Wild ARMs: Off on a Tangent
By: Chibi-chan
Part One
Scenario one: “Surf’s Up!”
*
“Life was fading from the
land. There are those who try to cling
desperately to their land, to protect it from the encroaching wasteland…Those
who dare set out into the wasteland to seek their fortunes and/or destinies are
known as ‘Dream Chasers’. There is a
youth in the village of Surf… Despite
being only at the tender age of 15, this youth has the potential to become a
‘Dream Chaser’…
*
A young, rather thin boy leans against
the large barrel he just pushed into place against the wall. It had only been a week since he was hired
to help with the stables of Surf, witch isn’t the fun of a job to begin with,
but in his mind, they seemed to be sticking him with all the hard jobs. For even though he was slight in build, he
was deceptively strong. That was only one
of the odd things about him. His hair,
for example, was bright blue and his eyes were red. These were not exactly colors you would expect to see someone’s
hair and eyes respectively. Also, for
some reason, he was dead set against anyone going into the room he was staying
in, even if he was in it at the time.
He never seemed to talk, but when he did, it was a low mumble…
The supervisor decided to stop by at that moment. He took a good look at the then-currently well-kept horse corral and let out a low whistle. “The kid should get paid more than this for work like this…” he muttered.
The youth didn’t even notice the
supervisor. A pained expression was on
his face as he tried to hide that he was clutching his abdomen. Oh Guardians, not now! Just when I established myself here… I can’t get found out already! he
thought.
“Hey,
kid, I’ve got your pay for the week!” he shouted at the youth. The young man slowly approached the
supervisor. The supervisor didn’t like
the almost completely hiding look of pain on the youth’s face. “Er, are you OK, uh… what did you say your
name was?” he asked out, concerned.
“My name?” the youth muttered. C’mon, what was the name you gave to the
Mayor…? Ah, I remember! “Rudy.
I’m fine. I just stubbed my toe
on a barrel just a moment ago, that’s all,” he lied.
The supervisor blinked. He wasn’t sure if he should buy this, but he
showed no outwards signs of disbelief. “Oh, OK.” He reached into
his pocket and pulled out a Heal Berry.
“Here’s you pay. Sorry, but it’s
all that we can afford right now…” He
handed it to the youth, who only looked puzzled. “If it makes you feel better, I think you’ve been doing a great job,
handling the work load and all. Even
the horses seem happier than usual.
Well, you should report to Mayor Pifer and see if he has anything else
for you to do,” the supervisor said.
“Thanks, I will,” the youth muttered
as he headed to the exit of the corral.
“Strange kid…” the supervisor said
to no one in particular.
*
I just gotta lay down and relax,
then I’ll figure out what to do…Rudy thought as he headed towards Mayor
Pifer’s house. He was so absorbed in
his thoughts he didn’t notice that a little kid was about to collide with his
path until it happened.
The little strawberry-blonde kid
quickly got up. “Ooooooh, sorry, La… er, Rudy!
I didn’t see ya!” the child chirped.
“Let me help you up!” He offered
his hand to Rudy.
Rudy refused the hand and got up on
his own. “Er… It’s OK, Tony. I
should’ve been watching where I was going too…” Rudy told the child. “Say, why are you in such a rush anyway?”
In a manner that would make Xelloss
Metalium proud, Tony closed his eyes and smiled as he said, “That… is a
secret! Later, Rudy!” Tony then went on his merry way again.
Something isn’t right here…
Rudy thought as he went the rest of the way to the mayor’s house.
*
Rudy tried to sneak to his room in the mayor’s house without being noticed. Unfortunately, he was about as stealthy as a tap-dancing rhino. “Rudy! So glad to see you! Come over here, boy!” Mayor Pifer bellowed cheerfully.
Rudy inwardly winced. Dammit!
He saw me! He turned around
and went to the mayor. “What is it that
you want, sir?” he mumbled.
“Well, for one thing, you could
speak up, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about,” the mayor
said. “What I want to say is: Are you
really, really sure that you are going to be a ‘Dream Chaser’? Because-“
“Of course I am, sir!” Rudy
interrupted in a tone louder and higher in pitch than he wanted it to be, “It’s
been something I’ve wanted to be my whole life!” Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
I almost blew my cover with that outburst! he thought.
