The Obsidian Tale
~ Bafuul – central hallway ~
Felix peered outside the airship to
make sure no soldiers were nearby.
“Where’s Bailey?!” Forrest asked,
but Jess only gave a disappointed look.
“We still need to find Lydia and get
our weapons back,” Felix said.
Warren’s height barely fit into the
airship if he stood up straight. He crouched his way towards Felix.
“Allow me to assist you. I may not
be able to fight without a weapon, but once we find them, I will be able to
help. For an external reason, I would like to add that I am quite familiar with
Bafuul.”
“Awesome! What do you use anyway?”
“We have no time for questions, let
us move.”
Leo called out to them. “Hey, what
about Rina and the children?”
Forrest wanted to touch all of the
buttons on the ship, but he hesitated. While looking around, he asked Felix,
“And don’t you wanna see Clyde and your dad??”
Felix stopped for a second, but he
knew what was necessary in such a short amount of time. “If I don’t find my
father, then so be it. Asking him questions can wait. As for Clyde, we can’t
challenge and talk to him with a group like this right now. Besides, he has a
lot of backup especially in a place like Bafuul, so we have to wait until he’s
drawn out to an isolated area.”
Forrest took out his cubed bazooka.
“Since I’m the only one who has a weapon, you all should go and I will protect
my friends!”
Leo stood up. “No, I will. I do
fight with gloves as well. The only thing that makes me stronger is the brass knuckles,
but that’s just icing on the cake.” He then grabbed the orange shard out of his
pocket. “And Felix, catch! Make sure Lydia gets a hold of it as soon as you
find her!”
Felix barely caught it, almost
slipping out of the airship. “Thanks, will do!”
Rina awkwardly took out the flail
weapon that she received way back in the Town of Igor. She raised it towards
Felix. “Don’t forget about this.”
Felix laughed. “Of course!! It’s
meant to be for her once she gets most of her shards!”
Forrest grinned at the fact that he
was told to leave the airship for a little while. “Hrm… but I wanted to hang
out with my friends more.”
Leo grabbed Forrest by the
shoulders. “You will have time for that after this is all over. Right now, it’s
smarter to protect those that you can for now. Felix’s group relies on you because you have a long-ranged weapon.”
Forrest tried to give a smile.
“Y-You’re right! Okay, I will go with Mr. Felix and Master Warren!”
“Please, just call me by ‘Warren’. I
am no master.”
“Good for you, lieutenant. Let’s
go!” Felix said without much care.
As the three of them left, the
airship became quiet.
Spencer wanted to cry again. “There
he goes, always leaving us…” [End music]
Follow My Slang!
~ Bafuul – east wing ~
Garnett tried to slash Lydia
relentlessly, also destroying parts of the ground below them. Lydia made a
backflip and Garnett sliced the air, hoping that a large gust of wind would
knock her over. She was almost able to, but Lydia tried to keep a heavy stance.
Lydia’s entire body was pushed further away, but she stopped her fall with her
shoes, sliding across the ground. [Music 26.1]
Lydia’s face wasn't filled with
fear, but with an anguish look. The only thing contrasting her face were the
tears that she could not control – the fear shard was taking its effect. By
now, Lydia could control her feelings, but not the tears which did nothing but
obscure her vision.
Garnett was breathing heavily from
exhaustion.
“What’s wrong, little girl?” Garnett
teased. “All you’re doing is running away. And what happened to that frightened
look on your face from earlier? I want to see more of that!”
Lydia clenched her teeth. “Although
I can’t fight someone with a large axe, I can still avoid you!”
“I see you’ve got some intimidating
bravery within you; however, I am not afraid!” She raised her axe again but a
gunshot passed the side of her hips.
Garnett leaned over, yelping in
pain. She sat down with one knee up to her chin.
“What the hell was that?!”
As Garnett fell to the ground, Lydia
could see Floir standing several feet away behind her.
