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"A Legend's End"
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I have tried to keep it as close to canon as possible, but some things which are not solid either way I have changed to fit in with my plans, and some things may be different as it's hard to find out things for this game. Sorry, it's probably a bit boring, but to clean up all the loose ends from the game it has to be like this.
Deep in the dusty desert of Valdi, there were ruins of a powerful machine, -a golem- which had a strong connection to Valdi, helping create what Valdi was known as today. These ruins told an important part of Valdi's story, and how it had gotten to here.
All was calm and normal in the desert until it wasn't. One moment, it was the normally rainy cloudless weather, then there was a blinding light. A second later, the light was gone and it looked like how it did before. Except for the black-haired girl standing in the centre of an altar in the ruins. Her name was Ary.
The girl stood there for a moment with her eyes closed and her face in a serene expression. Ary opened her eyes, smiling tiredly before it lapsed. This girl had dark bags under her eyes and was bowing her shoulders as she forced herself to stay awake.
As she stretched, hoping it would wake her up somewhat, she allowed her lips to curl upwards once again. It was good to be back, and she was glad it was the end, her return. It started as a trip to a meeting before coming to this, a long journey.
It had been sixteen and a half years since her first trip to the past, a day and event she would never forget for as long as she lived. After a reprieve of four years, she started her quest to find her brother; Flynn. After she'd found Flynn, Ary realised she'd unintentionally become the Legendary Warrior.
It meant she had to keep going and do everything she, -the legendary warrior- had done, a prospect that made her skin tingle and heart race. If she hadn't done it, most of, if not all of Valdi's history would be gone. What would change if that happened Ary didn't know, but she wasn't keen to find out either: her father had taught her responsibility, and this was the responsible thing to do.
She had enjoyed it, but Ary would be lying to say that her spirits soared high now that she was finished. That was even despite the way she was able to improve her skills and adventure; she was sick of wars and battles, and she had seen a lot of them over the years.
Ary was relieved to be finished, as she was weary and just a bit sick of the constant problems: knowing it was the end lifted the invisible great weight off her shoulders. She was happy she'd somehow managed to do everything. Throughout her journey, Ary always believed she missed something and even now she still worried. With all her reading, though, she hadn't found anything and history hadn't changed, so Ary decided she had done everything right.
Ary had never intended for herself to become the most famous figure of all time, all she had wanted to do was find Flynn: that was still all she had wanted. She had trained hard, meditating to become one with herself and time, all things she had to do to travel through time. Ary found Flynn quite quickly once she mastered time travel, despite it not being the end.
When Ary found Flynn, she thought back on what she had done and had a shocking realisation: it was too late to back out, she was the warrior. There had been a certain sameness to it all by the end, once the novelty and excitement had worn off. At the start, even after she found Flynn, she had enjoyed every adventure. Very quickly, she started to loathe it thanks to the battles, the death and gore.
From then on, Ary had to go back in time again and again despite her personal feelings. She would partake in an event recorded in history, often involving helping some people out, then she'd returned to her own time for a week. That was if she was lucky, she normally spent two days in the present before she headed back.
She didn't return to rest, though, meaning she just got more and more exhausted. She had to check the books to make sure she hadn't missed any of the things the legendary warrior was recorded to have done or the people she was recorded to have met and helped. She had to train, too; Ary was always training herself.
Other than that, the only thing she did was give a few bits of advice and ideas to the people of Samhain. Now and then she took the time off to see someone on their birthday, or go to Christmas. Albeit, she had done that half a dozen times.
Once Ary had checked the history books, she sometimes had to back to the time she just visited to do something she missed, which wasn't as often as one would imagine. Ary went on to the next event, which had the unfortunate habit of being a battle with many deaths and no room for mercy. She realised how lucky she was to live in the time she did.
That was basically all she had done these last fourteen years, with the Mage/Prince Crocus somehow getting out of the Time Vault. Before the day where she met her future self, Ary had built the Vault for the Mage, who had been a problem before then.
Her encounters with him always ended the same. She tracked him down, they fought and she imprisoned him again. Sometimes she would have the excitement of having to follow him into another time.
While Ary still was yet to forgive Crocus for some of the things he had done, she had to admit her moods always lightened after her encounters with him. By no means were they pleasant, but he knew. Despite that, no one ever found out, and Ary was still to find out why. Why hadn't Crocus told people? If nothing else, people would have lost respect for her, so why not?
Ary recalled her encounter with her younger self, and how it brought her back to reality when she had no idea she had left it. That had been in the middle of her journey, and she attacked him out of anger and without mercy. Ary had never done that before, not to mention it was against her nature.
