Sorry, this is really, really slow I know. I'm just trying to develop plot here, it'll pick up, really it will, don't leave :P
Chapter 4
As Uranbatol came into sight, Lowe's heart leapt, as he realized he would finally, finally be off this little corner of hell that was christened Navarow. Not that Lowe didn't appreciate the ship; he admired it for surviving through two ship battles, four long sea voyages, and one rebuilding process. The ship also managed to survive through the "friendly" duels that Tao and Anri had said, that always seemed to get out of hand. Lowe winced as he recalled the blazing inferno that had almost destroyed the ship's larder. Luckily, that wacky magical creature Domingo was able to put it out with a quick freeze spell.
As Uranbatol came closer into view, Lowe realized that Balbaroy wasn't kidding about the welcoming party. There were hundreds of people, all packed into the shipyard, and spilling out in to the streets of Uranbatol. "The shipyards have changed." Lowe said to Hans, who happened to be the closest nearby.
Hans put on a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the last time we were here, the shipyard was barely big enough to fit, say, a 70 people," Lowe explained. "But, as you can see, there are hundreds of people out there. Therefore, they must have expanded the shipyards, otherwise that amount of people wouldn't be able to fit."
Hans scratched his head. "You, using logic. Impressive."
"Thank you," Lowe said sarcastically.
Hans put one hand over his eyes, and peered out. "What's going to happen anyway? Balbaroy, did you notice anything while you were there?"
Balbaroy thought back. "Oh, nothing much. Just a marked-off path leading from the shipyard, that leads to a raised platform."
Hans grimaced. "Uh oh. A raised platform? That means a speech."
Lowe grimaced as well. "By the Ancients, I hate speeches. I'm not doing it. Who do you think should can give a proper speech? Not me, for sure."
"I'll do it," came a new voice, from directly behind Lowe. Lowe jumped.
"My, my. Touchy," said Hans, grinning. "You sure you up to it Nova?"
Nova, who had been the biggest guiding force behind the Shining Force, behind Max, nodded solemnly. "As ambassador of Guardiana, I had to give speeches all the time, to other nations. Normally, I would think Princess Anri would be most capable, however, in her current condition..." Nova trailed off.
Hans and Lowe glanced at each other, and nodded. Anri didn't look capable of anything at the moment. Along with Lowe and Mae, she had been the most affected by Max's disappearance, and supposed death. While Lowe and Mae had finally come to the acceptance with the fact that Max was gone, Anri was still torn up about it.
Nova gave a faint smile, and continued. "Besides, I'm the only non-combat member of the Shining Force. I can tell about your exploits with a certain degree of impartiality, since I do not have my own individual heroics to exaggerate, since certain people might let their egos get in the way of their speech.
"I do NOT have an ego," Hans stuttered.
Nova raised an eyebrow. "YOU do not have an ego? YOU, the self proclaimed 'expert marksman?' The one who boasted to be the best archer in the land?"
"Ha! Best archer in the land, my foot." This remark came from Diane who, along with Luke, had wandered over to see what all the commotion was about.
"I was drunk," Hans muttered. "They kept on buying round after round. I might have said something along those lines, but that had to be an exaggeration."
Luke grinned. His tiny eyes sparkled. "No, that was exactly what you said. I was there, remember? To make sure you, along with Lowe and Arthur, got back to headquarters safely. We don't want another repeat of what happened to Lowe." Everyone chuckled at the memory.
Lowe hastily changed the subject. "Hey, we're almost there. I'll go round everyone up." He hurried off, ignoring the snickers that came from the group.
*
2 hours later, Navarow was about to arrive in Uranbatol, and the Shining Force stood on deck, all decked out in battle costume. Lowe fidgeted. "Tell me again why we have to do this?" he said out loud.
Nova answered. "You are the heroes who have just saved the world from the greatest evil ever seen. Thus, you are to be held up as shining examples of Light, and because of that, you are decked out in your battle attire."
"Couldn't I do that in something more comfortable," Lowe muttered. "These robes chafe."
Diane smiled mischievously. "But you look so handsome in them," she said slyly. Lowe turned beet red.
"Enough about Lowe, Diane. How's my hair?" Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, which was freshly washed and combed.
Diane snorted. "So that's why you were in the bathroom for half an hour?"
Arthur grinned. "There's going to be many young ladies in that crowd, over there. If I want to make a lasting impression, I have to look my best."
Diane rolled her eyes. "And what about you?" Arthur continued. "You spent the last half-hour in that bathroom as well. Is that some light makeup I spot?"
