FanFic: Knights of Ragol - Chapter VI: The Ruins of Falz

[Chaos_Phoenix]

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As the first shuttle landed on the green terrain, the people stepped on the first pure soil for 500 miles.

"So this is it?" asked a civilian, speaking to a HUmar.

"Indeed," responded the HUmar. The shuttle that landed on the new world of Ragol was only the first of many. All the passengers had come from all directions, but their purpose was the same: To populate and cultivate the once uninhabitable land of Ragol.

"Everybody out of the shuttle! We gotta go back and pick up more!" shouted the shuttle conductor. The remaining people aboard the shuttle quickly filed out and looked around at their new home.

"This is going to take a lot of work. We?re definitely going to need leadership," spoke a tall FOmar.

"We are also going to need an army. So, anyone with fighting experience, step forward," ordered one of the soldiers that had accompanied the shuttle. As he spoke, the large shuttle engaged its thrusters, and was out of site within a matter of minutes. The soldier spoke again, this time without the interruption of rockets. Several people stepped forward, but there was no more than two dozen people all together. "This is it?" groaned the soldier. A small FOnewm spoke for the entire group.

"We may be small in number, but we have an excellent commander in mind." The soldier marched in the direction of the voice, and looked towards the FOnewm.

"And, who would that be??

"Me, sir," spoke a voice somewhere off to the soldiers left. The soldier glanced in that direction, and his eyes met with an obviously war-torn man. He was a HUmar for certain, a large Buster was visible on his back. His hair was green, and so were his eyes. He had a MAG floating over either shoulder.

"And, what would your name be, sir?" asked the soldier.

"You may call me Sirus," responded Sirus. The soldier checked the man once more with his eyes.

"Can you handle these 'soldiers'?" questioned the soldier, referring to those who had stepped forward. Sirus nodded, and the soldier saluted him. Sirus saluted back, and the soldier marched off in search of something else.


"Can you handle these 'soldiers'?" mocked the FOnewm who had spoken earlier.

"Quiet Glenn, the big bad soldier might hear you!" chuckled Sirus. Glenn walked alongside his best friend, Sirus, as they entered the new civilization. For now, the land was pretty desolate. There were people here and there, constructing this and that. As the pair was walking along, a HUcaseal walked in front of them, blocking their path.

"Can I help you, Ursula?" asked Sirus.

"What gives you the gall to be our leader? I can easily out-fight you," growled the android.

"That may be true, but I can still outsmart, outthink, and outrun you," smiled Sirus, most satisfied with himself. Catching Ursula off-guard, Sirus and Glenn snuck past her.

"What was that all about?" asked Glenn, when he was certain that he was out of earshot of Ursula.

"She's been out for a commanding job ever since I ousted her a couple months ago." was Sirus' response.

"Oh right, the whole Rag Rappy campaign," reminisced Glenn. The two began laughing as they remembered the whole incident. As they entered the forest just outside the soon-to-be Pioneer I, Sirus felt a chill run down his back.

"Be on your guard, Glenn. There be monsters here," Sirus spoke softly. With that, both Sirus and Glenn drew their weapons, Sirus his Buster, and Glenn his Ice Brand. As they walked silently through the large forest, they heard something behind them in the bushes, as the two turned, expecting the worst, a small Rag Rappy emerged. The two friends nearly collapsed laughing when they saw the Rappy. They continued to laugh until the Rappy attacked Glenn.

"Whoa! The stupid Rappy just bit me!" shouted Glenn. Irritated, Glenn swung his sword at the Rappy, knocking it unconscious. "These things are vicious!" yelled Glenn.

"Please, keep it down. We don't want to attract more of 'em," whispered Sirus. As they crept their way back to Pioneer I, they heard a large noise behind them. They turned and spotted a male Hildebear, glaring at them. "Think it wants to play?" Sirus asked. Glenn just looked at him, and returned his attention to the Hildebear. Sirus gripped his Buster, and rushed the large Hildebear. With a quick slash, the beast was inhibited. Sirus laughed triumphantly as he stood upon the fallen Hildebear. Glenn's eyes widened as he saw what was behind Sirus. Sirus just looked at him strangely, but soon caught the message. He quickly pivoted around to spot three large Hildebears charging towards them. "RUN!" Shouted Sirus. They raced as fast as they possibly could towards Pioneer I, but Sirus soon stopped.

"Huff--puff-- Why'd you stop?" asked Glenn, trying to catch his breath.

"We can't go back to Pioneer I. Not with these Hildebear following us." Glenn agreed and turned to face their adversaries. As the Hildebears drew closer, Glenn cast Shifta, making Sirus feel somewhat stronger. "Thanks," was all that Sirus could say before the Hildebear was on top of him. The beast slammed Sirus to the ground, knocking the breath out of him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" shouted Glenn, swinging his sword blindly. Every once in awhile, Glenn would get lucky and hit a Hildebear with his Brand, but doing little damage. After what seemed like an eternity of struggle, Sirus finally threw the three Hildebears off him and resumed his position.

"Now, let's see if I can make this a fair fight," Sirus said, huffing and puffing. With three quick swings, the Hildebears lay dead on the forest floor. "Piece of cake," laughed Sirus.

"That was some really stale cake," Glenn laughed back. They journeyed back home quickly to tell the others of the coming dangers ahead.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chaos_Phoenix on 2003-12-20 22:18 ]</font>

[Hikara]

It's not to bad, Phoenix. Only problem is paragraphing. Since you can't tab without the use of a Word Processor, just double space between them.

And try using a little more detail. other than that, AWESOME!

[Chaos_Phoenix]

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Sirus raced to the gates of Pioneer I, hoping that nothing was following him or Glenn. They rushed past the guards, who were quite startled by their sudden appearance.