She had just wanted to hide after that, and Ary had not been able to forgive herself for a long time. Disgust had also been another emotion, and she had hurt herself for behaving like him. Once it had been quite bad, but Lucktann and found and helped her before she bled out. Ary hadn't been allowed to set out until he was satisfied Ary had forgiven herself and could look people in the eye again. Not that he knew what it was about, but Ary refused to tell anyone and still did.
Ary personally did pass some of the blame to Algernonn, not that she was passing off all the blame. She had no idea it was time for 'The Final Battle' until he came and told her The Mage and golems were going to end Valdi, making her panic.
Ary had just about had a heart attack when he'd run up to her and brandished that about, and it had taken her ages to get her breathing and concentration back under control. Then she just had the typical dancing butterflies for going into an important event like that one.
She needed to detain Crocus, yes, and she thought it was horrible he had killed the Emi lady and she didn't like his goals, Ary wouldn't have tried to kill Crocus if Algernonn hadn't been making her go into it with a false understanding of what was happening: she wished he'd just asked her to deal with the Mage, no blowing it out of proportion.
If that hadn't happened, Ary would not have let her red vision inducing anger to blind her. Algernonn had been so frantic she'd dropped what she was doing, (something still important,) and ran to the location. Ary thought most people would get pretty darn stressed if they had been put into that position. Younger Ary had helped her realise she was going off her moral compass and made her stop and realise it was that battle, and she couldn't kill him.
If Ary had killed Crocus, she wouldn't be the same person she was today, as she would have never gotten that hint that pushed her to this path. The Ary she was now, The Legendary Warrior would have never existed. She had been very upset that Ary had stopped her, -stopped herself,- but when she thought about it later, Ary was glad she had done that.
By no means was Crocus her favourite person, but since that fateful day, she had come to understand him, and now just felt pity for him and his childhood. Not to mention they were both key figures in history, and they had to do their bit: he'd said as much. Why else would he appear in those times, even if that comment was a jest? He knew Valdi's history as well as her.
Because of that, Ary was conflicted. She was considering letting him go, but Ary was not sure if it was a good idea. It felt like the right thing to do. She would wait and do it with the guardians and her brother, of course, but what was the worse he could do? She wasn't sure, so Ary was going to talk to someone else before making her final decision.
If it weren't for the uncomfortable churning in her stomach, the tightness in her chest, near consistent worry that plagued her at that thought and just all-around uncomfortableness, she would just say she wanted to do it, not ask.
After all, Ary considered, what was the point of being merciful to the Mage if she doomed him to prison for all time? She should have just killed him on the golem all those years ago, even if it would have changed history and caused the legendary warrior to simply cease to exist, as well as Flynn's death.
Flynn had gotten attacked by the Sea-Raiders before been left for dead. He was half-dead when Ary found him. She managed to patch him up and he was fine. They returned home then, though Ary couldn't stay long. Before she found him, Ary generally thought Algernonn was Flynn: she was glad he wasn't. It tied in with the arrival of the Cipher Stone, so Ary believed when the stone landed, it for whatever reason, brought Flynn here.
Back to Crocus though. Her reason for freeing him was because she had been merciful so many times. Her reason for keeping him prisoner was he may just go and continue to cause havoc, not that Ary couldn't handle it, and a small part of her still said he was yet to pay the price. With all these conflicting thoughts, she wasn't sure what to do or what was the right thing. He had done many horrible things, -such as enslaving children- but was that a good enough reason to continue to lock him up in what was basically a coffin until his dying breath?
Ary shook her head, breaking out of her musings, becoming aware of the sun burning her sensitive skin. Before returning to her native time, she had changed out of her normal armour, into an outfit similar to what she wore t to that fateful Guardian meeting, only light blue in with a gold stripe near the edges and her short hair tied into a ponytail. Her mother had sent it out for her last birthday, and this was her first time using it.
Ary, after checking to make sure the Celestial Blade was equipped to her waist, turned around and walked away. She needed to get going, there was time for thinking and remembering the past later. For now, it was time for moving. While Samhain continuously was covered in showers of rain, the midday sun was still quite hot, making it humid. Already, she could feel her body sweating out of control.
Ary wanted to get going before the sun got too high since her arms were bare and had been under armour for a long time, not to mention she burned easily being from Yule. If she was from Lammatide it would be a different issue.
Ary, before walking around a dune that would render the ruins out of sight, had one last glance back, silently saying goodbye. She slowly made her way towards the rebuilding community of Samhain, from which she would travel to the Dome of Seasons then home. Home, that word she missed and filled her with longing and loneliness; a word she hadn't used for a long time. To get anywhere in Valdi, including home, she had to go this way. There was no other way to the other regions from Samhain, certainly not a safe one.
