They were in the Cardian Sea when the storm hit. Took them completely by surprise. Here they were, miles from civilization, and in the middle of one of the worst typhoons this region had ever seen. Their ship, the Sea Wolf, was being tossed about by the fifty-foot waves. The winds howled about, and the rain was pouring down so hard that they could barely see. An enormous wave crashed into the ship, sending everything that wasn't tied down skating across the deck. A few barrels that had not been tied down properly came loose of their bindings and rolled about the deck. One of the cannons was sent over the rail and into the sea. At the helm of the ship, a young man of about 18 was trying with all of his might to hold the wheel straight. He was tall, about 5' 11", and powerfully built, wearing a simple white tunic and brown pants, with heavy boots planted far apart for stability. A smaller figure, a young man looking only slightly younger, dressed in green pants and a loose white shirt with a green bandanna wrapped about his head, stood up from the corner where he had been knocked by the force of the wave.
"Are you all right?" he yelled over the howling winds. His friend at the wheel gave no indication that he had heard him. "Cyrus!" he yelled, "are you okay here?"
Cyrus looked up at him and flashed him a quick grin. The young man ran out onto the deck, nimbly dodging a few rolling barrels. He called to a figure clinging to the mast, attempting to be heard over the storm. "Cut the sails! Cut them now!"
His companion, a young man, about 19 years old, and clad all in red, with long, white hair whipping about his face, was holding onto the mast of the ship with his legs as he clung desperately to one of the ropes. He looked down, finally noticing his friend.
"What?" he yelled. "Sav, I can't hear you!"
Sav'ran pointed to the sails, which were billowing in the fierce wind. The white-haired one followed his friend's indication and looked back. Sav'ran was making cutting motions.
"Are you insane?" he shrieked over the wind. "If we lose the sail, we're stuck out here!"
"It's the sail or the mast! The storm's too strong, we can't furl it!"
Cyrus noted Sav'ran and Vincentio yelling at each other about something, but he couldn't hear a word over the storm. Another wave rocked the ship, and Sav'ran almost lost his footing. Cyrus felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Xoria, her white cloak pulled tightly around her, providing meager protection from the storm.
"How is he?" Cyrus yelled through gritted teeth as he tried to maintain their course.
She smiled at him. "He'll be fine. You know how he hates sea travel." Cyrus nodded. "Well, this is really bad for him."
Cyrus nodded again and returned his attention to the squabble between Sav'ran and Vincentio. She followed his gaze, and then ran out to stand beside Sav'ran.
"What's wrong?" she shouted over the storm.
"He won't cut the sail! The wind's gonna tear up the mast if we don't cut it!"
"Vince!" she yelled up at him. "Do as he says!"
Vincentio couldn't hear her over the winds. "What?"
Sav'ran went over to one of the belaying pins holding one of the ropes in place and drew his cutlass. He put his other hand on the pin, readying to take it out.
"Sav'ran! Don't! He'll fall!" she rushed over to him.
Just then a wave crashed over the deck, washing her overboard.
"Gotcha!" Sav'ran managed to grab her outstretched hand before she went over.
"Xoria!" Vincentio shouted, and slid down the rope that he had been hanging on to. He ran over to where Sav'ran was helping to pull Xoria on board. He grabbed her other hand, and they pulled her on deck. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine" she coughed.
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating it. Sav'ran looked up, frozen in fear.
"What is it?" Vincentio asked.
"The sail may not be a problem"
"That's good"
"No it's not" and with that, Sav'ran stumbled over to where Cyrus was steering the ship. Vincentio watched as Sav'ran began yelling and pointing straight ahead of them. Vincentio looked to where he was pointing, trying to see beyond the stern. Another bolt of lighting came, just then, and Vincentio noticed the island in front of them, as well as the rocky outcroppings that they were headed straight for. Before he could react, Vincentio felt rather than heard the crash, and felt himself lifted into the air with violent force. Xoria was torn from his arms. He felt himself flying through the air, then he hit his head on something, and everything went dark.
"No, no. You're holding it wrong. Here…" the knight corrected the young boy's grip on the wooden practice sword. The boy nodded and set himself into the stance he had been taught. "Good…good, now, come"
The knight set himself into a purely defensive stance as the 8-year old boy gave it everything he had. The knight blocked or parried every one of the boy's attacks with his own wooden sword. After a few strikes, the knight struck the boy's sword arm with his sword, and the sword fell from his grasp.
"Owwww!" he cried.
"Are you all right?" concern showed in the knight's blue eyes.
"I'm fine" the boy said, struggling to fight back tears, and not wanting to cry in front of the knight.
"There's a lad" the warrior patted him on the back. "Tough it out"
"Cyrus!" came a woman's voice from the hallway outside. "Cyrus, where are you?" Then she appeared in the doorway, a woman of not more than 26 with an apron over her clothes and a wicker basket full of laundry under her arm. "Cyrus! Really!"
"Now you've gone and gotten me in trouble" young Cyrus said, despite the fact that it had been his idea for the knight to train him. The knight chuckled.
"I hope he didn't bother you Sir Garland" Cyrus' mother said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.
Garland laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. "He's no trouble at all. It's a pleasure and an honor to teach him some of what I know"
"I just don't think it's a good idea, Sir, if you'll excuse me sayin' so. He needs to be doin' the cleanin' jus' like he's supposed to."
"Now, now" Garland said, "If I may…"
"Yes?"
"Now, it may be a little too early to tell, but I believe your son may have some talent." Little Cyrus' eyes lit up. "And he's got heart, and a willingness to learn. I'd be doing my own master a disservice if I didn't train him. Not after I was taken in in a similar manner."
"Oh, but-"
"And I'll personally make sure that he gets into the Academy of Steel here in Cornelia."
"We couldn't possibly afford-"
Garland raised his hand to stop her. "I can cover the expenses."
"Sir Garland, you're too kind…you mustn't…"
"He deserves the best that can be offered"
Cyrus' mother was blushing. "Yes, but…"
Cyrus tried to be unobtrusive, aware that his future hinged on this discussion. He busied himself examining Garland's magnificent broadsword.
"And you…" Garland said, cupping her face in his hand. "You deserve better, too"
Cyrus examined Garland's blue and gold lacquered armor. Next to it, in a glass case, hung a pendant with a crystal on it, slowly spinning. But Cyrus wasn't watching the crystal; he was more interested in the reflection of Garland kissing his mother.
