just like the yeti, they turned into a pile of ashen and flew away, gone with the wind. The last of the army had been wiped off the face of the earth.
Suddenly, the whole town burst into a wild clamor of cheering. Each member of the town had saved each other’s lives, with the help of their combined power. Only a handful of casualties were amongst them, and it was truly a time of celebration. Flora was healing any of the unfortunate people who had injuries inflicted upon them. She had gone outside shortly after the battle’s end, and was fuming that Waka had confined her, and only her. It wasn’t fair that she always had to worry about her father, while Waka shuttled her off to the side…
In the meantime, Waka, Roy, Lloyd, and Erik had reconvened and were talking amongst themselves.
Lloyd waved his hands with important news, “Guys, guys! I used magic again! Isn’t it amazing!? Look, I’ll show you. Cita lux.”
A little ball of light formed out of nowhere on Lloyd’s hand, illuminating everything in its radius. It was small, but it showed that Lloyd had finally taken a step forward.
“WHOA! Let me see!” Erik poked the ball foolishly, but his fingers went through the translucent circle.
Waka clapped in approval, “Congratulations! If we were in better times, I would most certainly have arranged a ceremony for becoming a sorcerer, but I’m afraid now is not the time.”
Roy nodded silently, “Good job. I knew you could do it.”
“Yeah, it’s amazing, huh? I’ve never felt so invigorated in my life!” Lloyd closed his fist and the light disappeared.
Waka gazed at the village with a smile on his face, “Ah, I’m so thankful that no one passed away during this. Now I know what Chief Isaac went through as chief. Being a chief means that you must be able to carry the huge responsibility of the people.”
Erik contemplated the statement, “Hm, that’s pretty deep. Well, now that all this excitement’s over, should we all go to Scourge Sanctuary? I’m sure Reeve’s gotten a little antsy waiting for us.”
“Sure,” Lloyd and Roy simultaneously replied.
Waka frowned at that declaration, “I’m sorry, but I think we must part here. I still must take care of the injured people. It’s solely my duty to take care of them now, so like I have said before, I cannot leave. We cannot say for sure that another attack is not imminent, after all. My deepest apologies go to you three.”
Erik pat him on the back, “That’s fine! You’ve helped us more than enough.”
Lloyd agreed, “How would I ever have learned magic? I’m practically indebted to you.”
“I trust we’ll meet again, Waka Aerowitz.” Roy bowed courteously.
“Well, I think you guys should at least stay for a night, and depart at dawn,” Waka suggested.
Erik shrugged, “We might as well, if you offered. Right guys?”
In the end, they all agreed to that generous idea. Night fell, and they took refuge in Waka’s home, sleeping on the floor. Erik rapidly fell asleep, snoring like a mammoth. Roy, kept his composure even while asleep, but Lloyd simply could not fall asleep. Too much had happened to him in these past days. Magic, life or death situations, everything he couldn’t ever imagine in his whole life was occurring to him now. Even though at first, he dreaded the next day of the journey, now he was almost enjoying it. The only thing that depressed him was the dark eclipse, shadowing all beneath it. But no matter, for he could face Reeve at one hundred and ten percent now. It was time to avenge David and Daniel, Lloyd thought. The next time he saw Reeve, Lloyd promised himself, would be their final showdown.

Chapter 13

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The sun rose, but only as a malefic mass of darkness. If the sun and moon both set as the same time, what did night mean? Twenty four hours of night in a day? Or perhaps night became the complete and total absence of light as Lloyd and his friends slept to their heart’s content.
An hour passed, and Lloyd woke up, carelessly yawning with his mouth gaping, arms stretching out sideways. Lloyd searched his house for a shower, but couldn’t find anything of the sort. Go figure. Oh well, he could live without cleanliness for a few days. Lloyd shook Erik awake, but Erik rolled off in dissatisfaction.
“Hrm…go away…” Erik grumbled.
Talk about being grumpy, Lloyd thought. He took a quick look at where Roy had been sleeping, but he had already roused and was outside. Lloyd, who had nothing better to do, decided to join him in the cold.
Lloyd walked out, noticing that townspeople were repairing damaged buildings from yesterday’s skirmish. Roy was monitoring them for some reason, very absorbed in thinking. He paced around the center of the town, absent-minded until Lloyd tapped him on the shoulder.
“What?” Roy asked, turning around.
“Umm. What are you doing?”
“Just watching. Humans are…interesting, although my time in this world has been limited.”
“Oh, right. I always forget that you’re a replica. You don’t ask too many oblivious questions, after all. If I didn’t know any better, you’d be a human just like me.”
