The Schwa Saga-- Chapter 4:

Fairies, Dwarves, and the Power of Diversity

Wondering what happened to me when I got outta Lashrock? Well, sit down and relax, for Chapter 4 is about to commence. It may seem a little more grim than the others, however... But it really happened, and there's no getting around the past. Let's get started...

"Fuse this armor," I commanded, slapping my teal Tunic-Armor onto the iron table and gently clinking a familiar jade gem next to it. The blacksmith looked down at the tunic, then at the gem, then at me as if I were some kind of god... His lower lip was trembling a little. I, however, just wanted to make sure I was heard. "You heard me. Fuse 'em. I will be back in a few days once I've earned the money. Do a good job and don't discard ANY of that Spiritstone; that's an Earth Spirit's perfection. Later." And I walked out as if my request was a mere, everyday's work.

I thought my idea was pretty keen-- the Spiritstone, given to me by Rauhl the Earth Spirit overseer back in Lashrock, according to him, was impossible to sell or be given for free to any shop or person in existance. Carrying it, however, was cumbersome... so had I got it fused to the armor, I would be "wearing" Rauhl's blessing, plus it wouldn't scratch up, PLUS I was SURE it offered the armor-item some kind of enchantment if it were to be fused.

But I needed the money, and my last adventure had drained every bit of Gil from my pockets, sometime around the moment we left from Domino Outpost. I had a solution to this, of course; in the world we exist in, especially in towns like these (when there's a forest nearby), those needing money can simply wander aimlessly around the woods, and Brigands will attack him or her, which, when felled, provide much needed Gil to the winner. The only dilemmas I was in at the time was that A) I had no armor to help me, and B) To pay for the fusion, I needed to win a LOT of fights. So it was going to be quite a long and excruciating next coupla days, fighting, going to the Inn, resting, fighting again, back to the Inn to rest, more fighting... OVER and OVER and OVER again... Fun. >.<

15 minutes later I had come from my first randomly-appearing-Brigand slaughter run, back to the Inn to rest, when on the Inn Bulletin Board I saw a notice, or advertisement or whatever it was. I read... "Opalwoods City Arena? Free entry, high payout?" I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. "HuhuhuHOO, looks like these Brigand fights are OVER. Yaaaay! Arena time!" And after resting up a little to get my vitality and Mana back, I memorized the directions on the poster, and prepared to make my debut. Schwa was about to SHINE!

"Hello there. Can I help you?" That girl was waaaaaaaay cute... the one behind the Arena Lobby check-in counter, that is, that asked me that when I stepped in. She had purple hair, which hung in a pair of locks down to her chest, and sparkles in her eyes, but most noticable were the huge, silver butterfly wings on her back. Surprisingly, she didn't act as youthful and energetic as she looked. "...Do you have business here, sir? Speak up," she said. Oops, I just noticed I had been in a daze... "Hrm! Sorry... I saw a poster in the Inn that said this Arena was free to enter with high payouts. Is that accurate?"

She nodded, not even smiling. "That is, if you don't get yourself killed." I sensed a bitter coldness in her tone, but ignored it. "Well, high payouts work for me, since I need a lot of money in a preferably short amount of time... Name's Schwa. Could I get signed up?" I sounded a little desperate, hopefully not overly so... But she at once turned to a simple computer nearby and started typing away on the peculiar keyboard. After a minute or so, she turned back to me. "You're signed up," she said at once. "Be prepared to get in the ring pretty soon. As soon as there's a made match, you're on." Adrenaline wracked me for a moment. "YES! Thanks! Any rules to these arena fights?" For the first time, I saw her smile **very vaguely**, impressed with my question. She waved a hand to a poster on the wall and nodded. "Good of you to ask. At least SOME men still have honor."

I chuckled a little as I read the rules, still in conversation with the winged girl. "Not a fan of men, huh?" She sat back down, still smirking but still pretty cold. "Since you ask, I'll be blunt... Men are pigs. I deal with too many to know that fact, here in this secretary position... Oh hey, you got a match." The doors opened to a hallway nearby. "You're on. Better get going." I turned and shrugged... "Wow, that was fast... Good thing the rules are simple enough to know by heart... Wish me luck." She was silent as I disappeared down the hallway.

And suddenly, more doors opened ahead of me and I was blinded by the sun as I stepped into a huge Colluseum arrangement, filled with a good deal of screaming audience members of all species I could think of... Hey, I've seen bigger Arenas, but I liked this one anyway for some reason. And standing in the center of the ring was a man with his back turned, in a tuxedo and classy, black slacks; a very formally-dressed man, this was. As I approached, he turned to me, and I could see that his face only had one eye, smack-dab in the center of his forehead. A Cyclops? This was my opponent?

"And the first contestant has appeared! Please welcome Schwa the Mage-Paladin, ladies and gentlemen!" He spoke into a mic with an english accent... I noted that this Cyclops could have passed for a billionare's butler if he needed to. "The second contestant should arrive shortly. Schwa, do you have any opening statement to share?" He held the mic to me. Uh-oh, now I was having to ad-lib... "Well," I half-choked, "I suppose I, well... Eheheh, you're puttin' me on the spot, sir... I don't have an opening line. I fight who I have to, earn the money to get by, and try to stand up for friends and fellow underdogs." The crowd cheered, and I got an inspiration. "At first glace I thought YOU were my opponent, mister classy," I added. The crowd died of laughter, including the sophisticated Cyclops. Much better.

"Actually, it's us," a young, cheery, male voice from behind casually mentioned, and I almost jumped as I whirled about, startled. Before me were two humans, a guy and a girl looking about in their mid 20's, the guy wearing a scarlet komono and the girl wearing a turquoise komodo. His hair was spiked and fiery, and her hair was smooth and silky. Both stood before me, hands joined, youthful faces bearing a smile and a glint in the eye. I stammered... "Two opponents?? That wasn't in the rules... I must've missed something..." CRAP, I just realized I still had the mic. The crowd died again, and frantically I fumbled the mic back to the Cyclops before I made any more fool out of myself. I could always redeem myself by gracefulness in the battle... But the two young foes didn't even seem put off by my fumble. The girl smiled. "You never missed anything. It's actually a fair fight, because technically we're the same person." I nodded. "Gotcha. That's-- hey, WHAT!!?" The news' meaning made impact, and before I could ask WTF they meant, a bell sounded, and the pummeling began.

In the blink of an eye, the two fighters had gotten on my left and right respectively, and from the red-robed man's hand-gestures leapt a rain of fireballs that flurried over me... which was when I realized I had no armor on, and thus, no protection. That STUNG! But before I could counter, they had moved again, and after the girl's hand gesture, razor-sharp hail came out of nowhere and pelted me for a prolonged period of time, cutting me. They were softening my defenses alright... Furthermore, I was getting my ass handed to me.

That was enough. A Forcefield would do the trick, and when I summoned it, I found I was right. Without blinking, Mister Flame let loose a flaming column from his hands that slammed the barrier steadily, determined to shatter it. I shot my glance from guy to girl... A plan hatched. Mana Radio would work perfectly for this plan... but it required a 10-second charge... and thank God my force field held out for juuuuuuuust long enough, for it shattered as soon as I finished the cast. But since the spell was complete, I could now control mana-based occurances in the atmosphere around me... which included the flames being produced by Red-Robed over here.

As I forced the flames to form a sphere above my head, I noticed something else... Upon casting the spell, I had paralyzed both my foes at once. They were helpless. I let the huge sphere fly, right into the turquoise-clad girl, and something seemed to shatter around her as she hit the ground, covered in blood and sizzling. The man was bleeding too. And they were still paralyzed. And the whole time, the crowd cheered for me. But something about this made me uncomfortable... As I hesitated, Cyclops approached. "Something the matter, sir?" I nodded, motioning for the mic and receiving it. "I forfeit this," I announced to the audience. "I can't fight a foe I don't understand and feel good about victory." A bell sounded, and although I felt a little crushed, I knew I had just did an incredibly right thing.

5 minutes later, I was back in the Lobby, panting. The winged girl, still at her counter, seemed a little impatient... "You just fought. No more fights for you for 6 hours, that's the rule," she said. I was silent, staring blankly ahead of me, lost in thought. She finally sighed and walked up. "Look, if I can't help you, you shouldn't have a reason to-- Where are you going?" I got up at that point and headed straight to the door marked 'Lockers'. "You boar, you can't just ignore people..." I heard her say behind me, ticked. Did I care? Nope.

"I'm sorry that happened to us..." I heard voices from one corner of the locker room that sounded familiar... That was the girl talking, the same one I fought a few minutes ago. The man spoke next. "That man, Schwa... He was honorable beyond words. He could've killed us, and won double the money for wearing no armor... Wait a second..." They both looked behind them, and saw me eavesdropping. I was a little embarassed, but their faces lit up brightly upon seeing me. "It's YOU!" the girl exclaimed. "Come and sit with us, friend!"

I was a little apprehensive. "Friend? Me?" I asked, not convicted... The girl frowned, puzzled. "Yeeeeeeah, you, Schwa... You... don't think we can be friends?" She sounded crushed, and I panicked a little. "No no, nothing like that... Here, let me take a look at your wounds." I came up and sat down in between them. She was cut in many, many places, some of which defied possibility, considering what really happened... "What HAPPENED out there, anyway?" I asked... "I sent this fireball at you... and granted, it should've scorched you, but these look like genuine falchion cuts... Elemental weakness?" She was silent for a moment, and nodded. "You could say that. And HE'S weak against water." Pause. "I'm Seira! Glad to meet you!" She held out a sliced hand, and I gently took it, gripped and shook firmly. Her skin was soft and smooth, even with the cuts, and her touch made me feel warm... Snap out of it, Schwa. I turned to the guy. "How 'bout you, sir? Weak against water?" He nodded and spoke. "And my name's Aries, by the way. How come you forfeit the fight? Ah, wait, let's talk at our home."

We exited the Arena, and I finally noticed that it was getting pretty late. We talked on the way to their house. "If you must know, I forfeited for your sake. I don't fight to kill, and it was either kill or forfeit in the situation I put us all in... Which reminds me." I stared at Seira puzzlingly. "What did you mean, you were the same person?" She stared back, a glint in her eager, amber eyes... I knew this explanation was gonna be something I wouldn't want to miss. But Aries cut in. "Ah, Schwa, she was joking about that... Never mind that..." Seira winced, looking hurt by his comment. But I had to know. "Can't be so," I challenged. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been allowed to fight together on a team during a 1-on-1 duel." He stammered a little, but didn't speak. I raised my eyebrows. "So you two DO have a secret... And I assume you won't tell me?"

