Twonk

:D

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:22:20 GMT

Had the best food I've possibly eaten all year. Yes, the bacon wrapped chicken has been dethroned.

Also, found out my computer doesn't have USB 2.0. Yay for being unable to upload songs to my MP3 player. xD Oh well, when I buy the card it will give me an excuse to buy Sim City 4, since I've been putting off buying it since the stupid thing came out.

I am not all that upset anymore at the possibility of moving. Kind of in a "I don't care anymore" mood. My mom mentioned it again today and it didn't upset me.

Haven't felt like drawing lately. So, no progress in comic making.

I keep forgetting about the bowl games until they are almost over. Annoying.

Haven't had any awesome dreams recently. Lots of frustrating ones, though. I hate those ones.

It's hard to type with a blister on your thumb. :|

I need to get in the mood to do something other than play stupid games.

Dreamy Goodness

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:01:53 GMT

Mmm, not really, but they were kind of cool.

11-18-09
I worked in some animal rescue clinic place that was this huge barn. There were horses and and dogs and cats and reptiles and all kinds of crap. Jigen was there with me and it seemed we were dating, but I'd rather much think we were just friends. I grab this horse and saddle it up, asking Jigen if he wants to go for a ride. He didn't really want to, but he said he did. So he gets up on the horse and I have the reins and am leading the horse through the barn. Some of my co-workers were saying how sexy he looked on the horse as we went by (xD What?) which embarrassed both of us. We get outside and I go to grab this one horse, which had to be trained to take riders. It was supposed to be a pony, but looked more like a mule than a horse. I get the horse and grab the saddle and something happens and the horse shrinks to a small size and runs off. I start to panic and make some sort of reference to this happening before and tell Jigen to stay there as I chase after it. The horse runs under a fence and into an area this doctor is working and I can't disturb him or something. There was some reason I couldn't go in there. So I go back to Jigen and it switches to me holding a snake and I tell him to watch the snake and wrap it around his shoulders. He seemed nervous and I told him to just stand still. I leave and come back to the snake biting him and him throwing it off. And off course the snake was poisonous, so I take him over to this little area and have to give him a shot of stuff and he's all nervous and I laughed at him. And the syringe was really weird looking, like a balloon to hold the medicine stuff, which you had to squeeze to get it out. While I was giving him the shot I woke up.

11-20-09

Lupin, Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko were in fantasy adventure type clothing as they walked along these mountain cliffs. They had to get to some location before an army was able to catch them, so they were traveling as fast as they could as they made their way across these mountains. They get to this cave and walk in. Inside is a huge lake and the traIl to get across has eroded from the water, so they have to jump across gaps to get through. There are huge weird fish jumping in the water and all have these huge teeth. Jigen jumps across and Fujiko starts to, but is nervous and falls in, Jigen reaching down and pulling her out before the fish can get her. He then takes off the tunic type thing he's wearing and wraps it around Fujiko. They decide to stay in the cave for the night and build a fire. Jigen grabs his sword and he starts to wave his hands around to get the fishes attention. They aggressively jump out of the water to attack his hand and he stabs them with the sword. They look really cartoonish, with big eyes and lots of long thick teeth that end at a rounded point. Jigen takes the fish over and jokes with Lupin how weird they look. They are a little disgusted to eat them, but once Jigen chops the heads off then they don't look as bad. He tosses the heads into the water and watches the fish swarm and eat them and then he tosses the fish into the fire to cook them, which is a weird way to cook something. xD And then I woke up.

Unfinished story.

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:34:51 GMT

I had a dream that sort of went like this, without all the dialog, since I couldn't remember what was said. And also some stuff is added, as parts I couldn't remember. And I woke up pretty much where this ends.

"So, you gonna tell me why we're here?" Jigen wondered as he followed Lupin in the entrance of a cave.
"You'll see," Lupin said, just knowing that Jigen would be completely surprised once he saw what the cave held.
The two walked on, the cave seeming to get bigger until it opened up into a large room.
"An underground temple?" Jigen wondered as he looked around at the wooden benches and what appeared to be an alter at the end of the room.
"The temple of Kara'Don," Lupin beamed.
Jigen jerked his head towards Lupin and stared at him in silent shock.
"Home to the mystic Golden Goddess Reia," Lupin continued. Sensing the stare he was receiving, he turned and looked at Jigen. "What?"
"Are you insane?!" Jigen blurted out.
Lupin only laughed. "Don't tell me you believe those dumb stories, Jigen."
"Dumb or not, I'm out." Jigen shook his head and started out of the cave.
"Jigen, come on!" Lupin whined as he watched him leave.
"Forget it!" Jigen replied. He was almost to the exit of the temple when he stopped, Goemon walking towards him.
"Goemon!" Lupin sang out happily.
Goemon only glared at him. He then looked at Jigen. "I'm surprised you even came, Jigen."
"Hey, I want nothing to do with this, okay? And why are you even here?"
"The Kara'Don hired me to protect the statue," Goemon said, once again glaring at Lupin.
Lupin laughed at this. "You took a job from some cannibilistic cult? That's priceless, Goemon!"
Goemon walked past Jigen and towards Lupin. "Leave now or I will kill you," he warned.
Lupin's laugh faded as he stared at Goemon with a smirk. He turned and looked at the wall of rock behind him, staring up at it before turning back to Goemon.
"Well?" Goemon asked.
"You know what, Goemon? It's funny. All I have to do is take away your sword and you'd be completely useless."
Goemon tensed with anger.
"Do you think I keep you around for you?" Lupin asked.
"Lupin, what the hell are you saying?" Jigen wondered.
"Come on, Goemon, don't look so shocked," Lupin laughed. "It's the sword that's useful, not you. You're not exactly the most entertaining guy to be around, in case you haven't noticed."
"Am I only around for my abilities, Lupin?" Jigen said in anger.
Lupin shook his head. "Nah, you're actually fun to be around. You're abilities are just a nice perk. But, Goemon, pfft! Man, if it weren't for his sword, I'd have dumped him a long time ago."
"You're unbelievable, Lupin," Jigen said in disgust before turning and leaving.
Goemon shook in anger, never once thinking that he was nothing but a tool to Lupin. Letting out a yell, he ran towards Lupin, striking out with his sword wildly.
Lupin grinned and jumped into the air at the last second, grabbing onto a wooden candle chandolier above him.
Goemon looked up as the candles fell around him. He then looked over at the wall, watching as it crumbled into pieces.
Lupin laughed, looking into the opening that appeared and seeing something golden through the dust.
Goemon backed away, stunned by what he had done.
"Do you think I really meant that, Goemon?" Lupin asked sincerely as he now hung from his legs. "You're more to me than a sword. But sometimes it does come in handy." He smiled at his friend, who continued looking at the opening.
Lupin shrugged and raised his arm, shooting a small dart from his watch into Goemon's neck.
Goemon let out a yelp of pain as he grabbed for his neck.
"Sorry to use you like this, Goemon, but how else was I supposed to get this thing?"
Goemon stumbled before falling into a deep sleep, his body collapsing to the ground.
Lupin dropped from above, turning himself in midair and landing on his feet. He glanced back at Goemon and then to the statue, one of which was worth a lot of money.
He walked towards it, staring in awe before grabbing it, lifting the heavy object over his head and turning to leave.
"Going somewhere?" a deep voice asked.
Lupin glared ahead of him, a group of gunmen standing inside the temple, one of them with their gun to Jigen, who stood with his hands in the air.
Lupin smirked and shrugged. "Maybe."
The deep voiced man laughed. "I knew that all I had to do was make a big announcement about having the statue and you'd show up."
Lupin continued to smirk.
"And knowing how dedicated your friend here is, I hired him, knowing he wouldn't help you no matter how much you begged."
Lupin glanced down at Goemon anxiously. "You must have me confused with somebody else," Lupin said as he looked up at the man. "I'm not really the kind of guy to beg."
Jigen scoffed at this.
'Come on,' Lupin thought as he glanced at Goemon. 'Wear off already!'
"And to think, I can dispose of your whole team at once," the man laughed.
"Maybe you can, maybe you can't," Lupin said.
"There's nobody here to save you, Lupin. And there's no way to escape this. Your thoughtless way of working will be your undoing."
Lupin grinned as he saw Goemon start to wake up. "I guess you're right. I mean, I must have been stupid thinking I could steal this, right?" He laughed.
The man laughed. "I'll be kind and give you the chance to say one last thing before I kill you."
"Aww, you're so nice," Lupin said with a smile. "I guess what I'd like to say is-"
"It's just a shame I get bored so easily," the man interrupted as he fired his gun twice, both bullets hitting Lupin in the chest.
"Lupin!" Jigen yelled as he watched him fall.
Goemon lifted his head, having heard the shots and now staring in shock at Lupin's still body. "No," he whispered. He turned his head towards the man as anger flowed through him.
"Kill them," the man said before turning and walking through the crowd.
The man stopped as a yell echoed throughout the temple. He turned, watching as Goemon ran towards him.
Goemon sliced every bullet that was fired at him, slicing through the bodies as he finally reached his target, killing him just as quickly as the others.
"Lupin," Jigen yelled as he ran towards him, kneeling down by his body.
Lupin's breathing was heavy and raspy, one of his lungs having been pierced.
"Oh god," Jigen said, not really knowing what to do as panic struck him. "Just... just hold on, okay?"
He gently lifted him, he and Goemon leaving the cave and taking one of the gunman's car, speeding off to the nearest city.

Dream

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:31:30 GMT

There was a whole beginning, which I can't quite remember, but it involved Glenn Beck. xD Either I was interviewing him or he was interviewing me. I don't remember. I remember being all happy and excited to be talking to him, though. x3

The second part of it was completely different. Me and my brother are walking down the street, which is supposedly a busy street but this time was almost empty of cars. There was one sitting waiting at a red light and as me and my brother are talking I glance over and the car is rocking back and forth. I thought that was odd, but I kept walking until I hear this gunshot and this horrible loud yelping/howl sound. I turn to see this old man laying in the back seat of his car and this young guy holding a gun to him and screaming at him to get up and drive. Along where we were walking was a wooden fence and it turned at this one point, like there was a little inlet thingie, so I ran to that point and pressed myself up against it so the guy wouldn't see me. My brother just kept walking and I was freaking out because I was there alone and what if the guy started to look for me.

I then woke up. But the weird thing was me ducking behind the fence happened very fast because I woke myself up when I heard that horrible yelping thing, which was very loud and freaky sounding. And my heart was beating so fast and I just layed there and tried to calm down. I don't know if it was a sound outside or what, since it was so real and very very loud. It wasn't my dog, which I was glad of.

And then yesterday I had a dream where my closet door kept opening and I was trying to sleep and had to keep getting up to close it. And it got to the point where it was freaking me out and I tried to yell at whatever to stop it, but I couldn't speak. The way I spoke was like a deaf person does. And I got up to close it and it opened and I screamed and my mom came in and asked what the problem was and I pointed at the door and tried to explain, but she didn't understand until the door just slammed opened. And then I woke up and was freaked out, afraid if I looked at my closet door it'd be open. So, I didn't look and eventually went back to sleep. xD

And then once I went back to sleep I had a stupid dream where I went to the store to get the ingredients for a surprise lunch because it was Easter or something. And I remembered I didn't' leave a note for my mom to tell her where I went, so I called and my brother picked up the phone. I told him where I was and he said they were ordering Subway. So, my story had to change from lunch to dessert and he was like "Ooh, get something with raspberries and oranges", which I thought was an odd combination, but I didn't say anything. So I said I'd be home by one and at that point it was almost noon. So, I'm wandering around this store, which is huge, and they have like four different dessert areas. One is all the already made stuff, another is where customers make their own cakes to either keep or sell, the third is the stores bakery area and the last is where you can special order stuff and then watch them make it. I'm wandering around getting annoyed as there isn't anything raspberry and orange and then I think I can just get ingredients to make something with those flavors. And at the place that you can order stuff from they have these cream puff looking things that looked really good, but were like $50. And some guy was eating one and I asked him what was inside it and he said it was pastry filled with fruit and tortillas. Kind of made me sick, so I left the store with nothing and then noticed it was almost two and got all angry. And then I woke up.

Gosh, the dreams I remember have been stupid lately... =\

This mornings dream.

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:50:26 GMT

I'm in my old house and I open the fridge to find something to eat. There's this big tray of raw chicken taking up one of the shelves and it's leaking juice all over, so I'm grabbing wads of paper towels and cleaning it all up.

Unfinished with that, I somehow get distracted and head to the downstairs bathroom. And I see the cat box in there is completely full, so I clean it up while the cats are waiting.

Something else happens and I end up going upstairs and talking to my mom.

And then something else happens and I'm suddenly outside of some shopping center walking out of one of the shops with Jigen and he's telling me something about our ride. And then this guy pulls up in this thing that looks like a cross between a Hummer and a Jeep without it's top. So, we jump in and start towards wherever it is we're going. And Jigen is like an ex-military guy and his friend, who is driving the car, was was one the soldiers he fought with. So I know we are going on some sort of secret mission.

I get upset at myself for not telling my mom I was leaving and telling her goodbye. And then I realize I'm in the clothes I slept in, a t-shirt, shorts and socks. And I'm like "Damn it, I need pants. I'm not walking around with hairy legs." (I think this comes from my PE days when I would suddenly panic, thinking I didn't shave and not having sweat pants to wear, but then remembering I did shave, since I often have dreams where I'm in PE class and am embarrassed for forgetting to shave my legs. Dumb, I know. xD) Jigen just laughs and says nobody will notice. And then I say how I need shoes and he tells me socks are fine.

We end up in some weird part of wherever we are and there are street vendors walking down the middle of this narrow street. We park next to this building and Jigen jumps out and gets his gun, sneaking into the building. I follow and the other guy with us follows me.

And then I woke up. >=(

Story List

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:56:52 GMT

Just for me to keep track of. I like doing these sometimes to check my non-progress. xD

Random Things

Broken Trust - Currently dead
Descendants of Shadows - Currently dead
To Defeat the Archfiend - Currently dead
Faithful - Probably dead for good
Gadsen Grey - Probably dead for good
The Sun and the Moon - Like the idea, but probably dead
Time Obscured - Currently dead, would like to rewrite it so it has nothing to do with Gaia Twonk, but probably won't
Sin - Written mainly for fun, most likely forever dead

FanFic Things

Six Days 'Til Dawn - Put on hold
The Second Time Around - Not something important and I might dump it
Superhero : Lupin Edition - Probably forever dead, it was fun while it lasted
Suspect - Still writing
Casting Shadows - Still writing
Life Perfect Honour - Still writing

Misc Things

Episode reviews - Slow, but still want to complete them all
Untitled crime story - Like the idea, but not sure if I want to continue it
25 Theme Thing - Slow and stuck, but I want to do it as a challenge
Flight - Still unsure if I want to do this as a story or go ahead and make it a second comic
Vulture - Comic, but story is slowly being written
Untitled fantasy story - Still just an idea

09/21/09

25 theme thing

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:11:09 GMT

I picked 25 themes at random from some site and decided to use them to make a complete story. Have no idea how I'm gonna do it, but we'll see. And this chapter is so effing lame! =D Can't wait for the random anger and violence that will take this thing over. x3

The theme of this story: allegorical tragety. The main characters: kind traveler and antisocial adventurer. The start of the story: party. The end of the story: birth.

Chapter One

"And you can trust this guy?" Jigen asked as he sat in the passenger seat, slowly placing bullets in the cylinder of his gun.
Lupin stared at the red light in front of him, tapping his fingers lightly on the top of the steering wheel a he waited for the light to change.
"Lupin!"
"Huh?" Shaken from his thoughts, Lupin looked over to Jigen, who sat and stared at him.
"This Doctor Hawkin, you sure you can trust him?" Jigen said, a bit more annoyed this time.
"He's fine, Jigen," Lupin said with a roll of his eyes. "You can pass on this if you want."
"Only asking a question," Jigen muttered as he replaced his gun.
Lupin looked at him and grinned, stepping the gas as the light changed, the two closing in on the museum.

The museum was a tall stone structure, built of the old Greek Revival style of architecture, something fitting to that type of venue. On the outside, hanging down from the tall pillars, were long banners advertising the upcoming Atlantis exhibit, of which the people inside were now celebrating.
The party was by invite only, scientists and archeologists filling most of the slots on the guest list, the others filled by the wealthy who helped fund the exploration and research.
"And here we are," Lupin said, parking down the street from the building.
Jigen said nothing as he tagged along, figuring he needed to be there in case something went bad, Lupin seeming to just jump right into this current situation.
"Lupin," a man said happily as he saw him approach.
"Douglas," Lupin said with a smile as the two met with a friendly hug.
Douglas Hawkin was an older man, in his late 50's and going grey, with a short and chubby stature. With his thin framed glasses and manicured mustache he fit the role of a stereotypical archeologist nicely.
Too bad he was a forensic specialist.
"So, how have you been?" Hawkin asked.
"Just making a living," Lupin laughed.
"Come on, let's go inside," Hawkin said as he placed a hand on Lupin's back and guided him towards the front entrance. Hawkin glanced back as Jigen followed, giving him a smile and a nod.
Jigen only stared at him in response.
"Not very friendly, is he," Hawkin whispered to Lupin.
"He's just pissed because I dragged him along," Lupin grinned, looking back at Jigen.
The three made their way inside, past the crowds of people and to the main exhibit, which sat in a large round glass container in the middle of the main room.
"The Rune of Sintu," Hawkin said as he stared proudly at the fist sized metal disc, its edges rough and warped, the surface holding an odd hieroglyph that had been etched there many centuries ago.
Lupin looked at it closely, his only interest being how much something like that would be worth.
Jigen didn't bother paying attention.
"And if you look at the back," Hawkin said, he and Lupin moving to the other side of the case, "you'll find the whole story of this rune and those who made it."
Lupin squinted at the tiny shapes etched in the back. "So, what's the story?"
Hawkin looked at him in an "Ahhh" type of moment, giving him a nod and then motioning him to follow.
Confused, Lupin did, Jigen following.
Hawkin glanced back as they walked down a long hallway. "You know who discovered that rune, right?"
Lupin shrugged and shook his head.
"My own lovely daughter," Hawkin said as he held his head up in pride.
"Alexis?" Lupin blurted out. Memories from long ago came back to him, making him shudder.
Jigen took note of this, now even closer to walking away from the job. For a woman to make Lupin shudder, it could never be a good sign.
"Just a warning," Hawkin said in a low voice, "she likes to go by Alex now. You know how she can be..." He left the rest unsaid, Lupin knowing full well what he meant.
Hawkin opened a door, stepping inside the lit room. It was larger than the others, holding various artifacts found on digs from around the world, all of them separated by case numbers.
"Dad, I almost got-" The young woman stopped, looking back to see Lupin as he smiled and waved to her. "Oh, it's you," she said unhappily.
Alex was brighter than most 24 year olds and prettier than most in her field. With her long flowing black hair, light green eyes and long and lean frame, she didn't fit the role of stereotypical archeologist.
"I see you've grown," Lupin said, staring at her matured breasts.
"Pig," she muttered as she glared at him. She then took notice of Jigen, staring at him as if he were nothing before she turned back to her laptop.
"Did you find anything?" Hawkin asked.
"Why are they here?" Alex asked.
"I've asked Lupin to help us. I figured we could use his expertise."
"In other words, you don't think I can do this." Alex glanced back at her dad.
Hawkin laughed nervously.
"Ah, come on, Alex," Lupin chimed in, putting on a friendly face as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "We've worked so well together in the past, so why all the negativity?"
She shrugged away from his grip and stood, turning quickly and staring at him with a fiery glare. "You're nothing but a sick twisted bastard," she growled, pushing her way past him and walking towards the exit of the room.
Jigen side-stepped out of her way when she stopped and gave him the same angry look.
"And you, I don't even know you, but I'm sure you're the same," she told him, her voice not as intense as with Lupin, but enough to get the point across.
Jigen watched in confusion as she walked on, disappearing from sight as she walked behind a bookcase.
Hawkin sighed in defeat. "She's a good treasure hunter, but horrible with people."
"She's okay," Lupin said as he stared down at the page on the laptops screen.
"So," Jigen said as he leaned against the wall. "I take it we're working with her."
"That's the plan," Lupin said.
"And I don't suppose Goemon and Fujiko know this."
"Not yet."
"Is there a reason we're dragging her along?"
"Well," Lupin laughed nervously. "It's more like she's dragging us along with her."
"So, we're taking orders from her?" Jigen was not amused by this fact. "Damn it, Lupin. Fujiko is bad enough and now you're asking me to deal with two of them?"
"Two of them?" Lupin laughed. "You make them seem like a disease."
"Maybe because they are. God knows how much you love bringing home something new every night."
"I do not," Lupin said in an angry whine. "Besides, you-" He stopped when Alex returned, a plain white binder in her hands.
"Excuse me," she said as she shoved Lupin out of the way and sat back down.
"Do you two know the story of Sintu?" Hawkin asked as he glanced at Lupin and Jigen.
Jigen shook his head as Lupin stayed silent.
"It is one of love. And of tragedy." Hawkin closed his eyes and smiled, opening his eyes as he began to tell the tale...

