Hello, everybody; ModernDayBard here! This time 'game play proper' kicks off...so to speak. By the end of this chapter, we should get through what I consider to be the 'prologue' portion of the game, with the main part kicking off next time.
Because it must be said: the personalities of my oc's are my own invention, but their roles in the world, as well as the world of the game itself are not.
"...step right up to the shipwrecked showboat Sir Walter Scott for the show of the century!" (Duke of Bridgewater, Big River)
They had no idea where they were, what they were doing, what prophecy everyone kept talking about, or even what they were getting themselves into. They weren't from this world, and had barely survived their first encounter with goblins, which were apparently the easiest of monsters to kill. There was almost certainly a giant misunderstanding behind everything, starting with the crystals that they didn't know what to make of. Really, when considering all that, there was only one answer they could give...
"Of course we will," Josh replied, bowing as he spoke.
It was to Zach's credit, he decided, that he held back his protests until the four 'heroes' were alone in their room in the inn discussing what, if anything, they planned to do the next day about the 'princess problem'. "Are you out of your mind!" he all but shrieked once the guards had left them alone. "I know I said to play along, but don't you think you're taking that a bit too far? What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that saying no was the smart thing to do!" Josh retorted without fully considering his words.
Zach stared at his friend; his confusion mirrored in the expressions—or eyes—of the Meyers' siblings. "So...why didn't you?"
"I—I'm not really sure..." Josh admitted, clearly uncomfortable. "I guess I was afraid of what the king would say if we turned him down—there was obviously no way to convince him we weren't the people he thought we were."
"I'll grant you that," Matt said, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours. "Maybe it would be best to slip away, get out of town, under the pretense of rescuing the princess?"
Josh knew that was the smart plan, the logical plan. So why did he feel so opposed to it? "And leave her with that knight doing who-knows-what to her?"
The others were staring at him again, Zach looking particularly worried for his friend's mental stability. "Um, is all the attention going to your head? You seem to forget that we aren't these legendary heroes everyone assumes we are!"
"Maybe we are."
The quiet voice of Leslie Meyers was as unexpected as her words were, so despite the fact that it was barely audible, she caught everyone's attention. The timid girl quelled under their stares, muttering an apology until her brother asked in a gentle tone the other two had never heard him use before: "What makes you say that, Les?"
She swallowed hard, looking away. "It's just that—we each found apparently magical crystals that brought us to a fantasy world where people expect great things from us. I don't know about you, but that's similar to a lot of fairy tales and fantasy novels I've read."
"Except this isn't a novel," Zach shot back, his harsh tone making Leslie flinch and earning a glare from Matt. "What kind of skills and qualifications do we have? What on earth makes you think we can do this?"
"Can it, Prehill!" Matt snapped, stepping between the red mage and his sister. "She's got a solid point based on precedent. I'll admit I've gone my entire life thinking magic was just a story. Well, news flash: now we're in a world where that story is apparently a reality. Leslie could be right—maybe those other stories are a reality here, too. Besides, anyone who could help us is apparently over a bridge that won't be repaired unless we do this."
Zach stared at his rival in disbelief. "What—one word from your little sister and you completely change your mind? You were the one suggesting we bolt tomorrow!"
"I tend to defer to her experience," Matt shot back in a dry tone, "She is thirty minutes older. Besides, she only speaks up when she's given something a lot of thought, so she's usually at least partially right."
Josh looked between the arguing mages and the now-silent figure in white (who apparently was Matt's twin sister—Josh was beginning to realize just how much he didn't know about the siblings), unwilling to step in entirely, but a thought occurred to him that he felt worth sharing. "We do have the advantage of numbers: four on one. That could help offset his experience. Plus, you heard what Undar said about balance: we've got magic on our side, Garland doesn't."
Zach and Matt both focused on him again, but this time, they looked more thoughtful than surprised or worried. "He's got a point," Matt mused aloud, glancing back at his sister. "I'll be the first to admit that Leslie and I should not be front-row fighters, but if we get the hang of a few of these spells, we could blast him from the distance, keep him off-balance while you two attack. Or at least, I could while Leslie keeps you two healthy with her healing and protection spells."
"But if he's such a great swordsman, even two-on-one, how much of a chance do we have in a direct confrontation?" Zach couldn't help asking.
Matt tilted his head to one side as if thinking, and for once, he directly addressed the red mage without a touch of condescension in his tone. "Don't try to fight him with his strengths, use your own." This earned him blank stares, and a touch of annoyance crept back into the younger boy's voice. "You're football players, right? Athletes? Used to a lot of long hours practicing footwork and strategies for a type of in-person confrontation? If we square off against a few monsters before heading into the shrine, maybe you two could figure out how to adapt that to sword play."
