A rotting, decaying hand rose from the earth and grabbed Arthur around the ankles. The twelve-year-old boy screamed and tripped, falling onto the forest floor. He looked around and saw another arm, not too far in front of him, also rising from the dirt.
"Arthur!" his companion, another boy of about twelve, cried.
Arthur scrambled to his feet and pulled his ankle out of the grasp of the animated corpse that was now rising up from its resting place. "Vince, let's go!" he shouted.
Vincentio needed no prodding from his friend. He had already been backing away, and now, sure that Arthur was away from them, he began to run back to Crescent Lake. There were corpses rising up all around them now, but they seemed disoriented, or at any rate, they were not all collectively chasing them as an organized unit. They still, however, made grabs at the two boys as they attempted to flee, several giving chase. Vincentio ran as fast as he could, his long black hair flowing out behind him. He stumbled along as obstacles in their path seemed to rise up. Every tree root, every mound of dirt was now suddenly tripping them, or attempting to. He could hear Arthur breathing hard not too far behind him.
"Don't…stop…Vince!" Arthur puffed.
They soon found themselves in an area of the forest that was completely unfamiliar to them.
"Oh, no!" Vincentio exclaimed, "We can't be lost!" They looked around swiftly, trying to get their bearings, but the sun seemed to have disappeared behind a bank of clouds, and not at a more inopportune time. There was a cry from behind him, and he turned in horror to see that one of the decayed corpses had grabbed Arthur, and had bitten him on the arm. Vincentio searched the ground nearby for something, anything, to beat it off with. He grabbed a stout stick that would make a decent club and swung it at the thing's head. It let go of Arthur's arm, taking a sizable chunk of flesh with it as it tore away. Vincentio grabbed his friend and pulled him away, half-dragging him, until finally, they reached the edge of the forest. The town of Crescent Lake was in sight.
"Come on, Art, you can make it!" Arthur was now very pale and looked sick. Vincentio knew that without immediate medical attention, he might die. He dragged him into town. By the time Vincentio had managed to haul his friend into the clinic, his breath was coming in shallow, ragged gasps. People in town who had seen him running in with his wounded friend besieged him with questions as soon as he stepped outside of the clinic. A panic began to spread through them as he told them about the walking dead that had arisen deep in the forest. The villagers began to scatter, getting weapons ready to defend their homes. Several ran to the house of Tatalia, the resident Black Mage, to ask her aid in destroying the creatures.
It seemed like forever until the physician emerged from the clinic. Vincentio looked up at him, his heart in his eyes. The physician bowed his head and shook his head sadly. Vincentio felt a pang of grief as he sank to his knees.
"Come now, boy, no time for that!" Vincentio heard a voice behind him say. He turned around, and saw his father, captain of the guard, fully armed and with another sheathed sword in his hand. "I'm afraid you don't have any time to mourn your friend, first we have to deal with those monsters, they're already out of the forest and coming towards the town!" His father frowned. "And then we're going to discuss what you two were doing out there anyway."
Vincentio looked away guiltily and accepted the sword from his father. He had been trained to use it, and he was a decent enough fighter, but he really wasn't all that exceptional. His father ran towards the town gates as Vincentio attempted to buckle on the heavy leather belt. The added weight of the sheathed sword at the side made it all the more awkward, and the tears he had to continually wipe from his eyes didn't help matters.
He heard commotion from the town gates, and knew that the battle had started. He ran towards the gates, but the crowd of townspeople who were trying to watch the fight made it impossible for him to get to the front. He noticed a ladder leaning against one of the houses to his left. The owners must have been repairing their roof and been interrupted. He climbed the ladder to the roof of the house and looked to the field. He had a much better view of the battle from here. There were at least twenty zombies, and the guardsmen numbered only a dozen men, and his father. The guardsmen were ganging up two and three to a single zombie, and had already stopped several, but they kept coming, closing tighter together, making it more difficult to single them out.
Movement caught his eye, and he noticed Tatalia standing on the roof of another house which abutted the wall of the town. She spoke some words that he couldn't hear clearly from where he was, but he was fairly sure that they weren't in any language he knew. She pointed her finger at the battlefield, and several zombies began erupting in flame, one after another. Apparently running out of fire spells, she began to rain down lightning, which seemed less effective. However, once struck by lighting, a zombie stopped, seemingly stunned, and the guards were quick to attack these.
Vincentio heard a scream from behind him. He looked back into the street, and saw a nurse run from the clinic screaming. Why she had done so soon became apparent, as another zombie emerged from the clinic. Vincentio quickly descended the ladder, drew his sword and facing the zombie that had somehow gotten inside the town. It turned to face him, and the next moment would be burned forever into his memory.
It was Arthur. His flesh had lost all color, and now held the gray pallor of death. His eyes, once so bright and full of life, were now completely colorless. Unlike the other zombies, his body was still completely intact, but he moved with the same, shuffling gait, as though not in complete control of his body.
"Art?" Vincentio asked timidly, "Art is that you? Speak to me!" Arthur slowly approached Vincentio, shuffling forward. "Can you understand me, Art? It's me, Vince! I'm your friend! You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" Arthur continued his advance, raising his arms up slightly. Vincentio lowered his sword. "Art, are you-" Arthur swung at him with one dead arm. Vincentio stumbled back. "Art, what are you doing?" he demanded. "It's me! I'm your friend!"
"Your friend is dead," came a voice from behind him. Vincentio turned to see Tatalia. She was dressed as usual, in a tight blue outfit that left little to the imagination. Her face, however, was grim. "He is dead, and what you see now…is merely the thing that killed him."
"But…" Vincentio started, and scrambled away again as Arthur continued his unrelenting advance.
"No!" she barked. "There is nothing left of him now. All this thing knows is hunger and death."
Vincentio stared, first at her and then at Arthur. He tried to force himself to think that it wasn't Arthur. He raised his sword. No he thought to himself this is not my friend. This thing killed my friend. The zombie lunged again, and again missed. Vincentio backed away again. The monster that bore his friend's face would not stop. He's trying to kill me…It's trying to kill me. The cadaverous thing lunged again. He swung his sword up sharply and chopped off its right arm. It appeared to feel no pain, and the unchanging, dead look in his former friend's eyes dehumanized it completely in his mind. He swung again, this time cutting into its shoulder; he pulled the blade back and began a savage series of blows that foolishly left him open to attack. The zombie, however, did not have the reflexes that a human would, and was unable to retaliate. Vincentio sliced off its head, and it collapsed, immobile. He felt sick.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. "Very good," Tatalia said, "I know that was hard for you." He nodded, feeling a great lump in his throat. He turned to face her, unshed tears of grief in his eyes. She held him to her and he began to cry into her shoulder.
The town was safe, and within a week of Arthur's funeral, Vincentio had showed up on Tatalia's doorstep, asking for instruction in magic. Wanting to learn everything he could, he also began training with Alhandra, the town's White Mage. When he had learned what he could to get himself started, he began yearning for adventure. He soon began planning with his friends Torant, who was Tatalia's other student (and who had a wizard mark, like her), Regis, the nimblest pickpocket in town, and Vincentio's older brother Bernadine, who, along with their father, was in the town guard. They planned to go on a great adventure. One night, in the early summer of Vincentio's 19th year, they set out for the north, crossing mountains and forests, fighting monsters, and finally entered a cave that they had discovered at the base of Mt. Gulg, a dormant volcano.