“Enough is enough,” Floir said. “You
all have caused a disturbance to Bafuul.” She blew into her gun’s trigger. “Ah, what do we have here? It is disturbing to see the Obsidian out of her room. We were supposed to
extract her energy again.
Garnett’s body gave out a slight
amount of electricity.
Floir was astonished. “What in the
world?”
“You have angered me…” Garnett said,
raising her voice. Her eyes were red, enough so that you could no longer see
her iris nor pupils.
Lydia took a step back. “M-Maybe now
is a good time to sneak away,” she told herself.
~ Bafuul – the left end of east wing – storage room ~
Near the beginning of the east wing,
Warren quickly opened one of the doors.
“The storage room must be here. I
remember this from when I used to be a Bafuulian guard.”
Felix jumped. “That’s awesome! It’s
nice to have an ex-soldier with us.”
Felix was the first to rush in, but
he made a sudden stop. He made the loudest gasp which came to a surprise to
Forrest, seeing as he has never been this surprised before.
Forrest’s heart skipped a beat. “Mr.
Felix? What is it…?”
Felix’s legs were slightly shaking.
“Is that you?” Inside the storage room was a tall man who stood with a red cap
and glaring eyes that resembled Felix’s whenever he was angry. His military
outfit resembled more of the governmental garments from Gammel. “Father.”
Mr. Wolfram turned around. “If I am
not mistaken, you are Felix.”
Felix squinted his eyebrows in
concern. “Are you really my father?! After all these years, you’ve finally
showed up.”
“I knew you would come here.”
“Now? Where the hell were you all
this time, damn it?!”
“As a child, you were always the
sneaky one. You always had your way and you used to cheat off the marketers
back at the Village of Saradeli.”
Forrest smiled. “Whoa! Felix was a
thief?! How non-heroic.” He joked.
“This isn’t funny,” Felix tried to
be serious. “I just don’t understand. What are you trying to do? Why haven’t
you come back? What are you doing in the gov-“
“Slow down, young one!” Mr. Wolfram
said with his deep and raspy voice. He had the crescent blade, the brass
knuckles, and Forrest’s BB gun on the ground in front of him. He then took the
large steel hammer from the wall which was partially dusted. [End music]
Forrest took out his cubed weapon.
“He’s gonna attack his own son?!”
“I am not here to fight,” Mr.
Wolfram said. He then threw the weapon at Warren, followed by one kick to each
weapon that belonged to the main group. “I am here to return these.”
“Why are you helping us?”
Mr. Wolfram yawned. “To be honest… I
joined the Gammel government in hopes of adding a referendum to protect and
increase the wealth of the Village of Saradeli. In order to do that, I had to
keep patient for several years. I wanted to come home someday to my beloved
family but only when the village’s referendum was accepted.”
Forrest tugged onto Warren’s pants.
“Um, what’s a referen-whatever?”
“A referendum is a proposal to seek
recognition for unprivileged ideas such as wealth – in particular, the Village
of Saradeli.”
“Oh. I get it.” Forrest lied as he
happily grabbed onto his BB gun. [Music 26.2]
Felix was facing the ground in
shame. “You mean… all this time, you were still trying to find ways to make the
village look better?”
“What else would I leave for?”
“I thought you left because you were
selfish,” Felix’s heart sank. He wanted to tell the truth, and the truth he
finally told. His nose burnt and he fell to the ground. “I… I didn’t know you
cared that much. I didn’t know, I didn’t know!” He punched the ground angrily.
“All this time, I was angry that you didn’t come home to support the family! I
only complained year after year in bitterness, thinking that the only way to
survive was to take food from merchants and then one day storm off into a
bigger city!”
Mr. Wolfram was silent. He also felt
guilty having to unintentionally turn his child into a thief.
Felix wiped his tears away. “No, I
shouldn’t cry.” He stood up with his eyes closed. “Father, please come home.
Mother and I don’t care if the village is poor. She never wants to leave and
it’s because she believes you’ll come home someday. So please, please come home
with us, dad!!”
