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An Alternate Shining Force story
Distant Realities
By Darksoar
Chapter Four
Two Nights Ago:
It was a cold and chilly night, with a strong bright moonlight shining down on the forested area and plains. The breeze was soft, yet it easily sent a shiver up Lieutenant Calbridge's spine. He grasped his lance tighter and listened carefully, trying to detect if he wasn't alone.
The centaur Knight was in the midst of a thick forest, though in the middle the trees were a bit sparser the edges were nicely bunched with enough vegetation that it was too dense to see through. In spite of this, the young knight was feeling very nervous, yet eager. But he was becoming worried and impatient. It was his damn guard duty shift in thirty minutes; he was cutting it dangerously close as it was already. Where was hell was his 'contact'? he fumed silently.
His keen hearing suddenly caught the soft sounds of someone carefully making his way through the forest and towards his current position. The timing of the footsteps told him that it was human, or at least a bipedal. That didn't mean anything, and Lt. Calbridge was a wary individual by nature. Tensing, he set himself into a ready position and aimed his bronze lance in the general direction of the approaching footsteps, ready to attack at any second.
Then the footsteps stopped and a tall, dark robed figure stepped out from behind a tree. It was hooded and the only part that was visible was the mouth and the chin.
"Lower your weapon fool, it is only me," hissed his contact. "I come alone, as agreed upon by our arrangement, as well as completely unarmed."
Scowling at the man, though he probably couldn't see it due to the darkened shadows of the forest, Calbridge held his weapon sideways across his armored chest. Even after dealing with this person for nearly a year, the centaur didn't dare leave himself wide open around him.
"What took you so long? I'm due for my shift in almost half an hour," said Calbridge in a low, sharp tone. Then he suddenly remembered what they were supposed to meet for and changed tact immediately. "So, do you have the instructions and my advance payment?" He asked with greedy anticipation.
The contact's mouth lifted up in a mocking half smirk. "Well, well, the little horsey wants to get on with business, does he?" The centaur gritted his teeth at the insult, but restrained himself with an effort. Time was of the essence here and was swiftly running out.
Shrugging slightly at the lack of response, the robed man reached into the folds of his clothing and brought out two leather bags. One was bigger than the other and looked as if contained small, multiple edged objects. Despite the time pressure, Calbridge grinned as he reached out to receive both of them.
"Now Lieutenant, here is your advance payment as you insisted, 50 Circlets. The rest shall make its way to you upon completion of the task. Here is the item. The instructions of what you are supposed to do with it are within the sack." The robed man didn't need to tell Calbridge to be careful; it was the grounds on which their relationship stood upon.
As the centaur Knight tied both sacks to his waist and secured them, his accomplice leaned in close and said in a whisper, "Now then, the item needs to be washed or bathed within the blood of a dedicated, strong willed leader. After many hours of pondering this, I have found a most capable individual who will serve our needs perfectly." He beckoned the Lieutenant closer and whispered a single name into his ear.
The centaur had no change of expression, his face stiff and cold, as emotional as a statue. Throughout the entire business relationship he had with this mystery man (though he didn't care one way or the other), he didn't pay much attention to the consequences of the acts he had been hired to perform. His only primary concern was the monetary angle and of course not being caught.
The two conspirators swiftly departed from the other's company. Lt. Calbridge donned the enchanted cloak given to him earlier by his accomplice for such meetings. It erased him from any sight, whether physical, magical or any other. It also dampened any sound he made, and it made his secret meetings much easier to attend. He quickly made his way through the forest, heading back towards the castle.
Lt. Calbridge had been wonderfully and expensively paid for his private services. Although just reaching his 30s, his enthusiasm for life, open honesty, optimism and everything that defined youth had mostly vanished. Gone and replaced by an immense greed, cynicism, bitterness, and a chilly indifference.
Just a tiny bit of a conscience remained though, to rage against futilely at the heinous act he was about to commit.
Now:
Amner Beldon, King of Guardiana, leaned forward in his throne, a look of worry and apprehension marring his dignified countenance.
"Are you sure about this, Captain Varios?" The aged monarch asked the head of the Guardiana Knights. The King had just received disturbing news from the centaur officer. Apparently, a farmer who lived on the outlying fields had spotted a good-sized band of unknown soldiers heading towards the outer boundaries of the kingdom. Sensing that they might be trouble, he had killed his only horse in order to pass the news to the nearest patrol.