"What's the rush?" demanded one of the startled guards.

"There are monsters out in the Forest. We've come to warn everyone," was Glenn's huffing response.

"MONSTERS?!" squeaked the unsettled guard.

"Yeah. Big scary ones," Sirus added, nudging Glenn. The guards followed the pair, who were rushing towards the newly-appointed Mayor.

"Whoa! What's the big hurry?" questioned a fairly large HUcast, standing before the Mayor's door.

"We need to tell the Mayor something NOW!" was Sirus' infuriated response. The android seemed somewhat jolted by Sirus' sudden outburst, and quickly moved. "See, I can be mean when I have to," spoke Sirus. The two entered the Mayor's room, and were surprised to see who was sitting beside the Mayor. "Ursula? How'd you manage to land this job?" was Sirus' baffled question. The android smiled as she saw Sirus' confused look.

"Surprised?" she asked. Sirus could only nod. "You see," she explained, "the Mayor need somebody reliable, so why not choose me?" Sirus just looked at her, knowing that she was lying.

"You bribed him, didn't you?" Glenn spoke up. Sirus chuckled to himself as he heard Glenn. Ursula's eyes turned red as she glared at the two.

"NO!" was all she could say before the Mayor interupted.

"Excuse me, but what are you two doing in MY OFFICE?!?" roared the Mayor. Now, this kind of surprised Sirus and Glenn, because the Mayor was no more than 4 feet tall. He was certainly a RAmar, but a little bit on the short side.

"Forgive us Mr. Mayor. We bring news of how the Forest is doing." Spoke Sirus, breaking the silence.

"Oh really? Do tell," responded the Mayor.

"There is the common foliage, but what really startled us was that all of the creatures have turned violent!" blurted Glenn. The Mayor looked at Glenn as he contemplated what he had said.

"How bad is it?" asked the Mayor.

"Pretty bad. At this rate, we could be overrun within a matter of weeks." spoke Sirus solemnly. The Mayor's expression changed from bad to worse when he heard this news.

"Alright, since you are the head of the Knights of Ragol, I want you to eradicate the monster infestation," demanded the Mayor, recomposing himself. Sirus looked at Glenn, and vice versa. The two knew what that meant, they just didn't want to accept it.

"Are you certain that that is the most fitting option?" inquired Sirus. The Mayor eyed Sirus menacingly.

"Are you defying my orders, Captain?" growled the Mayor. Sirus quickly shook his head.

"Of course not, Mr. Mayor sir. I was merely saying that..." Sirus started, but was immediately interupted by Ursula.

"May I say something, Mr. Mayor?" she asked.

"Why, of course you can, Ursula," responded the Mayor.

"If Sirus cannot handle a few monsters, I would be happy to take his place," stated Ursula. Sirus wanted to backhand Ursula right then and there, but he knew that there would be dire consequences.

"If Sirus cannot handle himself, Ursula, then the title of Captain is yours," spoke the Mayor. Just then, a loud noise was heard from outside. Following, the city alarms began whining. The Mayor instinctivly ducked under his desk. "What is that infernal racket??!" shouted the Mayor. Sirus rolled his eyes as he began to leave.


He and Glenn stepped outside to witness the first of many attacks on their fair city. A pair of Hildebears had broken past the meager defenses, and began attacking the nearest civilians. RAcasts high atop their wooden turrets were trying to dispose of the threat, but they were too far away for any truly successful hit.

"Ready?" smiled Sirus. They both drew their weapons, and advanced towards the Hildebears. The Hildebears, sensing that there was something behind, quickly turned around. Glenn raised his sword and began to chant incoherently. Suddenly, he swung his sword, and a trail of Ice shot from the tip of his Brand. The Hildebear that was hit by the beam became instantly immobilized, and Sirus went in for the kill. "Nice shootin' tex," laughed Sirus, after disposing of the beast. The second Hildebear, realizing that its friend was just slaughted, charged towards Sirus. Sirus spotted the Hildebear out of the corner of his eye, and decided to try out his new trick he had thought up the day before. He threw his sword high in to the air, and faced the beast, bare knuckled. As the beast was about to give Sirus the beating of his life, Sirus took two steps back. Suddenly, the beast stopped dead in its tracks. A horrendous roar emitted deep from within the beast, for Sirus' Buster stood erect atop the Hildebear's head. The beast fell over, dead, immediately after that. Sirus stepped over and returned his sword to its proper place on his back. "That was fun," chuckled Sirus.


For the rest of the day, the city tended to the wounded, and some tried to rebuild the damaged buildings. Sirus sat high atop one of the many trees near the city, and began thinking about what he had gotten himself into. "Why have all of these creatures suddenly become bent on destroying us?" he asked himself aloud. A voice down below gave him the answer.

"Because you've invaded their territory." Sirus looked down below to see an odd-looking fellow that he'd never seen before.

"Who are you?" Sirus asked wearily.

"My name is Dr. Montegue. What is your name?" asked the strange person.

"I'm Sirus," Sirus spoke, as he lept from the tree. Within a couple seconds, Sirus landed on his feet, and opened his palm, gesturing for a hand shake. Their hands shook, and Sirus abruptly grabbed the poor fellow's hand. "Hmm... You call yourself a doctor, but yet you cannot be older than I," Sirus stated. "How can this be?" he asked.

"The world works in mysterious ways..." Montegue spoke. And with that, Montegue was gone.

"What an odd fellow," Sirus thought to himself.


