The Rostical Users - Sceldrant's Comet

by Michael Rogers

  Ashton: "Garh-" *He looked down and noticed a small shock wave, enveloping PKMY's hand.* (Th-The air? R-Rippling water?)

  PKMY: "Pfft, wateva." *She pushed forward, blasting Ashton off his feet.*

  Ashton: *He watched his feet dangle in shock.* "G-Gark-"

  PKMY: "Harh!" *She stepped forward, knocking Ashton across the plains.*

  Ashton: (Argh, this is what I get for thinking like Lance-) *His hair rapidly flicked in his face.*

  Teresa: *She watched Ashton violently hit the ground, causing him to tumble backwards.* (A little extreme PKMY?)

  PKMY: (Shut it.) *She folded her arms with a cocky smirk.*

  Ashton: *Grass and dirt swirled around him, as he continued to tumble back.* "Blast it-" *He grabbed a rock near an edge, causing him to stop.*

  PKMY: (Good, at that rate I would've had to jump down and rescue him.)

  Ashton: *He grunted, taking deep breaths.* "That was-" *He looked behind him, noticing the entire landscape.* "Good grief, I'm grateful I'm not afraid of heights."

  PKMY: "Good work!"

  Ashton: "For what?"

  PKMY: "Not dying." *She smirked, cracking her knuckles.*

  Ashton: *He watched the waves crash in the far distance, admiring the landscape.* (That would also explain that constant wind here-)

  PKMY: "That's all for now."

  Ashton: "But I can do more." *He pulled himself up, jumping back onto his feet.*

  PKMY: "Eh?"

  Ashton: "I feel great, like I don't feel anything at all." *He hopped on the spot and smiled.* "I'm fine."

  PKMY: "No that is all, we're taking a break."

  -----------

  Alicia: "W-We've been walking for ages, could we please take a break?"

  Lance: "Fine." *He stopped walking, rolling his eyes.*

  Alicia: "So, umm, Lance?"

  Lance: "So, umm, wat?" *He looked away, folding his arms like a child.*

  Alicia: "What is it like on Earff?"

  Lance: "It's Earth."

  Alicia: "Y-Yeah." *She smiled with fascination, causing Lance to look serious.*

  Lance: "Well I thought it was awesome."

  Alicia: "Thought?"

  Lance: "But I've noticed things here, that, well I dunno." (Despite the crappy conditions, it's already better than my old life.)

  Alicia: "Well, what did you do in your childhood? I don't imagine you collecting awards for hunting Scoldrants, or learning Rostical."

  Lance: "It may sound like a bland life, but I just played video games all day."

  Alicia: "Vydehogaimz? What are they?"

  Lance: "It's like, umm, the screens at The Library and Surpreon, but with images you can control."

  Alicia: "With images you can control?" *She leant over in amazement.* "That sounds extraordinary."

  Lance: "Well, I reckon freezing water is much better than playing games."

  Alicia: "You think me freezing water is better?" *She smiled and looked away, as her cheeks turned red.*

  Lance: "I-I dunno." *He noticed how close he unintentionally stood next to Alicia.*

  Alicia: *She felt Lance's breath, causing her to step back.* "S-Sorry-"

  Lance: "Ah, settle down, sister."

  Alicia: "S-Settle-?"

  Lance: "You have like snot running down your nose, you grotty cow." *He coughed and turned around, taking several steps away.*

  Alicia: "I-Is it really?" *She covered her nose, discreetly touching it.* "But my nose isn't running?"

  Lance: "J-Just, you, feral." *His face turned red, as he grunted like a child.*

  Alicia: "..." *She looked down to the dirt ground, sighing in the awkward silence.*

  Lance: "W-Well let's get goin', I don't want to get yelled at by Teresa again."

  Alicia: "Y-Yep." *She enthusiastically nodded her head, biting her bottom lip.*

  *Footsteps rumbled along the ground, causing Lance and Alicia to stop.*

  Lance: "Dude, I can feel your fart from here."

  Alicia: "E-Excuse me?"

