The Creation War: Legacy of Eternal Darkness.
By TheUnknownMarine
Author's note: This fic is AU (alternate universe) since I can't really use the plot I have
planned and still follow the events in Final Conflict. 'Course one could make the
argument that ALL fan-fics are AU since none of them are canon.
It all began with the creation of the Core Worlds, the very beginning of
existence. One was made a wellspring of magic, a world with unimaginable mystical
energies flowing through it. One was made a center of technology, where wonders of
silicon and steel were forged. Finally, nine worlds were made with both the potential for
magic and technology, and given over to mortals to eventually shape themselves. From
these First-Born universes splintered off all of Creation, as the creative energies locked in
each world by the mysterious Creator replenished and sprang forth to create new worlds
again and again and again, in a chain reaction that still is happening to this day. The
worlds of Creation then existed for ages untold, each unaware of each other's existence.
But things were not as well as they seemed. For in one of these new worlds the Darkness
held sway, and it looked and as it pierced the filmy Ether that surrounded it's home, it
saw the other worlds, full of life and light, and it wanted them for itself. In the world
known as Daris-Kerr, an entire universe of roiling night and lightless gloom, at it's very
core, the Darkness constructed a suit of armor. This armor would be the form it would
wear so it could come into physical being, the Black Shell. The Darkness reached out into
all of Creation and concentrated all the hate, all the fear, all the evil it could find into this
suit of armor, and made it unimaginably powerful. Then the Darkness entered and
became one with it. The Darkness called forth into the endless night of Daris-Kerr and
gathered unto itself every demon, devil, and dark one imaginable. Then, in an invasion so
vast it boggled the mind, it attacked. One by one, the unsuspecting worlds of Creation fell
before the might of the Darkness' armies and it's Black Shell. As more worlds were
conquered and corrupted, the Darkness' power swelled, and it's legions of evil beings
grew. As it grew like a foul cancer across Creation, the Darkness laughed.
But defeat was not yet at hand for the forces of Light.
A desperate alliance of beings from all worlds, a final hope against evil, gathered,
and with their technological and magical might, they dared confront the Army of Evil and
the very Darkness itself. Elven mages, human gunners, dwarven axe-men, all of Light
banded together for a final stand against the encroaching night. In the mist shrouded
fields of the Ether Plane, the border between all worlds, the Armies of Light and Evil
clashed. The Darkness itself entered the battle, encased in the Black Shell. Entire legions
of troops were laid to waste by the awesome form the Darkness had chosen for itself.
Black lightning crackled from it's gauntlets, darkness more lightless than any black hole
composed it's joints, pure fear formed the breastplate, and utter oblivion was in it's
scabbard. With a mere gesture, the Darkness annihilated rank after rank of soldiers. Then,
when the thought of victory seemed a mere memory, Iaiden, the head of the revered
Grand Templars steeled his will, drew his sword, and attacked. Thrusting any thoughts of
survival for himself aside, the Templar-King slashed again and again at the Darkness'
Black Shell. As he fought, his brave act restored hope to the Army of Light, and
unconsciously Iaiden reached forth and channeled all of the Army of Light's hope,
courage, and goodness into one last blow. With a tremendous cry, Iaiden plunged his
blade, now glowing with the energies of Light, into the Black Shell, to pierce the
Darkness below. In a blinding flash of energy, both Templar and Darkness were gone,
leaving the empty Black Shell, and Iaiden's blade behind. The Darkness of Daris-Kerr,
the Enslaver, the Enemy of all Creation, was slain.
The duty to dispose of the Black Shell passed to the Circle of Twelve, the leaders
of the armies from the Core Worlds. Knowing that Darkness could never truly be
destroyed, they instead disintegrated the armor, and scattered the power of Darkness to
each world of Creation. Thus, in each world, the forces of Light struggle to keep the
forces of Darkness in it from ever holding sway, for the fear that one day, the Darkness
would coalesce back into it's first self, and the titanic battle would have to be re-fought.
And if it were to happen again, perhaps we would not be victorious once more. Thus our
sacred duty is to forever insure that each force of evil, each splinter of Darkness, be kept
forever in each of it's prisons. An eternal struggle against the Black Tide of Daris-Kerr.
-Translation of the Diamond Tablet, recovered from the newly unearthed
Thanas ruins, near Manarina, discovered 6 ASW (After the Shining War.)
Chapter One: Flashbacks.
(Six years after Shining Force One.)