Sintu, the eldest daughter of King Othius, sat in her room and stared out at the vast kingdom of Atlantis. She was something of pure beauty with her glowing golden hair and her sparkling blue eyes, a beauty that most men in the kingdom yearned to have by their side.
But being a princess, she was to be given away to a prince, most likely to one who was rich in status and looks.
Sintu didn't care about either. She only wanted to be happy, to love the man she wanted to love. And that man was a simple traveler, one she had met when she sat in the chamber with her father when the man was granted an audience with the royal family.
The man spoke of things Sintu had never heard of before, of strange creatures and colorful foods and interesting people. They were things she wanted to experience first hand, so she asked her father to allow her to travel with the man.
Her father forbade it, telling her the outside world was too dangerous a place for a girl as lovely as his daughter.
Sintu could only nod at her fathers words, left with her imagination to picture together all of what the man said. And to picture herself and him together in the strange new world.
Weeks had gone by with no word from the traveler, who promised to return with evidence of his discoveries.
The cycles of the moon came and went until finally Sintu spotted the man from her window, smiling excitedly as he walked towards the castle.
She rushed into the chambers, asking her father permission to stay, which he granted.
The king was only interested in the strange artifacts the man had brought him to notice the longing looks his daughter and the traveler gave each other.
It was never really love to either of them, Sintu seeing the man as something curious, the man seeing Sintu as a beautiful treasure. But later that night things changed.
Sintu, wearing shawls to cover her face, snuck out of the castle and walked to the inn, hoping the man was still in the kingdom. Describing the man to the inn keeper, she was told which room he was in.
Sintu was thrilled as she ran up the wooden steps and to the door, knocking on it quietly.
The man opened the door, only to have his breathe taken by the beauty that stood in front of him. Inviting her inside, he approached this visit cautiously.
His caution was soon removed by her soothing voice as she asked him to tell her stories of the outside world.
For hours they spoke, the two getting closer until confusing feelings and curiosity made Sintu kiss the man. Her kiss was returned, the kiss leading to things Sintu had never experienced, things which brought her great joy.
Later that night, Sintu snuck back to her room while the man got some sleep before he resumed his travels.
He had promised to return, doing so two months later to discover a shocking surprise: Sintu was now with child.
Fearing for both their lives, Sintu devised a plan to run away with the man, a guard listening to their words through the princess' door. With their plan figured out, the man opened the door to sneak out of the castle, only to be met with the tip of a sword.
Sintu begged the guard to let them go, to not harm the man and to forget this had happened. The guard, out of sympathy, did as she wished, allowing the two to run off.
Sintu and the man left Atlantis and lived together in a small home at the base of the mountains. Happiness was short lived, though, their child not surviving the birthing process.
Filled with grief, the man left. Sintu had no choice but to return home, to go back to her father and to take whatever punishment she was to be given.
She told him the basics, but never said anything about the failed birth, feeling it best he didn't know, afraid if he did that he would have the man hunted down and killed. Knowing what few facts she had said to him, he forgave her. But him not knowing the whole truth didn't make it any better. For she knew what had happened. And it ate her up inside.
Unable to go on, Sintu died in her sleep months later. All of Atlantis mourned and soon the beautiful princess had become a goddess, one of spirit, of heart, a goddess all could look to in order to find the bravery hidden deep within them.

Jigen took note of the way both Lupin and Alex reacted to the story, like they had lived it before. He set those thoughts aside as Hawkin began speaking again.
"But, Sintu is only one of three Goddesses," he told them.
"So, there's two more of those runes?" Lupin wondered.
Hawkin nodded.
"And you need the other two runes... why?" Lupin was confused by the somewhat secrecy of all of this. "They're just pieces of metal, right?"
"Pieces of unknown metal," Hawkin corrected. "And it is said that something good comes to those who can bring the three Goddesses together."
"Good? Like what kind of good are we talking about?"
"It is said that they will grant you whatever wish you want."
At this Jigen laughed, the others looking at him in annoyance. "Don't tell me you're buying this bullshit, Lupin. I mean, come on, granting wishes? Magical runes of people turned Goddesses of a place that probably never existed? This is stupid."
Lupin looked away from Jigen as he stared off in thought. After a few seconds he grinned. "What the hell, right? So, where do we go?"
Jigen closed his eyes and groaned.
Hawkin was overly pleased. "I'll call you tomorrow morning with the details."
Alex only stared off in silence.

"I'm not forcing you to do this," Lupin said on the drive back to the hotel. "There's no reason for you to stay if you don't-"
"What happened between you two?" Jigen asked.
"Huh?"
"You and Alex. I couldn't help but notice how you two changed as the doctor told that story."
"Nothing happened."
"Hmm." Jigen wasn't buying it, but he knew that if he kept pushing Lupin that it'd only piss him off, so he decided to change the subject. "So, what are we wishing for?" Jigen said in mock enthusiasm. "Can we wish for a pony? I've always wanted one of those."
"Jigen. Shut up."
Jigen looked at Lupin and grinned, the grin fading when he could tell there really was something bothering him. 'Did they really live that story?' he thought as he stared at Lupin.

Hawkin excused himself, just now noticing his daughter still wasn't in attendance. He sighed deeply as he walked back towards the room he had left her in earlier.
Alex was her own person. And she was an adult. Still, her dad didn't know what to do with her.
'Her whole life is her work,' he lamented, knowing from personal experience how getting deeply involved in your work can ruin your life.
"Alex, honey," he said as he opened the door, finding the room dark. Closing the door, he stood in the hallway, his mind deep in thought. Shaking his head, he started back to the party, figuring it better to enjoy himself than to worry about his never changing anti-social daughter.

Oh my gosh gay fairy tale type thing! =O It's a rip-off of Zelda and the goddesses and the triforce. Will have other game rip-offs in this thing, too. But mainly the Zelda thing with the runes.

Sad Lupin story 1

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 07:32:00 GMT

Well, sad for him, but funny for me. =D

"I'm heading out," Lupin said as Jigen and Goemon played a game of poker. "I'll be back later."
The two nodded, neither saying a word as they stared at their cards.
Lupin left, a bounce in his step as he headed for the parking garage, getting into his car and driving off.
The night before, he, with the help of Jigen and Goemon, had completed a job for an old friend, nothing really big or all that challenging, but he couldn't say no.
His friend, after receiving the goods, told Lupin to meet him at a club, telling him they'd have some drinks and then he'd give Lupin his payment.
Lupin agreed, just wanting to get all of this over with so he could move on to the more fun jobs he was used to.
A ten minute drive later Lupin was at the club, letting the man in front park his car for him as he walked inside.
The man turned to see Lupin enter, nodding and waving him over.
"Bartender," the man called over.
"So, Frank," Lupin said as he leaned against the bar. "You know how I hate things like this. I don't care if you are a friend." Lupin waved off the bartender. "I did the job, you got the items, and now I expect to be payed."
Frank grinned and shrugged. "Fine. I just didn't think you'd want to rush into this."
"Rush... into this?" Lupin wondered.
"Look I don't have it with me," Frank sighed. "It would be kind of awkward if I brought it here, you know?" he laughed.
"It?" Lupin sighed in frustration. "We agreed on the five million."
"And that's a lot of money to be hauling around, you know?" Frank said in a hushed voice. He quickly finished his drink and set the glass on the bar. "Look, I'll drive you there to pick it up and then I'll bring you back here."
"I can follow you," Lupin said, now suspicious of his friend.
"Fine." Frank backed off, Lupin following him out of the bar.

The hotel Frank was staying at wasn't far from the club, the two parked and up in his room in less than twenty minutes.
Lupin tensed slightly, ready for anything.
"It's in the closet," Frank said as he turned on the lights.
"Get it," Lupin said as he stood by the door.
Frank laughed. "You scared of me or something?"
"Something," Lupin answered.
"Fine," Frank shrugged, walking to the closet and grabbing a black suitcase, pulling it out and walking back towards Lupin.
"Open it," Lupin ordered.
Frank scoffed, setting the case on the bed and opening it, stacks of new bills sitting inside. "You want to check if they're real, too?"
Lupin gave him a suspicious look and wandered to the bed, reaching down and picking up one of the stacks and flipping through the money.
"This isn't your real payment, though," Frank said, his tone changed as he spoke through clenched teeth.
"Huh?" Lupin turned to see an object coming at his face, too late to do anything as the object made contact, his face burning as he was reduced to a hurting mass on the floor.
Frank glared down at Lupin, tossing the thick hard bound novel he had hit him with on the bed.
Lupin held his throbbing head in pain, sitting up slowly and in a daze as he looked around, his vision blurred.
"You think I couldn't do the job myself?" Frank scoffed. He reached down and grabbed Lupin by the front of his shirt and lifted him up. "What's the matter, Lupin? Don't have some kind of smart ass remark to make?"
Lupin grunted as Frank's fist pounded into his stomach. He then crumbled to the floor when Frank loosened his grip.
"That money?" Frank said as he pointed toward the bed. "A stupid ass punk like you doesn't deserve that kind of cash. You think I was here to reward you? To catch up on old times?"
Frank watched as Lupin tried to crawl away, smirking and then driving his boot into the thief's ribs, laughing as Lupin curled up in pain.
"Actually, I'm here to do to you what you did to my daughter."
Lupin was once again pulled up, this time his feet getting lifted off the floor.
Although dazed, Lupin knew what was going on. And for the first time that he could remember he was truly frightened, his body trembling slightly as he stared with sorrowful and pain filled eyes at his old friend.
"You remember her, right?" Frank growled as he pulled Lupin closer to him. "The one you decided to have a little fun with eleven years ago?" Anger causing his hands to tremble, Frank threw them forward, throwing Lupin against the wall.
"I... I..." Lupin had no time to explain, large fists pummeling his stomach and face.
"I'll do to you just like you did to her." Frank grinned, an evil laugh escaping his lips as he grabbed Lupin and turned him around, throwing him face first into the wall.
Lupin left streaks of blood on the white painted wall as his slid down it before falling to the floor, the cut above his eye and on his bottom lips continuing to bleed, staining the carpet.
"Did you think I'd never find out?!" Frank undid his belt and took it off, beating Lupin with it as Lupin curled up in a fetal position, his only defense against the stinging strikes.
"You worthless piece of shit," Frank muttered, picking Lupin up and throwing him on the bed.
Lupin landed on his stomach, lifting his head slowly and looking back as Frank started to undo his pants. "No..." he said weakly, his arms too weak to fight off a now exposed Frank as his own pants were removed.
The pain he felt next was excruciating, his hoarse screams filling the room, Frank keeping up with the punishment that he seemed to enjoy giving.
Unable to take anymore, Lupin blacked out.

He didn't know how long the raping lasted or what else Frank had done to him. All he knew was that he seemed to be out for hours and hours, but when he woke up, it was still night.
He tried to sit up, but the pain was too much and he fell back, falling on an uncomfortable lump.
'Trash?' he wondered, glancing around him to see he had been thrown in a trash heap in a littered alley.
'He threw me away.... like garbage....' Tears of anger and shame began to fall as the events of that night came back to him. As he tried to sit up again he felt something odd in his pants.
He reached down inside them and pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills, on the top bill written "Thanks for the great night, sweetie" with a heart underneath it.
Lupin stared off in shock, the wad of cash falling from his hands and to the ground.
The writing was his own, written long ago on a hundred dollar bill that sat on top of a nice stack of them, which were then placed in the front of a passed out girls panties, a girl that Lupin had brutally raped eleven years ago.

Green BS

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:50:15 GMT

I'm very sick of it, all these dumb "Save the planet!" robots on TV spouting their brainwashed rhetoric. How about you do your little planet-friendly crap and leave me alone to do my part in destroying the planet. The sooner this world dies, the happier I will be.

I love that show Whale Wars, I believe it's called. I laugh so hard at the idiots crying over dead whales. God, that's hilarious. If it were my way the whale ships would be able to fire guns at those Greenpeace pieces of crap. And then that show would be the most awesome thing ever.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:51:22 GMT

Chapter 3 - The Cave Holds The Answers

    "Well, this may be the tree," Jigen said as he and the others stood next to the large pine. "Now to find the cave," he said with a sigh.
    "Did you see something?" Lupin asked as he looked off towards some brush.
    "No," Jigen said, not paying attention.
    "I thought I heard something over there," Goemon said as he started towards the direction of the sound.
    "Yeah, that's where I thought I saw something." Lupin began to follow him, Fujiko close behind and Jigen trailing farther back. "This looks like the cave," Goemon said as he stood near a medium sized opening in some rocks.
    "Really, Goemon?" Jigen asked as he walked up to the entrance. "I would have never guessed." He grinned at Goemon and then walked inside, the others following.
    The inside was dimly lit, just enough for them to see their way around. They turned a corner and came upon a large high ceiling room, a small spring occupying it. Near the spring was a young man, a large canvas bag draped over his right shoulder. As they came closer he turned and looked at them.
    "Hey there," the man said with a smile.
    "Hi," Lupin said.
    "So, what brings you four here?" the man asked. "Did you hear about the healing spring, too?"
    "Uh, yeah, we did," Jigen said, going along with the man.
    "I came here after hearing about it, but up ahead there are too many monsters and so I just decided that this spring was just as good." The man laughed slightly. "I'm sure there is no such thing as a healing spring, anyway."
    "Probably not, but why not find out for yourself, right?" Lupin smiled at the man.
    "Well, we're going on up ahead if you want to come," Goemon said.
    "That's kind of you, but I think I'll just stay here," the man said.
    The four left the man and headed further inside. A room up ahead, much like the previous one but with no spring and slightly smaller, was occupied by a large group of madhounds, big putrid zombie dogs.
    "What is that smell?" Fujiko asked in disgust as she held her nose.
    "I don't think we're alone," Jigen said as he pulled out his broad sword and lifted up his shield.
    "What are they?" Goemon asked as he did the same.
    Fujiko held Lupin from behind as he prepared his iron claws. He looked back at her and smiled suggestively, leaning in to kiss her, but instead getting shoved forward.
    "This isn't the time for that, Lupin," Jigen said as he sighed and shook his head.
    The madhounds, six in all, suddenly attacked. They were pretty quick and agile for half rotten dead animals. They darted back and forth, evading much of the attacks early on.
    "Fujiko," Jigen hollored as he fended off three madhounds. "Stop standing there and do something!"
    "Don't yell at her," Lupin said angrily as he swung and missed, the madhound darting behind him.
    "I can do whatever I want," Jigen said. "Maybe we should have just left her- augh!" He screamed in pain as a madhound lunged at him and grabbed onto his leg with it's sharp fangs. Just then another jumped on his back and bit the small unarmored area of his neck, making him fall to the ground.
    "Jigen!" Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko yelled as they tried to fight their way to him. The three, now angry, were able to hit their targets. Lupin swung hard with his right arm and hit a madhound in the face, the force of the hit flinging the creature up against the wall. Goemon swung and sliced the front legs off a nearby madhound, the return swing killing it and stabbing another standing nearby. Fujiko cast her newly acquired Fireball spell, hitting the two madhounds that were busy fighting over Jigen. The fire scorched their bodies and they both ran off yipping in pain. The remaining madhound joined them as they ran further into the cave.
    "Jigen," Lupin said as he ran over and knelt down by him, Fujiko and Goemon standing next to him and looking down.
    Jigen layed on his stomach. His legs and arms were bit several times, the blood soaking into his clothes. Small dots of blood formed from the wounds on his neck. He moaned in pain as he moved slightly, making an attempt to get up.
    "Just stay still, okay," Lupin said as he placed a hand on Jigen's back. "You have a heal spell, right?" he asked Fujiko as he glanced up at her.
    She stared down at Jigen and shook her head. "Jigen's scroll is the only one that has it."
    "Maybe one of us could cast it," Goemon suggested.
    "Maybe," Lupin said as he grabbed the scroll from the leather pouch on Jigen's belt. He opened it, the words quickly fading as he looked at it. "Great," he muttered as he rolled it back up.
    "Then our only chance is that healing spring," Goemon said.
    "Yeah," Lupin said as he exhaled. "You two stay here with him. I'll go find it." He stood and rushed off before the two could object to him going alone.
    "I guess we should have gotten more medical herbs," Goemon said as he remained standing over Jigen.
    "It didn't help that those stupid elves wouldn't sell us anything," Fujiko said, sitting down next to Jigen. "They want us to help them, but then when we need help they don't want to bother."
    "And what does it say about us when we can't protect each other against something that's already dead?" Goemon asked.
    "Not much." She looked up at him and sighed.

    Lupin ran and stumbled down a dark corridor, trying to avoid the few monsters that followed. Finding a small notch in the wall he sidestepped into it, pressing his body against the rocky surface as the monsters passed him and continued on down the path.
    He waited a couple of minutes, knowing time wasn't something he could waste but knowing that he couldn't face a group of monsters alone and survive. When he thought it was safe, he ran on down the path. At the end of the path was a set of stone steps, a faint light at the bottom of them. He hurried down and stopped, the steps ending into a room lit with torches on the wall. Towards the back sat a body of water, the fire reflecting off it and giving it a glowing effect. The rocky path got smaller the closer it got to the water. Lupin followed the path, getting to the end and kneeling down at the waters edge.
    'Is this the healing spring?' he thought to himself as he reached back into the leather pouch he carried. He pulled out a small ivory bottle and set it down next to him. "Only one way to find out."
    He grabbed one of the iron claws hanging from his belt and ran it swiftly across his arm. Three small cuts appeared, the blood finally surfacing and gathering on the vertical slices before trickling down to the underside of his arm and dripping to the ground. He bent down and dipped his arm into the water. It was almost freezing cold and made his skin tingle as it made contact. Pulling his arm out, he held it in front of him, the wounds closing up and any sign of the cuts disappearing.
    Lupin stared at his arm in awe, finally smiling and laughing. "This is incredible," he said excitedly. "You could make a fortune off this stuff." He pulled the cork off the top of the bottle and poured out the water that was inside. Dipping his hand into the spring, he filled the bottle with the healing water and then placed the cork back on it. He stood and rushed off to Jigen and the others.

    "He's been gone for a while," Fujiko said as she began to worry. "Do you think he's all right?"
    "I'm not sure," Goemon answered. "It was foolish for him to run off alone in the first place."
    "Maybe one of us should go look for him."
    "I think it's better if we stayed here."
    Fujiko looked back down at Jigen and sighed. Neither she nor Goemon spoke, the minutes going by slowly as they waited. "This is stupid," she finally said as she stood up. "I'm going after him."
    Goemon opened his eyes and watched silently as she started out of the room. "There's no need," he said just as Lupin almost collided with Fujiko.
    "Hey," Lupin said as he caught his breath. "I got the water." He held up the bottle.
    "Are you sure it'll work?" Goemon asked.
    "I'm sure," Lupin said as he knelt down by Jigen as Fujiko and Goemon watched. He removed the cork and poured a small amount over Jigen's neck. Within seconds the puncture wounds were gone.
    "Amazing..." Fujiko muttered, not able to believe her eyes.
    Goemon stood silent, but watched in amazement.
    "This may not be enough, but hopefully it'll get you to the spring," Lupin said as he trickled the remaining water over Jigen's legs, hitting most of the wounds and healing them. "Can you stand?"
    "Stand?" Jigen mumbled. "I can't even sit up and you want me to stand?"
    "Are you even trying?" Goemon asked.
    "No, I like laying here," Jigen answered in anger.
    "Come on," Lupin sighed as he flipped Jigen over on his back. "Give me a hand, will you?" he said to Goemon.
    Goemon nodded and got on the other side of Jigen. Together he and Lupin pulled him to his feet.
    "I think I can take it from here," Lupin said as wrapped one arm around Jigen, the other arm holding tightly Jigen's arm as it hung down over his shoulder.
    Goemon picked up Jigen's shield and sword. He led the way out of the room, Lupin and Jigen following him while Fujiko took care of the back. He followed the path, going down the stairs and into the torch lit room with the spring.
    "This is it," Lupin said as he walked Jigen towards it. The two got to the edge of the water. Lupin helped take the half plate armor off Jigen and when it was off he gave him a nice shove in the back, pushing Jigen into the water.
    "Hey!" Jigen shouted as he fell, splashing into the cold water. He quickly surfaced, spitting water out of his mouth. "Are you trying to kill me? This water is freezing!" He glared at Lupin as he swam to the edge and pulled himself up out of the spring.
    "You feel better, though, don't you?" Lupin looked at him and smiled.
    "Huh?" Jigen stared at his outstretched arms, the cuts disappearing. "That's incredible," he said. "And yeah, I do feel better." He looked at Lupin and smiled, grabbing and shoving him into the water. "Now I feel a lot better."
    "That wasn't funny," Lupin shouted as he pulled himself up onto the path.
    "I don't think this is the time for playing around," Goemon said.
    "He's right, you two," Fujiko said. "We should be going."
    Jigen watched them walk towards the large opening on the western side of the room. He reached down and grabbed his armor, slipping it on him and buckling it tight.
    "Something wrong?" Lupin asked as he handed Jigen his helmet.
    Jigen looked at him, grabbing the helmet and putting it on. "They were pretty down on themselves while you were gone."
    "Because of what happened to you?" Lupin grabbed Jigen's shield and sword, both propped up against a large rock, and handed them to him.
    "Yeah," Jigen said as he fit the shield on his left hand and sheathed the sword.
    "I wouldn't worry about it too much."
    "Maybe you're right."
    "Are you two coming?" Fujiko asked, getting impatient.
    The four rejoined at the opening and proceeded on. They followed the path, which led them to another stone stairway. They walked down it and appeared in a large cavern. In front of them was a large underground lake. A weathered stone bridge spanned across the lake to a small island on the far end off the cavern.
    "Well," Lupin started as he stood at the front of the bridge, "no elven princess."
    "Looks like we wasted our time," Fujiko said with a sigh. She looked up as Jigen started across the bridge and walked towards the island. "Jigen?"
    He didn't answer, but kept walking as the others looked on. Lupin looked back at Goemon and Fujiko and then at Jigen before running to catch up with him. Goemon and Fujiko then began to walk across the bridge.
    By the time they caught up, Lupin and Jigen stood on the island, both staring down at what appeared to be a shrine. Six large stones were set up in a half circle. A small wooden box sat in the middle of them. "Are you going to open it?" Goemon asked.
    Again Jigen didn't answer. He crouched down in front of the box and lifted off the lid. Inside was some cloth and a letter. He picked up the letter and read it aloud. "Forgive me, mother, for departing this world ahead of you. If my love for him, that of elf for human, is forbidden in this world, then at least I can be with him in the one beyond. Anne." He folded the letter back up and gazed out at the lake.
    "Wow," Fujiko muttered. "They loved each other that much."
    "And yet their families let some ridiculous unwritten law cloud their judgement," Goemon said.
    Jigen grabbed the cloth from the box. Wrapped up in it was a palm sized ruby. "I guess this is the rock," he said as he held it.
    "I say you throw it in the water," Lupin said. "The queen doesn't deserve her stupid ruby back."
    "We're returning it," Jigen said in a stern voice. He put the ruby in his leather pouch and looked at the three before walking past them and down the bridge.