In the end, it was with great reluctance and an overwhelming sense of 'we can't decently do anything else' that the four of them decided to at least try to rescue Sara from Garland. In the end, it was Zach who summed it up best just before the four teens turned in for the night:
"Who knows? Maybe if we get killed in the battle, we'll wake up back home to find this is all a terrible dream."
They set out early the next morning, none able to sleep in thanks to dreams of home and nerves regarding the coming day's adventure. Matt was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who'd woken up, disappointed to find himself still in the inn of a strange town in a stranger world, instead of safe at home. With that undeniable confirmation (at least in his mind) that this was not, in fact, a terrible dream, the newly appointed black mage felt the weight of responsibility settle onto his shoulders. By hell or high water, he had to get he and his sister home safely to their parents. The Meyers family was very close, and Matt couldn't imagine what his parents would go through if he and Leslie vanished without a trace—or worse, if their bodies turned up, somehow.
They've probably already noticed you've gone. A voice in the back of his mind pointed out. It's been at least twenty-four hours here, in this world, not counting the missing night. You're banking on the time lines being different, like in Narnia. If they're not, your parents are already out of their mind.
Shut up! Matt shot back, his customary scowl deepening—not that anyone could see it, now. That's all the more reason to get this done and find someone to send us home. I've just got to keep Leslie safe until then.
And what about the others? That same, pernicious voice insisted. You planning to try and protect them?
They're allies, not family. I'll pull my weight and hope they do the same without expecting them to. Prehill's always been a slacker—why should that change now? I won't abandon them, but I won't rely on them, either.
"Hey, Meyers—hurry up! You asleep back there?"
Matt glowered at Zach, who had been the source of the call, but he did speed up his walking pace a little, unaware that he was walking, as he had since their arrival in this strange world, between the two athletes and Leslie.
The walk to the Chaos Shrine was not exactly uneventful—on several occasions, the party was set upon by more goblins, as well as some wolves, spiders, and even a couple of mad horses (which Leslie, a horse lover, seemed particularly upset by). Matt found himself using his staff for the most part, not because he was an overly effective fighter, but because he wanted to keep his magic in reserve until the 'big battle' came. Leslie, for her part, did occasionally supplement one of the group's healing potions with some healing spells in an attempt to stretch their supplies.
Zach did try out a spell or two, but he was more focused on trying to implement Matt's advice and adapt his football strategy to battle (of course, he's rather have died than admit that he was giving in to any point the younger boy had, but he did recognize sound logic when he encountered it). Josh was doing the same, though not with as much success as his lankier, quicker friend. He was beginning to understand Undar's disdain for the light blade and armor that Cornelia seemed to offer warriors, thieves, and red mages alike.
Still, they made it safe and whole to the shrine as the sun set, electing to camp outside and attempt their rescue in the morning.
[Break]
"Remember what the chancellor told us," Matt reviewed as they broke camp the next morning. "The scouts reported that Garland's holed up in a room directly in front of the entrance, so all we have to do is charge in and keep running straight ahead, taking out the big guy himself in a hard and fast strike, then getting the hell out of there, hopefully with princess in tow."
"Yeah, but I'm more stuck on what he said about that report coming from the surviving scouts," Zach growled, never the morning person, and not one to face certain death with a grin on his face.
Josh noticed Leslie flinch at that and spoke up with more confidence than he felt. "Well, Mr. Optimist, they were trying to examine the whole shrine, and we've only got to deal with a part of it. Besides, they were scouts, not fighters. We'll be fine." He could tell from Zach's expression that his friend was still unconvinced, but at least he was now keeping his gloomier thoughts to himself. Josh caught Leslie's grateful look and felt his heart rate increase slightly, then quickly turned away, reminding himself there actually was more to Zach's pessimism than he'd given credit to. Not time to be distracted.
Just as they reached the door barring them from Garland, they found the way blocked by rotting corpses wearing the uniform of Cornelian scouts—to their surprise and terror, the unfortunate remnants of the scouting party were quite lively for dead men, and seemed intent on the party's demise.
"Guess we know now why Garland doesn't take prisoners," Josh growled, drawing his rapier. Before he could strike, however, he heard Leslie muttering behind them, then bright beams of light lanced over his shoulder and disintegrated the zombies.
Zach glanced back at the white mage with a jealous expression. "Man, I wish red mages can learn those holy-based spells, they really are as effective as that saleswoman promised."