Max swung the scythe against the fields of wheat as the hot sun sent trickles of
sweat down his back. Max stood up for a moment as a light breeze blew across the long
fields of amber grain, and surveyed his handiwork. It was hard work being a farmer, but it
was rewarding to see the crops grow from little green shoots to long and full stalks of
wheat, ready to fill the bellies of the hungry townspeople. Max sighed and sat down on a
log for a moment to rest. Rest…. Yes that was why he had settled here in the first place…
"I can't break free!!! But you won't die with me!!!"
Max had cast the Egress spell expecting to remain behind. He could feel Dark
Dragon's evil touch interfering with the magics involved as Max formed them into the
necessary shape for the spell to take place.
"I can't break free, either, but you WILL die with me…" Dark Dragon said and
laughed as Max struggled to concentrate hard enough to complete the spell in time. The
fabled Castle of the Ancients was beginning to rumble, and Max knew that time was
short.
"It will never work, you see. Even at the threshold of death, I am still more
powerful than your weak magics… What? What is this? That presence… NO!!!!!" Dark
Dragon had begun to gloat over his imminent victory, but was cut off as Max felt
something complete the spell FOR him. A flash of light and all was black. The next thing
Max knew, he was waking to the sound of waves gently lapping at the beach. Opening his
eyes, he saw that he and Adam, the Ancient robot had been transported to a long sandy
white beach.
Not knowing what had happened, Max and Adam had traveled far and wide in
secret, not knowing if they had truly succeeded or not, and not knowing what had become
of their comrades. Eventually they had found out from a traveling merchant that
Runefaust and Dark Dragon had indeed been finished, and that Anri had become queen of
Guardiana. Miraculously, not a single member of the Shining Force was killed during the
escape. But for those long days of not knowing, Max had tormented himself, thinking
things such as, "The spell was cast, but where did everyone else end up? Did they make it
out? Or had they been teleported into the heart of a mountain thanks to a faulty spell? Is
everyone OK..?"
In those days not a minute had gone by when Max hadn't thought of what
might've become of his battle-mates, and best friends. Ken, Lowe, Tao, Hans, Mae, Zylo,
Luke, Anri…
i"Anri…"/i Max thought, as a picture of her gentle face entered his mind, then
quickly shook his head. Anri and the rest of Guardiana were better off without him now.
All he knew was fighting and now that the fighting was over, there wasn't anything left
for him to do in the large city. He'd probably be awarded a token rank and commission
and then kept out of harm's way, a trophy hero to keep morale up. Not to mention if he
returned he'd never have a moment's rest from on-lookers. His entire life would always
be in the spot-light. He just wanted to rest a bit… Perhaps some day in the future he'd
make a secret visit to Guardiana to visit his friends, but for now, the wheat needed
threshing, and Adam looked as if he'd finished clearing the new field of the large
boulders that had obstructed harvesting. (A job he was very good at thanks to his
cybernetic strength.) He had found peace at last, at least for a little while, in helping the
small village of Alino bring in enough crops to sustain the simple folk living there. If he
wasn't happy, he was at least content.
"The royal treasury reports a deficit of twelve thousand gold pieces, M' Lady.
Now, if we where to divert funds from…" The chief tax collector droned on and on, and
frankly, Anri of Guardiana was bored stiff. She was passionate about helping her subjects
and ensuring their welfare, but these endless reports on treasury status, taxes, and the
petty squabbling of the bureaucracy left her cold. She knew they were a necessary evil
though, to keep her country running. In the wake of the Shining War as it was now called,
Guardiana had expanded it's borders to protect border towns and independent villages
that had requested protection from the roving bandits that were the remnants of Darksol's
once great army. Now Guardiana stretched from Manarina to the Ancient Gateway, where
all the trouble had first started. Almost all of the eastern continent had joined with
Guardiana save Alterone and Pao, which preferred their independence.
"…and that concludes the financial reports for the day, my Queen," the chief tax
collector finished. Anri lifted her head, in interest. Now was the part she liked. The part
that she believed made the most difference.
"It is now time for the petitions!" announced the herald as the door guards began
admitting people who had come for their Queen's aid. From there, the day passed quickly
as Queen Anri gave orders after listening to her subject's requests.
"Queen Anri, my town has been hit by raiders thrice in the last week! Please send
us some help!"
"I will send Sub-Commander Pelle with a detachment of troops to halt the raider's
attacks."
"Queen, please, the merchant lord Karatis has a strangle-hold on our village! He
rigs his loans so that no one can ever pay them, he's raised prices on everything and he's
run all the other merchants out of town with threats! We have no recourse but to buy his
goods, but they're so high priced we must take out loans from him, and then he owns our
very lives!"