It was only in the last ten years people had started to come back to the region, mostly thanks to Ary, even if she did say so herself. Unsurprisingly, it had been hard for them all, but things were starting to look up, finally.
Ary, when she had been in the present, had helped rebuild whenever she could, mostly telling them of how it was in the past, when she looked up from the book her nose was buried in or tablet recording history, that is.
Ary never went far from the ruins, as there was no point: the town was, except for a few rare occasions, as far as she went. The people asked her, so she helped them. She liked them, they liked her.
Another thing she helped with was translating. The people struggled to understand the Autumn Guardian Luchtann, he couldn't talk. One needed to learn what the different tones of grunts and growls meant, which was hard for the average person: so they appreciated her for translating if nothing else.
Ary didn't mind, as long as she was doing something, and they seemed to appreciate her explaining how it was in the past: she didn't tell them that outright, of course. Some of it they would recognise from books, but the rest she had to pretend were her own ideas and beliefs.
The inability to sit still had always been Ary's problem, she needed to be doing something, even if it was brainstorming. Not to mention, the reason why she had set out on this journey in the first place was that inability. Ary couldn't sit still for long, and when she had an idea or wanted to do something, she tended to do it. With learning to use and finally mastering time travel, she was glad she had waited before setting out for it, as she had matured.
Ary, after returning that long-ago day, returned home, trained, helped her family, and worked on developed some patience, much to her mother's shock. Ary chuckled recalling her mother's open-mouthed wide-eyed stare when she showed patience was what allowed her to time travel. Without that patience, she would have been doomed to fail.
If Ary was honest, telling herself to go home, train, and grow up was the best piece of advice she had ever received. It allowed her to grow as a person not to mention become wiser, as well as improving how she did in duels, increasing success. Fighting was another place patience was important: waiting until the right moment to dodge or attack.
That somehow brought Ary to the issue of the light cores. Now she was finished, she needed to find something to do with them, not that she had really needed them all this time, anyway. The first time, she had used the cores to activate her time-travel potential. She had no idea if it was something about her or if all Vadlians could time-travel, though.
Ary had no idea what to do with the darn things, though. For now, she would leave them in the secret room beneath the Dome of Seasons, but that was merely a short term solution. She couldn't leave them there, that would endanger the dome.
In the meantime, Ary would try and work out something else to do with them, but unless she could work out how to rebuild or create the golems, she was at a loss for what else to do. An outcome that wasn't likely, as Ary wasn't that kind of person.
She had toyed with leaving them in the seasonal golems in the past, but Crocus had already created the cores by that point, so she instead left the ones from the past somewhere to be found, which happened was Algernonn, who placed them in the seasonal golems.
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A day had passed with Ary just walking, wishing to get across this desert faster. She wished the desert would shrink, every step getting harder with Ary not even bothering to stand up any more as dizziness from fatigue and heat set in.
She sometimes had to draw her sword and wave it menacingly at the mushroom creatures that thought of challenging her, making them think better of it and scurry off. That wasn't very often, though, there were not many and most were quite shy, making the hike even more boring.
Happiness washed over her at her personal insistence to keep a reasonable supply of fruit on her, as otherwise, she'd be very hungry or dehydrated by now; perhaps even dead. Thankfully, there were a few places she could stop and rest out of the weather so that she didn't have to sleep in the rain. Ary had no idea what that did for her health.
At what she thought was about nine a clock the morning of the second day of journeying, Ary glanced to her right to see the house-like building. Upon her first visit here, she thought it isn't far from the Cartographer. Now, she realises how far apart they actually are.
While they looked like strange houses or buildings, they were actually the top of the Autumn Temple, the only part visible now that it had sunk into the ground. Except for the entrance within the lake, but that was only visible underwater. Ary still had no idea what the structures were for: perhaps ventilation?
That reminded her: she never did find the Witch Cult in modern times, or even after the final battle, as it was called. The witches, or Guardians of the Schorl as they called themselves, seemed to have vanished after Emi's death. Ary wondered if they had retreated further into the mountains, unable to leave the area because of the Cartographer. It was also possible they had died out, or all been arrested and imprisoned under Ostara Castle until their deaths.
Considering Equinox had done his research into the history of Valdi twenty years ago, or so her father said, she believed they had simply retreated even further into the hills, withdrawing from the rest of the world completely as they couldn't leave the mountains. Wherever or not they have met terrible fates since she couldn't be sure of.
