It had to be miles to the next town. Michael couldn't believe he tried to walk all the way to Coneria in one day. He had already risked his life traveling over the mountain range alone, although he was fortunate enough to run into wild animals. Traveling at night was dangerous, and by the looks of things the sun was ready to set. He quickly pitched a tent and started a fire with a small brush pile that lay on the ground and his trusty firestarter. He hoped this little threat was enough to keep imps or wolves away, but he had a feeling he should stay up just in case.
Cadoc saw the sun was getting ready to set. He knew the dark was the worst time to travel, so he began to search for a nice place to hang his hammock. Then, a good piece away off the trail, Cadoc spotted a tent pitched with a fire burning beside it. As he moved closer, he saw it belonged to a man with flaming red hair who seemed unarmed. Throwing caution to the wind, Cadoc walked into the campsite ready to face the man as friend or foe.
Michael quickly jumped to a fighting stance. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"
"I'd really like to camp someplace tonight, and I'd like to ask if I could use this place."
"Sure. I wouldn't mind having a partner in case monsters attack."
Michael looked over the friendly intruder more closely. He was a young man with dirty blond hair, about the same age as him, and a black belt tied around his waist.
"That belt tells me that you're a monk."
"Yes, I am a monk. I trained myself in martial arts from some old books in my church."
"You're talking to another self-trained warrior. I learned how to use fight with weapons since I worked in my uncle's weapon shop most of my life. At first I just played around with them, but eventually I got to where I was able to actually fight."
"I'm happy for you. By the way, where are you headed tomorrow?"
"Coneria. I heard there was a problem at the castle and I'm going to see if I can do anything to help."
"That's a worthy cause for me to undertake. Would you like me to join you?"
"What are you getting at?"
"We can get the job done twice as fast and twice as easy working together. Besides, lone travelers don't last long in the wilderness."
"OK. I'll let you come along. We'll get started in the morning."
Just then, something dressed in a long black robe and a pointy hat stumbled into the campsite. Michael and Cadoc jumped to their feet.
"I wish to stay here. I don't have any money for an inn and I don't mean any harm," Aiko the black mage said to them.
"I don't trust you, black mage," growled Michael. "What's your name?"
"My name is Aiko. I'm going to Coneria to speak with the court prophet Lukahn. I have reason to believe he knows some vital information that is none of your concern. If the two of you are headed in the same direction, I ask that you would allow me to travel with you."
Michael conceded. "Sure. The more the merrier."
Kyra looked at the campsite in the distance. A tent and two hammocks were set up. She was scared she wouldn't find a place to sleep. This might be her only chance at safety. As she neared it, the three figures that were encamped there spotted her and began moving toward her. As they came nearer, she saw they were a man with red hair much brighter than hers, a monk, and a black mage. This was the oddest group of travelers she'd ever seen. They got a good look at her, too, and passed her off as harmless.
"It's a white mage," the black mage brilliantly observed.
"If someone like him attacks us, the world's already too far down the drain for me to want to save it anymore," said the red-haired man.
"Brother! Doest thou need a place to lodge for the night?" offered the monk.
Kyra's disguise must be working. They believed she was a man and she wanted to give them no reason to think otherwise just yet. She didn't trust them, especially the black mage. Thinking as hard as she could how to fool them, she quickly tried to change her voice to sound like a man.
"Yes, brother. I grew weary from my trip. I would be honored to lodge with thee."
The voice apparently fooled them as well.
Shortly after, the group got to talking around the campfire. After basic introductions (and Kyra announced herself as Logan, as she thought of herself now), they got to telling why they were on the road.
"As I told you, I'm Michael. Three weeks ago, I suddenly felt the urge to leave my hometown. I took the Orb my family passed down for generations..."
"An Orb?" interrupted Logan.
"This old gray Orb. My grandfather said this is one of THE orbs. That the one chosen by this would be a Light Warrior."
"Brother Mark gave me this Orb just like before I left because he thought I was a Light Warrior, too."
