Legend!

The Forgotten Hero and the Eternal Swordsman

By I.K.A. Valian

Chapter Eleven: The Fire Seal I

Unlikely Reinforcements

Triet Base

"Lord Yuan."

Yuan looked up from the electronic board on his desk. He pushed his glasses onto his forehead and set aside the solder pen as Sura approached his desk and saluted.

"Sir, there's been a disturbance among the refugees and Sergeant Williams asked me to pass on his request for you to meet him on the base roof."

Yuan nodded, waving two fingers at Sura. "Thank you Private Elist. You're dismissed."

Sura saluted. She grimaced and slowed her hand down, making sure to salute properly. The bridge of her nose still held a slight red color from the last time she mistimed the maneuver. Spinning on her heel, Sura marched quickly from Yuan's office and then dashed down the hall.

Yuan shook his head as he stood. He turned off the soldering pen, grabbed his cape from the back of his chair, and walked from the room. As he turned down the hallway, his thoughts escaped to the corridors of old Triet. The ancient capital of the region destroyed millennia ago by an enraged Efreet.

Triet Desert

"…desert is… c-c-cold!" Lloyd and Genis both had their arms hugged tightly against their bodies. Kratos glanced over his shoulder at the two of them, shoved into the corner of the back seat next to Link and Zelda. The whine of the electric motor rose as the open air, four wheeled vehicle carried eight people up a particularly large sand dune.

"W-while I'm not inclined to disagree," Raine said from next to Kratos, "I believe that this form of travel is the only means of arriving at the Fire Seal in a timely manner. S-so just bear with it for now."

Zelos, who was wedged between the metal side of the Rheound and Kratos' rather sharp elbow, had a sour face up. He and Sheena were both being blasted with the most air as the vehicle rolled quickly across the expansive desert. Sheena wasn't affected by the wind as much as she was fussing over holding Corrine in her lap. The small creature wiggled left and right, trying to get his head out the side of the vehicle so he could hang his tongue out of his mouth.

Zelda, with a hand behind her head to hold her hair down, turned to the side and cast her gaze as far as she could into the darkness. It was too dark to be night and the stars above were growing dimmer by the hour.

The sand dunes went by in the darkness as minutes of travel droned on. Their passing was like wraiths. The hills of sand loomed out of the darkness one second and were gone the next. How Kratos managed to navigate in the dark desert was beyond any of them.

Thump

At some point after leaving the base lights behind, Link started to reflect on himself. He wasn't afraid anymore, that much was obvious. If he had to describe how he felt now, it felt more like there was a fire burning inside of his chest. It didn't hurt too much right now, but when he was fighting TOD, it felt like he really was on fire.

Thump

The fight with TOD was a blur, when Link thought back on it. He remembered the vision he had, seeing Hyrule, and then suddenly becoming so angry that he just couldn't see straight. He just had to attack whatever it was in front of him.

Thump

Thump

Still, now that he'd calmed down, he could see the situation a bit more clearly. This world was dying. Maybe because of him, maybe not, but the fact that it was dying made the fire in his chest burn hotter. And then there was the fact that Ganondorf could be doing something downright bad to his home. That made him angry too. The more he thought about it, the more he-

Thump

The more he became-

Thump

Link frowned and looked down at the floor where his feet sat. He listened for a few seconds for the noise to repeat itself, but nothing happened. Link shrugged and settled back into the seat.

Thump Thump THUMPITYTHUMP

Lloyd leaned forward. He stomped his foot on the flooring and then looked up. "Kratos, what is that?"

"I believe you should all grab hold of something," Kratos said calmly. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, the leather of his gloves squeaking.

"Huh?" asked Genis. "Why would we need to hold on? It's not like it's that bumpy."

"I am about to accelerate the vehicle," Kratos said.

Thump

"If you do not wish to be thrown out, then I suggest you hold on." Kratos turned his head far enough to look over his shoulder with one eye. The light from the dashboard in front of him illuminated Kratos' face and put an extra menacing glint in the corner of his eye. "That is if you wish to continue on this journey alive."

Lloyd scowled as he reached down and grabbed the edge of the seat. Zelda and Link did the same. Genis latched onto the side panel. Raine grabbed the dash board in front of her. Sheena and Zelos grabbed the doors.

