Saturday, July 25, 2015

Episode 43 - Coliseum - The Heart of Battle

The Obsidian Tale

Episode 43
[Opening 4 music]
[Click here for a larger image resolution]


~ Wiserheim – coliseum – Unicorn Party’s room ~


            Lydia, Forrest, Leo, Hazel, and Viola all sat in a small locker room nearby the central battle field. The five of them were still trying to catch their breath after a quick run towards their room when finding out they only had a few minutes before the match began. They could hear an immensely large crowd yelling for the opponents: The Mighty Heightys. It seems most of the audience was bothered by the fact that there was a last minute addition to the tournament, but at the same time, it was worth their money to pay for an extra battle. [Music 32.1]
            “Alright,” the referee said to them, “Get your butts out there the moment they call for you. Remember, only four members can participate and you can start out with however many members you want first.”
Very Appropriate Costumes


            Hazel raised her hand. “I’m going to show Gunther how strong I’ve gotten since twenty years ago.”
            Forrest jumped. “Ooh! Ooh! Let’s show them what Unicorn Party’s got!”
            Leo sighed. “I really don’t feel like fighting with that kind of team name…” He complained.
            “I guess I will go,” Viola smiled.
            Hazel agreed with her. “You would make a great addition as you barely even make an effort to fight while at the same time, being one of the strongest in our group.”
            “You can thank the Gammel lieutenants for raising me.”
            Lydia grinned. “Is it really okay to have Viola come out like that with Gammel armor?”
            Viola opened the nearest locker while Forrest responded to Lydia, “Didn’t she easily run through Wiserheim?”
            “Yeah, but…” She remembered what the city life was like. “The streets weren’t that active due to the fact that everyone is here watching the battles. Now everyone in Wiserheim is going to see her.”
            “How about this?” Viola grabbed onto a bikini.
            “OOH!!!” Leo shouted.
            Lydia blushed. “N-No! Let’s have you wear something more appropriate. How about a tank top with some shorts? A comfortable outfit would make things easier to fight in.”
            Forrest pointed at a chicken suit. “That one!!”
            Lydia screamed. “Ew! That’s even worse!”
            Hazel took out a heavy armor out of a locker nearby her. “How about some good defense?”
            Lydia shook her head. “No… she wouldn’t be able to move that fast. We would love the purpose of having Viola fight with us.” The group heard ‘The Mighty Heightys’ being called out to the field and the audience cheered even louder. “Okay, we have to choose something really quick!”
            Viola looked into another locker. “Oh. I like this one. I think it’s appropriate for our team name.”
            Lydia did not bother to check. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s just get you changed in the fitting room really fast!” Hazel and Lydia both took her into the fitting room and the two males were left in the locker room.
            The referee pointed at Leo, “I heard you’re not participating in this round. You should stand outside this room!”
            “Why?”
            “We do not allow more than four people in the locker room. This is a law, in order to prevent groups from cheating with more than four members.”
            “Fine, I’ll be right outside.”
            Forrest watched him leave as the announcer called out for ‘Unicorn Party’. The audience began to laugh at the name. Forrest looked around the locker room.
            “Um… is anybody ready to go??”
            Lydia yelped. “In a minute! Why doesn’t this bra fit on her?!”
            Forrest began to panic. “Th-They called for us to go!!”
            “In a second!” Lydia said to him.
            “Going twice for the Unicorn Party!” The announcer said. [End music]

