Current Characters:
Catherine Tigara and Stella Luna (STR: 10 DEF: 8 SPD: 15 MAG: 14 RES: 13 ANG: 6 UNL: 12 LV: 1)
Reed Bane and Ganreeno (STR: 13 DEF: 10 SPD: 14 MAG: 8 RES: 14 ANG: 8 UNL: 11 LV: 1)
Luke Sears and ?
Kiyara Mel and Bayyano: (STR: 12 DEF: 9 SPD: 12 MAG: 14 RES: 10 ANGER: 17 UNL: 4 LV: 1)
Katrina Andrews and Kitoki: (STR: 11 DEF: 10 SPD: 10 MAG: 15 RES: 11 ANG: 10 UNL: 10 LV: 1)
As for Saturn's character (I'm sorry there's been a lot of confusion, so I'm not putting your character's stats yet, but I won't forget the stats you do receive for the reviews you've done so far. Don't sweat about it! ()
Chapter 1
Bright above the glistening waters, hung the radiant sun; its warmth blossoming, bringing the heat of a late summer afternoon. Its warm streams of honey-painted light fell gently against the placid ambiance of the salty ocean surface. Before the shore, rolling waves formed into white crests that beat softly against the pearl sands. Overhead, white gulls banked and dove on the currents of the northern breeze; their wings outstretched in a peaceful descent towards their afternoon meals. A small town rested at the shore. It was the well-known town, Emaryl. The town was a quaint, peaceful place filled with warm familiar faces, and very little secrets.
At the docks rested a large ship. Tall wooden masts held beautifully adorned sails, each bearing the crest of a dove. The cool breeze, in contrast to the scorning eye of the sun, became a searing wind, causing the sails to flutter in its gentle fury. Anchored momentarily, the ship awaited the last passenger.
" Well, here you are." A young man, no older than sixteen, picked up a large leather sack, and slung it over his shoulder. " Do you want me to carry it up for you?" he asked. His green eyes sparked with unprecedented joy, as they glinted in the hardy glare of the sun. He had a matured face, stubble lining his jaw-line and chin. High upon his forehead grew a small, pearl horn, no longer than his thumb. Above his horn, his dark brown hair was shaped into small spikes.
Standing before him was a young girl of his own age. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail; two strands of bangs fell below her jaw. She wore a red, short-sleeved, French-cut blouse, revealing a small portion of her chest where a cat pendant rested. The ruby red eyes of the golden cat twinkled, as the girl began to fix her hair. Beads of sweat glistened on her slightly tanned skin, as she tucked her bangs behind her ears. She reached out a hand towards the boy.
" You know very well that I can take the bag myself, Luke," she replied. Pausing, she took a long look at her dearest friend. " Thanks for the offer, though."
" No problem, Cat," Luke replied, handing the bag to the girl. He gave a smile, as she slung the bag over her shoulder. His smile then disappeared, as he looked northwards. Dark clouds loomed over the horizon in every shade of gray. " Are you sure you're gonna go? It looks like there's a storm out there."
" Don't try to stop me, Luke," Catherine said placing her hand on her hip. " I worked hard to get where I am, and you know that. As soon as the preliminaries and tournament are finished, I'll be back, and that's only a few months away." Sensing something, Catherine looked over her shoulder. A dark figure appeared at the top of the boarding ramp to the ship. " It looks like Luna is growing impatient, up there. I should board."
Luke smiled, and wrapped his arms around Catherine tightly. She smiled and placed her free hand around his torso. The two had a sibling- like relationship, and had been close friends since they were young. Their bond was unique. It did not involve romance, as it never had. They just loved each other.
Catherine opened her eyes; her arm still wrapped tightly around Luke. As she gazed upon the wood deck, her eyes widened in fear.
" Kill it! Kill it," she screamed. Quickly stepping backwards, she found herself at the edge of the dock; her bag pulling her backwards towards the water below.
Luke spun around to find a large black spider inching towards him. Stepping on it with his work boot, he then quickly turned back to see Catherine falling over the edge. A flurry of water rose into the air, as she plummeted into the tropical waters. Luke gave a laugh, as he approached the dock's edge.
" I hope you don't pull that stunt, while at the tournament," he laughed, reaching his hand towards her. " Let's just hope there aren't any spider guardians, or else you'll never win."
Cat gave him a cold glare, but it quickly melted into a gleaming smile. " Let's just hope so," she said, passing the bag to him.
" Is there anything important in here?" Luke asked, as he examined the sopping bag. Catherine climbed onto the deck, clothes dripping with the salty water, and she began to ring out her hair.
" Nothing that isn't water tolerant. I believe it's just my bow, quiver, and some arrows that are in there, but I'm sure they're fine," she replied, shivering at the abrupt attendance of the northern breeze. She reached out her hand, as Luke troubled himself with the dripping bag." Fortunately, my spare clothes are already on board," she added.