The burst of speed was quite sudden, the electric motor's whine becoming twice as loud. The thumping became constant and everyone began bouncing in their seats. Zelda was sure she left the seat several times before she noticed what was going by the side of the vehicle.

"Are… are those…?" she trailed off, letting the unspoken question hang in the air.

"Yes!" Kratos shouted in response.

"Holy Katz on a Rheaird!" shouted Zelos.

Monsters, scores of monsters. Kratos was driving straight through a hoard of monsters that transformed the desert into a sea of flesh, scale, and exoskeleton. That was what the other thumps had to of been, monsters. Kratos was running monsters over with the Rheound.

"How much longer until we arrive at the Fire Seal?" Raine shouted over the noise.

"We're a little over half way there. However, I believe we have more important things to worry about," Kratos shouted. "There is something big following us. It's gaining speed. Whatever it is, it's much bigger than anything I've run over so far."

"What?!" Sheena craned her neck without giving up an ounce of the hold she had on the door. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't make anything out beyond monster carcasses. "I can't see anything!"

The vehicle launched into the air as the sand swelled right underneath them. Seconds before the Rheound landed, a great mouth pierced the sea of sand. It was mostly bone, the jaw and skull having scant amounts of flesh attached to them.

"Martel have mercy," Raine uttered, her eyes glue to the monstrosity that began to chase.

"Hold on!" Kratos shouted. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as the Rheound landed roughly on the sand. The landing bounced everyone out of their seats.

Zelda and Genis nearly fell out, and would have, had Lloyd not grabbed both by their belts and pulled. They didn't have much time to readjust themselves because Kratos was swerving the Rheound back and forth, fighting to regain control after the rough landing. Lloyd pointed at the giant skull with glowing eyes illuminated by the tail lights just a couple yards behind them.

"What is that thing?!" he shouted.

"I don't care what it is," shouted Zelos, "how do we kill it? It looks like it's already dead. Do we use magic?"

"Look at it," said Sheena, "it looks like it's swimming through the sand. Like a fish!"

Indeed, the monster was swimming through the sand. Its glowing eyes were zeroed in on the racing Rheound in front of them. Those in the vehicle could just make out a tail swishing back and forth behind the great monster.

"No matter how large a monster is, if it is undead, it should have the same weakness as a regular sized undead monster," Raine explained. "Lloyd, hold onto Genis so he can cast. Genis, use fire."

Raine turned to Kratos. His eyes were glaring death at the desert ahead of them. The path was clear now, the smaller monsters scared away by the bigger one chasing them.

"Fireball!"

Genis launched three balls of blazing light at the crusty old fish monster. The monster roared and dove into the sand. It resurfaced after the balls of fire had passed.

"Oh no!" Genis shouted. "It's not working!"

"Try again!" shouted Lloyd.

Link turned to Zelda. "Princess, I'll hold on to you while you use magic." Zelda nodded.

Link grabbed onto Zelda's waist as she turned around and kneeled on the seat cushion. Raine, Zelos, Sheena, and Corrine all had their eyes trained on the monster chasing them. It was steadily gaining on them, even though it several times dodged fire attacks by diving.

"It's too fast," Genis shouted to Zelda. "Is there a way to speed our attacks up?"

"I think I might have an idea," Zelda shouted back. She performed the Din's Fire spell once more and cast it out. However, instead of letting the ball of fire leap from her open hand, she kept her fist clenched.

The ball of fire sped toward the monster, which dived again. Genis frowned and opened his mouth to say something. Zelda pulled her clenched fist to her chest and held it there.

The fish monster burst out of the sand, ready to resume its chase. Zelda unclenched her fist. The monster let out a roar as an explosion went off on its right side.

"Wh-How did you do that?" Genis asked.

"I'll explain later," she responded. "I don't think it should take too many more of… oh Nayru."

They watched as the fire consumed the body of the undead fish monster. The only problem with this was that the undead fish monster became an undead fish monster that was on fire. It became faster, and the heat now surrounding the fish was making the sand fuse into glass.

"Talk about a burning desire to win," Zelos shouted. "That thing's not going to be stopped with fire. Step on it old man!"

