Chapter 7

A New Horror

"This is just great!" Karsh yelled, kicking a board that was near his foot. "Argh! If I ever find the bastards who did this…I'll!"

The group had made their journey to Termina earlier in the day and were shocked to find it destroyed. Fires were still burning in the houses that surrounded the city. Some people lay dead in the streets. Buildings had been torn apart by some form of explosive. The boats in the port had been destroyed, not one vessel left floating. The flag of the Dragoons had been torn down and torched, its charred remains lying near the entrance to the city.

The group had not had a chance to do a full search for any survivors, most of them still trying to overcome their grief. Marcy had sat down and was now sobbing. Riddel was trying to remain in control her feelings, but she had tears trailing down her cheeks. Zoah was a quiet mass near the entrance. His helmet hid his feelings but his chest could be seen rising in deep breaths. Luccia was trying to discover how the city had been attacked, examining the places where the buildings had been destroyed. Guile was silent, leaning against a nearby pole, showing no emotion. Viper had taken a seat on a slab of rock and had his head in his hands. Radius was standing near Zoah, his head bowed and deep in thought.

Karsh was trying to keep his grief in check by letting his anger get out of control. He yelled again and began to run up into the city. Before the group could do anything, he disappeared around a corner and they could hear his shouts echoing through the town, searching for any signs of survivors.

When it was apparent he wasn't going to be coming back right away and when their tears had began to run dry, they gathered around once more.

"Vhat ist to be done now?" Luccia asked. She had returned from her search of some of the buildings in the vicinity.

"For the time being. I feel it would be wise to assist Karsh in his search for survivors…We cannot continue further until we have found anyone who might still be alive. Perhaps they could even shed some light on who did this," Radius spoke gravely, his words resounding through the group.

"I think I know who did this," remarked Luccia. All eyes turned towards her. "The destructive work here was done with weapons that we do not possess. I can only conclude that the same beings that destroyed Arni Village also destroyed Termina. These lizard folk that have suddenly shown up."

"We still don't know where those things have come from, do we?" Viper had risen to his feet and was fingering the hilt of his sword. His eyes were staring at the charred remains of the flag of the Dragoons lying nearby.

"Sadly, no," Riddel whispered. "But they have destroyed what we have held close in the short time they have been here."

"I hate them all!" Marcy sobbed. "They're all a bunch of meanies! I hope they die! I hope they die, die, die…" she was cut off by a quick hand on her shoulder.

"Quiet…" Guild whispered to the group. They looked at him with puzzled looks on their faces. "Wait here," he warned them before hovering up the steps near the entrance.

They watched as he disappeared from sight around a corner to the left, making his way toward the port. The group waited with held breath, listening intently for any sounds to indicate what was going on.

As they strained their ears, they heard a voice ask in a loud tone, "What business have you here?" It was Guile and he had met someone.

Then they heard another voice, in an even louder tone answer. "Ahoy ye landlubber! We were passin' by the city and were wondering what happened to it!"

"You are not in league with the forces that were here earlier then?" Guile's reply became louder as the group started to move toward the port.

"I haven't the foggiest idea of what you are meanin', but I su'pose we aren't friends with em'," came the answer.

"I know that voice," Viper whispered. "If that isn't who I think it is, I'll remove my own hand."

They rounded the last corner and found that Guile was standing in front of about a dozen pirates, all with short swords in their hands. Their leader was out in front, his black outfit and cigar giving him a rough appearance.

The pirate leader noticed their approach and immediately singled out General Viper. "General Viper," he began.

"Captain Fargo…" the General replied.

"I never reckoned seein' your face here…" Fargo continued, his eyes narrowing. "Aye matey's," he yelled loudly. "Feast your eyes upon your captain giving this scurvy dog what he deserves." Fargo's men let out some yells and cheers behind him.

On instinct, Zoah stepped forward, his massive frame moving to protect Viper.

Fargo looked at it with amusement in his eyes and a smile on his face. "Aye, Viper. Too shy to come and fight me?"

Viper stepped around Zoah while everyone else said nothing. A nervous silence filled the air as the General drew himself to his full height.