Diane blushed. Arthur continued, "And is that perfume? In between travels and fighting Darksol's minions, when did you find time to visit a cosmetic store?"
"Yeah, see um, the thing about that is..." Diane muttered.
"Sorry, what was that? You just sort of trailed off there."
"Shut up. Your hair's fine, that's all you wanted to hear."
"Thank you." The ship came to a halt, and Balbaroy and Amon quickly tied the ship down to the dock, in order to prevent the ship from floating away. They flew back to where the rest of the group awaited, and flew to their positions.
"I thought you two had sensitive ears," Tao yelled over the din of the crowd, which was deafening.
Amon and Balbaroy didn't seem to hear her. Tao suddenly noticed the large cloves of...something...stuck in their ears. "Wish I'd thought of that."
"Ladies and gentlemen, look sharp. It's show time," said Mae, who was at the head of the group. Together, they travelled down the awaiting ramp, where a huge throng awaited them.
The roar of the crowd seemed to increase ten fold as the Shining Force, in their shiny armour and outlandish robes, came into view. The Shining Force slowly walked along the marked off path leading toward an raised platform. Lowe and Zylo were both blushing, with Zylo looking particularly humorous, as it didn't seem that his thick fur would allow such an expression.
Both Arthur and Diane were putting on a strange sort of strut. Arthur ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, and tossed his hair back, letting the breeze flow through his hair. Diane tossed her head back in a similar fashion, and put on her most charming smile. A sudden sigh came from the crowd, that seemed to come mostly from the young men and women scattered through the crowd. Arthur grinned, then suddenly fell flat on his face, as he slipped on a patch of ice that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Tao looked away, with an innocent look on her face.
"Need to be more careful, Arthur," Diane grinned. She spoke too soon. Right after she said that, she slipped on a patch of ice that had materialized out of nowhere, and landed flat on her back. Enraged, she immediately got up. She glared at Tao, but Tao wasn't anywhere near her. Neither was Anri. Which only left...
"Domingo!" Diane grabbed the magical little creature, and shook him. "You do that again, and I will use your little octopus body for target practice, you hear!" Domingo just simply blinked at her. "You hear me, you little slime-ball! You hear...ugh...zzzz."
As Diane was launching her tirade against Domingo, she inexplicably became tired. She let go of him, and slumped to the floor, using her arms as pillows, fast asleep. Tao glanced over from where she had been ridiculing Arthur for making a fool of himself. Arthur himself was bright red from embarrassment.
"I shouldn't have taught you that Sleep spell," Tao remarked casually.
Domingo snickered, which sounded odd coming from a figure that had no mouth. "But it's SO fun to use! Like that time I put Guntz to sleep, remember?"
Tao remembered all right. Guntz had been navigating his way through a crowded marketplace when Domingo thought it would be amusing to try out his new Sleep spell. Tao winced as she recalled the immense property damage that had been caused when Guntz's suit, with Guntz asleep at the helm, barreled its way through the market, smashing aside stands, with people diving out of its way, finally coming to a stop after running into a castle wall. Domingo had not been repentant after that incident.
"Whatever," Tao said. "Just try to be more careful, alright?"
"I'll take that into consideration." Domingo sighed, and floated away, wanting to get a good head start before Tao woke up Diane. Once Diane was woken up, she reached for her Buster Shot, before muttering "Too many witnesses." The Shining Force reached the platform without further incident. Nova stepped up, and started to give his speech:
"People of Rune, I give you the Shining Force..."
*
The celebrations had lasted all night, and every member of the Shining Force was feeling tired. There had been an very large supply of wine, and spirits, and thus, most of the members of the Shining Force sported some degree of a hangover, except for Domingo, who couldn't drink, and Balbaroy and Amon, who refused to touch any sort of alcohol. They had all awakened early to get a fresh start for their long journey home. Most of them were feeling fairly let down, as this would be separating and going their own ways. Half of the Shining Force had already stayed behind overseas, and they had said their goodbyes then, but the rest of them had stayed together up until now. Diane was the first to leave.
"Well, it's been great guys. Drop by if you're ever in Bustoke, alright?" Diane left, off to return to the mountain town of Bustoke.
Vankar smiled. "I'm off to Pao, if I can find the place. It's been an honour fighting with you guys. Earnest, let's go?"
Earnest nodded. Together, they left, for the travelling town of Pao.
"I'm going to Manarina, for some R and R. Luckily, I won't be alone. Domingo said he'd be coming with me."
Domingo nodded, which involved him bobbing up and down. "I want to check out the mage school, see if I can pick up anything. After that, I'll take in some sights, I'm tired of seeing the same people." Tao glared at this last remark. It was typical Domingo. Arthur galloped off, with Domingo floating behind.