Seira finally couldn't take the suspense. "We're an Elemental," she told me. Aries slapped his forehead, and I turned to stare at her, impressed. "Wow! I'm a fan of Elementals... So wait, you two are the same one? That would explain why he felt pain too when I attacked just you... I'm guessing, if you use ice and water and HE uses fire... You used to be a Steam Elemental, right?" She nodded, chipper enough to practically light the evening road. "Uh-huh! But we're... kinda cursed... by this Sorcerer. So we live as one being in two bodies... We've lived like that for a little over a century." That impressed me; these people had earned a rare respect from this Schwa. Aries spoke next. "Look at us like Dimensional Immigrants... We never used to be human. We're still not; we just have the bodies, thanks to the tailoring genius of a retired Druid... Lot of long and complicated stories. Hey, we're home."

The house was a small, shut-down power plant, and when I got inside I realized it used to be run by magic. The atmosphere probably suited them pretty well. We continued talking, sitting at a special table they must've moved in after the place closed. "So THAT'S why my mana-channeling spell froze you... You're half constructed of mana, being summons." Seira nodded, still chipper. "Even moreso ever since that Druid fashioned us our human bodies! It takes a LOT of magic to craft that up... I envy him." Pause. "And we're not really summons anymore... our summoner died." I nodded, frowning. "...which is why you two are still alive? That would do it, I think..." But Aries chuckled, seemingly pained with the aroused memory. "Not quite. First we were seperated from a Steam Elemental into Fire and Water elementals. THEN our maker died, at the hands of the same Sorcerer that split us, and from then on we were no longer summons, but cursed Elemental spirits, forced to live among Material Planers." Something clicked; it all made sense! "Hence the Immigrants comment! That's amazing, really. I meet a lot of unique folks as I travel, but you two..."

I trailed off. Aries was looking a little emotionally hurt. I touched his hand in apology. "Oh, I'm sorry... Sensitive subject? I had no idea..." He smiled, closing his eyes and resting his other hand over mine. "I forgive you. Really, I shouldn't be whining... But some days I wish I was born human, or at LEAST mortal... I get this treatment a lot, you see... Although you're good about it. You respect us, most people look at us as if we're abominations... I thank you for the dignity you've shown us." I nodded, turning to Seira. "Those cuts still hurting?" She nodded, but was still chipper. "Yeah... These will take at least 4 days to heal, since it was Aries' flame you hit me with." I became alarmed. "4 days!? Oh God, I'm so sorry..." She laughed; it's as if the cuts didn't even matter to her. "Schwa, you're the nicest human I've met! You wanna stay the night?"

That was a nice offer of her... "Aww, how could I re-- oh, uh..." I noticed that Aries looked a little alarmed. "Hey, Aries, no sweat if you'd like the house to yourself with Seira... I can always sleep in the Inn." He looked up at me... "No, you can sleep here, but... Uh... ...No, it's nothing. More complicated stories, and if I told you you'd look at us differently..." Seira laughed again, nudging her companion. "I doubt it. Heehee..." He glared at her for a second, but laughed in response. I shrugged. "Got it. No need to tell me anything you're uncomfortable sharing. Let's get to bed... I've got a Sleeping Bag, and can sleep on the floor." The two Elementals stood up and walked to opposite ends of the room, then suddenly Aries burst into flame while Seira melted into the ground. I looked around, a little nervous at first, wondering where they went, then it dawned on me... "Right. No need to say goodnight, I suppose... See you two in the morning." All they had done was get undressed for the evening; they'd wear their "clothes" again when they woke up and needed their human bodies.

It was the next morning, and after discussing it briefly, the three of us agreed to form a Duo in the Arena, strange as it sounds (three, forming a "duo"... heh). As we entered the ring again, Cyclops was there to greet us, a bit pleased in fact, seeing us all together on a team this time. "Laides and Gents, please welcome Schwa, Aries and Seira back to the ring! Any comments before you face today's-- oh wait, here they are." The audience laughed. I commended Cyclops for his good public speaking abilities... This was a man who had really strove to be someone contradictory to his kind, someone who didn't care what the facts said about Cyclopses; he'd be knightly if he WANTED. I loved that.

Our opponents entered; we were faced with a sly, blue Koopa Troopa, and somehow there was a Milko in front of us... but Milkos were supposedly solely found in computer systems. What was one doing here!? The foes approached us, greeting us. "The Elemental Twins, and some rookie? Well, this would be easier than most cases because of the rookie, at least..." and "Meeeah! New opponents! Meeeeeeeah! Good luck against my friend! Meeeah!" were their opening statements, respectively. I scoffed. "Nice. I always love it when one of my foes underestimates their opponents. =D" The Koopa glared, but the starting bell rang, so our trash talk could finally be backed up legitimately. The duel was on!

Milko immediately charged at me, and Koopa hid in his shell, which sprouted wings and took to the air. "A Paratroopa!" I commented, then decided to deal with the virus. Easy. One sidestep and it dashed right on by. The winged shell, however, divebombed at a much faster speed than I thought, and I took a beaning upside the head, flooring me for a moment. Seira stopped it with a water blast, and Aries was content with summoning a fire column underneath Milko. Neither foe took any damage; shell and wool absorbed it completely. I sprang to my feet. "They're Defense-masters!" I cried. "Let me get to work on that!" Gridlock should do it, I thought, and I cast. The electric grid sprang up around Milko, trapping it in a thousand-volt nightmare. But the wool absorbed it, too. Meanwhile the flying shell took another pop-shot, this time at Aries. We'd get chipped to nothing if we let this continue... Their defenses were GOOD.

"Try this out," I commented, casting White Tornado and conjuring up a wind vortex in the center of the arena. The Paratroopa was sucked in instantly, and Milko was dragged along the ground until he, too, was caught in the windstorm. I nodded to Aries, and he took the hint, summoning a huge storm of fire inside the wind cone. The tornado became a fire-tornado, and this one actually dealt incredible damage, now that their defenses were softened by the wind. When the attack stopped, Milko's wool was blackened and had bald spots, and the Koopa had lost his wings to the fire and was burned from the head down. Before they could recover from that, Seira summoned an ice-block around each one, and I finished them off with Chain Lightning, which jumped to each target and was amplified by the frozen water. The ice shattered and both opponents were defeated.

"The winners are Schwa, Aries and Seira!" Cyclops announced, the crowd cheering. "Your thoughts on the battle?" He held the mic to me, and I stammered a little again... "Well... Tough going with no armor... Defense-based teams tax me. I'm glad it's over." He nodded. "Ah, how profound... You may all go back to the lobby to claim your winnings." As we walked out of the ring, I looked over at Seira, still with the cuts from yesterday... "Good thing you didn't take any hits," I said to her. She nodded, but I noticed she wasn't smiling as she usually was. "It wouldn't have mattered," she said, almost seeming upset for some reason. But she felt a little better when we reached the lobby and that girl handed us each a big bag of Gil. "Doubled for not wearing armor, Schwa. Enjoy."

We OWNED the Arena for the next 3 days straight, winning battle after battle and earning a mountain of Gil. At the end of the 3rd day, I counted the winnings back at the Elemental's house. "44,700 Gil for each of us. HALF of this should cover the cost of my armor upgrade. I'm amazed." Aries and Seira didn't respond... They were slumped down on the floor against a wall, looking exhausted. I felt awful... "Oh gosh... You're not used to so much fighting, are you? I-I should've known..." Aries looked up and smiled faintly. "Don't worry about it. It was good for all of us. The Arena is just about my only means of vent nowadays, since Seira and I don't often leave the city..." Then I noticed that Seira was in tears. Immediately I rushed over to her and knelt down. "What's wrong?" I took her hands, consolingly, and she looked up, deeply troubled... "Schwa, I... I hate the Arena... I hate fighting... I only do it because I can't help but do whatever Aries does, and we can't be seperated for any length of time... The expression on that Milko's face when I froze it... It... It was penetrating..." She lost it again, and weeped.

Aries, too, looked deeply hurt, and I figured it was probably because he could feel Seira's pains, but also because he had no idea she felt this way. I stood up. "Maybe I better go... I seem to have caused a lot of trouble..." Aries motioned for me to sit back down. I sat next to him on the floor. "Schwa, like I said, don't worry about us. You're always welcome in our residence, no matter what. You're like, the only human to respect us anymore, and we can't tell you how grateful we are..." I felt deeply moved. I got back up and prepared a Sleeping Bag. "We oughta get going to bed... Tomorrow I have to leave for the next town, and you most likely won't see me again for a long time." The elementals stood up, though Seira was still in tears... "Right, Schwa. Goodnight, and once again... thanks." We all went to sleep in our unique methods.

But in a few hours, I was up and taking a walk. I just couldn't sleep. The town was quite serene at night, really... But it wasn't long before I found myself staring back at the Arena, and almost meditating on it... I was sure gonna miss that place...

"That's strange... They should be closed. Why is there a light on?" I stepped closer... and before I could stop myself I was running toward the Arena again. I heard voices. Desperate to find out what was going on, I slipped beside the open doors, out of sight, and listened... Two familiar voices spoke; it was that winged girl and Cyclops. "Isaac, will you come back to reality? The Arena is DEAD. You and I will both be out of a job in a week. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No. So stop griping and accept our fates." ...Pause "Miss Neomi, this Arena has kept this town alive for 3 years. We haven't the RIGHT to give it up lying down. Are you saying you're not even going to fight for it?" ... "There's no point. The providence Government agreed to pay for this Arena for 3 years, and now it's time to give it up." ... "Miss Neomi, the Government had thought you would find another means of income in that time! Instead, you just let it slide, saying "There's no point, there's no point"... I could've done a MUCH better job than you of balancing the budget." ... "Well, if you cared so much, why didn't you, you lug?" ... "Because... Because my place is in front of the people. The show must go on! That sort of thing. YOU are the Manager. And I still haven't yet seen you act like it." ...The girl didn't respond... "Miss Neomi, didn't your kin negotiate this Arena into being for a reason? This was your 16th birthday present... You always were an intellectual person, so the fairies sought to get you a career involving business... by talking the Government into paying for an Arena! It's as if you're turning down your 16th birthday present! Miss Neomi, WAIT!"

I heard footsteps. Apparently Neomi was tired of hearing criticism from ol' Cyclops (apparently named Isaac) and was leaving the building. And as soon as she exit, she saw me hiding just outside of the doors. She stopped, surprised, and Isaac caught up and saw me too. "What the devil?" he managed to say... "You haven't been listening to that, I hope..." I paused, turned to Neomi, and glared coldly. "You're closing the Arena?" She looked a little intimidated. "And it was a birthday present from the fairies? Could you possibly go any lower?" Both of them winced. "What would happen to a bustling city if its main recreation center was shut down? You could throw the city's whole economy into turmoil... And... And..." Cold fury overtook me. They were shutting down an Arena, and with it, the dreams of a generation. Nobody should be denied the privelage to spar with folks of all species... Arenas promote acceptance and friendship as well as stronger fighters.