That night, Sirus' mind was full of thoughts, some good, but mostly bad. He wondered how he was going to get rid of the entire monster population with just shy of 24 people. He also thought about what the strange Dr. Montegue had said. 'Because you've invaded their territory'. Sure, that makes somewhat sense, but we disturbed nothing when we landed, so why would the entire Hildebear population be after us? As Sirus' eyes finally became heavy, an even more disturbing dream filled his head.





<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chaos_Phoenix on 2003-12-16 06:37 ]</font>

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Thanks, Hikara. At least I have some support ^_^

[KaFKa]

prety good, just little things here and there...

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Care to elaberate, KaFKa? I'm always looking to improve.

[Gnarled_rose]

Hey, Chao's Fenix! (Sonic and Starcraft references)
In the first chapter, you missed an ending quotation mark. In the second chapter, the word "inhibited" feels out of place(after the first Hildebear dies), and when the mayor blurts out "Are you defining my orders?!", I believe the word you're looking for is "defying".
Other than that, I liked it. Well-written, and creative storyline. The characters could use a touch more development, but it's only Chapter 2, so I'll let it slide.
I think I'll follow this story.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

'DOH!' Thanx Rose.

[-Z]

nice start chaos! awaiting the next chapter! ^_^
...
ph3ar the evil bunny sirus!!!

(),,,,()
( / )

^_^

[Chaos_Phoenix]

I'm a bit swamped at the moment (stupid school), so I shall have Chapter III: Dreaming of Heaven up by Sunday. So, please stay interested ^_^

Change of plans... I've got Chapter III done already.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chaos_Phoenix on 2003-12-15 14:58 ]</font>

[Chaos_Phoenix]

CHAPTER III: DREAMING OF HEAVEN
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As the bright light subsided, Sirus found himself in a large field, filled with sounds of birds chirping, and the wind blowing through the flowers. "What... what is this place?" Sirus asked himself as he took a few steps forward. Suddenly, another flash, but this time, another person was here with him. He looked across the field, and spotted a large obelisk reaching for the sky. The obelisk was a dark grey, with ivy surrounding it, but none directly on it. The obelisk was erected upon a beautifully crafted alter, with mysterious engravings upon it. As Sirus walked closer, he spotted a young man investigating the obelisk. The man wore a white cloak with a blue and white hat. Sirus ran quickly to converse with the man. "Greetings!" Sirus yelled, being far away still. The man turned towards Sirus, and Sirus was taken by the man's aura. "What's your name?" asked Sirus. The man turned looked towards the obelisk, and then returned his eyes on Sirus.

"Beware... Beware the voices in your head..." spoke the man. With that, the man was gone. Sirus scratched his head as he began to ponder these words. He was about to say something when a voice overtook his mind.

"ReLeAsE mE, aNd I sHaLl GrAnT tHeE wItH kNoWlEdGe..." spoke the omnious voice. Sirus was a bit surprised to hear this voice within the confines of his own brain.

"Who--- what are you?" Sirus shouted aloud.

"ReLeAsE mE, aNd I sHaLl GrAnT tHeE wItH kNoWlEdGe..." was all that the voice said. Sirus became irritated, but intrigued at the same time.

"What kind of knowledge?" asked Sirus.

"KnOwLeDgE oF tHe PaSt, PrEsEnT, aNd FuTuRe..." whispered the voice. Sirus' eyes lit up when he heard this. With that kind of knowledge, Sirus could easily become famous.

"How do I release you?" Sirus questioned the voice.

"ToUcH tHe ObElIsK iN fRoNt Of YoU..." answered the voice. Sirus inspected the obelisk closer, and spotted an ancient engraving that seemed eerily familiar. Remembering back to the days of his youth, he recollected some knowledge of this ancient writing.


"Touch not this obelisk, lest ye be destroyed" Sirus roughly translated from the obelisk. "Destroyed?!" gasped Sirus in surprise.

"ThAt Is AlL lIeS!" boomed the voice. Sirus began to get nervous. The voice continued to urge him. "ToUcH iT! NoW!" ordered the voice. Sirus soon lost all control of his body, and witnessed himself reach for the obelisk. He tried with all his might to stop, but alas, he could not. As his fingers grazed across the obelisk, he felt that something terrible was soon to happen. The sky instantly turned a darkish purple, and the ground began to quake. The obelisk crumbled to the ground, and there floated a mysterious creature. "ThAnK yOu FoR rElEaSiNg mE, sIrUs..." thanked the voice. Sirus was a bit taken back.

"How do you know my name?" asked the confused Sirus.

"I kNoW aLl. I sEe AlL." was the creature's response. Sirus carefully looked over the creature that was before him. It's skin was a perfect royal purple, with eyes of gold. It had spikes along it's back, and two horns protruding from it's head, just above it's large eyeballs. It was nearly 7 feet in length, and it's long silky tail was another 2 feet. "Do YoU lIKe WhAt YoU sEe? Or PeRhApS, I sHaLl ShOw YoU mY tRuE fOrM?" boomed the voice. Sirus' eyes met the creatures, and they remained there as Sirus began to speak.

"If you reveal your true form, then you will ruin the element of surprise." The creature could not believe it's ears.

"YoU dArE sPeAk AgAiNsT mE?!?" roared the creature, turning from royal purple to a deep red. "I sHaLl DeStRoY yOu FoR yOuR iNsOlEnT rEtOrT!!!" the creature roared once again, this time changing from red to an almost burning orange. As Sirus drew his sword, the bright light flashed once more.

'Gasp'! Sirus wheezed as he shot up in bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. He began to pant as he tried to calm himself down.

"Everything alright, Sirus?" asked a concerned Glenn.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine." gasped Sirus.

"Well, get plenty of rest. We have new arrivers tomorrow. Supposedly Flowen is coming...