"We're almost out of fuel," Kratos shouted back. "Kill that thing before it kills us!"

"I wish I'd had a chance to use this spell before now," Zelda muttered. She let out a stressed burst of air and shrugged her shoulders. "No time like the present then."

"Did you say something?" Link asked.

"Just hold me steady," she said. No one was paying attention to her or Link as they conversed about what options they had left.

Zelda extended her arms in front of her, palms together. "That which banishes the darkness is bound to that which seeks truth. Great Goddesses, lend me the light of truth which destroys those who lie in darkness."

A ball of light appeared between her palms. She drew her left hand straight back, stretching the ball of light between her two palms, until her left hand was even with her shoulder. The ball of light, now a glowing arrow, pointed directly at the head of the monster.

"Zelda?" Raine looked up at the now blinding light emanating from the arrow. "What are you doing?"

"Hold me steady Link," she said, ignoring Raine while aiming the arrow. The light continued to get brighter and brighter, lighting up that portion of the desert as the sun once did many hours ago. And then the arrow was released.

The bolt soared through the air, a line of light left in the bolt's wake. It sped faster than the eye could follow toward the flaming monster. Upon impact there was a great explosion that nearly knocked the Rheound over and threw the great monster into the air. It flew upwards, roaring as it disappeared into the darkness.

Zelda slumped her shoulders and she breathed deeply. Relief spread out from the center of her being along side an equally large wave of mental exhaustion. Link released Zelda and the two of them flopped back into their seats.

"That was awesome!" Lloyd shouted, grinning like an idiot. "That explosion was huge!"

"Amazing," Genis said, sporting a grin to match Lloyd's. "I've got to learn that spell!"

"That monster's not dead yet!" Zelos shouted. He raised his arm and pointed into the sky. "It's coming straight for us! Go faster old man!"

Kratos' shoulder hunched as he floored the accelerator. The Rheound lurched and the tires dug into the sand, spinning crazily, but getting the vehicle nowhere. All eyes looked at Kratos. Kratos glared at the steering wheel.

"We're stuck," Kratos said in a monotonous voice. Without looking, he shoved Zelos out. "Get out and push, young man."

Everyone in the vehicle quickly jumped out alongside Zelos, save Kratos who was continually pushing on the accelerator. Sand spit up into the air like a fountain as all of them pushed the Rheound into new patches of sand.

"We're not going to make it," cried Genis.

"Just keep pushing," Lloyd said.

A loud flapping noise rose above the wheezy whine coming from the Rheound. Everyone's attention however, was on the vehicle in front of them that wasn't budging. As it grew closer, they pushed harder, their fear overtaking the rational conclusion that the thing was just too heavy to push.

With the swiftness that benefits their species, a giant eagle swooped in, latched onto the flaming undead fish, and flew away. Kratos, with his superior hearing, noticed the Doppler change in the fish's roar as it started getting farther away. He turned in the seat and watched the bird disappear into the distance with the flaming zombie fish wiggled in its claws.

"Come on, Kratos!" shouted Lloyd when the sand ceased being thrown into the air. "Don't give up!"

Kratos looked down at the dials on the dashboard in front of him and an unhappy grimace settled on his face. He leveraged himself out of the Rheound and approached the still heaving group behind the vehicle.

"The monster is gone," he said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. It was now that they noticed the lack of flaming roaring undead fish about to crush them. "I believe we're only a couple minutes walk from the ruin entrance. We will walk the rest of the way."

"What about the Rheound?" Sheena asked. "We'll need it to get back to the base."

Kratos paused, already half way up a dune, and looked back over his shoulder. The fading battery provided the headlights enough power for everyone to see. But that was quickly fading, taking the light with it.

"The fuel is completely spent," Kratos said. "It would be wise to get started in the correct direction before we lose our sight to complete darkness."

Everyone else adopted similar expressions to Kratos as they began trekking up the sand dune after him. The light lasted longer than anyone anticipated, but eventually Kratos was forced to pull out a piece of wood and lit the end of it with a spark of electricity from his hand. Light firmly in hand, Kratos led the group across the freezing sand dunes. The disturbing darkness that became the hallmark of their travel could only be matched by the eerie way that the sounds they were making were the only sounds they heard.

