Chapter 18

Anri slowly awoke out of the deep slumber she was in. Her bed was uncommonly hard, and firm; she would have to have a word with someone about keeping the mattresses in shape. As well, there was a lot less sunlight than was usual for this time. In fact, there was no sunlight at all, which was probably due to the rocky ceiling. Wait. The rocky ceiling?

Anri snapped out of the haze she was in with a start, and immediately regretted it. It seemed as if every muscle in her body was stiff, and sore. No matter; Anri knew of a useful technique that would allow her, with an unorthodox use of ice magic, to loosen up the stiffness. She briefly concentrated, and frowned, when nothing happened. Maybe she was just tired. She tried again, to no avail.

"It won't work, you know."

Anri glanced up, trying to locate the speaker. She saw no one. She noted that she was currently lying in some sort of cell; the metal bars were an obvious sign. And to her right...

"Peregrin," Anri said, frantically. He was lying there, unconscious. A livid bruise marked his right temple, and she thought she saw a few bumps on his head. She went over, and tried to shake him awake, when she noticed that her right wrist was encased in some sort of bracelet. "What is this?" she said out loud.

"A simple preventative measure," said the unseen voice, in a offhand tone. "I'm quite aware of how dangerous you are as a mage; I'm just looking out for the interests of myself, and my people."

"Oh, and don't worry about him," the voice continued. "An ion spell is certainly painful, but it's nowhere near lethal. Mr. Hero over there just happened to take the brunt of the blast. He'll be out of it for a while."

Anri stood up, ignoring the pain. Now was not the time to show weakness. "Who are you? Why have you kidnapped us?"

"I was just getting to that." With that, the speaker revealed himself, stepping out of the shadows. The speaker was a tall man, easily a good 30 centimeters taller than Anri. He had a lithe build, although the wiry muscles revealed by his sleeveless vest. A pair of sheer black pants, as well as a long coat, completed the outfit. The most disturbing aspect was his eyes; they seemed to be completely pupilless, and were jet black. That didn't seem to effect his vision in the slightest, as he continued to peer at Anri.

"As for your question, my name is Aoshe. I've kidnapped you to fulfill my evil plan. Why else would I have?"

Anri blinked. "You're a lot more straightforward than most villains I've met."

"Please," Aoshe said, rolling his eyes in disgust. "I've never understood why WE have to be evil, while YOU have to be good. I just like to think of it as having different policies, and beliefs."

Anri narrowed her eyes. "Such as what?"

Aoshe shrugged. "Well, for one, my view that the strong thrive, while the weak die. Case in point; I'm strong, you're not. That's why I'm on the outside of this cage, and you're on the inside."

"That's not a difference of opinion, that's just sick," Anri snarled.

"Why?" asked Aoshe. "That philosophy has existed since the dawn of time. The predator stalks the prey. The strong animals survive, while the sick and old, die. Just because you might not like it doesn't mean it's not true."

"Human lives can't be reduced to mere animals," countered Anri. "On an evolutionary level, we've risen above such savagery."

Aoshe sighed. "Sorry, but although this debate is fascinating, I'm a little pressed for time right now. I have places to be, people to sacrifice. So, on that note..."

Aoshe snapped his fingers. Out of the darkness, two figures appeared, grinning wickedly.

"You two, carry him," he ordered, pointing to Peregrin. "Be gentle. Your Highness, I shall have the honour of escorting you. I hope you have the intelligence not to try anything foolish."

Anri sighed. Right now, with Peregrin unconscious, and possibly injured, and her own ability cut off, there wasn't much she could do. She decided to wait, and see what the situation brought up. She got up, and walked ahead of a courteous Aoshe, who followed. Peregrin and his carriers brought up the rear.

They walked through what seemed like an endless amount of tunnels. There were numerous forks, and passageways, and Aoshe, who did not seem to have any problems finding his direction, cheerfully directed her through one way or the other with ease. Although Anri tried to remember the path she had followed, it wasn't long before she became disoriented, and gave up on the idea completely. Strangely enough, the tunnels didn't look natural. If that wasn't the case, then...

