The Story of Tata Chapter 3
All Sorts of Weirdos in Porre
By The Man
Nine Years Later…
"Happy Fourteenth Birthday, Tata!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Tata as the gift was handed to him by his friend from San Dorino, Tony. It was a bright red cloak. Tata could feel it was made from a combination of velvet and silk. It felt nice and cool as Tata slipped it on. Once he was done. He was greeted by another party-goer: a friendly imp that went by the name of Grengy.
"Here y'are!" he said in a jolly voice. "I hope you like it!"
Tata accepted the young Mystic's present, which was in a large, yet light, box. He opened it and found a shield.
"Awesome!!" said Tata. He removed it and put it on his arm. It gleamed in the sunlight like a great sun. Finally, after receiving the cloak, the shield, and a hunting knife from his grandfather, he was ready for his father's gift.
"Here you go, son." Said Ray heartily. "Enjoy it."
The box had air holes in it. Whatever it was, it was alive. Tata quickly opened it.
"Omigosh!!" hollered Tata as he took out the boxes contents. "Dad, you got me my very own Naga-Ette Bromide?! Man I've always wanted one of my own."
The creature was no larger than Tata's two hands. The creature was yellow skinned, as was it's wings. But his eyes and claws were purple. It looked at Tata and flicked it's thin tongue in Tata's face. Then without warning, took flight. It circled around the room and landed on Tata's head. Everyone laughed, even Tata. Even the Bromide made a sort of chugging sound within itself. Just then, there came a knocking at the door.
"I'll get it!" said the imp as he made way to the door. Tata was really enjoying his new Bromide. Tony was giving out names, but none of them were even half good.
"… Jacob! Gamor!! Alfred!!!"
"Tony, would you please-"
"Hey Tata!" hollered the little imp as he returned. "Looks like you got another gift."
All concerned looked to the imp. He held a black, marble orb. Tata took the item and examined it. It seemed very dull and plain, but grabbed Tata's attention in an iron grasp. It was slightly heavy, and shone brightly.
"Who.." started Tata to his Mystic friend. "Who left this?"
"I really do not know, Tata." Said Grengy, shrugging. "I opened the door and this orb is just sitting there. Nothing else."
"Weird." Said the grandpa as he shook his head.
"Strange." Muttered Tony.
"Uh, guys?" said Tata as he set the orb down. "I would like to say a few things before anything else happens."
"Sure thing." Said Ray.
"I want to dedicate this party not only to myself, but also to Glenn and Cyrus." Stated Tata.
"It was around nine years ago that two of the best people I know were found dead. Cyrus, burnt to a crisp piece of metal. And Glenn, well. Glenn was never found, though most of his blood was."
Tata choked out those last few words as his eyes began to water. But he regained himself and went on.
"*Sigh.*" exalted Tata. "Once it's too late, you never really appreciate how precious life is. We realize that we are merely twigs in the tree of life and that if the wind is too strong, we may break off. But, I guess, in order to go about our everyday lives, we can't really think about that in order to lead normal lives. But there are some twigs that are big twigs. Those are heroes. And some of those big twigs are branches. Those are great, memorable kings of men. Leaders. The kind that would jump out of a fox hole and yell; 'follow me!' And then sometimes, those branches are so big, that they are trunks. Those are legends. The best of the best. Those who we could never forget, even through a thousand deaths. But even trunks can be broken. Nothing can live forever. At least, not physically. Because the trunk can sprout more branches, and the branches can grow into more twigs. And the twigs shall grow blossoms. Blossoms that will grow seeds. The seeds ride on the wind and grow another tree with twigs, branches, and another trunk. The legend can influence a few normal people into heroes, and from heroes to leaders, and leaders to legends. As far as I'm concerned, Glenn and Cyrus were both trunks. Because they influenced me. Because they were legends. I would like to end this speech in saying: there are heroes, and there are legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. We just need to keep them alive in our hearts."
For a while, no one spoke. All was silent. The terrible events on Mt. Denadoro ached in every ones minds. When Cyrus and Glenn didn't return after a year, a search party went searching for them. Everyone on all the human-bearing continents got the news. They were dead.
"Well." Said the grandpa as he reached for a pie on the table. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry. Let's eat!"
* * *
That night, Tata was carrying the black orb up to his room, as his Bromide fluttered behind him. As he entered, the Bromide cawed and flew onto the post of his bed. Tata chuckled as he set the orb down on his dresser, beside his bed.
