CHAPTER TWO
Alex felt a little uneasy carrying the weapon as he trudged through the forest. The Sword of Althena continued to weigh and tingle like a persistent itch. When he released the power of the Dragonmaster, he never thought he'd take up that weapon again, but leave it in Dyne's monument forever. Once again, fate had a funny way of working out. He had no other weapons in his home when he left Burg, and there wasn't another weapon on Lunar he'd trust to be able to defend Luna with. So he just kept it and dealt with it.
The forest hadn't changed much. It was dangerous for the people of Burg, but no danger to Luna, Alex, and Nall. With Dauphan Melicon leading the way, they were making good time through it. And it was good too, for the sun was quickly setting. Alex was still good with a sword though he had lost the powers of the four dragons. As for Luna, she still had the power of her voice, and would for the rest of her life…whether she liked it or not. And with one of the dragons along to boot, they seemed fine. But Alex still wondered about the Dauphan, who endlessly praised Alex.
"You still look fantastic with that blade, Master Alex. No matter what anyone says, you will always be the Dragonmaster to me."
Alex frowned, however. "I'm sad to say I take offense at that. I don't care to ever be the Dragonmaster again. And I still don't know what's going on."
"Yes, explanations are in order." Melichon replied. "I'll tell you as much as I can.
"We've been very busy ever since you left us, Master Alex. By 'we', I meant Vane. After what happened with the Grindery and the Goddess Tower, we're no longer content to merely sit by and watch all sorts of devastation happening to our planet while we wait idly for heroes to save us. The joint efforts of Master Mel of Meriba and former Premier Lemia Ausa of Vane combined instantly in an endeavor to create a grand coalition of cities. After all, since we all share Althena in common, it shouldn't have taken much to align together. Meriba, Nanza, Vane, Lann, Meryod, and Reza all readily joined. Yes, Reza, if you can believe it. Thought it would encourage more travelers to their region, which I'm sure you know would cause help for them in a way you know of personally. Basically it was to encourage more communication and cooperation with one another. With Vane down, it can no longer bear the burden of being a world's focal point on its own.
"We've been doing remarkably well though it's been terrible work. Though we managed to patch this alliance together and form the Zone Confederation, we've still had terrible trouble. All sorts of petty crimes and bandits running loose. So much, in fact, that we could no longer rely on old systems in keeping order. That was exactly why Master Mel withdrew Kyle for the time being. He needed someone more organized, someone more trusted and diplomatic. That's why I was chosen."
"You?" Alex asked.
"Yes. I'll admit, I am a little old fashioned. Until the middle of two decades ago I wasn't doing that well either. But about the time you were born everyone seemed to get a little boost with their power, and so did I. You may think my customs a little more of the older generation of Magic Guild students at Vane. I was cut from the same cloth as Lemia and Ghaleon…" He hesitated, and snickered. "I hope you don't take that the wrong way. The pale skin, pointed ears, white hair… It's a trait. A very special trait. Very rare in births. It's a sign of great magical potential already inborn. Ghaleon, on his part, went beyond that to a phenonmenal level. I'm still a little surprised you survived him, Master Alex. Yet I'm no slouch at the art myself. At one time I surpassed Ghaleon in the Magic Guild. I never did devote myself wholly to magic, however. A man shouldn't be just one side in his life. I took up the sword as well. And diplomacy and government. I might add, by not bragging, that I am indeed a rather respected member of local government. That was why I was chosen, no doubt. I've been trying to maintain order and put an end to thief traffic and bandits ever since."
"Great." Alex flatly stated. "So why do you need us?"
Melicon was about to respond when a sharp cry came from the trees. Instantly, Alex, Luna, Nall, and Melichon froze. They shot their heads to the trees. Soon, they saw a rustling in the leaves, and a few moments later, small brown creatures tore out of them. They snarled and gnashed their teeth, and landed right in front of the group. Alex turned to them and bit down, eyeing them. They were goblins, nasty little brown creatures wearing their orange tunics and sporting clubs. They looked at the four of them with their gleaming yellow eyes and snarled and hissed at them. The four looked dangerously back at them the whole time, and faced off against the creatures.
Alex held his sword at the ready and glared coldly. "I'll take them." He stated. "Luna, get back and try to sing one of your temptation songs. I'll hold them off until you're ready."
"And me too!" Nall piped in assention.
However, before Alex could do anything, the Dauphan suddenly strolled in front of them, walking right for the goblins. Alex, Luna, and Nall all looked up in surprise at this action. However, Melicon merely waved behind him, glaring at the enemy the whole time.
"Stay back, you three. Alex, guard Luna. I'll take care of these monsters."
Alex hesitated for a moment. As he did, he felt a sharp chill. He didn't like how Melicon was acting. Ghaleon had in a similar way when he went through the forest with them back to Burg. But he didn't react, and neither did Luna or Nall. They all merely stood and watched the old man come forward.
Melicon stared coldly at the snarling monsters. As he did, he reached behind himself to his black cape, and moments later pulled back. As he did, Alex heard a "shink" of metal, and soon Melicon had produced a long, thin-bladed sword. The handle was small but elegantly crafted for a single hand. The blade shone like the sun but looked extremely thin. Alex wondered how anyone could fight with such a small sword. But he didn't have time to answer. The goblins snarled, and then all charged the old man at once, clubs swinging.
