Of the Dragon, of the Stars

by Absol Master

A legendary Archmage, her Cleric assistant. A city boy and his long-lost sister. Three orphans, two shadow children, a silver-haired murderess. A thousand enemies. A million unanswered questions. And only two ways it can end.

4. Year of the Rat

Yay! I was waiting for Chief to review, actually, but since he said that I could post, I did.

I really hope you people are liking this story. Because this chapter might wear your patience thin. (If you still remember who is who in my story,) this chapter focuses a lot on Clynine and Lanoré. Read and review! No silent readers please!

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Chapter 4: Year of the Rat

ralinn: in turn

Ralinn had never thought about the moment when she would be eligible for her third job. She had simply spent every year training whenever she could, accompanying Raydan and Zethis to a multitude of places.

But at that moment when she struck down a drake, and the blazing blue light had grown to surround her, she suddenly realised what she had been forgetting so long, a goal of hers that had never actually been a goal.

She could become a ranger, at last. After so many years, after her narrow escape from the castle. Ralinn thought, again, about the day she had managed to escape the iron grasp of the king's guards, the grasp that had held her tightly for years on end.

It had been a stroke of genius, of desperation, on her part. After three years of working at the castle, a slave, she had suddenly decided that she had had enough.

Then, all the routes of escape, all the paths that might lead her out of the castle, which she had been ignoring for the last three years, became apparent to her. It would be so easy…

The garbage carts were never inspected as they came into and left the castle. After all, the king must have thought, who would try to escape under tons of rubbish?

She would. Not like all those other servants, submitted to service even before they had been born, spiritless, ambitionless—she wasn't like them. She wanted freedom.

So Ralinn had done just that. The garbage trucks trundled into and out of the castle grounds, horse-drawn, towards the stinking garbage dumps on the grounds to collect rubbish and back out through the heavily guarded gates, without so much as a glance from the guards.

She had thrown herself into one of the garbage dumps, from the branch of a tree some way up the road through the keep. The smell had not been very pleasing, to say the least, but it was a small price to pay for the freedom she had been waiting for for so long.

From there, it was simply digging her way out of the piles of rubbish—fruit peels, animal bones, used papers and other useless bits and pieces that had been dumped into the bins of the castle.

She was free. She had come out dirty, worn out, covered in the stench of the king's garbage, but she had finally earned her safety, her escape from the castle, a breath of the real world that had been taken away from her for three years.

It was time to start her life anew, she had told herself. It was her chance to finally have control of her life.

And now, Ralinn realized, she had come farther than she had ever actually wanted or needed. Ready for her third job already? She had never noticed herself growing any stronger or more experienced.

"Sis, what're you staring at?" Raydan called out, snapping her out of her moment of reminiscence.

"I'm already level seventy," she replied. "I just counted my level-ups..."

"Good then! Let's go back to Henesys, then we might meet Nightfall, and I can introduce them to you," her brother exclaimed enthusiastically. He had told her and the rest about the guild he had met that day after his job advancement, and explained how they had saved him from a senseless death sentence.

It did feel strange, and a little unnerving to know that there was another guild with the same aim as hers—they were competition to their goal, she realised. But Nightfall was so much larger than their measly group of four, even more than the final ten that was planned for Orion's Belt.

She chose to ignore those notions. At least she knew that they were not alone in their quest. There would be others to help them, and they would do the job, should Orion's Belt fail.

Zethis, who had been training with the wild boars in another part of the same mountain, soon came round to meet the three, who stood resting in the shadow of the mountainside, drinking from their waterskins and eating a few of the snacks they had brought along.

Ralinn looked about at the four members of Orion's Belt. Her brother, Raydan, the first to join, was now a Crossbowman, at level thirty-five. He was more talkative than the average person, and prone to getting angry with authority.

Zethis, the second to join, stood beside him, gulping water from his own waterskin in extreme thirst. Though younger than Raydan, he was about the same level, and the Page was quickly overtaking Ralinn's brother in levels. Ralinn had long noticed that he was stronger than others his age, despite his outward appearance of weakness. That shy boy who never talked much to anyone except Raydan had been quite a welcome addition to the guild, being less talkative and complaining than either of the other two, and a lot more thoughtful in his manner and speech.

Ketara, in the best descriptors, was the opposite of Zethis. He jumped at every chance to befriend others, and along with his good looks and natural charm, he had managed to get them out of a whole lot of situations, especially when buying food or other commodities. He was a useful member to the guild, often managing to take the boredom out of what would have been dreary journeys.

He, like Zethis, was stronger than normal, and it was obvious—he was the same age as Raydan, but almost fifteen levels higher. No, he did not practice dark arts, she knew, and neither did Zethis. They were naturally gifted. Somehow, that thought made her feel both secure and honoured.

Now, they were already beginning their journey southeast towards Kerning City, their home, where they would probably rest before continuing down to Henesys. Ralinn felt her heartbeat quicken as she prospected her visit to Athena Pierce again. The Job Master was close enough to be called a friend, and they had not met for many years already.

"So we're really going to the Dungeon?" Ketara persisted on his request. Ralinn nodded absently as they trudged through the stones of Perion, towards their destination, which was at least two months' walk away.

"I think it'll be fine," the guild leader replied. "Since you survived there, I don't think it should be that hard to stay alive."

"It was fun, really! I had no trouble staying alive, except that everything there tasted disgusting. But there were two people there who helped me find my way around..." His eyebrows creased as he tried to recall their names. "Telida and Turino! I hope we meet them. They were...quite nice."

Ralinn nodded, wondering how anyone could be living in the Dungeon.

"That'd be nice," Raydan answered. "What kind of people are they?"

"I don't know how to describe them…cool? They've both got good looks, as far as I could see in the darkness. They've lived in the Dungeon for a long time; knew the way around perfectly. There were huge slimes around the forest as well."

Zethis looked up. "King Slimes?" he exclaimed. "They're in the wild as well?"

Ketara turned back and asked what King Slimes were. In moments, they were discussing the Kerning Party Quest. Ralinn only listened, never having attempted any party quests before, only hearing of them from her brother and from others that she had met during her travels.

Maybe she would start to see more, with the guild around, and her job of finding the remaining members of Orion's Belt giving her necessity to travel further. Maybe, she might even get to see what a party quest was like for herself. So much she hadn't seen yet, she realised. It would really teach her a lot if she were to travel more, and going to the Dungeon would be a good start.

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clynine: crossing the sky

Clynine had only gone to Victoria Island once—when she had gone for her first job. She had only gone to Ellinia, crossed the branches to Grendel's place and come back then, no further—but now, she would be going further. Now that Lanoré was her guardian and not her parents, they would be travelling a little around the Ellinian Forest. She could not wait to see more of Victoria Island, a place that had always lain on the other side of the sky-ocean.

The ride began five minutes after Lanoré and Clynine had seated themselves in the dimly-lit room below the deck of the tiny vessel.

Earlier, they had had to make their way down to the secret shifting jetty on the coast of El Nath—a jetty made of ice that was melted in one place and refrozen in another every week, its location only known by those who ordered tickets from the organisation's members, who had the most ordinary occupations around.

This time, the ice jetty had been at the coast about two miles into the icy wastes of the southern side of El Nath, having found out the location from the assistant to the armour seller. They had travelled long, only the excitement of journeying to Victoria Island keeping Clynine warm in the close-to-blizzard fierceness of the winds.

Finally they had made it there. The ship rocked in the waters, but it would make it to the other coast safely, like it had managed to for nine years. Though it bobbed in the water, it, like Clynine had heard from many, would soar into the air when it departed. She could not help but feel great anticipation for the moment when that would happen.

Around the bay, Clynine could see the shadows of creatures stirring up small eddies under the shimmering, icy water.

Whales, she knew. The native creatures had always swum down there, below the surface, sometimes tossing water playfully into the air, watching through the shaky surface of the ocean as the sky moved over them.

Sometimes, she saw them spray seawater into the air as she stood on the coast, and occasionally, they would even leap through the air in a human's presence, the large, usually lazy creatures showing a rare display of energy. She had heard that the great majestic creatures had a deep sense of emotion, and often saved people who fell into the ocean.

They would leave the whales soon, Clynine knew. So they had entered, and now waited for the movement of the ship's body to begin.

The seats were made of badly-cut wood—but what could they expect of a ship that had been made in secrecy, and operating in secrecy for years?

She leaned back, trying to quell the deep anxiousness she now felt at the thought of riding on this secret service. Lanoré had already warned her of the dangerous possibilities of the ride.

