Albel The Wicked // **Chapter 12** + Soundtrack + Act One Recap [7th December 2009]

[Cadmus]

ALBEL THE WICKED

"After many sleepless nights, I have decided to tell you this story. Embrace it as it is part of history. Of your history."


Genre: Adventure/Fantasy.
Rating: 13+.
Discalimer: 'Albel The Wicked' is a character from 'Star Ocean 3: Til the end of time' whose image and name I've used in this story. I may use other characters from various works in this story but the story itself (storylines and content) is my own work. Enjoy.

x x x x x x

Music:

01. Main Theme
02. Dangerous Forest
03. Battle On
04. Sleepless Night
05. Bring It On!
06. Crimson Albel
07. Hello, Missed You

x x x x x x

Table of Contents:

Act One
01. The Village Of Roses
02. The Visitor
03. Aftermath
04. Just A Moment
05. Dangerous Forest
06. The Last Guardian
07. Finding A Direction
08. To Urgan
09. Stepping Up The Game
10. Crescendo

~ Recap of Act One ~

Act Two
11. He Brought A Revelation
12. The Queen's Request and Kian's Achievement

x x x x x x

I have waited a long time to be able to tell you this story. I wasn't sure at first if I should, but I've had more than enough nights to make up my mind. And on one of those nights, I started to write this. I hope that you will read through it, and most of all, I hope you will understand and embrace this. It is part of history. Of your history.

Please, bear in mind that due to my old age, some of the pieces might be a little bit blurry, while some might be vivid with imagery and details. But all is true.

All is true.

ALBEL THE WICKED
"The Village Of Roses"

It all began on a bright summer morning. Grandpa Calja woke up after a rather nasty dream. It wasn't the dream itself which was nasty in fact, but waking up from it. He had dreamt of his late wife. When he woke up, he felt almost the same pain he felt the day they buried her. Being the man that he was, he didn't let the sadness win over and channelled it into something else.

"Foolish sun, why did you have to wake me up? I curse you!" He said as he shook his fist to the window. Then, after getting out of bed, he felt an ache in his back. "Evil bed, you wish my death, don't you? I curse you!"

He kept cursing everything that annoyed him, until he was dressed and walking towards his Grandson's bedroom. He was certain that Kian (that was his Grandson's name) hadn't woken up yet. So he opened the door, without knocking, and started yelling and lecturing for a minute before realizing that his Grandson's bed was empty.

"The little thief! Sneaking away like that! I curse you!"

To be fair to Kian, he didn't really sneak away like a thief. What actually happened was that he woke up quite early, with dawn itself in fact. That was a new tendency he had developed over the past few weeks. He did his usual few exercises, had a healthy breakfast, and prepared for the day. Since it was the weekend, Kian didn't need to be home, as he and his Grandpa agreed that he would help with the Inn only on weekdays (during the holidays) and the afternoons (during school days). And Kian would've told his Grandpa he was already up if the latter wasn't snoring so loud. And Kian knew it was always best not to wake his Grandpa up, unless it was a terrible emergency.

So, after breakfast and after dressing up that morning, Kian went to the centre of the town. Why the centre? Because it was the busiest place and that was the best spot for Kian to do his job. Well, he called it his job, but his Grandpa called it "foolishness" on more than one occasion. I could just tell you now what job he had, but here is what happened that morning in town. It should answer the question.

But before I go on, I should just tell you what Kian looked like, so you can picture him better as he is going to be in the story for quite a while. He had brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and was quite average in height and weight. Some would say he was a bit shorter than average but it was barely noticeable. He also had a way of dressing up so as to look older than what he really was. He really was sixteen years old. But unfortunately for him, people always thought he looked younger. Some even dared say he looked more to be like thirteen rather than sixteen. What he also carried with him always was a chain whip and a belt with a few bags attached to it. The reason why he had those will be explained in the same event that explains what was the 'job' he had.

Which brings us back to Kian who was walking around in the middle of Jaarys (that's the town's name) when something caught his attention. Not far from where he was standing, a man was harassing a woman. He smirked and breathed in as he rushed towards the action.