~ Wiserheim – coliseum – central battlefield ~


            Forrest ran outside onto the battle field. It was bright outside and the lights were all on him alone. The field was as huge as a track field! Forrest could hear everyone laughing at both him as a child, and the group name ‘Unicorn Party’. [Music 25.2]
            Forrest took out his BB gun as he began shaking in fear once he saw his dwarven opponents in front of him.
            “Is that a fake gun?!” A man in the audience said out loud. The giant screen zoomed in on Forrest’s hand.
            “It looks like they sent out a child first!” The announcer added. “With the Mighty Heightys starting to go all out with four members first, let’s see what the surprising Unicorn Party has in store for us! Begin!”
            Forrest turned to the giant screen up above and diagonal from him. “Begin what??”
            The four dwarves came running with their giant axes and long beards. They were color-coded from red, yellow, green, and blue.
            “HUAAAH!!!!” They all yelled together.
            Forrest began to panic. “Geh?! W-Wait, that was quick!”
            “Sorry, but with an extra team being thrown into the tournament, we have a shorter time period!” The referee called from behind.
            Forrest was still shaking. He couldn’t move his legs. “Nooo!!”
            The audience began to laugh, thinking this was some kind of intermission joke or prank just for laughs until the next serious battle.
            Forrest tried to shoot with his BB gun without thinking, but all of the axes deflected each bullet. He then took out his cubed bazooka.
            “Oh! Is that a Rubik’s cube?!” The announcer asked.
            “A rubi-what? Oh whatever!” Forrest made it inflate into a bazooka. “Finally! Here we go!” The dwarves were only several seconds away from hacking Forrest down.
            “An inflatable toy bazooka!” The announcer went on.
            “It’s not a toy!” He then shot out several balls of snow. They each landed on the dwarves’ faces but it only dispersed as the men continued to run.
            “The Mighty Heightys are known for their steel defense! You better be careful, kid!”
            The audience continued to laugh. Several of them began to feel as if the Unicorn Party was just a joke to get through intermission. It was impossible for any other member to chime in with little time left anyway. [End music]
            Forrest began playing with the dial on his bazooka. With only about five seconds left before the dwarves reached him, Forrest switched to the original dial from when he first got the bazooka. [Music 3.1]
            “This must be it!” Forrest took a step back and he fired a large ball of flame onto the green dwarf. “The leftover fire power from the volcano worked!”
            “AGH! It burns! Get this fire off my beard!!”
            The yellow and blue dwarves stopped in surprise, also in dismay that their own teammate’s hair was set on fire.
            The audience became quiet and confused.
            Forrest smiled. “Yes! It worked! Who wants to fight?!”
            Lydia, Hazel, and Viola rolled out of the locker room together, thinking they were late for the match. Lydia fell to the ground in exhaustion.
            “That outfit was so hard to put on!!”
            “I’ll say,” Hazel said, moving out of the way for Viola to appear.
            The announcer made a gasp. “Oh!! It looks like the rest of the group has finally appeared!”
            The crowd began to cheer. Well, until Viola showed up.
            From the hallway before the locker room, Leo watched the giant screen in front of him. “Why is she wearing a unicorn outfit?!?!?!”
            “Neigh,” Viola said bluntly. She had a wooden horn taped onto her forehead while wearing a yellow wig with curls going down to her shoulder blades. Her armor was actually just cloth mixed with a few shades of purple and her tail was the color of the rainbow.
            The audience began to laugh again.
            Forrest turned around with awe. “Viola…” He said. “That is…” He suddenly gave a huge smile. “AWESOME!!!”
            Hazel took out her bow. “Forrest, look out!” She quickly aimed her arrows at all three of the dwarves that had their axes raised right above Forrest.
            The axes swung down with haste. As soon as one of the axes was an inch away from Forrest’s head, several arrows struck all three of the dwarves. They fell, yelling from the pain.
            “Ohhh! It seems The Mighty Heightys’ brute force did not work this time as it did in their past two battles!”
            Lydia grinned. “Hey… we didn’t really do anything though.”
            Hazel shrugged. “I guess these matches won’t be so hard after all.”
            “Are the members of Unicorn Party really that strong?! We will see in the next round! Now, we will have a few minutes before the third portion of the tournament begins! Remember, there are only four teams remaining!”
            Lydia gave a huge sigh. “Phew! At least we don’t have to rush anymore. Now we can figure out an actual plan on our next match.”
            “Really? It seems our lack of plans helped us on this one,” Viola suggested the same plan as before. [End music]
            “N-No! We just got lucky,” Lydia said. “Let’s go back and tell Leo!”

~ Wiserheim – coliseum – Unicorn Party’s room ~


            The moment Leo was allowed in the room again, the rest of the group cheered onwards. [Music 14.2]
            Leo gave Lydia a high-five. “To the leader of the group!” He laughed. “I’m surprised we ended up giving Unicorn Party a good reputation this quickly! I think I’m motivated to fight again.”
            Forrest said angrily, “No way!! You left us just because of the name!”
            “H-Hey! I needed to keep my reputation as a royal member of the Ouli Brye kingdom!”
            “Sure…” Forrest glared at him.
            Hazel watched the screen showing the other three teams’ leaders. The first one was wearing a mask while the second was of a man born from Wiserheim. The third group appeared to be an amazon-looking woman from Taujiko.
            “From what I remember, the people of Taujiko are known for their ability to heal by using natural herbs in a very skillful manner. Furthermore, their primary weapon is the lance. Throwing lances, I want to add.”
            “Oh dear. Maybe I should step out,” Viola said.
            “Are you sure?” Lydia asked. “You’re our strongest.”
            Viola shrugged. “I want to make this lovely outfit work. It’s meant for strutting along the hall rather than fighting against others.”
            Lydia placed her hand over her forehead. “Is that your reason?” She turned back to the screen. “Okay, it doesn’t matter,” she said, looking at her own face on the screen.
            Hazel gave herself the thumb pointer. “I think Forrest and I should enter again. We are both long-ranged members. With Lydia being a healer and Viola opting out, it seems Leo is in.”
            “Wait a minute, I-I can’t challenge them! I’m short-ranged!”
            “But you wanted to fight like… a minute ago,” Forrest corrected him.
            Lydia remembered what their next opponents looked like. “Is the real reason because you don’t want to fight women?”
            Hazel slapped Leo on the face several times. “This isn’t about who you can or can’t fight. You’re doing this for the world in the long run! And besides, the other group members could have men. If you really can’t fight women, then you might as well target her lackeys.”
            Leo sighed. “Alright, alright!”
            Forrest looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Viola?”
            They suddenly heard a loud ‘neigh’ outside the hallway and a bunch of men followed up with ‘ooooooh!!’
            Lydia gave a nervous chuckle as they began waiting for their match. [End music]
Curves of a Woman


