----------------------------------- This is a story written by Xigo. Don't make a story with a different name with a similar idea or steal this story/idea and publish it here or somewhere else. Plagiarism isn't cool man, get your own ideas. ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- [+] CHAPTER 3 [+] Esther Bright Raena sees the group standing there. They seem like they're talking to someone, but she can't see who it was because they were blocking the view. Nuru stepped away and walked over behind Sineeda, where she tries to climb him up. Raena couldn't believe her eyes when she saw someone unexpected to be in a place like this. "You got the artifact, Sinnie?" Milli looked over at Sineeda. He got the artifact out of his pocket on his vest and gave it to the old woman they were talking to. The old woman wore an outfit similar to someone who is an adventurer, and had the tools and items needed for one too. Other than that, she was on a hovering chair. "Mss. Bright." Sineeda handed the old woman over the artifact. "Thank you, Sineeda. That's one down and six to go!" The old woman took the artifact. "Interesting, a spider's bone..?" "Well, it IS the trophy for defeating a giant oversized spider." Sineeda shrugged, then almost fell because of Nuru climbing up his back. "YEY!" Nuru raised her hands while she was on Sineeda's back. Sineeda sighed. "I may have come from a family of treess, but that doess not give you the right to climb me all the time." Sineeda looked at Nuru as he carried her. "Well, it did help us in that battle!" "You're right..." "Plus, I'm the one who showed you the way here!" "I guess you're right, hehe." Ms. Bright giggled, as Raena got closer to the crowd. "Ms. Esther... Bright...?" Raena looked at her eyes widened. Esther looked over at Raena. "Oh! Hello!" Esther greeted, then looked at Ethyl. "A new recruit, Ethyl?" Ethyl scratched the back of his head. "Uhh..." "No, I'm not with him." Raena cut his sentence, Ethyl growled at her. "I didn't expect you to be here..!" "Well, I am here." Esther shrugged with a smile. "I'm glad you have found a protector to bring you here Bran–" Esther realizes something, and leaned over her chair. "Where's Leda..?" Raena and the others stayed silent. Nuru quit playing around with Sineeda's leaves on his head and looked over at them. "She... Was taken..." Raena looked down, about to tear up again. "She didn't make it..." "The Ruin has done too much already..." Esther frowns and turns over to the gigantic door. "Ethyl, we must hurry and find the other artifacts." "About that..." Ethyl stepped forward and put his hands in his pockets. "My ship ran out of fuel, we need to get more for us to be able to continue." "Unfortunate... But I believe Penguin Pete has fuel to sell you." Esther looked up at Ethyl. "Thanks, I'll meet up with him." Ethyl bowed slightly. "Now, I wanna talk to the protector more." Esther looked over at Raena. "Mind you leave us for a bit?" Ethyl nodded then went down the staircase together with the others. "ONWARD, SINNIE!" Nuru points to the direction where the others were going. Sineeda sighs and walks with them. Esther goes closer to Raena. "What's your name, young protector?" "Raena Bellmore... Ma'am." Raena blushed a bit, nervous that she's meeting a retired grand protector. "Ah, I know you. Top of the batch huh?" Esther put her hand on Raena's shoulder. "And there's no need to be formal, just call me Esther!" "E-Esther..." Raena held her arm, still having tears under her eyes. "Don't cry, Raena..." Esther comforted her. "This is hard for me too." "D-Do you happen to know where the evacuation ship headed?" Raena looked up. "They should be headed here, The Outpost, they have nowhere else to evacuate in but here." "When will they be here..? My parents are there... And..." "I don't know dear, usually in a few days." Raena sniffed. "I-I just have so much questions for you ma'am!" "Go ahead and ask, dear, hehe." Esther leaned back on her chair. "I have time, I can't go anywhere else anyway. I can't walk anymore." Raena brightens up and smiles. She covers her face and shrieks internally. "Okay okay! Let me calm down for a bit..." She exhales then looks up at her again. "So this is The Ark?" "Yes, the one and only." Esther nodded and looks at the gate. "The place where the Ruin was sealed away." "I've read the story in the book before but... I thought there were only six key artifacts?" "Well, the books were wrong the gate had holes for 7 key artifacts. I recently discovered that the Novakids were gifted an artifact too." Out of the corner of Raena's eye she looks at Ethyl and cringed. "They have one?" "Yes. I was suprised as well." Esther turns around. "We don't really know where to start looking for their key artifact since... You know why." "Mhm." Raena nods. "I'm also curious as to why you had a novakid take this job?" "Why not?" "But he tricked me along with his avian crewmate! I don't know why you relied on him for something as big as this!" Esther widened her eyes for a bit then goes closer to Raena. "Dear, don't underestimate this one." "Huh?" Raena tilted her head. "Ethyl, is a skilled novakid... A genius. He's a knows a lot of things about weapons and how to modify them." Esther I'm not quite sure where he learned these skills, but believe me... This novakid, is different." Raena turned and looked at Ethyl, who was walking towards the longer staircase to the exit of the Ark. "How... Someone like him?" Raena thought. "I can see potential in you, Raena." Esther held Raena's hand. "I want you to help him." "W-What?" Raena stepped back. "N-No! I don't want to be in his crew!" "Raena, please. We need all the help we can get, you topped everything in your batch." "Ma'am, I..." Esther sighed and frowns. "Alright, if you don't want to I guess it's fine..." Raena quietly stood there, starting to feel bad for Esther. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "I-I'll do it!" Esther brightened up. "You will?" "Only if I'm not going to be in his crew." Raena grumpily said. "Well, that's a deal. I'll send Ethyl a message regarding this." Esther began using a device to tell Ethyl about this. Raena looked away and blushed. "I can't believe I'm doing this, can't I have my own ship?" She thought. "Thank you, Raena." Esther slightly bowed. "S-Sure..." Raena nervously nodded. "You know, you kind of remind me of myself when I was young." Esther giggled. Raena smiled, then Milli called out to her. "Hey! Raena!" "Good luck, Protector." Esther winked and gave her a thumbs up. "Thank you..." Raena nervously bowed slightly and went down the staircase. She walked over to Milli, who was waiting down the staircase. "I got Ethyl's message, welcome to the crew!" Milli put her wings on her hips. "Huh? I'm not in your crew!" Raena raised her voice a bit. "Not an official member, but once you step in our ship to help.. You are in the crew." Milli winked. Raena growled. "Just... Ugh, what do we have to do?" "Well, we need to get you new clothes. You can't just go around in that outfit with a few holes." "But, I don't have any money..." "Oh don't worry, I'm treating you!" Raena looked up at Milli. "You will?!" "Yeah! Why not? I'm the one who wanted to buy you clothes anyway!" Milli held Raena's hand. "Come on! The Outpost has tons of shops, we can buy you clothes there!" "Okay!" Raena cheerfully smiled, then Milli stopped for a bit. "You coming with us Sinnie?" Milli asked Sineeda. "I ssuposse." Sineeda is seen sitting on the floor. Milli realizes that Nuru is no longer there with him. "Where's Nuru?" "Oh, Mss. Bright needed to talk to her." "Ohh, come on then!" Sineeda stood up from floor and followed Milli and Raena to the long staircase. -- The Outpost, Unknown Planet -- "What? They moved?" Ethyl asked the...talking penguin with glasses... who was standing in front of the mech-construction machine. "Yes. They moved somewhere due to lack of working space." The penguin nods. "Biggy took the spot where he once was in." "I see. Thank you, Ms. Akaggy." Ethyl slightly bowed and left the shop. "Dr. Akaggy... DOCTOR. AKAGGY." The penguin mumbled in frustration. As Ethyl walked around the underground corridors, he was looking around for Penguin Pete's shop, but all he saw was penguin mercenaries and shops ran by penguins. "Guess the underground shops have already been run by penguins..." Ethyl bumped into someone who was as hard as metal, but not taller than he is. He looked at the guy he bumped into, and turned out to be a Glitch with a purple mohawk-like head module. The Glitch dropped the items he was carrying. "Apologetic! I-I'm sorry!" The Glitch apologized as he got back up and picked up the items. A penguin ran and took an Upgrade Module from the Glitch. "Hey! Get back here!" Ethyl used his gauntlet to manipulate the ground to make a slight dent upward, making the penguin trip. He then manipulated the Upgrade Module to move away from the penguin, and threw it at the Glitch's foot. "There you go, man. Watch where you're going next time." The Glitch picked it up. "Impressed. You got the module back!" He bowed, as Ethyl was about to go up the stairs. "W-Wait!" "Huh?" Ethyl looked back at the Glitch. "Grateful. There must be something I could do to repay you!" The Glitch went through the items he had with him. "Uhm... Maybe I could give a disc–" "No, it's alright." Ethyl shook his head. "I think there is something you could do for me." "Curious. What is it?" "I just need some directions on where I could find Penguin Pete's shop, do you know where it is?" The Glitch nodded and went up the stairs, signalling Ethyl to follow him. Ethyl put his left hand in his pocket and followed him up the stairs. -- Erechius Mining Facility, ??? -- "Has Brent got back up here yet?" The miner asked. "No... He hasn't." The other miner shook his head. "What's taking him so long?" "I'm checking on him." The miner got up from the chair and went down to the mines with a lantern. But as he got deeper, the crystals slightly began lighting up a pink color, not because of the lantern. He heard metal boxes falling and a male yelling for help. Curious, he went deeper down the mines. The crystals stopped lighting up, and his lantern got out. He dropped the lantern and took out a flashlight, but once he did... It was too late. -----------------------------------