"Yes, I see you've figured it out, Aoshe said, in a lively voice. "These tunnels have been drilled out; it took extensive, back-breaking work. We lost quite a few workers during the years."

Anri didn't pick up on a single note of regret in his voice. "Don't you feel anything at all for the death of those men?"

Aoshe frowned, puzzled. "No, of course not. They were just grunts, that's all. An expendable resource, and something that's easily replaced. I imagine you have the same view toward your Guardiana Army."

"No!" exclaimed Anri. "Each soldier that dies out there leaves a family behind. They are not 'expendable'."

"Really," said Aoshe, raising an eyebrow. "I begin to wonder how you beat Darksol at all, with such philosophies as that."

"We had a great man then," said Anri, her anger started to rise. "Someone who sacrificed himself to save the world. Someone who's worth a thousand of you."

"Was?" Aoshe murmured. "Can you really not...well, never mind, we're almost there."

Anri frowned. Aoshe's cryptic statements had obviously meant something, but what? Her musings were cut short when they appeared to arrive at their destination.

"In any case, this has been around for quite some time. This was all built under Darksol's command actually; he put me in charge of this particular region. You'll see why soon."

They emerged into a brightly lit area. Anri squinted, shielding her eyes.

"Behold," Aoshe said, sweeping out his hand in a dramatic gesture, "my throne room, and the site of your demise!"

Anri felt an cold fear began to gnaw at her. "So, you're going to kill me? I hope you get it done soon, then."

Aoshe glanced at her. "Oh, no no no. I'm just practicing my evil villain speech. My advisors tell me that I simply don't seem evil enough. It's something I need to work on. How was it?"

Anri shrugged. "Work on your delivery more. Then again, I've seen people like Darksol, and Kane in action, so maybe my standards are too high."

"Thanks. In any case, what do you think of the place?"

"Not bad." That was an understatement. Unlike the dark, damp tunnels she had just been in, this room was suitable enough to be located in Guardiana castle. The entire floor seemed to be made up of marble, with stone pillars stretching up from ceiling to floor. A lush, red carpet stretched from the doorway up towards a long flight of stairs, where a large, magnificent throne sat.

"Nice, huh?" Aoshe said, pleased. "I put a lot of work into this room."

Anri sighed, in dismay. "By the way, none of the previous villains I've run across were as chatty as you are. They could be somber, cocky, arrogant, but never sociable."

"Really?" Aoshe said. "I'll try to remember that." He went over to the throne, and flopped down. Anri walked up the stairs, and stood directly opposite him.

"Sit, sit." Aoshe said. He lazily waved his hand, and a chair, seemingly by itself, slid over to place itself directly under Anri.

Anri stared at the chair in surprise. She had gotten the impression that Aoshe was just some kind of talkative idiot, but it appeared as if there was some muscle behind that cheery exterior. And, Anri noted uneasily, a powerful Sorceror, if the ease in which he had utilized telekinesis was any indication. She seated herself. The guards, who had been following them all this time, put Peregrin down gently beside Anri. She used this opportunity to examine Peregrin more closely. He appeared to be roughed up, but apparently, uninjured. His breathing patterns suggested that he was in a deep state of unconsciousness, as did his body posture when he was being carried around. In any case, his arms happened to be chained together at the back. She was alone on this one.

"So," said Aoshe. "I'm going to tell you exactly what's about to happen."

"Really?" said Anri. "Darksol would certainly have not told me about his plans in advance. But don't let that stop you," Anri added in hastily.

"Yeah, but what does Darksol know? Sure, he was powerful and all, but he's still just as imprisoned as the rest of those Devils," Aoshe said, shrugging.

"Devils? Imprisoned? Huh?" Anri asked.

"Oh, you're not familiar with the term 'Devils'?" said Aoshe, surprised. "Never mind, it's not important. I'll get to Darksol in a sec."

"Now, in your battle with Darksol, and Dark Dragon, you somehow managed to defeat them, and sealed them away for, what, another 1000 years?"

Anri nodded. "Sealed, and weakened."

"A pity. In any case, it doesn't matter. What we've found out is even better. Come with me. It's about time anyway."