"Stop right there!" He said to the man. "How dare you attack a poor defenseless woman? You should be ashamed of yourself! I'll make you crawl back to the hole---"

"Kian? Oh, it's you, Kian!" grinned the woman all of a sudden. Her name was Mrs. Peachpaii, she used to come to Grandpa Calja's Inn quite often on Saturday nights with her husband. He passed away a year ago. She hadn't been to the Inn since. "You're even cuter than I remember. It's been a while! How are---"

"Silence, woman! Can't you see I'm trying to save you?" Kian snapped back.

Poor Mrs. Peachpaii looked around, confused. "Save me?" she said. "From what?"

Kian rolled his eyes as he pointed to the man who was now as confused as Mrs. Peachpaii. He added, just to make sure she would understand, "From this scum attacking you?"

Mrs. Peachpaii looked at the man and exchanged a smile with him. She then turned her attention back to Kian and said, with a bit of a blushed grin, "That's my good friend Jalz. We tend to playfight quite often." She couldn't help but let out a giggle as well. The man, Jalz, chuckled with her. They were both old, and cute in a way.

"Why?" Kian asked after a moment of silence, during which he blinked several times at the pair of friends.

Mrs. Peachpaii was again confused, so she asked, "Why? Why what?"

Kian stared at her for another moment before, saying, rather loudly, "WHY WOULD YOU PRETEND TO BE IN DANGER WHEN I COULD BE SAVING SOMEBODY'S ELSE'S LIFE? YOU STUPID WOMAN! I'M A HERO! YOU DON'T WASTE HEROES' TIME! STUPID WOMAN!"

Poor old Mrs. Peachpaii threw her hand to her heart as if it was about to stop as her good friend Jalz quickly got a hold of her, scared she might faint and hurt herself. Some people passing by even stopped to see what was going on.

Jalz looked at Kian with severe eyes and said, "Now wait a minute, young ma---Hey! Don't walk away!"

But Kian didn't listen, and kept going.

We'll leave Kian for a short moment to focus on something else happening at the same time. The event took place on the outskirts of Jaarys. A group of men, eight of them, all masked, were gathered. They were in an isolated area so the odds of somebody walking in on them were very very low. Only two of them spoke.

"Stop trying to be smarter and stick to the plan, okay?" said the First one. "We really can't afford to make any mistakes here. Do you want the other groups to beat us? Is that what you want?"

The Second one seemed a bit deflated. "No... course not. But I really think my idea is good. Better than the plan we have at the moment. We can get to the target now. We can be the first group to get to it."

"You mean, like for our last mission?" replied the First one. "You DO remember our last mission, right? When we decided to trust you and YOUR idea? Do you remember?"

Again, the Second one seemed even more deflated. "Are you ever going to let that go? It was an honest mistake. Besides, what I'm proposing now is simple logic. It's fail proof!"

Finally, the First one simply slapped him across the face. The other masked men went 'Ooh!', but silently. The Second one lowered his face. He couldn't retaliate, as the First one was his superior after all.

"Good, now, focus! We have to be ready when the time comes! All right?" the First one said. The Second one nodded. Then the First one turned to the other masked men and they also nodded.

Now that's done, let's go back to Kian, who was now in the company of his friends. Well, he called them his 'associates'. They were not close enough to him to be called proper friends. Kian didn't mind it, neither did his associates either. Those associates were: Jesse (a fairly obese girl with purple hair), Dallo (a boy with hairy pimples on his face) and Dyeran (a boy with black skin, the only boy in Jaarys with black skin actually). Those three kids were outcasted by the other kids and they sort of found each other and stuck with each other. And when Kian wanted some help in his quest for heroism, he was turned down by all those he deemed worthy of being his companions. So, in the end, he tried with those three and they accepted. In exchange for their information about anything related to heroic actions or things revolving around heroism, Kian would give them some money (he'd save up his pocket money for that) or sweet foods or other little things that would interest the three outcasts.