The Dauphan continued to calmly approach. As the first goblin neared, he suddenly ducked with lightning speed, shot forward a thrust with his light sword, and stabbed the goblin in the gut. It cried out and fell, but the other three came just as quickly. Melicon nimbly dodged his head slightly to one side to miss the first oncoming blow, walked past the goblin, and then swiped his thin blade to slash a vital artery at the creature's neck. It cried out a bloody gurgle and fell grasping its bleeding throat, while the third swung at Melicon. He blocked with his thin sword, swirled the club around to take it off balance, and then shot forward to stab the goblin in the eye. The creature dropped its club and grasped its eye in agony, leaving Melicon time to stab it in the chest and end its life. One last goblin approached snarling, swinging its club angrily. Melicon merely pointed a finger at it without even straining. Moments later, a fireball erupted from the tip and instantly grew into a blazing hot orb of death, blinding to both Alex and Luna. It shot through the air and connected with the creature. But rather than burn it, the creature exploded at once in a flash of burning hot flame. Within seconds, there was nothing but burning flesh and smoldering bones falling on the ground from the force of the explosion.
Melicon reacted to the sight calmly, and slowly wiped his barely stained blade against the ground and then calmly replaced it. The other three stared in absolute shock. They hadn't seen anything so incredible, brutal, or quick even from Ghaleon. At any rate, the Dauphan calmly turned and looked back to them, not even straining from his ordeal.
"Wow…did you see that Alex! He polished them off faster than Kyle at a two-for-one bar special!" Nall exclaimed.
"Amazing…" Luna uttered.
"I've never seen anyone use a blade like that…like that before!" Alex muttered.
Melicon smiled a bit. "It's an older technique. Rather than hacking the opponent to pieces, concentrate on a few vital points. I'd be happy to teach you sometime, Alex. After all, it won't be long before people lose that old technique all together. At any rate, enough delays. We must catch our boat."
The group finally reached Saith as the sun was setting. They had to rush to get to their boat in time. Melicon had been dead right about that. They left almost the moment they were on board, and Luna nearly had to jump just like she had on their adventure a year ago. Once they were all on, the sun quickly set and darkness came. Both Alex and Luna were cold and tired. It had just gotten to be spring and even Alex's old fur lined jacket wasn't helping much. They had to walk in much more late day weather than last time they had come. They earnestly went below deck, found their quarters, and went to sleep. Alex barely even gave Melicon a thought, tired as he was. It had been such a rush to get to Saith in the first place, and both hadn't slept so good the night before. At any rate, they dosed away through all of the night part of the trip.
They were still sailing the next day when the sun came up. Alex was first awake, and seeing both Nall and Luna still sound asleep, he snuck out of their chamber and made for the top of the deck. It was cold, but he dealt with it. As the sea gently rolled by, he saw that the Dauphan was up as well. He stood on the side of the deck, looking out over the ocean calmly. His hands were folded behind him as they were when they met and his face was straight and cold as always. He didn't seem to take any notice of Alex when he came up on the deck. And so, the young man slowly walked over to him and stood next to him on the railing, placing his hands on top of the rail and looking out at the long sea, watching the sun slowly rise.
"Nice, isn't it?" Melicon commented, giving a smile to the horizon. "I don't get much chance to see a good sea sunrise like this one anymore, what with all the duty I'm rushing around with. Still-"
"Ready to tell me the rest of the story?" Alex suddenly asked, interrupting.
Melicon smiled a bit. "Right to the point. I admire that in youth. Very well…
"We have been having more problems recently, and not just in the wake of Ghaleon's destruction. The remnants of the Vile Tribe are becoming a problem as well. Even with the deaths of the more...'hostile'...leaders of their organization, it appears there are still significant sects within them, with some attempting to resettle peacefully while others continue to act through violence. Despite attempts to stem the tide, things are growing more serious than anyone anticipated.
"It appears some of the violent members have taken up a residence in the Stadius Zone. We don't know much more than that but that is what we are suspecting. At any rate, things have grown worse since then. There's been an underground movement traveling through the area for the past few months. We used to think little of it, but it's only continued to grow. We're assuming that the resentment of this sect of Vile Tribe members for the old order of things, which is primarily derived from cities within our own Confederation, is causing the people to form a rift between the two of us. They are beginning to organize themselves on a heavy movement that is strongly opposed to magical-endowed abilities and persons. At this point we're not sure if it's the remnants of the Vile Tribe itself or them along with the members of the countryside, but it's growing more critical.
"There has been reports of work going on. Dangerous, serious work. This new organization, whoever makes it up and whoever heads it, is being suspected of the mass construction of a new type of weapon. We don't know what yet, but it could mean a desired confrontation between Magic Guild members within the Confederation and whatever forces are forming. We've tried to negotiate and get into this group, but we've either been excluded violently, lied to about its existence, or met with hot-blooded opposition. Indeed, there is strong anti-magic sentiment in there. We're growing more and more afraid that this will lead to war, or worse."
Alex frowned. "Sounds like this Confederation is more trouble than it's worth."
"Master Alex, you of all people should be the advocate of distributing responsibility." Melicon calmly returned. "Is that not what you fought for a year ago? This world has problems now, and more than ever with the integration of the Vile Tribe and chaos that Ghaleon left behind. As is, the world may not be able to handle it. And the Magic Guild can't be expected to deal with it all either. The world needs more unity now, not division. And if this latest matter isn't nipped in the bud soon there will be a rather severe division that could kill thousands."
