The Obsidian Tale
~ Ouli Brye (top half) – Western district – Market ~
“Hey everyone, after we help Leo,
can I pay a quick visit to the capital?”
Rina squinted her eyes. “Is it for
Clyde? I just know it. I don’t like traveling around with you, but I kind of
need to go to the capital too. I need to ask them if they have seen any shards
around here.”
“Are you all in a hurry?” Leo asked.
“You can go now. I’ll just wait here.”
Lydia grabbed onto his collar.
“You’ll just run away,” she said with an emotionless voice.
Rina pouted. “I’m only doing this
extra favor because Lydia wants us to help Leo. Once that’s done, I’m going
back to my own pace for those shards.”
“A toy shop!!” Forrest exclaimed.
“They have more BB guns and… OOH! A bazooka!”
Felix laughed softly. “Heh. He loves
his guns.”
The cashier stood nearby the weapons
hanging against the wall. “Hello young man, would you like to buy some?”
“I’ll take all of it!”
Rina slapped him. “We don’t have
money for all of them! Actually, we don’t have money for any of them!”
The woman gave Forrest a cube, “For
a discounted price, then?”
“What’s this??”
She pressed one of the buttons on
the cube and it turned into an inflatable bazooka. “It’s light to carry, and it
shoots out BB pellets.”
Rina looked away. “Would be
hilarious if I jam-packed it with magic,” she said to the group.
“Wait, that’s a cool idea. Rina, can
you do that for me?”
“Hell no.”
“Aw…”
“Look, we don’t have money for this
piece of crap. Can we get going now?”
Forrest frowned and even Felix felt
bad for his disappointment.
“Don’t lick the merchandise!” A
woman shouted at Lydia as they quickly left.
Leo, however, whispered to the
woman, “Please take my money. I’ll take that cube off your hands.”
“Oh will you now- oh my goodness! Is
this a hundred percent tip?!”
“That’s for the inconvenience from
my friend who licked your merchandise.”
“O-Oh my! Thank you very, very much!
I will remember this.”
Felix waved at Leo from afar. “Hey,
we have to take you to the haircut market next!”
Even from afar, Leo could hear Rina
complaining to him. “Who calls it a ‘haircut market’?! It’s a salon, dumbass!”
Leo hurriedly stashed a wad of money
into his pocket as he left to follow the group. Along the way, they could see
civilians selling fruits, vegetables, and even accessories. People could go
wild with what they were selling.
A Secret Gift
A girl with pink pigtails stood behind a stall, selling charms with her two best friends. She had a merchant-like attire: a simple t-shirt with a skirt of bright colors. Her two friends had name tags placed onto the table: Zedd and Tedd. Zedd was a tall, slender man with matching outfits with Tedd who happened to be shorter and much stockier than the other two. Zedd worried much about his hair while Tedd focused more on his goggles as if they were both following the latest fashion. In all, the three of them wore the same light blue ties.
“Follow the latest fashion! Come buy
some charms for bracelets and necklaces! It’s only a few pounds of gold!”
Forrest checked his pockets. “I
think we have enough for some!”
Rina pushed him away from the booth.
“Even with the gold currency that we have, it’s better to save up on more
important things.”
The merchant girl began to whine. “Hey!
This is important stuff! You’ll buy my items someday, I swear of it!” She then
said to her friends, “We’re going to Lake City Prima next. We’re skipping
everything north from here because they’re all poor lands and stuff. Come on,
Zedd, Tedd! We’re out!” The two men followed her.
Felix clenched his teeth. “I don’t
like her. She basically said Saradeli is poor.”
Rina grinned. “In a way, she’s not
so bad when she’s talking smack about your own hometown.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” [End music]
“There’s a haircut salon over
there!” Forrest rushed for the small open market. “This reminds me of the old
times… but it’s not really as austentic as I remembered.”
