The Rostical Users - Sceldrant's Comet

by Michael Rogers

  Rachael: "Pictures?"

  Melinda: "Drawings?"

  Twortz: "Do you hear that violin?"

  Ashton: "I don't hear anything?"

  Lance: (Sceldrant's Comet.) *He stepped forward and stared at the red dot in a trance-like state.* (I feel something from it.)

  Ashton: *He quickly glanced around and smiled.* (The area was filled with constant chatter and yelling, and now it's completely silent-)

  *The atmosphere started to bend and warp due to the comet's presence.*

  Twortz: "The colours are dancing in the night sky." *She looked astonished, as she spoke out of character.*

  Melinda: "Wow, it is amazing." (No wonder why my mother never shuts up about it.)

  *The party focused all their attention to the swirls of aurora lights, they failed to notice the flickering light in Lance's backpack.*

  Rachael: "The sky is like a rainbow."

  Melinda: "It has something to do with the atmosphere, like in the poles."

  Ashton: "Like in the poles?"

  Melinda: "Well, what we're looking at right now-"

  Lance: "Are colours in the sky-"

  Melinda: *She ignored Lance.* "Is the end result of the sunlight that has penetrated the Earth's gravitational barrier-"

  Lance: "Err, it ain't day? No sunlight."

  Melinda: "Well, I'm just letting you all know what I'm seeing with my own eyes right now-"

  Rachael: "Sorry to interrupt, Mel but what is this called? I remember your mum showing me pictures at your place."

  Melinda: "She dubs it The Aurora skies. To sum things up, we should not be able to witness this from where we are."

  Tyler: "W-We shouldn't?" *He looked slightly nervous.*

  Twortz: "I underestimated this occurrence, it's very beautiful."

  *The comet glowed brighter and reacted with the air, causing rays of warped rainbows to scatter the air.*

  Ashton: "Looking at this, kind of makes you feel insignificant. Doesn't it?"

  *The party unintentionally ignored Ashton, as they continued to stare at the sky in awe.*

  Lance: (What is this feeling?)

  *The stone started to glow the same colours as the sky, causing it to hum.*

  Rachael: "Does anyone else hear that?"

  *The stone suddenly shined as bright as the comet, instantly drawing the party's attention to the backpack.*

  Twortz: "What's in your bag-?"

  *The stone released a blinding light and a powerful shock wave, rendering Ashton, Tyler, Melinda, Rachael, Twortz unconscious.*

  Lance: (H-Huh, feeling sleepy-) *He watched the stone shatter into tiny white orbs, before falling unconscious.*

  Chapter 2: Rostical

  ~The heart of an outsider's love will purify the poison with the last shine of light dispersing all of evil's last hope~

  Lance: *He woke up with a throbbing headache and blurred vision.* "A-Arh-" *He shook his head and blinked several times, causing his vision to return to normal.*

  *Lance found himself in a large circular dirt clearing, surrounded by thick trees.*

  Lance: *He leant up and looked around at the scenery.* "Where-?" *He noticed Ashton, who lay unconscious on the dirt ground.*

  *The thick trees drained the sunlight above, creating an eerie-like appearance.*

  Lance: *He hovered over Ashton and started to rock him back and forth.* "Hey-"

  Ashton: "..." *He moaned and remained motionless.*

  Lance: "H-Hey, Ashton, wake up." *He nervously slapped him on the cheek, as he tried to wake him up.* "Come on, wake up, Ash-"

  Ashton: *He slowly opened his eyes and appeared disorientated.* "Argh-"

  Lance: *He leant back and sighed with relief.* "Phew, how ya feelin'?"

  Ashton: "My head hurts-" *He groaned and spoke softly.*

  *The dirt path was surrounded by thick trees, resulting in a linear-like trail.*

  Ashton: *He leant up and coughed.* "Where are we? In a park?"

  Lance: *He looked down the path and noticed it forked at the end.* "I don't know."