In the letters Equinox left, it was mentioned he had travelled into the mountains, and he had mentioned it was a difficult trek. Ary had been into the mountains in this time, albeit not very far, as she hadn't had the time. She had been a bit up the mountain from the ruins, believing they lived close by.
While Ary considered he could be a drama queen, she wouldn't call the track to even the ruins mountainous or hard, assuming you were not travelling in the heat of the day. Equinox had passed other landmarks or so he said, but she hadn't seen any of them. When Ary had met the witch cult, they had moved out of the mountains to near the temple and the future location of the Cartographer remains, but after that, Ary had no idea where the Guardians of Schorl went.
While it wouldn't happen today, Ary resolved to find them and help get them pardoned by the public, firmness on the decision implanted in her mind. It was only just getting finalised now to allow females into the known Guardian of Seasons, with Dagdann finally taking an apprentice in the form of his niece, or so she'd heard. The witches, Guardians of Schorl, would be a great addition even with that, though.
Brynn and Dagdann were both fairly old, only having new apprentices years from being ready. The Guardians of Schorl would mean all the apprentices would always have someone to train them, no matter what.
That would be a good idea if something happened to Brynn or Dagdann before their students were ready for guardianship, which was likely considering their ages, they were both seventy or older. Perhaps others in the future, too, as there was no reason why they couldn't get into this position again. Not to mention it would ease the load of work the guardians had to do, and Ary knew there was a lot, even without an immediate threat to Valdi.
Equinox was another person Ary would like to track down or find out the fate of. It shouldn't be hard either, as he lived in Yule. She had been to most parts of Yule and knew a lot of the people in the region, so she figured fining him and or his family wouldn't be hard. However, she did need to be there, and she needed to be there to make a start.
Until now, her time in the present was brief, as her goal for so long was just keeping history as it should be, or as close as she could, meaning that people hunting and even spending time with friends and family hadn't really happened. Now, she had plenty of time to look for people like Equinox. Before now, she would travel to the nearest library which was in dear old Samhain's singular settlement, (for now,) then leave again.
She had tried to go and visit everyone on some of their birthdays at the start, but after a while she stopped, realising she just couldn't do everything. She'd made it to two Christmases, much to her parent's dismay: at least she'd found and sent out presents each year! Surely Ary deserved points for that? She thought so.
All in all, though, the number of times she had seen her family or the other guardians since she started time travelling was under fifty. It was less than ten times since she'd seen her friends, who likely all thought her a terrible friend, at the very least.
Ary knew it was very bad and wrong of her, but she had been worried she wouldn't be able to force herself to return if she went, and by the seasons, it had been hard those times she had made it. While no one knew what she was actually up to, except for one, everyone understood why they saw so little of Ary. They all knew she was doing something very important for Valdi and their future, and everyone seemed to understand when she said that and promised to explain.
That evening, Ary reached the outskirts of the small community in Samhain, which caused her to celebrate and jump with wild joy. Finally! She was here! Ary thought, "And not a moment too soon, either. I was beginning to think I'd never get here."
Tomorrow, she would swim across the lake then continue to the Dome of Seasons, the next landmark after the town. Before leaving for Yule, she would visit Luchtann, who she wanted to talk to before heading home.
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Ary didn't see any people in this area, unsurprisingly, as it was mostly storage buildings and it was nighttime. In the morning, though, as she washed her face and ate, she saw some of the locals around. Ary waved when they waved, and Ary had a brief conversation with a few people along the way.
Ary didn't stop apart from that; as much as this place had grown on her, she had much to do and she just wanted to go home, not to mention see her parents and brother again. She couldn't wait to see them again, and she had plenty of stories to tell Flynn. Finally, she could tell him stories rather than the other way round!
Ary, after double-checking she was wearing the Aqua necklace, -a necklace that allowed her to breathe underwater- dived into the lake and swam across towards the underground path. She had to take it to get to the other side of the wall, unfortunately, she wished she didn't have to dive as it made her nervous, because of that incident where she almost drowned.
Many, many years ago, it had been built to protect the people against the dangers of the desert. It also kept out the water when the temple fell into the earth after the season was frozen as eternal rainy autumn, weakening the dam then causing it to collapse. There had been a bridge back then, though.
She wondered if a bridge would eventually be rebuilt, and if so, would it go over the wall? Or would they go through it? Ary didn't know, but she would be suggesting it if anyone asked.
As she swam across the surface, only planning to dive when she had to, Ary saw a few people swimming along with her. Mostly they were searching for fish and seaweed, but some going for their morning exercise: she couldn't understand why.
