Chapter 1
After the sun had set on the Legacy, Jay returned to the Oresoren village after his investigation.
"Well, I didn't find anything," he told himself. "It's probably nothing to worry about. Perhaps it really was thunder that we heard...or perhaps some new form of nature. Or perhaps someone was setting off cherry bombs. Or perhaps Poppo was building a Poppo Mk. XXX..."
He entered the Scallop Brothers' house and went upstairs to his bedroom. After climbing into the bed, he pulled the covers over himself and closed his eyes. He was exhausted; he felt himself drifting deeper into a blissful sleep.
"Jay?" a small voice called.
"Hmm?" Jay sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Quppo...did you find anything?"
"Not a thing," Quppo replied. "Ors..."
"Everything is normal on the Legacy," Poppo said.
"And all is safe and secure in Werites Beacon," Pippo added. "Ors!"
"Hmm...I see. Thank you." Jay lay down in the bed again.
The Scallop Brothers quietly turned and began to leave the room. Then in a sudden motion, Jay sat up in the bed again
"Ors!?" the Oresoren turned back around, startled.
Jay shook his head. "Something still doesn't feel right. Could I ask you all to keep an eye out for anything suspicious?"
"Leave it to us! Ors!" Poppo said.
"Thank you again. Please let me know if something happens. Don't worry about waking me up."
"Roger!" Quppo agreed.
"Jay, have you been outside?" Poppo asked out of nowhere.
"Outside? Yes, I just got back from my own investigation. I wasn't very successful either, though."
"I think the weather is turning bad," Poppo went on. "There's a strange fog in the air."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Jay stood up. "I think I'd better take a look."
The Oresoren led the way as they all left the house, stepping out of the cave that led to the village. Looking up at the sky, Jay witnessed the eerie gray fog that had set in.
"What is this...?" Jay asked softly. "It wasn't this foggy when I got back."
"It was just setting in when we returned," Poppo said.
"It's so quiet..." Quppo said, almost in a whisper.
They all paused again, listening to...nothing.
"Now I know something doesn't feel right..." Jay mused. "But still, I'm exhausted. I need to get some sleep. Keep your eyes open, and let me know if something comes up."
The Oresoren nodded. "Ors, ors!"
Jay turned and re-entered the Oresoren village.
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The hours grew even later in Werites Beacon. Will Raynard sat at his desk in his room, writing an entry into the group's synopsis journal.
Today, Norma forced us all into a picnic at Lumen Spring. Normally I would enjoy these picnics, but it's a little rough when it's forced on us.
Even more disturbing was the loud noise that we heard. I've tried to convince myself that it was only thunder, but realistically, it's just not possible. The sky was bright and blue, with only a few small clouds. Even now, I feel uneasy as I write this. We sent Jay out to look for anything suspicious. We have not heard back from him as of yet. I can only hope that it turns out to be nothing.
Will set the pen down and glanced at the window, with only the gray fog visible through it. He went to the window and opened it, looking outside for a better view. There was still nothing to see but the eerie fog and the deafening silence that had engulfed the town.
I've never seen the town this quiet, Will thought to himself.
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Meanwhile, Moses and Csaba were laying in the grass at the bandits' camp. They lay side by side, looking at the sky, which was obstructed by the gray fog.
"That damn fog is in the way," Moses growled. "I can't see the stars tonight."
"Shh...listen," Csaba said.
"What? I don't hear nothin'."
"That's what I mean. Isn't it quiet?"
Now Moses paused to listen to the silence. "Yeah...a little too quiet. It's like a ghost town out here."
Both bandits stood up and looked at the sky now.
"Csaba?"
"Yes, Moses?"
"You ever had the feelin' that somethin' bad's about to happen?"
"Yeah...that's definitely what I'm feeling right now. Definitely."
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At around the same time, Harriet sat up in her bed reading a book, with a single candle illuminating the room. Her attention was drawn when the candle began to flicker heavily. She turned her eyes to the small flame as it swayed wildly on the wick. The breeze continued to blow, and soon the candle flame was reduced to a small line of smoke rising from the wick.
And thus, Harriet found herself in the dark.
She then turned her attention to the window, or more specifically, the gray fog outside. Harriet opened the window and looked outside. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear. And yet Harriet could feel the cold chill crawling up her spine.
Why do I feel so scared right now? she wondered. Nothing's going to happen...right? Ohh...I'd better tell Dad. This is just too weird.
She closed the window, and then stepped outside of her room. Oddly enough, she found Will stepping out of his room at the same time.