~ Wiserheim – coliseum – central battlefield ~


            “And with one fell swoop, ‘Team Maglem’ wins!” The announcer concluded the next battle which ended within less than ten seconds.
            Lydia was by the doorway to the field. “Only one person was out there against four people and that person didn’t move at all!”
            “It looks like our next match will begin as soon as possible! We have the ‘Taujikan Amazons’ versus the ‘Unicorn Party’!”
            Leo slid off of the bench in the center of the room in shame. “It never sounds strong no matter how you say it!”
            “Unicorn Party, yeah!” Forrest cheered onward. “Let’s go!”
            Hazel pushed Leo out of the door. “Why don’t you go? This should be interesting.”
            “Me?! Why?”
            “There are several reasons. I don’t need to explain it. Just get yourself out there!” [Music 12.2]
            With Leo being thrown out into the battlefield, only two amazons appeared at first.
            “It looks like team Unicorn Party is using the same tactic as before! Only one man appeared! Let’s begin!!”
            Two of the butch amazons began speeding their way across the field. Leo covered his eyes, afraid to fight women who clearly were not evil, but were fighting to be the strongest.
            “I can’t do this! There’s a difference between fighting against a villainous woman versus fighting women who seek progressive empowerment!” Leo said in a panic. Midway through, he began to focus on their main goal. “No… This isn’t some dilemma on who to fight. This is a fight to bring the world back into peace. I shouldn’t be selfish. I have to do this, for Rhadessia.” He opened his eyes, watching as the two women were getting closer. “Even if they’re women… Even if…!”
            He punched the ground as much as he could until it shattered into pieces. The two women fell. On the ground, they tried to throw their spears towards him. Luckily, he could barely jump away.
            “You are not getting away!” The shorter, more butch woman yelled.
            The taller woman stood up with her curly hair being tangled together. She straightened her forehead protector while holding onto another spear from her sheath.
            Several arrows appeared and almost struck the two women. Lucky for them, they managed to deflect all of the arrows with their spears. Hazel had appeared by the doorway.
            “Make another move, and I will strike you down,” Hazel threatened. The crowd began to cheer louder this time.
            “Heh,” the tall one gave a smirk. She went ahead and threw the spear at Leo anyway.
            Forrest appeared to shoot the spear with his cubed bazooka – with snow essence. Hazel struck the short amazon, causing her to fall.
            “Oh!! It seems there has been a surprise entrance after one of the amazons fell!” The announcer added. “Wait a minute, something is happening!”
            Two more amazons from the other end appeared. The shorter amazon in the center of the field began holding onto the tall, fallen woman’s orb.
            “The Taujiko civilization is best known for their healing abilities. It seems they have outsmarted the Unicorn Party!”
            The tall amazon chuckled. “You… fell for it!” She tried to speak. “You think you can attack us, yet we are able to heal.”
            Hazel aimed at them again. “All we have to do is strike all of you at once without interruption.”
            “Impossible!” An amazon woman with a wheelchair appeared.
            Forrest pointed at her, “She’s the leader?!?!” He remembered seeing her face on the wide screen back in the locker room.
            The two amazons in the front stood up while the other two in the back were pacing their way towards the rest of the group. Forrest and Hazel walked closer to Leo, still aiming their weapons at the amazons. All four amazons had their spears raised into the sky, waiting for their opponents to strike.
            “Any second now, folks!” The announcer demanded.
            The moment Hazel and Forrest stood in front of Leo, the two of them quickly began to attack. The women all threw their spears but Forrest was able to push them away with snow. Meanwhile, Leo punched the ground again, trusting that the rocks would shatter. He swayed and crouched in front of Hazel and Forrest, hoping he could give a spin kick against all of the rocks in front of them.
            All of the amazons closed their eyes. [End music]
            “Aiy! I can’t see!!!” [Music 26.3]
            Lydia finally appeared by the doorway as she began running towards her teammates. With the distractions, Lydia jumped above Leo. He placed his hands together, waited for Lydia to appear right above him, and then he pushed her further upwards, giving her a boost higher into the air.
            As the rocks stopped being thrown, Hazel was able to strike down two women with her bow. The two other amazons behind them gave nervous laughters.
            “W-We can still heal them!” One of them said.
            “Oh yeah?” Hazel then snapped her fingers.
            They had not noticed that Lydia was right behind them after she landed. She hammered them both on the head with her flail. They both fell to the ground with a giant bruise to the head for each amazon.
            The crowd began cheering at maximum volume now. “WOW!!! It seems team Unicorn Party barely defeated the Taujikan Amazons!! What a battle!”
            “Barely?!” Leo said in dismay.
            Forrest jumped several times in celebration. “We did it, we did it!!”
            “We are now ready for the final match! To respect the pacing for the team members, we will have a ten minute intermission.”
            Hazel stretched her arms. “Might need a little more time than that, but it will do.”
            Lydia watched as the amazons began to cry. She frowned. “I’m sorry…”
            Leo also cried by the doorway. “I did this to innocent women!! Damn it!”
            Forrest dragged him into the locker room while Lydia and Hazel made their way back as well. [End music]

~ Wiserheim – coliseum – Unicorn Party’s room ~


            During the next ten minutes, the group of five began to plan their next tactic after seeing the masked person again on the screen. Team Maglem… Something wasn’t right about them. [Music 34.1]
Viola's Appetite


