Further with the good news from the last post, the hardest part about working on episodes 40-42 is complete! The fourth volume image is now available to view on the Extrastab along with the first three.
With the image being done, I can now post the written episodes and update every character profiles who have appeared within those episodes. Currently, I have episodes 40-47's final drafts complete and ready to go; however, I want to add in their optional scenes first before uploading them. That will be my next target on the list.
Starting tomorrow, I will be working on this. Most of the episodes may by posted by the next weekend. Keep in touch!
Before I show the volume image, please be aware that there are obvious major spoilers so look at your own risk.
As promised, here is the fourth volume:
[Music 52.1] The 38th room of the
Mago’Ria Fey tower was high up towards the top. There was still Obsidian
chemical energy, but not so much than the lower floors. The giant room’s walls
were pasty white. Lamps were placed against the building while a red carpet
rolled across the center of the room. Only two chairs were in the center.
Jess sat in front of Bailey. “It is
nice that you let me see what your room is like. Although, it is quite empty.”
Bailey blushed. “I-I know. The tower
barely appeared today, so there is still a lot of time to decorate it. I just
had enough chairs for you and me so far.”
Jess giggled. “Aw, that is very
sincere of you! Why did you let me into the tower so easily?” she said,
remembering the fact that Bailey was able to float with chemical Obsidian
energy. The child had helped Jess up the tower off to the side, not realizing
that it was terrible to inhale the energy.
Bailey only giggled in response to
Jess’ question. Bailey’s arms raised. “We have time before Magnus starts the
ceremony! Patty-cake?” Jess agreed to play. Before they began, Bailey stopped.
“Jess… you’re the only friend I’ve ever really liked to have around. I just
have a hard time trusting people because they took my parents away at a young
age. The rest of them never bothered to help me live to this day until Magnus
appeared at the Lake City Prima.”
“Hm? What’s this all of the sudden?”
“It’s just… you’re not going to hurt
Magnus, are you? He’s only doing this to protect me and the world.”
Oddly enough, Jess was already
inhaling chemical Obsidian energy and she knew it. Jess knew that Bailey’s mind
was being obscured by the truth, even after seeing how many monsters were
released to attack the world. Jess tried to use Bailey to have easier access
for fighting against Magnus, but her heart sank after hearing how Bailey
trusted only Jess of all people.
Jess tried to give a smile.
“Bailey…” She began to hug her friend. “Nothing will ever stop the friendship that
you and I have. I love you so much.”
Bailey began to cry. “I love you
too, Jess. You are my best friend.”
As they were hugging, Jess was
staring at the door to the 39th floor. She had the most disappointed
look on her face compared to any other time we had seen before… [End music]
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 22nd floor ~
[Music 51.3] Forrest was at the end of the group
this time. Despite his young and ecstatic nature, he could not press on for
such a long duration. The others were almost as tired, but they didn’t have to
take that many steps like he did since they were much taller.
On the 22nd floor, the
door up ahead was tattered. Off to the sides were four large orbs, two on each
end.
Lydia examined the orbs carefully.
“What are these?”
Hazel grabbed Lydia. “Step back! They
are embryos!”
“E-Ew! Really?!” Lydia yelped. “Why
are they in orbs?!”
“These orbs are direct summons of
mutated beasts. It seems whoever passed through here must have rushed towards
the top without destroying these.”
Leo and Rina ran up the staircase
after Rina stabbed the ground with an aura knife. “We’ll go check up ahead,”
she suggested.
The other six stayed behind, almost
ready to destroy the orbs when each of them created several numbers of
parasitical spiders.
“Wh-Why do they have to be so ugly?!”
Forrest shouted. A generic spider had sixteen legs and probably twelve to
sixteen eyes. It was like twins being bound together into one body.
With Viola, Forrest, Felix, and
Hazel being busy defeating the enemies, Lydia and Warren went for the orbs as
if they were playing whack-a-mole.
Up above the staircase, Leo could
see Lieutenant Floir fighting against a large mutated beast. It had the body of
a chimera, but the heads of human beings put together with elongated necks.
They made screeching howls like loud, angry zombies ready to bite onto the
lieutenant.
Rina shook her head. “The monsters
here just get uglier and uglier.” Before Rina was able to help, the human
chimera scratched Floir’s armor, sending her flying past Rina and Leo, breaking
the rails of the staircase and falling down to the previous floor where the
others were.
“Damn! Floir fell to the floor!”
Leo shouted.
“Really? Now’s the time for that?” Rina rolled her eyes.
Viola turned around, seeing as her
own leader had fallen from the height above. “Lieutenant!!”
Besides Lydia, the rest of the group
never really saw her react more than how she just reacted. Ignoring the last
few monsters, Viola recklessly ran towards her for comfort.
“Lieutenant, are you alright?” Viola
asked. One of the spiders was about to claw her but Viola stabbed it without
even turning around.
The orbs and monsters were
eventually destroyed. The group circled together around Floir while Rina and
Leo watched from the rails above.
“Uh…” Leo said slowly, not forgetting
about the enraged human chimera.
“Leo, come on! We can easily take on
that monster.”[End music]
Down below, Viola held onto Floir’s
shaking hand. “You’re okay now. You are protected by the aura!” [Music 23.1]
“I tried… Viola. I really tried. I
raised you for several years in the wrong direction, and I’ve tried to make up
for my sins by fighting on your side. I just wasn’t strong enough for a simple
beast…”
Floir turned to Forrest. “Your
friends are at the top of the tower. I wanted to save them and see the look on
their faces after realizing that I
was the one to save them. I wanted to show them that I am not the same
lieutenant who kidnapped them from the beginning. But… they’re too far ahead
now.”