Alex hesitated afterward. He couldn't deny Melicon however. He was right. He had stopped children on the street from even pretending to be him after the defeat of Ghaleon. He had hated having praise and heroism piled on him that much and had been such an encourager of everyone to do their own part. And how could he say any less now? The whole idea of the Confederation in the first place sounded strange and odd to him, especially coming from people he knew. It didn't seem like Mel or Lemia to want such a thing… Yet what else were they supposed to do? He had been happy enough returning to Burg, but he learned a year ago that the world was a lot bigger than the backwoods mountain town. Who was he anyway to judge how they dealt with their problems? At last, he sighed to himself and looked out at the sea again.
"How long will we be staying in Meriba?"
"We must depart soon. I didn't have you two coming into Saith so late just to dilly dally there."
Alex sighed a bit inwardly, disappointed. "Any time to see Master Mel or Jessica? Or to stop by any of the stores?"
"I'm afraid not, Master Alex. Don't worry yourself too much, however. Master Mel is already at Vane."
Alex didn't feel too relieved by that. Mel wasn't nearly as much a friend of his as Jessica was. He had been hoping that seeing her would be a welcome sight before departing again from Meriba off on his continuing adventure. But if it couldn't be helped, then it couldn't. He was eager to get to see someone he remembered though. It would have given him peace of mind at least.
Melicon eventually exhaled and turned from the sea. "I'm going below to check on our other two guests. We should be in Meriba by noon, and we should be ready to depart soon afterward."
The "stay" at Meriba was so fast that Alex hardly had any time to know he was there.
Alex had gone below shortly after Melicon, not relishing the idea of leaving his friends alone. Luna woke up later along with Nall, and the three of them did as told and got their things together. Then they stood on deck and waited for the shoreline to appear. Alex felt marvelously relieved to see Luna in much higher spirits. She hadn't had a nightmare the night before, and she smiled genuinely as she felt the sea breeze and ocean roll by. It was such a better change from her melancholy manners when they had departed a year ago, and it put Alex's mind at ease. At length Meriba did appear, and the ship landed. The Dauphin wasted little time though once they put into port. Pushing the young couple onward, they were soon disembarking and making to go out of town.
Nall groaned all the way. "We don't even have time to get a fish? Man, this old fossil sure can move…"
Meriba seemed even busier than last time they had been there. The stores were bustling with activity all over, and people from all nations were pouring through buying and selling like never before. Alex learned in short order just how potent this Zone Confederation was helping the economy of Meriba, at least. A few vendors walked up and offered Luna a few baubles for reduced prices, but she merely blushed and said no thanks as she struggled to keep up with Melicon. He didn't even slow down for an instant, but shot through the customers with practiced skill making for the town gate. Everything certainly was a mad and confusing rush, but through it all, Alex looked around with a bit of a hopeful look, hoping fate would throw one of his old friends his way at least.
"Trying to see if Ramus or Jessica are around?" Luna asked at length.
"Yeah…" Alex answered. "But I'm not being too hopeful. I mean, we're not even passing by his store…"
"Alex!"
As if on cue, Alex and Luna heard the old familiar voice at once, and turned their heads to the sound of it. Through the crowds rolling by, they managed to see a plump, bottle-lensed face poking out from the crowd with a plastered grin on his face. Moments later, the owner of it waddled through the people toward Alex and Luna. On their part, they didn't even stop, for Melicon didn't even notice their delay and kept walking, and they had to keep up or be lost. At length, the owner of the face did come up to them, and it was unmistakable who it was. Luna, Alex, and Nall all greeted him with a grin.
"Hi Ramus!" Luna greeted. "I haven't see you in ages."
"Yeah, I've been really busy." Ramus answered. He tried standing in one place and talking, but when he saw that his friends were still moving, he quickly caught up and walked alongside of them, which was a bit hard for him. "I've really been wanting to get back to Burg, but I never have the time." He rolled his eyes a little and sighed. "Ah…the sorrow of being filthy, stinking rich."
"Rich must be the type of food you've been eating…" Nall chided. "You look about ten pounds heavier!"
Ramus sweat a little at this remark, and quickly lowered his head with a blush. "Anyway…" He moaned, and then saw how fast they were going. "What's the rush anyway? Don't you guys want to stop by? I haven't seen you in months…"
"We'd like to, Ramus." Alex responded. "But we're a bit busy right now. We're tailing the Dauphin of Nanza and he doesn't look like he's going to wait for a social call. Mia called us to the Magic Guild and we're coming as fast as we can."
Ramus looked a bit surprised at this. "The Dauphin of Nanza!" He asked. Alex answered by gesturing ahead. Ramus looked, and sure enough he saw him leading them a distance ahead. Ramus whistled in amazement. "Man, you guys have hit the big time now! You have any idea who you're walking with? He's the most respected and powerful man of his zone! Everyone loves him! He can walk into any store in this city and get at least a new tunic absolutely free!"
"Wow." Luna answered. "I had never heard of him."
"He was big in Lann before his promotion." Ramus answered. "He was their town leader for twenty years and then he retired before he got his new appointment. I've heard all sorts of stories about things he's managed to negotiate. Heh…I thought I was shrewd before…this man practically invented the art. Two of my books quote him extensively. And I heard all sorts of stories about how strong he is too. You know at one point people called him the heir to Ghaleon?"
Neither Alex nor Luna took this too well. Both of their looks became somewhat uneasy and troubled. Nall gave Ramus a dirty frown. Seeing his mistake, the young man blushed and immediately recoiled a bit. "Er…sorry 'bout that…"
"Anyway," Alex spoke up again, changing the subject. "What are you doing on this side of town? I thought your store was on the other side."