“I cannot. I made a vow to create that
referendum. The time is almost soon, Felix. I can almost feel it.”
Felix interrupted him. “No, you
don’t understand! You’re blind at what the Gammel government is really trying to do!”
Warren gasped. “Felix, do not speak
to your father that way.”
“It is okay, ex-lieutenant Warren. I
had some suspicions about the government as well.” He began to sit on a desk
nearby. “To tell you the truth, I met the Obsidian earlier. What was her name,
Lydia Yager?”
“You met her?!”
“I was the one who told the lieutenants
to send her into the bedroom and ordered them all to protect Bafuul in the most
obscure ways.”
“What do you mean…?”
Mr. Wolfram began laughing. “To be
honest, I knew my son was causing trouble again, but this time, to the
government! Now that’s my son!” The group became silent. “I purposely made
Lydia rest in the bedroom as an excuse to delay this ‘extraction’ that Master
Magnus wanted to do. I knew you would come to rescue Lydia as soon as possible.
Then, I had the lieutenants guard areas where you could easily sneak away from.
Have you noticed that they were absent in the west wing and central hallway?”
Forrest tilted his head in
confusion. “What about Bailey?”
“Oh that person? That was my
mistake, bahah!” [End music]
The group of three fell to the ground.
Mr. Wolfram continued, “Yeah, I
didn’t know that kid was a new member, but hey, you still went through him! Or
her? I still don’t know, geesh!”
“Dad, why are you acting so calm?” [Music 12.1]
Mr. Wolfram shrugged. “I guess I’m
just proud that my son made it this far. Now, I ask that you find your friend
and leave as soon as possible. My orders to the lieutenant only came as far as
here.”
Felix shook his head. “Alright, but
where’s Clyde?!”
“Clyde, your best friend, and son of
our favorite neighbors? Ah, I told him to take an expedition outside of Bafuul.
He left with an airship. I just wanted to make sure you two did not clash again
or else that would be a big problem.”
“I see…” Felix frowned.
Warren had his hand on his chin.
“Ah, so that’s why there were only four airships remaining at the central
hallway. That makes sense now.”
“Master Magnus is almost on his way
to Bafuul. He will be here in a few minutes to check on Lydia’s extraction. I
know you’re also looking for one of the shards, but Clyde must be holding it.
As for me, I promise to come home someday, but now is not the right time.
Promise to me that you will be okay and I will make sure to locate you when
things simmer down. I suggest you hurry!”
Felix agreed and he ran out the
door. He turned back to his father, “Father… Thank you so much. I… I’m sorry
for all of the things I’ve thought about you all these years. I’m a terrible
son…”
“Do not say such things, Felix! Stay
proud and keep at your goals!”
Felix placed his crescent blade back
into his sheath. “I promise! See you next time, father!”
Warren and Forrest followed him out
of the storage room.
Mr. Wolfram waited until things
quieted down. “Felix, you have grown so much since the last time I saw you.
Your mother has done a wonderful job.”
~ Bafuul – east wing ~
Back on the east wing, Lydia was
trying to make her way out of the hall, but Garnett’s rage shook the entire
room. Parts of the ground that she destroyed was floating in mid-air all around
her. She was surrounded by red aura, but how was she able to do this?
Floir took a step back. “It is like
she is not human! Is she possessed with Obsidian energy?”
Lydia was already dropped to the
floor. She had trouble trying to get up from the vibrations.
“Possessed by Obsidian energy?” She
thought. “This must be what Warren was talking about! The Gammel scientists
must have used some on humans and this was the result. But, why would Garnett
have energy in her if she’s not a part of the Gammel army?”
Garnett ran towards Floir. It was as
if she teleported right in front of Floir’s eyes. Garnett dropped the axe and
she gave a huge punch to Floir by the face. Floir crashed into the walls next
to her and Garnett followed her into the wall. Floir barely ducked down before
Garnett punched the walls. Any slower and Garnett would have smashed her face! [End music]
Lydia tried to stand up. The whole
room was still shaking from Garnett’s rage. As soon as she could, Lydia made
her way to the other side of the room where Floir was previously standing.
