DRAGON CAMPAIGN
CHAPTER 14
Roads less traveled
Rose frowned indignantly as all eyes turned her way. For the first time in many years, she felt overly nervous and even a tad bit scared. After practically reliving the horrible events of her life, then getting another shock of her apparent savior in the guise of her enemies and now, everyone turning to her for explanation, it was safe to say she was more then a little flustered and overwhelmed.
"Well? What are you all looking at me for?" Rose hissed, not giving an inch as she raised her blade slightly higher, straightening her battle stance. If the need arose once more, she would not be taken off guard a second time.
Zieg looked on at the dark haired woman with a carefully expressionless posture. Belzack, the big man, however showed his frustration clearly enough. "Because you have yet to tell us who you are!" He replied with exasperation.
"My… friend doesn't need to tell you… anything!"
All eyes quickly turned to the red haired figure who was only just now beginning to rise to her feet. Shirley regained her balance with slightly unsteady feet. She gave her head another vigorous shake before glaring at each and every person present in the dimly lit cave. "If there is a misunderstanding, then it is 'they' who must do the answering!" Shirley spat out, pointing savagely towards the rebels who had captured them. "From our recent experience with those brutes, we've no reason but to see you all as potential enemies to ourselves! What explanation do you have prepared that will quell our rebellious spirits from cutting you all down right now?"
As Emphasis, the red haired woman hoisted up her previously discarded bow, aiming it directly at the old man.
Zieg had to carefully guard against the huge grin that threatened to spread across his face. For the first time, the old man actually looked panicked and nervous as he realized he was being targeted. "N… now now, ladies! Let's not get hasty!"
"Shut up!" Rose sneered. She easily walked alongside her companion, still holding her sword out threateningly. "We've had enough of your words and your abuse. We will not be taken lightly any longer."
"…If you would only follow me, everything shall be explai-"
"NO!" Rose yelled. "Everything shall be explained right here and right now!" Now that she was regaining her composure, the dark haired woman could not quell the deep ever growing rage she was feeling in her heart, nor would she particularly wish to stop it at the moment either. She almost smiled proudly as the old man seemed to flinch at here words.
"…Very well.." He replied finally, thinning his lips to a grim line. "I shall tell you all you wish to know. We had suspected a few travelers of spying around the city. Our suspicions were true obviously. But still, we needed to find out if they were on our side or on the side of our enemies, the Wingly. Thus our leader ordered us to investigate."
"So you aren't working for the Wingly then." Shirley confirmed, more to herself then anyone else.
"I would be more interested to speak with your actual leader then to speak with an underling like you." Rose said flatly.
"Patience… patience. All in good time. I was just preparing to guide you all there myself just now before everything broke into commotion like it did."
"Shut up and finish telling us everything we need to know!" Rose interjected.
Zieg couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips now as he inwardly roared merrily at the antics taking place before him. Rose turned sharply towards the man and shot him an angry glare. Zieg noticed that everyone else also glared at him with something akin to anger.
Zieg self-consciously cleared his throat, muttering a low apology. Everyone turned their focus back to the old man who had, apparently regained a few shreds of his composure after that last interruption. "We initially thought your two groups were together. The way you both acted, you seemed so much alike we assumed you were all one set unit."
"Well you obviously overestimated us." Rose refuted. "Anyway, continue."
"Well, we were planning to capture you both and bring you before our leader. However, on the journey we would make sure you all were legitimately on our side so as not to put our leader in any unnecessary harm."
"And how would you go about that?" Shirley asked suspiciously.
"The proving stone." Belzack replied in an almost mechanical voice. "When my companion and I were being lead through these caverns, we had to go through our own test. The old man called it the proving stone. It supposedly had the power to decipher true intention when you touched it. If you were potentially useful to the rebels it would open for you. If you were not, it would remain as it is. We apparently passed the test."
Rose nodded comprehensively towards Belzack, then turned her head so that she once again looked directly at the old man. "I can understand your need for security in a city like this but still…" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that any reason for your rebel cohorts to find it necessary to abuse their captives the way these thugs have?" She glared coldly at each and every one of them.
The old man once again cleared his throat. "Heh, heh, I can assure you m'lady that they will all be severely punished for their misconduct."
