NSFCD

     What is it that happens when someone passes? No one could ever be quite sure of that answer. But then again, what is it that happens when they come back? Many things could be guessed. If ever possible, one of those guesses could be true. Souls are delicate, and yet strong at the same time. They can shatter the strongest obstacles, yet they themselves can shatter so easily. Like the living body, souls are made and wiped away each day. Each is made pure, and is purified once they pass from the realm of living.

     One though. There is one single soul that has never purified after the passing. Because of this, it cannot be allowed to return to the realm of souls, deep within the reaches of the universe. Kijutkrae Mitshilor. In the language of the First Universe, this comes to mean "Spiritual Core". The soul of darkness can never be allowed to enter Kijutkrae Mitshilor. If it were to ever to succeed, it could enslave all souls, and eventually bring Kijutkrae Mitshilor to an end. This soul is the power of the Black Phoenix, a beast slain millions of eons ago by a legendary warrior.

     The only way that the soul of the Black Phoenix could be successfully kept out of Kijutkrae Mitshilor was to use the force of Kentmoris Purgatory, an ancient soul technique that, unfortunately, not only keeps back the soul, but destroys the physical universe that is present. This act has destroyed the universe. And it has done so a total of twelve times.

     The living inhabitants of the First Universe wrote a prophecy. It is written that there would be another blackened soul born, and the great warrior that had slain the Black Phoenix will be reborn to defeat the two souls. He will be young and in love when he comes to his destiny. Through dark forces, however, he will be changed into a multi-tailed beast, and only in the final battle will he return to his true form.

    It is now the time of the Thirteenth Universe. The legend of the Kijutkrae Mitshilor has been forgotten for ages, only known by those few brave ones with enough heart to seek the knowledge about it. The second black soul has been born, and nobody has a clue to who it rests within. The warrior has also been born, and the same goes for him. When will it be that the two meet? Or has it been that they have already met?

News/Updates

Currently no new news/updates...

Character Bios

Xacherai Hiro- After waking up in an abandoned lab, transformed into an hominid fox with amnesia, he starts traveling just to survive. When things begin to occur after his arrival at Epsiliette, his priority becomes to find out what is happening.

Holden Jericho- A thirteen year old tech mage raised on Epsiliette, he discovers Xacherai and helps the both of them escape from the creatures that arrive. His skills with technology are extremely notable.

Luigi Mario- Having escaped from the creatures after they had arrived at Epsiliette, he is rescued by Xacherai and joins with the group in order to save his brother, Mario. Luigi is very jumpy.

Bios coming for more characters later.

Chapter Directory

Prologue (http://nsiderforums.net/index.php?topic=20025.msg270469#msg270469)
Chapter 1 (http://nsiderforums.net/index.php?topic=20025.msg277597#msg277597)
Chapter 2 (http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=20025.msg309831#msg309831)
Chapter 3 (http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=20025.msg325102#msg325102)
Chapter 4 (http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=20025.msg328071#msg328071)
Chapter 5 (http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=20025.msg333689#msg333689)
Chapter 6 (http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=20025.msg362711#msg362711)

Art (for when I can post some...)

I like the looks of this. The intro was good. ^_^

All right, just to get things started, I'll now post the prologue. Enjoy. :)

Prologue: A Life in Mystery

     Nothing. If it were ever possible to feel it, this would be what nothing would feel like. You can't feel anything around you or even your own body. This is what he felt as his mind became conscious after what felt like an eternity. His eyes, which felt as if they hadn't ever been used, slowly began to open. At first, it didn't help, but soon they began to take in a deep green light. Everything beyond the green was heavily distorted.

     Somehow, his mind wouldn't remember anything. Nothing that let him know what had happened before now rested in his mind. But he could think normally, as if he had been born with the knowledge. He knew what it was that afflicted him, but even so, his name even failed to return to him. What was going on?

     Red was flashing somewhere in the corner of his eye. He couldn't move his head towards it, but his eyes could flick around just fine. It looked like a flashing light of some sort, kind of like an alarm. It was extremely dim, so it must have been going off for quite a while. Not even the sound of the siren was able to be heard anymore.

     Without even the slightest of warnings, his body began to sear with pain as small needles that were stuck into him began to rip out, tinting the green view with the slight red color of his blood. The pain faded, and he once again felt nothing. A mechanical sound, faint, but audible, started up, and his eyes went up. He found that he was suspended in the center of some sort of liquid, encased in a very large, cylindrical tank. Around his waste was a large strap, which was all that was holding him up. It released as the last of the liquid drained out, and he hit the ground with a painful slam.

     He lay there motionless for several minutes, still completely without feeling in his entire body. Soon, he slowly moved his arm. His eyes were still sore and blurry as he painfully got up to his legs. Breathing heavily, he staggered over to several lines of computers and leaned against it as he regained his sense of feel. He stared at the screen that was below his arms.

Subject: Xacherai Hiro

Selective Memory Erase: Complete
DNA Replacement Procedure: Complete
Complete Intellect Deterioratio-a966jY_? iafh

Error #692: All procedures could not be completed due to damage of hardware

     "So my name... Is Xacherai Hiro?"? He asked himself silently while still looking at the flickering screen. Xacherai's eyes kept going back to the line about the DNA replacement procedure. What was that all about? As he thought this, his feeling had now completely returned, but somehow, Xacherai found that he felt more than he should. As if there were more parts than there was supposed to be.

     Xacherai then suddenly noticed his hand, and to his shock, it wasn't a hand at all. In its place was a gray-furred paw, followed by strange symbols going all the way up his arm. He looked at his other arm quickly to find the exact same thing. Looking around hesitantly, Xacherai looked for some sort of reflective surface. Seeing a large plate of glass several feet away, he began to run over towards it, only to find that the entire ground was littered with small shards of broken glass. He had to be careful not to get any of them stuck in the pads of his rear paws.

     Xacherai looked around to see that there wasn't only broken glass, but there were several sections of computers that were completely annihilated. There was a giant hole in the middle of the crumbling ceiling, letting a large ray of light hit the plate of glass that he was going towards. After carefully maneuvering through the span of glass, Xacherai made it to the large piece.

     Almost all gray fur, save for his white underside, covered his entire body. The markings that were on his arms spanned farther than he thought they did as he followed them all round his body and down his legs. Xacherai turned and found there were even more of the mysterious markings sprawled out on his back. Not only that, but there were three very large tails gently brushing back and forth, each at their own pace. He finally looked at his face, which had of course, changed along with the rest of him. Long, yet manageable ears came off of the top of his head, which was covered with long, unruly brown hair.

     "Wh... What the!?"? Xacherai said as he continued to look at his reflection in the glass below him. Over and over through his mind ran the thought that none of it could be possible. Soon, Xacherai came to the decision of trying to get out of there.

     Looking around hesitantly, he spied a pair of pants and a shirt that seemed like they would fit him. Xacherai ran over, careful not to step on the glass, and grabbed them. After he put on the pants, he skimmed the room for a door, only to find that all of them were closed. Xacherai put the shirt on and rushed over to the closest one.

     "Please let this work."? He said silently to himself as he raised one of his legs. With a thrusting kick, Xacherai obliterated the slide open door, leaving a gaping hole in it. "... Whoa."? Deciding not to worry about it for the time being, he went out the hole, and rushed down the long hall, where he saw a normal looking door just sitting there rather than another slide open like the others. Xacherai opened it and ran through to find something he would have hardly expected.

     A gigantic, lush green forest filled with many different types of trees sprawled out past a large cliff, where he was standing a few feet away from the edge of. He looked back to see that the large building was half covered in ferns and ivies. Only more forest spanned out behind the lab. The yellow colored sky was scattered with red tinted clouds, and two moons were visible above along with the sun.

     There was a somewhat futuristic ship that was docked in a small and somewhat run down hanger next to the fern-covered lab. Xacherai thought that it was the only way out of this seemingly endless rainforest. He ran over and closed the small hatch door behind him. Even though the ship seemed somewhat small, it was very spacious, and it had a couple of sleeping quarters towards the back, along with the hold. He went towards the bridge of the small ship and found two spherical orbs suspended by rods coming down from the ceiling.

     "Let's just hope this thing works..."? Xacherai muttered to himself as he looked for some sort of switch or button that would activate the engine. After several moments of looking around, he sat down and finally spotted a large red button that was printed with "Initiate Engine".

     "Well, duh..."? He quickly pressed the red button, and the engine roared to life, which filled Xacherai with relief. He thrust his paws into the orbs, which were now glowing on their interior, and the ship moved a bit. The thrusters started to propel the ship forward, as the smaller thrusters lifted the ship up and off of the ground. Xacherai shoved his paws forward, and the ship accelerated quickly, flying out of the hanger and sailing into the sky.

     "... I need to find out my past."? Xacherai said to himself as the ship rose higher and higher, the color of yellow slowly fading into a black as he left the planet's atmosphere. He swung the ship around and looked at the yellow planet below. The sight was breathtaking, but Xacherai was thinking elsewhere as he stared. "... Who am I?"

Interesting. Grammar and spelling seem to be used well. THe story seems intriguing. I will continue to read this.

Okay, chapter 1 is here, but it has to be in two posts because it's so long... XD

Chapter 1: Rifts

     "... Xacherai!"

     Xacherai woke up with a start. It was that voice again, a girl's voice. Somehow, he thought that he was supposed to recognize it, but since none of his memory had returned, he couldn't even try to place who it might be. Xacherai decided not to think about it any more as he sat up in his bed. He took off a strap that held him down, and he began to float towards the door.

     It was about two months after Xacherai had woken up inside the lab. Through that entire time, he had been traveling throughout the different systems, always trying to keep himself as least noticeable as possible. So far, there hasn't been a single person that has ever been able to see what he truly was. If anyone had, it would cause a panic and send the entire High Council XCIX Guard after him.

     "Approaching Epsiliette." The computer said in its usual generated voice as he pulled himself into the seat at the controls. The voice sounded like a man around his twenties. Xacherai had probably heard this voice the most in his two months of trekking through the system, and quite frankly, he was getting kind of sick of it. At least he had found another planet.

     Soon, the site of the planet came into view. Epsilette's swirling clouds of deep violet and blue surrounded the whole view, making it impossible to see the surface. There were literally hundreds of docking stations set up in orbit around the noxious gas filled planet, all connected by a series of large steel bridges. The lights of the large station made it look like the planet was draped in spider webs.