Ary recognised some of the people swimming. She realised quite a few had been among the children she had freed from underneath Ostara Castle all those years ago. Despite assuring them they didn't owe her anything and any decent human being would do the same, they were all still grateful for Ary and Muscari's actions and remembered them both even today.
As Ary passed what she could see of the temple, she stopped and looked at it, treading water as best she could. She admired what she could see, (which wasn't much,) recalling her adventures there.
If she dived under the water, she'd be able to see the entrance to the temple, but Ary didn't want to. As she now knew from her adventures, the people who didn't follow Emi or Algernonn had built it and then lived in the temple for a time. Back then, as well as honouring and praying to autumn, those people were fond of traps and torturing people they didn't like, hence the torture devices and spikes.
They had originally built the temple to celebrate the season of autumn, the one which was most pleasant for the area, even before Valdi was put under the Great Curse. That didn't, however, prevent the desert dwellers from giving the temple other uses.
Ary shook her head and swam on, realising she stopped travelling to think, yet again. While this habit had only started happening recently, if it was a habit yet, it was still annoying. As she dived under the wall, Ary berated herself and shook angrily for being distracted so easily. What if she was in the middle of a fight? Such behaviour could spell her doom.
After swimming under the wall and getting out on the other side, Ary got out and tried to dry her hair a bit, sitting on the shore. She eventually was satisfied, though she shivered slightly as her alarmingly cold hair touched her back. When she was happy enough, she stood up to walk to Lachtann's house, figuring it was the best place for her to start her search for him.
Before she went there, she looked around, taking in people's homes and the shops; designed similar to the homes in Lammastide, but they were also similar to the weird tower/building like parts of the Summer and Autumn Temples. She hadn't seen the top of the Spring Temple, being built within the mountains, and the Winter Temple was a different beast altogether.
After walking to be as close to Luchtann's house as possible without swimming, Ary swam a short distance to get to it. She really needed to have a word with him about this. If nothing else, it was a bit anti-social for the guardian to force everyone to swim to his house just to say hello.
When she finally arrived, Ary peeked inside the desolate house to find no Luchtann. But she wasn't too put out, as there were numerous places he could be, just this seemed the best and easiest place to start. While he didn't want to do anything with it, Ary knew Luchtann found his home as desolate and depressing as the rest of them (including her) did.
After a quick search of the town area, Ary changed tactics and started looking for someone else. She spotted someone who would almost certainly know the whereabouts of the Autumn Guardian, the person she was looking for.
Alfred: he was one of the few people whose family was from Samhain, and he also was the hardest worker in rebuilding the community. He was nearby Luchtann's house when Ary saw him, which was part of why she asked, that and he always knew these things.
Alfred was a great guy, friendly, enthusiastic and a hard worker, but he couldn't fight. He had learnt, but it wasn't him and he wasn't even naturally talented. Thus, despite him being well suited in every other area, he wasn't the Autumn Apprentice. Ary wondered if Luchtann even asked.
Ary said hello to Alfred, then asked if he knew where Luchtann was. "He told me was going to the Dome of Seasons to do some paperwork: at least, I think that's what he said. Will you be staying or returning soon, Ary?" Alfred asked. He continued, repeating what seemed to be the speech he always gave her when they spoke, something which made her want to laugh, roll her eyes and sigh at the same time.
His speech went on like, "As you know, we want to bring this place back to the thriving community it was many, many years ago when this place was thriving. Because the climate is so different to anywhere else, nothing we try seems to work. The things you've suggested, though, all have. Please will you be able to help us soon?"
"I'll be back soon, Alfred; that's all I can say. Before I spend much time here helping you guys, there are people I need to see," Ary said, carefully choosing her words, giving a smile. While Alfred and so many others were trying hard, they had little idea of what it was like in ancient times, not to mention a wet desert was an odd climate, and unlike anywhere else in Valdi. Thus, they had little hope for coming up with successful ideas.
Ary had been in Samhain back when it was alive and a thriving community, meaning she knew what it had been like, not to mention she knew the tricks for creating the town and cultivating the land best they could. She struggled with suggesting it, though, and not making it sound as though she knew it would work. That would raise too many questions.
"Good. Will you be going on one of your adventures again soon? You don't seem to hang around long: where do you go?" Alfred asked, leaning in and looking at her inquisitively. He was being nosy and poking around for her business, but he somehow remained polite.
"Not for a while: I'm done. There are a few more things I want to do, but I want to have a rest first," Ary explained, able to tell the truth without mentioning time travel. "But other than that, I'm done. I must say I'm glad."