Vincentio awoke with a start. His head was still throbbing from the blow he had received after being thrown off the ship when it crashed. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He seemed to be in a cave of some sort. A cave…he shuddered, remembering the cave he had entered with his brother and childhood friends. When he had emerged from that cave-alone-his hair had gone shock white. He had set out north again, this time with a new mission in mind…
"You're awake!" Xoria's voice came from beside him. She had been sitting in a chair beside the bed that he had apparently been sleeping in. She threw her arms around him and kissed him firmly. His head was still spinning from confusion, so he didn't respond to her kiss as passionately as he might have normally.
"Where…where are we?" he asked, dazed.
"Cardian Isles," Teraptus said, sitting up in the bed right next to his, "we're guests of the dragons of the isles."
"Dragons?" Vincentio exclaimed, alarmed. He had only met a dragon once before, in the cave under Mt. Gulg. It had claimed the life of his friend Torant. Vincentio was not inclined to believe that a dragon had offered them its hospitality.
"No, no," Xoria said, trying to calm him, "These dragons aren't like other ones. For starters, they're not much bigger than us, and they're peaceful."
"Peaceful?" Vincentio asked, sounding doubtful.
The door to the room opened. The doorway was easily tall enough to admit an ogre. What stepped through, however, was definitely not an ogre. A dragon, walking upright, entered the room, an enormous pair of spectacles perched on its snout. Its golden scales shimmered in the light of the multiple candles in the room. Even with its long, serpentine neck, its head was only eight feet above the floor. It approached Vincentio, who was looking fearful, looked him over, and said, quite politely, "Is he feeling any better?"
Vincentio just about fainted from shock. Xoria, however, took it quite in stride. "He's awake," she said with a wry smile, "but he seems to be having some trouble with the idea of polite dragons."
The spectacled dragon smiled. That is, its lips pulled back to expose it teeth while emitting a slight chuckle. "It is difficult for most humans. I also came to inform you that your compatriots have finished salvaging what they could from your ship, they will be here shortly."
"And then will we be presented to your king?" Teraptus asked.
The dragon turned to him and nodded its head. "Lord Bahamut wanted to have an audience with you all present."
Sav'ran and Cyrus came into the room, looking somewhat tired. "Hey," Cyrus said, "look who's awake."
"Why are we here?" Vincentio asked, then realized how foolish it sounded.
Sav'ran shook his head. "We got blown off course. The strong winds blew us north into the Cardian Sea, and then we got hit by that huge storm, you remember that much?"
"I remember you telling me to cut the sails, and then Xoria almost falling overboard, that's about it."
Sav'ran nodded. "Not much more happened. We got blown directly into some of the dangerous rocks around the central isle of the Cardian Islands. I had always heard that there were dragons around here, so most seafarers stay away from the islands."
The dragon nodded. "It is unfortunate, that our more violent cousins give us such an unsavory reputation. The Cardian Dragons have always been peaceful, and we offer no violence to humans. As you can plainly see, we have facilities to offer hospitality to any humans who do come to call, but that is quite rare. Hundreds of years ago, we had much contact with the human kingdoms. Our peace treaties with the Kingdoms of Man, though much out of use, are still valid, and we honor them."
"What do these treaties entail?" Vincentio asked, suddenly trusting this dragon a little bit more than he had.
"The treaties were made in a time when dragons were much more common, and much more intelligent. The Cardian Dragons wanted peace with mankind, and we made an offer to do no further harm to any humans. As there was very little the humans had that we wanted, other than peace, the treaties were not exactly alliances as such. But our own divinations had revealed that humans would become the masters of this world, eclipsing even the dragons. The treaties were made with the intent of cementing relations between our kind. In the past few centuries, however, contact with the kingdoms of men diminished, and then ceased entirely."
"Why is that?" Teraptus asked.
"That is a matter for you to discuss with Lord Bahamut," the dragon said, "I have kept you far too long already."
They all followed him from the room. He then led them from the cave. As they exited the cave he cast a protective charm over them. "A necessary precaution," he explained, "Some of our lesser cousins also inhabit the islands, and with the separation from the human lands, we have grown lax in our efforts to contain them. This spell will hide you from their sight."
They continued to another cave on the island. When they descended, they found themselves before a huge set of ornate doors. Two dragons, larger than their guide, but not by much, stood on either side of the door. Oddly enough, despite the formidable natural weapons the dragons were gifted with, these dragons wore breastplates with decorative crests and carried enormous halberds. They opened the immense doors. The chamber beyond was lit by hundreds of candles, many in enormous chandeliers. They progressed down the hall, stopping before an immense throne. Upon that throne was what appeared to be a massive, purple-blue dome, with a huge crease down the middle. At the crown of this dome was a six pronged, silvery crown.
Suddenly, the crease down the middle of the "dome" began to separate, revealing that they were, in fact, enormous wings! What they had thought to be a crown were actually the claws at the apex of the wings, held together. The owner of these magnificent wings was a humongous dragon, purple-blue in coloration. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed. The scales on his underside were of a golden color, and appeared to be made out metal. The insides of the wing membranes were of a deep crimson-purple. When spread, the wings were easily fifteen feet wide each, and they weren't even stretched to their full span, just unfurled to frame the dragon's massive bulk.
Slowly, the gigantic dragon raised its head. It had a long snout ending in a beak-like mouth. Its head was crowned with a magnificent crest of horns the same color as the rest of its scales. Its eyes opened, revealing orbs of a chilling blue that seemed to pierce directly into one's soul. It gazed at each of them in turn, and each of them felt the brief flicker in their minds as it took them in.
"Welcome, humans" it said in a voice that was deep, but not overpowering, as they had been expecting from such a huge creature. "As ye no doubt have guessed, I am Bahamut."
Cyrus kneeled respectfully on one knee; the others quickly followed suit. There was a soft, rumbling chuckle from above their heads.
"Rise, humans. For if indeed ye are the Children of Prophecy, your destinies shall be great, and it should be I who bows to you." They all gaped at him, astonished. "I sense among ye the presence of one crystal restored. This is well, for it means that ye posses already the knowledge of the nature of that which is your burden to bear. Do ye truly know what secrets the crystals hold locked within them?"
They all looked at each other. It was Sav'ran who spoke up first. "They're connected with Shrines all over the world. Each one linked to a particular element and corrupted by a particular Fiend…right?"
Bahamut nodded. "Indeed it is so. It is good to know that ye have not merely stumbled thus far by mishap and fortune. The crystals are indeed the keys to the Elemental Shrines. The Fiends that do guard the Shrines are fearsome. Do not take them lightly, though I do think me that ye do already know how fierce they can be." They all nodded. "Fain would I give ye a boon, to do whatever I could to aid ye. But to give such a boon to those who have not proven themselves…such is not our custom. In the days when our relations with the Kingdoms of Men were strong, there was a castle to the east, ancient even in that time, and filled with insurmountable obstacles for the unwary and challenges for the brave. It was the custom of the time for those who wished to prove their courage, be they Dragon or be they Man, to journey to this keep and return with an artifact from within. It was agreed that they must first do a great deed for the Kingdoms of Man, who would then reveal unto them the key to the Keep, where they would journey for the artifact to prove themselves."
"What kind of artifact?" Vincentio blurted out, excited by the prospect of a castle of challenges.