Hearing this, Ramus immediately grinned with a cocky look. "Heh heh… Oh, it is. But I'm so successful now I was finally able to open another store. Now that Meriba has so many visitors no one wants to go from one end of town to the other, so I've opened another shop right next to the dock area." Ramus grinned with his greediest look. "Now I can fleece even the occasional commuter through Meriba on business! And I'm so convenient, everyone's flocking to me! I'll be expanding into Vane before next winter! Ha ha!" Ramus rubbed his fat palms in glee at the thought of it.
Luna wasn't so sure about the greed and fleecing, but she made a halfhearted smile. "Well…it seems you're really doing good for yourself now Ramus. You're a big success."
Ramus blushed a little at that. "Aw…thanks for the complement, Luna. It means a lot to me still to hear it from you guys." He frowned slightly afterward. "I only wish my dad was the same way…"
Alex exhaled a bit himself at that, and turned to see where he was walking. Much to his surprise, the gate to Meriba loomed ahead, with the statue of Althena eternally guarding it. Seeing this, Alex quickly turned back to Ramus. "Oh…looks like this is our exit, Ramus. We'll be leaving pretty soon. But when we come back, we can talk a lot more, ok?"
Ramus perked at this, but then nodded quickly. "Oh, sure, sure. Of course, by all means." He began to slow down for a moment, as if to break off from the three of them. However, he suddenly perked again, as if he remembered something, and then ran up to catch up to Alex again. "Wait a minute!" He called. "There's one more thing. I wanted to give you something… Just arrived…" He soon began to fish into his pockets.
"If it's some of the candy you've been eating, we don't want any." Nall playfully stated, but then grinned. "On the other hand, if it's a rare and tasty fish, we'll be glad to take it off yo-"
However, before Nall could finish, Ramus pulled out a small metal rod and placed it into Alex's hand. Puzzled, the young man looked at it in confusion for a moment. It was dull and not marked at all, and the only thing that stood out from it was a single groove for his thumb at the top. Ramus pointed to it and started to explain.
"I knew very well if you ever came through Meriba again it'd be on another adventure. So maybe that can help out a little. It's a concealed weapon. Just press the thumb groove and a pick blade shoots out. That's just in case you ever lose your sword and need to kill some giant spider or something about to eat you."
Alex grinned a bit at that, and then slipped the small metal rod into his pocket. "I'll hang on to this, Ramus. Thank you."
"No, thank you." Ramus responded. "And not just for stopping by, but for taking me on my little life changing trip a year ago." Here, he stopped walking, as they were nearly to the gate, and stood back. Both Alex and Luna turned and watched him, but he continued to smile and waved at the both of them as they went on. "Bye Alex! Bye Luna! Bye Nall! Next time you come through you can have any of my dresses at a nice discount, Luna! And Nall, if you don't annoy the two of them to death maybe I'll get you a nice fish from Lann!"
"I'll hold you to that, you old crook!" Nall snapped back.
"Bye Ramus!" Luna called.
"Goodbye Ramus!" Alex chimed in. "Hopefully we'll see you again soon!"
"Goodbye you two!" Ramus called back. "And good luck on your latest suicidal trip!"
It didn't take too long to get to Vane afterward. Alex had forgotten after his last detour through Meriba how quickly one could get to the magical city after stopping there. His thoughts were preoccupied with what would happen when they got there. Seeing Ramus had made him eager to see more of the familiar faces from a year ago, and knowing that he would be in Vane soon was encouraging. Luna and Nall seemed just as eager as well, and after this fast trip they were all earnest for slowing down and staying put for a little while. In addition, Alex was becoming eager to see just what was left of Vane after the tremendous disaster that happened with the Grindery…
He saw the huge island from far off sticking from the ground. It still stood heavy and tall above the ground with all of the mounded earth beneath it. However, the city had settled, it appeared, after its initial crash, and at least stood upright. Alex could still see the buildings on top of it as they approached as well. Melicon didn't bother leading them to the Transmission Spring, but instead took them straight to the city itself. As they neared, Alex noticed that the city now had a massive stone staircase built on the side of it leading straight up to the top where the town lay. There were two guards posted at the front of it of an unknown affiliation to Alex. He assumed that they were part of the new Zone Confederation or something. At any rate, when Melicon approached, they merely nodded to him and then stepped aside, not giving him any trouble at all. Though they didn't appear to recognize the other three with them, they continued to stand aside as they had for Melicon.
"Wow…I guess Melicon really is as popular as Ramus said…" Nall mused. "I wonder if he has any connections to the fishing industry…"
Luna snickered. "You and your bottomless stomach, Nall…"
The group readily ascended the staircase. Once they had reached the top, the Dauphin readily led them to the Magic Guild building. There were many people in Vane as well, and Alex could tell by the looks of them that they weren't just magic users. It looked like just about anyone could enter Vane now. There was a splash of culture there, people from every one of the cities that Melicon had mentioned. Most looked rather rich and powerful to Alex, but still just seeing them there was a change from last time, when only wizards in training were allowed. The first time Alex had been a guest there he still remembered how himself, Luna, and Nall had to fight their way through the Cave of Trial, and to the best of their knowledge many people were still down there. There was no telling what happened to them when Vane crashed…but Alex tried not to worry about it. He saw that many of the buildings in Vane were still wrecked after one year and were slowly being rebuilt. People didn't give him or Luna much trouble. In their civilian outfits, no one recognized the Dragonmaster or "Dark Songstress". Once at the building, Melicon had to give a nod to the guards at the door, but then the four of them were able to enter. Once inside, and after the Dauphin nodded to another pair of guards, they were allowed to proceed toward the main hall.