     "Space vehicle #52-THO8, you're scan registration has been cleared." A voice came out of his radio. As usual. They had to scan his space vehicle's registration code, which was embedded somewhere in the hardwiring of the ship, to make sure it didn't match any marked codes. "We are initiating our tractor beam to pull you in. Your dock number will be 950412-AK. Welcome to Epsiliette."

     Xacherai clicked off the engine as he felt the small vibration of the tractor beam catch the ship and start pulling him in. He'd rather not waste any fuel cells, since he only docks on small occasion. However, Xacherai sometimes wished he didn't have to, but the way he looked gave him no choice. The beam pulled the ship into one of the larger of the stations, and the doors of the dock closed behind him.

     "All right... Time to pick up some supplies." Xacherai said as he got up from his seat in the bridge. He walked over to the door to the rest of the ship and took a very baggy sweatshirt with an extra large hood. Xacherai put it on, and then slid his back paws into a pair of boots that concealed the paws along with his pants rolled over them. "Here's the uncomfortable part..." He took his large tails and tucked two of them down into each of his pant legs, the third going behind him up his sweatshirt.

     "Kay, mate, you're clear to exit the ship." A voice came over the small intercom next to the ship hatch as Xacherai approached. The voice sounded as if it had a bit of Australian accent with it. He pressed a button next to the hatch, and it slowly opened to reveal the interior of the docking bay. As soon as Xacherai stepped down out of the ship, a somewhat short man came walking over to him. Apparently, this was the voice over the intercom.

     "All right, now ya just docking or need an upgrade for ya ship there?" The man asked Xacherai. He thought a moment. The controls for the ship could be upgraded so that they were complete holograms.

     "I need the controls upgraded to the hologram models." Xacherai replied after a short moment.

     "Then that'll be nine-fifty celinor, mate." The man told him. Xacherai went into his pocket and pulled out the money amount that the man had said. He then dropped it into the open hand of the dock keeper. "Thank ya, mate." The man walked back to the large booth to punch in the order. He peered out as Xacherai was about to leave. "Oh, any color preference, mate?"

     "Neon green." Xacherai replied without even having to turn his head. He had always liked that color.

_____________________________

     It was a bit later, maybe about an hour after Xacherai had arrived at Epsiliette. He had walked into several shops already, and so far, they were all for weapons. By now, Xacherai was wondering whether they even had a supplies shop or not.

     He sat down on a railing that spanned across one of the pathways that conjoined two of the stations. For a while, Xacherai just gazed out through the two-foot-thick glass that separated him from the void of space. The sight of seeing all of the station stretched out for miles upon miles on top of the swirling dark clouds of the planet was simply amazing.

     Deciding that he should ask someone about supply shops, he looked around until he found a boy, around 13, who was carrying about three bags. In one of them, you could see the top of a few bottles. He had gotten supplies somewhere. Xacherai got up and walked over to him.

     "Excuse me..." He started. The boy stopped to turn to him, but as he saw Xacherai, he just froze.

     "Um... Yes?" The boy said as he tried to figure out what was with Xacherai's raised hood. He brushed his black hair out of the view of his deep blue eyes.

     "Would you know where to get supplies around here?" Xacherai asked him. He could tell that the boy wasn't too sure whether Xacherai was safe or not.

     "Oh, um..." The boy began as he thought a moment. "I just came from there. It should be on the next station about two blocks after you get off of this bridge."

     "All right, then thanks." Xacherai replied as he turned in the direction the boy pointed out. The boy just stood thee a minute before going on his way again.

___________________________

     Xacherai had now gotten the supplies he needed, and was walking out of the shop. He paused a moment to look up at the high up dome, with the stars of space glittering above. Xacherai always looked up at the sky or scenery for some reason. Maybe it was a trait of his from before he had woken up in that lab. He turned his attention back to making a path right to his ship.

     As Xacherai was about in the center of the bridge that he had crossed earlier, he heard something that didn’t seem right. No-one but him could hear it, most likely because he wasn't exactly human. It had the sound of something that was ripping, mixed with a bit of digital sounds as well. Xacherai turned towards the station he had just now left, and somewhere behind it, he spied a large black area in the empty area.

     From out of nowhere, the sound of an explosion came from the blackened space, and several large ships, of which probably no-one had ever seen before, came surging right out of it. Xacherai's eyes widened as he watched these unknown craft begin to rush around the several stations that was around his location.

     "What the?!" Xacherai shouted as he looked around at the ships frantically. Only thinking for a short moment, he decided to get back to his ship as fast as possible and get away from there.

     Xacherai started running as fast as he could, and that was actually pretty fast. A few blocks down on the station where his ship was, one of the crafts suddenly began to fire large blasts of seemingly dark energy on the large dome that kept the air in. It only made a large crack, but with enough blasts, it would soon break.

     "Aw, man! Where's that entrance?!" A voice shouted from a block down. Xacherai turned his attention down in the direction where he heard it, and he saw that it was the boy from earlier. What was he talking about? Xacherai ran after him, and when he caught up with him, he skidded to a shop in front of the boy.

     "What's this entrance you're talking about?" Xacherai asked hurriedly. Without flinching, the boy pulled out two very large guns, which shocked Xacherai.

     "Look, I don't know who you are, but back off!" The boy shouted at him. Xacherai backed up a bit.

     "Hey, look, I don't want to hurt you." Xacherai said, trying to calm the boy down so he didn't get shot.

     "Sure, whatever! You're just-" The boy had started, but he was cut off as the ship blasted at the dome again, and it shattered, sending bits of glass everywhere, before the vacuum of space sucked it all out. The ship leaned right against the opening, and it blocked anything else from getting out.

     "Oh, crap, what now?" Xacherai muttered angrily as he watched the entire thing. Soon, a hatch opened on the ship, and to both their horror, strange creatures began to jump out. They were dark in color, and they had a very deep red aura. Very long ears came out the top of their heads, and spiked tails came out behind them.

     "... You're not with them, are you?" The boy asked, still keeping his guns aimed right at Xacherai.

     Without warning, one of the creatures came running up behind Xacherai. Fortunately, Xacherai had his ears. He immediately turned and round-house kicked the creature in the face, sending it hurtling into the side of a building at an explosive force. The boy just looked at him in shock.

     "Hardly..." Xacherai said as he turned to the boy, his leg still in the air. There was a silence as they just looked at each other. The silence was broken as the boy turned his attention to Xacherai's leg. Part of the pant leg had slid down to reveal his paw.

     "Wh... What are...?" The boy began as he lowered his guns and backed away.

     "Well, if you haven't noticed, this entire place is under attack." Xacherai said as he lowered his leg. He took off his hood to reveal his face, seeing that the boy had already found out. "So if you don't mind, if there's somewhere we can go, would you care to help me out?"

    "S-sure..." The boy said. He was quite noticeably nervous now, but he was starting to get used to the fact that Xacherai wasn't exactly like him. "Come on."

Ch. 1, Part 2

     The boy started running, and Xacherai kept following after him. Soon, the boy stopped, and he looked around quickly for a moment. He then spotted something, and he sprinted over to what looked like some sort of manhole cover.

     "Say... You never mentioned your name." Xacherai said as the boy began to lift up the hole.

     "Neither did you." The boy replied as he got the cover off of the entrance to whatever he was going to.

     "Xacherai Hiro. You?" He said as he walked over to the hole. The boy turned to find another one of the creatures. He held out his hand, and a numerous amount of parts came out of nowhere and assembled into gun right there. Without waiting another moment, he blasted a giant hole in the creature. It just dissolved into thin air.

     "Holden. Holden Jericho. I'm a tech mage. Now come on." He said as he began to get into the hole.

     "H-help-a me!!" A shout came from another few blocks away. Xacherai turned his head quickly to see someone running away from a group of the creatures. He was wearing a green shirt, green cap, and blue overalls.

     "We can't let him get away! The master needs him for the process!" One of them shouted as they continued to chase after him. Before Holden could say anything, Xacherai had already gone after them.

     "Xacherai, wait!" Holden shouted, but with no luck.

     The man had now collapsed on the ground in utter fear. The creatures began to encircle around him so that he couldn't get away. The man held his cap and was shaking furiously. Just as one of the creatures was reaching for him, Xacherai came out of nowhere and punched the creature into one of the windows nearby. It flew in at such a speed, hardly any of the glass remained in the pane.

     "What the?!" One of the other creatures said as they all backed up. Xacherai didn't stop there.

     He grabbed one of them with one of his paws and flung it into another one, making the both of them dissolve from the force. Xacherai then slid underneath one of them and kicked it in the chin, sending it spiraling into the air. Pushing off the ground, he then flew into the last one, leaving the only ones there to be Xacherai and the man.

     "Hey, are you all right?" Xacherai asked to the man.

     "Huh... wha... You... Uhg..." The man babbled. And with that, he passed out.

     "Ah, jeez..." Xacherai said, seeing as if the man couldn't walk on his own now. He picked up the man and ran back over to the hole where Holden was beckoning him to hurry up. Xacherai got in and began to climb down while still holding the man. Holden also began to climb down, and he pulled the cover back over.

     "Is this place safe?" Xacherai asked as he looked back at the cover.

     "Don't worry... No-one can find this place." Holden started. "Heck, sometimes, even I can't find it." He laughed a bit as they continued down.

     Soon, they had reached the bottom, but Xacherai was a bit confused. Below him, he felt that he was stepping on solid ground.

     "I built an area on the surface on the planet." Holden started. "The reason is that while I was doing an independent scan, I found something, and whatever it was, it wasn't naturally formed." Holden walked over to a wall, and he hit a button. Several searchlights slowly turned on, and they were now shining on one area.

     "... Is that ...?" Xacherai started as he walked over to the area where the lights were on.

     "Yeah..." Holden answered. "It's a really big sword."

     Xacherai was now standing in front of it. It was very large indeed, probably almost as big as him. It was stuck part way into the ground, but the blade itself is what he was focusing on. There were many crevasses, which showed that a section of it could probably come out. The handle was made of a material that somewhat seemed like leather, and a yellow gem was inlaid on the end of it. The area where the blade and hilt met was connected by two razor wings with a spiked star in the middle. Xacherai saw that there was a chain next to the gem, and at the end of it was an "X" designed piece of metal dangling there.