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chaos_Phoenix on 2003-12-16 11:33 ]</font>

[Hikara]

Ooooooo....

That was rather impressive!!

Of course, if you hadn't told me everything about your chapter on the way home from school, it would have been even cooler, but I like it anyway!

Nice job!

[Gnarled_rose]

Eh. I've read better. It wasn't as good as the first two, and it was a little short.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Oh, thanx a lot Rose. Yes, I know that it is short, but that is what I intended. I'm no 'no limits' writer like Hikara, so my chapters are usually short. But, there will be more of them. Think of it as big things in small packages ^_^ Don't worry, they'll get more interesting... (I hope)

[Skett]

I think Rose might be a little hard on you, kid. There may be better quality writing out there but yours beats a whole lot of people on other sites. Besides, it doesn't matter how high quality a story it, what matters is that you have readers that are enjoying the fic dispite the shortcomings.


This post was rated R for Red Rose

[Chaos_Phoenix]

As Sirus opened his eyes, he heard much commotion outside. He quickly got up and ready, then headed out the door. "What's all the noise about?" asked Sirus, speaking to Glenn.

"New arrivers, including Captain Heithcliff Flowen," answered Glenn.

"Really? This should be interesting," sighed Sirus. Just then, there was a low humming sound coming from above. The mass of people looked up, and saw two large shuttles slowly descending towards them. The group scattered, and began to cheer louder as the shuttles landed. The crowd hushed as the large bay door dropped. Suddenly, much scurrying could be heard coming from within the landed shuttle. As people peered in, a dozen Gilichic labor robots emerged from within. The people moved aside, and the robots quickly went to work. "Hey! We?ve got new toys!" Sirus exclaimed. The people were so distracted by the robots that, even though it was loud, they missed the second shuttle landing. It wasn't until a voice spoke up that the people's attention returned.

"What a warm greeting," grumbled the voice. Everyone turned to see who was speaking. The entire group burst into cheers as they recognized Flowen and his army. The only two who weren't cheering were Sirus and Glenn. Flowen pushed past the masses when he spotted Sirus, eager to meet the knights' captain. As he drew nearer, Sirus realized what he was doing, and tried to get away. "Halt! HALT!!" shouted Flowen, chasing after the fleeing Sirus. Flowen finally caught him, and spun him around. "Why were you running?" demanded Flowen.

"Running? I wasn't running. I just have somewhere to be," responded Sirus coldly. Flowen tightened his grip and pulled Sirus closer.

"What's your name, Captain?" questioned Flowen.

"You can call me Sirus," was his response. Flowen looked Sirus square in the eyes as he spoke.

"No surname, S-I-R-U-S?"

"Nope, never gave myself one."

"What does that mean?" asked Flowen, confused by Sirus' response.

"It means just what I said. Now, if you don"t mind," Sirus spoke as he broke free from Flowen's grip, "I must be going."


"Hey Sirus, wait up!" yelled Glenn, trying to catch up with the peeved Sirus. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to go talk to the ... Mayor?" Sirus trailed off as he saw the Mayor being tossed out by the HUcast guarding the door. Sirus spotted Ursula helping the Mayor up, so he ran over to find out what was going on. "What'd you do now, Ursula?" asked Sirus, Glenn laughing. Ursula glared at the two as she brushed the dirt off of her frame.

"I didn't do a thing. We were minding our own business when some girl barged in and took over!" roared Ursula. Sirus and Glenn looked at each other as they thought the same thing.

"Rico?" they said at the same time. They ran up to the door, but the HUcast stepped in their way. "MOVE!" shouted Sirus. The HUcast quickly moved, and the pair burst into the office.

"Sirus! Glenn! It's soooo good to see some familiar faces in this place!" a familiar voice greeted them as they entered.

"Rico! It's great to see you!" smiled Glenn.

"It's good to see you two, also. I'm glad that I have SOME friends on this planet!" Rico laughed. The three began laughing and reminiscing until there was a loud knock at the door. "Who is it"? chimed Rico. The door was thrown open, and there stood Flowen. "Ah, Heithcliff Flowen. It's so good to see you still alive," Rico spoke.

"You also, Miss Rico," Flowen started, but started after noticing the two others in the room. "Ahem! Could you two LEAVE"? asked Flowen.

"We'll just cover our ears," smiled Sirus.

"Sirus? Please," Rico asked. The two shrugged their shoulders and walked out. As Flowen stepped outside, Sirus was there waiting.

"What was so important that I couldn't hear?" demanded Sirus.

"Hate to break it to you," started Flowen, "but you're not important enough to know." This upset Sirus, and he was soon quite angered.

"What do you mean 'not important enough'? I?m more important than you'll EVER be!" growled Sirus, leering at Flowen. Heithcliff just pushed Sirus out of his way, and continued on. "Hey! Where are you going?" shouted Sirus, as Flowen began to head towards the forest. Flowen looked back, but only to call his army. Sirus became quickly irritated by this, and ran right up to Flowen. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" he yelled, pushing Heithcliff forward. Flowen stopped and turned towards Sirus.

"Do you wish to fight, Captain?" roared Flowen, reaching for his sword. Sirus drew his own sword, and got ready.

"Oh, the gloves are off, Flowen," Sirus retorted. Flowen drew his sword and lunged towards Sirus. Sirus sidestepped and deflected Flowen?s coming blade. Sparks flew as their blades crossed. Their respective armies began cheering, hoping to see some action. The two continued to spar until Glenn grew tired of this stalemate. He quickly cast Gazonde, paralyzing both Sirus and Heithcliff. "Hey Glenn, what'd you do that for?"

"Because I don't want you to make an idiot out of yourself, that's why," answered Glenn, disappointed in Sirus. Both Flowen and Sirus were still full of rage, but Rico soon put an end to that.

