Topic: Mirby's Erratically Updated Thread of Stuff!!

[Mirby]

Manifestations of my imagination that is.

Just because it's awesome.

Here's two links to my story for Relics of Nature's Fury.
.DOC version
Word 2007 version (WITH SIDE NOTES!)
I'm only up to Chapter 23, and I haven't written anything new in a while, so meh.

[Dr. Wily II]

Ehh...
Your Chapter 9 is in a mess currently...

[Mirby]

Book 1: Prologue
[spoiler=Chapter 8]
   When I awoke, Jack was gone. I looked around, hoping he was gone for good, but then I noticed the bathroom door was closed. I sighed and told myself, Just a little bit longer. He came out of the bathroom not long after that, and looked at me.
   
   “So you didn’t run off again, maid. I have to say, you may be pretty, but I expected more from you. I think I might kill the mayor after all.” He laughed at this and proceeded to get dressed.
   
   “I’m going to go back to my room now. To take a shower and get changed and ready for the day, okay?”
   
   “Sure, go ahead.” As I was leaving, he quickly grabbed me and forced a quick kiss on me. I managed to resist involuntarily shirking back. He then squeezed my boobs a few times, pinched my ass once or twice, and then threw me onto the bed. “Now you can go!” he spat. I gathered my things, covered myself in a sheet, and ran back to my room. Thankfully, no one saw me. I took a long shower, rid myself of his stench, and got into a new outfit laid out on my bed. Next to it was a note saying, “Special Outfit for the Mayor’s Personal Maid.” It was in Paul’s handwriting. It was similar to the normal maid’s outfit, except that the skirt part was pink, and there were special white nylons that went with it. The shoes were also an inch higher, and open toed this time. I walked out of the room hoping that I wouldn’t see the bandit leader again.
   
   I found out that Paul was in his quarters again, so I entered and made my full report to him, detailing what I had gleaned from him during dinner the night before. I only briefly mentioned what happened afterwards, saying that my disguise worked flawlessly.
   
   “So, you know everything you need to now?” he asked me.
   
   “Yes, sir, I believe I do,” I replied.
   
   “How did you like the outfit I got you?”
   
   “Which one, yesterday’s or this one?”
   
   “Both.”
   
   “Well, yesterday’s was nice and beautiful, while this one feels good and works well.”
   
   “Good, good. You may leave now. You have the day off. Rest, relax, and all that.”
   
   “Yes, sir, and thank you for all this.” I curtsied to him and returned to my room. I took a bubble bath to relax and think about what had happened recently. I had been in this disguise for almost a month now, and many were none the wiser. I had dined with the bandit leader, and even let him have his way with me. I shuddered upon remembering that part and quickly moved on. I learned all about the bandit gang, and all the members’ strengths and weaknesses. The bandit I had slain, Jesse, apparently was too eager to fight. When he was in a battle, he tended to forget everything but killing his opponent. That proved to be his downfall. I felt myself dozing off, and quickly roused myself and got into bed. I scrambled to get under the covers, and quickly fell asleep. I dreamed, not normal dreams, but ones that seemed important. The most memorable one was of an old man. He was hunched over with age and his features were quite skeletal. His hair was nearly gone, but what remained was white. He seemed to be as old as the world itself, and I was in awe. He suddenly spoke.
   
   “Taylor. You have done well in hiding yourself from those who aren’t pure in heart. You have learned information required to complete a quest you were born to complete, yet have no knowledge of. You have mastered the ways of both genders, and are skilled in the ways of the blade. However, there are many things you have yet to discover about yourself. The identity of your father, the truth behind your skills with female clothes and swords as well, and many other things; you will learn about all this among your journey. You will meet acquaintances on your way; two you have already met, others you have not but will know on sight. All of you will have one thing in common; it is up to you to learn what that thing is. One of these things you will learn tonight. When the time is right, I will come to you again, and reveal more of the secrets you have yet to discover. For now, though, sleep and rest. You will awaken in time to learn of a long-hidden truth of yourself. Only then will you remember this dream, and learn a little bit of yourself. Sleep now, my Blade Knight. Sleep deeply, and peacefully.” Then all was dark and calm as I slept for several hours.
   
   When I awoke, I was fully rested and felt a sense of peace about the room. It was dark already. I had slept for over twelve hours! I went to get dressed and presentable when I found out that I already was all dressed up! I had no idea how it had happened, but I wasn’t worried. I heard yelling outside my room, so I ran out of my room just in time to see the bandit leader yelling at Paul.
   
   “Why haven’t you given up yet, old man? You have no chance of winning!”
   
   “You are sadly mistaken, Jack. It is you who is doomed to fail,” Paul calmly replied.
   
   “How can you be so certain?”
   
   “Simple. The wicked are doomed to failure, while the good are granted success.”
   
   “Really? Then how about a big heaping amount of success!” Jack the bandit leader exclaimed, and proceeded to sever Paul’s left arm off. I watched in horror, when suddenly an image appeared before me. It seemed oddly familiar, yet I knew I had never seen it before. I seemed to watch from outside myself as I traced the image before me. I placed my left hand low and right hand high, then rotated them until they had switched positions; then I moved them together in a jagged motion and then swung them out to my sides. A loud rumbling began, and then the floor opened up below the bandit leader. He fell to the first floor, where the ground was open as well, and then the ground came back together. There was a sickening crunch as Jack became a shower of blood and bones. I swiftly came back to myself, and ran over to check on Paul. He was breathing, but he had lost a lot of blood. I grabbed a sheet and slowed the bleeding, and started yelling for help. I couldn’t help recalling that image and the life it had taken, and wondering what had just happened, and if I had in fact caused that attack on Jack. Suddenly, the dream came back to me, and the old man was once again in my mind’s eye.
   
   “Taylor, you have learned something of yourself, although the injury of a friend is what it cost to do so. You have just cast a magic spell of great power! By tracing the Gaia sigil as you did, you cast Chasmatic Crunch! Do not worry, Taylor; Paul will live. But I will tell you of your true self now.
   
   “You are the latest in a line of great heroes, although the last one was alive a millennium ago. You are directly descended from him, and his power was sealed until it was needed once more. You have the power to control the elements in a basic manner, as you have just done so with Earth, but your true power is that of another element. I will not tell you what element, although your future party members each control an element as well. Now the reason the latent powers are awakening in you.
   
   “A great evil is rising in this land. You will not have heard of it, but it threatens to devour all that exists. As you journey, you will meet others who are descended from great heroes as well. They will be your strength when you are weak, as you will be to them. They will be your life when you are almost out of yours, as you will be to them. They will be your allies, as you will be theirs. However, some have not awakened yet, so you must help them awaken. Others have and are helping the great evil; you must convince them to switch sides. A great journey is ahead of you, Taylor. And only you can make sure it is completed! For now, I will grant you the power to make your disguises real, when it is needed. Whatever you need to become, think hard on it, and you will become it. If you wish to become Taylor again, think hard on the name and you shall return to being yourself. When the time is right, you will see me again. Until that time comes, farewell, my Blade Knight.” With that, he vanished. By then, Paul had been taken away, and was already being treated. In a dreamlike state, I rose up from the floor, and walked back to my room. The last thing I remember happening on that night was falling onto the mattress and passing out.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 9]
   I awoke an hour after dawn. I rolled over and was surprised to see I wasn’t alone. Next to me was Clarisse. She was fully clothed, and she was clutching a note in her hand. It said, “Visit Paul in the Hospital.” I wondered why she was asleep in my bed, when I remembered the strange old man’s words. I decided to test it out.
   
        I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I stripped down until I was completely naked, even removing my disguise. Then I imagined how I looked in the disguise, with the breasts, the black hair, the makeup, and everything. I focused on that image and felt something surround me. I let the feeling take over, and the sensation engulf me until it was done. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that I was in my disguise again… except all my disguise stuff was on the floor still. I tried removing my boobs, but they held firm. I was surprised. I tried removing my wig, but the wig was firmly attached to my head. I attempted to remove the device, but there was no device to remove. I remembered I had removed the device the previous morning. It hit me then. The power the old man had given me was true. I was able to, for all intents and purposes, shape-shift! I decided to remain in this form, as it suited my needs. I walked back into my room, still nude, and walked over to my dresser. By then, Clarisse had awoken.
   
        “Is that you, Cynthia?” she asked, sleepily.
   
        “Yes it is, Clarisse. And check out what I can do!” I turned around to show her my current form.
   
        “Wait, is that a disguise?” she said.
   
        “Nope, 100 percent real! I’ll explain to you later. For now, why were you sleeping in my bed?”
   
        “Oh, was I? Sorry about that. All I know is that I was sent to deliver you a message but suddenly I was really tired and fell asleep in your bed. I had a strange dream too…”
   
        “Do you mind elaborating?” I asked.
   
        “Well, there was this old man,” she began. This surprised me. So this must be the partner I had already met. “He said a bunch of weird stuff, how I was supposed to believe what you would tell me, and how I didn’t really know myself yet, and all sorts of odd things.” She noticed I was staring at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
   
        “Quite simply because that old man is the one who gave me this form. And I can take on many others too! Anyways, he said the same stuff to me too. Did he mention anything about a quest?” She nodded. “Really? Did he call you something weird?”
   
        “Yeah, he ended with, ‘Sleep now, my Gunner.’ What’s that about?”
   
        “He calls me a Blade Knight. Maybe it has to do with abilities we have or something. Meh, let’s go see Paul now. We can discuss this later. Plus, I don’t know where the hospital is.”
   
        “Okay, let’s talk later then. By the way, your body is beautiful!” she said. I blushed at her compliment. I got dressed and we headed to the hospital. It was a brisk walk, and I got used to the idea of shape-shifting while we walked. I was surprised at Clarisse’s reaction to my newfound abilities. She was perfectly okay with the idea of my abilities. I told her of what the mysterious old man had told me, and she had fully remembered her dream of him by then to tell me of what he told her. She was also descended from a great hero, and her ancestor had control over an element, though the old man didn’t say which. I told Clarisse of the “sigil” I traced and how the spell it triggered killed Jack, the bandit leader. When we got to the hospital, I looked at Clarisse once more. She had shed her maid’s outfit for something more casual; a simple top with some pants and flat shoes. I was going to revert to my normal form, but I saw too many bandits who’d want me for the death of Jesse, and possibly for Jack’s death as well. Instead, I changed my outfit into something more casual as well. I chose a plain black tee with a nice black knee-length skirt. Along with that I chose to forgo nylons and changed from heels into sneakers. I decided to wait until we got to Paul’s room before changing completely back.
   