Rina pushed him aside. “I believe
you meant ‘authentic’. Now, let’s see…” She read the options, “Number 5 – let’s
give Leo some pigtails.” [Music 6.1]
“What are dreadlocks?” Forrest
pointed at number 16.
“I like this one,” Lydia followed,
showing number 22: the bowlcut.
Felix tapped his feet in discomfort.
“These are all terrible suggestions. I think the shaggy look is fine on him.”
“No, not the shaggy look,” Leo
hesitated.
“Of all the weird hairstyles, you
say no to mine?!” Felix felt insulted. “But…”
Leo looked away. “You don’t
understand. I…”
Lydia clapped her hands as she
almost smiled, but could not. “Please, will you accept the shaggy haircut?”
Forrest raised his hand in
agreement. “Yeah! That sounds nice!”
“Whatever floats your boat.” Rina
still focused on the list of hairstyles, not really caring about which one
looks better or not.
“Alright fine. If everyone wants me
to get it, I’ll get it.”
Forrest and Lydia cheered together.
Actually, Lydia tried to but her “yay” was just dull and emotionless.
After about twenty minutes, the barber called for the completion of Leo’s new haircut! Forrest, Lydia, and Felix all checked together.
Best Haircut Suggestions
After about twenty minutes, the barber called for the completion of Leo’s new haircut! Forrest, Lydia, and Felix all checked together.
“I like it!” Forrest shouted.
“Me too,” Lydia added.
Rina slanted her head. “Hm… I don’t
know.”
“It looks fine to me,” Felix
squinted his eyes.
“I guess it’s the mismatched outfit
that doesn’t flow with it.”
“Good! As long as you don’t want
another hairstyle on him!” Forrest continued shouting.
“Shut your trap. I might as well
request another one.”
“No! I like this one!” [End music]
Leo tried to stop them. “Children,
please calm down. I’ll take this one. But…” The group became quiet, waiting for
his opinion. “I just…” He stood up and handed the barber the amount of gold
that he needed to pay and then he rushed out immediately.
“W-Wait a minute! Leo?!” Felix tried
to follow him but Rina tapped his shoulder, indicating that he should not
follow Leo. “Where did he get all that money though?”
The barber murmured to herself: “Hm…
I thought he looked quite familiar… When I finished giving him that haircut, it
finally hit me.”
“What do you mean?” Forrest felt bad
for forcing a haircut on him.
“You said his name was Leo, correct?
That’s no hobo you were traveling with. He is of royalty - Leonardo Van Roy is
his true name.”
“WHAT?!” Felix and Forrest synchronized
together. Lydia was spacing out while Rina didn't care about the news.
“You mean I could have asked him to
buy me everything here in the market?” She said without concern. [Music 8.3]
The woman continued, “You see, he
already had that haircut before he left the city of Ouli Brye. Actually, he
didn’t leave. He was exiled.”
“That must explain why he was so
hesitant on the shaggy look,” Felix remembered.
“Why did he get ex-iled?? He’s such
a nice guy,” Forrest became disappointed.
“He is. But almost a year ago, he
played a rumor on the whole city, claiming that the new King Nader is actually
a part of the Gammel army, waiting for the fall of Ouli Brye. We made the right
choice to exile him. So far, there have been no signs whatsoever of a Gammel
attack against us. I’m surprised he even showed up.”
“W-Who should… we believe??” Forrest
stammered.
“I put my trust in Leo,” Lydia
answered him.
Rina and Felix said nothing. Rina
stopped kneeling against the marketing booth. “If Lydia says so, then I will
believe it.”
“You always follow Lydia’s words,
don’t you?” Felix asked.
“That’s because Lydia is right, at
least most of the time. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t remember me from
before that bastard scientist messed up her head. Her judgments are still in
the right place.”
Felix looked at Lydia. For the first
time, he actually looked into her eyes and he gave a smile. “Heh, I guess Lydia
is a special case. Maybe I’ll try to believe her this time around and see what
happens.”
