Okay. This starts from somewhere in the middle because 1) I like Ashton and wanted to start from the chapter he came in, and 2) My book 1 is with Jo-chan, so I can't translate that, anyway. With thanks to Aine for redoing the utterly /awful/ translation of Celine's speech. X.x This is my first translating project. Be kind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Open to the scene of a fine day, blue sky, clouds etc etc--our heroes, or hero-ines, because there are more girls than boys, are just walking along a path. Meia takes this chance to point out their impossibly skinny legs. Celine: Our next stop is Harle. We'd better catch the boat, this time. Claude, cutely chibi, sweatdrops slightly and looks at Celine with big eyes. Claude: But Celine, don't you want to stay at the village? Your dad... Celine ^_^'s genkily. Celine: Relax! He's perfectly okay now, thanks to Rena. She suddenly turns serious, holding up an old tome of some sort. Celine: Besides, I can't understand the words in the book we found at Cross, so I guess I'd better explore other ruins. Rena: So what /did/ the book say, anyway? The path ahead of them ends in a sort of tunnel, the entrance of which is blocked by a rather large group of people. Celine: What are they doing there? Two people, one elderly guy and one guy wearing something that's somewhat reminiscent of a fishing hat, turn around as they notice Claude-chan-tachi. Speedlines denote recognition! ...Or on this case, they denote them noticing that Claude-chan's wearing a sword. Old guy: (Oh!) Are you fighters? Claude: (sweatdropping) Uh, y-yes... And maybe he shouldn't have admitted that after all, since Claude-chan-tachi is immediately pushed towards the entrance of the cave by three hands that I can count. Random people: You're just in time! Don't just stand here, go in and help him! Claude looks rather adorably flustered. Claude: What happened? (I'm forcibly restraining myself from saying "Someone set up us the bomb", here.) Random people: A swordsman entered the cave to kill the dragon, but he seems to have run into some trouble, hurry up and help him! Claude-chan looks ever /more/ adorably flustered. Rena and Celine use him as a sort of shield, hiding behind him. Claude: H-hey, wait a minute... Why do I have to... It appears that the random people aren't taking 'no' for an answer. Random people: GO IN RIGHT NOW! Poor Claude. ^^x Claude: W-w-wait! And here we have Claude-chan-tachi, resignedly walking deeper into the cave, being sent off by Chibi Bodiless Random People. Random people: Be careful! Well, Rena's resigned, at least. Claude looks sort of chibifiededly sweatdropping and pissed off, while Celine is yelling back at the Random People. Celine: Who said it was easy being a hero?! (Lit. "Strong people get all the work,", which didn't quite scan.) Rena looks slightly worried. Rena: They said that someone went to kill a dragon... Celine ignores her, eyeing the cave, still wih a rather miffed expression. Celine: (This is a really narrow cave.) Claude, however, /doesn't/ ignore Rena. Awwwww, twoo wuve... *smack* Anyway. Claude: Maybe we should go in and see what's going on? They walk further in, until they see a bright light in front of them. And lo, it is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but rather, two huge ferocious dragons, snarling. Claude-chan-tachi are understandably shocked. Claude-chan-tachi: M--My God!! Their attention is suddenly caught by someone skidding back, apparently the aforementioned swordsman who was thrown back by the dragons' attack. Enter Ashton! *waves flags* He looks understandably worried at the entrance of our three hero-ines. Ashton: What are you doing here? It's too dangerous--run! -Navigation: 12- Pan out to an overview--the cave really /is/ rather narrow. The darker coloured head--I just can't bring myself to call it "Gyoro", not right now, at least--has opened it's mouth to reveal some very sharp teeth. It breathes out a long gout of fire, which Ashton barely dodges. It's not time for the other head to do some manner of ice attack. Ashton jumps out of the way and towards the dragons, launching his own attack. Ashton: He-yah! Or something. Forgive me, you just /can't/ express sound effects properly in Chinese, which is what I'm reading the manga in. He strikes at one of the heads with his sword, which, apart from