Forrest stomped his foot. “Shut up,
lady! You were a hero from the very beginning!”
Floir gasped. “What?”
“Jess taught me something really
important,” Forrest said, remembering the quote of his yellow cape.
“Yellow
stabilizes between the heart of what is right and what is wrong. However, what
seems ‘wrong’, can be the right thing to do. When your most loved one may fall,
like a crackle in the ground, you will learn to pick yourself up no matter
what.”
Forrest sighed. “What seems ‘wrong’
can be the right thing to do. I think I know what it means now. Kidnapping my
friends seemed wrong to many of us, but it ‘can’ be the right thing to do in your opinion. You did it because you
felt it was right. Minds can be led to the wrong direction, but everyone’s
heart does it for the right thing.”
Floir had tears running down her
eyes. “But I… threatened to kill them, do you not remember that?!”
“I do remember. I could kinda tell
you were just bluffing. You wanted me to join you by threatening to kill my
friends. You weren’t really gonna do it, were you?”
Floir became silent. She didn’t want
to admit that she had a soft spot for all the children.
“You were only doing what’s right in
your opinion. At least in the end, you’re one of us!”
“Please,” Floir said kindly, “please
make it in time to save your friends! I may not have been able to defeat a
monster such as the chimera, but you all can - together.”
Leo was thrown against the staircase
as well. His hand grabbed onto the rail before he could fall. Easily, Rina
burst him back up with a gust of wind. Their teamwork was impeccable, but two
people were not enough for a human chimera who wanted to eat live flesh.
Forrest nodded. “Okay, try to make
it back down with this knife thing and we’ll go up and stop Magnus!”
Viola felt Floir’s forehead. “I will
go with you-“
“No, go with your friends. They need
you more than I do,” Floir said with a slight laughter.
Viola squinted her eyes. “How can
you be so calm at a time like this?!”
“That’s something you’ve taught me
all along,” Floir said.
Viola was blushing this time. “Oh…”
My Precious Love
Viola: Ergh... Lydia: I-I've never seen Viola crack before. Felix: Yeah. I really hope she is alright. Viola: It's just so frustrating. Hazel: If you need to talk, we can pause for a moment. Viola: I mean, I've known her for years. But now she's... ripped apart. Lydia: Were there really that many scars? Viola: Yes. She's always been with me. I loved her so much. Felix: She won't die. You will always be with her after this is over. Viola: I'm afraid it's too late though. I used to kiss her and wipe her bottom. Felix, Lydia, and Hazel: Uhh... Viola: My precious boots... I will love you forever. Felix, Lydia, and Hazel: Really.
The chimera jumped out of the room,
breaking the door’s archway even more. One of the human faces headbutt Rina,
tossing her in midair right above them. She regained her balance by pushing
herself back up with her wind aura. As follows, she rocketed herself against
one of the heads.
“This is where you screwed up!” Rina
blasted the head with a fireball that directly popped out of her palms and one
of the five heads exploded. The rest of the body dropped down and it tried to
chip away the rest of the group.
The group of seven, with Leo barely
making his way down the staircase traditionally, were ready to thrash the beast
together. [End music]
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 39th floor ~
[Music 39.1] Jess and Bailey were one floor away
from the last floor of the tower. They had just left Bailey’s room and now they
were in a large area filled with pods and wires bursting steam out of every
inch. The entire room was colored in dark red to indicate its heatwave
throughout the distance.
“…What are these?” Jess asked in
amazement.
“These were one of the strongest
human beings in the Gammel military. They are being catalyzed with Obsidian
energy.”
“What kind of Obsidian energy?”
“Aren’t all kinds of Obsidian energy
good?”
“Well…” Jess said slowly. She looked
up ahead and noticed that the door was slightly creaked open. The door was
extremely thick in stone, so if it were closed, you could barely hear what
happens outside of the room. “(Someone is up ahead. It has to be Magnus).”
“Come on, I gotta show you what is
on the floor up ahead! It’s great!” Bailey giggled.
Jess was utterly concerned, but it
was better not to fight back yet.
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 31st floor ~
Heading onto the 31st
floor, Forrest came to a complete stop.
“You have no idea how tired I am!
We’ve been at it for like over two hours without resting…” he complained.
Warren knelt down. “Would you like a
ride on the back?”
“But you’d be slowed down.”
Lydia hurried to the top of the
staircase. “We need to reach the top quickly and save your friend.”
“I know… I just feel very numb right
now. I want to keep pushing forward but I can’t!”
Lydia shook her head. “Alright, then
I’ll go up, Forrest. We’re not going to let your friend die on us!”
“I’m going with you too!” Felix
said. “I want to know if Clyde is up there!” [End music]
The moment they took another step,
the walls exploded and the two of them shrieked together, rolling back down the
staircase.
Rina gasped. “What happened?!” [Music 10.2]
Garnett jumped away from the walls,
fighting a monster that was two times larger than the human chimera. This time,
its body was exactly like a lion but much larger. There was a large head that
was molded together as if you were to leave a slab of clay unfinished within a
kiln. It had about twenty hair strands of human faces, just like medusa.
“Whoa. Your hair!” Leo commented as
he saw Garnett’s hair cut straight across her neck.
“Oh, you people again,” she said in
disgust. “Get out of my way. This beast is mine.”
The large beast jumped down and it
crackled against the floor. Hazel ordered everyone to rush to the sides of the
room before the ground broke again. It wasn’t much of a hassle to move anyway.