"I will send Judge Garris there to investigate at once! If found guilty, Karatis will
be brought before me to plead his case."
"Good Queen, I bear a trade agreement from the far off realm of Aris-Tir. Will
you sign?"
"This trading pact looks to be fair. Very well, I will sign, and may this be the start
of friendship between our two countries."
"Sire, our village is going to starve this winter! All our food was destroyed in a
fire that burned down all the granaries…"
"I will purchase some food with treasury money and send it to your village, and in
return you must pay me back three quarters of the sum within five year's time."
"O great Mage-Queen, a situation has arisen in Manarina that requires your
personal attention!"
Anri was a bit startled at the last request, asked by a young man in plain brown
scholar's robes. It had been a while since she had last visited the famous school of magic
she'd once been in charge of.
"What is the matter? The city's mages should be well equipped to handle any
raider threat…" Anri started, but was cut off by the scholar.
"Nay, my Queen. You yourself are needed, not your armies. You see, you are one
of the few beings to have ever had such extensive contact with places and devices of the
Ancients, such things as the robot Adam, the Castle of the Ancients, the Shining Path,
that and your extensive knowledge on magic would make you a valuable addition to the
team…" the scholar went on. Queen Anri shook her head.
"What do you mean? What team?" Queen Anri asked. The scholar hit himself on
the forehead.
"My apologies, my Queen, I tend to get ahead of myself. I am Quentin Saradis,
envoy of the Manarina Archaelogical Committee. We have recently discovered some new
ruins near the mage school, and we don't know what to make of it. With your experience,
we had hoped to convince you to aid us in our excavations, and find out…" the scholar
was cut off by Anri, this time.
"I will consider it…" Anri said, curiously.
"I should mention the ruins are almost completely intact…" Quentin said as he
turned to leave.
i"INTACT ruins?"/i Anri thought, surprised. i"No one has ever found an intact
Ancient site, even the fabled Castle of the Ancients had suffered from the ravages of time.
An intact site might hold wonders beyond my wildest imaginations… And it would feel so
GOOD to get out of the castle for a little bit…"/i
"Yes," Anri said after a moment's thought. "Yes, I will go to Manarina. I should
arrive in the next few days."
"No way! Not a chance in the Abyss, sire," Mae, of the Shining Force, now one of
Anri's chief advisors was saying as she stomped her hooves. Anri had summoned her top
aides, who also happened to be her best friends, to her inner chambers for a private
meeting. Nova, Lowe, Luke, Mae, Tao and Ken had all helped to rebuild Guardiana
almost as much as Anri had. Others from the force did too, of course, but they had other
thing to do than accept the cabinet posts offered them when the reconstruction was
finished. Some had gone to far off homes and families, some went off in search of more
adventure, and some, namely Gort, Torasu and Kokichi, wanted to enjoy a well-deserved
retirement. But for these six, they felt their place was continuing to serve their kingdom
as they always had. Of course, the pay didn't hurt either, as Tao had once put it. Around a
wooden table they sat in seats made from intricate dwarven iron-work and padded with
Roc down, a gift from Protectoria for freeing them from the yoke of Darksol. The setting
sun cast a red glow upon the entire scene from a tall window set into the back wall. Anri
sighed.
"Mae, they are talking about an intact Ancient site! You know what those places
have brought forth in the past. Always things of great power, be it for evil or good. If they
have found an undisturbed Ancient ruin, it is imperative we discern whether it was merely
a harmless Ancient inn, or an Ancient armory full of weapons that might fall into raider
hands if left unguarded! Complacence on this could spell doom," Anri explained, leaving
out that cabin fever was another primary reason for this expedition.
"Perhaps, but going out on a treasure hunt, leaving your kingdom behind? Send
Tao or myself, or Earnest! If you are correct about this place and what it has the potential
to contain, then it's far too dangerous for you to go!" Mae said as she paced the room, tail
agitatedly tossing behind her. "Your safety is paramount! The last thing Guardiana needs
right now is a succession war, and don't tell me it would never happen! The Merchant
Lords of the western provinces will take any excuse they can get to wield yet more power,
and some of the nobility is no better!"
"I am fully capable of defending myself. I AM a master wizardess, you know,"
Anri said a bit irritated.
"I believe Anri is correct on this matter," Nova coolly stated. "We cannot ignore
another potential Ancient legacy such as Dark Dragon. It is of utmost importance we
examine these ruins as closely as possible."
"Well why can't Tao or a different mage go?" Lowe meekly suggested. Anri took
a deep breath before speaking.