"Positive, your Majesty. Private Malinsky came straight to me, sparing no time at all. He is not sure, but the patrol saw what they believe were several centaur Knights from Runefaust among this group. It could be a prelude to an invasion; maybe a scouting party. But the situation doesn't feel like it. As it stands, might I ask your permission to attend this matter with my daughter and other soldiers as reinforcements?" Varios's hard, lined face showed no exaggeration as he stood at attention, head slightly inclined in respect to his liege. He'd been with King Beldon for his entire career, ever since he was a squire. The captain was one of the few military officers that the king instinctively and totally trusted.
Without wasting a further second because of the threat of an unknown source was nearing every second, the monarch of Guardiana simply stated, "Granted. Captain Varios, I command that you capture the leader of these vagabonds so that we might discover their exact purpose and also that of Runefausts', if they are indeed connected. You are dismissed, and good luck."
Bowing gracefully, Captain Varios took his leave and quickly trotted away, his hooves echoing faintly on the polished marble floor. As he exited the king's audience chamber, his daughter Mae, who had been waiting for him outside, fell in step beside him. In a proper and formal tone of voice, she asked, "What are his Majesty's commands, Captain?"
Regarding his beautiful daughter (who looked so much like his dear departed wife), Varios's old, experienced green eyes met Mae's youthful, disciplined blue ones. "Go assemble your fellow graduates from the Academy. They, along with Sgt. RockHammer, will be the command crew." As if anticipating his daughter's protest, he turned a stern frown on her. "That is an order, Corporal!"
"I know you have reservations about them going into danger," he continued in a more lenient manner, "but you must admit, even though you were top of your class, they weren't too far behind. Especially that man from the east, Musashi Yojimbo. He was second to you wasn't he?" Seeing the look of reluctant acceptance on her youthful features, Varios quickly commanded, "Now go and assemble them and meet me at the front gate in fifteen minutes. Hup to it!"
Mae crisply saluted her superior and galloped off to find her classmates. She knew where she could find the majority of them. Luke and Musashi were most probably sparring against each other in the training grounds. Most likely they would have a good idea where the rest of group were.
Steel clashed upon steel as grunts filled the air. Two young men strove to overcome the other as they wielded live steel on the training grounds. To anyone who didn't know the two combatants who have thought they were having a duel; however this was not the case. To both of them, a human from the east and a dwarf from the north, this was considered a light spar.
Musashi Yojimbo used the advantage of his superior height and reach to rain attacks down onto his sparring partner. Luke Fremount used his lower center of gravity and the strength that all dwarves had to easily batter aside the attacks and strike at Musashi's lower body. Skill without being taken into consideration, it was basically a fight between fast and agile in opposition to strong and enduring.
Using a long sword, Musashi brought it down on the dwarf's head. Luke immediately raised his shield over his head and lowered his neck a bit, letting his strong left forearm take the force of the blow. Without even wincing at the shock, the hardy warrior shrugged it off his shield and swiped at Musashi's midsection simultaneously.
Amazingly, Musashi, knowing that he couldn't bring his sword back in time to defend, flexed his legs and threw himself into the fastest and highest backflip he could manage. While still in midair, Musashi could feel the breeze Luke's middle sword made as it barely brushed by his rear end as he swiftly rotated in the air.
Landing squarely on his heels a foot more away from his dwarf friend, the human reflexively and quickly threw himself into a back roll. He came up in a defensive stance, blade held with both hands out horizontally before his chest.
"Show-off," huffed Luke, bringing his shield to the left side of his body and laying his sword edgewise on his right shoulder. Grinning at his fellow Guardiana Martial Academy graduate and friend, Musashi merely shrugged nonchalantly. Speaking in a slightly halting and accented, low pitched tone, he remarked, "My friend, this one is sure that Fremount-san would be acted beyond proper sparring if certain woman wizard watching." He gave a short bow and smirked at the dwarf.
Luke just snorted. "Feh, count'cha blessings Tao is in town. She would'a cer'ainly fried yer ass with 'er Blaze spell." The young dwarf idly scratched an itch on his neck with the point of his middle sword, then abruptly clanged the flat of the blade on his shield. "Well whut are we waitin' for! Let's get 'da show on 'da damn road!" He roared. Talking while there should be fighting had never been a strong trait of any dwarf, after all.
