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Sacred Planet Xai By Linc Chapter 1 ‘The Thief Yamato’ There
is a certain law to this thing called life. The
poets, dreamers, opportunists, and perhaps you call it destiny. The
gypsies, lovers, optimistic, and perhaps yourselves call it fate. Destiny. Fate. What’s
the difference? Each
suggests your life has already been planned out for you. That you can’t
change it. What’s
that? Do I believe in fate or destiny? ...I
don’t know. Don’t
care, either. What
I believe is this: the law of life is simple. Everything is born of something.
Everything will die of something. Kill
or be killed. Be
born, and then give birth. I
was born into this world, just like you. But
I’m different. I
was born to destroy, live to kill, and may never die by the hand of another. Do
I like it that way, you ask? ...I
don’t know. Don’t
care either. Saw
that coming didn’t you? When
I was born, it rained through my mother’s labor. The sun came out just as the
birthing began; a good omen to those in my clan. But then, something
happened. The moon started to drift before the sun. A solar eclipse. As
I breathed my first breath in this world, the sky, the world became dark. The
stars came out then, somehow. They shined so bright, as if the sky was set on
fire. The moon looked over me, someone said. As if its only desire was to
protect me from the light. That was a bad omen to my clan. A bad omen to
anyone. I
was born into a world of darkness. That is what my life has become. I
am Yamato. It
is not my real name, I know. I lost my name when my father died. When my
spirit died. When my life... died. It all went downhill from there. I
can count the number of friends I’ve had in my life on one hand. That’s
starting to change, though. I’m still not sure if giving into friendship will
make me stronger, or weaker. My
mother passed away shortly after giving birth. I hear she was beautiful
though. Pale blonde and aqua hair, green eyes, soprano voice like honey...
Something out of a fairy tale. My
father, however, was a different story. Rugged features, scarred flesh, black
and cold-red hair and brown eyes, a raspy voice. Like something you’d scrape off the bottom
of your shoe. He
taught me everything I know to this day. I’m a lot like him, in character. My
eyes and voice are from my mother. Beautiful, like her. They’re all I have of
her. It
must be some crazy deity that lets two people like that fall in love. +++ “Yamato?” “Hn?” I look away from my window into a pair of blue eyes.
“What is it, Tamahashi?” He
walked over to my large red chair, and put a hand on the back of it, as if to
steady himself. Tamahashi’s
eyes wandered outside to the rain as he spoke. “General Bartholomew says
you’ve done such a good job helping to get Enu’s
forces into shape that you don’t have to leave. He’d make you second in rank,
answering only to him. Being a Mage, you’d stay in the shadows of course…
Behind the scenes until the new queen can change the people’s views.” “Hmph. Even if it was to be a glorious job, I wouldn’t
take it,” my eyes turned to the window, “I must be going. I’ve stayed in this
palace far too long.” Well, I had. It was making me soft. I needed to get out
of this blasted country, and go where I could be free of righteousness once
again. Tamahashi stayed put, staring at the steadily falling
rain. “You don’t have to go back, you know.” “Neither
do you,” I propped my boots on the window sill. “I
take it you know then,” Tamahashi’s eyes narrowed
more in thought than surprise. “Yes,”
we continued to stare out into the gray world. There’s
something comforting about the rain. Water, falling from above, to wash the
world clean of its filth. It feels cold, and gray, yet purifying at the same
time. Like you’re being baptized of all sin again. If only it were that
easy... Tamahashi broke the silence. “I just wanted to get Siya out into the world again before I left, being the
only one besides us who had stayed here longer than needed. Enu gave her a job as a scout, keeping an eye on the
social problems within the country. Siya left two
days ago, earlier than I told her to.” I
snorted. “How stupid...” “Don’t
Yamato. You know she’s as good as either of us when it comes to our powers.