“Go ahead. Right now though, my
priority is to get those shards. I’m going to the capital. Follow along if you
want. Come on, Lydia.”
As the girls left, Forrest was about
to cry.
“I liked that Leo guy. He was so
nice to me…”
“I know. He still is, I want to
believe. Earlier in the day, he gave me something…”
Forrest watched as Felix took out
the cube from the weapon shop. Forrest’s eyes widened in surprise. [End music]
“How did you get it?!”
“He told me he bought it – for you.”
“For me?!”
Felix laughed. “Of course. He knows
how much you like your ammunition weapons, so he wanted to give you one. Even
if it’s not a real bazooka like the one you saw in the train and at the
station, it’s still something. If you can somehow make Rina throw in some fire
power into it, maybe you can shoot actual bullets while being able to carry the
bazooka. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone for the price of a toy gun.”
Forrest grabbed the cube and then he
hugged it close to his heart. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten.”
Felix sighed, thinking about how
difficult and lonely Forrest’s life must have been. He most likely haven’t
received special gifts except for the yellow cape given by Jess.
“Keep it close to you forever,
okay?”
“For sure! Do you think we’ll ever
see Leo again?”
“Let’s hope so. Even at this point
though, I agree with Rina. We have to let him be and go back to our prior task
at hand: the shards. I also need to ask about Clyde.”
Forrest gave a crooked smile. “Then
I will go too!”
“That’s the spirit!”
~ Ouli Brye (top half) – Northwestern district – Capital’s
exterior ~
Outside the capital was a heightened
staircase of about sixteen feet total. It felt like a journey in itself to
climb all those stairs. Each end was a bank of water that fell from a fountain
into a small pond, and the cycle of water continued through a belt. Civilians
bonded together while some children were drawing on the floor with chalk as if
it was a typical playground. Even Forrest felt tempted to play along.
“So much for a sacred capital,” Rina
commented.
Felix made an abrupt stop. “Hold on.
If Leo is telling the truth about King Nader, do you think he knows about
Lydia?”
“What, you mean how the Gammel army
wants to capture her? You do make a good point for once, Suspenders.”
“You’ve agreed with me several times
before!”
“Whatever. Why don’t you and Forrest
stay here with Lydia? I’ll go ask about the shards.”
Felix gave a slight smile, knowing
Rina never really let Felix take care of Lydia before.
Beside the point, Felix said to her,
“I also need to ask about Clyde though.”
“I’ll ask them for you.”
Felix suddenly imagined what it
would be like if Rina were to ask them…
“Yohoho,
what’s up my good king, sir? My stupid Suspenders friend wants to know if a
perverted creep came by to check up on your city?” Rina asked the silhouetted
king in a barbaric manner.
Felix shook his head.
“No thanks. I want to ask myself.”
“Well, do you want to leave Forrest
with her? I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Forrest stomped with his foot. “Hey! I
have a weapon to protect us if something happens!” He showed off his cube. “So
can you put fire mag-“
“I’m not putting fire magic into that.
It’s too dangerous,” Rina abruptly declined. “How about this: why don’t you two
hide behind some of the nearby pillars for a little bit and try to act natural.
We won’t be too long in there. We just need to ask two simple questions and
we’re out. You better protect Lydia or someone won’t be breathing tonight.”
Forrest pointed at Lydia, “Would it
be her if I fail to protect her?”
“It’d be you if you ask that
question again,” Rina glared at him as if her head enlarged over Forrest’s
vision.
“Yes ma’am…” Forrest said disappointingly.
“I really wanted to see the king.”
“I’ll take you some time then,
okay?” Felix tried to calm him down as Rina and Felix went into the capital on
their own. [Music 3.2]
From far away, Garnett was
approaching the capital with her father. He was almost two times shorter than Garnett, but he somehow managed to find a business suit worth the size for him. He also had a tag on his briefcase that read, 'Moilin'. Most notably, his hair was combed and shiny and he always had a smile on his face. Once Felix and Rina entered the
capital, Garnett walked closer to Lydia.