"Fargo…" he began slowly. "A duel with you would at last settle our differences but alas, I must decline the invitation for now. Call me a coward if you will. I have other matters that I need to attend to. If you look around, you will see a town destroyed, at the hands of an enemy I have not yet come to know. My sword shall not be drawn against anyone except them. My Manor lies in ruins and my subjects in this town are either killed or scattered. We must find them as soon as possible. And so here do I stand and swear that I, General Viper, request the assistance of the Captain Fargo and his crew, to aid us in this time of need. If you still wish to fight, our group will not deter, but rather, it would be an empty victory for either party and would only add to the enemy's advantage."

Fargo's face went from a smile to a serious expression. He eyed the General with steady eyes, searching him up and down. He then looked to each member of the group, who stood by quietly. Radius moved to stand beside Viper, his staff before him in both hands.

The pirates behind Fargo had lost their smiles and were now trying to figure out what their captain was thinking. Finally, Fargo turned and spoke to his crew. "Matey's!" he cried. "As of now there is to be no bickering among these two parties. Anchor ship and spread out! We are going to search every last inch of this city for survivors. We are now united against a common enemy! Understand?"

Shouting and yells followed from the pirates as people still on the ship began to drop anchor.

Radius and Viper both let out sighs of relief. Their bodies had been standing on edge and now they relaxed, slumping a little.

Fargo strode over to where Viper was standing. "And you, ye landlubber. Our duel will have to wait for a more appropriate time!"

"Very well," Viper replied coolly. "When the time comes, I won't back down."

"That settles that for the time being then! What in the bloody moon happened here anyway?" Fargo had begun to look at the surrounding area.

"We are still investigating the matter ourselves," replied Radius. "Our first priority is to search for survivors. We can begin asking questions later…"

"Sounds good enough to me," Fargo grunted at a few pirates next to him and they spread out and began to search through the rubble.

Viper and Radius turned to face the rest of the group. Marcy had perked up at the new turn of events and it was obvious that everyone else had been on edge about the outcome of the two parties meeting. They were only now beginning to relax. Guile had returned to the group and was now standing behind Riddel, who was looking around in an odd manor.

"Well," Radius began. "What little hope we have, we must draw upon. Let us search the city for…"

He was cut off by an abrupt shout coming from behind them. The yell was so loud that some of the pirates had drawn their weapons and were ready to face whatever army was charging at them.

On the ramp going into the city, Karsh had appeared. He was waving at the people below him vigorously. "I found people over by the gravesite! Hurry up!" Without waiting to see any response, he turned on his heel and dashed back the way he had come.

Radius would've finished his sentence, had anyone stayed around long enough to hear it. Reacting like lightning, the members of their small party raced through Termina as fast as they could. Behind them followed Fargo, who wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

Guile had once more taken the lead, his mysterious ability to hover allowing him to transverse steps at a greater pace. The group followed him as he led them around the last bend and the gravesite became visible.

Riddel let out a yelp of surprise when they saw the mass of people that were near the grave keeper's hut. Radius figured that at least fifty people were gathered. As they drew nearer, they could see Karsh, talking hurriedly to a tall, strong man and a shorter, white haired woman.

Riddel easily recognized Karsh's parents, who ran the local blacksmith. Zappa's massive frame had a hammer thrown over one shoulder and he was listening to Karsh intently. Zippa was standing nearby, tending to some of the smaller children.

When the group reached Karsh, he turned to tell them of what he had learned from talking to the survivors.

"Seems the attack was done by some sort of lizard men," he explained. "I'd guess they're probably like that bastard one in the manor. Anyway, guards were able to sound the alarm before the attack came. Zappa managed to gather as many people as he could and brought them down here. They hid in the tunnel beneath the connecting bridge to the city. Apparently the attackers didn't come down to the gravesite, so they were never found," Karsh couldn't help but smile to himself.

"It is indeed fortunate for such a large number to survive," Viper agreed. "How many of these attackers were there, and when did the attack take place?"

Karsh scratched his head for a second. "Uhh,"

"They raided the city about two hours ago," they heard a voice say. A figure had emerged from the crowd and moved to join them. He wore a shield on his one arm and carried a sword with the other. The scar on his face formed the shape of an x.

Riddel ran to him and gave the man a hug. "Glenn," she sighed. "I'm so glad to see you safe."