He gestured, and a section of the wall behind him slid out, then away, leaving a dark passage. The guards picked up Peregrin, and walked into the passageway, followed by Anri, and Aoshe.

Anri gasped. The room reeked of magical powers. She could feel the huge concentration of energies in the room The centerpiece was the alter at the back of the room.

"You feel it too, yes?" Aoshe murmured. "It seems that Darksol had this little chamber hidden away for a while. Which leads us to my plan."

"My Master Mages have been doing some research," Aoshe said, pointing. Anri turned. Somehow, a company of armed guards had crept silently into the room, as well as a trio of Master Mages. "They think they've found a way to summon a gateway, by tapping into the mystical energies in this room.

"A gateway?" Anri's stomach began to churn. This didn't sound good....

"A gateway to the demon world, to be exact. In case you weren't aware, Devils cannot really be killed. Their spirits are just banished, until they can revive again into a physical form. Usually, this process can take a very long time, but we think we can speed the process up a bit."

"However, these energies alone aren't enough. We need a catalyst. In other words, a blood sacrifice."

Anri's heart began to pound furiously. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, no, dead serious," Aoshe said. "Blood sacrifice is a tricky thing," he mused. "You're never quite sure just how much blood you need. We'll probably go for quantity over quality. Better safe than sorry."

"So, this is why you had me brought here?" Anri asked. So this was it; she was going to die.

Instead of the confirmation Anri was expecting, she received a look of surprise. "Oh, you think you're the sacrifice? I thought I'd explained that already. No, the person we were after, was really...him" Aoshe pointed. To Peregrin.

Anri gasped. "What do you want with him? Leave him out of this!"

"Sorry, no can do," Aoshe shrugged. "We can't just have a regular blood sacrifice. It has to be something special."

"Then take me instead!" Anri pleaded. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Although you're very powerful, Queen Anri, even your energies released might not be sufficient enough. But in him...something extraordinary resides. The power to create the seal necessary when demon forces arise. The power that only resides in the legendary Hero, born in times of great need."

"I'm afraid you have it all wrong..." Anri started. "You're thinking of Max. Max is dead. This is Peregrin."

Aoshe started to quietly chuckle. He brought his hand up to his face, as if trying to contain his mirth, but it only deepened in tone and volume. Tilting his head back, the chuckle gave way to full-blown laughter. "You really don't see it, do you. To quote a famous line, 'Evil will always triumph, because Good is DUMB!"

Aoshe stared at Anri in contempt. "Bah. I'm tired of this. Just so there aren't any question as to why this is necessary..." he gestured with one hand, and Peregrin's mask came off. Revealing a familiar pair of eyes...

Anri felt time stop. It was Max. He was alive! But at the same time...it didn't feel like Max at all. As if this was only an amazingly accurate copy. Something still felt missing...but what did it matter! Max was alive! But...now he was going to die...

"You can't!" Anri wailed. "Please..." she dropped to her knees in front of Aoshe, hands held out in supplication.

Aoshe looked at her in pity. "I really am sorry. But it is necessary. There is no way around it. Now please, stand aside."

"No! Please, have mercy!" Anri touched her eyes, and felt wetness. When had this started?

Aoshe gestured, with a look of regret. "Remove her. Gently."

Two guards took hold of Anri's arms, and carried her off. She resisted with all her might, still struggling to get back to Max. "No..."

Aoshe sighed. "You two, he said, gesturing to two more of his guards. Carry the Hero to the alter."

The two guards walked toward Max, picked him up, and set him down on the alter, lying on his back.

Aoshe gestured to the three Master Mages. "Please. Begin."

The Mages began to walk up to the alter.

At this point, all hell broke loose.

With startling speed, Max suddenly got up, and, in one quick flip, got back up to his feet, and off the alter. Turning toward the trio of Master Mages, he held up his bound hands, and something on them began to glow.

At the same time, the White Ring on Anri's hand began to glow as well. She stared at it in disbelief. "What on earth..." She turned back to watch Max anxiously. He was still bound, weak, and weaponless. What did he hope to accomplish?

