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Disclaimer: Runescape belongs to Jagex LTD. CCS belongs to CLAMP and Kodansha. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. This fanfic belongs to me!
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Chapter 41 – Ash
I woke up this morning, and found out that I’d only slept two hours… but I wasn’t tired at all. In fact, I felt that I had overslept! I guess I lost track of time while we were fighting off Goblins last night. Nasty little things. They’re easy to kill, but there were hundreds of them…
Well, at least we fought all of them up. Our levels started going up too. That’s a good thing…
Hmm… I’ll have to remember not to wear my gold-trimmed black armor when I use magic. Getting zapped is no fun!
Now what should I do?
Well, Syaoran’s talking to that farmer over there… apparently we’re allowed to just take potatoes and cabbages and tomatoes and onions from the ground…
Interesting.
Well, that will help with the food issue. Apparently food heals our health points, but other than that, you don’t need it.
I think that’s convenient but I don’t have to like it.
I ought to talk to Pika-chan and Sabrina…
Right… maybe not Pika-chan. She’s having fun in the Dream Realm for all I know. Sabrina, however…
With a flick of my wrist, Skymew appears, followed by Sabrina once the transformation is complete. She hasn’t changed much. She’s never been reincarnated, although I haven’t really seen this version of her in the dream realm much.
Perhaps she likes to hide.
Red minidress, black boots, ruby red wings… and she’s still cold and calm and collected as ever. I wonder what happened?
“Hello, Sabrina.”
“Hi, Master Ash – or ought I to call you Harry Potter now?”
“I hate that name, just call me Ash.”
“Very well.”
“So, how was… life?” I ask cautiously.
“Interesting enough, I suppose. I’ve learned a lot through my studies. Time never passes constantly in the Dream Realm anyhow.”
I nod.
“Where are we now?” She looks around. “This isn’t either of the three dimensions I’ve been in…”
Pokeverse, Cosmos, and the world of Harry Potter…
“Somewhere else. I think a game world.”
“Interesting… and why are you wearing blue robes? The look really doesn’t suit you, you know.”
Now she’s critiquing me on fashion? Maybe I’m wrong and she has mellowed. “Well… that would be the effect of wizard’s wear. Apparently the spells backfire on me if I wear armor.”
“It makes sense, metal conducts lightning and magic quite well.”
“Yes…” I pause for a second. “Sabrina, are you bored?”
She shakes her head. “I gave up on a normal life a long time ago, you know that.” She begins brewing some mint tea as she talks, a small ice-fire in her hand… “I like knowledge for its own sake.”
“Are you angry with me?”
Shock. “No, why?”
“Um… I haven’t bothered to talk to you in a long time.”
“You’re busy, life is short as a Realm Guardian, which we both know, and besides – you ought to spend time with your love and sister.”
“Just checking.” I smile.
She hands me a cup of tea, and we sit there in silence… not for very long unfortunately, when a girl comes running up.
“Are you an adventurer?”
“Why yes, I am…”
Yuki/Syaoran waves at me, then shakes his head. I’ll interpret that to mean he’s not interested.
Hm.
She smiles at me. “See, my name is Hotaru. A week ago, my parents were killed by goblins… and I’m looking for someone to avenge their deaths.”
That sounds simple enough. Besides, the reward will probably be decent enough.
Sabrina looks somewhat offended as we follow Hotaru to their cabin. I suppose I’ll have to look for clues now…
Let’s see… a strip of green cloth. That narrows it down. There are four types of goblins here… red, blue, green, and brown. The brown ones are really high-level, but green and red are both pretty low.
Wait a minute…
“What if this was planted here?” Sabrina asks, as I investigate the window. The glass is completely gone…
Hmm? That’s weird.
If someone broke the glass, then… wouldn’t there still be at least a tiny piece or two clinging to the sides…
How odd.
The panes are completely smooth… as if a professional removed the glass. Well, glass is rather rare and expensive. Now…
“Hotaru?”
“Yes?” She asks from outside the house.
“Did your parents have any enemies?”
“Well… Lord Raven, who lives in that huge castle over there, wanted our land but we wouldn’t sell.”
“Did you have glass windows?”
She nods. “I have a second cousin who works as a glassblower on Entrana Island. The windows were a wedding present to my parents.”
That cinches it. Goblins wouldn’t want glass…
“Interesting. I don’t think it was goblins.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll go investigate Lord Raven.”
“Just like that?” Sabrina splutters. < Master Ash… >
< Why not? I doubt there’s a complicated plot. After all, this is a game, Sabrina. >
< Still… >
Good point. “What can you tell me about Lord Raven, Hotaru?”
Her face scrunches up, purple eyes thinking. “Um… well, he likes wine. And jewels. He collects fancy jewelry.”
“That’s good. Thanks, Hotaru.”
“I can’t tell you any more.” She smiles. “Please help my parents!”
“Of course…” After all, I’m a hero – and I like playing hero. Maybe this was why I was put in Gryffindor? Coral and Crystal watch in amusement as I walk towards the castle.
Wine… okay, no problem, there’s a tavern over there and I buy two bottles of wine… and jewelry?
Maybe I can’t craft in this world, since that’s Yuki’s talent, but…
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Scaring the gem merchant away from his stall with a Charizard, that works too! I fill up my bag and then get out of there fast.
Sabrina is still laughing at my antics. But now I think I have the necessary items… then, off we go to the castle. Hm. It doesn’t have any windows. Interesting…
Maybe it is Lord Raven, I’ll just have to go ask…
End Chapter
Completed 4/6/05
Phantomness: *sighs*
Lance: What is it now?
Phantomness: Now to focus on Syaoran or Ash, or to split them apart? Hmm…
Syaoran: It looks like you’ve sent us on different paths already…
Phantomness: *nods* that’s true… maybe I’ll um… not have you meet up again until Triwizad Tournament or something?
Ash: ^-^ You like me better