Another large shake started and Lydia fell again.
“Lydia!!!” Felix shouted from several
feet away. [Music 26.3]
Lydia looked forward with the hugest
smile on her face. “F-Felix?! IT’S YOU!!”
As the ground continued to shake,
Felix fell over right when he was in front of her. They both clashed foreheads
and then fell onto the ground. The shaking was calmer this time.
Lydia caressed her forehead and then
tears came out of her eyes. “Felix, I’m so happy to see you, oh my gosh!”
Felix laughed. “I feel the same
way!” He looked into her eyes. “Are those tears because you can’t control them
or…?”
“No, no, this time, I’m really
crying. I’ve missed you and everyone so much. It was such a scary journey down
here in Bafuul, I couldn’t take it. I almost thought I would never see you
again. Oh, and Forrest, and Warren too! I’m so glad you’re both safe!”
Felix was blushing at the sight of
Lydia’s happiness. “You know, it’s kind of weird and awkward seeing how happy
you are. The last time I saw you, you barely remembered Rina, heh…”
Lydia pouted. “Hmph. That’s because
I only had three shards. OH! Speaking of Rina, where is she?!”
“She’s safe with Leo and Forrest’s
friends. Come with us!”
“Of course I will!”
Felix softly held onto her hand.
“Hey, Leo and Rina got these for you.” He gave her the orange shard along with
the flail. Lydia checked behind her. “Uh, hold onto the shard. It always takes
a while to install once I touch it. We need to get out of here quickly!” She
only grabbed onto the flail.
“Why? What’s happeni- AHH!” Felix
watched Garnett toss Floir back into the hallway.
“That’s what I was talking about!”
Lydia said. The ground shook heavier this time and the group could barely
stand. Well, at least Warren could stand…
Floir took sight of the group. “The
Obsidian!”
Garnett punched her onto the floor.
“No you don’t!!”
Forrest gasped. “Oh no! That Garnett
girl tossed Floir onto the… floor.”
Felix rolled his eyes. “Is now the
time for puns?!”
Warren threw Forrest onto his back
and then he grabbed Felix’s back collar, who was still holding onto Lydia’s
hand. They connected like a train with four carts.
“We’re rushing out of here!” Warren
said as the rest of the group screamed in fear of falling over.
The Real Lydia
~ Bafuul – central hallway - airship ~
Back in the central hallway, Felix,
Lydia, Forrest, and Warren made their way into the airship. As soon as Lydia
stepped in, Rina opened her eyes widely. [End music]
Rina stood up, ignoring the fact
that she had to limp her way towards Lydia. It didn’t matter. Lydia ran through
most of their distance as they finally hugged again. [Music 18.1]
Rina tried not to cry. She hugged
Lydia as tightly as she could. “Oh Lydia, I’m so glad you’re safe!”
Lydia giggled. “I always make it
through to the end, Rina. Heehee!”
“And you’re laughing again too! I’ve
never seen that much laughter since we left the meadow together.”
Lydia pointed to Felix, Forrest, and
Warren. “You should thank them for risking their safety for me. They went
through a hallway and…” She almost forgot about Garnett and Floir. “Actually,
we should talk about this after we take off.”
Forrest ran towards the piloting
station. “Ooh, ooh! I wanna try!”
Sydney slapped him. “Ugh! Forrest!
Stop doing stupid things!”
Felix, Leo, and Spencer laughed
together. Jess chuckled.
Warren paced his way to the station.
“I have piloted an airship a few times before. Allow me.”
He began pressing buttons that
nobody in the airship understood. Lydia placed Rina onto the nearest seat while
Felix was looking out through the window.
“The lights in the hallway are
breaking. The entire hallway doesn’t seem to be stable.”