"Man, that old man has got to lighten up," Zelos said after a while. "I mean, here we were, just about to get eaten by an undead fish the size of my mansion and he's up and off like nothing happened."

"I think he's just being efficient," said Genis, joining the conversation in an attempt to ignore the desert around him. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can save Colette and the world, right?."

"Still," said Lloyd. "Kratos could stand to be a little nicer."

"Will being nice keep you alive longer?" Kratos asked from the front of the group, the opposite side of the group from Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos. Zelos slowed down a bit, the shock etched onto his face mirrored by Lloyd.

"He can hear us." whispered Lloyd. His attempt to warn Zelos was futile.

"Like a bell," Kratos said. This conversation took place without Kratos slowing down or looking back. In fact, Kratos sped up his pace, leaving the rest of the group lagging behind.

"Way to go, Zelos," said Sheena. "Why did you have to go and open your big mouth?"

"Me?!" Zelos put his hand on his chest as he stared at Sheena's back questioningly. "A big mouth? Me?"

"Quite, all of you," Raine said. Her voice went higher with each word she spoke. "We're here!" Practically skipping through the sand, Raine was quick to take the lead from Kratos as the group entered the ruins of old Triet.

Crumbling stone columns led down a main thoroughfare. Sand was piled up wherever one could look. Any building with the misfortune of proper construction still stood. But their roofs were collapsed and sand spilled from doors and windows. It truly was, as so many had aptly put it over the centuries, a ruined city.

"Wow," said Lloyd.

"Yeah, I know," said Zelos. "This place is totally-"

"FANTASTIC!"

Raine bolted from the group to mold herself against one of the pillars. Seconds later she was feeling up the remains of a stone statue. The group barely managed to blink before they found Raine stalking up next to a broken pot that she began rubbing her face against.

"Look at all these utterly fantastic ruins! Oh, feel their wondrous surfaces! Think of all the knowledge lost to the sand save for the few pieces of information stored in these precious relics." Raine sighed. "They're just waiting for me to unlock their secrets. It's only a matter of time! Ahhahahahahahah!" Raine cackled madly, ignorant of how the group carefully edged away from her or how Kratos ignored completely her and everyone else as he walked by.

"Genis," said Link, "what's wrong with your sister?"

Genis remained silent, his face buried in his hands. As he shook his head, Raine continued to literally throw herself at the relics scattered about the ancient town, buried in the sand. Zelos was watching Raine's flirtatious antics amongst the ruins with a suspiciously critical eye until Sheena elbowed him in the side.

"Let's go," she said, "we have a job to do."

Genis went to work prying Raine off of a half broken, sand filled vase while everyone else moved on. When they caught up, they found Kratos already leading the group into the ruins. Raine's face fell slightly, but she quickly picked right up and raced inside.

The insides of the ancient Triet ruins were not pitch black, like the surrounding landscape. There was light inside there, coming from the well of magma one level below. Its orange glow filled the hazy hallways of the first level where the group gathered. Kratos quickly tossed his half spent torch to the side of the hall when it was apparent that he didn't need it anymore.

"So this is the Triet Ruins," said Lloyd. He swung his arms back and forth a couple times. "It sure is warm in here. Much better than that freezing desert outside."

"Normally, these ruins would be unbearably hot," Raine said. She wet a finger in her mouth and stuck it into the air above her head. "There's no air flow at all moving through these halls. That means all the heat is being bottled up somewhere further in or…"

"Or what, Professor?" Lloyd asked.

"I think she means that something might have happened to Efreet," said Genis. "With all that's going on, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Come on," said Sheena. "You guys can't be giving up now."

"Yeah," agreed Zelos with a nod. "After getting across that huge desert and being chased by the zombie fish from hell, you want to get all pessimistic now? Uncool."

"Examining the possibilities we might be faced with is a logical course of action," said Kratos. "However, Efreet still holds some sway over this place. As Lloyd noted, it is warmer inside than out, and there is still light. We should take these things as a sign that Efreet is holding on to what power he has left." Kratos started walking down the hall. "Let us continue."