“Daddy, we need to go this way
instead for a bit.”
“Garnett, I don’t see the point in
that." He sounded concerned.
Garnett pointed at his nose.
“Father,” She said with a deeper and more serious tone. “I will go there first,
and that’s my order.”
Near to the pillars, Forrest spotted Garnett coming closer.
Stay Still, Don't Panic!
Near to the pillars, Forrest spotted Garnett coming closer.
“Garnett! You’re here too!” Forrest
turned to Lydia, grabbing her hand, “Lydia, you have to meet our friend! She’s
so rich and stuff!”
Lydia’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Danger.” [End music]
“What do you mean?”
Garnett took out an axe that was
slightly larger than before; it was a new one to be exact.
“Ahah,” she said to Forrest, “I had
no idea you were traveling with this
girl.”
Lydia tilted her head as she asked
innocently with her blank expression, “Why do you hate me so much?”
“Because you have my hair color! And
that wanna-be princess-looking outfit of yours, it reeks of annoyance.”
Forrest raised his eyebrows with
suspicion. “Garnett? That’s not a good reason.”
“You don’t get it, little boy.
Something about this girl bothers me and I don’t like it!”
Garnett’s father gasped. “Wait a
minute. Dear, we have to move on.”
“No, father! We’re taking this girl
on right now!”
Forrest stood in front of Lydia with
his arms wide open. Although he managed to guard Lydia, he was still shaking in
fear. “Y-You can’t kill her! She did nothing wrong.”
“Out of my way, pipsqueak. This will
be over before you know it.”
Lydia suddenly started crying. “What
did I do wrong? I didn’t mean to get you angry!”
“What?” Garnett became confused.
“The hell is wrong with this girl?”
“It’s a long story!” Forrest
exclaimed.
Garnett raised her axe while Lydia
fell to the ground with uncontrollable tears. Forrest ran in between and he
pushed a red button on his new cube. It inflated into a metal bazooka which
countered Garnett’s axe.
“Garnett, please!” her father asked
in a disturbed manner.
Another voice was heard from the
distance. “That is enough. I shall take you all with me instead.”
The group stopped, turning towards
the woman. Forrest saw the familiarity in her from Kyrie. “It’s… that woman
from before!”
~ Ouli Brye (top half) – Northwestern district – Capital’s
main hall ~
The room was as long as a football
field. [Music 11.1] Drapes hung from every side of the walls and windows, and slow music was
playing. Some of the royalty members danced around in peace while King Nader
sat at the very end of the throne. Nearby was a tall man with a rapier weapon, similar to Clyde's weapon. Felix and Rina could hear the king call out 'First division - Ace' before giving him orders. Although Ace looked rather determined to work by his king's side, his exterior made him seem like he prioritized some sort of fashion sense. King Nader himself was the opposite. He was taller, built, and he had glaring eyes that could frighten anyone. For a king, his lack of a coat and crown made people much more frightened by his looks.
“Halt.” Two soldiers stood by the
doorway, explaining that there is a ceremony going on for the king’s
anniversary month. Every day for said month, the royalty members would throw a
party for King Nader’s arrival at this time last year.
“Identify yourselves.”
Felix bowed. “I come from the
Village of Saradeli. I want to speak with the king about a friend that I am
searching for.”
“I am also looking for artifacts
that the Gammel army stole from us. I want to know if the king has seen
anything of the like.”
The soldiers looked at each other
and then one of them said to Rina, “The Gammel army stole from you?” He stood
there, short and skinny, but also strong and stern.
The other soldier was big and burly.
He frowned and said with a whiny voice, “Oh, those meanies!”
“Sigh… Anyway, this must mean you
are victims of enemy territory. Follow us and we shall take you to the king
ourselves.”
Rina stood there with an
uncomfortable look on her face. “(Did that guy just say ‘sigh’ out loud instead
of actually sighing?)”