Anri's question was soon answered. A green sphere of energy appeared directly overhead the Mages, and began lashing out with tendrils of deadly thunder. The Master Mages shook as the spell hit them, and dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Anri was stunned. "That was the Evil Ring!" she thought. "But there's no way it's that powerful...perhaps it's all the energies present in this room."

The guards nearest Max bellowed in fury. The closest one to Max lashed out. Max dove to the side avoiding the blow. The two guards began to converge on him.

Max raised his hand again, and another green sphere of energy appeared, again lashing out with it's deadly magic. This time, however, Max was directly in the affected radius. Anri winced as Max took a direct blow, and dropped to one knee, his clothing singed, body trembling in pain.

Anri looked at him in dismay, but then noticed that his hands were now unbound. "So, he took the hit on purpose, and let the energy break his bonds..." Her guards were distracted, their grip beginning to weaken as they watched in fascination. Anri decided that now was the time to act.

Lashing out with one foot, she hit a guard directly in the knee cap, twisting it to the side. He screamed in pain, and released her, grasping his broken kneecap, thrashing with pain.

Taking one of Gong's old tricks, she turned so that she was directly behind the guard. Grasping the arm that was holding her with her other arm, Anri dropped down, bent her back, and pulled. The guard flew over her, landing down on the ground with a thump. Now free, Anri began sprinting back to where Max was. On the way, she scooped up the dagger that had been dropped by the unconscious Mage.

Anri heard Aoshe shouting out something, and heard guards moving toward her, but she ignored them. She took the dagger, and immediately began sawing away at the magical bracelet on her right hand. She winced in pain as the dagger cut into her flesh sharply, but her plan succeeded, and the bracelet came off.

Turning around, Anri coolly faced the dozen or so guards coming her way. Anri gestured toward them, and her eyes flashed blue. At the same time, the guards in the lead became frozen solid. The guards right behind them ran into the frozen guards and fell down. The frozen guards began teetering over...

Anri clutched her hand into a fist, and her eyes flashed again. The frozen guards exploded into thousands of tiny shards.

And each shard was heading back towards the guards coming near her. It looked like someone had painted that spot of the ground red. Anri turned around, and sprinted back toward Max.


The single remaining guard, bellowing in frustration at his inability to hit Max, swung his sword in a fierce overhead blow, which would have split Max in two. Max held up his palms, and in a clapping motion, caught the sword between them. Grasping the sword with both hands, ignoring the pain as it cut into his flesh, he drove the sword back toward the guard, hitting him in the throat with the hilt. The guard gasped as he felt his windpipe crushed, and fell back, trying to draw a breath. Max bent down, hands dripping with blood, and reached down to pick up the guard's sword.

He never reached it. A large fireball slammed into Max, throwing him hard into the wall behind him. He slumped down to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Max!" saild Anri, frightened. She finally reached him. From what Anri could see, the injuries were bad. He wasn't in great shape. She turned back, and paled.

Aoshe was striding them confidently. In his wake, strode the rest of his guards. As well, the Master Mages had revived, and were approaching them.

Anri turned toward them, prepared to go down fighting. She startled as she felt her upper arm being grabbed. She turned around to see Max, who had stood up, in obvious pain, holding his sword.

Anri felt the tears start up again. She had finally seen Max, after so long. All hope had died so long ago, only to spring up again. And all for nothing. They were about to be slaughtered, and their deaths would open up the way for the world to be ripped apart.

"Eg...eg..." Max whispered. It looked like he was struggling to say something. In a last gesture of friendship, Anri reached over, and held his hand gently.

"Eg....Egress." With that word, Max slumped over in exhaustion. Anri felt the familiar swirls of energy, as her body became light. She felt herself being swept away. The last thing she heard was Aoshe, bellowing in rage...

*****

Anri felt the uncomfortable feeling of becoming solid again. Which meant that the egress spell had worked. She remembered Max, and looked at him frantically.

Max was on the ground to her left, not moving. She anxiously dashed over toward him, turning him over onto his back. "Max! You're going to be ok. Just stay with me." She began checking him over, wondering what she could do about his injuries, and wishing that

She saw Max look at her, and saw a faint smile play over his lips. "Well, we did it, didn't we," he whispered. "My task is finished."