        Paul was right down the hall, and he was alert. We walked into his room, closed the blinds over the window, and walked to his bedside. Paul was surprised to see Clarisse there.
   
        “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be working, miss?” he asked her.
   
        “Well, sir, I found out I had something in common with Cyndi here, so I thought I’ d best tell you about it as well.”
   
        “It looks like you’re doing better, sir. First off, I have something to show you.” With that, I concentrated on an image of Paul and quickly became a double of his.
   
        “W-what just happened?” he asked incredulously.
   
        “Simple. I can shape-shift it seems,” I replied. I swiftly changed back into my original form, that of Taylor.
   
        “How did you come upon this… ability?” I began to tell Paul of the dreams of the old man, and Clarisse pitched in with her dream as well. “Ah, I see. So you are descendants of great heroes. You don’t know their names, though. Hmmm…. Clarisse, since it seems that destiny has her uses for you, I will grant you permission to leave with Taylor. Clarisse?” Clarisse’s eyes had rolled into her head. At first, I thought she was dead, but then her hands shot out and stopped over Paul’s bloody stump that showed where his arm had once been. Her hands began to trace out invisible images to most eyes, but they began to reveal themselves to my eyes. A circle was completed, then the hands traced out a cross sign from the top of the ring until the hands met again at the bottom. She was tracing a sigil! Suddenly her hands moved down a bit, and she traced the sigil again, then moved down again. I noticed the first sigil starting to glow, and I saw the stump lengthening. Clarisse was casting a healing spell! She was tracing healing sigils! As the last sigil was completed, she moved her hands back, and suddenly she shuddered a bit.
   
        “Whoa. What just happened?” she asked.
   
        “You don’t remember? Think, Clarisse,” I told her.
   
        “All I remember is blacking out and then- and then I was tracing images, sigils as you called them, right Cyndi? Why did I do that?”
   
        “Look at my arm,” Paul said. “It’s back, and it’s thanks to you.” But Clarisse didn’t respond. Her eyes were back in her head again. I knew from experience what was happening, and as I paid attention, the old man came to me too.
   
        “Taylor, come in. It’s probably best that you learn of this as well. Clarisse, as you already know, you are descended from a great hero, as is Taylor. I will now tell you their names. Taylor, you are descended from Robert the Remarkable. He is famous for managing to disarm opponents without even moving, or so it seemed. That might give you a hint as to your elemental mastery. Clarisse, your forebear is Carla the Cool. She was renowned for striking fear and doubt into her foes, and her battles were always precipitated by chilling winds and snowdrifts. Her line did not begin with her, though; it began with her sister. Her spirit lives on within you, though. Robert and Carla, along with seven other great heroes, attempted to defeat the great evil that threatens your land now. They succeeded in severely weakening it, but it has lain dormant for the past thousand years. You two will form a party to finish off this great evil.
   
        “The identity of your foe must remain hidden, but suffice it to say that its puppets, its minions, are all around this land, infecting it like a plague. The bandits are but one aspect of this evil, and you are already on your way to vanquishing them. Now, awaken from this vision, and go forth. My Blade Knight, my Gunner, go forth to the smithy! You will find your next goal there!” Clarisse and I awoke simultaneously. We looked at each other.
   
        I said, “We need to…”
   
        “Go to the smithy!” she finished.
   
        “Glad to see you doing better, Paul, but we have to go.” I metamorphosed back into Cyndi, and we left the hospital.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 10]
   It was a short walk to the smithy, and I knocked on the door. No answer. I crept in slowly, changed back to Taylor, and looked around. There was no sign of the blacksmith. I was worried. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion out back. Clarisse and I ran out to the practice area, and saw the smithy, mad with power. The practice area was completely on fire, and watched as he traced a sigil in the air. It consisted of a solitary flame inside the ring. The Pyre Sigil was being traced, and cast. A voice in my head told me that we’d have to fight him, and to be careful of that spell, Furious Flames. I reached for my blades, and remembered that they weren’t there. And Clarisse had no way to defend herself, either. Suddenly, a mysterious voice echoed out. “Use these to defend thyself. Thou shall know how to use these if thou does not know already.” Suddenly, my blades appeared in my back sheathes, and waist sheathes appeared on Cyndi, equipped with two pistols! The battle was on. The best I could guess was that the smithy had accidentally tapped into his powers, and now was mad with power, using them with reckless intention. He turned around to face us, and his face was twisted with pain. His eyes shone with recognition for a second, but then it faded to pure hatred. The evil must’ve taken him. I unsheathed my blades, and Clarisse took out her guns. We circled around him, and he shot fire at me. I quickly sidestepped it, and watched as Clarisse shot a few bullets at him. He took them, but showed no signs of stopping. He ran up to me, and started to attack with his fists. I blocked them with my sword, but his uppercut was too swift. It knocked me skyward, and he leapt up after me, landing blow after blow. I eventually regained my bearings, and locked my swords together, then swung hard. I connected the flat of the blade with his chest, knocking him back to the ground.
   
        I landed on my back, and skidded a little bit. As he was falling, I saw a new sigil being traced by Clarisse. It was a triangle within the circle, and I recognized it instantly. The Frigid Sigil! I recalled what the old man had said. Clarisse’s ancestor always fought in cold conditions. Mayhaps her element was that of Ice! I quickly got back on my feet, but the smithy was frozen in ice, although the Pyre Sigil was burning through it. In a matter of seconds, he would be free again. I took this moment to take the blow to free him of the influence of darkness. I thrust my blade into the weakest part of the sigil, shattering it and the ice. The blade slid right into not flesh, but soul. It wasn’t the smithy’s soul either; it was the soul of the evil influence that had overtaken his soul. I shattered it with my attack, and removed my blade. The smithy looked up at me weakly, and simply said, “Thank you, friend.” Then he passed out. Clarisse and I carried him back in to his house, to his bed. The flames were already dying out. I heard a faint gasp in the distance. It almost sounded like it was saying, “This time, warriors. But next time you won’t be so lucky…” And then it was gone.
   
        It was several hours before he awoke. Clarisse stayed by his side the whole time, healing his wounds and making sure he was comfy. I stood watch outside, although no one came. Clarisse called out to me.
   
        “Taylor, he’s awake! Come quickly, and bring water!” I did so, and he was happy to see me.
   
        “I suppose I owe you two an apology for that. I wasn’t in control of myself, but I was fully aware. I was a prisoner in my own body. Are you two okay?” We nodded to say we were.
   
        “What happened to make you lose control of yourself like that?” I asked.
   
        “Well, I was working on a new axe for one of the bandits, but he wanted it a specific way and powerful too, in an amount of time impossibly short for what he wanted. I was cursing him, when a dark voice came into my head. It said, ‘Come with me. I will show you abilities beyond your wildest dreams, and you can show him what power truly is.’ It came unexpectedly, and before I could react, I was trapped. I no longer controlled my own body, yet I knew that the powers being used were my own. For a brief second, I got through, and saw you, Taylor. I saw you, and recognized you instantly. But before I could call out to you, I was forced back into the corner I was shoved in. Thank you for releasing me of that control. Now, can you tell me what happened?”
        
        Clarisse and I told him about the old man, and the powers. I turned into Cynthia briefly, for I had given that form that name, and let him mess with me a bit. I turned back, and informed him of the mayor’s injury and Clarisse’s assistance in healing it, and how I was in drag for nearly a month hiding from the bandits. Finally we had finished our story.
        
        “So you two are on a quest, and apparently, you need my help. I guess this would be no good if you didn’t know my name. I’m Joseph, nice to meet you two. Let’s rest until Paul is better, then we can leave. In the meantime, do you mind staying here as Cyndi, Taylor. I could use a female companion to help me out. Plus, you are good at making swords, so you can fix yours up while here. Also, I’d like to mess with my friends, make them think I got a really attractive girlfriend. That okay with you?”
        
        “Sure, as long as you don’t try to get into my pants at all!”
        
        “Oh, no no no! I’d never try that!”
        
        “Okay. I’ll stay here with Joe, and you stay with Paul, Clarisse. Notify us when he gets well enough to arrange enough stuff for an extended trip.” Clarisse nodded in agreement and left. I turned back to Joe. “Now you don’t mind seeing me naked in my female form, do you?”
        
        “Does night follow day?” he replied.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 11]
        In the days that followed, I got along quite well with Joe. He kept on making cracks about how I looked, and he also pinched my ass a few times, but all in good fun. We were fast friends, and we had a lot in common, aside from the magic and history. He was raised by his mom as well, and he’d been working in a smithy for most of his life, which was about 25 to 30 years. He was a boxer in his teens, and still fought on and off when not working in the smithy. Clarisse came down a few days later to tell us that Paul was back home, so the three of us left the smithy to meet him in his private quarters.
        
        “Welcome back, Clarisse, Cyndi. And hello Joe.”
        
        “Hello, Paul.”
        
        “Anyways, since you’re both still maids in my service, I must first ask you to put on your required dress before this meeting may begin.”
        
        “Yes sir,” Clarisse and I replied simultaneously and returned promptly in required clothing.
        
        “Anyways, you three seem to be destined for a great deed, one that cannot be accomplished if you remain here. I knew you’d leave eventually, Cyndi. After all, you’re just a traveler passing through. But Joseph and Clarisse? You’ve been here your whole life, Joe, and have worked in the smithy for half my life! And Clarisse, beautiful young Clarisse. I took you in when you were naught but a baby, orphaned by Jack, the former bandit leader that was… dispatched… by Cynthia here. You’re like a daughter to me, and I wish you didn’t have to go. But who am I to stand in destiny’s way? Regardless, you three may leave sunrise tomorrow. You’ll have packs full of enough food to last you for a month or two. You’ll also be taking 1000 gold from my personal treasury. For expenses and such. Be careful of enemies out there, and I’ve heard tell of monsters out there, monsters that have come into existence only recently. Perhaps their appearance is connected to this great evil you’re setting out to defeat, or maybe it’s all coincidence. Whatever it is, be careful and be safe; that is all I ask. Come back anytime you need to; there’ll be beds waiting for you. Now rest for the coming journey; I’ll see you three off in the morning.”
        
