Sailor Moon Legend
Chapter 1 'Pearl in the Sands of Fate'
The day had started off as every one had before it. The sun's rays pierced the
hills to the east, filling the land with the warmth it had lost during the
night. By that time the fields were already dotted with the early shift. She
always watched their silhouettes against the rising sun as the breakfast meal
cooked. Every day began like this, and it gave a person a sense of calmness,
that it would be another peaceful day, and that such things would go on forever.
As the sun was glorifying the land with its last rays of light before making its
dip below the far horizon the soldiers came.
What seemed like hundreds of men in golden armour surrounded and marched through
the streets of the village. Knocking down doors, forcing people out of their
homes, and setting fire to random buildings they worked their way through the
streets. All young girls old enough to have children but young enough to not
have them were removed from their homes and rounded up together.
"Co-operate and you'll be able to return to your homes," the commanders called
out. "The Crown needs female candidates for its latest project. From all the
land only few will be chosen, and the rest will be able to return to your homes.
Co-operate and you will not be hurt. Resistance will only result in more
suffering."
As one young woman was led away from her home her mother came screaming out of
the house behind her with kitchen utensils in her hands. Slashing at the
soldiers around her daughter she cried for them to leave her child alone. With
the snap of his fingers an officer gave the order to remove the woman
forcefully. Two soldiers unsheathed their short swords and removed the woman's
arms. The woman fell to the ground, her life bleeding out of her. The soldiers
cleaned off their weapons and left her there as a spectacle for the other
soldiers, and as a deterrence to any further resistance. The deterrence was
effective.
In a shack at the far end of town the parents peeked out the windows to watch
the ensuing chaos while the children huddled together under blankets in a
corner.
"Usagi, I'm scared," the younger girl softly whined.
"Don't worry Meiko, it will be all right. We're not in the town itself so they
might not even come here." Usagi tried her best to get her sister to settle down
without going into a panic herself. It seemed like she would be able to do it
until screams echoed from the village and the shivering and whimpering began all
over again. Their papa whispered something to mama which caused mama to glance
over at the girls and look back out the window before hurrying over to them.
"Both of you," she said, "Please hide in the underground until the soldiers have
gone. You also have to be quiet while you're waiting."
"But it's so dark and scary down there. I don't want to be down there alone,"
Meiko cried.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you," Usagi told her. "Mama and Papa will take care
of the soldiers but we have to stay quiet so they'll go away quicker." Mama led
Usagi and Meiko over to the other side of the room. Sliding a table to the side
she lifted up a floorboard revealing a ladder leading down to the room below.
"You go first Meiko-chan," Usagi whispered as she took hold of the floorboard.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Mama returned to the window to see how much
time they had left. The ladder was only strong enough to support the weight of
one person at a time so Usagi waited for Meiko to call up that she had reached
the bottom.
Usagi was about to enter the hole when soldiers began to bang on the door for
them to open up. Thinking quickly she knocked the ladder away from the hole and
slid the floor plank back into place. She slid the table over top of it just as
a soldier burst through the door. Without stopping Usagi dove for the corner of
the room and underneath a blanket, desperate to draw all attention to herself.
Fearing to anger them Mama and Papa stayed motionless beside the door. Mama was
about to move to help Usagi but Papa held her back. After putting up a little
bit of resistance Usagi allowed herself to be led out of the room, hoping and
hoping that Meiko would stay quiet until the soldiers had gone.
In the center of the village Usagi found that the soldiers had gathered most of
the girls around her age, younger and older. "What's going on Mari-chan?" she
whispered to one of her friends.
"They're just gathering up all of the girls. The commander says that the people
in the capital need some specific girls for a project they're working on and
once they've chosen we can return here."
"I wonder if it's true," Usagi whispered.
"I hope so."
After a while the soldiers stopped bringing new girls to the group and the
commander addressed them. "It's a day-long march to the capital from here. We
are going to march all night and arrive there tomorrow morning." The soldiers
began to form up in lines around the girls. "Slowness or resistance will not be
tolerated," he stated while pointing at the poor dead mother who was missing
both of her arms. Panic and tears rushed through the girls as the ones who
hadn't seen the sight yet were exposed to it. "Fully co-operate and you'll be
able to return here within the week. Forward march!"
Usagi glanced back at the village as the last of the sun's circle disappeared
behind the western hills, walking with the dread feeling that she wouldn't be
seeing that sight again for a long time.
*****
The room was dark, dank, and crowded. Usagi had gotten the gist of the situation
just by listening to the various conversations since they arrived. There were
woman from all over the place gathered in what appeared to be Mohenjo's prison
cells. Mohenjo was the capital of their nation, Aryanavarta. She supposed they
didn't have anywhere else secure enough to keep this many women. They were all
girls really, as was herself. Apparently the selection process had not yet begun
yet, meals were served only once a day, and the only place to relieve yourself
was a few pits at the back of the room.
"Usagi! There you are!" Her friend Miya came over beside her. Well, she wasn't
really a friend, but they knew each other. "Where's Meiko? I haven't been able
to find her anywhere."
"She stayed at home."
"Oh… you mean… I see." Miya became silent for a moment. "Well, that's probably a
good thing. Who knows what's going to happen to us here."
Usagi didn't say anything. She didn't really have anything to say. Miya appeared
to get bored and moved on to find other people. Usagi continued her analysis of
the room they were in.
The only ways out, were through the cell door they came in through, and perhaps
through the toilets, but she had no idea where something like that would lead.
There were a few windows but they were much too high and way too small. There
wasn't really much to do. They had arrived in the morning as the commander had
said but all they could do was sit around and talk or walk back and forth
through all the people. The pale yellow dress she had hiked in through the night
was pretty dirty and the room was starting to get smelly. Fortunately or
unfortunately that night was the night that the selection began.
Shortly after sunset when there was still a little bit of light coming in
through the windows the guards came and instructed the girls to follow
single-file out of the jail and down deeper into the palace. There were soldiers
posted here and there to make sure that things ran as smoothly as possible. A
lot of the girls were really eager to get out of the cells and crowded around
the entrance even though they were only allowed to leave one at a time. Usagi
hung back and watched them. A group of girls were huddled in a corner not making
any move to leave. One of the soldiers came inside the cell and told them to get
up. When they didn't move he kicked a couple of them to the side and ordered
them again to get up. He was getting ready to kick again one of the cowering
girls again when one of the others stood up and put herself between them. In a
flash the soldier drew his sword and smacked her across the head with the flat
side of it. She fell to the floor dazed. Not wanting to get hit themselves or
see their friend get hit again the other girls got up and said they were going.
Usagi turned from them and went out into the hallway. The room was getting
darker and the footing was tricky in a few places.