"Don't talk like that," Anri said fiercely. Blood was flowing from several nasty cuts. She took off her cloak, and tore several strips off of it. She began to bandage the wounds.

Max laughed quietly, then began to cough, spitting out blood at the same time. "Forget about me. I'm finished."

"I'm going nowhere without you," said Anri, quietly. She had finished bandaging the wounds. Now what?

Max sighed. "I'm just glad... I could be of service to you...and now finally...rest."

"Max, no!"

"Goodbye...Anri..." Max's eyes closed, and his breathing began to rattle.

"Max! Max!" Anri frantically shook him. She almost panicked as she searched for something she could do. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and she clutched them together, trying to stop the shaking. It was at that point, that she saw it.

"The White Ring!" Anri said. "Of course!" in desperation, she held the ring up high, and concentrated, summoning the magic stored within.

A ball of pure white shot out, into the sky, and burst, showering down upon Max and Anri. Anri immediately began to feel calmer, and less weary. She looked down, and noticed that injuries she hadn't even noticed she had sustained until now were beginning to heal.

Anri summoned the Aura spell again, and again. The brusies, and cuts on Max began to fade, and his breathing returned to a slow, yet normal, pace.

Anri cast the spell until she felt the ring crack. She hastily put it away, fearful of breaking it beyond repair. She checked Max over again; he still wasn't in good shape, but at least he was out of the danger zone. Now, to take note of their situation. Anri looked around. First thing to note, was that it was nighttime. Second, they weren't in Guardiana. Although the Egress spell should have taken them there, it seems that the heavy magical energies, coupled with the haste Max used in casting the spell, as well as the fact he was injured, might have thrown things off a lot. Second, they were lying in some kind of road, with heavy forestry to the left and right of it. There didn't seem to be a town, or village in sight.

Anri glanced up at the clear nighttime sky. By analyzing some of the constellations, she determined that they were at least in the same continent as Guardiana. As well, it would appear that they were somewhat South. Also, add in the fact that they were in a forested area, led Anri to believe that she was about 200 or so kilometers away, in Lylewood, just on the borders of Guardiana Kingdom.

The first thing to do was get out of view of the open path. There could be spies of Aoshe out searching for them at this moment, as well as the simple fact that it was cold out there, and dark; they could find some shelter in the woods. Anri reached over, tried to pick up Max, and, under realizing that she couldn't possibly carry him a stone's throw, let alone into the woods, proceeded to drag him over there, inwardly apologizing.

Anri dragged Max deeper into the woods; it was imperative that they get out of casual sight from the roads. Once she had determined that they were far enough in, and comfortably propping up Max against a tree, she set to work. Anri gathered up enough firewood to last throughout the night.

After building a decent enough pile, she held out her hands, and concentrated, trying to summon up a basic blaze spell. Nothing happened, not even some sparks.

"I'm all tapped out," Anri realized. "That battle took a greater toll then I thought."

She set to work to start a fire the old fashioned way, with a pair of sticks, and a lot of work. Although she wasn't quite used to this sort of thing, she managed to get a fire going in a reasonable time. She stepped back to survey her handiwork, pleased with herself.

"Now, as long as Aoshe, his minions, robbers, or a wild bear show up, we'll be fine." Anri thought.
"Sigh...someone's going to have to keep watch tonight. Yes it's going to be me."

She sat down beside Max, settling in for the long night ahead. However, she was a more tired than even she had realized. Within an hour, she was fast asleep.

*****

Anri slowly awoke out of the deep slumber she was in. Her bed was uncommonly hard, and firm; she would have to have a word with someone about keeping the mattresses in shape. Wait. Hadn't this happened before?

Anri came out of her half-dreamy state with a start. Instead of the prison cell she was imagining, she saw that she was in a deep woods land. Over the fire she had built roasted a wild boar, which had been spitted And turning that spit-

Max sat mechanically turning the spit, eyes lost in thought. Anri sat there watching him for a moment. His hairstyle had changed, and he seemed to have bulked up a bit more, though he had never been skinny. Somehow though, he seemed...diminished. Smaller.

Max noticed that Anri was watching him. "Good morning," he said. Anri noted that he was averting his eyes when he spoke.