Leslie managed a small smile. "You were able to learn a basic fire spell right? Apparently those are just as useful against the undead."
Matt couldn't help snorting. "He didn't just learn it—he almost burned down the shop. Apparently our friend here is a budding pyromaniac."
"I believe the shop owner's term was 'has a propensity for flame-based spells.' Anyway, all the scrolls are fire-proof, so there wasn't any real damage done."
"If you're done," Josh cut in, "I think it's time we meet our host." He grimaced. "That sounded really cheesy, didn't it?"
"Wisconsin-level," Zach affirmed as the door swung open, revealing a man in full armor, looming over a bound and still form of a girl—presumably, Princess Sara—and monologue-ing.
"Soon, the king will have no choice but to exchange his kingdom for his daughter's life—Cornelia will be mine!"
"Cliché much?" Zach drawled, finally drawing the man's attention.
Garland growled at the sight of the four teens. "What have we here—the king's lapdogs? Well no matter, for I, Garland," he paused, drawing his longsword dramatically, "will knock you all down!"
There was a moment of silence following his declaration, and Zach, despite the dangerous-looking blade, was having trouble fighting back a laugh. Nevertheless, he was able to muster an admirable deadpan expression and tone for his retort: "Never mind: stick to the clichés. They suit you better."
With a furious roar, (which the red mage granted was a cliché—sort of) the one-time knight charged the four. Josh and Zach moved to intercept him while the siblings dropped back and circled away.
Josh felt his armor harden suddenly just as he side-stepped Garland's initial rush, managing to nick his larger opponent on the arm as the older man stumbled by off-balance. Must be Leslie's protect spell. Too bad she has to cast that one-at-a-time—it's pretty useful.
It was, too: no sooner had it taken effect on Zach than a lucky blow landed on his shoulder—by rights, one that should've taken his arm off—as it was, it ended up being a deep but not life-threatening cut. Zach hissed in pain, dropping his blade for a moment. Josh tried to move in front of his friend, but Garland was quick, backhanding the red mage and sending him crashing into a pillar.
A lightning bolt flashed, traveling down the large sword and sparking over Garland's armor, wounding their foe and distracting him from a kill-strike, as Leslie crept around, already muttering the first part of the healing spell under her breath as she approached Zach.
Knowing he had to keep the former knight's attention away from the mage—who would be nearly defenseless during the spell casting, especially if she hadn't yet cast the protection spell on herself—Josh charged him, got another hit in, then darted away, and Garland followed, screaming in anger and pain from beneath his helmet. "I'll kill all of you, one by one! Your leadership is their doom!" He aimed the last part at Josh, who was still doing his best to dodge the larger weapon, despite not being built for speed or agility.
The warrior tried not to flinch at the implicit threat to their others, but, seeing movement from the corner of his eye, he shot back, "Then it's a good thing I'm not the leader!" With that, he moved just far enough aside, allowing Zach (who'd recovered both his health and weapon) to reach Garland, shouting the last part of his fire spell while driving his rapier into a gap between plates of the armor.
There was a dying scream, the muffled sound of an explosion and the nauseating smell of burned flesh, then silence as Matt finally dared to come near the fallen form. "What did I say?" He dryly observed at last. "You're a budding pyromaniac, Prehill."
"You seem a bit trigger-happy with the lightning yourself, Meyers," the taller boy snapped back, but the black mage wasn't listening, having caught sight of a slumped figure over by one of the pillars.
"LESLIE!" at the hoarse cry, the other two turned, and joined their younger companion in running back to his sister, though they held back a few feet, while Matt knelt beside the white-robed figure.
She didn't seem to be injured, Josh noted, but that didn't make him feel that much better when he saw the glazed look in the white mage's eyes when she at last raised her head. "I-I'm al-alright," she managed at last, the stammer betraying her true state. "J-just tired. That last h-healing spell was h-harder than I thought..."
"You over exerted yourself!" her brother scolded, harsh words softened slightly by the worry in his tone. "Don't you remember what those shop owners told us about magical exhaustion? You're lucky to still be conscious! No more magic until after we're back in Cornelia—maybe even for a few days after that. Prehill can handle all the rest of the healing until you're better." He glared at the red mage as if daring him to protest or disagree—not that Zach was disposed to.
"Yeah, I got it, Leslie. You just rest up. And...thanks. You probably saved my life, there."
Josh was still concerned for the girl, but it seemed her brother wasn't about to leave her side, so he supposed the situation there was under control. "Speaking of saving..."