As they started to head underground some odd glowing crystals appeared on the
walls that Usagi had never seen or heard of before. She wondered why they
weren't used in more places as they seemed very useful. Maybe it was a city
thing. A spiraling staircase took them down deeper than she had thought it was
possible to go. She was walking in sort of a daze, not really paying attention
to where they were going since everything looked the same when suddenly the
light coming from the crystals died out. Everything went pitch black. She felt
someone grab her by the arm as she was pulled through a doorway to the side that
she hadn't even noticed. She struggled a bit but the grip was strong. She was
pulled back away from the doorway and a hand was put over her mouth. She
struggled to get free as the lights outside in the corridor lit back up and the
line of girls was forced to proceed. A voice whispered into her ear.
"Stop fighting. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to get you out of here."
Usagi stopped fighting. She didn't really trust him just for saying something
like that but it was probably better than going farther into the depths of the
palace where the other girls were being herded to. "If you need an explanation
then to put it simply, if Julius gets his hands on you at this point of time the
world as you know it will come to an end. Now follow me quietly. We're going to
go to one of my research rooms where I can explain things." Usagi was really
confused now, but really had no choice but to follow him.
The strange man led her up a series of staircases in walls that she didn't even
see until he entered them. After they stumbled through the dark around a few
corners they came to a place where he had left a lantern which made the going a
little bit easier. On closer inspection Usagi noticed that it wasn't really a
lantern. There was no flame in it, instead it was holding something similar to
those crystals hanging on the walls. After they had walked for a few minutes she
asked about it.
"Oh, this? This is one of the many secret devices that they're coming up with
down in The Lab. It's some sort of ancient device I suppose. Even though I use
it I wish that they weren't uncovering such things." The walk was silent for the
rest of the way.
Finally they ended up in a room with a desk and a few shelves and real lanterns
on the walls that had to be lighted. He pointed to the chair. "Take a seat while
I try to give you an idea of what's going on." He paced back and forth across
the room. "Now, where should I start…"
"Well, my name is Seran and at one time I was in charge of all research projects
going on in Aryanavarta. That all changed eleven years ago when Julius appeared
out of nowhere with an ancient artifact from Atlantis. By the time he arrived he
had already deciphered the writings on it, which gave instructions on how to
make a couple of things we had only dreamed of. One allowed two people to send
notes to each other over long distances. The other involved moving things over
large distances in an instant. It wasn't long before he was in charge of all of
the research projects and I was completely locked out."
"Five years ago he revealed to us that the artifact was actually part of a
larger wall that he had found hidden in the ruins beneath Atlantis' capital
city. It took him years of negotiations but after a lot of work last year he was
able to lead an expedition of his 'assistant researchers' back to Atlantis where
they used his technology to steal a larger piece of the wall; everything they
found the runes on in fact. Now normally aside from the fact that we were kind
of stealing this knowledge I wouldn't have a problem with it, but something is
seriously not right. Some of the things they are discovering down in that lab
are wondrous like those crystals you saw that emit light. But some of them, I
believe, are things that no sane human should be involved in. Of course the
promise of weapons and the such keeps him popular with the King, but some of the
things he's coming up with are just ….demonic in nature. Manipulating people's
souls and wielding forces that I can only describe as 'magical' that have no
scientific basis at all are not things that should be taken lightly. I was
afraid that we would discover something that would allow him to do more than
just gain mastery over our foes when he started to churn new inventions out
fairly quickly."
"Uh…. But what does this have to do with me? And why did you grab me? What's
really going on down there?" Usagi finally managed to ask.
"Oh, sorry; I guess I was rambling a bit. Anyway, it was then that I decided to
analyze the wall for myself. I didn't understand any of the pale red markings
that the research team was deciphering but I decided to take a look anyway. I
was just casually looking it over when I found some markings outside of the area
of red ones, on the plain rock at the edge of the artifact. They were notes
written in our own language. At first I thought one of the researchers had just
scratched some notes in at the side but for some strange reason, when I pointed
them out no one else could see them! The wording was unclear as it used an
ancient syntax of our language but strangely it spoke of events as if it were
talking about the present. There are some unearthly forces working behind the
scenes here but if what is written there is true, which I now believe to be so,
the situation has become a lot clearer and a lot more deadly than I had ever
thought." Seran walked over and fumbled through a mess of notes on his desk.
"There wasn't much room and only the main points of sentences were written but
basically it said that the 'red runes' were 'corrupted' by an 'evil god'. Next
were written some dimensions which I figured to be a small flat cylinder shape
made out of a combination of a variety of materials. It gave rough instructions
on how to summon a 'goddess' of the 'moon' and ended with that."
"It didn't really give much information so I had to do some research on
summoning goddesses first. I'm a man of science and I don't like these
'mystical' things that I can't explain rationally but considering what I had
seen up 'till then it was worth a shot. It turns out that this moon goddess is a
deity that the Atlanteans worship. Now with the state our countries' relations
are in after the incident it was quite a challenge to get the details about this
goddess. I had to…. Ah, sorry, I got carried away again. Back to the point."
"Anyway, with the minimum summoning requirements; a full moon, assorted flowers
arranged in patterns and the like I was finally ready to go."
---
Seran looked out over the field around him in the darkness. It would soon be
time to start. A slight breeze ruffled the blades of grass around him and his
dirty blond hair. He adjusted for the umpteenth time the pendant sitting on a
round table he had constructed for the event. He looked back to admire the empty
field again when a light caught his eye. Turning he saw that the event he had
been waiting for was starting. The moon began to rise above the horizon.
Snapping out of his trance he got back to the work at hand. Placing a cup on one
side of the table he filled up to the brim with wine. On the other side he
placed a plate which he then filled with bread and pastries. He stepped back and
waited for the bottom of the moon to crest the land below it. Just after it had
reached that point he took a deep breath and began his chant.
"Goddess of the Moon, may I offer you an oasis on your nightly hunt." He lifted
the glass of wine up, toasting it to the moon. "I would be humbled if you would
join me in these humble surroundings for some wine and pastries, and some
business." He placed the glass back on the table."
……….and nothing happened.
……….and still nothing happened.
Seran was about to give up on this mystical nonsense when the moon suddenly
seemed to get brighter. Next a beam of light seemed to flow from the moon and
light up the ground around him. At first he couldn't see anything, but then a
figure appeared in the distance. As it got closer he saw that it was a person
riding on a chariot. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The chariot crested
the trees in the distance and dropped down into the field. The chariot rode up
to him, turned in front of him and a woman dressed in white robes stepped off.
The chariot disappeared as soon as her feet were on the ground. She strolled up
to the other side of the table and observed him intently, her hands clasped
behind her back. She seemed to have a pale white glow surrounding her, but that
could have just been the moon in the distance. For a moment there was silence,
until Seran realized that he should speak first.