"You're a funny little creature." Said Tata, as he went over and sat down beside the miniature dragon.
"What should I name you?" Tata wondered aloud as he rubbed his chin. He couldn't recall any good names. Tata got up and strode to his window that faced North. Even though it was thousands of miles away, Mt. Denadoro was clearly visible from his house.
That was where they died. Tata thought to himself. Where Cyrus and Glenn-
That was it. He turned to the Bromide.
"Your name shall be Glenn." He said, pointing to the creature.
Glenn cawed his approval and soared over and landed on his head for about the fourth time that day.
* * *
Tata dreamed that night that he was a hawk. He spread his wings and flew around the whole South Continent. When he was out by Fiona's house, he spied a man on the ground and dove at him. Even as he neared, the man was totally oblivious to his presence. Not until he was no more ten feet away, did the man quickly whirl around to face him. Tata was shocked. It was Magus!
That was when Tata woke up. He looked around him. No Magus. He was still a human. But as his eyes scrolled the room, he noticed a faint glow. He looked for the source, and found it, quickly. It was the orb. Still sitting where he had put it earlier, it glowed with a dull, ominous light. Tata got up to inspect it. Once he was near enough, Tata timidly reached out for it. As his hand slowly neared it, he could feel a heat wave emitting from the orb and Tata wondered if he shouldn't touch it. Nonetheless, his hand continued to move towards the orb. Finally, with a force of will, he quickly placed his hand on it. To his great surprise, the orb was ice cold, and caused Tata to draw his hand back. He peered at it to find a reason for such odd 'behavior.' Finally, he simply shrugged and went back to bed. He had no idea what this orb was exactly, but as long as it didn't bother him, it could glow all it wanted. Besides, the light was almost…comforting.
* * *
The dark figure watched a greenish circle of pure energy. The circle showed a boy shrugging and getting into bed. The dark figure knew what he was watching. All he did was stare. Stare as the teen slowly fell asleep before his very eyes. He had been watching this child for several hours, and wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.
Suddenly, the figure sensed he was being watched. He turned to see another figure standing twenty feet away.
"Are you just gonna sit there all night?" asked the figure incredulously.
"Maybe." He answered.
He turned back to the circle. He knew he should get some rest too, but he felt hardly tired. He felt hardly anything anymore.
"Soon, Tata." He whispered. "Very, very soon."
* * *
Tata left the house at around 9:00 and made his way to his favorite café, stopping on the way only to say hi to the people he knew. Most of Porre knew him. Being my charming self, Tata said silently with a smirk. As he neared the café, the smell of sweet pastries entered his nose with a sort of soothing nature. The way they always do, Tata thought as his mouth watered with anticipation, and he quickened his stride. Suddenly:
"Hey!"
Tata turned to the sound of the voice, and spotted an altogether-too-familiar group of people.
"Len's gang." Tata whispered to himself. Tata looked for a passage out of this unnecessary fight but found none. Most of the townsfolk out that day turned away in disgust at the sight of Len and party. Len's gang had really made a name for themselves as the roughest, meanest, and (with Dip in mind) the ugliest gang in the area. They strode over to there rival and stopped five feet in front of the violet-haired boy.
"Guess we caught ourselves a lunker, boys." Taunted Len. "Guess we got to take it home and 'clean' it!" The whole gang got a laugh out of that. Tata remained cool and collected.
"Y'know, Len." Tata began in a calm tone. "I really wish you wouldn't stand so close. Your body odor is too much for me to bear." This happened to be true. Most of them only bathed twice a month, except for Dip, who had trouble understanding the concept of water. Naturally, he stunk like yesterday's garbage.
Len turned feverishly red, and Tata began to question himself whether it was physically possible for a person's head could explode from anger. Len picked up a fist-sized rock and threw it at Tata with great anxiety. As the rock neared ever closer to Tata's skull, he almost yawned as if terribly bored by the ease of evasion from this particular attack. At a millisecond from impact, Tata, as quick as a striking snake, struck his outstretched hand forward and snagged the rock cleanly and gracefully out of the air.
"Gee, Len." Tata said as he casually pretended to examine the rock. "I didn't know you had the strength to even throw pumice." He said as he dropped the rock on the ground.
That did it. Clem, Jake, and Dip started to advance on him. Tata drew his sword, ready to battle.
"NO!" yelled Len, holding out a hand. "The shrimp is mine!"
With that, Len charged Tata, screaming all along the way. Tata knew what to do. He had seen Cyrus do it at least twice before. Tata sheathed his sword and stood perfectly still as the infuriated Len raced to his target.