     "I'm not even sure who could use something that large..." Holden started again. "It's way too heavy for any of my machines to lift. And the symbols on it... It kinda looks like Japanese, but it's way too different."

     Xacherai averted his attention to what he was talking about. There were areas where there were symbols lightly etched into the blade. He then suddenly recognized the symbols. Making sure that he left his undershirt on, Xacherai slipped off his sweatshirt, leaving the markings on his arms in complete view.

      "... I wonder..." Xacherai muttered to himself as he got a though. He slowly reached out and grasped the handle. To his surprise, it actually felt light. Very light. Without any effort, Xacherai lifted the sword out of where it rested. Holden just looked at him in shock.

     "Jeez... You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Holden said after a while.

     "I guess so..." Xacherai replied after him. He then looked back at the man. "I think we should try to get off of this planet..."

     "That's a good point, but I can't leave my parents here." Holden explained to Xacherai. Xacherai's ears perked up.

     "... I hear something over the station com." Xacherai started as he used his sweatshirt to tie the sword to his back. "It sounds like they're evacuating the stations. I think they'll be safe." Holden just stood there a moment.

     "All right, fine." Holden finally agreed. He held out his hand, and parts began to appear. Soon, a small hovercraft that could fit one person was sitting there. "We need to get this guy on here so we can move faster."

     "Right..." Xacherai said as he was already putting the man on the small machine. "Now let's go."

____________________________________

     They had made it back to the surface, and they were running back to the ship, with the machine holding the man flying behind them. Xacherai heard that the man was beginning to wake up.

     "Ugh... Wha...?? He said as his eyes slowly opened. His vision came back into focus, and one look at Xacherai made him freak out. "Oww-a!!"

     "Whoa, hey, calm down!" Holden tried to keep the man from getting too frightened. "We're here to help."

     "Wah... Oh... Th-thank-a you..." The man replied. He still seemed a bit frightened.

     "Now, what's you're name?" Holden asked. He actually seemed a bit curious.

     "L-luigi Mario..." He replied. Holden smiled at him.

     "Well, nice to meet you..." Holden answered back. "I'm Holden, and this is... Uh..." He turned to Xacherai. "Can I call you Zach or something?"

     "Just call me X." Xacherai replied. There was a long pause for a moment. "We're here."

     They had arrived at the dock where Xacherai's ship was. The dock keeper was long gone, so now there wasn't a problem with being spotted by anybody else. Xacherai quickly punched in the code, and the hatch opened. Taking Luigi out of the hovercraft, Xacherai and Holden got onto the ship, and the hatch closed behind them.

     "Get into the back." Xacherai quickly told the two of them. They went and got into a couple of seats as Xacherai went into the cockpit. He started the engine, and the new hologram controls glowed right in front of Xacherai. He put his paws into them, and pressed a small button inside of then to signal the dock hatch to open.

     "Man, what's going on?" Holden asked himself. "This is just... Not right."

     The dock hatch slowly opened, and the space vacuum hurtled the ship out. Xacherai turned on the thrusters, and the ship began to speed away from Epsiliette. Out one of the small windows, they saw that the entire planet was now under attack.

     "Those-a things kidnapped-a my brother..." Luigi said out of nowhere. Holden just looked at him. "I have-a to find a way to save-a him..."

     "Don't worry you two..." Xacherai said as he kept the ship going away from the planet. "We'll find out what's going on... And we'll save your brother Luigi..."

     What was going on?

Finally, after a few weeks, I finished chapter 2, and I'm almost done with chapter 3. Here ya go. :P And Chapter 2 will also be in 2 parts, so wait for both. ;)

Chapter 2: Meeting in a City

     ?Approaching unknown planet.? The voice of the computer sounded throughout the small ship. Xacherai?s eyes opened as he was just lying back in his bed for a moment. It had been about several hours since they had escaped from Epsiliette, and he was just thinking about anything that might explain it. So far, nothing came to him.

     ?X-xacherai!? Luigi?s voice shouted in a mix of shock and relief. Xacherai immediately pushed himself from the bed and floated out the door to the cockpit. Luigi and Holden were already there, staring at the planet the computer had mentioned.

     ?What? What is it, Luigi?? Xacherai asked him as he came up between them.

     ?That?s it? That?s where I-a come-a from.? Luigi said as he pointed straight at the planet before their ship.

     Many of the continents and islands were very strangely shaped, with the largest of them being in the form of a cartoon-like mushroom. It looked like it was a happy place, but now, it seemed as if some of the life had been drained from it, as the green lands had small spots of brown here and there. The oceans were a tint grayer than other oceans from separate planets.

     ?What is this place?? Holden said in amazement as he stared at the strange sphere hanging there in space. ?I?ve scanned this particular area before, and there shouldn?t be anything here??

     ?This is-a my home?? Luigi started again. ?? The Mushroom Kingdom.?

     They just stared at the planet. There was absolutely no way that this could be real. Never.

     ?Well, do you think we should head down there?? Holden asked the two of them. Luigi didn?t respond.

     ?Sounds good to me. We might find out what the heck is going on.? Xacherai said as he swung himself around the seat in the cockpit and set himself down in it. ?Let?s go.?

     Xacherai put his paws into the center of the two hologram orbs and once again began to control the ship towards the planet. What they would find was a mystery to Xacherai and Holden, but with the look on Luigi?s face, most would think that he had an idea.


     The sky was tinted with a small bit of red over what was normally blue, dried out patches of grass everywhere, and there were some houses that were partially blown to bits. They were strange houses, which resembled cartoon-like mushrooms, like there was with the shape of the continent. The ship blew dust everywhere as it came down to a landing position. A few moments passed, and the hatch on the ship opened, letting Xacherai, Holden, and Luigi view the scene.

     ?This is-a not-a good?? Luigi said as he looked around with a somewhat devastated look on his face.

     ?Jeez?? Holden started. ?This place looks deserted??

     ?And by the way that the houses are grouped together so closely?? Xacherai began to mention. ?It looks like this was actually quite a busy place, right??

     ?Yes?? Luigi answered.? This place was-a very active? Especially in-a the middle of-a the city??

     Xacherai?s ears perked up again. Holden saw this and looked at him.

     ?What? Do you hear something, Xacherai?? Holden asked as Xacherai tried to focus on whatever it was that he was hearing.

     ?It? Sounds like?? Xacherai started, but before he could say anything else, one of the creatures from Epsiliette came out of nowhere and lunged at Xacherai. As the creature was in mid air, a sudden bolt of blue lightning flew past Xacherai?s head and pierced the creature onto oblivion.

     ?Hey, you might want to watch out around here!? A voice shouted from behind him. Just as Xacherai turned to see who it was, a boy with white and gray wings flew overhead.

     This boy had light, spiky blond hair, and was wearing a light gray vest over an extremely long-sleeved blue shirt, along with black pants with red sewing, and dark green boots. He was holding was appeared to be a dual edged sword in the shape of a bow.

     ?Whoa, it?s an Angekiran?? Holden said in amazement as he saw the boy rocketing towards the center of the city. Several more creatures appeared out of nowhere, and the boy brushed his left hand against the handle and several large lightning arrows appeared. He released them, and they ran right through each of the creatures.

     ?Kaumori! Aw, man, he never waits!? Another shout came from behind them. The three of them turned and saw two others running up behind them, one another boy, and the other a girl, which was the one that shouted.

     The boy was rather tall, and had a mask over most of his face, paired with a set of very dark goggles. His hair was a somewhat long dark brown, and his eyes couldn?t really be seen. He was wearing a deep red jacket that went down to about his upper thigh, a pair of denim jeans, and black boots. There was a rather large spear strapped to his back, and was ended with a very big blade embedded with fair sized blue gems.

     The girl was a bit taller than Holden, and had short red hair. She wore a deep blue short sleeved jacket with a very large spiked collar, along with bandages on her arms covered by armbands. Heavily decorated shorts hung down from her waist to about above her knees, and tall sandals went about a fourth the way up her calves, which also had bandages.

     The two ran past them, but about two seconds afterward, the girl stopped dead in her tracks. Turning around, she looked right at Xacherai. The boy turned to see what she was looking at, and he stopped as well.

     ?? Well, there?s something you don?t see everyday.? The girl said as she began to walk over to the three. They boy followed suit and went with her. Xacherai stepped back, seeing that he didn?t know if they were going to be okay with his appearance or not.

     ?Who are you guys?? Holden asked a bit wearily. He reached for one of the guns he had made back on Epsiliette.

     ?Whoa, hey, we aren?t going to hurt you guys.? The girl said as she stopped. ?We just want to know what the heck?s up with him.? She pointed at Xacherai, who still felt a bit uneasy.

     ?Well, I?m not entirely sure either, but I?m sure he?ll explain?? Holden replied back. ?But for now, how about you explain why you?re here??

     ?All right?? The girl started. ?I?m Irene Edwards, this here?? She motioned towards the masked boy. ?Is Ray Dodson, and angel boy up there is Kaumori Atsumini. We were just traveling by, and we found this planet. Then when we landed, we were attacked by these creatures.?

     ?Yeah, they made a complete raid on Epsiliette several hours ago.? Xacherai said, now a bit less nervous than before.

     ?Are you kidding me?! Epsiliette?!? Irene said in shock. ?That place is supposed to have lots of defense!?

     ?It looks like they had warped past the screening field and straight into the area around the stations.? Holden mentioned. Irene was just shocked.

     ?So it seems that we all have a need to find out what?s going on here?? Ray finally mentioned. He had hardly said a word before, and he was finally speaking.

     ?Looks like it?? Xacherai answered.

     ?Are we-a going to head-a to the center of-a the city?? Luigi asked as he stepped forward a bit.

     ?Well, it looks like your Angekiran friend up there is doing just that, so I think we should, too.? Holden mentioned. Xacherai went back into his ship, and several seconds later, he came out carrying the giant sword from earlier.

     ?Dang? That thing?s huge?? Irene said as she just stared at it.

     ?Well, I?ll need something to fight with if more of those things pop up.? Xacherai said as he walked up past the group.