The debris pushed them back. The ugly monster began to roar and it caused even
Garnett to fall.
“Your heart is weak,” a voice
called. It echoed from above.
“What? Who the hell’s there?!”
Garnett shouted.
“You are but a mere replica of the
Obsidian, a mistake to this world.”
Garnett’s eyes widened. Her body
froze. “The hell does that mean?”
The beast jumped again and the
ground began to fall apart. Garnett spotted Lydia, and then she ran towards
Lydia with her axe, as large as it can be at this point.
“Even at a time like this, she
relentlessly chases after Lydia?!” Leo panicked.
“A replica of the Obsidian?!”
Garnett’s body began to electrify.
Lydia used her flail to deflect the
axe, but she missed and the flail’s chains spun around the axe’s handle. The
axe struck parts of the ground that was still intact while a few of the group
members fell under the hole that the beast had created. Rina quickly tried to
cast a gust of wind to push them back up.
On the other side of the beast was
Lydia and Garnett. Garnett, still locking Lydia’s flail onto her axe, swung her
axe back, causing Lydia to be thrown against the wall. She slid down below the broken
floor and into the previous room. [End music]
“Lydia!!” Rina was about to cast her
magic again and Lydia stopped her. [Music 17.3]
“No. This is my battle. I have to
stop Garnett. I have to make her understand that this has nothing to do with
being a replica. She can still choose to live however she wants to live!”
Rina debated whether she should
listen to her or not. After all, listening to her would mean leaving Lydia
behind. If the tower were to be destroyed from top to bottom, Lydia and Garnett
could be in trouble, along with the other three lieutenants if they didn’t
bother to escape.
“Fine…! But you better make it out
safely!”
Garnett picked up her axe again,
watching as the beast fell back several floors below. “Heh. What nonsense are
you speaking about this time? I am my own person, and I choose to destroy both
you and Magnus!”
Lydia shook her head. “We are on the
same side, Garnett! We don’t need to fight for this.”
“We’ll see about that! Just looking
at you makes me SICK!!!!” She ran towards Lydia, and Rina closed her eyes. She
looked up ahead and followed the northern pathway to the next room with the
rest of the group.
Before Felix entered the next floor,
he turned around and saw Lydia and Garnett fighting each other. Well, Lydia
mostly guarded while Garnett was being a relentless assault.
“Lydia… I can’t just leave her in
danger like that!”
Hazel grabbed onto his suspenders.
“We have to go, Felix. Trust in Lydia!”
Felix slapped her hand away. “Stop
it!” His eyes vibrated in red for a second, but it vanished immediately.
Hazel gasped. She became speechless.
“Sorry… I don’t know what got into
me. I’ll trust her,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go!”
As he ran up ahead, Hazel glared at
him with a concerned and bothered expression on her face. [End music]
There goes the Kaboom!
Forrest: Aw man! The 'Kaboom!' is getting scratched off. Leo: There's nothing a permanent marker can't do. Forrest: Oh yeah, do it for me right now! Rina: Do we even have the time for that?! My magic is limited, you know. Warren: Does having the full 'Kaboom!' make you stronger, Forrest? Rina: Oh damn it, Warren. Are you really playing along with them? Forrest: It does make me stronger! If it was fixed, I could beat every monster! Leo: Alright, I fixed it. Rina: Okay. Since it's fixed, you do all the work, Forrest. Beat every monster Forrest: Wh-What?! I'm not ready! Rina: And it looks like you don't need the wind aura either. Forrest: Wait, I was just kidding! Rina: Too late, goodbye. Warren: Miss Rina Nora, surely you are bluffing?!
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 38th floor ~
Rina entered the 38th
floor first. There was utter silence, and the room was awkwardly white compared
to the previous floors which were the darkest blue, filled with mutated
monsters and blood.
She took a few steps at one moment
after another, thinking each step would fall into a trap.
“It is a bit too easy here,” she stated.
Warren placed Forrest back onto the
ground, and the young boy headed for the windows to check how high they were.
“Eh?!” Forrest yelped. He pointed at
the ground. “The people down there aren’t even ants anymore. You can’t see them
through this fog!” He then looked up. “And I think we’re close to the end!”
Felix followed along as he looked
upward through the window. “Probably about two more floors, right? How far up
are we?”
Leo shrugged. “Beats me. We’ve been
up here for a while.”
Rina examined the chairs around her.
“I really hope Lydia is okay…”
Hazel headed for the door to the
next floor. “The two chairs here seem suspicious as if it were the only things
in this room besides the red carpet and the lamps. The next floor could be a
trap.”
Viola passed Hazel by the doorway. “Allow
me to open the door. I must find out what Magnus is after. I will help stop him
no matter what, after seeing how much he has done to the Gammel military!” She
thought about Lieutenant Floir, frightened that that could be the last time
they see each other.
Leo stood next to her. “And I can’t
bear the idea that he considers himself as some kind of step-uncle. We are not
of blood.”
Viola grabbed the door handle as she
began to pull. “Here goes nothing…”
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 39th and 40th floor ~
[Music 39.2] The 39th and 40th
floor were neither directly below nor above each other. There were only about
seven steps in between, so the pathway up was rather short, but destructive. As
you have heard before, the 39th floor was filled with pods beaming
the room in dark red. These pods were filled with the strongest monsters. Even
if their bodies were almost the size of regular humans, their speed could be
immensely fast, much worse than the human chimera and the medusa face filled
with human heads for hair.
