~Notes~
Double-dose of ToaLW. Featuring an interview with Creator Gorilla! I’m sorry I couldn’t make the introduction of the third phoneme as dramatic. =/

Phoneme Series Extra #2 The Otis Focus Session 1

Warning: Possible spoilers ahead. Most of it is not. If the question bothers you, skip the answer.

Otis: Hi! It’s your beautiful, handsome host once again, Otis hosting The Otis Focus! Today’s guest gorilla is the Creator Gorilla, and I’m gonna be interviewing him!

Creator: Hurrah.

Otis: Shut up! Anyway, explain what you do, Creator Gorilla.

Creator: I created the Phoneme Series.

Otis: What does that mean?

Creator: I created you.

Otis: WHA?! MOMMY?!

Creator: I think you mean Daddy.

Otis: Nope! Anyway, Creator Gorilla, can you explain to us how exactly you created the Phoneme Series?

Creator: The basic concept was invented in five minutes. It took over a whole month for the entire idea of Tales of a Lost Phoneme to formulate.

Otis: You created me in five minutes?!

Creator: Two seconds.

Otis: …

Otis: Okay! Next question. Who is your favorite character?

Creator: Kunai. He’s actually a lot more complex than you think. I also like Zack. He’s probably the most complicated character in the whole series.

Otis: Explain the origins of the Redheaded Gorilla.

Creator: He came about as a recycled product of a character from another non-Maple related series. Everything about him was kept, down to the elemental sword. The idea for Hybrids came about because of that.

Otis: Non…Maple…related?

Creator: Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.

Otis: Right… What about Cookie Cutter Gorilla?

Creator: Arai…is just hyper. What more can you ask for?

Otis: The Tales of a Lost Phoneme Gorilla had 56 episodes. How many will the Tales of a Lost World Gorilla have?

Creator: Currently there are 81 episodes planned, down to the end.

Otis: Wow! 81 episodes of Lord Otis! Anyway, there are claims that you ripped off some things for ideas, Creator Gorilla. What do you have to say about that?

Creator: No comment.

Otis: You talked a lot about complex characters. What about I, Lord Otis?

Creator: You’re as complex as a peanut.

Otis: Sweet! Hey—wait… Well, whatever! Can you tell our listeners more about yourself, personally?

Creator: I am a 15-year-old sophomore in high school, and my hobbies include eating rice and brushing my teeth. Thank you.

Otis: A lot of people want Cookie Cutter Gorilla back. What do you have to say about it?

Creator: He’s dead. He will not come back to life. That is all.

Otis: You seem to like killing characters off a lot. What do you have to say?

Creator: Next in line for death…Otis!

Otis: NOOO!

Otis: Ahem. Speaking of cookies, what are your feelings about them?

Creator: Cookies are good.

Otis: Okay. What kind of music does Redheaded Gorilla like?

Creator: How is that relevant to anything?

Otis: Just answer the question!

Creator: Rock.

Otis: What is Cookie Cutter Gorilla’s favorite cookie?

Creator: Chocolate Chip.

Otis: What is this about onion juice?

Creator: It’s an allusion to Surixin.

Otis: Su…rix…in?

Creator: He’s your father.

Otis: WHAT?! REALLY?

Creator: No.

Otis: What is your favorite subject in school?

Creator: English.

Otis: What do you like to do when you’re making us?

Creator: Listen to music and chew gum.

Otis: Can you give us possible previews of fights to be?

Creator: Kunai versus all three Soul Eaters.

Otis: Who would win in a fight, Arayu or Zack?

Creator: Zack.

Otis: What was your favorite fight that has happened so far?

Creator: Either Kunai versus Azuria or Ryuu and Shuriken versus Lord Fyx.

Otis: Lord Fyx should’ve easily beat Redheaded Gorilla and Ugly Gorilla! You cheated!

Creator: No, I did not. They beat Lord Fyx fairly.

Otis: Yeah, but that’s two on one! Cheater!

Creator: You know what’s funny? You’re hanging around five people who can squish you with their thumb.

Otis: Are you threatening me?!

Creator: Yes.

Otis: You have a streak of abusing archers in your stories. What do you have to say for yourself?

Creator: Don’t worry, archers will one day be on their way up.

Otis: What’s up next after the Tales of a Lost World Gorilla?

Creator: A couple possibilities. I may choose to do another sequel to the Phoneme Series, or I may choose to pursue the new fanfiction series I already have in the works. I may also go back to my own original work, something I haven’t done in a long while.