"Why are you two fighting?" she demanded. The two averted their eyes, not knowing WHY they had. Rico continued to scold them, and then lightened up a bit. "How can I have my two armies work together if their commanders can't even work together?"

"Sorry," they both said at the same time.

"If he would have told me where he was going..." Sirus started, but was soon interrupted by Flowen.

"If he wasn?t so nosy..." he muttered. Rico hit Flowen hard, and then turned to Sirus.

"Is that all? Well, I can tell you that, since you're going with him," Rico spoke. Both Sirus' and Flowen's scowl returned.

"Aww, come on, Rico," whined Flowen.

"No complaining! You're both heading to the Ruins, and that's FINAL!" yelled Rico, in a tone that not even she knew she had. The two straightened up now, since the paralysis had worn off. They returned their swords to their backs, and trudged onwards towards the distant Ruins.

"Why are you sending them to the Ruins?" asked an oddly familiar voice, standing in the shadows. When Rico looked to see who had asked the question, there was no one.

"Hmm, must be hearing things..." she told herself. As she walked back towards Pioneer I, a figure emerged from the shadows, and picked up the trail of Sirus and Heithcliff.

[Gnarled_rose]

Well, there's plenty of mystery while simultaneously advancing the storyline. It wasn't too bad. I've read plenty worse, anyway.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Uhh... thanx Rose. I think... ^_^


Oh, have you had a chance to read Chaos Ripple, my side story to this? It will help the story make more sense soon...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chaos_Phoenix on 2003-12-18 19:24 ]</font>

[Gnarled_rose]

Chao's ripple? No, I haven't. Why don't you send it to me? You can find my email in my account.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Chapter V: A Ragol Knight's Tale
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As the two armies marched towards the Ruins, several soldiers felt that they were being followed. Some even looked back every once in a while, but saw nothing. This caught Sirus' attention, so he decided to see what everyone was so preoccupied with. When he looked back down the way they had come, he spotted two mysterious figures following their trail; one male, and one female.

"Um, Flowen? I think we might have some followers..." spoke Sirus. Flowen looked towards Sirus, and then in the direction he was pointing.

"Hmm, it definitely looks that way. But, we do not know for sure," responded Flowen gruffly. They continued to march on, but Sirus was certain that they were indeed being followed. Meanwhile, while the armies marched on, the pair that was indeed following them began to converse.

"Have they finally noticed our presence?" asked the female. The female stood roughly 5' 7'', and wore a blue komodo with gold trimming. She wore odd slippers with fuzzy balls where the toes met. She had some sort of weapon barely visible from her back, but the weapon was that which has never been seen before.

"I do believe they have, Muramasa," responded the male. The male stood at least 2 inches taller than the Muramasa, making him at least 5' 9''. He wore dark blue armor with a gold frame. He wore chain leggings, all dark blue in color. His boots were an odd shade of brown, and he wore a three-cornered hat, with a gold feather protruding from one corner, atop his head. He had no visible weapons, but he looked as if he could wield anything he wished.

"Should this worry us, Masamune?" questioned Muramasa.

"Of course not. Even if they know about us, there is no way that they will get rid of us. We are much too powerful, even for Heithcliff," was Masamune's confident answer. Muramasa nodded her head, and they continued on without another word.


As night fell, the party finally made it out of the forest. It had been a long day, and the troops were restless.

"Come on! Let us stop," whined the troops. Finally, Flowen grew tired of the complaints.

"Fine! But we leave at daybreak!" he shouted. The troops cheered and began to set up camp. Soon, the tents were all set up, and there was a roaring fire to lighten the dark forest. The entire army gathered around the large bonfire, and began laughing and exchanging stories. Even Glenn laughed and talked, but Sirus kept to himself. Suddenly, someone turned to him and started talking to him, over the noise of the others.

"What's your story, Sirus?" asked the soldier. The crowd hushed as they waited for his answer.

"Are you sure that you wanna hear it? It's kind of long," started Sirus. The army egged him on, and Sirus took a deep breath. "Well, for as long as I can remember, I've had no parents. I wasn't even born with a name. So, when I was 2 years old, I had already taught myself to read, and I read the name 'Sirus' on a very large headstone, so I decided to call myself that, hoping that one day I would be as great as the predecessor. So, having my new name, I felt as if I was on top of the world. That is, until a baby Booma was on top of me..." the army chuckled at Sirus' joke, but Sirus soon continued. "I tried as hard as I could, but I could not stop the Booma's attacks. So, I picked up a nearby stick, and began beating the Booma senseless. The creature soon fell over, paralyzed, and I ran. It was that day that I decided to take up swordplay. By the age of 4, I was already better than most, and could fight off an entire hoard of Booma pups. When I was 7, I found a discarded Buster," Sirus spoke as he drew his sword, "this Buster, in fact," he said, showing off the sword. The entire groups' eyes widened when they heard this. "Now that I had a real sword, I felt as if I could take on anything. I made my survival money by taking small jobs here and there, and things could not be better. But then, he showed up," Sirus growled, pointing towards Flowen. This caught Flowen's attention, and he turned towards Sirus. "I was just minding my own business when this fool came from behind and knocked me over. I demanded that he apologize, but he just laughed. He said 'Son, do you know who I am?', but of course I didn't know. So, he made a 15 minute speech of who he was, and when it was all said and done, everyone cheered. I called him a liar, and he quickly had me on the ground. People got angry when he started beating up on a kid, so he stopped." after saying that, Flowen's eyes widened.

"That was you? Geez, I should have killed you when I had the chance." Flowen spoke. Sirus was up in an instant, his sword ready.