        I went straight to my room to sleep, while Clarisse returned to her normal room and Joe was led to a guest room. I went over the recent events in my mind, and was amazed at what I was expected to do, alongside Clarisse and Joe, and six others I had never met. I knew that I’d be able to do it, and that with my friends by my side, I could achieve anything. But would they place the same trust in me as I did in them? Sure, the old man virtually guaranteed it, but human nature was a fickle thing. It could change in an instant. Greed, lust, anger, and all the rest of the dark flaws inherent to being human could get in the way of the quest. I hoped that none of them would rear their ugly heads at all, but that was all that I could do. Hope. I brushed aside all my thoughts and decided to go to sleep. I fell asleep quickly and dreamed a peaceful, dreamless, reinvigorating sleep. My last thoughts were that the others were doing the same.
        
        Clarisse wasn’t sleeping yet. She had told the other maids that she would be leaving, but not to worry. They hadn’t listened. They were worried out of their skulls, she could tell. But that’s what came with sisters. Granted, they weren’t actually sisters, but they were all that close. They even felt that close with Cyndi, and that was a rare thing indeed. Clarisse’s thoughts mirrored Taylor’s, but in their own way they were different. Not long after thinking this through, she fell into the same sort of sleep that Taylor had.
        
        As for Joseph, he had passed out shortly after arriving in his room. His sleep was the same as Taylor’s and Clarisse’s.
                                            ~END BOOK ONE~
[/spoiler]

Book 2: And So It Begins...
[spoiler=Chapter 12]
   We awoke completely rested, and we went outside to meet Paul. True to his word, he had bags packed for us, and he handed me the money for safekeeping. All the maids were outside too, and they were sad to see us go. They gave Clarisse and me all sorts of spare clothes and stuff, and they hugged Joe. As we were leaving the town, all the residents looked out their windows to bid us farewell. No one knew for sure if we’d be back, but I had a feeling that we would be. Shortly after leaving the town, the remainder of the bandits appeared to attack. We didn’t have the time to fight, but there was no choice. I figured we’d get this over quickly. Clarisse traced the Frigid Sigil, Joe the Pyre Sigil, and I the Gaia Sigil. The entirety of the bandit force was decimated by this three-prong attack. There was nothing remaining of them. We walked for miles, and there was naught a town in sight. We decided to pitch camp for the night in the nearby woods. A covered camp is always a good idea, I explained to Clarisse. It was going to be a cold night, so we decided to start a fire. With Joe’s powers, it was quite simple. The fire was roaring in no time, and we three were all quite warm. The tent was big enough for all of us, and we retired early.
   
        The next day was uneventful. We walked as many miles, if not more, as we did the first day out. There was still no sign of any towns. As we had the first night, we pitched a tent and fell asleep. The third day proved to change our luck. We found a town, but there was a slight problem. The thing was, only women were allowed. I had no idea why this was, but this was the law of the town. Odder still, only one person could enter the town at a time when there was a group, as there was with Clarisse, Joseph, and me. I realized something had to be done. I wondered if my power would extend to other people. I decided to try it. I called Joe over to the bushes, and concentrated intensely on an image of Joe as a small necklace ornament. When I opened my eyes, he was gone, and I looked down on the ground. A necklace was there with a small, Joe-shaped ornament adorning it. I picked it up and called Clarisse over. I gave her the necklace and realized I’d need to get in somehow. Joe was still alert and alive, and he was telling me to hurry up. They started to leave when the necklace began to glow, and I realized I’d need to be nearby to keep the illusion intact. They came back, and I decided to transform myself into a dress. I concentrated, and pictured a dress, not too revealing, with two eye-like patterns, similar to a butterfly’s wings, over the breasts. The stomach had a mouth-like image on it with    two dark circles above it. The backside had a zipper, with a hand on either side of it, and the back of the short skirt had the image of two legs, crossed. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the ground, and felt kinda flat. Suddenly I was picked up by Clarisse, and suddenly she took me further into the bushes. I realized then that the ruse would work. Quickly, she put me on, and I could see perfectly. I risked talking.
   
        “Hopefully my ruse isn’t too ugly,” I said.
   
        “No, not at all. You’re snug and comfy as a matter of fact,” she replied.
   
        “Am I the only one who finds this weird?” Joe asked from above me.
   
        “Well, at least your disguise isn’t as strange as mine,” I replied. “You’re still human-shaped. I’m a frickin’ article of clothing!”
   
        “Well, you’d both better be quiet, because I’m going to enter the town,” Clarisse said. She started walking back to the town, and Joe and I were her luggage, and we three were the only ones who knew. The guards let us in without a hassle, though they were snickering at Clarisse’s dress, or rather, my disguise. I decided to see if my senses were still intact. I could still see and hear, and taste was out of the question. Whenever something or someone brushed against me, I could feel it, so touch was still there. I could also still smell stuff, so four out of five senses were still intact. I didn’t move my eyes, and they didn’t water if they were open for too long, so that was a perk. Clarisse entered an inn, and asked for a room. The price was 10G. I had forgotten to give the money to Clarisse. She walked out of the inn, and into a back alley.
   
        “Sorry about that. Let’s see…” I whispered. I could still move my arms, but only in two dimensions. I moved them down to my legs, and then pulled out the money bag from where it was transfigured to: between my legs. I reached around to the front of the dress and she retrieved it.
   
        “Think you can A. Lengthen yourself, and B. Add pockets?” she asked.
   
        “Sure thing.” I quickly envisioned the dress being longer, and my legs got more room. I added two pockets to the skirt part, and Clarisse shoved the money in one of them.
   
        “Thanks.” She walked back into the inn, and paid the required amount of money to the innkeeper. “Can I ask you something, ma’am?” Clarisse asked.
   
        “What is it?”
   
        “Where are all the men here?”
   
        “Well, they’re kept for sport mainly here in this country. Twice a year, 10 men are selected to mate with some women here. Our population is always low, but it keeps it from getting overcrowded.”
   
        “And if the babies are born male?” Clarisse inquired.
   
        “Four of the babies are allowed to be born male. Our hospital has a gifted woman who can change the gender of a baby while it’s still in the womb. She has a busy job, but it’s a good thing.”
   
        “Why is it that only one person is allowed to enter if they’re in a group?”
   
        “Keep from overcrowding.”
   
        “I see. Okay, I’ll go up to my room now. Thanks for the info!”
   
        “Never a problem, dearie. Always good to help a traveler out!” she called back.

        Once we got to the room, Clarisse quickly took me off, threw me on the bed, and removed the necklace and hung that on the wall. I transformed into Cynthia so I wouldn’t be hunted for sport. As for Joe, I decided to ask him what he wanted to do.
   
        “Do you want to stay a necklace, be hunted for sport, or try your luck at being a woman?” I asked him.
   
        “I’ll take door number three. I don’t like hanging around like this, although the view is spectacular.” Clarisse poked him, and he started swinging around. “Whoa, whoa, I was just kidding. Stop me from swinging someone, quick! I’m getting sick. Wait, I’m slowing down. Nevermind. Anyways, as I was saying, I don’t want to die just yet either. So what will I look like anyways?”
   
        “That’s entirely up to you, Joe,” I replied.
   
        “Well, in that case, I want to have big boobs, a nice ass, and nice legs,” he explained.
   
        “Well, I’ll need more than that. Hair color, eye color, and anything else that’s applicable.”
   
        “Oh. Well, long blonde pigtails, green eyes, a nice soft face, and a higher-pitched voice, naturally. What about clothes?”
   
        “She’ll make sure your size is our size, as we have enough clothes from the maids for all of us,” Clarisse interjected.
   
        “Okay. In that case, change me ma’am!” With that, I imagined Joe in the way that he described, and there was a slight thud. I opened my eyes to see a woman on the floor fondling herself.
   
        “Umm… you’ll need a name,” I said.
   
        “Hmmm… Josephina. That way you can still call me Joe, or rather, Jo.” He was still fondling his boobs, so I figured we’d best leave him alone. I turned to Clarisse.
   
        “So, what kind of fabric did I choose for myself?” I asked.
   
        “I think it was silk. You were nice and cool, yet soft and warming too. I’m amazed that you were able to do that!”
   
        “As am I. In the meantime, I need to get cleaned up. Since there’s only one tub, and it’s pretty large, I think it would be okay if we all bathed together. After all, right now we’re all girls.”
   
        “Good point. And we’ll have to share the bed,” replied Clarisse. “You okay with all this, Jo?”
   
        “Hmmm? Oh, right, yes I am. Let’s get clean!” he replied. The remainder of the night was spent getting clean and getting clothes separated. For myself, I chose a nice flowing flower-print skirt along with a slightly revealing green v-neck top. I also chose a black t-shirt and miniskirt combo. Clarisse chose a one-piece dress that had long-sleeves and a long skirt that covered up her legs completely. She also chose a white v-neck top paired with a white knee-length skirt. Jo was left with a black one-piece dress with zipper that hugged the body, and ended just past the knees. It looked to be more of a zippered sleeve than a dress. He also got stuck with a red miniskirt paired with a revealing red top. We all had six pairs of nylons, and six pairs of shoes. My nylons were black and brown, Clarisse’s black and white, and Jo’s white and brown. The shoes were greatly varied. I had two pairs of heels, one open-toed with straps, the other closed-toed and snug, both black and three to four inches high. Clarisse had two pairs of heels as well, except both of hers were three inch-high, and open-toed. The only difference was that one pair was black and the other white. Jo’s were both flat with ribbons, but one pair was black while the other was red. We all went to sleep, and fell asleep quickly.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 13]
        Morning came, and I woke up to see that Jo was freaking out a bit.
   
        “What’s wrong?” I asked him.
   
        “Well, right now I’m female, right? Well I don’t know the first thing about acting female!”
   
        “Ah, I see.” I quickly explained to him the basics of it, and he caught on right away.
   
        “What about the makeup?” he asked.
   
        “No problem, I’ve got it,” Clarisse replied. Quickly and expertly she applied makeup to Jo’s face and mine as well, since I was just waking up and didn’t refuse in time. She was awake and alert already.
   
        “What’s the plan today anyways?” I asked.
   
        “Well, I thought we’d start off by visiting the hospital’s baby gender-changer. Maybe she’s our next ally. Then we would see if we could get an audience with the mayor or queen or whoever rules this place. We’d finish the day by exploring the place, together so Jo doesn’t revert to his true form and get shot or something. Then fall asleep here,” Clarisse explained.
   