“Hardly. You have a life ahead of you…What do I have?” Roy wished to know.
“Don’t worry about it. You have your future, even though you may not know it. Each choice you make from now on decides your future. You make your own future, not me, not anyone else.”
“I see...what exactly is a future?” Roy looked down at the ground.
“Erm...you’ll have to find that out for yourself,” Lloyd didn’t know what to tell him.
Lloyd changed the subject, “In any case, shouldn’t we be leaving soon? I’d rather not just sit by and idle for no reason…”
Roy raised his head and responded, “Ah, yes. Let’s get Erik.”
Back at the sleeping beauty, Lloyd shook him again, but still Erik did not stir.
“Sigh…you brought this upon yourself,” Lloyd said, and plugged Erik’s nose.
“Zzzz…zz…p..ku..” Erik started coughing uncontrollably, sitting up.
“What the heck was that for!?”
“For being like a bear in hibernation, that’s what!” Lloyd chided.
Roy added, “We’re just about to leave. Hurry up.”
Erik rushed to change his clothes, “Okay, okay!”
Erik then recklessly pulled the fridge door open, taking a quick bite of Waka’s bread stashed underneath the lowest drawer. Grabbing a small plastic cup, he poured a bit of milk into it, drinking it loud and obnoxious gulps. He then raced to another room, disappearing without a trace.
A few moments later, a shout echoed from the very same room Erik had entered.
“Hey! Where’s the shower!?”
“There is none!” Lloyd hollered.
“WHAT!?”

***

“Well, looks like we’re about ready now. Let’s go!” Erik put on his shoes and opened the door wide.
“Are you leaving?” Flora appeared as silently as a ninja.
Roy angled his head back, “Oh, yes. Send our regards to Waka, all right?”
“Okay, mister. Goodbye!”
And so, the three adventurers ventured out of the Blizzandria, having eaten breakfast and dressed for the absolute zero. Footsteps ranging from medium to large were left behind their trail, implanted deep into the snow. But there was also something else left behind in their wake. The sickening stench of sweat of men who had not showered was left behind, although they did not notice their very own putrid scent. Fortunately for them, this was frozen tundra, not an urban city.
It took a while, but Erik’s inevitable complaints had to surface eventually as they walked.
“Do we even know where we’re going?”
Lloyd put his palm to his face, and didn’t bother answering.
Instead, Roy took up the question, “North. Where else?”
“What if we get lost again? Wild polar bears ring a bell? Waka’s not here to bail us out this time.”
Roy thought otherwise, “We’ll be perfectly fine, no need to worry.”
“Uh huh…”
Lloyd thought about more important things, “I wonder if Anna and her crew are still waiting for us…”
They came across a few plants of lichen spread far apart from each other. Any form of agriculture was a rarity in these parts, so it was refreshing to know there was some life around them.
The journey was much easier than previously walking to Blizzandria. The blizzard itself was gone, after all. All that was left was a chilly wind that their coats shielded them from. Overall, the trip was mind-numbingly boring and uneventful. Lloyd pondered whether or not Dragoon Legend’s sequel, Twilight Eve, had been released back in Alcatran. Hopefully its flaws had been fixed and the gameplay itself had been improved.
Erik’s face suddenly sprung up and he ran ahead, shouting, “Hey! Look! I think it’s Sentaro!”
Lloyd peered over, and saw something black he could not discern. Unlike Erik, he wasn’t in much of a hurry, so he just walked with Roy as Erik stopped to wait for them. In about five minutes, they reached it. He could see that it was in fact Sentaro, but not exactly what he was expecting.
The town was in ruins, deserted houses with broken walls everywhere. There was a broken sign at the front of the city, saying “S t o”. The rest of the letters were gone, erased from the world. Each house was littered with dust, Lloyd putting his finger on the floor and finding it coated gray. A plank of wood was broken and lying uselessly on the ground, and there were no signs of life at all. Sentaro was the very definition of abandoned and destroyed.
“Well, this place looks homey,” Erik sarcastically remarked.
Roy walked around the whole town, but there was nothing of interest. All he found was an old, grimy skull that seemed to sneer at him in a house. The water was out, there was no electricity, and a few mosquitoes constantly flittered around in circles.
Erik walked into an unexplored door with a carefree attitude, “Guys, I don’t think there’s anything here, so we should move farther no-whoa!”
A lone, animated skeleton holding a sword was right in front of him, and it was about to slice Erik’s arm clean off if he hadn’t backed away in surprise.
Erik quickly pulled out his own Holybrand and retaliated, defeating the skeleton in a second.