"I'm ready for you know, you old windbag!" laughed Sirus. Flowen drew his sword, and beckoned for Sirus to advance.

"Bring it on, pipsqueak." He retorted. As the two were about to spar, a voice interrupted.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything..." spoke an oddly familiar voice. The army, including Sirus and Heithcliff, turned to see who had invaded their space. There stood both Masamune and Muramasa. Sirus' eyes widened, and so did Flowen's. Their weapons fell to the ground, as they stood there in shock. For, they knew who these two were.

"You're Masamune, the God of Luck!" gasped Sirus, pointing at the man on the left.

"And, you're Muramasa, the Goddess of Despair!" gasped Flowen, pointing at the woman on the right. The two enlightened beings laughed, confusing Sirus and Flowen. Masamune broke the silence.

"Why are you heading towards the Ruins of Falz?" Sirus snapped out of his stunned phase, and began to answer.

"Because we've been hired by our Mayor, Rico, to investigate the recent 'devastating acts'. That's all we know. Why do you ask?"

"Because we can't allow you to go there," responded Muramasa. Flowen too snapped out of his stunned moment.

"What do you mean? Of course we can AND will go there!" boomed Flowen, forgetting that there were two Gods before him. Masamune ignored Flowen and looked at Sirus.

"Tell me, Sirus, do you believe in luck?" he asked. Sirus thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Yes."

"Good, then you will like this game. I shall roll the dice, and my lovely assistant shall call a number. If the two dice," Masamune's palm burst into flame, and when the fire died down, there sat two die, "match the number that she calls, then you shall live, and we will let you be." Sirus thought this over in his head.

"And, what if they don't?" Sirus asked, concerned.

"If they don't, you die, and everyone else must return to Pioneer I, never to return here." was Masamune's answer. Flowen's eyes lit up.

"Sounds good to me!" he shouted. Masamune gave him an evil glare.

"You'll be next," smiled Masamune grimly. Flowen quickly shut his mouth. "So, Sirus, does that sound fair?" he asked. Sirus nodded his head slowly, and could feel his life slipping away. "Would you like to blow on the dice?" he asked Sirus, moving the dice closer to his face. Sirus closed his eyes and blew on the dice. He knew that he was moments away from death, but he could not have his troops see him die in disgrace. Masamune closed his hand, and began rolling the dice around. "Muramasa? Would you please pick a number?" Masamune asked.

"Certainly. The number shall be...... 7," she finally answered. Sirus gulped as Masamune released the pair of dice. The first die hit the ground, and landed on '4'. Sirus prayed that the other would come up a 3. The second die hit the ground, and began to bounce around. It finally came to a stop, and everyone looked to see what it was. '3' it was! Sirus did a little victory dance, and then recomposed himself.

"Guess I get to live!" Sirus exclaimed happily. The two Gods were baffled.

"Guess luck was with him tonight, that is all. I wish you the best of luck in the Ruins, Sirus. Flowen, I hope you rot," spoke Masamune, as he turned to leave with his beautiful friend Muramasa. When they were out of earshot, Muramasa began to speak.

"We have failed Falz then, haven't we?" she asked solemnly. Masamune shook his head as he spoke.

"No; even though we didn't kill them, the monsters will."


Back at camp, everyone suddenly felt a wave of tiredness. They all turned in for the night, and were soon asleep. Sirus was just glad to be alive...

[Gnarled_rose]

Well, that was terrible! First off, it's HEATHCLIFF, not Heithcliff.
Secondly, two years old?! Bull! Even when writing a sci-fi, you've got to keep it believable. Only if he were a HUcast or RAcast would that be possible. But since he's NOT...I suggest you change it. Just get Hikara to proofread it next time. And intoducing gods is always risky business, because they're supposed to be omnipotent beings with powers governed only by the reaches of their demesnes. That's just a warning, in case the next chapter turns out to be crap, too.
Review for this chapter:crappity-crap crap, and a CRAP!
Sorry if this seemed harsh.

[White_Knight]

Geez Rose give the guy a break there is kid that could read at nine mouths serious no joke and the whole spelling thing give him a break not everyone remebers how to spell every thing all of the time and I thought he did a good job on those gods remeber one was of luck and the dice are all about luck.
Keep it up I hope to see more soon

[Chaos_Phoenix]

I don't mean to be rude, either, Rose, but my stories are my own extensions. Nobody was forcing you to read them, nor were they begging for your opinion. So what if Sirus was only 2? This is a different world, a different existance. Sirus was so determined to be the best, that he trained day and night. If you would allow me to progress my story, you'd learn that. These things take time, so just lay off. And besides, so what if I introduced a pair of 'Gods'? Who says they're Gods? Perhaps it is merely an allusion over your own eyes, but you are too self-involved to open them. Before you try and judge and implace, THINK about what you are saying. I appriciate feedback, but none this harsh. And don't give me bull about 'well, life isn't fair', because I really don't care. I want my story to be well-liked, and I enjoy the farfetched aspect of it. Perhaps this is merely my thoughts, but it IS my story. PS - Forgive me for spelling Heathcliff wrong. It's not like I'm the only person on this bloody site that can't spell properly. At least I always have correct grammar! If this has turned you away from my story, perhaps it is for the best...

[Skett]

Lay of the kid, Rose. Giving advise on how to improve is one thing but you were basically yelling at the guy. You know what they say: If you cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Chapter VI: The Ruins of Falz
-----------------------------------------------------
The army awoke early in the morning, eager to move on.

"Everybody ready?" asked Flowen, as he readied himself. The troops all nodded, and soon got into formation. Glenn stepped out of his tent, still very tired.