Kratos led the group down the hall toward a large set of stairs. Their footsteps echoed off the cracked floor as steam spiraled lazily up around their feet. The hazy red light grew brighter the further they went.

The hallway led down a set of stairs to the level below. Almost immediately the hall branched off in two directions while a door filled with orange light sat directly in front of them. Kratos turned right.

The end of the side hall had another glowing door, through which Kratos confidently strode. Surprising everyone, the stoic man instantly stopped in his tracks once on the other side and remained totally still. He threw his hand out to stop anyone behind him foolish enough to try and walk past him. Lloyd looked under Kratos' arm and saw a giant, bubbling puddle of lava.

"The warp pad is gone," Kratos said. "I hadn't anticipated this."

"What do you mean, the warp pad is gone?" asked Raine. "What warp pad?"

"It is as I said, the warp pad used to get to Efreet's chamber is gone," Kratos said, "consumed by magma." He turned and walked slowly back into the hallway. As he passed everyone by, he didn't give them any impression that he was giving up.

"The old man knows another way to the seal," Zelos said. Kratos paused as he passed Zelos to stare at him. Zelos shrugged the look off nonchalantly and crossed his arms. "So where are we going to have to travel now."

"Only the Summoner, Chosen, and myself need go from here," Kratos said. Before Lloyd could retort, as his opening lips and raising arm predicted, Kratos continued. "The ruins of the city that must be traveled through are far more dangerous than what happened in Iselia. It would be safer for the rest of you to remain here."

"We're coming t-"

"I agree with Kratos," Raine said, cutting Lloyd off. Before he could argue she shook her head, firmly letting him know with a stern gaze that her decision was final. "We would only get in the way Lloyd and that would mean this journey would take longer." Raine looked at Kratos. Their eyes met. "We will stay here," she said.

Zelos gave an apologetic shrug as he followed Kratos. Sheena frowned, but followed as well. Lloyd had his lips pursed and his hands were shaking fists.

"Damn it!" shouted Lloyd. "How am I supposed to get stronger if I can't fight?! How are we supposed to save Colette if we can't help?!" He turned and punched the brick wall. The action knocked some of the built up soot loose and revealed a glyph of some kind. "I feel so useless," Lloyd added in a much calmer tone, the indignant rage suddenly drained from his voice and posture. Raine ignored her student, however, and zeroed in on the glyph with the precision of a hawk.

Lloyd quickly found himself on the floor as Raine barreled past him. He looked up from his new spot and saw Raine furiously rubbing the rest of the wall. More and more glyphs were quickly revealed. He tilted his head to the side and watched in confusion as his teacher rubbed at the wall like her life depended on it.

"What have we got here," she said in a husky rasping voice.

Triet Base

"Let me get this straight," Yuan said. He uncrossed his arms and jabbed a finger at the group of humans standing in front of him. "You want me to give you more control over what my men do simply because you're staying here?"

"The only thing between us and the monsters outside this base are the walls," said a balding man. His round midsection jiggled as he animated his speech with hand gestures. "We feel like we've been rescued only to be pushed to the side as you go on doing whatever it is you want. As if we don't even exist. We might as well not even be here for all the attention that's been given to us. And besides, some of us here aren't comfortable with our benefactors being sub-humans."

Yuan's fist clenched. He had thought that he would be done dealing with people like this. Especially after four thousand years. Setting aside the internal debate as to which way he nail this impudent human to the wall, Yuan took a deep breath and settled a glare on all fifteen men and women in the room. His gaze drifted back and forth until he was sure that everyone had made eye contact with him.

"Are you telling me that you would rather be outside these walls to fend for yourselves?" Yuan asked. "Because that's easily accomplished. All I need do is open the bay doors. There's a couple beasts out there right now, howling at the base."

"Hmph," snorted a woman to the side. "Just like a Half-elf to do such a thing. I'd expect nothing less from you."

"You don't need a rebellion on your hands," said another man, "I suggest you accept our terms."

Yuan shook his head. "That's not going to happen," he said. "I also don't believe that you'd incite a rebellion for three reasons. You're power over the people out there doesn't extend that far. You need us as more than we need you. And finally, you'd lose any rebellion that could be started. My men are trained and armed far better than you are with your pitchforks." Yuan shrugged, knowing full well that he'd called their bluff, even if the more bull headed members of the group were too arrogant to realize or admit such a thing. "Besides, once we fix what's wrong with the world, then you'll all be sent back to where you came from. There won't be any need for you to be here anymore."

