Author's Note- Hello, long time no see! Remember in the last chapter, Mister Other Voice (or V2 as Jenvaati would personally call it) had told Varil about the labyrinth in Valon? Well, Pratty and Varil are going to Valon to investigate this...what will happen?
Read on…and enjoy!
Varil sighed. Only three days had passed since the mask festival and now, they were on the route to Valon. How he wished that he had never been cursed by whoever set the curse on him…if he never had been cursed, he would be still in Wystern, where he would play and tease his beloved companion the whole day. He could think of a thousand million more possibilities, but oh well, he had much more better things to do now than to mull over it.
He looked at the silvery-white haired girl who sat beside him. She was deep in her slumber and was now as deaf as a log. It had only been an hour since the ship took off to the North Region, where Fort Mirana and Valon were located, but Varil knew she was exhausted. This girl had been having nightmares ever since she had heard about his curse.
A piercing scream was heard. Varil woke up immediately upon recognizing the oh-so-familiar voice and raced to her room. He banged on her door, shouting out, "Pratty! Are you fine? What is the matter? Don't tell me there is a rampant robber in your bedroom!" He waited a few moments in silence and the pounding of his heart was the only thing that could be heard. But there was no reply.
Varil then expected the worse and knocked down Pratty's door as quickly as he could. What he could sort out in the dimly lit bedroom, which was illuminated by the light from the pale waning moon, a small and shivering figure huddled up in a corner. Her face was buried in her pillow, which she wrapped around her body and her hair was in disarray. She was crying, and was grunting softly. Varil ran to her and held her hands in his.
Feeling the newfound warmth, the girl looked up at Varil. "I had a nightmare." Pratty said shakily, but it was so soft, it sounded nearly like a murmur. Varil, however, knew what she was trying to say immediately. He crouched down slowly and asked in a gentle tone, "What was this nightmare about?"
"It was…about you. A dagger went flying past me, and you got stabbed by it. I tried to heal you by feeding you elixirs and potions…but you never awoke, and I knew from then that you were dead. It seemed too real to be true…far too vivid…it seemed like a premonition. And if that WAS a premonition, that would mean you were destined to be d-d-dead…I don't want that to happen!"
Varil wiped away the tears from the distressed face.
"Now, look. I will try to defend you from anything that wants to harm you, no matter what happens to me. So, even if I die, I am in peace as I know you are not in danger."
Pratty looked up with defiance in her eyes.
"Look, Varil. Even if you die, there still would be danger. I rather you not die!"
Varil sighed softly.
"Right, now come on…let's go back to bed." But a hand grabbed his before he could turn away and leave the room. "Varil, remind me again why am I staying in the Gold Guild?" Pratty asked, with a feigned tone of innocence and mockery.
Varil smiled wryly and replied slowly, "Okay! For the last time, you are staying in the Gold Guild because it is easier for me to protect you! And as you know, Razzy and Sanary are both kind of incompetent, while your Master Bron is kind of dumb…and I am far more powerful…you, little girl, are staying here. I know you can protect yourself, but for the fact that you never ever have a weapon with you at night, you are safer here."
Pratty rolled her eyes. Varil certainly was protective, but he was kind of treating her like a child. "And why would YOU be able to protect me in the night?" The Craftlord countered back. Varil shrugged and smiled sheepishly.
"Well, you see…I always have my lance with me. When I am trading those monsters you call 'Pokemon' through the link cable, when I am sleeping…hmm…oh and when I am doing more trivial things like baking imaginary cookies for Nigelle's imaginary friend, Bobo." Varil countered back. Pratty's eyes widened. "Wow." Varil chuckled and walked to the door before turning back.
"Good night." Varil walked off to his bedroom, leaving Pratty who was still a little bit stunned, but tired nonetheless.
Varil opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he was already at Valon Harbor. Another hour had passed quickly without his noticing…Pratty yawned. The Craftlord had just awoken too. "Pratty! We've reached Valon." Varil exclaimed cheerfully.
"I know."
Varil, little boy, do you think she is that stupid?
Well, she is a little bit dumb…but now she has become a little bit wiser and sensible…
Wait, you mean that she has become ancient old already?
Huh?
I thought the word 'wise' was only used for old men with long gray beards.
Um, no…actually, the definition of 'wise' is smart, intelligent and so on…
Oh…but old men have amnesia, right? How can they be knowledgeable at the same time?
