"You sleep much."
Alisia awoke to the sound of Plantella's voice. She rubbed her eyes and regarded the tall plant woman with a grin.
"Well, I haven't been sleeping regular hours these past few days. I'm overtired."
Plantella seemed to understand. Alisia looked around to see that all signs of the battle last night had apparently been cleaned up. No goblin corpses littered the grass, and there were no scorch marks showing the bonfires from the scuffle.
Alisia rose and stretched her legs as she scanned for her other friends. It was a pleasant late morning. The temperature was much more comfortable than the hellish heat from last night. The grass felt cool between her toes as she packed her items together and put her armor, waistcloth and sandaled boots back on.
Leo and Whisp walked back into the clearing as she was finishing her packing. They had just checked to the north to see if any trouble was waiting for them. Plantella, however, had already made sure that none of them would be disturbed on the way out of the Forest of Illusion.
"Ah well. Farewell, lady of the forest," Leo saluted her and began to walk towards the forest's exit.
Whisp nodded as Alisia waved to Plantella. The plant woman looked a little sad to see them go (since they were most likely the only humanoid friends ever had) but waved back with a slight smile.
Alisia spoke, "Thank you again for the protection. Keep this forest safe and take care of yourself."
She didn't know why she remarked about keeping the forest unharmed... it just seemed to flow out of her mouth without warning. Alisia shrugged and left with her elemental in tow.
"Take care," Plantella replied as they left the Forest of Illusion.
Leo frowned as Alisia translated what Whisp had said. They emerged from the forest and sent the ball of fire to float above the nearby range of hills to the west. Unfortunately...
"He says that there's no sign of the Destiny. Apparently they turned west in the night as you feared," Alisia reported.
Leo paced back and forth on the plains for a few minutes.
"We can head back through the woods or stop in Takkar village. I only hope that those mages don't learn how to use the Dragon Cannon."
"Hm... I say we press on to the next town. We can restock on supplies (since Alisia had been favoring using Lunarian items and conserving her own since she met up with Leo) and perhaps some people there have news of the craft's movements," Alisia replied.
Leo soon agreed and the trio made their way towards Takkar.
In the air above the north end of the Forest of Illusion, Jean was astride Dragon Frye as they scanned the area.
"It doesn't look like there's any signs of commotion or battle down there. Perhaps the Star Dragon was merely getting us out of his tower," Jean noted.
Frye growled in response, then noticed something to the north. He yipped to alert Jean of what he saw.
Jean looked in that direction to see what appeared to be a small horde of monsters fighting among themselves just outside of Takkar.
"Quick, they might be planning to attack another town! Let's get down there, Frye!"
The small, green dragon soared off in that direction.
The scuffle they had seen was not monsters fighting each other. Rather, it was a large number of Dung Beetles, Albino Baboons and Flytrappers who were heading toward Takkar... but found a small party of 'victims' before hand.
Of course, the 'victims' were anything but that...
Though the number of enemies was huge, Alisia's Rolling Bolt and Leo's Crack Zone soon lessened the attacking horde. Whisp simply rammed many of the apes to set their hair aflame.
"You know, this is almost fun!" Alisia exclaimed to Leo. The beast-man only glared at her. He was surprised she found amusement from such a battle, regardless of how one-sided it had been.
When only a few baddies remained, the trio regrouped. They were a little weary by now but had barely any injuries.
The remaining creatures suddenly charged... and were blasted from above by flaming bolts.
Alisia, Leo and Whisp watched as a small green dragon landed on the ground and spat flames onto many of the nasties. A young green-haired girl hopped off of its back and began to spin in a sort of dance. Fans studded with needles and finger-like blades flew from her hands and slashed the remaining foes.
Two Albino Baboons near her were not hit... however, they seemed to watch the girl's dance in a trance of some sort. The girl stopped spinning and lowered one of her fans to blow a kiss at one of the apes. The baboon who was 'hit' by the kiss appeared to be in a trance and began to beat down his fellow gorilla, then collapse himself.
Panting slightly, Leo dashed up to the girl and a smile. Alisia slowly followed after finding Whisp cooking one last Dung Beetle.
"Jean! It's a pleasure to see you once again. I'm grateful for your assistance here."
Jean grinned, "How could I let one of my best pals get hurt with me just watching above... though it looks like you and your odd friends here were handling this bunch rather well."
"Quite an odd entrance, Jean," Leo responded. "Riding on the back of a... little dragon?"
Jean replied, "Well, yes. Frye's a strange new friend of mine... where is he now anyway?" The dancer looked around and was interrupted by a loud cry.
"FRYE!!!"
Leo and Jean promptly turned and stared dumbly at the sight.
The little dragon had tackled Alisia and was on top of her chest and stomach, licking her face with his tongue. The thunder sorceress had her arms around him in a tight bear hug as Whisp circled them rapidly.