"A… Ar….. Are you the Moon Goddess?"
"I am as you say, I am Selene." Her voice was so pure and clear. Seran wanted to
hear it again. "What business do you have with me?" Her face had an ageless look
to it, and although she was extremely beautiful, her face still held the
strength and certainty of a warrior.
"I… uh… some writing on wall told me to see you. All it said was to give you
this pendant I prepared." He gestured with his hand towards the object in the
middle of the table. He glanced down at it for a moment and looked back up
quickly. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her, now that she was before
him. Selene came closer to the table and reached out a hand towards it. She
slowly lowered her fingers. As she touched it colour burst from her hand,
infusing the pendant. Its plain cylinder shape began to change, taking on a more
aesthetic look, but remaining round. As she lifted her hand away a crescent moon
formed on top of it and the colour faded. The entire pendant darkened to an
almost-black colour, quite a contrast from its original silvery glimmer. She
seemed almost surprised by her handiwork.
"So, the time has finally come. This is the best that I can do. The conditions
you have summoned me with limit my power and there is an evil power growing
nearby that is dampening my will." She closed her eyes and for a moment seemed
to be listening or feeling for something in the air.
"I don't think I understand…" Seran started to say when Selene began to lift her
arm back up again. This time she reached over and touched his forehead. A
picture suddenly appeared in his mind. It was of a place that he glimmly
remembered, down in the depths of the palace. After tracing a circle on his
forehead she brought her arm down and dropped a couple of crystals on the table
in front of him.
"A few days from now a large number of young girls will be passing that place.
Wait there and carry these crystals with you. When the time is right the lights
in the hallway will go out. Reach out and grab the girl standing in front of the
doorway at that time. Give her this pendant and send her to Atlantis, where I
can be summoned at my full strength."
"This girl…" Seran chose his words carefully, "Who is she?"
"If you do not find this girl and send her away from this place, she will most
certainly be turned to the darkness, and the world as you know it will cease to
exist. I will do my best to protect her, but hopefully she will be able to take
up the brunt of this task herself." Selene took a step back.
Seran wanted to hear more, he wanted more to be explained, but he wasn't sure
what to ask. He was about to speak up when the moonlight suddenly became very
bright and he was forced to look away. Realizing what was going on he quickly
looked back but it was already too late. Everything had returned to normal, and
the moon was sitting partway up the sky giving off its normal amount of light.
Wondering what was going on in that a man such as he should experience such an
event he picked up the glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. He lifted up the
blackened pendant and traced his finger along the crescent moon. It had been
heavy when he had made it but now it was as if he was lifting a piece of bread.
It didn't seem magical in any way to him, but he would definitely do as the
Goddess had asked of him.
---
"And that's about it. Now you know as much as I do about what's going on." The
room became silent. Seran shuffled through the masses of papers on his desk.
After a few minutes Usagi finally spoke.
"What will happen to all those girls that are going to be checked by Julian?
Will they be…" She didn't want to say it.
"Killed? Raped?" Seran finished for her. "Probably not. I imagine that a few
will probably end up in soldiers' beds but Julius has uses for them.
"Will they be allowed to return to their homes?"
"Unfortunately I doubt that it will happen. Even if none of them possess the
spiritual power that Julius is looking for he can still easily take control of
their souls. Some of them will return home, but they won't be themselves
anymore. The majority of them will probably stay here and do whatever that
damned rock is telling him to do."
"I want to go home," Usagi stated.
"Well, there's nothing I can do to stop you from doing so. I have to remain here
in order to avoid suspicion and to keep an eye on what Julius is doing. When
Julius doesn't find what he's looking for he's not going to give up. He's going
to keep on sending out soldiers to gather girls for him to test. I'm asking you
to help me stop something horrible from happening."
Usagi considered her options. She really wanted to return home, but if even half
of the things Seran had been talking about were true she would only be putting
her family into more danger. Although she had promised Meiko she would return,
she had also promised that she would protect her. She didn't have to break the
first promise, she'd just be returning later. "Can I see the pendant?"
"Yes, sure," Seran said. He pulled it out of one of his pockets and handed it to
her. "It seems normal to me but it was after all crafted by a Goddess."
Usagi lifted the pendant up in front of her to get a better look at it. It was
black just as Seran had described it, which made it seem unholy rather than
holy. The lighting was fairly poor and she squinted to get a better look at the
crescent carved into it when suddenly it lit up. The light seemed to be coming
from right above her head, but she knew that there was no lamp above her.
"What…?"
Seran looked over from his notes to see what had grabbed Usagi's attention and
was stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Usagi asked.
"Your forehead. There's a crescent-shaped mark in the middle of your forehead."
Usagi held up a hand, and sure enough the light appeared to be coming from
herself. She ran her finger over her skin but it felt no different. Seran
rummaged through a box on the floor and came up with a metal plate. "Sorry I
don't have a mirror, but this should be good enough." Usagi brought it up to her
face, and found it to be just as Seran had said. A crescent-shaped mark on her
forehead was glowing. She watched it glow for a minute, and then watched it dim
and disappear.
"If you were looking for a sign, that would be it," Seran said. "It looks like
the Moon Goddess has already marked you.
"I don't remember anything like that ever happening," Usagi replied.
"Maybe the memory will come to you later."
"Maybe..." Usagi stood up and gave her muscles a good stretch. "So what do I do
now? I have to go to Atlantis? This city is the farthest I've ever been away
from home."
"Don't worry. I've made some arrangements. We'll get you cleaned up and properly
prepared. I think it would be best if you were to leave tonight though. The
sooner you get away from this city the better it will be for all of us." He
grabbed his lantern with the glowing crystals and motioned for Usagi to follow
him through the door to the room. He led her through a maze of passages. Some
regular, and some hidden until she was passing through them. It didn't take long
for her to lose her sense of direction but apparently he knew exactly where he
was going.
'How far are we going?' she wondered. 'How big is this palace?'
Finally he led her up a final flight of stairs with a shutter at the top that
opened up to fresh air. The sun had completely disappeared and it was now quite
late, but it was still brighter than down below. "If you're wondering," Seran
said. "The tunnels run well into the city on all sides, with a few entrances
here and there. Anyone who tries to enter the palace from that way would
probably get lost pretty quickly. It's easier going out than trying to get in."
Usagi nodded. He led her through a bunch of back alleys until they reached their
destination. It was probably for the best that he didn't take her out in the
street in her condition. The building he stopped at had a stable with horses
behind it. From nearby she could hear the chuckling and shouting of men gourging
themselves in ale. Seran knocked on a back door of the building. For a while it
seemed like no one was going to answer and she thought maybe they should knock
again. Suddenly the door swung open and a chubby-looking man appeared in the
opening.
