Chapter 3 Nemesis (Radium, Tritium)

Note: I've decided to not use PureSOhai, cuz the name really tak boleh guna in my story... haha. Using Radium again. Enjoy.. ^^

'Take cover!!!' Another massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto the city gates, destroying it and leaving more craters on the ground. The guards falled back into the city, taking along their wounded, and the dead. Lieutenant Neon of the thirty seventh guardian division was critically wounded as well, on the ground, blood gushing out this left leg. Around him was utter chaos. Explosions erupting from all directions, sending debris and dirt up into the air. Chills and screams of his comrades filled the air. They were being massacred. 'Fall the hell back!! Take everyone inside!' His leg hurt like hell, but he stood up anyway. Hell was not one place he was afraid of where he came from. Neon looked around him again. Dead bodies of his fellow men lied around him. Some on the ground, some still charred from the fire, tossing, turning, but barely alive. He looked up into the sky and there it was... Two lone figures floating slowly towards him. In a split second, there was another thunderous noise above the clouds. Neon shouted 'Brace yourself!!! Find some cover!' The sky cracked open, and out of the dark clouds came another bolt of silver lightning, this one much larger than the rest. It came straight at Neon.

'Reflect Shield!' The bolt of lightning slammed against an enlarged energy shield that appeared directly in front of Neon. But the impact was much too great. Neon's shield discharged, and he was thrown backwards, slamming into a pile of rubble. 'Urghhh!' His comrades looked in horror. 'Lieutenant!' Another silver ray crashed down again from the sky. Neon closed his eyes and braced for the end...

'Spell Breaker!' The silver lightning bolt vanished in an instant. A group of soldiers emerged from the city gates, and began rounding up the wounded. The first man who came forward looked more authoritative than the rest, and knelt beside Neon.

'Neon.... Neon... stay with me.... Oxygen, get to healing him, NOW! I'll take them down. Rendezvous with the rest of us at HQ when this is over...' 2nd Officer Oxygen nodded. WIth that, the first man dashed forward, behind him five others followed suit, dashing at remarkable speeds. She reached into her robes and pulled out a rosary and a Bible. Then, as she pulled the bible open, a sparkling blue gemstone fell out of it and into her hand. 'Thy servant beckons thee, O father in heaven, give me strength! Sanctuary!' The blue gemstone glowed brightly then vanished. The land started to tremble, and then, white, warm lights shot out from beneath the surface. The white lights swerved and turned, and enveloped the wounded and the beaten. A strong ray circled around Neon, until it wrapped itself tightly around him. Neon jerked his eyes open and gasped for a sudden breath of air, as the white light dissapeared. Oxygen smiled in relief. 'You rest now, Neon. Heraus will take care of this.' Neon muttered 'You know I'll smile back, if my lips didn't hurt so much, my dear.' Neon reached out his hands, and Oxygen held them tight with both of hers. She leaned forward and kissed them, and muttered 'O father in Heaven.. Hallowed be thy name...' Then let go of his hand slowly. 'Can you walk? You better get back behind the city walls now. Let us take care of this. But to think even you can fall to that... that thing. What exactly is it?'

Neon looked at her blue eyes, the same eyes that he fell for two years ago. 'I don't know....' He coughed. 'Tell Heraus to be careful. Its a magical element caster, but its magic is far stronger than I can anticipate it... My Shield Reflect didn't work on it.' Oxygen looked stunned. 'Your reflect Shield... didn't work? Neon nodded. Oxygen immediately stood up, and called to two nearest soldiers. 'You, take him back into the city, and round em the rest of the wounded. You, come with me, Heraus and his team will need all the help they can get.' The soldiers knelt in down in unison 'Yet, High Priestess!'

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Across the battlefield, the two figures in midair were ever closer now. The moonlight bathed them in a silver, yet eerie glow that radiated around the land below. The larger creature was huge, and had two horns atop his head. Its eyes were blood red, and its huffed a heavy gush of air every now and then. Its mere presence caused the land below to crack and shatter as it levitated past. As it levitated, its gigantic physique cast a shadow so large it covered almost the entire portion of sand and dirt beneath the two. He held his clutches tighter around what looked like a Scythe, and as they approached the silver rays of the moonlight, on his feet, were what appeared to be hooves. On its shoulder, was a smaller figure. It was a dark shadow of what appeared to be human.