  Ashton: "How long have we been out for?" *He held his head and looked around with confusion.*

  Lance: "I don't know."

  Ashton: "I see you're full of answers haha." *He tried to lighten up the mood.*

  Lance: "You don't always have to try 'n' be happy."

  Ashton: "Good grief, Lance, that type of tone is not acceptable."

  Lance: "Pssht." *He grunted and rolled his eyes.*

  Ashton: "Let's both gather our energy first and then we'll explore, sound good?"

  Lance: "Who put you in charge?!"

  Ashton: "What do you think we should do then?"

  Lance: "Recover, then explore!" *He pointed down the path child-like and smirked.*

  ----------

  *A frightened woman ran across a large field and entered a dirt path.*

  ?????: *She turned around, filled with fear.* (It's too fast!)

  ----------

  Ashton: "Alright-" *He pushed himself off the ground and brushed dirt off his pants.* "Let's go."

  Lance: "Wateva." *He grunted and stood up.*

  Ashton: *He glanced down the path in confusion, noticing the plants.* (I don't recognise this area. I don't think we're in Dee Highs any more.)

  *Lance and Ashton started to stagger down the path, causing the ground to crunch with every step.*

  Lance: "So where are we gonna go first?"

  Ashton: "Perhaps find other people and-"

  *Before they reached the fork in the path, a loud scream echoed nearby.*

  Ashton: "Good grief, what was that?"

  Lance: *He instinctively sprinted down the path, towards the scream.* "Oi, hurry up."

  Ashton: *He nodded his head and watched Lance take a left at the fork.* "G-Good grief." *He shook his head and started to run after Lance.*

  Lance: *He ran through the unfamiliar path with determination.* (This is where I heard it-)

  Ashton: *He caught up to Lance and took deep breaths.* "W-What was the scream-?"

  Lance: *He stood motionless filled with shock, as his whole body shook in fear.* "W-Wat-?"

  Ashton: *He looked past Lance, causing his eyes to widen in fear.* "W-What is th-that?"

  *Lance and Ashton stepped back in shock, as they stared at a large red spider hunching over a woman.*

  Ashton: (Th-The spider, it's twice our size!)

  ?????: *She was forced in between two trees, as she squinted her eyes and looked away in fear.* (I can't do anything without my pendant-)

  Lance: "W-W-We have to do somethin'!" *He stepped back, crunching a branch under his foot.*

  *The woman and spider focused their attention to Lance.*

  ?????: "R-Run, this Scoldrant is violent!" *She screamed at Lance and Ashton.*

  *The large spider slowly turned around and faced Lance and Ashton, focusing its attention on its new victims.*

  Ashton: "S-Scoldrant-?!" *He watched the Scoldrant's enormous furry legs, creep closer and closer towards him.*

  Scoldrant: "Sk-kerarh?" *Saliva oozed out of its mouth, causing the ground to sizzle and steam.*

  Lance: "Oh shit-"

  Scoldrant: "Skerarh!" *It bent its legs and charged towards Lance.*

  Lance: "No!-" *He squealed frozen with fear.*

  ?????: "Raging flames, fall down, snatching heat, FLAMING WHEEL" *A man's frail voice echoed in the distance.*

  *A swirl of fire ringed around the spider, before suddenly erupting high into the air.*

  Ashton: *He raised his arms in shock, as the fire brightly lit up the area.* "F-Fire?"

  Lance: *He watched the fire engulf the spider in sheer shock.* "..."

  *The fire stringed and extinguished, revealing a charcoal silhouette of the spider.*

  Scoldrant: "..." *Its legs snapped off and fell, causing the ground to vibrate.*

  Lance: *He stared at the Scoldrant's black and crispy remains, as smoke puffed out it.* "Oh my effin' gosh!-"

  *T
he woman held her chest with shock, as she leant against the trees to catch her breath.*

  Ashton: *He stared at the ring of charcoal on the ground in astonishment, before noticing an old man hobbling down the dirt path.* (A-Am I dreaming-?)