Bahamut fixed his gaze upon him, and Vincentio felt distinctly uncomfortable, as though the dragon was gazing into the center of his very being, finding things that Vincentio would much rather remain hidden. He felt a sudden rush of fear as the dragon spoke again, terrified that the dragon would reveal that which would drive him from his companions' company.
However, the Dragon Lord merely answered his question. "The artifact is ever-changing, and may appear as an odd, seemingly inconsequential thing. But what it appears to be is much less relevant than what it is. The proof of courage. Many of those who journeyed for it lost their lives, but some few did return. When they did present to me the artifact of proof; only then would I grant them the gift that is mine to bestow."
"What gift is that, my Lord?" Xoria asked.
"Recognition, dear human. Recognition as a true hero."
"That's it?" Vincentio said, a little more rudely than he had intended.
Their guide to Bahamut's hall tried to hush him. "Be quiet, human! Do not underestimate what can be accomplished by the mere will of one such as Lord Bahamut!"
Vincentio shut his mouth, but said nothing more. The look on Sav'ran's face told him that the half-elf agreed with him, but that he thought he should have kept his mouth shut.
"My Lord," Cyrus spoke up, speaking very formally. "We would gladly proceed to this place to seek out that of which thou speakest, for we do eagerly seek any aid possible in our quest. But alas, the fortune that brings us to thee is also misfortune, for our vessel was destroyed, beyond our skill to repair, and among us we have no means of leaving this place."
"Fear not, gentle warrior, for I have arranged for some among my people to take thee and thy companions where you wish, be it to far-north Gaia, or the sands of the Lykion Desert."
"Would he then take us to this keep of which you spake?"
"Nay, good human, for, as thou hast said, thou art without means to return here. Methinks, moreover that thou art not yet prepared for the dangers within the keep. My subjects shall escort ye to the town of Crescent Lake, where the human sages reside in consultation. For, I do perceive that that is the place to which all of ye were headed when chance took ye here, yes?"
Cyrus bowed, "It shall be as thou sayest, Lord Bahamut. But I do swear that should we gain the means to return, we shall do so with the proof of courage in hand."
Bahamut briefly bowed his head. "That is well. Ere ye leave this place, I would speak to thee and thy companions." He looked once again directly at Cyrus. "Thou, Cyrus of Cornelia; thou art the rock upon which thy companions stand firm, yet thou dost plague thyself with thoughts of thy past, most so upon thine adopted father. Set these thoughts aside, for surely, dwelling too much upon them may cause thy blade to falter when thy companions do need it most."
Bahamut turned to Sav'ran and fixed his gaze upon him. The young rogue looked uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Thou, Savlas Ferathan of Elfheim; the fears that do haunt thy mind are of naught. Thou may takest mine assurance that they are unfounded, as thou wilt no doubt discover to a degree that will satisfy thy doubts, but in such a manner to trouble thee further."
He fixed his gaze upon Teraptus next, the young mage bravely tried to control a nervous shaking. "Teraptus of Melmond; Thou hast made much progress in thy time spent with these others. But doubts, like maggots that do fester in rancid meat, do still infest thy mind. Shouldst thou fear to bring forth the brunt of thy full power, the ones that thou dost love most shall suffer."
His head turned to face Xoria. She returned his gaze with one equally as steady, her face calm, although her hand clutched Vincentio's very tightly. "Xoria, acolyte of Ysgard; the mystery of thy heritage is buried so deeply that thou canst not even fathom the beginnings of it. But fear not, fair one, for in time, thou shalt learn more of thyself than thou didst know existed, and return to thy true people that which was stolen long ago."
Finally Bahamut looked once again deep into Vincentio's eyes. Vincentio tried to meet that gaze, as if to challenge him to reveal what he could. When Bahamut spoke, he spoke only in Vincentio's mind, and the others did not hear. Thou art pert, Vincentio of Mt. Gulg, for yes, I do know from whither thou dost now hail, irregardless of thy birthright; The time when thou must face the consequences of thy most grievous choice is nigh. Thy hidden mistress doth even now stir. Know, thee, moreover, that howe'er thou doth hold thyself in low esteem, that thou art a creature of will. Fate guides and drives all Men, save those with the will to carve Destinies for themselves. Chaos has spun you into its web of Fate, seeking to alter thine own. Thine own Fate is lost forever, but perhaps thou doth possess the constitution to make a Destiny for thyself.
The others were looking at Vincentio with keen interest when Bahamut finished with him. They would obviously want to know what he had said to him. Xoria squeezed his hand reassuringly, and that brought his attention to the fact that he had broken out in a cold sweat.
Bahamut's deep voice brought his attention back to the front. "Go now, Light Warriors! Seek ye out the Elemental Shrines, and put right that which the forces of Chaos have wronged." With that, he once again bowed his head and furled his wings, retreating once more into the vast dome.
"Come," their guide said, and he led them all out to the mouth of the cave.
"We forgot to ask him about the treaties!" Sav'ran exclaimed suddenly as they reached the open air.
"What?" Vincentio asked, distracted.
"We were gonna ask Bahamut what happened between the Kingdoms of Men and Dragons that caused the rift."
Cyrus shrugged. "I'm not too interested in history right now. We can ask him when we return."
"Look!" Teraptus exclaimed, as two dragons came swooping down. They were much larger than their guide, but not as big as Bahamut. One had a saddle on its back with places for three people to sit, the other a saddle for two. The two blue dragons alighted on the ground and crouched low, so that they could be easily mounted.
Vincentio was about to take Xoria over to the two person saddle, when Sav'ran raced ahead of him, and vaulted into the back seat saddle of that dragon. He threw a sidelong glance at Teraptus and winked, then called, "Hey Vince! Come ride this one with me!"
"I wanna ride with Vince!" Xoria complained. And before Vincentio could make any suggestions about the riding accommodations, Cyrus climbed in ahead of Sav'ran and made plans of his own.
"Vincentio, you're probably the best equipped to steer that thing, so you'd better ride in front. Xoria you can sit right behind him. Teraptus, you bring up the rear." This was followed by a wink in Teraptus' direction that went unnoticed by Vincentio.
They climbed into the saddles as Cyrus directed, and the dragons began to take off. It was a bit bumpy at first, even more so than sea travel. Teraptus, momentarily afraid of falling off, despite the high sides of the saddles, immediately grabbed ahold of something for support. Only when the dragon had stabilized somewhat as it rose in the air did he notice that what he was holding on to was very soft. He opened his eyes; he hadn't even realized he was holding them closed. It was Xoria. He had been holding on to Xoria in a rather improper manner for a few minutes. She was looking over her shoulder at him with a wry smile on her face.
"Comfy?" she asked in an amused voice. Teraptus blushed underneath his robes and let go. Xoria smiled at him again, blew him a kiss, and then turned to face front. Teraptus looked over to the other dragon and saw Cyrus and Sav'ran looking at him, both with ear-to-ear grins on their faces. Once in the air, Teraptus found that he enjoyed the ride, they all did, in fact. The turbulence still made him nervous, however, and he spent most of the ride with his arms wrapped around Xoria's waist. Not that he minded that in the slightest. And best of all, she didn't seem to mind either.
The people of Crescent Lake were alarmed to say the least when two dragons came swooping out of the sky to the northeast. The town guard gathered hastily, but by the time they were fully assembled, the dragons had already taken flight, returning to the Cardian Isles. The Light Warriors walked into town, their bags full, having removed them from buckles on the dragons.