'You.... won't get away with this...' said the large creature. They hovered past another portion of forest, the last one before they finally get to the gates. 'Patience... my dear Baphomet. Lest the Lord of the Beasts have thus spoken. For the King of the Beasts... I must say I am somewhat dissapointed.' The red eyes of the massive creature turned to look at the shadowy figure. 'You monster... what are you? How did you.. even find me?' The shadowy figure stood up straight, and under the moonlight, he appeared to be rather tall. A black round top hat was atop his head. He wore a black-red cloak that fluttered in the midnight wind, and on his left hand held a disturbing looking rod, the crest on top of it was the shape of a human skull. The very sight of that rod caused the Baphomet to suddenly cringe. "That wand... The Skull Wand. How did you...'

The shadowy figure grinned an evil grin. 'Let's just say.. your Evil Druid friends were more than happy to trade thier pathetic lives for this thing...' The Baphomet roared. 'You foolish human.. you don't know what that thing can do! Wielding it alone requires...' The shadowy figure came eye to eye with the huge beast. 'Your soul?' The Baphomet looked directly at his nemesis. And as the moonlight finally enveloped the both of them, the shadowy figure cam into Baphomet's clear view. He was taken aback. 'You...' The figure raised his wand. 'Now Baphomet, my pet. Do your worst.' Many jet black shadows began to emerge from the wand and circled around the large Beast. It swerved and swevered until finally they entered the body of the large creature. He waved his wand again, and the huge beast no longer leviataed, but fell, in full body height to the grounds below. As the Baphomet raised its head, its eyes were no longer red, but black with hatred and destruction. 'Ju've.. Lo'strev! B'cumanti Lewvi!' The Baphomet roared loudly. It stomped its hooves and raised its Scythe. 'Go.'

The large Beast charged at the city gates, all with its might. The shadowy figure looked and smiled at the catastrophe that was about to follow. Out of the night sky, there was a sudden black mist that began to shape and form. It approached the shaowy figure, silently, until it finally took a human shape. It wore a ragged cape and held two katars in his hand. 'Remarkable really... even I didn't detect you following me all the way here.' The shadowy figure turned around, just as his eyes met with the edge of the katars pointed directly at him. 'You're late.' The Assasin lowered his weapons, and took his place beside the shadowy figure. 'Did you get what I want?' The shadowy figure stomped his wand once, and a box appeared out of thin air in black mist. The Assasin picked it up, and slowly opened its lid. A dark red vile of liquid, in the shape of a human skull, was within it. The Shadowy figure said, 'It will only last for one minute.' The Assasin took the bottle and placed it inside his cloak. 'I'll be out by then.' 'Before you go, Tritium, tell me... how is it that I can't detect you?' The Assasin was already gone. 'Hmph... Perfect Hide. He's going to be a formiddable opponent when this is over. He raised his wand again, and this time, rose into the air. He held both hands outward, and began to speak. His voice seemed to be amplified magically, as it echoed all around the city walls and gates.

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'Now, Holy City of Prontera... cower before the might of the Baphomet! The war has began! By the end of tonight, the world and Kingdom of Ragnarok, will be mine, hail me, your Ruler! Grand Mage Radium!' Heraus stopped in his tracks. He could see the Baphomet before him. 'Radium..? Is that you?' Another shadow stopped beside him. 'Heraus, what is it? Focus, its coming.' Heraus nodded. 'I don;t think that's the biggest of our problems. Norm! Nana! YipMan! Battle formations. I want your Asuras up and ready in two minutes.' The three figures behind him dashed forward in unison. He looked to his left at the last figure. 'Lexy, stay with me. I need you to cast Deluge in these three areas here. I'll set up my Land Protector. Don't forget to turn Energy Coat on. The Baphomet is not an easy target. Now go, my apprentice.' Lexy nodded, and dashed forward. Heraus stood up, and raised his Book. He reached inside his robe and took out 3 yellow gemstones, and placed them on the ground. Then, he began to draw an alchemic circle around the gems, until it formed a sign. He closed his eyes. 'Land Protector!!'. A heavy blast of energy emitted from the ground, just as the Baphomet entered attacking range. It was blown back by a white barricade that engulfed the entire area. Heraus looked at the huge beast, as it roared and raised its Schyte, hitting the white barricade hard, but to no avail. Heraus stood up. He took another red gemstone and placed it on the ground, then drew another quick symbol around it. 'Safety Wall!' A line of red glowing walls appeared behind the white barricade, and enveloping him and Lexy as well. 'Now... Radium... let's do this.'