Neomi finally cracked. "I-I'm sorry... It's none of your business, but you're right... Now that I think about it, I don't know what I'd do without the Arena... I don't really have a life to go back to..." She wiped a tear from her glittering eye. "But how can we find an income for the Arena in a mere week?" I closed my eyes for a moment, smirking. Both of them knew I was up to SOMEthing... "Tomorrow morning, I want you both equipped to go on a journey. I'll meet you both in front of the Arena. No questions, just trust me. Rest up, you'll need it." And I about-faced and headed back to the power plant.

"Wake up, you two! We're heading out, the three of us!" It was early the next morning, and I hadn't gotten as much sleep as I would've liked, but it was sufficient at least. I saw a cream-colored blob rise up from the ground and take the shape of a girl, and at the same time, flames slowly erupted from the other corner of the room and formed into the shape of a man. The Elementals had woken up, and immediately after formation they stretched and yawned, tired. "Oy... Curse this human body's stamina limitations..." Aries said grogilly. I was just impressed he still had on his clothes after forming like that. "What's the deal, Schwa? Why so early?" Seira inquired. I was busy packing my stuff, but I gave an answer. "The three of us and some friends are going on a journey. Get equipped, I'll explain along the way. You'll want healing potions, Antidotes, and don't forget some Offensive Attack Items. Meet me in front of the Arena in TEN minutes after a trip to the General Store. Godspeed to you."

Before meeting Neomi and Isaac at the Arena, I made three vital stops that didn't take long. First, the Blacksmith... "I'm back. *plops huge bag of Gil on table* Sorry I don't have more to offer, but I'm in a hurry and I need the Gil. Show me my Tunic." He stammered and brought it out-- it was BEAUTIFUL! The true work of an expert! He fused the Spiritstone to the Tunic so that a thin coat of gloss covered the whole thing, which became dense in the center of the chest and was embedded, forming a crystal eye (not an eyeBALL; don't get the wrong impression) that domed slightly. That was even better than I imagined it. I put it on immediately, and felt an inner glow of energy, most likely from the blessing of Rauhl itself flowing through me now. I nodded and made it to my other two stops; the General Store (to finish over-stocking, always a safe idea) and the Library (which I spent the rest of my Gil at to learn six new spells: three-out-of-four of Captain Harry the Naturalist's famous Summoning spells Captain Moth, Captain Ram and Captain ChuChu, 2 defensive Techs Magic Mirror and Petra's Disc, and the attacking spell Purus, since I needed a Holy-based attack by now). Then I was off to the Arena.

"I'm here, Schwa." It was Neomi, sounding serious and toneless again for some reason. Behind her was Isaac the Cyclops, whom I was almost shocked to see in "battle gear"; that is, he now wore a vest with four leather straps, each safely holding one of four varieties of axes, and there were two more axes on either side of his belt. I looked him up and down, nodding... "Axe fetish?" I asked. His eye snapped open, and he chuckled and shook his head. "Nay, good sir... The axe is the traditional weapon of my people. Even civilized Cyclops use them; in fact the upper-class ones fence with them. It's the hammer-wielding Cyclops that are barbaric... Nasty brutes..." I nodded, understanding. No matter what, ol' Isaac was gonna have dignity.

It wasn't long before Aries and Seira showed up as well, and I nodded to the group. "All accounted for, it seems. Here's what's going on: The Arena is out of government funding, and needs its own income source, but without having to force people to pay to get in..." Pause. Everyone seemed to understand so far. "What we need is a staff for this Arena, that will be able to earn the money at a constant rate by doing... guess what?" Pause. "Combat! With monsters, of course. We get a network of high-leveled parties of fighters that are hired to pillage Gil from high-level monsters every day, and send some to the Arena and keep some for themselves, we got it made."

"Wait a second..." Neomi cut in. "How will we make sure they're loyal and don't turn on us or slack off?" Good question, she had. "Two ways. One, an arcane binding of some kind, and two... you just gotta pick the right races. And I have one in mind..." I held up a map of the country. "We go northeast... to the Dwarven County in the Amber Mountains," I said with a smirk. I looked at the party... Seira was trembling in excitement, Aries was looking hyped, Neomi just stared blankly at me, and Isaac looked apprehensive. I stepped closer to him. "Don't like Dwarves?" I asked. He made a hand-gesture. "No no, I'll be fine... if I HAVE to... I will protect you, Miss Neomi, no worries. Let us march."

And at once, we exited the town on an eastward road through the forest. Almost at once, we were beset by various forest beasties... nothing out of the ordinary monster encounters, though the Olive Cabbage was a pretty advanced opponent with it's auto-healing ability. I kept checking my map, and I noticed that directly ahead was a part of the forest with turquoise trees.

"You alright, Neomi?" I asked. The winged girl was rigid, focusing on those trees as if willing them to disappear. I looked at the trees... Butterflies salomed between the leaves and sunshine beamed through the canopy. It looked very inviting, but if Neomi knew better, I wasn't to question a girl with butterfly wings... "What's wrong? Tell me, Neomi," I asked her. She snapped out of her fixation and sighed. "I... really don't want to be returning here..." she murmured... "Can't we go around the Woods of Purity?" I checked my map. "Neomi, the detour could add 4 days onto our schedule. What's so bad about the woods? Follow us and explain on the way, we'll protect you," I insisted. I held my arm out, and she took my hand and gripped tightly, as we stepped forward...

"This is where I grew up," Neomi explained. "My real name isn't Neomi, see... My mother was a full-blooded Fairy, yes, an actual Fairy, living amongst this forest. She named me Rhyme. But my father was a full human, seduced by this mischievous fairy after she took the form of a human to lure him..." She paused for a while, gripping my hand harder and looking around nervously. This was unlike her. "I was, thus, born half-Fairy, with these wings... these BLASTED, DAMNED WINGS that alienated me from both the human race and the Fairy folk... I was a victim of both kinds of alienation. I lived in this forest, a wild thing, due to my humanly corruption's incompatability with my pure Fairy heart... I would strike down all humans who came close and throw burning powder in their eyes. I couldn't control it." She closed her eyes as she walked, pained by the memory... There was another lengthy pause. "But I couldn't strike my father, for the bonds of family for a Fairy, even a half-Fairy, is consumingly powerful. He was the only human who could safely walk through the Woods of Purity without my burn marks. But I always hid when he came close, for fear that he would recognize me and feel pain... Pain I still knew, even amongst my wildness."

"But one night, I was meditating in the woods, alone, trying to liberate myself... and I turned around, and saw him. We stared face to face for the first time... I was 12." Pause. "He was afraid at first, but he then recognized familiar features in the fairy woman that seduced him years ago, and he knew... I was... his daughter..." She clenched her other fist, fighting the pain her past brought her. "All my wildness dissolved on the spot when I saw the joy in the father I never knew, and we embraced... and then he... took me home with him, and I could... finally live with my innocent father, that my mother took from me... for all these years..." She looked about ready to cry, but she didn't. Her face was hard, as was her heart, apparently.

"The humans I lived among, my father's side of my family... they were so kind to me. I could... I could finally meet my little brother and sister! They were so young, so innocent... so curious... I remember what it felt like when they saw me for the first time... The first thing they said, 'Oh! Oh! Big sister! You have WINGS!'" She smiled fondly. "I loved my human family, which I can't say about my Fairy kin... But even though all children younger than me and around my age were delighted by my presence, all adults aside from my human mom and dad would... scorn me. 'You don't belong in our world,' they'd say... But innocent children see past the politics of where I "belong", and just enjoy my qualities and my uniqueness..."

"And on my 16th birthday, I got word from the city mayor, who had never scorned anyone for their appearances (so I still trusted him), that he had received a large sum of money to open a Gladiator Arena in the city... and he said I was asked to be Manager. I was shocked! Ever since I moved into human culture I loved books, so I studied a lot and had gained a fascination for math and business... This career was something I had always secretly wanted! And Schwa? Ever since then, nobody cared if I was half-fairy or not. The diversity, the melting pot of the city increased dramatically... People of all kinds of species, even Elementals--" she pointed right at Seira and Aries, and as she did, Seira let out a super-excited gasp, "--moved into the city to be a part of the Arena. The Arena created cultural diversity, and with it, acceptance. I had never felt so happy in my life."

"UNTIL... Until I found out, almost two years later, that it was the FAIRIES who convinced the Government to fund the Arena... probably by seduction, of course..." The hurt was back in Rhyme's voice. "And at the same time, I learned that they'd only pay for it for one more year... I realized that the Fairies were just trying to do me a favor with this Arena, but... I didn't want that. Not from them." Pause. "So I lost all hope, and waited for my fate to return me to a life of scorn... The diversity would gradually dwindle as people moved out, and I'd be back to, 'You don't belong in our world!' every... single... day... I grew hard-hearted. I stopped caring about people, and lost my friendly personality. I still love my dad-- I'll always love him, but I want... things to stay... happy for everyone... I helped change my town, and I want it to stay the way it is... where people actually respect one another..."

Everyone was touched, but Seira was especially. She reached over and rested a soothing hand on Rhyme's shoulder, careful not to rub up against her delicate wings. "I remember, Rhyme... Aries and I were some of the first entrants in your Arena, and you treated us... as your kin... despite our difference from the rest of the city! And now I know why you were a sister to us... and why your personality changed a year ago... Please, Rhyme, don't feel sad. You're the strength of our city, and... and of Aries and I. We look up to you. We always have." Seira was crying by now... she was VERY emotional, and VERY kind-hearted. I felt unpure in her presence. We were all quiet for a long time after.

The turquoise forest seemed to go on forever, but we were out of it eventually... only to be confronted with a giant snake. I looked up at it... UP... It was preeeeeeety big, and from the crimson gleam in the eye, I had a good idea that it was NOT on our side... I checked the map real quick. "Damn! Didn't see this bit... Den of Zun'ee is north of the Woods of Purity. This must be him... It's a Mad Adder, a high-level beast! DON'T MOVE." Everyone was still, and stared back up at the huge, green serpent daringly. I tried thinking up an idea... and one came to mind, I started to grin. "Guys?" I whispered, "What sounds better to you: Moths, Rams, or ChuChu?" They all looked at me like, "WTF!?" I repeated myself. "Moths, Rams, or ChuChu?" Silence for a moment, then Seira tried whispering back, "What's a ChuChu?" I thought about it... Chu was japanese for Rat, I THOUGHT... "I think it means mouse. But I-- ACK!" The serpent struck! It was so fast, even though we all tried to dodge, the attack slammed me HARD, and the huge snake's fangs sliced me across the shoulder-blade as it buffeted me to the ground. Siera gapsed, but Aries went right to the fighting, summoning a fire column from under it. The attack was powerful and the serpent even ignited, but not for long, and it wasn't enough of an attack to fell it. It struck again, aiming for Rhyme!

