Dark Cloud: Started

[StarStruckStrumpets]

I chuckled at Dunce's optimism, she had always been like that.

"I'm not sure if it's true, but we'll find out." I smiled to her, and looked ahead of me. The cave was riddled with stalagtites and stones. A faint glimmer caught my eye and I charged towards it. The others followed, still chewing on the bread.

A large, green and orange orb was floating in front of me. It was stationary, and didn't seem to have any living qualities...

"What is this thing?" I asked the group. My hearing became the only sense that was working, but it focused on one voice...The Fairy King.

"That's one of the Atlamallia I was talking about. It stores the memories of creatures, buildings and people, that is how you will rebuild the world."

My senses became active again, and I stared at the orb.

"How the hell do we open this thing then?" I asked them all.

 

[Aloran]

Obviously my humour was wasted on Naara, but I felt it necessary to not burn any bridges, we could be together for a long time.
"Ok ok ok, I'm sorry. But I do need it, the blanket that is. The love can wait. Thanks for the bread, anyone want any? I don't eat much."
The word 'monsters' sent a chill down my spine. I released the guard on the scabbards of my katanas, just in case.

As soon as I did so, Naara rushed off. I expected to be faced with a giant tentacled monster trying to eat our brains, instead, we were faced with a glowing green ball.
"Reckon it'd bounce?"

 

[ae86gamer]

Dunce followed Naara as they went towards the cave. This reminded her of the exploring they did as children. The finally arrived at the cave and everyone saw a glowing orb. Dunce looked at the orb with great interest. She turned and looked at Naara.

"Well why don't you just touch it? Maybe something will happen."

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

"I really have no idea, I've never come across anything like this before." Then I remembered something my father had told me.

Those green balls...the Atlamallia, I had a gemstone on my glove...the stone seemed to make the Atlamallia react.

"A...stone?" I said to myself.

Then it came to me.

Hyaaaaaaaahh!

I jumped up and chopped through the orb. A green energy swirled around my sword, and then was absorbed by the stone.

"I...did it?"

 

[Aloran]

"If I was high right now that woulda looked totally sweet . So what now?"

 

[ae86gamer]

Dunce's eyes widened and her mouth was open.

"Wow... How did ya do that? Did you remember something that your dad told ya?"

 

[Aloran]

Naara was still staring at his sword in disbelief. So I attempted to divert the conversation.
"So...Dunce was it? what makes you think our band is so unstoppable?"

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

"I think...it was the stone." I pointed to the crystal inside my sword.
My ears pricked up...I could her faint tapping in the distance...then grunting.

"Can you hear that?" I stared into the darkness, trying to make out what it was I could hear.

The torches on the cave walls lit up, illuminating the darkness, and giving me a clear idea of what was coming towards us. The boar-like creature charged at me with a mace in it's hand. It managed to hit me before I could dodge it.

"Oof!" I said as I was knocked onto the floor.

Snort Snort!

Spoiler: The Creature's Appearance

 

[Aloran]

"what the hell is that?" I yelled as I drew both of my katanas.

 

[ae86gamer]

"Hey!! You hurt my friend you stupid pig!"

Dunce pulled out her chronicle sword and attacked the boar like creature causing it to fall to the ground. She smiled but the smile quickly vanished as the creature stood back up. She spoke over her shoulder to Naara.

"Hurry up and get up!"

She struck the creature once more.

 

[reyttm4]

I charged at the monster while drawing my knives. As I got close it swung at me with its huge mace and rolled out the way then while I was behind it took a slice under it's arm.

"It's skin is pretty thick guys, hit as hard as you can"

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

I stood up and ran towards it, using a stance my father had taught me. I put my sword behind my back, as if to guard a blow behind me, the creature approached me and I leapt into the air. The monster looked confused it didn't know whether to block my attack, or to keep fighting the others, it stood still while it decided what to do.

Yaaah!

My sword sliced through it's armor and left a deep gash in it's chest. I was on my knees after the attack, and I looked up at it smirking to myself. The boar-like creature dashed off, I assumed it was going to heal it's wound.

I panted. "Well...at least...we know what...we're going to...come across now." I laughed.

A shiny stone lay where the monster had been standing. It looked like it would fit in to something.

"Come on everyone! We've gotta find where this fits!"

 

[Aloran]

"awwww man. I was just getting ready to perform some kick ass stuff...spoilsport. Right, let's get this show on the road"

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

After running for at least 10 minutes more, a chest lay in front of us, I didn't know why, but it was just...there. I knelt down to open it, and examined the contents. I shuffled through the chest, trying to find the things of greatest value.

"Okay, let's see here...A map, a stone, some water and...oh, what's this? Repair...powder?"

I took out all of the items and slipped them into my bag, repair powder sounded useful, but we didn't need it at the moment. I fumbled around with the map and stood under a torch.

"The exit is marked...just over here!" I put away the map and we all raced towards the point shown on the map.

 

[Aloran]

As we were running, thoughts were racing through my mind

why am I following these people? I don't even know them that well...what's going on? before now my life was fine! And now I find myself in an "end of the world" scenario. What's happening?

Instead of voicing my questions like a sane person would, my sarcastic sense of humour perked up as we neared the light presumably coming from the exit.

" Duuuuuunce....don't go into the liiight " I said in an eery voice

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

I chuckled as Damas made a joke that wouldn't offend anyone. The light was peering through a crack in a giant stone door. There was no keyhole to be seen.

"How the hell do you open this?!" I examined the door and found a indentation, shaped much like the crest we had obtained from the monster.

"Maybe this fits?" I stuck it in and the door opened. On the other side of the door were some stairs, leading to a lower level.

"Wow...more caves, fun. Come on, we can stay here for a while, get some rest, and go down there later?" I asked them all what they wanted to do.

 

[Aloran]

"I don't mind what we do. I'm ready to go down, but I think that some of the others may need to recuperate. We could all use a mental break anyway."
I walked through and sat down on one of the steps, lay down my swords and leant against the wall, chewing on the piece of bread I had left.

 

[ae86gamer]

Dunce smirked at Damas' joke.

"Yeah lets rest. "

Dunce walked around for a little bit but sat down and leaned up against a wall. She put her sword down by her side. The same sword that had been used by her great grandfather. She yawned and looked around the cave. It wasn't spectacular, it looked the same as any other cave. She looked back at her sword.

All I ever heard were tales from great grandma Sophia of how great grandpa Seda created the monster. I hope no one ever figures out that he did. If they did then I seriously doubt that they would trust me.

 

[Aloran]

I looked around. Naara seemed to be lost in thought, with some sort of quizzical expression on his face. Dunce seemed to be tired. she needs perking up

I walked over and sat down beside Dunce
"So, you and Naara seem pretty close, what's the story?"

 

[goatzilla8463]

I paced the cave uneasily. I would really have rathered to be out in the trees where it was open but the cave felt small and suffocating. I started grabbing some stones off the ground and throwing them off into the darkness.

I thought of my dad and mum and my brothers and sisters that had died in the raid on our village. She'd almost gone mad with grief when it had happened but in the end, her sheer determination to stay alive kept her going.