When they entered the town, the townspeople just stared silently at these outsiders who came riding dragons. When Cyrus asked for the inn, fingers were pointed silently towards a large building near the entrance to the town. As they headed towards the inn, they heard the babble of conversation as the townspeople immediately began gossiping with each other.
After dropping their belongings off at the inn, they headed straight for the circle of sages. When they got there, the sages had some disturbing news for them.
"When you destroyed the Earth Fiend, it caused a disturbance that spread throughout the whole world. The Fire Fiend, who was not supposed to awaken for another 200 years, has begun to stir in her sleep."
"That's not good," Xoria noted.
"Hush," Cyrus chided her.
"Deep within the caverns of Mt. Gulg, she awakens to life, preparing to spread her flames over the whole world and consume it."
"The rotting of the Earth was meant to prepare the way for the Fire Fiend's destruction."
"Should the Fire Fiend succeed, all life shall perish."
"How do we get to Mt. Gulg?" Sav'ran asked. "Isn't it in the middle of a mountain range?"
"I can answer that one," Vincentio said. "Living this close to a river, a lot of people use canoes. Tatalia said she's been to Mt. Gulg via the riverways, so it must be possible."
"Hurry Light Warriors," Lukhin admonished them. "Journey towards fiery Mt. Gulg and defeat the Fiend of Fire before she unleashes her unholy scourge across the land."
Sav'ran had never been in a canoe. He decided that he didn't like it. It was too small, and being accustomed to the larger ships of the sea, he felt that its shape was all wrong. He couldn't shake the feeling that the thing was always on the verge of tipping over.
"Stop complaining, its perfectly safe," Cyrus said as he pulled on his oar of the large canoe.
Sav'ran, manning the other oar, grumbled. "It just feels weird."
They had been taking turns manning the oars, with either Sav'ran or Vincentio acting as a guide through the network of gentle rivers that fed into Crescent Lake. Nobody had thought to ask Xoria to take a turn at the oar, but after a lengthy dissertation from her about sexual equality, they relented and let her have a turn at the oar. She regretted it almost immediately, but was too proud to ask for a return to deferential treatment.
They explored the river network, doubling back several times after meeting dead-ends. At the end of the fourth day, as they pulled the canoe ashore for the night, tempers began to flare.
"Do you have any clue where we're headed?" Teraptus asked Vincentio acidly.
Vincentio had just spent a long, sore day rowing the canoe in what turned out to be a useless endeavor because of a wrong turn, and as a result was in a foul mood. "Perhaps you'd like to magick us all there, oh mighty mage" he sneered.
"Perhaps I'd like to magick you into something with more than half a brain!"
"Give it a rest, you two!" Xoria said irritably from where she had just sat down, exhausted.
But they did not stop. "I'd like to see you try, I'm twice the man you are"
"A giant in your own mind. Of course, relative to your mind, even a flea must seem pretty big."
"Yeah, well…I think I'll let Xoria decide just how big I am," Vincentio said with a smirk.
"Oh, I see. A pretty girl pays you a little bit of attention and you think you're the center of her universe. Well, I've got news for you! Xoria may not be with you too much longer when she sees what a jerk you are!"
"Oho! So you think you're gonna steal Xoria away from me, do you?"
"Well, she might just want a real mage beside her, instead of some phony…"
"Watch it, little man…" Vincentio said, his eyes narrowing.
"…useless…"
"I'm warning you…"
"…pretty-boy…"
"One more word, and…"
Teraptus cleared his throat. "Poser"
"That's it!" Vincentio leaped upon Teraptus, his hands outstretched. They both tumbled to the ground and began rolling around, grappling and trying to hit one another.
"Hey!" Cyrus said, forcing his aching body to its feet. "Stop that right now, or I will!"
"Let 'em at it, Cyrus," Sav'ran said, gingerly removing his vest and rubbing his sore shoulders, "This has been coming for awhile. Vincentio's noticed how much Teraptus hangs all over Xoria, and I don't think Teraptus has ever liked him."
Xoria, however, was already on her feet and headed towards the two brawling young men. She had overheard most of the conversation, and from the look in her eyes, she was not pleased with either of them. It seemed that whichever one won the fight would most likely be faced with a violently angry White Mage.
Vincentio was having considerably more luck than Teraptus at landing punches. They both continued to exchange insults as they fought.
"Weakling"
"Peabrain"
"Pathetic"
"Wannabe"
"Loser"
"Fairy"
At one point, Teraptus stopped hurling insults at Vincentio and started muttering under his breath. Vincentio didn't realize what he was doing until he noticed the flame-shaped mark on Teraptus' cheek begin to glow. "No!" he said sharply, but then felt Teraptus' spell take hold of him. He felt sluggish, and it seemed to take twice the amount of effort it should have to move, and in his already tired state, this rendered him almost helpless. Everything around him seemed to be moving much faster, including Teraptus, who wasted no time in freeing his arms from Vincentio's grasp and began pummeling his face. He got in several well-placed hits before Vincentio could manage to bring his arm up to shield his face. Suddenly, Teraptus seemed to be hurled off of him in a blur of motion. He was aware of Xoria, moving very quickly, it seemed to his side and speaking so rapidly that he could not understand her until she finished her spell.
Suddenly, time returned to normal. He could once again understand what was going on around him. Cyrus was holding Teraptus up against a tree and was in the middle of berating him. "-is one thing, but casting a spell on him! You went too far, Teraptus!"
"All I did was slow him-"
"I don't care! What if you'd decided to burn him, or-" Cyrus stopped, realizing that he had just said exactly the wrong thing.
"Let me go, Cyrus" Teraptus said in a flat, unfriendly tone.
"Teraptus, I didn't mean…I forgot about…" The wizard mark on Teraptus' cheek began to glow. Cyrus stepped away, and Teraptus went to his tent.
Vincentio felt healing magic wash over him. He felt better than he had all day. "Hmmph, he deserves it, the jerk." Xoria said, watching Teraptus leave. "Are you all right?" She asked.
"Yes," Vincentio said, feeling a bit of his bravado come back to him, "it was nothing I couldn't hand-" he was brought up short as Xoria slapped him very hard across the face.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
"Xoria, I-" she slapped him again.
"Both of you! Treating me like I'm some kind of prize to be fought over! You may be nice to look at, Vincentio Valentino, but when it comes to women you have a lot to learn!" She slapped him again. "How big you are, indeed! You're no better than he is, in fact, you might be worse! I mean, you're both too concerned with competing with each other to care about how I feel, but at least he waits for me to make my own choices, and respects them, instead of trying to make them for me!" She slapped him one more time and stalked off to her own tent.
Vincentio watched her go, shocked. He looked over at Cyrus, who was looking at him with a gaze that held no sympathy whatsoever. He turned his head away and saw Sav'ran enter the tent he shared with Teraptus, no doubt to help him feel better.
Hmmph, Vincentio thought to himself, Maybe I've been wrong all this time.
When they awoke the next morning, they were surprised to find that they could see the tip of Mt. Gulg over the nearby mountains. With that to guide them, they made it to the base of the volcano in only a few hours.
"There's got to be an entrance around here somewhere," Vincentio said. The others all looked around the base of the volcano for about a half an hour until Sav'ran announced that he had found it. They had to climb up the slope a bit to reach the ledge upon which the cave entrance was situated, but the slope wasn't too steep, so they had little difficulty.