Otis: The Christmas season is coming up. Are you going to do a Christmas special like you did for Halloween?

Creator: Yes, probably. It’ll be better than the Halloween special, most likely.

Otis: What would Kunai Gorilla give Ivy Gorilla?

Creator: That’s a secret.

Otis: What will I, Lord Otis, get for Christmas this year?

Creator: A Green Snail shell.

Otis: What are you suggesting…?

Creator: Oh, nothing.

Otis: Can you shed some light on what you’ve got planned ahead for the series?

Creator: Tales of a Lost World will definitely bring about the end of this whole story. If there is a sequel, it will have a new plotline. The whole series will not take place exclusively in the Night World. The last chapter is also currently entitled, ‘Goodbye.’ That’s all I’ll say for now.

Otis: Where do you get your ideas from?

Creator: Various places. Most of it comes from thinking in my spare time. Taking walks does wonders.

Otis: As you know, the Phoneme Series Gorilla is famous for a lot of side switching and traitors. Do you have any more coming up?

Creator: I can’t say that.

Otis: So there will be more?

Creator: No comment.

Otis: Creator Gorilla, in your last episode, you said Ivy Gorilla couldn’t get across the wall because she couldn’t take Kunai Gorilla with her with Teleport. Couldn’t she have used Mystic Door?

Creator: You need to learn how to shut up.

Otis: Hehe! So far, the Tales of a Lost World Gorilla has been filled with fillers and flashbacks. What’s next for the series?

Creator: Starting now, the series will really begin to take off, I promise that. The action will intensify greatly for the next ten plus chapters or so, so the wait has been well worth it.

Otis: Creator Gorilla, a lot of Stupid Gorillas have complained that the Tales of a Lost World Gorilla is too long. What do you have to say about that?

Creator: If you know how to picture it in motion in your head rather than just words, you’ll see why the Phoneme Series is so long.

Otis: Okay! We’re almost done! Do you have any last words, Creator Gorilla?

Creator: Yeah. If you haven’t picked up the Phoneme Series yet, give it a try.

Polls for the next Otis Focus 2:

Who will win in a fight?

Match #1
[ ] Kunai
[ ] Ryuu
Match #2
[ ] Kunai
[ ] Shuriken
Match #3
[ ] Ivy
[ ] Ayame

What has been your favorite battle so far? (pick 3)

[ ] Kunai/Ryuu vs. Regret the Paradox (LP-05)
[ ] Ryuu vs. Ayame 1 (LP-11)
[ ] Kunai vs. Triplicate 1 (LP-14—15)
[ ] Kunai vs. Undead Paradox (LP-29—30)
[ ] Kunai vs. Triplicate 2 (LP-35)
[ ] Kunai/Ryuu/Shuriken vs. Triplicate 3 (LP-43—44)
[ ] Ryuu/Shuriken vs. Lord Fyx (LP-45—47)
[ ] Arai vs. Stone Guards/Arayu (LP-52)
[ ] Kunai vs. Shuriken (LP-53)
[ ] Silver vs. Zack (LP-53-54)
[ ] Ryuu vs. Ayame (LP-54)
[ ] Kunai vs. Azuria (LW-08)
[ ] Kunai/Ryuu/Ivy/Ayame/Sasha vs. Shuriken (LW-13—14)
[ ] Kunai/Ryuu/Ivy/Ayame/Sasha vs. Zack (LW-18—19)

Next Time: Episode 26 The Third Phoneme Appears!

Ayame: Look! The Third Phoneme!

Ryuu: Where?!

Sasha: There!

Ayame: No, there!

Ryuu: Over there!

Sasha: No, over here!

Ayame: There!

Ryuu: Where?

Episode 26 The Third Phoneme Appears! coming soon!

Episode 26 The Third Phoneme Appears!

[Previously…]

A large stone monument stands unmoving in the dark moonlight, with ancient characters engraved onto its rough and jagged surface. This monument stands in the shape of a large archway, several hundred feet high at least. At the center of it, on the ground, is an altar with a podium standing at its center.

Through the empty space under the arch, the faint outlines of enormous wooden doors, ghostly almost, flash in and out of sight, as if composed of a dreamlike substance, leaving one in doubt whether its existence was real or not. To add to the scene of awe, every once in a while the faint creaking of the doors can be heard, drifted forward by the wind.

“What…what in the world is that thing?” Ayame gasps, astounded by the sheer enormity of ancientness of the archway before them.