The king knew that this service existed, but his policemen had never managed to find it. As a result, a security system had been put in place across the sky—sometimes, the policemen would be standing guard and waiting for ships to arrive. However, when night fell, they would go back to rest, for it was believed that it was impossible to navigate in the dark. That was when they would fly.

But there had been one other time when the ship had been caught in mid-journey at night. That had led to the death of the previous captain, and the vice-captain had only found out about the disaster through a communication crystal when one of the survivors transmitted the message after making it, just barely, to Victoria Island.

But what were the chances that they would be found out? It had only happened once. Why this time? It was always good to anticipate the worst, Lanoré had told her before the trip. But she didn't really fear much. Besides, it was considerably safer than travelling over water, where an infamous band of pirates was rumoured to make prey of all.

But that is the reason why the king believes that everyone will cross through the sky. If a safe route could be established over water…

The ship shook slightly in its regular rocking course. Moments later, it gave a lurch, another, and then it gave a third and didn't fall back down. It was flying. Clynine felt as if her stomach had flipped with excitement. She glanced out the window and saw the clouds slipping past within the uneven window frame.

Fear continued to linger in her heart, nonetheless, and she could only will herself not to think of any of the frightening possibilities and watch the sky as it levelled out beyond the window and floated past.

Their journey upon the sky sped on into its late hours. Lanoré and Clynine were provided with a meagre dinner, but it was enough for them. The magician knew too well that they would not be able to obtain much food if they wanted to remain undetected.

Night fell. The stars spread across the sky like a dark sheet, and all around, the air was cast into darkness. Clynine was lying on her bench, attempting to fall asleep. A few other travellers were there with them; some were resting on the deck to enjoy the starlight. There were about five others with them.

She had been ready to fall asleep with the calm of the journey, sure that by the time she had awoken, they would have arrived at their destination.

Then there was an explosion, and moments later, a colossal crack of wood all around them, shaking her eardrums. Clynine sat up, all attempts at resting now rendered useless. She glanced about, heart suddenly wild with fear, all her earlier, forgotten fears of the voyage now returning with force. What had just happened? It had been loud.

The ship began to tilt to the left. It swung down wildly, suddenly, and Clynine grabbed onto the wood, screaming. The rest were awake now, struggling to hold on to the walls and benches, a few yelling in terror.

Lanoré soon raced down into the cabin. "We've been spotted!"

"H—How," she gasped out, running to her mistress and holding onto the arm she reached out to her.

"They shot us with cannon," Lanoré replied, slightly more relieved now. "The ship is losing its altitude. We need to get out, or die underwater, trapped in the ship—"

Before she had even finished her sentence, there was another boom, and a crack. At once, a section of the ship began to break off—the bow. It swung open, and a huge, roaring rush of ocean wind suddenly poured in as they fell. Ellinia was a mile away, the trees alight with points of flame and light, visible even from this distance. They were still falling, now in a ferocious spiral down towards the darkness below. Lanoré turned to Clynine and held her harder, her other hand reaching for a shelf.

"I don't know what to do either," she whispered. Clynine felt her heart beating madly like a huge drum, every beat deafening her, as the icy wind swept past her face, smelling of the ocean. Adrenalin shot through the blood like a stream of needles, and she shook with terror, screaming again.

"Jump," another man from behind them yelled. "Jump, get out and swim before the ship crushes us all!"

But we're a mile from Ellinia, Clynine's mind raced. How will we make it…

Just trust yourself! Stay alive, and you can work the rest out yourself. And you're not alone!

Lanoré was staring down at the black expanse that grew wider as they hurtled downwards. She turned back to Clynine again and nodded.

Then, through the rushing wind too strong to face, too powerful to contain within imagination, they leapt. Those moments seemed so unreal. The sky was soaring past them, and the boat, slowed by the resistance it met in the air, by its wide, flapping sails, fell slower than them. Clynine was still clinging to Lanoré's arm, and the Ice Lightning Archmage kept her assistant as close as she could, trying to tell her through her strong grip that they would not die.

But would they? Clynine didn't want to think.

It was at the moment when their bodies smashed the water and coldness truly gripped her flesh like a huge iron vice that she realised that they had a chance. She could feel the terrible, dark shadow growing around her, and she didn't stay frozen, waiting for something to save her, as she had all her life, as she had whenever she had gotten herself into a problem—forever depending on someone else to get her out.

She knew what she had to do, and she swam, forcing her way through the water, against the resistance that met her, against everything her old life had taught her to do. No one could help her now.

It didn't matter that she was practically helpless against the dark ocean currents. It didn't matter that the cold was creeping deep into her bones, rendering all her fingers numb. It didn't matter that saltwater was rushing over her face, entering her mouth, nose and ears. She would have to fight for her life if she wanted to keep it.

A sudden, overwhelming splash propelled her upwards, forwards, closer to the starry, whirling sky above her, upon the dark, wet body below. Somewhere close, she could hear Lanoré's shout, half of terror and half of exhilaration. The ship had plunged into the sea at last, flames smothered instantly. And they were safe, for now.

It was all like a nightmare, too unreal, too strange, that moments ago, she had been sitting in a cabin trying to sleep, and now, she was in the midst of a raging ocean, her existence itself cast into uncertainty.

The sea stilled. All around, nothing seemed to move, except for the great rhythmic movement of the currents around them, rising, falling, the piercing coldness almost overwhelming, but at the same time…calming. There were yells from the distance of the treetops, but that was the only sound that marred the scene. Chunks of wood floated around them, the remains of the ship that had once carried people across the gap between two lands, two worlds, now gone. She hoped that everyone had survived the ride.

"Clynine," a familiar, slightly hoarse voice called from a little way behind her. She knew at once that it was Lanoré. "Can you see Ellinia?"

Now, the magician turned in the undulating ocean to see the towering trees on the coast a mile away, seeming so tall, now that she could see their entire heights. The lights were lessening, and she sighed, half with relief, half with hopelessness. Her strokes in the water were growing so weak with the cold…

"How will we get back?" Clynine asked. Lanoré shut her eyes and sighed.

"I—I don't know. I really don't know."

Clynine was well versed in the rules of what to do and what not to when in cold places. They could not risk falling asleep, and especially not in the middle of deep waters. But if they didn't rest, they would never have the energy to move any closer to shore than they were now. As far as she could see, they were stuck here, simply waiting to freeze to death.

Close by, others were floating in the water, fellows in their predicament. She counted seven in total, some clinging to wooden boards, some floating about, submission in their eyes.

Only at that moment did it really hit her that she might die. There was close to no hope for them now; there seemed no way out, and it would take a miracle for them to somehow make it to shore, for all of them to make it to shore…

It appeared that the police had decided to leave them for dead. And they probably were already. Was there any chance at all that they would get out of this? They were as good as dead…

As Clynine had been thinking that thought, she felt something brush her feet, and she leapt halfway out of the water. It was as if the ground had suddenly risen up to her feet, for when she landed, she felt something bearing her upwards, still rising, until it had lifted her out of the water on its slippery, shiny surface.

She glanced about, down, heart suddenly in her mouth as she realised what it was. A whale. The native creatures had always roamed in these waters spanning between El Nath and Ellinia, saviours of thousands who had fallen into the same situation as they had…

This was the miracle they needed. Perhaps they weren't bound to die after all.

Lanoré gave a gasp of surprise from behind her, as she, too, discovered what they were now riding on. The rest of the castaways were sitting along its huge length, the dark body glimmering in the dim moonlight, stark against the huge ocean. The winds were harsher, and yet they didn't make Clynine feel as cold as she had felt before. Her fear had fled completely, replaced by sudden, growing calm, hope. Somehow, she couldn't feel the cold that bit into her flesh, wasn't bothered by the water that she had breathed in.

The whale gave a low hum and it began to move. The remaining people still floating in the water swam towards it, their hair streaming out behind them, Clynine's own plastered against her neck and face. Lanoré came closer to her and hunched her figure as she seemed to try and calm herself down.

Clynine smiled, now noticing how sleepy she suddenly felt. The itch in her nose grew and she suddenly sneezed a few times, her eyes watering heavily after that. "Uh…I'm going to catch a cold from this," she sighed, shivering. She had a bad habit of catching colds at the smallest hint of cold weather.

"But at least we'll get back safely," her mistress answered comfortingly. "You know…it's nice being with you. I noticed how you have some kind of…calming ability…it's just nice. Nice to be near you." Clynine turned to look at her, wondering.

Half an hour later, the whale below them slowed, then bumped gently against the sloped shore. Lanoré and Clynine moved over to the side of the whale and slipped off, the water suddenly seeming warm to the magician.