Bowing in respect to his friend, Musashi shifted his balance to accommodate an attack. He moved his sword so the hilt was against his right hip and the blade was held horizontally, facing away from his body. A quick shuffle of his feet was a prelude to a forthcoming dashing attack when-
"Hold it! Privates First Class Fremont and Yojimbo! Attention!"
"Ah' great, not agayin!" Luke groaned as he turned and saw Mae quickly galloping towards them. "This one agrees. Why Mae-san always pick not good time to interrupt much fun training hour?" Musashi muttered in annoyance as he put up his sword. But complaint or not, she was their superior by rank. In accordance with four years of military training, they sheathed their weapons and followed as ordered.
Although she was a stickler for military protocol and was a bit of a disciplinarian, Mae was actually a caring and warm person at heart. She considered Musashi and Luke two of her closest male friends. Outside of military affairs, that is.
Coming to a halt before them, her strict face relaxed slightly as she saw them standing at perfect attention. She would never admit to the both of them, but whenever the two goofballs would practice military protocol to the letter, she would feel proud of them. Inwardly sighing, she thought, here it comes. Why can't they always be this serious? "At ease," she then announced, succumbing to the inevitable.
Instantly, both men completely relaxed their bodies and did their expected, though always unpredictable actions. Luke enthusiastically dug into the inside of his left nostril and looking at the sky, while simultaneously vigorously attacking a suddenly itchy spot on his behind. On the other hand, Musashi leaned his head to the left, crossed his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and blew a raspberry, looking like some poor patient in a mental ward.
When they didn't see a hint of amusement in her eyes, the two friends ceased their antics, albeit disappointedly, and assumed more normal poses. Not wasting a second longer, Captain Varios's daughter began speaking.
"I want both of you to gather your gear and weapons. Musashi, please go find and gather the other girls. Luke, I want you to go to the Royal Stables and give this writ," she dug into her pouch and produced said document, "to the caretaker. Tell him to prepare eight horses as soon as possible. When that is done, take the horses to the Main gate. Captain Varios and I will be waiting." Without even waiting to dismiss them, she turned around and started galloping away.
Blinking at the orders fired at them, Musashi and Luke called out at the same time, "Where are we going?" When no answer came back from the retreating figure of Mae, they shrugged at each other then immediately turned in different directions to carry out their instructions.
But before they got out of earshot range of each other, Luke grumbled, "Dam', d' lass didn' even twitch a lip! Ther' goes fail're number fift'ee se'fhen!"
Shouting in response to the dwarf's lament, Musashi yelled, "Not to become not unworried, always is next time!"
Luke's answer floated over the distance, "Darn'd dat's what ye always say!"
After being rudely interrupted from an impromptu shopping expedition, Tao and her two friends, Dianne and Khris had graciously decided to let Musashi live. That was due to a timely stammered explanation, accompanied by a panicky waving of arms in a futile attempt to ward off a verily pissed off Tao, who had the beginnings of a potent Blaze spell in her palm. Even as they rode to the rendevous with the patrol, Musashi had set a little more space between him and the wizard than normal, still fearing make his presence known around her. He was shivering slightly from the memory of the ultimate fury in her eyes.
After the three women and two men had gone to the Main gate, they found Captain Varios, his daughter, and Sergeant Gort awaiting them. The captain had explained the situation to them, and so they had immediately started riding towards the rendezvous point.
Riding beside her father, Mae could barely keep feelings of great worry inside of her. It wasn't for herself, but rather for her five classmates. It wasn't that they were incompetent, or incapable. All of them had seen combat before, in one way or another. She tried to come to terms with it by running their qualifications through her head.
Musashi Yojimbo was from a quiet little village far east of Guardiana. Already a skilled swordsman when he had initially enrolled in the Academy, his years there had only made him into a fiercer warrior. When their class had graduated, he was in second to her in terms of overall G.P.A. Privately, Mae felt that he was a better weapons user than she was. He had often hinted to only Luke and Mae that when he felt that he was ready, he would take his leave and go back home. Mae had gotten the impression that something important was waiting for him there.