"What the hell?" Jean blurted out as she and the beast-knight approached them rolling on the grass.
"Hmm...it would seem that my new friends know your new friend," Leo replied.
The dragon emitted a happy growl as he let Alisia get to her feet. Frye nuzzled against her leg as she spoke.
"Oh... pardon us for that last scene. I just thought that I might never see him again."
Leo grinned, "Jean, this is Alisia Dragoon, a traveler and thunder mage who helped protect Dalton from an attack with me. Alisia, meet Jean. She's a proficient dancer from the Carnival and a fine ally of mine."
Jean and Alisia shook hands as Whisp popped up and stared at the dancer.
Alisia giggled and spoke: "He forgot about Whisp. Don't worry, he's a friendly fire elemental... not like the ones Leo tells me about from the Salyan desert."
Jean smiled and listened as Leo told her about what had happened: the stealing of the Destiny, the attack at Dalton, the goblins and Plantella. As he spoke, several thoughts went through her mind. Why had Frye been so friendly to this strangely attired 'traveler'... unless she happened to be THE traveler... the one who had accompanied the little dragon from the Blue Star.
The dancer watched as Frye growled into the young woman's ear. Alisia immediately whispered back to him. Whisp was nearby the whole time.
Before Jean could explain how she came to be in possession of a dragon, Alisia spoke.
"Frye tells me that you took care of him when he was lost, alone, and hungry. You fed him and became a good friend to him... thank you."
Jean's eyes widened.
"You... you can understand him?"
Leo remarked, "Yes, Ms. Dragoon here has an inherent ability to speak with animals... if they care to listen. That's why Whisp is so friendly. She even spoke with a Plantella back in the forest."
Alisia grinned, "Don't forget that you talked with her too. All you have to do is calm her down first."
Jean quested, "Is that why Frye seems so friendly towards you?"
Alisia seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding.
"Yes, he, Whisp and similar creatures are probably my best friends... actually they're more like family to me..."
Jean was a bit suspicious now... it seemed to her that this girl in front of her may be the other companion from the Blue Star... which also meant she might have the Dark Scimitar or know where it is at least.
Leo led the way as the five of them walked toward the town. Frye crawled between the two girls. Whisp hovered over Alisia's shoulder.
There were two guards at the gate. One was extremely pale. The other was fumbling with his spear but looked more stable. When the creatures approached, the former fainted dead away. The other addressed the group.
"Lord Leo! Thank the Goddess that you and your allies arrived... despite how strange they look," the guard spoke, staring at the drake and elemental. "We were afraid that they would soon strike at our gates, and as you can see, not all of us seem ready for a siege here."
Leo simply nodded.
"This is the second strange sight I've seen lately. Last night I could swear there were hordes of black shapes flying from the east above our town... and now this attack," the guard continued.
Jean interrupted, "What's that about dark shapes?" Perhaps that was the Star Dragon had spoken about.
"I'm not certain... it could have just been my eyes playing tricks on me... but I swear I saw hundreds of those shades approaching from the east. Then they turned northwest and flew out of sight. The only thing to the east is that Haunted Mansion though."
Jean thought to herself, "And that small cave..."
Leo thought and spoke: "Perhaps this horde was related to the one that struck Dalton... maybe the source of all these groups is to the east. I think we should investigate the mansion."
"But what about the Destiny, Leo?" Alisia quested.
"Yes, we must retrieve that as well... but Jean has said that the dragons have been doing much traveling the fast few days. Hopefully they'll locate it and liberate it while we handle the possible evil to the east."
"Dragons?"
Jean nodded. "We'll explain it to you later... perhaps you, Whisp and Frye should go into the city and buy some supplied first. Leo and I will ask around for any other news of monsters or the Destiny."
Now it was Alisia's turn to get suspicious. It seemed like this dancer was trying to get rid of her for a moment. Plus she told Alisia to take her friends with her into a city... wouldn't people be curious? Alisia guessed that Jean realized that anything Frye or Whisp heard could easily be relayed to her.
Alisia slowly nodded and agreed... why not see what this girl was planning? She hurried into the village with her animals trailing her.
The guard left his post for a moment to bring his woozy partner inside for a drink at the bar. Jean briskly approached Leo and spoke.
"We don't need to question anyone. We already have enough info to go on. I need to talk to you about something, Leo."
Leo, with a puzzled expression, asked: "Huh? What is wrong Jean?"
Jean took a breath and proceeded to tell her friend about Frye's strange arrival and her befriending of the little dragon. She informed him of her voyage to the Star Dragon's Tower with Nall and Ruby and the subsequent discussions that went on there.
Leo contemplated a few things as Jean finished her tales.