Luke handed the bag to Catherine, and then turned with a smile, as he pulled his knapsack off his back. " You reminded me," he began. Pulling a golden quiver from the knapsack, he then handed it to Catherine. " I got this for you. I figured you needed a new one, if you wanted to practice while you're gone." Catherine was speechless as she examined the newly polished golden quiver. " There's a warrantee just in case you have any problems with it," Luke added. " If you don't like it, that is."
" No, no, no," Catherine sputtered, slinging the quiver onto her back. " It's beautiful. I don't know what to say." She paused for a moment, watching Luke's smiling eyes. He always seemed to smile that way when good things were bound to happen, or terrible things, Catherine realized. She brushed aside the thought, remembering what Luke would say about thinking negative thoughts. " I don't have anything to give to you, though."
" Well, let's just say that you owe me one when you get back," Luke said with a smile.
" Thanks again, Luke," Catherine said, rather softly. " Hopefully, I'll have time to practice my archery."
Suddenly, a loud horn blew, shaking the entire dock. Immediately, Luke and Catherine clasped their hands to their ears. As the deep bellow of the horn faded, Catherine then began to step onto the ramp.
" I suppose that meant it's time for me to go," she said, turning to Luke. " I'll write to you. . ."
" And I'll reply every time." Luke spoke warm-heartedly. He pressed his lips together, and began to whistle a tune. As he exhaled - his lips pursed together - the cheerful notes lifted into the summer air with a bold tone. Catherine turned around and smiled, readying herself to join in. Luke ended the song abruptly, cutting off the climatic chorus, and smiled back. " I know you can win this, Catherine. I know you'll make Emaryl Island proud." He then turned his focus to the dark figure, which had been awaiting Catherine at the top of the ramp. " Good bye, Luna! Good luck with the tournament."
The figure purred in a deep rich tone. It then raised its head, and began to speak, " Good bye, Luke. I trust that you'll take care of Elsea while we are gone."
" I will," Luke replied to the figure. " Have fun, guys, and don't give up, or else we'll have to make you pay!" Luke chuckled, finishing his words, as Catherine trudged onto the deck of the ship.
Gradually, the ramp was raised, and the boat took sail. The large ship slowly began drifting towards the horizon where the darkened clouds awaited. As the ship began to increase in speed, Catherine's figure appeared at the rail; her guardian's form appearing at her side.
" Bye, Luke!" Catherine cried, waving excitedly. A small crowd of people, who had been waiting for the ship's departure, ran towards the edge of the dock. They cried and hollered, as the ship faded into the horizon.
" Good bye, Cat," Luke whispered, as he turned and left the platform. Placing his hands in his pockets, Luke headed for the trails, which would lead him back to the town.
The dusty trail was narrow as it traveled through the thick mass of trees, which stretched between the town and dock. As Luke wandered along the well-worn path, he contemplated whether he should plan out how he were to spend the next few months alone. He tripped over a tree root, as he came to the conclusion that he'd plan later, and mope for now.
Suddenly, a sharp sound broke his thoughts. Something was watching him, hidden within the trees, or so he thought. Turning around, Luke pulled a large blade from a scabbard that hung loosely from his leather belt. The blade had a gold handle, which shimmered feverishly in his right hand. Gripping it tightly, Luke lifted the sword into a defensive position, revealing the carving of a sun at the tip of the pearl blade.
" Who's there?" Luke stepped a few paces back, against a tree, and examined his surroundings. The pearl horn upon his head began vibrate, giving a faint whistle. " I know you're there. I sense you."
" Put the blade down, Luke." The deep voice seemed to come from the trees. Luke eased his sword back into the scabbard; the pearl blade disappearing into the leather. A tall, lanky figure appeared from the thick of the bushes, accompanied by a large black figure. The lanky body shifted out from the trees, and stepped onto the trail. Long blonde hair hung below his shoulders. Two red stripes were painted under his right eye, and a yellow horn sprouted from his forehead. Though slender, his arms were toned, and his legs were strong. The large figure behind him was his Flurrolf Spirit Guardian; a wolf with golden fur, and red stripes along its sides, back, and tail.
" So, Catherine is gone," the lanky boy began, as he approached Luke. " That's unfortunate for you, but I'm sure she'll do her best in the tournament. . . whatever that's worth."
" Her and Luna make a great team. I'm pretty sure they'll win," Luke started, slight annoyance in his tone. " That is why they won the contest, Reed."
" Yes, I'm sure. They only won because Ganreeno here got sick. Otherwise, I know we would've been on that ship in her place," Reed began, as he placed his fingers on the wolf-like guardian, petting its silky yellow mane. " Let's face it, Luke. Cat is a terrible representation of Emaryl."