She then shifted her eye to the left to catch a glimpse of Musashi's best friend and fellow-joker-in-arms, Luke Fremount. Young for a dwarf, in human terms he was actually fifty years of age! Having lived amongst the stone toughened and hard working mountain dwarves of the north for most of his life, he had come to Guardiana for a change in scenery. His favored weapon was the battle-axe, though he was also training with a sword as a backup weapon.
Mae then regarded the mage Tao Liriya. Rumored to be Queen Anri's match in magical combat, the red-haired beautiful female elf was very outspoken and energetic. She had no problems speaking her mind, a trait that Mae could respect. Coming from a long line of mages and wizards, Tao had a lot to live up to. She had an older sister, named Aleah, who had been the prize pupil of the famous Otrant, who was the leader of Manarina, as well as a powerful seer.
Unfortunately, through some unexplained cause, during an important trial, one of her more powerful spells had suddenly backfired horribly. In a spectacular explosion, Otrant was lucky to escape with his life, but Aleah had vanished in the conflagration. Despite many soul essence searches, even Otrant had failed in finding a trace of Tao's sister. Therefore, in dedication to her sister's memory, Tao was bound and determined to take up where her sister had left off.
Her best friend, Khris, was originally from Alterone. She and Tao were a good example of attracting opposites. As Tao was energetic, enthusiastic, and fiery tempered, Khris was quiet, humble, and extremely patient. She was a Healer, her clerical skills well matched by her inner desire to help people in need, to care for them, and heal any sickness or injuries they might have. Her teachers had all remarked that she had a strong inner willpower that could very easily handle the stress of healing.
The last one in the group, Dianne Durienthan, was also an Elf. She was a loner, always preferring to be by herself. More silent than Khris, Dianne was nevertheless aware of the social necessities. She was an independent sort, which complimented her occupation as a Ranger. A cross between a warrior, an archer, and a hunter, Dianne was always off exploring the woods and the plains. She was very respectful of the normal balance of nature, and was not merciful towards those who purposely disrupted it. Dianne didn't really speak of her past, or her reasons for joining the Academy, but Mae knew that she was someone you could trust to watch your back.
Mae was brought out of her thoughts, when a sound of many hooves meeting hard ground reached her ears. The patrol had finally reached them. As they cantered to a stop, their commanding officer walked up to Captain Varios, saluted him, then spoke.
"Sir, the strangers are heading directly towards the Gate of the Ancients. They are moving in with weapons drawn, from all looks, we can assume they have plans to the ill of Guardiana."
Nodding curtly in reply, Mae's father responded, "Good job, Lieutenant Calbridge. Have you clarified those earlier reports that said there were any Knights of Runefaust among them?"
"Yes sir, the current estimate of the enemy's forces is as follows: twelve Runefaust Knights, two Dark Mages, one High Priest, eight lizardmen, and six goblins." Calbridge smirked and then commented, "Too easy, if I say so myself, Captain Varios."
His superior officer frowned at him disapprovingly. "Do not underestimate your opponent, Lieutenant. My instincts tell me these Runefaust mongrels are up to no good. Even though we outnumber them, the outcome is still not certain."
Mae chimed in, "Captain, we all know that Runefaust has been getting aggressive and there's been rumors of Runefausts' monarch, King Ramladu hiring large amounts of mercenaries and subhumans. But why would they try our position? They should know that most of the southern kingdoms of Rune would certainly ally with us should Runefaust launch an attack."
Shaking his head, her father replied, "I do not know, perhaps they want to attempt something with the Gate of the Ancients. Something dangerous that we must certainly stop." He then raised his voice, "Listen up people! From all accounts, the strangers appear hostile. Here's how we're going to play it. Tao will create a distraction by hitting them with one of her most powerful spells. In tandem with that, Dianne shall fire her arrows while riding. At the same time, the Knights will charge in. Is that all clear?" A unified, "Yes, Captain Varios!" sailed forth in reply.
"We must make haste! We do not know what these bandits have in mind, but terrible woe may befall us all should they damage the seals placed on the Gate of the Ancients by our ancestors!" Varios ordered. No one bothered to ask what he meant by that. All of them had studied the history of Guardiana in the Academy and had read of a great, evil force that had been locked away so long ago.