Chapter 4 - Forgiveness

    "I still say she doesn't deserve it," Lupin said as he and the others sat in the healing spring and relaxed.
    "We should keep it," Fujiko said. "I'm sure we can get a lot of money for it when we get back home."
    "To say her daughter was kidnapped when she really eloped and then punishing a whole town over it is unforgivable," Goemon said. "I say we give the ruby to the people of Noaniels."
    "She's just confused," Jigen said, the others looking at him and not understanding. "The first human she had contact with was Ortega. The way she reacted when I told her he was dead, I think she really cared about him. And then her next contact with humans, they robbed the elves and wrecked their property. And then her daughter goes missing with one of them."
    "And so she locks the mans father up and puts his whole town to sleep?" Lupin asked. "Because of the actions of a few?"
    "I'm not defending her," Jigen assured him.
    "Then what are you doing?" Goemon asked.
    "So she doesn't like humans," Jigen started to explain. "What way would be better in order for her to start liking them again? Your way, going in saying "Your daughter killed herself because your thought process is stupid and, oh by the way, we threw the ruby in the lake because we didn't think you deserved it" or my way saying "We found this letter by the underground lake, we're sorry about your daughters death and here is your family treasure". So?"
    "I guess..." Lupin said with a sigh.
    "The main reason we're doing this is to get her to lift the curse on that town, not to solve all their problems," Jigen said, giving Lupin a fed up look. "Why are you guys having such a hard time with this?"
    "That ruby is probably worth one hundred million dollars," Fujiko thought out loud.
    "She should be forced to undo the curse, not be rewarded for it," Goemon said.
    "Will she even appreciate what we've done for her?" Lupin asked. "And what reward will she give us?"
    "What I asked her to give us," Jigen said. "She'll wake up Noaniels."
    Lupin looked at him and groaned in disappointment. "You couldn't have added money to the reward?"
    Jigen looked at him and smiled. "We should get out of here and get this over with," he said as he stood up and walked out of the water, grabbing his clothes on the ground and putting them on.
    The others agreed and did the same, putting their clothes and armor on and getting ready to fight their way back to the elven village. As they made their way towards the exit of the cave they could hear booming and howling. The wind blowing in was chilly, flashes of light filled the room from outside. Peering outside they saw the sky was dark and grey, the rain pounding down, lightening flashing followed by booming thunderclaps.
    "Well, I guess we'll stay here for the night," Jigen said as he put his stuff down.
    All of them settled in. Jigen sat near a small boulder he had cast a blaze spell on and was soaking in the heat. Lupin layed on the other side of the fire next to Fujiko, his arm wrapped around her waist. Goemon sat against the wall about ten feet away and meditated.
    They all had a good night of sleep and when morning came the sun was once again shining. Small drops of collected water dripped from the trees and off the rounded leaves of the surrounding shrubs. The grass was still damp, the ground soft.
    Lupin was the first to wake up. He lifted his head and looked around, then looked down at Fujiko, who was sleeping deeply besides him. Bending over her, he brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her gently on the cheek. He got up quietly and walked out of the cave, finding a rock to sit on as he scanned the surrounding area.
    His breath turned to a thin fog as it hit the cold air around him. In the distance he watched a group of nine spiked hares as they frolicked and rolled around in the moist grass. Suddenly they froze, their ears standing at attention before scurrying off as a lone avenger raven flew after them.
    Almost twice as large as a black raven, the avenger raven had a duller beak and it's black feathers had a green irridescant hue that glimmered as it flew. Lupin stared at it until it disappeared into the thick folage of the forest.
    "You okay?" Jigen asked as he walked up behind Lupin.
    "Hmm?" Lupin turned his head to the side. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just watching some wierd bird chase these wierd rabbits."
    "Sounds like a party," Jigen said with a slight laugh. He leaned up against a tree and looked around.
    "What about you?" Lupin asked. "Are you okay?"
    "I'm just not looking forward to having to tell the queen her daughter is dead." He stared off into the distance and sighed. "I don't get it. If you love somebody that much, why not run away and live somewhere else? It seems so stupid to kill yourself."
    "People don't care when two people run off to live together. But when they run off and sacrafice themselves over something they can't have, then people begin to think and wonder what's wrong with society to allow that to happen."
    "So they killed themselves to make some selfish statement?"
    Lupin laughed and shook his head. "One of these days, when you find the right person, you'll understand."
    "I doubt it," Jigen said as he looked back, Goemon and Fujiko exiting the cave.
    "You could have woken us," Goemon said.
    "Eh, you needed the sleep," Lupin said as he stood up.
    "Is everyone ready?" Jigen asked.
    "Yeah, let's get out of here," Fujiko said as she walked past them.
    The others soon followed as they made their way out of the woods and back into the open fields. The rain seemed to bring out the monsters, the constant fighting doubling the time to reach the elven village. They thought about using the wyvern wing to get there, but since you had to say the name of the town and the fact that saying "elven village" would probably not work, they decided to save it to get to Noaniels.
    Two hours later they were back at the entrance to the village, again facing the sharp points of spears and arrows. The informative guard who showed them out the day before ran up to greet them. "Do you have any news?" he asked in a hurried excitement.
    "Some, yes," Jigen said.
    "Oh," the guard said, the look on Jigen's face telling him it wasn't good news. "Well, the queen will see you then." He nodded to the others and they lowered their weapons and let them enter.
    They walked to the queens residence this time, another large wooden building that set behind the one Jigen had been in. Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko were told to wait outside as Jigen was led inside.
    The one who was leading stopped at a plain wooden door and knocked. When he got the okay to enter, he opened the door and motioned for Jigen to enter.
    Jigen looked back at the elf and then slowly stepped inside the room, the door quickly shutting behind him. He turned and looked at the door and then back at the room.
    "Oh, it's you," the queen said in disappointment, as if she were waiting for somebody else. "Well? Where's my daughter? Where is Anne?" Her voice was deep, angry and demanding.
    "I-I'm sorry," Jigen said as he pulled out the letter and handed it to the queen. "This was all that was left." He pulled out the Dream Ruby and set it down on a small table they stood next to.
    The queen stared down at the letter, the look on her face one of shock as she read it. "Was she...?" She looked up at him as the tears welled up in her eyes.
    "There was a lake nearby," Jigen said. "They most likely drowned themselves."
    "Oh, Anne!" she cried out as she almost collapsed into a nearby chair. "Why?! I knew how she felt, but... I should have listened! I shouldn't have been so hard on her!" She lowered her face into her palms and cried.
    'This is a bit uncomfortable,' Jigen thought as he stood, not knowing what to do.
    "Please," the queen finally managed to say between sobs. "Take the Wake Up Powder on that table." She pointed to a long table on the other wall, a small glass bottle set on it. "Remove the curse. Anne will probably never forgive me, but I want to make things right."
    Jigen walked to the table and grabbed the bottle, placing it inside his bag. "Thank you. I'm sorry things turned out this way for you." He looked over at her, neither saying anything as the seconds seemed to crawl by. Getting even more uncomfortable, Jigen turned and left the room.
    "So?" Lupin asked as Jigen walked out.
    "I have what we need," Jigen said. "I guess we can go back to Noaniels."
    "Shouldn't we let the man's father know?" Goemon asked.
    "We probably should," Jigen said.
    "Probably?" Fujiko asked as she gave him a look of disbelief.
    The four walked to the guarded building the man was being held. "What do you want?" one of the guards asked.
    "We need to speak to the man in here," Jigen said, the guards looking at one another.
    "It's all right," the queen said as she stood behind them.
    "My queen!" the guards said in shock as they kneeled down.
    "Wow..." Lupin said, the queens beauty leaving him speechless.
    "You may free the man now," the queen said, the guards quickly complying. She looked over at a gawking Lupin and grunted in disgust. "You humans are all alike," she said as she watched the man coming out of the building. "I trust you will return him home, son of Ortega," she said as she glanced over at Jigen, giving him a small smile.
    "Yeah," Jigen said as he looked away from her.
    "I will take my leave now," she said as she walked away.
    "You're welcome," Lupin muttered, glaring at her back.
    "Ah," the man said as he saw the four. "Did you find them? Did you find my son?"
    "He's dead," Jigen said. "I'm sorry."
    The man became visibally upset, mouthing words but unable to say them. "Wh-what?" he said in a low voice. "Dead?! But-but how?! How is this possible?!"
    Jigen told the man about the letter and the underground lake.
    The man never cried, but tried to remain strong despite the fact that he was a complete wreck. His hatred towards the elves seemed to grow as he started to yell obsenities at them as they passed.
    "I think we should leave," Lupin said hesitantly as angry elves began to approach them.
    "I think that would be a good idea," Jigen said as he pulled out the wyvern wing powder, throwing it into the air. "Noaniels," he said aloud. The powder sparkled and then flashed. Soon they were all standing at the front gates of Noaniels, looking around and wondering how it was possible something like that could happen.

Chapter 5 - The Awakening

    Still unsure of how they were suddenly in Noaniels, the four walked slowly inside, making sure it wasn't some trick or illusion. The man they were with almost ran inside and looked around to the ones asleep. He looked back at them as if saying "What are you waiting for?" as he returned to check on the others around them.
    "I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but here goes," Jigen said as he pulled out the bottle and poured it's gray powdery contents into his left hand. Suddenly a strong wind came and picked up the powder, dispersing it into the air around the town. The wind then stopped, the powder falling to the ground. Suddenly the people stirred, waking from the curse.
    They stood up from where they were and looked around, puzzled by what had happened. Some of them shrugged it off, going back to their usual daily tasks and not even realizing they had been asleep for almost twelve days. Others became frightenend and consoled one another. None of them had even noticed the five people standing and watching them.
    "You did it!" a voice cried out from behind them. It was the man they had released on their first visit. Behind him walked his family, big smiles on their faces. "Oh, thank you all so much!" The man was so happy that tears rolled down his face.
    "You're welcome," Jigen said with a smile.
    "My father told me what you had done," the mans son said. "Not many people would have done the same. Thank you." He smiled and nodded.
    "Yes, thank you so much," his wife said.
    "You're welcome," Jigen said to her. "Well, we should be going."
    "Oh, please stay," the man said. "I'm sure the people will want to thank you some how."
    The four looked at one another and then finally agreed to stay, not really wanting to turn down the townspeoples thanks.
    The man, who they found out was named Niel, gathered everyone around. He told them what had happened and that the four had saved them from eternal sleep. The people cheered. They also welcomed back Liam, the father of the young man who took his life.
    The one resturant and bar of Noaniels opened up, serving up free drinks for everyone. Most of the food was rotten, but the people were more than happy with free ale.
    Jigen looked around for an escape, not wanting to be around a bunch of drunk people who talked about the "good old days", but everywhere he walked there was someone eager to talk.
    "Oi," an average looking middle aged man said as he looked at Jigen. "You look familiar."
    "That's because 'e's the son of Ortega," a man next to him said. "I heard your friends talkin'." He gave a wink and knowingly tapped the side of his nose.
    "Aheheh, yeah," Jigen said in great disinterest.
    "You know," the first man said, "I was once roomed next door to Ortega. It seemed like only yesterday."
    "I remember that," the other man intervened. "'E was on 'is way to Assaram. Assaram, you know where that is, eh?" He looked up at Jigen who forced a half smile and a nod. "It's east of Romaly, but I'm sure you've already been there, eh?" The man laughed and nudged Jigen's arm.
    "Aye," the first man said with a sigh as he stared down at the grass. "It's hard to believe he's gone. Good fellow, Ortega was."
    "Not like 'e already knew that, you twat," the other man said. "This 'ere is Ortega's son, the one who is gonna bring peace to our land. Right, mate?"
    "Yeah, sure," Jigen said. "I need to go do something." With that he left the two men, who watched him leave and then continued on talking.
    "Something wrong?" Lupin asked as Jigen walked up to him.
    "I'd just rather not be here," he answered.
    "Come on, Jigen," Lupin said. "Stop moping and grab a drink."
    "I'm not moping."
    "Okay, fine," he said, raising his hands and backing off. They stood together, Lupin staring at Fujiko, who was busy showing off the Cloak of Evasion she had recieved from a grateful resident. "Isn't she beautiful?" Lupin asked with a happy sigh.
    "Depends on your definition of beautiful," Jigen said as he looked around.
    Lupin ignored his comment and continued staring.
    "Well, I'll see you in Kanave, then," Jigen said as he turned and walked off.
    "Have fun," Lupin said, so lost in Fujiko's beauty that he wasn't really listening.
    Fujiko waved to the people she was conversing with and walked over to Lupin. "Where's Jigen?" she asked, looking around. "I need to tell him something."
    "I don't know," he said while staring into her eyes.
    "Snap out it," she said with a raised voiced as she slapped him across the face, just hard enough for him to really feel it.
    "Hey! That hurt, you know." He glared at her as he held the side of his face.
    Just then Goemon walked up. "Are we ready to leave?"
    "Just as soon as we find Jigen," Fujiko said. "Now where is he? I saw you two talking." She glared at Lupin while waiting for an answer.
    "I don't know," Lupin said as he glared back. "He said something about Kanave. I wasn't listening."
    "So he left?" Fujiko asked in anger. "And you let him?"
    "If we hurry we can catch up," Goemon said.
    The three left Noaniels, the residents not really noticing they were gone. They sprinted out past the front gates and stopped, relieved to see Jigen sitting on a large rock a few yards from where they stood.
    He stood up when he saw them approaching. "Finally realized what I said, huh?" he asked Lupin.
    "What is wrong with you?!" Lupin asked in frustration. "What are you, an idiot or something?"
    "I was wondering the same about you," Jigen responded.
    Lupin grinned and shook his head. "Fujiko has something to tell you," he said as he walked over and took a seat on the rock.
    "You mentioned you had the spell 'Return', right?" she asked.
    "Yeah," he answered. "What about it?"
    "One of the townspeople told me that it works the same as the wyvern wing we used. So there's no need to buy them anymore and it can save on the long walks."
    "Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Lupin asked as he hopped off the rock and walked towards them.
    Jigen pulled out and unrolled the scroll, reading the words and then ending it with "Kanave". They quickly disappeared and then reappeared a second later at the front entrance to Kanave.
    "Ugh," Lupin said as he held his stomach. "Does that make anyone else sick?"
    "I'd rather be sick than have that long walk," Jigen said.
    They all agreed on that and then headed towards the eatery, walking by the graveyard quickly as to not have another unwanted encounter. They sat down and got their drinks, all drinking them in silence.
    Two soldiers sat down at the next table, their conversation peeking the fours interest. "They said Kandar fled again," one said.
    "Figures," the other said. "Where'd he go this time?"
    "Towards the west. Probably to the Tower of Shanpane."
    "Again? He needs to stay in one spot so we can nab him."
    "Yeah. This going back and forth is getting on my nerves."
    "So, now we know where the tower is," Jigen said.
    "Too bad we can't just warp there," Lupin said.
    "So, what's the plan?" Goemon asked.
    "We'll rest up and then leave tonight," Jigen said. "That way we can get there before morning so we don't have to walk in the heat."
    "Sounds good to me," Lupin said as he downed his drink.
    Fujiko and Goemon agreed. Soon the food came and they ate, finishing their meals rather quickly so they would have a few hours to lay down and rest before their long trek.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:26:24 GMT

Part Five - The Elves And The Dream Ruby

Chapter 1 - Noaniels, the Town That Sleeps

    The four left Kanave and headed north, walking in the grassy valley before reaching a small cluster of hills. The farther north they got the colder the air was. And the fact that the sun was still behind the tall mountains didn't help. A few hours into the trip they stopped, deciding to take a quick break. "About how much longer?" Lupin asked.
    "Not too much," Jigen answered. "See those trees up ahead?" He pointed to a small cluster of trees in the distance. "That's where Noaniels is."
    "All of this walking and fighting is getting boring." Lupin sighed as he began to throw rocks at some nearby slimes.
    "Well, I'm afraid we have a lot more of that ahead of us," Jigen said.
    "I wish someone around here did have horses," Fujiko said.
    "Sitting around and whining isn't going to get us anywhere," Goemon said as he stood up and began walking.
    "Well, I guess we're leaving," Jigen said with a sigh while watching Goemon. He stood up and followed.
    Lupin and Fujiko groaned, not wanting to go on, but doing so anyway.
    Less than an hour later they were walking towards the main entrance to Noaniels. They all stopped under the wooden archway and looked around, unable to believe what they saw.
    The towns people were laying on the ground, leaning over booths, sitting passed out in chairs. Whatever they were doing at the time, it was as if they fell asleep while doing it.
    "Are you sure they're asleep?" Fujiko asked as she stared closely at one of the townspeople.
    "They look dead," Lupin said as he nudged one with his boot.
    "Will you knock that off?" Jigen said to Lupin. "Let's just check all the buildings and see what we can find. Luckily there aren't a lot of them."
    The others agreed and they began going from building to building, shop to shop, trying to find if anyone was awake to help them. With only one house left, they began to lose hope, deciding to just forget about the whole thing and let someone else deal with it. "Hello?" Lupin hollored as they stepped inside, a man and woman asleep at the kitchen table. "Anyone alive?"
    "Hello?" a muffled voice asked back.
    "It came from there," Fujiko said as she pointed to a wood door, debris stacked in front of it. Soon there was pounding on the door, the others rushing forward and removing the items as Fujiko watched. When it was all clear she pulled the door open, an old man on the other side of it. "Are you all right?"
    "Oh, thank you," he said happily as he stumbled out of the room.
    "What happened?" Jigen asked.
    "It was Kandar's men," the man said in an angry sigh. "Once they heard that this village was put under a curse they came in and cleared the place of anything valuable."
    "So, why aren't you asleep?" Lupin asked.
    "I was out in the forest getting firewood." The man sat down in a chair and rubbed his balding head. "When I came back, everyone was like you see them now."
    "Why did this happen?" Lupin asked.
    "A young man from this village had somehow met the princess of the elven village. They quickly fell in love, but the elf queen didn't agree, so she forbode her daughter from ever seeing the man again. The man, in anger, kidnapped the princess and the royal families heirloom, the Dream Ruby. And then in the towns refusal to help her, the queen put a curse on Noaniels."
    "So, if we help the queen and return what she wants, she'll lift the curse?" Jigen asked.
    "It's the only way, but she can be hard to deal with." The man got up and walked to a small dresser, pulling out a scrap of paper from the top drawer. "The village of elves is hidden, but I have it's location here." He handed Jigen the paper, a small map scribbled on it. "You must give the queen what she wants. Please. It's the only way my family will ever awaken." He looked sadly at his sleeping son and daughter-in-law.
    "They'll wake up," Jigen said to the man. "Don't worry about it."
    The man smiled, tears building up in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you all so much."
    No one said a word to him, but instead gave a small smile before turning and walking out of the house. "You sound so confident that we're going to figure this out," Goemon said to Jigen.
    "I never said we'd wake them up," Jigen said.
    "So you just lied to a desperate old man," Fujiko said, a bit disgusted, as even she wouldn't sink that low.
    "That's pretty cold, Jigen," Lupin said.
    "I never said we wouldn't try, did I?" Jigen turned and looked at the others as they stared at him. "Look, what was I supposed to say?"
    "I guess it doesn't really matter now," Lupin said. "Let's just go there and get it over with."
    "I didn't hear any of you offering consoling words of hope to the guy," Jigen said as they stepped out of the village.
    "Can we not argue about this?" Goemon asked.
    "Yeah, it does seem pretty pointless," Lupin said. "We are going to go try to help."
    "And we could have said something to the man," Fujiko said.
    Jigen stared off in front of him, their words frustrating to hear. "That's what I just said," he muttered under his breath.
    "Huh?" Lupin asked.
    "Nothing," Jigen said, looking back and smiling at him.
    "Oh, because it sounded like you said something," Lupin said. "Are you sure you didn't say anything?"
    "I never said I didn't say anything," Jigen said, getting even more frustrated. "I simply meant that what I said didn't mean anything."
    "Well if it means nothing then why don't you tell us what you said." Lupin was quiet as he waited for a response. "I'm waiting."
    "Lupin," Fujiko said as she glared at him. "Shut up."
    "Fine," he muttered as he returned the glare.