"A different mage wouldn't have the experience of being in Ancient ruins before,
and while Tao has been in them, she doesn't know as much about the Ancients as I do. I
studied them in Manarina, and she studied the application of magic." Anri said as ran a
hand through her long silver hair. Tao shrugged.
"What can I say? I figured knowing more about how to toast a monster would
come in handy more than knowing about the mysterious race that suddenly vanished ages
ago," Tao said as she absentminded created a tiny flicker of flame in her hands and made
it dance along her fingertips.
"This is madness! We cannot send our sole monarch into a site of potential
harm!" Mae said as she threw up her arms in dismay. Nova arched an eyebrow.
"Of course not, Mae. You, Ken, Tao, Gort, and Gong will accompany her. I will
see if I can get Diane and Zylo to meet you at Manarina from Bustoke," Nova said, as if
the matter had been closed. Mae stomped her hooves again.
"But who will govern the land in Anri's absence?" Mae asked.
"Lowe will, advised by Nova," Anri suddenly said.
"M…me?? But I'm just an advisor…" Lowe stammered as Anri reassured him.
"Lowe, you are more than capable of handling things for a week or two. Despite
your reluctance, you've shown to be adept at choosing wisely during the years I've had
you as my advisor. Plus, if you need any help, Nova will advise you," Anri said calmly.
"Then it's settled. We'll all head for Manarina first thing tommorrow. I'll go pack
my gear," Luke said as he stood up form his chair to go gather his equipment.
"Well I guess I should go buy us some supplies…" Ken said as he trotted away
from the table.
"I'll go prepare a list telling Lowe what to expect while is acts as regent," Nova
said as he left for the study, leaving Tao, Mae, and Anri in the room.
"Heh, I hope you are right, Mae. I've been experimenting with a few magics I
can't wait to try out on some monsters!" Tao said as she left the room chuckling.
The trip from Guardiana was long, but uneventful, save for when Tao set a tent on
fire when she insisted on using her magic to help cook supper. Everyone, even Mae, was
secretly glad to have an excuse to travel again, and not be cooped up in the same place.
Out beyond the safe boredom of the castle, they took in the blue sky, tall mountains,
emerald forest and fresh air with barely concealed delight. Despite it being technically a
mission of high import, the confident Shining Force saw it as a vacation of sorts. The
group traveled from Guardiana to Alterone, and from there to Rindo, where they stopped
for a day to rest, and in Tao's case, to shop. Then after another day's worth of travel over
the vast Legacy desert that separated Rindo from Manarina, they reached the fabled city
of mages. A certain wolf-warrior and elven archer were waiting there for them.
"Diane! Zylo! Good to see you two! It's been ages!" Ken said cheerfully as he
galloped ahead to meet them. Warm greetings were exchanged between the old friends as
they met again, and took a few minutes to catch up. After twenty minutes of chatter, the
group temporarily split up to unpack their things at the mage school's guest quarters and
meet at the Sated Sage, a new eatery operated by a rather corpulent mage by the name of
Marmin.
"Yes, I took the liberty of scouting around the proposed dig site." Diane said as
she took a drink from her ale mug. "It's really quite ingenious the way the Ancients hid it.
A huge illusion crafted to make the entrance seem like another side of the mountain. I
understand the archaeologists stumbled on it by pure chance. One of them leaned on what
he thought was a wall of rock, and whoosh!" Diane said as she slapped her hands together
for emphasis. "The poor guy falls backward and hits his head on the tiled floor of the
entry way. Gave him both a nasty bruise and an excellent story to tell," Diane finished
with another pull of ale. Zylo growled a little, saying, "That illusion is too good. My
senses have never been deceived, even by Ancient magic. There's something about that
place… It makes my fur stand on end," Zylo whispered the last part, then shook his head
and bit off a large chunk of the very rare steak he had ordered.
"It's disconcerting that the place is enough to rattle the legendary Zylo," Mae said
slowly, as if in deep thought. Diane grinned at this and reached over and ruffled Zylo's
ears as one would a dog.
"Naw, he's just a widdle scaredy cat, yes you are!" Diane teasingly said. Zylo
merely growled and bared his teeth, causing Diane to quickly draw back her arm.
"Still the same old Diane, I see," Tao said with an impish grin as she played with
a magical flame she had in the palm of her hand. Tao absentmindedly reached for her fork
and set fire to the table cloth, which was promptly put out by a minor ice spell quickly
cast by Anri.
"Still the same old Tao, I see," Diane said sweetly as she ducked to avoid a flung
fork.
"Kids these days…" Gort grumbled as he downed yet another mug of ale.