Mae's father looked around and selected one Knight. "Private Bell, quickly return to Guardiana, explain the full situation to the King, and come back with reinforcements. We will try and distract the Runefaust soldiers as best we can. Leave now!"
The young centaur Knight saluted and immediately rode off. In seconds he could barely be seen through the amount of dust his hooves were kicking up.
Before they could move on, Tao spoke up. "Captain, I have an idea which could improve our chances of a surprise attack that could, like, catch them totally off guard!" An excited gleam emanated from her eyes.
Intrigued, but aware for the need of haste, Varios replied, "Tell me on the way, young mage. And now, onward! To the Gate of the Ancients!" Varios cried out, pointing his sword to the northeast. As one, the group of soldiers started a hurried gallop towards their destination.
The Gate of the Ancients.
It has been written down in history as one of Rune's most important places. All though over the ages details have been lost or blurred, in Guardiana it is a tale that everyone knows. From the smallest child to the oldest adult, it has been taught in the subjects in school and preached about it the church. It is regarded as a holy place, so holy in fact that no one can live near it.
As legend states it:
"The powers of darkness, led by Dark Dragon, fought for control of the world of Rune. Legendary warriors of light fought them with the ancient and modern weapons of the time, and drove Dark Dragon into another dimension. But Dark Dragon vowed that in 1,000 years, he would be able to break the inter-dimensional barrier, back into this world."
In the kingdom of Runefaust, the sister of Guardiana, they have a similar shrine, one they call the Seal of Eternity. It has been told that together with the Gate of the Ancients they create a magical seal that holds back a great and evil force of darkness. Legend says that should both shrines be destroyed, the seal would be lost. Would that come to pass, Dark Dragon, who had been imprisoned within, would return enraged and utterly destroy and devastate whatever stood in its path.
Although they had been at it for roughly thirty minutes, Selth was growing increasingly uneasier with each passing minute. They didn't have that much time, the subhuman mercenary thought, until someone spotted them and reported it to the army of Guardiana!
"Foolthh, it taketh them too longthh. Those Guarthianaths are bounthh to thhow upthh!" Selth complained as he gripped his battle-axe tighter and scanned the plains anxiously. His tail whipped to and fro jerkily, reflecting his inner mood.
"Ignorant fool. Even with the enhanced magical energy gifted to them by King Ramladu, it is quite an obstacle to unlock. This barrier was created by nearly a hundred of the most powerful mages nearly ten centuries ago. But do not worry, C'rees, I believe that they are almost done Do not soil your undergarments." A cold, mocking voice echoed from within the Rune Knight Pavash, who was in charge of the operation. A centaur Knight who wore a complete suit of armor seemingly full time, no one really knew who what he looked like. However, everyone knew he was brutally efficient, merciless, and extremely loyal to King Ramladu, monarch of Runefaust.
Selth sneered at him fearlessly. They could taunt and mock each other all day, but they were capable of working with each other competently. Even so, the lizardman retorted, "Foolithhh horthh! I am juthht warry of an attacthhk when we areth outhh in the open!"
Pavash snorted. "Is not that your concern, gecko? My responsibility is to oversee the magic users and successfully accomplish our task! It is YOURS," he empathized by stabbing a finger at Selth, "to command your 'elite crew' and to support my troops in guarding against any force!" Sounding smug, he said, "So please, try and act like a proper, disciplined mercenary that you are not."
"Besides," he added, "our backup is available at a moments notice, should we require it." He fingered his black colored lance, which he had custom made for himself, and turned away from Selth.
The lizardman's green skin darkened to a darker shade of crimson as he struggled not to cut down the arrogant Rune Knight in anger. But then a sudden burst of light flashed from the closed door where the unsealing was taking place. Without another word, the two Dark Mages fainted and collapsed to the hard stone floor. The High Priest however, was made of sterner stuff, and just sank to his knees, breathing and sweating heavily. Between huge gulps of air, he managed a few words from his hoarse, dry throat.
"It is done."
Ignoring the High Priest's condition, Pavash walked towards the barred door. Upon close examination, the Rune Knight found that despite the age of the temple, the door was still sturdy and strong. He cursed and banged a gauntlet-armored fist on it forcefully. The door didn't even budge or vibrate.