"Morning already? Geez, and I was just gettin' some good sleep," he muttered as he looked for Sirus. "Hey, where's Sirus?" Glenn asked one of the Knights. The Knight just shrugged his shoulders, and went about his business. Glenn searched Sirus' tent, but found nothing. "We have a problem," Glenn shouted to Heathcliff.

"What is it?" Flowen asked. Glenn waved for him to come to him.

"Sirus is gone! There's no sign of him!" Glenn panicked, trying to keep calm.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the fool is somewhere around here," Flowen responded, a bit annoyed at the FOnewm. Glenn just shook his head, and started looking elsewhere for his friend. As he wandered around the encampment, he noticed fresh footprints that could only have been made by Sirus. Glenn looked ahead to see where the footprints headed, and he spotted a spring off in the distance.

"Sirus must be there," Glenn thought to himself. He quickly ran in the direction of the footprints until he came to the spring. He looked around, but found no sign of Sirus. He looked for footprints, but they stopped about 4 feet from the water. "Odd," he said aloud.

"You're telling me," a voice spoke up. This startled Glenn, and he quickly searched for the owner of the voice. He then realized that the voice was behind him. He quickly spun around to find himself face to face with a large HUcast.

"Ahh!" Glenn screamed in surprise. The HUcast was also startled, and jumped in shock.

"Why do you scream?" asked the HUcast, after Glenn had calmed down.

"Why did you sneak up on me?!" Glenn demanded.

"You did not detect me? Do your radars not work? Perhaps I can fix them," the android spoke, confused.

"You're not from Pioneer I, are you?" Glenn finally deduced.

"P-i-o-n-e-e-r--o-n-e---?" asked the confused android.

"So, that would be a no. Hmm, what's your name?" Glenn asked.

"My serial number is X-J 13," the HUcast computed.

"X-J 13? Cool name, but it just doesn't suit you," Glenn spoke. The HUcast did not understand.

"What do you mean? Does my name not please you?" asked the HUcast.

"No, no, not at all. It's just that, X-J 13 isn't a very good name for an android like you," Glenn explained.

"Then, what shall I be called?" asked the HUcast.

"Hmm, how about Jax? Does that work?" exclaimed Glenn.

"...Jax? Memory on name stored. My name is Jax," exclaimed Jax.

"Very good, Jax! Now tell me, what are you doing here?" Glenn asked Jax. Jax had a blank look on his metal face. Glenn decided to rephrase the question. "Um, why are you here?" Jax's eyes lit up.

"I am waiting for my master. He told me to meet him here, where the water fills the spring," was Jax's answer.

"Well, you are certainly an obedient android, aren't you?" Glenn chuckled to himself. Jax was about to speak when a voice from above interupted.

"Having a nice chat with the HUcast, are we Glenn?" asked a familiar voice. Glenn smiled as his eyes met with Sirus'. "Did you miss me?" Sirus laughed. Sitting high above the trees, Sirus looked down at Glenn. As Glenn spoke, Sirus made his decent towards the grass below.

"You have no idea." Sirus landed on his feet, and patted Glenn on the back.

"Shall we be going?" he asked. Glenn was about to leave when he thought of Jax.

"Hold on," he said. Glenn turned towards Jax as he spoke. "Do you want to come along?" Jax shook his head.

"I must wait for my master. But, I thank you for the offer, and the name." With that, Glenn and Jax said their good-byes, and Sirus and Glenn headed back towards the encampment. By then, Flowen's army was already off, and the Knights stood by, eager to get moving themselves. One spotted Sirus, and began to rejoice. Sirus snapped his finger, and the Knights formed up in ranks, and then they were off.


Meanwhile, high above the forest and the Ruins, a meeting was taking place.

"Are you certain that they are headed towards the Ruins?" asked a hooded figure.

"Most certainly," answered Masamune, God of Luck. His beautiful friend Muramasa chimed in.

"He said so himself."

"You mean the one they call Sirus?" asked the hooded figure. The two Gods nodded, and the hooded figure's eyes glowed a menacing red.

"What's the matter, IDOLA?" asked Muramasa, confused by their cohort's odd behavior.

"If what I sense is true, then this 'Sirus' is the one that I have been seeking," spoke IDOLA. Masamune's eyes lit up.

"So, that is why he is so lucky..." he trailed off.

"You tested his luck with your dice?" roared IDOLA, infuriated by Masamune's actions. "Why do you still have those silly costumes on, anyway?" he asked, more calm than before.

"They're just so terribly comfortable!" laughed Muramasa.

"Well, take them off. It just seems odd to be conversing with 'gods'," responded IDOLA. The pair of 'gods' reluctantly removed their illusionary magic, and were reverted back to their original forms. Masamune was no longer wearing his exquisite three-cornered hat. This was because there were now two horns protruding from his head. His true form was revealed, and he was once again known as Guilt. Muramasa's form also changed, but there was really no difference. Except, of course, her skin went a dark blue, and a long tail emerged from her silky komodo. Her true form was revealed, and she was once again known as Hatred. Guilt and Hatred both relished in their original forms, until IDOLA interupted.

"So, what should we do about Flowen?" asked Guilt, sharpening his claws on a nearby rock.

"Cut him off. Leave no man alive. Just make sure that he does not reach Falz' Courtyard." IDOLA instructed.

"And, what of Sirus?" asked Hatred.

"Bring him to me... ALIVE," growled IDOLA. Guilt and Hatred both saluted IDOLA, and were gone in an instant. "If they weren't the brood of Chaoz, they would already be dead..." it told itself.


As Sirus marched on, he scanned the horizon for any signs of Flowen, but saw none.