Lanoré turned back and whispered a thank-you to the whale, unsure of whether the creature understood. Clynine stood knee-deep in the water, alternating repeatedly between sneezing and blowing her nose on her wet handkerchief.

The rest of its passengers followed them off, and a few moments after they left, it swam away, its great body slowly vanishing below the brightness of the sparkling reflections over the gently frothing, washing water.

Clynine sniffed hard and smiled, looking about at the trees that towered above. The air was freezing around her, now that they were out of the water again.

"Well, so now, we must find a place to stay for the night," Lanoré said, walking further into the depths of the great Victoria Island forest. "Lucky for us, I have some connections here."

Lanoré went on, and Clynine followed, trusting that her mistress knew where she was going, for she certainly appeared to.

Lanoré's "connection" turned out to be a low-profile innkeeper who owned an inn in the roots of one of the trees, the entire building hidden between two wide tree trunks, windows glowing orange from the outside. As soon as they entered, the strong smell of beer and liquor met Clynine's slightly blocked nose. At the counter, there was a short, stout man wearing rugged, dirty clothes, his beard unshaved and growing at least an inch long.

As soon as they came close enough, he squinted, and his thick lips curved into what had to be a smile.

"Ah, Lanoré, good evening," he greeted her, bowing. "Good to see that you're travelling again. Would you like lodging? How long? Twenty-five percent discount for you!"

Lanoré nodded patiently to the man's exclamations. "I'd like a room for two," she said, then turned to Clynine. "You alright with sleeping with me?"

The Cleric-to-be nodded as they went down the dim corridor towards their room. She suddenly noticed how much her muscles were aching with everything they had done that day, and she sighed. At least her nose wasn't running anymore, after an hour or so out of the water. But she did need a shower badly.

The showers were, sadly, unheated, and Clynine didn't enjoy her bath that much, despite her great need for it. But of course, like the ship, the inn operated in secrecy, and could not afford heating.

Later that night, Clynine found herself sitting on her side of the bed in the middle of the darkness, staring out of the small, roughly square window which was the only opening in the wall. Only a scene of waving branches that swept over the stars every few moments greeted her vision.

She thought on everything that had happened that day. How the ship had been destroyed, how they had to live in secrecy, how she had to take her second job test secretly—it was all because of the senseless rules of the king.

Lanoré had told her some time ago that her ultimate goal in training so hard was to someday defeat the king, whether with help or without it. She had then, upon becoming her assistant, joined her in that cause. It was a thought that scared her, but now, it only felt right. All this lack of freedom was wrong. It had to go, someday.

She wondered if anyone else thought the same way. Many, no doubt, wished to do just the same, all too afraid to show their faces for fear of being captured, like they were. It was the reason for the disallowing of job advancements, and for the captures of all the most powerful people in Ossyria—precautions against rebellion. But why give the people a reason to rebel in the first place?

Something seemed wrong about the way the king was behaving. But that, like so much else, was something she would probably never work out. Something had made him the way he was now. He had not always been this way, as Lanoré had told her. Maybe, just maybe, he would realise his wrongs and return to his old self.

Clynine lay back down and tried to fall asleep again. She had a job advancement test to look forward to, and she had to get rest if she wanted to succeed.

Sleep came without her notice, and dawn the next day was upon her before she had realised. There were none of the morning sounds she was used to hearing in El Nath—no coos of the morning doves, no skua calls, just the silence that had filled the area since they had first come, and the constant, soothing rustle of the leaves through the small window, through which narrow beams of sunlight were pouring.

Clynine went through the corridors towards the common dining room where everyone would have their meals. As she got closer, the smells of cooking food got strong—she smiled, feeling hungry all of a sudden. She had not eaten since the evening before, she realised.

As Clynine entered the dining room, she found herself facing a brightly-lit table at which about fifteen people were sitting, all with shiny white plates before them. A few were looking uneasily into their blurred reflections, seeming uncomfortable with eating with people they did not know; others were scraping the plates with the bent and worn cutlery, or conversing in hushed voices with each other.

Clynine allowed her mistress to find herself a seat before she sat down on the next chair. The seats were wooden, and not very comfortable, but she didn't really mind. The knife, fork and spoon she saw laid down on either side of her plate, too, were dented and tarnished, probably old. The mage knew that they were probably unable to afford new silverware, being a secret organisation, and had no choice but to reuse their cutlery year after year.

After scrutinising the utensils laid down on the table, she looked about on either side of Lanoré and herself, observing the faces of the rest of the guests at the inn.

On Clynine's left sat a female youth of about fifteen, staring intently into her white plate. She didn't move or show any expression in her face; it was locked in an image of deep thought. Her hair appeared to have been bleached to silver-white, straight fringe covering her upper eyelids, standing out against her blue gown.

"Um…hello," Clynine attempted to begin a conversation with her.

She turned, icy blue eyes narrowed. "Leave me alone," the girl growled in reply, then turned back to her plate. The magician leapt back in her chair. What had she done that had warranted that reaction? It was scary, and intriguing at the same time.

She decided not to risk that response again, and patiently waited for her food to arrive.

Three waiters soon came out with two dishes each, and at once, the smells of food reached Clynine's nose. She breathed in the warm aroma gratefully, her stomach growling all of a sudden. I haven't eaten for more than a day, she realised. She was starved.

As soon as the food was served, Clynine began to take the salad, eggs and ribbon pig meat from the dishes, before wolfing them down as if she would die if she did not eat. For a few seconds, she turned to the girl to her left, and saw that she was now calmly adding a few pieces of salad to her plate with a bent fork.

"Would you like more?" one of the waiters suddenly came round to Lanoré, who was eating an egg.

She smiled and shook her head, quite surprised. "A glass of water? Fruit juice?" the man went on. Again, Lanoré shook her head. Another waiter came and laid down a napkin for the Ice Lightning Archmage, and poured her a glass of water, which he set down on the table with a bang. Then another came with a set of almost perfect cutlery.

"You should use these," she insisted with a smile, laying them down at their right positions on either side of her plate.

"I wonder why they're being so nice," she whispered to Clynine. She nodded in agreement.

The rest seemed to have realised this as well, and they were starting to whisper to each other. The mage glanced about helplessly.

"Hey!" the teenager next to Clynine stood up suddenly and yelled at the departing waiters. "Why does she get such good service?" She looked flaming mad, and Clynine cowered away from her. "We're all his customers, so why should any one of us get any more?"

One of them turned around. "Orders from our boss," she replied. "She's of a higher status than you, I'm very sure."

"What? Someone gets better service because of higher status?" the girl kicked her chair aside and walked up to Lanoré, who turned back, slightly surprised. "So what are you doing here, if you've got such high status? Don't you want something better than this lousy place?"

Clynine's heart was thumping in horror at what the girl might do to her mistress. "I actually need to stay in hiding, like all of you," Lanoré replied, still hiding the truth of her identity. "I didn't ask for this; they decided to impose it upon me."

The bad-tempered teenager folded her arms and stepped back. "Well, then I'll tell them not to be so nice to you," she offered, seething.

Clynine was beginning to feel afraid about sitting next to this girl. "Uh…L-Lanoré, could we just…go somewhere else to eat?" she pleaded, turning to face the Archmage.

"Well, we could, but it's a lot less risky—"

"—You're Lanoré?" Now, the girl had her mouth wide open in shock. She was backing away slowly, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm—sorry…"

Lanoré simply smiled and shook her head. "It's no matter," she replied. "You're, well—very interesting. May I know your name?"

"Akera," she replied quickly. "It's really an—honour to meet you."

Lanoré's eyes sparked with interest. "You're the one who killed her parents with magic," she replied. "At seven." Akera's eyes widened.

"Does everyone know about that?" she exclaimed in reply, returning to her seat. Meanwhile, the rest present were conversing excitedly. Lanoré smiled again.

"More than you know," she answered coolly. "Word got around fast. It is not very often that you hear about a seven-year-old who can not only use magic, but also direct one type of magic—in your case, it was fire." She then gestured to the mage by her side. "Clynine here can direct light, and it's too bad I didn't find her earlier…"

Akera turned to silently observe her. Clynine quickly turned back to her food and stuffed a lot into her mouth to prevent herself from having to answer any questions. She could already feel her face heating up with the undue attention.

She decided to change the subject of the conversation, to Clynine's gratitude. "I see why you have to do everything in hiding," she commented, her voice still respectfully soft and controlled. It seemed funny to her how Akera's attitude towards them could change so much within a few minutes.