“Whew. Where the heck did that come from?” Erik said, looking around.
“This is most likely where Reeve summoned his legion of undead, if you recall.” Roy remembered Reeve specifically teleporting to Sentaro.
Lloyd thought the same, “But if he’s not here, then he must be at Scourge Sanctuary. Wonder what that place is like…”
Roy spoke again, “I doubt you could miss it, since it’d be the only building in sight.”
Erik had been rummaging around, and lifted a block of wood that had been obstructing a fireplace. Above the fireplace was a cracked picture frame of a swab man.
“Hey, Lloyd, check it out!”
Lloyd walked on over and studied the photo closely. The man wore a lab coat that had some letters printed on it that were blurred from a lack of quality. His hair was a normal, standard hairstyle that thinned out at the front and was completely flat from the top. The sides were spiked and he had some sideburns. He also had black glasses that were pushed all the way to the peak of his nose. Erik couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt like he knew the guy in this photograph. Nothing else in the a
“Th-that’s my father!” Lloyd stammered with enlarged eyes.
Roy looked at him with disbelief, “Are you sure?”
“No doubt about it! He looks a lot younger though. Still looks like your typical run of the mill scientist though. Go figure.”
Erik shook his head, “How could this be your father? Waka said Sentaro’s been destroyed for a hundred years. I do see the resemblance, though.”
Lloyd was stumped, “I have no idea...”
Nothing else in the abode was intact, so they exited, even more baffled than when they entered.
“I don’t think there’s anything else of value here. Do you guys think we should travel further north? “ Erik inquired.
No objections were placed. Their slight detour was over, just like that, and they were headed to the main destination.
As they walked past and left Sentaro behind, it felt a little chillier. There was an updraft, and it was buffeting the three of them with no remorse. Lloyd shivered, for the biting wind was just as cold as the blizzard just a few days ago. Why had the climate changed so drastically? It couldn’t be…the Scourge Sanctuary?
“Man…brr…now I never want to come back to Frostmeyre…” Erik whined for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Lloyd groaned, “We get it…”
They walked over a steep uphill slope, the snow only making it harder for them. Erik wished they had sunbathed in the beach of Rukefellth when they had the chance. Eventually, they reached the top of the hill. However, the sight only dampened their spirits even further. The Scourge Sanctuary…
It stood atop world’s end, alone and solitary. Bricks were layered on top of each other as the main building block. No explanation could be provided as to how bricks were made in the icy cold. The Scourge Sanctuary was at least two floors tall, and practically a mile wide. The entrance had brown, cracked double doors with molded skulls as the handholds. A path led to the Scourge Sanctuary, almost invisible to the naked eye. There was an eerie, dark aura seeping out of every window, only a prelude of things to come.
Roy squinted with his eyes and stared at one spot, “There’s something on the roof…”
Lloyd looked up as soon as Roy said that. A strange pedestal from the likes of which he had never seen was perched at the pinnacle of the temple. It was made of stone, and Lloyd swore that the pedestal was built to look like a curved crescent moon. Two beams of light shot out to the sky, one shaded red, and the other shaded blue. The mysterious rays flew vertically, side by side with each other, until the sky’s boundary met space.
“This place sure is creepy…” Erik said.
They each walked to the double doors, and Roy clasped his hands meticulously on the skull handholds, pulling them. Dark smog gushed out from the inside, hitting everyone’s faces.
“U-cough, god, it’s like poison!” Lloyd said between coughs.
Roy was unfazed, and pushed onward, “Let’s move on.”
“Easy for you to say…” Erik rushed in, holding his breath.
Lloyd was the last one to go in, but when he entered, the door, almost with a will of its own, slowly creaked and locked them in. So much for a nice welcome.
The interior of the sanctuary was actually rather plain compared to the dreadful outside. The main room was very large, and The square tiles they were standing on were ceramic, apricot in color. Dim lights hung from a very high ceiling, still having power, amazingly enough. The main room was very large, and there was red carpet. Symmetrical pillars were constructed perpendicular from the carpet, one on each side and linking the entrance to a humongous painting.
The work of art depicted a male god with his hands raised. His left hand held darkness, shadows flitting and enshrouding the whole left side of the painting. To counterbalance this, his right hand held light, which must have meant goodness. The god wore a magnificent robe of red with inscriptions Lloyd could never understand on the lower part. Lloyd came to the conclusion that this must’ve been a divine god of alchemy.
The left portion of the room had an altar in the background, with a piano on the side. On the opposite side of the room was a single door in the middle of nowhere, begging to be opened.