The mayor was startled by the sudden
outburst. “Well, that certainly is
speaking up… Well, you seem determined
enough, and if you were able to make it from Milama to here by yourself, you
just might be able to survive out there…”
The mayor walked over to a nearby chest of drawers, opened one of the
drawers, and took something out of it.
He closed the drawer and turned to Rudy. “These,” he indicates the round objects in his hands, “are magical
bombs we used to clear away debris when the Holy Berries still grew in Berry Cave. When the last of berries was gone, we had no
use for these any more.” He then pushes
the bombs into Rudy’s arms. “I know
this may not be a good judgment on my part, but if you’re really serious about
becoming a ‘Dream Chaser’, these may come in handy.”
“Uh… how exactly are they magical?”
Rudy muttered.
“They never run out, that’s
why. Strange, isn’t it?” Mayor Pifer
responded. Rudy just shrugged and
decided it was best to find another place to rest. He went to the stairs and just as he was about to go down them,
one of the villagers ran up the stairs and knocked Rudy down.
“Sorry, but this is an emergency!”
the villager exclaimed before rushing to the mayor. “Sir! A child slipped
past the guard and went into Berry Cave!”
Tony… Rudy thought.
“WHAT?! Get the villagers together!
We have to find a way to get that child out of that cave!” Mayor Pifer
commanded as Rudy silently slipped out of the room.
Tony, you crazy kid, what do you
think you’re doing?! Oh well, I’ll make
sure you get out safe. Leave it to…
LAINE! Rudy… er, Laine
thought.
“Rudy, would you…? Rudy?” Mayor Pifer looked around the
room. “Now where did that boy go?”
The villager responded, “What
boy? … oh, you mean that cross-dressing
girl! She left already.”
Mayor Pifer looked at the villager
oddly. “’Cross-dressing girl’?! If
Rudy’s a girl, then… Oh, Guardians, we
have to stop her! The zombie will…!”
*
Stardate: 2524… wait, that’s not
right. Lemme try again.
Berry Cave. It was dark, dank, and there were evil bats
there. Not a fun vacation spot, unless
you’re a monster. Laine wasn’t exactly
all that thrilled to go there, but she felt responsible for not stopping Tony
earlier. At the entrance, the guard was
reading a, well, let’s just say it wasn’t suited for a younger age
demographic. Laine sneered at the
slacker, er, guard and muttered something about men under her breath
before she went by.
*
Later on, Laine found a big sign
reading, “Do Not Blow Up This Sign!
Bats Up Ahead! Turn Back! This Means YOU, Young Lady! Yes, We Know You’re Really A Girl And Up
Ahead Is Where No Girls Should Enter, Trust Us.” So, she did the only thing she could do.
*
“Stupid wiseass sign…” She muttered as she looked back at the charred remains of the sign, “But at least I know that up ahead’s where the bats are. I gotta be careful now…”
*
“AAAAAAAAAAH! GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAAAA~~Y!!” Laine frantically tried to shoo away the bats. She stumbled across a Holy Symbol in her flight. She held it up to the bats and they bat flew away like… well, like bats out of hell. “Wow, what incredible good luck!” she said right before another Balloon snuck up to attack her from behind.
*
“I HATE THIS #@$&*^%
CAAAAAAAAVE!!” Laine yelled. “I hate
the bats and I hate those smart-ass signs and I-“
“Big sister Laine?” a familiar
child’s voice cried out. “Over here!”
“Tony?!” Laine ran into the next chamber and found the missing child.
“Tony, you had us all worried! What are
you doing here anyway?!”
“I wanted to find the Holy Berries
to heal my dad, but I got stuck here.”
Tony pointed to the pile of rock that blocked the rest of the path. “Please help me, big sister Laine!” Tony
pleaded.
Laine said nothing in response, but
simply placed a bomb at the blockage and lit the fuse. “Stand back,” she muttered. Both her and Tony waited at the other end of
the chamber until an explosion blew the rocks from the entrance to what the presumed
was the last part of the cave.
“Wow! Now we can get the Holy Berries for my father! Thanks, Laine!” Tony exclaimed.