"The king, to say the least, is mad," Lanoré agreed wholeheartedly. "It's not right, really; he fears rebellion only because he knows that we want to rebel. And we want to rebel because…he set those rules. It's really absurd. I'm quite sure it's safe to say here, I am going to overthrow him someday. We need a better ruler, or no ruler at all."

Akera nodded. "The Job Masters were given the role of leading the people, weren't they?" she replied. "Maybe they'll do a better job."

"Not while the king is in power," Lanoré sighed. "An one of us might be helpless facing the king and all his policemen and guards, but maybe…if we could somehow coordinate an attack…but that's almost impossible. None of the people of Victoria Island will have the chance to hold a meeting of ten or more without rousing the suspicion of the policemen. He's quite clever…"

Clynine sat there, thinking again about everything that had been happening to Victoria Island. There was virtually no way to overthrow the king. Lanoré couldn't stay in hiding forever; they were bound to fall into a trap someday. The same would probably happen to all the remaining people who had as much power as her mistress did. And there were no alternatives; there was no way to gather a group of people to stage an attack.

There was no point trying to think about it over and over again, Clynine decided. Maybe, if there were loopholes, no one would ever find them. They might as well leave life as it was and be grateful that it was not something worse.

And yet again, she didn't want to run forever. She was sure that Lanoré thought so as well, as did Akera. There had to be a way, a tiny possibility, that someone would find the answer and save Victoria Island from having to live like this for the rest of eternity.

The rest of breakfast was spent chatting about topics of common interest. Through the course of the conversation, Clynine found out a lot about their new acquaintance—Akera had, indeed, killed her parents as well as destroyed their home at seven, with fire magic. Then, she had become homeless, and the king's policemen placed her on the highly-wanted list. A year later, she was captured and taken to work at the Ellinia Station, working the sails of the ship, and carrying goods onto the ship whenever it was not sailing.

She told the two a lot about someone named Shirion, whom she had befriended, and who had been her only friend throughout her years there. They had escaped together, and she had been free for three and a half years already.

Now she was fifteen, a Fire Poison Mage. She had taken her test and passed the year before, a feat that hardly anyone had managed before.

"It's my honour to be speaking to you," Lanoré replied. "I didn't know that you were her. It does amaze me that we met here, in this inn."

Clynine felt uncomfortable about the two speaking to each other with her in between, but she did not dare to join the conversation. Finally Lanoré spared her the discomfort. "Let's go to Grendel soon; it's best to do the test in the morning."

"I could take you there," Akera suggested. Clynine smiled gratefully, the nervousness rising in her heart again, all of a sudden. Would it take long? What exactly would she have to do? She hoped that she would survive.

They soon finished their breakfast, all three heading out of the inn immediately to make their way to Grendel's home at the highest point in the treetops. Clynine gripped her emerald-tipped staff nervously, hoping that that alone would be enough to keep her alive and help her pass the test. She had heard Lanoré say that she had used the same kind of staff in her test, but Clynine did not believe that now.

Again she thought about the day she had taken her first test—the test that would decide whether she got the job of Lanoré's assistant. She had not used a staff then, but had used her usual method of directing magic through her hands—it was not as easy to focus without a directive object in her hands, but she had been sure it would be more impressive. How far she had come since then, she thought. Level sixteen then, and level thirty now.

This test would be worlds different. Her staff meant more to her now than ever.

The Fire Poison Mage led them along the winding pathways of the trees; there was no need to fear capture as long as they stayed in the more treacherous pathways. The trunks and leaves guarded them from the view of the people within the populated inner city.

As they went higher, Clynine felt her fears of falling off the branches growing. They had no choice but to take the most dangerous of paths up to the top, and that only increased the possibility that she might slip off or miss a gap any moment and fall to her death. Swallowing, she willed herself not to turn her eyes to the branches at her feet, watching Akera and Lanoré as they scaled higher into the branches. Why does Grendel live so high?

At last, they came to it, the Cleric-to-be panting, half with nerves and half with exhaustion. At the top, she allowed the wind to sweep away her tiredness and fear, before they carried on, their path levelling out once more.

Grendel's Magic Library, his home, stood high among the tallest canopies. It was perfectly ordinary—like all other buildings in Ellinia, its sky-tiled roof sloped gently in a bell-shaped cone, vines creeping over the walls and the frosted windows. She did know, however, that all who worked for the king would not be able to see the building, for it was guarded with a veiling spell that made it invisible to them. Grendel would have been captured years ago if not for it.

Seeing this building, Clynine realised, also meant that her test was drawing close. She wrapped her fingers around her emerald staff more tightly than ever, the white metal warmed by her fingers. Her heart was racing once more, and she felt even more nervous than climbing the trees on fragile vines and pathways had made her feel.

"It's not going to kill you, and you have the full capabilities to pass it," Lanoré's reassuring voice came through the storm of thoughts in her mind, her mistress sensing her lack of confidence. "I have faith in your abilities."

Clynine turned to her and bowed her head, smiling uncertainly. "Thank you, Mistress Lanoré," she replied. "But you probably think that because it was easy for you…"

"And who ever said that I was any more skilful than you when I did my test?" Lanoré answered. She was probably way better, but she's just trying to give me some confidence, Clynine thought to herself. Which is what I need.

Akera had gone up the swinging vine to Grendel's front door, and was now knocking it hard. The two quickly walked over to join her at the door.

Moments after they arrived, the door swung open as it had the first time she had come. All three entered quickly, Clynine shutting the door with a slam, knowing that the building became visible whenever the door was open.

One the door had closed off all light and silence had been restored, the library's sombre, stately atmosphere engulfed her again. She glanced about at the book shelves that she had seen almost two years ago, still laden with books and lit by squares of yellow sunlight that ran through the windows, falling upon the worn book covers.

Akera had just finished explaining the purpose of their visit, frustration quickly showing in her voice as she repeated her sentences for a second time.

"I'm sorry about that, I was in the middle of my meditation," he apologised, blinking and inclining his head towards them. "You can't possibly be ready for your fourth job yet; you took your previous test just last winter. Unless you have sprung another, unimaginable surprise on me…"

"Not me!" Akera yelled, shocking Clynine to know that she dared to raise her voice at the Job Master for such a small matter.

Finally, he seemed to notice the magician, the Cleric-to-be. "Clynine? Have you come for your second job?"

Clynine turned to look up at the Job Master with fearful eyes. "I—have," she replied, voice alarmingly soft. "I'm here to take my second job test." She said it a little louder this time. How would he start? Would they be going anywhere outside?

Soon, her questions were answered. Slowly, the wise old man, whose seemingly frail body hid the greatest well of magic imaginable, descended through the golden morning sunlight and came to her face level, his feet suddenly touching the ground for the first time she had seen, robes falling over his simple brown shoes almost instantly.

Akera blinked a few times when she saw that he was standing on the ground. He ignored their stares. "Of course," he said to Clynine, smiling, eyes still shaded by his tall Archmage's hat. "Ah, Clynine, the one whose soul is so pure…"

"Pure?" Her mouth was hanging open with surprise. What made him think that she was so pure? She was definitely not perfect.

He floated into the air again, only three feet off the ground now. With a sweep of his blue-gemmed staff, the door swung smoothly open and he proceeded to float through the doorway, hat brushing the top of the door without falling off. Why was it that the Magician Job Master could do such comical things and make them look so stately?

Said Job Master's head turned back to face the Cleric-to-be. "Let's not waste any time now; I honestly and sincerely cannot wait to see your performance today."

Blinking a few times with surprise, she followed after, hearing the soft wishes of good luck from her mistress and from Akera, her new friend—or something close to friend, but not quite. "And good day to you, Lanoré," he suddenly said, turning. Lanoré bowed in reply.

Grendel had already gone as far as the next layer of branches, below his home. Remembering that the invisibility spell stopped working whenever the door was open, she quickly took one more glance at the two inside, swallowed fearfully, then shut the door and clambered down the vine rope, following Grendel towards the place where she would be tested.

---

ralinn: song of terror

She had heard the fourth and fifth songs. They had the same words, both spirits, the same temperaments as well. Darkness. Anger. Hate. Ralinn was afraid.

"Here, alone for more than a decade,

Blood of hundreds on our hands

Trying, wishing to escape this

Cage of hate to see the lands."

It was a song that sent chills through her entire body. The voices themselves simply weren't normal.

Well, she thought to herself. If the dream voice wants us to stop the king, the guild members can't be normal.

One line hung in her mind, though. Blood of hundreds on our hands. When she found them, she hoped that it would not be in a moment of life and death.