Alex saw some more new faces in the Guild, ones he had never noticed before. About two or three were still the same, but the rest were totally different. They were all dressed differently as well, making themselves more the like of the guards he had seen outside the place. Alex began to assume they must have been part of the Zone Confederation as well, or some sort of officials like Dauphin Melicon. After giving one last nod the guards outside the main hall, the man himself opened the doors and allowed the three guests to come in. Alex strolled in and looked around immediately.
There were totally new officials in here as well. One of them appeared to be a beastwoman, only a pure one rather than a half-breed like Jessica. She looked just as mean as Mel, however. She was dressed in full battle array, carried both an axe and a heavy saber slung behind her back, had a tail of purple hair dangling behind her, and was sharpening her own horn with a rather large knife. She only gave the three of them one mean look before snorting and going back to sharpening again. Another man was a bit more cordial, greeting the three with a nod as he entered. He was dressed in crimson and gold lace all over, especially in a jeweled, golden collar around his neck. He wore robes, so Alex assumed he was another mage. His hair was pure black, and his smile was crooked. Almost instantly, Alex felt nervous about him, and wished mildly that he hadn't greeted them at all. There was also a much older man at the head of the room. He had a long white beard, aged yet friendly features, and was dressed in blue and white robes. A grand crown rested on his head, and he held a large silver staff in his hand. At the moment, he was talking with a much shorter, younger-looking, black-haired girl in the front. Despite how official she looked, Luna, Alex, and Nall recognized her at once.
"Mia!" Luna called.
Instantly, the young premier stopped talking with the man, turned to the incoming group, and smiled with great joy. Without even excusing herself, she descended the raised platform where she was standing and approached them at once. The Dauphin smiled and stood to one side, allowing her to rush up to the others. At once, Mia embraced all three of them warmly, and they all returned the hug…Nall doing the best he could with his feline shape.
"Alex…Luna…Nall…it's so good to see the three of you again!" Mia proudly announced as she hugged them.
"It's great to see you too, Mia! Glad to see Nash hasn't made your hair turn gray yet!" Nall chirped in response.
The three friends embraced for a little longer, then finally released. Still smiling, Mia turned to their courier and gave a short bow. "Thank you very much, Dauphin. This may not have seemed like much, but it was very important to me that these three arrived alright."
"It was no trouble at all, your grace, so long as it was a job for the Premier of the Magic Guild." Melicon responded.
Mia turned back to the others, and gestured to the older man. "I don't know if he's already introduced himself, but this is Dauphin Melicon. I don't trust anyone more than him…except for the gang, of course. He's in charge of the Nanza Barrier now."
"We met already." Alex responded.
"I thought so." Mia answered. Immediately, she gestured to the beastwoman. While Alex and Luna looked to her, she continued to sharpen her horn with her mean look. "This is Lavender. She was the head of commerce in Meriba before. Now she's the head of commerce throughout the entire Zone Confederation. She's also, I might add, a fantastic fighter. She's supposedly the only near match to Master Mel in the world."
"Heh heh…" Nall responded. "Obviously she's never seen Alex in action!"
Lavender said nothing, but continued to sharpen her horn.
Mia gestured to the black-haired man next. "This is one of our newest mage teachers, Winson. He specializes mostly in teaching defensive arts." Winson, in answer to this, once again gave a nod to the group.
"I assure you, however," Winson answered, his voice low and quavery. "That defensive arts are not to be taken lightly. Not only that they enable you to survive even the most deadly of enemies, but they enable you to use your own enemy's offense as your own. It is an honor to be teaching under the greatest of Premiers, Mia Ausa."
Mia blushed a little here and stifled a giggle, still acting a bit childish from when they knew her before. Nall snickered a bit himself at the whole reaction from Mia, especially her blushing. "Nash better watch out, wherever he is! This new teacher is quite the charmer…"
"Oh, Nall…" Mia scolded instantly. "Winson is twice my age, and I'm sticking with Nash no matter what."
Nall shrugged with his nose turned up. "Fine, fine…but this gives you a way to make him buy you candy and flowers and try to keep your interest in him…"
Alex and Luna both snickered a bit at this, but Mia, still smiling, merely gestured on behind her. As she did, the old man himself began to walk forward. "And this is our Vice Premier, Duunran. He's a close friend of my mother's. He's been living in solitude for quite some time until now, but after Vane crashed he appeared again." Mia rolled her eyes a little and sighed after saying that. "And I must say, he's been a great help. I've been trying to work so hard just on Vane, but he's been able to take care of most matters of the rest of the region. He's practically in charge of the Zone Confederation itself."
"What?" The tall man, Duunran responded as he approached the group. It was a playful comment, but caught the attention of the younger people around the area. He grinned slightly. "Mia, Mia…what lies are you spreading about me? There is no one person in charge of the Zone Confederation. It's owned by the people. Now if you keep going on like this you're going to make me have a fat head before things go on too long."
Mia blushed and snickered again slightly. Duunran did likewise, but then afterward turned his head to Alex and Luna. He smiled a bit, and then reached his hand out to the boy. "Young Master Alex…our latest Dragonmaster… It is indeed a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
Alex hesitated, but then took his hand with a nod. "Thank you, sir, but it's just Alex now." He answered. "There are no more Dragonmasters. At least, not right now."
Duunran seemed to ignore the comment, and continued to shake. "Still wonderful to meet you, Master Alex." After this, he turned his head to the blue haired female nearby. "And who is this?" He asked.
"I'm Luna." The young woman answered, reaching out and taking Duunran's hand. "I'm a friend of Alex's. We grew up together."