"Let me save you the effort!" Rose hissed, advancing towards the group. The rebels seemed to shrink away in fear at her approach. Suddenly, Zieg walked forward grabbing hold of her arm before she could walk any closer. "That's quite enough lady."
Rose turned her eyes on him, glaring angrily. Had Zieg been any less confident in himself and his abilities, he might have equally shrank away from her gaze as had many of the other rebels. Yet Zieg stoically stood his ground, returning her look.
"Let go of me!" Rose hissed in a deadly voice. Zieg's expression lightened as did his grip. "Hey no problem." He said in a friendly voice. "Look, I was quite impressed with your display back there… matter of fact, it kinda makes me wonder why me and 'my' companion didn't try it ourselves earlier." He gave a meaningful look towards Belzack as if mentally asking the big man why he hadn't thought of acting like that. Belzack, in return, shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
Zieg sighed with a grin as he looked back at her. "In any case, I think it best if we just followed this old coot to their leader. At least then more of our questions can be answered and, like you said earlier, we wouldn't have to be talking with this lowly underdog anymore."
Rose didn't say anything, opting instead to yank her shoulder away from the man and walk a few steps away from him. Shirley soon walked up to her comrade and placed a comforting hand no her shoulder. "He does have a point." She replied readily.
Rose arched a single eyebrow at her friend. "I didn't say he didn't. We might as well get to the bottom of this stupid game anyway. Time's running short."
Shirley smiled lightly at her friend's decision then turned back towards the old man. He seemed to immediately freeze up when he noticed the bow once again targeted on him. Shirley grinned slightly. "Ok lead the way pops."
The old man slowly nodded his head and soon the whole group of rebels began following him down the dark path through the adjoining corridor. As they all walked, the two male companions followed in step by the rear of the group. Zieg quickly walked up along side Rose, once again donning his friendly smile. "The name's Zieg. And your name is…?"
Rose gave him only a slight glance to the side as she hadn't bothered to even turn her head to look at him. She seemed to arch her head up proudly at his statement and quicken her pace. "None of your business." She replied, then walked up further towards the group so that she was no longer in step with him. The friendly smile on Zieg's face slowly crumbled into an indignant frown. Belzack trailed up along side his friend, not bothering to hide the amused grin on his face. "Not particularly the most friendly girl around, is she?"
Zieg continued to look ahead grimly as he answered his friend with a dry voice. "Not at all."
****
After walking for what seemed like hours the old man stopped in front of a thick wall then turned back towards the group. The rebels seemed to understand full well the meaning of this action as they quickly parted to the side so only the four companions were standing in the center.
All four of them traded glances with each other, unsure of exactly what was going on. "This is the final test." The old man said, by way of explanation. "The two females are to test the proving stones so that we may discover if they are truly worthy to visit our leader."
"We've had enough of your foolish games already, old man." Belzack grumbled, now becoming agitated.
"In case you haven't noticed, behemoth, this is not a game! Nothing could be further from the truth in fact. Now, if you don't wish to waste time, I suggest those two ladies advance and take the final test now. Otherwise, we will go no further."
Rose sighed and walked purposefully towards the stone wall. Shirley was quick to match her friends pace so that soon the two women were walking side by side. Rose stopped in front of the stone wall then gave the old man a skeptical look. "If this is a trap, you will suffer."
The old man shook his head in sarcastic exasperation. "Whatever, just get on with it already!"
Rose turned her eyes back onto the wall. Letting out a soft sigh she extended her hand and placed the palm onto the smooth stone surface. Before she knew it, she felt the wall crumbling at her touch as if its very core were disintegrating right before her.
The old man smiled proudly. "Very well done. Welcome to the hold. He quickly advanced to the front of the group and walked into the entrance. The rebel guards were quick to flank all positions of the four companions.
The group now all walked down a dark passageway yet they could see a bright light ahead of them through a distant opening. The guard who had been in charge in the kidnapping quickly walked alongside Rose, lowering his head in a bow. "M'lady, I just wish to apologize for our rough treatment of you earlier. You must understand that in the world we are living in, only enmity and rage encompass the hearts of those who's loved one's were lost at the hands of the cruel overlords."
Rose shifted slightly, turning her head towards him. "I know full well this feeling, as well as the bitterness you must feel. I suppose the intention was logical. Very well, I forgive you."