"So you say that this Frye could be a Fifth Dragon of Althena from the Blue Star? You also think that Alisia may be his companion... also from the Blue Star. But how could that be? Isn't the Blue Star completely devoid of life? And even if it wasn't, why would she be with the dragon?"
Jean responded, "I can't answer all of those, but I do think that BOTH of them are from the Blue Star. I don't know how there could be life on the Blue Star... I guess Lucia is the only one who could answer that... but Alisia shouldn't be here... particularly if she has the Dark Scimitar. That's the only reason why this last dragon would even come to Lunar."
"But if she had the dark sword, why would the dragon even be one of her 'friends'? It doesn't make sense if they're together like they are now. Alisia also seems to have a good heart... she did rush forth to protect that Plantella when I hesitated," Leo answered.
Jean shook her head.
"I didn't say she was necessarily evil... although helping a Plantella might just be a sign of protecting a 'fellow monster'... but I'm quite skeptical of her now. Why did she give you a fake story then? Why didn't she say outright that she's from the Blue Star unless she has something to hide? I suggest we keep a close eye on all of them till we know more or one of the other dragons pop up."
Leo nodded slightly.
"I'm not as suspicious... but I am curious about her true past now. I agree that we should be wary."
Alisia quickly dashed among the stores and stocked up on herbs, starlights and other healing items with the silver she still had from Earth.
Several of the villagers stopped what they were doing and watched her rush about. They were either surprised by the floating ball of flame with eyes that hovered over her shoulder, the winged dragon-like lizard that walked at her side, or, mostly in the case of the male townspeople, Alisia's tight leather armor and 'leggy' appearance.
She slowed down as she approached the gate again. Alisia saw Jean and Leo talking softly to each other. Leo seemed to notice her approach and whispered something quickly to Jean. Both the dancer and the knight turned to face her with grins on their faces.
"Hmm... something strange is up," Alisia thought to herself and whispered to both Whisp and Frye.
"Ah, you're back," Leo said with a smirk.
Alisia replied, "Yep. I've got plenty of items too... now that are party has nearly doubled in size. Learn anything from the townspeople?"
Leo hesitated before Jean interrupted.
"Not much. Basically the guards at the north gate also saw the flying shades heading north and west. I guess we're off to investigate the mansion."
With that, the quintet left Takkar. Frye stayed next to Jean, occasionally looking up and her growling pleasantly. Leo and Whisp flanked Alisia.
In five minutes, the quintet stood at the doors of the withered old mansion.
"Kinda creepy, isn't it?" Alisia shuddered, feeling a slight chill. The wind blew her waist sash wildly as Leo pushed open the doors.
Jean smirked, "It's not really haunted. All the monsters inside were merely Lemina's handiwork."
"Who?"
"Another friend of ours... I wonder what she's doing right now," Leo remarked.
The doors creaked loudly as they shuffled inside, weapons at the ready.
Somewhere on the floors above them, a Flash Lord heard the sound and motioned to his companions to get ready. They began to spread out among the top floor in different rooms.
Leo and his allies slowly searched the lower floors of the mansion... finding nothing but dust and the remains of the creatures that had been exterminated by Hiro, Ronfar and Jean a while ago.
The next few floors were more interesting. The layers of dust were definitely missing as there were footprints and other signs of life or movement all over.
During all the searching, Jean kept watch on Alisia as the thunder sorceress watched the girl right back. Whisp acted as a torch for Leo in the darker rooms.
As they reached the stairs that would lead to the top floor (not the attic though), a hideous voice nearly made all of them jump out of their shoes. The mansion had been silent except for the creaking of their footsteps.
"POUND THE GROUND TO BRING THEM DOWN!"
"Aaaaahh!"
"What the hell was that?!" Leo exclaimed. "I though there were none of Lemina's 'riddle traps' left here."
Jean calmed down.
"Maybe it's not created by Lemina..."
Leo slowly opened the door and felt a burst of wind.
In front of the party appeared to be three TALL white ghosts, nearly extending from the floor to the ceiling. They had strange flat heads and big black eyes. The ghosts moved about wildly... but seemed to be somewhat 'stuck' to the floor.
Frye shivered and stared in fear.
Leo held his sword up, his hair and cape billowing in the wind. Suddenly six metal darts appeared in the floorboards at his feet. The beast-man leapt backwards and watched more darts fly from the eyes of the ghosts.
Jean was keeping her dress from flying up with her arms as the winds increased slightly. Alisia's waistcloth was attempting the same feat as she manifested LightningFang with her free arm.
All five of them tried to rush the ghosts, only to find that the winds were strong enough to knock them off their feet. The dancer picked herself up and attempted to toss needles at the phantoms... but the wind knocked them to the floor right away.
Whisp sizzled something in Alisia's ear. She yelled to Leo.