From atop the raised platform not far away, Radium looked down at the feat before him. 'The Perfect Defence... Heraus the Scholar. We meet again, old friend.. we meet again.'

Chapter 2 Orc Hero (Luci, Crepe, Xenon)

The chilly wind etched its way past the rice fields of gold and yellow, swaying them as it did. The sun above added its warm rays to the sparkle, as the wind blew gently, picking up a lone maple leaf in its wake. It lifted it, and then blew it higher, higher, and higher still… until it got caught in the rift. Then, like a poker card caught in mid air, the leaf began to turn, faster, and faster, and faster, in a 360 degree rotation. Then, in an instant, it split in half, and the wind stopped, so did the swaying of the wheat plants.

Not far away, a lone shadow stood up. In his hand, he held a sparkling object. As he moved out of the shadows of the willows and into the sunlight, it was revealed to be a thin, rectangular object that fitted just right in his hand. It was a card.

‘Are you sure its here?’ Two more shadows appeared behind him. ‘Yes, Lucifier.. I am sure.’ The third shadow moved forward. It stepped out into the open field, and under the glistening sun her hair seemed to glisten under the rays of light. She was wearing a brass plate, and she reached behind her to pull out a long, curved bow. The first shadow looked up. “Crepe…. Be careful.’ The Hunter nooded, and then she dashed forward into the whaet fields, and out of sight. Lucifier looked uneasy, and he sat down under the willow. ‘Hmph… you sure she’s going to make it back alive? Its an MVP we’re hunting here…’ The first shadow turned towards him, and as he did, a ray of sunlight caught it in the face. He was wearing a metallic contraption that glittered under the rays. It jutted out of his eyes, almost mechanic like. The binocular-man looked straight at Lucifier. ‘Of course… I trained her myself.’ Lucifier piffed. ‘Whatever you say Xenon… heh. But I still say we wait and see.’ As he finished his sentence, he opened the palm of his hands. A faint glow of bluish light emerged in slow succession, then slowly gathering and the small dot became bigger, and bigger, until it formed a sphere in his hand. He lifted the sphere, and closed his eyes. The sphere floated upwards and then stopped in mid air. Lucifier suddenly shouted ‘Dangerous Soul Collect!’ The sphere vibrated, and then, a bright glow emitted from it. It began to vibrate harder, and hten, in an instant, split into five same spheres. It floated around Lucifier. Xenon shook his head. ‘Why can’t you be like a normal monk and call those spheres out one by one? That’s cheating.’ Lucifier layed back, putting both hands behind his head. ‘Neh… I prefer my method better. Its faster this way.’ Xenon replied ‘One of these days, someone is gonna catch u off guard doing that summoning thing. Its taking too much delay… its dangerous.’ Both of them kept silent for a few moments. Then, Lucifier spoke. ‘I’ll take my chances.’

Suddenly, there was a quick rustle of leaves. In a godly quick movement, Xenon pulled up a curved bow. Lucifier held his hands on one of the spheres and pushed it forward, it came into his hand, and the other four spheres repositioned themselves quickly around him. Both aimed at the same direction. A huge shadow appeared not far from the willow they were hiding under. Just then, they could see Crepe dashing in front of the huge thing. As it came closer, Lucifier began to laugh. ‘Gahaha… that’s exactly what I mean, she’s not ready.’ Xenon kept silent.’ Hmph..’ He stood up, and drew an arrow from his quiver.

The huge Orc Hero began running at Crepe like crazy. Panting, and holding her left arm, she dashed as fast as she could forward as it clobbered her with its huge sowrd, missing its target. Her dislocated shoulder was more than she could bear. The forest started to fan out, and they came to an open field. She could see the willow tree just ahead of her. Her feet burned under the pain. Her bow was still clinging to her her back, but without both arms, she was pretty much not in fighting condition. If there was anything Xenon taught her, it was that you life mattered the most. She dashed forward quickly, but the Orc Hero was faster. It caught up to her, and in one gigantic swing, it hit her right in the back. ‘Garhhhh!’ Crepe tumbled to the ground, landing sideways on a piece of grass. The Orc Hero roared loudly at the sight of Crepe’s fall, and raised its sword to finish the job. The blow connected not with his intented target, however, but at a bluish sphere. Lucifier scratched his head with his left hand, and the other hand held outwards, connecting to a blue sphere that was at the Orc Hero’s sword. The Orc Hero roared in anger. They both discharged. Lucifier jumped onto a nearby tree and then quickly dashed forward towards the Orc Hero. The Orc Hero was too fast, however, and it pummeled the ground where Lucifier was, cracking it. Crepe screamed ‘Lucifier..!!!’