To say that the inside of Mt. Gulg was hot would be like saying that Bahamut was a big lizard. The entire place was a roaring inferno, and they were all drenched in sweat instantly. They found themselves in an enormous central cavern, as if the entire volcano was hollow, and this was a ventilation shaft. Magma churned far below. There were "bridges" of sorts made out of stone that crossed the chamber at several levels. At the level they were at, they could see a tunnel at the other end of the cavern. However, it was apparent that there were no bridges that led directly to it, only near it, leaving a bit of a gap that they would have to cross.
"The Fire Shrine will be at the heart of the volcano," Vincentio said, looking towards the tunnel.
"How do you know?" Teraptus snapped. He still had not forgiven Vincentio from the day before.
"It makes sense, Teraptus," Sav'ran interjected, "The Earth Shrine was at the deepest point in the Terra Cave, it only follows to reason that the Fire Shrine would be in the hottest point in the volcano."
"Right," Vincentio said, then silently cursed himself. He had almost blown his cover.
Xoria groaned. "It's gonna get hotter?"
"Hey, at least you're not wearing metal armor," Cyrus said, and indeed, he looked quite flushed.
They crossed the chamber towards the tunnel in single file, because the bridges were only about 5 feet wide at the widest points. As they neared the center, Sav'ran, who had taken the lead, stopped and wrinkled his nose. The others smelled it as well soon after.
"What is that terrible smell?" Xoria asked.
"Smells like we're in a sewer, not a volcano," Cyrus added.
"There," Sav'ran said, pointing to a rather large pile of feces.
"Ugh," Xoria said. "That means something actually lives here?"
"What would live in a volcano?" Teraptus asked.
"I think we're about to find out," Cyrus said, pointing upwards. Everyone looked to where he was pointing. High above them, there were three creatures swooping down from their perches high on the cavern wall. They were roughly humanoid in shape, with ruddy orange skin. Their heads sported short, curved horns, and large, cruel beaks. Bat-like wings grew from their shoulders, and their fingers ended in wicked claws.
"Spread out!" Cyrus shouted. "Watch your feet, don't let them knock you over the ledge!"
The first of them dove at Sav'ran. He ducked low at the last second, and then turned and slashed with his cutlass. It was almost as if he had struck rock. The blade glanced off its hide, and the creature seemed unfazed by the attack.
"Their bodies are like rock!" Sav'ran announced. "We can't hurt them!"
"We'll see," Cyrus said as the second came after him. He swung his broadsword two handed at it as it came within reach. His blade bit into the creature's shoulder, but it paid the wound no heed. It raked its claws across his chest, but sparks flew as it only scratched his armor. He spun on his right foot, turning around on the creature, now behind it. He swung once again, this time severing its right wing. Unable to support itself, the creature plummeted below.
The third, meanwhile, was headed directly at Xoria. Vincentio placed himself between it and her, sword in hand. Before it got near him, however, he heard Teraptus' voice behind him.
"Istrae Centa Extol!"
The creature faltered in its flight as its wing muscles became seized by a numbing cold. Its blood began to freeze in its veins, and it struggled frantically to stay aloft. Then the ice burst through its skin, and spread, forming a solid block between its shoulders. Now unable to move its wings at all, it plummeted to the magma far below. Vincentio threw Teraptus a dirty look, but said nothing.
Then there was a scream from up ahead. The first of the creatures had grabbed Sav'ran by the shoulders and was carrying him away. He screamed again as its claws bit into his shoulders. It began flying higher, towards its aerie high on the far wall. The others immediately gave chase, running along the stone bridge. Vincentio, wearing less armor than Cyrus, pulled ahead. He leaped across the gap to the ledge with the tunnel, now almost underneath the monster. The others followed suit.
Sav'ran painfully reached up and slashed at the monster's wing membranes. Unable to get any lift from flapping its wings, it crashed into the wall, and fell to the ledge below. It let go of Sav'ran first, however, and he was quick to roll out of the way as soon as he landed. The creature came crashing down after him, and Cyrus and Vincentio fell upon it with their swords, making short work of it.
"Guess you're not the only hotshot," Vincentio said to Teraptus with a smirk.
"Okay, that is it!" Xoria said. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "I want you two to stop this garbage right now! Our lives all depend on one another right now, and you two need to stop this testosterone nonsense and cooperate! Do I make myself clear?" Vincentio and Teraptus nodded dumbly. "Good," she said, "now shake hands, and let's move on." Vincentio and Teraptus reluctantly shook hands.
Xoria healed Sav'ran's wounds, and they entered the tunnel. It formed a spiral with a sharp incline down, they had to step carefully, or it would easily become a slide, and they didn't want to lose control with all that molten lava beneath them. They found themselves once again in the central "vent" shaft, this time on a lower level. There was only one bridge crossing this level, and it appeared to be occupied. One of the winged creatures from above, this one missing a wing, was struggling to its feet.
"Unfinished business," Cyrus said. He drew his sword and charged towards the thing. It attempted to claw and bite him, but his armor protected him too well. His own blows, however, were far more effective, and soon the creature was dead. He kicked its lifeless corpse over the edge, this time making sure it fell into the lava below.
Entering the tunnel at the other end, they found it to be another spiral sharply going down. It became almost unbearably hot as they progressed, and the reason soon became apparent. In the middle of the tunnel, there was a "waterfall" of molten lava, falling from the ceiling into a fissure in the floor of the tunnel.
That's odd Vincentio thought that wasn't here the last time.
"We have to cross," Cyrus said simply.
"How are we supposed to cross that?" Teraptus sputtered.
"I can cast a spell that will protect us from the heat and flame somewhat" Xoria said.
"How much is somewhat?" Sav'ran asked, nervously eyeing the lava.
"Not completely," she answered, "so we're gonna have to move fast, and even then, we'll get a little burned, but we will make it through alive. We can heal up once we get across."
"Sounds like a plan," Cyrus said.
"What if one of us doesn't make it?" Sav'ran asked, increasingly nervous.
"Of course we'll make it," Xoria said, "we're the Light Warriors, we've got prophecy on our side."
"But only four of use are Light Warriors" Sav'ran countered.
"But why are you worried?" Teraptus asked. "Vincentio's the one who's not a Light Warrior, you're fine."
Sav'ran's face fell. "Maybe not," he said quietly.
"What?" Xoria asked, shocked.
Sav'ran took a deep breath. "I stole my crystal," he said.
"What?" Teraptus said in disbelief.
"The crystal was on a ship bound for Cornelia…from Crescent Lake. I was still the bo'sun on Bikke's ship at the time. Usually when we took a merchant vessel, the sailors all turned over the cargo to spare their lives. We'd take it all and leave them be. But this crew put up a fight." His voice grew softer. "They were willing to die to protect their cargo, and die they did." The others looked at him, fairly horrified. "I was reluctant to kill anyone, but I had to defend myself. I had no choice. Bikke and I cornered the captain of the ship, who had the crystal in a box under his arm. He told us that it must get to Cornelia. That it was integral to the prophecy to save the world. Bikke laughed and ran him through. After that, he wore the crystal around his neck while on deck, as if it were some kind of trophy. I felt horrible for what I had done. Not only the deaths, but that Bikke had taken the crystal. I refused to let the world suffer because of one ignorant man's greed. When we docked in Pravoca, I stole the crystal from Bikke in his sleep. Then I stowed away on a cargo ship headed towards Cornelia. Before I could explain why I had the crystal, the people at the docks hailed me as a Light Warrior, and took me before the king. The rest you guys already know."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Xoria asked.