The guard smiled warmly but said no more, opting instead to walk protectively beside her.
Zieg saw the whole scene and couldn't prevent a frown from forming on his face. "I just don't get it Bel! I mean I went out of my way and saved the girl but she doesn't give me so much as a 'thank you.' But then, some guy who was previously assaulting her gives her a half-assed apology and she's all stars with him!"
The big man grinned as he looked down at his comrade. "Zieg, I never thought I would have seen the day. You're actually jealous."
The shorter man's face swiftly contorted into shocked disbelief. "I am not! I'm merely stating that woman's ingratitude! Besides, I'd never give a pest like her the time of day!"
Belzack smirked, unconvinced. "Confident, are we?"
"Always." Zieg replied readily. Yet for some reason his eyes roamed once more on the slim figure of the dark haired woman he despised so much.
Shirley looked back at the two male companions and suppressed a chuckle.
"What is it?" Rose asked curiously.
Shirley looked at her companion deviously. "You know, that guy's been looking at you the whole time."
"Well then that's his prerogative. Maybe he'll trip and fall. That'll teach him to pay more attention to his terrain rather then the people around him."
Shirley gave her friend a droll look. "Rose you can't say you're not in the least bit attracted to that guy. I mean look at him."
"Hmph!" Rose arched an eyebrow. "At that bafoon? I've got more important things to occupy my mind with."
Shirley simply shrugged and said no more. The light before them continued to grow bigger and brighter until suddenly the four companions couldn't help but stop in alarmed pleasure.
The rebels, seeing their reactions, couldn't help grinning as they too came to a halt. The old man stopped at the head of the group then turned around to face them. All around them was a huge city in the grounds. Its aura of crimson red mixed in with the glittering hues of crystal white and blue shadings made the realm into an underground paradise. Beyond, as far as they could tell, they were standing on a wide huge platform yet all around that, were huge flowing rivers of lava, so vividly colored in crimson hues that they gave off a beautiful soothing effect. The platform cascaded into a wide catwalk to meet an even wider landing where a huge city had been conveniently constructed. Towers raised high in the underground city as well as smaller domains for less important but equally accepted citizens. The most odd feature of it all however was that, even though buried in the very depths of a volcano, the group could not feel even the slightest hint of heat. As a matter of fact, the area was rather cool.
"Behold! Daloria, the underground city!"
"It's beautiful." Shirley gasped. Rose couldn't help but nod her head in compliance to this.
"I don't get it." Zieg said, walking up to the old man. "How is this possible? How can people possibly live in such climates? Its gotta be over a hundred degrees down here yet I don't even feel a shred of heat other then normal land temperature. How can this air be the way it is?"
The old man flashed him a wry smile. "There are many strange and overwhelming secrets in this world my young friend. The very heart of our city is one of them. Thousands of years ago, during the first dragon war against the wingly, by some odd reason this underground passage was cooled, yet the lava rivers never stopped flowing. As I'm sure you are aware, magic was heavily used in that war. Many people here believe that that had something to do with this city's great fortune."
Zieg could only nod blankly. "It would appear so."
"In any case, where can we find this leader you were telling us so much about?" Belzack asked straightforwardly.
The old man nodded sagely. "Ah yes. Majestic, this city may be but let us not digress from our true purpose for being here." The old man turned back towards the great city and began walking briskly down the catwalk straight towards the center. As they neared closer, many people cheered and shouted encouragement towards the rebels as they came through. Children smiled and looked on with envy. Women and men threw banners and nodded in approval. To the eyes of the four companions, this seemed very much like a parade.
"Hmm… I suppose we were wrong about these guys." Shirley commented dryly.
"It would appear that is a valid possibility." Rose agreed, too caught up in the surrounding sights to train her eyes on her comrade at this particular moment.
"I guess when your cities currently in the state this one's in, people will look towards anyone as their saviors."
Rose turned her head sharply to glare daggers at Zieg. Apparently, sometime when she was looking around, he managed to sneak himself in along side her and her red haired companion.
The dark haired woman scoffed inwardly and turned away. "Apparently."
Zieg scratched the back of his head self-consciously. He was beginning to doubt this woman had a single friendly bone in her body for him. Nonetheless, he continued his light conversation. "Ya know, you never said thank you."