Khris nodded solemnly. "I'm going back to Alterone. I'll see what kind of assistance I can give with the rebuilding process, after we wrecked it in that last battle." She walked away, waving.
Gort smiled. "I've always been a fan of the theatre. I'm going to head out to Rindo for a while. Balbaroy, Amon, you still heading with me?"
Balbaroy nodded. "We shall accompany you to Rindo. From there, we shall help convert Shade Abbey to a Cathedral of Light, back from the darkness Darksol perverted it with." Balbaroy and Amon took off into the open sky, with Gort following underneath.
Which left Hans, Tao, Luke, Ken, Lowe, Mae, and Anri.
"So. All set for the home stretch?" said Luke.
Everyone nodded. Lowe noticed that Anri still looked rather pale, and was wincing, probably from the hangover she still carried. She had drank an surprising amount of wine last night. She had continually downed drinks until she had fallen unconscious, and was carried off by Diane and Tao up to the room that was prepared for her.
"Anri, are you alright?" Lowe asked, concerned.
The Princess of Guardiana gave a weak smile. "I'm fine, Lowe. We have to get back as soon as possible. I have to check that everything the rebuilding process is running smoothly in Guardiana."
Lowe was surprised, though he immediately realized he shouldn't be. Of course, Anri would be assuming the throne, and with it, all the responsibilities that came with being ruler. Anyone could see that she was more than up to the task. She was kind, fair, and had a strong sense of what was right. The time was right for Anri to assume the throne.
Mae smiled. "I have to get back as well, to rebuild our defenses. We were really hit hard when Runefaust attacked. I have to start recruiting new soldiers, and beef up our training programs, so that tragedy can never happen again."
Mae suddenly looked sad. "If only Max was still alive. He would be more than capable of doing my job."
Anri looked downcast as well. "I have to arrange for a memorial service," she said solemnly. "Max is a hero that shall never be forgotten in Guardiana."
"Max wouldn't have liked that," Lowe said, as Anri looked surprised. "He wouldn't have wanted all that bother. He would just say he was just a regular guy, even though he was nothing but regular."
"We'll never know, now," Anri said quietly. They all nodded, solemnly.
Quietly, without further conversation, the last remnants of the Shining Force set off for their hometown of Guardiana.
Chapter 4
As Uranbatol came into sight, Lowe's heart leapt, as he realized he would finally, finally be off this little corner of hell that was christened Navarow. Not that Lowe didn't appreciate the ship; he admired it for surviving through two ship battles, four long sea voyages, and one rebuilding process. The ship also managed to survive through the "friendly" duels that Tao and Anri had said, that always seemed to get out of hand. Lowe winced as he recalled the blazing inferno that had almost destroyed the ship's larder. Luckily, that wacky magical creature Domingo was able to put it out with a quick freeze spell.
As Uranbatol came closer into view, Lowe realized that Balbaroy wasn't kidding about the welcoming party. There were hundreds of people, all packed into the shipyard, and spilling out in to the streets of Uranbatol. "The shipyards have changed." Lowe said to Hans, who happened to be the closest nearby.
Hans put on a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the last time we were here, the shipyard was barely big enough to fit, say, a 70 people," Lowe explained. "But, as you can see, there are hundreds of people out there. Therefore, they must have expanded the shipyards, otherwise that amount of people wouldn't be able to fit."
Hans scratched his head. "You, using logic. Impressive."
"Thank you," Lowe said sarcastically.
Hans put one hand over his eyes, and peered out. "What's going to happen anyway? Balbaroy, did you notice anything while you were there?"
Balbaroy thought back. "Oh, nothing much. Just a marked-off path leading from the shipyard, that leads to a raised platform."
Hans grimaced. "Uh oh. A raised platform? That means a speech."
Lowe grimaced as well. "By the Ancients, I hate speeches. I'm not doing it. Who do you think should can give a proper speech? Not me, for sure."
"I'll do it," came a new voice, from directly behind Lowe. Lowe jumped.
"My, my. Touchy," said Hans, grinning. "You sure you up to it Nova?"
Nova, who had been the biggest guiding force behind the Shining Force, behind Max, nodded solemnly. "As ambassador of Guardiana, I had to give speeches all the time, to other nations. Normally, I would think Princess Anri would be most capable, however, in her current condition..." Nova trailed off.
Hans and Lowe glanced at each other, and nodded. Anri didn't look capable of anything at the moment. Along with Lowe and Mae, she had been the most affected by Max's disappearance, and supposed death. While Lowe and Mae had finally come to the acceptance with the fact that Max was gone, Anri was still torn up about it.