" Shut up, Reed." Luke stepped closer to the tall, lanky boy. " You have no one to blame for your loss. Both you and your guardian should've been properly preparing for the final battle, instead of lazing around at the tavern."
" You're so pathetic, Luke. You and I both know that if you had a Spirit Guardian then you would have probably won," Reed said turning from Luke. " You're a strong leader and I know you would have beaten Catherine easily in the earlier rounds. It probably would've come down to us in the final round. That would have been a good fight!"
" Go back to the hole you crawled out of, Reed," Luke retorted, pushing Reed from behind. Reed's guardian then turned to Luke and snarled fiercely, its sharp teeth sparkling in the remaining sunlight.
" May I remind you, Luke. . . that the hole I crawled out of is much, much bigger than yours," Reed snickered, as he began walking away. Snapping his fingers, the wolf-like guardian closely followed Reed, as he left.
" Jerk. Just because you're the mayor's son. . ." Luke turned, and continued walking along the trail. The sun had now disappeared behind the approaching clouds, and Luke could feel the chilled wind pick up. As he entered the town square, a newspaper landed at his feet. Picking it up, Luke read the headline. It read, " Catherine, 16, wins Emaryl's 'Go to the Preliminaries' Contest". Luke smiled, reflecting on the final battle. Catherine and Luna had fought with such passion. She's where she ought to be, he thought.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Everything was white where he stood, and yet it was cold. White as snow, and just as bittersweet, yet merely nothing imaginable. He stood there in the icy emptiness of white-splashed nothing, feeling as if to wait for something that already happened. Waiting for when it used to be warm, before she changed, and things became blank white. Waiting as if to go backwards, never forwards, as if there was nothing to move into.
The blankness seemed so real, as if this had always been his world, and would forever be his definite future. He felt himself, running his fingers skittishly over his living dead chest. He was real, yet not alive. A cold sensation of existing, yet not living, showered over his skull, and trickled down his sides, exploding further into the empty expanse below his bare toes. He was naked, he realized, shaking nervously, or it could have been the cold that made his body tremor. How he wished he had clothes, or at least a blanket to cover his bare ancient flesh. If he weren't dead, he would have flushed in embarrassment, yet there was nothing around him to make him feel ashamed, or was there?
The blankness had that same living-death feel. It was there, moving and twisting, yet immobile, and it taunted him with scorning, compassionate embrace. The white bleak window that hid everything so effortlessly seemed to hide him as well from nothing at all.
It was cold now, and he was falling upwards, at least it was how he felt. He could feel the sensation of spiralling downwards, but he was soaring into the heights above. He was sure of it. Now, he was cold. He was colder than after, as if this was his first experience with the icy white nothing. The old sensation of cold was unfamiliar to him, and it startled him, contorting him into a flailing wreck. He just fell. It was now that he was pushed off the ledge. He was scared, but he was still moving upwards, back to land and a stronghold, but now he was terrified. Abruptly, he scorned, as if to fight the fall, a returning feeling that had occurred after before; in the future.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Late that night, Luke found himself waking from a nightmare. Rain beat against his window. Short bursts of lightning illuminated the darkest corners of his room, producing arching shadows of twisted forms. Climbing out of his bed, Luke stumbled onto his cold wood floor to hazard a smile. He was wearing clothes, he realized, and the world was right. What he had experienced was only a dream. Even the grains of wood beneath his bare feet felt warm, though they were obviously lacking in tangible heat.
Luke stepped into a small corridor that one would call a hallway. Flashes of barbaric light sizzled across the colourless walls - as most things seem colourless in the dead of night - finding their way into unreachable places. Luke limped down the stretch of hall, and stepped down the stairs into his kitchen.
After most nightmares, Luke would wake with paralysis-ensuring fears. In most cases, he would force himself out of bed to walk off the troubles, and head to the kitchen for a late night snack of delicious leftovers. However, he was not hungry this time. His nightmare was different, as if it had drained life from his Kojani body, horn and all, and left him without any living desire, including hunger.
The storm was a curious one. Of course, Emaryl was a tropical island and tropical storms were as common as bathroom breaks, but this night was different. Something was happening around him, whether it was the storm or not, Luke could feel something greater than any night before. With this thought in mind, Luke leaned himself the kitchen counter, placing his hands against its glossy surface, and peered out the kitchen window.
Through rain-beaten glass, there was a perfect view of the darkened shore. Only the lampposts lit up the wave-beaten sands. As he examined the view, Luke realized there were three figures shuffling on the beach. Though the pounding rhythm of rain against the window pane obscured Luke's perception, he discovered that the three figures on the sands were fighting; fighting for their lives. Suddenly there was a burst of flames, and the three figures momentarily scattered. What was going on down there, Luke thought, as he headed for the front door. Grabbing a jacket, Luke emerged into the rain-washed streets. Salty pellets of water pelted against Luke's face, as he ran through the cobblestone square, and onto the trails. As he approached the shore, he realized Reed and Ganreeno were fighting someone, or, as Luke studied harder, something.