"Any signs?" asked Glenn. Sirus shook his head, and they continued to march on. They would rest every once in a while, so that when they arrived, the troops would be ready to fight. "Do you think they'll be alright?" asked the suddenly concerned Glenn. Sirus looked at Glenn, confused by the question.

"Since when did you care about the safety of Flowen?" asked the confused Sirus.

"It's not that I have a concern for Heathcliff, it's just that I'm worried about his troops. They seemed like such nice people." Glenn answered.

"Anyone that can follow the rule of that moron must have nothing better to do," Sirus grunted.

"Look, I know you hate the guy for many reasons. But, that doesn't mean his army is just as bad. Give them a chance." Glenn spoke up.


By this time, Sirus KNEW that he was lost, he just didn't want to say anything. As they cleared another hill, Sirus spotted a large building off in the distance. "What is that?!" Glenn exclaimed, partially excited, but scared also.

"I don't know, but it looks like Flowen's army is just outside it," answered Sirus. "Alright Knights, let's get there, double time!" Sirus ordered. The entire company sprinted, and made it down the hill just in time to see Flowen and his army enter the large double doors. Sirus stopped his Knights as he read the inscription above the door. "All ye who enter my Sacred Courtyard, know this: Ye will not leave alive" This made Sirus a bit concerned.

"What does it say?" asked Glenn, not being able to read the ancient writing.

"Um, it says that Flowen's army is screwed." answered Sirus. As he spoke, they felt the ground quake, and as they looked up, the sky was consumed by a darkening darkness, that soon turned the sky an eerie purple. "That can't be good!" Sirus spoke, trying to enter the large building. Locked. Sirus tried with all his might to open the door, but as he pushed again, the doors were pushed against him. Sirus stumbled back as the doors flew open towards him. There stood a tattered Heathcliff, looking dazed and confused. Glenn caught a quick glimpse of what was in the building, and was horrified. A giant beast was destroying Flowen's army with large buzzsaws that emerged from the large three-headed snake the beast was riding. Sirus too saw this, and wanted to come to their aide. Unfortunately, the doors shut before Sirus could get in. As Sirus banged on the doors, Flowen began muttering.

"You... You've got to do something Captain... My men need you!" he shouted.

"Excuse me?" Sirus asked.

"Nothing!" bellowed Flowen, in an entirely different tone.

"Didn't you just ask...?" asked Glenn.

"Yes! Please, help my soldiers before they..." Heathcliff shook violently, then began to speak again. "Sorry, I ramble sometimes. I meant nothing by what I said. My troops will be fine," Flowen spoke. Sirus finally realized what was happening.

"Glenn, cast Anti," Sirus whispered. Glenn's eyes focused on Flowen, and then began muttering incoherently. He waved his hands, and a bright light overcame the possessed Flowen. Heathcliff's eyes nearly bulged out of his scull as the light enveloped him. Loud screams emmited from deep within his throat. And then, a cackle.

"Did you really think that would work?!" cackled a familiar voice.

"Is that Masamune?" asked Glenn.

"You are only partially correct, Glenn. For you see, I never really was Masamune in the first place," laughed Guilt. Flowen's body was lifted into the air, and then a flash of light, and Flowen's body lie limp on the ground. There, standing before him, was Guilt, son of Chaoz. Sirus gasped as his eyes beheld this creature. It looked almost identical to the creature that he saw in his dream. Only, this one was much smaller. "My name if Guilt, and I need you to come with me, Sirus," explained the floating creature. Sirus returned to reality, and drew his sword.

"Death first!" he retorted. Guilt could not believe his ears.

"Excuse me? Well, I can't have you dead, so I'll just have to possess you," Guilt laughed, smiling wickedly. Just as Guilt was about to enter Sirus' body, a loud scream came from within the building. "Aw, I gotta go. Don't worry, next time we meet, you will come with me!" and with that, Guilt was gone. Sirus' sword dropped to the ground, and he soon followed onto his knees.

"I think we just didn't something horribly, horribly wrong..." Sirus trailed off, not even grasping his own understatement.

[Gnarled_rose]

Well, now. That was much better. Introducing a mainly-fantasy thing like demi-gods into a sci-fi story. Maybe not original, but nothing is anymore. But as for
Who says they're Gods? , I think you owe me an apology. Maybe changing a character's identification halfway through a chapter isn't the best thing to do, but you're no writer.
Which brings me to my next point: I'm sorry for my critique of your story the last time I posted. It's just that I'm used to being around writers who might actually have a career in writing. They take it a lot more seriously; but it looks like this is an average fanfic. That is, if fanfic=desperate cry for attention over obsessed fan. That's the closest thing to real math I'll do for the next two weeks.
Anyway, despite your feelings toward me, my personality, attitude, and way I do things, I'm going to continue reading this.

[White_Knight]

Phoenix forgiveme ifthis is not how you feel forrose but I think Rose's appology is a good start but he really needs to feel for othe peoples feelings a little more maybe that's why he still doesn't have a girlfriend or a girl that isclose to him becase he can't tell when he's hurting in someway another person. as for me I like how this is going and I haveone problim with this chapter and that is you spelled skull wrong you have a c insted of a k but thats all I found

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Don't worry about us, WK, Rose and I are still buds (in a sense) http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

And also, I'm gonna help Rose get a girl, but that will get him off the boards. (Maybe not a bad thing...) http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_evil.gif

[Gnarled_rose]

I'm gonna help Rose get a girl
Whoa, hey, and who's idea was this? He asked, trying not to sound overly eager. But really, I wish you'd stop messing with my mind like this. What little mind I have left is mine alone, and I wish you'd quit tryin' to mess it up even more. I'm still washing out the red ink from the last time.

[Chaos_Phoenix]

Wait, (double take) You have a MIND?! When did this happen? Did I miss something?