Those three kids, who were all of the same age as Kian except for Dyeran who was two years younger, were outcasted for different reasons. Jesse, whose unfortunate obesity was due mostly to a family illness, was always befriended because people felt sorry for her. One day she snapped (she couldn't stomach the fact that everybody was nice to her because they pitied her) and caused a very hysterical scene at a school outing. Since then, nobody ever tried to befriend her.

Dallo, on his very first day at school, was teased by two other boys because of the hairy pimples on his face. He was so hurt that he never believed anybody would want to be friends with him. And even though many tried to be afterwards, he just wouldn't talk to them and always stayed in a corner by himself. And when the loneliness became too much for him, he tried talking again, but since it had been so long since the last time he had a friend, he didn't know how to do it anymore. And whether he liked it or not, the others gave him what he wanted: he became invisible to them.

As for Dyeran, well, ever since he transfered to Jaarys' school (he was originally from another town, another country even), he wanted to be treated differently from the others. He didn't fail to notice that his skin was the only one which was darker than the others, so therefore he felt special (which never happened where he came from) and always expected preferential treatment. He wanted his classmates to always do what he wanted, to give him their toys and sweet foods, and other things. At first the others humoured him as he was new to town and to the country, but then they got sick of his attitude and they all ignored him. He told them they were underneath him and that he didn't need them. But like Dallo, the loneliness got to him rather quickly, and like Dallo, it seemed that it was too late to repair the damage.

There was a river in Jaarys, it was called the Shantay River. It is said that the river had a magical property to it. It would call to all the lost souls in the area so that once gathered they wouldn't be alone anymore. Nobody ever knew if it was true or not. They knew that the river was a place for the 'bad eggs' of Jaarys to gather late at night when everybody else was asleep. But, Kian would say later that indeed, the river was magic, because it was there that he met three lost souls, just like him. He would go there to think and train, and one day, he met The Three Outcasts who came to have a picnic there. Ever since then, it became the place where they would meet to share info and whatnot.

"Apparently someone nearly killed an old woman this morning," said Dallo with a grin. "She was almost shocked to death by some 'hero'".

Kian glared at him but with the hint of a smile. "She was an idiot and she wasted my time. I don't feel sorry for that kind of people," he replied. "Anyway, do you guys have anything? Some runaway criminal? A murderer on the loose? A well known thief who stopped by our town? Anything?"

The Three Outcasts looked at each other not knowing what to say, which, of course, was enough of an answer for Kian. He sighed and kicked a rock into the river. "I'm never going to accomplish anything here. This is the middle of nowhere! How am I supposed to become a hero when there is nothing to be done and no one to be saved?!"

"How 'bout helping out people in their shops and stuff?" proposed Dyeran. "I mean, it's not heaps heroic, but at least it'd be a start." He was going to say more but a look from Kian stopped him from doing so.

"I've been thinking..." said Kian, and he was going to say more but he decided not to. Instead he grabbed a few rocks and started throwing them in the river. He sighed. Another boring day in a boring town.

"Actually, I heard about something," said Jesse as she took a bite of a diet biscuit. "Well, more 'seen something' than heard about it." Kian looked at her and urged her to go on. "There's this visitor who came in town early this morning, he came by the shop to buy some food. He said he wanted to wander in the forest. We told him it was dangerous and it would be best for him to go with a group but he didn't listen. I haven't seen him around town since then. And he's someone quite easy to spot I think." She blushed a little as she said that last bit. But none of the boys noticed it.

"A visitor in danger, eh?" Kian said, more to himself than to his associates. "It's better than nothing, I guess. I'll go and check it out. I'll meet up with you guys later. Cool? Oh, and here's your payment." He threw a little bag at them, it was filled with sweet foods. "Keep your eyes and ears open."

With that, he left them and headed towards the Forest. It was unofficially forbidden to go into the Forest, especially if you were by yourself. The Forest was rather big and dense and it was rather easy to get lost if you didn't know your way well. Also, as the Forest was dense and almost like a labyrinth, it was a prime location choice for thieves. Now and again, the Jaarys Guards would patrol the Forest, but as it was a little town, most of the time, the Forest would remain unguarded as all the Guards (the few that they were) stayed in town.