  Lance: "If you didn't fart, then stop stamping, thundathighs."

  Alicia: (Thunder thighs?) "Don't you feel the vibrations?"

  Lance: *He sighed, nodding his head.* "Yea-"

  *Several trees behind Alicia snapped and crashed down to the ground, causing a wave of dirt to blow into the air.*

  Scoldrant: "Yarhyarhyarh." *A large lizard-like Scoldrant stepped towards Alicia.*

  Alicia: "I-It's coming right for us!" *She gasped, taking a step back in fear.*

  Lance: "Relax, stinko. Season said we're invisible."

  Alicia: "Y-You're right."

  Lance: "Pssht, of course I am." *He smirked, wiping under his nose.*

  Scoldrant: "Yarh, yarhyarh." *It continued to stamp towards Alicia.*

  Alicia: *Her eyes widened, preparing herself to jump away.* (N-No, I get the feeling it knows we're here-) *She jumped to the side, effectively avoiding the Scoldrant's attack.*

  Scoldrant: "Yargh!" *It slowly turned around, charging towards Lance.*

  Lance: "Oh, shit nuggets!" *He felt over his body in panic, trying to find his sword.*

  Alicia: "Lance, the RPG bag!"

  Lance: "Shit, I forgot."

  ?????: *She jumped high into the air and spun around, causing her long blonde hair to spiral around her.* "Hermph!"

  Lance: "Aye?" *He looked up and watched the woman kick the Scoldrant off its feet.*

  ?????: *She kicked herself off the Scoldrant, flipping through the air.* "Hermph." *She landed in front of Alicia, facing the Scoldrant.*

  Alicia: "W-Who are you?"

  ?????: "My name is Pepper."

  Alicia: "M-My name is-"

  Pepper: "We can save proper introductions for later, yeah?" *She focused all her attention in front, frowning at the Scoldrant.*

  Scoldrant: *It pushed itself back onto its feet, roaring at the party.* "Yargh!"

  Alicia: "I-It sounds angry."

  Lance: *He glanced at Pepper and Alicia, shaking his head.* "We can't defeat somethin' that big all by ourselves-"

  Pepper: "I say-" *She bent her knees and jumped forward, giving the illusion she flew across the ground.*

  Lance: "The crazy weird girl can fly-?"

  Pepper: "Herh!" *She jumped up and spun around, kicking the Scoldrant in the face.*

  Alicia: (A-Amazing! I should conserve my Neurons, so I can uphold the invisibility.)

  Scoldrant: "Y-Yar-" *It growled at Pepper in defeat, before turning around.*

  Pepper: "I say, retreat." *She formed fists, watching the Scoldrant trample away.*

  Lance: "Y-Yea! And never come back, aye!" *He yelled at the Scoldrant, as it ran through the forest out of his sight.*

  Pepper: "Phew, that was close, yeah?"

  Lance: "Wow." *He faced Pepper, placing his hands on his head.* "How did you defeat it?"

  Pepper: "I don't know."

  Alicia: "W-Where are you from?"

  Pepper: "I don't know."

  Lance: "Rightio, where are ya goin'?"

  Pepper: "I don't know."

  Alicia: "How did that Scoldrant detect where we were?"

  Pepper: "I don't-"

  Lance: "I don't know?" *He sarcastically mumbled, rolling his eyes with a smirk.*

  Pepper: "It must be one of those Scoldrants with high senses?"

  Alicia: "Wait a-"

  Lance: "Then how can you see us?"

  Pepper: "I don't know? I can just, see you." *She shrugged her shoulders in confusion.*

  Alicia: (Maybe the invisibility has worn off?)

  Pepper: *She walked towards a tree, which laid on the ground.* "I say, what are you two doing?"

  Lance: "Ah, ya know, just chillin'."

  Pepper: "Thy don't understand." *She sat down on the log, causing Alicia and Lance to walk over.*

  Lance: "Thy? What the-?"