"Ah! Seran! You're right on time! This is the girl? Let's get her inside!" He
ushered them in quickly and shut the door behind them, taking careful note to
make sure that the wooden door's lock was secure. "Come this way," he said,
leading the way. "It would only cause problems if you were seen by my
customers." He led them up a narrow staircase at the back of the building up to
the second floor. It appeared to be for the employees of what Usagi assumed to
be .... some kind of Inn maybe? The staircase was so narrow she couldn't see how
the chubby man could possibly be walking through it without getting stuck.
The room he led them to had a small tub of steaming water to the side, a cot
with some clothes lying on it and a woman waiting for them. Once the door was
closed behind them Seran spoke up. "Gohan, this is Usagi. This is the girl we
need to get out of the city."
The chubby man turned to Usagi. "I see. Usagi, this is my wife Alanna. She'll
get you cleaned up since it would be a little awkward if I were to do it. Now
excuse me, I have to get back to the guests." Gohan went back out the door and
Seran followed him. When they were done Usagi just stood there, unsure of what
to do. However as soon as Alanna opened her mouth she began to emit an aura of
joliness (obviously not literally).
"Wow, aren't you a mess!" She exclaimed looking over Usagi's dirty face, dirty
blonde hair and filthy whitish dress. "All right, get those clothes off and get
into the tub. I bet there's a beautiful young woman under all that dirt and I'm
sure afterwards you'll feel a whole lot better!"
[insert gratuitous bath scene here]
As Usagi was drying herself off Alanna went to sort through the clothes on the
bed. "You know," she said. "I have a daughter a little younger than you who was
taken to Julius in his first rounds of gathering girls. Gohan and Seran have
been friends for a long time so Seran helped us get her out. Now she's off at a
relative's home out in the country where she'll be safe. I hope I get to see her
again."
Usagi stepped out of the tub to finish drying herself. "I'm sure you'll be able
to see her again. You have to. I'm going to see Meiko-chan again too," Usagi
stated, finally saying something for the first time.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, uh.... she's my little sister. I promised that I would protect her." For a
minute neither of them said anything. Alanna began to look back and forth
between Usagi and the clothes.
"Hm..... I think you be able to just pass off as a boy if we cut off your hair
about here," she said, holding her hand just below Usagi's ears. Usagi
instinctively reached back and grabbed hold of her hair protectively. Alanna
laughed. "You're right; it'd be a shame to cut off all that hair; and on second
thought, even if we were to change your hair your face is still much too
beautiful to pass of as a boy's. If you promise to be careful we won't remove
any hair."
"I promise," Usagi quickly said. Alanna laughed again. Usagi smiled.
"Here, try on these clothes."
When Usagi was done getting dressed she found herself in some boys' clothes.
Giving a questioning look to Alanna the woman laughed again and said, "I know I
said that I wouldn't turn you into a boy but I'm sure that you'll find these
clothes much more suitable for traveling than the clothes you were wearing."
Usagi picked up the pendant where she had sat it on a table. "What should I do
with this?"
Alanna took a look at it for a moment and then turned back to the bundle on the
bed. "I have something perfect for that, although it's unfortunate that there's
nothing attached to it that would allow it to be latched onto your clothes in
some way. Ah! Here we are." When she turned back around she was holding a small
pouch with a string looped through the top of it. "You can put it in here and
wear it around your neck or wherever else you'd like to tie it to."
"Thank you," Usagi replied and dropped the black thing into the pouch. She tied
it around her neck and slid it beneath her shirt. It was the only clue as to
what the heck she was supposed to do in Atlantis.
She was just taking care of the finishing touches when there was a knock on the
door. Alanna went to open the door and Gohan and Seran came inside. "Are you
almost done?" Gohan asked. "I hate to do this to you but I'd be best if you were
to leave right away. My employees aren't exactly the most reliable people and
I'm worried that one of them will betray what we're doing here for a little bit
of coin."
"We're just working on the finishing touches," Alanna said. Seran came over to
Usagi and held out a piece of paper.
"Usagi," I know you probably can't read but this is a letter to a man in
Atlantis which explains everything that I've told to you. The name of the man
you need to meet with in Atlantis is Ranis Tahar. People usually call him R'har
for short, it's kind of like a nickname that he's preferably adopted for
himself. If we're lucky, he'll know more about this situation than we do and
will have some sort of idea of what the moon goddess expects of us." Seran
placed the piece of paper into a sack. "I've also placed in here a map and some
travel directions and enough money to take a boat to Atlantis. There's also some
food in here as well."
"A boat?" Usagi asked.
"Yes, the fastest way to get to the center of Atlantis is to take a boat. You
can completely avoid the Mongolian lands to the east between them and us and
also there is an extensive canal system in Atlantis that leads up to the capital
from all directions. I'm sure that the trip won't be too much trouble."
Alanna came over and wrapped a robe around Usagi and pulled up the hood. "There,
this hides your face and your hair. Once you get out of the lands where the
soldiers are searching for girls you should be okay. Just remember to stay out
of really shady places during the night. There are still plenty of nasty men out
there without having anything to do with what's going on in the palace." Seran
continued with his instructions.
"A couple days' walk south of here is an ocean port where you should be able to
find a boat heading for Atlantis. Although we're not on very good terms with
their country right now there are still plenty of recreational and business
boats traveling back and forth." Usagi nodded.
Gohan came back from peeking outside the room. "Okay, we should get a move on."
"Of course, of course," Seran said. "Come on Usagi, let's get you off on your
way." After getting an unexpected hug from Alanna, Usagi followed Seran out of
the room, back down the narrow staircase and out the back door of the Inn. "The
least I can do is lead you to the city limits."
It must have taken them at least a couple hours to twist their way through the
back alleys of the city to its borders. Seran insisted that it was the fastest
way out, even compared to the main roadways. At last he brought her to a small
door in the outside wall. "Well Usagi, I'm sorry that I've turned your life
upside down this evening. If you have any serious trouble on your way you can
always pray to the moon goddess for guidance, since she did say that she'd look
after you a bit."
Usagi nodded and bowed in thanks. She guessed she should at least be a little
thankful. She was after all out of the city and safe from whatever unspeakable
things were going on in the depths of this city. Usagi only wished that she
could have things back to normal as she headed off in a general southerly
direction under the faint light the moon granted her from behind the clouds.
*******
AN/ At one point I was considering turning this into an experiment in fanfiction
and writing the characters with the same personalities and names as their
counterparts in the anime but in the end I've decided to try writing it with my
original personalities. (The main character's name is Usagi for historical
reasons.)