"Fair enough, and understandable. You have been at it so long, I'm surprised you have lasted this long without needing to stop or wanting to stop," Alfred nodded, recalling Ary passing through often throughout the last few years, never stopping more than a week. He tried to remember if he had ever caught how long she had been going for: she had been at this since before he came here.
"That means I'll be visiting more often now. You realise you'll be able to ask for lots of help, right?" Ary said, chuckling. She was not even sure why.
"True! Look forward to it! I can't wait to see the progress we make!" Alfred said excitedly, causing Ary to laugh. Alfred's enthusiasm for improving Samhain always made her giggle.
"See you then," Ary said, waving. "I'll be back soon."
"Bye, Ary! I'll hold you to that!" Alfred said, waving quickly, before continuing what he was doing, which was transporting some flour.
Ary smiled as she walked away, joy bubbling inside: she was glad to be back. Her life as the Legendary Warrior had been exciting and what she had always wanted, but it was also a very lonely life. She had to hide from every soul, no one could see her face or know she was a girl. She had never truly getting to know anyone, and never taking her helmet off, except for in private.
Ary shook herself out of her thoughts and continued, not wanting to miss Luchtann if he left. While with the path ahead she'd be going to miss him, she didn't want to risk it. Otherwise, she could be following him around forever, knowing her luck.
She wanted to return to Yule as soon as possible, too. It had been so long since she had last been to her old stomping grounds, and just as long since she'd seen Flynn and her parents. She missed them so much, and her home's snowy mountains and fields. Ary was looking forward to finally stopping to chat with her family.
As the evening began to fall, Ary arrived at the Dome of Seasons, stopping to admire the great wooden doors furnished in gold. For some reason, the adventure from the town of Samhain, -tentatively called The Samhain Hub by the locals- seemed to take forever, at it wasn't even that far.
The Dome of Seasons, if she was honest, was the place where it had all started. This was the place that had really set her on the path she had taken. It made sense it would be the place it all ended, at last.
Ary pushed open the giant wooden doors decorated in cogs, happy to see it hadn't changed much, not that she expected it to: but who knew?
Her lips and face twitched upwards into a smile, looking around as she slowly crossed the magnificent hall to the stairs, recalling how when she first arrived, she had been impressed by the building itself and the echo it made. She cringed and unintentionally scratched the back of her head when she recalled her younger self's childish antics by calling out. This place reminded her of Dagdann's home architecture, which made sense, as they were built at similar times, or so she'd heard.
She proceeded up the stairs, seeing the table in the centre of the building where the Guardians met and held their meetings. Surrounding the table were eight chairs: one for each guardian and apprentice. This was surrounded by various tables and stands with old scrolls and books, most of which were pulled against the inner partition-like wall, which was broken into four sections. Above each path (which led to a door to each area of Valdi,) was a coloured crystal depicting the season of the area the path led to, helpful for travellers who had never left their home region.
As she ascended the stairs and walked into the centre of the room, Luchtann's bearskin hood followed by the rest of him came into Ary's vision. He was standing in front of the way to Yule, looking as though he was in deep thought, staring the ground to the path to Ostara. He didn't really look like he was doing paperwork, but that was normal guardian behaviour: always avoiding doing work.
"Luchtann!" Ary cried, waving madly, contentment warming her at the sight of an old friend.
Luchtann shot his gaze up from the ground he had been staring at, then he quickly looked around with a puzzled expression. Upon seeing Ary, his expression turned to a smile and grunted to say hello and wave back.
"It's great to see you, Luchtann. You look well, and so does Samhain! Everyone has been doing a great job!" Ary exclaimed, bounding over with a big smile.
"Grun, grunt! (Thank you, Ary: you look well, too. You have inspired them to work hard,)" Luchtann said.
"Grun, grunt! (Thank you, Ary: you look well, too. You have inspired them to work hard,)" Luchtann said honestly.
Luchtann and everyone else had always said that to her about the progress with Samhain, and she hated it. She felt like she had done little, except for telling them what it had been like ten thousand years ago, (she did leave that part out, though,) of course.
Luchtann and everyone else had always said that to her about the progress with Samhain, and she hated it. She felt like she had done little, except for telling them what it had been like ten thousand years ago, she did leave that part out, though.
Luchtannn was the only person Ary was sure knew the truth in full detail. He only knew because he was at the ruins one time when she returned to the future/present, meaning Ary had explained it to him. Albeit, Ary was sure Flynn, at the very least, suspected what she was up to. Not seeing any reason not to, she thought she'd tell him and her parents when she returned home, to an extent, at least. They deserved to know, as did everyone else.
