Searching for That Light - A Houshin Engi Fantasy
Chapter 2
"Kill him!"
"Wait!" Fugen grabbed Tenka"s elbow. The warrior bristled and tried to shove the cleric"s hand away.
"He"s after the same thing as us, Fugen! Are you going to LET that happen?" If he gets the wish, your mother is going to die!"
Fugen"s grip loosened slightly. He looked away and walked unsteadily to the round stool, sitting down heavily. Tenka looked at his friend and heat burned his ears.
"I am sorry, Fugen. I shouldn"t have......"
Fugen lifted up a hand and waved Tenka"s words away. "I am alright, Tenka." But....." The cleric looked up, staring into Tenka"s face. "We just can"t kill him thus, Tenka. It.. It is wrong."
Tenka scratched his head, shifting his bandana a little to get to the itch. He sat down on the stool besides the cleric.
"What do you think we should do, Fugen""
"We bring him along. With us, Tenka." Fugen"s fingers on his staff curled tightly. "We don"t kill him. We let the Citadel do it."
+ ~ + ~ + ~
"Have you seen this man?"
The young paladin shoved a black and white lithograph under the fruitseller's nose. The burly woman shook her head and shooed him away like as he was a fruit fly coming to prey on her grapes. The paladin sighed and walked away, chucking the drawing into his backpack.
He had been here for days. A week for that matter. That renegade should be here before him. A curse escaped his lips involuntarily. He had been searching for the wizard and following him eversince that man left the port. And no one has seen him. The paladin glanced at the crowd, their brown hair and pale skin standing out starkly. It should be easy to spot a blue-haired wizard....
Taikoubou wanted his promotion desperately. And this was the last test. To capture the wizard Youzen and bring him before the High Council to be judged. Youzen stole from the High Wizards - a magical item, a staff of great power which allowed him all kinds of mutations and transformations. And because of this staff, he had escaped successfully each time he was nearly caught. The paladin shifted the sword upon his back to a more comfortable angle. The sun was hot on his bare head. In the distance, the light bounced off the quartz balustrades of the Moon Citadel. The magical quartz sent rainbows flying over the white rooftops of the town surrounding it. It was an enchanting sight at times, but Taikoubou was not interested in dancing colors on white walls right now. He was tired. He wanted to sleep. But he had to find Youzen. Sucking his teeth with impatience, he took out the lithograph and strode down the last lane of the neighbourhood.
It was a pretty lane. The flower boxes of the houses were overgrown with bright pink and white blossoms. Puddles of water dotted the cobblestones beneath the boxes. In a distance, someone was watering the blooms. Taikoubou hastened his steps and walked towards the figure.
"Have you seen this person?"
The woman looked at him slowly and down at the lithograph. A frown creased her forehead and she put down her watering can. She took the lithograph and held it to the light and nodded at the paladin. "Why do you want to find him?" "He"s my friend." Taikoubou lied. The woman's dark head nodded again. Her wet fingers smoothed back a lock of short hair behind her ear. "She knows where he is. Come."
~ + ~ + ~ + ~
"The Moon Citadel was built by the High Wizard of the North, Genshitenson. When he left the Council, he wanted a place to store his magic and for his tomb. And thus, he used his magic and shaped quartz and marble and silver from the deepest mines of the Northern Mountains and created the Moon Citadel."
The guide paused for breath and the visitors gawked at the tall, pale structure in front of them. It was very far away, surrounded by dark green trees and a gate of steel.
"The legend goes after the High Wizard's death, his only daughter appeared from the Citadel and spoke to the people who gathered.
'A dying wish has my father. For those who enter the Moon Citadel and pass the tests, shall a wish be granted, be it of evil or good. For those who enter and fail, they would join him in his sleep. So, come forth those who want to challenge the Moon Citadel.'
Those present on that day said the girl vanished into a sweet smelling mist after she finished her speech. No one dared to enter the Citadel and as years flew past, the story grew forgotten."
The guide stopped again. One of the visitors, a hooded man of medium height, asked softly. His voice had a sleepy drawl to it.
"Is there any way, we could enter the Citadel?"
The guide frowned and shook his head.
"The Mayor has restricted all entry to the Citadel." The guide took out a large, stained handkerchief and mopped his sweating head. "That is why we are in this tower galleria now."
The man nodded and glanced at the young girl standing besides him. She put a hand on his, and her eyes turned to stare at the glittering Citadel.