‘What?’ Crepe stopped, and looked up. There, on the shoulder of the Orc Hero, was Lucifier, a blue sphere in his hand. Three more spheres were floating around him. Crepe yelled ‘That wasn’t funny~!!!’ Lucifier laughed ‘Hahaha~ It was to me!!’ The Orc Hero turned to grab Lucifier. Just as it did, Lucifier yelled ‘Body Relocation!’ A blue sphere disappeared, and Lucifier disappeared and reappeared again on the ground just below the Orc Hero. The Orc Hero was mad now. It howled so loud that the trees began to tremble. Lucifier cringed. ‘Tsk… Not good. We have to end this, now!’ It began to turn white and glow. Lucifier dashed towards the back. ‘Buy me some time, Xenon!’ As he said that, a volley of arrows shoot out from behind Lucifier and hit the Orc Hero square in the face. Its skin, however was too thick, and most of the arrows rebounded off its skin. The glowing was getting brighter now. Lucifier turned behind him. ‘Xenonnnn….!!! Now!!!’

About nearly nine square miles away under the willow tree, Xenon took aim at the beast. From where he was, both Lucifier and Crepe looked like tiny ants jumping and yelling as a huge potato size thing was beating them up. ‘Hmph… noob.’ He pulled the string of the bow back all the way, and said in a low voice. ‘Phantom.. Arrow.’ The arrow he was pulling began to glow and sear with heat. It finally caught the shape of a cross and was vibrating with a strong energy pulse. He let go, and the arrow flew out from the bow and hit the Orc Hero in the head in a split second. The Orc Hero howled, and the glowing white light stopped. Just then, Lucifier yelled, ‘Dangerous Soul Collect!’ A few moments later, the spheres increased to five again and floated around him. Then, he pounded the ground with huge force. The ground broke and debris flew into the air, leaving a small crater. ‘Critical Explosion!’ All five spheres disappeared instantaneously, and merged into his body. He began to turn red, and suddenly, his whole body erupted of energy. A huge amount of mana emitted from him, as the area around him began to tremble and shake. ‘Crepe! Find some cover, NOW!’ Crepe limped upwards, and just as she jumped behind a huge willow tree, there was a huge explosion.

‘Asura… STRIKE!!!’

A huge glow of light erupted where the Orc Hero was, and Lucifier was seen dashing at it, his palms held together and a huge ball of energy was hitting the MVP at its chest. The light imploded, and then, with great might, erupted. The area around the MVP was obliterated, trees uprooted and the ground cracked up and shattered. The glow died down, and there, before her eyes, the Orc Hero wobbled, slowly, then fell to the ground. Far away, Xenon shielded his eyes from the blinding light. ‘Hmph… show off.’

Chapter 1 Jerr's Story

The name’s Jerry. Jerry Felious. But my friends and parents call me Jerr, because that’s the way they treat me around this parts. I don’t get mad at it or anything, though. I know they don’t mean it. Like many of you, I am an ordinary kid, who lives an ordinary life. My parents are farmers, and well, we basically live off the land. My dad’s a goat herder. He gets the milk from goats up on the Vein’s mountains, and sometimes, if he’s lucky, gets rough eluniums from the creatures there. Most of the men in my village do the same thing. They call themselves Sand Poachers. I never knew what that meant until my friend Julian told me that his dad fights creatures made out of sand in those places. I never believed him though. I mean, people made out of sand? That’s just wrong. My mom doesn’t really do much, not as an occupation that is. She stays home, and helps us with our daily stuff. Cleaning the house, washing the dishes, cooking the meals. You know, the routine stuff moms do.But we are pretty poor. Not poor like ‘we cant afford clothes and a small house’, but poor like’we cant really afford to eat the grains we plant’. Dad’s crops aren’t really what you might call ‘fertile’, not when you grow them on he hillside of a rocky Yellowstone mountain. I live in a small village called Brasilis, north of the Rune Midgrad Kingdom. If you’re not from around here, then I ought to welcome you to my world. Welcome, to the Kingdom of Ragnarok.