"As am I to see you safe, Miss Riddel," Glenn replied. "Tis a shame to meet under such circumstances."

"Indeed it is," Radius spoke up. "We dare not idle however. There remains things to be done."

"I should say you got that right, matey!" Fargo laughed. "Don't get me wrong! It is good to see so many people unscathed, but I was hoping to see a little action before the day is done. I'd say we should hunt down the lubbers that did this and give them their just reward!"

"Which brings me back to my former question," Viper turned to Glenn once more. "How many of the attackers were there?"

Glenn returned his gaze for a second, then looked at the ground, thinking.

"What's the matter Glenn?" Marcy chimed. "How many were there?"

"There were dozen of them, at the most…" he replied sadly. His head had lowered and he covered his eyes.

The reaction of the members of the group were very much the same. Surprise was etched in all their faces as they tried to imagine how twelve beings could've destroyed the whole town.

"Surely, you are mistaken? Luccia exclaimed. "That ist not possible!"

Karsh turned to Zappa. "Is this true?" he asked, angrily.

Zappa lowered his eyes as well before answering. "It be true," he murmured.

"Twelve things did all of this?" Karsh cried. "How in the hell did that happen?"

"We don't know exactly," Glenn answered. "We didn't actually see them…"

"Huh?" Marcy questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Then like, how do you know how many there were?"

"We weren't in town at the time of the attack…I was down here at the gravesite when Zappa led the townspeople here. I was going to go investigate the matter, but Zappa prevented me from doing so. He said that we needed to protect the group of people here if any attack should come. A short time after the attack though, I went to investigate and found some wounded people. One of them was a guard who was beyond my ability to heal, but he did tell me of all that he had seen. He said that only twelve creatures had come through the city, but they had laid waste to everything. He told me they used weapons to the likes of which he had never seen…it was then that his life gave way…" Glenn told them of his findings.

"This is too much…" Riddel said. "What is going on around here? First the Manor, and now Termina?"

Glenn turned towards her. "What about he Manor?"

Viper stepped forward and put a hand on Glenn's shoulder. "Viper Manor has been destroyed, my boy."

Glenn's surprised look quickly turned to sadness. "How could this happen?"

"We are not sure ourselves. It nearly collapsed while we were still in it. All we know is that it had something to do with the Frozen Flame," Radius explained.

"Frozen Flame?" Glenn exclaimed. "You mean to say that the legendary treasure has been found?"

"Not found, but rather, appeared. It simply showed up in my office the other day. That seemed to be the start of all this madness," Viper told him. "Something happened to the Flame when it came into contact with a strange girl and it seemed to go crazy. It destroyed the Manor."

"This cannot be…" Glenn trailed off. "The Manor…destroyed?"

"It's true alright," Karsh muttered. "But mark my words, we'll get the bastards that did this." He turned to look at the group. "Isn't that right?" He looked at each one of them in turn, then stopped suddenly. "Hey," he asked. "Where's Guile?"

"Why!" Fargo gave out in surprise. "He was standin right beside me a second ago!"

They spotted him further up the path, leading back to the marketplace. Guile's white coat was hanging loosely as he had stooped to examine the ground.

"Like, what are you doing?" Marcy yelled at him.

Guile didn't answer for a second, still peering downward. After a short while, he stood back up and turned towards them. They watched as he hovered back over to their location. "Karsh," he began. "You said none of the attackers came down to the gravesite, correct?"

Karsh scratched his head for a second, thinking. "Uh, yeah. That's what they told me." He looked at Guile closely. "Why?"

"I'm afraid they were mistaken," Guile answered. "The tracks along the path indicate otherwise. At least one of them came down here and I failed to find any tracks leading back out.

"So that means they left another way then?" Radius said.

"Or that they are still here…" Guile replied.

The group had a sense of fear wash over them. Their brief moment of relief had passed and they all took to peering around in different directions.

Karsh quickly turned to his parents and began talking to them quietly. They both nodded and moved back into the small crowd of people. Karsh turned back to the group. "I told them to gather the townspeople and move them outta here. If one of things is still around, they shouldn't be here. They're going to move back into the city and meet up with Fargo's crew." He turned toward the pirate captain, "if that's alright with you?"

Fargo gave a nod in reply and then reached down and drew his sword, which glimmered in the sunlight. "I say if thar be one of these things left standin', we should take care of it."