pissing the dragon off, doesn't seem to do very much. Meanwhile, Claude-chan-tachi are having a field day, watching. Rena: That must be the swordsman who came in, just now. Claude: We'd better give him a hand. Celine: Calm down, Claude! She places one hand on the wall of the cave. Celine: It's too narrow, we can't do anything. Claude: True... how about using magic? Rena: That might cause the tunnel to collapse... Claude: Then what are we going to do? (How about... nothing?) Claude-chan-tachi engage themselves in a lively discussion, much to the annoyance of Ashton, who... twitches. After a while, out adorable widdle swordsmage can't handle it anymore, and starts yelling at Claude-chan-tachi. Ashton: SHUT UP! Will you guys JUST SHUT UP?! You're ruining my concentration! I'm trying to kill a dragon here, will you just stop talking behind my back?! Claude-chan-tachi look sort of taken aback by Ashton's outburst, although you can't really blame either party. Claude: ...Sorry... Ashton: Please stop bothering me! Meanwhile, the dragons both look sort of contemplative at the scene unfolding before them, and I don't blame /them/, either. They begin to blur, to darken, until all you can see is their eyes-- --There is a sudden bright flash of light-- Ashton: Wh--wha? Claude-chan-tachi shield their eyes from the light and make various distressed noises which I won't bother trying to put down. The light appears to have knocked them out for a moment, since when it fades, they're all in various stages of lying down. Claude: What was that light? Celine: I can't open my eyes... Ashton: Ow! What happened? He blinks. Ashton: Wha? The cave behind them is empty. Ashton: Where are they? The dragons... disappeared? Cue flower petals. If his eyes were open, they'd be sparkling--but they are, unfortunately, not. Ashton: I must have scared them away... Wahaha! I got rid of them! Claude-chan-tachi, for rather obvious reasons, fail to share Ashton's jubilation. In fact, they're looking at him oddly. Ashton: ...? Why're you looking at me like that? Rena sweatdrops and points. Rena: Your... your back... Ashton turns around, slightly nonplussed. Ashton: My back? His nonplussed reaction is replaced with shock as he finds the two dragons fused to his back. I'm sorry, but I have /no idea/ what the /hell/ Ashton is saying here. It appears to have references to bowls and cakes, which makes /no sense/ whatsoever. Suffice to say, it appears to be an expression of abject shock, which can be told from the look on his face alone. The two dragons don't seem to like what he just said, however, and protest by making funny noises. Wai for funny noises. Ashton: What are those things doing on my back? I was trying to get rid of them! Spiky dialogue boxes denote yelling. Rena and Celine cling to Claude again, who seems a little taken aback. Well, Ashton /is/ sort of overreacting here. Then again, he's got reason to be. Claude-chan-tachi beat a quick escape, with Ashton chasing after them. Ashton: Get rid of them! Claude: I can't! The Random People are back, peering curiously into the tunnel, presumably due to the commotion that our Heroes are making. All they get for their curiosity is a bunch of sand in the eye, due to what Claude-chan-tachi kick up as they rush out of the cave. A random person sweatdrops. Random person: That was the second swordsman, wasn't it? The old guy sweatdrops, too. Old guy: Just what was in that cave? Just then, Ashton runs out, with marble-cryey eyes, much to the surprise of the Random People. Small thin panels with nothing in them denote time passing. Claude-chan-tachi are having a drink at a traveller's teahouse, apparently still tired from the run. Celine: That was just too wierd... (The words for 'accident' are used, but that's just odd.) Claude holds a cup of tea, eyes closed, and sighs. Claude: What to do, what to do... Suddenly, Ashton bursts in. Speed lines denote... well, speed. Claude chokes on his tea. Either that, or he's trying not to spit it out. Ashton: /I'm/ the one who should be asking that! How could you run away like that?! This is all your fault for making so much noise! Claude-chan-tachi sweatdrop. Here, we have a panel best described as 'yaoi-shot'. Ashton glares down at Claude, who... oh, this is just something that has to be seen. I may scan it. Or I may not. Ashton: All in all... Spiky dialogue