I’m not what you might call the most popular kid around. I’m already 10, but I’m still kinda small for kids my size. That’s why people pick on me. “hey look its Jerr…’ ‘Haha it’s the Jerr kid’. ‘Hey Jerr… mind if we… Jeer u around?’ And that sums up my life here in Brasilis. My friend Julian’s different. He’s huge. Actually, no… he’s huge in a bad way, more.. well.. let’s just leave it at chubby. He hates it when I call him fat or anything. We’re pretty tight. I mean we go to the river every evening to look at the passing fish and sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can get a glimpse of the Peco Pecos that appear to drink from the Forest across the river. Its called the Forest of Death, though. Pretty morbid name, huh? Yea I know. But legend has it, that a really scary beast lives inside of the forest. Many of us aren’t allowed to go near that place. Once, a boy name Hicks came running back into the village, saying that he saw something near the river. But by the time the villagers got to the river bank, it was already gone. He kept muttering something about a big, shiny beast. They told him there was no such thing, and the case was brushed aside. But I know its out there. The beast they call the Grand Peco.

Well, you see, the Peco Pecos are birds, large birds at that. Many of them are wild and untrained. But Pecos can be great modes of transportation. And that makes them worth a lot. But they are not easy to catch, though. Many of these birds can be aggressive, and when they do, they call more of their kind to attack any intruders. Many of the villagers would round some of them up anyway, stray ones, and sell them to the market in the city of High Brasilis down the dirt path. The High Citadel, as they call it, home to the rich and powerful in this region of land. I’ve been there before only twice in my life. Once as a boy to be baptized by the Holy Church. Its not as grand as the Grand Cathedral in the city centre, where all the rich boys go. We farmer’s boys make do with the Holy Church outside the city walls. But hey, that was as close as I got to the High city. The second time was much better.

My father had to run an errand in the town market, which was inside the city. I asked if I could tag along, and he said yes. We made it through the gates and I was mesmerized by what I saw. High towers that could touch the sky. Huge fountains that spewed wine and water. An array of stalls and shops that sold mouth watering food. The market itself was no ordinary feat. It was as tall as the towers of Glast Heim (Julian told me this, and he showed me a picture of the ruin towers once), and as wide as a hundred wheat fields back in the village. We walked inside, and it was the most exotic place I’ve ever seen. They sold items ranging from odd looking weapons, to potions, to food stocks, accessories, jewellery. There was even an old man selling funny looking hats. I remember one that looked just like a golden fox. But dad didn’t give me the time to wander around. We just dropped off the wheat to a dark skinned guy named Erl. He was a farmer too, from another village, the village of Burna. There were many villages around the city, but ours was the closest to the High Citadel.

On the way out of the market however, dad suddenly placed his hand firmly on my shoulder as we walked. I turn around and look at him. He pulled out a small sack from inside his pocket, and gave it to me. Curious, I took it from him. He smiled, as I pulled out a glittering stone from inside it. ‘An oridecon! Dad…’ I looked at him. He just laughed. ‘Its worth something around this parts. Here, take this to the merchant over there and see how much it’s worth. Then buy something for yourself. Don’t spend it all, okay? I saw the way you were looking at that hat back there. I’ll wait for you in the caravan.’

I watched him walk towards the caravan, smiling all the way. I couldn’t believe it. My very first journey to the city, and my very first purchase! I was still smiling as I walked toward the merchant my dad pointed at. The merchant’s tent was huge and grand looking. In front of the stall was a plank that read ‘B>Ores, Refined or otherwise’. There was a bell on the counter, and I rang it. A few moments later, a young man came out of the tent, and looked down at me.

‘Hey there, little fella. What can I do ya for?’ I looked at him, and then slowly reached for the Oridecon inside my jacket pocket. I placed It on the counter. The young man gave a small smirk as he identified it. ‘You’ve got yourself a nice piece of ore right here, young fella. Sturdy, strong. The weight’s good too. But…’ MY heart stopped a beat. “But what?’ The young man looked at me slowly. ‘It’s a fake.’

I was almost teary eyed. ‘Are.. are you sure? But my dad…’ The young man ignored me. ‘Your dad must have made a mistake himself. Tell you what. I’ll take this off your hands for 50 zenies. It’s a fake, so I’m doin you a favour here, pal.’ I was dumbstuck. I was supposed to get a good price for it. Dad said it could get a good price, and by that it had to over 2000z. The hat was almost 200 zenies. Now not only wont I get the hat, I had to break the news to dad. ‘Well.. ok..okay then.’ The young man pulled out a small box, and took out 5 pieces of silver. ‘Here ya…’

Just then, a sharp, high pitch noise voice came out of nowhere, and the box slammed shut. I was in awe. The young man was furious, and looked around. ‘Who the hell did that?!’ he shouted. ‘I did.’ The sound came from just behind me. I looked back, and saw the image of an old man towering above me. He was wearing a funny looking hat, and a cape. In his hand he held what looked to me like a wooden contraption, but with strings in the middle of it.