With enough energy again, Forrest
ran up to one of the pods, poking it. “This room is easy too, but it’s just so
hot in here.”
Hazel stood in front of another lone
pod to the right. “What is it within these capsules that makes them reserved
for the highest floors of the tower?” As she peered into the capsule’s window,
she made an awkward yelp while falling to the ground.
“Miss Hazel, are you alright?!”
Warren tried to help her up. Leo did the same for her.
Felix stood in the center of the
room between the pods. “I sense… terrible energy coming from these things.”
“That’s right,” Rina said. “Don’t
you have the same feelings deep inside yourself that are similar to Professor
Igor’s heart? Those necklaces still bound you two together.”
“If he can sense it, then I can
too-“
One of the pods in the corner
abruptly opened and a humanoid appeared with the top of his head shaped like an
empty tree trunk. On his back were several embryonic wires that were pulled
away as he continued walking.
Forrest’s heart froze as he dropped
to the floor. “What… is that…?!”
Felix shouted. “There are also
people up ahead!”
When
your most loved one may fall…
“I have to skip these monsters!
Bailey is up there and he’s going to die!!” Forrest, without further thought,
ran up the next few steps, ignoring the monsters that were facing him. The rest
of the group became frustrated at his lack of control but they had to protect
him along the way.
On the 40th floor, Jess
examined the room but nothing seemed to happen.
“Why is there nobody here?” She
turned around, facing both Bailey and the door.
Bailey grinned. “That’s weird…
Master Magnus said he would be here already, but…”
The door slammed open and Forrest
appeared. Jess gasped.
“Forrest?“
Suddenly, Bailey’s heart burned and
the child’s eyes flushed in flames. The young child’s sword quickly appeared. [End music]
Forrest gasped. “WAIT!!!”
Jess was surprised as well. “B-Bailey,
what are y-“
The sword pierced right through Jess’s stomach with haste. Bailey stopped as the sword was stuck within her. Jess had a
moment of pause, and she could not say any more. With one last moment, Bailey
released the sword and Jess fell to the ground.
Forrest was yelping in disbelief this time.
“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JESS!!!”
Bailey took a step back, finally coming back to his or
her senses. Still, the child was shocked and could not move. There was more
fear than sadness and empathy.
The rest of the group on the previous floor could catch a
glimpse of what was happening, but their rage risen and their performance
highly increased against these beasts. [Music 52.2]
Forrest grabbed onto Jess’s body. “Jess… what’s
happening? You’re not going to die, are you? The fortune said…”
When
your most loved one may fall…
Forrest stopped his sentence after realizing what the
fortune really meant. “It was you all along, wasn’t it?”
Jess said nothing. All she could do was stay strong and
smile for him.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! Why, Jess?! Why?!?!”
“You needed to figure it out on your own. The moment I
reveal the truth of the fortune, it becomes tampered and the situation would worsen.”
Her voice was soft and kind. “Just like a birthday wish… If you were to tell
somebody what you wished for, it will never come true…”
“All this time, I neglected you, thinking Bailey was the
one who needed to be protected, but in truth, I was blinded. I…!”
Jess coughed, turning to Bailey. “I do not blame you at
all, Bailey.”
“What? Why not?! What have I done…?!” Bailey screeched as
tears ran down the child’s eyes.
“You have done nothing wrong. It was not your own
actions.”
“But I… They were my own hands that slain the greatest
friend I could have. We have to help you to a doctor!”
“I believe it is far too late for that, seeing as we are
high up here.” She began to cough. Forrest was traumatized, mostly because he
had never seen Jess in pain before. She untied her red cape as she gave it to
Bailey. “Red symbolizes a hero reborn
from the darkness and into the light.” Bailey gripped tightly onto the red
cape, holding it dear. Jess turned back to Forrest, “Forrest, please take care
of her. Promise me you will not hate
her for what she was forced to do.”
Forrest shook her. “No…! You can’t die, Jess! I’ve always
looked up to you. You were like a leader to me – an older sister even! I put more worry into Bailey's life thinking you were strong enough to take care of yourself. You
can’t just…!”
Jess grabbed his hand. “Forrest, remember the rest
of your fortune? Repeat after me…”
The both of them began to speak together. “Yellow
stabilizes between the heart of what is right and what is wrong... However,
what seems ‘wrong’, can be the right thing to do. When your most loved one may
fall… like a crackle in the ground, you will learn to pick yourself up no
matter wh-“
Jess’ own voice withered away before she could finish the
last word.
There was silence as the door was closing from behind.
“Jess…?”
“Jess, please wake up!” Bailey added. She closed her
eyes, feeling enraged as Magnus’ laughter erupted from up ahead.
The door shut tight from Bailey’s complete anger.
“Hah! What do you think you’re doing, Bailey? You are
under my control, aren’t you?”
Bailey disagreed. She stomped her foot. Her sword was in
her hand, almost aiming it towards Forrest. “You… can’t… control me!”
“What?!”
“I realize it now. When the heart is strong enough to
control oneself, I will decide my own actions. How dare you kill the one person whom I truly loved?!” She began
screaming the same screams as the chimera. The walls began to crack.
“You’re using too much Obsidian energy! You’re going to
die at this rate. It’s best that you stop, bahah!”