Over the next 10 years, Cyrus and his mother were well cared for by Garland. During the years of the war with Pravoca, Cyrus was admitted into the Academy of Steel. Garland had instilled in him the ideals of honor and fairness. He lived by the Warrior's Code, and thrived upon the Discipline of Steel. He graduated at the top of his class, feeling that he had lived up to the expectations that Garland had set for him. But by that time, Garland had already been exiled.
There had been a disagreement with the king, and in the heat of the moment, Garland had lost his temper and had drawn his sword on him to make a point. As a result, King Ren had exiled Garland and forbade him form ever entering the kingdom again, on pain of death. Before he left, Garland left most of his possessions to Cyrus' mother, including the estate that they all had lived on, and most of his wealth. To Cyrus himself, Garland gave the broadsword that had been a gift from the king fifteen years ago for defeating the dragon that had been menacing the kingdom. He had taken with him little more than his horse, his armor, and the sword that he had brought with him when he arrived from far-off Onlak, the sword with which he had slain the dragon. Cyrus had wept to see him go, but remembered his last words to him: "Be true to yourself, always. Never stray from the path that you have set yourself upon, whatever that may be. I know you'll make the right choices, as perhaps I have not. I know you will go far. I'm very proud of you."
Cyrus had never known his true father. He had died when Cyrus was very young, killed by the very dragon that Garland had later slain, leaving his mother a young widow. After Garland had arrived, his mother had entered his household as a maid to support her child. But it had become more than that. And it was with a heavy heart that Cyrus watched the only father he would ever know ride in shame away from Cornelia forever.
After he graduated, Cyrus was soon admitted into the Royal Guard, on recommendation from his teachers at the Academy. This was an immense honor, only the most elite warriors were asked to guard the Royal Family. One night, as he patrolled the halls, he heard a scream from Princess Sarah's room. He rushed for her room as the door burst open, and an armored figure stepped out, with the unconscious princess slung over his shoulder.
"Stop right there!" Cyrus shouted, drawing his sword. "Unhand the princess!"
The figure turned, sword in hand. Cyrus froze. The figure's identity was unmistakable, the horned helmet with the visor down. A few locks of long, blond hair peeking out from the rim, and the cold, blue eyes staring out from the helm.
"Garland!" Cyrus said, barely audible. He was in shock, and only his trained warrior's reflexes allowed him to raise his sword to deflect the blow from his old mentor. Even so deflected, the force was enough to take the surprised warrior off his feet. Cyrus was swept aside and slumped to the floor, still wide-eyed in disbelief. The other guards rushed past, chasing after the kidnapper as he made his escape.
"What happened?" Queen Jayne rushed to him and knelt beside him. "Cyrus! What has happened?" He could not bring himself to answer. She went into Sarah's room and came out again almost immediately. "What has happened Cyrus? Where is Sarah? What happened to my daughter?"
Cyrus finally raised his eyes to meet hers. "Garland"
The call had gone out a long time ago. Back when the prophet Lukhin had been in the court at Cornelia. He had made the prophecy that four "Light Warriors" would come, each bearing a crystal, and it was they who would quest and rid the world of the monsters plaguing it. Furthermore, he foretold that it was in Cornelia, city of dreams, that the Light Warriors would first appear. Shortly thereafter, Lukhin left Cornelia, regretting that he would not see them first, but preparing for their arrival elsewhere. This prophecy gave hope to the people. But after many years, no warriors came, and the dream was forgotten.
When Princess Sarah was kidnapped, King Ren sent many men after Garland to retrieve her. None were successful. To meet Garland's ransom demands, King Ren would have to halt construction on the nearly completed Great Bridge that he was building as a part of the peace treaty with Pravoca. He was holding out in paying the ransom until the deadline was up, hoping that the Light Warriors would come and rescue his daughter.
Cyrus moped about at home. For his failure (and apparent lack of effort) the night of the kidnapping, he was dismissed as a member of the Royal Guard. He had since recovered from the shock of seeing Garland kidnap Princess Sarah, and was now determined to make up for his failure.
His mother approached him as he brooded in his quarters. She laid her hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him. "It's hard to accept, I know"
"It's impossible to accept!" he exploded. "And there's nothing I can do. I just wish I could do something, anything, to make this right."
His mother searched his face, and, finding no weakening in his resolve, sighed. "Garland left something for you. He said I'd know when to give it to you. I think now is the time."
"I don't want anything from him."
"Just come with me" She led him to her chambers where sat, on her dresser, what looked like a box covered in a blue velvet cloth. She removed the cloth to reveal a glass case, in which hung a pendant with a crystal on it.
"Mother is this…?"
"I believe so. And no matter how much I try to deny it, I see in you a strength and determination beyond your years, much like your father. I'd rather see you safe, here, in Cornelia, but you need to follow your own path. You were made for bigger and better things, and I think being a Light Warrior may be one of them."
Cyrus carefully removed the pendant from the case and put it on around his neck. It flickered briefly in recognition of him, and fell dormant again.
"Do they know where the others are?" his mother asked.
"One of them. Two days ago, a dwarf caravan came into town. They had with them a human with one of these around his neck. That's the only one I've heard of. Although, I've heard it said that the priests of Ysgard have been keeping another one safe for a long time now."
"Well" his mother said, "go and present yourself to the king."
On his way through the streets to the castle, Cyrus heard some commotion from the other end of town, near the docks. A man came running from that direction, yelling, "They found another one!"
"Hey!" Cyrus shouted, "what's going on?"
The man stopped running, and excitedly said, "A ship just came in from Pravoca, and one of the sailors has a crystal! I must go tell them at the castle!"
A crowd came from the docks, carrying a rather frightened-looking young man on their shoulders. He was of a slimmer build than Cyrus, wore green pants, soft brown boots, a loose white shirt, over which was a green vest, and a bandanna of the same green over his head, covering most of his hair except for a few bangs. Cyrus followed the crowd until they brought him to the castle. The castle guards escorted the young man into the throne room. Cyrus attempted to follow, but was stopped by the guards at the throne room.
"Sorry, Cyrus, but you're not a guard anymore, I can't let you in."
