The City of Dreams
The six warriors stood at the mouth of the cave, overlooking rolling green fields. It was early morning, and the warriors of Cosmos had departed from her Shrine.
"It's beautiful," said the Devout. "And it's nice and warm down here."
"I believe I see towers in the distance," stated the Templar, pointing to several towers, looking small as needles from where they stood, jutting out of the fields.
"It's our only option, I guess," stated the Scout. "It's not far, really, but it'll be a couple of hours walk."
"I'll take anything over spending time in that temple," said the Magus.
"Very well, let us go," said the Warrior.
Several hours later, after crossing the rolling green fields, the Warrior crested a hill and stopped. The castle was much closer, and he saw a large town surrounded it. It was, however, still several miles away. The Templar stepped next to him.
"So that's it, then," he stated. The Warrior nodded.
"I believe it would be prudent," he said, "that we approach from somewhere besides the north."
"Good idea," interrupted the Scout. "If they're on alert for attacks, we'll need to be as inconspicuous as possible."
"Then let's start looping around and come in from the east," said the Templar. The others nodded in agreement.
The eastern gate stood before them, a muddy road leading out from it. Several haggard looking people moved in and out of the city, along the road. Two worn looking guards with spears stood on either side of the gate.
The Templar tipped his hat at them as he approached the gate. The two men studied the group warily as they approached. After studying them, they seemed satisfied.
"Welcome to Cornelia," the one on the left stated in a tired voice. "Please register into the guardhouse inside."
"Very well," replied the Templar.
After they walked through the gate and found the guardhouse, the Devout whispered to him: "They look exhausted and tense."
He nodded and they entered the building. On the inside a crowd of all kinds of people, from peasants to merchantmen to warriors, stood and sat. Several men with parchment and pen sat behind tables, speaking to other newcomers. The Templar's sensitive ears picked up what they were saying.
"They're asking for names," he told the others, who had found a corner by the door to stand in. "What do we tell them?"
"Think of something," answered the Warrior. "You can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure whatever you say will be fine," said the Devout. The Magus and Monk nodded.
"Just get your story straight," said the Scout, "And don't forget anything important."
"Right," he said and furrowed his brows in thought. Names, names…
"Next!" one of the officials called. The Templar quickly strode forward and stood before him. The official eyed him warily like the guards out front for a moment.
"Name?" the man asked.
"Joshua," the Templar replied, easily.
"You in a group with them?" the man asked, nodding to the others.
"Yes."
"Their names?"
"Caleb, Isaac, Abigail, Ethan and Nathaniel."
"Where do you come from?"
"We're a small mercenary group," started the Templar. "We've been traveling, being hired as guides and bodyguards and such. Decided to come here."
"You look a bit clean, for travelers," said the man skeptically.
"We had surprisingly little trouble."
The man shrugged. "Whatever. You're all done. Just remember, no funny business. We've been on high alert, and we won't stop to ask questions if the guards catch you up to something."
"Of course."
"Oh, one more thing," the man said. "If you're mercenaries, you plannin' on joining the city guard?"
"Most likely," replied the Templar. "But some rest is in order, at the moment."
"So what's the news?" asked the Scout.
"The basic 'who-are-you-why-are-you-here' questions," replied the Templar. "Oh, and I'm Joshua. You," he nodded to the Scout, "are Isaac, You're Caleb," he told the Warrior. "You are Abigail, Ethan and Nathaniel," he told the Devout, Monk and the Magus, respectively.
The others mulled it over. "Whatever," said the Scout, shrugging. "Let's find someplace to eat."
"How about over there?" asked the Magus, gesturing to what looked like a pub.
"That's fine," replied the Scout and the group moved to enter.
The inside looked like any pub. Several round tables sat in the large room and the counter was at the back.
Less people than there should be, the Scout thought. "Let's find a table," he told the others.
"That one in the corner should be fine," said the Magus. The others nodded and walked to the table.
"I'll get some food and drinks," said the Scout and walked to the bar. He stepped to the counter.
"What d'ya got?" he asked the bartender.
"Donkey piss," the man said simply. The Scout blinked.
"Really?"
The other man shrugged. "Might as well be."
"Then I'll take six- wait," he stopped. "Five glasses. You have anything besides donkey piss?"
"Ah, water?" the man said, thinking about it.