  Alicia: "Well, my name is Alicia." *She sat down on the log and smiled.*

  Lance: "They call me Lance." *He leant on the
log, pretending to be cool.*

  Pepper: "Alicia, Lance-"

  Lance: *His hand slipped on the log, causing him to fall on the ground.* (Shit, the moss was slippery!)

  Alicia: "Tee hee."

  Pepper: "Hahaha."

  Lance: "Sh-Shut it." *He grunted and jumped back up, positioning himself on the log.*

  Alicia: *She closely observed Pepper, holding her pendant with both hands.* (I have so many questions.)

  Lance: *He glanced at Pepper, scratching the back of his head in pain.* (Pepper's voice sounds deep and mature, but not intelligent sounding as Teresa. It's a break from Alicia's high pitched banshee screams.)

  Alicia: "Pepper, where were you born?"

  Pepper: "I don't know?"

  Alicia: "R-Really?" *She bent forward in a disapproving manner.*

  Pepper: *She gently touched the sides of her head.* (I don't know-) "I don't remember anything."

  Alicia: "Th-Then, what were you doing in this forest?"

  Pepper: "I don't know."

  Lance: "Pssht, not this game again." *He sighed, looking away like a child.*

  Alicia: "Umm." *She nervously bit her bottom lip, staring at her pendant.* "What about the last thing you can remember?"

  Pepper: "The last thing I remember is waking up in these woods, everything before that is a blur."

  Lance: "Such boring questions."

  Pepper: "..."

  Lance: "What I wanna know is, how you kicked the Scoldrant like that." *He enthusiastically kicked the air in front of him.* "It was at least four times as big as us."

  Pepper: "I don't know." *She shook her head, brushing her fingers through her long hair.*

  Lance: "You took down that huge thing and you're like sixteen?"

  Pepper: "I-I don't know."

  Lance: "Well that's all the questions I'm gonna ask."

  Pepper: "I remember seeing you both in trouble and well, something just kicked in."

  Alicia: "W-Well, thankyou very much, Pepper."

  ----------

  Ashton: "So why do we have to take so many breaks?"

  PKMY: "It's because I projected the Astragons in the air, reducing one of the key senses."

  Ashton: "One of the key senses?"

  PKMY: "The ability to feel pain."

  Ashton: "I don't quite follow?"

  PKMY: "The reason for this, is so people who desire to train would be able to do so, without having to stop."

  Ashton: "I get what you mean, but I don't see the point of it? Even though there's no pain, the damage is still inflicted on the body, no?"

  PKMY: "True."

  Ashton: "For example?"

  PKMY: (Heh, he's smart.) "Would you want to stop every hour because of an agonising pain."

  Ashton: "No-"

  PKMY: "For example, reducing the pain would allow someone to walk on an injured leg."

  Ashton: "Oh how careless of me, that's very genius." *He smiled at PKMY, touching his chest where PKMY hit him.*

  Teresa: "A genius?" *She whispered to herself in confusion.*

  Ashton: "I've also noticed, you sound like Teresa a bit."

  Teresa: "Sounds like me? That would be a compliment, I have reason to believe he likes you PKMY."

  Ashton: *He blushed, shaking his head and hands.* "N-No I didn't mean-"

  PKMY: "Heh, if you like me, Ashton, you should tell me." *She played along, stepping closer to Ashton.*

  Ashton: "B-But, I-I-?"

  PKMY: "Heh, it's fine."

  Ashton: "..." *He coughed, regaining his composure.*

  PKMY: *She tilted her head to Teresa, poking her tongue out.* "So-" *She faced Ashton with a smile.* "Shall we get ready to teach you some Rostical?"

  Ashton: "R-Rostical?"

  PKMY: "Eh? I thought you were smart? Wat's with the dumbfounded look?"

  Ashton: "I thought it was impossible for us to use Neurons and Astragons."

  PKMY: *She leant on her side, staring at Ashton.* "Are you stupid?"

  Ashton: "W-Wha-?"

  Teresa: "PKMY, focus on the task at hand."

  PKMY: "Wateva." *She sighed, face palming at Ashton.* "Everything is made up of those two, if you didn't have them before, you do now. But the fundamental rules still apply."