She’ll be fine.” He matched my glare into the glass. I
brushed that statement away. “Why don’t you stay with Queen Enu?” It was a question nagging me for some time. “She
doesn't need my advice anymore. After a few months, Enu’s
really been catching on to her duties as the new queen of Picas. I must
return to Diamantes, anyway, before my family starts to worry. Enu’s sworn not to say a word to them, or anyone else
about my…” He looked down and studied
his hand on my chair. I could tell what he was thinking. I
stood up and turned to face my friend. “Don’t do this to yourself.” Tamahashi smiled weakly at me before turning out of my
room. “If I don’t, who will?” I hate people like that... I
kicked a pebble away from the path I had been traveling for some time. I’d
been walking for at least half an hour, and yet the castle still loomed
behind me. I decided to leave once the rain stopped that morning, before Tamahashi could convince me to stay. He could persuade a
chick out of its egg if he really wanted to. I wonder why he never got into politics. Oh
yeah.... He is, but not by choice. I
keep forgetting that, since he’s not like the other rulers. I
turned around to look at Enu’s white castle one
last time, before entering the Madnug woods before
me. Once in those woods, the picturesque image of a white and blue castle, its
banners streaming high against a clear Yellow sky would disappear. I shook my
head and ventured to the trees. Is that what month it is? Yellow already?
First moon, 16th cycle... Isn’t that strange... Only three years since Ohlo... *** “Are you ready this
time?” “Of
course I am, Ohlo,” I retorted. “Quit treating me
like a kid. I’m 13 years old.” The
blue eyed boy shrugged, and tossed his meter-long blonde braid behind him.
“So what? You’re still four years younger than me, so I’m the boss.” I
bit into the loaf of bread I’d managed to swipe earlier. “Sho wot? You ‘on’t ac’ ‘ike it, with that ‘upid pendant
an’ all.” Ohlo laughed in his cheery manner, and brought out the
item, just a shard of pink crystal he had stolen years ago from a gypsy woman.
“First of all, don’t talk and eat at the same time. Secondly, this baby is
good luck.” “How
so?” I patronized. “We’ve
never gotten caught stealing! Plus, it was the first thing I ever swiped,” he
put it back into the pocket of the black shirt he always wore, even when the
sleeves ripped off. I
started counting the money again, making sure we’d have enough to pay for
this apartment. Food we could just steal from the other villages. “Perhaps
that could be due to our skill instead.” Ohlo stretched and lay back on his little bed. “Say what
you will, but you can’t deny the facts.” I
put the coins back under my mattress. “Speaking of which, we’re almost out of
money. We better ransack another house soon.” Ohlo put his circular glasses on his bed stand. “I have
just the place.” *** I touched the leather choker around my
neck, feeling a familiar crystal bound in its center. Ohlo... I had almost forgotten about you... The
forest path was of dirt, stones, and whatever other odd bits of stuff that
could be spared to mark the way from the castle. I had no destination, no
goal, no hope to find anything I wasn’t looking for. A fox or rabbit would
dart in front of me, birds would sing, chipmunks and squirrels chatter... The
usual happy woodland scene that makes you wanna puke. “Let
go of me, you brute!” So much for peace and tranquility...
There
was a little wagon ahead of me, maybe 30 yards. It was one of those wooden
ones, drawn by a blind ox. Basically a wagon that no engineer would set foot
into if his mother’s life depended on it. In the back of it, there were chests,
pieces of ratty furniture, and people. An old man holding the reins, a woman
holding a child to her chest, and a much older woman perched on top of a
chair, each looking quite distressed. The
person who seemed to be making the fuss was a girl about my age. She had
long, wavy brown hair, brown gloves and boots, a peach dress, and one of
those western hats with the large brims that all the cowhands wear. I could
see why she was yelling, too. Three
large, and ugly, men surrounded the wagon, one holding her by the hair. As I
got closer, I realized they were Trolls, not men. At realizing this, I broke into a run for
the wagon. For
those of you who aren’t as informed, Trolls are disgusting creatures with
more facial and back hair than you’ll care to ever see. They usually wear
some kind of overalls over their leathery skin. The thing that really turns
me off would have to be the eyes. Little black orbs of death, as my father
once put it. I couldn’t agree more. Trolls
live in caves, under bridges, in swamps, any place remotely damp. They only
come out if they’re really hungry, and tired of eating newts and toads and
frog mutants. I’m not sure if they eat humans and Mages, but I don’t want to
find out today. “Is
there a problem here?” I stepped into their line of sight. The Trolls stopped
and turned to stare at me. A shiver went up my spine, and whether it was from
their beady eyes, or the girl’s pleading brown ones, I didn’t know. The
one I assumed was the leader stepped forward, causing the girl the give a
yelp of pain. “Yeah, thesum no paya
de toll.” I
cocked an eyebrow. “I see no toll booth.” Mentally, I was thanking myself I
had my sword strapped to my back. It had taken two days to find where Aros had hidden it in her fortress, but Iito finally stumbled upon it while he was looking for
something to cook with it. Can you believe that those stupid guards had used
my sword to slice lunchmeats for their dinner!? It’s
a family heirloom, called the Black Star. Some people say it has magical
properties, other say it brings bad fortune since everyone before me has died
and early death when they fought with it. All I know is it gets the job done,
and that’s good enough for me. It looks just like any other double-edged
sword, with a ruby in the black hilt that’s shaped like two black bird wings.