"Oh…" Duunran exclaimed, as if intrigued by the fact. "Strange, however, that I have not heard of you accompanying him on his last journey. Oh well…it was a very dangerous trip, and not one that just anyone could have taken."
Luna stiffened a bit after hearing that, growing nervous. However, she managed to keep her cool and withdrew her hand. At last, Duunran turned his head to the flying cat nearby. "And this must be Nall." He stated. "I do say I've never heard of a white dragon so small…"
Nall frowned at that. "Small?...! You want to see just how big I can become?"
Mia immediately put her hands up in a stopping gesture. "Don't! There isn't enough room in here for you at full size, Nall!"
At any rate, Duunran turned away from Nall and focused on Alex once again. He maintained his kindly smile. "Well, at any rate, it is nice to have you here, Master Alex. I'm sure you will prove yourself a great asset to us and a soon remedy to our problems." After saying this, Duunran turned to Mia, and then gave a short nod. "If you will excuse me, Lady, I must get back to business. I do hope you will take that latest information into consideration."
Mia nodded in response. "I will indeed. Thank you, Vice Premier."
Duunran maintained his nod for a moment, and then turned and began to walk out of the main hall. Upon seeing him leave, Lavender reacted to him, and then stopped sharpening her horn. While putting her weapon away, she calmly walked after him. Mia didn't react to this. She was obviously accompanying him on something. At any rate, Mia didn't waste much time, but turned her head to Melichon next afterward.
"Dauphin…" She began. "I know you've just gotten back in Vane, but we're already having trouble again. There's a dilemma in the Stadius Zone. We're being accused of all the trouble that's starting to go on there. I know it's a bit dangerous and a sensitive issue, which is why I'm trusting you to be able to resolve it. Yet if you'd like to stay a while-"
Melicon merely smiled and cut her off with his hand. "No need for that, my Lady. This old man here has more stamina then it appears. I'll disembark at once for the Stadius Zone. What is the city?"
"Pao." Mia responded, causing Alex and Luna to react slightly. Alex, on his part, gave a puzzled and uneasy look. Pao was where Tempest was from.
Melicon nodded again. "Pao it is then. I'm sure we can resolve this soon. I'll leave right now." He hesitated after saying that, and then turned to Alex, Luna, and Nall. He gave them a polite nod as well. "Master Alex, it has been a pleasure to bear you here safely. Take care of yourselves and good luck in whatever mission awaits you." With that, the Dauphin turned and made for the doorway as well. Soon he reached it, pulled it open, and then exited. Alex kept his eyes on him the entire time. Something stirred within him, but he didn't know what. At any rate, after a few moments, he looked back to Mia and tried to put him out of his head. There was other business to attend to.
At last, Mia turned to Winson. "Professor Winson…if you would be so kind as to resume your course teaching. I have no further need of you today, and…this matter that I am going to discuss is rather private."
Winson nodded, without saying a word in response. The crimson-clothed wizard then turned and soon made his way out the way the rest of the others had. He too exited the doorway, leaving Mia, Luna, Alex, and Nall all alone together. After the door had shut again and the echo died, the four were silent for a few moments, almost as if making sure no one was around or that people were backing away far enough. But it didn't last long. Abruptly, Mia sighed and formed an exhausted expression.
"Phew…" She sighed. "Having to play up to those people all day can get real exhausting. I never liked having to follow all sorts of manners of etiquette all day."
Nall snickered a little at that. "Ha! I knew it. I knew you were just putting on a big act for all of them. You may be the best lady out of all of us, but not that proper! You were almost a stuffed shirt like the rest of them!"
"Tell me about it…" Mia moaned as she rose again. "But I have to be. That's the only type of people that ever come by now. All sorts of local government officials and local leaders are coming by all the time. It gets tiring always having to be on your best behavior. I haven't had a moment's peace to relax or rest in almost a month now. I've already been myself more in these past few seconds then in the entire past week."
"That sounds pretty brutal, Mia." Luna answered. "And it's not good to be playing fake all the time."
"This whole Zone Confederation has been nothing but a strain ever since it started." She answered. "All we have is arguing and debating and organizing all the time and it's almost impossible to get everyone together on anything. No one has central authority and no one can make decisions. They're looking to whoever is the highest around, and it usually ends up being me…" Mia frowned a bit at this and seemed more anxious and tense.
Alex frowned a bit himself. "Yeah? Well where is Master Mel and your mother in all this? I haven't seen them anywhere yet."
Mia sighed in reply and calmed down a little. "Oh, they're running around just as ragged as I am. But no one looks to them anymore as much as they used to…" Here, Mia groaned a bit. "Not when they can talk right with one of the 'Five Heroes'. You two are real lucky no one recognizes you. Otherwise they might bother you just as much. But it's been non-stop work here." She sighed again. "I almost wish they had never started this Zone Confederation at all…"
Alex hesitated a moment, but then asked the fateful question. "Why did your mom want one, anyway?"
Mia grimaced and straightened up again. "It wasn't really her idea. It was more like her speaking to me on behalf of a bunch of the lower teachers and officials. The same thing with Master Mel. Everyone's been getting scared about all sorts of chaos and anarchy breaking loose with the fall of Ghaleon. I can't honestly say I blame them. Some sort of order has to be maintained. But I'm not really sure that this is what mother had in mind. It's more confusion than anything, and now that we're organized anyone who causes trouble has a target to strike against. That's how this whole mess got started in the first place…" Mia rolled her eyes and sighed again. Overall, she looked very tired, overworked, and overwhelmed.