By TheUnknownMarine
Author's note: This fic is AU (alternate universe) since I can't really use the plot I have
planned and still follow the events in Final Conflict. 'Course one could make the
argument that ALL fan-fics are AU since none of them are canon.
It all began with the creation of the Core Worlds, the very beginning of
existence. One was made a wellspring of magic, a world with unimaginable mystical
energies flowing through it. One was made a center of technology, where wonders of
silicon and steel were forged. Finally, nine worlds were made with both the potential for
magic and technology, and given over to mortals to eventually shape themselves. From
these First-Born universes splintered off all of Creation, as the creative energies locked in
each world by the mysterious Creator replenished and sprang forth to create new worlds
again and again and again, in a chain reaction that still is happening to this day. The
worlds of Creation then existed for ages untold, each unaware of each other's existence.
But things were not as well as they seemed. For in one of these new worlds the Darkness
held sway, and it looked and as it pierced the filmy Ether that surrounded it's home, it
saw the other worlds, full of life and light, and it wanted them for itself. In the world
known as Daris-Kerr, an entire universe of roiling night and lightless gloom, at it's very
core, the Darkness constructed a suit of armor. This armor would be the form it would
wear so it could come into physical being, the Black Shell. The Darkness reached out into
all of Creation and concentrated all the hate, all the fear, all the evil it could find into this
suit of armor, and made it unimaginably powerful. Then the Darkness entered and
became one with it. The Darkness called forth into the endless night of Daris-Kerr and
gathered unto itself every demon, devil, and dark one imaginable. Then, in an invasion so
vast it boggled the mind, it attacked. One by one, the unsuspecting worlds of Creation fell
before the might of the Darkness' armies and it's Black Shell. As more worlds were
conquered and corrupted, the Darkness' power swelled, and it's legions of evil beings
grew. As it grew like a foul cancer across Creation, the Darkness laughed.
But defeat was not yet at hand for the forces of Light.
A desperate alliance of beings from all worlds, a final hope against evil, gathered,
and with their technological and magical might, they dared confront the Army of Evil and
the very Darkness itself. Elven mages, human gunners, dwarven axe-men, all of Light
banded together for a final stand against the encroaching night. In the mist shrouded
fields of the Ether Plane, the border between all worlds, the Armies of Light and Evil
clashed. The Darkness itself entered the battle, encased in the Black Shell. Entire legions
of troops were laid to waste by the awesome form the Darkness had chosen for itself.
Black lightning crackled from it's gauntlets, darkness more lightless than any black hole
composed it's joints, pure fear formed the breastplate, and utter oblivion was in it's
scabbard. With a mere gesture, the Darkness annihilated rank after rank of soldiers. Then,
when the thought of victory seemed a mere memory, Iaiden, the head of the revered
Grand Templars steeled his will, drew his sword, and attacked. Thrusting any thoughts of
survival for himself aside, the Templar-King slashed again and again at the Darkness'
Black Shell. As he fought, his brave act restored hope to the Army of Light, and
unconsciously Iaiden reached forth and channeled all of the Army of Light's hope,
courage, and goodness into one last blow. With a tremendous cry, Iaiden plunged his
blade, now glowing with the energies of Light, into the Black Shell, to pierce the
Darkness below. In a blinding flash of energy, both Templar and Darkness were gone,
leaving the empty Black Shell, and Iaiden's blade behind. The Darkness of Daris-Kerr,
the Enslaver, the Enemy of all Creation, was slain.
The duty to dispose of the Black Shell passed to the Circle of Twelve, the leaders
of the armies from the Core Worlds. Knowing that Darkness could never truly be
destroyed, they instead disintegrated the armor, and scattered the power of Darkness to
each world of Creation. Thus, in each world, the forces of Light struggle to keep the
forces of Darkness in it from ever holding sway, for the fear that one day, the Darkness
would coalesce back into it's first self, and the titanic battle would have to be re-fought.
And if it were to happen again, perhaps we would not be victorious once more. Thus our
sacred duty is to forever insure that each force of evil, each splinter of Darkness, be kept
forever in each of it's prisons. An eternal struggle against the Black Tide of Daris-Kerr.
-Translation of the Diamond Tablet, recovered from the newly unearthed
Thanas ruins, near Manarina, discovered 6 ASW (After the Shining War.)
Chapter One: Flashbacks.
(Six years after Shining Force One.)