Nova gave a faint smile, and continued. "Besides, I'm the only non-combat member of the Shining Force. I can tell about your exploits with a certain degree of impartiality, since I do not have my own individual heroics to exaggerate, since certain people might let their egos get in the way of their speech.
"I do NOT have an ego," Hans stuttered.
Nova raised an eyebrow. "YOU do not have an ego? YOU, the self proclaimed 'expert marksman?' The one who boasted to be the best archer in the land?"
"Ha! Best archer in the land, my foot." This remark came from Diane who, along with Luke, had wandered over to see what all the commotion was about.
"I was drunk," Hans muttered. "They kept on buying round after round. I might have said something along those lines, but that had to be an exaggeration."
Luke grinned. His tiny eyes sparkled. "No, that was exactly what you said. I was there, remember? To make sure you, along with Lowe and Arthur, got back to headquarters safely. We don't want another repeat of what happened to Lowe." Everyone chuckled at the memory.
Lowe hastily changed the subject. "Hey, we're almost there. I'll go round everyone up." He hurried off, ignoring the snickers that came from the group.
*
2 hours later, Navarow was about to arrive in Uranbatol, and the Shining Force stood on deck, all decked out in battle costume. Lowe fidgeted. "Tell me again why we have to do this?" he said out loud.
Nova answered. "You are the heroes who have just saved the world from the greatest evil ever seen. Thus, you are to be held up as shining examples of Light, and because of that, you are decked out in your battle attire."
"Couldn't I do that in something more comfortable," Lowe muttered. "These robes chafe."
Diane smiled mischievously. "But you look so handsome in them," she said slyly. Lowe turned beet red.
"Enough about Lowe, Diane. How's my hair?" Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, which was freshly washed and combed.
Diane snorted. "So that's why you were in the bathroom for half an hour?"
Arthur grinned. "There's going to be many young ladies in that crowd, over there. If I want to make a lasting impression, I have to look my best."
Diane rolled her eyes. "And what about you?" Arthur continued. "You spent the last half-hour in that bathroom as well. Is that some light makeup I spot?"
Diane blushed. Arthur continued, "And is that perfume? In between travels and fighting Darksol's minions, when did you find time to visit a cosmetic store?"
"Yeah, see um, the thing about that is..." Diane muttered.
"Sorry, what was that? You just sort of trailed off there."
"Shut up. Your hair's fine, that's all you wanted to hear."
"Thank you." The ship came to a halt, and Balbaroy and Amon quickly tied the ship down to the dock, in order to prevent the ship from floating away. They flew back to where the rest of the group awaited, and flew to their positions.
"I thought you two had sensitive ears," Tao yelled over the din of the crowd, which was deafening.
Amon and Balbaroy didn't seem to hear her. Tao suddenly noticed the large cloves of...something...stuck in their ears. "Wish I'd thought of that."
"Ladies and gentlemen, look sharp. It's show time," said Mae, who was at the head of the group. Together, they travelled down the awaiting ramp, where a huge throng awaited them.
The roar of the crowd seemed to increase ten fold as the Shining Force, in their shiny armour and outlandish robes, came into view. The Shining Force slowly walked along the marked off path leading toward an raised platform. Lowe and Zylo were both blushing, with Zylo looking particularly humorous, as it didn't seem that his thick fur would allow such an expression.
Both Arthur and Diane were putting on a strange sort of strut. Arthur ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, and tossed his hair back, letting the breeze flow through his hair. Diane tossed her head back in a similar fashion, and put on her most charming smile. A sudden sigh came from the crowd, that seemed to come mostly from the young men and women scattered through the crowd. Arthur grinned, then suddenly fell flat on his face, as he slipped on a patch of ice that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Tao looked away, with an innocent look on her face.
"Need to be more careful, Arthur," Diane grinned. She spoke too soon. Right after she said that, she slipped on a patch of ice that had materialized out of nowhere, and landed flat on her back. Enraged, she immediately got up. She glared at Tao, but Tao wasn't anywhere near her. Neither was Anri. Which only left...
"Domingo!" Diane grabbed the magical little creature, and shook him. "You do that again, and I will use your little octopus body for target practice, you hear!" Domingo just simply blinked at her. "You hear me, you little slime-ball! You hear...ugh...zzzz."
As Diane was launching her tirade against Domingo, she inexplicably became tired. She let go of him, and slumped to the floor, using her arms as pillows, fast asleep. Tao glanced over from where she had been ridiculing Arthur for making a fool of himself. Arthur himself was bright red from embarrassment.