"And how long with that take," the fat man asked vehemently. Sweat was glistening on his swollen face. "We're more likely to be shipped off to the Human Ranches before we're released. And even if you do release us, our homes have been destroyed. We've got nothing to go back to!"

Yuan nodded, understanding dawning on him. These humans weren't here because they were looking out for the welfare of their fellow humans or even because they hated half-elves. They were afraid that this was the only home they'd know from now on. They were willing to use whomever they needed to get into a position to dictate their own destiny. As it was now, they were just refugees with no place to go and no guarantee on a future for themselves or their families. They couldn't even fight to protect themselves. Add to that their inbred fear and prejudice of Half-Elves and the assumption that Martel had abandoned them.

'It's a wonder they're even asking for this,' he thought. Yuan tilted his head slightly as he looked at them again. He could see it, the restless fear of not knowing, of despair. Perhaps he could use that.

"How about this," Yuan said, his voice less harsh, but still firm. "Instead of rebelling or demanding to be in charge, you do things my way." Yuan held up a hand to head off any objection. "The way things are right now, we're under staffed. Most of our soldiers were out in the world, undermining Cr- the Desians. And whether you believe that or not, we're still undermanned right now."

"What does this have to do with us?" asked a woman. "We're the ones who were forced from our homes."

"I believe he's asking us to join him," the fat man said. His voice was softer than when he spoke before. His eyes were also downcast, indicating to Yuan that he appeared to actually be considering his proposal.

"Never!" shouted a man. "I'll never join forces with a sub-human Desian Half-Elf. I'd rather die first."

Yuan forced himself to keep quite as a debate broke out among the group of humans. He glanced up at Botta, who stood at the back of the room next to the door that led to the rest of the hanger. Botta arched an eyebrow, as if to ask 'what now?'. Yuan imitated the expression and gave an irritated shrug.

It seemed the humans were almost evenly split, some wanting to accept while those in whom prejudice had rooted the deepest were against it. Several times, Yuan had to hold himself back from lashing out against the visceral language being used, his own long memory conjuring many images of hatred that hadn't changed in over four thousand years. One of the humans mentioned the Goddess Martel, which started up another argument in the group. The question becoming what she would have wanted them to do.

That's when the idea popped into Yuan's mind. It was crude, and very dishonest. It went against everything he swore to Martel that he'd do after he decided to work to defeat Cruxis. But the appeal of the plan was just too simple and easy to pass by. It would bring about a new dimension of self loathing for him to contemplate later on, but he'd accept the consequences if it worked. A smiled played at his lips when a small voice in the back of his head whispered Botta wasn't going to like this.

"It's funny you mention the Goddess," Yuan said.

Though none of the humans could sense it, Botta easily felt the sudden increase in the Mana levels in the room. Botta's thought processes stopped as the plan Yuan was going to execute became clear. 'No...' Botta thought, 'he wouldn't...'

"Because there's something I think all of you need to know," Yuan added.

The most outspoken of the racist humans snarled as Yuan entered their conversation once more. "Like hell we'd listen to what a filthy… sub… hu- What in the world?!"

A woman gasped. "It's… it's… an angel!" She fainted and fell backwards into the man behind her.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?!" shouted the fat man.

"The Goddess hasn't forsaken her people, though she could not stop their suffering," said Yuan, adopting his most calm and holy-like persona. It was something he cultivated over several hundred years, and not something he'd ever thought to use again. 'Martel, please forgive me,' he thought, imagining his lost lover's stern face looking down on him in disapproval.

"But… how? Why are we suffering then?" asked a younger man closer to Yuan. "I don't understand."

"The truth is…" Yuan said, stretching his wings while moving them back and forth behind his back. Their sparkle entranced the men and women in the room. Botta's eyes looked about ready to join his tongue and jaw on the floor. "The truth is the goddess has been held hostage by Cruxis for the last couple hundred years. After she fell into slumber, a few angels ignored her edict to wake her and started to take advantage of the people for profit and gain. Those of us who were against this were cast out of heaven as the Corrupt Angels revived the Desians. And what is happening to the world right now is the result of the Goddesses continued slumber. If she's not awoken soon, the world will truly be totally destroyed."