“I know that weapon… it’s a musical instrument! You’re a bard aren’t you!’ the young man fumed. He looked up at the old man, banging his fists on the counter. ‘What is the meaning of this!’ The old man placed his hands on my shoulder, the way my father did. ‘Boy, you have been cheated. That man right there is trying to scam you off your hard earned money. Take the jewel back, and give it to me. I’ll give you 60,000 zenies for it.’ I was dumbstruck. ‘6… 60,000 zenies? But he said it was a fake.’

The young man jumped over the counter and into the open. He marched up to the old man, and stared him in the face. ‘What the hell do you mean, you old fart! Are you questioning my professionalism as an identifier? My family runs the best identifier stalls in the whole city! Now get lost before I call the guards!’ The old man didn’t seem to listen at all. ‘Boy…. In your hand here is what is known as a sacred stone. This is not any ordinary Oridecon. If you will, I can show you.’ The young man was furious now. ‘Why you little…’ He reached into his jacket and pulled out a short dagger.

There was a loud scream as some passers-by watched in horror as the young man lunged at the old man. He charged forward, and raised it into the air, aiming for the old man’s chest. As he did, the old man did something I’ve never seen or thought possible. He plucked a string from his instrument, and in an instant, the young man was caught frozen, in mid air. Just as the young man was about to hit the ground, the old man plucked another string, and the young man was hit backwards, in full force, crashing into the stall behind him. The impact was loud and clattering, sending pieces of wood flying in all directions.

The old man looked at me, and smiled. ‘Now… about that stone.’ I hesitated for a moment. But I sensed a warmth in the old man’s eyes, a feeling that I’ve never had before. Shivering but still in utter bewilderment, I ran to the back of the counter, crossing over the passed out young man’s body. I found it on the counter where I handed it to him, and gave it to the old man. He raised his voice a little and turned towards the crowd already gathering to see what the commotion was all about. ‘My dear citizens, before any of you go running off to warn the guards, let me prove my innocence and this boy’s trust in me.’ He looked at me and winked. Holding the stone, he placed it near the musical instrument. With a quick and utterly unbelievable speed, he began plucking his instrument, one by one at first, and then strumming it, then in quick succession playing it as if there were 10 hands doing it at the same time. A rhythmic melody played. As he did, the stone began to shiver and crack. Little pieces of rock emerged from within the cracks, and the glistening surface on the Oridecon began to disappear. The crowd looked in awe as the ore began to emit a bluish glow, and finally, as the old man stopped playing, the Oridecon, once glistening and shiny, was now even more brilliant looking. The Edges were longer and pointed outwards, like a diamond, just longer. The base of the stone was now covered in a blackish substance, but just the bottom part of it. The old man slowly picked it up, and held it out on his palm towards me. ‘Sacred Stone. An enriched Oridecon. It has almost five times the potential as an ordinary Oridecon, plus, they cant melt under the pressure of searing heat. The perfect enchantment for weapons.’ I looked at the thing. It was even more beautiful than it was before. The old man smiled. ‘You are a very lucky boy, you know that. I’ve lived long enough to see only two of these things. And the second came from you.’ He reached for his pocket, and held out a sack. ‘Theres between 60,000 to 70,000 zenies in here. I cant really remember, my memories not at all good.’ He chuckled, then winked at me, and turned towards the crowd behind him. ‘I believe I’m telling the truth then, ladies and gentlemen?’ He walked off, leaving behind a crowd of people still dumbstruck.

At the end of the day, I knew three things as I sat beside my father on the caravan on the journey home that night. First, no one reported the incident; not even the young man who later found out that many witnesses saw the old man turning the stone blue. Secondly, I got the hat I wanted, and my father was surprised yet joyful at the sight of the 72,395 zenies in that bag, minus the 200 I used to pay for the hat. I still smile when I remember that. Third and finally, I could not take my mind of the way the old man played that instrument. And funny enough, every time I remember these events, the same song he played still echoes in my head. So I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to be a bard, the moment I come of age.