"You sure?" Cyrus said, grinning, and pulling the crystal out from underneath his tunic.
"Is that…?"
"Sure is. Open up!" The doors were opened immediately, and Cyrus stepped through to hear King Ren talking.
"…And that makes two! Remember what you said, Xion, if all three show up, you'll send one of your number with a crystal as well." Xion, the high priest of Ysgard, nodded silently, and then he turned to look at Cyrus, who had just entered. "Cyrus!" the King exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing here? I thought-"
He was brought up short as he saw the crystal around Cyrus' neck. It flickered with light momentarily, as did those of the two other young men in the room. They also seemed surprised by this display of the otherwise-dormant crystals. One of them was the sailor from before. He looked to be a year or so younger than Cyrus. The other one, the one that had arrived with the dwarves, was of indeterminate age. In fact, he was of indeterminate everything. Cyrus could tell by his shoulders that he was an inch or two shorter than the sailor, but beyond that, it was anybody's guess. He wore a tall, pointed brown cloth hat, brown gloves, and a long blue robe. The hat was pulled low over his head, and the robe pulled high enough that most of his face was covered. Cyrus could only make out his amber-colored eyes. Actually, Cyrus wasn't sure if he was a 'he' at all.
"Well, now" Xion said, coming forward. "It looks like I have a promise to keep, and preparations to make. Your Majesty, the fourth Light Warrior will be present here and ready to go first thing tomorrow morning." The he spoke some strange words. "Egress Xetra Incantum Talthos!" and in flash of light and color, he vanished.
"Well, then" King Ren said, "until the fourth shows up, you are all welcome to stay here in the castle." He clapped his hands, and the chamberlain escorted them out of the throne room and to the guest chambers of the castle.
"My things!" the sailor said. "I didn't get them off the boat!"
"No need to worry" the chamberlain assured him, "your belongings have already been brought to the castle and are in your room."
"Umm, thanks"
"I'm going to need to stop by my home, as well, chamberlain. I have things I'm going to need."
"Of course, Master Cyrus"
"Cyrus, huh?" the young sailor extended his hand, "My name's Sav'ran Tar'Ki'En'Sharan. You can just call me Sav'ran, or just Sav, whichever you prefer."
"What about you?" Cyrus asked, turning to the cowled one.
He looked up at them. "Teraptus."
"Teraptus? That's an odd name." Sav'ran said. "Where are you from?"
Teraptus didn't speak.
"Okay…touchy subject, sorry."
They went to their rooms in silence. Cyrus' room was right across the hall from Sav'ran's room, which was right next to Teraptus'.
"See you tomorrow"
"Sure thing"
The next morning, they assembled in the throne room. Cyrus had gone home the night before and retrieved his sword and armor, though he was not wearing them now. Xion was there, his white hood thrown back for a change, and revealing long, light brown hair, the same color as his beard.
"Are all the Light Warriors here?" King Ren asked.
"Here's the last," Xion said. "The most gifted youngster of our order" He stepped aside and a rather pretty girl stepped out. She looked to be no more than 17, and she wore a white cloak and robes with a pattern of red triangles on the hem that marked her as a priestess of Ysgard. Her crystal was worn on the outside of her clothes, and as she stood next to the others, the crystals once again briefly flickered and fell dormant.
"What is your name?" the king asked.
She looked up briefly. "Xoria" she answered and then lowered her gaze again.
Teraptus, Cyrus noted, was looking at her a little longer than he and Sav'ran had. He managed to hide a small smile.
"Welcome Light Warriors!" the king said, "Your coming has been foretold by the prophet Lukhin, and now that you have arrived, the time has come to rid the world of the evil that has been plaguing it."
"But Sire," the chamberlain objected, "aren't they awfully young to be heroes? Can we be sure that these are the ones that Lukhin spoke of? Or at least, that this is the time to send them? We wouldn't want to send them out if they're not ready, the prophecy may be lost forever."
"Surely it is no coincidence that these four youths have appeared here in Cornelia, just as Lukhin spoke. He said they would appear when the time was right. Now that they are here, we can only assume that these must be the Light Warriors. But before we send you out into the world, Light Warriors, perhaps you could do something for me?"
The four youths waited expectantly.
"My daughter, Sarah, only 16 years old, has been kidnapped by a man named Garland, once an honorable knight here in Cornelia. He's holding her hostage. I beg of you, Light Warriors, please, save my daughter! If you do, then we can afford to finish building the bridge to the northern continent, which will make travel to Pravoca that much easier."
"One question, your Majesty," Cyrus said, "before we go. What exactly happened that made Garland so angry? I knew him in the old days, and he was not a man who would have done something like this." Cyrus stepped forward. "What did he do that caused you to exile him?"
A resigned look came over the king's face. "I knew you'd ask that question, Cyrus. Very well, I shall tell you. Garland was in charge of all the armies of Cornelia during the war with Pravoca. Now, as you may know, the war started because our merchant vessels continuously came under attack by Pravocian privateers. Near the end of the war, when victory seemed imminent, the Pravocian government proposed an armistice, until a suitable treaty could be drawn up. They claimed that the 'privateers' were pirates, and not working for their government. To prove it, they rounded up several of them, and had them publicly hanged. Garland was furious that we were signing a peace treaty with them when we had been on the verge of total victory. There had been an argument, and he drew his sword in the throne room, and waved it about as he shouted. He was restrained and exiled for it. As you know, drawing a weapon in front of the king is grounds for imprisonment, but waving it about like that and threatening me, well, that called for something a little more extreme."
"He was against the peace treaty? That doesn't sound like the Garland I know. There's got to be more to the story than that."
"I'm sorry that it's hard for you to accept, Cyrus, but that's the story. If there's more to it, I am unaware of it. I've told you all that I know."
"Yes, Sire, I believe you. We'll do everything we can to rescue Princess Sarah quickly."
"Good then, you should be off quickly. My chamberlain shall provide you with what can be spared from the royal treasury."
And with that, their adventure began.
When they left the castle, Xoria let out an explosive sigh of relief.
"Whew! I'm glad that's over with. He was so boring!"
Cyrus and Sav'ran looked a little startled at her outburst, then chuckled.
"That's true. King Ren has never been what you'd call an exciting person." Cyrus remarked.