“What do you mean?” Leo went to
check through the window as well. “What?! Parts of the hallway are breaking
apart!”
“You mean the entire room is just
falling?!” Felix panicked. “But my father might still be in there!”
The ship shook, indicating that it
was finally starting up. “Goodness, this ship is still in top condition!”
Warren said to the group. As the ship was starting to fly, Forrest begged for
it to fly faster. “I cannot make this ship go any faster at the startup. It
must keep its pace.”
“Aww! Darn it!”
Lydia kindly asked to take the
orange shard while waiting for the ship to fly upward. An orange light was
shining in front of her. The group had to close their eyes because this was one
of the brightest gleams they have ever witnessed, compared to any other shard
before. After about several seconds, Lydia felt enlightened again.
“Phew! For some reason, with just
six shards, I already feel back to normal. We still need that last one.” [End music]
Felix turned around. “About that…” [Music 9.1]
Garnett punched the ground from afar
and Floir avoided the attack. Instead, the attack caused the floor to break
apart, but at a specific direction towards the central hallway as if an
underground monster was breaking through the floor. Eventually, the bricks from
the bottom level shattered and some of it struck the ship’s engine from below.
Felix gave the most frightened
expression as he saw the entire hallway practically collapse in front of his
eyes. “FATHER!!!”
The ship tipped over but Warren was
still piloting. It was going up faster now and outside towards the ceiling.
With the engine slightly broken, the ship tilted by the ceiling exit and the
right side of the ship crashed onto the rooftop.
“No…” Felix said slowly. He tried to
shake off his fear.
Half of the group was panicking now.
The ship was still able to fly, but it was very shaky. Warren tried to steer
away but the directional keys were not working to his advantage. All he could do
was steer without a direction as the airship was moving on its own.
Forrest fell over. “Wait a minute,
Warren, the ship is going too fast now!”
“I can’t control its speed anymore!”
“So much for top condition,” Leo
shrugged.
Felix panicked. “This isn’t the time
for jokes. We’re going to crash!”
Sydney looked through the window.
She pointed outside. “Look! I see Kyrie!”
Forrest followed them. “And there’s
the Lake City Prima!”
Spencer’s heart was beating
abnormally fast and Jess was the first to notice. She tried to give Spencer a
hug. “It will be alright, Spencer. Just stay calm!”
Spencer was breathing faster.
“H-H-Hel- Help- H-“
“It will be okay, it will be okay!”
Jess repeated.
On the other side of the ship, Rina
and Lydia spotted another airship passing adjacent to them as if it came from
Vector and the Meadow. That didn’t matter at this point. Their own ship was
plunging closer to the ground!
At this point, the ship was flying
downward and the group had just past Lake City Prima. The airship made its way
to the north and Warren tried to at least control the speed. He pulled the
control stick downward, hoping that the brakes were still working.
“Is it working?!” Felix shouted.
“Only by a little bit! EVERYONE! Hold
onto something as hard as you can!!!” Warren commanded.
Lydia and Rina held onto each other
with one hand while their other hand gripped onto the nearest attached desk.
Jess was holding onto Spencer while gripping onto their chair. Sydney and
Forrest held onto the drawers that were attached to the wall while Felix and
Leo grabbed onto the upper rails on the ceiling.
“This is going to be a very
difficult landing!” Warren said one more time as they were heading straight
onto the plains. Some of them wanted to appreciate the peaceful-looking land
that was in front of them, but not until they safely landed. Were they safe? [End music]
The ship was facing 45 degrees
towards the greenish land at an enormously high speed and all they could do now
was close their eyes and pray for their safety…
[Ending 2 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, someone unexpected will appear and tell the story of Waltzer. As the story progresses into volume 3, we will go deeply into the history of Rhadessia. It seems Warren had something to do with the historic wars from 20 years ago, yet Waltzer lived as long as 1,000 years! Wait a minute, besides the history, what happened to the main group who was crashing down into the plains?! Find out on the next episode!
~~~
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