Lloyd walked closer at the painting, mesmerized. He stopped short when he heard a few footsteps, but he couldn’t figure out where they came from. Left? Right? Ahead of him?
“Look who we have here!” a figure stepped out from behind a pillar.
“We didn’t think you guys would ever arrive,” someone else added with a smile.
Lloyd recognized them instantly. He felt his heart stop, his world turned upside down. He had never, never in a million years, expected this.
“You guys…you should be dead!”
David and Daniel were grinning at them, revived as undead twins.

i feel so close to the end but no not rly i still have 3 more chapters

I'm bored of this and I wanna play LoL or something fun like Shadow of the Colossus :(

Chapter 8

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Lloyd stepped first into the frigid snow, sloshing with his small shoes and pushing him under. Snow seeped into his shoes like oil and made it all the more uncomfortable. He wished he had snowshoes, or even a tennis racket or two. The blizzard didn’t help, for it struck his eyes and blurred his eyesight like raining sleet. His clothes had obviously not dried yet, and the blizzard merely added to the wet fiber. The water had leaked through and numbed every limb in his body, to the point where he could no longer feel a thing. Lloyd might as well have ran stark naked through the North Pole. All in all, he was completely miserable. He stole a look at Erik and Roy, both walking through the snow with minor difficulty, looking perfectly fine. What was this, Lloyd muttered, a field of flowers they were walking through?
“You guys are crazy…brr…”
“Huh? What’s the matter? Got cold feet?” Erik asked.
“You don’t know the half of it…” Lloyd complained.
“Stop talking and start walking. We don’t have all day here. Any of us could drop dead in this weather, and Lloyd isn’t exactly in tip-top shape,” Roy scolded.
Lloyd locked his hands together around his stomach, trying to stay as warm as possible. He lost footing on a mound of snow, but achingly held his ground. His eyes felt more tired and ever, and he could barely see in front of him. Was Erik there, or was that Roy, he wondered. He took another step, then another, but ended up closing his eyes and passed out flat on the snowfall.
Erik tried to resuscitate his fallen friend, but to no avail, “Lloyd! Dammit, Lloyd, you couldn’t have picked the worse place to sleep on us.”
Erik heaved Lloyd over his shoulders and painstakingly took a few steps, but the pressure of both of them just dug them deeper into the ground and forced Erik to work harder.
“Man…Lloyd…Urgh…Someone needs to lay off the fat…”
“Need help?” Roy asked, taking hold of Lloyd’s body as well.
They walked together quietly for a period of time, but it was no use. All they saw was blackness ahead of them, and white all around them. The blizzard never let up, a relentless storm that drove them to the brink of desperation. An hour must have passed, still not finding any form of shelter, which could have been a cave, house, even a hole in the ground. Roy had given up on any hope of survival when he noticed something move ahead of them.
“Hey! Erik! What is that?”
They inched closer, expectations raised and ready to rejoice. It could’ve been Reeve for all they cared, anything was better than this humiliating way of death. The unknown figure was moving faster, though, and getting steadily further away.
“Please! Wait! We beg you!” Erik pleaded.
The figure stopped, for whatever reason. It didn’t matter, because Roy and Erik were trudging through snow for their lives.
“Thank you, whoever you are, for stopping.” Erik panted and carelessly dropped the motionless Lloyd to the ground.
But Erik and Roy were stunned when a polar bear turned its face around at them, startled. With it were two baby cubs, hiding behind their mother.
“RRRRAAAWRR!” the bear snarled, tackling Roy and knocking him out cold.
“Roy!”
But the bear bore its fangs and forced Erik to back away. He drew out his sword, a feeble stick of metal compared to the sharp, ebony claws of a bear. In fact, would it even cut through its thick coat of fur? Countless thoughts shot through his brain, but only one made sense and rang clear: Charge, or die.
“AHHHHHHH!” Erik screamed in a last ditch attempt at survival.
The bear struck Erik’s sword and sent it spinning toward the snow, and away from reach. Erik backed away, helpless without Roy’s incantations. He would’ve surrendered to his foe by now, but of course, it had to be an inhumane bear ready to devour his flesh into little shreds of meat and tissue. Go figure.
But with an amazing stroke of luck, a steel arrow was shot from the shadow of a mountain and pierced the polar bear’s fur, dying it red and causing the bear to cry out in pain. Another flew out, then another, a storm of arrows raining down on the poor mammal. It wallowed in sorrow and flopped into the snow.