Wait a moment, why in the world am I spacing out so that I can explain to you the meaning of such a simple word?
That is because I am blissfully ignorant, and I love it!
I would rather call you stupid…
Hey! I AM NOT STUPID! I am just…blissfully ignorant…and vocabulary-challenged…
Yeah, right…
Varil snapped out of his reverie and realized that Pratty had been dragging him towards who-knows-where. "Ah, Varil, you have finally snapped out of your spacing out! Now, WALK!" Pratty commanded. Varil shrugged and let go of Pratty's hand...for a moment before holding it again. Pratty looked back and questioned: "Huh? What are you doing?" Varil smiled innocently, and Pratty just shook her head slightly before walking again.
A few minutes later, Pratty and Varil found themselves lost in a forest…and in a bad argument. "Pratty! If you could have given me that stupid map a few minutes ago, we would be in Valon by NOW!" Varil yelled at Pratty, annoyed. Pratty had read the map upside-down and thus, ended up in this predicament. "It's not my fault! If you could have bothered to check the map just now, knowing my careless nature, we would not have gotten lost!" Pratty countered back, irritated at the fuss he was making over their current situation.
"Well, you know I trust you, and that was why I did not check the map!"
"I trusted you too, and that was why I thought you would check the map!"
"Well, I did not as I TRUSTED YOU!"
"But I trusted you to check the map!"
"But I-ah, never mind." Varil sighed. The duo walked in silence for a few more minutes before Pratty voiced out, "I'm going to find the way out myself, so bye-bye!" The Craftlord ran off quickly before Varil could stop her. Varil groaned. Today was going to be a long day. Now that he did not have Pratty's help, he would be trapped in here for an even longer time…
Pratty would be trapped longer due to her carelessness and dumbness…wait a moment, WHAT?
Varil took off running after the Craftlord…
Meanwhile, Pratty was walking along a swamp when she saw an old and broken sign with some words on it. She tried to read it, "Be…ware…of the…worw…people?" She scratched her head. "What is a 'worw'?" Then a rusty light bulb lit up. "Ah! I know! The 'w' is actually an inverted 'm'!" She turned the 'w' over and the sign now said: Beware of the worm people!
She read it out loudly for a few times before whispering, "Wait, worm people?" An army of worm people rushed towards her and surrounded her. "Stop right there!" One of them cried out in a tiny, high-pitched voice. Pratty sighted the worm people and crouched down. She stared face-to-face at the one who cried 'stop' and asked, "Huh? What did you say?" and the worm person flew away. The rest of the worm people gasped and stepped back. "Wow, she made Big-boss fly away…" One of them whispered.
Pratty turned around and stared at the rest of them. "Hi!" She said, rather happily. The worm people flew away. Then Big-boss the worm person, who had recovered from Pratty's 'attack', took an enormous tug at Pratty and she collapsed…right on Big-boss.
Pratty- 1 point, Big-boss- 0 point
Pratty stood up and rubbed her rear. "Ouch…" Big-boss was thoroughly squashed. The worm people had also recovered and now, they were looking at Pratty in awe. "Wow…she SQUASHED Big-boss! Cool!" The worm people were whispering to each other about how powerful Pratty was and so on. Then, Varil ran towards her and hugged her. "Pratty! I was SO afraid that you would be lost…" He noticed that Pratty was staring at something else and he looked in her direction.
Worms…and they had legs, hands, arms, eyes…Varil fainted.
Pratty pulled Varil up and settled him on a root of a gigantic tree. Underneath him were hundreds of squashed worm people. Pratty made a little white flag and put in the soft grassy ground beside them. "They have surrendered!" Pratty saluted the dead worm people and ran to Varil's side. He had regained consciousness and was now rubbing his eyes. "Hmm…Pratty…what in the world happened to those worm people?" Varil questioned sleepily. "Um, you squashed them…" Pratty mumbled to him, half-smiling. Varil groaned and mused silently, "Now I'll have worm blood all over me. Hurray…"
Varil and Pratty- 2 points, Big-boss and worm people- (-1) points
Pratty and Varil laughed and stood up. "Let's go wash up and rest here for the night…" Pratty suggested, seeing the crimson rays of the setting sun. Varil went off to get some food while Pratty set up camp. "Okay, let me see…it says that I have to rub the dry grass and wood together…" She followed the instructions but no fire was made. Pratty threw the book into the nearby pond angrily. "Ah…this 'Camping for Dummies' book is the first and worst book I've ever read!" She shouted furiously as she watched the book sink into the pond waters, never to be seen again.
