Legacies of light

-Break-

Φ “Anto, look at this city it is massive!”

“Mime, I can’t even count the amount of money we would get for the things here.”

“Where should we get started?”

“Mime don’t you remember teachers' words.”

“Of course I do; steal from the elderly first, it is not like they have much for all that money.”

“Exactly!”

“Now let's go rob those dying old money bags.”

“I will lead the way.”

-Break-

Φ We all sit down on benches in the center of the city, completely exhausted.

Exasperating, Atalanta says, “I hate this city. These people are overbearing they even changed all our clothes for us.”

Shaking Suzuka says, “All the people’s heads here are completely overcrowded, I feel like I hear 100 people's thoughts when I read just one.”

Cyrus says, “They are v-v-v-very scary.”

“I don’t think that it is all that bad, look around no matter where you look someone is doing something they love. Even though they are all overworked you can feel the passion in their work.”

“Unlike you Orb, we don’t have infinite stamina or your saccharine attitude. So can we just get the stuff Avram needs and go?”

Getting up I say, “Don’t be like that, if you always just take the easy way out you will never have fun just like me. You will just grow into an old hag with nothing to live for.”

Out of nowhere, I am tackled to the ground. Looking at who tackled me I see an old woman, “Madam are you ok?”

“No, I am not. You see I am broke, sick, and old. No one in this country wants me around. So, I might as well just jump off a cliff,” she says as she starts to cry.

“Don’t do that I want you arou-.”

Suddenly someone comes up to us and says, “Lady Anna, I just wanted to thank you. If you didn’t give me 500,000 lupas, I would have never paid off my debts.”

Looking at the man I say, “Isn’t this a poor old beggar?”

“What are you talking about? That is lady Anna the most affluent woman on Skydu-.”

Quickly she uses a wrestling move to incapacitate the man. “Oh, if only a fine young man could promise to do this woman on her last legs a favour. Oh, only if,” She says fluttering her eyes in my face.

Walking over to me, Atalanta says, “She smells like trouble Orb.”

“Get away from me floozy.”

“It seems everyone from young boys to old women needs to learn what respect is,” Atalanta says as she tries to hit the woman.

Punching Atalanta in the gut I say, “Would I be able to know what that promise is.”

“Oh, I am about to die and yet you refuse to come with me and give me help.”

“No, I will help you.”

Grabbing my hands she says, “You will! Then let us go.” Then she starts to run off at full speed. She is rather spry for her age, but yet again all the old people I know are rather full of life.

Φ While Orb is getting taken away, I tell Suzuka, “Go get the stuff Avram wants, I will go after Orb.”

-Break-

Φ After a little while the old woman stops running and says, “This is my house.” The old woman was pointing at a completely run-down shack that doesn’t look fit for a human to live in.

“You see! I really am poor.”

Getting up I say, “I would actually believe you if it wasn’t for that giant mansion behind your house!”

“Oh that, some rich dinosaur lives there.”

“We passed through a gate to enter here! Am I supposed to believe that some rich person just let you live in a shack behind their house?”

Dramatically getting on the floor she says, “Even though I am a dying old woman who has no reason to lie, you still won’t trust me. Well, what can I expect, a woman such as myself who has nothing in this life deserves this. Someone should just kill me!”

Walking into view, a man who looks like a butler says, “My lady, you have finally returned you usually disappear for so long.”

Running over to him she uses another wrestling move and incapacitates him. “You bastards stop being so nice.”

Turning around and batting her eyelashes as if she is some kind of young seductress she says, “If you have a heart and a soul please follow me into my hut, if you do I am sure it will be a magical time. Or you could just leave this dying, lonely, depressed, despondent old woman alone and go about your day,” while slowly walking into the wonky house.

Φ Finally catching up to Orb I say, “Good, you’re alright, let's go.”

“No, I think I am going in.”

“Why is that?” I say walking in front of him. When I get in front of Orb I am shocked to see Orb's facial expression; I see him huffing and panting like a pervert.

Grabbing him I say, “Wait what the hell, you never made such a face at me.”

“I thought you weren’t into little boys.”

“I am not, but doesn’t change the fact you shouldn’t be so opposed to me. Don’t tell me old ladies do it for you.”

“Stop being gross!” He says breaking my grip.

“Then explain!”

Turning his head in my direction, Orb says, “Don’t you think maths is very arousing.”

“What.”

“Like the way it breaks down the infinite world around us into some mere numbers. In this entire world there is nothing better. And that woman, the way she uses angles to position her body to get max effect out of it, and all her completely calculated movements the pitch of her voice, the movement of her eyes, the position of her hands and butt, the way she cries, the order of her sentences. It is all done in an effort to get me to be enticed by her. Just like all the femme fatals I use to read about, the only thing she is lacking is stockings.”