Ch. 2, Part 2

     Another lightning arrow shot straight through one more creature as Kaumori was now on the ground, running down the streets of the center of the city, letting blocks of tall glass and steel buildings fly back behind him.

     ?Man, how many of these thing are there?? Kaumori said as he pulled another arrow ready, aiming at yet one more creature that had come out from a corner. Before he could shoot the arrow off, a blast came and went right through the creature?s head. Kaumori slid to a stop and looked around to see all of the others running up behind him.

     ?Hey, save some for us, will ya?? Irene shouted up to him as they caught up. Xacherai kept running past, and Kaumori saw his large sword.

     ?Whoa, that?s a big sword?? Kaumori said to himself out loud.

     ?I know, now come on!? Irene replied back as they began to run again. Several of the creatures jumped out all at once, and they were heading right for Xacherai. Like he knew what he was doing, he grabbed the smaller handle in the blade and pulled. A section of the center came out, now producing two separate swords.

     ?Let?s see what this thing can do?? Xacherai muttered to himself as he continued to run at the creatures. As he was underneath them, he quickly bent his knees, and gave a thrust from the ground. He went right through the group of creatures, and he landed several feet away from where the creatures landed, slashed up from near invisible movement of Xacherai?s swords.

     ?Nice moves?? Ray said as he ran past him out of nowhere. ?But there somewhat flawed??

     ?Well, can you do any better?? Xacherai said as he got up and began running right behind him.

     Before there was any response, more of the creatures appeared several blocks ahead. Without a word, Ray took the spear that was strapped to his back and slashed it in front of him. For a fraction of a second, a large blue rift appeared, and he disappeared inside of it. Right where the creatures were, he appeared again and slashed right through them with hardly any effort.

     ?Heh? Trans-dimensional travel, eh?? Xacherai said to himself as Ray had appeared back next to him through another rift.

     ?Good observation?? Ray replied.

     ?Hishou-Taka Okaeshi!? A shout came from behind them as Irene flew above them. Her leg was extended out in front of her, and there seemed to be strong wind going around it. They turned to where she was going, and saw a creature coming right up in front of them that they hadn?t noticed. Her foot landed right into the creature?s face, and it went spiraling away with the force of the wind that had transferred from her leg.

     ?Taijutsu?? Xacherai asked as she landed in front of them.

     ?Got that right!? Irene answered enthusiastically as she was now in between them.

     Back a bit, where Holden and Luigi were trying to keep up, Luigi came to a sliding halt as he looked down one of the other streets. Staring a moment, he couldn?t believe what he saw.

     ?H-hey!!? Luigi shouted as he looked at the others and pointed while he seemed a bit frightened. They all stopped and looked back to see what was the matter. Luigi?s frantic movements tipped them off that he had found something, and they were now running back to where he was.

     ?What is it?? Holden asked as the others made it over.

     ?L-look at-a that!? Luigi replied as he continued to point. Xacherai turned, and saw that up about a dozen blocks, there was an area where the buildings just stopped, and replacing them was the standing black silhouette of a large, dark building that seemed to give the feeling that there was something inside that they didn?t want to see. Many chimneys jutted out, and were letting out a dark brown or red smoke.

     ?What the heck is that?? Irene asked as she also stared at the seemingly evil structure.

     ?I dunno? But- Hey, who?s that?? Xacherai began, but changed the subject as he spotted a figure near what looked like the entrance to the building.

     The figure was large. Very large. And also bulky. A large, green spiked shell rested on his back, and horns came out the side of his somewhat reptilian head, which also had vibrant red hair. His limbs seemed short and thick, which gave the assumption that he was slow.

     ?W-what?s-a Bowser doing with-a those-a creatures?!? Luigi said in shock.

     ?Bowser?? Irene asked in curiosity. ?Who?s that??

     ?Bowser is-a the king of-a the koopas?? Luigi began. ?He?s-a always kidnapping Princess Peach. Mario was-a always there to stop him, and I-a sometimes helped him out-a. He must-a be behind this??

     ?Well, then let?s go ask him a few questions, eh?? Xacherai said as he stepped forward, swinging his sword out in front of him. Luigi instantly grabbed his arm.

     ?N-no! That?s-a not a good idea!? Luigi shouted in fear. Xacherai got out of his grip.

     ?What? You think that something with big limbs and a giant shell can do anything to-?? Xacherai started before Kaumori suddenly looked shocked.

     ?Wh-what the heck?!? Irene said while still looking in the direction of the strange factory. Everyone looked back, and saw that Bowser was now glowing. His size grew larger and larger, his horns and spikes gaining more length. The green of his shell became more vibrant, and his arms and legs also grew. Soon, they were staring at something completely different.

     ?OWW-AA!!!? Luigi shouted in utter terror before falling backwards. He quickly backed away while still on the ground. The new Bowser pointed in a direction that they couldn?t see, and the creatures that he was ordering ran off, Bowser soon following after.

     ?Wow?? Xacherai said, hardly affected by what happened. ?So he got bigger and uglier, so what??

     ?You-a don?t-a get it, do-a you?!? Luigi shouted as he slowly got up, his legs still shaking violently. ?He just-a went into his-a Giga Bowser form! When-a that happens, he?s-a near invincible!?

     ?To what? Unused space vehicles?? Kaumori said with a bit of a laugh. Xacherai also laughed a bit at this. Luigi just slapped his hand on his own face.

     ?Oi?? Luigi muttered under his breath.

     Xacherai?s ears perked up. He had heard something from one of the creatures. One word.

     ?? Hyrule?? Xacherai repeated from what he had heard. ?What?s a ?Hyrule???

     ?Wait? That sounds familiar?? Holden said as he began to shuffle through the bag he had with him. Before he could find what he was looking for, the sound of large engines roared through the blocks of the city. Strong wind blasted past the buildings, unexpectedly making the windows shatter. Everyone shielded their eyes from the glass that was now raining down. Xacherai looked up. What he saw was a strange ship, similar in design with the factory. It lifted up a ways, and then it shot forward into a black rift.

     ?My guess?? Ray said as he waked forward a bit. ?This ?Hyrule? that they mentioned is a place??

     ?I was starting to think that, too?? Xacherai commented as he rested the end of his sword?s blade down on the ground. ?And I think that they might be going there.?

     ?Well, then let?s do the same! Come on!? Kaumori shouted as he lifted off the ground and began to fly back the way they had come.

     ?Kaumori, wait!? Irene shouted as she tried to run after him. Everyone else had decided to follow and ran past her, Luigi trailing behind them. For a moment, she just stood there. ?? Ugh?? She then began to give chase.

Ooh, Hyrule! Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf's Hyrule?

Oh. Good job! Very suspenseful.

Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 12:35:18 PM
Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

It's a dead board, as unfortunate as that may be. :(

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:37:06 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 12:35:18 PM
Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

It's a dead board, as unfortunate as that may be. :(

If I had enough time (and enough drawing skill, even though I'm ok), I could probably draw this out as a manga or something, but I dunno...

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 01:40:20 PM

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:37:06 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 12:35:18 PM
Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

It's a dead board, as unfortunate as that may be. :(

If I had enough time (and enough drawing skill, even though I'm ok), I could probably draw this out as a manga or something, but I dunno...

The fanart board is almost as dead. >_>

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:43:30 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 01:40:20 PM

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:37:06 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 12:35:18 PM
Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

It's a dead board, as unfortunate as that may be. :(

If I had enough time (and enough drawing skill, even though I'm ok), I could probably draw this out as a manga or something, but I dunno...

The fanart board is almost as dead. >_>

Aw, man... DX

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 02:12:59 PM

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:43:30 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 01:40:20 PM

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on April 18, 2008, 01:37:06 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 18, 2008, 12:35:18 PM
Hmm... This needs more readers... :-\

It's a dead board, as unfortunate as that may be. :(

If I had enough time (and enough drawing skill, even though I'm ok), I could probably draw this out as a manga or something, but I dunno...

The fanart board is almost as dead. >_>

Aw, man... DX

Well, you never know, people might just look at it. ;)

EDIT: Why don't you enter it into the fanfic of the month contest? The judges would be forced to read it, and if they like it, they might tell friends to read it! Also, if you win, you'd gather a little... publicity.

Say, you're right! Jeez, why did I forget about that? XD

Probably cause its a dad board that only a few people look at. XD

Plus, the contest needs entries... or LightningSword will get edgy... :P

Well, it won. Yay. :D And just as good, I now present... Chapter 3! It's a bit shorter than the other two, but it's still good. Enjoy. :P

Chapter 3: Planetary Interest

     Above the planet of the Mushroom Kingdom, Xacherai?s ship was floating, conjoined with the ship of the other three that had just joined them earlier.

     ?I found it!? Holden shouted as he came up to Xacherai and the others, who were sitting at a table in the other ship. ?I found where I remembered Hyrule from.? He pulled out a small device and pulled on one side. It split, and a holographic screen stretched out in between the two sides. He tapped a few areas, and then a map pulled up.

     ?It kinda looks like one of those old scroll maps?? Ray mentioned as he looked a bit closer.

     ?Well, it isn?t.? Holden began. ?It?s actually a world map for one of those ancient video games from about several hundred years ago.? Everyone just looked at him.

     ?What?? Kaumori said in some disbelief. ?Are you saying that they?re heading for some place that doesn?t even exist??

     ?That?s where you?re wrong.? Holden answered as he tapped the screen a few more times. Soon, another map, this time of the system and other surrounding ones, pulled up, and it began to zoom into one planet that was in a system just neighboring their current one. ?In fact, Hyrule?s right here. There used to be nothing in this vicinity, but it?s here now.?

     ?Now, that?s just weird?? Irene said with a bit of a confused tone. She looked at the map as well.

     ?And that?s not all?? Holden continued as he tapped the screen a few more times again. It zoomed back out, and several circles appeared around several other planets and one of the neighboring systems. ?Every single one of these planets are in places where there never used to be any. There?s even an entire system right here.? He pointed to the system, and it zoomed in to show the planets that were orbiting around their sun.

     ?Freaky?? Kaumori muttered. He leaned back to think about it all.

     ?And they all came from those old video games?? Xacherai started to think out loud. ?My question is how that?s even possible.?

     ?Well, I?m not sure on that at the moment?? Holden said as he pressed the two sides of the device back together, making the screen recede. ?But while I try to figure that out, I want to know more about you, Xacherai. I never got a chance to ask before.? Everyone looked at Xacherai. There was a long silence as they waited for him to start.