"So… the legends were true," said the fat man. He quickly fumbled over himself as he realized how unfaithful that sounded to the Goddess' messenger standing right in front of him. "I- uh… I mean, of course they were true. And that would explain why the Desians came back as well."

"I don't know," the most racist man present said. "Why would the Goddess Martel make a… a half-elf her angel."

Yuan's mouth twisted, but he repressed the urge to blow the human up with a blast of electricity as he said, "The goddess herself crafted each of us by hand. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her…" Yuan fell silent as he let the irony of that sentence sink into his own mind. "It was my assumption that the goddess loves all creatures, no matter what their outward appearance is. So if I look like a Half-Elf, then it's probably because the goddess loves Half-elves."

"Sounds fishy to-"

"Quiet Marvin," an elderly woman barked. She poked him in the side with a bony finger. "Say another word to the Goddess' messenger and I'll throw you out the door myself. It's blasphemous to speak ill of an Angel and you know it. Why if I were younger, I'd-"

"Please," Yuan said. He held his hands up. "I didn't come here to cause strife. I'm here to save this world. Once I've accomplished that, I can… return to heaven."

"How can we help revive the Goddess?" asked the fat man. "We'll do what we can."

"I suggest that you do as Lord Yuan suggested and join our forces," Botta said. Finally recovered, the second in command took a couple steps into the room and nodded at Yuan. "We are in need of more able hands to keep the defenses up and protect everyone here. Anyone that does will be properly trained in the facilities we have in the base. We are, however, out of room in the barracks, so I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in the refugee camp."

"Joining and helping will not only help serve the goddess and save the world, but it will allow those who join to speak up the command chain and have more input in what goes on around here," Yuan said. "But be forewarned, it's a military command chain, so you might be ordered to do things you don't fully understand. If you can accept that, then there shouldn't be anything standing in your way of helping save your world... and everyone you know."

Yuan added the last part as an added push. They didn't need to be told their families and friends lives were at stake, but it didn't hurt to remind them that what they decided here would affect everyone. The last thing Yuan wanted to deal with was an uprising in the refugees started by some racist humans.

The humans all looked at one another. Silence reigned for a few minutes as what he said soaked in. For a second, Yuan thought he could see them begin to resist the idea.

"Do you believe it would be possible for us to deliberate in private?" the fat man asked. "We won't be long."

"Of course," Yuan said. He and Botta left the room and took up positions on either side of the door. Yuan ignored the curious look from Botta asking if he knew what he was doing.

Minutes later, the door opened. The group of humans filed out into the hanger and stood before Yuan. The fat man pushed the man who was the biggest racist forward and mumbled something under his breath with an angry frown on his face. The racist man scowled as he approached Yuan and Botta.

"I… apologize for all the nasty things I and my fellows have said. Also, we have decided to accept your offer to help you revive the goddess and save our world." The man looked at Yuan, asking with his eyes for Yuan to forgive him at the same time that they revealed the human's heart would never betray the racist within.

Yuan didn't waste any time deliberating over this. He knew they wanted to have some role in saving or protecting themselves. And they did have a need for more man power. "Training starts right here in four hours," Yuan said.

Triet Ruins

Three men ran forward, their boots kicking sand as the marched in step toward the entrance of the Fire Seal. Trailing behind the tree was another man, his face hidden in the shadows. They all stopped in front of the door, which was open.

"Sir, it appears that someone has already opened the door. It could be a trap. Are you certain you wish to procure this piece personally?"

"I'm sure, lieutenant," the shadowed man said quietly. "I want to retrieve each piece of the Proto-Triforce myself. Lead the way."

"Yes, my lord!" The man saluted and marched into the entrance, followed by the two other men. The leader chuckled lightly to himself and went in.

Thus concludes Chapter Eleven. We're finally getting into the main quest. Sure it took a while to set up, but this story's freaking huge!

Thanks for reading. Review's are appreciated.

~I.K.A. Valian

Posted: 10/20/2009