“I don’t care anymore. Whatever it takes to destroy this
tower and you! YOU LIED TO
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Her voice trailed on for several seconds. Everyone in the
top two rooms’ actions flashed before their eyes. Everything turned white as
the tower was collapsing, starting from the top…
Jess, I will always
love you. [End music]
[Ending 4 music]
~~~
Volume 4 has now ended. As The Obsidian Tale finally reaches its last volume, the story has and will become much darker. Margus has been free and he will continue to ravage the world. Not only have monsters been released, but several areas around Rhadessia have been exploited with Obsidian chemical energy. That means anybody can turn into monsters! We will see what happens starting on the next episode!
“That is like, SO totally EW,” a
drunk girl said to her best friend.
“Like, yeah, ew.” [Music 14.2]
The two of them were the same girls
that confronted Leo back at the auction house during his first visit. They were
watching as most of the main group made their way to the docks. The ship was
barely able to float but Hazel and Warren worked together to tie it against one
of the wooden poles nearby.
Felix, Lydia, Leo, Viola, Rina, and
Pria were soaking wet from their landing, but they managed to safely rise to
the planks while Forrest had been crying for several minutes after Warren saved
him back at the piloting room.
A Double Date
Felix: Wow! So this is the Lake City Prima? Lydia: Oh yes! I want to show you sometime. How about now? Hazel: I am not so sure about that. Warren and Rina may be done soon. Viola: It is an exquisite view from up above. Leo: Oh right, you've been here for a while before. Viola: Correct. Leo: I shall show you around sometime too then. Viola: Wonderful. Then it's a double date, you're claiming? Leo: D-D-Date?! No! I...! Hazel: Leo, you pervert. Leo: I'm no pervert! If I was, I'd be thinking about Viola's body parts! Hazel: Now you are thinking about her body parts. Leo: No! I don't want to! I want to go steady! Hazel: Like a date? Leo: GAH! Lydia: (D-Did Viola mention a DOUBLE date?!)
Lydia placed her hand over her
forehead while looking over the horizon. “I can’t see through all this fog. I
wonder if that tower appeared…”
Felix whispered to her, “I doubt it.
No one is making a fuss about it.”
Rina shrugged. “Or, maybe because we
made a bigger commotion in their point of view. Look at our airship.”
“Hrm,” Lydia murmured. “I hope we
can fix it…”
Warren finished tying a knot against
the wooden pole. “It should be no problem. The engine may be a little charred,
but I think with some magic power, I can make it work!”
Rina raised her hand. “That is my
cue.”
Lydia stopped her. “Are you sure?
You don’t want to use up a lot of magic, do you?”
Rina winked at Lady Pria. “The
seventh magic is not an offensive magic for once. The power of holy helps me
boost my speed, evasion, and depletes the amount of energy I can use so I can
become a master magician. With this kind of power, I can use almost two times
the magic before I start to feel tired.” She began following Warren into the
ship.
Leo was amazed at how much this holy
magic can stack on her. “And you invented such thing, Lady Pria?”
“Of course. They don’t call me a
legendary magician Avian for nothing.”
“I never heard of such thing,” Viola
said bluntly.
Lady Pria clenched her fists. “You
annoy me.” [End music]
Hazel kicked Forrest by the leg. “At
any rate, we should think about what to do next. Once this ship is up and
running again, we need to make an immediate turn to the Mago’Ria Fey.” [Music 38.1]
Felix grinned. “I really hope my mom
and the others are okay. I don’t want them having anything to do with this
tower.”
Lydia patted his back. “Hey, it will
be okay, right? There is a pretty big river dividing both the Fey and the
village itself.”
Forrest was twiddling with his
thumbs. “And my friends…” He quickly stood up. “If Bailey is at that tower, I
will save him and bring him to the village to meet my friends! I think he
already knows Jess though.”
“That sounds like a great idea,”
Lydia giggled. “Your friends will be okay! They have been okay with your help,
right?”
Forrest spun in circles. “You’re
right, big sis!”
Lydia blushed. “Big sis?!”
The group began to laugh together.
Finally, they were able to put up a smile like one big happy family.
The Casino Life
Forrest: Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go back onto the roller coasters. Leo: I had a feeling you would like those. Forrest: Duh! I remember the Egel Ravine or whatever had them too. Lydia: The fact that you treated a dangerous place like a roller coaster is... Forrest: 'Cool', right? Hehe! Leo: Don't you like any of the other attractions? Forrest: Maybe. Or maybe I got older! Take me back to the casino. Lydia: Wait a minute, you took him to a casino?! And I didn't know? Leo: M-Maybe! Hey, you didn't have a full personality yet. Lydia: What does that have to do with anything?! Leo: I was hoping you'd forget about that! Lydia: You snuck him out of the inn didn't you?! Forrest: Is the casino fun? Leo: Yes! Lydia: No!!
Within the airship, Rina pointed at
one of the engines, “Should I warm up this one?”
“Oh no. That one is for the air
conditioner. We do not need that right now. Position your hands towards the
ignition belt.”
“I’m no scientist or whatever, but
wouldn’t warming it up with direct heat cause it to um… you know, explode?”
“You might believe so, but the
manual follows a different kind of material that catalyzes two particles
together. There are many types of ancient sediments that historians have used
to put this airship together. The shipwright knew exactly what he was doing!
Oho.”
Rina began pointing the heat against
the belt. While focusing on the belt, she said to Warren, “I have to say,
you’re pretty smart for a guy who got kicked out of the Gammel military.”
“You believed I was unintelligent?”
“No, it’s not that. Normally,
people’s intelligence don’t really come to mind when I look at them. I just
treat everyone like crap and it’s fun.”
“That is… wonderful.”
“Heh. So, have you always spoken so
civil before? We’re probably one generation apart but you speak as if you’re
some kind of time traveler from the past.”