"Well, he's nowhere near as boring as Xion. That stodgy old man has absolutely no sense of adventure whatsoever!"
"Well, I'm glad to see that you do. For awhile there, I was beginning to think that you were gonna be just like most of the priests of Ysgard that I met when I was younger."
"And how is that?" she inquired.
"Oh, you know…really pious, quiet…all serene and stuff."
"Well, that's not me" she said. "Hey…Sav'ran, right? I hear you're from Pravoca. What's it like?"
"Oh, well…It's not much different from Cornelia, I guess. Except that there's no king. It's a smaller town, and we're ruled by a council."
"Cyrus, you're from here in Cornelia, right?"
"Yup, lived here my whole life…not that I'm proud of that"
"And you used to know this…Garland?"
"Yes" Cyrus said sadly, "he was like a father to me. He raised me, taught me how to fight, and even paid my way into the Academy of Steel. He and my mom had a thing for each other."
"Oh," Xoria said sympathetically, "it must have been hard when he was exiled."
"Very. Can we…talk about something else?"
"Sure"
"How about you, Xoria?" Sav'ran asked. "Where are you from?"
"Well, technically Cornelia, but I've spent most of my life in the Temple."
"That explains why I've never seen you before" Cyrus remarked.
"Yeah, both of my parents were priests of Ysgard, so I grew up there. But they died when the temple was attacked by a dragon when I was little, so Xion took me in."
"Yeah, my dad was killed by the dragon, too. I never even knew him."
"Same here. Anyway, Xion eventually became the high priest of the temple, and I was expected to be a priest, too."
"Wait," Sav'ran said, "your parents were both priests? Don't priests have to take a vow of celibacy or something?"
"No, not really. Some do, but it's a personal choice."
"Are you going to?" Teraptus asked, speaking up for the first time.
"Well, he does speak after all!" Xoria said, feigning amazement. She smiled sweetly at him. "Why do you want to know?" She winked. "Interested?"
"Fine" he said, turning about, and continued walking.
"I'm only teasing, Teraptus. Jeez, lighten up a little, won't ya'? And the answer to your question is no, I don't plan on it. I think love is a beautiful thing, and I definitely want to experience it someday."
"Got anyone in mind?" Sav'ran said with a wink.
"Well, well, I just seem to be surrounded with suitors. I should have left the temple a long time ago."
"Hold on" Cyrus said, stopping in front of one of the shops.
"What is it?" Xoria asked.
"Do you all have weapons or armor?"
"I have a cutlass in my bag." Sav'ran said. "But I don't have any armor. Bad idea at sea, you know."
"Well, we're probably gonna be on land for some time, how about some chain mail, like mine?"
Sav'ran was apprehensive. "I don't know. I'm a little more used to being able to move around. Chain mail might be a little too heavy."
"Leather, then?"
He nodded. "Leather should be perfect."
"Xoria?" Cyrus asked.
She stared at him. "You've got to be kidding. I wouldn't be able to move to cast spells if I wore any armor."
"All right, weapons, then? What can you use?"
"I gotta stop by the chapel here in town. The priest was a friend of my parents'. He has something for me. I'll go get it while you're shopping."
"Sure thing. Teraptus?"
"Umm, I've got a dagger…" he pulled the dagger out of it's sheathe.
"Oooh, nice" Sav'ran said, looking at it. "Mithral. A gift from the dwarves you were with?"
Teraptus nodded.
"Any armor?" Cyrus asked.
"I've…never worn armor before, It'd probably slow me down."
"You're gonna fight with a little knife like that, and not wear any armor?"
"Well…I…"
"Leave him alone, Cyrus. Just go and buy what you need to" Xoria said.
"All right" Cyrus said, and he entered the shop. He came out with leather armor for Sav'ran, and several potions. As Sav'ran and Cyrus donned their armor and belted on their swords, Xoria came back from the chapel, holding and iron-shod staff.
"This used to be my mom's" Xoria said. "Her friend was holding it for me in case I ever decided to go out into the world on my own."
"We ready? Let's go, then"
And they set off.
Those that had been sent out after Garland reported that he had set himself up in the Temple of Fiends, where the dragon that had terrorized the country had come from. It was several miles to the northwest, and they couldn't afford horses, so they had to travel on foot.
"It should take us about a day" Cyrus said, consulting the map that they had been provided.
"Do you think we'll meet any trouble on the way?" Xoria asked.
"Well, there's a lot of wolves about, but they usually don't attack people."
"That 'usually' has a ring of frequency to it, Cyrus" Sav'ran remarked dryly.
"Well, the normal ones don't. Sometimes, though a warg will lead a pack of wolves. And that's when they get belligerent."
"Warg?" Xoria asked. "What in the name of Ysgard is a warg?"
"It's a big wolf," Teraptus said, "or at least, it looks like one. It's a lot smarter, though, smart enough to avoid traps. And it seems to hate people. Or just loves to tear them apart, one of the two."
"You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you, Teraptus?" Xoria said sourly.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, but you asked, and they-"
"I'm just kidding, Teraptus. You know, I think we'd all like you a lot more if you were more open and friendly."
He looked up at her. "If I was…"
"C'mon," she smiled at him, "it's not too hard, is it?"
"Well…I…" he said looking down.
"Look out!" Cyrus shouted.
Xoria and Teraptus dove to the ground, just as something leaped over their heads. They stood up, to find themselves surrounded by small, ugly humanoids with daggers drawn, five at least. "Goblins!" Xoria said with disgust. Cyrus and Sav'ran had their own problems, as six more goblins surrounded them.
"Fun!" Cyrus said, a grin coming to his face.
Sav'ran grunted in agreement, and nimbly dodged aside as a goblin attacked him. Another attacked Cyrus. He caught the little creature's dagger with his chain mail covered left arm, and plunged his broadsword through its body. Then he kicked it off his sword, and attacked another one.
Sav'ran, meanwhile, was dancing and dodging about. He parried a goblin's dagger, and swept his cutlass across its unprotected belly, spilling its insides. He then followed up with a few more slashes at the goblin to his left.
Xoria and Teraptus didn't seem to be having as much fun. Xoria had already brained one goblin, and now she and Teraptus had their backs to a tree, and she was holding them at bay with her staff. Two attacked her at once. She spun her staff in a circle, hitting one, but missing the other. Now within the reach of her staff, it lunged at her, only to find itself impaled on Teraptus' dagger.