“That’s—that’s…” Sasha stutters, “Those are the Gates of Hell…”

“I’ve only ever heard of the Gates of Hell in myths,” Sasha gasps, her breath momentarily ripped away from her. “I never knew they actually existed…”

Ayame stands next to her, her mouth slightly open in awe of the dark, ancient monument before her. “What are…the Gates of—”

As Ayame speaks, Ryuu’s eyes stray over to the far corners of his left side, a rather inconspicuous movement. All of a sudden, he shouts out loud, and pushes Ayame over to the side. “Look out!”

Ayame lands roughly on the floor from the impact, crying out loud. She stares up at Ryuu, who is laying on top of her, arms wrapped around her frail body. “Ryuu, what—?”

Ayame stares from the floor as Ryuu rises to his feet again, rapidly drawing his sword without explanation. It flares into life with the breath of fire, as he holds it stretched out at his side.

Facing opposite Ryuu is a young girl, with short brown hair, not quite shoulder-length but still long enough to cover her delicate ears. She wears a robe of strong, yet soft leathery material, accenting her already prominent chest despite her young age. Over her back is a light brown backpack, filled with scattered belongings. In her hands she carries a heavy golden axe—a Helios.

Ryuu blinks in surprise as he takes in the complete sight of this girl. “Wow…y’know, I can’t help but notice this beauty’s got some great curves.”

Ayame suddenly pops up from the floor, kicking Ryuu in the back of the head. He rubs it with a dazed look in his eyes, staring wonderingly at Ayame. “Ayame, what the hell—”

“SHE’S JUST A LITTLE GIRL, DAMN IT! For heaven’s sake, I had no idea you were so perverted,” Ayame screams, jabbing Ryuu painfully on the arm with each syllable.

Ryuu places his hand on his arm, rubbing it delicately where Ayame had poked him. “Oww. For your information, Ayame, I was talking about her Helios.”

“I’m sure you were!” Ayame fumes, folding her arms.

“Stay back!” the girl warns, her breathing heavy. She raises her Helios threateningly once more, and as Ryuu nor the others fail to respond, she swings it again.

In a flash, Ryuu’s sword collides with the full force of her axe, stopping it midway in the air. With impressive strength, Ryuu contains the axe, pushing it back so that the girl can only shake as she struggles against Ryuu’s superior power.

“Let—let me go!” the girl screams, her hands shaking violently, but failing to overpower Ryuu’s unyielding and merciless strength.

“No.” Ryuu reaches out, and grabs the girl’s wrists, dropping his own sword and pulling the Helios out of the girl’s hands with his newly freed arm.

“Ryuu—what are you doing?” Sasha cries, puzzled. “If she’s attacking us—”

“Lily doesn’t know what she’s doing,” Ryuu answers her, without bothering to turn and face Sasha or Ayame. He gently releases his hold on Lily’s wrists, and she takes them back, rubbing them slightly with her brows furrowed.

“She’s the Third Phoneme?!” Sasha shouts, unable to suppress her surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Give me back my axe!” Lily yells, her hands groping for the handle of the axe Ryuu holds just out of her reach. “I won’t let you fools take me! I’ll kill you before I let that happen!”

“I don’t know how much about the phoneme business you’ve been taught,” Ryuu mutters, his voice strangely calm amidst the girl’s panicky tone, “but we’re not your enemies. We’ve come to take you away from the real enemy, the Myougun. We’ve come…with your brother.”

“My—my brother?” Lily whispers, her arms dropping to her sides, awestruck.

Without a word, Ryuu drops Lily’s Helios to the floor, letting it crash to the ground with a dull clang. He picks up his own sword, and sheathes it by his side. “Look. If you don’t believe me…”

Ryuu fumbles around in the pocket of his jacket for several seconds, before withdrawing from it an old picture, stained with age. In it is clearly depicted a tall, dark-haired man, fair of face and stature. His left arm is wrapped around a very young boy, barely old enough to be considered a toddler. His right arm is wrapped tightly around a young girl wrapped in a huddle of blankets. They all appear to be smiling.

“That’s you, your father, and Kunai, your brother.” Ryuu watches fixedly for a moment as surprise dawns on the girl’s face. “Do you believe me?”

Lily only nods faintly, still amazed at the awe-inspiring evidence presented by Ryuu. “It was you then. It was you who they—Bishop Calburn—told me about. You delivered me to this world, didn’t you?”

“So you know something about the Phoneme business after all,” Ryuu growls lowly.

“Of course,” Lily answers, “the priests here have taught me all I need to know. How the Night World and Maple World are allies, how commerce used to be limited all traffic except in necessities…I was taught all about such things. And, of course…my origin.”