Chapter 2 - A Hidden Village And Racist Elves

    They travelled towards the west, getting closer to another large forest. Jigen walked ahead of the group, Lupin a few yards behind him and Fujiko and Goemon walked together a few yards behind him. Jigen stopped and pulled out the map the man had given him. He stood and looked down at it, using it as an excuse to wait for Lupin to catch up with him. When he did, Jigen started walking again. "I said something, you and Fujiko repeated it like I had never said it and then I said that I had just said that."
    Lupin was completely lost in what Jigen had said. "What are you talking about? Did I miss something?"
    "When we left Noaniels that was what I said," Jigen said. "That I had just said what you two had just said."
    "And what did we say?" Lupin asked, getting a blank stare from Jigen. "Nevermind," he said with a sigh. "I'm tired and hungry and feel like this is one long nightmare I can't wake up from."
    "Same here," Jigen said. "Wouldn't it be weird if it was all just a bad dream? One of those hateful 'Oh thank goodness it was all just a dream' endings?"
    Lupin laughed. "You hate those, too, huh?"
    "Doesn't everybody?"
    "Can I ask you something?"
    "Sure."
    "After we got out of that tower, you said something about this being different for you. What did you mean?"
    "It's...I don't know. It's just strange."
    "Strange like how? This whole thing is strange for all of us."
    Jigen stopped walking and stared at the ground. "It's just like my life all over again in some parallel universe. Rhyan looks like me, his mom looks like my mom, his dad looks like my dad. His dad left to bring peace to the world and then he leaves to do the same and his mom ends up alone."
    "Yeah, but you and your dad are still alive, right?" He stared at Jigen, who remained silent. "Look, it's just like you said. It's strange. That's all it is. It's a strange coincidence. Plus Rhyan never had brothers or sisters, so it can't be all that parallel."
    "Maybe I'm just trying to make too much sense out of this. Thanks." He looked at Lupin and gave a sincere smile.
    "Anything wrong?" Goemon asked as he and Fujiko caught up.
    "No," Lupin answered. "We were just waiting for you. The elf village is somewhere in there." Lupin pointed to a grouping of trees, lighter in color than the others around it.
    The forest was thick as they entered. Lupin and Jigen led the way, hacking a path through the brush with their weapons. A rustling sound was heard in the brush ahead and all of them mentally groaned, sick of monsters jumping out at them. When it was a young girl who instead fled from the area they decided to follow her.
    "Humans!" the girl cried as she entered the village. "Humans have come!"
    Some of the men grabbed spears and bows, ready to protect their people from the arriving threat.
    The four made their way through the brush, only to find themselves facing the metal tips of arrows and spears, glaring elves on the other end of them. "Drop your weapons!" one of them demanded.
    "We only came to talk to your queen," Jigen said, holding his shield in front of him.
    "I said drop your weapons," the man repeated, a bit slower this time.
    They stared at the angry elves and then complied, dropping their weapons to the ground, where some of the younger elf males ran over and snatched them up. They were then led to a small hut, one of the men unlocking it before forcing them inside. Once inside, the door was closed and locked. "I always thought elves were more...gentle," Lupin said as he worked at the lock.
    "I see you have also found this place," a voice said from a dark corner. A middle-aged man walked out of the shadows and towards them.
    "Who are you?" Jigen asked.
    "I came to make amends," the man said. "My son was the cause of all of this. I felt that if I came to apologize, then they would lift the curse off my village. The queen.....she's just so stubborn and filled with hate."
    "So it was your son who abducted the princess," Lupin said.
    "Abducted?" The man looked at him and laughed. "They were madly in love. They ran off together to marry. He wouldn't have done anything to put her in harm."
    "They eloped?" Goemon asked.
    "The man in Noaniels said that your son took the princess and the ruby because he was mad at the queen," Lupin said.
    "I'm not sure they'd want to see you back there again," Jigen said.
    The man looked down and sighed. "I told him to forget about her. I told him to just let things be, but..."
    "I'm sure they are somewhere happy together," Fujiko said. "It's everyone else who's overeacting."
    Lupin continued to fiddle with the lock when the door opened, two elves entering. "You," one said as he pointed to Jigen. "The queen will see you."
    "Good luck," Lupin muttered to him as he walked out with the elves.
    "Move," the other elf said as he grabbed Jigen and shoved him forward, the two staying back and keeping their weapons ready. They shoved him in the direction of a large ivy covered cabin, poking the back of his armor with their spears until he got inside. There they struck him in the back of the knees and pushed him down, forcing him to kneel down to the queen, who stood watching with disinterest from atop her wooden throne.
    "That's enough," she said to the two men, who bowed and left. She stared down at Jigen, who stared at the floor. "Humans," she said in disgust. "How dare you foul our forest with your presence." She stood up and walked forward, stopping right in front of him.
    Jigen looked up at her. She was tall and thin with flowing brown hair and leaf green eyes. A white and green silk robe covered most of her body, the long sleeves hiding her hands, the bottom of it bunched up on the ground, but not seeming dirty as it should have been.
    "You..." she said as she reached down and lifted off his helmet. "Stand up," she ordered, staring into his eyes when he did so. "I guess I was mistaken." She thrust the helmet at him and walked away, returning to her throne. "Now, why have you come here, human?"
    "My name..." He paused as she continued staring at him. "...isn't important. Look, I just want you to lift the curse on Noaniels."
    The queen laughed. "That I cannot do."
    "Is there anything we can do to get you to change your mind?"
    The queen continued to stare at him. "You remind me of a young man who came through here long ago. He stumbled upon our village injured, thirsty and hungry. He said his name was Ortega and that he had come seeking help for his friends who were dying. Out of pity I took them in. I had never been in contact with humans before, but his compassion and caring for his men was admirable. I began to think all humans were like him. And then two years ago another young man found us. Soon he and his friends were stealing our supplies and wrecking our houses. My daughter, Anne, took it upon herself to stop it. She took our families Dream Ruby and left for Noaniels to reason with them. That was the last this village ever saw of her. The mans father said they eloped. Ha! A human and an elf? Impossible!"
    "Ortega....Ortega was my father," Jigen said regrettably.
    The queen was shocked. "Your father? Is he...?"
    "He was killed on his way to fight Baramos."
    "I see. I'm sorry to hear that." She stared off and then returned her attention to Jigen. "Return the Dream Ruby and my daughter and I will lift the curse." Her words were very curt and were almost as if she was forcing herself to be strict with him. "Now leave."
    "Yeah, thanks," Jigen said as he turned and started out of the cabin.
    "Guards! Release this mans friends and show them out of the village." The queen glared as the guards ran outside.
    Jigen walked to the small hut, where the others were waiting, two guards standing behind them. "What'd she say?" Lupin asked.
    "What I figured she would," Jigen answered as they were led out of the village. "Once she gets the ruby and her daughter then she'll remove the curse."
    "And where do we find them?" Goemon asked.
    "How should I know," Jigen said with a shrug.
    "I know this isn't my place, but..." one of the guards said hesitantly.
    The other guard, surprised, stared at him. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "What if the queen finds out?"
    "Do you not want to find Anne?" the guard asked the other.
    "Yes, but these humans will never find her," he said as he glared at the four.
    "It's our only chance," the guard said. "Humans won't even acknowledge us, but with these four they may be able to talk to the human male to return Anne."
    "Fine," the other guard said unhappily. "But I was never involved in this, you hear?"
    The guard smiled and nodded, focusing his attention once again on the four. "Anne used to go to this cave. It was her special place she would hide when things weren't looking too bright."
    "Is it near here?" Jigen asked.
    "It's southwest from here, in those trees." He pointed to a large grouping of trees in the distance. "I've never been there, but Anne once told me about this large tree she would climb. She said it was bigger than any of the others. The cave may be near that tree."
    "All right, thanks," Jigen said with a nod as they came to the edge of the forest. He and the others walked to the southwest, hoping to quickly find Anne and the ruby.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:24:13 GMT

Chapter 3 - Kanave

    The four walked into Kanave Village, or more like shuffled since their legs were numb from all the running. The people of the village stood and stared as they passed, but they payed no attention as their minds were on other things, such as food, hot showers and a nice bed. No one cared that it was the middle of the day and that they had a task to complete. In the end the nice beds won out over the other options and they found themselves walking into the inn, each getting a room and then collapsing onto the beds when they got to them.
    By the time they were all awake the sun was starting to set over the tall snowcapped mountains. The village guards, ordinary citizens who took it upon themselves to ensure the people were safe, began to take their positions at each of the entrances. The lanterns around the village were being lit much like in the village of Reeve, but unlike that village, this one seemed to be more lively in the evening hours.
    Removing their armor and leaving their gear in the rooms, they headed out, deciding to take a look at what the place had to offer while at the same time finding a place to eat.
    Most of the shops were closed for the day and a lot of the other buildings were houses. To the north of Kanave was a small graveyard, small rounded stones clustered together and surrounded by an old weathered wooden fence. Inside was a man standing by one of the graves, a few odds and ends placed in front of it. He had his head bowed and was saying a prayer as the group walked up to him.
    "Relative of yours?" Lupin asked as they approached.
    "Huh?" The man looked up at them, a bit startled by their quiet entry. "Oh, no, he's not."
    "So, then why bother?" Lupin wondered aloud.
    "He was a very important man," the man said, a bit offended. "This village owes him a lot more than what we have given him."
    "What'd he do?" Jigen asked as he stared down at the stone, strange letters carved in it.
    "Many years ago Kanave was attacked by a horde of monsters," the man explained, talking as though he had told this story many times and actually enjoyed it. "This was around the time when Ortega was sought to defeat the Archfiend. The men in the village had been able to kill or chase away all of the monsters except one. A giant, mean, nasty grizzly bear. Oh, it was a stubborn one. It had smashed ten houses by the time Teague stepped up. He stared the grizzly down and then ran at it. A fierce battle had ensued and when it was all over Teague was able to kill the grizzly. And he did it with his bare hands. Such a brave sole."
    "So what killed him?" Lupin asked.
    "His injuries from the battle were severe and God did not give him His blessing, so he died." The man bowed his head. He then excused himself and made his way out of the graveyard and down a dirt path towards the south side of the village.
    "Killing a grizzly with your bare hands?" Jigen asked. "I don't believe it."
    "Sounds like this guy is getting more credit than he deserves," Lupin said while staring down at the gravestone.
    "I don't think you should talk about him like that at his grave," Goemon said.
    "Or what?" Lupin asked with a laugh. "He's gonna come and haunt us?"
    "Yeah, Goemon. Really." Fujiko gave a small laugh and shook her head.
    "Ha ha ha!" The deep hoarse laugh came from behind them.
    "What's so...funny..." Lupin said, his words trailing off as he turned and looked at the laughing man.
    The others froze when they saw him. A short man of great build, he wore old tattered clothing and was very unclean looking. But his main features were that he was pale, a bit transparent and had a light blue glow surrounding him. He laughed once again, causing the four to shudder. "Aye, now ye shouldn't be so frightened o' me," he said in a somewhat cheerful voice.
    "Um....who...who are you?" Jigen asked.
    "Me name is Teague," he answered. "I like to visit me grave to see what the people left me." He looked down at the few offerings and smiled.
    "Uh, about what we said earlier," Lupin said with a nervous laugh.
    "Don't ye all worry yerselves about that," Teague said. "Ye are right. Sometimes, people just need a wee bit more faith in troubled times."
    "So, you didn't kill a grizzly with your bare hands?" Lupin asked.
    Teague laughed. "Heavens no. I used me trusty iron claws." He laughed once again. "Aye, it felt good to be a hero, if only for a moment." He sighed and stared off as he thought back. Soon he began to fade away and then he was gone. The four looked around and then looked at each other. They each said a prayer at the grave before quickly leaving.

    "Never speak ill of a man while standing at his grave," Lupin said, repeating what Goemon had just told him as they all sat down and ate. "Right, I'll remember that one."
    "Be sure you do," Goemon said seriously.
    Lupin looked back at Fujiko, who stood waiting at the bar. "What's taking so long," he wondered.
    "Hey Lupin," Jigen said as he sat back with his drink. "Maybe you can get some of those iron claws."
    "So I kin kill me uh grizzly bar?" he said in a southern twang.
    Jigen laughed and shook his head. "Something like that."
    "Finally," Lupin said as Fujiko came back with two drinks. "What took so long?"
    "Those two people," she said as she looked back at a man and woman sitting at the bar, "were telling me a story about some town to the north. Appearantly they angered some elves and were all put to sleep."
    "Sounds like someone's over their limit," Lupin said with a laugh.
    "Is this a story or is it supposed to be real?" Jigen asked.
    "They say it really happened," Fujiko said. "About ten days ago."
    "Elves?" Lupin asked as he stared at Fujiko. "Like the mythical beings? Those types of elves?"
    "Geez, Lupin," Jigen sighed. "Look where we are. If someone told me there were seven headed horses that lived under the ocean, I would believe them."
    "Why don't we go to this town and see for ourselves?" Goemon said.
    "I guess it couldn't hurt," Jigen said. "We can leave tomorrow morning after we get supplies."
    "Yeah," Lupin said as he stared at the table. "I noticed some guy with horses. Maybe he'll let us use them to get to this place."
    "We can ask him before we leave," Jigen said.
    "The funny thing about them, though, was they all had seven heads." Lupin looked at Jigen and laughed, Fujiko and Goemon joining in.
    Jigen laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, ha ha, guys. Very funny."

    The next morning they walked together to the arms dealer and looked at what the man had. After chatting with him and finding out what would fit who best for their journey they grabbed what they needed, purchased them and left.
    Fujiko found nothing of interest, satisfied with her light load. Goemon traded in his bronze shield for a much stronger iron shield. Jigen did the same, but also traded in his chain mail and leather armor for the stronger yet bulkier half plate of armor. Lupin sold the copper sword Jigen gave him and bought iron claws. He then traded in his training suit and bought a fighting suit, which was made of thick wool with a layer of chain mail underneath. It also came with iron and leather arm protectors which the claws could easily be fastened to.
    They then walked to the items shop and looked around. "Wing of Wyvern," Jigen said as he read the small bottle filled with a brownish powder. "What does this do?"
    The old man who ran the shop looked up. "If you find you need to get to a town quickly, you throw the powder in the air and say the name of the town you wish to go. The magic in the Wyvern wing will warp you to there. But it must be a place you have once been to or it won't work."
    "And it really works?" Lupin asked.
    "If it does," Goemon said as he walked up to them, "then we should buy one and save us the walk back from the sleeping town."
    "Oh, so you're going to Noaniels," the old man said. "My son had a shop there and was here visiting when the curse was bestowed upon them. It is a sad thing."
    "Why would someone do that to other people?" Fujiko asked.
    "There has been a feud between humans and elves for some time now," the old man said. "The humans feel they did nothing wrong and the elves demand them to apologize for their wrongdoings."
    "What'd they do wrong?" Jigen asked.
    "I haven't a clue," the old man answered to the others disappointment.
    "Then I guess we'll have to go and find out for ourselves," Jigen said as he payed for the items.
    "Good luck with that," the old man said with a laugh, the others looking at him and then walking out.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:18:39 GMT

Part Four - Kandar The Thief

Chapter 1 - Romaly, the Castle City

    They travelled north and stopped as they came to the forests edge. In the distance stood a large gray castle, the colorful flags flying above the pointed roofs of its towers just barely visible. Lupin, Jigen and Goemon stood next to one another and stared at the stone structure, it's size from their position telling them it was a huge castle. Mort, his arm wrapped around Fujiko's waist, let out a happy sigh as he, too, stared at the castle. "Romaly," he said. "I never thought I'd be this close to it."
    Lupin mumbled something under his breath, glancing over at the two and watching as they started to walk towards the castle. "Who does that guy think he is?" he asked Jigen and Goemon.
    "Like I said before," Jigen said, "she only wants his money."
    "Yeah, well I want more than that," Lupin said as he reached over and grabbed the hilt of Jigen's sword.
    "What are you doing?" Jigen asked as he moved away from the desperate Lupin.
    "Come on, Jigen. Give me your sword." Lupin continued to grab for it, going as far as attempting to wrestle Jigen to the ground.
    "Get away from me," Jigen said as he shoved Lupin back with his shield.
    "Fine!" Lupin said as he turned to Goemon. "Goemon, give me your weapon," he demanded.
    Goemon stared at Lupin and then walked away.
    Jigen smiled and walked up to Lupin, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Fujiko will make his life miserable. Don't worry about it." He walked off, following Goemon as Lupin stood in anger and watched before finally heading off himself.
    Surrounding the castle was a large town, with a tall stone wall surrounding everything. As the five arrived the townspeople were busy doing their last minute tasks before the sun set. Two heavily armed guards welcomed them as they arrived, Mort and Fujiko first, followed by Jigen and Goemon and then Lupin, who lagged far behind them.
    Lupin, still a bit angry, wasn't in the mood for company and wandered off by himself, looking for the nearest place to get a drink. After asking an older couple for directions he made his way towards the pubs location, a large square white painted brick building. The wood sign swinging above the doorway was marked "CASINO" and there was a large crowd gathered outside. Shoving his way through, he made it to the door and walked inside.
    The interior of the building was brightly colored, tapestries hanging from the walls. Candled chandoliers hung from the ceiling, giving off a surprising amount of light. Scattered around the place were a variety of plants, armor and weaponary and a few stuffed monsters. Right off the entrance was the pub, the casino set off to the left, which seemed to be where most of the people were going.
    Lupin walked into the pub and took a seat at the bar. The people inside seemed happy, talking and laughing as they enjoyed their food and drink. This made Lupin somewhat depressed as he ordered his first of many drinks for the night.

    "Where's Lupin?" Fujiko asked Jigen and Goemon, both of whom looked around and shrugged. "Oh well," she said, quickly forgetting about him. "Mort wanted me to tell you that he has invited us to dinner as a way of thanks."
    "Lucky us," Jigen said unenthusiastically.
    "It's one dinner, Jigen," she said, glaring at him. "Enjoy it."
    "Shouldn't Lupin be coming, too?" Goemon asked.
    "If you can find him in time and if he behaves," Fujiko said.
    "And when is this dinner with the great and wonderful Mort?" Jigen asked.
    "He said when the church bells ring eight," she said. "And don't act like an idiot," she said to Jigen before turning and walking off.
    Jigen and Goemon watched her before setting off to find Lupin, as they felt if they had to be forced to have dinner with Mort then he should, too. They walked around and in between the buildings, which all seemed to be white and rectangular. The signs on them were the only thing keeping the two from going in circles. Seeing a large building with people around it, they walked towards it. Seeing it was a casino, they looked at one another and smiled, knowing they found the place. Stepping inside they looked around, spotting Lupin at the bar.
    "Getting drunk again, I see," Jigen said as he sat down next to Lupin, Goemon sitting on the other side of him.
    "Leave me alone," Lupin mumbled as he sat slouched over his drink.
    "Sorry Lupin, but mister perfect invited us to dinner and we're not going without you," Jigen said. He got up and grabbed Lupin's arm, trying to pull him away from the bar.
    "I'm not going," Lupin said in anger as he pulled his arm away from Jigen's grasp.
    "Stop acting like a three year old and come on," Jigen said, getting frustrated.
    "Lupin?" Fujiko said as she stood a few feet behind him. They all turned and looked at her. "Can I talk to him alone?" she asked. She walked up to one of the stools and sat down as Jigen and Goemon left. "I know you're upset about Mort, but-"
    "It's not that," Lupin said. "I know you just want his money." He sighed and stared down at his drink.
    "Well, then what is it?" she asked, putting her hand on his arm.
    "We're here because I dragged all of you along to get some stupid stone I wanted. If I had just gone to get it myself then maybe none of this would have happened."
    "But what if it did? Then you would be here all alone and we would have never seen you again."
    "I guess," he sighed.
    "We came because we wanted to, not because you forced us. And besides, it's better this way. We're all here and together we'll figure this thing out and get back home."
    Lupin looked at her and smiled. "Thanks Fujiko." He stood up and took her hands in his, pulling her up and close to him. Wrapping their arms around each other, they kissed passionately before heading outside. "Hey, where's Jigen?" Lupin asked as Goemon waited for them outside.
    "A guard that was passing by saw him and took him to see the king," Goemon answered. "He said to tell you he'd be a little late."
    "Oh, well, all right," Lupin said. "Then lead the way to this wondeful gathering, my lady." He smiled at Fujiko.

    Jigen followed the guard through the castle as they headed towards the king's chambers. This castle was much more elaborate than the one in Aliahan. It was also about four times bigger. The whole interior seemed to be covered in a white marble, with huge marble pillars rising up about two stories until they rested on the ceiling. Guards walked the aisles as the castle maids rushed from room to room.
    "It's right this way, Rhyan," the guard said as he motioned towards a set of large wooden doors.
    "Thanks," Jigen said as he passed the guard and pushed open one of the doors. He stood in shock, amazed by the amount of gold and jewels the room contained. Everything from armor to weapons to crowns were displayed on either side. Down the middle of the floor was a purple and silver carpet, the end of it sitting yet more gold and jewels in the form of two thrones, both occupied by the king and his daughter.
    "Sir Rhyan," the king bellowed out happily. He was a middle aged man with brown shoulder length curly hair and a short trimmed moustache. He wore a large purple and white robe which hung down to his knees, his black pants barely visible between the robe and his white calf high stockings. On his fingers he wore many rings and around his neck were several gold necklaces. "Please, come closer."
    Jigen walked slowly up to the king and princess. Not knowing how he should greet them he just stood there. He smiled at the king and then at the princess, who smiled back. He gave her a once over, her small body fit tightly into a white silk dress, her flowing brown hair hanging down over each shoulder. He found himself staring into her big sapphire eyes as she stared into his until the king's hearty voice broke their glances.
    "It's so good to see that you are still alive and well, Sir Rhyan," the king said as he smiled. "I'm sure you have quite a story to tell."
    "And I'm sure nobody would believe it, either," Jigen said.
    "Yes, well, I'm afraid we don't have time for that. But maybe one day you will be able to share your adventures. I'm sure Julianna would love to hear them. Wouldn't you, dear?" He looked over towards his daughter.
    She looked away from Jigen and looked at her father. "I would, father," she said with a smile.    "We never forgot what you had done for us long ago and we are still forever in your debt," the king said. "But I'm afraid we have a new problem. We would hope that you would aid us in our troubled times once again."
    Jigen hesitated, the words of the old man in the tower of Najima running through his head. He groaned mentally, as he knew the others wouldn't be too happy to hear about another little side quest. "What is it that you need?"
    "I feel so foolish to trouble you with this," the king said.
    "No, it's no trouble at all," Jigen said, trying to act interested in whatever he was about to be stuck with.
    "Our family heirloom, the Golden Crown, was taken from us by a sinister thief named Kandar. Using the disguise of a guard, he came in and took it right under our noses. If you were to go retrieve the Golden Crown and return it, I will reward you handsomely."
    "So, where would I find Kandar?"
    "I have heard that his hideout is in the Tower of Shanpane. I suspect you know where it is."
    "Um, yeah, I know exactly where it is," Jigen said with a smile.
    "Oh, splendid! I am very happy that you have decided to help us once again, Sir Rhyan. If there is nothing more then we shall return to our quarters for the night."
    "No, I guess that's it," Jigen said, taking a step back as the king stood up and walked towards the wooden doors behind the thrones.
    "Thank you, Sir Rhyan, for helping us," the princess said as she stood up, walking over to him and giving him a small kiss on the lips before turning and following her father.
    Jigen smiled, watching her until the doors closed. Two guards took their position in front of them. Jigen left the room, making his way out of the castle and towards the resturant the others were in.

    The four were in the middle of eating, everyone surprisingly having a good time. Lupin had just finished telling a funny story about one of his many escapes from Zenigata when he saw Jigen walking towards them. "And here comes mister important," he said with a grin. "So? What did the king want?"
    Jigen took a seat, taking his shield off and propping it up against the side of the chair. "He had a favor to ask."
    "The king of Romaly asked you a favor?" Mort asked, acting honored to be sitting at the same table as him.
    "Well?" Fujiko asked. "What did he want?"
    "Some crown got stolen and he wants it back," Jigen answered, waiting for the negative response.
    "And you said no, right?" Lupin asked as he stared at Jigen across the table.
    "By your silence I would say that you agreed to his request," Goemon said.
    "Like a key wasn't fun enough," Fujiko said as she also stared at him. "Now we have to go find a crown. Gee, thanks, Jigen."
    Jigen stared down at the table and sighed. "Look, that old man told us that if we didn't-"
    "Nobody here believes what he said, Jigen," Lupin said with a raised voice. "I guess you were the only one stupid enough to fall for that crap."
    "Yeah, well I'm sorry for trying to get us out of what you got us into." Jigen crossed his arms and glared at Lupin.
    "Gentlemen, please," Mort said as he smiled nervously.
    "Oh, so now everything is my fault," Lupin said, ignoring Mort. "Oh, look at me," he began to say in a mocking manner, "I'm Rhyan and I'm gonna save the world." Lupin stood up and placed his hands on the table, leaning over and glaring at Jigen. "You don't even know who you are anymore."
    "Do you think I wanted this?" Jigen asked as he glared up at Lupin. "I would be happy just to brush it all onto someone else, but I can't."
    "Yeah, you can say that, but would you really?" Lupin asked as he straightened up.
    Jigen stared up at him in silence. He then glanced around the table, everyone looking very uncomfortable. He reached down and grabbed his shield, standing up and leaving.
    The others watched in silence as he left the resturant, all except Lupin wanting to say something to make him stay, but none finding the right words.