"Are you sure this thing didn't leave?" Riddel asked nervously. The staff that she carried was in her hands and she was trying to look in all directions. "I mean, where would it be if it didn't?"

"Fear not, Miss Riddel," Glenn answered. He drew the sword from the sheath at his side. "In the name of the Acacia Dragoons, we will protect you."

General Viper stepped forward as the crowd of people around them began to move back up the path towards Termina. "Riddel, you should go with them. It isn't safe down here…"

"No, I want to stay," she protested. "I can be of assistance."

"We don't know if there is anything down here," Radius explained. "But I sense something in the air around us. I feel as if the animals have left in fear." He looked back and saw that the last of the people had entered the town again.

"Marcy, please escort Riddel and Luccia back to the harbor. We shall take care of whatever happens here," Viper ordered.

Marcy hesitated before answering, thinking it over.

"Marcy, I'm not going to ask you again…" Viper said.

"But…" she stammered.

"I'm not going," Riddel stated. "We're all in this together. None of us shall leave…"

Marcy breathed a sigh of relief as Viper turned his attention towards Riddel. "This is not something to be taken lightly…" he began.

"Your right. But you act as if we should leave without regarding your safety as well," Riddel replied.

Viper stood for a moment, thinking of a response.

"Ho, ho!" Radius couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems we are in this together, since none of us is willing to leave."

"Very well," Viper sighed. "But you three," he said, indicating Riddel, Marcy, and Luccia. "Stay behind us at all times." He turned towards Zoah, who had remained silent throughout all of the events. "Zoah, please don't let them out of your sight…"

"I WON'T," he replied, his helmet showing no signs of the face hidden within.

"I must protest them staying here, but it seems it won't do any good to do so," Glenn said.

"Well, what in the hell are we waiting for then?" Fargo asked. "Let's find this thing if it's still here."

"How? We don't even know what the hell the bastard looks like…" Karsh told him.

"Silence! All of you!" Guile hissed.

They fell silent immediately, realizing that they had been talking loudly.

Guile had meanwhile approached the small hut that the grave keeper stayed in. For the first time, the group noticed that its door was swinging open. They moved forward slowly, following Guile as he wound his way around the side of the hut. All of them had their weapons ready, prepared for any attack that might come.

When he neared the porch, Guile stopped. Motioning for them to back up, as he listened intently for a second. Then, in a loud voice he spoke, "Whoever lies hidden behind the door. Show yourself."

The group felt a wave of fear pass over them as they heard a response. A hissing laughter arose from within the small house. The sound of it seemed to pierce their hearts, as it was full of hate and malice.

"Beyond this dimension, it shall come. And with it, it shall bring the end of the humans," the laughing voice proclaimed. The figure was still hidden inside the hut.

"Show yourself," Guile repeated, although less firmly than the first time. He took a step back as he heard a footstep from within.

"Show myself?" the voice asked. "Are you so eager to meet you doom?" With a final step, the figure appeared in the doorway.

The members of the party that had been present in Viper Manor recognized the creature to be like the one they had encountered earlier. Its green skin and sharp claws stood out as it ducked its frame beneath the doorway. The sword it carried in its hand glowed with a pale, blue light.

It regarded them coldly, with a glint in its eye before speaking once more. "Do you wish to challenge me?" it hissed.

"We mean to put a stop to whatever it is you hope to achieve," Radius replied loudly.

The reptite formed a cruel smile. "None among you has the power to stop what it is we will achieve. It is hopeless to try…"

"We shall be the judges of that," Viper answered. "You have destroyed our town of Termina and you will pay dearly for it."

The creature threw back its head and laughed once more. "Is that so? I hope you will put up more of a fight than the earlier guards did…" With a snarl, it leaped off the porch with a quickness that took the group by surprise. Its blue sword sliced through the air, aimed at Guile's chest. His rod just raised in time to deflect the blow, but he was thrown off balance and stumbled backwards.

The reptite didn't press the attack on Guile any further. Instead, it pivoted on its leg and drove toward Karsh, who had only just begun to move. Karsh leaped to one side to avoid getting his head removed. The blue sword missed his neck, but sliced into his shoulder. Blood immediately began to pour from the wound as Karsh let out a yell and rolled to one side.