Isaac gasped and lunged in the way, pushing Rhyme out of its way and taking the attack. The snake's mouth clamped down over half of Isaac's existance; only his legs were sticking out of the mouth, and he was trying desperately to get one of his axes out of a sheath. "Quick, someone! Moth, Ram or ChuChu?" I frantically asked whoever could hear, praying to Rauhl the Balancer for Isaac's safety. "Do SOMETHING, you moron! Fine, ChuChu!" Rhyme quickly shot back. I grinned, trying to remember the hand-gestures for Captain ChuChu which I learned in the Library... Thank God I got it right on Try One.

Spheres of energy began to rain from the sky around us, and not one of them landed less than 5 feet from where we stood... and as each sphere hit the ground, it morphed into the shape of a white, ball-shaped mouse with huge ears and Bomberman-eyes. Each one, upon creation, cried happily and raced up to the huge snake fearlessly. "Chu! Chu! CHUUU!!" We all stood in awe as the Mad Adder dropped Isaac and began writhing like a caterpillar in a frying pan, trying to shake off the little mice that were crawling all over it. Isaac immediately drew a huge axe from his belt, a Twisted Battle Axe, and looked for an opening... but the snake was so covered in the little ChuChus that he wouldn't be able to attack without hurting them! He was both puzzled and disappointed as to how that could happen.

"Good choice," I said to Rhyme, sighing in relief, still watching the ChuChu attack, in awe of the whole scene... Finally the ChuChu got off the Mad Adder, and we realized the darn thing wasn't even THERE... There was NO trace of its body whatsoever. "But-- HOW!?" I wondered, exasperated but grateful. The biggest ChuChu scurried up to me; it had a stereotypical crown on its head, so I figured it was the leader. "Your Mad Adder is no more!" It happily announced, having no trouble speaking our language. "We banished it into the Energy Plane for you! Now please, may we be rewarded?"

"Uh... R-Rewarded?" I stammered, wondering what the ChuChu could do to US if they wanted... The king ChuChu nodded happily, bouncing up and down. "We don't ask for much! Just a cheese. A big cheese, but a cheese nonetheless. Do you have a wheel of cheese? At least a wheel will do. Yes, a wheel of cheese will suit us handily! Wheel, that is! Of cheese!" I held my hands up. "Alright, alright, I get the picture. But I... dunno if... we have any cheese... We have bread, fruit, meat and a gourd of nectar for each of us, but... no... cheese..." I braced myself, but the king ChuChu understood. "That's alright! We know you're grateful!" We all sighed... but apparently he wasn't finished. "HOWEVER..." We all jumped. "As goes the contract we signed when becoming Summonable by mages, the summoner always, ALWAYS owes us one wheel of cheese per summon. No exceptions! Sorry! So until we get our fulfillment of the deal, we'll be tagging along in the back, thank you. Now lead us to the cheese!" All the ChuChu assembled behind us, reminiscent of an army, and I stepped back, uneasy. "N-Now wait a minute! How was I supposed to know of the deal!? I've never used your spell before! You can't do this to us!" Rhyme stared at me, her face reading "Don't push it, Jack", but the King explained. "Captain Harry the Naturalist was a genius. He commanded the leadership of four sentinent races in this country... We are one of them. But he commanded with love and kindness, not fear, which just made him (and us) stronger. He always gave us a wheel of cheese after every demon he killed with our help. And when it was time for him to die in this Plane, he promised us... We would continue to aid from beyond this realm, and delight in a wheel of cheese each time, to continue his legacy. So, even if we wanted to leave, we can't, because we haven't gotten that cheese wheel to complete the spell. Sometimes we've been forced to wander this plane a full YEAR without the fulfillment." I winced. "Sounds rough..." He nodded. "It is, it is! Very much so! Soooooooooo, when we say we NEED a wheel of cheese, we kinda mean it... Sorry to hassle you... You won't mind us tagging along, will you?"

Soon enough, we were on the road again, with an army of ChuChu behind us who wouldn't attack or disappear until we produced a blinkin' wheel of cheese for them. WHAT have I gotten myself into??? But it was worth it... They smote a Mad Adder as if it were nothing, and I was not only in their debt, but felt kinda foolish for not having the reward ready when needed... I checked the map. "'Kay guys, there's an outpost on the mountain outskirts-- a Trade Outpost, so there's BOUND to be cheese there, or at least a Merchant who'd sell us one... And these monster encounters have earned us decent Gil, too, including that Mad Adder fight which YOU won... ^.^ Hey... Rhyme, you look delighted. Something on your mind?" She was smiling, which was unlike her. Finally she spoke, "Guys, we may meet my dad here. He's a Merchant for magical artifacts, mostly scrolls and spellbooks, hence why he wandered though the Woods of Purity so many times... He goes to this city almost every day." Pause. "He sure will be excited to see ME there. I've never gone back into those fairy woods since I left them."

Aries and Seira, on the other hand, were not looking so pleased as the city came into view in the distance. I put a hand on each one's shoulder. "You guys alright?" I asked. Seira answered, but her voice was shaky. "I-I'll be alright... But it'll be hard... No, it's nothing..." I looked at Aries, and he looked just as worried. "You can tell me," I assured them. Aries believed me, sighed, and spoke. "We've never been to any town besides where we came from. We can't trust this place to be as diverse as our city." I paused, thoughtful, and replied, "On the contrary. See, it's a TRADE outpost. Chances are it'll be even MORE diverse. Rhyme's not worried, why should you be?" That did it. They lightened up, and Seira squeezed my hand. "Aw, Schwa! You're always so nice! I never thought about that before... Heehee..." I turned to Isaac; he was unusally quiet, for such a charismatic speaker-type person... "What's on your mind, beadie?" I shot to him in play. He stopped for a moment, and laughed heartily. "Nothing much... This journeying stuff is a little tiring. I can't help but wonder... What is it about me that so craves the dignified, quiet lifestyle as opposed to the action-filled one? Sure, you could suggest that speaking to a crowd isn't exactly "quiet"... But I've always found that I'm... reluctant to combat, as if it was never my thing. In, in fact, I see this armed jacket as more of a show-trophy, than a warrior quiver, if you will... I quite amaze myself." I nodded. "Deep stuff. Hey, I gotta ask you... Why're you so bent on protecting Rhyme's life?"

We were almost at the city, and he explained. "As Miss Neomi explained, she was indeed delighted when the Arena opened for her... About a moon later, I had accompanied my older brother to this town for an Arena fight. Now, at this time, I was striving to become a stage actor... Some people would kill to get a real Cyclops to star in Homer's The Oddysee, see... I saw that Miss Neomi was trying to hire an Arena speaker to host the fights." He shot a one-eyed glance at Rhyme, who was listening as if searching for inaccuracy or something. He continued. "After allowing her to hear my best at audience speaking, I was hired, and, of course, I feel it is common courtesy to protect my employer from harm, let alone the fact that a fair lady needs an escort in dangerous forests like these..." I, and probably everyone in the party, thought back to the Mad Adder, and how it assulted Isaac... Suddenly I was very grateful he was with us.

"And heeeeeeeere we arrrrrrrrre!" I announced as we stepped, glossy-eyed, into the truly AWESOME architecture of what had to be the world's biggest "outpost" I had ever known... the city of Luster Metros. The streets were lined with people and stalls, forming a busy, busy market that sold EVERYthing you could think of, the buildings looked very cultural; you could tell that this city's history held integrity. The people were SO diverse in culture and background, a description couldn't do justice-- a human child played marbles with an undead Skeleton child, looking as if they were best friends, a pair of married Orcs waved to us and, looking through a phrase-book, asked us where "jasmine steaks" were in the town... We just shook our heads at that one. I saw two Dark Warlocks and a middle-eastern Genie engaged in friendly banter, having fun, and close by there was a Ninja and a Samauri, two natural mortal enemies, having a converstaion amidst a friendly fencing spar with rapiers, of all things. And to top it off, looking in the Bar I saw an elven Pirate, a human Knight, a cyborg kid and a Lamia playing Crazy Eights while enjoying cider. WOW. This was one town where you fit in whether you wanted to or not. Thus, we blended in perfectly, even with the ChuChu following us, even with a winged fairy girl and a Cyclops and some elementals in tow, and the only times someone turned to look at us was when they either wanted to sell something, ask for directions, or engage in a hearty conversation.

"So where we going?" Aries asked after 5 minutes or so of trying to make our way down the busy market ally. I checked the map, a different map than before that I purchased from the gatekeeper for 30 Gil, and, after studying it, showed it to Rhyme. "So where do you think your father'd be right now?" I asked her. She took the scroll and concentrated on it for a moment before replying... "Uh... I... I think he'd have a stall in the market, if anything... Let's ask some people." Then I remembered something. "And we also need a wheel of cheese." I winked back to the ChuChu King, and he gave me the "happy eyes" ( ^.^ ) in response. On the spot, a Humanoid Dragon merchant thrust a huge wheel of cheese in front of me, and I almost jumped. "Oi! Dude, you scared me!" The scaly man laughed raspily. "Eehehehe! Yess, but ye DO want it? Take it for free, human, for you are sstill young in the wayss of Captain Harry'ss Ssummoning Techniquess. I would be honored to help ssomeone learned in his artss." I raised an eyebrow as I took the cheese wheel. "You know of Captain Harry?" He laughed again. "Who doessn't?" Then someone tapped him on the shoulder and he was gone in the crowd. I stared at the cheese wheel, and handed it to the ChuChu army, who all squeaked in joy as the King stood on the wheel like a pedestal, which glowed, along with all the mice, before wavering out of existance with a cry of joy.

Glad that was over. Following the map-holding Rhyme, we walked down the isle of stalls, when suddenly Rhyme thrust the map back into my hands and shut her eyes. I stared. "You alright?" She nodded, eyes still shut. "Ssh, I'm seeing..." I got the notion. This was a fairy thing. We all stood back, as she walked slowly forward, as if guided (which she WAS), leaving us to follow in faith. We walked for a full minute, when she stopped and looked straight ahead, and there behind a stand decorated in astrological signs was...