"What?" This time Rose was actually annoyed enough to stop and turned to face him. Zieg chuckled nervously, once more scratching his head. "Ya know… you never said thank you for when I saved you."
Rose narrowed her eyes towards him ever so slightly. Her composure quickly became one of utter disgust as she looked at him. Zieg began to feel nervous under her shrewd gaze until finally she turned away. "I know." She replied tartly.
Zieg could only stand there, flabbergasted as she once more, walked away from him.
Shirley chuckled as she was standing a few steps behind them alongside the towering form of Belzack. "Heh, I don't know what your friends playing at but he's only torturing himself."
Belzack grinned lightly. "Yeah, that's Zieg for you. Overconfident at times. I'm not worried though. He's not one to get attached to senseless romance. Believe it or not, he's very dedicated to our mission."
"And what exactly is your mission?" Shirley now turned to face the big man, looking him directly in the eye.
Belzack turned his face away slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't tell you yet…"
Shirley hiked an eyebrow but nothing more then that. "I see… Well suit yourself."
They both saw that their respective comrades had once again returned to their trek so they quickly followed pace to keep up.
Zieg, seeing that he couldn't get on Rose good side, quickly pushed his way up along side the old man. "So this leader of yours, I take it he's also the head of this entire city eh?"
"Very deductive reasoning, boy." The old man replied sarcastically. Obviously he was still peeved at the slight outburst from earlier. "You'll learn all you need to know when we arrive to our destination."
"That's if we don't die of overexertion first." Zieg mumbled under his breath, feeling more then a little weary after their long travels.
After a few more minutes of walking too and fro, the group finally made their way to a rundown shack. The old man eagerly opened up the door which was falling over on its hinges.
"Seems to me like your leader's pretty pathetic." Rose commented presumptuously.
"Not really." Zieg replied. "It's actually quite brilliant."
"Perhaps for someone of low taste like yourself maybe." Rose refuted.
"Ice queen, you fail to see the logic behind such a tactic."
Rose frowned at the insulting name but remained quiet so he could explain himself.
"For an Empire like the Wingly's, the one thing they're always priding themselves on is their prestige and might. Don't you think it obvious they would first suspect the more well designed buildings to house a city's leader before they'd even think to check a rundown shack? By the time they did get to this small little hut, the leader's already had ample time to make his escape."
"Very well put Zieg of Karsack."
Zieg turned his head sharply. No one called him by that title. No one even knew where he was from with the exception of Belzack, and the big man was anything but a flabbermouth.
Zieg saw the stooped from of an old woman. Like the old man, she too wore rags about herself, only her's covered her form in a more unpretentious manner. Also like the old man, her face was also traced with worry lines yet it could almost be overshadowed by the kind smile she flashed their way.
Zieg searched his mind for any trace of ever seeing her in his past yet he couldn't place her for the life of him. "Who are you?" He replied finally. "How do you know me?"
The old woman merely smiled softly. "Do not go ahead of yourself dear Zieg. One thing at a time no? Come let us talk in the lower levels."
"At once, your highness." The old man replied and bowed low, much lower then any of the four companions thought possible. Nonetheless, they all followed him down into the lower levels of the city.
Once there, they realized they were in a completely new room. This area was also big ranging at about a quarter of the size of the city above.
"Wow…" Shirley replied, in complete awe at her surroundings.
"This is our council room." The elderly woman replied. The room was decorated with many weapons of the past, preserved and hung limp all around the walls of the room, predating back to older times past.
Each of the four companions eagerly scaled about the room, looking admirably at the long history that was played out along the walls.
Zieg surveyed every weapon with almost childlike reverence. He looked first at the Huge Mace, once Wielded by Rugal the powerful Giganto who once lead his people through the rebellion against the Wingly and was successful for 40 years until they finally broke through his empire. He then looked on to a long staff, used by none other then the famous warrior Arthos, the human who lead the rebellion of 80 years ago. After a while of looking, his eyes finally rested on the one weapon which, in his opinion, was the most magnificent of them all; a double edged sword laced with three prong-like junctures streaming down the center of a very well polished, gleaming, white blade. The Hilt was richly designed with ornate carvings of a time when men were at war with the dragons. By that symbol alone, Zieg was sure this sword was much older then any other weapon present by centuries. This weapon, was none other then the sword that was used to slay the first dragon ever in recorded history, a feat very much admired by many.