*
The last chamber was partially
flooded. Note to self: waterproof
boots before next adventure, Laine thought. A faint glow was noticeable at the end of the tunnel. Behind the source of the glow, a large stone
tablet with strange writings on it stood.
Laine trekked through the water to the dry end of the tunnel and
discovered the source of the glow. “So
these are the Holy Berries,” she thought.
She didn’t notice that the stone tablet cracked when she was examining
the berries. She picked up the berries
and left, unaware of the quickly-growing crack in the tablet… She did, however, notice the
earthquake after she left the room.
*
At the mouth of the cave, Mayor Pifer was quite disturbed. “We’re too late! The Zombie of Surf is about to return to the surface!”
The villager (remember that guy from
before?) said, “I told you Rudy was a girl! Only a maiden could break the seal, correct?”
“………………………”
*
The zombie was still standing, smiling in a gruesome sort of way, like it was taunting her to try it again as he began to regenerate.
“Nothing can ever be simple
so me, can it?” Laine muttered softly under her breath. She readied her ARM to fire again, but then
a thought hit her. The Holy
Berries! That must have been what was
keeping it there! If I can toss them
into a wound… She fired again. This
time, it went through the monster’s stomach.
She quickly pulled out the Holy Berries and threw them at the wound she
inflicted. Guardians, let my aim be
true and please, oh PLEASE let this work!
Well, if it didn’t work, this story
would be over a whole lot quicker, now wouldn’t it? Anyway, her aim was indeed true.
The zombie, who had regenerated around the berries, quickly turned to
sludge, which was truly shapeless but not misshapen. However, instead of much rejoicing, Tony’s mother quickly pulled
Tony away from Laine. “What’s wrong,
mom?” Tony asked.
One of the villagers exclaimed, “He…
er… rather, SHE has put us all in danger!”
Another one added, “She could have
gotten us all KILLED!”
The villager who knew Laine’s little
secrets beforehand spoke up, “And she even lied to us about who she was and, I
know I shouldn’t have, but I looked through her things the other day. She possesses a forbidden ARM!”
“Well, if I didn’t pose as a guy,
you wouldn’t have hired me! I saw you
turn away perfectly capable women for the job just because they were
women! And-” Laine protested.
“ENOUGH!” Mayor Pifer shouted. “Now, will you stand up for these accusation
according to our village’s laws, ‘Rudy’?”
Laine lowered her head, “Do I have a
choice?” she whispered.
*
Not only has she lied to us all,
she put us all in danger!
She possesses a forbidden ARM! ARMs have a power not found in regular
humans. Who knows? She could be the one who directly CAUSED the
earthquake!
*
Great, first cramps, then bats, then
zombies, now it looks like I’m gonna get kicked out of the village. This day really blows, Laine thought as she stared
out the window. “Grandfather, what
should I do?”
*
“So it’s agreed. We will ask her to leave. Since I was the one who took her in, I’ll tell her our decision,” said Mayor Pifer.
Laine was listening at the
doorway. Dammit, why do I have to be
right? Laine thought.
Mayor Pifer went into the next room. He noticed Laine by the doorway. “I see you’ve been eavesdropping. Then you should know of our decision. You are to leave at once and you are never
to return here.”
Laine didn’t even look at him. If she did, he would see that she has
hurting and she didn’t want that at all costs.
All she wanted to do was leave with dignity. She slowly walked away and out the door in complete silence.
*
Just as she was about to leave, Tony ran up to her. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn’tve gone into that cave… The kids don’t think you did anything wrong, big sister Laine. I… I gotta go now. Bye!” With that, the child ran home and Laine left the village of Surf… But not unavenged.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! THE HORSES ARE LOOSE! THEY JUST TRAMPLED ALL THE CHICKENS!! SOMEBODY HEEEEEEEEEELP!!”
*
“Even though she used her power
to protect them, they rejected her. All
because she has a power she never asked for, the power to use a forbidden
ARM.” This should be interesting, to
see what fate has in store for her…
*
End Scenario 1
Chibi’s
notes:
All things in italics and quotes at the beginning
and end are from the game itself. Yeah,
I know it’s not quite wacky yet, but I gotta establish things first and
besides, it’s not gonna be all wackiness... Just wait, OK? ^^;;
Ted:
If it makes you feel better, I thought the bat thing was funny. ^^
Rudy:
You would.