Max swung the scythe against the fields of wheat as the hot sun sent trickles of
sweat down his back. Max stood up for a moment as a light breeze blew across the long
fields of amber grain, and surveyed his handiwork. It was hard work being a farmer, but it
was rewarding to see the crops grow from little green shoots to long and full stalks of
wheat, ready to fill the bellies of the hungry townspeople. Max sighed and sat down on a
log for a moment to rest. Rest…. Yes that was why he had settled here in the first place…
"I can't break free!!! But you won't die with me!!!"
Max had cast the Egress spell expecting to remain behind. He could feel Dark
Dragon's evil touch interfering with the magics involved as Max formed them into the
necessary shape for the spell to take place.
"I can't break free, either, but you WILL die with me…" Dark Dragon said and
laughed as Max struggled to concentrate hard enough to complete the spell in time. The
fabled Castle of the Ancients was beginning to rumble, and Max knew that time was
short.
"It will never work, you see. Even at the threshold of death, I am still more
powerful than your weak magics… What? What is this? That presence… NO!!!!!" Dark
Dragon had begun to gloat over his imminent victory, but was cut off as Max felt
something complete the spell FOR him. A flash of light and all was black. The next thing
Max knew, he was waking to the sound of waves gently lapping at the beach. Opening his
eyes, he saw that he and Adam, the Ancient robot had been transported to a long sandy
white beach.
Not knowing what had happened, Max and Adam had traveled far and wide in
secret, not knowing if they had truly succeeded or not, and not knowing what had become
of their comrades. Eventually they had found out from a traveling merchant that
Runefaust and Dark Dragon had indeed been finished, and that Anri had become queen of
Guardiana. Miraculously, not a single member of the Shining Force was killed during the
escape. But for those long days of not knowing, Max had tormented himself, thinking
things such as, "The spell was cast, but where did everyone else end up? Did they make it
out? Or had they been teleported into the heart of a mountain thanks to a faulty spell? Is
everyone OK..?"
In those days not a minute had gone by when Max hadn't thought of what
might've become of his battle-mates, and best friends. Ken, Lowe, Tao, Hans, Mae, Zylo,
Luke, Anri…
i"Anri…"/i Max thought, as a picture of her gentle face entered his mind, then
quickly shook his head. Anri and the rest of Guardiana were better off without him now.
All he knew was fighting and now that the fighting was over, there wasn't anything left
for him to do in the large city. He'd probably be awarded a token rank and commission
and then kept out of harm's way, a trophy hero to keep morale up. Not to mention if he
returned he'd never have a moment's rest from on-lookers. His entire life would always
be in the spot-light. He just wanted to rest a bit… Perhaps some day in the future he'd
make a secret visit to Guardiana to visit his friends, but for now, the wheat needed
threshing, and Adam looked as if he'd finished clearing the new field of the large
boulders that had obstructed harvesting. (A job he was very good at thanks to his
cybernetic strength.) He had found peace at last, at least for a little while, in helping the
small village of Alino bring in enough crops to sustain the simple folk living there. If he
wasn't happy, he was at least content.
"The royal treasury reports a deficit of twelve thousand gold pieces, M' Lady.
Now, if we where to divert funds from…" The chief tax collector droned on and on, and
frankly, Anri of Guardiana was bored stiff. She was passionate about helping her subjects
and ensuring their welfare, but these endless reports on treasury status, taxes, and the
petty squabbling of the bureaucracy left her cold. She knew they were a necessary evil
though, to keep her country running. In the wake of the Shining War as it was now called,
Guardiana had expanded it's borders to protect border towns and independent villages
that had requested protection from the roving bandits that were the remnants of Darksol's
once great army. Now Guardiana stretched from Manarina to the Ancient Gateway, where
all the trouble had first started. Almost all of the eastern continent had joined with
Guardiana save Alterone and Pao, which preferred their independence.
"…and that concludes the financial reports for the day, my Queen," the chief tax
collector finished. Anri lifted her head, in interest. Now was the part she liked. The part
that she believed made the most difference.
"It is now time for the petitions!" announced the herald as the door guards began
admitting people who had come for their Queen's aid. From there, the day passed quickly
as Queen Anri gave orders after listening to her subject's requests.
"Queen Anri, my town has been hit by raiders thrice in the last week! Please send
us some help!"
"I will send Sub-Commander Pelle with a detachment of troops to halt the raider's
attacks."
"Queen, please, the merchant lord Karatis has a strangle-hold on our village! He
rigs his loans so that no one can ever pay them, he's raised prices on everything and he's
run all the other merchants out of town with threats! We have no recourse but to buy his
goods, but they're so high priced we must take out loans from him, and then he owns our
very lives!"