Chapter 1 'Pearl in the Sands of Fate'
The day had started off as every one had before it. The sun's rays pierced the
hills to the east, filling the land with the warmth it had lost during the
night. By that time the fields were already dotted with the early shift. She
always watched their silhouettes against the rising sun as the breakfast meal
cooked. Every day began like this, and it gave a person a sense of calmness,
that it would be another peaceful day, and that such things would go on forever.
As the sun was glorifying the land with its last rays of light before making its
dip below the far horizon the soldiers came.
What seemed like hundreds of men in golden armour surrounded and marched through
the streets of the village. Knocking down doors, forcing people out of their
homes, and setting fire to random buildings they worked their way through the
streets. All young girls old enough to have children but young enough to not
have them were removed from their homes and rounded up together.
"Co-operate and you'll be able to return to your homes," the commanders called
out. "The Crown needs female candidates for its latest project. From all the
land only few will be chosen, and the rest will be able to return to your homes.
Co-operate and you will not be hurt. Resistance will only result in more
suffering."
As one young woman was led away from her home her mother came screaming out of
the house behind her with kitchen utensils in her hands. Slashing at the
soldiers around her daughter she cried for them to leave her child alone. With
the snap of his fingers an officer gave the order to remove the woman
forcefully. Two soldiers unsheathed their short swords and removed the woman's
arms. The woman fell to the ground, her life bleeding out of her. The soldiers
cleaned off their weapons and left her there as a spectacle for the other
soldiers, and as a deterrence to any further resistance. The deterrence was
effective.
In a shack at the far end of town the parents peeked out the windows to watch
the ensuing chaos while the children huddled together under blankets in a
corner.
"Usagi, I'm scared," the younger girl softly whined.
"Don't worry Meiko, it will be all right. We're not in the town itself so they
might not even come here." Usagi tried her best to get her sister to settle down
without going into a panic herself. It seemed like she would be able to do it
until screams echoed from the village and the shivering and whimpering began all
over again. Their papa whispered something to mama which caused mama to glance
over at the girls and look back out the window before hurrying over to them.
"Both of you," she said, "Please hide in the underground until the soldiers have
gone. You also have to be quiet while you're waiting."
"But it's so dark and scary down there. I don't want to be down there alone,"
Meiko cried.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you," Usagi told her. "Mama and Papa will take care
of the soldiers but we have to stay quiet so they'll go away quicker." Mama led
Usagi and Meiko over to the other side of the room. Sliding a table to the side
she lifted up a floorboard revealing a ladder leading down to the room below.
"You go first Meiko-chan," Usagi whispered as she took hold of the floorboard.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Mama returned to the window to see how much
time they had left. The ladder was only strong enough to support the weight of
one person at a time so Usagi waited for Meiko to call up that she had reached
the bottom.
Usagi was about to enter the hole when soldiers began to bang on the door for
them to open up. Thinking quickly she knocked the ladder away from the hole and
slid the floor plank back into place. She slid the table over top of it just as
a soldier burst through the door. Without stopping Usagi dove for the corner of
the room and underneath a blanket, desperate to draw all attention to herself.
Fearing to anger them Mama and Papa stayed motionless beside the door. Mama was
about to move to help Usagi but Papa held her back. After putting up a little
bit of resistance Usagi allowed herself to be led out of the room, hoping and
hoping that Meiko would stay quiet until the soldiers had gone.
In the center of the village Usagi found that the soldiers had gathered most of
the girls around her age, younger and older. "What's going on Mari-chan?" she
whispered to one of her friends.
"They're just gathering up all of the girls. The commander says that the people
in the capital need some specific girls for a project they're working on and
once they've chosen we can return here."
"I wonder if it's true," Usagi whispered.
"I hope so."
After a while the soldiers stopped bringing new girls to the group and the
commander addressed them. "It's a day-long march to the capital from here. We
are going to march all night and arrive there tomorrow morning." The soldiers
began to form up in lines around the girls. "Slowness or resistance will not be
tolerated," he stated while pointing at the poor dead mother who was missing
both of her arms. Panic and tears rushed through the girls as the ones who
hadn't seen the sight yet were exposed to it. "Fully co-operate and you'll be
able to return here within the week. Forward march!"
Usagi glanced back at the village as the last of the sun's circle disappeared
behind the western hills, walking with the dread feeling that she wouldn't be
seeing that sight again for a long time.
*****
The room was dark, dank, and crowded. Usagi had gotten the gist of the situation
just by listening to the various conversations since they arrived. There were
woman from all over the place gathered in what appeared to be Mohenjo's prison
cells. Mohenjo was the capital of their nation, Aryanavarta. She supposed they
didn't have anywhere else secure enough to keep this many women. They were all
girls really, as was herself. Apparently the selection process had not yet begun
yet, meals were served only once a day, and the only place to relieve yourself
was a few pits at the back of the room.
"Usagi! There you are!" Her friend Miya came over beside her. Well, she wasn't
really a friend, but they knew each other. "Where's Meiko? I haven't been able
to find her anywhere."
"She stayed at home."
"Oh… you mean… I see." Miya became silent for a moment. "Well, that's probably a
good thing. Who knows what's going to happen to us here."
Usagi didn't say anything. She didn't really have anything to say. Miya appeared
to get bored and moved on to find other people. Usagi continued her analysis of
the room they were in.
The only ways out, were through the cell door they came in through, and perhaps
through the toilets, but she had no idea where something like that would lead.
There were a few windows but they were much too high and way too small. There
wasn't really much to do. They had arrived in the morning as the commander had
said but all they could do was sit around and talk or walk back and forth
through all the people. The pale yellow dress she had hiked in through the night
was pretty dirty and the room was starting to get smelly. Fortunately or
unfortunately that night was the night that the selection began.
Shortly after sunset when there was still a little bit of light coming in
through the windows the guards came and instructed the girls to follow
single-file out of the jail and down deeper into the palace. There were soldiers
posted here and there to make sure that things ran as smoothly as possible. A
lot of the girls were really eager to get out of the cells and crowded around
the entrance even though they were only allowed to leave one at a time. Usagi
hung back and watched them. A group of girls were huddled in a corner not making
any move to leave. One of the soldiers came inside the cell and told them to get
up. When they didn't move he kicked a couple of them to the side and ordered
them again to get up. He was getting ready to kick again one of the cowering
girls again when one of the others stood up and put herself between them. In a
flash the soldier drew his sword and smacked her across the head with the flat
side of it. She fell to the floor dazed. Not wanting to get hit themselves or
see their friend get hit again the other girls got up and said they were going.
Usagi turned from them and went out into the hallway. The room was getting
darker and the footing was tricky in a few places.