     ?Okay?? Xacherai began as he got up and walked over to one of the portholes of the ship. ?I woke up a few months ago, and I was in a tank. The lab it was in was abandoned, and it looked like someone had wrecked it. Up until that few months ago, I can?t remember anything about my past?? All the others looked at him in disbelief.

     ?Whoa, whoa, whoa?? Kaumori said as he got up and walked a bit. ?Basically, you?re saying that someone did this to you??

     ?Yes, but I?m not sure who?? Xacherai added as he walked back over to them. ?The only thing that I know now is my name, and I only got that from the computer screen that had it printed out.?

     ?Wow?? Holden said as he began to process what Xacherai said.

     ?Well, while we?re trying to find out what?s going on with all these places?? Ray began as he got up. ?We can try and help you with trying to find out more about your past.? Xacherai looked at him.

     ?I?d hate to trouble you guys over this?? Xacherai began, but Kaumori came over and put his hand on his shoulder.

     ?Ah, c?mon.? Kaumori interjected. ?It wouldn?t be that bad? Besides, Your past might be connected to what?s happening!? There was another silence as the Ray and Irene just looked at him.

     ?Kaumori?? Irene said with a slightly annoyed tone. ?Don?t be ridiculous, it?s really unlikely that it?s true.?

     ?No, he?s right?? Xacherai interrupted. ?There is a chance that this is all connected, but it?s not one hundred percent certain.?

     ?Exactly!? Kumori exclaimed. ?See, Xacherai here gets what I?m saying! Haha!? he was continuously patting Xacherai on the shoulder, which he felt was a bit uncomfortable.

     ?Um? You can stop touching me now?? Xacherai mentioned. Kaumori paused a moment before taking his hand off a bit embarrassedly.

     ?Eh? Sorry?? Kaumori said. There was yet another long silence.

     ?That-a was an awkward-a moment?? Luigi commented after a small while.

     ?So, are we heading for this Hyrule place?? Irene asked as she too got up.

     ?It?s where Bowser was heading, so I guess we should go, too.? Xacherai mentioned as he began to head through the door to his ship.

     ?Right. Now let?s head on and get ready to go.? Ray also said. He got up and walked over to the cockpit of the others? ship, and Luigi and Holden followed Xacherai. The hatches on each of the ships closed, and the section holding the ships together separated. After a short moment, the thrusters of each ship roared to life, and they began to head towards the place called Hyrule.


     ?Heeyyy!! Ilia!!!? Bo shouted as he ran down the path searching for his daughter. ?Ilia!! Where are you?!?

     Some of the houses were on fire in Ordon Village. A few had already been put out thanks to the nearby stream, but there were still others that were in danger. Bo had seen Ilia run in the direction of Link?s house, so he had decided to try that way.

     ?Why is this happening?? Bo asked himself as he ran past the shop, which had already been put out. ?First came the monsters that were here two years ago, and now there are these monsters!? He now ran under the small arch that was right before the small area that lead to Link?s house. As he reached the clearing that Link had his house built, Bo saw that the house was completely ransacked, complete with a giant hole on the right side, and the fire that was on the roof.

     ?And why did they take Link?? Bo asked himself with a bit more of a confused voice. He ran past the house and was about to head down the path that lead to Faron Woods, and Rusl came from Link?s house after checking what the creatures might have taken.

     ?It looks like they came just for Link.? Rusl said as he came up besides Bo. ?Why would they want him??

     ?I asked that myself.? Bo replied as they were now heading for Faron Woods. The view of the gate to the Ordona Springs was coming up. As they passed by the gate, something caught Rusl?s eye, and he slid to a stop and ran back to see that the creatures had Ilia. She was kneeling, and had a crudely made sword resting on the back of her neck. Her clothes were slightly singed and torn.

     ?Bo! Here!? Rusl shouted, but only to catch the attention of the creatures as well. As Bo ran back, two of the creatures came forward and blocked them off from her.

     ?We?re terribly sorry?? One of the creatures started in a taunting voice.

     ?But we?ll have to keep you here while we ask the little lady a few more questions?? The other creature finished.

     ?Please!? Ilia shouted as she looked up. The right side of her face looked bruised. ?I already told you, I have no idea about anything you?re asking!?

     ?Silence!? One of the creatures next to her shouted as it struck her with the back of its hand.

     ?She?s holding strong?? Another of the creatures said. ?Since she won?t speak at all, then we have no more use for her? Do it.?

     The one creature that had the sword at he neck then grinned as he lifted it to strike. Before he could bring it down, the sound of engines was heard over head. Everyone looked, and saw two ships coming down out of the sky. They landed behind the area where the spring came from, which was out of view.

     ?You!? The creature that had ordered the armed one earlier shouted. ?Go over the ledge and check who?s inside of those ships!? The creature nodded as he began to waddle off and jump over the small waterfalls that led to the spring. After it had reached the top, it looked for a moment.

     ?It?s probably more of those things?? Bo whispered to Rusl with a worried tone.

     ?You?re right? they might have sent more to enslave us all?? Rusl whispered back.

     ?Huh?! You?re not-! GYAAH!!? The creature shrieked as an enormous sword pierced straight through it. As it faded, the form of a large animal on two legs was standing there holding the sword. Leaping up in the air, he took out a section of the sword and threw it another one of the creatures on the ground near Ilia.

     ?What the-?!? Bo said as he watched in utter surprise. It landed and grabbed the sword section, slashing through the other one before running at the two in front of Bo and Rusl. As he put the sword parts back together, several others came over the ledge and came up behind him.

     ?So have you seen this big ugly lizard with a shell around lately?? Xacherai asked as he looked at Bo and Rusl.

Awesome chapter yet again. ^_^

My favorite part was when Xacherai told Kaumori, "Umm.... ou can stop touching me now..."

Hmm... Still not that many replies... DX

Yeah, yeah, I'm replying. I was held up a bit. <_<

AWESOME CHAPTER!

"Uh... You can stop touching me now..."

XDD

I remember reading something similar, but instead of going to gam worlds, they played a VR game of sorts.

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 04:09:16 PM
I remember reading something similar, but instead of going to gam worlds, they played a VR game of sorts.

Ah, yeah, that was the older version that I had written. I changed the story just a bit from the original, but it still basically runs along the same lines. Glad you remembered, though. ;)

you're a good writer. when will the next Chap be up

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 05:13:45 PM
you're a good writer. when will the next Chap be up

Well... *checks* Just a few minutes. It's ready. :)

Okay, here's Chapter 4. For this one, there's two parts. Like other multi-part chapters, you'll have to wait until the last part is up. ;)

Chapter 4: Spirits

     ?Wh? What the?? Bo muttered under his breath as he was trying to comprehend what was now happening. Ilia was just looking at the group that had just arrived in confusion and awe.

     ?Xacherai?? Ray began as he was looking in another direction. ?I see smoke? There must be a fire off in that direction.?

     ?Y-yes, our village is on fire?? Rusl explained, still a bit afraid of what was happening. ?Those creatures started it.?

     ?I?ll head there to help put out the fires.? Holden said as he came up next to Xacherai. He turned to Rusl. ?You think you can take me there??

     ?Um? Sure?? Rusl replied as he turned to head down the path back to Ordon Village. ?It?s this way. Just follow me.? The two of them then began to run down the path.

     ?I?ll get the girl?? Ray said as he leaned down to help up Ilia. ?Come on?? Ilia was just looking at him with tears in her eyes. She extended her hand, and Ray pulled her up and supported her as she got to her feet.

     ?There?s not much else?? Bo mentioned. ?I think we might want to go back to the village as well.?

     ?That sounds good?? Xacherai started as he walked past him. ?Plus, we?ll be able to hold off any more of those creatures if they show up.?

     ?Yes? Thank you?? Bo replied.

     ?It?s no problem.? Irene said with a smile as she came up next to him. ?Now let?s see this village.?

     ?All right?? Bo replied back to her. As they were walking, Ilia kept looking between all of the different people that had shown up. But she was still worried. Worried about Link.


     Water sprayed over another one of the houses in the village. Holden was directing a small machine that he had made to draw water from the stream and onto the fires. Everyone was just standing back, looking skeptically at the strange contraption that he had just made out of nowhere. Through the gate where Bo had ran through earlier, the group walked on through, and Holden waved them over.

     ?How?s everything doing?? Xacherai asked as he approached Holden.

     ?Well, this is the last house here in town?? Holden began to explain. ?But the ranch just up north is going to need some work.?

     ?All right, Xacherai, Irene, and I will go up there?? Ray began. ?Kaumori and Luigi will stay here in the village with Holden to make sure everything?s all right.?

     ?Hey, why don?t I get to go to the ranch?? Kaumori complained.

     ?Because I?m the oldest one here, and I?m giving the orders?? Ray rebutted back at him.

     ?What about Xacherai? He could be thirty for all we know!? Kaumori mentioned with a forceful voice. There was an awkward silence at the comment.

     ?? That?s actually a good point.? Ray agreed as he then turned to Xacherai. ?What do you say??

     ?I don?t really mind?? Xacherai replied back to Ray.

     ?Then it?s settled.? Ray finished as he, Xacherai, and Irene began to head towards the ranch.

     ?Aw, man?? Kaumori said with a disappointed voice.

     ?Hey, it?s-a all right?? Luigi started. ?I usually get left behind a lot, too?? Kaumori just looked at him a moment.

     ?Um? Yeah?? Kaumori said quietly to himself as he slid back a little.


     ?Those? don?t quite look like goats?? Irene said as they were finally getting to the ranch. They were running now, seeing that the barn was on fire. ?But they?re kinda cute.?

     ?Well, whatever they are, we need to get them out of there.? Xacherai said as he started to gain a bit of speed.

     ?I?ll take care of the fire.? Ray said as he took his staff from his back. He slashed it through the air, and he vanished into a blue rift. Xacherai and Irene kept running for the barn.

     As they came up, most of the goats seemed mostly afraid of Xacherai now instead of the fire. They began to run from him as he got close to them.

     ?Ah, jeez?? Xacherai muttered to himself as he realized that it would take a while. All of the sudden, he spotted Irene actually riding one of them, and she was rather enjoying it.

