Chapter 35 - Epilogue

It was a nice day in Prontera. Of course, it was late spring - just the right time for hanging around in the city doing business or just general wandering around. There appeared to be plenty of travellers from afar as well, winding long yarns about what they'd seen and experienced. Many of these travellers were powerful and battle-scarred, so it wasn't hard to imagine what they'd been through.

Today, another one entered Prontera through the Western Gate. He walked through the masses of people sitting or standing by the streets. Merchants called out their wares as he passed, while blacksmiths and alchemists rested happily. Children ran in the streets, laughing joyfully, almost upsetting a guard. Delicious smells passed him, of fruits and potions and the odd flower or dish or so.

Somehow, however, all these became somewhat muted around this particular traveller. Sounds became muffled, smells indistinguishable, light slightly blurred. It was only for a second or so - after all, he was walking quite fast - but it didn't mean that no one noticed. A blacksmith did.

He watched the traveller, a knight, lead his peco in. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with this particular fellow, although he could have sworn all his senses were nullified when the knight had passed. He shrugged vaguely and resumed his sharpening a bastard sword.

The knight didn't really look particularly threatening, in any way. He didn't look like the kind of person who would be a hero. He had white hair that was slightly bushy, and green eyes that looked straight onward as he walked. There was a visor just above his eyes, and an iron fin-like accessory with transparent green webbing behind each ear He didn't walk like he owned the place, or as if he was trying to hide something. He just walked. The sword at his side was neither gleaming nor new.

It was just that compared to the other knights he acted quite different. Other knights milled around, talking, laughing, discussing and looking through wares. Even a knight sitting at a table in an outdoor restaurant was looking interestedly at what was going around him. This one didn't even look. And, well...he appeared to have no friends, or no visible friends, at any rate.

He stopped in the plaza and looked around. Behind him his peco snorted quietly and scratched at the cobbles as an attempt to find something to eat. The knight looked back over his shoulder, and then went over to the bird and opened a bag hanging on its side. He dug around in it for a bit before pulling out some monster feed and threw it in the direction of the peco's head. The bird snapped its large beak on the food and munched happily as he returned to his normal position in front of his steed.

He seemed to be looking for something. At length he started moving towards South Prontera, weaving his way through the thick crowd.

'Hey! Hey, Valkron!'

Valkron turned around. He looked no different from the day everything had started, apart from a few bandages still visible all over him.

Someone was running towards him. Someone familiar, with red hair. He turned fully around to face Emeth as the wizard reached him.

'What si it?' he said shortly. 'I'm busy.'

'Oh, come on. Don't pretend.' Emeth ran a hand through his hair. 'You just came from the Chivalry, didn't you?'

'No, I didn't.'

'Oh, come on you silly knight,' said Iruna, stepping out of a nearby stall. 'I saw you go in and then you came back out and walked went through the Eastern Gate. Why the heck did you do that? Thought people were following you?'

Valkron's faced stayed blank for a few minutes more, and then he smiled. 'Looks like I can't avoid you all forever.' He waved at the incoming party behind Emeth.

'We're still your party,' said Emeth. 'What were you thinking?'

'Oh, nothing' replied Valkron airily.

'What did you get? What did you get?' asked Eni excitedly, her cart bouncing over the cobbles as she ran up to them. Behind them Nocturne, Samaroh, Khan and Amaru shared looks, grinning.

Valkron held up his package. 'What do you think it looks like?'

'It's about a foot tall and it looks spiky,' said Iruna, who had pulled down her blindfold to take a closer look at it. The package in his hands was wrapped in paper but seemed to be giving off a faint yellow light.

'It's an emperium crystal,' said the knight. 'And of course, the money to set up a guild.'

There was silence for a moment, and then people hurried out of the way when Eni squealed with excitement, clapping her hands. 'Oh, wow! You're going to set up a King's Mercenary guild?'

'Well, they asked me to,' answered Valkron, digging his ear somewhat gingerly.

'How I envy you,' said Emeth. 'When are you going to do it, and who's going to be with you?'

Valkron leaned forward and gave them a cheeky grin. 'Guess.'

More people hurried off as the little group whooped and cheered. As they began talking excitedly, Valkron slipped his arm around Iruna's waist and looked at her. She looked back up into his eyes. They both smiled.

'Let's fight for the world, shall we?' asked Iruna.

'Just what I was thinking,' said Valkron.

He never realised that those words would give a new meaning to the kingdom and would begin a new story to be written down in the history of Rune-Midgard. Above all, it would be the beginning of a legend.

-End-