  Ashton: "Rules?"

  PKMY: "Rosterology items, Grand Rostical, the blood of Neurons, Astragons and elemental affinities. Surely Teresa has mentioned this?"

  Ashton: "Oh yes. Good grief, please excuse my incompetence. I understand."

  PKMY: (That's a little better.) *She walked behind the tree, sitting in front of a small pond.* "This is the second part of your training."

  Ashton: "Oh okay." *He quickly walked up to PKMY, sitting down on the grass next to her.* "What would you like me to do?"

  PKMY: "Maybe it would be better if I show you." *She closed her eyes, placing her hands on top of each other.*

  Ashton: (She holds her arms in a defensive-like manner-)

  PKMY: "Now you see the water's surface."

  Ashton: "Right." *He quickly focused his attention to the water.*

  PKMY: "I'm going to concentrate the Astragons to manipulate the surface."

  Ashton: "Yes." *He nodded his head in understanding.*

  PKMY: "In order to maintain this, I'm going to be using the Neurons to hold the Astragons."

  Ashton: "To sum it up, Astragons are the manipulation power, and Neurons are the energy source? I'm positive it's been mentioned several times already, but it's good to refresh my memory."

  PKMY: "That's the basic understanding of it, but not all Rostical works like that, now watch." *She took a deep breath and started to concentrate, causing the water to ripple away from her.*

  Ashton: (The pond's surface moved away from her, amazing!-)

  PKMY: "Now you try."

  Ashton: *He looked to his side, carefully positioning himself like PKMY.* "How do I do it? What do I imagine?"

  PKMY: "Imagine yourself outside your body. You're trying to move the water's surface by pushing it."

  Ashton: (Easier said than done.) *His eyebrow twitched in concentration.*

  PKMY: "..." *She impatiently stared at the water.*

  Ashton: *He opened his eyes and sighed with failure, shaking his head.* "N-Nothing."

  PKMY: "Hmm?" *She placed her finger on her lips, tapping her foot in thought.* "Maybe I have to dumb it down even more?"

  Ashton: (Ouch, dumb it down even more?) *He awkwardly chuckled, scratching behind his head.*

  Teresa: "Perhaps I could offer my assistance?" *She walked towards PKMY with an emotionless face.*

  PKMY: "Pfft, wateva."

  Teresa: "If Ashton had no luck manipulating the water, how about wind?"

  PKMY: *She clicked her fingers and smirked.* "Yahoo, OK!"

  Ashton: *He looked at PKMY and Teresa startled.* "Did I miss something-?"

  PKMY: "Bestow, the cloudy abyss of gravel, MANIPULATE." *She waved her arms, causing green swirls to blow in the wind.*

  Ashton: *He stared at the wind, reaching out in amazement.* (I can see the wind? I can see the air-?!) "Good grief, how did you do that?"

  PKMY: "Easy-" *She faced Ashton and pointed at the air.* "Do the exact same thing to the wind."

  Ashton: "Like what I was doing to the water?"

  PKMY: "Yea, do wat you were trying to do to the water."

  Ashton: "Okay." *He closed his eyes and started to concentrate.*

  PKMY: *Her short red hair flapped to one side, as she stared at Ashton.* (Astragons!? I thought I-)

  Ashton: *He kept his eyes closed, as curiosity filled his face.* "Well, did anything happen?"

  Teresa: "Negative." *She yawned, sitting back down under the tree.*

  PKMY: "Although nothing happened, I'm pretty sure I sensed some Astragons in you."

  Ashton: *He opened his eyes and sighed to himself.* "What does that mean?"

  PKMY: "Perhaps you contain Astragons, but you've got no Neurons to power it up." *She reached behind her back and
leant forward, revealing the RPG bag.*

  Ashton: (She has one of those RPG bags too.) *He watched PKMY shove her entire arm into the bag.*

  Teresa: (If PKMY's hypothesis is correct, perhaps we will get to see Ashton use Rostical shortly?)