  ?????: *He grunted, as he hobbled towards the woman.* "My, my, what are you children doing?!"

  Lance: "Wat the freakin' shit nuggets just happened?!" *He pointed at the crispy remains like a child.*

  Ashton: (What was that? Did that man-) *His body shook, as he stared at the man in confusion.* (Did he use some sort of flame thrower?)

  ?????: "What do you three think you are doing?!"

  Lance: "A-Ah-?"

  Ashton: "G-Good, g-grief."

  ?????: "Even though it was a weak Scoldrant-" *The man took a deep breath and closed his eyes.* "I don't sense any Rosterology items on you."

  Woman: *Her rapid breathing slowed down and she placed her hands on the tree to push herself up.* "Th-Thank you very much, I am in your debt."

  Lance: "What the! What on Earth is goin' on?! And who are you old fart?!"

  ?????: "Oh, how impolite of me, bahah, my name is Millard."

  Ashton: "Rosterology items?"

  Lance: "M-Millard? Are you serious?"

  Woman: "W-What is a Rostical User like yourself doing here?" *She nervously spoke in a high tone of voice.*

  Millard: "I'm a random traveller searching for someone dear to me."

  Ashton: "..."

  Millard: "So, children, what does urf mean?"

  *The man wore brown clothes, had a fair amount of facial hair and looked quite mature. He wore a cone shaped hat and had longish hair, which was concealed inside the hat.*

  Ashton: "The question I want to ask is what-"

  Lance: "Wat was that swirlin' bundle of fire??"

  Millard: "Hmm? You make it sound like you've never seen Rostical being used before?"

  Lance: "Rostickal-?"

  Millard: "Please, child, don't make me repeat myself, what is this urf' you speak of? A new Rostical? A new Scoldrant?"

  Lance: "You mean Earth? Are you kiddin' me-?"

  Ashton: *He quickly nudged Lance and whispered in his ear.* "It would be best to play along."

  Lance: "Play along? Why?"

  Ashton: "We have no idea where we are or anything. Even though there's little light coming through the trees, it means we were either out for the entire night, or we're not in Dee Highs any more."

  Lance: "True." *He mumbled with realisation.*

  Ashton: "I'd prefer to get information slowly instead of looking like idiots if you know what I mean, allow me to do the talking."

  *Lance respectfully nodded his head in agreement.*

  Ashton: "Ha ha, sorry about him, sir Millard was it? He recently used too much Rostical and is light headed, many thanks for saving us."

  Millard: "Such a kind young gentleman, no problem at all." *He glanced at Ashton, Lance and the woman, as they slowly recollected themselves.* "Well, if you all are fine, I have to take my leave. See you again, children." *He spoke sarcastically and re-adjusted the cone shaped hat, before walking down the path.*

  Ashton: *He slowly inhaled and stared at the woman.* "Are you okay?"

  Woman: "Y-Yes, thank you-" *She walked up to Lance and Ashton and bit her bottom lip.* "My name is Alicia, sorry about the fuss."

  Lance: *He stared at Alicia, causing his heart to thump.* (She is beautiful-)

  Ashton: "The fuss? Not at all."

  Alicia: "I didn't expect the Scoldrant to be out this close to the village-"

  Lance: "Shit nuggets, you should be sorry you stupid cow! You nearly got us killed!"

  Alicia: "I-I, ah-" *She nervously looked away, avoiding eye contact with Lance.*

  Ashton: "What I think Lance means, is he's a little tired and if you don't mind helping us out?"

  Lance: (Pssht, sure, that's what I meant.)

  Alicia: "Of course, Lance and Ashton was it? My village is to the right at the end of the path."

  Ashton: (Village-?)

  Alicia: "I wouldn't mind sheltering you both for the night as a thank you."

  Lance: "..." *He sighed with a grumpy face, placing his hands on his head.*

  Alicia: (I hope the elder doesn't mind me bringing Outsiders to the village.)