            Hazel stood by the doorway to examine the size of the field. “A perfect tactic must involve the area and size of the battlefield. I would say we could use the same plans as before, but the single masked opponent has not even let out any other teammates which poses a serious threat to our team.”
            “Then what do we do??” Forrest grinned. He began to watch the audience being broadcasted all over the screen.
            Leo took over with the plan, “I suggest we start out with one person, this time not being Lydia.”
            “I prefer to go first,” Viola interrupted. “Their battle style strikes me, a lot.”
            “It does?” Lydia questioned her. “How come?”
            “It’s… very familiar.”
            Leo scratched his head. “Well, gee… They barely moved in the battlefield. I don’t know how you can detect familiar fighting styles that way.”
            “I trust my instincts. Besides, you all claimed I barely move in battles as well.”
            “Well, that’s good enough for me,” Leo said. He clapped his hands together in simple agreement. Of course he would agree with Viola no matter the case.
            Hazel headed for the hallway. “Seeing as the masked person has armor, how many of them would have the same type of equipment?”
            Viola answered immediately. “Possibly only the leader, but I would rather not take that chance. It is better that you do not enter this one as your arrows may countered and it will strike you back.”
            “Really?” Lydia gasped.
            Hazel glared at Viola. “Suspicious, but you do say you trust your instincts.”
            “Very much so,” Viola said.
            Hazel stepped out. “Then I should opt out for this round as a bow and arrows would not serve much towards heavy armor.” The door closed and they waited for their ten minutes to end.
            “Huh?!” Forrest shouted, pointing at the screen. For a split second, he could have sworn he saw Bailey running behind the line of people in the audience. “Did you all see that?”
            “See what?” Lydia patted his head.
            “I think I saw Bailey…”
            “Ten minutes are up! We are about to begin. With the final match, we will begin with team Unicorn Party!”
            Forrest rushed out into the hallway which startled Hazel. Immediately, the door shut and Viola exited towards the battlefield.
            Lydia turned to Leo, “Wait a minute, what are we going to do with just three members?!” [End music]

~ Wiserheim – coliseum – central battlefield ~


            As Viola stepped out, two members were called out onto the field from Team Maglem. Two masked characters appeared; you could barely even tell what gender they were.
            “A new tactic, Floir?”
            One of the opponents removed her mask. “How did you know it was me?”
            “I know your fighting style,” Viola answered.
            “EHHHH?!” Lydia screamed from the locker room.
            Leo was off to the side of the locker room, noticing that some of the costumes that Viola previously tried on were moved to the opposite end of the room.
            “Who moved them…?” Leo shivered by the utter creepiness.
            Lionel was next to take off his mask. “We came here to challenge the top fighters and earn our right to serve Wiserheim!”
            “And what is your reason?” Viola questioned them without showing a worried expression.
            “We don’t need to explain, heh!” He began running towards Viola with haste. [Music 43.1]
            Viola slid to the side and she struck Lionel with the back end of her lance. Floir had her own lance as well. The two clashed several times before Lionel was able to get back up.
            “We have to help her!” Lydia rushed out with Leo. At the same time, Professor Talbot appeared.
            “Unicorn Party actually made more members appear from Team Maglem?! What a battle!!” The announcer said out loud.
            “Where’s Hazel?! I wanted to see her get ripped to shreds!” King Redlin shouted from the microphone. Some of the people in the audience became confused and mortified. “Oh, uh! Ahem! I mean…”
            Talbot threw his knives at Lydia and Leo which immediately pinned their sleeves against the wall before they could enter further into the battlefield.
            “Finally, even I get to battle,” Garnett appeared from the rear end.
            Viola finally gasped. “You?”
            “Long story short, they let someone strong like me join their group because I wanted to kill that wretched girl over there!” She pointed at Lydia. “My strength was their device to win for sure. I mean, I just got here and they have been pulling through with only three group members, but to have someone like me eager enough to defeat you, now our team is impossible!””
            Lydia clenched her teeth. “You’re still after me?”
            Leo tried to remove the knives away from his sleeve but earth magic was instilled within the knives, causing the walls to connect together with their sleeves.
            Garnett had her axe which was yet again, larger than before.
            Viola took a step back. She began to sweat. “I had not anticipated four fighters. I’ve only had suspicions that they had three members, foreseeing that ‘Maglem’ was scrambled for ‘Gammel’.”
            Floir nodded. “Viola, my pupil… You are clever than you show to your new friends. If we defeat you here and now, then you shall stay out of our way from now on!”
            Lionel took a step back. He knew it was best for him and Floir to charge at once while Talbot could strike again if Floir or Lionel failed. Even with more strengths, Garnett was their plan C. With just two, the battle was difficult already. It was even worse with four.
            However, the connected walls were starting to remove itself. The knives fell to the ground and Lydia and Leo were set free. A large fireball flew past them and struck Floir. She was barely able to deflect, but she was sent flying backwards several feet away.
            “It’s not over,” A voice said from the locker room. [End music]
            Lydia turned around slowly while she was on the ground. “…RINA!”
[Ending 4 music]
~~~
Within the next episode of The Obsidian Tale, Rina makes a surprise return?! It seems she may be able to defeat all of the Gammel lieutenants in one fell swoop, however something bigger is happening outside the coliseum that Forrest wants to look into. With the main group being all over the place, how will they organize a plan to stop the real issue - Magnus? See you next week!
~~~
Posted by OmigawdMatt at 12:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Episode 42 - Unicorn Party