Kian was used to the Forest. His Grandpa had a map and he took it (without asking, as he knew his Grandpa wouldn't approve) and used it to navigate through the dangerous maze. It could be a rather daunting place that Forest as most of the trees were tall and big, and if they weren't, they were bushy with branches everywhere. Kian spent a lot of time in the Forest, and in the end, the map became useless to him. He knew the Forest like the back of his hand. He was quite proud of that.

Finding the visitor would prove to be a tedious task, as Kian assumed he got lost so he could be anywhere. Kian never believed in chance, but sometimes, he had no choice but to leave things to the whim of randomness. He wandered around, hoping to encounter the visitor. He had to kill a few wild insects along the way too. They were more annoying than harmful at least. Frustration started to get the better of the teenage boy as he killed a rather nasty looking flying bug with his chain whip.

Finally though, luck finally showed its face. Kian heard shouting not far from where he was, so he rushed towards it. He then carefully approached what was this time, a real fight. Or rather, a real mugging. A big man was threatening a young man (Kian couldn't really see) who was on the ground.

"No need to be mean," said the young man, his voice shaking a bit. "You got the money, surely that makes your heart happy and not all 'I want to kill', right?"

The big man grinned a disgusting grin as he replied, "I haven't tasted blood in a long while."

"Taste blood?" the young man chuckled nervously. "Mine doesn't taste very good. I eat like a pig and I drink bad stuff. Really, you'd be best not tasting my blood."

But obviously the big man wasn't listening. Kian smirked as he jumped, cracking his chain whip to let himself be seen. The big man looked at him, surprised. The young man looked just as surprised.

"You look ripe!" the big man grinned again, looking at Kian. "Two ripe fruits in one day. This is my lucky day!" He added as he tightened his grip on a rather big knife.

"I wouldn't be so sure," replied Kian, a smirk still on his face.

"Why don't we just talk about this, hmm? Fighting is so violent and ugly. Not to mention pointless." The young man said with a grin as he crawled away with his hands up from them. They both looked at him.

"Shut up," said Kian. "I'm saving your life!" And with that Kian cracked his chain whip and attacked the big man. It was quick. Kian knocked the knife out of the big man's hand with his first whip crack and then quickly kicked him in his gut. The big man was thrown off by the hit and stumbled back. And when the big man looked at Kian's face, he saw a faint glow in his eyes. That seemed to surprise him, and in a very bad way.

"Y-You have a..." the big man started saying but was unable to finish it as Kian knocked him out with another chain whip attack.

"Heh, now that's more like it!" Kian exclaimed with joy as he cracked his whip in victory. He smiled and admired his work before attaching his whip back on his belt.

"Wow, that was quite impressive," said the visitor as he got back on his feet.

That's when Kian finally had a better look at him. The visitor who seemed no older than twenty had black hair with what seemed to be blond tips, steel blue eyes, fair skin and was dressed in a dark purple top (his belly was bare), long sleeved gloves of the same colour on his arms (his left arm had protection on it and with what seemed to be claws) and what looked to Kian as a skirt (still the same colour) open on the left side and attached by a red belt and flat black thigh (it covered half of them) high boots. The visitor also had shoulder and knee protection. It was strange to Kian, as the visitor looked half warrior and half...

"That's an... interesting outfit," Kian commented with the hint of a harsh tone to his voice. He thought the visitor looked rather girly, which he didn't like at all.

"Oh, thanks! That's nice of you to say!" the visitor replied with a happy grin, obviously not noticing the harsh tone. "You look quite nice yourself! Hehehe!"

Kian made a few steps back. "Please don't talk like that."

"Hmm?" The visitor smiled. "What's your name? Mine's Albel!"

"I'm Kian the Mighty," replied Kian almost absent mindedly. Then a look of shock appeared on his face. "W-what did you just say?"

"What now?" the visitor asked, never losing his warm smile.

"Your name is... Albel? It can't... be. No way. You're not 'him', are you?" Kian asked, rather scared. Scared more of the answer rather than if it was really who he thought it was.

"That's a funny question," replied Albel, grinning. "I am me, hehehe. You're so cute. Definitely the village of roses, I came to, you're the cutest of them all!"