Erik looked around, incredulous. But he couldn’t find his friendly assailant. No sooner had he turned his head behind him when someone grabbed his head and promptly knocked him out. Erik crumpled to the ground, along with Lloyd and Roy. The silent human picked them up, and carried them elsewhere…

***

Lloyd awoke with aches and sores in his whole body. To his surprise, he was lying down in a small straw bed, surrounded by Erik and Roy. Someone had put on a fur coat for him, and he definitely appreciated it now, after his unexpected blackout. Erik was snoring barbarically, which was most likely the cause of Lloyd’s awakening. Roy’s chest expanded and retracted, sleeping as deeply as a baby.
Lloyd stood up easily, noticing that other than a bunch of sore bruises, he was perfectly fine, never better. The cold he’d gotten had dissipated without a trade. Lloyd tip-toed to the door, and pulled it ajar. The fearsome blizzard flew in and pelted his face. Lloyd, without hesitation, slammed the door shut.
“Awake, I see. Welcome to Blizzandria.”
Lloyd spun around in surprise to find a very unique man, to say the least. He had brown, messy hair that reached below his shoulder, and a white fur overall with colorful lining, probably taken from a polar bear. Strapped behind his back was a brown bow and arrow, handcrafted with careful appraisal. The strangest feature of the man was that he wore a strange beast-like mask that shrouded his whole face. The mask had a scruffy white face, a black mouth, and maroon eyeholes. Lloyd had never seen anything like it before.
“What…exactly are you wearing?”
“It’s proper etiquette to ask for one’s name before conversing, you know.”
“Lloyd Llewelyn.”
“Waka Aerowitz. Pleased to meet you,” Waka bowed.
“Now, this mask is a depiction of a yeti. Recently, this village has been plagued with an endless blizzard, as opposed to a serene blue sky. The blizzard has been going on for one month, and I’m afraid we’ll freeze if we don’t take action,” Waka said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“There have been strange animal sightings at our mountain, Creston. In fact, people have been vanishing whenever they climb the mountain. I was on my way to Mt. Creston when I spotted a polar bear attacking you three. What were you fine gentlemen doing all the way out in the middle of nowhere, hmmm? It is a rare sight indeed to find travelers in such a desolate island.”
“We come from a land far far away, and we ended up losing our way. Thank you for saving us, sir.”
“Ah, then you must be from the other side of Erath. We’ve heard tales, but only the immense earthquake and ensuing avalanche made us believe in it. Well, I believe I must be off, for I still have not explored Mt. Creston. I shall bid you adieu,” Waka made to leave.
“Daddy?”
A small girl emerged from an alcove in the shack, looking around for her parent. She was about 4 feet tall, and her blonde hair blossomed in a shiny goldenrod. Lloyd would have hated to have that beautiful hair ruined by mother nature outside. Thick boots lengthened her small feet, with many jackets protecting her skin from the merciless cold. Her innocent eyes were brighter than even her hair though, a pure light blue. There were freckles dotted on her face, and the freckles seemed to multiply due to the worry placed on her father.
“Yes, Flora? Don’t worry about me, I’m just checking up on Mt. Creston. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Waka said with confidence.
“But daddy! You know a lot of people haven’t come back from there! I don’t want to lose you too…”
Waka scratched his head, a conundrum sprouting out, “Look, it’ll be fine. I can bring these three fellows. Don’t they look strong? One of them even has a sword! That’s nothing compared to my bow and arrow!”
“Well…fine,” Flora pouted.
“Then it’s settled! Lloyd, wake up your friends and let’s get going.”
“Uh...sure…”
He rattled Roy and Erik ‘till they woke, and explained the strange situation to them. They didn’t necessarily go against Waka’s idea, so it looks like they were going to be back in the snow soon. They all put on some snowshoes Waka left for them beforehand, and stepped outside to meet Waka, leaning on his porch.
“Are you guys ready? Oh, by the by, this village is…special. You’ll understand when you see,” Waka stated cryptically.
They strolled by slowly, wary because of Waka’s words. They saw a lady walk into her home, then through the window they saw her snap her fingers and light up a hearth with a fire that seemingly came from nowhere.
“Am I dreaming?” Erik blinked his eyes rapidly.
“Interesting. Magicians, I assume?” Roy took a guess.
“Ah, correct. We’re a tribe of a dying bloodline, and recent events only hamper us.”
“What happened to the other tribes?” Erik asked, perturbed.
“Magician blood does not mix well, and we end up bearing inept children. Quite unfortunate.”
Lloyd’s snowshoes sunk easily into the snow, no longer was there snow stuffed into his cotton socks. For that, he was thankful. Waka must have given him medicine in his sleep to quell his cold. But to be cured in one day was preposterous, no matter what sickness.