The Obsidian Tale

Episode 42
[Opening 4 music]
[Click here for a larger image resolution]


~ Zweiland Mountains – western exit ~


            Lydia, Forrest, Leo, Hazel, and Viola quickly made their way down the mountains through a rockslide. Everyone made it safely to the bottom. Well, except for Forrest who fell face flat when they reached ground level, covering himself in granite. [Music 42.1]
            Lydia poked one of the soldiers from behind. “Excuse me, sir? What is happening here?”
            There was a large group of people watching the volcano that even civilians stood this far to watch.
            “Oh! You don’t know? They’re sacrificing someone into the volcano because of a peace offering and thanks to the new emitting fire energy! Boy, look at all that smoke!”
            Lydia watched the smoke blacken the closer she got to the volcano. “Who is up there?!”
            “Our righteous ruler, King Redlin, was on his way to visiting the docks for the weekly checkups on our shipwrights. While there, he found a suspicious man washed ashore and threw him into prison, putting him in custody for weeks. When we heard news about the volcano, King Redlin had thoughts about a traditional sacrifice known so well in Wiserheim whenever a volcano acts up.”
            Leo was surprised. “They do this to humans all the time?!”
            “No. That’s why everyone is watching this time. We would always offer a special animal or plant found in the Winstel continent, but this man… wanted to prove his loyalty and trustworthiness to the Winstel government and King Redlin himself. He volunteered.”
            “Volunteered?!” Everyone screeched together. Viola’s voice was less pitched.
            Lydia said to the group, “We have to stop this offering or else!”
            “Right!” They all chimed in together.

~ Frolix Volcano – volcanic road ~


            As Lydia was heading up the volcanic path first, she tried to call out to everyone. “Ev- Huh?” She stared at an automatically moving vehicle off to the side.
            “Never seen the newest carriage model before? We call it a truck,” a middle-aged man said to her with the most judgmental face he could make.
            “Um… okay,” she ignored him. She grabbed the nearest microphone as she stood on top of one of these machines they call ‘trucks’. “Everyone!” All of the trucks in front of her stopped. The civilians from down below became quiet, mostly because they were confused at what was happening.
            “Young lady, identify yourself!” Another voice was heard from an even louder microphone.
            “My name is Lydia Yager from the City of Celestia! I am here to request that you stop this peace offering at once!”
            “Why would you stop a ‘peace’ offering?” A civilian said.
            “Yeah, get off the truck!” Another man shouted. The rest of the crowd began following along.
            Hazel tried to call out for her, “Lydia! Do not make a scene in front of Gunther!”
            Meanwhile, Forrest was off to the side, trying to extract a bit of fire essence into his cubed bazooka from the molten rocks. “Hehe, this will come in handy if we have to take another trip back to the mountains.”
            “Would Gunther be this ‘King Redlin’ that the soldier was talking about?” Leo asked.
            “Yes, now settle down!”
            Lydia clenched onto the microphone. “No. I’m not stopping here. I have to get the word out-“
            “Lydia Yager? You say you’re from the City of Celestia?” King Redlin said through the microphone. As Lydia nodded, the man went on, “Nonsense! The people of Celestia have all been wiped out!”
            Lydia argued with him. “Have you heard recent news at all? In the eastern continent, the Gammel army had been chasing after the last remaining Obsidian even after seven years. I am here and I have survived. Can you not see? I’m standing right below the volcano and it’s being tethered with an immense amount of Obsidian energy!”
            There was a moment of silence at first.
            “If you are ‘King Redlin’, then please, you have to listen to me! What I am saying is the truth! There’s no point in a sacrifice.”
            Viola casually said to her friends, “It’s like no one knows what the Gammel army was up to. The Winstel army truly bubbled themselves into their own continent.” [End music]
            “Miss Yager,” The voice finally spoke. “You may be living proof of the final Obsidian as the volcano has been activated - after seven long years. However, you should not forget about the traditional peace offering.” [Music 22.1]
            “Why do you have peace offerings? We don’t need that if the volcano is going to activate anyway,” Lydia responded.
            Another awkward silence. The civilians began to laugh at her this time. She wondered what she had said wrong.
            “What is she, stupid?!”
            “I know right?” a middle-aged woman began to question Lydia.
            “Not understanding such common traditions is a disgraceful mock to the Winstel continent,” King Redlin said. “For centuries, we have followed a practice and belief that as long as we feed the volcano with a loyal animal, the people from above will send us constant fortune.”
            “The people from above…” Hazel repeated. “A particular religion that Gunther had always followed to the end.”
            Lydia became angry. “A loyal animal? First of all, animals cannot give consent to anything. And second, you consider this man an animal?!”
            Warren recognized Lydia’s voice, but he was forced not to say anything. He watched from the midpoint of the volcano.
            “This man claims that he was a part of the Gammel military,” Redlin added, “We are proud that he can be loyal and honest enough to explain his title to us without second thoughts. However, we could not trust him enough for standing here in the Winstel continent as a Gammel soldier! Furthermore, he requested to prove his loyalty through being his own sacrifice!”
            Forrest began to cry again. “Why?”
            Hazel turned to him. “What is it, Forrest?”
            “Why would he volunteer? I thought he was happy to live onward! I…” He remembered when he and Warren were at the children’s playground back in the City of Celestia. “I thought he enjoyed his time back then!!”
            Forrest pushed the crowd away, running south towards Wiserheim.
            Leo tried to follow him. “F-Forrest, wait a minute!”
            Hazel was slightly bothered by the fact that the two of them ran off while Lydia was still standing tall on the truck. “Lydia, get down here this instant! We need to stop Forrest and Leo!”
            Lydia rolled her eyes. “How many of you are this nosy to watch a grown man die in a volcano?!” She pointed at the entire crowd which was much larger than it usually was in comparison to the past decades.
            Most of the people in the crowd began to feel guilty.
            “If you put it that way…” one man said.
            “Is there any other option besides this?!” Lydia asked.
            After a moment of silence, King Redlin agreed with her. “Yes, there is. However, I need to have a personal one-on-one talk with you. Are you with anybody?”
            She turned to Hazel who nodded ‘no’. She gave Hazel the eye, indicating that she and Viola should go and find Forrest and Leo.
            Lydia finally responded, “Sir, I cannot lie to a King. I had four others with me on the way to the volcano, but I cannot locate them any longer within the crowd. But don’t worry, they mean no harm and will assist me on whatever I follow!”
            “Is that so?” He asked. “Guards, take her to the Kingdom of Wiserheim! Reserve a special room so I can speak to her. I will need two of my best guards to stand outside our doorway.
            Lydia smiled. “Really?! You’ll postpone the peace offering?!”
            “Yes, but on certain conditions that we will be discussing later.”
            “Alright.” She turned to Warren as she said to herself, “Warren, we’re going to save you, I promise!” [End music]
            Lydia impatiently agreed and headed towards Wiserheim by foot instead of by the truck. She totally had no idea how convenient these trucks would have been.