“Thank you for your acceptance,”
Felix said.
At the very end of the room, King
Nader stood up with a spear as tall as him. It was refined by Lennox’s
specialized blacksmiths. The two soldiers previously with Felix and Rina
decided to head back to their front post.
“Good to see two youngsters actually
wanting to speak with the king himself. It proves the next generation is
interested in such politics.”
Felix chuckled. “Eheh. Yeah. We have
a few questions for you, your majesty.”
Rina back-handed Felix softly on the
cheek, “Cut the crap.” She faced the king and said directly, “You. I want some
answers right now.”
The tall man beside the king gulped.
“Y-You! Do not speak to the king in such lack of manner!”
“It is acceptable, Ace. Please keep
your temper low.”
“I apologize, your majesty.” Still,
Ace looked a little displeased.
“Now, what is it that you wish to
speak to me about?”
Rina thought about the situation
carefully. “Suspenders, I think you should ask your question first.”
“O-Okay. Um, well, your majesty, I
am searching for a friend named Clyde D’Alonzo. Has he come by yet?”
“Why yes. He has paid his visit and
he is resting well in our VIP guest room. Ace, call him out immediately and
send him to the front entrance once our guests are finished with their
questionnaires.”
Felix turned to Rina in silence,
confused as to how Clyde made it into Lennox territory in one piece, also being
able to rest in a guest room at the capital. Rina gave Felix the eye,
indicating that of course King Nader would support Clyde, a fellow hostage of
the Gammel army.
Felix kept silent and Rina asked her
question this time, “I am also looking for a man named Talbot. Do you know of
this bastard?”
King Nader stuttered for a second.
“What? Y-Yes, I know of such man. I do not know where he is, however.”
“Liar!” Rina shouted. Many of the
royalty members from all over the room turned to her in surprise, listening to
Rina call their own king a liar.
“Rina!” Felix whispered.
King Nader glared at her and Rina
tried to calm down, “Oh, heh. I’m just joking with you, King Nader of the
Lennox government. I didn’t know you had trouble taking such jokes lightly.
Anyway, we’ll be on our way.” She turned away, saying with turmoil, “Don’t ever make me talk like that again. I
feel like I need to wash my tongue with soap – twice.”
King Nader stopped, but with all of
the royalty members standing around, he had to keep his cool. “Very well. Good
luck on your travels and enjoy Ouli Brye to its finest.”
Rina joked to him, “Oh we so will.~”
Felix sighed. “That was a close
one…” he said quietly. [End music]
~ Ouli Brye (top half) – Northwestern district – Capital’s
exterior ~
At the front entrance, Clyde was
waiting for Felix and Rina. Ace followed the teenagers to the exit. [Music 1.6]
“Clyde!! It really is you!” Felix gave Clyde a high-five.
“Why yes, of course! It is very good
to see you. I see you look as normal as ever.” He then said to Rina, “And
m’lady, you look as fine as ever
too.”
“Oh shut up, pervert.” [End music - interrupted]
Ace decided to enter the capital. “I
must return to my post. Please enjoy your stay in Ouli Brye and return to the
guest room when you can, Clyde.”
As Ace left in the distance, Felix
asked, “Does King Nader and Ace know you’re a part of the Gammel army?” [Music 11.2]
“Well, here’s the deal. I became a
hostage to Lennox, but am a spy for the Gammel army, and King Nader knows that
I am a part of it. He is also with the Gammel army. Little does he know is that
I’m staying here until he makes his move, and I will stop him. That way at the
same time with protecting Ouli Brye, I get to stop the Gammel army from moving
further into their treacherous deeds.”
“Oh, sneaky you are. Becoming a
hostage for the enemy, and then betraying the enemy.” Rina laughed
barbarically, hoping to see Talbot’s disappointment in the future.