"My master gave me an Orb identical to those," Aiko mused. "Surely Alister didn't believe I
was..."
"Wait, I bought one of those off a traveling merchant.." Cadoc said, then added, "I know it wasn't given to me, but what are the odds that I'd meet the one merchant who had that in the middle of nowhere?"
Michael couldn't believe it. "THESE are the Light Warriors? Come on! This shouldn't be happening! White mage...Logan, you had to memorize all the prophecies to become a priest, didn't you? What do they say about the Light Warriors?"
Logan thought for a moment. "I do find it hard to believe that we are the Light Warriors. I do recall 'When the world is in darkness, Four Warriors will come.' It also says each will carry an Orb, which they will revive to their original glory as part of their quest. As for a description of the Light Warriors, they will each leave on a journey because of a longing to adventure. The Four will gather together, and bring light unto the world."
Cadoc spoke what was on the minds of all four: "That's...us?"
The group was silent around the campfire for a long time, each Light Warrior lost in their own thoughts. Michael already trusted everyone, but Cadoc seemed overconfident and Aiko very self-absorbed, yet Logan... nothing seemed to be wrong at all with Logan. Cadoc could care less about Aiko, as black magic was the complete opposite of martial arts, but he saw himself getting along rather well with a fellow physical warrior and a constructive white mage.
Logan tired to look past the surface of people, and she liked what she saw for the most part. Michael and Cadoc were honest, open people it seemed. The two seemed like they thought they could take on anything. Aiko was different: he was very quiet, like he didn't want anyone to get to know him. The hat he wore that enclosed his face in darkness made it seem even more he was trying to hide his real self from the world.
Aiko thought all three of his newfound partners, he wasn't going to call them his friends, were going to be a great help in his quest to become powerful, and the fight against evil when he had to use the power. However, he wasn't going to get attached to them, because he knew that someday there might have to be a sacrifice made in battle, and he may have to be the one to make the choice.
In the morning, the four set off for Coneria, ready to help out with whatever trouble was going in that country. Each one of them felt a new burden upon them, but they also felt a new strength, knowing that they were they ones who would lead the world out of darkness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Warriors! Revive the power of the orbs!"
- Random people, FFI
Cadoc saw the sun was getting ready to set. He knew the dark was the worst time to travel, so he began to search for a nice place to hang his hammock. Then, a good piece away off the trail, Cadoc spotted a tent pitched with a fire burning beside it. As he moved closer, he saw it belonged to a man with flaming red hair who seemed unarmed. Throwing caution to the wind, Cadoc walked into the campsite ready to face the man as friend or foe.
Michael quickly jumped to a fighting stance. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"
"I'd really like to camp someplace tonight, and I'd like to ask if I could use this place."
"Sure. I wouldn't mind having a partner in case monsters attack."
Michael looked over the friendly intruder more closely. He was a young man with dirty blond hair, about the same age as him, and a black belt tied around his waist.
"That belt tells me that you're a monk."
"Yes, I am a monk. I trained myself in martial arts from some old books in my church."
"You're talking to another self-trained warrior. I learned how to use fight with weapons since I worked in my uncle's weapon shop most of my life. At first I just played around with them, but eventually I got to where I was able to actually fight."
"I'm happy for you. By the way, where are you headed tomorrow?"
"Coneria. I heard there was a problem at the castle and I'm going to see if I can do anything to help."
"That's a worthy cause for me to undertake. Would you like me to join you?"
"What are you getting at?"
"We can get the job done twice as fast and twice as easy working together. Besides, lone travelers don't last long in the wilderness."
"OK. I'll let you come along. We'll get started in the morning."
Just then, something dressed in a long black robe and a pointy hat stumbled into the campsite. Michael and Cadoc jumped to their feet.
"I wish to stay here. I don't have any money for an inn and I don't mean any harm," Aiko the black mage said to them.
"I don't trust you, black mage," growled Michael. "What's your name?"