"Father! Father!" Rhyme cried, running forward at the 40ish-looking man and embracing him before he could react. He laughed and returned the embrace. "Ho HO, y-you came to visit! How did you muster up the courage to cross the blue forest? Ahh..." He saw us, and I stepped forward, shaking his hand. "Schwa here, Mage-Paladin. I have a score to settle with the economy, you could say. Something about an Arena shutting down... Wouldn't stand, not in my eyes, so I'm helping out." He nodded, thoughtful. "And I take it you're off to the Dwarven county? Don't say anything, I know these things. Not much of a Mage, me, but I can read people decently after doing what I've done for all this time..." He laughed heartily again. "So, Mage-Paladin Schwa, care to buy anything from here? Spellbooks and all, got some scrolls, too... Hey, since you're helping my daughter, I'll throw in a free item if you buy a book." I sampled his selection for a while...

We stayed at Luster Metros for the rest of the day, enjoying every aspect. Rhyme spent about half the remainder of the day with her dad, until he said to go out and meet some people, so she explored the town, met some people and made some good friends. Isaac desperately wanted to follow Rhyme, but forced himself to do something else and let her be... He ended up in a poetry standoff against a travelling Bard in the square, and the ad-libbing competition they put on was FIERCE, and fueled by the onlooking admirers' presence. The Elementals stayed together, as they had to, heading to the Bar for some fresh oyster chowder and a conversation with a Nerubian archeologist. (Nerubians are half-men, half-spiders. Play Warcraft III.) They stayed in the bar for a while before venturing out to sit in the sunshine on a brick ledge, looking blissful, the two of them. As for me, I took to sparring whomever wanted a challenge in the Square, and several of the battles ended up playing for Gil, so I actually made some good money in the end, and made some very respectable friendly rivals in the process. Many people in the Square learned a lot from one another.

At the end of the day, we purchased 2 hotel rooms for a night each-- Rhyme and Isaac in one room, the Elementals and I in another (and it took a small bit of convincing for the counter lady to count Aries and Seira as one body). The rooms accomadated all our needs just fine, and as we were setting up the beds and Sleeping Bag (for I always slept on the floor), I once again noticed Aries looking down about something. Seira was not; she was seeing stars after the day had passed. "Aries, you alright?" I asked. He shook his head. "No, Schwa... But honestly, I can't tell you much about it. Not with Seira nearby. It would hurt her." Seira looked over at us for a small moment, and went back to bed-setting. But even that gesture from her seemed to hurt him. She noticed, and gave him her full attention. "Aries, what have you to hide from me? We're, like, the same being. Don't be afraid." She took his hands and looked right into his eyes, hopeful. He stared back, and I held my breath. Long silence. Finally, Aries looked away and got into the bed. "Seira, don't do ths to me tonight..." She kept staring at him. It bugged him. "Seira, come ON! I, agh..." He pulled the covers over his head, but Seira kept staring. He peeked out, and saw her still standing there.

"It's... you and I, Seira..." he murmured, "We've lived like this for over a hundred years... We're barely even the same person anymore. Haven't you noticed?" There was a pause, and I saw Seira recoil as if she had just been socked with a haymaker. "Wh-what do you mean?" she managed to get out. "Seira, we used to be so much more in tune with each-other... We even spoke in unison for the first 10 years or so... Then, very slowly, sharing thoughts and the same will became more and more difficult... You started doing slightly different things than me, and developed your own personality... Over the years, our physical bond dwindled... The only thing we really share anymore is the fact that we feel the same pain... You're not me, I'm not you. And it crushes me." He turned off the lights. "Goodnight." Until I fell asleep, I could faintly hear the tearful sobs of the emotionally crushed water elemental in her bed. I wondered why they didn't shed their human bodies this time, and decided it was probably a safety thing for them, being technically in public...

"Schwa?" It was the next morning, and Aries was nudging me. My eyes slowly opened, and as soon as I noticed the anxiety and presperation on Aries's forehead, I was alert. "Wha... What's wrong?" I slowly asked. "It's Seira. I woke up and she was NOWHERE," he explained. I sat up. "I still mean what I said last night... but as long as Seira and I have at least a tiny bit of bound soul energy between us, if we are seperate for too long, we will both die. It's a fact I don't want to face, Schwa, but by my words, which caused her to leave, I have endangered the existance of both Seira and myself." I got dressed in a hurry. "Alright, are you saying we should look for her before we head to the Dwarven county?" He shook his head. "She could be anywhere. If I get close enough, I'll be able to sense her, but there's not a lot any of us can do at this point..." I handed him a bag of Gil. "What's this for?" He asked. "Buy yourself a weapon, something you can use, like a Quarterstaff or Short-Sword. Don't use any flame energy until you find her. I want you to take a detour by yourself to a city northeast of here called Fredric's Court. A traveler from there yesterday told me there was a powerful seer there named Hiennuah. Go to her and ask her to perform an ICR on a water elemental named Seira, and pay her any price she askes. Meet up with us at Golem Bridge, just outside the Dwarven County, once you've reunited with Seira, but do NOT cross the bridge until we arrive. Remember, no fire energy until you've reunited, else you may exhaust your life force." He nodded, understanding every word. If anything could detect a water elemental, an ICR could... Individual Clairvoyance Runes were forbidden ritual magics that could see across any dimensional barrier no matter what, and any advanced Seer would know how to do one.

To be honest, I really had no idea why I felt so convicted and sure that my orders would work. But as I watched Aries leave the Inn room, I heard a voice in the back of my head... "Well done, child." It was then that I remembered that Rauhl was watching over me and my friends, and I doubted myself no longer. Aries and Seira would be alright. Period. As he left, I gathered the others together to talk to them...

"So that's what they're up to," I finished, having just filled them in. "They're taking that route, which is longer in miles, but we're taking a short cut through Strangleweed Valley, a marshy valley guarded by a being called the Sewa Eel." Silence... I noticed Rhyme was looking at me as if I had issues. "What?" I shrugged at her. "Schwa, come on... No more huge battles. The Mad Adder almost took out my employee, remember?" She sounded a little irate. I nodded, thinking. "Yeah... But yesterday I researched this being. I know how we'll fight it. C'mon, let's go." I got up, and Rhyme followed almost reluctantly, Isaac right behind her...

We set out due north from Luster Metros, in high spirits, but apprehensive at the same time knowing A) the potential fate of Aries and Seira, and B) knowing we were gonna have to duel with a swamp serpent pretty soon. The valley came into sight at last, and I held my hand out to stop them from proceeding. "Wait," I ordered. "We'll need an enchantment." I cast the spell Resist Wood before we proceeded into the watery vale; such a spell would protect us from nature energy for a while. As we crossed the water via rocks and logs, my foot slipped on some moss and landed in the water, which I quickly pulled it out of... "You alright?" Rhyme asked. I was a little wet, but something ELSE was bothering me... "Rhyme, when I hit the water, I felt the effects of my spell struggle. That ain't yer average water..."

A huge set of jaws suddenly reached up and clamped the soaked leg, and suddenly I was fighting to stay above the water. "EEP!" I cried, then cursed myself for coming across as a wussy... "Allow me," Isaac retorted, leaped over and sliced the eel with his twisted axe across the forehead. As it squealed, I managed to get out of its death-grasp and back onto the rock. My tunic looked disintegrated where it bit me... "I knew it. This is an acid-based creature," I warned everyone. "Stay out of the water, or you'll dissolve. Nice save, Isaac." But the Sewa Eel had dived underwater... We all stood in battle stances, ready for it to come out.

It's a good thing the Resist Wood spell was still in effect, because the next tactic of the eel was to set the water into the form of a giant wave to soak us with acidic matter. The spell made it not nearly as powerful, but right after the wave, the Eel reared up out of the water like a hydra head. "Take this!" I called, and cast Purus with a quick gesture that drew a holy gram in front of me. The Eel was wracked with a white energy explosion that filled the air with glittering Holy energy. The Eel fell back into the acid-water, hurt by the powerful attack, but immediately shot back out, showing no more signs of pain. "Christ, that water perpetually heals it! I wonder if I can purify the water to kill it..." The Eel struck for us like a snake, coming right at Rhyme... but she was ready, and for the first time I saw her fight. She held out a palm, and a cloud of gold, sparkly dust blasted the Eel in the face, stinging it.

The Eel seemed to be blinded by the powder, and Rhyme was concentrating on it, her wings fluttering ferociously, coating the area in sparkles. Her eyes were locked firmly with the shuddering eel's... for a full minute, and after that minute the Eel melted into green water without making a sound, gone from our list of troubles. Rhyme snapped out of her state, looked at me and smiled. "You better purify that water while it's asleep," she reminded me. "After all, I'm only half Fairy... My own charms can't last too long, given that." Isaac nodded, impressed with her feat. We got the hell outta that valley, and as I got over the last rock and onto land, I cast Purus again to coat the whole swamp. The greenish water slowly turned clear, and I knew that the Sewa Eel wouldn't be coming back for many millenia after us. As we walked, my part-disintegrated tunic slowly repaired itself, most likely due to the embedded Spiritstone. Kewl.

"I appreciate your admiration of my Fairy charm, Schwa and Isaac," Rhyme was explaining as we walked, "but if I can at all help it, I REALLY don't want to have to do it again. No no, it has nothing to do with showing off... but... I don't want to use any of the powers I inherited from Mom. Ever." Pause. "You know how it is... I've never been proud of my Fairy side... after knowing what Mom did to my dad, thus creating me, but still... ...Plus, my fairy abilities have been mostly dormant since I was 12. Who knows what'll happen to me if I start re-awakening them, y'know?" She sighed, sounding sad. I was about to put my arm around her, but remembered that she may not react well to that. "Hey, Rhyme," I said, "Your fairy side is very special. Everyone has gifts... One of yours is your heratige. Don't forget." She looked at me, about to challenge that, so I added, "Don't think I don't know about gifts, Rhyme. I've been all over several countries ever since I was 3, and I've SEEN things... Everyone has a skill of some kind, something that sets them apart from everyone else... Something that looks past species or gender. Look at me... I'm a Spellcaster, but I'm this young guy... Spellcasters don't have to be geezers. Look at Isaac!" His eyebrow (having one eye, it was a unibrow) went up. "Ever heard of a Cyclops gentleman? THAT'S a gift too. Aries and Seira! They're ex-summons! NOT easy to become!" Rhyme put her hand on my shoulder, as I was getting worked up. "Okay okay, I got the picture. And I'm slowly accepting it, so don't rush me in that aspect. Fair enough?" I nodded, and we both smiled, not mentioning the subject again.

About three uneventful hours after leaving the Valley, we reached a rope bridge over a canyon, that led up into the solid, grey mountains on the other side. The sign was rotted off and couldn't be made out, but from looking at the map I knew this was Golem Bridge. "This is where Aries and Seira should be in a while," I reminded everyone. "It's pretty late in the day, so they should be appearing tomorrow morning." I pitched camp a little off to the side, and Rhyme hesitated before coming to help me. "What makes you so sure, Schwa?" she asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "I have a feeling," I replied, convicted. "Sometimes I just know." And I was silent. Rhyme nodded slowly, perhaps understanding what I meant. Camp was set up in no time.