        “Good idea. Now who’s gonna help me get dressed?” Jo said. For my outfit, I picked the t-shirt/miniskirt combo, with black nylons and the open-toed shoes. Clarisse picked her white dress with her white nylons and white heels. Jo picked the red outfit, so we helped her into that and chose the brown nylons and the red shoes. We walked downstairs and surprised the innkeeper. I paid her 15G to stay quiet about it. She happily took it. We hit the town, and easily found our way to the hospital. On the way there, we did not see a single guy at all. Nor did we see any inside the hospital either. We quickly found the miracle worker, as some called her, and asked her a few questions. We found out her name was Jillian, but we could call her Jill.
   
        “How do you change the baby’s gender?” I asked.
   
        “I simply draw an image on the mother’s baby bump,” Jill replied.
   
        “Really? What image?”
   
        “Here, I’ll show you.” She took out a piece of paper, and started drawing. Oddly enough, she used both hands. She drew a circle from bottom to top, then sketched a smaller circle within, and then a cross. It was a sigil! The Femme Sigil! “That’s how I make them female. If I wanted to make them male, I’d draw this.” She drew another circle, this time from top to bottom. Going upwards, she drew another circle, and then an arrow pointing upwards. The Mascul Sigil! “For some reason this image appears to me sometimes too.” She then proceeded to draw a third sigil. Starting from the bottom, she drew a thunderbolt, and then encompassed it within a circle. The Lectri Sigil! So she definitely was our next ally. But how would we convince her to join us in our quest?
   
        “So, Jill, what do you think of how men are treated here?” I ventured.
   
        “Well, I think it’s barbaric, but the reasons work quite well, I suppose,” she answered.
   
        “Ah, just wondering. Anyways, how long have you been able to draw those images?”
   
        “Well, since I was about 18 I think. Why?”
   
        “Why? Because we can draw those images as well. Do you have names for yours?”
   
        “Well, once I first saw them, I knew their names. The first one is Femme, the second is Mascul, and the third Lectri. Why do you ask?”
   
        “Well, when I saw them, the names came to me as well. You see, those are called Sigils. They hold great power. In fact, through them we have great power. I’ll show you a little bit of mine, in fact, if that’s okay.”
   
        “Well, I suppose,” she said.
   
        “Okay, here goes.” I conjured up an image of Jill, only with my voice, and in the clothes I was wearing at that moment. I pictured her red hair, her freckled face and small nose. I saw her bright blue eyes, shining with knowledge and love, and her average stature. I saw her long legs and her painted toenails, I saw her short midsection with petit breasts, and her average arms with their delicate hands on the ends, with each fingernail painted gingerly and carefully. I opened my eyes and saw her jump a bit.
   
        “Do I really look like that?”
   
        “Yes, but don’t worry, you don’t sound like this.”
   
        “How did you do that? I didn’t see any of your sigils or anything!”
   
        “Well, it’s just a gift. Let me change back now.” I turned back into Cynthia and told her of the old man and our history. She took in every word and believed it all.
   
        “So you’re all descended from great heroes, and if I’m supposed to go with you, then I am too? Wow. This is a lot to take in.” She sat down. “I’ll visit you three later tonight. In the meantime, just go down the main road and you’ll see the castle. Queen Amberina lives there. She’s quite nice, and she might believe your story and help her out. She might even give you extra money and supplies too! Heck, she even wants to abolish the hunting of males here, which I think needs to be done. So you should be able to appear to her in your true forms. However, only do so if you can get a private audience with her. Where are you from again?”
   
        “Growlston,” Cynthia supplied.
   
        “Well, our fair land of Plassville and your land of Growlston are allies, so if you two worked as maids in the Mayor Paul’s residence, that should help.” Jill giggled. “Sorry, but I’d love to see you as a maid, Cyndi.”
   
        “Well, if you end up traveling with us, then you can see me as a maid, okay? Heck, I’ll even throw Jo here into a maid’s dress! We’ll all be maids together!”
   
        “Well, that would be cool. Anyways, your friendship with Mayor Paul, and your position as the blacksmith of Growlston, Jo, should help. Farewell, friends! I’ll see you tonight!” With that we left, and headed to the castle.
[/spoiler]
That's as far as I've gotten. More as they come and as I can upload them. Comments please. And I knew about Chapter 9, if you had waited I would've fixed it, Wily.

[Sakura Leic]

Probably be better if you space them one more time while the charaters are talking people tend to avoid big walls of text, trust me.

[Mirby]

Well, I set it up like that for convenience sake. Did you like it, though? I was writing it like a book, so you know. Hence the lack of spacing between the dialogue.

[Sakura Leic]

I'm trying to read it right now but it's very hard to because it's a big wall of text I mean when I first wrote my fan fiction Wily pointed out to me that no one would read a big wall of text so I spaced them out, I know fan fictions and books are completely different but it'll better if you do that. 

Also a good idea to space out the paragraphs just to make it easier to read.

[Mirby]

There, fixed up for easier reading.

[Sakura Leic]

Well I finished reading the first chapter and well it pretty good but I'm not really to that kinda of stuff really but it's good.  Oh yeah chapter 8 spilled out the spoiler.

[Mirby]

Book 2: And So It Begins...
[spoiler=Chapter 14]
   It was a brisk walk, and Jo was acting quite feminine. He must’ve tapped into his inner female or something, I thought. We made it to the castle without any problems, and were easily able to secure a meeting with the queen. We were led to the throne room, and saw her sitting on the throne. She looked to be about 25, and about five foot five. Her hair was long and brown, and her lovely hazel eyes shone determinedly. She was a beautiful woman.
   
        “What business have you in the Queendom of Plassville?”
   
        “Your Majesty, we are travelers from the town of Growlston. This young lady and I were maids in the service of Mayor Paul, and this woman is the sister of the blacksmith. We have need to speak with you in private, Your Majesty.”
   
        “So be it. I don’t like talking like this anyway. Come, follow me to my private quarters. No one is to disturb us, guards,” the queen said. We followed her through a curtain that hid a door, and the door led to her quarters. “What do you need to say? Two maids and a blacksmith’s sister? Why do you need to talk to me like this?”
   
        “Well, Your Majesty, it’s quite simple. We are not as we appear to be. Thank you for asking for no disturbances. We’d hate to be taken away. Prepare to be amazed.” I changed Jo back to his true form, and turned myself back into Taylor.
   
        “What? How did you do that?” she asked.
   
        “Are you going to have us taken away?” Joe asked.
   
        “No, but I demand to know who you are and how you three got in here. And how you did that too!”
   
        “Well, first off. I was a maid in Mayor Paul’s service, as was Clarisse here. My need for that was precipitated by a need to disguise myself to hide from bandits who had taken over Growlston. The only way out of the room I was in was to the maid’s quarters, and I had to disguise myself as one of them to stay hidden. That was a month ago. About a week ago, the bandit leader attacked Paul and severed his left arm off. In my rage, I traced out an ancient image known as a Sigil that caused the death of the bandit leader in grand fashion. After that, I gained the ability to shape-shift myself and others. Clarisse?”
   
        “Okay, my turn I suppose. Anyways, it was my idea to disguise Taylor here as a maid, and he did it with style and aplomb. I only found out my powers when we were visiting Paul in the hospital, Your Majesty.”
   
        “First off, please call me Amber. And secondly, how did you get in here?”
   
        “We’re getting to that,” assured Clarisse. “Anyways, I used my powers to give Paul his arm back. Joe?”
   
        “Well, Queen Amber, I’m not the blacksmith’s sister, as you’ve no doubt already guessed. In fact, I am the blacksmith. I awakened to my powers when I was possessed by a being of pure malevolence, pure evil, one who knew naught but hate. It used me for dark purposes, and only due to the intervention of Taylor and Clarisse was I able to break free of its spell. We left four days later…”
   
        “And finished off the bandits,” I ended. “We found your queendom, but only women were allowed, and only one traveler per group could enter. So I transmogrified Joe into a necklace ornament, and myself into this.” With that, I turned back into the dress.
   
        “What the-? You actually wore this, Clarisse?”
   
        “Yes, ma’am. It’s quite warm, and it was the only way to enter your queendom.”
   
        “Really? Mind if I try it on?”
   
        “Knock yourself out. I believe it’s one size fits all.”
   
        “Really? Well then, here goes.” With that, the queen swapped out her regal attire for my current form. “Wow, it really is quite comfortable. Feels like silk. Is Taylor still here, Clarisse?”
   
        “Yes I am, Amber,” I said, although I found out she couldn’t hear me.
   
        “Yes, ma’am, he is. He can’t talk to people other than Joe and me in that form, but he’s fully aware of what’s going on.”
   
        “Wow. Taylor, if you can hear me, can you change the design of this dress to something less, well, hideous? Maybe make yourself into a red dress or something, same length though.” I complied. “Much better. I want to keep wearing this.”
   
        “Your Majesty, if you do, and we leave, Joe will be caught.”
   
        “No he won’t. You three stay with me until you need to leave. I want to keep wearing this dress. That way, Taylor can learn of the court and stuff, maybe hear gossip and stuff that might help you out.”   
   
        “Ummm, Jillian was going to visit us in the inn later tonight.”
   
        “Just a sec.” Queen Amber walked outside her room, and contacted a guard. “Guard, send for Jillian later tonight. My guests need to talk with her.” The guard nodded and left. Amber walked back into the room with Joe and Clarisse. “It is done. Now fill me in on the rest of it, Joe.” Joe didn’t respond to her call. Nor did Clarisse. My consciousness was pulled away from me as well, and we three talked to the old man.
   
        “Taylor, Clarisse, Joseph, it is time to tell you more of the story. I have invited someone else to learn to. Jillian, you must hear of this too, for it concerns you too. Taylor and Clarisse have learned of their forebears, but now you and Joseph shall too. Joseph, you are descended from Jeremiah the Just. He was known for being able to reforge a weapon in the middle of the battlefield, and his fiery temper. Jillian, you are descended from Selma the Surge. She was loud and commanding, and she could zap opponents into opposites, whether it was sides on a war or gender. She was electrifying as well.
   
        “Taylor, your shape-shifting is growing more powerful, I see. You are using it quite creatively, as I can see now. But beware, the enemy knows how to trap you in a form, and you do not yet have the power to break free of that trap. Clarisse, you have healed a few so far, so I will upgrade your healing powers. Joseph, I grant you the power to intensify your forging powers, and make stronger weapons. Forge not required at times. And Jillian, you will now be able to change the polarity of objects, thus giving them their opposite effects. You were already able to change the polarity of a baby, now you can change the polarity of many more things as well.
   