"Good morning," Anri mechanically replied.

"Lunch should be ready in a few minutes," Max said, carefully keeping his attention on the boar. "There's a river about a 10 minute walk away in that direction, if you want to get washed up."

"I...think I'll do that. Thank you," Anri replied. Walking away from Max, who was still avoiding eye contact, she found the river that he had mentioned. She splashed water over her face, hands, and arms, feeling a lot better. Coming back to the campfire, she noticed that Max had taken the boar down, and was now slicing sections off of it, using the knife she had snatched from the Mage. His sword, as well has her staff, had been stored away somewhere by Aoshe.

"Here," Max said, handing Anri a leg. "It's a bit hot."

Anri took the leg, and built in. A little bit overcooked for her tastes, but at this point of time, she didn't really have much choice. Anri watched as he began to eat as well.

She had a million questions she wanted to ask him. Where had he been all this time? How did he get out alive? Why hadn't he come back sooner? Why did he come back under a disguise? She didn't know where to begin. She had to say something though, damnit, this silence was getting awkward, but what....

"How did you pretend to be unconscious?" Anri blurted out, immediately chastising herself for asking. Was that really important? Never the less, she continued, "I saw your breathing patterns. You were breathing like someone in a deep sleep. Your pulse slowed down as well."

"Oh, that," Max said. "It's just an old trick that Lord Varios taught me. Useful for if you're in an unknown situation."

"Oh," Anri said. It was silent again. She was angry at herself for letting the conversation come to a halt again. Why wasn't she feeling smooth, calm, in control? She had been trained for this sort of thing; this didn't bode well for the time when she had to open diplomatic relations with other countries. Maybe she should have spent less time practicing magic and more time-

"You want to ask me questions," Max said. It was not a question, but a statement.

"Well, yes," Anri said, embarrassed. "Um, well, if that's alright with you, but if you're not up to it, that's fine..."

"Fire away," Max said. He didn't look angry, happy, annoyed...just. complacent Apathetic. Uncaring. Everything the old Max wasn't.

"First off," Anri said, "where have you been all this time? How did you get out alive?"

Max told her the story of how he had come to live with the Draco family, and the circumstances that had eventually led to the defeat of Adom's mercenaries.

"OK...but why Max? Why didn't you come back to see me...I mean us? Your death...affected us greatly."

Max looked as if he were struggling to find a way to express himself. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"I've killed so many people, Anri. I've cut down hundreds in the name of justice, with the intent of bringing peace to this land. Everyone who rose up against me, I murdered without a thought. And for what? I didn't even manage to destroy Dark Dragon. I failed to protect Lord Varios for being murdered. I let countless die at Guardiana. I couldn't stop Kane from being killed, trying to save me."

"Max, those weren't your fault," Anri said gently.

Max continued on as if he had never heard her. "I'm just...nothing. All I know is how to kill."

"That's not true," Anri whispered.

"I'm tired of it all. Tired of the nightmares that haunt me as I sleep. Tired of feeling blood on my hands, knowing it'll never come off. You've noticed it, haven't you? When I came back to Guardiana, I disguised myself with clothing, and a mask, but that wasn't what prevented you from recognizing me."

"No," Anri said, the pieces falling into place. It wasn't the hairstyle, or the clothing, or the mask. It had been the fire, the motivation, the desire that had driven him. The Max she had known had been a figure larger than life, leader of the Shining Force, one of the greatest warriors ever, bringing peace to the land, with determination and nerves of steel. The Max sitting across from her...was just a tired young man, with eyes older than his physical age.

"Max...then why did you come back in disguise? Why bother coming back at all?" Anri said.

Max turned away. "I...just wanted to enter the tournament. That's all." It was an obvious lie, and they both knew it.

"So," thought Anri, "there's still hope for him yet. He just couldn't bear the thought of not knowing what had happened to us...Max, you might feel that you're dead already, but I'll do everything I can to bring you back to the side of the living. I swear it."

Max looked up suddenly. "We'd better get moving," he said. "Judging from the position of that river, as well as the forested area, I think that we're in Lylewood. We have a long trip ahead of us."