She headed on to open her rucksack she had brought along but the clasp got stuck and splash, it went into the swamp.
Just then, Varil trotted back to the camp with a small sack of fish. He was whistling to himself happily until he saw that nothing had been done. The tent was not up and no fire was burning. "Huh? Pratty, what have you been doing for the past hour or so?" Varil questioned the Craftlord. Pratty glared up at Varil. "Nothing…" She growled in a low, dangerous voice. A pigeon flew past Pratty and she glared daggers at it. The pigeon collapsed to the ground, dead.
Varil gasped silently. Pratty had just killed the poor little bird with a glare. That was not the normal Pratty he knew...it was probably a rampant robber with appearance-changing abilities…
"Don't come near me, you rampant robber! I know you're a fraud! Where have you hidden Pratty?"
Pratty heard Varil shouting and turned in his direction. He was a little petrified, yet a little angry. In his shaky right hand he held his lance, in case this 'rampant robber' attacked him. In his left hand was…Pratty groaned and shook her head.
His teddy bear…
"Oh, good lord…" Pratty mumbled to herself. "SHUT UP AND HAND OVER YOUR HOSTAGE!" Varil shrieked loudly. The Craftlord sighed. She had no other choice but to fight, so she reached for her weapon…wait, where was her weapon? Her sword…it was in the rucksack. What about her hammer…shoot, it was in rucksack as well. Then her claw-thingy…no! It was in the rucksack…
And where was the rucksack? It was in the pond, along with the 'Camping for Dummies' book. She thought for a moment, and a rusty light bulb lit up again. Pratty reached into her pocket and pulled out a cookie. She always knew that Shintetsu, her father, had once mentioned a quote about an apple and a cookie: An apple a day keeps the paranoid away. Cookies will do too!
She held out the cookie. Varil looked at her blankly as golden light shone onto the cookie she was holding.
Actually, Varil, I think that IS Pratty.
What is up with the rampant robber? Why is she holding a cookie illuminated by shining golden light? Weird…
Who in Wystern has no common sense?
That is too easy- Pratty.
Good! So does this robber seem like she has common sense?
No.
We come to the conclusion that…?
This rampant robber is kind of dumb.
No! Not that! Think of another one!
Uh, let me think…the rampant robber is Pratty?
Not exactly…subtract away the rampant robber. Pratty is not a robber anyway.
Okay…so that is Pratty.
You got it!
Wait, then what am I doing?
Gee, ask yourself.
Varil lowered his lance. "Pratty! I am sorry! I thought you were a rampant robber." Pratty sighed and replied, "At least I got to prove that quote…"
"What quote?"
"An apple a day keeps the paranoid away. But cookies will do too!"
"Um…I think it's supposed to be an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
"No, it's not!"
"Um, okay…let's get to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us…wait, the tent is…not put up…" Pratty smiled crookedly.
Varil stared at Pratty. "Where's the Camping for Dummies book?"
"Um, it fell into the pond."
"I don't know how to put up a tent, Pratty, and neither do you. So…we'll have to make do with the snake-infested and bug-infested grass for tonight."
Pratty sighed. It was her fault for being impulsive, so she had to suffer the consequences. She lay down on the grass hesitantly and stared at the starry night sky. It was not that bad actually, sleeping out in the wilderness. Furthermore, she had Varil by her side…well, perhaps there was ONE little disadvantage.
Pratty felt something scaly slither up her leg and was awake immediately. She nudged Varil, who was sleeping serenely, unperturbed by anything. The boy rubbed his eyes and sat up. He stared at the horrified Pratty, who pointed to her leg. His blue, sapphire eyes widened when he saw the long, green and scaly body of a…
"S-S…" Varil stuttered. "IT'S A SNAKE!"
Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I could not think of much for this chapter since all that I have been thinking of is Harvest Moon (Gray...need red heart! RED Heart!). Okay, Lady Montfort will be meeting Varil in the future chapters...what will happen?
Finally, I just want to say: Varil has a teddy bear! Aw...that is so cute! (it is up to your imagination- think what Varil's teddy looks like!)
Anyway, read and review if you liked it! June holidays are the best (though I like the end-of-year holidays quite a lot too)!