~ Wiserheim – Redlin’s kingdom – custody room ~


            The castle in Wiserheim was probably one of the hugest Lydia has ever seen so far. It was as if she was in some sort of indoor carnival but with less people and fancier indoor luxuries. She entered the ‘custody room’ which looked nothing like a custody room at all. It was as much as a three bedroom house, only it was just one large room… [Music 42.2]
            “Is all of this really necessary?” She asked in her own head.
            “Sit.”
            “O-Okay,” She murmured. “It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
            Gunther Redlin was an average slim man. His hair was slick down and well-cared for, especially because he had a large band to wrap it together. His military outfit was gray with the Wiserheim flame insignia. He shook Lydia’s hand and then rushed to his seat with his flamboyancy.
            Lydia suddenly stopped the moment she saw an old painting on the wall of a blue
teddy bear. “Um…”
            Gunther followed her eyesight towards the painting. “Oh- UH, UM, ignore that. It is from a child who donated his drawing to me.”
            “Is that from the most awesome play ever? The one with the friendly blue horned monster from the swamps! I used to watch all types of plays in Celestia.”
            Gunther suddenly slammed his hands onto the table as he stood up. “DUDE, ME TOO! BAHAH!” Lydia leaned back a little with discomfort. “Oh- I’m sorry, I got a little carried away there. Okay, that painting was mine when I was younger. It’s one of my favorites.”
            “(Even mean-looking kings have their quirks…) Aw, when did you draw it?”
            “Long time ago, like… three years ago?”
            “…How old are you?” There was an awkward silence. “Never mind. Sir, I would like to speak about more important matters first, and then we can get to that later.”
            “Why certainly.”
            “What was the other option that you were offering to me?”
            “Ah, yes, about that! Wiserheim is also known for their elite soldiers and battles. One way for identifying our strongest men is to have them participate in a coliseum.”
            “A coliseum?” Lydia repeated.
            “Yes, a coliseum! It’s a place where different kinds of people fight and determine who is the strongest.”
            Lydia shook her head. “I-I know what a coliseum is, but what about it?”
            “The maximum participants is four, however. The minimum is one of course, but I doubt you would want to participate alone. We already started our annual battle and sixteen teams have been narrowed down to eight left. One of the four victories in our tournament will have you participate in it last-minute, specially made for the last remaining Obsidian. You see, if you make it to the top, you can prove yourself as the strongest who is capable of ruling an entire country. That means your opinions will be taken into huge consideration as you know what’s best for the civilians.”
            Lydia gave a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness! You mean, you will take opinions even if it means to end the peace offering as a whole? I mean, taking humans and animals as a sacrifice is a bit… out there.”
            “It is part of our practice.”
            “I know… but right now, we do not have time for such offerings. I must tell you about a man named Master Magnus.” [End music]
            Gunther agreed. “That would be a good idea. There is a battle going on at the moment, so we have some time to spare. I would like you to speak more about this Gammel army and what has been happening outside of the Winstel continent.”
            Knowing Gunther was Hazel’s old friend and traveling companion, she could trust him and tell him all she knew about her journey.