As if all remembering their actual mission at once, they crossed to the bound princess, cutting the ropes, and noticing with great relief that she was still breathing. All at once, her eyes opened, she yawned, stretched, and only then seemed to notice them. "Y-You defeated Garland? You must be here to rescue me! Well, thank you. Shall we go home?"
Zach looked at the others, his face more stunned than it had been after he'd been tackled by 190-lb defensive end his sophomore year. "You mean," he said at last, "she was asleep through all of that?"
Whether because the monster hoards were terrified of the warriors who had defeated Garland, or whether Garland had instructed them to leave the princess for him, they weren't attacked once on their way back to Cornelia, allowing them to make the trip in what remained of that day.
Once she noticed the crystals that her rescuers held, the young princess couldn't keep her excitement to herself. "You mean you are the Warriors of Light—the ones from Lukahn's prophecy—and you came to save me?"
"We're actually still unclear on that," Josh admitted, and Zach glared at his friend before rushing in to cover and maintain their story.
"What he means to say is, the crystals were family heirlooms, and we were never told the significance of them. Along with a few poor weapons and some supplies, they were all we were able to salvage from the wreckage," he explained, and the confusion in the princess's eyes began to clear. "Our village was mostly peaceful, and nearly completely isolated. We've never even heard of this prophecy that everyone keeps talking about, or what its significance really is. I don't suppose you could tell us—save us from appearing fools before your father?"
It was around that time the others began to appreciate the advantages of their 'isolated fishing village' backstory—it was the perfect excuse to ask questions that otherwise would garner suspicions. The princess, however, only shook her head apologetically. "I do apologize, good sirs—lady—but even I have not heard the prophecy in its entirety. But I will tell you what I know! The world is decaying, monsters growing in power, and there are rumors of terrible forces awakening. I asked my father if the world was going to end, and all he said was not to worry—there was a man in Crescent Lake who had prophesied that four Warriors of Light would come and set all to right. We would know them by the crystals they had with them."
"That's it?" Matt demanded. "All we get is some general nonsense about saving the world with no clue of how we're even supposed to go about that? If these blasted shards are tied to that prophecy, they probably won't activate again until they think we've finished the job!"
This only served to confuse Sara even further, and it was all Zach could do to keep himself from punching Matt for speaking so carelessly. As it was, he settled for stepping hard on the black mage's foot and summoning his most charming smile for the princess. "Forgive our traveling companion...he is deeply interested in the strange magical properties of these relics—they're like nothing we've encountered before, and he hates not being able to understand them."
To his immense relief, Sara seemed to accept his explanation, and continued to ramble about the heroes' reception that would be awaiting them upon their return.
"...Thank you for rescuing my daughter, Sara. There can be no doubt you are, indeed, the Warriors of Light from Lukahn's prophecy. If I may, the prophecy says: 'When the world is veiled in darkness, four Warriors of Light shall come, bearing crystals.'"
The four teens waited a moment, then realized the king had said his piece. "That's all the prophecy says?" Zach asked, dismayed. "We were hoping for a little more to go on."
"If I may," the chancellor broke in, stepping forward. The sour mood the older man had displayed on their last visit to the castle apparently had melted away in the face of what he deemed proof of their identity as the legendary heroes. "Many of us were likewise confounded by the prophecy's lack of detail, but Lukahn seemed certain. Perhaps there was more he didn't tell us—parts meant for you four only? It would be worthwhile to ask him. Unfortunately, Crescent Lake can only be reached by ship, and we currently have none."
"However," the king broke in, "after the bridge to the north is repaired—which will be in a day or less—you may continue on to Pravoka, as you had planned; they are a city built on sea-trade: surely you could hire a ship there to take you to Crescent Lake, where you may seek guidance from Lukahn."
Zach looked at the others, seeing the same worry and resignation in their expressions that he felt—once again, there didn't seem to be anything else they could do. And if this Lukahn figure had a hand in the prophecy, maybe he was a powerful enough magician to get them home. "Thank you, your majesty, for your sage advice."
A few more formalities later, and they knew they were dismissed. Before they left the throne room however, Sara ran up to them. "I know the urgency of your mission means the customary celebratory banquets and parades are out of the question, but will you at least take this as a symbol of my gratitude? Like your crystals, it is a family heirloom sacred to the princesses of Cornelia. I know not how, but perhaps it can aid you in your journey." With her speech finished, she handed over a lute, which Josh took, glancing at the others as if to ask 'what do I do now?'