---

orion's belt: somewhere in the dark

Ralinn had passed her third job test easily. It seemed that her skills at the bow had grown without her notice, for she always said that she was no better than she had been after her escape from the castle. But however much better she was now than last time, she had managed the third job test fairly well, and an hour after she had gone to meet Athena Pierce, she had returned, bleeding, bruised and smiling, a new bow in her hands.

"Hey, Linn, when did you get that thing?" Raydan interrogated her as soon as she had entered their shared room in the small inn. It was just large enough to accommodate all four members of Orion's Belt, the air growing warm in the summer's heat.

Ralinn smiled at her envious brother's expression. "At the shop," she answered. "Where else?"

Ketara stared on at the bow. Once again, he recalled the last time he had ever taken notice of a bow—the day he had been taunted and led into a dangerous part of Perion by a bowman, and had only barely survived there. He still fumed whenever he pictured the boy's face, contorted into a sneer, as he fired a swift Arrow Blow at the wild boar he had had so much trouble killing.

But that was a bygone, he told himself. He wouldn't let that happen again, and let anger lead him to do stupid things like that. And he couldn't think that way of all three of the other job classes—it had only been one person. Oh, but I'll get back at him, he thought to himself, appalled by the look he remembered seeing on his face.

Suddenly, the spearman recalled what Ralinn's return meant—they could go to the Dungeon, at last! "So could we get going now?" he asked the guild leader eagerly, jumping up and down on the bed.

"Don't jump on the bed, you'll spoil the springs," Ralinn advised. "And yeah, I promised, so let's go to the Dungeon now?"

"Uh—are you sure?" Zethis, once again, did not seem too keen on the idea of going into the dark heart of Victoria Island.

Thinking of his experience there, he grinned. It had been tiring, disgusting, trying on his endurance, and fun—and he wanted to do it again. "It'll be fun!" he exclaimed in reply, choosing to omit the other three adjectives. "I went there once. And it wasn't as bad or scary as everyone makes it out to be."

"We'll take your word for it," Raydan replied. The Crossbowman was off the bed as well, picking up his bag and crossbow from the bedside. "Hey people, we'd better hurry if we want to get there soon."

They only took a minute to check out, thanks to the efficient receptionist. As they stepped out, Zethis turned back to admire the inn.

"This was the first place I ever stayed after I left on my journey," he sighed, sinking into reminiscence. "This White Knight took me here, and he was the one who inspired me to want to take this job path, in fact—Hyrien was his name, if I'm not wrong…"

"Hyrien?" Raydan's interest had been sparked. "He's in Nightfall, that guild! The highest-levelled person around. You've met him before?"

Zethis nodded with surprise and excitement. "The first person to tell me his name," he replied. "I sometimes wonder where he has gone, and what he's doing now. The world is pretty small, it seems…"

"Maybe we'll meet him again!" the Crossbowman said, looking straight along the road they were taking. "I'd love to introduce everyone to you. But I'm not sure if we'll meet them again…"

They had lunch along one of the more deserted roads of Henesys, where the shopkeeper kindly allowed them to hide during the policemen's afternoon patrol. As soon as the way was clear, they left quickly for the exit to the Dungeon.

As they neared the city's border, they saw the castle of King Caleix, a tall, ancient building on the hill to the east of the city, all its turrets clawing the cloud-streaked sky like talons of a beast. Turning away from it, they finally found the open gates that lead into the dense, unforgiving forest.

Ketara turned to observe the gates. They had stood open for so long, vines and weeds tangling around the wrought iron already, and yet the road was hardly trampled over, the weeds and wild grass growing thickly on the path. So there was something that the king feared—the Dungeon, so much that he had not sent even his subjects to patrol. That was interesting and somehow comforting to know. That also meant that they would not have to worry about being caught in the Dungeon.

As they stepped through the gates and crossed the grass path to the place where civilization met wilderness, the treetops loomed closer, before sheltering them completely from the afternoon sunlight. They walked on, foliage thickening over their heads, thousands of leaves crackling below their feet, untouched by human feet for years already.

At last, it was dark as night, and everywhere they looked, the area before their vision was darker than pitch. It was just like it had been the last time, Ketara noted, even though they were entering by the south this time.

Ralinn's footsteps froze in front of them, they could tell by the sudden silence in the crackling leaves. "So…how do we go on from…here?" her voice asked.

Ketara tried to recall what had happened when he had last come here. He had gotten completely lost, and somehow stumbled upon a river, before realizing that he would have to eat raw meat, and doing just that. "We…just go with the flow, if you know what I mean," he replied. "And I think I know my way around a little; that might help."

It turned out that he could not recognise a thing out in the dark here. Everyone could hardly see, even though they had been walking about for at least twenty minutes already. The spearman swallowed nervously, realizing that he was to blame, should they get lost out in this endless maze of tree trunks. It was my suggestion…

They trekked through the pillar-like trunks of the Dungeon trees, among the dead leaves and the smell of dampness, for two hours on end, no one ever complaining once that their journey was taking so long.

They think I know the way, Ketara suddenly realised, gulping. What am I going to do now?!

"You know, people," he said, turning in the general direction of their footsteps. "I ought to tell you that…I have no idea where we're going."

"I figured just as much," Raydan's answer came. Even his voice sounded tired and fed-up. The first hints of real panic had started to reach into his heart, and he was now more desperate than ever to find someplace safe, at least familiar…

How deep were they? A two hours' walk into the Dungeon would mean that they were pretty deep into the southern side. But which direction had they gone? He needed a landmark, or some sense of direction…

Suddenly, the ground came to a steep drop, the trees leaning slightly out into the depth. Ketara's heart leapt. He knew this place. This drop. It meant that they were nearing the weird ant cave, and a fresh supply of water!

"Okay, now I think I know where we're going," he piped up, a smile returning to his lips. Behind him, he heard sighs of relief as the rest of Orion's Belt breathed out their nerves and tension. "There's water close by, and a place to stay, though it isn't the most comfortable. Come on!"

With that, he raced down the slope, grabbing tree trunks to slow his slide downhill. He couldn't contain his excitement and elation at the prospect of their salvation in this forest—a place that he recognised and knew the way around. He had spent at least a month hunting here before.

The sounds of the roaring river were coming through the dense forestation, and they proceeded as fast as they could, waterskins almost empty, and thirsty for a drink. They would probably have to stay around this area for a while, making a temporary home here, and hunting around it…

I really should have told them how hard it was, Ketara decided, a little too late.

Finally, they came to the edge of the source of the sound of flowing water, hardly glimmering in the faintest light from the torches of a town nearby. Sleepywood! He had almost forgotten how near it was to the ant tunnel, the huge cave which gaped in the sloped earth close behind them.

"That's where we can stay," he said to Ralinn, pointing to the cave. "I stayed there for a while. Good hunting inside and out." The rest, whose shapes he could faintly see, nodded as they turned to look at it.

"So why don't we check that place out," Ralinn suggested. "After drinking enough? You're right, the water tastes like plants."

Zethis and Raydan spent the longest at the river. Then they came to join Ketara and Ralinn at the mouth of the tunnel. "Sure about this?" the Page's voice was shaking with true terror. There were strange sounds, the sounds of Zombie Mushrooms, coming from within it.

Ketara nodded confidently. "I'm sure!" he exclaimed, stepping in. By the sound of their footsteps, the rest were following.

As they walked, the sounds of their footsteps rang loudly in the darkness, echoing off earthen walls back to their ears. They went on further and deeper, searching for a place where they could make proper beds to sleep on, and Ketara secretly hoped that they would, since he had slept on the floor when he had lived here.

The rustles of the Zombie Mushrooms as they passed were loud, but the creatures only brushed against them harmlessly, knowing that they were too strong to face. The sense of deepening, pressing darkness grew as they went deeper, but they refused to let that deter them.

"Well, not good for sleeping on. Let's go in further." Ketara decided to listen to Ralinn.

The earth walls ended, and stone ones began. Blue crystals grew over the fallen stone arches and monuments that lay strewn over the ground all around them, giving off bright, azure light. This was a familiar sight, but he had never tried going further than the next doorway, which they were headed for now. Somehow, even he felt uneasy about going too far in.

Suddenly, there was the rush of footsteps from the shadows behind the next arch, and a loud, angry shout. There were other humans here—

"What are you doing here?"

All of a sudden, a barrage of flaming balls whooshed from the doorway, hurtling with deadly speed at them. All four stepped aside or ducked in time, and the balls of fire smashed open on the wall behind, bursting loudly.

There was another shout, this time from the doorway. "They're mine, Rino," a harsh girl's voice screamed, before the sound of metal slicing the air came dangerously close, and all of them ducked down. The metal objects clattered to the ground behind them.