The thing that sets it apart, however, is the metal of the blade. It’s pure
black. The
Troll who had been pillaging the wagon stepped down. “We de booth.” OK, three of them, one of me. ...Am I
feeling lucky? I
sighed, not really in the mood to touch, let alone fight, three drooling
Trolls. “How much?” The
final one smirked at me backing down. “15 Colies--” “A
person,” the leader pulled the girl up to her feet. I
felt my eyebrow twitching. “....Are you mad, or just stupid?” At
this time, they decided money was no longer an issue. The leader dropped the
girl roughly and grabbed the large club from his belt, the others following
suit. I did likewise with my black sword. The
first pillager came rushing at me, saliva dripping off yellowed teeth. He
came at me with such ferocity I was almost taken of guard. Almost. In
one giant leap, I was above him. As he stopped, possibly to marvel at his own
idiocy, I came down, blade-first, into the base of his neck. The Troll fell forward,
and the ground shook, then turned into a shade of
red. Meanwhile,
the people in the wagon had been loading spilled goods back onto the cart,
leaving me to do the fighting. I didn’t want them to get hurt, anyway.
However, it is mildly uncomforting about how they didn’t even care when I
killed the first Troll... The
second one decided to keep his distance from me, and swung his club like a
madman. I couldn’t get close enough, and pretty soon he’d have me backed up
against a tree. If he even so much as ‘nicked me’
with his club, my brains would be bashed out. I
decided we were getting to close to that tree for my own comfort, and jumped
up high. The Troll stopped his club right under me, and I landed on its
wooden tip, balancing above him. Before the brute could shake me off, I took
my sword and slashed his eyes. The
howl of pain he emitted sent birds to flight all through the woods. He
dropped the club and myself, and clasped his bloody face. The Troll ran off
into the forest, bumping into trees and boulders, never to be seen again. All
that was left was the lead Troll, and if he was anything like the other two,
I-- BAM! “Ahhrg--!” I was sent flying into the nearest tree with a
force that not only knocked my sword away, but made stars flash before my
eyes. Before I even had a chance to recover, I felt someone tugging me to my
feet by means of my shirt collar. “Toll
es now yer life, and two
of der’s,” the Troll breathed into my face, a
rancid smell I won’t forget. I realized he was talking about killing two of
the passengers, an ‘eye for an eye’ type of thing. He looked serious, and I
was desperately trying to figure out the best way to get that family out of
there, and possibly stay alive while doing it. Before
I had a chance to even think about it, a large CRACK! sounded,
almost like lightning, yet there were no clouds in the sky. What’s stranger
was when I fell from the Troll’s hands and landed hard on the ground.
Something red splattered on my shoe, and I looked up to see a hole where the leader’s, um... face... was... er,
had been… I
had barely enough time to get out of the way before his lifeless body crashed
down to where I had just been. I grabbed my sword, and prayed that whatever
had gotten that Troll was on our side. “Well,
are you just going to stand there, or help us pack up our things?” The girl
looked down at me. In one hand she held a smoking stick, that looked to be
hollow and made of metal. I
walked over cautiously. “Did you do... that... to the Troll?” She
blew the little wisp of smoke away. “Yep. The only reason I didn’t before is
because they caught us by surprise. We’re used to violence, considering we
come from “Gyah, don’t give yer name to
him, ‘Tash. He’s just a mercenary,” the old man
called back from the wagon. “Father,
don’t be so rude,” the woman with the child scolded. She shifted her position
as to get comfortable in her blue cotton dress. “Forgive him, young sir.