Luna and Alex hesitated a moment, looking to each other with visible concern for Mia. Yet they couldn't do much to help her either. At any rate, after a moment or so, Alex turned back to her. "Speaking of that…why did you want us here in the first place?"
Hearing that, Mia suddenly bolted out of her depression and formed a surprise look. "Oh yes! That's right! I forgot all about that! Silly me… I was getting so caught up in my own problems I forgot that we have bigger things to worry about." Mia hesitated a moment, just long enough to calm down. When she spoke again, it was with an air of heavy seriousness. "I'm hoping the Dauphin told you why I wanted you here. I wouldn't have bothered you if I had anyone else I could trust. However, as shaky as the Zone Confederation is holding together right now, and discontented as things are spreading, I only wanted to rely on people I'd trust with my own life. This is really secret, and no one else should know about it. I'm afraid it will cause panic or insurrection or who knows what else. Anyway, here's the thing…
"I don't know if the Dauphin told you, but the Stadius Zone is total chaos right now. And it's not just an influx of Vile Tribe members that are anti-magic and Althena now. It's plenty of residents of the rest of the world too. Even some higher officials are crossing over, which is exactly why I didn't want these people to hear what I'm telling you. All of them share a common goal, a hatred of the old order and a lust for a better say in things. In other words, more domination. Not necessarily power, like Ghaleon wanted. But still authority over towns, commerce, industry, basically anything that's tied to some money and power. I'm afraid that any officials like these would exploit the Vile Tribe the same way Ghaleon did. I remember how much they still hate Althena and the rest of the world, and I don't think Phacia…whatever happened to her…can turn them all around.
"The worst part is that there's rumors that there's a secret base there. It would make sense. The place is isolated yet still has access to the fertile land, and messages take forever to get between the places. It's been reported that they're building something in this base. Something totally new…and terrible. Something that's designed to counter magic users as well as people with just plain physical strength. I don't know what it is, who's behind it, where they are, how many there are, or even if any of this is true and not just a myth. That's why I need you to check it out, Alex. I know if anyone could find it, discover anything, and say what's coming it's you."
Alex hesitated, but it was only for a moment. He trusted Mia's word far better than the Dauphin's. And how she had spoken of it was with great seriousness and earnest. Alex remembered well that a lack of information was what led to the building of the Grindery, and the downfall of Vane when it wasn't destroyed before completion. Yet besides that, Alex didn't really know who could be building anything more than just conventional weapons. The only people he knew that were advanced at building were the people from Meryod, and he knew they wouldn't be building anything as a weapon…though he supposed their accidental mistakes could wreck some havoc. At any rate, it wasn't a question for Alex. If this was important to Mia, then he was already on it. He nodded to the young woman.
"I'll do it."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Nall instantly butt in. "Don't sound so solemn! You don't think I'm going to let my best friend walk into anything alone, do you? I'm coming with!"
"And me too."
Hearing that, Alex, Mia, and Nall all snapped around in simultaneous surprise and looked to the source of the voice. But there was no mistake with their hearing. They were looking right at Luna. She stood plainly for a moment, expressing neither fear nor anxiety nor happiness. However, after a few moments of a delay, she finally shrugged while folding her hands in front of her. "I mean, I'm the only healer around. I'm sure I could be of some help like that, yes? I know I'm not the best fighter, but I've seen my share of danger."
None of the others said anything. Alex and Nall grew uneasy. To Mia, she also was a bit perplexed. In truth, she had thought Luna would never want to go on another adventure again after the last mix-up. Yet here she stood now, looking just as ready to go as the rest of them. She didn't know what to say. As for Alex and Nall, however, they were a bit more troubled. Neither of them wanted to see any harm come to Luna, and after their last adventure they were a bit tense about taking her anywhere. Alex looked to Nall for a moment, as if trying to see what to do, but then he turned back to Luna.
"It could be a dangerous trip, Luna…" Alex began. "Are you sure you want to come along? I don't want to put you in any danger…"
But Luna merely smiled back. "I won't be in any danger. You'll be around to protect me." Alex blushed a little at this, but Luna continued to smile. She stepped forward, and lightly grabbed Alex by the chin so he looked straight at her. "I lost faith in you once, Alex, but never again. And I can't lose faith in myself either. I can help you here. And I intend to. I'd feel even worse if I had to stay behind or was separated from you again. I want to come. Please."
Alex hesitated again. He couldn't lie. He too wanted Luna to stay close to him after last year's tragedy, for protection if nothing else. But most of all, because that whole ordeal had taught him how precious every moment that he spent with Luna was. Yet what could he do now? Was he going to take her with him? She had defended herself well before… She did come with him a long way before being taken by Ghaleon… And it was important to her as well. Alex was torn between his own desires and his want to keep Luna safe and out of danger. At last, one side won out.
Alex nodded with a sigh. "Alright Luna. We'll do it together."
Nall rolled his eyes a bit and gave Alex a "I hope you know what you're doing" look. Mia likewise looked a bit nervous about the arrangement. However, she managed to stay calm, and went on to the two of them. "Yeah…I'm sure Alex will make sure you're alright, Luna. Besides, it might be nothing, and this isn't an attack anyway. It's just scouting." After saying this, she turned to Alex. "I really feel bad about sending you alone though. We're just too strained on everyone as it is. But there's still one person I managed to find who can come along."
As if on cue, right after Mia finished the front hall doors opened. The three others turned around to look to the new arrival, just as he came in to look at the three people he was summoned to accompany. Shortly after entering they recognized him, his tell-tale hair giving him away. Likewise, the moment he entered with his proud gait and narcissistic smile, and he recognized the flapping of a feline-like creature he happened to know, he stopped as well, and immediately groaned as he looked at him. Nall likewise did the same when he saw him.