"Then one glass of water," confirmed the Scout "And what do you have for food?"
"Some stale bread," the man said. The Scout raised an eyebrow.
"That's all?"
The man shrugged. "The whole city's on rations, just about."
"Fine," conceded the Scout. "Five beers, one water and six loaves of stale bread."
The bartender raised an eyebrow. "What now?" asked the Scout, irritated.
"That's pretty pricey. You sure?"
The Scout patted the money punch on his belt. "Yes," he said.
The man shrugged again. "Fine. Five hundred gil per glass of beer and bread loaf. Fifty five hundred gil."
The Scout dug out two coins, a gold one and a silver octagon, and dropped them on the counter. The man raised an eyebrow but took the gil.
"Take it to my table," said the Scout as he walked away.
As he sat down, the Warrior subtly gestured across the room.
"Those men," he said, "have been eyeing you. You should show more subtlety here."
"We can take 'em," said the Monk. The Warrior shook his head.
"I would like to avoid any fights, if possible," he said.
"Eh, I guess," the Monk replied.
Before anyone could say anything more, they heard screams and shouting outside. The Warrior shot from his seat and dashed outside.
The others glanced at each other in bewilderment. The Devout sighed and rose from her seat, the others following.
The Warrior saw a crowd of people as he stepped out of the bar. All the people had their backs to him, looking at something going on in the street. The sound of someone shouting and the cries of several people met his ears.
He pushed his way through the throng of people and stopped behind the front line of people. He could see several reddish-brown human-like creatures in robes standing over a handful of guards. The lead creature was shouting down at a man in a language he could not interpret.
"Who are they?" the Warrior asked a man next to him.
"It's Astos's dark elf soldiers," the man answered, whispering. "They just appeared and smacked around some soldiers."
"I see," said the Warrior, before realizing the lead dark elf had switched to a language he could understand.
"-stupid human! Now I demand you take us to the castle!" The dark elf kicked the man beneath him in the ribs.
The Warrior laid his hand on the hilt of his sword and pushed the man in front of him out of the way. Before anybody could react, the Warrior shot forward, sword drawn, and slashed at the lead dark elf. The creature barely jumped back out of the way.
"What?" he shouted. He straightened up, and two of his armed underlings stepped between them, spears bared. "Kill 'im!" the creature demanded.
The two spearmen shot forward, spears pointed forward.
Clumsy, he thought. He jumped to the side and swung his sword down, cutting though the wooden shafts of the spears. His two attackers stumbled forward and in two quick slashes they fell to the ground, dead. He glanced up and saw two more, these chanting spells quietly.
Before he could act to stop them, bolts of lightning struck the two dark elf mages, and they crumpled to the ground. He looked to see the Magus and the Templar with their weapons extended.
"I don't think so," said the Magus quietly.
The Monk dashed by, towards the remaining four dark elves. He delivered a deadly punch to the first's stomach, elbowed the next in the neck and knocked over the other two with a kick, all in one motion.
The lead dark elf turned to run, but the Scout stood there, daggers drawn.
"You're not going anywhere."
The Warrior rose and sheathed his sword. Beside him, he could see the Devout administering healing magic to the fallen soldiers. He walked towards where the Scout had the dark elf at knifepoint.
"You're a fool!" cackled the dark elf. "When we don't return to Lord Astos, he's gonna siege this place and kill all of you! He was being merciful, letting you live until now!"
"Is your master a subordinate of Chaos?" asked the Warrior, ignoring his outburst.
"W-what?" the creature stuttered. "Yes. Of course he is!"
"Then I take it your master is tasked with finding the crystal of these lands," the Warrior stated. "And he hasn't."
The dark elf look at him, confused. The Warrior glanced at the Scout and gestured. The Scout clubbed the dark elf in the head, knocking him out.
One of the soldiers walked towards them, rubbing his head. He looked around at the fallen elves, and then up at the Warrior.
"Wow, you guys," he started, shocked. "You took them out no problem. Thanks."
"Our pleasure," said the Templar. The man looked around again.
"Um, maybe you guys should come with me to the castle and see the Princess."
The halls of the castle were grand. As the soldier, whose name was Biggs and turned out to be Captain of the Guard, led them down the bustling halls.
The Devout looked around at them. "Um, I have a question."
"Ah, yeah?" replied Biggs.
"Is it normal for the castle to be like this?" she asked.