"You okay?" Teraptus asked her, concern in his voice.
"I'm fine, I-" she stopped as Teraptus screamed in pain. He fell and she saw a goblin behind him, pulling out its dagger. Enraged, she clubbed it with her staff, downing it. The she heard a thump behind her. She swiftly turned, staff at the ready, only to find that the goblin behind her already had a knife in its throat, and was falling to the ground. She looked up to see Sav'ran, his cutlass now held in his off hand, his right arm extended from having just thrown the knife.
"Be more careful" he called.
She nodded, and looked to see that Cyrus had just finished off the last two goblins with one stroke.
"Impressive" Sav'ran said.
"Top of my class" Cyrus said with a grin. His grin faded fast as he saw Xoria kneeling over Teraptus' prone form. They rushed over. "Is he…?"
"He's alive" she responded, "but just barely. Back off, and give me room to work."
Cyrus nodded. "Come on, Sav, let's collect Goblin scalps, they're worth 6 Gil apiece back in Cornelia."
"6 Gil? That's…not a whole lot."
"No, but there's 11 of them here. That makes 66 Gil. That's a little bit more respectable, no?"
"I guess so."
"Well, to work then"
"Cantos Ulinov Reytha Extat!"
A warm feeling spread throughout Teraptus' body, and consciousness returned to him.
"Uh…wha…what? What's going on?" he looked up to see Xoria leaning over him.
"You took a goblin's dagger in the back. I healed you."
"Thank you. I guess I owe you my life."
"Hey, we're all in this together, right? You'd do the same for me" She smiled her dazzling smile at him, and his spirits lifted.
The Teraptus heard Sav'ran's voice nearby. "This is pretty gross, Cyrus. You do know that, right?"
Teraptus looked up to see Cyrus and Sav'ran approaching, each with what looked like a lot of hair in their hands.
"11 goblin scalps. We're makin' money now!" Cyrus said happily.
"Eeeew!" Xoria said, "That's sick!"
"Ah! Teraptus, good to see you're better. We were worried there for awhile."
"You…were worried…about me?"
"Of course! The prophecy mentioned four Light Warriors, not 3 and a half! We gotta make sure we stick together!"
Teraptus smiled. The others couldn't see it, but he was smiling all the same.
"Melmond" Teraptus said as they continued their journey.
"What?" Sav'ran asked.
"You…you asked where I was from the other day. I'm from Melmond."
"Melmond, huh? Never heard of it."
"It's to the west, past the Dwarven Mountains and across the Gulf of Melmond."
"How did you get all the way over here?" Xoria asked, joining the conversation.
"My friend and I…we built a boat and sailed over here. But we got caught in a storm and he fell overboard. The boat crashed near Mt. Duergar, and the dwarves took me in and nursed me back to health."
"What happened to your friend?" Cyrus asked.
"I don't know. The dwarves said they didn't find anyone else. I hope he's all right."
"Tell you what" Cyrus said. "If we're ever in that vicinity, we'll take some time to help you look for your friend."
"Thanks, guys" Teraptus said, blushing under his cloak.
Most of the rest of their journey to the temple was uneventful.
"There!" Cyrus said, pointing into the distance. "That's the temple."
"Are you sure?" Sav'ran said, peering at it. "Looks like a ruin from here"
"It is a ruin. And I'm sure. Garland took me here once. The top levels have been completely destroyed, so he'll be in the basement level."
"All right," Xoria said, "well, it's getting late, we should make camp here and head out in the morning. Sound good?"
Everyone agreed and set out to look for firewood. Teraptus wasn't having much luck; all he had found were a few branches that had fallen, not nearly enough for a cook fire. Suddenly, he heard Xoria scream from up ahead. He raced up to find her held up in the air by some purple thing that appeared to be mostly mouth. It was holding her up with one of it's many tentacles.
"Lemme go, you creepy monster!" she screamed again.
Just then, Cyrus and Sav'ran burst through the bushes, swords drawn.
"What is that thing?" Cyrus asked.
"I thought you were the local expert, you tell us" Sav'ran responded.
"Can we worry about what it is later!" Xoria screamed.
The monster brought her up to its mouth and bit down on her leg. She screamed in agony. She beat on the top of it with her staff the best she could, but it didn't seem to be affected.
Sav'ran had a knife out, ready to throw. "I can't get a clear shot!"
"Let me try" Cyrus said, and lunged at its side, slashing with his broadsword. He struck it, but it immediately responded by lashing out at him with another one of its tentacles. Cyrus backed away.
Teraptus felt a terrible anger welling up in him. "Let her go!" he shouted, in a surprisingly loud voice. Cyrus and Sav'ran were taken aback by this show of anger in the normally soft-spoken young man. Teraptus felt something inside him, ready to burst.
"Fithos Ignus Raja Eklus!"
A searing bolt of flame burst forth from his fingertips. The creature shrieked in pain, and dropped Xoria, its tentacles now blackened and shriveled. Cyrus and Sav'ran were shocked, but only for a moment. They quickly took advantage of the monster's distraction. They flanked it on either side and struck deep blows with their blades. The monster let out one last cry and fell silent, slumping down.
Sav'ran and Cyrus rushed to Xoria's side.
"Are you all right?" Cyrus asked.
Teraptus had fallen to his knees, looking at his hands in horror.
Sav'ran looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell us you were a mage?" he demanded.
Teraptus stuttered "I…I…" Then he ran off into the woods.
"Sav, you go after him!" Cyrus said. "I'll carry Xoria back to camp and get her a potion."
"Can do" Sav'ran said, and took off after Teraptus.
Teraptus fled, heedless to where he was going, as fast as his legs would carry him.
"Not again…not again…" he murmured to himself, over and over. "Can't let it happen again…"
He tripped over an extended tree root, and tumbled head over heels, rolling down a hill. When he stopped, he found himself in a small grotto, with many bones lying about. He curled up into a ball and began to cry.
"Teraptus!"
Teraptus heard his name called from somewhere above, but he paid it no mind.
"Teraptus!"
He was completely drawn in, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Teraptus!"