"Because it was such a grand adventure. And then I started believing that I was a Light Warrior. Then we met Vincentio here, who happened to be from Crescent Lake, and I put it all together. Vincentio's the fourth Light Warrior, not me." Sav'ran removed the crystal from around his neck and held it out to Vincentio. "Take it, Vince. So if something happens to me, then at least you guys can activate the rest of the altars."
"This is pretty extreme Sav, are you sure?" Vincentio asked, reluctantly accepting the crystal.
"I'm sure. But…do you guys mind if I stick around as long as I can?"
"Hold on, Sav," Cyrus interjected. "I told you before that you were being ridiculous, and I stand by that. And by you. Nothing against you, Vincentio, but I believe Sav'ran is the Light Warrior."
Before Sav'ran could respond, an earthquake shook the volcano, and the ceiling above them began to shake loose.
"No time!" Xoria shouted. "Nulregh Fithos Ignus Raja Eklus!" A red, glowing nimbus surrounded them all. "Now go! Go!"
They ran through the lava, feeling as if they had just plunged their bodies into red-hot coals. And they all tripped on rocks that they had not been able to see, and they tumbled the rest of the way down the tunnel. And so, battered, bruised, and rather badly burned, they made it to the bottom.
Rather than use Xoria and Vincentio's magic, Cyrus opted to use up some of the potions he was carrying around. By the time they all felt better, their supply was seriously diminished, but better, Cyrus reasoned, than using magic that could be more versatile in times of need.
They were now, it seemed on the bottom level of the volcano. The stone bridges formed a causeway that rose up out of the lava only about twelve feet or so. There were also several tunnels in several directions all around the place.
"Which way do we go?" Teraptus asked.
"Well, the logical way would be to pick a direction and stick to it," Sav'ran said. "As in, take a left at every turn, or a right. We'll get where we're going eventually."
"So which way?" Xoria asked.
"How about left?" Vincentio said, and immediately started down the path to their left. The others had just begun to follow, when another earthquake rumbled through the cavern. Huge rocks fell from above, splashing into the lava, and the stone beneath Vincentio's feet began to crumble. He turned and ran back towards the others, but the stone collapsed into the lava.
"Vincentio!" Cyrus cried out, almost leaping in after him.
"Istraesol Centantrum Extolixia!" Teraptus aimed his spell, not at his rival, but at the molten lava beneath his falling body. Ice began forming in the lava, and then immediately melting and evaporating, forming a column of steam that rose into the air, lifting the falling warrior. Vincentio, thinking quickly, grabbed the edges of his cloak to catch the air, providing more lift. He would have sailed right over his companions, but that Cyrus, holding Xoria's staff out at full length, had enough reach that Vincentio could grab on. Once outside the steam column, Vincentio immediately fell, landing against the rock beneath Cyrus' feet. Cyrus began hauling up on the staff to bring Vincentio up. Vincentio, meanwhile, could do nothing but hold on for dear life.
"What's that?" Sav'ran asked in alarm, pointing down. Vincentio looked down, then wished that he hadn't.
A gaping, lizardlike maw was rising up out of the magma towards him. Cyrus swore and tried to haul him up faster.
"Istrae Centa Extol!" Teraptus cast the spell right beneath Vincentio, forming a solid block of ice that fell into the creature's open mouth, filling it completely and preventing it from biting down. There was a muffled roar from below, and then four more serpentine heads rose out of the lava, snarling and snapping.
"A hydra!" Sav'ran exclaimed.
"Can we worry about what it is later?" Vincentio yelled.
Cyrus swore again. Vincentio was almost to the top of the ledge. Then one of the heads lunged forwards and grabbed Vincentio by the legs, pulling him away from Cyrus. Cyrus dug in his heels and began a tug-of-war match over Vincentio with one of the beast's heads. As the head pulled on him, Vincentio could feel himself being stretched past his limits. He screamed in pain.
"Do something!" Xoria shouted.
"I can't!" Cyrus protested.
"Bochoska Othrasan Legatorey Turelah!" Terapstus chanted, the words springing, unbidden, into his mind. Several bolts of lightning emerged from his fingertips, and sent great jolts of electricity through several of the hydra's heads. Exhausted from the spellcasting, Teraptus collapsed to the floor. The hydra screamed, and one head lunged towards Teraptus.
Sav'ran, at the ready, lashed out with his cutlass at the heads as it moved in towards Teraptus. He tore the monster's left eye from that head. It screamed in pain, and he stepped in, under it's head, and sliced open its throat.
With one head now down, and two other with occupied mouths, the hydra now only has 2 heads available to strike its other assailants. Both of which now focused on Cyrus, who was keeping the thing from its meal. Then one of them opened its mouth and unleashed a great gout of flame that enveloped them all. Fortunately, Xoria's protective ward was still in place, and they all received only minor burns. The other head reared back in preparation to strike.
"No you don't!" Sav'ran cried, and leaped across the gap to land on the beast's back.
"Sav'ran!" Teraptus cried. Sav'ran paid him no heed and began slashing at the hydra's necks.
"Sav'ran, watch out!" Xoria shouted, as the young thief plunged his cutlass down, straight into the monster's chest, above the collarbone. His blade sunk deep, severing the main blood vessel to the creature's heads. The mouth holding Vincentio let go, and all of the heads screamed in unison. Blood spurted out from the wound, and with a gurgling sigh, it began sinking back into the lava.
"Save him!" Xoria cried to Teraptus.
"I can't!" he wailed, unable to do so much as rise from the floor.
Sav'ran leaped once again. However, a sinking hydra was much less even footing than rock, and he did not have the momentum he did on the previous jump. He was going to fall short, and he knew it, even as he leaped.
Vincentio, watching all this, and still in pain from being nearly torn in two, made his Choice. Releasing his right hand from the staff, he jerked down hard with his left. Cyrus, unprepared for the sudden jolt, let it slip between his hands, but caught it before it fell all the way. Vincentio pushed away from the wall with his legs as he did so, reaching out with his right hand.
"Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he managed to grab Sav'ran's flailing arm by the wrist. Sav'ran quickly grabbed his arm as well, and they slammed back into the cliff, Sav'ran's feet mere inches from the lava.
Cyrus grunted under the additional weight, but managed to pull them both up to safety. They crawled onto the ledge, gasping for air. Xoria immediately flew into Vincentio's arms.
"Oh, thank Ysgard you're safe!" she almost sobbed. Then she turned to Sav'ran. "And you! You scared me half to death! You guys are gonna give me a head of gray hairs before I'm 20!"
Vincentio laughed weakly, and she helped him to his feet, giving him a potion as she did so. To everyone's surprise, he pushed her away gently, standing on his own, and walked over to Teraptus.
"You saved my life," he said, with an almost puzzled expression on his face. "You could've let me fall. Xoria would have been all yours, but you saved me. Twice, even."
"Well…I…" Teraptus began. Everyone was looking at him now. "Xoria, she…she would have never forgiven me if I'd let you die."
"I never would have known," she said. "If you hadn't saved him, I never would have known that you could have."
"You acted faster than any of us, Ter," Sav'ran said. "We we're all kind of in shock, but you thought quickly enough to cast that spell."
"And it was brilliant, too," Cyrus added. "I don't know how you thought of a steam column."
Teraptus looked down, somewhat ashamed. "The steam column was an accident. I…I was trying to cool the lava down so he'd land safely."