~ Wiserheim – marketing district ~


            “Charms, here! Get your charms!” The same merchant girl was here, in Weiserheim! “Zedd, Tedd, scream your hearts out! We can make big money in a city like this.”
            “Aye, aye, ma’am!” They both saluted at the same time.
            From further down the road, Forrest was running with tears in his eyes. He had no idea where he was running, but it was furthest away from Warren as possible.
            “Meanie! He didn’t care about me at all, didn’t he?!” He asked himself.
            Hazel aimed her arrow at Forrest’s loose shoe lace. She somehow was able to strike through the lace and the arrow struck in between the dividing cement. Forrest fell to the ground with his face flat. [Music 30.2]
            “Where do you think you’re going to?!” She asked angrily. “We are supposed to keep still in one group. You know that, do you?! After how much we’ve been putting an effort to find each other, you decide to leave! I’ve never been so frustrated!”
            Forrest frowned. “It’s just, it’s just, it’s-“ He had trouble speaking.
            Hazel realized yelling wouldn’t make things any better. She suddenly knelt down and hugged him. “I’m sorry.”
            Forrest blushed. He suddenly had a reminiscent memory from more than seven years ago. “Mommy…”
            “Huh?”
            “I remember… Mommy used to give me the warmest hugs when I was little.”
            “Is that so…” She turned away. A sudden sharp memory deep within her had sparked, but not the good kind. “(I was about to have a…)” She shook her head from the memory as she turned back to Forrest.
            “I guess I was just mad because Warren didn’t like having fun with me at the playground.”
            Hazel patted him on the head with a concerned look on her face. “Now what makes you think he didn’t enjoy his time with you?”
            “Because! He wants to kill himself, doesn’t he? I’m just so mad because… he’s like a dad to me. I have trouble remembering what it’s like to have parents. I just wanted to know what it would be like to have parents who are there for you until you become an adult. He looked very happy. Him having to throw away his life like this… It makes me feel like I wasn’t being a good child enough.”
            Hazel grabbed his hands. “Forrest, I’m sure Warren enjoyed his time with you. I know Warren. I’ve known him for twenty years. One thing he cannot let go is his own regret for his actions. In order to fulfill his duties, his biggest concern is loyalty.”
            “But even if I was loyal or whatever, I wouldn’t choose to kill myself. Life lasts for a long time, doesn’t it?!”
            Hazel chuckled. “Yes, it does – for a pretty long time too. Maybe Warren thought he lost all of his friends, the ones he cared about most. Maybe he thought he lost you forever after we separated, and maybe he thought you passed away. Because of this, he probably felt that there was nothing else to live for.”
            “You mean, because he thinks I’m dead, he feels there’s nothing important in his life??”
            “That is exactly what I’m saying. I don’t think he saw you in the crowd earlier. If you show him you are alive today, he will surely change his mind!”
            Forrest gave a huge smile. “Really?!?!” [End music]
            “Of course! Now come on, we need to go back to Warren.” She began overhearing from civilians about how Lydia and Gunther were having a private conversation about the matter. Warren’s sacrifice has been postponed but that’s all the information they received. Hazel grinned. “You know what, let’s backtrack to find Leo. Viola is right behind us. Damn lady keeps taking her time with everything. Then, we should head to the castle.” [Music 5.1]
            “Okay. You got it, leader!”

~ Wiserheim – Redlin’s kingdom – custody room ~


            “I see what you are saying,” Gunther said to Lydia, “It seems I had no idea that Master Magnus was up to no good. Ever since I became the King of Wiserheim, I have been shelling the entire continent away from anybody outside of the nation. It seems this will bite me later if I do nothing about it.”
            Lydia shook her head. “Thank you very much for understanding.”
            “I should cancel the entire coliseum and start focusing on our defensive systems.”
            Lydia thought about it for a while. “Wait a minute. How well-known do the participants get in the coliseum?”
            “Even those from Phardia and Amitt are aware of who participates.”
            “Hm…” She checked the world map. “Those two places are quite far, sir. I believe that if I participate in the coliseum, word will break out and let Master Magnus know that I am still alive and aware. This can lure him to me because right now, I have absolutely no leads as to where he is.”
            Gunther gasped. “Master Magnus sounded like a dangerous man from what you explained. You dare have him come to our kingdom?”
            “I know, it seems kind of rude of me to request… but think about it. He will be much stronger if we don’t lure him now, and we will regret it later. I will try my best to keep him away from any harm of this city!”
            “This is a difficult decision. However, this will be the plan: we will put the peace offering on hold. Knowing that Master Magnus could be anywhere, especially in the Winstel continent, it would be best to lure him closer. While the coliseum battles are going, I will command my officers to take a stance. Do you think we can work alongside for a short while until this ends?”
            Lydia shook his hand. “Of course!! I really hoped you decided to join me. I will find my friends right now and tell them the situation.”
            “King Redlin, we have a few guests at the entrance of the kingdom!” One of the soldiers yelled from outside the room.
            Lydia had a feeling it would be her friends. “Or they can come find me first. That’s cool too.” [End music]

~ Wiserheim – Redlin’s kingdom – throne room ~


            In the throne room, Lydia rejoiced with the rest of her group of four friends. Forrest gave her a hug, ensuring that he was fine and he was hoping Lydia was safe too. [Music 11.1]
            “This place is quite exquisite,” Hazel said. “I am anticipating the King, however. Where is he?”
            “Hazel!” Gunther said angrily. “Why are you here in this kingdom? You are not welcomed here.”
            “Hola,” She responded jokingly.
            Leo said to her, “Is his unwelcoming demeanor towards you… some kind of sarcasm for old pals?”
            “Nope, he really doesn’t like me,” Hazel said bluntly. “We have been traveling in the same group twenty years ago, but we were always like rivals. It made little ol’ Warren cry.”
            “Do not take me so lightly,” He clenched his fists. “Soldiers! Take this woman and exile her!”
            “S-Sir! For what reason?” One soldier said nervously.
            “Because I don’t like her! She’s so… yuck!”
            Lydia and Leo sighed in confusion.
            “I like his way of reasoning,” Viola said.
Television Sets