"Dad..." Harriet said, uneasy.
"Harriet..." Will responded in a similar tone.
"I was just looking outside, and..."
"I know. I saw it, too."
"Is something going to happen?" Harriet asked. "It's so quiet outside...it doesn't even seem natural."
Suddenly, a loud explosion hit somewhere outside, causing the entire house to rumble violently. Harriet screamed as she lost her balance, grabbing onto Will.
"Wh...what was that!?" she cried out.
"I don't know..." Will said calmly, his voice shaking. "Take cover; I'll see what's happening."
Will ran downstairs and out the front door. Ignoring the order to take cover, Harriet followed Will, joining him in the middle of the road. They both gasped as they saw large fireballs flying into the city, destroying the houses and buildings they hit. Will gasped again as one of the fireballs was heading straight for him.
"Get down!!" Grabbing Harriet, Will ran out of the road, diving behind the house as the fireball slammed into the road.
"What is going on!?" Harriet cried in a panic.
"The town is under attack," Will said, disturbed. "I was afraid that something would happen."
Another explosion boomed nearby, causing them both to cling to each other again. When it subsided, Will took Harriet by the shoulders, looking into her frightened eyes.
"Harriet, listen to me carefully. I want you to run to Madame Musette's house and get her to safety as fast as you can. Hopefully her house hasn't already been hit."
"But what about you?" Harriet asked.
"Me? I'm going to try to stop the attackers."
"By yourself? There's just no way!"
"I have to at least try. Besides, Senel and the others will undoubtedly help me."
"But..." Harriet continued to protest.
"Just hurry up and go!" Will ordered. "Don't worry about me!"
"Okay!" Harriet finally conceded as she turned and ran down the road.
Will returned to the center of the road with his hammer in his hands. He looked up at the sky, watching the cannonballs flying above the city, striking the ground at random points.
"I've never done this before, but I hope it works..." Will told himself.
Will looked up at the sky again, his fingers giving off their red glow. Watching the cannonballs carefully, he thrust his arm out at the sky. "Lightning!"
As three cannonballs flew towards the city, a lightning bolt struck each of them, shattering them to pieces.
Yes, it worked! Will thought. At least I can ensure that Harriet reaches Musette safely.
The historian continued to watch the sky, blasting the cannonballs with his lightning spell.
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"Aaahhh!!" Norma screamed as she sprang forward in her bed. "Can't a girl get some shuteye around here? Jeez!"
As she looked out the window, she could see the cannonballs flying over the city. "Okay, this isn't good..."
"Norma, could you please keep your voice down?" an elderly man's voice asked.
Norma glared at the old man in the next bed, the man she knew as Zamaran.
"Can't you hear all the noise, old man?" she asked.
"I hear all the noise you're making," Zamaran replied. "Now be quiet."
Another explosion boomed outside, shaking the entire room.
"You see that!?" Norma pointed out. "I know you felt that just now, old man!"
"For the final time, be quiet!"
Norma glanced out the window again to see a cannonball coming right towards her. She quickly dove out of the way as the ball crashed through the window and through the wooden floor.
"Tell me you didn't see that!" Norma spat.
Zamaran finally sat up in his bed. "Norma, if you insist on acting like such a monkey, then you might as well leave, and let me rest in peace."
"Fine, old man," Norma said. "You can rest in peace. You can rest in pieces for all I care! You're already halfway to outer space anyway!"
With that, she turned and left the room.
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"Ahh!" Moses grabbed onto Csaba as they lay in the grass at the bandits' camp. "I hate thunder! I hate thunder!"
Csaba looked up at the sky. "That's not thunder...it's cannonfire. The town is under attack!"
"What!?" Moses sprang to his feet. "Those bastards! They won't attack our camp and get away with it! Come on boys, up and at 'em! Let's go, Giet!"
"Woof!" Giet stood up on all four legs.
The bandits grabbed their spears, following Moses away from the camp.
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Madame Musette and Shirley were also disturbed by the attack. After getting out of bed, they met downstairs in the dining room.
"Oh my word! What is all this commotion!?" Musette asked.
"I don't know..." Shirley said, her voice trembling.
Another explosion outside caused the house to rumble. Musette and Shirley gasped and clung to each other.
"I'll go see what's happening," Shirley said. "You stay here and take cover."
"Shirley!" Musette protested. "Shirley, do be careful..."
Shirley left the house, and Musette waited for a moment, pondering her course of action. About a minute later, Harriet rushed into the house, running straight into Musette's arms.