Len drew near.
Tata stood still, expressionless.
Len was thirty feet, twenty-five, twenty.
Tata was a statue.
Len was ten feet, five.
Tata was still frozen.
Len was practically on top of him. But in a last second move, Tata crouched extremely low. And Len, like tripping over a tree trunk, toppled, head over heels, over Tata and landed with a hard "thud" on the ground, knocking the wind out of him.
Tata got up from his crouch position and sauntered over to Len. As he did, he drew his blade. The same blade he had gotten for his fifth birthday. The same day he showed Len that he was a formidable adversary. Once he was standing next to him, he looked down on the bully. Len was still regaining his wind.
"Now it ends." Whispered Tata as he held his blade over his head, its point facing down.
Tata thrust his sword down on Len.
"NOOOOOOO!" screamed Len as the blade rushed to meet his heart.
The sound of steel slicing through the ground could easily be heard. But no blood was spilled. None at all. All concerned turned to see Tata's blade sticking in the ground. Pinning Len's shirt to the ground. Len saw this too. He was so releived, he simply slumped his head against the ground. His compatriots, on the other hand, were less stunned, and rushed Tata. Tata saw them coming, and pulled his sword out of the ground. But he knew the odds. Three seventeen year old boys against one fifteen year old boy. Not good.
As they leaped, Tata tried to jump to the side, but was still caught by Clem, rocketing into him. By this time, the others including Len, had joined in the beating of Tata. As Tata wrestled to get free, he felt a surge of power well up inside of him. It started as a tingling, but quickly became burst of energy, waiting to get out of him.
"You're going to die, boy!!" shrieked Len as he beat furiously on Tata.
Tata didn't know what this power was, but he felt he should use it. Now.
"On the honor of Cyrus' soul, I say thee nay!!" Tata shouted as he released the power.
Suddenly, for everyone around him, the world was like one big rainbow. Everything was rainbow-colored, bright like the sun, and with such radiance, that words couldn't describe it. Finally, the power left. Tata was no longer in the gang's grasp, for they had gotten a taste of the harmful side of the spell, pain and panic.
"What the Hell was that?!" asked Clem, as Tata slowly rose in victory.
I dunno, but I sure as fire not gonna stick around for him to do it again!!" said Jake, as the others started to run.
They all ran. Ran like the hounds of Hell were after them. Tata was completely stunned. What was that surge of energy? How did he know how to do it? Why did he react so?
The questions whirled in his head as the townsfolk started to become aware of this weird event.
"Who did that?"
"You mean, what did that?"
"It was Tata."
"He beat Len's gang!"
"Good. About time someone did."
"Yeah, but how?"
But somehow in the midst of all the questioning voices of stunned villagers, Tata was able to pick out one that he knew.
"Tata!!"
Tata turned to see a girl his age come running towards him. She was waving her hand and as she passed people sort of moved to the side, as if to avoid her. Tata knew her. She was a Mystic.
"Minka!" Tata called as he waved back. She had caught up to him by now.
"Tata." She began. "What as that flash of light? I looked out to see what had happened, and I saw Len and the others running away from you."
"Ah, well." Tata said as he scratched behind his head. "That was, uh, me."
"You?!" she asked, astonished. "I didn't know magic-bearing humans existed."
"Well, at least it was enough to get them out of here." Said Tata, gesturing towards the direction that Len and his gang had fled.
By now everything had returned to something resembling normal, however, many eyes bored into Tata. Questioning eyes, that wondered about this extraordinary boy.
Tata stared back at Minka with loving eyes. She was very pretty, with crimson hair, like winter fire, tied back in a pony tail. She was tall and slender, around Tata's height, and had very smooth skin. Neither of them would admit it, but they each had a special liking to one another.
How could anybody be disgusted with her, Tata thought to himself. She's so pretty.
Maybe it was because she was a Mystic. Some Mystics lived among humans, but were held in the lowest regards. Or maybe it was the fact that her older sister was one of Magus' generals.
Whatever the reason, Minka and all other Mystics were looked upon as little nothings.
"Say, Minka." Said Tata casually. "I was just on my way to the café. Can I buy you breakfast?"
"Why thanks, Tata." She said. "I'd love to. My mom doesn't expect me back for awhile."