“That’s right,” Ryuu replies, “you’re not from this world.”

“So you…” Lily stutters, as if lost for words, “you…knew my father, and my brother?”

Ryuu sighs gruffly, running his hand through his locks of bright red hair. “Yeah. I knew your father. He was my ally, and I could do nothing but watch as he was killed. One of the worst days, no, memories, of my life.”

“What about my brother?” Lily asks, eager for more.

“Your brother?” Ryuu answers absentmindedly, “We got separated on the way here. But he should be on the way now, even as we speak.”

“But what is happening?” Lily asks, her tone suddenly serious. “From what I could catch of the whispered murmurs of the priests here, it seems that a lot of trouble has been brewing in the west. What exactly is going on, with the Charemis, and this Myougun?”

Ryuu shakes his head, his eyes reflective. “That’s a lot to explain. You see, the Myougun are currently after you. That’s the reason why we even worked so hard to hide you here in the first place. But now they’ve found you, and they’re coming after you—”

“Ryuu,” Ayame mutters warningly in the still air suddenly.

Ryuu glances up, puzzled at the urgency in Ayame’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

Ayame only replies by shaking her head, bending low, as if preparing to make a quick lunge. Ryuu tenses as well, noticing for the first time the slight rustling of bushes nearby.

He clasps his hand over the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at the slightest sign of an ambush. As the rustling grows louder, Ryuu springs, waving his sword through the air. Its bright fire glares through the darkness, the sole benefactor of light in the murky darkness.

“Whoa!” a familiar voice cries, and Ryuu only draws to a stop just in time before singeing Kunai over the top of his head with his sword.

Ryuu draws back his sword, sheathing it. He sighs, and turns as Kunai and Ivy scramble out of the bushes where they’d been hiding.

“Careful where you aim, Ryuu,” Kunai cries hoarsely, brushing loose fragments of brambles off his armor. “Don’t wanna set me on fire, now.”

“Why were you even bothering to hide…?” Ryuu growls irritably.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Ivy mutters, painfully prying thorns off her bare skin. A couple tears slide down from the pain of splinters caught in her arms.

Kunai grabs Ivy’s arm, examining it carefully. “Sorry for making you move through all those thorns, Ivy.”

“I-It’s okay!” Ivy replies, shrugging it off with a nervous laugh, “it’ll go with my staff! Thorns, and…thorns! Get it? Haha!”

“O…kay…” Kunai mutters, laughing slightly despite himself. Suddenly, he turns, having noticed Lily for the first time. “Whoa! Hey, wait a minute! Who’s this beautiful girl?”

Ryuu folds his arms wearily while Ayame’s eyebrow twitches exasperatedly. Ivy folds her arms as well, staring fixedly at the back of Kunai’s head.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Kunai,” Ryuu growls, “that’s your sister you’re talking about.”

“My…my…WHA?! That’s my sister?!” Kunai screams, pointing at Lily.

“Men can be so easily impressed by a good-looking girl…” Ayame sighs. Sasha marks her agreement with a slight nod of approval.

“Lily,” Kunai mutters, his tone serious now. “So this is it, right? Lily, we’ve got her…we’ve got the Third Phoneme!”

“Yeah,” Ryuu mutters, “we’ve got her. Stage one of our mission is complete.”

“Huh?” Kunai asks, puzzled. “Stage one? What’s stage two?”

“Run away,” Ryuu replies simply.

“Run…run away?” Kunai mutters exasperatedly.

“Well,” Ayame replies, “the Myougun are looking for Lily. So it’s no use staying in one place, we’d get caught. We’ll have to find a way to conceal her location, or else the Myougun are gonna keep coming after us.”

“After that,” Ryuu throws in, “then we can fight. We’ll put a stop to the Myougun and Lord Kimura’s plans once and for all. We’ll fix the way things are run right now, with the Myougun in power…”

“Where are we gonna go?” Sasha asks, turning to the others, “obviously, the worst thing we can do right now is stay here, since this is exactly where the Myougun are headed.”

“We’ll leave the Night World,” Ryuu replies, “we’ll just leave here. It may buy us some time.”

“And go where?” Ayame asks, “Rift? Maple? How are we even gonna get there?”

Ryuu glances back at the valley stretched out under a hazy mist before him. He stares for one long glimpse at the glowing windows of the temples below. “The priests here may know something…”

“If anyone knows anything around here,” Lily begins, “it’s Bishop Calburn.”