"My name is Aiko. I'm going to Coneria to speak with the court prophet Lukahn. I have reason to believe he knows some vital information that is none of your concern. If the two of you are headed in the same direction, I ask that you would allow me to travel with you."
Michael conceded. "Sure. The more the merrier."
Kyra looked at the campsite in the distance. A tent and two hammocks were set up. She was scared she wouldn't find a place to sleep. This might be her only chance at safety. As she neared it, the three figures that were encamped there spotted her and began moving toward her. As they came nearer, she saw they were a man with red hair much brighter than hers, a monk, and a black mage. This was the oddest group of travelers she'd ever seen. They got a good look at her, too, and passed her off as harmless.
"It's a white mage," the black mage brilliantly observed.
"If someone like him attacks us, the world's already too far down the drain for me to want to save it anymore," said the red-haired man.
"Brother! Doest thou need a place to lodge for the night?" offered the monk.
Kyra's disguise must be working. They believed she was a man and she wanted to give them no reason to think otherwise just yet. She didn't trust them, especially the black mage. Thinking as hard as she could how to fool them, she quickly tried to change her voice to sound like a man.
"Yes, brother. I grew weary from my trip. I would be honored to lodge with thee."
The voice apparently fooled them as well.
Shortly after, the group got to talking around the campfire. After basic introductions (and Kyra announced herself as Logan, as she thought of herself now), they got to telling why they were on the road.
"As I told you, I'm Michael. Three weeks ago, I suddenly felt the urge to leave my hometown. I took the Orb my family passed down for generations..."
"An Orb?" interrupted Logan.
"This old gray Orb. My grandfather said this is one of THE orbs. That the one chosen by this would be a Light Warrior."
"Brother Mark gave me this Orb just like before I left because he thought I was a Light Warrior, too."
"My master gave me an Orb identical to those," Aiko mused. "Surely Alister didn't believe I
was..."
"Wait, I bought one of those off a traveling merchant.." Cadoc said, then added, "I know it wasn't given to me, but what are the odds that I'd meet the one merchant who had that in the middle of nowhere?"
Michael couldn't believe it. "THESE are the Light Warriors? Come on! This shouldn't be happening! White mage...Logan, you had to memorize all the prophecies to become a priest, didn't you? What do they say about the Light Warriors?"
Logan thought for a moment. "I do find it hard to believe that we are the Light Warriors. I do recall 'When the world is in darkness, Four Warriors will come.' It also says each will carry an Orb, which they will revive to their original glory as part of their quest. As for a description of the Light Warriors, they will each leave on a journey because of a longing to adventure. The Four will gather together, and bring light unto the world."
Cadoc spoke what was on the minds of all four: "That's...us?"
The group was silent around the campfire for a long time, each Light Warrior lost in their own thoughts. Michael already trusted everyone, but Cadoc seemed overconfident and Aiko very self-absorbed, yet Logan... nothing seemed to be wrong at all with Logan. Cadoc could care less about Aiko, as black magic was the complete opposite of martial arts, but he saw himself getting along rather well with a fellow physical warrior and a constructive white mage.
Logan tired to look past the surface of people, and she liked what she saw for the most part. Michael and Cadoc were honest, open people it seemed. The two seemed like they thought they could take on anything. Aiko was different: he was very quiet, like he didn't want anyone to get to know him. The hat he wore that enclosed his face in darkness made it seem even more he was trying to hide his real self from the world.
Aiko thought all three of his newfound partners, he wasn't going to call them his friends, were going to be a great help in his quest to become powerful, and the fight against evil when he had to use the power. However, he wasn't going to get attached to them, because he knew that someday there might have to be a sacrifice made in battle, and he may have to be the one to make the choice.
In the morning, the four set off for Coneria, ready to help out with whatever trouble was going in that country. Each one of them felt a new burden upon them, but they also felt a new strength, knowing that they were they ones who would lead the world out of darkness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Warriors! Revive the power of the orbs!"
- Random people, FFI