  Ashton: "If you don't mind-" *His words caused Alicia to lead the way down the path.*

  *The party walked to the end of the path and encountered a small village, hidden in the forest.*

  Alicia: "This is the Frozen Backwater Village, and it's my home tee hee."

  *Several puddles scattered across the village, indicating it recently rained. The village looked bland in colour, as everything was made of wood. Livestock could be heard from the wooden huts and sheds.*

  Lance: *He crossed his arms and frowned.* "She calls this shit hole a village?" *He mumbled to Ashton with disgust.*

  Ashton: "It seems like a medieval village, like back in the fourteen hundred's or something."

  Lance: "Maybe we'll get some answers from the dopey lookin' cow over there?" *He nudged his head to Alicia.*

  Alicia: "I-I heard that!"

  Ashton: *He nudged Lance and awkwardly smiled at Alicia.* "Sorry."

  Alicia: "Okay. Please come this way, the elder must see you before you're allowed to stay."

  Ashton: "I understand." *He looked at Lance, before following Alicia to the largest tent in the village.*

  Alicia: "You both wait here, I will go inside and talk to the elder." *She opened the flap to the tent, which acted as a door and walked inside.*

  Lance: (What is going on?) *He impatiently tapped his foot on the dirt ground.*

  Alicia: *She popped her head out of the tent and waved them inside.* "P-Please, come in."

  *An old man sat on a wooden chair which was stacked on several crates, causing villagers to look up to speak to him. Fire danced on torches, which were used for light.*

  Elder: "Come forth, what are your names?"

  Lance: "Lance."

  Ashton: "And Ashton." *They hesitated when they spoke.*

  Elder: "Where did you come from?"

  Lance: "Eart-"

  Ashton: "A far away place from the East."

  Elder: "Oh? So near the Gasher Hills, Surpreon? Well ha ha, we have an alliance with the ruler there, so you both are welcome."

  Ashton: (Gasher Hills?)

  Elder: "Gasher Hills is a fair walk, so I'll arrange an escort to take you both back there tomorrow morning."

  Ashton: "Many thanks, kind sir."

  Elder: "I have important duties to attend, that is all."

  Lance: (That was easy.)

  *The party bowed to the elder in respect before leaving the tent.*

  Alicia: "Please follow me-" *She led Ashton and Lance to a small wooden hut.*

  Lance: "Wat's this?"

  Alicia: "Well this is where you'll both be sleeping. We have about twelve hours until sunrise, so please be ready for the night feast."

  Lance: "Night feast?"

  Alicia: "Your rude friend is pretty dumb." *She looked at Lance, before walking into the hut.*

  Lance: "Wat, wat, wat?" *He grunted with shock and followed Alicia into the hut.*

  Ashton: "Ah, sorry about him, he also got hit in the head when he was younger."

  Alicia: "Oh, okay?"

  Ashton: "Would you like to help him out and tell him about the night feast. I've given up trying to explain it to him."

  Lance: (He's good.) "Shut up."

  Alicia: "Everybody knows about a night feast, it's self explanatory?"

  Lance: "Silence, chunky face."

  Alicia: "Have you looked in a pond lately? Stop being so mean, grottom bottom."

  Lance: "Oh?"

  Ashton: "Stop having a lover's quarrel and get ready for tomorrow."

  Alicia: "Eww."

  Lance: "Pssht, whatever."

  Ashton: *He sighed and inspected the hut around him.* (I know night feast was self explanatory, but,
I just wanted to make sure it didn't symbolise anything else.)

  Lance: "So who is goin' to be escortin' us?"

  Alicia: "It will probably be someone who can use Rostical, to fend off Scoldrants that may or may not attack us."

  Lance: (Scoldrants?) *He had a flashback of the large red spider, causing him to shiver in fear.*

  Alicia: "U-Umm, I have to get ready for the feast myself, I will meet you both back here?"