So it was that Minka followed Tata to the café. As they walked, Minka talked about how her sister was doing and apologized for not getting to make it to his party. Her mother and her had been on a visit to Truce Village and had arrived home only earlier that morning. Tata told her about his party, such as who was there, what they did, and what he received, including the eerie black orb.
Eventually, they reached the café. As they entered, Tata surveyed the scene. There were five people, including them. One was just paying for his meal.
"…anyway, thanks for a great breakfast, m'man." Said the man as he slapped his money on the counter.
"Sure thing." Replied the cook as he accepted the change. "You're welcome anytime, Toma!"
The man named Toma passed Tata and Minka and exited out of the café. Tata also spotted a merchant, eating some pastries. The oddest one in there at the time was a short person, who kept his face hidden from view with the hood of his greenish cloak.
Probably a leper Tata thought to himself as he and Minka took a seat at a table. The cook was with them almost instantly.
"What will the pair of kids be having today?" he said with a heavy accent. Tata could never find out where his accent originated.
"I'll have the Sweet Roll, please." Minka said as she glanced at the cook.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Ah, make two, please." Tata answered.
"Very well, sir. They will be along shortly." And with that, the cook turned on his heels and headed for the kitchen.
"So." Said Minka, trying to revive the conversation. "Any word on Glenn?"
Tata sort of froze. "What do you mean?"
Minka shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought that since they never found his body, that he might still be alive."
Tata looked down and sadly shook his head.
"There was no way he could have lost so much blood and lived." Tata stated quietly.
Minka shuddered, knowing full well of the sight that the Gaurdia knights had found: Glenn's blood all around the cave.
"I just think it's kinda hard to think someone's dead if there is no body." Said Minka. "I just wonder what really happened."
"Maybe you should ask your soldier sister." Said Tata aggressively. "She's supposed to know Magus well. She probably had part in the bloody act."
"Are you offending my own sister!?" Minka questioned angrily.
"No, no. It's just-" Tata covered his face, and Minka could tell he was emotionally hurt. She reached over and put her hand over his. She squeezed it tight.
After several minutes, Tata had fully regained himself. He removed his hand from his face and dropped it to his side.
"I just don't like to talk about it." He said finally.
"It's okay, Tata." Minka said as she squeezed his hand. "We don't have to. We really don't."
Around that time, the sweet rolls arrived. They ate in silence and tipped the cook. They were just leaving, when, not looking where they were going, ran into the man with the cloak. Thinking that he was a leper and not knowing the way that the disease had of getting into other bodies, quickly backed away.
"S-sorry sir!" he said in a panic. "I-I just-"
"So it was you." Said the shrouded figure.
"Uh, do I know you?" asked Tata.
"Maybe." Said the short man, as he looked directly at Tata, revealing his face. "But I know you."
Tata and Minka had to fight down the urge to scream like ninnies. The man was not a man at all. He was a frog! But somehow, Tata was able to keep his cool.
"How do you know me?" Tata said in a slightly shrill voice. "I've never seen you before."
"I will not kill you." The frog said, advancing one step. He then pulled something out of his pocket and held it out in their direction so they could see what it was. It was a small pendant that glowed with a powerful glow that was like a rainbow shining in a spring sky.
"This is yours now." Said the frog as he dropped the medallion into a stunned Tata's hand. "I have no right to own it anymore."
With that, the frog left. Tata and Minka stood there looking down at the small medal, with a look of astonishment on their faces. For the longest time, all either of them could do was stare at the glowing object. Neither of them had ever seen a frog-man before, nor had an object of obvious value simply placed in their hands from a total stranger.
"I wonder how much I could get off of this?" Tata asked himself.
"Are you honestly thinking of selling that?" asked Minka in astonishment.
"Well, I kinda need the cash…" started Tata. But before he could finish, a voice spoke up.
"Hey, kid."
Minka and Tata looked over in the direction of the voice. It had come from the only other customer still in the café, the merchant.
"That thing looks mighty pretty." Continued the man. "Mind if I take a closer look? I'll bet it's worth a lot."
The man seemed friendly enough, so Tata and Minka made their way over to him. Once there, Tata held it out for the traveler to examine it. For at least a minute, all the man did was examine it. Tata was about to ask if the man was going to buy it or not, when he gasped and quickly drew back.
"Oh, lord, I was right!! It is! It is!"
"Huh?!" said Tata and Minka in unison.
"You must be him!!!" said the merchant with glee. "You must be! Only the Hero wears the Hero's Medal!!"
"What are you talking about?" Tata demanded, drawing back slightly more.