In his mind's eye, he re-lived the terrible events in Melmond. Once more, he saw the roaring flame, heard the people screaming. The wind was whipping around him, and all he could do was watch the terrible flame…
"Teraptus! Where are you?"
He saw the look of horror on the people's faces, cringing in fear as they looked at him. He heard their whispers behind his back…the accusations…the ridicule…
He was so wrapped up in his memories that he failed to notice that the bones around him had begun to move. Three skeletons formed, each grasping an old, rusted sword, stood up to their full height, and advanced on the youth.
"Look out!"
Teraptus was startled out of his reverie by the shout so close to him. He looked up and saw the skeletons advancing on him. From behind him, Sav'ran slid down the hill. When he was almost near the bottom, he leaped up, flipped in midair, and planted both feet into the chest of the closest skeleton.
Bones flew everywhere, as Teraptus struggled to regain his footing. One of the skeletons turned to attack Sav'ran, grazing his arm, the other continued to advance on Teraptus. Figuring that his dagger would do little good against these creatures, Teraptus looked about for something else. He picked up a rock the size of a melon, and threw it at the skeleton. He missed by a wide margin. The undead thing continued to advance, swinging its rusty blade. He picked up another stone, slightly bigger this time, and threw it at the thing's head. It connected soundly, taking its head off. It continued to advance on Teraptus, who was now trapped in a corner. It raised its sword, wobbled a bit, and fell apart.
Teraptus breathed a sigh of relief and looked over to Sav'ran. He was fine, and the skeleton was down, but he was clutching his arm.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Guess he got me better than I thought."
"It's my fault. Here" Teraptus took his dagger and cut off a strip of cloth from his robes.
"No, it's all right, you don't have to…" Sav'ran objected.
"You saved me. If you hadn't shown up, just when you did…" Teraptus tied the strip of cloth tightly around Sav'ran's wound.
"Let's not think about it, and just head on back. The others are waiting for us, and Xoria probably wants to thank you." Sav'ran began climbing back up the hill, and Teraptus followed.
"Thank me? I could've killed her with that spell!"
"If you hadn't cast that spell, the monster might have bitten her head off. You did good, real good."
"I'm never casting a spell again!" Teraptus declared.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, my friend"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Sav'ran just smiled and led the way back to camp.
"There you are!" Xoria exclaimed when they stepped out of the woods. She ran over to them, and threw her arms around Teraptus. "I was worried!" She turned to Sav'ran, "Thanks for bringing him back, was there any trouble? Oh! Your arm! What happened?" She let go of Teraptus and immediately began inspecting his wound.
"Nothing we couldn't handle" Sav'ran said, winking at Teraptus.
"What was it?" Cyrus said, interested.
"Skeletons" Teraptus said. "Moving by themselves-"
"Ten of them!" Sav'ran said. "In full armor! Each one wielding a greatsword in each bony hand!"
Xoria looked at him skeptically. "Really?" she asked.
"Teraptus himself destroyed six of the horrible things! Saved my life, he did!"
"You saved his life?" Cyrus asked.
"Not really" Teraptus replied. "There were only three of them, no armor, and each one had a small sword that was mostly rust. I wasn't paying attention, I'd probably be dead if Sav'ran hadn't shown up right when he did."
"Now why did you go and ruin it?" Sav'ran complained. "I was making you out to be the hero and everything!"
"I'm no hero…" Teraptus said, and went to sit down by the fire.
The others looked at each other. They all went back to the fire to sit near Teraptus.
"Sure you are," Cyrus said, "without your help, we might not have been able to save Xoria from that…thing."
"That's right," Xoria said. "It was you that caused that monster to let me go."
"I could have hurt you with that spell!"
"But you didn't" Sav'ran said. "That's what counts. Why worry about 'could have'?"
"Hey," Cyrus said, "in my book, anyone who rescues a damsel in distress, definitely counts as a hero!"
"Thanks, guys…for everything"
"We told you," Xoria said, "we're all in this together! Now what we do need to talk about is the fact that you can cast spells. That's an unusual talent, you probably should have told us from the beginning."
"It's not me!" Teraptus burst out. "It's the crystal! Something about the crystal causes that effect! It's the only spell I've ever seen it do!"
"I don't think it's the crystal," Cyrus said dubiously, "Mine never gave me any spellcasting power."
"Mine neither" Sav'ran affirmed.
"Would you two…leave us alone for awhile?" Xoria asked.
"Why?"
"Mage talk…private"
"Fine," Sav'ran said, obviously faking an injurious tone, "be that way. Shall we go Cyrus?"
"Sure. I wanna hear more about these skeletons."
When they had left, Xoria turned to Teraptus. "Teraptus, the crystal didn't cause anything, they don't have that kind of power."
"But it all started when I picked up the crystal, and-"
"Look," she said, "I can cast spells, too. And I know that the power comes from within oneself. Not everyone can do it. It gets easier with training, but the power is there from the start. If you don't learn to control it, it comes out on its own."
"But it never happened before-"
"Your face," she interrupted.
"What about it?" Teraptus said cautiously, pulling his robes a little higher on his face.
"When I healed you earlier, I got a good look at your face."
"Then you know why I hide it."
"No. I think you just don't know why you shouldn't hide it."
"What do you mean?"
"That mark…how long has it been there?"
Teraptus subconsciously reached up and felt the mark on his face. "All my life…It's a birth defect…So what!"
"No need to get angry"
"Well, what about it then!"
"It's not a birth defect, it's a wizard mark."
"A…a wizard mark?"
"Yes, I have one too," she pulled back the sleeve on her right arm to reveal what looked like a stylized flame tattoo wrapped around her forearm and up her right hand, "see?"
"It looks…just like mine," he said, feeling along his left cheek, the curling lines and sharp angles of the design.
"It means that you have strong magical talent. There are lots of people, who, if they train hard enough, can learn to cast some of the more simple spells. But to be able to cast the truly powerful ones, one would have to be born with a mark like this one."
"But I don't want it!"
"That's not your choice to make, Teraptus," she said seriously. "You were born with the Mark, that means you have to either learn to control it, or it will control you."
"Control…me?"
"I've heard stories about wizards who just let their power go unchecked. Whenever they get put into a stressful situation, or whenever they apply their will to something too much…"
"What? What happens?"
She looked him in the eyes. "The power inside them releases all at once, and consumes them."