     ?Whee!? Irene shouted happily as the goat was trotting out of the barn at a fair speed. Xacherai was just staring at her strangely.

     ?Uh? What are you doing?? Xacherai shouted over to her. Irene wasn?t quite paying attention, so she didn?t hear him. ?Kay then?? As he was watching her just ride the goat out, he noticed that the other goats were suddenly starting to follow after. Xacherai wasn?t quite sure what to say.

     ?I have no idea how she does that?? Ray suddenly said from the roof of the barn. Xacherai looked up and saw that half of the fire was already out. Ray turned and slashed the blade again. A rift opened up, and the remaining fire began to be swallowed up. ?We?re basically finished up here??

     ?All right?? Xacherai said as he then began to walk over to Irene to tell her. She was still riding the goat, shouting with joy. ?Um? I think I?ll just let her be a few minutes more??

Ch. 4 Pt. 2

     It was later, and the sun was beginning to go down. Bo had offered to let the group stay at his place for the night. Politely accepting, they had gone in for some of the dinner that he had prepared as thanks.

     ?So, you did see Bowser?? Ray said after hearing what Bo had to say. He had explained everything that had happened before their arrival.

     ?And you say the creatures had taken this Link?? Kaumori said as he set down a cup of water that he had half finished.

     ?Yes?? Bo replied. ?And the thing is that we have no clue why.?

     ?To add to that, you also said that something like this happened two years ago?? Irene asked as she leaned forward in her seat.

     ?Right.? Bo started. ?It was an incident that Link said involved Princess Zelda. In the end, he also said that he had to kill this evil man who called himself Ganondorf. I had never known that Link would ever have to kill like that??

     As Bo continued to explain, Xacherai heard something. Turning his head, he saw that Ilia was quietly slipping out the door.

     ?Um? may I please be excused?? Xacherai politely asked.

     ?Yes, sure?? Bo replied. Xacherai got up and also went out the door. Ilia was already over the creek bridge, and it looked like she was heading back towards the spring. Xacherai kept his distance while trying to follow her closely. He wasn?t quite sure what she was doing.

     Xacherai followed her the whole time. She had stopped to look at Link?s house for a moment. The fire that was on the roof was obviously gone by now. Ilia then continued on to the spring. As she walked in, Xacherai stopped at the gate and stayed out of view. Ilia knelt down in the shallow water of the spring, as if she were going to pray.

     ?Please?? Ilia began to speak in a heartfelt voice. ?Please, if you?re listening, spirit of the spring, please? Tell me what to do? Link had risked his own life to save Hyrule, but he had also saved me? Please, tell me what to do so that I may help him in his time of need?? Xacherai remained silent as he listened to her. He wasn?t sure who exactly she was speaking to. For a while, nothing happened. Ilia lowered her head in dismay, and she again began to cry.

     ?Do not despair, young one?? A voice emanated from nowhere. Xacherai looked everywhere, but he didn?t see anything. Ilia had looked up in surprise.

     From the middle of the spring several feet in front of Ilia, a small, glowing drop of water rose out of the spring and landed back, sending glowing ripples throughout the entire surface of the water. Ilia then stood up as a small ball of light then slowly came up from the now glowing waters. It grew larger, and there was now clear, swirling patterns spanned all around it. Then, the glowing figure of a large goat, like from the ranch, walked forward from nothing, the light sphere centered between its horns.

     ?Do not despair, for there is hope for Link?? The spirit spoke to Ilia. ?But first, I must speak of what it is that is happening?? The spirit then turned its attention to Xacherai. ?And he must hear this as well, for it holds even more concern for him.? Ilia turned to see Xacherai standing there. Confused, Xacherai came out from around the gate and walked forward.

     ?Now?? The spirit began as Xacherai came up next to Ilia. ?There is a legend of a great place somewhere deep in the cosmos, where all spirits are said to dwell? And a prophecy of things to come lies with it that is even more ancient than the three goddesses of Hyrule? A dark spirit has been trying to get into this place of great light for ages, denied because of his evil soul? It was once a powerful beast of immense destruction, and it was slain by a lone hero. His evil was his true bane. Now that it has been reborn, a second spirit has also come with it? But with it, the hero has been reborn as well. That hero? Is you, Xacherai Hiro.? Xacherai?s eyes widened with shock.

     ?Wait?? Xacherai began. ?I?m? some kind of hero??

     ?Yes?? The spirit replied. ?Unfortunately, the two dark spirits had reached you, and made you into what you see yourself as of now? However, they were also unsuccessful in completing their duty? I cannot quite yet see what exactly they have done to you on the plain of souls, but it is obvious in your physical appearance?? Ilia just looked at Xacherai as the spirit continued.

     ?But?? Xacherai interjected. ?Is there any chance of me going back to normal? And my memory? Will that come back??

     ?Indeed, you will revert back to your normal self?? The spirit answered. ?Your memory will also slowly return? For it is the past that will be able to let you succeed in your battles? I cannot say much more, for the forces that govern this prophecy are far greater than I can reach out to? You must find out more for yourself?? The spirit turned back to Ilia. ?And the key to saving Link lay within this prophecy as well? It will be affected by your choices?? Ilia seemed surprised.

     ?This is all I can now say?? The spirit said as his light began to fade. ?The rest is up to you? Xacherai Hiro.? The spirit then began to fade back into the water, the light of the spring dimming down until everything had returned to normal. For a while more, there was no sound except for the gentle breeze that blew the leaves, making then rustle.

     ?If I can save Link?? Ilia began as she then turned to Xacherai. ?Then I guess I?ll have to go with you where ever it is that you?re going.? Xacherai seemed a bit surprised that she had made a decision like that so quickly.

     ?But? I don?t know where it is we?re actually going yet?? Xacherai replied.

     ?The spirit said that I can save Link if I go with you?? Ilia spoke back. ?So long as I have a chance, then I?ll go.? Xacherai thought a moment.

     ?All right?? Xacherai answered Ilia.

     ?Thank you?? Ilia said as she walked forward a bit.

     ?Well, I think we should go back?? Xacherai suggested as he turned a bit towards the exit of the spring.

     ?Right?? Ilia agreed as she began to follow him. They walked out the gate of the spring and began to head back towards the village.

nice new chap. I sort knew from the title that the spirit of Ordon Spring would appear. Now, what happened to link? Kidnapped by bowser and the strange creatures?

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 06:23:21 PM
nice new chap. I sort knew from the title that the spirit of Ordon Spring would appear. Now, what happened to link? Kidnapped by bowser and the strange creatures?

Yes, that's exactly what happened to him.

Quote from: X_Hero on April 29, 2008, 06:31:14 PM

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 06:23:21 PM
nice new chap. I sort knew from the title that the spirit of Ordon Spring would appear. Now, what happened to link? Kidnapped by bowser and the strange creatures?

Yes, that's exactly what happened to him.

ZOMG! Spoilers!

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 06:38:39 PM

Quote from: X_Hero on April 29, 2008, 06:31:14 PM

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on April 29, 2008, 06:23:21 PM
nice new chap. I sort knew from the title that the spirit of Ordon Spring would appear. Now, what happened to link? Kidnapped by bowser and the strange creatures?

Yes, that's exactly what happened to him.

ZOMG! Spoilers!

Well, it was kinda obvious, wasn't it? XD

Not the first time I guessed  right on a fan fic. Check out Your Memories Are Not Enough by Superkeeleybro. Last page.

Is Ilia going to stay with them the whole story? She annoys me. <_< :P

Good chapter! Yay Twilight Princess!

I was wondering when the next chapter of this fanfis will come out.

Quote from: Pokemaster218 on May 05, 2008, 05:59:11 PM
I was wondering when the next chapter of this fanfis will come out.

Well, I've finished the chapter, but it will depend on when I'll be able to post it... It'll be up either today or tomorrow, but it'll definitely be up this week. =P

Today, hopfully.

Okay, sorry about the delay, but here's Chapter five. It's long, but it has to be in one part because it's all continuous... XD

Chapter 5: Requesting the Guard

     It was the next day. Ilia told her father that she had decided to go with the group, and after much convincing, he finally submitted and let her go. Xacherai also told everyone about what the spirit had said to him. They were about as confused as he was. When it came time to leave, a man came running out of the woods and into the village. He was a soldier from the Hyrule Castle Town, and he had escaped. That?s where he told them that the Princess Zelda had also been kidnapped. Now they had four people to save, including Link and the princess.

     ?So? Why are we doing this?? Xacherai said as he was standing behind a large curtain someone had put up on the others? ship. They had already taken off from Hyrule, and were currently waiting to decide where to head next.

     ?I told you!? Kaumori said as he threw random clothes over the curtain. ?If you?re going to be some big shot hero, you need the look, not just a sweatshirt and pants. Oh, try this on?? Kaumori threw a headband over.

     ?Jeez, and I though that I would be one to complain about this sort of thing?? Irene said as she was sitting at a table. Ilia was next to her, looking out the porthole, seeming like she was a bit nervous.

     ?And I don?t know why I had to change?? Holden said as he was standing next to the table. He was now wearing a green and white sweatshirt that was clearly too large for him, along with deep green pants and black sneakers.

     ?You?re a tech mage, right?? Kaumori asked. Holden nodded. ?Well, then you have to look the part. Now you actually look a bit like a mage.? Holden just stood there staring at Kaumori from the answer he received.

     ?Okay, hold on?? Xacherai said after a while. Everyone noticed that he was probably almost done. The curtain opened, and Xacherai came out.

     He was wearing a black muffler that covered his shoulders over an open front blue t-shirt, the left sleeve longer than the left. Deep green cargo pants suspended by a belt went down to his back paws. Brown fingerless gloves were on his front paws, and the headband Kaumori tossed over earlier was around his head.

     ?Yeah, that?s better!? Kaumori said triumphantly as he walked over to Xacherai. He turned him to a mirror. Xacherai just looked at his reflection for a moment.

     ?Hmm? It?s all right?? Xacherai said as he turned back towards the others.

     ?See, that wasn?t so bad, right?? Kaumori asked as he patted Xacherai?s shoulder again. He just looked at Kaumori for a while.

     ?? You?re touching me again?? Xacherai said with a bit of a blank stare. Kaumori took his hand off of him.

     ?Eh? Sorry?? Kaumori said a bit embarrassedly.