Felix questioned him, “But I don’t
understand. Why would they trust someone like you to help in such a sensitive
mission like this? If I was in the Gammel government, I wouldn’t put someone as
hostage and then make them do something that we rely on so much.”
“No, it’s not that basic. They told
me all of the benefits of doing this and I pretended to agree with them. It
took days of persuasion and I didn’t buy it deep down, but to them, it’s like I
went 180 on them. Heh.” He then searched around the two, “Speaking of their
evil deeds, what of the other babe? Lydia, was it?”
Rina gagged a little. “Don’t talk
about Lydia that way!! She’s right over there with this annoying kid named
Forrest.”
“You dragged a kid with you on your
journey?” he asked.
Felix laughed. “Yeah, and also a
fake hobo who turned out to be royalty here in Ouli Brye. Only he knows of the
conspiracy with King Nader and he had to hide somewhere.”
Clyde searched the pillars.
“Interesting. Looks like I have to finish some work around here first before I
can finally continue onward with you all. So, where is the chick?”
Rina shouted, “She’s over there,
sheesh! Wait…”
Rina hurriedly reached the water
belts and the pillars only to find that Lydia and Forrest have gone missing.
“Lydia? Lydia!! What the hell?!” She
knelt down and felt the pavements. “This mark on the ground… Garnett was here.”
Clyde began pacing pack and forth.
“No, no, no. This is not good at all. You cannot have Lydia go missing at a
time like this.”
“What do you mean?” Felix asked.
“If you haven’t noticed, I already
paid my visit here in Ouli Brye and I’m supposedly a part of the Gammel army.
You know what that means don’t you?” Rina and Felix waited. “Some of the main
Gammel troops are stationed outside of Ouli Brye by now. They’re just taking
cover behind several hills. Right now, Nader already withdrew his troops and
there were convenient infiltrators who broke the train. With that train broken,
no Lennox soldiers are able to travel outside the city in search of the Gammel
army.”
“So our break-in to the train is
contributing to the fall of the Lennox army?!” Felix’s stomach began to ache. [End music]
“You
were responsible of that? Heh, nice one actually. But anyway, the main
lieutenants are already inside in disguise.”
Rina crossed her arms. “How many,
and who?”
“There was a woman with French
braids in the Gammel army. I think you’ve seen her before, right Felix?”
Rina interrupted him, “We’ve all
seen that crazy bi-“
“Yes, her name is Floir from what I
remember.” Felix shook his head.
“Oh!” Clyde also remembered
something else. “Two more minor members, one named Lionel and the other is a
scientist named Talbot?”
Rina jumped. “Ahah! I knew it! I
knew that bastard is here somewhere! First, I need to hurry up and find Lydia
and then we’ll get that stupid scientist!”
Felix followed her. “Hey, I’m coming
with you. We have to get Forrest too.”
Clyde took sight of the capital, and
then at his friends. “Mind if I join? I have some time to kill before tonight.”
“Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”
Felix stopped.
“Oh, that’s the most important part
that I should have told you. I have to be back in the guest room by night time.
That’s when King Nader and the main Gammel army will attack the northern
portion of Ouli Brye.”
“What did you say?!?!” Rina and
Felix shouted at the same time.
[Ending 1 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, the climax is about to happen in Ouli Brye for the main group. With Lydia and Forrest kidnapped, the remaining group (Felix, Rina, and Clyde) will have to retrieve them. We already saw Garnett take them, so they will likely pay a visit to her mansion again. Worst of all, what will the group do while the attack is about to happen? Find out on the next episode!
~~~
![[Click here for a larger image resolution]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9UkCvVPmf0aVrggDQWxrFsUXZf60amJHy8L31aq5aofkfT8CVIQf_XAh5t92-MIMbKw-ezEDTTVpAQrtZi2sXyneDk8KJHsrd6A7zy8mgOwXT2ygpb9oVOOPY3uLtf9fioYSw52OskHg/s1600/opening+1.4.png){kind=link}
0 comments:
Post a Comment