Chapter 2 - Towards the Tower

    Jigen layed on his back in bed, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, his arms outstretched in front of him as he held his sword, staring at it while the light of the full moon shone on the dulled metal. He looked over at the door as someone quietly knocked on it. He sighed, getting up and going to it, still holding onto his sword. "Yeah," he said as he opened the door, Mort standing on the other side of it.
    "Did I wake you?" Mort asked, getting a small shake of the head as a response. "I'm sorry to be a bother, but I needed to talk to you."
    "All right," Jigen said as he stepped to the side. "Take a seat." He closed the door as Mort walked in and sat down in the wood chair in the corner of the room. "So?" Jigen asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.
    "I should apologize for my behavior when we first met," he said. "In my line of work you can't be too trusting of people." He laughed slightly as Jigen stared at him in disinterest. "My point in coming here was to give you this," he said while holding out a medium sized leather pouch. "I mean, when that man said that you were Rhyan, I immediatly saw the resemblance. I'm surprised it didn't hit me sooner." He laughed nervously as Jigen took the pouch.
    "Don't you need this for your shop?"
    "My shop can wait, but your journey for peace can't."
    Jigen looked down at the pouch and sighed. "I appreciate it, but I can't accept it."
    "But I insist, Sir Rhyan," Mort said as he pushed Jigen's hand back.
    "Look, Mort, I'm not Rhyan, all right? I just happen to be lucky enough to look like him."
    "I know," Mort said with a smile. "I had my suspicions and when I confronted Fujiko about it she told me the whole story."
    Jigen laughed in disbelief. "Sounds about right."
    "I'm glad you are so honest about it. Although I wouldn't tell everyone." He gave a small laugh. "And you need that gold more than I do," Mort said as he stood up. "So, please take it. I wish you all the luck on your quest. What you are doing, although selfish, is very brave and admirable." He smiled and then headed for the door.
    "Hold on a second," Jigen said as he looked up at Mort. "Maybe you can help me. Do you know where a Tower of Shanpane is?"
    Mort paused as he thought. "I think it's to the north, near some town. I'm not very knowledged in these lands, yet."
    "Well, thanks," Jigen said as he watched Mort leave. He threw the pouch on the table and laughed. "I wonder how far she went with him, only to have him just hand the gold over to me." He lit his cigarette and walked to the window, opening the two small panes of glass and leaning against the sill, staring out into the darkness.

    Early the next morning Jigen got up and left his room. He walked up and down the dirt and stone roads, looking for a place to buy supplies.
    "What are you doing?" Goemon asked as he leaned against a wall.
    "Nothing," Jigen answered as he kept walking.
    "You were going to get that crown by yourself." Goemon walked towards him.
    "Then you know what I'm doing," Jigen said, annoyed by the unwanted company.
    "That's pretty stupid, Jigen, even for you."
    "I'm just trying not to burden everyone with my stupid quests, all right?"
    Angered by Jigen's stubborness, Goemon stepped out in front of him. "Get past me and I'll let you go," he said as he readied his chain sickle and shield.
    "I don't have time for this," Jigen said as he took a step forward, immediatly having to raise his shield to block Goemon's attack. "Geez, Goemon! What the hell is wrong with you?" He stared at Goemon, who stood his ground, and then scoffed, reaching back and grabbing his sword. "Fine, if you have to be childish about this..."
    Jigen ran forward, swinging the sword across his body at Goemon, who nimbly jumped out of the way and returned with an attack of his own. The sharp sickle came out towards Jigen, who pushed it aside with his shield.
    People on the streets gathered to watch. Even some of the guards stood around, deciding not to intervene, but to enjoy the good show. The crowd picked sides and soon each person was cheering on the fighter of their choice.
    "What's going on there?" Fujiko wondered as she and Lupin wandered towards the crowd, pushing their way through to the front.
    Lupin was surprised when he saw the two fighters, but then smiled and laughed. "So, Fujiko, who do you want to put your money on?"
    She looked over at him, unable to believe what she had just heard. "This is serious, Lupin," she said in an angry tone. "They could both kill themselves and you want to bet on it?"
    "And just what am I supposed to do? Stop them?"
    "Yes!"
    "With what?!" He looked over at her as she stood glaring at him. "Fine..." he muttered through clenched teeth as he walked forward a few steps before stopping, watching the two carefully. Seeing an opening he ran forward, striking the side of Jigen with his shoulder. They both fell to the ground and looked up as Goemon came at them with his weapon. "Holy crap!" Lupin yelled out as he grabbed Jigen's shield, with Jigen's arm still holding onto it, and used it to keep the sickle from piercing itself into his head.
    Goemon let out a yell as he continued to attack the shield, wood splinters spraying all around.
    "Don't tell me this was your big plan," Jigen said as he fought to keep the shield in front of them.
    "I didn't have time to really think it out," Lupin said with a nervous laugh. "And with my luck I have to take down the more sane of my choices."
    "Hold the shield," Jigen said as he worked to get his arm out of it. "On the count of three I say we throw the shield at him and then run."
    "Run where?"
    "I think away would be the best choice," Jigen said. "Alright, one....two....three!"
    Goemon had just struck the shield when it was flung at him. He swung out with his shield and brushed it aside. "Cowards," he said as he watched the two running away.
    Lupin and Jigen ran, ducking into a narrow alley where they hid behind some old deposited carts. They stared in front of them as they tried to catch their breath. Looking at one another they began to laugh. They laughed until tears ran down their faces and their stomachs hurt. "We were almost killed," Lupin said through the laughter. "Why are we laughing?"
    Jigen forced himself to stop laughing and tried once again to catch his breath. "I don't know." He looked over at Lupin, both of them with big grins on their faces.
    "Well, hopefully Goemon has calmed down. What did you say to him, anyway?"
    "Nothing. I think the lack of tranquility and Japanese food made him snap." He looked at Lupin and they both laughed as they walked off to find Goemon and Fujiko.
    Fujiko walked out of a large shop, Goemon behind her as he carried two swords, two shields and chain mail. They both headed for the way out of town when they saw Jigen and Lupin, Lupin waving and smiling when he saw them.
    "Got tired of running?" Fujiko asked with a smirk.
    "Here," Goemon said as he thrust the armor and weapons at Jigen. "Be glad you got something."
    "Not like I couldn't have gotten them myself," Jigen said as he glared at Goemon.
    "Yeah, you want to do everything by yourself, don't you?" Fujiko glared at Jigen and scoffed.
    "Okay," Lupin said, putting on a smile while placing his hands on Jigen and Fujiko's shoulder. "I obviously missed something, but we shouldn't let this ruin our...uh...fun." He chuckled nervously.
    "Right," Fujiko said, jerking away from Lupin and still glaring at Jigen before walking past him.
    "If it weren't for you," Jigen said to Lupin, "I would have killed her a long time ago." He looked at the chain mail and slipped it on over his head, wearing it over his leather armor. He then removed the copper sword from his back and replaced it with the larger broad sword. "Have a sword," he said to Lupin as he handed him his old weapon.
    Lupin took it and placed it on his back, looking up as the others started leaving. He jogged a few feet to catch up with them as they left Romaly, heading north to the village of Kanave.
    About forty minutes into their trek they were approached by three large armor clad men. Their eyes through the masked helmets they wore glowed red, a deep raspy laugh escaping from their mouths.
    Fujiko stepped up, figuring they could be dealt with like all the other monsters they encountered before. "Fireball!" she yelled after muttering the spell. The large fireball that formed exploded and, much like the fireball spell cast on them, the small balls of flame sped through the air, hitting the rogue knights.
    The knights were unphazed as they reached down and pulled out their broad swords.
    Jigen stood and muttered a spell of his own. "Bang!" he yelled as an energy blast flew towards the knights, hitting them, but doing little damage.
    "I don't like these guys," Lupin said as he backed away from the approaching enemies.
    "I say we get out of here," Fujiko said.
    "You mean run?" Goemon asked.
    "Sounds good to me," Jigen said as he started to run around and away from the knights, the others quickly following.
    They continued to run through the valley. Before they even caught sight of the village they were chased by a group of masked moths, a large swarm of killer bees and then surrounded and attacked by a group of army crabs. The crabs they fought off, which wasn't easy as the large saint bernard sized monsters were quick and had razor sharp claws.
    They collected what gold they found after their victory and continued running, chased once more by a swarm of killer bees before their destination lay in front of them.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:10:00 GMT

Chapter 2 - Cave of Enticement

    Jigen looked behind him and stopped, not seeing any sign of the guards. "I guess they gave up," he said with a laugh.
    "What happened back there?" Lupin asked, grinning at the others.
    "We had a sort of disagreement with the owner," Jigen said.
    Fujiko grinned. "Yeah, he refused to help us so we just helped ourselves." She thrust the training suit into Lupin's chest. "I grabbed this for you before we left."
    "Thanks," Lupin said as he held out the suit. "Did I get anything else?"
    "There wasn't any time," Fujiko answered. "Sorry." She gave him an apologetic look, walking over and wrapping her arms around him.
    Lupin sighed happily, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him. "That's all right. There's always the next town."
    "We're leaving, you two," Jigen said as he and Goemon began to walk off. Lupin and Fujiko pulled away from one another and followed.
    They travelled east until they came to the base of a small cluster of mountains. Before them was a worn dirt path, winding up and over where two mountains sloped down and met, giving them a nice easy walk. On the way down, Jigen walked alongside Lupin as Goemon and Fujiko led the way. "You told everyone to go to hell?" he asked Lupin with a laugh.
    Lupin looked back at him and grinned. "Yeah, I guess." The two walked quietly for some time, both staring at the ground as they did. "I don't know," Lupin finally said with a sigh.
    "Don't know what?" Jigen asked, glancing over at him.
    "You fainted and we didn't know what to do and no one else seemed to care. It just made me angry." Lupin looked at the ground and laughed. "I sound like an idiot."
    "Not really," Jigen answered. "I think anyone would've gotten angry."
    Lupin looked up at Jigen and smiled. "Yeah. Nice hat, by the way."
    "Thanks," Jigen said with a smile. "Not as good as my usual hat, but it'll do for now." They walked a little faster, catching up with the others and reaching the bottom.
    "I wonder if there's food there," Lupin said as he looked at the small brick building in the distance. Just then four men in black cloaks and wizard wands appeared out of nowhere around them. "What the...?" Lupin said, getting into a fighting stance.
    "Give us you gold," one of the men asked, his voice deep and hoarse.
    "Or what?" Jigen asked, reaching back and grabbing his sword, pulling it out in front of him.
    "You will die," another man said, raising his hands. A large fireball formed above them and as he lowered his arms the fireball exploded, smaller fireballs moving in the air sporadically and hitting Jigen, Lupin and Fujiko.
    Goemon was able to deflect the two fireballs that came at him with his weapon. He stood and glared at the cloaked men, twirling his chain sickle to his right side and then to his left, repeating the cross pattern as the sickle got faster and faster. He ran forward, swinging the sickle horizontally in front of him, hitting two of the men and almost slicing them in half, their limp bodies falling to the ground.
    Fujiko struggled to shake one of the men off of her after he came up from behind, wrapping his thin and boney arms around her waist. Ducking down, she thrust her knife up over her head, stabbing it into the man's head. He hissed in pain, but still held on, this time even harder than before.
    "Let her go," Lupin yelled as he ran up and grabbed around the mans neck, squeezing his arm around it as tight as he could. Seeing the man's grip loosen Lupin twisted the mans head, throwing him to the ground. "You okay?" he asked Fujiko as she held her side in pain.
    "Yeah, I think so," she answered.
    Meanwhile, Jigen fought the last cloaked man, swinging his sword and striking him. Blood dripped from the mans wound onto the ground, but it didn't seem the phase him as he disappeared and then reappeared a few yards away. Jigen held his sword to the side as he ran up to the man, who was busy casting a spell. Jigen brought the sword back, thrusting it forward and through the man as he muttered his last word. Jigen smiled as the man fell dead to the ground, but the smile didn't last as the icebolt spell the man had cast appeared, a large spike of ice falling from the sky and landing in front of Jigen just before exploding. Jigen held his shield up, but the blast was too powerful, knocking Jigen off his feet and to the ground.
    "What was that?" Lupin asked, walking over and helping Jigen up.
    "I don't know," he said with a sigh. "Let's just get to that building." He walked down the path as the others stood and watched, looking at one another and then following.
    They reached the building, a small brick house, and Jigen knocked on the door. An older man answered it, staring at the four as he waited for them to speak. "We were wondering if you could help us?" Jigen asked.
    "Help with what?" the man asked with an attitude, the look on his face showing that he wanted them to leave.
    "Uh, yeah," Jigen said, unable to believe the mans rudeness. "Look, we just need to find some temple."
    "It's a cave," the man answered.
    "Huh?" Jigen said.
    "A cave," the man said. "The Cave of Enticement, named after all the idiots who have gone there and have never come back." The man crossed his arms, now glaring at the four.
    "And this cave is where?" Jigen asked.
    "Go around these mountains and north," the man said. "There's a large spring there. The cave is north of it." The man stepped back, grabbing the door and slamming it shut.
    "Nice guy," Lupin said. He and the others left the mans house, walking east around the base of the mountains and following them to the north. They came to the edge of the spring and stopped, staring at the large expanse of water before them. The surface was a deep blue, the mountains and trees reflecting on the surface rippling as a slight breeze blew across the water. After a brief rest they continued, walking around the western edge of the spring towards the grouping of rocks on the northern shore. Several small waterfalls trickled into the water. Behind the waterfalls was darkness, a small cave leading back through the rocks and then down into the ground.
    "Let's hope this cave doesn't get any smaller," Jigen said as he bent over and looked inside the opening, which was about three feet tall. He removed his shield and stuck one of the leather straps over his sword, keeping the shield on his back. Goemon wrapped his chain sickle up and hung it over his right shoulder, keeping his shield on his arm.
    Jigen cast a blaze spell, the fire lighting the way as he and the others crawled on their hands and knees through the rocky tunnel. The tunnel began to slope downwards and after a few yards opened up into a large square room.
    They dropped down into the room, the walls of it made out of gray stone. Hearing something, they got their weapons ready, relaxing when they saw it was just a man.
    "Hey there," the man said. He was dressed in what appeared to be merchants clothing. "I didn't expect anyone else to come here."
    "What are you doing here?" Jigen asked.
    The man laughed. "The same reason you are here, most likely. I came to see if I could get through onto Romaly. I wanted to set up shop there, but all the ships are docked and not moving."
    "And this is the only other way to get there?" Lupin asked.
    "Yup, afraid so." The man sighed as he looked around. "I tried everything on that wall, but I guess it is true that you need magic to unseal it."
    "Where's the wall?" Jigen asked, reaching in his leather bag and pulling out the magic ball.
    "Right over here," the man said as he walked them towards the south end of the room. Before them stood a wall, different in color from the others. On either side stood two large statues of armed demons standing guard.
    "Well, let's hope this works," Jigen said as he set the ball on the ground in front of the wall. The ball glowed brightly and then faded. They stood staring at it, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly the ball exploded, causing them all to jump. A small cloud of smoke appeared and they could see that the wall was now gone.
    "That was incredible," the man said in shock as he looked on. He stepped ahead slowly, peaking into the next room. There, two more demon statues stood, this time guarding a staircase that led down.
    "We don't know what's in here," Jigen started as he walked next to the man, "so it might be safer if you came with us."
    "Oh, yes, sure," the man said as he nodded. Together they walked down the long staircase. At the bottom was a large and long hallway, smaller hallways leading off to the sides.
    "Great," Jigen said with a sigh as he walked on. "I guess we should just follow this one to see where it goes." He led the way down the large hall. As they came to where two smaller hallways branched out to the sides Jigen yelled out. The ground below his feet crumbled and as he fell he was able to grab on with his right hand.
    "Jigen!" Lupin ran up, joined with Goemon as they reached down and grabbed him, pulling him back up. "You all right?"
    "Yeah," he said as he sat staring at the gaping hole in front of him.
    "This appears to have been a trap," Goemon said as he stared down the hole. "We need to move carefully." He looked at the ground around them. "Fujiko," he said as he turned and looked at her. "Cast a spell at the floor and see what happens."
    Fujiko walked up and pulled out the magic scroll. Seeing that she could now cast Icebolt, she whispered the words. The area around her became cold, mist filling a small area near the ceiling in front of her. There was a loud cracking sound as a large icicle formed, dropping down and exploding, the shards of ice shooting off in the opposite direction. The ice and mist disappeared, revealing large holes in the floor and small traps on the walls.
    "Wow," the merchant exclaimed. "You're beautiful and talented." He looked at her and smiled.
    "Thanks," she said, returning the smile. She glanced over at Lupin and grinned as he glared at the man.
    The man began to blush, walking and standing next to Fujiko as he tried to get more acquainted. "My name is Mort," he said, extending his hand out.
    "Well, nice to meet you Mort," Fujiko said, taking his hand and shaking it. She and Mort began to walk down the hall, avoiding the exposed traps as Goemon, Jigen and Lupin followed. When they reached the end of the traps Fujiko would cast another spell and expose more of them. They talked and laughed, enjoying each others company. Up ahead there was a shrill screeching from several monsters. "What was that?" Fujiko asked as she acted defenseless.
    "It's just some masked moths," Mort answered as the large green moths came into view. "Just stand back and I'll take care of them." Mort stood and faced the moths, four of them in all. Their flying pattern was sporadic as they tried to confuse their attacker. Mort reached in the loose fitting vest he wore and grabbed four small knives, throwing them out in front of him. Each knife found a masked moth and struck it dead, all of them falling to the ground.
    "That was incredible!" Fujiko said as she ran over to him and hugged him.
    "That was incredible," Lupin said mockingly as he, Jigen and Goemon stood back and watched. "Can you believe that guy?"
    "Actually, that was pretty amazing," Goemon said.
    "Shut up," Lupin muttered while glaring at Goemon.
    Jigen laughed. "Why do you still get mad after all this time? You know she only wants the guys money."
    "Because," he said as he got in Jigen's face, "I love her."
    "Well, don't get mad at me about it," he said, pushing Lupin away.
    "You three coming?" Mort yelled back as he and Fujiko stood far ahead.
    "No, we're just going to stay here," Lupin mumbled angrily as he walked towards them.
    They kept going, getting lost several times and fighting numerous battles. After what seemed like miles of walking down the same paths and dodging the same traps they came to the opening of another large square room. "This better not be where we started," Lupin grumbled.
    "I think we finally found it," Jigen said as he walked towards the blue light that shone on the floor at the other end of the room. The light appeared to be on some sort of alter. Two large stone statues of evil looking skulls sat on either side of the light, facing it. "This must be the gateway that man was talking about."
    "We made it," Mort said excitedly as he grabbed Fujiko's hand and pulled her towards the light. "Come on." He pulled her with him onto the light, where the two of them disappeared.
    "Hey!" Lupin yelled as he ran up to the light. "Where'd they go?"
    "Let's find out," Jigen said as he walked up and stood on the light, also disappearing. Goemon and Lupin did the same, soon appearing with the others in a smaller brick room.
    Lupin looked behind him, an identical ring of light sitting on the floor. "How can there possibly be that kind of technology in a world that's from the dark ages?"
    "It's called magic," Mort said, glancing back at Lupin. "For most people it's not that hard to figure out."
    "Why that little..." Lupin began to walk towards Mort when he was stopped by Jigen.
    "Just let it go," Jigen said. "He should be leaving us soon." He walked over to the large wooden door Mort and Fujiko stood near and attempted to open it.
    "It's locked, obviously, or we wouldn't be standing here," Mort said as he rolled his eyes.
    "Yeah," Jigen said, glaring at Mort. He pulled out the key he had been given in the Tower of Najima and used it, unlocking and opening the door. Jigen looked out the door and sighed, for around them stood more trees.
    "Another forest?" Lupin complained as he stepped outside. "Unbelievable." He and the others walked out, leaving the small shrine and making their way through the forest.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:05:38 GMT