"Well, normally not, but ever since the war and the death of the King, the Princess transformed parts of the castle into things for the war, like a hospital and food storage."
"Is there no queen?" asked the Magus.
"Ah, there is, but she's fallen terribly ill, after the king died," he said. "The elder princess, Princess Sarah, has taken up the reigns of Cornelia."
The approached a set of double doors, with two guards standing at them. Upon seeing Biggs, they saluted and stepped aside. He stopped and turned to them.
"I'm going to need you guys to leave your weapons here," he said. They nodded and disarmed themselves without word.
After that, Biggs turned and pushed the doors open, and they entered.
It was a long audience chamber with a red carpet. At the far end sat an elevated throne and a figure in white.
"You all know the proper etiquette, right?" whispered Biggs. The Warrior nodded in reply. "Good."
They approached the dais, and there sat a young woman in white and green with green hair. The captain stopped at the steps and kneeled. The group kneeled similarly.
"Good day, Captain Biggs," she said. "Who are these people?"
"Ah, earlier there was an attack in the city by another one of Astos's raiding parties. These people stopped them, Your Majesty."
She blinked. "I… see," was all she said for a moment. "What are your names?"
The Warrior responded first: "I am Caleb," he said, using the alias the Templar had thought of. "And these are my comrades."
"Well, thank you, Caleb. It was a very brave thing you did earlier."
"If I may, Your Majesty," said the Templar. "What is so threatening about this 'Astos'? His men weren't very dangerous."
"That is just the thing," she said. "None of my men have been able to stand against any more than one dark elf. The fact that you stopped them is surprising, to say the least."
She stood up. "Is there any way I could repay you? Within reason, of course. We do not have as many resources as we used to."
The Warrior rose. "May speak to my comrades for a moment, Your Majesty?"
"Of course."
He turned to his companions and they all walked a bit away.
"This could be what need, if you recall what we talked about in the library," said the Templar.
"I seem to recall Cosmos said that we should think on that decision," said the Warrior.
"Yes, well, I'm sure all of us have already decided," replied the Magus.
"The most important matter would be to ask the princess if we could assist her," said the Scout. "Joining her army would be a jumpstart."
"Then we could go get rid 'o that Astos guy," said the Monk.
The Devout raised her hand. "I'd like to see if I could help at the hospital," she said.
"Very well," said the Warrior. "I will speak with the Princess."
When Caleb and his companions moved to speak, Princess Sarah gestured for Captain Biggs to join her on the dais.
"Captain," she whispered to him. "What did you gather about them? What do you think they want?"
"I don't know, princess," he said, scratching his head. "They're not a talkative bunch. But if I'd have to guess, money. Food, maybe."
She sighed. "I think we can scavenge up a few hundred thousand gil to satisfy them. It's not a total loss, provided they're not working for Astos."
She saw the red-haired man, Caleb, approaching them. She straightened up and smiled. He gave a short bow.
"You Majesty," he said.
"What is your request?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"We would like to join you in your war efforts, if that is possible."
"What."
Princess Sarah of Cornelia strode determinedly down the hall of her castle, Captain Biggs behind her. The six enigmatic mercenaries that fought off the dark elves followed behind him, their red-haired leader, Caleb, a step behind the Captain. He had requested to speak with her in a more private area, so she decided to bring them to her office.
Something is not right about these fellows, she thought.
Sarah paused at the door to her office and turned to the group. "Shall we go in?" she asked them, smiling as politely as she could.
Caleb spoke up: "Yes, Your Majesty. However, some of my comrades would like to return to the city." Three of the men nodded.
"Very well," she said. She turned to the guard at her office door. "Please escort them outside." The man nodded and gestured to the three, then started down the hall. The woman in white hesitated for a moment.
"I'd like to visit the hospital, if that'd be alright, your Majesty," she said. Sarah nodded and called to the guard. "Please escort this woman to the hospital as well." The guard stopped and the group waited for the woman in white catch up with them before continuing.
Sarah returned her attention to the remaining two men. "Now shall we go in?"
They nodded. Biggs opened the door for the princess. She stepped in first, and he followed. The two men, in turn, followed Biggs.
The room was a rectangle and had tall, wooden bookshelves along the walls on her left and right. Her desk sat at the far end, a comfortable but regal chair behind it. Two chairs sat in front of the desk.