"This was forged out of the legendary Rainbow Shell for the one who shall bring down all evil in the world." The merchant explained briefly. "You must be the one! I'm honored!"
"I think you got the wrong g- ulpmfff!" Tata started, but was silenced by Minka's hand over his mouth.
"Thank you for you time, kind sir, but we need to be going now!" Minka said quickly as she flipped the cook some money and forcefully moved Tata outside.
Once outside, she removed her hand from Tata's mouth. Tata looked at the medal astonished.
"Why did he act insuch a weird manner?" Tata asked Minka.
"Because he was excited." Minka said. "I didn't recognize it until he spoke up. That is the Hero's Medal."
"What on earth is the Hero's Medal?" Tata asked her in an exasperated tone.
"It's what it's called." Minka said ominously. "The hero bears it and takes on the responsibility of cleansing the earth of evil. I've heard my sister talk about it a lot. It, and the ancient Masamune, hold a large threat to Magus."
It was just as Minka finished with those words that Tata slipped it around his neck. As soon as he did, it glowed with a bright rainbow glow that made Minka and Tata look away. It glowed with amazing brilliance, and Tata, despite being almost blind, admired it. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the glow stopped, and it returned to what was normal for it.
"Cool." Said Tata. "I feel good. No, great. In fact, I feel as though I could conquer the entire world!"
"Slow down, Tata." Said Minka.
"Hey Minka." Tata said. "You know about the Masamune? Y'know, how the it can beat Magus?"
"Uh.. yeah?"
"I bet I could get it."
WHAT!!??" screamed Minka. "That's on the top of Denadoro Mt. You couldn't bear the monsters there!"
"Are you saying I'm weak?" questioned Tata.
"No, of course not!" returned Minka. "But whatever killed Glenn and Cyrus could surely kill you!!"
"That was Magus, remember?" asked Tata
"Yeah, and he might still be there." Said Minka
"If I got the Masamune, I could take him." He said.
"Tata, I care for you!" Minka said, grabbing his shoulders firmly. "I care dearly for you. If you died, I wouldn't know what to do with myself! Please, stay off that mountain!"
"Minka…" Tata began.
"Promise me you won't."
"But.."
Minka leaned forward and kissed Tata, then drew back. "Please?"
Tata looked at her with caring eyes. He knew this meant a lot to her. Finally, he said; "Okay, Minka. For you." And then he leaned in and returned the kiss in the same fashion. With that, they wandered home.
* * *
That night, Tata lay amake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been the most peculiar day in a while for him. He had zapped Len and the others with that rainbow light. He had met that frog guy and had gotten the Hero's Medal. Probably the wierdest thing that happened, was that throughout the day, people, after noticing the medal, had all called him "hero." It had been a weird day.
Tata had fallen asleep without knowing it. He only realized it when he found himself on a ledge of a dark mountain he was staring down at Glenn. Glenn lay on the ground, bleeding his guts out. Tata almost felt sorry for him. Almost. But Glenn was the enemy, after all. He had already destroyed Cyrus, his charred, blacked body lying on the cold ground. They were easy opponents, and he had only to say a few words and Glenn would die.
But Glenn was helpless. He was pathetic. A mere boy of fifteen. Tata knew he would get no satisfaction out of killing him. It didn't matter, though. Tata had something else in mind. Slowly, Tata pointed at Glenn's bloody form. Then he chanted a few words, and suddenly, a small bolt of lightning spilled out of the sky and struck Glenn. Soon, Glenn was a living light show, and slowly, Glenn changed form. Tata was content to see the whole transformation, but before he knew it, Glenn slipped and fell off the edge.
.
It was around then that Tata woke up with a jump. Where was he? Tata surveyed his surroundings and found that he was still in his room, with Glenn lightly dozing on the end of his bed, and the mysterious black orb with it's usual glow lighting the room slightly. Yes, he was still in his room. But it seemed so real thought Tata as he held his hands in his hands. Why did I want to kill Glenn? And how had I turn him into… a frog??
Tata got up out of bed and went to his window. He looked at the sleeping town of Porre, so peaceful, so serene. But slowly, his eyes trailed over to the enormous Denadoro Mt. It stood ominous in the dark sky, barely visible, yet clear as spring water.
Tata didn't know what had hit him. Maybe it was because he thought Glenn was still alive and on Denadoro Mt., or maybe it was an act of will, to do something astounding to tell his friends about. Whatever it was, Tata found himself in his cape and white tunic, armed with his sword and shield and hunting knife, writing a little note to his father about visiting Tony in San Dorino, but really leaving for Denadoro Mt.