        “The enemy is growing ever stronger. You will need all your wits about you, and you will have to stay here in Plassville for a few more days. Taylor, you must remain the eyes and ears of your team, for news of the enemy will be delivered to the queen. Clarisse, put on your maid attire once more. You will serve the queen as her personal maid, and learn what you can from the gossip from the workers of the castle. Joseph, you must remain hidden from all who would hunt you, as you learn what you can from the captive men. And Jillian, learn what you can of the enemy from the townspeople and your coworkers. That is all I ask. Now go! Blade Knight, Gunner, Monk, and Mage! Do your duty! By the time your stay is up, much will have changed in the land of Plassville. I cannot tell you what, but it will have. My little heroes, go and learn!”
   
        Suddenly, I was sucked back into myself. Joe and Clarisse were awakened as well.
   
        “What just happened?” Amber asked.
   
        “Well, we learned more of our past, and have tasks for the future,” Clarisse responded.
   
        “Such as?”
   
        “Well, Taylor must learn of gossip from the court, so I think you’ll have a dress until we’re done.”
   
        “Will it stay clean?”
   
        “Taylor says, ‘Only if you let me bathe every night,’” Clarisse conveyed.
   
        “Well that shouldn’t be too hard. Don’t worry, I will,” Amber said, patting her chest, and subsequently me.
   
        “I was told to become your personal maid, and listen to gossip from your staff.”
   
        “Okay, granted. I’ll get you your outfit.”
   
        “I have to listen to the hunted males, they should have gossip I can listen to,” Joe said.
   
        “Okay, I’ll have to mark you so everyone will know that you’re my personal game, and no one will hunt you under penalty of death if they try.”
   
        “Okay. Jill will learn from the townspeople,” Joe said.
   
        “Okay. You all have your tasks then. Taylor will stay under my bed; best way that he won’t be caught is to not show his true form, or that of Cynthia. You, Clarisse, will stay in the adjacent bedroom as my personal maid. And Joseph, I’ll have you escorted to the Castle Wildlands, where the males reside. Everyone okay with that?” We all agreed, and went our separate ways. The next few days would be interesting indeed.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 15]
   That night, I was gently placed in a bag made to protect its contents from dust and dirt an stuff and thrown under the bed. I’d have to sleep in this form somehow, but I found that I didn’t need sleep. I didn’t need food, water, or air either. I found that cool. The night passed quickly, and in the morning I was taken out of my bag and placed on Amber’s bed. She talked to me.
   
        “Taylor, if you can hear me, vibrate or something.” I wiggled. “Okay. Can you change your appearance again? I need a new outfit today. Can you do that. Wiggle for yes.” I wiggled again. “Okay. Can you change yourself into a long black dress. The top will be V-neck, and it will be somewhat revealing. It will have a zipper in the back. The skirt will be layered, and be knee length. It will be strapless and sleeveless. Will you be able to stay on me without straps or sleeves?” I wiggled for yes. “Okay. Then what are you waiting for? Transform yourself! Maid, I need your assistance with my clothes!” Clarisse came out of her room in her maid’s outfit. It was pink and ruffled. The top was extremely conservative, and the skirt ran past her knees. The nylons were pink, as were the shoes. The shoes weren’t heeled, but they were pink. It was a lot of pink to take in. “There you are. Do you like the outfit?”
   
        “It’s a bit too pink, but it’ll work,” Clarisse replied.
   
        “Okay then. Now help me put on your friend here.” Clarisse complied and I was attached to the queen in no time. I shrunk myself a tiny bit to make sure that I wouldn’t fall off. “Perfect. How do I look?”
   
        “Fantastic! Taylor asks, ‘How does it feel? Too tight, too warm, anything?’”
   
        “No, it’s fine. Can you turn yourself into a bikini at all?” she asked me.
   
        “Taylor asks, ‘anything, why do you ask?’”
   
        “Well, tomorrow’s the big pool party. You’d learn more there than in the court. Anyways, I’ll fetch Joe and Jill at the end of the day. We can all fill each other in on what we’ve learned. Okay?” Clarisse nodded. “Then let’s get started. DISMISSED!” she exclaimed. “Heehee, I’ve always wanted to do that. Let’s go, Taylor. Don’t worry, I won’t talk to you while we’re in public.” With that she left. My day was off to a very interesting start.
   
        The people came and went. I occasionally heard tell of a monster attacking farm animals, or someone killing someone else for no reason at all, but nothing big. Near the end of the day, a raggedy old woman came in.
   
        “What business have you in the Queendom of Plassville?” Amber asked.
   
        “I have a prophecy, y’highness,” she replied.
   
        “What prophecy is that, madam?”
   
        “That a great evil is coming, and that all will fall prey to its control!” The woman cracked a toothless grin.
   
        “Really now? I don’t believe it for a minute.”
   
        “Well that’s sad. Because you’re the first victim!” Suddenly the old lady shimmered for a second, and then became a shadow. The shadow leaped forward, obviously aiming to control Amberina. But it bounced off of an invisible wall when it got near me.
   
        “But, how? You aren’t a descendant!” It leapt forward again, and was repelled again.
   
        “Again? How are you repelling me? Wait, there’s someone else.” Suddenly, I felt it’s gaze on me. “The dress? That’s it? No one else is here, I must have been fooled. One last time, and this time, I will not fail!” I could see it gathering energy. It glowed with a dark power, and leapt forward once more. It got closer, but part of it made contact with me, and that was all that was needed. It started glowing with white light. I heard it speak once more. “The descendant of that shape-shifting time-stopping bastard! The dress was the descendant! You may have bested me twice, hero, but next time you won’t escape me!” Then it exploded in a shower of holy light.
   
        “All other appointments are off today. Do not disturb me. I must consult with my guests.” She strode into her room, and threw me against the wall. I quickly changed into Cynthia.
   
        “What was that for? You’re lucky I don’t have any pain centers in that form, Amber.”
   
        “Why did you protect me?”
   
        “I didn’t try to! But if that thing had succeeded, you’d be a prisoner in your own body right now! I think the fact that I have these powers was what kept it at bay, and what ultimately destroyed it.”
   
        “Okay. The others will be here soon. Let’s see how they fared. Before they get here, do you like being a dress?”
   
        “It’s an interesting experience, that’s for sure. But I don’t mind. About tomorrow, do you want a one piece or two piece?”
   
        “Two piece, if possible.”
   
        “I’ll see what I can do.” The others arrived soon after that, and there was nothing else to report. I was the only one to hear of the enemy, as I had inadvertently faced it and defeated it not once, but twice. The night had fallen, and it was time for bed. I washed up, and tried turning into a two-piece bikini, to see if I could. After multiple tries, I finally succeeded. Amber hung me up in the bathroom, and I waited for the morning to come, and hoped I wouldn’t face the enemy again.
[/spoiler]

There, fixed up. Moved 14 and 15 here for space issues.

Posted on: November 09, 2008, 11:41:31 AMChapters 16-20 are here!
Book 2: And So It Begins...
[spoiler=Chapter 16]
   When morning came, I was taken down from my hanging spot, and saw Clarisse and Amber arguing.

   “You want me to help with the pool party, ma’am?” Clarisse asked.

   “Yes, will that be a problem?”

   “Well, yeah! I have nothing to wear!” Clarisse exclaimed.

   “Well I do already have a swimsuit. You can wear the one I was going to wear.” Unbeknownst to Clarisse, she was going to wear me. I thought it best that I didn’t tell her.

   “A two-piece bikini? I’d prefer a one piece, if possible.” Amber took me into the closet, and I transformed. Being in one piece felt better, as it didn’t feel like I was split in two.

   “This better?” Clarisse looked me up and down, and nodded.

   “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” Clarisse quickly changed into poolside attire, me included, and came back out. Amber was already in her other bikini.

   “Taylor, get all the info you can get. Now let’s go.” We left Amberina’s private quarters and walked down to the pool. Clarisse parted ways with the queen on arrival, and set to mingle with the guests to learn what she could from them. The day passed uneventfully. There was gossip of an attack on the queen, and how she managed to defend herself from it without any help at all, or so it seemed. Clarisse went into the pool and swam for a while, and I had no problem with the water either. It was nice and cool, the perfect complement to the warm late summer day. I inwardly hoped that Joe was doing better.

   Meanwhile, a few miles away in a dense forest, Joe was talking with his fellow men.

   “So, anything weird happen lately?” he asked.

   “Well, t’ queen was nearly attacked yest’rday af’noon,” one of the men said.

   “Yeah, she fended it off somehow. I heard that the attacker said something about the dress being the hero or something like that before fading away. The attacker was a shadow or something,” another man replied.

   “Has anything else strange happened around here?” Joe inquired.

   “Well, Johnson flipped a few days back. His eyes all turned black and stuff, and he started talking with a rasp in his throat. He kept talking about destroying descendants and devouring the world. It was kinda scary, to be honest,” the first man said.

   “Really? What happened to him?”

   “He got shot by a hunter. His last words were, ‘Where am I? What happened? What is that light?’ Then a shadow seemed to come out of his body. It gasped out what sounded like, ‘Another failure. Master will not be pleased. I must find a descendant and destroy them or else Master will destroy me…’ Then it sped off towards the castle.”

   “When was this?”

   “The day before yesterday.”

   “Ah, that’s interesting. Wait, did you hear that?” A rustle could be heard in the bushes. Joe looked carefully, and realized it was a hunter. He gestured at his fellow men to stay quiet as he protected them. Carefully he drew the Gaia Sigil, and raised his hands upwards, thus creating a great wall of dirt and rock to protect them. They ran as far as they could, and stopped when in the safety of a no hunting zone.

   “Who or what are you?” asked one of the men.

   “Well, I’ve been called a hero and a descendant. That answer your question?”