Part Three - The Warp Behind The Door

Chapter 1 - Next Stop, Reeve

    Jigen rammed the door with his shoulder, forcing it open and falling to the ground. They all squinted from the bright sunlight that came through the cave opening ahead.
    "Where are we?" Fujiko asked as she made her way towards the mouth of the cave.
    "I don't know," Lupin answered as he walked up next to her. He hung his head low and sighed as his stomach started to growl. "So hungry," he whined.
    "Here," Jigen said, walking up to him and holding a roll out as he looked around. "We should hopefully be in town before it gets dark," he said as Lupin snatched the roll out of his hand.
    Fujiko watched as Lupin ate the roll in two bites. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, walking out into the dense forest that surrounded them. "Now to figure out which way is north."
    Goemon walked out in front of her and looked around. "That way," he said while pointing.
    "All right, then let's go," Lupin said as he and the others began walking.
    The forest was like nothing they had seen before. Thick moss blanketed the ground, choking the tiny orange flowers that bloomed in small patches. The trees were large, their huge leaves hanging down on drooping branches. A herd of deer-like creatures picked off the leaves they were able to reach and ate them. Birds sung loudly in the branches as small flying insects buzzed closer to the ground.
    Small groups of monsters challenged them on their way out of the forest and were quickly defeated. The forest began to thin out and soon the four stood at the edge, staring off towards the rolling hills that faced them.
    "Are you sure we went the right way?" Lupin asked, not at all happy that there was more walking to do.
    Jigen pulled out the map and looked at it. "Reeve should be over these hills." He put the map away and continued on.
    The hills they travelled over were barren, low, and few. Before they knew it they had reached the top and were looking down on Reeve, a small coastal village to the northwest of them. "Let's take a short break," Jigen suggested as he sat down on the grass. The others agreed and joined him.
    Lupin sat next to Fujiko, his arm wrapped around her. He looked back at Jigen, who sat quietly staring off towards Reeve. "The stuff the old man said, you don't really believe it, do you?" Lupin paused as Jigen remained silent. "About us being sent by God to save them?" Lupin laughed, but his laugh quickly faded as Jigen still didn't respond. "Jigen?"
    Jigen glanced back. "I don't know," he said with a sigh, his voice tired sounding. "For you this may just be an annoyance, but for me..." He sighed again while turning his head and staring at the ground.
    "What?" Lupin asked.
    "Nevermind," Jigen answered as he stood up. "We should be going."
    A look of confusion came over Lupin's face as he watched Jigen walk down the hillside. "What's with him?" he asked, the others shrugging. Standing up, they all set off down the hill.
    By the time they reached the stone entrance of Reeve the sun was just starting to set. The air was turning cold, a slight breeze blowing in from the ocean.
    Right inside the entrance stood a young dark haired woman in a white and pale purple dress. Seeing the group walk in she ran up to greet them. "I welcome you to the village of Reeve, weary travellers," she said as she smiled and waved politely. "Please, make yourselves at home."
    "Thank you," Lupin said with a smile. "Could you tell us where we can get something to eat?"
    "Sure," the woman answered cheerfully. "Right in that building there." She pointed to a small stone building.
    "Thanks again," Lupin said as he made his way towards the building.
    As the others walked to catch up with Lupin, a few of the townsmen were busy lighting up the lanterns that hung on poles around the village. The outside vendors were packing up their wares and heading home. Some of the older townspeople walked back from a day of fishing at the coast, rejected as they walked home empty handed.
    When they reached the small tavern Lupin held the door open for the others, following everyone in but quickly rushing to the front and sitting at a table, anxious for the food that he yearned. The others sat down, just glad to get off their feet and be in a nice warm room.
    Their food had come quickly, Lupin finishing his first and then working on cup after cup of ale. "So?" he asked, his voice not yet slurred but getting there. "What's on everyone's mind?"
    "Japanese food," Goemon said as he stared down at his plate, unsure of what he had been given.
    "A nice hot bath," Fujiko said as she stared off happily.
    "Ooh, can I join you?" Lupin asked as he leaned in to kiss her.
    "No," she answered as she palmed his face and shoved him away.
    "Come on," Lupin said as he teased Fujiko, who was becoming further agitated.
    "I'm feeling kind of tired," Jigen said as he stood up. "I think I'm just going to get some sleep." He left the table, taking a few steps before stopping and holding his stomach in pain.
    "Are you all right?" Goemon asked as he looked on. He got up and grabbed ahold of Jigen, seeing that he was about to fall.
    "Jigen?" Lupin said as he stood and helped Goemon hold him up.
    "What's wrong with him?" Fujiko asked as she ran over to them.
    "I don't know," Goemon said.
    "Jigen?" Lupin asked as he bent over and looked at his face, seeing he was unconscious. "Jigen!" He looked around at the others in the room as they stared at the four. "Is there anyone here who can help?"
    A young man from behind the bar ran out. "I may be able to," he said as he reached them. "Set him down and lay him on his back," he instructed.
    "Is he going to be okay?" Fujiko asked as Lupin and Goemon set him on the floor.
    The young man got on his knees and grabbed Jigen's hand, checking his pulse with his fingers. "His heart is beating fast." He then placed the back of his hand to Jigen's forehead. "He's got a high fever and pale skin. It would seem as though he got poisoned."
    "Poisoned?" Fujiko asked. "By who?"
    "Not who," the man said as he began to unbuckled the leather armor Jigen wore, "but what." Removing the armor, he pulled up Jigen's shirt, revealing a large infected puncture wound on his side. "Looks like it's from a scorpion wasp."
    "We did fight something that would fit that description," Goemon said.
    "So how do we help him?" Lupin asked.
    "We need to give him some antidote herbs," the man said.
    "Some what?" Lupin looked up at the man.
    The man was silent as he stared at Lupin and then at Goemon and Fujiko. "You don't know what an antidote herb is?"
    "Oh yeah," Fujiko said as she tried to cover for Lupin, "we know what they are. He just panics easily." She looked at the man and smiled. "We ran out and didn't get around to buying anymore."
    "Oh, well, I have some behind the counter, but it'll cost you." The man got up and ran over to the bar.
    Fujiko looked up and glared at Lupin and Goemon. "You're gonna make people suspicious," she said in a hushed voice. "Just pretend like you know what they're talking about, all right?"
    The man came back with some herbs and a small damp cloth. He set the herbs on the wound, laying and pressing the damp cloth over them. "Just keep the wound dressed like this overnight," he told them. "He should be feeling better in the morning."
    "Thank you," Fujiko said gratefully. She reached into their gold bag and pulled out some coins, more than what the man was expecting.
    "It was no problem," he said as he pocketed the money. "Be sure to get some herbs before leaving town. You should always be prepared." The man smiled and stood up, walking back to the bar to resume his work.
    Goemon picked Jigen up and walked outside, Fujiko grabbing onto Lupin's arm and pulling him outside as he stood and glared at the people in the room. "He could have died and none of them would have cared," he said angrily.
    "Come on," Fujiko said as she continued to pull him along. "Just let it go."
    Lupin glared at her and then turned back towards the building. "You're all a bunch of bastards!" he screamed. "I hope you all go to hell!"
    Fujiko groaned and gave his arm a good tug, pulling him closer to her.
    Goemon glanced over his shoulder and shook his head in disbelief. As he walked up to the inn a man sitting outside rushed up and held the door open for him. Goemon nodded and thanked him as he walked inside. He set Jigen down in a nearby chair and walked up to the counter.
    "Come on," Fujiko said as she strained to pull Lupin inside.
    "I don't wanna," he yelled out, the alcohol starting to take full effect. "I wanna go home."
    Goemon and Fujiko looked back at him as he stood, looking pathetic. They both looked at one another, their expressions showing that they, too, wanted the same thing.
    "Here's your key," Goemon said as he handed Fujiko a small brass key. Picking Jigen back up, they walked down a short hallway and to their rooms. Fujiko opened the door, walking in with Lupin and closing it. Goemon sighed, opening the door to the adjacent room and walking in. He set Jigen down on the bed, making sure his wound was covered before placing a thick wool blanket over him. He walked over and closed the door, taking a seat on the floor and closing his eyes.

    Morning had arrived in Reeve as people began the new day. Children, the few that lived there, ran around and chased one another, laughing happily as they did. The older people of the village headed down to the shores, fishing poles slung over their shoulders and woven baskets in their hands. Some of the women hung freshly washed clothes outside. One man was busy repairing a wooden fence broken by some wandering monsters the night before.
    Jigen slowly opened his eyes, immediately startled seeing Goemon standing over him. "What are you doing?" he asked, catching his breath.
    "How are you feeling?" Goemon asked.
    "Fine, I guess. Why?"
    "You collapsed last night from poisoning."
    "I did?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and then running his hands through his hair. He looked down at the cloth on his side and lifted it off, seeing the now unswollen wound. He looked up at the door as it opened, Lupin and Fujiko walking in. "What happened to you?" he asked Lupin. "You look awful."
    "Fujiko said I got drunk last night," he answered in a groggy voice.
    "You're looking better," Fujiko said as she smiled at Jigen.
    "I talked to the woman at the desk and asked her about a man who could help us," Goemon said. "She said there was an eccentric old man who lived in the northeast part of the village who may be able to tell us something."
    "Then let's get ready and go pay him a visit," Jigen said as he got out of bed.
    "Can we just not do anything today?" Lupin asked. "My head is killing me."
    "Hey Lupin," Jigen said. "Come here for a second." He waited for Lupin to step forward. Placing a hand on Lupin's forehead, he began to mumble some words. A bluish light surrounded his hand as Lupin's body became a little tense. Lupin closed his eyes, but soon opened them as his body began to relax. "How do you feel?" Jigen asked, pulling his hand away.
    "I...feel fine," Lupin said, stunned by what he had experienced. "What did you do?"
    "A heal spell," Jigen answered. "I figured I should test it out just in case something went wrong," he said with a grin.
    Lupin laughed nervously. "Well, I guess it works."
    Jigen reached down and grabbed his leather armor, putting it on and buckling it. Goemon left the room, followed by Fujiko and Lupin. Jigen secured his sheath across his back and caught up with the others.
    They left the inn, wandering down the main dirt path and towards the two story brick house where the old man was supposed to live. Getting to the door, Jigen knocked on it, all of them waiting for it to be answered.
    "Who is it?" an old man asked gruffly as he opened the door. Pudgy and short, the man was dressed nicer than the others in the village. His gray hair stuck out from under the domed hat he wore. "What do you want?" he asked as he looked up at the four.
    "We were told you could help us," Jigen said.
    The man looked at Jigen and gasped. "If it isn't Rhyan," he said happily, a large smile coming across his face. "They said you died."
    "Yeah, well I almost did," Jigen said.
    "Please, come in," the man said as he stepped to the side, allowing them into his home. "So, you must have heard about the gateway."
    "The gateway?" Lupin asked.
    "Some years back a temple had been built by monsters," the man explained. "Oh, please, sit." He motioned towards some chairs, taking a seat as the others did. "Inside was a warp stone, a gateway to the country of Romaly. Fearing that the monsters would gather and attack us, some of the men ordered the gate be sealed."
    "Where is this temple?" Jigen asked.
    "It's to the southeast, on the other side of the mountains." The old man got up and rummaged through a drawer. "It would be useless for you to go there without..." He grabbed something and turned, holding out a small smoke filled glass orb. "This." He walked over and handed it to Jigen. "I call it the Magic Ball."
    "What does it do?" Jigen asked as he looked at it.
    "An expert wizard created a spell which would form a barrier to close up the passage to the gateway. On the voyage home he and the soldiers sent to protect him were attacked by monsters. With his last bit of strength he sealed the spell in this orb, giving it to one of the surviving soldiers to protect. He said that when the Great Hero returns to give him this orb and have him place it in front of the barrier, thus breaking it and freeing the passage."
    "And how'd you get it?" Lupin asked as he looked over Jigens shoulder at the ball.
    "The soldier who obtained it was my grandson," the man answered.
    "So," Jigen started as he stared off into the ball, "now to go to Romaly and figure out what we need to do next." He looked up at the old man and smiled. "Thanks for the help. I guess we should be going." He and the others, including the old man, stood and headed for the door.
    "My time is short," the old man said as he opened the door for them. "But at least you can bring peace to the younger folk." He smiled and waved to them as they left.
    "Let's get some supplies and get out of here," Jigen said. They made their way to a small stall, buying a few medical and antidote herbs. From there they found the weapon and armor shop, heading inside and looking around.
    "Oh, it's you," the shop owner said as he glared at Lupin.
    "What'd you do, Lupin?" Jigen asked him.
    "I don't know," Lupin said with a shrug.
    "I was at the bar last night when you told us we were bastards and should go to hell." The man leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, and continued to glare.
    Lupin glared back at the man. "Yeah, well you are and you should," he said before walking out of the shop.
    "I obviously missed something," Jigen said as he stood confused.
    "I'll explain everything later," Fujiko said. "Let's just get what we need and get out of here."
    The man gave a small chuckle. "I'm not selling you anything. And now I'd appreciate it if you left."
    "Oh really," Fujiko said with a smirk. She brought up her staff, swinging it around in front of her and stopping it right at the mans neck.
    The man went to reach for his knife, but before he could get a grip on it Jigen jumped over the counter and pressed his shield against the man, pinning him to the wall. "I was thinking you could just give us what we needed," Jigen said in a low voice as he got in the mans face. "That or we could just take a nice walk somewhere. Just the four of us."
    The man looked at them, a frightened expression on his face. "You guys are crazy," he said, his voice quivering.
    "Yes we are," Jigen said as he smiled at the man.
    "Just-just take what you want," the man said.
    Jigen pulled back his shield and watched as the man ran out of the shop. "We should get out of here and fast, so just grab whatever looks good."
    The three of them scrambled as they looked through what the man had. Fujiko spotted a magic knife and grabbed it. Seeing a training suit on the wall she took it, figuring Lupin could use it. Jigen grabbed two leather helmets, one each for he and Goemon, while Goemon grabbed a chain sickle off the wall. Hearing people coming they ran out the door.
    "There they are," the shop owner yelled while pointing the three out to some of the guards he had gotten. The guards grabbed their swords and gave chase.
    Lupin sat on a wall, looking back as he heard the commotion.
    "Come on, Lupin," Fujiko shouted to him as she, Jigen and Goemon ran from the four guards chasing them.
    Lupin smiled and laughed as he jumped off the wall and joined them as they ran out of Reeve and headed east towards the mountains.

Maor storee

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:46:31 GMT

Chapter 3 - Battle

    They regrouped some ways from Aliahan, Lupin and Jigen still angry. Fujiko and Goemon walked a few feet behind them, laughing silently at some of the other comments Fujiko had made before they had caught up.
    "Something funny?" Jigen asked them angrily.
    "Yeah. Why don't you share whatever it is that's so hilarious," Lupin said as he turned and glared at them.
    "It's nothing, Lupin," Fujiko answered, smiling at him.
    "What the...?" Jigen asked as he looked up, something falling towards them. He reached back to get his gun, grabbing nothing but bringing his hands up and attempting to shoot at the object anyway.
    Goemon closed his eyes and held the sheathed sword tightly in his left hand. He jumped up, grabbing the swords handle with his right hand and slicing at the object, shattering it. He then landed and quickly sheathed the sword again. "You're too dependent on your gun, Jigen."
    "Yeah, wish I could have helped, but you can't do much with clothes," Lupin said very matter of factly.
    "Will you shut up, already?" Jigen yelled.
    "What was this, anyway?" asked Fujiko as she bent down and picked up a piece of the object. "Bone?"
    "Some kind of skull," Goemon said, looking up at the three large shadows circling the sky. "Dropped by one of those."
    The others looked up, the shadows becoming larger as they started to fly down. As they got closer, their appearance became more definable. Large black ravens, their feathers rather scraggly and unclean, held skulls in their sharp talons. Their screech was almost deafening. One of them left the group and dove down, dropping the skull he carried.
    "This one's mine," Jigen said as he pulled out his sword and got ready to hit it.
    "Nope, it's mine," Lupin said, running and jumping, stepping off Jigen's shoulder to propel him further into the air.
    "Lupin!" Jigen shouted in anger.
    Lupin looked down and smiled and then grabbed the skull. He pulled his arm back and flung the skull at the birds before his descent back to the ground. He watched as the birds screeched and avoided the skull. Landing back on the ground, he looked up at the ravens and glared at them. "Stupid birds!"
    "Nice plan, Lupin," Fujiko said sarcastically as she stepped back, the last skull falling at her feet.
    "And I suppose you could do better?" he asked.
    "Actually, I can." She pulled out the scroll she was given and opened it. The words written on it were of some weird language. She read them slowly and almost in a whisper as the others stood and watched. When she finished, there was a loud screech and everyone looked up to the sky where one of the ravens was engulfed in flames. The flames died and the raven landed, it's feathers singed.
    "Wow, Fujiko, that was great!" Lupin said excitedly.
    "Yeah," Fujiko said, still a little shocked at what had happened. She looked over at him and smiled. "Too bad I can't use it on you."
    "I think it has suffered enough," Goemon said as he looked at the singed and bloody raven. He ran forward, slicing his sword through the raven and killing it.
    "Behind you, Lupin!" Jigen shouted.
    "Huh?" Lupin turned to see a raven coming straight towards him. He jumped in the air and delivered a spinning kick to the raven, knocking it to the ground and stunning it.
    "My turn," Jigen said as he ran up to the raven and put his sword through it. It screeched and then fell to the ground dead.
    "One more," Fujiko said as the last raven swooped down on her. She rolled out of the way, twisting her upper body back as she swung her stick as the raven passed. It connected, but only seemed to make the bird angrier.
    "These things are annoying," said Goemon as he ran after the raven, catching up and jumping, slicing down on the raven as he came down.
    "At least they're all gone," Fujiko said as she walked up and looked down at the dead raven. Spotting something glimmering near the body, she moved it and noticed some gold coins on the ground. "Hey, I found some money," she said as she bent down and picked up the coins, eight in all.
    "We shouldn't wander too far from Aliahan," Jigen said, looking back at the town some ways in the distance.
    "We should be closer just in case something happens," Goemon said as he turned and walked back. The others followed him, none of them talking much.
    "What's that?" Lupin asked, pointing to a spot of tall grass that was moving. "Huh?" He was surprised when a medium sized green slimy blob jumped out of the grass. It's large eyes looking around at everyone as they stared at it.
    "Ew, that's disgusting!" Fujiko said as she ran behind Lupin. "Kill it, Lupin."
    "All right," Lupin answered as he shrugged. "How hard can this thing be?" He watched as it wiggled and then jumped at him, making him jump back in disgust. It wiggled again, this time more violently. When it jumped, it went straight for his face. Lupin ran forward and struck out at it with his right fist. He hit the slime, his fist going straight through it and causing it to explode all over him. He opened his mouth and coughed out a glob of green goo. "That's just wrong," he said as he slowly looked down, the slime dripping off of his clothes.
    The others looked on, not really knowing what to say. Seeing the situation as comical, they all started to laugh. The more they thought about it, the funnier it seemed. "What'd it taste like, Lupin?" Jigen asked through his laughter.
    "Hey!" Lupin said, his anger growing. "This isn't funny!"
    "Yeah it is," Fujiko said as she laughed. "It's hilarious!"
    "Fine! Screw all of you." Lupin walked away from them, furious. "Have fun on your stupid adventure!"
    "Lupin, come on," Fujiko said as she sighed. Their laughter and smiles faded as they all watched him walk off.
    "Should we go after him?" Jigen asked.
    "It's probably better just to let him go. I'm sure he'll find some place to get drunk." Fujiko looked at Jigen and gave a slight smile.
    "Look what I found near that slime," Goemon said as he held out his hand, two slime covered gold coins placed in it.
    "Are these things dropping money?" Fujiko asked.
    "Why would monsters be carrying around money?" Jigen asked as they all stared at one another.
    "Good point," Goemon said.
    "This place gets stranger by the second." Fujiko looked back at the ground where the remains of the slime layed.
    "Yeah, well, we're gonna need that money to buy supplies, so we might as well keep killing these things," Jigen said as he spotted some ravens in the distance.
    The others agreed and soon they were fighting more ravens and slimes as they wandered around the outskirts of Aliahan. By the time the sun was starting to set the three of them were exhausted. Sitting down to rest, they put all the gold together and counted it, coming up with just a little over 600. Satisfied with their days haul they walked back to Aliahan to get something to eat.
    The towns eatery was busy and filled with people who had just gotten off work. The three looked around and spotted an empty table, walking to it and sitting down. A woman came over and took their order. She left and was soon back with their drinks.
    "So, does anyone else wonder why we have to get this key?" Goemon asked.
    "Who knows. Maybe it will help us in some way." Jigen took a drink of his ale.
    Fujiko pulled out her magic scroll and unrolled it. "Hey look," she said, surprised by the new writing on the paper. "Upper, icebolt and fireball. I wonder what these do?"
    "What do you have, Jigen?" Goemon asked.
    Jigen pulled out his scroll and looked at it. "Blaze, heal, expel and return. Heal sounds useful."
    "And we know what blaze does," Fujiko said.
    Just then the waitress came with their food. They put the scrolls away and started to eat. The food seemed to put them in a good mood as they talked and laughed about the days battles, the events that led them to the strange world they were in and past jobs. After their meal they sat and talked some more and then finally decided to leave.
    They wandered around the town and looked into the windows of closed shops. The streets were dead, only a few stray cats wandered around. Getting tired, they headed towards the woman's house, hoping she was still up and would let them stay the night, all in need of a good rest for the next days journey.