     ?Kay then?? Xacherai said as he walked back towards the table. ?So what?s next??

     ?Since this problem is not just with one or two planets?? Ray said as he walked back into the area where the group was. ?There?s no use just trying to do it ourselves. My suggestion is that we notify the High Council XCIX Guard of the situation.? Xacherai then got a bit of a hesitant look on his face.

     ?No, we can?t?? Xacherai said right back. Everyone just looked at him oddly. ?I mean? If they saw me, they?d try and capture me for scientific research or something.?

     ?Ah yes?? Ray said as he thought for a bit. ?Then you?ll just have to wait in the ship as we go in and inform the Guard. There?s no avoiding their involvement in this.? Xacherai calmed a bit, but was shill thinking quickly.

     ?All right, fine?? Xacherai finally agreed.

     ?Then it?s settled.? Ray said as he began to head for the cockpit of the others? ship. ?We head for Jasrulen.? Ilia turned from the porthole and to the others.

     ?Jasrulen?? Ilia asked. ?What?s that place?? Luigi also turned his attention to the others. Ray paused, and then turned to her.

     ?It?s the home of the High Council XCIX, the capitol planet of our galaxy.? Ray answered her.

     Soon, the thrusters of the ships began to react, and the ships separated, their new destination Jasrulen, the planet that governed all the rest.


     Almost a day had passed before they finally reached Jasrulen. By now, they had just entered the planet?s atmosphere, and they were over the vast ocean that surrounded the planet?s only continent, which still took up a third of the surface.

     ?So, hold on? Tell me again?? Ilia said as she sat at the table in Xacherai?s ship. ?What does the High Council XCIX do?? Holden had just explained, but he wasn?t quite clear the first time.

     ?Okay?? Holden began again. ?The High Council XCIX is basically the government of our galaxy. There are ninty-nine members that are in it, hence the roman numerals in the name. They are divided into various groups.

     ?Three are council judges. They have the highest power in the council, and finalize on decisions. Twenty-four are representatives from each of the planets that have the most influence in the galaxy. They present problems that need to be worked with or fixed. Thirty-two members are in charge of deciding on those problems, along with handling the economy and other things. They are very smart, which helps them make logical choices in their decisions. Three groups of thirteen are for arranging meetings, handling the press, and heading the Department of Intelligence and Technology, or the DIT. The DIT is in charge of new research and gathering information for the thirty-two in charge of decision making. The last member is the head of the High Council XCIX Guard, which is basically like both the army and the police of the galaxy.?

     Ilia was just sitting there, listening to everything he was saying.

     ?So does it make a bit more sense?? Holden asked her.

     ?Um? A bit?? Ilia answered as she got up and walked back over to a porthole, looking over the ocean that was speeding by. Holden knew what she was thinking.

     ?Don?t worry?? Holden started as he turned towards her. ?We?ll help you save Link? It?ll be all right.? Ilia turned towards him.

     ?I hope so?? Ilia said a bit sadly.

     ?We?re here.? Ray?s voice came over the intercom as the ships began to rise a bit. Holden got up and looked out the porthole with Ilia as Luigi was looking out the one a few feet away from them. Ilia?s eyes widened.

     ?Oh? Oh, wow?? Ilia said in complete amazement.

     About a fourth ways into the continent, tall, white buildings began to rise up from the ground, growing taller as it went farther into the center of the city. Large, elegant trains hovering above near invisible tracks ran everywhere through the buildings, along with literally hundreds of flying cars buzzing through the deep crevices of the city.

     ?I?ve? I?ve never seen anything like this?? Ilia continued as she kept looking out over the masses of white buildings.

     ?Me either?? Luigi said right after.

     ?We?re coming up on the Council Tower.? Ray?s voice said over the intercom again. The three decided to go up to the controls so that they could see a better view. After making it up next to Xacherai, Ilia and Luigi had even more amazed looks on their faces.

     There was a point where the buildings gave way, and a gigantic tower stood in a clearing of grass and road. It seemed to just loom over all of the other buildings with its great height and shape. Near the middle, there were numerous ports for ships to dock at.

     ?We should try to dock at one of the higher docks?? Xacherai started. ?That way, you can get to the council a bit quicker.?

     ?Right.? Ray agreed as they began to head towards one of the docks.

     As they pulled in next to each other, a few of the members of security came up to secure the ships to the dock. Xacherai slid down in his seat a bit to keep from having them see him.

     ?Yeah, like I said?? Xacherai began. ?I?ll wait here.?

     ?I will, too?? Ilia said.

     ?Same-a here?? Luigi finished.

     ?I?ll go with the others?? Holden started. ?Since me and Xacherai know what happened on Epsiliette, I can give a statement.?

     ?All right?? Xacherai said as he hit the button that opened the hatch. Holden nodded, and then exited the ship. Xacherai pushed the button again and closed the hatch.

     As the ship closed up behind Holden, he saw that the others had already gotten out. He walked over, and at the same time, another guard came over to them.

     ?All right, I?m going to have to ask for your names and reasons for coming.? The guard started.

     ?I?m Ray Dodson?? Ray began. He then pointed to everyone correspondingly. ?Irene Edwards? Kaumori Atsumini? And Holden Jericho.?

     ?We?re here about Epsiliette.? Holden interjected. ?I was there when attack happened, and we think that it?s going to continue.?

     ?That?s why we need the Guard to step in and handle a majority of the problem.? Ray finished off. The guard just looked at them strangely.

     ?Look?? The guard began after a while. ?You?re a bunch of kids; I can?t just go on what you say.?

     ?But this is serious!? Irene exclaimed at the guard?s remark. ?If you don?t do something-!?

     ?All right, I suggest that you leave now, you?re causing trouble.? The guard interrupted her, seeming a bit annoyed now. ?Just go home and-?

     ?Is there something the matter here?? A voice came from behind the guard. Shocked, he turned to see a girl standing there. Inside the ship, Xacherai got a strange feeling, but it went quickly.

     ?Oh, erm? N-nothing, Lady Lordren?? The guard stuttered a bit as he saw who it was.

     ?Well, then head back to your post?? She said with a bit of a smile. The guard quickly bowed and returned to where he was before they had arrived. She then turned to the four.

     She had long silver hair, but not the kind that elderly people would have, but serene silver that only seemed to shimmer a bit. Her face was young, but the two lines underneath her slate blue eyes made her seem a bit smarter. She was also wearing a bit more elaborate Guard uniform that the other guard. Ray seemed to recognize her.

     ?Xera Lordren?? Ray began. ?Head of the High Council XCIX Guard.? The others just looked at him a bit shocked, and then they looked back at Xera.

     ?Yes, I am quite young?? Xera said as she noticed their expressions. ?But believe me; I?m qualified for the job.?

     ?Either way, it?s fortunate that we happened to meet you under the circumstances.? Ray mentioned.

     ?Ah, yes, I overheard?? Xera interjected. ?You say that you know more about the attack on Epsiliette, correct??

     ?Yeah, that?s where I live. I escaped the attack with?? Holden began, but paused a moment. He couldn?t tell her about Xacherai. ?With these three. The ship belongs to my father, he?s waiting on board.?

     ?I see?? Xera said as she though a bit. ?Well, then tell me everything that you know.?

     ?Right then?? Ray said before they began to give the long explanation to her, making sure that they didn?t mention Xacherai, but to include everything else. It took about fifteen minutes to give all the details, but they finished. As they did, Xera was thinking through everything.

     ?So?? Xera began. ?There seem to be these strange creatures, along with this large lizard called Bowser from what used to be a video game??

     ?Yeah, it sounds really hard to believe?? Kaumori started. ?But heck, we saw it for ourselves, and we definitely believe it.?

     ?Well, then?? Xera began. ?I guess I?ll have to present this problem to the rest of the Council and see if the DIT can look into it any farther. It will probably take only a few days, but I suggest that you stay on guard in case the creatures do decide to make an attempt at an attack.?

     ?Thank you, Lady Lordren.? Ray said as he bowed a bit.

     ?Please, call me Xera? Saying ?lady? makes me feel like an old woman or something.? Xera said with a smile as she began to head towards the elevator. ?And I do? Wish you the best of luck?? She stepped on as soon at it opened, and she disappeared behind the doors. Holden sighed with relief.

     ?Well, we seemed to have made accomplishment?? Ray began. ?Let?s leave and then think about where we?ll need to head next.? Ray then began to walk back towards the ship, with Kaumori and Irene following behind him. Holden walked back towards Xacherai?s ship and knocked. The hatch opened and he went inside.

     ?Well, how?d it go?? Xacherai asked as he prepared to turn the ship off for departure.

     ?We managed to talk to the head of the High Council XCIX Guard?? Holden began as he sat down at the table. ?She said that she?ll present the problem to the rest of the council.?

     ?All right?? Xacherai said as he thought a minute. ?Wait? She??

     ?Yeah, the head of the guard turned out to be around the others? age?? Holden answered.

     ?What was her name?? Xacherai asked as he looked back at Holden.

     ?Um? I think it was something like? ?Xera Lordren??? Holden said. ?Yeah, that was it.? Xacherai thought a moment. For a moment, he thought that the name seemed almost familiar to him. But then he somehow thought that it wasn?t that important.

     ?Hmm? All right then?? Xacherai then replied. He turned back to the front and began to lift the ship from the deck. The other ship did as well, and they then made a thrust off, and they soon reached space again. Xacherai pressed a button. ?Hey, what are we doing now??

     ?Well, we need to find out where we should probably go next?? Ray responded over the intercom. ?Holden, you think you can pull up that map of all the new planets again??

     ?Sure.? Holden said as he took out the small device again. He pulled it apart to show the screen, and then tapped it a few times to make the map appear again. Xacherai turned in his seat so he could look as well. Holden then tapped three planets, two of them in circles.

     ?Those are the places that they?ve attacked so far, right?? Xacherai asked to be sure.

     ?Yeah, we have Epsiliette, the Mushroom Kingdom, and Hyrule so far?? Holden responded as he looked over the map a bit more. ?I?m not sure about any other planets. So what I think we might want to try is looking for any SOS messages we might pick up.?

     As soon as Holden had said that, the radio suddenly began to make strange sounds.