   “Yes,” replied a third man in a raspy voice. “For you are the one I have been sent to destroy!” Suddenly, the man’s form shimmered and became a shadow. But then the shadow grew larger and larger, until it was about 15 feet high. It grew large arms, and huge thick legs. It had no head, for it had no face to place upon the head. Joe could tell that it would be a tough battle. He drew the Pyre Sigil, and protected himself with a shield of fire. He ran up to it, and then punched it multiple times for no effect. He had an idea. Joe backed off, and then drew the Gaia Sigil with his left hand and the Pyre Sigil with his right, making sure the rings touched. Suddenly they flashed and merged into one sigil! Suddenly, the ground rose up and covered the being’s legs, then the ground split open and roaring hot magma cooled the clay, and encased the foe’s legs in pottery! Joe punched the encased legs and they shattered, then he called upon the double sigil once more and controlled the clay. He directed it right through the center of the beast, and then he heated it up. As the temperature of the clay increased, it expanded. Joe waited until the clay had thoroughly infected his enemy, and then stopped heating it, jumped at and punched the solidified dirt as hard as he could. Shockwaves from the force of the blow traveled throughout the monstrosity via the clay vines inside it. The monster shuddered slowly at first, and then started to shake violently more and more until it exploded in a burst of dust. The other men applauded Joe, and he went back to meet them. He heard a faint gasp on the air behind him. It sounded like, “Another hero has awakened so soon. Three times I have failed, but only once against you, Monk. This win was a fluke, but for this, you will pay.”

   Meanwhile, back at the pool party, Clarisse noticed the presence of the dark foe, but couldn’t quite locate it. She also noticed when it went away, and heard its words as well. She figured that Joe or Jill must’ve taken care of it. The pool party ended shortly afterwards, and we all met back in Amber’s quarters. Clarisse refused to remove her bikini, as she was comfy in it, and wanted to bathe and then sleep in it. Amber allowed it, and I had no choice in the matter. I didn’t mind. Joe was brought up and he told of his encounter with the enemy.

   “I hope it doesn’t strike again tomorrow,” Joe finished his story with.

   “I doubt it. We’ve defeated it twice in two days. I’m sure it needs to recuperate. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bathe and then sleep.” Clarisse left the room, and since I was her willing passenger, I figured the meeting was over. I turned my sight around, and saw Joe leaving. Tomorrow was the last day for this. Clarisse bathed quickly, and cleaned her entire body, moving around and inside the bikini to get those parts of her body, and washed her hair. She dried off and went to bed. She fell asleep quickly.

   I recalled the day I spent being worn by her. She was agile, and she had nice curves. I could feel every muscle in her body move when she swam, and I could feel her shake with joy when she laughed. She was fit, and she was happy. I could feel her pulse beating slowly from within her chest; she was resting peacefully. I started to think about how nice her  body was when I cut myself short. She’s my partner. Not only that, but she’s like my sister from when I was a maid. I couldn’t explain to myself the feelings I was wrestling with, so I put them in the back of my mind. I waited for dawn to come.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 17]
   Morning came, and there was nothing special planned. Clarisse woke up, and threw me in the laundry pile. I still wasn’t going to reveal myself to her, so I stayed put. She got dressed and I was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the morning. I threw my mind off of the subject, and distracted myself with other thoughts. While I was thinking, Clarisse grabbed the pile of laundry I was in and took it down to the washroom.
The washroom was slightly old fashioned. It consisted of a tub of soapy water and one of those things with two rollers and a lever that you fed the clothes through. I was the first to be washed, and she scrubbed me thoroughly, and then fed me through the dryer three or four times. It was an interesting experience. Then she hung me on the clothesline. I hung there, thinking about the enemy and why it kept striking time after time. I lost track of time thinking, and when I stopped, I noticed the area was empty, except for Clarisse. She was still washing clothes. I watched her doing her work, and noticed her delicate hands becoming all wrinkly from exposure to the water. She hung the last clothes, and took down the first ones she hung, me included.
She carefully carried the clothes back to Amber’s personal quarters and hung them up. I was first to be hung, and was thrown into a dark corner of the closet. I waited until Clarisse had left, and then wiggled myself off of the hanger and changed myself into a near-perfect double of Clarisse. I walked out to the throne room, careful not to cross paths with the real Clarisse, and called Amber back to her quarters. Once there, I changed back into Taylor.
“That was interesting. I think there’s a slight problem, Amber.”
“What is it?” I described to her the thoughts I’d had the night before about Clarisse.
“Well, I think you might have a crush on her, Taylor. Now, quick, find a way to disguise yourself so you can hear gossip of the court. Also, I’m about to make a big change to the land of Plassville.” She was fully clothed, so I changed myself into a necklace ornament, as I had done with Joe upon entering Plassville. She put me on.
“A crush, eh? That’s not so bad at all,” I mumbled to myself, knowing that Amber couldn’t hear me. The day passed uneventfully, except for the declaration that freed all men from being hunted. At the end of the day, we all met back in Amber’s quarters, with the addition of Jill. I had changed into Cynthia by then.
“So, three days have passed. We’ve defeated the enemy twice. I repelled it the first day, and it recognized me as the one who exorcised it from Joe back in Growlston. Joe himself defeated it again yesterday. No encounters today though. Amber?” I said.
“Yes, Taylor?” she replied.
“Think we can get some supplies when we head out? That’ll be tomorrow at dawn, so if you’d be-” She put her finger on my mouth, effectively silencing me.
“No problem. You’ve shown me that there are remarkable people with remarkable powers out there. I wish you all luck and you may all sleep here tonight. Clarisse, you are dismissed from my staff, of course, and Joe you can take off that ear tag now. Jill, we won’t need you anymore, so you can journey on your way with them. Your packs will be at the foot of your beds. Good night!” With that, we all went to bed. As I was leaving for my one-night room, Amber stopped me. “I wish you luck with your little crush. And thank you for, well, letting me wear you. Heehee.”
“It was nothing. Thank you for all this, and good night… Your Majesty.” I left the room and fell asleep as a human for the first time in three nights. I knew everyone else was sleeping soundly, so I let myself drift off.
Morning came in what seemed like minutes after I fell asleep. True to Amber’s words, there was a pack at the foot of my bed. I gathered it, and met with the others at the gates of the town. As we were leaving, we heard someone yelling behind us.
“WAIT!” I turned around and saw that it was Amber. She was holding some sort of piece of paper. “You’ll want this. It’s a world map. It will surely help you out immensely. Anyways, you’ll want to go to the realm of Buruna next. They have a marvelous tower known as a pagoda there, they should be able to help you out. Bye all, have a safe adventure. Be sure to visit here after you’re done with your journey!” With that, she left, and so did we. I glanced down at the map. It was fairly large, and I was surprised at how big the world was. I noticed that my hometown was on the way to Buruna, so I made a mental note to stop there. The world was huge, and I knew we’d end up visiting the entire place. But for now, it was off to Buruna!

~END BOOK TWO~

[/spoiler]

Book 3: Of Sigils and Relics
[spoiler=Chapter 18]
        It took us several days to get to my hometown of Tilocc. We entered and were welcomed graciously. I found out my mother had passed away, so I went to visit her grave that night. The next day, I went back to the smithy I knew so well, and suddenly noticed a new presence. It felt like it could choke me, felt like pure malice and hate. I walked over to where my former master had fallen, and checked the bloodstain. I noticed something swirling in it, but couldn’t identify it. I left the smithy, and gathered Clarisse, Joe, and Jill back at my house. I described to them what I saw, and we all went back to the building. I got in close to investigate further when it leapt at me.
       
        I had no time to defend myself, and before I knew it, I was no longer in control of my body. I now knew the presence for what it was; a portion of the evil we’d have to fight. The thing spread within me like a sickness, and before I knew it, I had transformed into a black bathing suit. I tried changing back, but I couldn’t. I felt the enemy flowing through every fiber of my being. Just as the old man had predicted, I had been trapped in a form other than my own. I wondered how to change back, how to rid myself of the enemy, but my mind started to cloud over. I didn’t have much time left, as the enemy was slowly ridding my new form of a mind it didn’t need. I suddenly saw myself lying upon the ground, as if from afar. I was being torn away from myself, and I couldn’t stop it. Before I knew it, all around me was dark, and I knew I was no longer with the living.
       
        I tried to reach out to return, but I couldn’t quite get there. I got a glance back into the smithy, and I didn’t know why. I saw Clarisse picking me up, and all three of them were crying. I saw the evil spirit leave my body, which was still in swimsuit form. I thought I heard it say, “One down, eight to go…”

        Clarisse looked at the swimsuit, and cried once more. She turned to our friends, and said, “I can’t believe he’s gone. I vow to wear this until the end of the journey, in memory of him. But how can we continue?” Joe reached out and patted her on the back.
        “We’ll make it through this, don’t worry,” he assured her.

        “I predicted it, but don’t worry. That swimsuit is now just an ordinary one, without anything to mark it as once being you.” I turned and saw the old man there.
 
       “You, but, why?” I asked.

        “Because, you must learn of your true self before you are allowed to return. You are not dead, but you are in between.” I looked back at the window and saw Clarisse wearing the bikini, and then falling on her knees and crying. She wasn’t taking it well. “First off, there was no such person as Robert the Remarkable. The things he was known for actually belonged to a swordmaid named Taylor Lyndis. She had no nickname, for it was unwarranted. You are descended from her. Not even the great enemy knows this, for she assumed the form of a male to fight it.

        “She was the strongest and most powerful of the great heroes. She was the only one able to trace the Litte Sigil, which consists of four smaller sigils: Littea, Litteb, Littec, and Litted. However, in order to unleash the true power of Litte, one needs to have no doubt and know their true selves. Unfortunately, I was unable to help her then, as I did not know that. Taylor Lyndis had no doubt about her goal, but she did not know her true self. When she used Litte against the foe, it destroyed it nearly completely. But a small part of the great enemy remained. This portion slept for a millennium, recuperating and growing, and awakened now. The heroes did not know that it survived at all, and thus had a great celebratory feast. However, Taylor Lyn, as she went for short, had doubts about the victory. You see, your mother is descended from Taylor Lyn, and she was hoping for a girl. However, you came along instead. So instead of giving you the name of your forebear, she instead named you Taylor Leonard, as it was closest to Lyndis as she could get.

        “Your forebear created a special sigil, one in her name. It took all her powers to create. The Teira-Rin Sigil was the result of all this. Unbeknownst to her, it also took all the powers of her allies to create as well. Once it was completed, the powers were sealed away until the enemy awoke once more. The sigil was also sealed away to be found once more. The weapons that they used for battle were sealed away, separately, to be found again by the descendants of the people who once used them. These weapons are as old as the world itself, and each one is imbued with great elemental power. They are known collectively as the Relics of Nature’s Fury. Each weapon is a fragment of each of the nine elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Light, Shadow, and Time. Clarisse, Joseph, and Jillian control Ice, Fire, and Thunder, respectively.