“Waka, how did you cure me?” Lloyd wanted to know.
“Ah, you’re lucky. My daughter can cure just about anyone with her restoration magic.”
So there were different branches of magic, Lloyd thought. From Roy’s enhancement to Flora’s healing to Reeve’s undead…After seeing it with his own eyes, Lloyd didn’t dare question its genuineness.
They stopped at a sign, supposedly an intersection. The actual road was coated in countless feet of snow, showing no signs of an actual trail or fork. The cracked and chipped sign had two arrows pointing different directions. The left read “Mt. Creston”, while the other was an illegible mess. Lloyd could scarcely make out a capital S. Waka ignored the sign and walked west, or was that east? After waking up in Blizzandria, Lloyd had lost all sense of direction.
Roy was the one who mustered enough bravery to ask Waka, “Waka, where does that sign point to?”
Waka didn’t look back, “……Sentaro, a deserted village in rubble since ancient times. They were killed for breaking the magician’s code. My great great grandfather, chief of Blizzandria at the time, struck the outcasts down as justice.”
“They used alchemy, didn’t they?”
Waka spun around, “How do you know that? Alchemy hasn’t been heard of in centuries.”
“There are still some who can use it,” Roy replied.
Waka scoffed at the idea, and perished the thought. Instead, he pointed to a dark, looming shadow that blocked everything in front of them.
“Looks like we’re at our next destination,” Erik declared.

Chapter 9

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Lloyd didn’t really feel a great chance of scenery, but he could definitely tell a rapid incline when he felt it. Walking up a mountain reminded him of a never-ending staircase. Already he could feel the weight adding on his legs. Moreover, he came to the realization that even Waka had no clue where they were going. This was basically a wild goose chase without the goose. By the time this was over, he’d never want to be in the snow again.
“Are we there yet?” Erik whined.
“Where’s there?” Waka feigned ignorance.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Relax, we’re bound to find something at the top of the mountain.”
“What are we even looking for!? Finding something here is like trying to search for a needle in a haystack! Hell, it’s five times worse!”
Lloyd concurred with that statement. All they saw was whiteness, and it continued and stretched forever. Every now and then there was a tree placed off to the side, alone by itself. At least there was a visible path this time that encircled the mountain in a large coil.
“Have some patience,” Roy said with a tinge of annoyance beneath his words.
While Erik and Waka bickered, Lloyd heard a distant howl from above. He motioned for quiet, and they stopped their argument in bemusement.
“BRAWW!” a distant cry could be heard above them.
“See? We will find something up there,” Waka said with a smile on his face.
“It won’t necessarily be something good…” Erik sighed.
They must’ve reached the halfway point of the mountain, for there was a picket sign that said “5 miles” onward. The trek beyond was uneventful, in spite of Erik’s continuous whining. Finally, near the top, they reached a small cave. It was dark and Lloyd could hear the trickling of water deep in.
“This wasn’t here before…” Waka muttered.
“Maybe it was dug up?” Lloyd guessed.
“I suppose that’s possible.”
Roy walked in as a scout, curious but cautious at the same time. For a moment he disappeared into the darkness. Then he reappeared with some news.
“Someone has been living here. Let’s check it out.”
The rest of them ambled into the recess in the mountain, wondering who could possibly live inside a mountain. The darkness dissolved when they turned the corner, for there were dim lights brightening up the interior. They were stunned when they saw a bunch of bloody carcasses scattered about the rocky ground. Most were unidentifiable and looked like they were killed a while ago. The bodies had rotted and a few bugs were circling around it, grateful for the little food they can obtain in the severe cold.
“Urgh…” Erik looked like he was about to puke.
“Isaac! This is terrible…” Waka put his hands to his head in disbelief.
“Who’s Isaac?” Lloyd questioned.
“Our village chief…But he’s the strongest ice magician in our whole tribe! It isn’t possible…”
“BWARRR!” something yelled, and the ground shook in repetitive tremors.
Everyone’s heart skipped e beat as a giant yeti stepped into the cave behind their backs. No one had noticed it enter, and now everybody was frozen in fright. Lloyd never knew that yetis were real. But this one was gigantic, barely fitting into the small cave itself. Its white fur poured down its body like stalactites, and the feet were huge and seemed like they could stomp a hole through a human. The yeti also had a grizzly beard around its entire mouth.
“Those eyes…” Roy said quietly.
Indeed, the yeti had the same dead eyes that Lloyd and Erik were all too familiar with. Reeve must’ve been controlling this beast somehow. Waka was confused at Roy’s declaration, and looked at Lloyd for clarification.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
The yeti harumph’d at them, aggravated that it was being ignored. It snorted loudly, then charged straight at Waka.