"Ha, you call that an attack?"

"You didn't do much better! Don't always make yourself out to be so good."

Recognition hit Ketara suddenly. "Telida? Turino? You live here?"

Raydan ran to his side. "You know them?" he questioned.

"Yeah, they helped me last time I came here. Yeah, I had help."

Both twins emerged from the doorways, Telida racing up to the group in surprise. "Ketara?" she exclaimed, not seeming to believe that he was here. "Is that really you?" There was a disbelieving frown on her face.

"You again? What're you doing here, in our home?" Turino was behind him.

Now, in the light of the crystals, he could see clearly how they looked. Both had black hair and matching eyes of obsidian, their hair unkempt and fringes uncut, falling over their faces. But they undoubtedly had this look of grace and coolness in their sharp features, which were carved in ivory skin. Turino's hair reached up to his shoulders in thick, messy locks; Telida's almost reached her waist.

What do you expect of people who have been living without sunlight for almost all their lives, he thought to himself. I didn't think they looked this…nice, though.

"We need somewhere to stay?" he replied uncertainly, sure that they were the kind to chase people out of their homes.

"No, alright? We won't accommodate all of you!" Telida screamed, walking straight up to stand before Ketara. A snarl entered her voice. "In fact, we should be killing you! I don't know what's with you, but I don't want to kill you for nothing. Get out quick! I don't think my brother is this forgiving."

Everyone turned to Turino, who folded his arms and gave them a passive glare. That was enough to make Ralinn dip them a quick bow and turn around. Ketara followed after.

"Nice home, by the way," he called, turning back, voice definitely too cheerful for the situation. Zethis stammered a greeting and an apology and turned as well.

Ralinn went on in the direction they had come, across the stones of the inner cave towards the exit. They finally reached the dankness of the tunnel, picking their way through in single file. To Ralinn, their encounter with—she struggled to recall how Ketara had addressed them—Turino and Telida had been a very close shave.

"I can't believe you could actually be so friendly with them," she commented to the spearman, who turned suddenly and smiled.

"They were actually not that bad, the first time I met them," he replied. "They helped me find my way around, a little, though they did steal something of mine."

They were killers, creatures of the darkness, and he actually befriended them on his own. Ketara really did have a way with people—the social butterfly, as always.

"Have they really not been out of the Dungeon for all their lives?" Raydan's voice was bewildered.

"They certainly seem so," Ralinn replied. "How do they survive? I did hear stories that people who enter the Dungeon never leave. Is it because of…them?"

"Maybe, and other things," Ketara said, looking up at the ant tunnel's ceiling as if in thought. "As far as I know, they kill everyone they can for their food, clothes, weapons and skill books. But I don't see how they could know how to read in the first place…I'd suppose one of the reasons why people never come out of here is because the twins kill them."

"For survival," Ralinn said softly. Somehow, she felt pity instead of anger towards them. How had they gotten here?

The animal sounds grew to encompass them as they stepped from the dank murk of the cave to meet the dim surroundings outside, just traces of wind stirring—that was no matter, the air was cold already. There were chirps of insects and calls of birds they did not recognize, and the ever murmuring whisper of the river close by, superimposed against the wild, strangely calming sounds of the animals.

Ralinn suddenly realized how hungry she felt. Thankful for the fact that she had brought some food along from the Henesys potion shop, they sat down for a while at the roots of a huge tree, Ralinn taking out a few of the eggs and hunks of meat in paper bags, and passed them out to the four members of Orion's Belt.

Evening had probably fallen a while ago, but there was no telling whether it had. There was no more natural light from the sun now. Only the dim light that somehow slipped through the dense vegetation from the torches of Sleepywood showed them where they set down their next footsteps.

They made their way to the little town, hoping for some lodging, despite the fact that the only people who lived there were the monks of the shrine, as well as the few shopkeepers who supplied Sleepywood's few residents with food. There would probably be somewhere to stay in the village.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know where we might find some lodging?" There happened to be an old man standing outside his house, watering his plants, so Ralinn decided to inquire about the place.

He looked up with squinted eyes, white beard flung back over his shoulder. Age had turned him partly bald, and the torchlight glared yellow on the top of his head. "Lodging?" was his lisping reply—he had lost all his teeth. "The monks are kind; not many have made it here before, but I'm sure they'll take you in." Ralinn bowed and thanked him. He gave a nod of acknowledgement and went back to his gardening.

The Ranger had intended to ask him where the monks lived, but she decided against disturbing him. It was not hard to find anyway—the old rock building stood on a higher part of the small village, surrounded by a wide garden and many strange statues of rectangular human faces, sharp, squared features carved into rock, dark brown in the firelight. Their gazes struck reverence and odd fear into Ralinn, making her hair stand.

They crossed the gravelly path to the tall, tarnishing gold-decorated door of the temple. Ketara saved her the trouble and stress, and knocked on the great rectangle of wood, making a hollow woody sound that made her feel as if it might fall any moment. The golden decorations, attached loosely, rang with his knocks.

It didn't take long for a monk to answer. The door creaked slowly open, and a bald man, white dots seemingly burnt into his forehead, appeared before them. He wore brown monk's garb, the robe almost too big for him.

"Excuse me, sir, could we stay in the temple for the next few nights?" Ralinn asked. How long? She wondered to herself, before remembering that she was the guild leader, and that she would decide how long they stayed. "For a week, maybe?"

The monk looked up at her face and observed her watchfully. "Ah, some lost travelers, perhaps?" he inquired. "It has been a while since we have had any visitors, but do come in! But take off your shoes first."

The monk took them through dim halls, the walls decorated with ornate weavings of trees, men and women, and dragons. "A temple of the Clock Spirit?" Ralinn whispered to herself as they came to the statue at the main altar, in the center of the building.

It was a huge deity of hardly discernable form, something like a human being overflowing with robes and dresses, the folds of cloth so intricately remade in stone here, exploding over the altar like an upside-down flower. There was a circle of twelve candles burning below the statue, and a pool of water in the middle, the slick reflections of black and orange it echoed making it look almost like oil.

"Guest rooms here," the middle-aged monk told the group of four, gesturing down a corridor leading left from the altar. Wordlessly, they went down the corridor, the air of mystery surrounding Ralinn again. Even the guest corridor seemed so holy and sacred.

After finally getting more comfortable with the room which the four were about to share, the guild leader got some food out of her bag to share with the others.

"No need, I brought some too," Zethis said, digging a bag of salad from the bottom of his bag.

"Salad?" Ketara exclaimed, screwing up his face. He produced a familiar bright orange packet from his bag. "I nicked this from your larder. Chips, anyone?"

Ralinn was in front of him instantly, as was Raydan, and the three began to snatch the packet from each other, stuffing chips into their mouths. Zethis just sat at one side, eating his salad. The Ranger was sure that anyone watching this scene would be laughing to death.

Full and content after having a sandwich and a few chips, Ralinn settled to sleep in her sleeping bag on the floor. The bed only had space for one person, and they had drawn lots for it. Raydan had won the right, and the other three had been condemned to resting for the night on the cold tiled floor. I hope there's a bath around here, was Ralinn's last thought.

The dreams returned that night, the two voices louder than she had ever heard. Angry.

"Here, alone for more than a decade,

Blood of hundreds on our hands

Trying, wishing to escape this

Cage of hate to see the lands."

Cage of hate…of hate…

Moments later, her eyes opened, and Ralinn found herself sweating from the force of sheer anger and desperation in the spirits that had sung that night.

At once, she knew who they were.

"Quick, wake up, it's morning!" Ralinn yelled, glancing at her watch, which registered nine o'clock. The other three groaned and turned as she went to them in turn.

"Zethis," she sighed, returning to the closest person to her sleeping area. "Get up, quick, we have to go back to the tunnel."

He turned. "Why?" he replied, barely audible. "It's…scary." His eyes were still clouded with sleep.

"Just get up!"

It was easy waking Zethis and Ketara up. But Raydan, who was used to it, knocked her arm away whenever she tried to shake him, burying his head in the pillow when she shouted. Shouldn't have given him the bed, Ralinn thought regretfully. "Get up! The rest of us are ready already, and you're not even out of the bed!"

Ten minutes later, he finally relented and struggled from under the covers, feeling for the table to steady himself as he got up.

It didn't take them long to get ready. The only shower around was the waterfall near the temple, and no one wanted to stay in it very long, and the coldness helped their footsteps speed up as they headed for the dining room for their breakfast.