It was once said, that fetishes are born when kids mix the singles for arousal with other things they feel strongly for. So, the young boy Orb who had an intense infection for maths ended up crossing with his intense admiration of femme fatals. And thus, a fetish was born.

“There is nothing more attractive than a woman who could ruin your life!”

“You have a dark future Orb.”

Turning his head Orb says, “I don’t want to hear that from you. I am going to go check this out you can go jump off a cliff or something, not like I care.”

“You dumb brat,” I say running after him.

Φ As Cyrus and Suzuka sit down on the bench they were left on, pure silence fills the area around them. And one thought beams through the little girl's head; THIS IS SO AWKWARD!

SOCIAL INTERACTION. Until now either the jolly Orb, or talkative Atalanta have been with these two whenever they interact, but now for the first time, they both are alone together and must start a conversation with just the two of them. For people like these two fighting a dragon may be easier.

Even though Atalanta asked us to get things done we haven’t been able to move one single inch from here. I have known Cyrus for about the same length of time I have known Orb, but this is the first time where we are talking alone.

It’s not like he is a bad person but I don’t even know what the hell goes on in his head, maybe I should try reading it, if I do that I might be able to start a conversation.

Focusing in on Cyrus I try to hear his thoughts, come on what is going on in that head of yours? To the young girl's shock and surprise in his head she heard. “NOTHING!”

The young dragon Cyrus who never thinks for himself quite literally had no thoughts on his mind. “What was that S-S-S-Suzuka?”

“Oh nothing, don’t mind me.” His head is literally empty, I have nothing to start a conversation with, what am I going to do?

“Keep your head up.”

“Wait, that voice, it is you isn’t it?”

“Yes Suzuka, it is I Gozy, your imaginary friend.”

“Gozy I have missed you, please help me get out of this situation. How do I talk to Cyrus.”

“Look at me Suzuka, it probably is too late for that. You’re a monster and let’s be honest why would Cyrus want to talk to you. From his perspective, you’re a violent vain little girl who likes to pick fights with everyone around you.”

Gozy is a very bad friend. Because even in her imagination she could never have a friend.

“But haven’t I gotten better?”

“Not even a little bit, earlier you were about to beat up the injured Iancu, and he knows all about that wild beast you let out in Elpída, you’re the same loser no one wanted to be friends with. And dragons like pretty things like gold, and you’re nowhere that pretty. So, you should just stay forever alone.”

I knew it, I suck, I should just go do everything by myself, though I need to make an excuse. Turning around to Cyrus, I prepare to say something, but I notice he is missing. “WAAAAH!”

I immediately jump up to a vantage point to look for him. I can’t see him anywhere, I have to read these people's minds. These people's heads are so busy that I can’t go through all the information, it is overwhelming.

Jumping down I use fox art; leg breakers. I guess I have no other choice I just have to run around looking for him, he might be wearing similar clothes to them, but none of Cyrus's clothes are oversized at all.

Dashing around the city, I eventually hear a bunch of noise around the center, so I head over there and when I get there I see Cyrus is in the sky forge.

Walking over in his direction, I am blasted by a wave of heat that doesn’t allow me to get close. Someone grabs me and pulls me back saying, “What the hell is wrong with you, you’re going to get burnt to a crisp.”

“What is Cyrus doing?”

“It seems he is working the sky forge.”

“The thing that condenses materials?”

“Were you not taught this by your parents.”

“My mom and dad died young so I never learned such things,” I say releasing tears.

“I see then let me tell you, the sky forge can combine, refine, and condense, materials at varying levels of efficiency. We have only ever been able to use it at 15 percent power because the heat it would give off at any higher would burn us to a crisp. But that boy is using it at 100 hundred percent power. The sheer heat is making most of the water on Skydust evaporate.”

As the heat starts to dissipate someone shouts, “HE IS DONE!”

Cyrus walks out of the sky forge naked, while coughing but he is carrying a giant rock with him. “GET HIM HELP IMMEDIATELY.”

They all rush over to him and start to help him. Examining the rock they say, “This is a refined piece of mithril we have never been able to get the forge hot enough to do this. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much this it worth, it is quite literally priceless. I never thought any human could make this.”

While checking on Cyrus, I hear someone scream.

Backing away from Cyrus he says, “I thought that tail was fake but it is alive, that boy is a dragon, he is an outsider.”

Everyone backs away. “The holy nation has recently had an encirclement around lock, they could have sent these guys as spies to enter Skydust.”

“No, we are no-.”

“My grandpa once told me that people with two eyes and hair colours are extremely dangerous. They have the power to win wars by themselves.”

“Is this some kind of advance attack?”

“Go call the army!”

“No we are just visito-.” I try to speak to the crowd but I freeze up, when I stare at their faces filled with anger and disdain I completely freeze up, it feels too familiar. Unable to do anything I just fall to my knees then I start to cry.

Currency exchange rate.

100 Lupas = 1 euro.