" Who is that?" Luke cried.
Reed looked back towards Luke, only to be hit by the opposing figure's fist. Ganreeno, Reed's Guardian, shot a blast flames from his mouth towards the figure, and growled.
The figure stepped back, trying to out the flames. Reed turned to Luke, and began to speak, " A bunch of them broke in, and took my sister."
" What?" Luke exclaimed. " Who are they?"
" I don't know, but they left this guy to stop me. . . like he can really do that," Reed began, but suddenly, the figure's hands grabbed at his throat, pulling him backwards. Without hesitation, Luke jumped on the figure's back.
" Let him go!" Luke exclaimed, as he tried to pull the figure down. Suddenly, with great force, Luke felt his body thrown at the ground. The figure turned towards him, and drew a sword. The tip of the blade stopped at his throat. Luke looked around hesitantly for Reed's aid, rain blurring his vision, but Reed was gone.
" You shouldn't mess in other's affairs," the figure said in a deep voice. " You will pay dearly for interfering with our plans."
At that, a brilliant light - or possibly a man - collided with the shady figure with sudden force, sending green and white sparks into the night sky. The dark figure skittered across the sands, shaking profusely as if channelling a series of hot electric waves.
Luke looked up to find his saviour; a man, towering at least twenty feet tall - which was quick guesswork - standing at his side. The man was enveloped with a glowing yellow light, and gleaming shades of greens and reds danced along his body. Luke strained his eyes, finding at least six large wings that sprouted from the man's back, and a long, writhing horn raised upwardly from his forehead. One arm was a sharp lance, the other, a cannon. The glowing creature peered downwards, sending a warm stare towards Luke, or at least, the man would have been staring, were eyes visible on his glowing face.
" Are you alright?" he asked, voice booming with a livening inflection. Luke looked at the man in awe. He raised his hand slowly in the air, as if to signal the man to finish his work, who then turned his colossal figure back towards the shadow-like creature that rose statically to its feet. " You should not have come to this town," the glowing angel began, voice irking petulantly. " By endangering this boy, you will now pay the ultimate price."
The dark, ominous, storm clouds livened from their seemingly dormant state - as dangerous and violent they had been - growing into a greater violent state; exploding with intense energy, as they formed a treacherous vortex of blacks and grays above the glowing man's head.
Sizzling forks of lightning struck sporadically about the angel-like man, the thunder's ever-present sound growing blatantly in anger. A thin line of bright light encircled the man, engraving itself into the sands like hot fingers around the angel's feet. Shards of silver-green light shot up from the circle, twisting into a parlous storm of green sparks, which encircled the man's enormous body.
Raising his arms to the air, the shards of light seeped into the spiralling clouds above. The circle of light below him grew brighter, and an explosive beam of light seared the night sky, lifting venomously from the hot sands and completely enshrouding the angel-like man's mighty form. The scorching light sent a wave energy sweeping across the shore, and brushed the waves backwards against their imperishable course.
As the beam disappeared with the shockwave, Luke suddenly realized that the entire storm had gathered over the mighty figure's head, or at least, that was how it seemed. The angel winked at Luke, and then turned a dark glare towards the petrified dark creature. With that, bolts of white lightning fell from the blackened clouds, gathering into one surging fork.
Acting as a lightning rod, the angel's twisted horn amassed the flaring bolt, dispersing its power throughout his immortal body. The angel gave a cry, aiming his cannon arm towards the dark creature. The cannon lit with a remarkable green light, bright and hot, and with a deep bellow, the glowing beam of electricity erupted from within the cannon, scorching outwards like flickering tongues of white lightning.
In the twinkling of an eye, the beam tore through the dark creature's shadowy flesh, and into the raging waters behind him. With ease, it separated the ocean with its impressionable heat, evaporating a straight line right through the centre. As the beam faded, the angel looked towards Luke.
" You have to come with me." The angel-like man's voice spoke clear and true, yet almost hushed with a sudden tone of sympathy. " There is no time to waste."
Luke remained silent; his eyes unmoving, laden with disbelief. Shaking his head, he then spoke, " W-why must I come with you?"
" Your friend is in trouble," the angel replied simply.
" Which friend?" Luke asked, suddenly feeling a wave of anxiety overcome him, along with a nauseating gripe, which obviously came from the brilliant heat of the angel's power. The glowing man paused; his eyes fixed on Luke. He took in a breath, and replied.
" Catherine."
A/N: Thanks for reading the first chapter. As I said before, if your character wasn't in this chapter he/she will be in the next one (or the next one). Please Review, and in the review include which stat you want upgraded for this chapter! Oh, also some of you guys didn't put the ones for this chapter so I took it upon myself to pick them. Thanks guys!