"That's my thought also," said Anri. "Do we travel by the road, or do we cut across country?"

Max appeared to ponder the question, but slowly shook his head. "No. I'm not too familiar with this territory, and I've never been a good tracker. Too easy to get lost. It'll also slow us down to go through these woods. Let's take the road, but we must be cautious. Aoshe's men could be looking out for us, and he's somehow found a way to disguise his troops." He got up, and started to make his way back toward the road.

Anri noticed that he was limping a bit. "Something wrong with the leg?"

"I think I broke my leg in my fall," said Max. "The Aura spell helped, but it's still not at 100%. I'm good to go though."

*****

They walked on mostly in silence. Anri tried to open up a conversation with some small talk, but Max would simply reply to the statement, and continue walking. Anri soon gave up.

Contrary to Max's claims, it seemed like he was suffering a lot of pain. The leg looked like it wouldn't support a lot of weight at all. Max had tried to compensate by hacking off a branch off a tree to use as a walking stick, but their progress was still slow.

On the second day of their travel, in the morning, Max stopped suddenly. "Wait."

"What?" Anri asked.

"Something's approaching. From behind us. Quick, off to the side of the road." They hastily scrambled over to the side, where they could hide behind the thick undergrowth. They watched carefully.

"Looks like...a wagon," Anri said. "Could it be a trap?"

"With only one man? Unlikely."

"Hmm. That gives me an idea. Quick, back on the road." They walked back onto the road, just as the wagon approached.

The man, seeing them, slowed down to a stop beside them. "Hello, fellow travelers."

"Hi!" said Anri, perkily. She gave him a bright smile.

"What are you two doing out here, alone?" the man asked. Abruptly, he began to laugh. "Ah, never mind. Young couple, eh?"

Max began to sputter out a protest, but stopped in shock when he felt one slender arm go around his waist. "Wh..Wh..."

"Why, of course!." Anri said, smiling. "A bunch of fools, madly in love!"

The man laughed in amusement. "Say, where are you two headed?"

"We're heading off to Guardiana, for our honeymoon," Anri said. She poked Max in the ribs.

"Why uh, yeah..." Max said. "It's um...a nice place, I've heard."

The man nodded. "A beautiful country. Say, I'm headed around that area myself. How would you two like a lift?"

"That would be great, sir! Thank you!" Anri said, happily.

"No problem. Just hop on back," the man said, gesturing toward the wagon. "By the way, my name's Valin."

Max and Anri scrambed onto the back, and the man set the wagon in motion again.

Max turned to Anri. "Why did we have to...um...you know."

"To avoid suspicion," Anri whispered back. "For all we know, there's been a reward put on our heads. We have to remain inconspicuous. Besides, your leg isn't going to hold up for that long of a journey."

"But did we really have to pretend to be a couple?" Max complained.

"Why? You have a problem with it?" Anri asked.

Max blushed. "No, no..."

Anri smiled when Max wasn't looking. "That's more of the Max I want to see..."

*****

They made it to the outskirts of the town without incident. At this point, Anri asked to be let off, and the man obliged.

"Thanks a lot," said Anri.

"No thanks necessary. I hope you kids have a fun time," Valin said, winking.

"Oh we will," grinned Anri. "Here," she said, handing him a card.

"What's this?" Valin asked.

"My form of thanks. When you get to any hotel, restaurant, or tavern in Guardiana, show them this. You'll be taken care of.

Valin frowned. "All right. Thank you..." he drove off, staring at the card.

"What was that?" Max asked.

"The royal symbol," said Anri. "Free food, drinks, and accommodation, in Guardiana."

"Does Lowe and the rest have one of those cards?"

"You kidding? They'd bankrupt the kingdom in no time."

Max burst out laughing, and for a few moments, Anri could see the old Max again. The laughter quickly turned into a somber mood.

"We're going to have to work our away around," said Max. "We can't trust anyone in there, even the guards. We can disguise ourselves using cloaks to get into town, but I don't know about how to get into the castle."

"Oh, leave that to me," Anri said, smugly.