She inhaled the scent of old books, paper and ink as she walked to her desk. This place was where the future of Cornelia hinged. She sat and gestured to the chairs across from her. The two men sat down.
"So," Sarah started, hands clasped before her. "What would you like to discuss? Your pay and ranking, perhaps."
"Actually," the elf said. "I believe we have something much more pressing to speak of."
"Such as?" Sarah asked them, raising her eyebrows.
"What exactly do you know about the war?" asked Caleb. She shot him a quizzical look.
"It's the beastmen from the far south rising up to conquer us. And some greedy individuals, like Astos, have joined their side."
Caleb was quiet for a moment before replying: "Do you have any advisors or friends you trust? We have some information about this war that goes a bit deeper than any quarrel with the beastmen."
She mulled that over. "I… see. Yes, I have some advisors I would like to include." She turned to Biggs. "Captain, please call for the elders."
A few moments later, four people had arrived: an elderly blind woman named Matoya, two elderly men, one named Sadda and the other Lukahn, and a middle-aged man with glasses, who Sarah called Doctor Unne.
The Templar and Warrior had given their chairs up, but nobody save the Princess was actually seated.
"So," started Sadda. "What's the situation?"
"These men supposedly have some information regarding the beastmen war," stated Sarah.
"Really?" Sadda said, studying the two warriors for a moment. "Well, what is it, boys?"
The two looked at each other before the Templar spoke: "We're going to assume that you know what Her Majesty knows, that this is a war of prejudice."
His audience nodded but said nothing.
"That is not entirely untrue," said the Templar. "The beastmen fight you because of the prejudices. However, it goes much deeper than that."
"There are two gods," started the Warrior. "Cosmos and Chaos, who held a delicate balance. However, Chaos betrayed Cosmos and started the war. He has several men, generals, who command creatures like Astos. They incited the beastmen to rise against you and the neighboring countries."
"The miasma cloud," said the Templar, cutting in. "Is created by corrupting Crystals, which protect the regions they're in. Astos has not found the Crystal of Cornelia, apparently."
"How do you know all of this?" asked Sadda.
"Cosmos, very recently, has come under the threat of near death. Myself and my companions have been asleep for an unknown amount of time. She awakened us to help defend her," said the Templar.
"One of Chaos's generals, Garland-" started the Warrior, but the reaction he got stopped him. The Princess shot to her feet and slammed her palms on the desk.
"Did you say Garland?" she shouted. The others looked as equally shocked as Sarah sounded. The Warrior and the Templar looked at each other.
"You know the man?" the Templar asked them. Biggs responded, sounding horrified.
"Garland was a knight of Cornelia. He- he's the man who… assassinated the King," he told them.
"What did he look like?" Sarah demanded.
"He was in full plate armor," the Templar answered. The princess stood against the desk, looking shell shocked. Lukahn laid a hand on her shoulder and the princess slowly sank into her chair.
After a minute, she spoke quietly: "Continue."
"Very well," said the Warrior. "Garland came to kill Cosmos. We fought and repelled him."
"Is he alive?" spoke Matoya for the first time since arriving.
"Yes, he escaped," answered the Templar. A grim look crossed the woman's face.
"Cosmos told us about how Chaos's forces operate," said the Templar. "And we, as a group, decided to find a way to fight back."
"What exactly do you want to us to do about this?" asked Lukahn.
"Preferably, and ideally, we would like you help us in this," the Templar started. He raised his hand to silence any objections. "Realistically, we understand if you decide to stay out of this."
It was a ploy, naturally. The Templar looked on as a multitude of emotions crossed the faces of the elders.
"What would be your first order of business if-" started Sadda, but he paused in thought. "In either case?"
"We attack Astos's fortress," said the Templar. Sadda raised an eyebrow.
"Even if we refuse to help?"
The two men looked at each other. "Yes," said the Warrior.
"Are you sure?" asked Sadda
"Yes."
"Even if you know that Astos has a small army of mages and warriors?" he asked again.
"Listen, we attack Astos whether you stand with us or against us," said the Templar.
"We'll do it," said a voice. They all looked down at the princess. She had recovered from whatever emotional shock she had suffered, looking determined.
"Princess-" Sadda started but she silenced him.
"No," she announced. "If Garland is a part of this enemy force, we must fight against him. We'll help you anyway we can. What do you need?"
All reviews appreciated.