Radius and Viper both attacked the creature at once. Their weapons sought to connect with it while it was busy with Karsh. With inhuman speed it spun around and deflected both their attacks with its weapon. With its free hand, it clawed Viper across the leg and shoved him away. With Viper out of the way, the creature went turned its attention to Radius, who was recovering for another attack. His staff arced through the air and struck the creature's weapon. The weapons made a loud sound and Radius let out a cry as his staff shattered in his hand.

The reptite made ready for a final attack to finish off Radius but was distracted from a shout from Marcy. "Cat's Cradle!" The girl began to form a ball of thread on her hand and then flung it at the creature, who regarded her with curiosity. It quickly recovered, however, and sliced the ball of thread in half with its blade. With the enemy's attention diverted, Radius used the time to duck out of the way and try to think of another plan of action.

Guile had meanwhile recovered from his initial surprise and was now conjuring up a spell. "Fireball!" he cried as he sent a ball of red, hot flame at the enemy. The creature, without even looking in his direction, raised its free hand and reflected the flame. Guile had to dive out of the way to avoid getting burned by his own spell.

"Blimey!" Fargo yelled. "No ordinary landlubber, this one!" He ran forward, his sword raised for an attack. The reptite turned towards him, then dashed forward suddenly. Fargo's eyes widened in surprise as he brought his arm down as fast as he could to deflect the blow that was aimed at him. The swords met and Fargo managed to avoid being pierced in the chest by the creature's weapon, but soon found that the lizard's momentum was greater than his. He let out a grunt as the air in his lungs left him and he was sent flying backwards. The creature had drove its shoulder into his chest, taking him clean off his feet.

Using the speed of its attack on Fargo, the creature swirled sideways and aimed for the last five people who were still on their feet.

Glenn let out a shout and grabbed Riddel by the arm, pulling her sideways to avoid the coming attack. She had been busy concentrating on casting a healing spell on Karsh, who was still on the ground in agony. His shoulder wound was gushing with blood and the area around his body was red.

"Cure!" Riddel yelled, hurling the spell towards Karsh before she fell to the ground, off balance from Glenn's pull.

The lizard creature was now aimed directly at Zoah, who stood like a statue as it dashed towards him. Noting that Marcy and Luccia were behind him, Zoah reached back and shoved them both to one side before the creature bore down upon him. Its sword slashed at him and he moved his arm to ward off the attack. The weapon pulsing with blue energy made contact with his gauntlet and he let out a yell from within his helmet as he felt the bone at his wrist breaking. The creature let out a hiss and motioned to attack again, but it didn't realize that Zoah had prepared an attack of his own. With his uninjured hand he lashed out and seized the creature on the shoulder. Heaving his arm upward, he threw the lizard backward, away from where he had pushed Marcy and Luccia.

The reptite let out another hiss as it landed on the ground. It was back on its feet in an instant and it raised a clawed hand. A dark ball of energy appeared and it was shot at Zoah, who was too big to move out of the way fast enough. The energy lashed across his chest and Zoah felt his body go numb. He felt himself losing control of his arms and legs and he sagged to the ground, immobile.

They heard Luccia shout "Cure!" and Zoah could feel the bones realigning themselves in his wrist, but the numbness in his body didn't go away. He could do nothing more than lay on his back and listen to the sounds of the fighting.

Karsh had meanwhile recovered himself from the ground. The wound in his shoulder was now only a small cut, and he felt a new strength rise in him as he attacked the creature's back. It whirled on him and met his attack once more. Their weapons locked together, letting out a shower of sparks as they both sought to hit the other with their free hands. Karsh caught the creature's arm about the wrist as it made ready to claw him, but quick as lightning, it raised a foot and drove a knee into his stomach. Karsh let out another yell as his grip relaxed and he rolled backward from the force of the blow. His stomach convulsed as he tried to get air back into his lungs.

The reptite turned away from him and turned its attention once again to Guile, who was standing rigidly near the hut. His enemy watched as Guile clasped his hands together, making his staff disappear. He then made a throwing motion and the creature let out a cry as the staff emerged from its stomach. Angrily, it reached down with its free hand and yanked the weapon out and with advanced reflexes, launched the rod back at Guile. Since he was too close to the creature, Guile couldn't get out of the way in time and his own staff pierced his side. He let out a yell and toppled backwards, falling under the porch of the hut.