Their breakfast took no more than fifteen minutes. While they ate, Ketara noted that Ralinn seemed in an awful hurry to leave. She was dropping crumbs of bread everywhere, when she was normally a neat eater.

"Quick, guys!" she exclaimed, standing instantly. "We must find them…"

Them?

They ran down the gravel pathway again, following the course of the river to the point where they had been the day before, where they had taken a turn into the deep undergrowth and entered the tunnel…

Again, they were racing down the tunnel, Ralinn leading the group as she glanced frantically about. She was searching for Telida and Turino, Ketara was sure now. But why? She had been afraid of them earlier. Why had she suddenly decided to reconcile herself with them, if that was what she intended?

They searched for an hour, footsteps ringing over the rock ground as they checked behind rocks and crumbled pillars for the two. Ketara found traces of their habitation—a few sets of old clothing carelessly thrown here and there, many animal skeletons, and a few other odds and ends that they had probably stolen. But no sign of them.

"Turino and Telida," she said to herself. "We must find them…"

"They seem to be gone," Raydan said as they came to meet her near the exit. "Why so badly?"

"It's them. They're the next two members of Orion's Belt."

Orion's Belt went deeper into the cave, which went gradually downward with a series of rooms connected by stairs. The revelation that the twins were to be the next two members of their guild left Ketara greatly surprised. Who would have guessed? The two had never seemed like the kind to want to take on the king—did they even know what was going on outside the Dungeon?

They had lunch on the marble floor, eating the stale meat and salad that they managed to dig up from their haversacks and pouches, before continuing their search after that. Maybe Turino and Telida would return if they waited. Meanwhile, they went on deeper.

This place wasn't familiar, he suddenly realised, stopping in the midst of semi-darkness, noting how the ceiling above and the ground below was cracked and deeply cratered, seeming as if it had been trampled over by huge footsteps.

He heard a moan. Zethis and Raydan, who had been conversing with each other, fell instantly silent. All their expressions said the same thing. What was that?

Then a huge mass of flesh leapt through the stalagmites, the enormous thump it made knocking them down to the ground. It stood towering over them, its sheer size inconceivable, its full form of horror topped with a brown mushroom cap. They stood, instinct telling them to run. But they would never escape it; somehow, all of them knew. None of them tried to turn.

"We'll fight it," Ralinn said determinedly. Her bow was already drawn, two arrows strung in its curve. Ketara swung the Holy Spear from his back, the four cross-points gleaming. Close to him, Zethis had a large metal hammer ready, and Raydan, his crossbow.

They didn't know what, exactly, they were up against. But this was a fight to the finish, and there was no other way.

Then tension was building in the air around them, the sound of all their breaths audible in the silence of the cave. Ketara's grip on his spear got tighter in anticipation. They would wait for it to attack first.

It came without warning. With an enormous leap, the great bulk of the mushroom flew through the fallen brown rubble around them and landed with a ground-shaking boom. They raced aside as it landed, turning instantly to begin their assault of attacks.

"Power Arrow! Power Arrow!" The repeated shouts were coming from Ralinn as she gathered energy in blue spirals around her nocked Fury Arrows before launching them repeatedly, one after another. Her brother fought similarly with shining Soul Arrows from his crossbow, the projectiles striking like stings in the monster, magic blowing little potholes in its white sides.

"Hyper Body," Ketara whispered, ochre light rising upwards around him and the rest as it always did, mana dropping slightly. "Iron Will." The same happened, with blue light instead.

He glance up and down the great mushroom. It looked like an expanded version of the Zombie Mushrooms nearer to the surface, complete with the yellow tag that held an indecipherable bloody scrawling. He would have to come up close in order to do it damage, but with his long weapon, it wouldn't mean going too near. As for Zethis…

"Power strike!" he yelled, feeling the power gather in his arms with his words. Moments later, he shot forward and the blazing spear found its way deep into the monster. He felt more energy welling in him and got ready to use it again. "Final attack!" The spear slashed down at its side, leaving a gash.

There was another yell of Power Strike as Zethis attempted to get it in the front, swinging his steel Titan down on its face. The creature gave a shrieking cry and retaliated with a full blast of yellow light. The Page stumbled back a few steps, injured, Ketara managing to leap to a side an instant before it struck.

From the right, he could hear commands for Strafe, Power Strike and Final attack, arrows burning in three different colours as they slashed through the darkness and found their marks in the mushroom. Yellow burned upwards from the ground, Ralinn and Raydan falling back with it. Ketara rose to the chance and hit it with another Power Strike.

A shot of yellow flame burst upwards at his feet, and he flew back three feet, into a wall. His head gave a painful crunch as it collided with the hard stone, and he stood, dizzy, desperately rubbing the bruised spot. He just felt the edge of a wound before he realised that there was blood running down his arm.

Wincing, the Spearman quickly regained his composure in time to see Zethis fall forward with the creature's magic attack. Raydan strung another arrow and released it, Ralinn taking a sip from her Mana Elixir before swinging her bow back into position. The monster, despite its numerous small wounds and scratches, hardly looked battered. This was not going to be easy at all.

The two bow-users rested for a few moments. That cost them both some harsh burns. They quickly drank potions while the two warriors continued to attack nearer to the mushroom, taking a lot more damage than the two in the backlines.

"Ketara, I'm out of mana potion," Zethis called over, running quickly out of range. The Spearman pulled his quarter-full bottle from his bag, his arms shaking so much from exhaustion that he almost dropped it. He was losing a lot of blood through his wound. Zethis took it and drank a little gratefully, before returning to his position.

More arrows raged through the air but turned into mere burning pinpricks as they struck the mushroom in its side. It stumbled slightly, but quickly rose again. They were weakening it, but not enough.

Then they froze as a furious call rose over the sounds of their weapons and arrows, and a blaze of red light burst through the battle and shot deep into the mushroom they were fighting. In unison, they turned.

"Didn't we tell you to get out already?" Telida was snarling at them, long black hair fluttering out in the sapphire light of the cave, more throwing stars already burning in her hand.

"Can you kill this thing?" Ketara called, relief suddenly rushing through him to see her.

"No, it's too strong—but we can ask it to go away," she replied.

Turino appeared after her. "But since you've started the battle already," he said decisively, stepping forward, wielding a staff that Ketara had never seen before, its head shaped like a pair of wings.

Close by, Ralinn gasped. "That's a level sixty-five staff," she said, apparently to herself. "He killed a level sixty-five mage."

Turino swept his staff in an arc. The staff burst into a flame, bow-shaped, and from it he launched three arrows, one after another. The flaming projectiles shot through the still air faster than real arrows, crackling with powerful flames. They burnt deep into the mushroom.

"Oh, so you're going to kill this as well?" Telida spat at her brother, stepping aside. "Go ahead. I know I'm no match for you."

"Come on, you know I can't kill it alone, alright?"

"Oh, just stop it," Raydan said exasperatedly, never taking his eyes off the monster as his hands deftly loaded crossbow bolts one after another on his Rower and fired them straight into their foe.

It was slowing, Ketara noted with added relief and hope. "Power Strike!" His spear swung out with more energy than it had in the last few attacks. He managed to drive it deep, costing a little energy, but inflicting it with a lot of pain. It cried out again.

Telida and Turino had joined the battle with full momentum, despite the fact that they had not been prepared for this, and that Orion's Belt was not welcome in their cave. When the stream of throwing stars stopped, arrows came to take on the attack role. The mushroom was given less chances to recover and gather energy for attack, and with that, the two warriors could battle a lot more effectively.

Ketara attacked again, suddenly wanting the battle to end more than ever, so that they could get the twins into the guild. "Power Strike!" he shouted, thrusting his Holy Spear into the monster, feeling more energy gather up into his arm muscles. "Final attack!"

It turned to him. Shutting out all the rest of the attacks for a few seconds, it sent flashes of light out at the Spearman, and he was thrown to the ground once more. The dull ache at the back of his skull burst into sudden, excruciating pain. He stood up, just barely, vision whirling all of a sudden.

Then it vanished all at once, before he could realise. Ketara suddenly felt new energy rush into his body like healing light, and he found all his strength returning. "Power Strike! Power Strike!" He performed three Final Attacks in a row after that. His strange hidden power had returned once more. It seemed to do so whenever he was in a dire situation, it seemed. Would he ever learn to control it?

"Power Strike!" Ketara looked forward as he readied another blow. Zethis was bludgeoning the creature with his hammer with little effort. His eyes were…glowing. Ketara had been told that his eyes glowed when he unlocked his powers. Could Zethis do the same?