Noting the reaction from his superior, the High Priest answered his unspoken question, "The barrier possibly protected it from the ravages of time. That is why it appears unaffected by decay or weather or-"
Cutting the lecture off, Pavash remarked sarcastically, "Quite the obstacle. It would take us more time to get through this with mundane means, time which we do not have. Very well, priest, do you have a convenient spell to open this minor obstacle or are you completely dry?"
The High Priest had opened his mouth to reply when he started screaming as a hail of fire suddenly struck him from above. His entire body caught on fire quickly due to the magnitude of fire and he began panicking, trying to desperately roll the flames out. The two Mages on the floor beside him also caught suffered the same fate and awoke screaming in agony and pain.
Yelping in surprise, the mercenary scrabbled to get out of range of the fire. Pavash had also quickly dashed away to avoid getting burned. Their minions were gaping in surprise at the unexpected event. Looking behind them, the Rune Knight saw a line of differently armored knights appearing out of thin air, charging towards them with lances lowered.
"You fools, we are under attack! Behind you! Take battle positions! Lizardmen and goblins to the front!" He roared, brandishing his black lance. His men expertly followed his orders, while Selth's mercenary band organized themselves in response. "Whathh abouthh the magic uthherthh?" Selth asked, gazing at the still burning priest and mages.
"No time for that. They have served their purpose." Showing as much emotion as an ice block, the cold-hearted knight quickly and efficiently skewered each victim through the heart. "Let us attend to the battle ahead of us."
Looking at the unfortunate humans, Selth shrugged indifferently and rushed off to join his fellow lizardmen."Good shot Tao!" exclaimed Khris in congratulations and hugged her friend excitedly.
The mage nodded, smiling despite being worn out by her spellcasting. It was really luck that the bandit's own spellcasters were too busy, or else they would have detected the limited invisibility spell she'd placed on her group. But it was that Blaze Level 2 spell that really taxed her. The distance had been much farther than she was used to.
"Indeed mistress magic-san, truly impressive." Musashi patted her shoulder. He'd been stationed as a guard for the two girls, just in case there were some wandering bandits around.
Looking at the two opposing groups about to collide, Tao pulled at Khris's sleeve. "You and Musashi go and help them, I'll be along in a while."
Khris was about to protest but she knew that there were people who would need her healing abilities out in the battlefield. Thinking quickly, she came to a decision. "All three of us shall go," she declared and started chanting, "Clericus targen othyr elvsufen-"
Blinking her eyes in confusion, Tao said, "Wait, what'd you mean by 'all three of us'?"
"Heal!" Finished the healer as she pointed her hand, palm out, towards Tao, whose eyes suddenly widened in understanding. Musashi, for his part, just gripped his sword tightly and awaited the results of the spell.
In an instant, the elven wizard felt new energy coursing through her body. It was as if she had woken up from a fitful rest. Grateful that she wouldn't be a liability, she bestowed a quick hug on Khris, then got to her feet. "C'mon guys, let's go get 'em!" She shouted and started jogging into battle, with Musashi and Khris barely a step behind.There were many things that could get adrenaline flowing through the system. Being frightened out of your wits, jumping over a chasm between two cliffs, asking a girl out for the first time, just to name a few.
There is also being in the middle of battle.
Grunting with effort, Mae deflected a lance with her shield. Her opponent, a Knight of Runefaust, leered at her as he retracted his weapon for another strike. But he was a fraction of a second too slow to block her thrust, which hammered against his left side. Although armored, he felt two ribs snap under the force of the blow. He was distracted enough to let his guard down for one single second.
A single second that proved fatal as Mae's second thrust pierced him through the neck, nearly tearing his head off.
Grimacing at the spraying blood, Mae yanked her lance free and found herself with no one to fight at the moment. She quickly surveyed the situation. Having been caught by surprise, the enemy bandits were getting the worst of it. Besides the three magic users who had experienced the Blaze Level 2 spell, two goblins had fallen due to Dianne's unerring archery.
Worse for the enemy, the Guardiana force were extremely determined to destroy these foes. The Gates of the Ancients was considered a precious and a most holy place; they would do anything to keep it secure.
Her father fought in the frontlines, along with the rest of the Guardiana knights, against a combined force of lizardmen and Runefaust knights. Luke, with his middle axe chopping and hacking, squared off against two goblins, while Dianne was taking potshots at the last one. Two were already dead, one beheaded by Luke and other with an arrow between the eyes. Another one had panicked and ran away, not wanting to face such formidable warriors as these.