"Isn't it obvious?! Nail them with Earth spells from underneath the winds!"
Leo nodded and cast Earth Fang under each ghost. The stone maws burst from the floorboards and chomped the lower half of each apparition. A horrible crunching sound was heard with each bite. The winds abruptly died down and the ghosts' white 'skin' fell to the ground around the remains of some type of metal spinning device (which was no longer working). All that remained were what was in their heads...Assassins hanging underneath large kites that promptly crashed to the ground without any wind to hold them up. The ninjas got to their feet but only found that Leo's Flash Blade, LightningFang and Jean's Comet Tail soon ended their lives.
The three humanoids straightened their hair and outfits.
"I guess someone is using this place for something," Leo noted.
Jean sighed, "This room was for Leo. Each of us will probably have to use some spell to make whatever we come up against vulnerable to attack."
Alisia nodded and adjusted her ponytail. She walked up to the next door and the voice boomed out again.
"MENTALLY WEAK, PHYSICALLY STRONG, IT'S AMAZING THAT THESE APES CAN GET ALONG!"
"Stupid apes...hmm," Alisia murmured as she opened the door.
In the next room stood five Albino Baboons... at least, they looked like they were part Albino Baboon. The lower halves of their bodies were covered in strange rocky growths.
The half-Baboon, half-golem creature slowly made their way toward the quintet. Each flailed their arms wildly in front of them and snarled.
"If they're stupid... maybe we can get them to flail at something other than us," Leo noted, his sharion in a defensive position in front of his body.
Jean knew exactly what to do. She began to spin and dance... with Frye mimicking her. Leo recognized it as a Fantasy Dance. Alisia was just puzzled as she watched her dragon friend cavort around like the dancer. Jean blew a kiss at each of the Gol-oons and they froze in place... staring stupidly at one another. Leo quickly ran in and shoved one of the beasts into his companions.
Rather than retaliate at the beast-knight, the Gol-oon turned toward one of his allies and began to punch him. In a few minutes, all of them were pounding the stuffing out of each other.
Jean stepped to the next door, giggling slightly.
"How dumb can they get?"
Alisia smiled. "Now you know why I don't bother trying to speak with them."
"IF YOU'RE SICK OF GETTING POUNDED, MAKE SURE THAT THESE GUYS ARE GROUNDED!"
The voice boomed again... slightly lower this time and with less emphasis.
"Sounds like whoever is behind this is getting bored with our successes... good!" Alisia noted.
The chamber was slightly darker than the last one. Four shapes moved out of the shadows... four metal shapes. Each had six thin arms that flailed about as they immediately rushed toward the heroes.
"Robots?!" Alisia exclaimed.
"What?" Leo yelled as he began to parry the rapidly thrusting arms of the 'creature' that dashed at him.
The thunder mage replied, "That's what the elders of my town call men made completely of metal. I've seen them before."
"Oh? And what town is that?" Jean asked briskly as she raised her fans to block the strikes of the things.
"Uh... oh yes, I've figured out the riddle!" Alisia responded, changing the subject quickly.
Leo cast another Earth Fang. The jaws closed around the 'robots' legs, knocking them back and giving the heroes some breathing room.
"Eh? Earth spells didn't work!" Leo noted.
Alisia chanted and answered, "No, not that kind of 'grounding'!" Her spell finished and the long, electric TandleLash appeared in her hand. She immediately started to whip each of the robots until they shorted out and remained still. It took little effort for Frye and Leo to rip the unmoving metal beasts apart.
Leo stood at the next door in a few minutes after the group rested up and healed their wounds.
"I hope there aren't many more of these 'tests' to get through," he sighed.
"ICY SHELLS PROTECT BODIES OF BONE...ah screw it! You can guess this one!"
The voice was clearly annoyed now.
"I wonder if that could mean we have to melt ice," Alisia said, staring at Frye and Whisp. The two animals looked at each other and smirked.
The large chamber was cold and bright. Both Alisia and Jean felt a chill... which was expected from their outfits... and huddled near Whisp. Leo watched the wall of ice that was on the far side of the room. It began to crack and broke into six pieces... each was a skeletal knight encased in thick blue armor... made of ice.
Frye immediately began to torch the Icy Necro Knights with his breath. Whisp rammed into the enemies while the three humanoids simply stood at the far side of the room, shivering.
Within a few minutes, the icy casings were completely melted away from the skeletons. Leo Grizzle Gash-ed and they became piles of scattered bones.
"That was a little too easy," Jean remarked as the fivesome walked through the opening behind the broken ice wall... leading to the stairs to the attic.
The Flash Lord who had been making the voices was furious. He assembled his remaining minions and reactivated the device that they had spent several weeks rebuilding in preparation for the intruders.