Again, ignoring the dizziness that was spinning around in his head, he ran, raised the Holy Spear and drove it into the monster with all his weight. It froze at spear point all of a sudden, its battered body convulsing once, before it suddenly began to crumble away, its tag fluttering downward like a huge petal to land on the marble ground.

"Wow, you performed the killing blow," Ralinn said, stepping forward. It was strange, the silence; one moment, there was a towering beast before them, and the next, it had completely vanished.

Then as suddenly as it had come, the power vanished from his body. He collapsed to the ground, suddenly noticing that his dark hair was literally dripping blood, the wound throbbing with repeated flashes of claw-like pain.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," Telida commented after a moment of silence. Ketara watched through blurred vision as she walked to stand over him. Feebly, he held out his arm, hoping that she would help him stand, no matter how unlikely this was. She did. Her grip was exceptionally strong, almost bone-crushing. "We've got some stuff to put on it…but I'm not sure how much that will help." Immediately, she ran off somewhere.

"Hey, Linn, ask them now," Raydan's voice just barely came through to his hearing.

"Uh—you two, would you, by any chance…want to—end the oppression that the king is imposing on us all? Um…get rid of the king?" Ralinn asked, voice shaking with nerves. "I don't know—you are the prophecised fifth and sixth members…"

"Not a bad idea, really, getting rid of the king," Turino commented. There was a spark of what might have been anger, but Ketara didn't think that he would half care about what King Caleix did or had done. Telida nodded in agreement. "Yes, alright. But don't think we'll let you tell us what to do all the time."

"Alright, so…you will join?" Ralinn confirmed, still seeming too surprised at their agreement.

"Are you stupid, or deaf? We said 'yes'."

Athe guild leader flinched at Telida's response. She cautiously held out two pendants, and they came forward, snatching them from her hand. They observed the metal pieces, somewhat hungrily, Ketara thought. But they put the items on anyway. No one dared to speak for a while.

"Welcome to Orion's Belt!" the Spearman finally exclaimed, grinning, after a few moments of silence. Telida burst out laughing, and Turino sniggered.

"You should see the expression on your face," the female twin said, still smiling widely. Ketara thought on this and blushed. It seemed strange to him how everyone found him so funny.

"That done, let's get out," Ralinn said. "And…I hope we can find our way around better, with them."

"Definitely," Ketara said optimistically. As soon as Telida had tied the bandage around his head, they began on their way out of the cave, Orion's Belt now two members bigger.

Ketara drifted over to Zethis' side as they went, his question still bugging him. "Hey, Zethis," he called.

The Page started, leaping away in shock. "Y-yes?"

Ketara laughed to himself. "Your eyes were…um…glowing, just now," he explained. "I was wondering; do you have that weird power that seems to come out at night only?"

Zethis looked up, blinking as he thought. "You're right! It does only appear at night!" he exclaimed, before turning back to face the Spearman, shocked. "Y-you too! Chief Dances with Balrog said…"

"I guess I can do it too," Ketara agreed. "I don't know…but it seems we're related in some way. And Dances with Balrog seems to have realised that…"

Zethis seemed to want to change the subject, now that their conversation had begun. "How do you actually dare to talk to Telida and Turino?" he exclaimed, glancing down at the two. Ketara suddenly noticed that their clothes were badly tattered, as if they had been wearing them for years.

"Um…they're nice," he replied simply. "They just don't like meeting new people, I guess."

"They said that they kill everyone, and that they would have killed us, if not for you!" Zethis repeated what Telida had said. "How did you make them so friendly to you?"

Ketara thought back to their first meeting. True, they should have killed him, like any other person who had gone by before. But…what had they said then? He tried to remember.

"He's the most interesting, and good-looking, person who's ever come round here before..."

"I see what you mean by good-looking."

Ketara felt himself blush again at the words he had heard years ago. "I should go ask," the Spearman said, more to himself than to Zethis. The Page nodded.

"Um…hey, Rino," he attempted to start a conversation with the obsidian-haired youth. For some reason, Turino still made Ketara nervous.

"Who gave you the permission to call me that?!" he yelled in response, dark hair flying to cover the right side of his face. His eyes were empty, like pools of coal, his expression so furious it would have scared a young child to tears. It only startled Ketara a little.

"Turino, then," he quickly corrected himself. "Why didn't you kill me?"

Somehow, it sounded like he was asking to be killed. Turino gave a sniff of disdain. "Ask my dumb sister," he said. "Well, all I can say is that you're of more use to the world alive than dead. I mean, who wants your stuff anyway?"

"Ignore him," Telida cut in, walking to Ketara's other side. "Rino really loves to kill people. And yeah, you're more useful alive than dead. You were…nice, I guess. Nicer than everyone else who's met us. And you didn't go crazy when you found out that I stole your mesos." She smiled to herself and gave him a knock on his head. "You stupid or what? Giving in to us like that."

"I don't mind," Ketara replied, not sure of what to do. He really wouldn't have minded if someone poorer than him had taken his money.

"You are really strange," Turino said, not turning around.

"Be nice to the rest, 'kay?" the Spearman said, noting how everyone was drifting away from them as they walked. "They're nice too."

---

shirion: after so long

Shirion crept between the snow-laden trunks of the trees at the south of Ellinia, hidden by the predawn shadows.

He had reached his seventy-seventh level in the deeper parts of the undergrowth, the sweat still wetting his hair, which was now bound in a low-worn pony-tail. He untied it, his long mahogany-brown locks falling far past his shoulders, before redoing it more neatly.

Suddenly he straightened. He had heard something—the crackle of snow underfoot, behind him. It had been made by something larger than the squirrels he so often saw, springing from branch to branch—was he being followed by the guards? He had been on the run for four years and grown to a level that would warrant his instant execution; had they finally caught up with him?

Telling himself to calm down, he braced himself for what he would find when he turned. The winter wind descended through the rustling treetops, as dawn crept through the spaces between the leaves, dappling the white ground below.

The Crusader turned. His eyes widened for an instant, his mind still not comprehending what he was seeing.

"Akera!"

The silver-haired Fire Poison Mage gasped, loud enough for him to hear. She stood just at the edge of the small clearing, a half-silhouette between the wooden pillars. Her mouth curved into a smile Shirion had not seen for three and a half years.

"So, you finally noticed me!" she replied, running forward to give him a bear hug. He was too shocked, initially, to respond. "How has it been?"

"Third job. Haven't been caught, as you can see. I just came, about a month ago, from Perion—"

"Some coincidence this is!" Akera replied. "I've been hanging around here since we parted, actually. Found a place to stay, got to my third job as well, last year…"

"And you're a year younger than me!"

Somehow, it seemed like a dream. Was it possible that they had actually met again? Shirion had never expected to see Akera again, not in his entire life. He did wonder about her sometimes, but he had never considered this possibility.

So now he had a companion to travel. "Want to go to Ossyria someday?" he suggested. She nodded, stepping back.

"Ossyria, it is."

---

clynine: the journey back

Clynine had been a Cleric for about two months already. The winds were dropping in temperature as the year entered winter, the trees now bare.

Lanoré looked forward at the wide ocean that spread from the coast, cold breezes of salt rushing past them. "Time to go back?" she asked. Clynine nodded. They had seen more of Victoria Island than she had ever seen in the full twelve years of her life. Her mistress was smiling, probably at the prospect of home.

"So…let's go, then." They had already found the location of the secret jetty on the Ellinia side. The ship service had been rebuilt, the previous captain having survived the crash, though the ship had been wrecked completely, and a new one had had to be constructed in secrecy. "Back to Ossyria."

Turning, Lanoré began walking along the tree-rimmed coast, along the path of the morning. Clynine followed, thinking of where they were headed—home, heart pounding with anticipation. She couldn't wait.

---

orion's belt: plans

In the midst of the deep snow just north of the great forest, Ketara suddenly saw blue light rise up all around him. He thought for a while, counting. Level seventy!

He was eligible for his third job!

"Judging from that expression, I'd believe it's time for your third job test?" Ralinn walked over. The others were still busy at the drakes, chasing them down through the soft snow.

Ketara nodded. "Hope it's not too hard," he said to himself. "And once I get it, we can go to Ossyria!"

"How about us?" Raydan shouted, slightly annoyed.

"Alright, after you two as well!" Ketara laughed, and the Hunter gave a sigh, probably at the thought of how hard it would be to catch up with his friend.

Ossyria…how much better was it there? A thought, almost heavenly, an escape from the torture of living in dying Victoria, shriveling at the hands of an irresponsible king. It was only a ship ride away. An exhilarating ship ride, towards a land that was still free…

How much better was Ossyria, across the great celestial-blue expanse of sky?