"Madame Musette!"
"My goodness, Harriet! What's going on?"
"We have to hide! Hurry!" Taking Musette by the hand, Harriet led her to the cellar and went down the stairs. The door closed, leaving them both in the dark.
"Harriet, will you please tell me what is going on!?" Musette pleaded.
"The town is under attack! The cannons just started firing out of nowhere!" Harriet told her.
"What? And what about Will?"
"He said he was going to stop the attack."
"And the others?"
"I haven't seen them. Wait...wasn't Shirley with you?"
"She went out to see what was happening. I trust that she'll help to fight it."
"She had better!" Harriet scoffed. "If anything happens to my dad..."
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As a knight, Chloe Valens knew the sounds of war all too well. Once she heard the explosions booming outside, she picked up her sword and stepped out of her hospital room. Arnold and Elsa Alcott were also stepping out of their rooms with their swords. They all went downstairs, then paused.
"Elsa, I need you to stay here," Arnold said.
"But Father..." Elsa protested. "The town is in danger! I have to help somehow!"
"That's why I need you to stay here. If something happens to me, I'll need you to tend to the injured. I'm sure a lot of people have already been wiped out.
"Use that sword to protect yourself if the invaders get inside," Chloe added.
"Okay," Elsa nodded.
"Elsa, there's no guarantee that I'll make it back alive," Arnold went on. "So I need you to promise me that you'll survive and treat the wounded."
"Of course, Father. I...I promise."
Arnold turned to Chloe now. "All right, let's go, Chloe."
"Uh...r-right..." Chloe still felt a certain uneasiness about fighting alongside the man who killed her parents.
Elsa watched them carefully as they went outside into the chaos.
"Father...Chloe...I pray that you make it back alive..."
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Meanwhile, Jay the Unseen was the only party member who was not disturbed by the attacks because he lived outside the city. As he slept peacefully in his bed, an Oresoren entered the room and went to the bed, whispering into Jay's ear.
Jay sat up suddenly in response. "What? Werites Beacon is under attack by an unidentified force? You're certain it's not Vaclav or Solon?"
The Oresoren whispered something into his ear again.
"I see. Thank you." Jay flew out of the bed and quickly left the house.
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Shirley ran down the roads, looking up at the sky, watching the cannonballs being stopped by Will's crystal eres. A few cannonballs managed to get past the lightning, exploding on the ground. One cannonball struck a particular house, reducing it to a pile of rubble in mere seconds.
Shirley gasped. "No! Senel!"
As she ran to the debris, she saw Chloe running towards it from ahead.
"Coolidge!" she exclaimed.
Chloe and Shirley knelt beside each other in front of the rubble. Throwing each other a worried glance, they began to dig through the heap.
"Senel, please be all right..." Shirley pleaded.
"Coolidge! If you can hear me, say something!" Chloe called.
Near the back of the rubble, Senel's hand popped out from underneath the mess, startling the girls. The hand grabbed the ground, pulling the rest of Senel's body out of the heap.
"Senel, you're okay!" Shirley exclaimed.
"Ugh...ow..." Senel groaned, rubbing his head.
"Coolidge, are you all right?" Chloe asked.
"Ugh..." Senel continued to rub his head. "I know you have some cruel ways to wake me up, but don't you think that was overdoing it?"
Chloe and Shirley glared at him. "Senel!"
Senel, now more aware, looked around at the city that was on the edge of ruin. "What's going on?"
"The town is under attack!" Chloe said. "One of the catapult blasts hit your house!"
Now Senel looked down at the rubble that he had just crawled out of. "So that's what happened..."
The three looked up at the sky again, where more catapult blasts were being zapped by lightning bolts.
"Wow..." Shirley muttered.
"That must be Raynard's crystal eres," Chloe said.
"We have to find Will," Senel said. "Let's go."
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Will was still standing in the road in front of his house, stopping the canonballs with his crystal eres. But now he was starting to get tired. His breaths became heavy, and every spell he cast was draining his body. Because of this, more canonballs were hitting the city unhindered. Will fell to one knee, propping his hammer on the ground for support.
"I can't...keep this up any longer..." he gasped.
Looking ahead, Will spotted an army of black armored soldiers invading the town. They split up to conquer different areas of the town, with one division running straight towards Will.
