The Story of Tata Chapter 2
Journey With a Hero
By The Man
Tata didn't stay behind for the funeral. His father had been worried sick about where he was. His wife was dead and he couldn't afford to lose his son too. Tata didn't dare tell him what happened, for fear that he wouldn't be let out of the house again until he was sixty. A few days later, Glenn showed up at his house, looking for Tata. He wasn't home, but his father welcomed him warmly and invited him in. He fixed them some cider and struck up a conversation.
"Pretty big battle Sunday, eh?" asked the father.
"Yeah." Said Glenn as he sipped his drink. "By the way, where's Tata?"
"Oh, off at a friends house. He should be home any time, now." Replied Ray. That was the father's name. "Where was Tata when the attack hit? He only said he was someplace safe." Tata and Ray had been lucky. The attack had not reached their house, nor the rest of Porre.
"He was in the castle." Said Glenn, trying to keep a straight face. He knew where Tata had gone during the battle, but Cyrus had told Glenn to keep the information away from Tata's father. "I need to ask Tata a question." Continued Glenn, as he finished his cider and set it down. "I need to ask him personally, so-" The door suddenly opened and in strode Tata.
"Glenn!" exclaimed the boy and ran over and hugged his legs. "What're you doing here?"
"I came to ask you something." Said Glenn. "How would you like to spend the night with me and Cyrus in the Cursed Woods?"
"Sounds great!" said Tata. They asked Ray and he said okay. They were just turning to go when Ray said "Hold it." They turned around to face him. He was holding Tata's sword. "Don't forget this." He said and handed him the sword. With that, they left.
* * *
It was dinnertime by the time they found Cyrus in the cursed woods. Glenn had brought along a roasted duck, so they ate that. Tata had noticed that Cyrus had brought along an old book and constantly had his nose in it. After eating, Tata found himself humming a sweet tune. It was a very sentimental song.
"What's that called?"
Tata snapped out of the song. It was Glenn.
"Oh. It's called 'Enhasa.' My mom used to hum it to me when I was young." Replied Tata.
"Are you positive?" asked Cyrus, suddenly very interested. "Because that name appears in this book."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that book." Said Glenn. "What's it about?"
"It's about our past. It was written by a man named Belthasar. It is about an old, old civilization that existed around 12,000 BC. It tells about a place called Zeal, named after its founder, Alfador Zeal." Explained Cyrus.
"Tell us about it." Said Tata.
"Well, around 65,000,000 BC, a meteor struck the Earth. It separated the continents and ended the prehistoric times. It created an ice age that lasted for millions of years. So the worlds people dug caves to keep warm. There were two main tribes of people; the ancient Iokan people, and the Larubans. Through history, the Iokans had been more hardy than the Larubans, and didn't need to dig their caves as deep as the Larubans did. But one day, the Larubans discovered a green light. The light was spectacular, and gave them magical powers. The Larubans were always generous, and offered to share the light with the Iokans. At first, it seemed okay, but a lone prophet named Balorno said to the Gaurdias that the light was evil and would only bring misery. The Iokans decided to listen to Balorno and stuck with what they had. On November 15, 13,084, a child named Alfador Zeal was born. Alfador had a large range of magical strength. These magical skills were fully developed when he was only twenty. Around that time, he announced to the Larubans that they needed to escape these harsh climates. What happened after that is incredible. Using all the magical strength in Laruban people, he rose the piece of land that they existed on up above the clouds. He christened it 'Zeal.' As the centuries rolled on, Zeal became incredibly advanced. They built machines that don't even exist today. They built a palace and beautiful gardens. It was a very prosperous land. At the same time, it was very racist. Since the Iokans had turned down the magic, they were kept down in the icy land below. After a while, there came names for the Iokans and the Larubans. The Iokans were called the Earthbound ones, while the Larubans were called the Enlightened ones. Back down on Earth, the Earthbound ones were slowly disappearing. No one knew why. A group of them would go out hunting one day, and they simply wouldn't come back. They begged for the Enlightened ones to help, since they were defenseless. At first the Enlightened ones chose not to, saying: "Why get killed for people who have no value to them?" But the ruler at that time, named Reshno, recalled all the days when Earthbound and Enlightened lived in harmony and helped each other out, so a team of guards, led by Reshno, ventured to the spot where the disturbances had been seen. It was about 12,078. Around this time, three men where born. They would later become the three Gurus. Guru in those days meant 'wise man.' I believe it still does. The first guru was named Melchior, the Guru of Life, then Gaspar, the Guru of Time. Finally, there was Belthasar, the Guru of Reason. He wrote this book. Anyway, Reshno and his band came to the spot where the attacks had happened. It was unusually clear that day, but that didn't help them stop the attacks. The creatures were exceedingly strong, especially the largest one, that was later called the Giga Gaia. This monster had huge fists that could make the ground stir. After only eighteen minutes, there were only ten troops left, instead of the one hundred that had originally came. They were the first things in many centuries that had given the Enlightened ones so much death. Eventually, with only 5 men left, Reshno decided to raise the piece of land that the creatures were on, like his ancestor had done so many years ago. He concentrated his power, and the mountain rose. But the Giga Gaia was self-aware, and before the mountain could go too far, it set a chain on the mountain to the land below, and then it sent a plasma ball down to the party. The ball struck Reshno's party. Two of them were able to dive free of the plasma, but the rest died. Reshno did not live. The mountain was named Mt. Woe. By now the Gurus were forty years old and had gotten pretty high in the ranks of Zeal, and were now the knowledge holders and main brains of Zeal. At this time is the most important part of Zeal's history. A girl is born, Lihla Zeal. She has incredible magic powers and at age twenty-two, she marries. She has a child, Shala Zeal. At this time, a man named Dalton starts construction on a machine that could fly. In eight years, it was done. On the day that the second child, Janus, was born, the king was test flying it, when the engine exploded. The plane, called the Blackbird, crashed. Almost all the people on board the craft were killed. Dalton got off with a missing eye, but the king was killed. Another eight years later, a machine that extracts more energy from the green light is made, but the Queen has been acting weird. She keeps talking about a creature named Lavos. She seems possessed. She also makes an 'Ocean Palace' at the bottom of the sea. In 12,000 BC, a huge spikey creature rose up and destroyed Zeal and most of the world with rains of fire. It zapped the Gurus and Janus away to god knows where, but Queen Zeal and Shala vanished."
Cyrus held the book so that Glenn and Tata could see the pages. There were two pictures. One was a huge spiked creature, probably Lavos. The second was of a boy with blue hair and a determined look in his eyes. It said "Janus" at the bottom of this picture.
"I'm assuming that's Janus and Lavos." Said Glenn.
"You assume correctly." Answered Cyrus. "Tata, Glenn and I have been planning a mission. To get a sword. During the Zeal Dynasty, Guru Melchior made two objects out of a red rock; a pendant, and a knife. When the machine, called the Mammon Machine that extracted energy, was made the power put a trance of some kind on those who neared it. One time, all three Gurus, Shala, Dalton, Janus, and the Queen were all in a trance. Janus and Melchior were able to snap out of it. Melchior gave Janus a red knife and told him to destroy the machine with it. When Janus struck the machine with it, the machine turned it into a sword. The sword is called the Masamune."
"The sword is said to have the power to defeat Magus." Said Glenn.
"Who's Magus?" asked Tata.
"Oh!" exclaimed Cyrus. "I forgot to mention that. Magus is the dark lord of the Mystics. He rules them with an iron fist. He is quite intimidating. His magical power is unmatched. I saw him in the battle a few days ago. His skin is so white, so colorless."
"I think I saw him too." Said Tata. "I tripped over him., but then he killed a Mystic, just to save me. He then ran me to the stoop of the castle."
"Why would he do that?" asked Glenn.
"Well, he looked fairly surprised to see me, like I was important." Answered Tata.
"I've been wondering how you know that song." Said Cyrus. "Your mother couldn't have made up the name. The only way she could have known it would be if she was a descendant of Zeal or-"
"Someone taught it to her." Finished Glenn.
"Maybe Ray taught it to her?" asked Cyrus.