"Oh no…not you!" Both Nall and Nash said at once to each other.
Well that's it…I'll be back in the thick of things tomorrow. Hard to believe it's only been one year… Everything's changed so much…
Alex thought about this as he paced down the halls of the Magic Guild. It was late, and he knew he should have been heading to bed fairly soon. Tomorrow, bright and early, he, Luna, Nall, and Nash would be headed out all over again. He was glad that Nash, on his part, hadn't been as narcissistic as the last time they saw him, but he still had his vanity problems and his endless arguing with Nall. Out of all of the members of the "old gang", Alex felt the least easy about Nash. His reckless behavior, oversized ego, and vain ritualistic grooming habits were bad enough. But he also had been the one who betrayed them of his own free will… Yet Alex refused to think about that. He had been the first to forgive Nash, and the young man had made his best effort to earn it. If he had wished, he would have let Alex kill him for what he did that night in the Grindery. But that was over now. All of that was over, and this was something totally different and hopefully not a fraction as dangerous.
And yet…this whole Zone Confederation…new outlook on life…new mess of troubles…all of it made Alex feel that things still weren't right. Not here or in the rest of the world he had so long neglected.
The young man reached a door in the Magic Guild hallway, and gently knocked on it. He didn't want it to be too loud, in case the person inside was asleep already. Yet somehow, inside him, he knew that wasn't the case. He and Luna had always had a special link. And it was beyond anything that the Dragonmaster and Althena shared. Sure enough, after a few moments, the doorknob clicked, and Luna, not even having taken off her scarf since she had settled in, answered it. She hesitated a moment, then formed a slight smile.
"Hi."
"Hi." Alex answered, a bit distant.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"No…could you?"
"No."
"…Anxious? Scared?"
"It's not that… Well, maybe a little."
"I am. I always was." He paused a moment, then sighed and looked around the hall. "But it's something else too. Something uneasy. I've been here before…but I just can't settle in. I can't make myself feel comfortable anywhere."
Luna hesitated a moment, merely standing in the doorway. She said nothing, but her eyes conveyed the same sentiment. At length, she stepped back. "Want to come in?"
"Sure."
Luna stepped out of the doorway and allowed Alex inside, shutting the door behind him. Once inside, Alex didn't sit, but merely paced over to Luna's window and looked outside. From here, in the light of the Blue Star, one could see the garden far on the ground below. It looked abandoned now. The pond was dry and the area was overgrown. But Alex didn't think much, seeing as one couldn't concern themselves too much with little things anymore. As for Luna, she went over to her bed and sat on it, and the two said nothing for a moment.
Alex was the first to speak up.
"Do you feel…uneasy?"
Luna hesitated a moment, as if not being able to find the right words. "I…I suppose so…" She at last spoke. "I don't know why. I feel safe enough in Vane. There were a lot of changes, but two of our friends are here, and you're here, and Nall's here…where is he anyway?"
Alex grimaced. "Picking up fish scraps and napping in the galley."
Luna snickered a little, but it was short lived. She thought of the question again and grew quiet. "Well, it's not a matter of safety. And it's not out of place either. I've been here before… Sure, we've both lived long enough in Burg, but you're always under the same sky and the same Blue Star no matter where you are on Lunar."
"You think it's the people?" Alex asked, turning his head to her.
Luna shrugged. "I don't know… No, I know that's not it… I've kept suspecting that, and though I admit the new people here are odd, I'm not that afraid. Only the Professor is still here anyway. The Dauphin left on his one trip and Lavender and Duunran left on that other one. And the Dauphin seemed honorable enough. Everyone trusted him. I think if he meant the both of us harm he would have done it while on that trip to Vane. It can't be the people…" Here, Luna trailed off, and said no more. There was silence between the two for a few moments, neither saying anything.
Alex broke it again.
"It's you…isn't it?"
Luna slowly rose her head.
"You're the one who feels out of place, like you don't belong here…like you're a cat in a room full of dogs, or a wild horse running free in an empty city… You feel you don't belong here, or that you're different."
Luna hesitated a moment, but there was some wonderment in her eyes. After a short length, she shook her head. "But how did you-"
"I feel the same way…" Alex answered, smiling a bit to encourage some sort of fellowship. However, it didn't last either and faded quickly. "I've been feeling uneasy ever since we started out. But strange as everything has been I realize now that it isn't the rest of the world no matter how radically it's changed. After all, when I first left Burg I knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the world yet I didn't feel like this. It's something inside me…something that just doesn't fit."
"But what?" Luna asked, her look growing anxious and nervous. "What does it mean? Why is it happening to us?"
Alex sighed in reply, and slowly paced over to Luna. Once he reached her bed, he sat down next to her and sighed again. Slowly, he shook his head. "I don't know, Luna. I can't explain it either. You know as much as I know. And though I might look brave, it's scaring me too."
Luna said nothing, but began to look troubled. And it wasn't just a normal look. It was the same look Alex remembered the day she started her "special" singing. The day she cleared the fog from the forest, when she was set on the road that led her to realize she was Althena. It hurt Alex to look at that. After a time, he put her arm around her. When he did, she laid her head on his shoulder. Both of them stared at the window and out into the night sky.
"Don't worry." He reassured. "We've been through the worst possible before. Whatever it is now, we'll pass it too. Just stay close to me."
"I intend to." Luna echoed back softly, and the two continued to look into the night.
To be continued...