            Lydia stood in front of Gunther. “King Redlin, I assure you that these friends of mine will join me in the coliseum.”
            “Hey, you can at least have a chance to see me in a pool of blood while in the coliseum,” Hazel offered to Gunther.
            Gunther became excited. “That is a magnificent idea! You will die here under the kingdom of Wiserheim through the battles of the coliseum!”
            Leo whispered to Hazel, “Are you serious about this?”
            “Yeah. It’s a way of entrance. I’m sure you understood this by now, tactician.”
            Leo chuckled with guilt.
            Forrest looked around impatiently. “Where’s Warren, by the way?! Is he still at the volcano??”
            “No. I accept the idea that if dearest Lydia wins the coliseum tournament, then he will be set free and we, the people of Wiserheim, will have to discuss the peace offering in further detail with alternatives. Warren has been kept in a safe place here in the castle until further details. Aaaaand, Lydia and I get to talk about the awesome play of the friendly blue monster!” He squealed, and the rest of the group felt disturbed.
            “Someone is optimistic about winning this tournament,” Viola glared at Lydia.
            “Lydia, do you not know that Wiserheim brings in the strongest men from the entire Winstel continent?!” Leo panicked.
            Lydia shrugged. “I-It’s okay! It’s not like they came from all over the world, right? Hehe…”
            “Incorrect,” Gunther said. “Most of the strongest warriors are from all over the world. You may think people from the Winstel continent do not accept outsiders, but such outsiders are largely accepted if they are proven to be the strongest. That is exactly how the recruitment of a tough Winstel army works.” [End music]
            “…How tough can they be?” Lydia questioned him. [Music 13.1]
            “Some sail here by boat. You know how cold it gets. Heck, I’ve seen a few come here via swimming while barely wearing anything at all.”
            Lydia took a step back with concern.
            Forrest became hasty. “Hurry up and tell us the rules so we can get Warren back!”
            “Silence, child! I will not tell you the details since you’re so hasty!” He said with a threatening voice. The group became quiet as he went on, “The number one rule states that only four members can participate.”
            Lydia turned away, whispering to Leo and Viola, “He’s telling us even when he said he won’t!”
            “Furthermore, you can start the match with any number of members. For example, the battle can begin with only Lydia versus the other four members. The strategy of these battles rely on the members who can surprise the enemy on when the rest of the group can chime in on the battle.”
            Leo reiterated him, “Ah, so basically we have to plan beforehand on when it is best for the other three members to come in.”
            “Exactly. Let me say this: you can have more than four people in a team, but only four people can participate in the battle and the rest of the team has to bench it.”
            Hazel snapped her fingers. “So let’s say for the five of us, I bench the battle and Lydia starts alone. At some point in the battle, only Forrest, Leo, and Viola are allowed to support her.”
            “I will not take repeated descriptions from people like you!” Gunther shouted. “But yes, you are correct.” Forrest, Leo, and Lydia chuckled. “Sixteen teams have been entered into the coliseum but I can add a special entry for your group. I want to see how strong Hazel really is by now.”
            As he checked the telescreen by the wall, the entire first round was over and only eight teams remained. On the second round, the last battle has been completed and now Lydia’s group was up to challenge them in order to enter the third round. Forrest was off to the side, admiring the strange ‘telescreen’ that he had never seen before.
            “There are a total of four rounds but your team will skip the first one which already passed. According to the layout of the tournament, you are challenging the winners whom they claim as ‘The Mighty Heightys’!”
            Lydia scratched her head. “Why do they call themselves that?”
            “Everyone has a team name. Their name just happens to correspond to their height,” Gunther explained.
            Hazel counted the four group members in The Mighty Heightys. “All of them appear to be as short as Forrest.”
            Forrest cried. “H-Hey!”
            “Your match is starting really soon, so you have to run over there. Oh yeah, the receptionist requires a team name.”
            Lydia gasped. “We have to think of one?!” [End music]
Fordiazelolaleo


~ Wiserheim – Coliseum – reception desk ~


            An unenthusiastic lady heavily stamped a document in front of the group. “Last thing left is a group name. Think fast because you only have a few seconds left before the match starts…” She began to yawn.
            Lydia said to the group, “Okay, we have to think of a good name because it will be broadcasted onto those screen things all over Wiserheim!”
            “Unicorn Party!!” Forrest quickly suggested.
            “Unicorn Party it is.” The woman stamped the paper again.
            “What the heck a unicorn party?!?!” Leo yelped.
[Ending 4 music]
~~~
Coming on the next episode of The Obsidian Tale, the main group of five will enter the coliseum where three battles will commence! The first one already seems challenging to them, but there will be a chance to pull through. Even if they do, how can they survive the next two - considering these are the best warriors in the world? Let's see what happens on the next episode!
~~~
Posted by OmigawdMatt at 12:00 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)