Chapter 4 - The Tower of Najima

    The morning came quickly. Jigen woke up and gathered his things, leaving the bedroom he slept in and walking down the stairs, Goemon and Fujiko eating in the kitchen.
    "It's about time you got up," Fujiko said as she glanced at him.
    Jigen stared at her and then joined them at the table, eating and talking with the others.
    When they were all through eating, they decided it was time to leave. Thanking the woman once again, they said their goodbyes and left the house.
    "You all look happy this morning," Lupin said from the roof of the adjacent building. He jumped down and grinned at the three.
    "Lupin," Fujiko said in surprise as she ran up and hugged him. "You're all right."
    Lupin, confused by her reaction, looked down at her. "Yeah..." he said with a happy sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.
    "We should see what kind of supplies they have before we leave," Jigen said as he looked around for a shop.
    The others agreed and they once again wandered the streets. Finding a weapon and armor shop, they entered. Inside was a young man standing in front of a table and checking out the assorted items that were layed out. The man behind the counter, a middle-aged muscular man, his black hair braided in the back, looked up as the four walked in.
    "Welcome," he said with a smile. "This is a weapons and armor shop. What would you like?"
    "Something to help us get to our destination," Jigen answered.
    The man nodded and pointed behind him, telling him what he had in stock. After looking and discussing they purchased leather armor and leather shields for Jigen and Goemon and wayfarer clothes for Fujiko. They thanked the man, got prepared and left the shop.
    "Well, now we're almost broke," Jigen said as he put the few remaining gold coins back in the small leather pouch that hung on his belt.
    "So now what?" Lupin asked.
    "We need to go to that tower," Jigen answered.   "A man said there's a cave to the southwest that leads to it. He also gave me a map to help us out."
    They all left Aliahan and wandered towards the west, hitting the coast and traveling north. They fought the usual slimes and ravens along the way, killing them and slowly adding to their gold. After about twenty minutes of walking they stopped and stood before an old bridge that spanned across a large roaring river. They looked at one another, unsure about crossing it. After a few minutes of arguing, Goemon decided to go first. When the others saw him make it safely across they followed.
    They continued to travel west until they got to another coast, this time to the south of them. And once again they followed it.
    "What's that?" Fujiko asked as she pointed to some large monsters that hopped around in the distance.
    "Who knows," Jigen answered as he walked towards them. "Only one way to find out."
    "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a young mans voice said from behind them.
    They all stopped and looked back at the man. He appeared to be in his early 20's, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail while a long dark blue cloak covered his body. He walked towards them, his staff sticking down into the moist soil with every other step.
    "Who are you?" Lupin asked.
    "I am Egrin," the young man answered. "I herd rammores in this area."
    "Rammores?" Lupin asked quietly.
    "Are those rammores?" Fujiko asked.
    The man gave her a blank stare. "Those are spiked hares, which can be deadly when they are in large groups like that. Especially to unexperienced people like all of you."
    "Unexperienced?" Lupin asked, getting angry at Egrin's cockiness.
    "Hares, as in rabbits?" Jigen asked as he stared off at the spiked hares. "Those are the size of large dogs."
    "Mmmhmm," Egrin said with a nod. "Yet another beast the Archfiend has blessed us with." He then looked at the group oddly. "Where are all of you from?"
    "Oh, well, not here," Jigen answered. "It's pretty far away."
    "Ah," Egrin said as he got a bit suspicious. "Well, you all be careful out there. I need to get back to my flock."
    "Yeah, thanks," Jigen said, giving a wave as Egrin walked away.
    "He was nice," Lupin said sarcastically. "Let's just get to the tower and get this over with."
    The others agreed and they continued on, ignoring the groups of monsters that they passed and fighting the ones who were eager to fight. After a couple of hours they reached a cave set in a rocky hillside. The tower of Najima loomed over them as they took one last look at it before entering.
    They travelled down a long stone walkway. Old wooden torches on either side of them lit the way. The farther they walked, the more cold and damp it got. Sea water dripped from the ceiling and into the small puddles on the ground. They soon arrived at a staircase, walking up it slowly and cautiously, not knowing what would meet them at the top.
    What did await them was a large open room.   Surrounding them were large bronze statues of fierce dragons, the moisture in the air turning them a greenish hue. The sound of waves crashing into rocks echoed throughout the place.
    "Well, that wasn't so bad," Lupin said.
    "We're not finished," Jigen said. "We probably need to get to the top floor."
    Lupin sighed as they continued to walk, finding a stairway that led up. It took them to a large room, although not as large as the first floor. After going down a series of hallways they found some more stairs and once again went up them.
    "What was that?" Fujiko asked as she froze, making everyone else freeze as well.
    "I didn't hear anything," Lupin said as he looked around.
    "It was probably just the wind," Goemon said as he walked passed them.
    "Yeah, probably," Lupin said as he smiled at Fujiko.
    They continued on, coming up to a turn in the hall they walked down. As they turned they froze. A few yards in front of them stood a large anteater, apparantly lost as it sniffed the air. It spotted the four as they stood and stared at it. Unsure of their intentions, it let out a loud snort and stood on it's hind feet, standing at about seven feet tall. It's front paws were outstretched, the large and pointed claws on it's feet sticking out at their fullest, ready to strike.
    "That doesn't look like wind, Goemon," Fujiko said as she stood behind Lupin.
    "What are we, in the land of the huge or something?" Lupin asked.
    "Who cares," Fujiko said. "Just make it go away."
    "Me?" Lupin asked. "You're the one with the stick. Go poke it or something."
    "I'm not getting near it." She looked over at Jigen. "Great hero who will save the world, do something."
    Jigen sighed. He took a step forward and stared at the anteater as it swatted its front feet towards him. "Go away," he said in a very non-enthusiastic voice. He looked back at a glaring Fujiko and shrugged. "I guess it doesn't want to listen."
    "Move," Goemon said as he walked in front of Jigen. He stared at the anteater and let out an angry scream.
    The anteater snorted and then fell back down to all fours. It stared at Goemon and then lumbered forward, walking passed the others as they pressed themselves up against the walls.
    Goemon watched as it walked off and then continued on down the hall, the others silently following. At the end was another staircase, this one leading to the final floor.
    In the middle of the floor was an elderly man sitting on a pillow. Torches surrounded him, keeping him safe from monsters and warm from the cold ocean breezes. As they approached he opened his eyes. "You are Jigen, is that correct?"
    Jigen was surprised that the man knew his name. "Yeah, but..."
    "I am one who is able to see the future," the man explained. "I have seen the fall of Ortega and also the fall of his son."
    "And so you knew we were coming," Lupin said with a grin.
    "I had sent a messenger to tell the king of my visions, that four strangers would be showing up near the outskirts of Aliahan. I also said that the four might be impostors of Rhyan and his comrades and to be sure they were given a test."
    "What kind of test?" Jigen asked.
    "This," the man said with a smile. "To come to this tower, which is supposedly overrun by monsters, and to retrieve the key that I hold." He pulled out a simple metal key, which Jigen then took.
    "That's why we were sent to get a stupid key?" Lupin asked. "Because you told them?"
    The man turned his attention towards Jigen. "Jigen, the road you are about to take is one of many dangers. You must be strong in both heart and mind. By your coming here despite the dangers you had heard I see that you indeed plan to stick to your word and defeat the Archfiend. But I must warn you. Ahead lies pain and hardship. Hardship that even the great Ortega and his son could not overcome."
    "So, do you see us winning and going back home?" Lupin asked.
    The old man glanced at Lupin and then looked down, closing his eyes. "The fact that I only see darkness ahead tells me that you will fail."
    "That's always good to hear," Lupin mumbled.
    "My visions change over time, though," the man assured them. "I had also seen Ortega's victory."
    "Is defeating the Archfiend a sure way for us to get to our world?" Jigen asked.
    "I'm not sure, as I haven't seen your victory." The old man looked up at Jigen and gave him a sincere look. "But I do know that in order to succeed you must follow the paths that are given to you. That was the one thing Ortega and Rhyan failed to do." He turned his head, looking straight in front of him. "Deep inside I feel that your arrival was a blessing from God and that He wouldn't send us someone who would fail." He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, a sense of calm coming over him.
    The others stood silent and looked at one another. "So where do we go next?" Goemon asked.
    "On the first floor, exit to the north," the man answered while remaining still. "Travel north to Reeve. You will find a man there who will help you."
    "All right," Jigen said. "Thanks for the help." He pocketed the key and turned to leave.
    "Good luck, Jigen," the old man said. "May the Lord bless you on your journey."
    They left, following the mans words and making their way to the first floor. Walking past the statues, they found a small arched doorway on the northern wall. Jigen grabbed the large rusted handle and gave it a good tug, pulling the door open. They all stared into the darkness they stood in front of, none of them making a move. "Who wants to go first?" Lupin asked, glancing at the others.
    "How do we know this isn't just another test?" Jigen asked.
    "The man seemed truthful," Goemon said. "You and Fujiko can use a blaze spell to light the way, right?"
    "Oh yeah," Jigen and Fujiko said. They each stood side by side and muttered the spell, two orbs of light forming in their hands. When the spell was complete the orbs had become large balls of fire floating just inches above their hands. The light from the blaze spell was more than enough for them to make their way through the small damp tunnel. Water dripped from the roof, the ones hitting the fire sizzling and giving off a light but pungent odor. After walking for almost an hour they finally got sight of the exit, their spirits rising at the thoughts of escaping the cramped space.

Story

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:40:37 GMT

Part Two - The First Test

Chapter 1 - The Journey Begins

    "So, you mind telling us what's going on?" Lupin asked as they all sat around a round wooden table in the woman's house. She and her father were busy getting food and drinks ready, Lupin watching as they walked from the kitchen to the table and back.
    "Yeah, Jigen. Where are we?" Fujiko asked as a drink was set in front of her. She picked up the wooden mug and smelled it before taking a sip.
    "How should I know," Jigen said as he shrugged and took another drink of his ale.
    "You are in our world in the town of Aliahan," the woman said as she set some fresh bread on the table.
    "Your world?" Lupin asked as he looked at the woman.
    "One much different from your own," the woman's father said as he sat down.
    "So, the Eye of Hades sent us here," Goemon said as he held a piece of bread, smelling it before taking a small bite.
    "Yeah. And now to figure out how to leave," Lupin said.
    "We're staying for now," Jigen said, the others looking up at him.
    "Please tell me you're joking," Fujiko said as she gave a small laugh.
    "Yeah, Jigen. Why would you want to stay in this dump?" Lupin asked as he glared at Jigen.
    "Hey! This is where these people live. Have some respect." Jigen returned the glare.
    "Can I talk to you somewhere?" Lupin asked Jigen angrily. They walked up the stairs of the house and into Rhyan's room. Lupin followed Jigen in and then closed the door. "Well?" he asked.
    "There," Jigen said as he pointed to a painting on the wall. The painting portrayed Rhyan standing in his armor. The look on his face was one of bravery and pride.
    "Oh crap," Lupin said as he looked at the painting and then at Jigen and back at the painting again. "He could be your twin."
    "He's who the people in this town think I am."
    "So that's Rhyan? Is he somebody important?"
    "Who knows. Only thing I've heard is that he disappeared on his way to fight the Archfiend."
    "Who is this Archfiend?" Lupin asked, a bit aggravated.
    "I don't know. Sounds like some power hungry guy wanting to rule the world."
    "They have them here, too, huh?" Lupin looked at Jigen and grinned. "And the peoples cries and pleas for help have gotten to you? Or do you just want to screw that woman down there?"
    Jigen looked at him and laughed in disbelief. "Figures you would come to that conclusion. And no, I don't want to "screw" her. She thought I was her son. That would be a bit odd for the both of us."
    "So, then, what is it?"
    Jigen wandered over to the window and looked out. "I don't know," he said with a sigh. "Usually I would just say to hell with it, but..."
    "Aww," Lupin said as he walked over and put his arm around Jigens' shoulders. "You're growing up." He looked at him and grinned.
    "Shut up," Jigen said as he brushed Lupin's arm off and started to laugh.
    "Well, maybe this Archfiend has the answers on how we leave this place." Lupin walked back to the door, putting his hand on the handle as he looked back at Jigen. They smiled at each other and then walked back down the stairs.
    "Well?" Fujiko asked as she saw them.
    "We're going after the Archfiend," Lupin said, a determined smile coming over his face. He turned away from a sighing Fujiko and looked at the woman, sitting next to her father, both looking very pleased. "So, we're gonna need your help."
    "Oh, yes, anything," the woman replied as she stood up, a new hope running through her.
    "How do we pull this off and make it believable?" Lupin asked her.
    ""Well, my son left with three companions. A fighter, a soldier and a wizard." As she said the classes, she looked at Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko, respectively. "You'll need some new clothes and equipment to start out with. I can get the clothes and bring them here. And then after that, you will need to see King Edward. He will help you in whatever ways he can."
    "And then we find the Archfiend," Lupin said, the woman nodding.
    The woman and her father left the house, the others waiting around. They sat around, eating and drinking, not saying a word to one another until the woman came back alone, holding a basket. She set the basket on the floor and handed each one some clothes to wear. They looked down at them, unsure of their new look.
    "We have to wear these?" Fujiko whined.
    "Once you start your journey, there will be other towns to buy clothes in." The woman looked at Fujiko and smiled.
    "Shouldn't we see the king in something more...nicer?" Lupin asked.
    The woman laughed slightly. "King Edward sees people of all classes. You should change and get going."
    They all went upstairs and changed. They then looked at one another and laughed, walking out of the room and down the stairs. The woman stood by the door and smiled. They walked up to her.
    "Be careful, all right? And you're always welcome back." She smiled and gave each one a hug and a kiss on the cheek as they walked out of the house.
    "Ready?" the womans father asked as he stood outside waiting.
    "Yeah," Jigen answered.
    They followed the man to the castle, taking the same route the woman and Jigen had gone earlier that day. They passed the two guards at the entrance and walked inside. Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko looked around the interior of the castle, amazed by their surroundings. On the walls hung bright and colorful tapestries, all of them depicting knights fighting dragons. They continued on until they reached a guarded stairway.
    "King Edward awaits you four down these stairs," the man told them as he stepped back. "Good luck to you."
    They smiled and nodded at him and then walked down the steps. A few people gathered in the large chamber. An intricately designed red carpet was layed out on the floor leading the way to the king, who sat at a large and elaborate throne. As they approached, the king became shocked.
    "Is that....is that you, Rhyan?" King Edward asked, barely able to speak he was so surprised.
    Jigen smiled, giving a slight nod. "Yeah, it's me."
    The king smiled excitedly. "The son of Ortega has returned." His smile faded as he looked over Jigen. "All those battles have taken their toll on you. You have aged so much since you left."
    Jigen glared at him. "Come on, what is this? Are you people saying I'm old or something?"
    Lupin, Fujiko and Goemon stood back, holding in their laughter.
    King Edward smiled nervously. "No, no, not at all. I do apologize."
    Jigen continued to glare. "Yeah. So, what do we do?"
    The king's advisor looked at Jigen and smiled. "You must first find a key," he said. "Your quest begins with that."
    "Um, okay. Not exactly what I was looking for, but..."
    "I do not understand, Sir Rhyan," King Edward said.
    "The Archfiend," Jigen said, frustrated. "Where do we find him?"
    "Ah, the Archfiend Baramos. Nobody knows where he resides." King Edward sighed and looked away.
    "That's....just great," Jigen remarked. "Well, we should be going then." Jigen turned and started to walk away.
    "Wait, Sir Rhyan," the king called out. Jigen stopped and turned. "Something to help you on your journey." He handed Jigen a small leather pouch. "It's not much, I know, but my kingdom is not that wealthy."
    Jigen looked down at the bag. "Yeah, thanks," he said, smiling and nodding to the king. He started again down the carpet, the others following.
    "What's in the bag?" Goemon asked.
    "Gold coins," Jigen said after he reached in and pulled some out, holding them out for the others to see.
    "Gold coins?!" Fujiko said excitedly as she reached over and grabbed the bag. "This is great!"
    "No," Lupin started to say, "what's great is that we were zapped to some other world and now we get to go looking for a key."
    "Yeah, isn't that wonderful," Jigen said sarcastically.
    "Maybe the people around here can help us," Goemon said.
    "Let's hope," Lupin said as they continued to walk out of the chamber and up the stairs.

Chapter 2 - The Thief's Key

    They wandered around the castle, talking to the people they ran across, some more helpful than others. They finally found out that this key was called the thief's key made by a notorious thief called Bakor who had been arrested and thrown in the castle jails.
    "Let's go pay this Bakor a visit," said Lupin. "We'll just see what kind of a thief he is."
    "Sounds like you're jealous," Fujiko said as she grinned at Lupin.
    "No, not at all. I mean, what kind of a thief needs a key?"
    "He does have a point," said Goemon.
    "Plus, that guard said it only opened simple locks. He's gotta be a rookie," Lupin said.
    "And he got caught long ago. If he were any kind of a thief he would've escaped by now," Jigen said as they made their way to the long hallway that led to the jail stairs.
    "I still say you're jealous," Fujiko said.
    They got to the stairs and walked down. The soldier from before was now gone and there was also a different guard on duty. Jigen nodded to the guard, who nodded back. They walked over to the cell that was next to the one Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko were in. A middle aged man of average height stood and stared at them. He was dressed in what could have been considered peasant clothes, old gray pants and a short sleeved shirt. Both were dirty and ragged. His shoulder length black hair was ratty and he constantly scratched at his medium length beard.
    "You Bakor?" Jigen asked.
    "Yeah, who wants to know?" Bakor replied.
    "We want to know about your key," Jigen said.
    "Ha! That key is long gone. Some old man in the Tower of Najima stole it." Bakor looked at him and smirked. "I guess you're out of luck."
    "And you're some notorious thief?" Lupin asked as he stared at the man.
    "What can I say? I got rusty with age."
    "Where's this tower?" Jigen asked.
    "Step outside of the castle and look west. You can't miss it." Bakor glared at the group and then turned and sat down on the floor, ignoring them.
    Jigen looked at the others and shrugged. "Let's get out of here," he said as he turned and left. Together they walked out of the castle where they were met by Rhyan's mother.
    "I have something for you at the house," she said with a smile. She walked to her house, the others following. She opened the door and walked to the corner of the room, a small assortment of items laying there. "I thought you might need some help." She handed Jigen and Goemon each a sheathed copper sword. Fujiko was given a cyprus stick.
    "So?" Lupin asked. "What do I get?"
    The woman looked at him and smiled. "Well, nothing. You are playing the role of Diego, one of the best fighters this town has ever seen."
    "Ah man," Lupin said, disappointed. "So, I don't get any weapons?"
    "None that this town carries. Later on, maybe there will be something for you." The woman gave him a sympathetic look.
    Jigen looked at him and grinned. "Too bad for you, Lupin."
    "Hey! Shut up!" Lupin yelled back.
    "So," the woman said, "where are you headed to?"
    "The Tower of Na-something," Jigen answered as he slung the sheath over one shoulder and tied it until the sword was secure on his back.
    "Najima, yes. You can see it from the upstairs windows. It's a beautiful tower. I would only hope it's as beautiful on the inside, too."
    "Yeah, well, thanks for the stuff," said Jigen as he smiled at the woman.
    "You should fight in battles nearby until you get used to your new weapons. And also," said the woman as she walked over to a desk and reached inside one of the drawers, pulling out two old scrolls. "You will need these." She handed one to Jigen and one to Fujiko. "They are magicians scrolls. They will read your strength and abilities and show you spells when it feels you are ready to use them."
    "Magic scrolls?" Fujiko said as she opened hers. "Huh?"
    "What is it?" asked Lupin as he peaked over her shoulder. He watched as some words appeared on the paper.
    "Just read the words and the spells will work, but only how they are meant to be used." The woman walked up and looked at Fujiko's scroll. "Ah, Blaze. It's a nice beginners spell. You should use it in battle and see what it does."
    "Um, all right..." Fujiko looked very unsure of what the woman had said.
    "Thanks," said Jigen. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing you soon." He smiled and then walked out of the house and towards the exit to the town.
    "Wait a second, Jigen," Lupin said as he caught up with him. "This isn't fair. You guys get swords and sticks and I get clothes. Clothes, Jigen." He stared at Jigen. "I'm supposed to go out there with who knows what kinds of things ready to kill me and all I have are clothes."
    Jigen rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I get the point. Geez!"
    "Oh, I see. Well, that's just great. Now I see what kind of friend you really are." Lupin went to put his hands in his pockets and found out he had none, further adding to his aggravation. He then crossed his arms and stomped off towards the town gates.
    "We just got here and I already want to kill him," Jigen said as he glared at Lupin. He started towards the town gates.
    "They're like an old married couple, I swear," Fujiko said as she looked at Goemon, both of them grinning at the comment. They walked out of Aliahan together and started into the large field that lay before them.

Story thingie

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:21:42 GMT

Part One - The New World

Chapter 1 - The Eye of Hades

    "So, this thing we're getting," Jigen started to say as he followed Lupin down a darkened hallway of an old English castle, Goemon and Fujiko close behind.
    "It's called the Eye of Hades," Lupin said, a little annoyed. "It's a little more than a 'thing'."
    "Yeah, whatever," Jigen said as he continued to follow Lupin. "Are you sure that it's here and not some other castle?"
    Lupin sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, I just thought I'd look at the lovely 14th century architecture. Of course it's here, Jigen." He looked back and glared at him.
    "We have been walking for some time," Goemon said.
    "Yeah, I think we're walking in circles," Fujiko said unhappily.
    Lupin, starting to get angry, stopped and turned to look at them. "All right, fine. If you three think you can do a better job then be my guest." He glared at all of them as he put his hand on the wall and leaned on it. As he did, the brick his hand was touching pressed in and a muffled rumble was heard.
    The four of them became silent and still as they looked around nervously, waiting for something bad to happen.
    "Maybe you shouldn't touch the walls anymore, Lupin," Jigen said as he became a bit more relaxed as the rumbling stopped.
    "It sounded like something moving," Lupin said as he continued down the hallway.
    "Yeah, you just go on ahead," Jigen said as he stood and watched. "That way if there's a trap, we'll know."
    Fujiko looked at him and shook her head. "You're pathetic, Jigen." She walked past him and followed Lupin.
    He looked at her as she walked by. "I was kidding. Geez..." He walked on and followed her, Goemon remaining silent as he tagged along.
    They caught up with Lupin, who was now standing in front of a large opening. They stood behind him and stared into the dark room. At the end of the room there was a dim light that shone, showing what appeared to be an old gargoyle statue and an alter.
    "Is that it?" Fujiko asked as she stared at the light in awe.
    "Could be," Lupin answered as he looked over at her and grinned. "Let's go have a look."
    "All right," Fujiko said as she ran forward to the light.
    "Fujiko, hold on!" Lupin yelled out.
    "Look out!" Jigen shouted as he pulled out his gun and shot the arrows that began to shoot out of the walls towards her.
    Goemon ran forward, deflecting and slicing the arrows as they continued to fly out of the walls. "Go!" he yelled at the others.
    They nodded and ran past Goemon, Jigen and Lupin both shooting a few of the arrows that came at them. Once they made it to the alter, where no arrows seemed to come, Goemon jumped in the air and landed next to them, sheathing his sword in one smooth motion.
    "And you called me pathetic," Jigen said to Fujiko.
    "That's because you are," she said angrily.
    "Yeah, if I'm the one who's so pathetic than why was it me that was saving your sorry-?"
    "That's enough!" Lupin yelled as he glared at both of them. "Both of you, just shut up already" He turned his attention back to the gargoyle, the stone in its hands letting off a faint light.
    Goemon stepped up and, without being asked but figuring he would be, pulled out his sword and sliced up the gargoyle, releasing the stone.
    "Geez!" Lupin blurted out as he rushed over to grab the stone before it hit the ground. "Maybe you can give some sort of a warning next time."
    "So, is that it? Is that the Eye of Hades?" Fujiko looked on excitedly, the thoughts of what she would make off of it running through her mind.
    "I think so," Lupin answered. "Now let's just get out of here."
    The others agreed and they started to turn and leave when they stopped, a grinning Zenigata standing in the doorway ahead of them.
    "The only place you're going is to jail, Lupin," Zenigata said as he laughed.
    Lupin groaned. "Aw Pops, give it up already. Don't you ever go on vacation?"
    "Not until I know you're secure in prison," Zenigata replied as he reached in his jacket and pulled out a handcuff secured to a rope. He flung his arm out, the handcuff closing on Lupin's wrist. "I've got you now, Lupin."
    "Okay. What are you going to do now?" Lupin asked as he stood there smirking at Zenigata.
    "This," Zenigata said as he pulled the rope towards him.
    "Whoa, hey!" Lupin yelled out as he started to be pulled towards where the arrows shot out. He reached out with the hand that was cuffed, the other busy holding on to the Eye of Hades, and grabbed the rope, pulling it back towards him. "You don't really want to do that," Lupin said.
    "Yeah? And why is that?" Zenigata asked as he continued to pull on the rope.
    "Because if you do then..." Lupin kicked a piece of the gargoyle out onto the floor in front of him and triggered the arrows once again.
    "Huh?" Zenigata said as he watched in surprise the arrows flying across the room. He looked up at Lupin and then smiled, grabbing the rope and giving it a strong tug.
    "Hey! What are you doing?!" Lupin held his ground, but was slowly dragged forward. Jigen ran forward and grabbed Lupin, pulling him back. Just then an arrow pierced the rope and cut it in half, causing the two to fall backwards. Lupin fell to the floor, the Eye of Hades slipping from his grasp and soaring into the air. They all watched as it got closer to the floor, nobody close enough to catch it as it fell and shattered.
    The pieces of the artifact started glowing, eventually filling the room with a blinding light. Everyone covered their eyes as it got brighter. When the light finally faded, Zenigata looked up to find he was the only one in the room.
    "Grr, Lupin! Where'd you go?" He turned and ran out of the room and down the hallway, hoping to catch up with them before they could escape.