So enraptured was Zieg in this sword that he never noticed the short elderly lady as she walked up along side him, smiling proudly. "I see you fancy that blade very much."
Zieg nearly jumped out of his skin as he suddenly realized her close proximity to him. "…Uhh… yeah, I guess so. It's nice." He mumbled, taking a few steps back.
"mmm… Legend has it, this very sword was the first weapon ever to slay a dragon, truly a great honor for such a blade."
Zieg merely nodded blankly. "That it is."
"It is ironic, that from all the many hundreds of weapons here, you would be interested in this particular blade."
Zieg gave the elderly woman a strange look. "Why is that ironic?"
The old woman smiled smugly. "It was the same sword your father once wielded himself, before he died…"
Zieg's eyes widened surprisingly. "What? … Y… you knew my father?"
The lady nodded, still keeping the smile firmly on her face. "Very much so. We were good friends, he and I. Your mother was like a sister to me. We used to travel together as rebels against the armies of the Wingly, doing what little we could to revolt against them."
"What happened to him?" Zieg couldn't help but ask. "Why did my parents abandon me?"
The old woman sighed and for a moment she seemed to appear even more haggard. "That… my young boy, is for you to discover on your own."
Zieg flashed her a perplexed look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ignoring his question, the old woman walked up to the sword he was looking at and, with no little effort, hoisted it from its perch on the wall.
"Here…" She replied in a somewhat strained tone of voice. Zieg looked at her incomprehensibly. Was this woman actually… 'giving him' this sword? It was too much of an honor to be true.
"Take it." She pressed, almost as if she had read his very thoughts. "You have as much a right to this sword as your father did. When the time comes, you will know what to do with it."
Zieg reverently took the sword and simply shook his head. None of this was making any sense.
"Now then…" The lady began, walking towards the head of the room so as to get everyone's attention.
"As I'm aware, you all have many questions to ask of me, correct?" Slowly another taller figure immerged from behind her. This man was extremely tall and bulky although not quite as big as Belzack. However, despite his size, his face bore all the age of his 50 years. White streaks mixed in with black and his eyes held more depth to them the one man should have. Yet still, the man smiled as he looked down towards the old woman, cupping his hand on her shoulder kindly.
"As far as introductions go, my name is Makorita, and as I'm sure you all can guess by now, I'm the Empress of this small underground city. The gentleman who was kind enough to guide you is Gambro and this guy here…" She lightly patted the hand of the big man beside her. " This is my right hand man and general of the rebel army, General Diaz."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Diaz replied stoically.
"I have a question." Rose asked, keeping her expression carefully neutral yet she couldn't help the slight edge she had in her previous comment.
Makorita nodded her head slowly signaling that she may continue.
"Exactly what kind of rebels are you? I mean you have a tight group of security and you've got a flourishing town and all that but how can you live with yourself knowing that so many people are suffering above you."
"Rose!" Shirley hissed in reprimand, giving her friend an angry glare.
Makorita waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright child. The girl has valid reason to state her argument. It is true our people have… neglected our neighbors up above. Call it selfish idealism if you will however we do believe that our justification is sound."
"And what kind of justification is that?" Rose growled in silent fury. Rose was normally not one to voice her opinions so bluntly however after all the events of today, she was more then a little peeved at everything that's been going on.
Makorita sighed heavily as if what she was going to say next would trouble her to no end. Diaz, who was standing protectively next to her, gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a grin of encouragement slightly forming on his placid face.
"…Once, many years ago… This cavern used to be bare. It was majestic and completely inhabitable but still, very bare. Then some odd thirty years ago a group of travelers were brave enough to transgress the boundaries of a raging volcano as well as the wrath of Wingly. These travelers were very much similar to all of you. They were determined to take up a stand against the Wingly."
"That's impossible!" Zieg interrupted suddenly. "There's no way a rebellion could have gone on thirty years ago. We would have heard of it."
"And yet this world is under the control of Wingly my young friend. They can easily control the media and local tales as much as they control the lands we all toil under."