“Are you calling me old?!”
“Hahaha! If you think I did, then
sure. I mean, your English is pretty good and civil. Where did you learn that
from?”
Warren pointed at the round belt
beside the ignition. “Cast some cold aura over there please.” As Rina moved her
hands, Warren began to answer her question, “I ran away from my parents when I
was only ten because I wanted to experience what an adventure was like. They
always tried to put me into some prestigious school but all I ever wanted was
to see what the outside world was. After that long adventure, I realized that
it would be better to go back home and listen to my parents. Adventures are
great and all, but they only come as far as a pile of mud right before the
finish line. I realized then, that I had lost my chance to grow up as a regular
child.”
Rina grinned. “So you’re saying
there’s a huge price to pay if you want to accomplish the most?”
“Quite so. For example, I needed a
lot of money throughout my adventures, and Hazel and I traveled really poor. If
you want to start an adventure the easy way, then you would best start after
finishing what you needed to do while growing up – getting an education first.”
Rina thought about the time when she
and Hazel visited the Celestian library to learn about the Avian history.
“Getting an education is important, huh…” [End music]
Outside the airship, the group was
still chatting with each other about various subjects that had nothing to do
with Magnus in order to keep their mind off the stress. There was a light
earthquake around them. The group began to worry if it was the tower doing its
work, but they were forced to stay calm until the airship was fixed.
After several minutes, the engine
finally turned on and the group could see a bunch of paddles appearing from
each end of the airship like a whale ready to paddle its way across the ocean
from down below. [Music 6.1]
Rina popped open the ceiling lid as
she yelled out with pride, “Sweet! I did it!!! Ahaha!!!”
Lydia chuckled. “Aw, I’ve never seen
her so ecstatic before.”
“When you’re responsible for an airship’s
revival, of course you’d be happy,” Felix added, agreeing with her.
Leo scratched his hair. “I was
hoping to get a small drink before coming back. I didn’t think it would take
that quick.”
“You would not last a single minute
with alcohol around,” Viola teased him.
“What did you say?!”
“I said you would not last a single
minute wi-“
“That’s not what I meant!”
Rina threw a wrench up into the air
and then she caught it. “Check out what this baby can do. Even if it can no
longer fly for the time being, it can at least swim across the lake and reach
the Fey from here. After we defeat Magnus, we can repair the airship for
whoever wants to go on a worldly adventure!”
Lydia, Felix, and Forrest all cheered
together.
“But first, you have to get an education!”
“What.” The three young teenagers
stopped smiling. They were now confused.
At any rate, the group of nine made
their way into the airship. Now, they were finally able to reach the tower from
the Mago’Ria Fey!
The airship turned around and then it
shot itself forward with haste. It thrashed water from behind, liquids slashing
against all the rich civilians of Prima, including the two drunk girls.
“Like, EW!!” One of them screamed.
“Totes ‘ew’!!!” The other followed
along.
Masked Man of the Crescent - Part 2
Leo: Muahahhaha! Forrest: Wow! It's the masked hero of the Crescent! Felix: The who? Lydia: Not this again... Leo: I am the masked hero of the Crescent. Felix: Right... Le- Leo: And I will continue to keep this ship safe! Lydia: Oh really? Leo: Really. Notice how it's still working! Lydia: Thanks to Warren. Leo: No, thanks to me, the masked hero of the Crescent! Warren is my apprentice. Warren: Who's apprentice now? Leo: Deeuhhh, uhhh... I am the masked hero of the Crescent! And I- Rina: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it Leo. Forrest: That's not Leo! Leo doesn't wear a mask!
~ Village of Saradeli – north district ~
[End music] The group of nine arrived at the
river in between the Mago’Ria Fey and the Village of Saradeli. Forrest checked
the window to see if there was any commotion. [Music 19.1]
“Look, there is smoke all over the
ground and the tower!!”
“And not the good kind,” Felix said
as he ordered Warren to stop the ship in between the two lands. “There is
already a fight going on at the tower!”
The tower stood about forty stories
high and flying monsters were exiting through the windows. The blue poison that
was previously surrounding the cavern turned into ice particles that rang a
full circle revolving around the tower like frozen tentacles. They looked like
petals of a blossomed tower.
On the village end of the island,
Forrest took sight of both Spencer and Sydney along with Mrs. Wolfram, Ekaja,
and the D’Alonzo parents. A few other tenants managed to join the village’s
growth as well!
Forrest popped open the door first
as he ran to his friends. “Spencer! Sydney!!”
Sydney jumped. “Whoa!! It’s really
him! This weird ship is actually Forrest and his other friends!”
Mrs. Wolfram and Ekaja went ahead to
find Felix and Lydia respectively.
The three children hugged each
other, but Forrest was still concerned. “Where’s Jess?!”
Sydney became serious. “Actually…
She went up into the tower.”
“What? Why? She was supposed to let
me handle all this.”
“She was afraid that your fortune
would come true, so she had to do something after seeing that other kid. What
was his name?”
Forrest became frustrated. “Bailey was here?!”
Spencer nodded. “Yeah, Jess followed
that kid into the tower.”
Sydney shrugged. “Before Jess left,
she told us something pretty cool. She said we actually conquered our fortunes!”
“When did you con-quer yours?”
Forrest asked her.
“Green
represents nature and its peacefulness. You must erase yourself of all stress
and bring in a new world of acceptance.” Sydney said in quote. She then
said to Forrest, “She was glad that I was able to brush off the fact that you could
be in danger. I had to trust that you kept yourself safe. I was able to keep my
mind off of all this by helping her and Spencer work on the village a bit more!