As we were settled in sleeping bags around the campfire, I decided I'd remind everyone about our mission. "Once we cross Golem Bridge, we'll be in Dwarven territory. Their village should be inside the mountainside... I have a map, anyway. Then it's just a matter of hiring some of them as the Arena's Gil Gatherers..." I sighed. I wasn't really sure what I'd do once I got there, really... We couldn't force the Dwarves to help us. All we could do was try. And I was a little worried. "Schwa?" the tired voice of Rhyme, sounding a bit less cold and bitter than usual, asked me. I looked over, and Rhyme was gazing longingly into the fire. "Yeah, Rhyme?" I replied. There was a long pause and a sigh before she continued. "It feels... good... to be caring and kind... like I was in the past..." I looked over at Isaac. He was fast asleep, and he wasn't too used to traveling. "This adventure's been a bit of an eyeopener for you, hasn't it?" I slowly wondered. She nodded, obviously deeply lost in thought. "You think Aries and Seira will be okay?" I asked, trying to get her attention. She paused again before replying. "Yeah... They've probably found each-other already."

By freak coincidence, Aries and Seira came running down the night road, in extreme panic and panting. They looked both wounded in many places. I scrambled to my feet to greet them. "Cripes, what the hell's the matter?" Isaac jolted awake, and Rhyme was on her feet in no time as well, alert. Aries grabbed on to me, gasping for air... "*pant, pant* We need a shield spell... *pant, pant* He's back, and he's gonna kill us..." Seira was next, just as exhausted. "Schwa... I'm sorry... *gasp, wheeze* I've endangered us all..." I heard a humming noise from down the road, and a faint light that was rapidly growing in intensity... I cast the new spell I learned, Magic Mirror, praying that it would work. The huge, green energy blast that came at us slammed against the energy mirror, and slowly was pushed in the other direction, away from us. There was silence after the attack vanished back into the darkness it came from, but without warning, a cloaked figure materialized 10 feet from the party in a burst of green flame.

As he appeared, Aries and Seira ducked behind me, completely terrified and eyes locked to the figure's face. I stepped forward. "You have business with us, old man?" The cloaked man laughed slightly sinisterly. "You're perceptive, I take it... You tell me. Who would I be, and why? Heh heh heh..." He held a ball of green energy in his hand for protection... I looked back at the elemental twins. Seira nudged me. "Schwa... I... I..." I squeezed her, trying to comfort her... "It's alright, talk to me." Aries finished. "He's the guy who killed our master a century ago and cursed us..." I stared at him in awe and realization, while Seira finished. "...and he wants to kill us, too." I stared back to the sorcerer, who was grinning slightly. "What they say is true," he went on, "I haven't been able to finish the job for 100 years."

"Waitwaitwait... So what, 100 years ago you killed their master and they became ex-summons, trapped in the Material Plane because their master wasn't alive to splice them again... And you want to kill them, too? What for?" His face darkened. "Revenge. Heh heh heh... He mocks me! From beyond the grave, that White Wizard mocks my existance by having a part of his soul left alive after he's gone! He was always so clever... It vexes me... And at last, I have found the elemental for me to eradicate, so I can finally feel at ease!" He took a step forward, his right hand engulfed in green fire... I looked at Seira. She was in tears and trembling. "P-Please... don't... kill me..."

"I couldn't believe it," the sorcerer went on... "I had realized that I passed by you two on the streets 12 years ago without even realizing it. The whole time I was looking for forms made of flame and water, not flesh... But imagine! Elemental beings living in human bodies! Arcane science has really advanced in 100 years' time..." I was about to say something, but Aries beat me to it, and he was no longer terrified. "Are you gonna kill us or not?" he demanded, sounding almost fierce. We all practically jumped. "What did you say?" the sorcerer demanded. Aries took a step forward. "You said it yourself. You're tormented by our existance, because of our master's soul still "alive" through us... You wanna kill us? Give it a shot. After all, we can't have a tormented sorcerer on the loose, can we, Juan?"

I looked at the sorcerer. He couldn't do it. He was actually frightened to move. Aries continued. "Aw, why do you hesitate? You know it'd be what you wanted all these years. You know it'd be--" But Juan cut in. "Alright, STOP! What do you want from me? Get it over with!" I looked at Aries, and noticed he had a quarterstaff in his hands... That sure wasn't there before... "I want Seira to be happy. I want out of this Plane. And most importantly, I want my master back, you bitch. En guarde!" Suddenly, he leapt forward, staff whirling, and started pulling off some ninja tricks against Juan. Juan countered with a spell that looked sort of like a generic Firebolt but with necronic energy (death energy). Aries parried it with his staff and sent a huge fireball at Juan. They began trading fierce attacks... I stepped forward to help out, but Isaac held be back. "This is his battle," he reminded me, and I nodded. I looked over to Seira, and noticed her eyes were wide and her face in awe, not knowing what to do. I nudged her hard, and commanded, "Seira, he needs your help! Get out there!"

"H-How?" she asked, as Aries took a powerful blow and rolled to the ground. "Use an ice-sword, Seira!" Aries called, barely rolling out of the way to dodge an energy-hammer projectile. Seira formed the ice-sword in her hands, but hesitated. "Aries, I've never swordfought before!" she called out, watching Aries get a combo in before he was stopped with an electric blast. "Yes you have, Seira! You sparred with a 12-year-old royal guard in Luster Metros this morning!" She looked confused, and stared at the sword... "HURRY!" But she had to make her move. She stepped forward and, without knowing how she did it, pulled off a 12-step sword combo on Juan from behind and sent him flying. She looked at her sword-arm, terrified... "H-How did I do that???" she stammered. Aries was at her side, this time with a metal Short-Sword in his hand instead of a quarterstaff. "On the way to Fredric's Court, I had a traveling companion..." He took a moment to dodge a fire attack from Juan and reflect the second one back at him. "...He was a friend of that royal guard I met at Luster Metros and sparred with this morning. With all those monster encounters..." Juan was getting back up, but he knocked him back down with a fireball. "...I quickly mastered short-sword combat and quarterstaff combat. You see, this ally of mine had been 4 different character classes in his lifetime..." Suddenly, Juan summoned a pack of wolves, that charged the two. This time, Aries and Seira stood back-to-back, slashing the wolves down as they came near. Seira was fighting as good as a trained knight. "He was a ninja, a swordfighter, a Seeker and a samauri at different points in his life. So with all those monster encounters, and his training, I quickly semi-mastered both the quarterstaff and the short-sword I bought." Juan cast a spell, and the six wolves left merged into one huge wolf, eyes glowing scarlet. Seira wasn't even afraid anymore as it came at them, and they both started striking it down. "And... I became good just like you, because we're the same being, right?" Seira asked as they fought, and were winning. Juan was in disbelief. "That's right, Seira! Which means I was wrong about last night, to an extent anyway. Please forgive me." They finished killing the giant wolf, and hugged each-other in forgiveness.

Juan had heard every word. "That's interesting..." he mentioned, "When the master of a summon dies, the cursed summon slowly gains free will and a personality? I never thought that-- EEP!!" Suddenly, Aries's sword was at Juan's throat, and furthermore the sword was glowing orange... Aries had superheated it. I felt bad for the sorcerer. "Enough talking from you. I'm gonna make this quick. Die, bastard!" He was about to cut off the head, but Seira rested a firm hand on Aries's shoulder. "Please, brother, don't. I know you want revenge, but..." Aries turned back to her. "You're always such a peace-maker, you know that?" Isaac cut in next. "This may be none of my business, but if Juan died, wouldn't you two vanish as well, since the one who cursed you would no longer exist?" Rhyme cut in too. "Yeah, besides, he's gone." We all looked... All that was left of him was a charred spot in the grass where he was sitting at the time of his recent, unnoticed-by-us teleportation. Aries clenched his fist. "He escaped..." Then he remembered what Isaac had said. "Well, sir, you do prove a point. Heh... I could've killed Seira and I instantly. Although it wouldn't necessarily be death... We may have just moved back into our plane, which I would reeeeally have liked. But I-- Seira?" He looked at her, and she was teary-eyed again, but smiling. She suddenly embraced a surprised Aries and squeezed. "Aries, let's never go back! The Elemental Plane was fine, but this Plane is nicer... It's fascinating, and though we may have some challenges given our unique assets, we've had such happiness the last 100 years as well... Think about all the people we've met in the Arena like us! And... And..." She sobbed. "We don't have emotions in the void we came from... It's empty to me now, now that I've seen this world... Aries, let's stay no matter what!"

He was surprised to hear her say this, but even more surprised, perhaps, to finally realize that all he's been thinking about these past 100 years was to escape, and he almost missed the beauty and wonder of Material life. He returned the embrace and sighed. "Alright, Seira... Alright. We'll stay here, then. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll actually completely seperate and be two people. I'm willing to wait that out if it means happiness." They turned to me, and Seira spoke. "We should all get some sleep! You know a spell for this, Schwa?" I grimaced, wavering my hand... "I was never too good with status conditions..." Rhyme stepped forward. "I hate to do this, but we need to sleep, so I suppose I'll have to use a little fairy magic... Close your eyes, allies." We all got into our sleeping bags, and as Rhyme focused, blue, sparkling dust filled the air and we all drifted off, dreaming of wonderful things. God bless fairy magic.

We all woke up late the next morning in great spirits, except Rhyme, who was still bummed out about having to use another fairy spell... I stared at the Rope Bridge. "Huddle together, everyone." We huddled, and I cast a slightly powerful Forcefield spell that gave us each our own barrier. "Let's cross. Don't fall off the bridge," I told the party. And, with me leading, we began to cross Golem Bridge.

Instantly, stone arrows appeared out of nowhere and pelted us, but our barriers held out. "This is what keeps others out of the Dwarven county without an invitation!" I called to the others. What I hated wasn't the arrows, but the way the bridge kept swaying harder and harder as arrows missed us and hit the bridge, causing force. What really sucked was how Seira fell off the bridge right as the rest of us reached the other side... and it was a loooooong way down to the jagged rocks. I panicked at first, but Rhyme had beaten me to it for the solution, and, using her wings, flew down to catch her. I had never seen her fly before, and she looked upset after doing so, for she had used her fairy powers again... The important thing was that we were all safe, so we trudged on, now officially in Dwarven territory...