Zieg retained a solemn expression, gesturing with his right hand. "Well I'm listening."
"These travelers were just as determined to rid the world of Wingly oppression as you yourselves are. So determined where they that they sought the council of the dragons."
"What?" Shirley immediately tensed at the mention of the Dragons. Their free reigning existence was supposed to be secret. So why did this lady know so much?"
Makorita turned and gazed at Shirley with a sympathetic nod. "I can understand your confusion Shirley however you must know that you weren't the only one who's had dealings with the dragons. Thirty years ago I was one of the original travelers who requested aid from the Great one eyed dragon Zanatos who resides in this very same cave."
Zieg's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa! A dragon lives here? I thought they were all slaves under the Wingly Empire." He quickly glanced over at Belzack but the big man shrugged impishly.
"Yes, it is true. There are many dragons that still reign free in this world, cautiously avoiding Wingly detection."
Shirley began to narrow her eyes slightly, clenching sweaty fists. Rose saw this yet made no reaction to it. She knew how tense her friend must be at this time. They had both thought the dragons had kept their presence tightly secret amongst each other. If these slaves knew it, then could the Wingly also possibly know it?
"Our answer was not as we expected however." Makorita continued, seemingly avoiding Shirley's intense gaze. "He would not grant us the power we desired. However the white dragon gave us another option. She allowed us to remain in these cool caves so that we may be free from Wingly oppression. Unfortunately some of our companions were dissatisfied with this solution and decided to seek more power elsewhere. Zieg, your father was one of those discontented men."
"What?" Zieg nearly jumped in alarm at this.
Makorita nodded sagely. "Yes Zieg. Your father was indeed a member of our group. He was quite adamant about relinquishing the Wingly's hold over these lands. His very own brother was a victim of Wingly cruelty and during the time, your father was consumed only with revenge. Even still, your father was a good man and you mother loved him greatly, even then. They had not confessed their feelings for each other at the time but I suspected as much. When your mother chose to go with your father, even when I knew she wanted to stay below with the few of us who remained, I knew for a fact that she was in love with him."
Zieg said nothing, as he quietly plopped into a sitting position on the ground staring morbidly at his newly acquired sword.
Rose cast him a sidelong glance with something akin to sympathy in her eyes but she remained silent despite herself.
Makorita sighed. "After our companions left, we unfortunately lost contact with 'all' of them." She implied the word so that Zieg understood she didn't know what became of his parents after that point.
"I don't get it." Rose replied after a few moments of silence. "Why did you chose to stay here? It seems like it would have been more logical that you journey on and fight with the others. Why just give up and play dead at the dragon's request?"
"Because of the severity of the huge favor they asked of us. This Volcano not only houses the home of the one eyed dragon but also something else of far more import then anything any one of you could possibly imagine."
Almost on cue, all four of the companions expressed startled emotions at this new revelation. Shirley gasped visibly, her fingers wrapping even tighter around the bow she held. Rose in turn scoffed, screwing her face into a frown but there was no denying the soft glint of confusion from the depths of her dark eyes.
Zieg and Belzack were more liberal with their responses however.
"So that's what the Wingly have been searching for all this time." Belzack gathered thoughtfully.
"Must be…" Zieg mumbled in reply, feeling somewhat downcast. He was still absorbing the fact that he was finding even more out about his parents. As it were, he absently caressed the hilt of his father's sword, too consumed with memories at the moment to think of anything else.
"Why yes as a matter of fact." Makorita answered. "The Wingly are searching for the very item we've been ordered to protect so long ago. This item is called-"
"The Signet Sphere…"Shirley finished for her, gripping her bow even tighter now.
"Shirley!" Rose hissed in reprimand.
"What?" The red haired woman bit back. "We can't keep this a secret any longer! She already knows about the Sphere! What purpose would it serve in pretending we know nothing?"
"Indeed you are correct Shirley. I know a great deal about you four adventurers. All of you have been oppressed with troubling pasts and yet all continue to move on to make your own destiny. It is relieving to know that we can place such trust in you."
Zieg, now having heard enough, suddenly rose to his feet, an uncommonly angry expression painted across his face. "Who are you that you know so much about us? You may have been a companion of my parents but you're still human! You know more then you should lady and I want to know right now who's been feeding you all this information!"