Their enemy then raised a hand and what looked like a healing spell washed over it, with the wound in its stomach sealing back up. Now angry, it formed another ball of black energy in its hand and sent it flying at Viper, who was back on his feet and wondering how he should attack. The energy hit him in his side as he sought to dive out of the way and Viper felt the same numbing sensation that Noah was encountering.

Ignoring Marcy and Luccia who had backed up the road in fear, the lizard turned and headed down toward the gravesite. Glenn and Riddel were the only two members of the group who were left standing with their weapons intact. Glenn placed himself squarely in front of Riddel and readied himself for the impending attack.

The reptite stopped before them for a second, gazing at them with its mouth forming a snarl. "Your time ends now!" it yelled and leaped at Glenn, who had his sword raised to defend the attack. Their weapons met and a shower of sparks emerged. The lizard whirled and attacked again, with Glenn raising his shield arm to deflect the blow. The creature snarled once more and threw a clawed hand toward Glenn's face. Glenn ducked the hand, but lost his balance in the process. The reptite brought its leg up in a swift motion and caught him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground. Glenn felt himself land in a shallow pool of water and he lay still for an instant, wondering what had just happened.

The creature strode to him and raised its weapon, ready to finish him off with a swift stoke.

"Photon Beam!" Riddel shouted from behind Glenn. He looked up as a white beam connected with the enemy's sword, which had been lowered to deflect the spell. The beam careened off the blue blade and sizzled into the water nearby.

The reptite let out a snarl and leaped over Glenn, heading straight for Riddel, who had tried to prepare herself for the attack.

"No!" Glenn heard himself scream. "Riddel!"

He rolled to his stomach and raised himself to his knees. He looked up in time to see Riddel's rod break under the onslaught of the enemy. He heard voices behind him yell as well and Glenn thought time seemed to slow for a moment. He watched in horror as the creature's weapon drew back and then lashed forward, piercing the dazed Riddel in the chest. She let out a scream and sank to her knees as blood began to pour from the wound. She fell to the ground on her side as the lizard stood above her. Her eyes found Glenn's as he watched in horror and despair. Riddel looked at him for a moment more before her eyes closed and her body slumped.

The thought of what he just saw caused tears to come to Glenn's eyes as he lowered his head in grief. The creature turned to regard him now, a smile forming on its face.

Through his tears, Glenn focused his eyes for a second and he realized that he was kneeling beside a plate engraved into the ground. His vision cleared as he caught the names of the people the plaque was engraved for.

Grandmaster Dario

14th Acacia Dragoon.

Grandmaster Garai

13th Acacia Dragoon

Glenn felt his hair stir as a breeze suddenly blew in from the sea. Through his despair he felt a new strength stir within him. Dropping the sword in his hand, he climbed to his feet and put both hands on the hilt of the one protruding from the ground.

"Dario, my brother, and Garai, my father," he heard himself say. "Give me the strength to conquer our enemy and avenge the death of our beloved Riddel! May our unfinished dreams be made whole again!"

With all his strength he heaved upwards and pulled the legendary Dragoon Sword, Einlanzer, from the ground. The blade shone with a white light under the sun as he held it skyward. For a moment his vision blurred and he saw two figures above him. One was clad in golden armor, the other in white. They both looked at him for a moment and smiled before they faded away.

Glenn then looked at the lizard in front of him. It was standing a few feet away, wondering what he had been doing.

Feeling a surge of power within him, Glenn dashed forward. The creature stood and prepared to meet his attack. Wielding the Einlanzer with both hands, Glenn reached his target in a few strides and swung the glimmering sword through the air.

The creature's energy sword raised to meet his weapon. The two blades connected and there was a bright flash of light that exploded skyward and could be seen from within the town. Glenn heard the creature cry out as the light faded. Its weapon had burst asunder and the pieces were sprinkling to the ground at their feet.

Without waiting a moment more, Glenn whirled in a circle and attacked in a horizontal line with the Holy Dragoon Sword. The creature, still stunned, did nothing as the resonating Einlanzer sliced through its neck and removed its head from its shoulders.