“Whoa!” Waka dove out of the way, scratching his knees with the icy ground. Waka, his legs now glued to the earth, couldn’t get up. The yeti stomped over to him, a great looming silhouette above him. It lifted its large fists in the air, ready to crack Waka in half like an egg.
Roy burst out in incantation, “Tuitionem nostri vincula, si-“
“Mors expectet draconis mea ventus!“
Waka held his hands side by side, and a wave of fire rippled out, flying and making a direct impact with the yeti’s chest.
“GUAHH!” the yeti throbbed with pain, gray fur charred into a dark brown.
Waka then clicked his fingers together in a sort of finale, “Inimica destruent pulvere ardentis inferno!“
An inferno exploded with a fiery plume where the yeti stood.
“GUAHHH! GUAH, GUAHH!” the yeti screeched, but its words were blocked out by the sizzling columns of flames. Sooner or later, all that remained was a black pile of soot.
The rest of us stayed silent, awed with Waka’s spell. Lloyd still couldn’t believe his eyes. Roy’s abilities seemed like child’s play compared to Waka’s stunning display. Erik’s mouth was agape, unable to recognize the yeti anymore. Meanwhile, Waka struggled and finally escaped from the ground’s clutches. He went deeper in the cave, expecting to find more corpses that were once his acquaintances and friends.
Roy brought them back down to Erath, “Let’s go. There’s something deeper in here, if Reeve had a yeti to welcome us.”
They travelled in side, the lights growing dimmer by the second. When all was darkness, Waka ignited his hands and used them as a gimmicky torch.
“Hey, look! There’s light up ahead!” Erik hollered.
But Erik’s assumption was incorrect, for it was not light at all. Stuck in a medium-sized block of ice was a spherical blue orb shining with some mystical form of radiance. It practically hurt Lloyd’s eyes just looking at it. On the other side was none other than Reeve, trying to crack open the ice with his morphed claws.
“Reeve! Stop right there!” Lloyd demanded.
Reeve continued picking at the ice, “Hello. How are you doing today? Did the yeti treat you well?”
Waka snickered, “Yup, just fine. It’s burnt to a crisp now. Who are you again?”
“Oh, I’m Reeve Llewelyn. Nice to meet’cha.”
“Oh, Lloyd, you have a brother?”
Lloyd growled, “Nothing of the sort.”
Roy charged at Reeve, because everyone else was idling by as Reeve was dragging time, no doubt with an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, Roy definitely knew it had to do with that little orb he was digging out.
Roy was about to punch Reeve when Reeve suddenly shot his claw forward, grabbing Roy’s arm and forcing it to a standstill.
Reeve looked up, “Now, now. Don’t be so feisty…”
He stared a little longer at Roy, transfixed on something. He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion, and then smiled a great big grin.
Reeve burst out in maniacal laughter, “Ahahaha! I didn’t notice! You’re a replica, just like me! Hahaha, that’s rich.”
Roy looked back at him with apathy, “So what?”
“I didn’t think Luke would make another dead ringer. Guess the man never learns, does he…?”
*CLINK* *CLINK* the orb was only an inch away from Reeve’s grasp.
“What do you mean he never learns?” Lloyd asked, interested.
“Well, I might as well enlighten you now. You see, alchemy is, in essence, taboo. By using alchemy, you are defying god’s will. Luke knew that, yet he still pursued a lost cause. Your father was the one that tore the world, not me,” Reeve declared.
“That’s a lie!
“Nope, it’s the truth, kid.”
Reeve cackled, “Then he made another replica, thinking nothing would happen this time! Ha, what a riot. Humans are crazy.”
Reeve finally broke through the obstructing ice, and pried out the cobalt orb. The orb, now in Reeve’s hands, emitted an absolutely brilliant glimmer, brighter than the sun itself. Roy covered his eyes, but tried using his other hand to grab it. But Roy was hit with a swift punch to the gut, falling to his knees. Reeve scoffed, expecting a little more opposition from his “little brother”.
Waka ran around the ice, “Roy! Mors expectet draconis mea ventus!”
Reeve nonchalantly fumbled in his pocket for something as a fireball was shot at him. He must’ve found what he was looking for, but Lloyd couldn’t tell what it was. Then Lloyd recognized it as another orb, this one colored dark red. Reeve stood his ground, raising the orb in front of the fireball. The fireball hit the orb, obviously, but instead of frying Reeve, it was being sucked in by the orb, until all you could see inside the orb was a harmless ember.