        “Taylor Lyn herself controlled Time, and to a minor extent, the other elements as well. Her shapeshifting abilities stemmed from her power over the elements, as she used them all to change her chemical makeup to anything. And even in the form of something normally inanimate, she was still aware of everything. This is how you can shapeshift.” I nodded in understanding, and glanced back at the window. Clarisse had broken down completely, and was crying on my old bed, still wearing the swimsuit. Joe and Jill were comforting her, but to no avail.
        “I see, but why are you putting them through this? They think I’m dead!” I protested.
        “Because, Blade Knight, you must learn of your true self. The hour is late, no other road remains. You must learn of the history before you can learn of yourself. There is one more thing you must know before you may start learning of yourself. The name of the enemy is also as old as the world itself. It was the ultimate weapon, the original weapon, and it served the great goddess at the start of the world. It was called the Flingaebolg. However, the enemy of the goddess was a being of great evil. One night, it stole the Flingaebolg and it ran away with it. The Flingaebolg was indiscriminate, and served whoever held it. However, the enemy was too weak to wield the Flingaebolg, and the great goddess knew this. So she allowed him to have the Flingaebolg. The great enemy grew greedy for power, and when it tried to use the ultimate weapon, he was absorbed by the Flingaebolg. But the goddess had a safeguard installed for this very instance. The Flingaebolg broke into ten pieces, nine of them becoming the Relics of Nature’s Fury, and the last becoming the great enemy you must fight, becoming that way from absorbing the enemy. Its name is no longer Flingaebolg. It is Flynn.

        “In order to defeat Flynn, you must recover the Relics of Nature’s Fury, discover the hiding places of the shards of the Litte Sigil, and find the Teira-Rin Sigil. Only then will you be able to defeat Flynn once and for all.”
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 19]
        I was amazed at what I had heard, though as I learned more, the old man started looking more and more familiar. I ventured a question. “Why do you call me a Blade Knight? Why do you call everyone else names too? Gunner, Monk, Mage, why do you call us these names?”

        “I call you those names because those are the names of what your skills fall under. Those, classes for lack of a better term, each have certain skills associated with them. Once you obtain the Relics, your ‘class’ will be upgraded, and you will learn more powerful skills. And each element has an ultimate spell associated with it, and you will learn those Magna spells as well. And you, Taylor, will have a third ‘class’ once you obtain the Teira-Rin Sigil. Then, and only then, will you be able to defeat Flynn. Now, you must learn of yourself.”

        “What must I do?”

        “You must return to your friends, and learn from experience. Everything I have just told you will help to trigger memories and truths hidden from you through everyday experience. Do not worry, for you will not return to the swimsuit that the Gunner is wearing. You will reappear back in your room, alive and well. You have lost one day, but do not worry. It is a day that was needed for all.”
       
        “Who exactly are you?”

        “I feel I can tell you a little of this.” His form shimmered, and changed into that of a beautiful woman. She had long brownish-blonde hair, and striking green eyes full of determination. Her features were flawless, from her petit nose, supple lips, and mid-sized breasts, to her delicate hands, small curves, and long legs. She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place her until she spoke. “You see, when I was alive, I was known as a Blade Maiden, but later on became a Blade Mistress. You should recognize me now.”

        I was speechless. The one helping me along was none other than… “Taylor Lyndis, my ancestor. You truly were a woman of great beauty.”

        “Thank you, my son. Before you go, let me tell you this. You all are not just descendants of my friends and I, but reincarnations. I will visit you many more times during your quest, and I will reveal much more by the end of it. Your next goal, as the wise Queen Amberina said, is in the realm of Buruna, one that was just a small village in my time. There you will find another ally, and find the way to a lost treasure as well. I will be a voice in your head from now on, and when the need calls for it, I will visit you and all your allies. I will fill you in on the way to Buruna, but you must go now. Blade Knight, return to your team. I release you from this limbo!”

        Suddenly, the darkness got brighter, and I found myself gently descending into my old room. Joe had fallen asleep downstairs and Jillian in my mom’s old room. I was there alone with Clarisse, who’d cried herself to sleep. She was still wearing the black swimsuit that Flynn, or at least of part of Flynn, had transformed me into. I walked over to the bed, and started comforting her. She slowly opened her eyes, and was surprised to see me, and broke out in tears once more.
       
        “It’s okay, I’m here, and I’m alive,” I gently said.

        “B-but we thought you were dead. How?” she asked through tears. She was beautiful even in grief, I thought to myself.

   “I was brought back by the old man, who isn’t old, or a man, at all,” I explained.

   “What does that mean?” she asked. By then, Joe and Jill had heard her crying again, and came to check on her, only to step back in surprise at my presence. They had heard the last line as well.

   “The old man who isn’t an old man? Stop speaking in riddles, Taylor,” Joe said.

   “This is the true form of the old man,” I said, and transformed into my namesake. They were all awestruck by her beauty. Suddenly, I felt a shiver, and when I looked over, my namesake was standing there. I quickly turned back into Taylor.

   “A true form is quite comfortable when you know what it is,” she said. “Thankfully, I know what mine is. That old man form is uncomfortable. I need to let the twins out to breathe every once in a while, if you know what I mean, girls.” She was talking to Clarisse and Jill there, and they nodded. “Okay, anyways, I just thought it would be best if I explained why Taylor isn’t currently being worn by Clarisse and is standing here talking with all his powers intact.” She proceeded to tell them what she had told me. She finished off by saying, “Clarisse, what you are wearing is what once was Taylor. It’s the equivalent of skin shed by a snake, because he was reborn into his main form. So you still are wearing Taylor, but you aren’t at the same time. Do you understand?” She nodded. “Okay, then let me do this.” She walked over to Clarisse, and rubbed the swimsuit. “There. Now it can become any article of clothing you need it to be. I reawakened some of the residue left by Taylor, and linked it to your unique ‘class’ signature. Do you understand?” She nodded. “Okay, then I have to go.”

   “Wait, Taylor Lyn. Why do you keep referring to this as my main form and not my true form?” I asked.

   “I think you already know the answer to that. And please, everyone, call me… Talyn.” With that, she vanished, and I
was left with an unanswered question. Was this not my true form, and if not, what was my true form?

   “What now?” Jillian asked.

   “We rest here for the night, and then head out to Buruna in the morning. I’m sorry to have caused everyone so much grief, but I had no choice in the matter. Regardless, let’s get some sleep. Good night, all.” With that, Joe and Jill left, but
Clarisse remained.

   “Can I sleep here tonight?” she asked.

   “Sure, but I was wondering something. Why did you take this the hardest?”

   “Because, uh, when you were a maid, I felt like we were sisters.”

   “Is that it?”

   “Well, and because I kinda, well, like you.”

   “Ah. Well I kinda like you too. Now scoot over, I need a place to sleep.”

   “Taylor?”

   “Yes, Clarisse?”

   “Can you sleep as Cynthia? You being male feels kinda awkward.”

   “Okay.” I complied, and we both fell fast asleep.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter 20]
   Morning came, and along with it came Joe waking me up.

   “Come on, it’s time to go!” he exclaimed.

   “Wha- oh right!” I got up, and suddenly a thought popped into my head. Talyn was able to wield swords effectively, and I got my skills from her. I should be able to use them well in this form. I ran downstairs, and met my allies there. Clarisse had cooked breakfast, so that was good. We ate, and then headed out. It didn’t take long to get to Buruna, and the realm was quite interesting. The largest building, the pagoda, was about five stories tall, and each story looked like it could work fine as a standalone building. In fact, all the main buildings looked like segments of the pagoda. It was quite interesting. We entered the town, and were led to the pagoda by a servant of the sensei. The sensei, as we found out, was the ruler of Buruna. Not much had changed in thousands of years, so this place was virtually the same as it was in Talyn’s time. We quickly arrived at the pagoda, and were led to the fourth floor. I asked the servant’s name.

   “Shigeru,” he replied. Then he asked what mine was.

   “Taylor,” I replied.

   “Teira-chan,” he replied. He bowed and left. We walked over to the sensei, who was awaiting us.

   “I have been awaiting you, warriors. Queen Amber sent word of your coming via carrier pigeon. What would you have to ask, first off?”

   “Why did your servant call me Teira-chan? I said my name was Taylor,” I asked.

   “Ah, you don’t know our language. Shigeru there doesn’t speak the common tongue like I do. In the native tongue, chan is a suffix added to a name, and is the equivalent of miss, I believe. San is the equivalent of mister. Also, Teira is your name translated into our language,” he explained. I had forgotten I was still in female form. Being called Teira suddenly reminded me of the Teira-Rin Sigil.

   “What would Taylor Lyn translate too?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

   “Lessee, I believe it would be Teira-Rin. Now that you mention it, there are mentions of a Blade Mistress named Taylor Lyn in my history. However, her name was translated to Teira-Rin in my family history. In fact, I’m descended from a hero from a battle against a great evil. I believe his name was…”

   “Frederic the Fantastic?” I supplied.

   “How did you know that?” The sensei asked. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know. Anyways, after the battle, he settled down here to raise a family. I’m descended from him. In fact, I share his name. I am Frederic, and you are?” We all introduced ourselves, and told him our story up to the present date. “I see, Amber filled me in on your shapeshifting abilities. Anyways, you can draw and recognize sigils? What about this one?” He drew a ring from bottom to top, and then drew a diamond-like image inside. I knew it instantly; the Sacre Sigil.

   “Yes, Fred. I recognize it. Anything else you’d like to say?” I inquired.

   “Well actually, there is. In my family history, it is said that in a cave near Buruna, part of the great Litte Sigil is sealed away. I believe it’s the first part, so it would be the Littea Sigil. Tomorrow, we shall enter the cave and see if we can’t find Littea. You will sleep here tonight. Since it is late already, I shall retire. Taylor, can I see you in a few? The rest of you will be led to your rooms.” With that, he left, and I followed him.

   “What is it, Fred?” I asked.

   “Well, can you show me what Talyn looked like?” he asked.

   “Sure, I guess.” I transformed into her once more, and then he started tracing a sigil. It was the Locke Sigil! Suddenly, I was frozen, and couldn’t move a muscle. “What are you doing?”