"No, we need to find a male with blue hair." Said Glenn.
"Wait a minute!" yelled Tata. "I saw a guy with blue hair! He fought in the battle a few days ago."
"Who is it?" asked Cyrus. "One of the new knights?"
"No, it was Magus!" said Tata
This really scared Glenn and Cyrus. Could it be possible that Magus had once been close to Tata's mother? The idea seemed ridiculous, but looking at Tata's violet hair, anything was possible.
"I, I think that might not be it." Said Glenn uneasily.
"Yeah? Then why did he spare my life, never mind that he put me in a safe place, away from trouble." Retorted Tata.
"He does have a point," said Cyrus. "but we need our rest for tomorrow."
"Okay." Said Tata with a sigh.
They all climbed under their blankets. Soon it was silent. As Tata drifted off into sleep, he thought about what he had said. About the blue-haired man named Magus. Could he be right about him? Those were his last thoughts before the force of sleep washed over him.
* * *
Tata dreamed that night. He was grown-up in the dream. At least it seemed that way. He was in a house. There was a woman holding a baby in bed. He realized that that woman was his mother. The child looked new-born, but Tata knew nothing about age features. "We should name him Tata." His mouth said automatically. His voice was so deep. Wait a minute. Tata? That was his name! Who was he? He seemed hardly in control of this new body.
"Aren't you going to even look at your son?" asked his mom. What? My…son?
"Tina," he said on his own. He was unable to say what he really wanted to say. "I said earlier this year I'd have to leave you? Well, now's that time. I'm sorry."
"B-but, you barely know him." She said. "You can't leave now!"
"I know." Said automatically. "But I can't. Fate's calling me."
"Look at him!" yelled Tina hysterically. "He's your son! You have to care for him! You have to love him!"
He slowly walked over to the baby and looked at it. Then he placed a finger on the baby's head and concentrated. He was concentrating on giving this child the makings of a hero. The strength, the speed, and the magic of a hero. When he was done, he kissed her on the lips and left for the door. Right as he reached for the doorknob, she said; "I love you, Janus!"
It was then that Tata woke up. He looked around. He was in his house, with his father kneeling beside his bed.
"Where's Glenn and Cyrus?" asked Tata.
"They're gone." Said Ray. "They brought you back before the night was done. They left on their journey a few hours ago."
* * *
By now, Cyrus and Glenn had reached the Cursed Woods again. They had left their stuff there when they had brought Tata home.
"I think he'll be alright." said Cyrus as he started to put his armor on. Even in the dull glow of the swampy woods, his armor gleamed like a black diamond.
"Yeah." Said Glenn as he sheathed his sword. "But he kept mumbling 'Janus.' And each time, he grew greener. He was just burning up."
"I think he may have come down with the flu." Responded Cyrus. He now had his leg armor on.
"Do you think he was right?" asked Glenn. "About Magus, I mean."
"Not really." Said Cyrus. "But I've seen Magus many times. Somehow, a little voice in the back of my head keeps saying that he doesn't belong here. Like he's from another place."
"Or maybe a different person under a new name." Said Glenn. "I got that feeling too."
For a moment, they contemplated this new simultaneous feeling. The silence was quickly ended when a high pitched scream filled their ears. They looked toward the source of the scream. A girl was running at full speed toward them. Cyrus drew his sword.
"Oh, please. Help!!" shrieked the girl as she ran to Cyrus' side. No sooner, a huge frog came lumbering into view. It was twenty times larger than any normal frog. Around his neck was a medal. Glenn recognized it.
"Cyrus." Whispered Glenn. "He's got the Hero's Medal."
"I know." responded Cyrus.
"Well, well." Boomed the monstrosity of a frog. "A few juicy morsels for the king of frogs. And a knight, at that! What a treat!"
"We require the medal you wear to continue on our journey." Said Cyrus diplomatically. "If you would be so kind as to hand it to us, we will be on our way."
In response, the frog grabbed another, yet not as large, and threw it at Cyrus. Cyrus easily dodged it, but was not in the pleasant mood he was in few seconds ago.