Knowing that he had no chance against an army, Will forced himself to his feet and started to run. By now, the citizens had fled from their homes, running in all directions, screaming and panicking. Even the trained soldiers of Rexalia were caught by surprise, and forced to panic as well. Will could not ignore the citizens' cries for help. Gripping his hammer, Will ran towards the soldiers attacking the citizens. He swung his hammer, knocking out several soldiers with a heavy blow. As more of the soldiers attacked, Will continued to fight them off with his hammer, but was soon overwhelmed. The soldiers tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.
"Will!" the citizens cried helplessly.
Senel, Chloe, and Shirley arrived at the scene, spotting Will in trouble.
"Will!" Senel shouted.
With the girls in tow, he rushed to Will's aid, knocking out the black soldiers. Will stood up after he was freed.
"Are you okay?" Shirley asked.
"Yes, thank you," Will responded.
"Who are these guys?" Senel asked. "They don't look like Vaclav's soldiers."
"They don't look like Gadorian soldiers either," Chloe said.
"We can wonder who they are later," Will said. "We need to find the others and fight them off."
"Right!"
"YAAAHHHOOO!!!" a certain bandit yelled.
The four part members glanced at each other.
"Moses!" they said in unison.
They ran through the chaos in the direction of the voice. Upon arriving at the bandits' camp, they found Moses and Csaba fighting off the black soldiers along with the other bandits. The party members arrived to join the fray.
"Moses!" Will called. "We're here to help."
"All right!" Moses responded.
"We could use some more help," Csaba remarked.
"We could use Jay right about now!" Moses added.
"And Jay is probably snoozing in the Oresoren village," Senel frowned.
"Knowing Jay, I'm sure he'll find out what's going on," Will said. "He should arrive shortly, if he's not already in town."
"Here come more of them!" Shirley cried, pointing to the road, where more black soldiers were attacking.
The party charged to fight back. Shirley dodged one sword stroke, kicking the soldier in the back as he stumbled behind her.
"Ha!" Chloe countered the soldiers' blade with her own sword. She kicked a soldier attacking from the side, then slashed the soldiers in front of her. As they hit the ground, their helmets rolled off their heads.
"What the hell?" Moses gasped.
"They're not even human!" Shirley cried.
After the helmets rolled off, their heads were revealed to be lizard heads. The scales were green, and their mouths were full of razor sharp teeth.
"Could Vaclav have gotten a new army?" Senel asked.
"It's a possibility," Will said. "Between Vaclav and Solon, they've been learning many new tricks."
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Just outside the city, Vaclav and his troops had assembled ready to attack...only to find that Werites Beacon has already been invaded.
"What madness is this!?" Vaclav growled.
"Someone attacked the city before we could," Cashel said.
"But who else would invade Werites Beacon?" Melanie asked.
"This is a good thing!" Solon said. "We can join the war and watch the chaos unfold!"
"Solon, look!" Cashel called, pointing to the right.
Solon looked in the direction that Cashel was pointing. There, he saw his apprentice, Jay the Unseen, running across the field towards the city.
"Ah, Jay..." Solon grinned as he felt his lustful desire building within.
"Now's our chance!" Cashel said. "Let's take him out while he's alone!"
Solon gave him a look. "Have you forgotten something, Cashel?" he asked in a soft voice. "I want him...ALIVE!!!"
"Not now, Solon!" Vaclav said. "For now, we will wait until he gets into the city."
Looking through the binoculars, Vaclav watched closely as Jay snuck up behind the soldiers manning the cannons. Silently, Jay slashed the soldier's throat, dropping it to the ground.
The other soldiers threw spears at Jay, who flipped away to avoid them. Jay landed at the next cannon, killing the soldier beside it. He repeated the process, slashing all of the soldiers who were firing the cannons. Afterwards, he stood on the bridge at the city's entrance, facing the remaining soldiers. He raised his index finger, curling it towards him. The soldiers snarled in response, and charged at him with their weapons. Jay quickly turned and ran into the city.
Those soldiers don't sound human, Jay thought. At least I've managed to stop the cannons.
"He's entered the city, Commander!" Cashel said.
"And they've all gone in after him," Solon added.
"What are your orders, sir?" Melanie asked.
"We must stop this!" Vaclav ordered.
"What!?" The Terrors threw him a look. This was certainly not the order they were expecting.
"Commander?" Melanie asked.
"I won't let anyone interfere with our plans," Vaclav went on. "No one will conquer Werites Beacon before us! We will drive out those invaders, and pick up where they left off."
"An, excellent idea!" Solon said. "Save the city, and then take it for ourselves!"
"And the citizens will be in no position to fight us after fighting them," Cashel added.
"Move out!" Vaclav ordered. "All troops, attack!"