“Where can we find this Bishop Calburn?” Sasha asks, turning to Lily.

Lily shrugs, pointing to the largest of the temples below them. “He’s in the main temple. Now might be a bad time, though. He’s waiting for the Lord K-K—whoever, to arrive.”

“So we actually got here ahead of time,” Ryuu mutters. “Strange…Lord Kimura was way ahead of us when we set out for here. How could we have actually arrived early?”

“I’ve no idea,” Kunai answers. “That’s pretty suspicious if you ask me, though.”

“Well then what’s the plan in the meantime?” Ivy asks, glancing around at the entire group.

“Let’s go see that bishop guy. They may be able to tell us how to get out of the Night World,” Ayame suggests. “It’s probable that they may be able to help us.”

“But what if Lord Kimura arrives while we’re talking with the priests?” Sasha wonders, “If that happens, the likelihood of us escaping will be even lower!”

“It’s a chance we have to take,” Ayame replies, “without any help, we probably won’t get far. If we just keep wandering around aimlessly, the Myougun will catch up to us sooner or later. Besides, if Lord Kimura does arrive before we get a chance to escape, we can always buy us some time if Ivy uses Mystic Door for us.”

Ivy starts in surprise at Ayame’s suggestion. Ayame glances at her wonderingly. “You can cast Mystic Door, can’t you?”

“Um…r-right,” Ivy mumbles, fingering a loose thread in the sleeve of her Dark Anakarune.

“Ayame’s right,” Ryuu agrees, “her idea’s probably the best course of action.”

“Right,” Lily replies, “then I’ll show you to the main temple now. Bishop Calburn and some of the other head priests are gathered there now.”

Moths hover about the dim, flickering light of candles in a large temple-like room, low ceilinged and poorly furnished, with only wooden chairs and tables to fill the empty space inside. At the end of the narrow room is an altar, with a stone statue of an old, grayed man standing upon it, the flames of lighted candles dancing at its feet.

Gathered inside this small temple is a group of robed clergymen, a grave expression printed on each one’s face. The apparent leader, dressed in a modestly elaborate white robe, stands with his arms hidden beneath the long, folded sleeves of his robe. He stands without moving, a silent specter watching the solemn, endless night over the land.

The other priests within the chamber wear plain, simple brown robes, fastened at the waist with a length of snaky rope. They sit, gathered around the wooden table and murmuring amongst themselves.

At either end of the only entrance stand two Church Guards, clad in the heavy armor similarly seen in the city of Meridean. On their chests are the badges of the Night World’s papacy. Each is armed with a Holy Spear, and carries its shaft in clenched hands in a ready position for attack.

The sudden clink of armor causes Bishop Calburn to turn. A short, stubbly gray beard hangs about his chin, and the rough, jagged points of his coarse hair lies under a bishop’s hat. Bishop Calburn hurriedly grabs his Dark Ritual, which had been leaning against the wall nearby the door.

As he turns the corner to peer into the darkness outside, Calburn notices for the first time that his two guards are poised to attack, their spears pointed to a group of strangers gathered outside. The brown-haired head of Lily can be seen amongst this group.

“Lily!” he quietly murmurs, running outside to join the guards. “What is the meaning of this?” Bishop Calburn cries angrily, gesturing at Kunai, Ryuu, Ivy, Ayame, and Sasha with his staff. “We’ve been careless, it seems! The criminals of which the noble Lord Kimura spoke of have arrived and captured the Phoneme without our realizing!”

There is a hubbub behind Calburn as the other priests, shout, running to the entrance and grabbing their staffs, their voices rising in a single commotion to support Calburn.

“We mean no harm,” Ryuu answers Calburn. He raises his hands, and motions for the others to do the same. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. Lord Kimura is not on your side, we are.”

“It’s true,” Lily adds, “what they’re saying is all true.”

“What…?” Bishop Calburn stammers, “What is the meaning of all this?”

Ryuu turns to Calburn, magnetizing him with his penetrating green stare. “It means that we’re here to save the Third Phoneme.”

Before Calburn has a chance to respond, he is interrupted by a deafening boom, as black clouds form in the sky, rumbling with the murmur of madness. With a bang, a spear of black lightning crashes in a straight line down onto the desolate plains below, and a dark figure emerges from within the blast of electricity.

Next Time: Episode 27 The Iris and the Lily

Otis: Two flower gorillas?! What’s the meaning of this?!

Ryuu: What are you babbling about in there…

Otis: Nothing!

Episode 27 The Iris and the Lily coming soon!