Erik ran and tried to follow up with Reeve’s attack, whereas Lloyd couldn’t decide what to do without Roy’s assistance.
“Eat this, Reeve!” Erik swung his Holybrand downward.
Reeve tossed his red orb into the air, and quickly dug in his pockets for something else. Lloyd could already tell he had a third orb up his sleeve, or in this case, down his pocket.
Reeve stopped the sword with his shabby quarterstaff, but raised his hand that held yet another orb at Lloyd’s sword and shouted an incantation.
“Et perfluctuat transfigere fulmine Deus!”
A bolt of lightning shot out of the 3rd orb, painted golden, struck the Holybrand, which then conducted and electrified Erik.
“GRAH!!!” Erik exclaimed in unimaginable pain.
Reeve, satisfied, caught the red orb in the air and placed it back in his pocket, chuckling as Erik’s expense.
Lloyd stood there, still as a statue. He couldn’t move, not after seeing his friends defeated so easily. Reeve would clearly kill him right on the spot if he chose to act.
“Aw, is someone a little afraid of me?” Reeve had instantaneously teleported in front of Lloyd, and he yelped in surprise.
“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” Reeve said in a mocking voice.
Lloyd grew more and more bitter by the second, locking his teeth in place. Without thinking, he threw a punch at Reeve, but Reeve slashed him on the left arm with his claws, almost in a graceful dance. Lloyd clasped his arm as it stung horribly with sharp indentations stretched across it.
“Tsk, tsk. Looks like replicas will always surpass the original. However feeble your counterpart may be, at least he gave some fight. You’re not even worth looking at, coward.”
“Although, I must say, my research has finally come to fruition. These orbs of alchemy allow full control of fire, lightning, and ice, and they influence nature itself. However, fire and lightning were on Rukefellth and Alcatran, inaccessible to me, and this little orb took more than a few years to discover,” Reeve twirled the blue orb in circles.
“But it was only a matter of time until the two halves of Erath became whole, and now I’m basically invincible! Patience sure pays off!” Reeve laughed uncontrollably.
“Now, with the world at my bidding, I believe it’s time to checkmate. At Scourge Sanctuary, I will eclipse Erath in infinite darkness. I welcome you children to come and stop me, although I could kill you all with one hand behind my back. Ianuae Magicae ad Sentaro!”
In a flash, Reeve disappeared into a portal below him, just as before. Reeve also took all the light with him, and it was completely dark again in the cave. Lloyd’s arm still stung and Lloyd felt his arm go numb all over.
Waka ignited his hands and rushed over to Lloyd as the only uninjured, “Hey, guys! Quick, we have to get Lloyd to my daughter! This deep of a wound can’t be cured with just medicine!”
Erik looked down at the ground, strands of hair scorched from lightning, “Why did you just stand there, Lloyd…?”
Lloyd didn’t answer. He couldn’t, for his cowardice had put him to shame. He looked away from Erik in humiliation, until Waka hoisted him over his shoulder. Lloyd winced in pain, because his arm came into contact with Waka’s clothing.
“Whoops, sorry. Bear with it, for now. It’ll all be better in a jiffy.”
Roy brushed past Waka, unconcerned with Lloyd’s wound and saying only one thing, “You’re a dumbass.”
The silence that ensued after struck Lloyd the most. Silence is the time for reflection, after all. He promised himself that he would protect his friends, time and time again, but look where that got him. Without Roy, he was nothing, was what he was thinking only a short while ago. But that was the furthest thing from the truth, and Lloyd knew it. Why, then…
“Phew, we’re almost outside. I was a bit tired being a walking light bulb.” Waka said merrily.
Erik stopped in his tracks, “Hey, wait a minute. The blizzard’s stopped!”
The endless blizzard that had been happening for such a long time seemed to have stopped completely. The depressing forecast had finally cleared up, leaving only the shrill sound of wind blowing. Lloyd thought it was strange, though, for it was actually day before they had climbed Mt. Creston. However, right now, the sky was blacker than night itself
“There’s a solar eclipse…” Roy stated, practically reading Lloyd’s mind.
Lloyd looked up, and saw that there really was a solar eclipse. In place of the sun was a black and ill-omened circle. At the rim were specks of red, and there were still white rays of light from the obstructed sun. Nothing else was in the sky, so Lloyd couldn’t figure out how he could’ve missed a black ball of evil high in the sky. Lloyd had never seen a solar eclipse before, so this was definitely a once in-a-lifetime chance.
Waka dropped Lloyd down gently and marveled at the eclipse, “It’s too bad a solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes. Well, why don’t we get your wound patched up, Lloyd?”