   “Just for historical purposes, I assure you. Now please disrobe.” I did as he asked, and prayed that this wasn’t going the way I thought it might.

   “Will you unfreeze me, Fred?”

   “In a minute.” He was studying every feature of my body, and was absorbed in the process. I felt the minutes go by. Suddenly, he dispelled the sigil, and I was free again.

   “What was that for?” I demanded, quickly changing back into my female form.

   “Well, as I said, it was for historical purposes. I now know what one of the great heroes looked like, and it was quite an experience. Sorry about that, but I know you weren’t lying about the shapeshifting either. Now Shigeru will take you back to your room. Good night.” Suddenly I was led to another room.

   “Teira-chan,” Shigeru said, then he bowed and left. There was nothing left but to go to sleep. Hopefully Frederic wouldn’t try to freeze any of us when the time was wrong to do so.
[/spoiler]

Posted on: November 16, 2008, 07:08:45 AMA WIP sprite sheet that sucks, 'specially the kick sprites.


A messed up animation.


And something I did when I was bored.

[Dr. Wily II]

Well, I finally got to read and finish Book 1.
I must say, that was one interesting read.
This quest, the power of the sigils, Taylor's... abilities and... rendezvous with Jack...

Book 2 will come later, but it's very interesting to read, so, keep it up Mirby.

[Mirby]

No fear, I will. Also, here are my sigils.


From left to right, they are Chronos, GaiaPyre, Litte (Full Size), Litte (Icon Size), Littea, Litteb, Littec, Litted, Locke, Sacre, Teira-Rin, Volcan, Femme, Frigid, Gaia, Healing, Lectri, Mascul, Pyre, Shado

[Dr. Wily II]

Ah, the sigils...
Are those all of them, not including the combinational ones?

[Mirby]

No, I still have many more to design. Volcan is like level 2 Pyre. It's kinda like the Vol Glyphs from Order of Ecclesia. Also, I still need to make many more, for things such as special moves, poison, water, etc etc etc. Litte and Teira-Rin are both key items, though. They are key to defeating the final boss.

[Police Girl]

Those are pretty neat.

[Mirby]

Sigil Update FOR GREAT JUSTICE!


They are, from left to right, Aquadro, Cinder, Enshro, Fuzzle, Plegia, Silen, Snooz, Stat, Techni, Torna, Tox

Also, Taylor's maid disguise. A simple edit (palette swap applies here I think) of the default maid sheet. I can change the hue for other maids in the mansion.

[Dr. Wily II]

Sorry to sound n00bish...
But are those sprites from GameMaker?

[Mirby]

RPG Maker XP, actually

[Dr. Wily II]

Ah, I got the Maker part right...
Anyways, so more sigils... And they look rather nice.

[Mirby]

Techni is the sigil for special techniques. Stat is the sigil for stat-altering spells. Just so you know.

Posted on: November 18, 2008, 08:38:07 AM

Maid animated.

[Dr. Wily II]

There's still some white pixels here and there in the animation, still, it's rather cute.

[Mirby]

I tried to clean it up, but meh. I used Photoshop for the animation.

Relics of Nature's Fury DEMO 1! Yes, I know there are some errors. Sorry! Also, talk to the bartender in the inn. That convo is funny!

And music I've been working on. Still WIP.
Song 1
Song 2
They're supposed to be battle themes, but I'm not good at making battle themes it seems. (Hey, that rhymed!)

Posted on: November 30, 2008, 12:03:04 PMHey, PB, here's a XMas present!

When I finished this one, I thought of you too.

I thought, "Captain Blues Sparrow!" Then I thought, "Johnny Depp in my Tips and Tricks! Hell yeah!" Meh. Hope you like....

In other news, I made this myself.


And with color manipulation, the icon for the lost guns Noné & Abso.


And Thor's Hammer, AKA Mjöllnir. In-game description: Hammer once wielded by a Thunder God who liked to party. NAME THE REFERENCE!


And my slightly horrible Tent icon. I can't seem to get the Tent item to work correctly though...

[Protoman Blues]

Thanks a lot for the Blues and Jack Sparrow, Mirby.  They look really great!  Specially sexy Blues there! 

[Mirby]

Thank Tips & Tricks. They're the ones who made the Pencil Puzzles. I just colored Blues. Using a NES Blues sprite.

[Dr. Wily II]

Nice icons you mades, and very nice Pencil Puzzles...

[Mirby]

HOLY CRAP! HE'S ALIVE!
And he has Chap 21 for Relic's of Natures Fury too!

[spoiler=Chapter 21]
     I awoke to see a kimono laid out upon my dresser. I put it on, and walked out to see the rest of my team in kimonos as well.

     “What’s up with the matching attire, Fred?” I asked.

     “Just for the morning rituals here, I assure you. Now, shall we get started?”

     “Started with what?” Joe asked.

     “With breakfast, of course. Let’s go!” With that, he led us off to the dining room. The breakfast was a simple affair, no doubt due to the fact the Fred was eager to get to adventuring. We finished it quickly, and then went to our rooms to finish preparations. I transformed into Taylor, and walked to the entryway of Fred’s pagoda. The others arrived soon after, and we set off. It didn’t take long to get to the cave, but once we entered, we knew we were in for quite a trek.

     Once we entered, there were stairs leading down to the next level. Naturally, we took them. They led to a small tunnel, just big enough for us to crawl in, lined up single file. I would’ve used my abilities to help, but for some reason they were sealed. I knew it had something to do with the Littea Sigil hidden somewhere within the cavern. The tunnel went on for quite a while, and when it ended, we found ourselves within a large area. Just by the sheer size of it I knew we were either deep underground or in a large mountain. I chose the former; there were no mountains nearby that we could have been in at that moment. We carefully walked forward, wary of what might happen when we saw two divergent paths. One led deeper down, while the other led straight ahead. I knew that the lower path held some great power, but even as distant as it was to our location, I also knew that route was sealed by a great power. We took the path that went straight ahead and found it to be quite windy. Eventually, the path started to shrink, and stopped at a solid wall.

     “A dead end! Really, this can’t be happening!” exclaimed Joe.

     “Well, it looks like it is…” said Fred.

     “Let’s look around for clues. Maybe there’s some sort of hidden passageway,” Jill suggested. We looked around, and after a while, there was no progress on our predicament.

     “Hrrn… this seems hopeless…” I muttered. I leaned against the wall nearest to me and almost fell through. “Whoa! A collapsible wall, eh? How utterly clichéd. Meh. Everyone! This way!” I yelled.

     Suddenly, the others fell through the wall and almost right on top of me. We got up, dusted ourselves off, and proceeded to investigate the new room we found ourselves in. It was fairly spacious, though not to the extent of the room we had found ourselves in earlier. On one end was the false wall, which curved out and then back in to the other end, which housed a control box for an old platform elevator. We decided to use that, and it took us down about 10 stories deeper into the ground. Surprisingly, there was still an ample amount of light this deep. The pathway here was ornately carved and exquisitely decorated, and I knew that our prize was close by. We followed this pathway until it led to a massive underground pool, with waterfalls to each side of us, and a bridge leading to a floating island, upon which rested a large tablet. The tablet rested in a pool of light, created by a large hole far above it. The bridge was made of stone, and was quite sturdy despite the fact that it must have been quite ancient. We made it to the island and saw that the tablet housed our prize. The Littea Sigil was sketched into it, and when we went to touch the design, a cold breeze flew by. My instincts told me to step back, and step back I did. The others followed suit. Suddenly, a huge monster fell from above and crushed the tablet, destroying the sigil fragment. It looked like a giant mix between a snake and a scorpion.

     “Sso, here you are, heroess... I wass ssent by Flynn to sstop the desscendantss from ssecuring the Ssigilss needed to sslay hiss Mightiness… Lookss like I wass just in time! I am Sscarassamass Sscorpake, masster of the Poisson Sstrike! Prepare to be sstung by one far ssuperior to you inssectss!”

     With that, he struck at us. A sigil popped into my head, and I traced it instinctively. It was the Scann Sigil, and suddenly I knew Scarasamas’ weakness.

     “Joe, Fred, use your elements! He’s weak to fire and light!” I yelled out.

     “How do you know this?” replied Fred.

     “I’ll tell you later!” With that, Joe proceeded to trace the Pyre Sigil. With it, he trapped the scorpake in a bubble of flame. Then Fred was in his element. Tracing the Sacre Sigil with each hand, he proceeded to use the sigils in a way I hadn’t seen before. He compressed the sigil into a ball of energy, and then threw it into the air. As it was falling, he split it in half with his hands and held each half. He yelled out the word helix, and then the energy flew upward from each hand forming a double-helix design, crossing paths four times and then meeting one final time. He then yelled out blaster, and the helix compressed into the center crossing point and flew into the heat bubble Joe encased Scarasamas in. The force of the impact combined the two attacks, and forced the bubble to compress into the scorpake. The combined power of his two weaknesses was too much for his body to withstand, and he shuddered for a moment, and then disintegrated violently into nothingness. His last words were, “We will meet again, heroess... Hiss Mightiness will surely ssee to my revival… Thiss iss not the lasst you have sseen of Sscarassamass Sscorpake, masster of the Poisson Ssting! Grahhhhhh!!!!!!!!”

     Suddenly, the tablet reformed, and the image of the Littea Sigil started to glow, and then flew off the tablet and hovered in front of us. I reached out to touch it, and it flew inside my head! Talyn appeared then.

     “I see you successfully obtained one-quarter of the Litte Sigil. Congrats on that, and on defeating Flynn’s crony. Expert sigil use there, Fred. You get an A+ on that! Ahem… Anyways, The next part of the Litte Sigil is on the continent of Soicrema, to the south. Littec is to the east, on the continent of Aftristala, whereas Litted is to the west somewhere on Woureptias. Once you have all four parts, you’ll have to find the Teira-Rin sigil somewhere in the world, and the head to the central island on this planet, Enoctar. There Flynn has his base of operations, which you’ll have to infiltrate and destroy. Remember, there are still four more allies to find. I’ll be out of touch for a while; I’ll need to contact my allies in the afterlife to enlist their aid to defeat Flynn once and for all. Also, the Littea sigil is now imprinted in your memory, Taylor. The rest will do that too. Now leave this dungeon and until next time!”

     There was a flash of light, and we found ourselves outside the cave, near Buruna, and Talyn was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Clarisse…
[/spoiler]

Also, I actually go, "Hrrnn" sometimes. Do you?