boxes and bigger font indicate, well, yelling. So does the exclamation mark. And the cliche lightning-background. Ashton is cutely chibified pissed off. Ashton: YOU CAUSED THIS, SO YOU'D BETTER FIX IT! Claude is, unfortunately, not immune to the dangers of the lightning background. Or the spiky dialogue box. Claude: Stop making a scene! People are going to talk! Behind them, two waitresses are blushing and giggling. I can't help but wonder if there were any differences in the Japanese version. This scene /so/ screams yaoi-shot to me... Waitresses: Those two people are funny. (Heehee.) Claude looks resigned. Claude: Alright, alright... what do you want us to do? Ashton: Help me get rid of those dragons, of course! I can't walk around with those things attached to my back! Rena: But... how are we going to do that? Ashton chibifies and makes a cryey face. The two dragons look at him curiously. They're /so/ cute... Ashton is /so/ cute... *sparkle* Rena sweatdrops. Rena: You don't know either? Celine, however, does. Celine: I /do/ know how to exorcise magical beings. Ashton marble-eyes and throws himself at Celine, grabbing her leg. She blushes and slaps him. Hee. Celine: That's right. I came across it in a book I read, once. There comes a huge chunk of text that I have no idea if I can translate properly, but I'll try. Celine: The one who has been possessed by dragons, must dance in the sky, and cleanse himself with the tear of the Lord who Dances in the Sky. On the steep cliff surrounded by still water, deep inside mother, you may find the one who holds the throne of the Lord who Dances in the Sky. Issue forth a Challenge, and win a glorious victory, and you may gain the Tear. (I'm sorry. That is an /awful/ translation, but then this passage uses /lots/ of Chinese words that are written in the old style, which is much more complicated, since I'm not /too/ sure about what they really mean...) Celine: Then, with the following incantation, the magical dragons shall perish in agony. Ashton: So, I can exorcise the dragons this way, then? Claude turns to Celine. Claude: But then, what's the 'lord' that they're referring to? (I suppose I ought to be using the word 'King', but then I'm /irrevocably/ convinced that XINE is female. Maybe she's not. I think she is, and that she and the dragons had a thing going, way back when. X.x) Celine: From my investigations... they should be referring to the mountains to the north-west of Cross. (The translation here is... very rough. Probably inaccurate. Augh.) Ashton: Alright, let's go! Rena: So cute... Rena is feeding the dragons rice-balls. Or whatever you call them, they're sticky balls made of rice-flour, I believe, and coated in various flavoring. I tried green tea. They're pretty nice. Anyway, the dragons look /sooo/ adorable eating them... Hmm. Maybe it's mochi. I forgot. Anyway... Rena: They're eating mochi! (I'll stick with this for now, unless someone wants to give me a headthwack and correct me. X.x) Claude sweatdrops. Rena snuggles the blue dragon, who is still munching contentedly. Rena: I don't suppose I could give them names? Ashton sweatdrops chibily. Ashton: That's not important, is it? Rena ignores him, still petting the dragon. God, how cute is it possible to be before I feel like shooting her? Rena: This one has long eyes, so let's call him Gyoro. And this one has round eyes, so lets call him Ururun. (I'm sure this makes sense in Japanese. In fact, it makes sense in Chinese, because they're literally named "Little Long", and "Little Round". It shall be, if I can fit it in, a Freudian joke that the dragons make to Ashton, in my in-planning Ashton 'fic.) Claude, Celine, and Ashton sweatdrop. (Those names...) Ashton: Well, at least I've managed to find out how to exorcise them. You guys had better help me. Claude-chan-tachi sweatdrop, as Ashton walks off. Claude-chan-tachi: Not easy to be a hero, indeed... (Right.) Ashton: Ah... that's right! He turns around, smiling. He looks rather adorable, here. Ashton: My name is Ashton Anchors. Nice to meet you! Claude-chan-tachi sweatdrop, contrasting this with the hysterical person that demanded they take responsibility for the dragons, earlier. Celine: Almost like two people. Claude: Yeah. Ashton: Alright, everyone, lets go! We now interrupt with blank denotions of time-passing, and your weekly weather report. -end-