Sav'ran laughed. "Whatever, man. Like I keep trying to tell you, it's the results that matter, and you did what you intended to do, you saved him."
Vincentio extended his hand to Teraptus, this time with a warm smile on his face. Teraptus clasped his arm in his own. When they broke, Xoria approached him, took Teraptus' face in both hands and kissed him soundly on the lips.
"All right, don't get carried away now," Vincentio said, but he was smiling.
"Let's get out of this furnace already, eh?" Cyrus suggested.
"And this time, we take the right path" Sav'ran added.
"Wait guys…" Vincentio began. "There's something you all should know" It's time to come clean he thought.
"Can't it wait?" Sav'ran asked.
"Yeah, right now I feel like I could take on 10 Fire Fiends" Teraptus said.
"Let's wait until we're done here, eh?" Xoria said, smiling at him.
"C'mon guys" Cyrus said, and started down the path to the right of the one they entered in. There was a dark tunnel at the end, but Vincentio and Xoria were once again able to provide adequate light. The tunnel was rather long, with several turns.
"I have a bad feeling about this tunnel" Vincentio whispered.
From up ahead, a soft, deep rumbling began to sound. As they turned the corner into a large chamber the source became apparent. The chamber was lit from above by a hole in the ceiling that formed a sort of natural skylight. The light shone upon a huge heap of what could only be called treasure. Gold, jewels, armor, weapons, and valuables of all kinds were heaped in the center of the room. And upon all of them was the source of the rumbling, sleeping soundly.
"A dragon!" Cyrus whispered in awe.
"Okay, we're leaving now," Sav'ran said quietly, and headed for the exit.
"I second the motion," Vincentio replied softly, "dragons are bad news."
"We can take it," Cyrus said confidently.
"Are you insane?" Teraptus hissed. "You're talking about a dragon!"
"Right, and Garland defeated a dragon years ago by himself. And I defeated Garland. I have to know. I have to know I can do what he did."
Sav'ran turned to Xoria. "Talk some sense into him."
"I say we fight," Xoria said quietly.
"You're just as crazy as he is!"
"Dragons like that one are the reason I'm an orphan!" she snapped. "My parents are dead because of a dragon just like that one, and I want my revenge!" Everyone was a bit shocked. This was a side of Xoria they had never seen before.
"All right, I'm in" Vincentio said.
Sav'ran groaned. "You too?"
"I lost a friend to this dragon years ago. I can't let that go."
"That's 3 against 2, we win!" Cyrus said with a grin.
"I think the vote just became moot," Teraptus said, pointing to the dragon, which had woken up and was now orienting on the intruders to its lair.
"Something tells me magic won't be much good against this thing" Teraptus said.
"Torant found that out the hard way" Vincentio said, drawing his sword with a grim expression on his face.
Teraptus raised his hands towards Cyrus. "Hathran Actina Sorchak Tentia Ewulvia!"
Xoria also chanted a spell. "Nulregh Fithos Ignus Raja Eklus!"
Thus protected from the dragon's breath, they charged forward into the jaws of destiny.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," Cyrus commented, finishing cleaning his blade on a scrap of cloth.
"You call that easy?" Vincentio demanded, treating a bite on his leg.
"Well, it did seem quite taken aback at us charging it," Sav'ran noted.
Xoria shrugged, finished healing Teraptus and moved on to Vincentio.
"We're all filthy rich, now, you realize that?" Vincentio pointed out.
"There's no way we could get all of this out of here," Cyrus said.
"But we could take quite a bit of it, couldn't we?" Sav'ran asked hopefully.
Cyrus laughed, "Sure"
They took what treasure they could, mostly in gems and other compact, valuable items, and returned to the central chamber of the volcano. They turned right again, following another long tunnel. They soon found themselves passing through an archway that looked very similar to the Earth Shrine, but instead of downward pointing triangles, there were upward pointing ones, with an extra line near the base. The symbol of Fire.
"Is that it?" Teraptus asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
They were staring at an enormous orb, deep red in hue. It radiated energy, even in the heat of the chamber, they could see waves of energy coming from the orb.
Suddenly a voice came from the orb.
"The Earth Fiend is gone…"
Cyrus drew his sword. "Yes, monster, and we destroyed it! Come out and face us, and we will send you to the same fate!"
The orb ignored him. "Who disturbs Marilith's slumber? Minion? Have you come? Is your task complete?"
Vincentio stepped forwards. "No. And it will never be complete. I reject you, foul creature! You shall this day join your loathsome companion in the deepest pit of Hell!" The others looked at him in shock. Shock began to give way to rage in Teraptus' eyes.
"You…you…"
"Hold on Ter," Sav'ran said. "He might have an explanation for this." The look in Sav'ran's eyes, however, was cold.
"He had better," Xoria said, crossing her arms.
"When I came through here the first time…with my friends from home, and my brother…we…we didn't know what we were in for." Vincentio struggled with the words. "I lost all of them here. I fled into this room, where the Marilith made me a deal: My life for that of the Light Warriors. I would be allowed to leave in safety so I could journey north and find you. I'd been in the woods north of Pravoca for 3 months before we met. I used the time to fashion false crystals, which, over time, I have replaced with your true ones while you were all off guard." He reached into his tunic and brought out 5 crystals on pendants, one of them glowing a muted yellow.
"Traitor!" Teraptus said, lunging at Vincentio. Vincentio pushed him back into Sav'ran's arms.
"Why are you telling us this now?" Cyrus asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Hear me out! I…I've come to realize I can't do it…I can't betray you." He hung his head.
"When?" Xoria demanded, "When did you realize this?"
"Out there…when you all risked your lives to save me"
"Just now!" Xoria exclaimed in disbelief. "After all we've been through?"
"Wait! I…I have been thinking about it for some time. I…I thought I had no choice, I thought that I couldn't take my decision back…but Bahamut…he told me that I had a Choice. I was going to tell you before we entered Mt. Gulg, but when you all seemed against me last night…I…"
"You selfish bastard!" Cyrus spat. "Why should we trust you?"
"Because," Vincentio said, and he held out the pendants, which glowed briefly in recognition of their true owners. "I've made my Choice, and for good or ill, I stand by you to the end. I know I don't deserve your trust, but I asking you, please give me a chance. Let me redeem myself, at least in my own eyes."
They took their crystals back and gave Vincentio back the fake ones. Sav'ran's eyes widened as he realized that Cyrus and Bahamut had been right. Teraptus looked oddly at his false one, which still glowed. "That was a difficult illusion to maintain" Vincentio said wryly.
"Insubordinate fool!" came the voice from the orb, filled with rage. "Your life is mine to end as I wish! You will not leave this cavern alive!"
Vincentio drew his sword. "You are the one who will not outlive this day, demon! The power of Fire will once again be restored!"
"The power of Fire is mine alone!"
"Take back the fake crystals, then, and comfort yourself in their false power!" Vincentio hurled four crystals at the orb.
There was a ringing sound, and one crystal hung in the air after striking the orb. A flash of red within it. The orb began to glow brightly.
"Umm…Sav?" Vincentio said apprehensively. "Are you sure you grabbed the right crystal?"
Sav'ran held up the crystal he had taken. He could see the imperfections in it as the light coming from the orb reflected through it. He swore and threw the false one away.