It was actually Leslie who rescued him this time, managing a curtsey, despite not being complete steady on her feet yet. "Thank you, your highness. We will care for it, and hopefully return it to your family when our journey is done."
Finally, they were able to escape back to the inn, though none of them expected to sleep well with all that had been revealed that day.
Before they set out the next morning, they turned in the heads of the monsters they'd slain before facing Garland, planning to use the money to stock up on supplies for their journey to Pravoka. Leslie, however, pulled a significant portion of the funds aside.
"What for?" Zach asked. "We've got all the spells, weapons, and armor we can get from this place."
All the girl would say in response was, "You made a promise," and since she had saved his life in the battle—at no small risk to her own—the red mage followed her with no more protest. The four made their way back to the weapons shop, where the white mage handed the money over to a surprised Undar.
"This—this is more than I loaned you," the older man observed, a question in his eyes.
Leslie took a deep breath before replying. "You gave us more than a loan—you taught us much about what to expect, and calmed us when we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. Were it not for you, we'd never have been able to rescue Sara. Our mission is bigger now than we thought—bigger than we think we can handle—but whatever successes we have will find their root here in the seeds of kindness and wisdom you planted."
"Lass..." Undar's voice trailed off as he shook his head. "I don't know if I could ever answer the question of whether heroes are born or made, but whichever it is, I could sense there was something about the four of you as soon as you came in. I need no extra gil, I will take only what you owe me for the spells, and hear no more of it. Just keep yourselves safe, and come back and see an old man when you can, eh? Just so I can see what you become?"
The four were struck speechless by his sincerity, and the tears and pride both mingled in the eyes of the first friend they'd made in that world. This time, when Zach promised they'd do as Undar asked them, he had no intention of breaking his word.
The bridge was finished later that morning, according to the king's word, and the four teens were the first people to cross the new structure. At the halfway point, they paused as a realization struck home. It was Josh who finally gave it a voice.
"This—this is real. I mean, let's face it: we've all read enough of these stories to know what Lukahn'll say. We'll have to complete some kind of long, dangerous mission—save the world, or something—before the crystals will activate and send us home."
"Someone gave us the crystals," Matt pointed out. "Someone picked us, and they think we can do this."
"I guess we better pray that they're right," Zach observed dryly.
They stood in silence a few minutes more, but as had happened already twice before, they all knew they had no choice but to press on if they ever wanted to see their families again. Yet the morning was so bright, the wind for once crisp, blowing the scents of the strange plants of that world into their faces, none of the four could deny that a thrill went through them at the thought of actually being heroes.
On the opposite side, however, the moment had passed, and Josh noticed Leslie's shoulders were shaking. Despite the young mage's swift recovery from the previous day's exhaustion, Josh worried, so he came beside her and asked, "Hey, you doing okay?" he trailed off as he saw the tears on her face. Her shoulders had been shaking from crying, not tiredness.
The warrior felt the same surge of protectiveness as he had the first time he saw the younger girl cry, and couldn't help asking, "Hey, what's wrong, Leslie?"
"This—this is too big," Leslie admitted in a tiny voice. "I'm a nobody at school for a reason—there's nothing special about me. I mean, you're strong, Zach's pretty skilled all-around, and Matt's incredibly smart. But me...I've never done anything extraordinary."
"I'm not sure I'd call knocking down other kids on a turf field extraordinary," Josh mumbled, nevertheless pleased at her complement. "But you did save Zach's life—and mine—with those protect and healing spells. You kept us honest with Undar, and you heard what he said about the heart of a white mage being their greatest strength—you've got the biggest heart of anyone I've met, and you manage to be gentle and strong at the same time."
She didn't seem completely convinced, but she managed a wan smile, at least. "Besides," Josh pointed out, "None of us could do this on our own, it said there'd be four of us, and Undar said we cover for each other's weaknesses with our individual gifts. And that's just what we'll do."
And so their journey began.
The four Warriors of Light felt overwhelmed by the great task destiny had placed upon them. They did not know the true significance of the four crystals they held in their hands... The crystals that once, long ago, shone with a light so brilliant.
The time for their journey had come. The time to cast off the veil of darkness and bring the world, once more, into the light...
So, yeah. I always figured everything before that bit of text on the bridge was the prologue, and everything after it was the story proper. Man, I know I'm long winded, but three chapters for a prologue? Hopefully, things weren't too tedious, and the plot will flow at a more natural rate from here on out, now that we've got our characters established and (more or less) on board with what they have to do...even if they don't know what that is yet.
As always, if you saw something you liked, or something you think I can fix/improve on for next time, don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know.