"Yes, I am. As far as I'm aware, I have done everything I need to to keep history the same. It's finally the end! I've had a blast, I'll admit that, but I am glad to be done," Ary nodded. "Besides, it's not like Valdi is dead in this time: still plenty of things to do."
"Gru, grunt. (Too many things in my opinion.)" Luchtann said, expressing his and the other guardians' displeasure of the problems of hyenas and other threats that popped up.
To be fair, Dagdann and Brynn were quite old to be fair, and while Luchtann wasn't old, he wasn't young, either. Ary knew her father was the youngest, and she was sure someone had said by at least ten years compared to the next youngest of the other three, which was Luchtann.
"I know, but that's partly what the apprentices are for, right?" Ary asked and Luchtann nodded, albeit with slight hesitation.
After a brief period of silence, Luchtann gestured towards the centre of the dome. Ary was curious to hear what he said, as she knew that was where the vault and entrance to the underground chamber were located. "Grew, GRU, grunt. (What about him? Is he still alive? Is he still in there?)" Luchtann asked, referring to the Mage, Crocus.
Apart from Luchtann whom she really had to tell, the only thing the other guardians knew about her time adventures was about the very first one, when she helped defeat the Evil Mage, discovering he and Crocus were the same.
"Unless someone has let him out without me knowing, yes, he still is in there. I don't know what to do with him though. I am toying with the idea of killing him or letting him go: I have been for a while, now," Ary sighed, hoping she would not regret it if she decided to be really merciful.
"Grunt? (Why would we either? He betrayed us and kidnapped children: he deserves this fate,)" Luchtann asked with a bitter note in his voice, which was fair enough.
She sighed once again then spoke. "I know, and I used to agree. I still hate what he did and I don't regret sealing him in the time vault, but has he paid his debt, his price? Another thing for letting him go is..." Ary stopped for a breath. "We all know what he's capable of, and I have always managed to defeat him, so that isn't an issue. But to be honest, I don't think he will be causing any problems anymore.
"While I'm still sore at him for the things he did, we have reached an understanding, and like me, I'd imagine he has been doing some of those things just to keep history," Ary shrugged trying not to clench her jaw, ignoring the urge to punch the person in question. The next part came out forced: this was harder than she thought.
"Besides, if I was going to sentence Crocus to be stuck in there for the rest of eternity or until he dies, I might as well have killed him, certainly after all this time. I have wanted to, but the only time I could bring myself to do it, my younger self stopped me. I have never truly hated him, and I worry that Flynn will be upset if I do kill him. I'm beginning to think Crocus has paid the price, too. This just leaves me unsure, though."
"Grun, grunt. (I suppose there's always the chance someone could let him out, with the same ideas as our fallen Apprentice,)" Luchtann added, nodding. With Ary's argument, he couldn't help but see she had a point and be inclined to free him, too. It was a very sore spot for Brynn still, though, so he'd be harder to convince. "(Let's decide with the others, take a vote at the next meeting.)"
"Yes, there is that chance. Good idea. Changing the subject slightly, have you found an apprentice yet?" Ary asked, brightening a bit.
"Grew, (no,)" Luchtann shook his head, his expression falling, a forlorn look flashing across his face briefly. "Graw, grew, (no one in Samhain is settled enough to take on the task, certainly not among the ones who understand me. Alfred would be the best and good, but as you know, he can't fight, something which a guardian needs to be able to do.)"
"Oh, that's too bad. I don't know if you are interested, but I'd be happy to become the Autumn Apprentice. I have been involved with the Guardians for a while now, and it's a good excuse to stay moving. I know I'm not related to you or from Samhain, but I do know there are laws to make allowances in certain instances," Ary offered, hoping he'd accept. "Despite its first impression, I have grown to like Samhain, and it's become a second home. While the weather is strange, it has its own charm."
"Oh, that's too bad. I don't know if you are interested, but I'd be happy to become the Autumn Apprentice, and I want to. I have been involved with the Guardians for a while now, and it's a good excuse to stay moving. I know I'm not related to you or from Samhain, but I do know there are laws to make allowances in certain instances," Ary offered, hoping he'd accept. "Despite its first impression, I have grown to like Samhain, and it's become a second home. While the weather is strange, it has its own charm."
Of course, when Flynn did return, he said she could be the winter apprentice, but Ary again refused, knowing she would be too busy. Anyway, by right, it was Flynn's position, and Ary knew how much he enjoyed being the Winter Apprentice. Besides, he'd be an awesome guardian.
"Graw, grunt, (you would be a good guardian, Ary, but are you sure it's not too tame?)" Luchtann asked, flinching and his facing moving as though his eyes widened ever so slightly. He knew why Ary had refused to become the Winter Apprentice, but he hadn't even considered Ary would be interested in becoming the Autumn Apprentice.