Diaz, not liking the tone of this young upstart, quickly stepped in front of Makorita, towering his form over the young man.
Makorita stubbornly pushed past the tall old man, however, facing Zieg directly. "You have every reason to feel angry and maybe even fearful. The journey you will all walk from this day forward will be a journey that will change all of your lives forever."
"Enough riddles!" Zieg hissed through clenched teeth. "Who's your contact?"
Makorita smiled in pleasant amusement despite his anger. "Young Zieg, if you truly wish to know then I will tell you. I am informed of this information by none other then Warvajiea, the white dragon."
Shirley's eyes widened in shock as her breath caught in her throat. Even Rose couldn't help the slightly discomposed look that flashed across her face.
"That's impossible!" Shirley shrieked. "Mother would never do that to me! She would tell me just as much as she's told you!"
"It is a long acquaintance your mother and I share Shirley. And although it is true she loves you dearly, there are still many things she will not tell you. This is one of them."
Shirley was almost in tears with frustration now. "B… but why?"
"Because there are something's that are better not mentioned child. Your mother didn't want you to know of this hidden society because she knew you would have tried to come here. She knew you would have tried to do what my companions and I tried to do so many years ago. And more then anything, your mother didn't want you to end up like all the other slaves. Especially in a place like this."
Shirley said no more, simply remaining quiet as she leaned against the side wall.
"So what now?" Rose asked impassively. "What is the grand scheme of things? You've told us everything except for why you expected to see us here. If you know enough about us and enough that the Wingly are after the Signet Spheres, then I'm sure you also know that we're after it as well."
"Indeed I do." Makorita replied gravely.
Belzack's eyes narrowed slightly at this. "Wait a minute! That sphere is ours for the taking! Why would the two of you want it?"
"Neither of you would succeed." Diaz replied flatly.
"What?" Belzack clenched his firsts. All of this talk of legends and dragons and fortunes was all too much for him. He needed some way to vent his frustrations and at the moment, Diaz was a good target.
"There are too many Wingly about." The older man replied casually. "There is no way even the four of you could retrieve the Sphere."
"I don't care what you say." Rose shot out. "I'm not just going to sit idle while it slips from our hands into those of the Wingly. If we get the Sphere, we can prevent the war the dragons are waging against the Wingly!"
This seemed to reawaken Shirley's resolve and confidence. She quickly shook herself out of her slight depression and glared purposely at both Diaz and Makorita. "Empress Makorita and General Diaz. We appreciate all the information you have given us, but nothing can stop us from at least trying to get to those Spheres. If there's even a remote chance we can secure it in time before the Wingly, then we're going to stop at nothing to take it."
"Same goes for us!" Zieg replied abruptly, once more rising to his feet. "We came here to hinder the Wingly and that's exactly what we'll do."
Makorita watched all of them impassively. "Such courage… It is no wonder you all are the chosen…"
"Chosen? Now what are you talking about?" Belzack queried.
"All in due time… I will let you know this, brave warriors, not even the dragons had the hindsight to realize that the Signet Spheres were what really needed to be protected yet you all in all your youth and courage have found the true essence of what is really at stake. Only you can prevent the Wingly from attaining this new power in which they desire so much. If you are intent upon going on this journey for the Spheres I would advise you to take the utmost caution. The Wingly now know of this underground tunnel."
For Zieg and Belzack who had been oblivious to this fact, the two men gapped openly. Shirley and Rose said nothing but cast each other worried glances. All of them shifted uneasily.
"As you know, we do have those safeguards but it is still only a matter of time before the Wingly break through them. Like Diaz said earlier, there is no way you can protect the Sphere, however your destiny still lies within your own choices. Make them as you will. But be in haste. By the morrow, the Wingly will raid these tunnels and our people shall be ordered to fight for the first time in over thirty years. We will do all that we can to buy you time, yet the rest is in your hands."
The companions all nodded, just as puzzled now as they were when they first arrived in this hold, if not more so. With the brink of the Wingly looming even closer upon them, only one thing was certain, very soon the choices they made would no longer simply reflect upon themselves but also the very fate of the liberation for all species. The war was just now beginning and they had no more time to prepare.
::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading. Please stay tuned for chapter 15.