Hehe.”
“And I accomplished mine when we
first got here! Remember?”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “Nobody
cares about you, Spencer!”
Forrest felt disappointed. “So I’m
the only one, huh…”
“Jess still has her fortune too,
remember? We all have capes!”
“Then I’ll accomplish it together
with her. I’m going up that tower!” [End music]
Sydney gasped. “But…!” She paused
after remembering her fortune. [Music 51.1] “Forrest, go up there. You’re the only one who
can help Jess save Bailey. After all of this, the five of us can play together!
Hehe.”
Forrest gave them his hand. “It’s a
promise!”
Sydney touched his hand while
Spencer did the same as if they were in some kind of sports team, keeping a vow
to stay strong.
Meanwhile, Lydia and Felix hugged
their parents.
“Oh Felix, it’s so great to see you
safe again!”
“Y-Yeah. However, we still need to
stop Magnus. If that tower keeps still for a while longer, it might emit
chemical energy and mutated monsters
that we have never seen before.”
“This tower is a direct enemy base,
deary. Are you sure you will be alright this time? I am a little concerned.”
Felix turned away. He did not want
to worry her even more by telling her that he could be in possession of Magnus
again. He only nodded. [End music]
“I’ll be fine, mom. I… promise.” [Music 18.1]
Ekaja said to Lydia, “Likewise, you
will only be bait for the tower. You are
the last Obsidian after all.”
“I know, but I feel that this is my responsibility!
If I had been more careful with myself, I could have stopped him from leeching
off Obsidian energy. Please, at least let me go to the tower. If I don’t do
this, nobody else can!”
Ekaja paused for a moment, but she
trusted Lydia even after surviving this long journey. “You have outlived
against the most brutal enemies out there, and the biggest one of them all is
waiting for your group, Lydia. I do hope you will make it out safe…”
Lydia grabbed both of Ekaja’s hands.
“Then you’ll let me go?!”
“I will, but on one condition. You
will make it back in one piece and after that, we can actually go shopping
together and I can make you your favorite foods.”
Lydia blushed. “Oh… That’s right. We
never had that chance at the meadow away from civilization… Then it’s a
promise, mother!”
Mr. D’Alonzo felt disappointed
still. “It would be nice to have our old son come to visit…”
Felix bowed in front of him. “Sir, I
will surely find him and bring him back home. Clyde is only possessed. The
things he have done so far was not from his own will, but from chemical
Obsidian energy.”
Rina whispered to Leo, “The way
Clyde held onto me from behind at the Lumious was very unnatural. I think he’s
finally starting to turn into a physical monster.”
“I noticed something was stranger
than strange in him,” Leo responded. “At this rate, Bailey could fall into the
same fate. You already saw that kid react several times especially back in
Vector.”
Hazel headed for the other side of
the river. “And we do know Professor Igor is at the tower. We are a hundred
percent sure that Bailey and the professor will be present, but Clyde could be
somewhere else, and it is quite strange that Magnus has not detected us yet.”
“How would you know if he hasn’t
figured out that we’re actually alive?” Viola asked.
“He would have Felix do something
ominous by now. Therefore, he still believes Felix is dead. Then again, it
could be a psychological trap to make us come to a false conclusion like this.”
Mrs. D’Alonzo took a step back. “If
you’re all going to that tower, then come back with as little casualties as
possible. We already have enough here.”
“Casualties?” Warren wondered. “What
happened?”
“A few monsters have struck us
already,” she said. “We are their closest target but we took them down. It will
only be a while longer until more show up.”
Pria floated towards her. “Then I
shall protect this village.”
Hazel gasped. “We really need you to
help us reach the top of the tower by using your wind aura with Rina. The
chemical Obsidian energy would be too dangerous for us!”
“I believe in my little pupil,” she
winked at Rina. “The village needs both a strong offense, defense, and
supportive healing. I have just that.”
Rina agreed with her. “That’s right.
I believe that Lady Pria can help support the village on her own. I can take
care of the rest!”
“And don’t you worry. Maybe we can
try and find a way to help repair the ship while you’re up there. I just need
the manual.”
“Did someone say ‘repairs’?” The
D’Alonzo parents chimed in together with harmony.
Hazel chuckled. “Alright, then it is
settled. We shall make our way to the tower.”
As the group began to depart for the
Mago’Ria Fey tower, Forrest waved towards Spencer and Sydney.
“This must be it. My fortune might
or might not happen in that tower, but I can feel it close to happening. I have
to stop it from being true. I will come back with the both of them!”
Sydney placed her hands around her
mouth to give him a call. “Okay! We will wait for you here, Forrest! Please
come back to us safely!!”
“Good luck big brother!!” Spencer
added.
Finally, the group took off for the
tower, a tower filled with dangerous monsters, weapons, and staircases. One
step around chemical essence and they’re in danger. The only thing that can
protect them is Rina and her wind magic. Luckily, she gained the holy ability,
so her duration could be twice as long. [End music]
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s entrance ~
At the entrance, the group of eight
spotted a familiar figure lying against a boulder nearest to the shattered
doorway. They were already lamented in a bubble of wind by the time they
reached the tower’s vicinity.
“Talbot?!” Rina said in shock. She
knelt down to feel his palms. “Dude, your body is becoming colder. What the
hell happened and what are you doing here?!”[Music 51.2]
“Rina… I’m sorry. The Gammel
lieutenants gathered here as soon as possible to stop Magnus themselves. We
felt that your group would not come in time to stop them, so we took matters into our own hands.”