He sat back, shocked.
"So you can try and run from it all you want. Deny it if you will, but if you do, it will be the end of you!"
"Easy for you to say!" Teraptus shouted. "Your magic doesn't hurt anyone! You can help people! Your spells don't kill!"
She slapped him across the face. He looked up at her in surprise. "How dare you! How dare you accuse me of having it easy, for something I was born into! I have a talent for white magic, so what? Teraptus, there is no such thing as evil power! Evil exists only in the hearts of evil people. If you have power, any kind of power, magic or not, it's up to you to use it to help people! Look at Cyrus! He has phenomenal strength and skill with a sword! He could use that to bully people, make them do what he wants! Does he? No! He uses it to protect people! Why? Because he's a good person! And you are too! The proof of it is that you're here, with us! We're trying to help everybody! And that means using power! If one has the power to kill, is it wrong to use that power to kill a monster that's terrorizing people?"
"Of course not" Teraptus said, very quietly.
"There! You see! Now grow up!" she sat back down and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"But you don't know…" Teraptus said quietly.
"What's that?" she said.
"You don't know…what it's like…to see…to see…the people you care about…to hear them…their screams…and know that…that it's your fault…it's all because of you!" Tears were streaming down his face now.
Xoria looked at him, eyes wide. "Teraptus…" she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
He pulled away from her sharply.
"What did you do…?" she asked softly.
"Hey there!" Cyrus called, coming back to the camp with Sav'ran. "You guys done?"
Xoria looked over to where Teraptus was crying softly. She crossed over to him, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "It'll be all right," she said comfortingly, "let's just get some sleep for now, okay?"
He nodded, and went to his blankets. "We're done!" she called. "Let's all get some sleep!"
The next day they all got up early, and prepared to face Garland. The sun wasn't shining, but it didn't look like rain, either. The sky was just an ugly, overcast gray.
"So," Sav'ran said, walking along next to Teraptus, "how did your little 'alone time' with Xoria go?"
"I don't wanna talk about it"
"You're kidding me!"
"I just…I don't feel like talking right now"
"Sav'ran, leave him alone," Xoria said. Then she turned to Cyrus, whose face was looking even grimmer with every step. "Are you gonna be all right? Or do I have to worry about you, too?"
"I'm fine," Cyrus said, although the tone of his voice indicated that he was, in fact, not fine.
When they reached the temple, Cyrus stopped them all. "Look, guys, I…I have to talk to Garland. I need to know what's really going on!"
"All right Cyrus," Xoria said, "but we're not letting you go in there alone!"
"But…"
"No buts! If Garland's not the same as you once knew, then he might attack you! We're not going to wait outside where we can't help you."
He smiled. "All right"
They all descended the stairs into the basement level. It was pretty dark, except where patches of the floor above had broken and what little light there was from outside shone through. They could hear some shuffling from dark corners all around them, but straight ahead, there was torch light coming from a doorway.
They approached the door and peeked inside. An armored figure was walking about, talking. Behind him, on a stone bier, the princess lay sleeping.
"Soon, princess. Just a few more days…and then the king will pay my ransom, and the pact with Pravoca will go unfinished!"
Cyrus opened the door, it creaked loudly, and Garland turned quickly, his hand on his sword. The other followed him into the room. Upon seeing Cyrus, Garland released his sword.
"Cyrus!" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Royal Guard?"
"I was dismissed, Garland, for letting you escape."
Garland smirked. "Letting me escape? You're good, my boy, but I don't think you could have stopped me."
"Why, Garland? Why are you doing all of this?"
Garland grew angry. "Do you know why I was exiled?"
"Something about drawing your sword on the king, but story seemed pretty flaky."
"Exactly. I always knew you were smart enough to trust your own instincts and not just believe what they tell you."
"Well…what happened?"
"Despite what the Pravocians would have you believe, they were profiting from the raids on Cornelian merchant vessels." Sav'ran stifled a cry, but said nothing. "Well, we had almost won the war. We were about to march on Pravoca itself, when a message came from the king to stop the war. I was just as happy, myself. Laying siege to a town involves too many civilian casualties. Then I intercepted a messenger from Pravoca. As it turns out, government agents in Pravoca were bribing King Ren's advisors to stop the war. They agreed to make a show of publicly denouncing the privateers as pirates, and hang a few of their crew, claiming that they were the pirate captains. This, coupled with a rather sizable amount of Gil, was enough to make the advisors convince King Ren to stop the war with Pravoca."
"The king's advisors were corrupt?" Xoria said. "Doesn't surprise me. Happens all the time."
"Yes, well…" Garland continued, "King Ren did not believe me when I told him of what I had heard. And these self-same advisors tried to denounce me as a warmonger before the king. I drew my sword on them in anger. I found out later, by my own contacts, that part of the agreement with Pravoca was to get rid of me, too. They had been strewing rumors of treason on my part in the king's ear while I was away at war. When I drew my sword and threatened them, they shouted at me as if I had drawn my sword on the king. In the confusion, he believed them, and ordered the guards to subdue me."
"The king's guards were able to subdue you?" Cyrus said incredulously.
"No, Cyrus, you know me better than that. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that they even would have attempted. I commanded a lot of loyalty from the guards, there could have been a coup right there. But I realized my mistake in drawing my sword, and agreed to go along with them peacefully."
"Now despite my good conduct, and faithful record, the advisors managed to convince King Ren that I was attempting to take over. He refused to believe them, at first, but then when they pointed out that something might happen to his daughters should I take over, he caved in to their demands and agreed to have me exiled."
"All right. I believe you." Cyrus said. "Your story makes a lot more sense than his, anyway. But what I don't understand is why you're doing what you're doing now!"
"I'm determined to ruin those advisors who ruined me. This bridge is mostly being funded by them, so they can fatten their purses more with trade goods from Pravoca, without having to pay the king's shipping taxes."
"You always taught me that revenge is wrong, Garland" Cyrus said disapprovingly.
"I taught you that you should accept an honorable defeat!" Garland roared. "I was NOT defeated honorably. I was stabbed in the back, shamed, and sent into disgraceful exile! I deserve better for what I have done!"
Cyrus nodded, trying to contain his shock at seeing Garland so angry.