A death cry jerked her attention to the left. Needson, who had served for five years, was weakly clutching a blood spattered ebony lance that had penetrated through his platemail. Blood bubbled out of the fatal wound and ran down, staining his once shiny armor red. Mae tracked the weapon to its owner, a fully armored Runefaust Knight. By the design of his armor, she knew that he was the leader.
Somehow feeling the weight of her stare, he cruelly yanked his lance out of Needson's chest and turned in her direction. The other Guardiana Knights looked furious, but couldn't afford to be further distracted from their own fights. Mae felt a cold fury that swelled within her.
Pavash felt nothing, just wanting to get this latest annoyance out of his path. He aimed his ebony lance at the female Guardiana knight and spurred into a charge.
The daughter of Varios raised her own weapon and answered the challenge, not the least bit afraid.
The two knights, one from each side, thundered the other, closing the distance rapidly.
Eight-seven-six-five-four-three-two-one-
Zero feet.
Impact.
Somewhere a mile southeast of Alterone, two figures sat within a hastily constructed shelter.
"I want to go home." Max grumbled half jokingly to Adam as he gazed out at the heavy rain.
It had been nearly three hours since he and Adam had set out from Homesphere. The first two the weather was beautiful, all clear and shiny. The two of them had made good time, nearly covering almost half of the distance between Homesphere and Alterone.
Unfortunately, multiple gray clouds had gathered in the horizon. Max had traveled to Alterone quite a number of times with either Kokichi or one of his teachers, so he had known what was forthcoming. Quickly leaving the path, Max had used his sword to cut branches off some trees and, by using rope and tarp, had assembled a decent shelter.
It had been raining for almost four hours now. The rain had gotten so dense that visibility had dropped to only ten feet. Like a ceaseless, dull pounding of a drum, the rain kept falling. Despite the shelter, Max was nearly soaked to the skin. Kokichi's grandson didn't worry about Adam because the EMAM was watertight.
Max hunched over in thought. He hoped the rain would stop by at least noon; that way they'd be able to reach Alterone by early nightfall. Max was already fantasizing about being dry and eating a tasty, hot stew at an inn.
For the most part, their time on the trail was pretty non-eventful. They'd only passed by a few fellow travelers, who they'd greeted and passed on, but that was it. The world was dangerous enough as it is. He'd heard from the last person that they passed on the road that there were rumors of huge armies massing up north. Large mercenary bands, goblins, dark dwarves, orcs, ogres, and other types of subhumans were reported to have seen heading in that general direction.
The rumors weren't verified, yet the news, although troubling, Max couldn't help but feel a bit excited. A war would test the skills he'd been painstakingly developing all the years of training. Daydreams and fantasies danced within Max's head. In most of them he became the leader of the armies of Guardiana, a champion for the people, and a hero that would be in history books for centuries afterward. He would be a blazing light that would dissipate the darkness, bring everlasting hope to the downtrodden, and utterly defeat the invading armies of the enemy.
Dozens, no, hundreds of fans and admirers would flock to him! Max imagined the king of Guardiana himself knighting him and awarding him medal after medal. Tons of young women would compete fiercely to be his girlfriend! Max lost track of reality as he pursued his current line of thought.
Noting the telltale signs of daydreaming, e.g. mouth slightly open, and eyes distant and a bit glazed over, Adam gave a sigh. His young Master was at it again. It seemed that whenever Max had some idle time, he would go off into his own world and be totally absorbed into it. He would be totally oblivious to the outside world. Adam just hoped that his younger Master would not continue doing that in the future. It just wouldn't help at all to do so, like say, in the middle of a pitched battle.
Completely ignoring the weather, Adam, and anything else that was around him, the young fighter followed his dreams and where they took him.
Both traveling companions were completely unaware that the entire future of Rune lay within a small skirmish within the boundaries of Guardiana.
The rain continued to pour.
End Chapter 4
Rough Draft completed: October 20, 2004
Preliminary editing: October 20, 2004
Author's Notes:
Not as finely tuned as I would want it to be, nevertheless I'm sending it out as it is. Please C&C (for FFML) and R&R (for ).
A revised version of this chapter should be on the way soon. Chapter 5 is in the works!