As they started to head underground some odd glowing crystals appeared on the
walls that Usagi had never seen or heard of before. She wondered why they
weren't used in more places as they seemed very useful. Maybe it was a city
thing. A spiraling staircase took them down deeper than she had thought it was
possible to go. She was walking in sort of a daze, not really paying attention
to where they were going since everything looked the same when suddenly the
light coming from the crystals died out. Everything went pitch black. She felt
someone grab her by the arm as she was pulled through a doorway to the side that
she hadn't even noticed. She struggled a bit but the grip was strong. She was
pulled back away from the doorway and a hand was put over her mouth. She
struggled to get free as the lights outside in the corridor lit back up and the
line of girls was forced to proceed. A voice whispered into her ear.
"Stop fighting. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to get you out of here."
Usagi stopped fighting. She didn't really trust him just for saying something
like that but it was probably better than going farther into the depths of the
palace where the other girls were being herded to. "If you need an explanation
then to put it simply, if Julius gets his hands on you at this point of time the
world as you know it will come to an end. Now follow me quietly. We're going to
go to one of my research rooms where I can explain things." Usagi was really
confused now, but really had no choice but to follow him.
The strange man led her up a series of staircases in walls that she didn't even
see until he entered them. After they stumbled through the dark around a few
corners they came to a place where he had left a lantern which made the going a
little bit easier. On closer inspection Usagi noticed that it wasn't really a
lantern. There was no flame in it, instead it was holding something similar to
those crystals hanging on the walls. After they had walked for a few minutes she
asked about it.
"Oh, this? This is one of the many secret devices that they're coming up with
down in The Lab. It's some sort of ancient device I suppose. Even though I use
it I wish that they weren't uncovering such things." The walk was silent for the
rest of the way.
Finally they ended up in a room with a desk and a few shelves and real lanterns
on the walls that had to be lighted. He pointed to the chair. "Take a seat while
I try to give you an idea of what's going on." He paced back and forth across
the room. "Now, where should I start…"
"Well, my name is Seran and at one time I was in charge of all research projects
going on in Aryanavarta. That all changed eleven years ago when Julius appeared
out of nowhere with an ancient artifact from Atlantis. By the time he arrived he
had already deciphered the writings on it, which gave instructions on how to
make a couple of things we had only dreamed of. One allowed two people to send
notes to each other over long distances. The other involved moving things over
large distances in an instant. It wasn't long before he was in charge of all of
the research projects and I was completely locked out."
"Five years ago he revealed to us that the artifact was actually part of a
larger wall that he had found hidden in the ruins beneath Atlantis' capital
city. It took him years of negotiations but after a lot of work last year he was
able to lead an expedition of his 'assistant researchers' back to Atlantis where
they used his technology to steal a larger piece of the wall; everything they
found the runes on in fact. Now normally aside from the fact that we were kind
of stealing this knowledge I wouldn't have a problem with it, but something is
seriously not right. Some of the things they are discovering down in that lab
are wondrous like those crystals you saw that emit light. But some of them, I
believe, are things that no sane human should be involved in. Of course the
promise of weapons and the such keeps him popular with the King, but some of the
things he's coming up with are just ….demonic in nature. Manipulating people's
souls and wielding forces that I can only describe as 'magical' that have no
scientific basis at all are not things that should be taken lightly. I was
afraid that we would discover something that would allow him to do more than
just gain mastery over our foes when he started to churn new inventions out
fairly quickly."
"Uh…. But what does this have to do with me? And why did you grab me? What's
really going on down there?" Usagi finally managed to ask.
"Oh, sorry; I guess I was rambling a bit. Anyway, it was then that I decided to
analyze the wall for myself. I didn't understand any of the pale red markings
that the research team was deciphering but I decided to take a look anyway. I
was just casually looking it over when I found some markings outside of the area
of red ones, on the plain rock at the edge of the artifact. They were notes
written in our own language. At first I thought one of the researchers had just
scratched some notes in at the side but for some strange reason, when I pointed
them out no one else could see them! The wording was unclear as it used an
ancient syntax of our language but strangely it spoke of events as if it were
talking about the present. There are some unearthly forces working behind the
scenes here but if what is written there is true, which I now believe to be so,
the situation has become a lot clearer and a lot more deadly than I had ever
thought." Seran walked over and fumbled through a mess of notes on his desk.
"There wasn't much room and only the main points of sentences were written but
basically it said that the 'red runes' were 'corrupted' by an 'evil god'. Next
were written some dimensions which I figured to be a small flat cylinder shape
made out of a combination of a variety of materials. It gave rough instructions
on how to summon a 'goddess' of the 'moon' and ended with that."
"It didn't really give much information so I had to do some research on
summoning goddesses first. I'm a man of science and I don't like these
'mystical' things that I can't explain rationally but considering what I had
seen up 'till then it was worth a shot. It turns out that this moon goddess is a
deity that the Atlanteans worship. Now with the state our countries' relations
are in after the incident it was quite a challenge to get the details about this
goddess. I had to…. Ah, sorry, I got carried away again. Back to the point."
"Anyway, with the minimum summoning requirements; a full moon, assorted flowers
arranged in patterns and the like I was finally ready to go."
---
Seran looked out over the field around him in the darkness. It would soon be
time to start. A slight breeze ruffled the blades of grass around him and his
dirty blond hair. He adjusted for the umpteenth time the pendant sitting on a
round table he had constructed for the event. He looked back to admire the empty
field again when a light caught his eye. Turning he saw that the event he had
been waiting for was starting. The moon began to rise above the horizon.
Snapping out of his trance he got back to the work at hand. Placing a cup on one
side of the table he filled up to the brim with wine. On the other side he
placed a plate which he then filled with bread and pastries. He stepped back and
waited for the bottom of the moon to crest the land below it. Just after it had
reached that point he took a deep breath and began his chant.
"Goddess of the Moon, may I offer you an oasis on your nightly hunt." He lifted
the glass of wine up, toasting it to the moon. "I would be humbled if you would
join me in these humble surroundings for some wine and pastries, and some
business." He placed the glass back on the table."
……….and nothing happened.
……….and still nothing happened.
Seran was about to give up on this mystical nonsense when the moon suddenly
seemed to get brighter. Next a beam of light seemed to flow from the moon and
light up the ground around him. At first he couldn't see anything, but then a
figure appeared in the distance. As it got closer he saw that it was a person
riding on a chariot. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The chariot crested
the trees in the distance and dropped down into the field. The chariot rode up
to him, turned in front of him and a woman dressed in white robes stepped off.
The chariot disappeared as soon as her feet were on the ground. She strolled up
to the other side of the table and observed him intently, her hands clasped
behind her back. She seemed to have a pale white glow surrounding her, but that
could have just been the moon in the distance. For a moment there was silence,
until Seran realized that he should speak first.