"I will send Judge Garris there to investigate at once! If found guilty, Karatis will
be brought before me to plead his case."
"Good Queen, I bear a trade agreement from the far off realm of Aris-Tir. Will
you sign?"
"This trading pact looks to be fair. Very well, I will sign, and may this be the start
of friendship between our two countries."
"Sire, our village is going to starve this winter! All our food was destroyed in a
fire that burned down all the granaries…"
"I will purchase some food with treasury money and send it to your village, and in
return you must pay me back three quarters of the sum within five year's time."
"O great Mage-Queen, a situation has arisen in Manarina that requires your
personal attention!"
Anri was a bit startled at the last request, asked by a young man in plain brown
scholar's robes. It had been a while since she had last visited the famous school of magic
she'd once been in charge of.
"What is the matter? The city's mages should be well equipped to handle any
raider threat…" Anri started, but was cut off by the scholar.
"Nay, my Queen. You yourself are needed, not your armies. You see, you are one
of the few beings to have ever had such extensive contact with places and devices of the
Ancients, such things as the robot Adam, the Castle of the Ancients, the Shining Path,
that and your extensive knowledge on magic would make you a valuable addition to the
team…" the scholar went on. Queen Anri shook her head.
"What do you mean? What team?" Queen Anri asked. The scholar hit himself on
the forehead.
"My apologies, my Queen, I tend to get ahead of myself. I am Quentin Saradis,
envoy of the Manarina Archaelogical Committee. We have recently discovered some new
ruins near the mage school, and we don't know what to make of it. With your experience,
we had hoped to convince you to aid us in our excavations, and find out…" the scholar
was cut off by Anri, this time.
"I will consider it…" Anri said, curiously.
"I should mention the ruins are almost completely intact…" Quentin said as he
turned to leave.
i"INTACT ruins?"/i Anri thought, surprised. i"No one has ever found an intact
Ancient site, even the fabled Castle of the Ancients had suffered from the ravages of time.
An intact site might hold wonders beyond my wildest imaginations… And it would feel so
GOOD to get out of the castle for a little bit…"/i
"Yes," Anri said after a moment's thought. "Yes, I will go to Manarina. I should
arrive in the next few days."
"No way! Not a chance in the Abyss, sire," Mae, of the Shining Force, now one of
Anri's chief advisors was saying as she stomped her hooves. Anri had summoned her top
aides, who also happened to be her best friends, to her inner chambers for a private
meeting. Nova, Lowe, Luke, Mae, Tao and Ken had all helped to rebuild Guardiana
almost as much as Anri had. Others from the force did too, of course, but they had other
thing to do than accept the cabinet posts offered them when the reconstruction was
finished. Some had gone to far off homes and families, some went off in search of more
adventure, and some, namely Gort, Torasu and Kokichi, wanted to enjoy a well-deserved
retirement. But for these six, they felt their place was continuing to serve their kingdom
as they always had. Of course, the pay didn't hurt either, as Tao had once put it. Around a
wooden table they sat in seats made from intricate dwarven iron-work and padded with
Roc down, a gift from Protectoria for freeing them from the yoke of Darksol. The setting
sun cast a red glow upon the entire scene from a tall window set into the back wall. Anri
sighed.
"Mae, they are talking about an intact Ancient site! You know what those places
have brought forth in the past. Always things of great power, be it for evil or good. If they
have found an undisturbed Ancient ruin, it is imperative we discern whether it was merely
a harmless Ancient inn, or an Ancient armory full of weapons that might fall into raider
hands if left unguarded! Complacence on this could spell doom," Anri explained, leaving
out that cabin fever was another primary reason for this expedition.
"Perhaps, but going out on a treasure hunt, leaving your kingdom behind? Send
Tao or myself, or Earnest! If you are correct about this place and what it has the potential
to contain, then it's far too dangerous for you to go!" Mae said as she paced the room, tail
agitatedly tossing behind her. "Your safety is paramount! The last thing Guardiana needs
right now is a succession war, and don't tell me it would never happen! The Merchant
Lords of the western provinces will take any excuse they can get to wield yet more power,
and some of the nobility is no better!"
"I am fully capable of defending myself. I AM a master wizardess, you know,"
Anri said a bit irritated.
"I believe Anri is correct on this matter," Nova coolly stated. "We cannot ignore
another potential Ancient legacy such as Dark Dragon. It is of utmost importance we
examine these ruins as closely as possible."
"Well why can't Tao or a different mage go?" Lowe meekly suggested. Anri took
a deep breath before speaking.