Kian threw his map at Albel and walked away. "I knew it," he thought. "But why would he name himself like that? Or worse, who's the dumb woman who named her child like that?" He sighed. "That guy was annoying though. I can't stand people like him. Ugh." Kian hated that his town was called 'The village of roses'. It sounded so stupid. The reason the town was named so was because of a man. He wanted to win his love's heart so he planted the most beautiful roses you ever laid your eyes on, shaped in a big heart on the greenest field of Jaarys. Roses of all colours were used and all of them were beautiful. That was a long time ago, and people started calling the town 'the village of roses' as every year, at the same date the man unveiled his gift to his love, lovers would offer roses to each other. A tradition which travelled through the country and others as well. Kian hated that. He hated being in the town that created that horrid tradition. And most of all, he couldn't believe a man would plant roses. That was disgusting to him.

After that encounter, Kian didn't feel like going back home or anything. So he did what he always did, he went to his favourite spot. It was the spot he went to when he wanted to think (about important things or just things in general), to reflect and sometimes (when he was sure no one was looking) have a bit of a cry if he needed to. But most of all, it was where he and his best friend used to hang out the most. The spot was on the hill near the Forest, it was rather rocky, so not many people went there. And since it was in the open, thieves didn't care to do their work around that area. It was a good spot if you knew how to get there.

"I miss you," he whispered as the wind softly (and warmly) blew on his face. He was thinking about his best friend. Her name was Sodi. She was fun, bright, strong and always up for adventures. And like Kian, she liked to fight. She was not too bad at it (for a girl, thought Kian). It was her who pushed Kian into fighting actually, and she showed him how boring and stupid his hometown was. She was there for only a year because of her father who had to work in Jaarys. They met at the Shantay River, which used to be the place where Kian would think, reflect and cry. Sodi once caught him crying and told him how ugly it was when a boy cried.

Kian stayed on the rocky hill for a long while before making his way back to his Grandpa's Inn. He thought of meeting up with the Three Outcasts to tell them what happened in the Forest but decided not to. The story in the end seemed more embarassing than heroic, he thought. It could wait until the next time they were to meet up.

When Kian got to the Inn, he stopped dead in his tracks. Fear crawled all over his face and eyes because at the counter, checking in, was Albel. Grandpa Calja even seemed to be having a warm conversation with the visitor. Kian remained speechless, even when Albel noticed him and grinned, saying, "Hey little cutie! You staying at this Inn too? How lucky!"

Kian glared back at him and said, harshly, "What are you doing here?!"

Grandpa Calja gasped and apologized to the visitor. "Please, forgive my Grandson," he said, "he is having one of his moods! I've raised him better than this!"

"I'M NOT HAVING A MOOD!" yelled Kian, before taking a breath. "I'm just asking what is this guy doing here."

Albel chuckled and patted Grandpa Calja on the back. "What a cute thing! If he was a pet, I'd so keep him. Hee!" He said, which brought a big smile on the old man's face.

If it had been biologically possible, fumes would've been coming out from Kian's ears by this point.

"To answer your question," said Albel, his smile never fading in warmth, "I saw the address of this Inn on the map you gave me in the Forest."

Kian sighed as Grandpa Calja was now the one yelling, "W-WHAT?! YOU WENT INTO THE FOREST AGAIN?? AND YOU TOOK MY BLOODY MAP?? YOU SNEAKY LITTLE BASTARD! I CURSE YOU!"

"Oops, sorry," whispered Albel in Kian's ears. "Didn't know it was a secret."

Kian jumped as he didn't see Albel move. He then quickly stepped away from the visitor.

"So, Grandpa," said Albel as if nothing was the matter. "Do I get a room?"

Kian shook his head violently at his Grandpa, and obviously not in a discreet way. Grandpa Calja grinned and handed the visitor a key.

"Welcome to the Village of Roses!" exclaimed the old man with pride.

Kian wished he was at his favourite spot still...

...so he could have a bit of a cry.


Later that night, in an isolated spot, the group of masked men that I mentioned earlier, were discussing their plan.

They were to act soon. Very soon.