"Nah: sitting at home being a housewife or something would be boring. As long as I get the odd fight and to move around, I'm fine. I can cope with tame, but now I know I'll never be able to return to the humble life I had before I set out to find Flynn," Ary said, laughing at her image of herself settling for a life like her mother's.
"Gra, grunt. (It's settled then. When your ready, come and find me in Samhain and we will start your training, not that there is much you don't know. You are fit to be a guardian right now,)" Luchtann nodded. He then added, "Grunt. (Say hello to your family for me, please.)"
At the confirmation of her future role, happiness overtook her, her heart ready to burst. "I will. If you don't mind, before I come back, I may go and visit Brynn and Dagdann. Partly because it's been so long, and partly because I really want to meet their apprentices," Ary requested. Then she added, going into deep thought, "Though... April the Summer Apprentice: she does sound a bit strange."
"Grunt, graw, grew. (Dagdann chose her, and she's his niece: what do you expect? They would both like that, though,)" Luchtann laughed. "(Everyone has missed you.)"
"That's nice, I've missed everyone, too. Oh! By the way: can you open the passage downstairs, please?" Ary requested, having forgotten about them until now. She was glad she'd remembered, as lugging the light cores around the world would be a drag. "I still have the light cores, you see, and for now, I believe down there is the safest place for them. I'll find a better hiding spot, though, I promise!"
"That's nice, I've missed everyone, too. Oh! Can you open the passage downstairs, please?" Ary requested, having forgotten about them until now. She was glad she'd remembered, as lugging the light cores around the world would be a drag. "I still have the light cores, you see, and for now, I believe down there is the safest place for them. I'll find a better hiding spot, though, I promise!"
"Graw," Luchtann nodded, proceeding to the table in the middle of the room, where he activated the stairs. He played around pressing a few buttons, allowing the room below to reveal itself.
"Well, I am going to get on my way. See you soon, Luchtann! After spending a bit of time at home, I'll be back to start my journey as an apprentice, and to help Samhain continue improving," Ary said once the room was hidden again, feeling very bubbly. "I promised Alfred I'd be back soon, too."
"Grun, grunt! See you then, Aryelle," Luchtann said, giving his rare few words of speech. Because him actually talking was so rare, Ary never corrected him on her name except for the first time, (knowing he knew, too,) though she hated being called that.
Ary headed towards the entrance to Yule, waving as she descended the stairs. Luchtann waved quickly before headed back to Samhain. After descending the stairs and stopping, admiring the blue etching in the walls. Ary before too long, decided to camp here for the night, heading home tomorrow instead: it was too late now.
The next morning after breakfast, Ary opened the giant doors to Yule, where she was greeted by the Yule Winter. Something that was very welcome and the dark-haired girl had missed. She hadn't experienced it for a very long time. She smiled, barely able to conceal her delight at the sight.
In front of her sprawled the entire region, all covered in snow as it should be. At the far end, high above the rest of the land, Ary could see her home: it may still be far, after such a long journey, it would be nothing to Ary.
As she made her descend and started the final leg of the journey home, Ary smiled, skipping as she went. Words from the past entered and exited her mind along with her own thoughts, including things people had said about how Flynn would be proud. One thought, though, stayed in Ary's mind, one which relates to her current situation for the moment:
"I'm finally coming home."
"I'm finally coming... home."
Done! Thank you for reading, and please let me know if there are any funnies because while I was formatting this it did some strange things. I also tried to be a bit more expressive and show don't tell, which was hard with how I wrote this. Feel free to tell me how I did, and your thoughts on some of my ideas and takes on things? Any interest in expansions would be taken into account.
For some reason, Grammarly doesn't like this, but I was happy with how it turned out. Also, to any of the creators reading this: you made an enjoyable game with great potential, just the ending was poor and there were still way too many glitches.
For those interested: I'd give the game four and a half stars for story, not five because there were a few loose ends things that got forgotten (like the enslaved children,) three for combat, as it was ok, but there were times when more description before a fight could have been used and there were these fancy things the average player doesn't need to use. Three for gameplay, mainly because of glitches, and being able to get locked in the spring temple if you return there. two for overworld: great potential, but underdeveloped and all NPC should say something even if it's Tehe, or hello.
Also, reason I have Ary becoming the Autumn apprentice (forgive spelling) is in this world Flynn returns alive and well, and he was the winter apprentice, and before this point Ary was busy. This ties it up nicely, and I thought it was fitting
Thanks for dropping by. Please vote in my poll