     ?What the heck?? Xacherai said as he looked back at the radio. Examining it for a moment, he tapped it a few times, but the sound didn?t improve.

     ?Here, let me look?? Holden said as he went over to the radio. He took out yet another device and held it towards the radio. ?What the? This can?t be right??

     ?What?s the matter?? Ray asked over the intercom.

     ?It?s Xacherai?s radio?? Holden began. ?It?s picking up old FM frequencies.?

*claps*

Yay!  Great chapter! *is too lazy to say anything else at the moment*

Ah, sorry for the long wait... Been having a small bit of writer's block, but it's passed, so I'm writing chapter six now. XD Also, I put up a banner. Not much for MS Paint, but it works for now. =P If anyone can help me out with it, just give me a PM so I can tell you what I need.

Okay, Sorry for the (even longer) wait, but here's Chapter 6. =P This is a two part chapter, so wait until they're both up.

Chapter 6: Asteroids are a Freaking Pain

     ?FM frequencies?? Ray asked in surprise.

     ?Yeah?? Holden replied as he just continued to read the display of his device?s screen. ?But what I don?t understand is that we stopped using FM at least four hundred years ago after we had discovered the properties of HGM frequency? Why would there still be some floating around??

     ?Who knows?? Ray replied. ?But it might be a good idea to see where exactly the frequencies are coming from? Do you think you could do that??

     ?Well, sure, that?s easy!? Holden said as he pressed a few buttons on the small device he had taken out to check the transmission. It then began to make small beeping noises. ?This?ll only take a few minutes??

     The few minutes went by rather quickly, and the screen flashed a bit. Holden looked back down at it, and then seemed a bit confused.

     ?Something wrong?? Xacherai asked in his usual low tone.

     ?It?s coming from an uninhabited planet that?s lying within a gigantic asteroid field?? Holden began. ?No-one?s ever been able to get to it before because of those asteroids? This is freaky??

     ?Does the planet have a name at all?? Ray asked. ?It?s regulation that all planets need to be named, whether you can reach it or not.?

     ?Oh, yeah?? Holden said as he checked the screen again. ?It?s called Kaisht?mir.?

     Xacherai?s eyes widened a bit. That name was definitely familiar to him. Much more familiar than the name of the head of the High Council XCIX Guard. It was probably the only thing that he could fully recognize.

     ?We?ve got to check it out.? Xacherai said immediately as he fully turned to Holden. Holden looked at him as if he were insane.

     ?Didn?t you hear me?? Holden began in a hurried voice. ?It?s completely surrounded by asteroids; we?d never be able to get through alive. And on top of that-?

     ?I remember that name somehow.? Xacherai interrupted. ?This is probably one of the first things I?ve been able to remember?? There was a long pause.

     ?Well, then I think it?s worth the try.? Ray said soon afterwards. ?There might be something important there if Xacherai remembers that name.?

     ?Hello? Asteroids!? Holden began in protest. ?We have no way of even destroying any of them, let alone the proper shielding! We?ll get banged up in seconds!?

     ?Well, I heard about something?? Kaumori?s voice came over the intercom rather than Ray?s. ?I heard that there was a place in Kaisht?mir?s asteroids that had a lot less rocks? Why not look for that?? Holden stood there a moment, thinking

     ?He?s right?? Holden began. ?There?s an area in the field where the asteroid groupings are least dense. Can?t believe I forgot about that, but we can go through there and get out fairly well.?

     ?Then I think we might want to try to find it?? Ray said right after. ?Go ahead and do a scan of the asteroid field, Holden.?

     ?All right.? Holden said as he took out another small device and attached it to Xacherai?s scanner. He pressed a few buttons, and it turned on. It didn?t take too long for the device to react, and Holden seemed surprised.

     ?Wow, it?s actually not too far from here?? Holden said soon afterwards, and he put away the device.

     ?I have the coordinates saved, so let?s go.? Xacherai said as he turned the thrusters back on after their brief pause. The two ships began to head for the area where they could get through.

Ch. 16, Pt. 2

     It only took a few minutes to reach. They could clearly see that the asteroids were much more spaced then other areas in the field. Without a spare moment, they began to head on through. Holden still seemed a bit nervous about the entire idea, along with Ilia, who was still new to the idea of space travel.

     ?A-are you sure we won?t get killed?? Ilia asked in a bit of a nervous tone. She was sitting back at the table behind the cockpit.

     ?Meh, don?t worry?? Xacherai said as he steered around the floating hunks of rock that were scattered everywhere.

     ?Well? All right?? Ilia replied, but she still seemed nervous.

     Without warning, the two ships suddenly shook back and forth. Ilia gave a small scream while Luigi was then under the table with his hands over his head.

     ?Hey, what was that?? Xacherai said as he regained control after a few seconds.

     ?I think it was a shock wave of some sort.? Ray answered, but with a bit of an unsure sound in his voice.

     ?Aw, man, if it was, then-!? Holden started, but he was cut off as a large asteroid flew in front of the ship, making Xacherai quickly steer out of the way.

     ?Whoa!? Xacherai said out of surprise. The other ship also swerved to avoid a collision with another asteroid.

     ?That shock wave threw off the asteroids!? Holden shouted. ?Man, this is bad!? Ilia was now hiding under the table with Luigi, the two of them holding onto the pole that attached it to the floor.

     ?Gah?? Xacherai said out of annoyance. ?Asteroids are a freaking pain.?

     Xacherai continued to swerve in and out of the incoming waves of asteroids that were barreling towards them. One of the asteroids just barely missed the front of the ship, which caused both Xacherai and Holden to flinch.

     ?Dang, we?re not going to make it!? Holden shouted in fear.

     ?We?re going to make it, just hold on?? Xacherai said as he quickly looked at him, then back at the view of numerous asteroids flying in their path.

     Ahead of the two ships, a group of very large asteroids began to close off their path, and their size made it impossible to go around them in time. Holden?s eyes widened in fear. On the intercom, the scream of Irene could be heard. She must have been underneath a table as well.

     ?Xacherai!? Holden shouted as they got closer.

     ?Hang on.? Xacherai then said as he made the ship thrust forward faster than it had been going.

     Holden hung on to the back of Xacherai?s seat as the other ship followed suit and began dashing towards the shrinking space between the massive asteroids. The two ships began to pick up even more speed now. They blasted through the opening as the asteroids collided behind them, sending small chunks of rock everywhere from the impact behind them. Soon, they reached a point where the asteroids stopped, and it was clear space.

     ?Hey?? Xacherai said as he looked back at Holden. ?It?s over.?

     It took a while for Holden?s eyes to open up again. He looked around for a bit as Luigi and Ilia got out from under the table.

     ?? Whoa?? Holden said after a while. ?That? Was a little too close for comfort.?

     ?Meh? I?ve seen worse?? Xacherai said a bit afterwards.

     From out of nowhere, there was a large ?clang? from outside the ship, which made everyone jump.

     ?What the heck?? Xacherai said as he then started to push a few buttons on his display. ?? Aw, dang? It looks like a spare bit of asteroid just came and knocked the receptor off center??

     ?Is that-a bad?? Luigi asked as he came closer to Xacherai and Holden.

     ?Not too bad? We can send messages out, but we can?t receive any?? Holden replied. He then leaned closer to the intercom. ?Hey, our receptor got knocked off center? We need to get to Kaisht?mir so we can fix it.? Xacherai then turned to Holden again. ?Where is it anyway??

     ?Right there?? Holden said as he was staring out the window of the cockpit. He seemed a bit amazed. Xacherai turned his attention out the window to find what he was looking at.

     Sitting right in front of them was a planet, covered in nothing but gray clouds. It wasn?t even possible to see the surface, and no-one could tell if there was even a safe place to land just at first glance.

     ?Is that? All clouds?? Ilia asked as she was looking at the gray planet.

     ?Apparently so?? Holden said as he continued to look. ?They said that there was a complete overcast on the planet all the time? Didn?t think it was like this??

     ?Well, we need to head down there, so let?s go?? Xacherai said as he got ready to start the ship back up. ?And scan the atmosphere to make sure that the air?s safe to breathe, kay??

     ?Kay?? Holden replied.


     They were now on the surface of Kaisht?mir. Not only were there clouds, but there was also a fog that spanned everywhere as well. It wasn?t too thick, but it made it hard to see off far distances. The ships were positioned on a small plateau.

     ?Wow?? Kaumori started as the group looked around at the foggy landscape. ?This fog is unreal.?

     ?And yet, it?s still possible for sunlight to be able to get through the clouds?? Holden began. ?Not that much, but enough to let everything become a bit visible.?

     Xacherai was starting to walk towards the edge of the plateau. As he stopped, he looked to see if it was possible to see what lay below. Unfortunately, all he could see were outlines of the ground. But there was one thing that puzzled him a bit. How could he see the outline of flat terrain?

     ?Guys??Xacherai began. ?There might be something down there.? The others looked over at him, then walked over to see the same strange outline.

     ?Holden, have anything that can clear up this fog just a little?? Ray asked as he turned to him.

     ?No, but I will in a moment??Holden said as he motioned everyone to stand back. He held out his hands, and small parts began to materialize from nowhere and place themselves together. After a minute, there was a fairly sized machine that now stood before them.

     ?It won?t completely get rid of the fog??Holden started. ?But it will make it less dense.? He pressed a button on the side of the machine, and it began to sound off with a quiet ?whirr? type of noise. IT didn?t take too long before they began to notice the effects.

     ?I think I can start to see something?? Irene said as she continued to look down the edge of the plateau. Everything was growing just a bit lighter, and the outline began to seem like a shadow, until it was now visible. Everyone was now just staring at what the fog now revealed.

     It was enormous. A giant ring of steel, with large metal boxes protruding straight up out of it stood there, spanning over what seemed to be at least two miles. In the center seemed like a rusted city that had been abandoned. Many of the buildings were missing large chunks off either the tops or the sides, leaving large I-beams exposed and jutting out everywhere. One of the boxes seemed to have collapsed in towards the city. On each of the boxes was writing. Japanese writing.

Good job! sorry I didn't see the new chapter till now. I was on vacation and didn't notice this.

Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on July 10, 2008, 11:34:33 AM
Good job! sorry I didn't see the new chapter till now. I was on vacation and didn't notice this.

Ah, don't worry about it. And glad you liked it. =P