A red hand reached out through the orb, as if the surface of the orb were water, and grabbed the crystal. The rest of the orb shattered, and the Fire Fiend rose up before them. From the waist up, she appeared to be a rather striking human female, albeit with six arms, and much larger than any of them. From the waist down, she was an enormous serpent. Her skin was a dusky red, and jewelry adorned her otherwise nude upper body. In each of her six hand she held a different sword, with the exception of one left hand, which grasped Sav'ran's crystal tightly.
The impact from the orb shattering shook the cavern, and to their left, a section of the cave floor and wall crumbled and fell, revealing the churning magma below.
The Fire Fiend's eyes glowed fiercely. "I am Marilith, Fiend of Fire! And your prophecy ends here Light Warriors! You have awakened me from my slumber, and now you will suffer! Those who disturb me shall burn!" She swung at Vincentio, who barely managed to block with his blade.
Xoria cast a spell, "Nulregh Fithos Ignus Raja Eklus!" only including Vincentio in it at the last minute.
Cyrus charged forwards, swinging his massive broadsword, and sliced into Marilith's skin. She howled in pain and brought three blades down on the warrior. His armor protected him well, but the force of it almost knocked him into the magma.
Xoria helped him up. Teraptus came over to him. "Hathran Actina Sorchak Tentia Ewulvia!" Cyrus felt the spell take hold, and charged once again toward the Fiend.
Sav'ran was already there, dancing among the rain of blades that she tried to land upon him, occasionally slashing with his cutlass. Vincentio, too, was slashing at her hide, but was less effective at dodging than the nimble rogue, and received many cuts for his efforts. As he was knocked back, sorely wounded, Xoria reluctantly administered him a potion.
"Don't think this means I forgive you," she hissed, before he could thank her, "but we need all the help we can get right now."
Vincentio nodded and got up.
"Istrae Centa Extol!" Teraptus directed his ice spell at Marilith's face. She screamed as her eyes were covered by ice, but the heat of the place, as well as the heat she gave off herself, melted it quickly.
Marilith knocked them all away from her, giving her room to cast a spell. "Fithostratus Ignusioustan Rajakanulka Eklusulshi!" A ball of fire leapt from her extended finger at touched down at their feet. A massive explosion followed, a huge globe of fire forming with them in the center. Xoria's spell still in place, they managed to not be hurt too much by it.
Cyrus uncorked a potion and drank it, then ran back towards Marilith, catching one of her blades on his shield, and then striking at her chest.
"Hold still, traitor," Teraptus spat as Vincentio prepared to charge in. "As much as I don't like it, Xoria's right and we need your help. Hathran Actina Sorchak Tentia Ewulvia!" Vincentio felt everything around him slow down, and ran back towards Marilith.
Just then, Marilith began to glow, and a burst of flame came from her body, washing over everything in the room. Teraptus, having just cast a spell, had his defenses down, and took a lot of the heat. Xoria rushed to his side to find him unconscious.
"Hang in there Teraptus! Cantosiol Ulinovska Reythator Extatium!"
His eyes fluttered open. There was a scream from where the others were fighting.
Cyrus' blade struck home, driving deep into Marilith's side. She screamed in pain, and tried to strike him, but he swiftly moved out of the way. Sav'ran quickly delivered a few strikes under some of her arms.
"Blast you, humans! I will drown you all in the mountain's heart!" She started chanting and glowing red. The lava below began to glow as well.
"No!" Vincentio cried and leapt upon the Fiend. She was quick to react, however, and one of her arms lashed out.
Her blade exited Vincentio's back, covered in blood. He heard Xoria scream his name. At the same time, he drove his sword two handed, into her chest. Her eyes flashed and her chanting stopped.
"Fool!" she said, spitting up blood. "You have sealed your Fate! And you go to your death!"
"No!" he cried, his voice faltering. "I make my own Destiny, here! I…I have made…my…my choice! And you…will not…hurt them!" He jerked on his sword with all his weight, tearing her blade further though his insides. Ignoring the agony, he took the surprised Fiend with him as they both fell of the gorge and into the churning magma below.
"Vincentio!" Cyrus yelled.
They all stared in disbelief. Several minutes passed in total silence.
"He…he's gone," Sav'ran said in shock.
"Is it over?" a weary Teraptus asked.
"He sacrificed himself for us…" Xoria said softly.
"He also betrayed us!" Cyrus said, disgust rising in his voice.
"How can you say that?" Xoria said, tears in her eyes. "He's dead now! He's gone forever! And he saved us! He-" she stopped.
A large, red hand had thrown itself over the edge of the cliff, climbing up. Grasped with the fingers was the crystal, still on its pendant. Another arm rose up over the edge, with a sword in it. Marilith dragged her head and torso up, Vincentio's blade still buried in her chest. Two more arms, devoid of swords, pulled her up further. There was hatred in her eyes. Cyrus wasted no time and charged forward. The upper right hand, which held the sword, swung down at him. He caught the blade on his shield and made a swipe at he midsection. She pulled her midsection back with serpentine grace, but it had only been a feint. Cyrus chopped off the one of the hands that held her up, she howled in pain, inadvertently leaning back further.
"Istraesol Centantrum Extolixia!" Teraptus was on his feet and aimed his spell directly at the Fire Fiend. Blue energy flew towards Marilith, forming spears of ice in it as it went. The spears impacted with her torso, slicing through her tough skin as the rest of ice spell took effect on her. She screamed in agony.
Sav'ran leaped forward, and with his cutlass he sliced off the hand that held his crystal in it, reclaiming the crystal, and nimbly returning to the group. The Fire Fiend seemed to contract, then expand, and contract again. She began expanding rapidly, cracks of light appearing beneath the surface of her skin. She exploded, but it was an explosion that seemed to be without force. They all shielded their eyes.
With the death of the Fire Fiend, the room actually seemed somewhat cooler. They agreed that Sav'ran's crystal was most likely the one keyed to this altar. The altar itself was roughly rectangular, and made of volcanic black rock, with runes carved along the sides. The crystal that hung above it looked like a larger version of the ones they carried, a little more than four feet in height and almost two feet wide at the widest point. It was dark, but seemed to have a tint of red. The spot directly beneath the crystal was a smooth, circular shape with a hole in the center of the altar. Like the earth Shrine, it was mysteriously suspended in the air above the pit.
Sav'ran placed his crystal on the altar, and it jerked itself out of his hand. The pendant floated beneath the crystal on the altar, looking as if it was going to fall in the hole. And then, the pendant began to glow with a red light. It floated slowly upwards, until it touched the larger crystal on the altar. The larger crystal now burst into life, and a bright red glow filled the room. The crystal floated a little bit higher now, and began slowly rotating as it bobbed up and down in its place on the altar. The pendant, still a bright red and now glowing like a beacon, floated back onto the altar and fell onto the stone.
Sav'ran reclaimed his amulet and placed it around his neck.
Cyrus placed his hand on his shoulder. "Any more doubts?" he asked softly.
Sav'ran looked up at him, then shook his head. "Bahamut said that I would discover that my doubts were unfounded 'to a degree that will satisfy my doubts, but in such a manner to trouble me further'. I know what he meant now." He looked over to Xoria, who's face was unreadable.
"Xoria?" Teraptus said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit, having been lost in thought. "Do you…want to talk?"
"I…" she started, and then she lost control, weeping into Teraptus' shoulder.
"Let's get out of here," Sav'ran said, holding the crystal and focusing. He wished that they were out of the Fire Shrine, and, if possible, already in Crescent Lake. There was a flash of light.