* * *
It was around ten o'clock and a week from when he left that he reached Denadoro Mt. He found himself wandering ever closer to the enormous mountain. At the foot of it, he stopped to stare at the mountain. Its shadow drooped over him, as if telling him not to climb it. Never the less, Tata made his way up the trail of the large mountain. As he rounded a bend, he saw two large, green monsters snoozing. Tata slowed his pace to a tip-toe, as he crept past the monsters.
He was almost completely past the monsters, when he spotted a blue bird coming out of its own sleep. Upon seeing Tata, the bird jumped up, squawking. But the mad craze of the bird couldn't bring the monsters out of their sleep. But then, Tata spotted the bird carrying a bell. Tata didn't know how, but he knew that if that bird had the chance to ring that bell, the monsters would awaken. The bird was about to do so, when a knife, gleaming in the dim sunlight like a phoenix, struck the bird square in the chest. The bird fell to the ground, dead, and Tata came to remove the knife from the bird's corpse. As Tata smeared the blood of on a patch of grass, he looked back at the monsters. They were still asleep. Tata looked back to the dead bird and realized that he hadn't eaten since last night. Grabbing the bird and walking a good distance away from the snoozing beasts, he attempted to start a fire. After several tries, Tata was still unable to get a fire going. He looked at the ground in dismay. He had never tried to start a fire before. He wished one would start.
As if heard from some unknown power, the patch of ground suddenly erupted in flames, and in the process, setting his glove on fire. Tata was able to stifle sown a scream, and started blowing on the flames. Then, from his other hand, a heavy spray of water doused the flames, putting them out. Tata stared at his previously flaming hand in astonishment. Then, he looked to his other hand, the one that had put out the flames with water. For the longest time, that was all he did; stare at his hands in astonishment. Questions whirled around in his head, questions like: How did the fire start so suddenly? How on earth did I emit water from my hand? It was only when a foul odor assailed his nose did Tata come out of his mild surprise. He looked to the source, the dead bird, and found that it had turned to a pile of goo. Tata turned away in horror. He then realized that the fire was still blazing. He scooped some dirt onto the fire and left the premise. He wandered around to a rope ladder. He was able to quickly climb it and came across two more sleeping beasts. He slowly crept past the beasts, and was about to pass them, when a huge "CRACK" emitted from his recent place down the ladder. Tata quickly looked back to the monsters. On was still asleep, but the other was up and rushing him. Tata, in a frenzy, ran back down the ladder. He was a good distance away, but he kept running anyway. As he got off the ladder, he saw three people a couple yards in front of him. One was a guy, and the other two were girls. For some reason, he couldn't help but notice how weird the guy's hair was. But in his panic, Tata looked back in time to see the three slay the monster. Tata made a decision and bolted back in their direction. He scampered onto a ledge overlooking them and called down to them.
"T-this is a terrible place!" he shouted to them. "Y-you'd best get away while you still can!"
And with that, Tata ran as fast as he could away from Denadoro Mt.
* * *
Two weeks later…
The sun was halfway through setting, and the town of Porre was in it's usual evening ritual of eating, socializing, and having a good time. The sun dashed its pink, red, and orange rays on the town, creating a warm, soothing atmosphere. Upon the southernmost peninsula sat a young girl, staring out at the setting sun with happiness filling her spirit. She was Minka, and had been wondering for days where her friend had went. For the first week of his absence, she assumed he was on a trip to his friend Tony's house in San Dorino. But now she was having second thoughts.
"I can't remember how I was able to live without such beauty meeting me every day."
Minka turned towards the sound of the familiar voice in time to see Tata sit down next to her.
"Tata!" she said as she leaned in and hugged him tightly, as he did the same. As she leaned back, she asked the question. "Where have you been?"
"Well, I have a confession to make." Tata started. "I-"
"Attempted the mountain, right?" Minka asked.
"Well, yeah." Said Tata. "I got back without injury, though. I also lost the hero's medal. Apparently, these other people needed it more."
For awhile, all was silent. The two of them were at a loss of words. But Tata apparently had more to say.
"They were a weird looking trio." He said. One carried a crossbow-like weapon. And the guy had totally crazy haircut." Tata paused and took a deep breath. "Y'know, Minka. Porre seems as normal as any town can get. But if you ask me, there seems to be all sorts of wierdos wandering around in Porre."
.
End of Chapter 3
.