We trudged through caverns, hillsides, valleys and lakes, me following the map closely to get us to the first Dwarven Sub-Capital, Bronzebear. We were quiet for a while, but I noticed that Rhyme was looking quite tired and pained. "Rhyme, you alright?" I inquired, just as she almost tripped over a jutting stone from the rocky terrain. I caught her hand and helped her up. "I-I'll be alright, Schwa..." Her voice sounded shaky. Something was the matter, and I had a pretty good idea what. "It's not good for you to use so much fairy magic, is it?" I asked. She smiled faintly. "You can read me like a book... Heh, yeah, like I said, my powers have been dormant for years, and it could spell disaster if I fully awakened them again..." I helped her over some more rugged ledges. "Are you saying you could die?" I asked, a little worried... She shook her head. "I don't want you to think about it. I can get through anything... Thanks for your concern, Schwa. I... really appreciate it." But even so, she was a bit pale... We were all grim as we continued.

As we traveled, we took out enemies that we encountered, such as the Golem Children, Celtic Harpies and Dust Elementals... Aries and Seira weren't happy about fighting the enemy Elementals, and Rhyme didn't fight, else she may endanger herself even more by using fairy magic... Isaac did most of the work, really, but we were used to that, and he seemed to enjoy doing the protecting.

Around dusk, we finally encountered their sub-capital city, Bronzebear. The city looked very sturdy-- Dwarven cities like these were always reinforced with powerful minerals, like diamond in some cases, which meant an unbelievable defense. Combined with the mountain entrapment, this city would be reeeeeal hard to siege, no matter who you were.

It didn't help us any that we attracted a semicircle of armed guards in front of us as soon as we entered. Rhyme slumped to the ground out of weariness, and I caught her-- maybe the guards had finally pushed her over the edge. "Isaac, take her, would you?" I offered, and the cyclops helped Rhyme to her feet as he muttered uncertainties. I turned to the guards. "Easy, friends. We come in peace." Silence. "No, we're not merchants." The guards sighed and laughed, sheathing their axes and spears and parting. I laughed. "Not a fan of merchants, are ya? Heh... Hey, we're looking for the Guilds. Can you direct us?" One of the guards stared impatiently at me after I said that. "What?" I offered... Nothing. I put a coin in his hand, and the stare became a welcoming invitation. "Aye! Follow me!" I sighed... I wished they'd be a little more trusting than they ended up being.

The Guilds were a group of dojos, so to speak, all in a cluster for easy access, and day and night they teemed with activity, competition and sparring between allies. "Pick the one right for you!" The guard exclaimed, zealously, and strutted off. Seira came up closer to ask me something. "What are we here for, Schwa?" I winked at her. "Follow me... We're going into the Guild Office Headquarters, if my research is correct." Sure enough, in the middle of the cluster of buildings was a fancier one that had "HQ" painted above the door. I knocked... Nothing. Knocked again, and the door opened halfway on its own. Oops... Well, might as well enter.

Immediately a voice barked at us that made us all jump. "What do you WANT, whelps!?" The HQ was a very small building that was only one room, and that room was a cluttered office with a desk covered in papers. The dwarf stood up when we entered, and looked strong enough to bend a Siege Tank in half. "Whoa, EASY," I sent back. "You're the Head of the Guilds?" He nodded hastily. "Yeah, that is I. You better not be merchants..." I held my hands up. "Naw, nothing like that... Rhyme, you feeling any better? Maybe you should explain our dilemma." But, although Rhyme looked a little healthier, she couldn't speak very well. "A-Arena... Fairies... Closing..." The dwarf looked at her suspiciously. "Is she wacko?" Isaac attempted to draw an axe from his vest, but I clasped his shoulder and waved a finger. I calmly replied, "No... She's just sick. She used some magic that she wasn't used to using, and it did a number on her..." The dwarf looked her over for a moment and hummed... "Hmmm... Half-fairy, half human. Wait a minute... Arena... I remember the Providence Government providing 3 years' funding for an Arena in Opalwood City, mentioning something about "captivating fairies"... That was a few years' back..."

Rhyme suddenly stood up, angry, but her legs wouldn't hold her up. Isaac caught her. "I k-knew it! The fairies spellbound the bureaucrats with their charms to get the Arena! *cough, pant* They're awful and wicked! I'll never go back to them! Neeeeeeverrrrrrr!!!" She fainted on the spot. We all stared, and the dwarf backed up. "Whoa... What did you need help for, again?"

We were in one of the Guilds, and a team of 5 Dwarves and a Red Drake, of various character classes (except the Drake, of course) and clothes outfits (ditto), stood nearby, checking their weapons. The desk leader stood in front of us as we sat on a sofa, listing off things about the Dwarven fighting party and checking a legal document. "So that should just about cover everything, aye!" he finished. Rhyme was awake, drinking stew from a cup and feeling a little better. "They'll travel the world and earn at least 7,000 Gil a day from monsters, half of which will automatically go to your Arena coffers via an enchanted backpack. There's just one thing left to do, however." We all listened. "This document can't be signed until they've been bestowed with some kind of binding enchantment. That way they'll never disobey the employer, or not easily at least." I saw fear in Rhyme's visage... Isaac noticed it too, and he quickly turned to me. "Schwa, sir, please tell me you have a Scroll or a spell to achieve that task..." I shook my head. "Nah... And magic artifacts aren't for sale in Dwarven territory, either..." I looked at Rhyme, and felt bad for her... "I don't know if she has it in her to pull another spell off." But she suddenly turned to me and said simply, "I do, Schwa." And started towards the party in the corner.

Seira ran in front of her to stop her. "Rhyme, NO! You could kill yourself! I love you too much for that... You're a sister to me, Rhyme..." She embraced the fairy girl. This had attracted the attention of the dwarven party, who looked curiously at the two of them... Rhyme returned the hug softly. "Heh... You're so pure, Seira... This won't kill me, I promise. But I might not be able to run the Arena anymore... It's a chance I must take. Wish me luck." She stood up and faced the dwarves, leaving us to wonder what in the world she meant... She waved her hands, and sparkles coated the party, soothing them and charming them with a link of obedience before they could do anything about it... As for Rhyme, once the spell was over, she appeared as if she were in a trance for a while, then suddenly a swirl of blue energy enshrouded her for less than a second, and she was gone.

"NO!" Seira broke down in tears, and Aries stepped forward to console her. Was she dead? I didn't know... Neither did a very panicked Isaac. "Miss Neomi! Where are you!? For God's sake, come back!" I had an idea. I walked up to the spellbound dwarven party, who appeared perfectly normal even after the spell, and asked them, "Do you know the wherabouts of Rhyme?" They were puzzled at first, but one of the older ones, looking like a spellcaster, said in response, "Aye, she is far south, in an enchanted forest of some kind! Do you need to find her" I nodded. "I have a fast way back there... In the meantime, make sure to do what's on the contract, alrighty? Thanks." I signed the desk leader's paper and we got outside the guild building, where I cast Return Party, throwing us through hyperspace... Suddenly we were in front of the gates of Luster Metros.

"Where are we?" Aries asked, before it dawned on him. "AH. Schwa, HOW did you do THAT!?" I shrugged. "Modern wizardry? ^.^ Wait here, I need to bring someone along." I went back into the familiar trade city, looking around through each stall, until I fount the man I was looking for... There he was, in the same spot. "Ho HO! Schwa, you're back!" He said, delighted. "Care to buy any more-- OI! Leggo!" I had grabbed him by the sleeve and was dragging him with me, back to my friends. "No time to explain. Your daughter is in great danger, we think. Follow us." He gasped, and complied. "N-Neomi..."

We dashed along the road though the forest, and soon encountered the Woods of Purity, the forest clad in blue trees with the butterflies in clusters among them... "She's in here somewhere!" I told the party. "Stay alert!" As soon as we entered the forest, there was a shrill shreik...

Ahead of us was a black cloud, and growing fast... I noticed they were birds. "Ravens," I told everyone. "This forest has gone beserk with Rhyme in her state. Her last spell sent her too far over the edge, and she's back in her fairy madness state, but worse this time..." Rhyme's father gasped again. "Then this is MY battle! Stand back!" I was about to object, but he stepped forwards, with a potion handy... He threw it to the ground right as the beelining ravens reaches us, and an electric grid appeared. Each huge crow hit the barrier just like in the Windex commercials, plus some smoke n' fire, and fell to the ground. The smell of burning feathers filled the air, and I grimaced. "Eesh... Well, one down. Let's hurry ahead!" We kept going, desperate to find Rhyme.

The next obstacle sent against us were Treants, which were 8-foot-tall tree monsters. I used Golden Fire against them, and Rhyme's father helped with a combination of explosive vials and a Confusion scroll he pulled out. Almost right after them, ghost-wolves encircled our party, but the determined dad felled them with a scroll called Lux Ultima. After that, poisonous spores erupted from the ground beneath us, and this time Aries set fire to the air before it hurt us too badly. "Any idea WHERE in the forest she is??" I asked everyone present. The dad meditated for a moment, said "Follow me, she's close," and led us off the road. I guessed the fairy's bond worked both ways, as long as they were related. Sure enough, the dad had led us on to a secret path.

But as we approached a clearing in the blue forest, huge trees appeared out of the ground, super-close together, and blocked our way. I cursed. "Rhyme wants us out of her area, that's for sure. How do we get past the trees?" Rhyme's dad pulled out another scroll and recited... We all became transparent. "Hurry, this lasts 15 seconds." We took advantage of this, and walked right through those trees, and into the clearing.

In the center of this clearing was a huge, blue plant of curious origin... It was basically a big stalk covered in blue vines that twirled around it and eventually fastened into the ground. The stalk split near the top, forming a plant-cage that held, you guessed it, Rhyme. Furthermore, Rhyme's arms and legs were bound with tight, blue vines. All the way from the edge of the clearing, I could see her eyes flaring with bright, sapphire light, and probably for a good reason-- men and women, all looking around 17 or 18 years of age, each wearing a pair of huge butterfly wings (bigger than Rhyme's) and clad in clothing made purely of plant-matter, were standing in a circle around the plant, with their hands in the air, out of which wafted some sort of blue energy that absorbed into the weird tree. The tree was growing by the second, slowly sprouting more vines and getting taller. The fairies were, surprisingly, chatting happily as they performed this ritual, about the latest happenings and gossip and whatever. It reminded me of construction workers going to work and chatting as they built. The whole time, Rhyme's captive form struggled to get free, with no results.