Chapter 2
"Kill him!"
"Wait!" Fugen grabbed Tenka"s elbow. The warrior bristled and tried to shove the cleric"s hand away.
"He"s after the same thing as us, Fugen! Are you going to LET that happen?" If he gets the wish, your mother is going to die!"
Fugen"s grip loosened slightly. He looked away and walked unsteadily to the round stool, sitting down heavily. Tenka looked at his friend and heat burned his ears.
"I am sorry, Fugen. I shouldn"t have......"
Fugen lifted up a hand and waved Tenka"s words away. "I am alright, Tenka." But....." The cleric looked up, staring into Tenka"s face. "We just can"t kill him thus, Tenka. It.. It is wrong."
Tenka scratched his head, shifting his bandana a little to get to the itch. He sat down on the stool besides the cleric.
"What do you think we should do, Fugen""
"We bring him along. With us, Tenka." Fugen"s fingers on his staff curled tightly. "We don"t kill him. We let the Citadel do it."
+ ~ + ~ + ~
"Have you seen this man?"
The young paladin shoved a black and white lithograph under the fruitseller's nose. The burly woman shook her head and shooed him away like as he was a fruit fly coming to prey on her grapes. The paladin sighed and walked away, chucking the drawing into his backpack.
He had been here for days. A week for that matter. That renegade should be here before him. A curse escaped his lips involuntarily. He had been searching for the wizard and following him eversince that man left the port. And no one has seen him. The paladin glanced at the crowd, their brown hair and pale skin standing out starkly. It should be easy to spot a blue-haired wizard....
Taikoubou wanted his promotion desperately. And this was the last test. To capture the wizard Youzen and bring him before the High Council to be judged. Youzen stole from the High Wizards - a magical item, a staff of great power which allowed him all kinds of mutations and transformations. And because of this staff, he had escaped successfully each time he was nearly caught. The paladin shifted the sword upon his back to a more comfortable angle. The sun was hot on his bare head. In the distance, the light bounced off the quartz balustrades of the Moon Citadel. The magical quartz sent rainbows flying over the white rooftops of the town surrounding it. It was an enchanting sight at times, but Taikoubou was not interested in dancing colors on white walls right now. He was tired. He wanted to sleep. But he had to find Youzen. Sucking his teeth with impatience, he took out the lithograph and strode down the last lane of the neighbourhood.
It was a pretty lane. The flower boxes of the houses were overgrown with bright pink and white blossoms. Puddles of water dotted the cobblestones beneath the boxes. In a distance, someone was watering the blooms. Taikoubou hastened his steps and walked towards the figure.
"Have you seen this person?"
The woman looked at him slowly and down at the lithograph. A frown creased her forehead and she put down her watering can. She took the lithograph and held it to the light and nodded at the paladin. "Why do you want to find him?" "He"s my friend." Taikoubou lied. The woman's dark head nodded again. Her wet fingers smoothed back a lock of short hair behind her ear. "She knows where he is. Come."
~ + ~ + ~ + ~
"The Moon Citadel was built by the High Wizard of the North, Genshitenson. When he left the Council, he wanted a place to store his magic and for his tomb. And thus, he used his magic and shaped quartz and marble and silver from the deepest mines of the Northern Mountains and created the Moon Citadel."
The guide paused for breath and the visitors gawked at the tall, pale structure in front of them. It was very far away, surrounded by dark green trees and a gate of steel.
"The legend goes after the High Wizard's death, his only daughter appeared from the Citadel and spoke to the people who gathered.
'A dying wish has my father. For those who enter the Moon Citadel and pass the tests, shall a wish be granted, be it of evil or good. For those who enter and fail, they would join him in his sleep. So, come forth those who want to challenge the Moon Citadel.'
Those present on that day said the girl vanished into a sweet smelling mist after she finished her speech. No one dared to enter the Citadel and as years flew past, the story grew forgotten."
The guide stopped again. One of the visitors, a hooded man of medium height, asked softly. His voice had a sleepy drawl to it.
"Is there any way, we could enter the Citadel?"
The guide frowned and shook his head.
"The Mayor has restricted all entry to the Citadel." The guide took out a large, stained handkerchief and mopped his sweating head. "That is why we are in this tower galleria now."
The man nodded and glanced at the young girl standing besides him. She put a hand on his, and her eyes turned to stare at the glittering Citadel.