"I shouldn't have taught you that Sleep spell," Tao remarked casually.
Domingo snickered, which sounded odd coming from a figure that had no mouth. "But it's SO fun to use! Like that time I put Guntz to sleep, remember?"
Tao remembered all right. Guntz had been navigating his way through a crowded marketplace when Domingo thought it would be amusing to try out his new Sleep spell. Tao winced as she recalled the immense property damage that had been caused when Guntz's suit, with Guntz asleep at the helm, barreled its way through the market, smashing aside stands, with people diving out of its way, finally coming to a stop after running into a castle wall. Domingo had not been repentant after that incident.
"Whatever," Tao said. "Just try to be more careful, alright?"
"I'll take that into consideration." Domingo sighed, and floated away, wanting to get a good head start before Tao woke up Diane. Once Diane was woken up, she reached for her Buster Shot, before muttering "Too many witnesses." The Shining Force reached the platform without further incident. Nova stepped up, and started to give his speech:
"People of Rune, I give you the Shining Force..."
*
The celebrations had lasted all night, and every member of the Shining Force was feeling tired. There had been an very large supply of wine, and spirits, and thus, most of the members of the Shining Force sported some degree of a hangover, except for Domingo, who couldn't drink, and Balbaroy and Amon, who refused to touch any sort of alcohol. They had all awakened early to get a fresh start for their long journey home. Most of them were feeling fairly let down, as this would be separating and going their own ways. Half of the Shining Force had already stayed behind overseas, and they had said their goodbyes then, but the rest of them had stayed together up until now. Diane was the first to leave.
"Well, it's been great guys. Drop by if you're ever in Bustoke, alright?" Diane left, off to return to the mountain town of Bustoke.
Vankar smiled. "I'm off to Pao, if I can find the place. It's been an honour fighting with you guys. Earnest, let's go?"
Earnest nodded. Together, they left, for the travelling town of Pao.
"I'm going to Manarina, for some R and R. Luckily, I won't be alone. Domingo said he'd be coming with me."
Domingo nodded, which involved him bobbing up and down. "I want to check out the mage school, see if I can pick up anything. After that, I'll take in some sights, I'm tired of seeing the same people." Tao glared at this last remark. It was typical Domingo. Arthur galloped off, with Domingo floating behind.
Khris nodded solemnly. "I'm going back to Alterone. I'll see what kind of assistance I can give with the rebuilding process, after we wrecked it in that last battle." She walked away, waving.
Gort smiled. "I've always been a fan of the theatre. I'm going to head out to Rindo for a while. Balbaroy, Amon, you still heading with me?"
Balbaroy nodded. "We shall accompany you to Rindo. From there, we shall help convert Shade Abbey to a Cathedral of Light, back from the darkness Darksol perverted it with." Balbaroy and Amon took off into the open sky, with Gort following underneath.
Which left Hans, Tao, Luke, Ken, Lowe, Mae, and Anri.
"So. All set for the home stretch?" said Luke.
Everyone nodded. Lowe noticed that Anri still looked rather pale, and was wincing, probably from the hangover she still carried. She had drank an surprising amount of wine last night. She had continually downed drinks until she had fallen unconscious, and was carried off by Diane and Tao up to the room that was prepared for her.
"Anri, are you alright?" Lowe asked, concerned.
The Princess of Guardiana gave a weak smile. "I'm fine, Lowe. We have to get back as soon as possible. I have to check that everything the rebuilding process is running smoothly in Guardiana."
Lowe was surprised, though he immediately realized he shouldn't be. Of course, Anri would be assuming the throne, and with it, all the responsibilities that came with being ruler. Anyone could see that she was more than up to the task. She was kind, fair, and had a strong sense of what was right. The time was right for Anri to assume the throne.
Mae smiled. "I have to get back as well, to rebuild our defenses. We were really hit hard when Runefaust attacked. I have to start recruiting new soldiers, and beef up our training programs, so that tragedy can never happen again."
Mae suddenly looked sad. "If only Max was still alive. He would be more than capable of doing my job."
Anri looked downcast as well. "I have to arrange for a memorial service," she said solemnly. "Max is a hero that shall never be forgotten in Guardiana."
"Max wouldn't have liked that," Lowe said, as Anri looked surprised. "He wouldn't have wanted all that bother. He would just say he was just a regular guy, even though he was nothing but regular."
"We'll never know, now," Anri said quietly. They all nodded, solemnly.
Quietly, without further conversation, the last remnants of the Shining Force set off for their hometown of Guardiana.