"I wonder what they're doing to her?" I thought aloud. "It can't be good, though... Aries, blast it, would ya?" Aries nodded and readied a fireball, but Rhyme's dad grabbed his hand. "Don't! I have a feeling if you harm the tree, Rhyme will feel the pain and damage. The ritual may have fused her to that tree. See her eyes? Same color as those vines and mana supplied by the fairies. We need another way." I was about to say something else, when a louder, female voice from the fairy group called. "We have visitors, everyone! No no, keep working, I will welcome them." Several of the fairies turned in our direction for a moment, curious but still "working", and turned back to their ritual. Another fairy came in our direction, so we in turn stepped forward to be welcomed. Once we got about 10 feet away, though, Rhyme's dad let out a yelp, and the fairy woman looked him over curiously.

"My, my! You sure have gotten older since we last met!" she exclaimed. "Welcome to Rhyme's Ritual, travelers. I am Saakru." She bowed. "Can I help any of you?" She smiled warmly, and Rhyme's dad felt faint. I looked back up at the growing tree, and focused back on Saakru... "Rhyme's our friend. What are you all doing to her?" I spoke with some challenge in my tone, and Saakru seemed to wince. "Nothing bad, I assure you... We're just creating her Spire." We all gave a blank look. "See... 19 years ago or so, I had a child named Rhyme. But she was tainted with the blood of a... specific human..." She smiled at Rhyme's dad, who moaned. "She was 12 when she disappeared one night. We spent 4 years looking for her, until we finally heard the gossip that she was living as a human in Opalwood City! We were all amazed... Fairies don't often coexist with humans. Get along, maybe, but not coexist."

"Her birthday was coming up, and we wanted to do something special for her... So, in the guise of a group of traveling humans, 4 of us visited the Providence Capital and... talked... the government into funding a battle arena for Rhyme. It was not my idea, because I feel so opposed to battle, but she seemed to like it." She paused, and I cut in. "Heh, Saakru, she LOVED the Arena. It was the first time she actually felt like she belonged in the human world." She nodded slowly. "But the... negotiations would only last so long, and in a few years it would close down unless she found other funding. I have no idea how any of this works, mind you... We thought about going back and negotiating again, but figured Rhyme was old enough to take care of this herself."

"And now, for some reason, she has finally come back to us!" she exclaimed. "She ran back into our woods this morning, finally tired of her human life... and as the mother of Rhyme, I will never let her go again!" She waved her hand towards the 'Spire', Rhyme struggling the whole time. "We are building her Spire now... She will be enfused to the Woods of Purity. She will be one with it, and us. She'll grow to like it, I assure you."

Rhyme's dad suddenly, slowly stood up to his full height and glared into Saakru's eyes. She shrunk back. "I am her human father," he stated. "After what you did to me 20 years ago, I thought I would never be able to go on in life... After you humiliated my dignity like that... But taking my daughter from me? You go too far, fairy woman. I shall smite you and your people on this day with my scholarly trinkets." There was a pause, and she closed her eyes sadly. "Hypocrite... Didn't you do the same thing to me 7 years ago? Do you know how I felt then? Well, you do now. And I assure you, you do not want to be in combat with a sprite. We will bewilder your senses and sting you with our powder, and you will not recover after the woeful day you dared challenge us!"

I stepped in between them. "Hold it, friends! As much as you two want to smite one-another, I hate to admit that I understand the point of view of both of you. Why not let Rhyme decide?" I offered. They were both silent, and Rhyme's dad was thoughtful. Then anger appeared on his face again as he replied, "If Rhyme is bound to that tree, her opinion will not be her own-- it will be the forest speaking through her!" Saakru beamed in triumph. But I wasn't done yet... "Easily settled. We'll just break down that Spire, then." Saakru jumped back in alarm. "Wicked humans! How dare you desecrate the form of Nature!" Blue fairy-fire gloewd between her hands as she prepared to attack... Aries beat her to it, launching a real fireball into her, which ignited her and freaked the onlooking fairy folk. She recited a spell to put out the fire. "Haahh... Burns... Don't stand there, friends, help meeeeee!" And at once, about two dozen fairies stopped the ritual and swarmed us. The air was filled with burning powder and varous magical projectiles, going opposite ways.

The good thing about this was that the Spire slowly started shrinking as the fairy mana stopped feeding it, and Rhyme's eyes dimmed back to their original color as her struggling became more intense. "Schwa, HELP ME, you moron!" she cried. At least I was assured she was still mostly normal. I prepared to cast a spell on the Spire, when suddenly it roared-- the TREE actually roared-- and a spiked stump shot out of the ground beneath me. The attack would've been an instant kill, but I twisted out of the way in time, taking a still heavy hit in the back, which knocked me to the ground. Rhyme screamed in pain. "Th-the Spire is taking my life-force to attack you, Schwa!" she stuttered... I was in a pickle, and my win had to be FAST.

Another stump came from underneath me, but this time I turned sideways and grabbed a hold, hoisting me into the air. I had to think of a spell... One came to mind, and it was Captain Harry's Captain Moth. If anything could sever those vines that were sucking Rhyme's life-energy, it was a cloud of hungry insects. And they came, from literally out of nowhere-- huge, golden-winged moths that divebombed the Spire and chewed at it. The Spire started fighting back, piercing at the summons with spiked vines, but there were more moths than the plant could handle-- and when the vines tied to Rhyme's arms and legs were eaten through, and Rhyme half-leaped to the ground, the Spire shrieked and turned to dust on the spot, having no host to draw energy from. Rhyme looked a little pale... I held her up so she could stand. "Your dad's here... We were worried about you, Rhyme. One fairy spell too many put you at their mercy, I take it?" She nodded wearily. "Y-Yeah... Then they tried to bind me to the Woods of Purity... They would've succeeded if not for my half-humanness. Makes me feel... pretty special."

I turned back to the battle between our party and the fairy people, the one we were losing until now... "The tables have turned! Rhyme is no longer at your mercy!" Everyone turned, and the fairies gasped and surrendered... except one... Rhyme stared at her, rage building up in her heart all over again... Saakru stood there, smiling. "Rhyme, open your eyes. You don't belong with them... you belong with your people! Surely you would never harm one of your own kind...?" Rhyme's eyes narrowed, and she thrust a hand out, sending crimson powder in a wave over her mom. This caused Saakru to kneel and quiver as she was burned. Rhyme spoke. "Because of your actions..." She quivered with rage as she spoke, taking slow steps towards Saakru, "Because of what you've done... I was born a bastard child, captivated by an animal's heart... I broke free when I saw my human father, but deep down I have never forgiven you..." She was a foot from Saakru, who didn't know what card to play next. "B-But, Rhyme... The Arena... That was my gift to you!" Rhyme looked up at the other fairy folk, who had suddenly become as enraged as Rhyme. One of the men stepped forward. "YOUR gift!!? You were OPPOSED to the idea!" Another one joined his argument. "YEAH! You only came along because you wanted to sucker another human male with your fairy charm!" Another joined in. "Mischevous wench!" Another. "You disgrace the name of our race!" Yet another. "We should feel no remorse slaying you!"

Saakru backed up, hands in front of her... but the angered fairies rushed her, burning her with more powder and strapping her to the ground with vines they seemingly pulled out of nowhere. They bound her to the ground and cast a combined spell, as the vines began to pull her underground. "Let this Thousand-Year Earth Dungeon be a lesson to you, witch!" one of them called... Rhyme stared at this, not entranced, but in awe of what she had suddenly learned and what was happening. Saakru struggled to get free, but to no avail. Before long, she was no longer visible, and a lot of the fairies suddenly flew off with their huge wings... Only about 3 or 4 were left, and only one paid any attention to Rhyme, a red-haired male sprite that looked a little older than the others. He stared at Rhyme, seeming a little sad... I looked at Rhyme, and she looked kinda sad too...

The man spoke. "Rhyme, really, I'm so sorry you've gone through all that you have in your life... Don't look at all of us with scorn, though. Only your mom was as bad as you make us out to be. And that alone is awful... You, having to be mortal enemies with your own mother..." Rhyme cut him off, smiling. "Hey, thanks for caring. I needed this whole experience, though... Otherwise I'd still be bitter at all of you. I would even stay among you, but... I have a human family that I belong to, as well... and I have to manage the Arena... I belong there. I'm accepted." They embraced as if they were brothers, and I was reminded about the fairy bond clause, and how strong it must've been... "But I'll visit you guys occasionally. I may be busy, but a girl can always find time for family. Thanks for everything." The man smiled and nodded. "Right-o." He turned to me. "Yeah, and thanks for looking out for Rhyme, sir. Thanks to all of you, in fact. Good fortune be upon you all!" We all nodded and waved, as I cast Return Party again, and we were in front of the Arena at Opalwood. The first thing Rhyme did was check the coffers, and already there was 4,500 Gil there that wasn't there before.

Our adventure was basically at a close, but there were still some things to do... Aries, Seira, Rhyme, Isaac and I all talked the rest of the day, had sparring matches with each-other and the locals, told stories and had a wonderful fellowship. The next morning I would be going, so we all spent the night at Aries and Seira's place before that time came, having become wonderful friends along the journey.

The next day, I had all my stuff together and was getting going... Rhyme, though, didn't want to say goodbye just yet. "Don't go yet, Schwa!" she said, "I have something for you. Wanna see?" She had an inviting smile on her face, and a glint in her eye... What the hey, I decided, and followed her. In a secret room in the Arena was a peculiar motorbike. "Th-that's an Excitebike!!" I yelped, amazed. She nodded. "It's for you. I bought it at Luster Metros while we were there and had it delivered here. Try it out!" I got on and revved it up, getting it going. I turned to her. "This is more than I can take... Rhyme, THANK YOU! Thanks for everything! I'm so glad we became friends over this journey, and I'll really miss you..." She nodded, smiling. "Hey, and without your help, I would've still been in the dark. You opened my eyes. It's the least I can do." She walked toward her house, and turned back one last time. "Have fun on your adventures, alright? You've got amazing gifts, you know!" And she flew off-- actually used her wings, and her fairy powers-- to get home.

I revved the gas again, and took off on my new vehicle, straight to the north... 6 hours later, a huge river stood before me, but the Excitebike's all-terrain capabilities brought me right over the river, and I found myself in a new Providence of this country, and with it, another story for another day.

Whew! Longest chapter yet! I just keep getting better, in my awesome opinion... Least I have my heart in it... Yeah baby. ^.^ Anyway, you know the drill-- the text box should contain your questions, comments and complaints, then hit Schwa's the Law and I'll get 'em in time. Make your comments 3 lines long at least, if you can help it, 'cause, you know, I have a thing against spam or posts that don't invoke much thought...

1) Schwa is the Law
2) A Rainbow of Downloads
3) Return to West Side Island
4) The MetaSchwa
5) The Diary of Baltopuff
6) The Official Super Mario Bros. CHAOS CONTROL ***Sprite Comic***
7) Fairies, Dwarves and the Power of Diversity

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