"A different mage wouldn't have the experience of being in Ancient ruins before,
and while Tao has been in them, she doesn't know as much about the Ancients as I do. I
studied them in Manarina, and she studied the application of magic." Anri said as ran a
hand through her long silver hair. Tao shrugged.
"What can I say? I figured knowing more about how to toast a monster would
come in handy more than knowing about the mysterious race that suddenly vanished ages
ago," Tao said as she absentminded created a tiny flicker of flame in her hands and made
it dance along her fingertips.
"This is madness! We cannot send our sole monarch into a site of potential
harm!" Mae said as she threw up her arms in dismay. Nova arched an eyebrow.
"Of course not, Mae. You, Ken, Tao, Gort, and Gong will accompany her. I will
see if I can get Diane and Zylo to meet you at Manarina from Bustoke," Nova said, as if
the matter had been closed. Mae stomped her hooves again.
"But who will govern the land in Anri's absence?" Mae asked.
"Lowe will, advised by Nova," Anri suddenly said.
"M…me?? But I'm just an advisor…" Lowe stammered as Anri reassured him.
"Lowe, you are more than capable of handling things for a week or two. Despite
your reluctance, you've shown to be adept at choosing wisely during the years I've had
you as my advisor. Plus, if you need any help, Nova will advise you," Anri said calmly.
"Then it's settled. We'll all head for Manarina first thing tommorrow. I'll go pack
my gear," Luke said as he stood up form his chair to go gather his equipment.
"Well I guess I should go buy us some supplies…" Ken said as he trotted away
from the table.
"I'll go prepare a list telling Lowe what to expect while is acts as regent," Nova
said as he left for the study, leaving Tao, Mae, and Anri in the room.
"Heh, I hope you are right, Mae. I've been experimenting with a few magics I
can't wait to try out on some monsters!" Tao said as she left the room chuckling.
The trip from Guardiana was long, but uneventful, save for when Tao set a tent on
fire when she insisted on using her magic to help cook supper. Everyone, even Mae, was
secretly glad to have an excuse to travel again, and not be cooped up in the same place.
Out beyond the safe boredom of the castle, they took in the blue sky, tall mountains,
emerald forest and fresh air with barely concealed delight. Despite it being technically a
mission of high import, the confident Shining Force saw it as a vacation of sorts. The
group traveled from Guardiana to Alterone, and from there to Rindo, where they stopped
for a day to rest, and in Tao's case, to shop. Then after another day's worth of travel over
the vast Legacy desert that separated Rindo from Manarina, they reached the fabled city
of mages. A certain wolf-warrior and elven archer were waiting there for them.
"Diane! Zylo! Good to see you two! It's been ages!" Ken said cheerfully as he
galloped ahead to meet them. Warm greetings were exchanged between the old friends as
they met again, and took a few minutes to catch up. After twenty minutes of chatter, the
group temporarily split up to unpack their things at the mage school's guest quarters and
meet at the Sated Sage, a new eatery operated by a rather corpulent mage by the name of
Marmin.
"Yes, I took the liberty of scouting around the proposed dig site." Diane said as
she took a drink from her ale mug. "It's really quite ingenious the way the Ancients hid it.
A huge illusion crafted to make the entrance seem like another side of the mountain. I
understand the archaeologists stumbled on it by pure chance. One of them leaned on what
he thought was a wall of rock, and whoosh!" Diane said as she slapped her hands together
for emphasis. "The poor guy falls backward and hits his head on the tiled floor of the
entry way. Gave him both a nasty bruise and an excellent story to tell," Diane finished
with another pull of ale. Zylo growled a little, saying, "That illusion is too good. My
senses have never been deceived, even by Ancient magic. There's something about that
place… It makes my fur stand on end," Zylo whispered the last part, then shook his head
and bit off a large chunk of the very rare steak he had ordered.
"It's disconcerting that the place is enough to rattle the legendary Zylo," Mae said
slowly, as if in deep thought. Diane grinned at this and reached over and ruffled Zylo's
ears as one would a dog.
"Naw, he's just a widdle scaredy cat, yes you are!" Diane teasingly said. Zylo
merely growled and bared his teeth, causing Diane to quickly draw back her arm.
"Still the same old Diane, I see," Tao said with an impish grin as she played with
a magical flame she had in the palm of her hand. Tao absentmindedly reached for her fork
and set fire to the table cloth, which was promptly put out by a minor ice spell quickly
cast by Anri.
"Still the same old Tao, I see," Diane said sweetly as she ducked to avoid a flung
fork.
"Kids these days…" Gort grumbled as he downed yet another mug of ale.