"A… Ar….. Are you the Moon Goddess?"
"I am as you say, I am Selene." Her voice was so pure and clear. Seran wanted to
hear it again. "What business do you have with me?" Her face had an ageless look
to it, and although she was extremely beautiful, her face still held the
strength and certainty of a warrior.
"I… uh… some writing on wall told me to see you. All it said was to give you
this pendant I prepared." He gestured with his hand towards the object in the
middle of the table. He glanced down at it for a moment and looked back up
quickly. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her, now that she was before
him. Selene came closer to the table and reached out a hand towards it. She
slowly lowered her fingers. As she touched it colour burst from her hand,
infusing the pendant. Its plain cylinder shape began to change, taking on a more
aesthetic look, but remaining round. As she lifted her hand away a crescent moon
formed on top of it and the colour faded. The entire pendant darkened to an
almost-black colour, quite a contrast from its original silvery glimmer. She
seemed almost surprised by her handiwork.
"So, the time has finally come. This is the best that I can do. The conditions
you have summoned me with limit my power and there is an evil power growing
nearby that is dampening my will." She closed her eyes and for a moment seemed
to be listening or feeling for something in the air.
"I don't think I understand…" Seran started to say when Selene began to lift her
arm back up again. This time she reached over and touched his forehead. A
picture suddenly appeared in his mind. It was of a place that he glimmly
remembered, down in the depths of the palace. After tracing a circle on his
forehead she brought her arm down and dropped a couple of crystals on the table
in front of him.
"A few days from now a large number of young girls will be passing that place.
Wait there and carry these crystals with you. When the time is right the lights
in the hallway will go out. Reach out and grab the girl standing in front of the
doorway at that time. Give her this pendant and send her to Atlantis, where I
can be summoned at my full strength."
"This girl…" Seran chose his words carefully, "Who is she?"
"If you do not find this girl and send her away from this place, she will most
certainly be turned to the darkness, and the world as you know it will cease to
exist. I will do my best to protect her, but hopefully she will be able to take
up the brunt of this task herself." Selene took a step back.
Seran wanted to hear more, he wanted more to be explained, but he wasn't sure
what to ask. He was about to speak up when the moonlight suddenly became very
bright and he was forced to look away. Realizing what was going on he quickly
looked back but it was already too late. Everything had returned to normal, and
the moon was sitting partway up the sky giving off its normal amount of light.
Wondering what was going on in that a man such as he should experience such an
event he picked up the glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. He lifted up the
blackened pendant and traced his finger along the crescent moon. It had been
heavy when he had made it but now it was as if he was lifting a piece of bread.
It didn't seem magical in any way to him, but he would definitely do as the
Goddess had asked of him.
---
"And that's about it. Now you know as much as I do about what's going on." The
room became silent. Seran shuffled through the masses of papers on his desk.
After a few minutes Usagi finally spoke.
"What will happen to all those girls that are going to be checked by Julian?
Will they be…" She didn't want to say it.
"Killed? Raped?" Seran finished for her. "Probably not. I imagine that a few
will probably end up in soldiers' beds but Julius has uses for them.
"Will they be allowed to return to their homes?"
"Unfortunately I doubt that it will happen. Even if none of them possess the
spiritual power that Julius is looking for he can still easily take control of
their souls. Some of them will return home, but they won't be themselves
anymore. The majority of them will probably stay here and do whatever that
damned rock is telling him to do."
"I want to go home," Usagi stated.
"Well, there's nothing I can do to stop you from doing so. I have to remain here
in order to avoid suspicion and to keep an eye on what Julius is doing. When
Julius doesn't find what he's looking for he's not going to give up. He's going
to keep on sending out soldiers to gather girls for him to test. I'm asking you
to help me stop something horrible from happening."
Usagi considered her options. She really wanted to return home, but if even half
of the things Seran had been talking about were true she would only be putting
her family into more danger. Although she had promised Meiko she would return,
she had also promised that she would protect her. She didn't have to break the
first promise, she'd just be returning later. "Can I see the pendant?"
"Yes, sure," Seran said. He pulled it out of one of his pockets and handed it to
her. "It seems normal to me but it was after all crafted by a Goddess."
Usagi lifted the pendant up in front of her to get a better look at it. It was
black just as Seran had described it, which made it seem unholy rather than
holy. The lighting was fairly poor and she squinted to get a better look at the
crescent carved into it when suddenly it lit up. The light seemed to be coming
from right above her head, but she knew that there was no lamp above her.
"What…?"
Seran looked over from his notes to see what had grabbed Usagi's attention and
was stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Usagi asked.
"Your forehead. There's a crescent-shaped mark in the middle of your forehead."
Usagi held up a hand, and sure enough the light appeared to be coming from
herself. She ran her finger over her skin but it felt no different. Seran
rummaged through a box on the floor and came up with a metal plate. "Sorry I
don't have a mirror, but this should be good enough." Usagi brought it up to her
face, and found it to be just as Seran had said. A crescent-shaped mark on her
forehead was glowing. She watched it glow for a minute, and then watched it dim
and disappear.
"If you were looking for a sign, that would be it," Seran said. "It looks like
the Moon Goddess has already marked you.
"I don't remember anything like that ever happening," Usagi replied.
"Maybe the memory will come to you later."
"Maybe..." Usagi stood up and gave her muscles a good stretch. "So what do I do
now? I have to go to Atlantis? This city is the farthest I've ever been away
from home."
"Don't worry. I've made some arrangements. We'll get you cleaned up and properly
prepared. I think it would be best if you were to leave tonight though. The
sooner you get away from this city the better it will be for all of us." He
grabbed his lantern with the glowing crystals and motioned for Usagi to follow
him through the door to the room. He led her through a maze of passages. Some
regular, and some hidden until she was passing through them. It didn't take long
for her to lose her sense of direction but apparently he knew exactly where he
was going.
'How far are we going?' she wondered. 'How big is this palace?'
Finally he led her up a final flight of stairs with a shutter at the top that
opened up to fresh air. The sun had completely disappeared and it was now quite
late, but it was still brighter than down below. "If you're wondering," Seran
said. "The tunnels run well into the city on all sides, with a few entrances
here and there. Anyone who tries to enter the palace from that way would
probably get lost pretty quickly. It's easier going out than trying to get in."
Usagi nodded. He led her through a bunch of back alleys until they reached their
destination. It was probably for the best that he didn't take her out in the
street in her condition. The building he stopped at had a stable with horses
behind it. From nearby she could hear the chuckling and shouting of men gourging
themselves in ale. Seran knocked on a back door of the building. For a while it
seemed like no one was going to answer and she thought maybe they should knock
again. Suddenly the door swung open and a chubby-looking man appeared in the
opening.