The two snuck into town, using some cloaks they had "borrowed." (Anri insisted on leaving some money behind as compensation). They reached the castle entrance, only to find it barred.

"Sorry," the guards said. "We're not admitting anyone at the moment. Come back in a few days."

Anri would have been able to gain entrance by revealing her identity, but there was no telling where Aoshe's spies lurked. Wearily, she and Max walked away.

"So, now what?" Max asked.

"I get us in, that's what," Anri said determinedly . "This way."

Anri led Max back to town, and cut through it so that they were eventually down an alley, that led directly to the West wall of the castle.

"OK..." said Max. "Now what?"

"Now you prepare to be amazed," said Anri. She went up to the stone wall, and touched a specific sequence of stones. With a low rumble, the wall slid in, revealing a stairway leading downwards. Anri grinned at Max's look of surprise.

"Just one of the many secrets in Guardiana castle," said Anri. "One day, I'll show you the other 99."

Anri led the way confidently, working her way through the many twists and turns that was the secret underground passageways of Guardiana castle. Several times, she opened a tapestry to reveal a passage, or open a disguised door to show a hidden stairway.

They began to travel up by a spiral staircase. "This leads straight to the main conference room," Anri explained. From there, I should be able to find someone we can trust easily."

"Good, because my leg is killing me from all this walking," Max grumbled. "Do the passageways really have to go that deep?"

"Don't complain, dearest," said Anri, mockingly.

They reached the end of the staircase. Anri held up an hand, a signal for silence. She listened carefully.

"...so, they don't appear to be anywhere 5 kilometeres north of here?"

"No, that's how far Nova and I, together could search from here. Nothing."

"Damn. Balbaroy, Zylo, could you two pick up any signs?"

"Some faint traces of someone in the woods. I couldn't pick up a scent.

"I've heard descriptions of someone who matches Anri's appearance. I'm having someone look into that."

Anri smiled. "Good to know they care." She glanced back at Max, who had a hesitant look on his face. "Are you alright? Can you do this?"

Max slowly nodded. "I figure it's about time. Let's go."

*****
Serena held herself up wearily. The search had been fairly fruitless; they were no closer to finding Anri or Peregrin then they had 5 days ago. She was exhausted from channeling all her energies into the Sight. It's demand left a toll on her.

Mae, who was leading the meeting, shook her head. "I know we're all tired, people. Let's try to get some rest. Maybe things will get better in-" she froze, as directly behind her, a portion of the wall began to move out.

From out of that wall stepped Anri, looking messy, but otherwise, ok.

"Anri!" Serena squealed happily. Anri moved into the room, grinning broadly, as the rest of the Shining Force members began rushing over to her in joy. Then another, familiar figure stepped out behind her.

"Peregrin!" Serena shrieked in joy. She rushed over, hugging him around the midsection. She felt bruises and bumps under her grasp, as he gave an uncharacteristic groan of pain.

"You're hurt," Serena gasped. She turned toward Lowe. "Lowe, can you help..." she trailed off as she saw the expression on Lowe's face. It was one of wonder.

The room had gone deathly silent. Everyone was watching Peregrin, most in disbelief. Serena couldn't understand. What was the problem? Then she heard a solitary whisper break the silence.

"Max..."

*****

Note from the author: Oh man. Long, long time between updates this time. I really have no excuse, besides schoolwork, midterms, and all that. Mostly, I was just plain lazy. I've been playing too much video games these days.

I've got a new e-mail address! Please send all e-mails to strider_yoshi@tekken.cc, from now on. That way, at least I can delete the flames quickly. =) As well, if you want an update as to when this fic is um...updated, I'll send you an e-mail, pronto.

I'm looking for people who might be willing to proofread, or edit. You'll be able to view my works-in-progress as soon as I've done them, I would really appreciate it if you can. Also, I'd be willing to edit/proofread anyone else's fics, if they want. Just send it to the aforementioned e-mail address.

Jeez, I'm not sure where to go from here. Probably some inner reflection by Max, an final climactic battle, and that's that. I'm going to leave the ending open, in case I do a sequel in the new future, which will suck even more, since I don't have a clear idea of where to go with the plot. Ah well, them's the breaks.

Cheers!