Chapter Five - Revelation at the Forest Ruins
In the village of Medina, two of the cloaked attackers from the night
before stopped as they passed near each other.
"Did you find it?" they both asked each other simultaneously, with a
sound of hope in their voices. After that, they both sighed, realizing
that neither had succeeded at the task they had been given.
"Where could it possibly be?" the slightly younger of the two asked the
other.
"It's impossible to say," was the response he gave. "We've looked
everywhere. It's either hidden really well, or it isn't in Medina."
"Hmm..." she began. "He seemed so certain it would be here
somewhere... We have to search harder. If we don't find it by
nightfall, then he'll probably lead us to look elsewhere."
"You're probably right. I wonder where we'll be searching after
Medina, though... This seemed like it would be the most likely place
for it to be..."
"Yeah, but maybe some Mystic found it and then left with it or sold it
somewhere."
"That would make sense. But I hope that's not what happened. If it
is, we might have no option but to quest after it until the ends of our
lives."
"Yes, but, even if it comes to that, you agree that it'll be worth it,
don't you?"
He sighed. "Yes. Yes, of course it would."
A moment passed before he added, "Well, let's keep looking."
She nodded. "Right."
****
The young man who had been the group's speaker the night before sighed
as he sat upon the couch in the Mayor's house.
To nobody in particular, he mumbled as he massaged his temples, "I've
searched every square inch of this house... and not even a single clue
to point the search in the right direction... Not even a clue that
mentions its existence..."
He turned towards the doorway as he heard footsteps.
He said to the tall figure who stood there, "Did you have any luck?"
The man at the door shook his head.
The speaker sighed and looked with downcast eyes at the floor.
"You do realize," began the man in the doorway, "that we may have to
accept that it simply isn't here."
"But it must be! Magus wrote quite clearly that he had entrusted it to
the Mystics to keep safe until it was needed at a later time and that
finding it would be fairly easy if we proved our power, which I believe
we have."
"Still-"
A shorter more feminine figure's stepping into the doorway interrupted
his sentence.
Hope sprang into the speaker's eyes as he looked towards this
additional person and beheld the smirk on that person's face.
"Please tell me you were successful..." the speaker said quietly.
The response of the newest occupant of the room was a shake of the
head. "I'm afraid that I wasn't."
The speaker glared. "Then explain your expression."
"Oh, that's quite simple. I didn't find what you wanted, but Jesh just
found something that might help..."
"Oh?"
****
The speaker approached the small forest north of Medina village and saw
the almost middle-aged man who had taken so many lives the night
before.
"So, what do you think you've found?" the speaker asked.
"Look," was Jesh's response.
The speaker did look. At first, he didn't know what to make of it.
But, a few minutes later, he realized that the markings on the stone
platform before him looked distinctly like what he knew was Zealian...
"What is this?" he asked of nobody in particular, incredulously.
Then he saw the orbs at each of the four corners. He could sense that
they had been putting out some energy for several thousand years and
had very recently been deactivated. He tried to think about the
meaning of this and quickly arrived at something of an explanation.
"The Forbidden Shrine..." he said in awe, "The resting place of some of
the greatest weapons forged by Melchior..."
Jesh nodded. "Exactly."
"But, it was said that it was protected by a strong barrier... Only
the pendant could break the seal... But, after all of these
millenia... all of its power should have been exhausted... This is so
bizarre..."
"Hmm... So, you're as confused about it as I am. Damn... I was
hoping you could shed some more light on it."
The speaker sighed. "I'm afraid that I can't."
Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. "Wait a moment... Surely, if
this had existed as a large blue pyramid for so many generations, when
it suddenly shut off, some of the Mystics would have noticed."
He smiled and started walking back towards Medina village, Jesh walking
a short distance behind him.
"I'm certain that extracting the necessary information from the
remaining villagers won't be very hard. And then we'll have a whole
new lead..."
In the village of Medina, two of the cloaked attackers from the night
before stopped as they passed near each other.
"Did you find it?" they both asked each other simultaneously, with a
sound of hope in their voices. After that, they both sighed, realizing
that neither had succeeded at the task they had been given.
"Where could it possibly be?" the slightly younger of the two asked the
other.
"It's impossible to say," was the response he gave. "We've looked
everywhere. It's either hidden really well, or it isn't in Medina."
"Hmm..." she began. "He seemed so certain it would be here
somewhere... We have to search harder. If we don't find it by
nightfall, then he'll probably lead us to look elsewhere."
"You're probably right. I wonder where we'll be searching after
Medina, though... This seemed like it would be the most likely place
for it to be..."
"Yeah, but maybe some Mystic found it and then left with it or sold it
somewhere."
"That would make sense. But I hope that's not what happened. If it
is, we might have no option but to quest after it until the ends of our
lives."
"Yes, but, even if it comes to that, you agree that it'll be worth it,
don't you?"
He sighed. "Yes. Yes, of course it would."
A moment passed before he added, "Well, let's keep looking."
She nodded. "Right."
****
The young man who had been the group's speaker the night before sighed
as he sat upon the couch in the Mayor's house.
To nobody in particular, he mumbled as he massaged his temples, "I've
searched every square inch of this house... and not even a single clue
to point the search in the right direction... Not even a clue that
mentions its existence..."
He turned towards the doorway as he heard footsteps.
He said to the tall figure who stood there, "Did you have any luck?"
The man at the door shook his head.
The speaker sighed and looked with downcast eyes at the floor.
"You do realize," began the man in the doorway, "that we may have to
accept that it simply isn't here."
"But it must be! Magus wrote quite clearly that he had entrusted it to
the Mystics to keep safe until it was needed at a later time and that
finding it would be fairly easy if we proved our power, which I believe
we have."
"Still-"
A shorter more feminine figure's stepping into the doorway interrupted
his sentence.
Hope sprang into the speaker's eyes as he looked towards this
additional person and beheld the smirk on that person's face.
"Please tell me you were successful..." the speaker said quietly.
The response of the newest occupant of the room was a shake of the
head. "I'm afraid that I wasn't."
The speaker glared. "Then explain your expression."
"Oh, that's quite simple. I didn't find what you wanted, but Jesh just
found something that might help..."
"Oh?"
****
The speaker approached the small forest north of Medina village and saw
the almost middle-aged man who had taken so many lives the night
before.
"So, what do you think you've found?" the speaker asked.
"Look," was Jesh's response.
The speaker did look. At first, he didn't know what to make of it.
But, a few minutes later, he realized that the markings on the stone
platform before him looked distinctly like what he knew was Zealian...
"What is this?" he asked of nobody in particular, incredulously.
Then he saw the orbs at each of the four corners. He could sense that
they had been putting out some energy for several thousand years and
had very recently been deactivated. He tried to think about the
meaning of this and quickly arrived at something of an explanation.
"The Forbidden Shrine..." he said in awe, "The resting place of some of
the greatest weapons forged by Melchior..."
Jesh nodded. "Exactly."
"But, it was said that it was protected by a strong barrier... Only
the pendant could break the seal... But, after all of these
millenia... all of its power should have been exhausted... This is so
bizarre..."
"Hmm... So, you're as confused about it as I am. Damn... I was
hoping you could shed some more light on it."
The speaker sighed. "I'm afraid that I can't."
Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. "Wait a moment... Surely, if
this had existed as a large blue pyramid for so many generations, when
it suddenly shut off, some of the Mystics would have noticed."
He smiled and started walking back towards Medina village, Jesh walking
a short distance behind him.
"I'm certain that extracting the necessary information from the
remaining villagers won't be very hard. And then we'll have a whole
new lead..."