((The Attack of the Winged Beasts))

-Orbis shipride Day 2-

I couldn’t sleep last night.

What Grandpa told me about the beasts, I could not stop thinking about it. What if they really come? What if they destroy the ship? The question “what if” ran through my mind almost all night.

When I woke up from bed, I saw Grandpa writing something. I asked him with curiosity, “Good morning Grandpa. What are you doing?”

His only reply was, “Good morning. I’m writing.” Grandpa’s kind of different today…

I left Grandpa writing, and went to eat breakfast. No sign of an ambush like yesterday, I hoped. As I headed to the breakfast area, the ship suddenly shook. The captain told us that it was a storm we are passing. I felt a little scared.

I went back to the room after breakfast, and brought a cup of coffee for Grandpa. He was still writing. I gave him the coffee, and he thanked me. I left him with his writing again, and looked out the window. It was dark outside.

5 minutes later.

I was still looking out the window. It was boring without Grandpa talking. I just sat there, watching the thunder and clouds form. Suddenly, a dark figure flew in front of the window. I think; I couldn’t tell what it was exactly, because it was almost the same color as the darkness outside. Grandpa saw it too. Rushing, with fear on his face, took out his Metus bow and his Arlic Helmet. “Grandpa, where are you going?” I asked.

“Outside.” he said. “Stay here. Do NOT go outside, clear?”

I’ve never seen Grandpa like this. It was really weird. It was like… he was afraid of something. Then I remembered. That nightmare. The story Grandpa told me. Could it be the winged beasts? It was probably that. I kept thinking about it, and it bothered me too much.

About 7 minutes later.

What’s taking Grandpa so long? What’s he doing outside? I couldn’t just stay there. So, carrying my Ryden bow, I ran to the door that lead outside.

When I went outside, I saw a big, dark figure trying to attack Grandpa. I saw him, with other people. From their equipment, I could tell that they were a Dragon Knight, a Priest and a Hermit. Grandpa was using Strafe and Arrow Rain, while the Priest healed him. When I saw the dark figure advance to Grandpa, I couldn’t just stand there, so I shot two arrows at it. It only drew its attention, and started heading towards me. I tried to run back inside, but it was too fast. Luckily, the Hermit shot stars right before the beast attacked me. It disappeared, leaving a dark symbol.

“I told you not to come outside!!” Grandpa yelled at me. Just before I could apologize, I saw another one of the beasts, charging up power.

“Grandpa! LOOK OUT!!”

The beast unleashed a dark lightning, so dark it was almost impossible to see in this kind of weather. It Grandpa directly, and he fell back.

“NOOOOOO!!”

I ran to Grandpa, and the beast saw me. It charged towards me, claws ready to attack. The Dragon Knight hastily attacked the beast, and it vanished like the previous one. I continued running towards Grandpa.

He was lying there. I tried to wake him up, and just for a little while, he did. “Grandson, I knew this would happen. Sorry I wasn’t that exciting this morning; I had to write this. Read it, and be sure to understand it.

“I’m sorry I can’t continue this journey with you. But I wish you good luck. I hope you can make a lot of great companions, and most of all, enjoy your adventure. Now, all my belongings are yours now. They will be transported to you, if you just wish for it. Once again, good luck.”

“Good luck” was his last words. After his short speech, he laid there, closing his eyes forever.

“Grandpa? Grandpa… wake up… Grandpa Glacier!!!”

I didn’t want to relive the horror. I didn’t want to believe Grandpa was dead. I was lying down in bed. Then, I remembered the letter. “Read it, and be sure to understand it.” That’s what Grandpa told me. I slowly opened the letter, and started reading it:

~~~
“Grandson,

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this beforehand, but I did not want to ruin your dreams of not riding an airship. If I told you about this, you would refuse to ride it, and I didn’t want you to do that. You always wished to ride this ship, so my duty was for you to have fun, and protect you.

“From now on, you’re on your own. That does not mean I won’t be watching over you; I’ll be sure to guide you from afar. In a form of an object, I will give you items for protection. First, my favorite hat, the Blue Patriot. It should protect you pretty well. 2nd, my Blue Arzuna. It has a great design and very good defense. One more item, which is very special, is a bow I designed myself. It’s called a Blade Bow. Its design is just like the name. The bow has a blade on it. That means you can use both short range and long range combat. The three cons of this bow is that it is very heavy due to the material, so your swift movement will decrease. Second, you cannot knockback, of course. And last, you must learn Bandit skills. You should find at least one good teacher of Bandit skills.

Grandson, I trust you. I know you will take good care of my items, and you will have fun in this journey. Don’t let my death get in the way. Be happy! That’s how you’re supposed to be.”

Love, Grandpa Glacier.

P.S. – You wondered how I got the money for this shipride, right? Well, I told you I sacrificed something important. It’s called the Eye of Fire. I think there are only three in this world. That’s what the merchant I sold to said. He gave me a lot of cash; which is yours now. Use them well.
~~~

“Grandpa…”

Tears started flowing from my eyes. Grandpa is dead. He is killed because of me. Because I had to go out there. It’s all my fault…

Suddenly, I saw a man in the room. He was a Hermit. I could tell, because I saw steelies hanging from his star pocket. He was playing with a Rubiks cube, trying to solve the little puzzle. He started talking to me.

“So you’re thinking, that it’s your fault your Grandpa died? How could you think that? I mean, he knew this was going to happen.”

“It IS my fault. If I hadn’t went out there, he would still be alive. Just because of my stupid mistake…”

“IT’S NOT!!” he shouted. Calming himself, he continued. “Do not blame it on yourself. You’ll just make matters worse. Do what your Grandpa said in the letter: Be happy! It’s one of his wishes.”

How did he know about the letter? I thought. It was strange how he knew about it. He didn’t even read it.

“This is like a puzzle, just like this Rubiks cube, and the mystery you solved, the one with the locked door. If you think slow and good, you’ll know the answer to anything. Like this.”

He showed me his Rubiks cube, all colors matching. He handed it to me. “Do this puzzle. It could be a practice for you to think correctly. And, wipe those tears. You shouldn’t cry.”

After I wiped my tears off, I looked around the room. He was gone. Who was that guy? He told me something really strange, and helpful at the same time…

Still lying in bed, I started to play the Rubiks cube.

~~~~~

Grandpa’s dead! Nooo!! T_T

Well, this is chapter 4! Sorry I kind of write slow; I don’t write in the weekends. And when I tried to submit it yesterday, MMOTales suddenly wouldn’t work. Well, I hoped you enjoyed this one! Last part was a bit weird.

Aim High!