Viola first headed for the door,
examining the area intensely.
“That axe girl is here as well.”
Talbot tried to point at the tower
in front of him. His hand was shaking and blood dripped from his fingers. “I’ve
used too much magic. I’ve tried… to catalyze each and every one of their
weapons with wind aura to protect them from the chemicals. However… if they
tend to fall like I have, the aura would vanish.”
Rina took out her knives.
“Catalyzing weapons with wind…” She grabbed one of her knives as she stabbed it
onto the ground beside Talbot. Then, she casted a wind aura around it in order
to create a new bubble for him. “I don’t know how long that will last, but
carry that knife with you back to the village. We need to get into that tower!” “You... idiot." Talbot scoffed. "It is far too dangerous. Even I... feel like quitting as a scientist. It brought nothing but naught, and there is no turning back for me in terms of regret. I can't take it back." Rina interrupted him. "Don't even say that! You had the right intentions, damn it! Stop lingering on regret and push forward towards positive success. You shouldn't just... give up like that."
“As do you, Rina. I will take your words into consideration, but as for now... if you really feel you must take on this tower challenge, then be very careful. The other
three are up ahead. The monsters were too much for us, so I vowed to stay
behind and take care of the monsters down here.”
Rina looked away. “Clumsy little… You should
have waited for us.” She slammed her fists together. “This does it! That Magnus
bastard does not know who he’s
dealing with!” As Rina ran off, she forgot that the bubble mainly followed her,
so the rest of the group tirelessly followed along, hoping to stay within the
bubble.
Professor Talbot watched them leave
in the distance. “They have grown so much… I fear it is too late for me. I feel
like I’ve inhaled enough of that chemical Obsidian energy.” [End music]
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 1st floor ~
[Music 51.3] Upon entering the tower, there were
two large staircases leading up. Each were filled with parasitical spider
monsters, but Viola and Warren took the first step to strike them. Viola spun
her spear in a circular motion. It looked as if she had more than five spears
at once with her speed. Warren, on the other hand, was much slower, but his
large hammer smashed a bunch of enemies at once all around him.
Forrest followed him up the stairs,
shooting and blinding any monster with his BB gun. Hazel aimed at a few mutated
soldiers who were almost turned into beasts, much like from Troiya’s
laboratory.
“Nothing can resist my aim,” Hazel
said with pride. She stepped onto one of the beasts, pulling all the arrows out
of their bodies.
Felix and Lydia rushed on one end,
not breathing any air until they rejoiced with Rina and Leo on the other side
with Warren and Forrest.
After clearing the first floor, the
group headed their way onto the next which was slightly similar but with more
monsters. Several of the next few floors involved traps such as spikes being
thrown against one wall to another. These traps were quite similar to what was
seen back at the Boris San Jovi laboratory.
~ Mago’Ria Fey – tower’s 7th floor ~
The group followed a trail of fallen
mutated soldiers. Some had arms and legs missing, and a few others were
headless, but they still managed to move their bodies. Forrest closed his eyes from
this extremely disturbing sight.
Hazel stabbed one of them on the
forehead. “Such sad souls, forced to live without a full limb. It is better
that we end their lives now,” she aimed at the rest of them.
While doing so, Warren pointed at
the room up ahead which was hard to see at their angle. They all followed him
up the steps to see what was in the next floor.
Lionel was on one knee. The scythe
was on the ground and every single monster had fallen around him.
He turned around with anger after hearing
more footsteps from the main group. “More? You want some of this?!” He gasped
as soon as he saw the group, mainly Felix. “What the hell do you all want?”
Rina noticed that he no longer had a
wind aura around him. She casted a wind aura on another knife, then she threw
it towards the carpet next to him.
“Heh. It’s too late,” Lionel gave a
laughter. “I’ve already inhaled some of the chemicals…”
Felix took a step forward. “Are the
other two up ahead?”
“Where else could they be, runt?”
“We have to help them!”
Lionel slowly grabbed his scythe
which lied flat on the ground. “Please, like I need any of your hel-“ He
coughed out blood, and then he fell to the floor again. “Damn it! Move it!!!” [End music]
[Music 20.3] Lydia ran up to him, hoping she
could try and heal his wounds. “You’re badly wounded. Let us help you at least
this time!”
Lionel said nothing. He seemed to
have an unexplainable respect towards Lydia this entire time anyway. Maybe it
was because she resembled a lot of Garnett. Both Lionel and Garnett had this strange
inner connection ever since their first fight at the Yucan Tempa.
Lydia grabbed Rina’s knife as she
began cutting parts of the carpet below them. She then tightly wrapped it
around Lionel.
He blushed and then looked away.
“Heh, you have too big of a heart. Don’t let that weaken you. It’s going to get
you nowhere.”
Lydia nodded. “Even if you think
that, I still stand here today, alive and well. I will take advantage of that
kindness and help others who are more in need than I am,” she said with a soft
smile.
“Peh, maybe you can prove me wrong
after all. I suggest you go before you lag behind.”
“Got it,” Lydia said while standing
up. “Let’s go, everyone!”
As they all went further ahead,
Lionel fell flat on his back. “Garnett… my love.”
At last, his eyes finally closed… [End music]
[Ending 4 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, we will conclude volume 4 with a devastating ending. As the group enters the tower and make their way up, they will find old enemies and/or companions that get majorly injured. This is the work of Magnus, who managed to increase the amount of monsters bound my Obsidian chemical energy. How will the main group last if they mustn't inhale the chemicals?!
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