"So, you want the Hero's Medal, dear knight of the kingdom?" said the frog mockingly. "Well then come and get it!"
"Prepare yourself, polywog!" hollered Cyrus. "En garde! Nirva Strike!!"
In a flash, Cyrus rushed the frog. In three quick slices, he had taken off the frog's arms and his snout and had had plucked the medal from its neck. The medal hung from the tip of the sword. The monster shrieked with pain as blood oozed like a red waterfall from the fresh wounds.
"Take your filthy medal, dammit!" howled the frog. "Just leave me alone!"
Cyrus put the medal around his neck. Then he held his sword out in the frog's direction.
"No." he said. "You leave."
The frog was infuriated, but turned and left. The battle was won. The three of them turned to leave, and as they did, Cyrus said: "For, you Alison."
* * *
Three weeks later, they were on Denadoro Mountain. They had been climbing for hours, and at long last, Cyrus called a halt.
"Thank you, thank you." Said Glenn gratefully. They each took a swig of water and sat down.
"How much further is this cave?" asked Glenn as he panted deeply.
"It should just be up the way." Said Cyrus and pointed above them. There was a cliff with a broken ladder on it.
"We have to climb that?" breathed Glenn.
"Well, we could go around the other way and that would take a few hours." said Cyrus calmly.
"I, I say the wall." Said Glenn through gasps. "But just let us sit here a little longer."
When it came time to climb the vertical cliff, Glenn froze up.
"What if I fall?" he asked nervously as he looked up the cliff.
"If you use all your strength, you won't." said Cyrus as he began to climb. Cyrus made everything look so easy. Glenn tried to follow, but he kept slipping. But they were slowly progressing. The climb was long and tiring.
Finally, after a half an hour, Cryrus reached the top. It was already night time, and it was increasingly difficult to see properly. Glenn was soon at the top with Cyrus.
"All I can say." Said Glenn heavily. "This sword had better be worth it."
"Do you believe these guys?" said an unknown voice.
Both Cyrus and Glenn searched for a source, but found none.
"Remember the good old days when humans were half decent?"
This time, Cyrus was able to pinpoint the direction of the voice. It was in the cave up ahead. Inside was the gleaming Masamune. As they moved into the cave, there came another voice:
"Yeah, but then that crackpot Lihla blew them all to Hell."
Strangely enough, the voices seemed to be coming from…the sword.
As Cyrus neared it, the voice came again.
"Melchior and the Gurus understood life. But these two are muscleheads."
Cyrus tightened his brow. Was he being insulted? He began to get nervous. Who was speaking these words? He reached for the sword. He touched the hilt. Suddenly, a boy's head popped out of the sword.
"Boo!!" said the kid. This took both Cyrus and Glenn by surprise and to their credit, went tumbling down the stairs. They weren't hurt physically. But their pride was definitely injured.
"Ha ha ha ha!" howled the boy. Then, a second boy popped out of the sword, also laughing.
"Hah!" said one of the boys. "Humans are great scapegoats for a good laugh!"
Cyrus got up, looking pretty annoyed. "What are you two doing here at this hour?" questioned Cyrus.
"Let's just say that our 'parents' don't mind us staying out late." Said the one on the left.
"Cyrus."
Cyrus turned his head. Glenn was right behind him, looking nervous.
"These two are creepy." He said quietly.
"I know." Responded Cyrus. He then went back to the two boys.
"Have you also come to get the Masamune?" said Cyrus calmly.
"As a matter of fact, we are here to keep anyone from taking it." Said the boy on the right.
"Yeah." Said the other boy. "Unless he's worthy."
"I hate to tell you this, but you probably couldn't defend yourselves against imps." Joked Glenn.
Suddenly, the two boys started hovering and spinning. Then, there was a bright flash of light and in their places were two odd-looking creatures. In a split second, Cyrus and Glenn had their swords drawn.
"Wanna bet?" said both the creatures in unison.
Soon the two knights found themselves in a pitched battle. Each monster took to the knights. Glenn was faced by the one with a purple scarf. Instinctively, he swung his sword downward at the creature's head. To his great surprise, the creature clasped his hands on the blade and yanked it out of his hands. Glenn was too shocked to dodge the hilt of his own sword, getting swung like a club, and have it smashing into his face. Glenn fell back. The blow was immense.