"Ah! Seran! You're right on time! This is the girl? Let's get her inside!" He
ushered them in quickly and shut the door behind them, taking careful note to
make sure that the wooden door's lock was secure. "Come this way," he said,
leading the way. "It would only cause problems if you were seen by my
customers." He led them up a narrow staircase at the back of the building up to
the second floor. It appeared to be for the employees of what Usagi assumed to
be .... some kind of Inn maybe? The staircase was so narrow she couldn't see how
the chubby man could possibly be walking through it without getting stuck.
The room he led them to had a small tub of steaming water to the side, a cot
with some clothes lying on it and a woman waiting for them. Once the door was
closed behind them Seran spoke up. "Gohan, this is Usagi. This is the girl we
need to get out of the city."
The chubby man turned to Usagi. "I see. Usagi, this is my wife Alanna. She'll
get you cleaned up since it would be a little awkward if I were to do it. Now
excuse me, I have to get back to the guests." Gohan went back out the door and
Seran followed him. When they were done Usagi just stood there, unsure of what
to do. However as soon as Alanna opened her mouth she began to emit an aura of
joliness (obviously not literally).
"Wow, aren't you a mess!" She exclaimed looking over Usagi's dirty face, dirty
blonde hair and filthy whitish dress. "All right, get those clothes off and get
into the tub. I bet there's a beautiful young woman under all that dirt and I'm
sure afterwards you'll feel a whole lot better!"
[insert gratuitous bath scene here]
As Usagi was drying herself off Alanna went to sort through the clothes on the
bed. "You know," she said. "I have a daughter a little younger than you who was
taken to Julius in his first rounds of gathering girls. Gohan and Seran have
been friends for a long time so Seran helped us get her out. Now she's off at a
relative's home out in the country where she'll be safe. I hope I get to see her
again."
Usagi stepped out of the tub to finish drying herself. "I'm sure you'll be able
to see her again. You have to. I'm going to see Meiko-chan again too," Usagi
stated, finally saying something for the first time.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, uh.... she's my little sister. I promised that I would protect her." For a
minute neither of them said anything. Alanna began to look back and forth
between Usagi and the clothes.
"Hm..... I think you be able to just pass off as a boy if we cut off your hair
about here," she said, holding her hand just below Usagi's ears. Usagi
instinctively reached back and grabbed hold of her hair protectively. Alanna
laughed. "You're right; it'd be a shame to cut off all that hair; and on second
thought, even if we were to change your hair your face is still much too
beautiful to pass of as a boy's. If you promise to be careful we won't remove
any hair."
"I promise," Usagi quickly said. Alanna laughed again. Usagi smiled.
"Here, try on these clothes."
When Usagi was done getting dressed she found herself in some boys' clothes.
Giving a questioning look to Alanna the woman laughed again and said, "I know I
said that I wouldn't turn you into a boy but I'm sure that you'll find these
clothes much more suitable for traveling than the clothes you were wearing."
Usagi picked up the pendant where she had sat it on a table. "What should I do
with this?"
Alanna took a look at it for a moment and then turned back to the bundle on the
bed. "I have something perfect for that, although it's unfortunate that there's
nothing attached to it that would allow it to be latched onto your clothes in
some way. Ah! Here we are." When she turned back around she was holding a small
pouch with a string looped through the top of it. "You can put it in here and
wear it around your neck or wherever else you'd like to tie it to."
"Thank you," Usagi replied and dropped the black thing into the pouch. She tied
it around her neck and slid it beneath her shirt. It was the only clue as to
what the heck she was supposed to do in Atlantis.
She was just taking care of the finishing touches when there was a knock on the
door. Alanna went to open the door and Gohan and Seran came inside. "Are you
almost done?" Gohan asked. "I hate to do this to you but I'd be best if you were
to leave right away. My employees aren't exactly the most reliable people and
I'm worried that one of them will betray what we're doing here for a little bit
of coin."
"We're just working on the finishing touches," Alanna said. Seran came over to
Usagi and held out a piece of paper.
"Usagi," I know you probably can't read but this is a letter to a man in
Atlantis which explains everything that I've told to you. The name of the man
you need to meet with in Atlantis is Ranis Tahar. People usually call him R'har
for short, it's kind of like a nickname that he's preferably adopted for
himself. If we're lucky, he'll know more about this situation than we do and
will have some sort of idea of what the moon goddess expects of us." Seran
placed the piece of paper into a sack. "I've also placed in here a map and some
travel directions and enough money to take a boat to Atlantis. There's also some
food in here as well."
"A boat?" Usagi asked.
"Yes, the fastest way to get to the center of Atlantis is to take a boat. You
can completely avoid the Mongolian lands to the east between them and us and
also there is an extensive canal system in Atlantis that leads up to the capital
from all directions. I'm sure that the trip won't be too much trouble."
Alanna came over and wrapped a robe around Usagi and pulled up the hood. "There,
this hides your face and your hair. Once you get out of the lands where the
soldiers are searching for girls you should be okay. Just remember to stay out
of really shady places during the night. There are still plenty of nasty men out
there without having anything to do with what's going on in the palace." Seran
continued with his instructions.
"A couple days' walk south of here is an ocean port where you should be able to
find a boat heading for Atlantis. Although we're not on very good terms with
their country right now there are still plenty of recreational and business
boats traveling back and forth." Usagi nodded.
Gohan came back from peeking outside the room. "Okay, we should get a move on."
"Of course, of course," Seran said. "Come on Usagi, let's get you off on your
way." After getting an unexpected hug from Alanna, Usagi followed Seran out of
the room, back down the narrow staircase and out the back door of the Inn. "The
least I can do is lead you to the city limits."
It must have taken them at least a couple hours to twist their way through the
back alleys of the city to its borders. Seran insisted that it was the fastest
way out, even compared to the main roadways. At last he brought her to a small
door in the outside wall. "Well Usagi, I'm sorry that I've turned your life
upside down this evening. If you have any serious trouble on your way you can
always pray to the moon goddess for guidance, since she did say that she'd look
after you a bit."
Usagi nodded and bowed in thanks. She guessed she should at least be a little
thankful. She was after all out of the city and safe from whatever unspeakable
things were going on in the depths of this city. Usagi only wished that she
could have things back to normal as she headed off in a general southerly
direction under the faint light the moon granted her from behind the clouds.
*******
AN/ At one point I was considering turning this into an experiment in fanfiction
and writing the characters with the same personalities and names as their
counterparts in the anime but in the end I've decided to try writing it with my
original personalities. (The main character's name is Usagi for historical
reasons.)