Chapter 2 - The Hero Has Arrived

    Lupin opened his eyes slowly and lifted his head. "Huh?" he asked as he looked around still half asleep.
    "You're finally up," Fujiko said as she looked over at him.
    Lupin looked up and saw that she was sitting next to him, Goemon standing next to her. As he looked around he noticed that they were in an old stone brick jail cell. "Pops arrested us?"
    "If he did, he chose a rotten place to put us," Fujiko said as she looked around, inching closer to Lupin as a dirty old man in the same cell stared at her.
    "Did Jigen escape?" Goemon asked.
    "You mean he's not here?" Lupin asked him. He looked at Goemon, who shook his head.
    "So, where are we, Lupin?" Fujiko asked, almost pleadingly.
    Lupin got up and wandered over the the barred door. Looking around, he saw the men in strange clothes and armor, the guards carrying around swords and spears. "Maybe there was a renaissance fair or something." He looked at them at laughed. "Ah, that Zenigata, such a joker." He laughed it off as Goemon and Fujiko stared at him blankly.
    "Hey you!" shouted a guard as he thrust the butt end of his spear towards Lupin, hitting him in the stomach. "Quiet in there!"
    "Ow..." Lupin said as he rubbed his stomach. "Hey, aren't you taking this acting thing a bit too far?" he asked as the guard walked away.
    "I apologize for his behavior," another guard said to Lupin. His accent was thick and one Lupin had never heard before. "Ever since the Archfiend returned, the king has put us on longer watch. A lot of us guards are overworked." He walked over and leaned against a nearby wall.
    "Um, Archfiend?" Lupin asked him. 'I know they want these fairs to seem real, but...' he thought to himself.
    "Yeah. The Archfiend, he returned about ten years ago. Filled this land with his evil. Not too safe outside, what with all the monsters he filled the lands with." The guard pulled out a piece of bread and started to eat it.
    "Uh huh, monsters, sure," Lupin said as he looked back at Fujiko and Goemon and shrugged.
    "When we were found, was there another person with us?" Goemon asked.
    The guard looked up as he thought. "Don't know. Said they found you out on the fields and had you jailed. Thought you were up to no good, with your odd clothing and possessions and such."
    "Our possessions, do you have them?" Lupin asked.
    "King does," the guard answered as he continued to eat his bread. "Do something good and maybe you'll get them back."
    "Let us out and maybe we will," Fujiko said in a suggestive voice as she smiled and winked at the guard.
    The guard looked at her and smiled. "You're talking to a married man, young lady."
    "Oh, um, sorry?" Fujiko replied, taken aback by the guards refusal to her.
    "Hey, did you hear?" asked a soldier as he ran down the stone stairs and over to the guard. "That man they found wandering around, seems he's the split image of Ortega's son."
    "What?!" the guard exclaimed.
    "Who's Ortega?" Lupin asked.
    "He's only one of the greatest warriors this land has ever had," the soldier answered, a bit offended by Lupin's lack of knowledge. "When the Archfiend appeared and brought forth all of his monsters, Ortega was the one to stand up and face him. He left his family, his home, everything he had to bring this world back to peace."
    Lupin stared at the soldier now even more confused than he was when he woke up. "So, this great Ortega, where is he now?" he asked in a bored voice.
    The soldier, angered by what he heard, walked up to the bars of the cell and got into Lupin's face. "Do you dare to talk about the hero Ortega in that tone?"
    The guard walked up to try to calm the soldier down. "Relax. They're outsiders. I'm sure they've been living underground this whole time."
    The soldier stared at Lupin and then backed away, trying to relax. "They say he died while going after the Archfiend. Said he slayed a dragon and then both he and the dragon fell into the Volcano of Gia. Shortly after the rumors started, his son left to finish the job, but he too disappeared."
    "But," the guard started as he stepped up, "if they found him, it means that there is still a chance of hope."
    "It has to be him," the soldier said, a tint of hope in his voice. "He must have been in a great fight, though. They say he has no recollection of anything."
    "Suppose he fought the great Archfiend himself and survived?" the guard asked excitedly.
    Lupin had heard enough of their conversation. He sighed and walked back to where the others were and sat down. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes as the guard and soldier rambled on about things he didn't understand.

Chapter 3 - New Recruits

    Jigen stood in front of a mirror and looked in slight unamusement at the clothes he had been given to wear. A long sleeved gray shirt that hung down almost to his knees and black pants that seemed one size too big, with black leather boots and a black belt that went over the shirt to finish off the ensemble. "This is a joke, right?" he asked the woman in the room with him.
    "Why, no, my dear Rhyan," the woman said. She sat on the bed and smiled at him. She wore a simple two-tone blue dress and black shoes over white stockings. Her long brown hair was braided, the braid hanging over her right shoulder.
    "Yeah, I guess it's more of a nightmare than anything," Jigen said unhappily as he turned towards the woman. As he looked at her he couldn't help but notice the slight resemblance to his own mother. He tried to get it all off his mind, as the more he thought about it the more bizarre the whole scenario became. "And who is this Rhyan?"
    "Why, my son, you are Rhyan." She looked up at him, a worried expression on her face. She stood up and walked towards him. "All that fighting has really changed you, hasn't it? To not even remember your own name or your own mother. And you have aged so much these past ten years."
    "What's that supposed to mean?" Jigen asked angrily. "Look, obviously you have the wrong guy, all right? So, just let me leave and I won't be anymore of a bother to you." He started towards the door when the woman stepped in front of him.
    "Please, don't go," she pleaded as she held onto his arms. There was a short pause as she stared into his eyes. "Your eyes are so different. But, you look so much like my son that I..." She turned, almost in tears, and sat on the bed again. "Plus, they found you holding onto this." She held out a small medal with a dragon crest carved on it. "Your father gave this to you shortly before he left."
    Jigen walked up and took the medal, staring down at it. "Yeah, I foun-" He stopped and looked up as the woman began to cry. He sighed and stared down at the medal again, not knowing what to do. 'I could be like Lupin and just play along with this whole thing, but...' he thought to himself. "I can't."
    The woman looked up at him as he spoke. "You can't? What do you mean?"
    "Do you really believe I'm your son?"
    "I want to, but...deep down inside..." She looked up at him as if all of her hope had diminished.
    "Hey," Jigen said as he looked at her and smiled. He walked over and grabbed a chair next to the bed, sitting in it. "Tell me about your husband and your son. And also where I am."
    She smiled and soon they started to talk. She told him how the Archfiend had returned and about how her husband had died trying to save the land from the evil that had spread. She then went into how her son had left home to also rid the world of the Archfiend. And of how he never returned, casting a dark shadow on everyone's hope. She then moved on to happier moments, thinking back on how she had first met Ortega and when their son was born and also their life in the small castle town of Aliahan. She prattled on about the past for some time until she finally sighed and then looked up at Jigen and smiled.
    "Oh, I'm talking your ears off. I apologize." She seemed a bit embarassed at her getting lost in the past.
    "No, don't worry about it," Jigen assured her.
    "So, who are you really? And how did you get here? If that's all right by me asking." The last sentence was rushed, seeing she was once again being rude.
    Jigen sighed and gave a slight laugh. "You won't believe me, but..." He told her very little about himself, mainly his name and what he did for a living. He then told her about the item they seeked in the old castle in western Scotland and how he ended up in a vast field, wandering lost before being picked up by some guards on horseback.
    "That is hard to believe, Jigen," the woman said with a grin. "I guess I will just have to take your word for it for now."
    "I guess that's all I can ask you to do."
    She smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you."
    "For what?"
    "For being good company." She continued to smile at him. "It's been so long since I had a nice talk like this."
    Jigen smiled at her and then stood up. "I was wondering, did the soldiers find anyone else around here? Like others in strange clothing?"
    The woman looked at him as she thought and then gasped as she remembered. "Why, yes, they did. I heard them talking about the ones they found that they threw in prison."
    "Where is the prison?" he asked excitedly.
    "In the castle. Come on, I'll show you." She got up and hurried to the door, Jigen following.
    They stepped outside and Jigen looked up, the large gray stone castle looming in the distance. It was rather a strange thing for him to see, being used to skyscrapers and modern buildings. As they walked to the castle, the towns people stared in shock at Jigen, or Rhyan, as some of the people called him. Crossing the narrow strip of land, they soon made it to the castle gates. The guards smiled and greeted them as they passed. The woman smiled and nodded at them, Jigen mimicking her.
    "We're almost there," she said to Jigen as they walked towards the back of the castle. They came to a doorway, which they entered. Behind the door was a long narrow hall, torches on the walls lighting the way.
    "Reminds me of a newer version of that castle we were in earlier," Jigen said as he looked around.
    "This must be very strange for you, being in this world," she said, glancing back at him.
    "So, do you believe me now?" Jigen asked.
    "I want to, yes. I don't know. I mean, I never thought such things as monsters existed before they appeared. So, maybe people can appear here from a different world."
    "Yeah, I guess." He continued following her until they reached the end of the hallway.
    "The jail is right down these stairs," she said, stopping at the foot of a long stone stairway.
    "All right, then let's go," Jigen said as he looked down them and then smiled at the woman.
    They started down the steps, the voices getting louder as they did. Stepping into the room, the guard and soldier, still talking, looked up and fell into a silence.
    "R...Rhyan..it is you," the guard said in shock.
    Lupin took notice of the now hushed room and stood up, walking over to the barred door. He stared in shock at Jigen and then smiled and started to laugh. "Hey Jigen. Nice clothes."
    "What?!" Fujiko said as she quickly ran to the door and smiled upon seeing Jigen.
    "Jigen!" Goemon exclaimed as he, too, saw Jigen.
    "Well, I'm glad somebody is glad to see me," Jigen said as he stared at Lupin and then finally joined in on the laughing.
    "You know these people, Rhyan?" the soldier asked, looking back at Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko.
    "Yeah, unfortunately," Jigen said as he grinned.
    "You mean the three brave souls who accompanied you on your journey? These are them?" The tone in the soldiers voice told everyone that he was a bit disappointed at the discovery.
    "Yeah, these are them. And if you let them out we can continue our journey." Jigen looked at the guard, who rushed over and unlocked the door. Lupin, Goemon and Fujiko stepped out and stared at Jigen and the woman.
    "We should be going," the woman said. "Thank you, sir," she said to the guard as she smiled and nodded. She soon started up the stairs, the others following close behind.

Woo!

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:03:33 GMT

I'm a bible thumping racist gay hating bigoted right wing extremist brute. Awesome! =D

Crap. Now I forget the point of this... =\

I fell behind in watching South Park.

Last night I got another one of those creepy feelings, though less than usual. I could have sworn something moved in front of the lights on the vcr and it wasn't one of the cats. Thought it was my dog. I just closed my eyes tightly as I got chills. And then when I just knew something was right in my face staring at me I mustered up the stupidity to open my eyes and look. There was nothing there, though. Creepy feeling stayed until I fell asleep.

Had a weird Lupin dream this morning. Woke up before it finished, which made me sad. Had another Lupin dream a few days ago, but all I remember is Lupin and Jigen were in it. And then I had one that sort of followed one of my comics. But I had a gun and shot zombies and stuff. =D Fun!

-deletes video player and downloads it again- I could have sworn the subtitles showed up before... stupid thing. >=( I guess not. -kicks a hippie-

Damn it, my rant still hasn't come back. xD

Meh.

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:10:19 GMT

So, Bawney Fwank called Justice Scalia a homophobe.

So mature, Barney.

But, I can think of a name for him, which begins with the letter f.

Failure. Because that is all he is, a failure.

And so, to be quite mature, Barney Frank needs to shut his cock sucking herpes infested mouth and go back to his basement with his underaged sex toys like the flaming fag he is. =D

Oh my god, I'm a homophobe when I'm not really. =o

Barney Frank, such a dumbass....

I have to congratulate the gay marriage rights people for going out and collecting signatures for their cause instead of running to the courts like a bunch of whining pussies. Isn't democracy fun? Idiots....

My Thoughts As I Watch Urashamananananan....

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:01:23 GMT

Episode 1

The opening song is just....wow.... And the opening is, to be honest, quite lame. =D Just more proof that Japan puts drugs in their water.

Love the rain effect. xD

Kitty! No! Evil guy scaring the kitty!

This guy drives around with his cat? How sad... for him. And he abuses the kitty. Evil! Ooh, love the whole 'three different angled shots of the car driving off the road' thing they did there. And the effects after the lightening hit the car, holy crap, I thought I was gonna go blind.

The song... -cries-

Cat abuse.... in the future!! -crazy sound effects-

Did the guy just turn into a robot? Dude... I want to see a freaking awesome robot cat! =D

Uh oh, this guy must be evil since his fingernails are all sharp and pointy. That just screams "I'm evil! Rawr!"

"Halt, evil felon!"? Okay.....

Gah! No more music!

I'm guessing this is from the 70s, as it's all groovy and disco-ee and such. xD

Ahh! Mime with an afro! -throw Cheetos at the television-

Wait, did the cop just rape him? Eww.... Now another person wants him? Poor guy...

No! Afro midget! Stay away!

Hmm.... so if you lose your memory it's like all the demon things laugh at you? I should lose my memory sometime...

Man, the guys always fall for the crying girl act. So predictable.

Well, the ending song isn't so bad, but it's still gay.

Final thoughts: So far, I only like the cat. The cop and the main guy annoy me and the girls voice is ugh.

Episode 2

-skips intro-

That afro midget still scares me... I hope he gets killed in a painful and horrific way.

"Aim for my arse"? He's British now?

That vehicle that saved them from the falling cars is effing huge... =o

Yay, the kitty showed up!

Ugh, lady showed up.

No! Evil afro midget! -spazzes-

Aww, apparently the cat is not a robot. =(

Brick sister? I don't get it...

Does everyone on this show have blue eyes? Weird. Hitler must have written it.

The song coupled with everyone running was really really bizarre. -turns sound off- My ears....

Yes! Midget kicked right in the face! Awesome! Wipe that afro off his ugly head! =D

Guys should not be allowed to wear tights. Even in an anime. Is it wrong that I look for bulges? I think it is...

Final thoughts: I will have to say that if I saw this, I would walk away after the first five minutes. Anymore, my patience runs thin with anime. But, watching two episodes, I'm sort of interested to see what happens. But it is starting off slow and the characters aren't all that interesting for me. Except the cat, who's awesome.

Final final thoughts: I've only seen like six or so episodes, most of which I don't remember and will have to watch them again, but it has gotten me interested in seeing more. I still hate all but the cat, who is still awesomely awesome. Haha! I just realized that I have no idea where I put the DVDs.... A good guess would be with all the others. I'll look later. xD

Hmm.

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:59:33 GMT

Yay for the world falling into mass chaos! =D Woo! Although I do wish for a more quicker end, but this'll do. At least I can laugh while everyone else is in a panic.

I was watching some show on the forces of the universe and they were talking about when the sun dies and I was embarrassed as I actually got all sentimental when they talked about it. I said "That's so sad..." as my voice sort of cracked and my eyes teared up.

Oh, the point of this gay ass thing was to write a short version of a longer, angrier, yet funnier rant I had a few days ago.

So, they are talking about legalizing marijuana. And this is why it pisses me off. But, first, the politicians running this state are fucking idiots if they think it'll pull in all that cash that it does now. It only does so well now because it is illegal. Legalize it and the price will fall dramatically. But anyway, it pisses me off because you're gonna have all these stupid ass moronic little scuzz buckets thinking they are so fucking awesome because, ooh, they are smoking marijuana. Ooh, that's so awesome.... =o And to them I say shut the fuck up. I mean, how many of these annoying asses are gonna run out and get a pack or whatever just because they can and then brag about it like they are doing something awesome. Aren't the ones smoking that shit now annoying enough?

It's like these sad fucking losers who go out and buy cigarettes or buy beer on the exact day that they are legal to do so and then think they are so much more esteemed than they were just before they bought the product. Especially when they never smoked or drank before they pulled that immature act.

I especially hated those dumbasses who bragged about drinking wine coolers. Oh my god I wanted to punch my friends when they'd start that little "bragging" argument discussion whatever the hell it was. Wow, you drank five and never got drunk? Congratulations! You're an ass and I hate you! =D

These things are always funnier in my head because I do the voices for the different parts. Writing it, I can't really pull that off, so....

I hate writing deep thinking and philisophical stuff. -wants to kill this story-

I so want to run this state so I can tell begging lobbyists to fuck off when I take away their funding, grants, bribes, whatever. And the horrible teachers and the illegals and the pro-anything people and the anti-anything people and just people in general. It's funny how you would think I'm the most miserable person ever with the way I think, but I'm not really miserable at all. Being a sarcastic ass is fun. =D

I think there was actually a small quake on the San Andreas here the other week. My moms cat freaked out, my dog woke up because of my moms cat sitting up and my cat woke up, looked around and then went back to sleep. And I thought it was just the wind and kept doing what I was doing.

Ugh, the quickly spinning black blob is back. I rather like seeing a cat and not the freaky blob. I wonder if Molly is happy just wandering around here and if she realizes she's passed. Poor kitty. =(

M. Night Shamalama

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:09:38 GMT

Is a racist! D:<

I mean, how DARE he cast white people for a cartoon where the people look white. He's ruined the whole thing. Avatar will just be crap now knowing that some lame director thinks the characters are white. I will never see it the same way ever again.

"Loraine Sammy, a SCI FI Wire reader, wrote in to complain. "The Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series was one [saturated] in Asian and Inuit culture," she wrote. "To see the live-action main cast be completely turned over to white actors was a slap in the face for those loyal to the show and by extension, for racially diverse people. Even further anger was because the movie is likely to stay in an Asian/Inuit-influenced world, but populated by white people. This is Orientalism." "

Orientalism? Oh dear.

"Elsewhere on the Internet, yoyoyo posted the following on lastairbenderfans.com: "M. Night is a sell-out. Way to ruin one of the best animated series ever." "

yoyoyo? xD Ahahaha!

"Over at mnightfans.com, David argued the following: "-lots of pointless boring shit- If someone was going to make a movie about World War II, when the Japanese invaded Pearl Habor, can you imagine if they cast Japanese to play Americans? And Americans to play Japanese? That movie would be such a joke. It would make no sense. The same applies here." "

It's. A. Fucking. Cartoon. Hey, I need to make my point about something that isn't real, so I'll use something that really happened to make my point like the brilliant thinker I am. Dumbass.

"Responding to that post on the same site, Brandon put the discussion in some perspective. He wrote: "Never thought I'd see Avatar compared to a movie about WWII . But really though, I've never seen the show nor do I know ANYTHING about it or the characters. I really could care less what ethnicity the characters are as long as they stay true to Night's vision of the adaptation. Not everything that is adapted has to be EXACTLY the same as the previous source. The book is very different than the movie, but the movie IMO is one of the most accomplished pieces of cinema in history. All that I'm saying is let the movie stand on its own, let the actors play their parts, go see it opening night, and THEN you can bitch about the talents' race. If the movie sucks, then it sucks. Not the end of the world guys!" "

Wow, a sane response. And look, it's not some lame Avatar fan.

If M. Night Shamalama is a racist, then Avatar fans are all stupid assholes. :3

Gosh, I do hope they don't cast white people for the Lupin movie, if they ever actually make it. Although in the other live action movie, I do believe Jigen was played by a Japanese guy and Jigen is a white guy, so that movie already ruined Lupin forever and ever, which is why it still has a fanbase and still has a TV special every year in Japan, because the cast was all wrong. Oh noes! =O

Fans can be such dumbasses, I swear...

I'm sure the Dragon Ball forums are going insane over the movie, since it isn't absolutely correct to the anime. I already heard bitching about Bulma not having aqua colored hair. xD The trailer looked interesting, though, i thought. The bad acting has to go, but visually it looks good. A lot better than Speed Racer. xP

Dragon Ball is just ruined for me, though, since Roshi is young and doesn't wear a turtle shell. Gee, thanks for ruining it, director guy. >:(

Elephants

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:15:24 GMT

This is what the LA Zoo should do. They should have this huge thing and gather all the kiddies around and give some lame speech about lame animal activists and how they say the elephants shouldn't be there. And then they pull out machine guns and mow the elephants down. And tell the kids the animal activists don't think they should see the elephants, so because of them, the elephants had to die. And the kids would become all traumatized and kills themselves. =D

I mean, why have animals in a zoo? Why even have zoos? Screw the animals. Lets them stay in the wild and be killed off. Who needs them.

Lily Tomlin says kids know more about dinosaurs and they have never seen them. So, let's let elephants become extinct. That way kids will know so much about them than ever before.

Animal activists are dumbasses.

Activist must be some code word for "non-intelligent brainless retard" or something. ALF did blow up the wrongs cars, so the description does fit.

I think we need to know more about the lives of animal activists, so who's with me in making them all extinct?

Mentioning ALF, can't people sue them into non-existance for wrecking their property? I would. And then I'd give the money to non-profit places that actually take care of and help animals, unlike moron so-called animal lovers who picket labs and pet stores and free mice and monkeys. Yeah, you done gone good, boy. That thar picket thang you do shar do halp them thar animules. Fucking idiot losers... xD

Funny...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:22:59 GMT

All of the states that I have read about having problems with voter registration fraud and ACORN all went to Obama. So, someone actually really truthfully stole the election, but we won't hear whining and crying over it every fucking day by the media.

They're too busy still complaining about 2000. And bragging about how they voted twice for barry. God, these fuckers are stupid...

And now it's my turn to hold him with the same respect that the left gave President Bush. None. Absolutely no respect whatsoever. There's a difference between winning and cheating and barry didn't win, so he ain't my president.

I also find it strange how blacks have suddenly adopted this half white guy with no slave blood as a black man.

And for you "equality for all" people. Ha. Ha. Ha. Pussies....