"Who are you two?" gasped Glenn as blood from his nose began to seep into his mouth. His mouth and forehead were also oozing blood.
"Why, we are Masa and Mune. Me." Answered Mune politely.
Glenn glanced at Cyrus. He seemed to be doing okay with Masa. He was blocking and keeping the little creature at bay. Glenn realized, far too late that you should never look away from your opponent as his sword was thrown at him. He shut his eyes as the sword rushed to meet him. He heard it dig into the stone, but he didn't feel a thing. Was he dead? He opened his eyes, only to see Mune standing in front of him. The sword was pinning his shirt to the wall, not his arm. But it might have been just as well, as Mune , quick as lightning, pounded him rapidly in the stomach. There was a sickening crack, followed by a flood of pain. Glenn realized his ribs were broken. He hung there like a limp piece of meat, lacking the strength or will to move. Mune reached over and pulled the sword out of the wall with ease and tossed it over his head. Glenn had a clear shot at Mune now. He swung his fist at him, but Mune was obviously ready enough. He grabbed Glenn's incoming fist and twisted it. Then he brought his fist down on Glenn's shoulder, breaking his arm. Glenn was defeated. He was totally disabled. He lay on the ground and waited for Mune's next attack. It came. Mune swung his leg back and slammed it into Glenn's stomach. This caused Glenn to literally fly out of the cave as a stream of bloody vomit flowed out of his mouth. Glenn landed at the edge of the cliff. He felt a pain in his leg and realized he had broken it as well. As Glenn looked back towards the cave, he saw that both Masa and Mune were attacking Cyrus. But his blood. Oh, his blood. So much of it had left his body. It was on the walls, on the ceiling, and on the floor. So much blood. Oh so much blood. Then there was the trail of bloody vomit that led to his beaten body. Then he felt something. He felt wind hitting his innards. He looked back to the cave. He saw a bone on the ground. A bone. A rib bone. He looked down at his side. There was a long, thin hole in his side. His rib had been blown out his side.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" moaned Glenn. "Why doesn't he just kill me and get it over with?!"
On cue, there was a bright flash of light and Cyrus came rocketing out of the cave. He bounced clean over Glenn and fell off the edge. But he grabbed a root as he fell and was able to keep from falling. Glenn looked back to Masa and Mune, only to see them charge.
"Glenn." Wheezed Cyrus. Glenn looked to his friend.
"Take my sword, Glenn." Said Cyrus, as he handed him the sword. "Try one more time to kill one of them."
Glenn took the sword. He looked back to the twins. Masa had stopped, but Mune was practically on top of him. Mune leaped. He fell. Glenn drew his sword out in front of himself and gritted his teeth. In a split second, he was splattered with blood. Glenn dared to open his eyes. Mune stood there, skewered on the sword. He simply stood there, staring down at the sword. Cyrus had managed to climb up the edge of the cliff. He calmly walked over to Mune and took his sword. Mune fell back to his twin as Cyrus saw to Glenn.
"Oh, Glenn." Mourned Cyrus as he looked at his blood-covered comrade. "I'm so sorry for bringing you."
"J-just g-g-get m-me oooouut of h-here." Glenn said sluggishly.
"Sure thing, my friend." Said Cyrus. "Let me just get the sword."
"Not so fast." Said Masa. "You really think that we are going to go down so easily?"
"Hah!" said Mune, who now had no blood on him anymore. "If you thought us apart was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
Then, they fell into one another and disappeared. But then they reappeared. No not they. Him. A gigantic monster. Ten feet tall, horns on his head, and bulging with muscle. Glenn and Cyrus knew that they had no chance against a creature of such preportion. But suddenly, a dark ball opened up behind the monster and blew it up. Literally. The pieces were sucked into the sword and the monster was totally gone. Glenn and Cyrus looked to see who had saved them. They saw him. His skin was as white as the moon. His hair was a dark sea.
"Magus.." groaned Glenn.
.
End of Chapter 2
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