"I've chosen my path, Cyrus. And if you remember only one thing I've taught you, let it be this: NEVER stray from the path you have chosen. What I'm doing may be wrong, but I'm beyond that now. I will not waver from my course!"
Cyrus nodded. "So that's it, then."
"Join me, Cyrus. Your friends, too. Now that you know the truth, you do not need to be pawns of the idiot king!"
"I'm sorry, Garland," Cyrus said, drawing his sword. The others readied their weapons, too. "This is bigger than that."
"What…?" Garland said. And then he noticed the crystal around Cyrus' neck. "Is that…?" He looked at the others and noticed the crystals that they wore, too. He smiled. "So…the time of Lukhin's prophecy had come at last."
"Yes," Cyrus said, leveling his sword at Garland, "and I will not stray from this path that I have chosen!"
"Very well, then. Well met. Well met, my son." He drew his sword. "Our destinies collide here! If this was meant to be, then so be it! Defeat me, if you can! I, Garland of Onlak, shall take you all on!"
Cyrus charged, and met Garland's sword with his own. Sav'ran crouched low, cutlass held out in front of him, circling about, trying to avoid the sparks from the clashing swords as Garland and Cyrus rained savage blows upon each other. Teraptus and Xoria stood at the ready, searching for an opening to attack.
Garland grunted as he managed to push Cyrus away. "You've gotten better, boy"
"I'm full of surprises" Cyrus said grimly.
Sav'ran darted forward, and slashed at Garland with his cutlass. He scored a hit on Garland's side, but was unprepared for how quickly the armored warrior turned to counterattack.
Garland's sword came down hard, and Sav'ran attempted to dodge. He got away from the sword well enough, but fell onto a table. He quickly rolled underneath it as Garland attacked again. The table broke and fell on top of him, showering him with the glass bottles that had been atop it. Several hit him on the head, and he was painfully aware of a gash in his leg, painful, but not too deep.
Garland prepared an overhand strike against the prone warrior, but found his sword blocked by Cyrus' blade, then a sharp pain in the back of his left knee as Teraptus stabbed an opening in his armor. He swung back with his left arm, catching the mage in the ribs with his gauntleted fist. Teraptus was sent flying back a few feet. Garland had no time to press the attack, as he found himself on the defense from Cyrus' attacks.
"Good strategy, boy! Never let up!" Garland was breathing heavily, but showed no signs of tiring.
Xoria attacked him on his left side. He caught the blow with his armored left arm, but as he did, she swung the other end of the staff at the back of his knee, the same one that Teraptus had stabbed. He began to fall backward, but caught himself, and rolled away, surprisingly agile in his armor. He came to his feet, and then fell slightly to one knee, obviously in pain. Sav'ran, on his feet again, threw a knife at his face, but he deflected it with his sword, and then just barely brought his sword to bear in time to block Cyrus' attack.
The two once more began exchanging heavy blows. But then, when both of them were delivering powerful, two-handed blows to each other, Garland's sword broke. Almost caught off-balance as he swung, Cyrus quickly turned, set himself, and ran his old teacher through.
Everything seemed to stop. That moment, frozen in time, would forever remain etched in Cyrus' memory. The look of shock on Garland's face, how pale it looked. His blue eyes wide, mouth open. Cyrus' own mouth felt dry, and he wanted to speak, but didn't have the words.
Garland broke the silence.
"You…you've defeated me. Well done, well done, my boy."
"Garland…I…"
"No regrets, Cyrus…you've done well…I'm proud of you…"
There were tears in Cyrus' eyes. "Father…"
"There's no one I'd have rather lost to. Stay strong…you have…a duty to fulfill…" and his eyes closed for the last time, and he fell.
"Garland!" Cyrus caught him and held him up.
"Cyrus! The princess!" Sav'ran called.
Cyrus looked up. "What's wrong?"
"She's not waking up!"
"Hold on," Xoria said, looking through some jars near the sleeping princess. "Here," she said holding one out, "smelling salts"
A couple of bats that had been flying about the room alighted on Garland's body and began clawing at it.
"Hey!" Cyrus said, "Get away!"
He chased the bats off of Garland's body, and they flew into his face, screeching loudly.
Sav'ran laughed. "I don't think they like you, Cyrus"
"Wha…what's going on?" Princess Sarah woke up, slowly.
"It's all right," Xoria assured her, "you're safe now"
"The last thing I remember…was someone breaking into my room, and holding some strange cloth to my face. And a dark room, a strange man. He kept putting the cloth to my face."
"It's okay, princess, we're going to take you back home, now."
Sarah sat up, looking about her. "Where are we?"
"About a day's travel from Cornelia," Sav'ran responded.
"Cyrus!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "You rescued me!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I knew you wouldn't let me down!"
Xoria and Sav'ran looked at him, each with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Cyrus began to blush. "Sarah, I…uh, Your Highness…"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she screamed as she saw Garland's body. "Who's that?"
"Your kidnapper," Teraptus said. "We really should be going. If we start now, we might be able to get back to Cornelia by nightfall."
"All right," Cyrus said. "I'll have to catch up with you, though"
"You're not coming with us?" Sarah said.
"I have to bury Garland"
"We can help," Sav'ran offered.
"No, please, this is something I have to do alone"
"Understood," Xoria said, "Come on, let's get a move on!"
It didn't take too long for Cyrus to bury Garland, and he caught up with them quickly. They barely made it back to Cornelia as the sun was setting. When they came within sight of the city, a horn sounded from within, and a group of riders came out to meet them.
"Your Highness," the knight in charge bowed his head to the princess.
"Captain," she said with a curtsy.
"We're here to escort you back to the castle," he said, extending his hand, "If you will…"
"Thank you, Captain, but I'd rather ride with Sir Cyrus"
The captain looked startled, and Xoria and Sav'ran gave Cyrus sly looks, but there was no problem. The knight had brought a few extra horses, and soon enough, they were back in the throne room in Cornelia. Queen Jayne was in tears, and kept hugging Sarah. The king had leapt from his throne when he saw her, and had since composed himself.
"Well done, Light Warriors, well done! I shall have the men double their efforts, the bridge should be finished within a few weeks time! You are welcome to stay at the castle until such time as it is completed!"
The Light Warriors agreed, grateful for the chance to rest. Two weeks later, they set out again.