We’re very grateful for the help you’ve given us.” “Gyah!” The old man pushed his cap over his eyes and
tugged his overalls in an annoyed manner. A
younger child who looked similar to Natasha, and I hadn’t noticed before,
stepped from behind her mother’s skirts. “She didn’t kill the Troll, the gun
did!” I
blinked. “Gun?” Natasha
waved the metal stick at me. “That’s what this is. My father invented it,
before he got run outta town. It’s a new and
dangerous weapon. People aren’t ready for it yet,” she stuck the gun into her
belt and climbed on the newly stocked cart. “That’s why I’m the only person
in the whole world who has one.” Her lips curled into a grin of pride. The
younger girl sat beside her grandmother, who had remained quiet this whole
time. “An’ were going to Daddy now. My name’s Julie McCoy. What’s yours?”
Julie was dressed in a red jumper with no shoes, and had her brown hair in
pigtails. “Yamato.” “Don’t
you have a last name?” “I
don’t think so.” “What
did I tell ya?” the old man strapped in the ox. “Nothin’ but a ramblin’
mercenary. Kids these days. Can’t even remember his own name, he’s been
knocked around so much!” “Oh,
shut up you old coot!” the old woman had finally had enough. “We don’t have
any money, let alone pay a soldier for hire--” The
old man grabbed the reins tighter. “We didn’t hire him in the first place!” “Shut
yer pie hole!” She fixed a sweet grandmotherly
smile on me, after yelling at her husband. “As I was sayin’,
we’d be happy to give you a lift.” The old woman had a yellow dress and an
apron, curly white hair, and glasses. The kind of woman who would bake you
cookies, not like the snappy female she’d proven to be. I
sheathed my sword and pondered this. “Where are you going?” Natasha
finished strapping back in the carts. “As far as Sallad,
maybe a week’s journey. We can drop you of in Lenaf,
just past the country’s border.” ...I
didn’t have anywhere else to go. “Sure.” *** So
Ohlo’s heist was a risky one. But if we pulled it
off, we wouldn’t need to steal for a long time. “I
can’t believe this,” I followed Ohlo through the
castle’s window. “I hate you.” Ohlo sighed and pulled in the rope after us. “I told you,
it’s not a dress. It’s a robe. All the noble’s wear
them.” I
opened the wooden door a crack and checked for guards, while Ohlo made sure no one had seen us climbing the outer
wall. There
was to be a masked ball tonight, and the King’s palace. All the nobles that
lived in the country of Diamentes were invited,
among others. Even though we were wanted criminals, the masks would hide our
faces. ...At least Ohlo’s costume would. Besides, no one thinks we’re dumb enough
to break into the palace on this particular night. Ohlo’s outfit was quite simple. It was his normal
clothing, a cape, a large hat with a white feather, a fake sword, and a small
black mask with eye-holes. He was dressed up as a ‘noble thief’, as he called
it. I,
on the other hand, was not as lucky. I had a black shirt and a witch’s hat,
where the top portion had been cut off. The robe (or dress...) was a faded purple
with a black belt. I still think it was a dress. “I
still hate you,” we walked out into the dimly lit spiral stone staircase,
only to be bumped into by a guard. “Hey,
what are you two doing here? You know the king said guests must stay in the
Ball Room until the diamond’s unveiling,” he crossed his arms, as if he had
dealt with punk kids earlier this night. “Erm--” I was completely caught off, but not Ohlo. Oh no no no no no.... “Haha,” he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Sorry, but
my sister here, she ran off for the bathroom. You know how that is.” The
guard continued up the stairs. “Right... Third door on the left downstairs.
Can’t miss it.” “It is a dress!” I fumed once the guard
left from earshot. “The nerve! Even if this was for the biggest diamond in
the country, I still could have worn something better!” “Of
course it’s not,” Ohlo dragged me downstairs. “If
he thought we were two boys, he would have recognized your face. You’re hair
is long enough to pass for a woman. Since you refused to wear a mask, you get
a dress-- er, robe.” “I
knew it!” I said in a harsh whisper. “Anything to embarrass me, right!?” Ohlo smirked as we headed to the Ball Room. “If the shoe
fits. Or in this case, if the dress fits.” “Ohlo! I swear I’ll get you back!” *** |