Paladin

They found themselves landing on the ground of a strange temple. It was almost exactly like what had happened when they entered Murond Death City. Ramza looked around, he was just a little bit nervous as to what had happened. This place was very unfamiliar, he was wondering what kind of monsters or demons might try to attack them. Thus, they all walked cautiously.

Soon, the group found a pedestal. On it, was a sword with a golden colored metal that made its hilt and blade. But it was not gold, for when Meliadoul tried to burn it with Fire 1, just to see, it did not melt. And when Agrias tried to bend it after that, it stayed in one place. There had to be some divine power within the blade, either it was a special metal, or a spell had been cast on it.

"This must be it!" exclaimed Ramza, "The Holy Sword Paladin. That was what your mother meant when she said it was within you. You had the power to pull us into the other dimension where the sword was sleeping. All right, Meliadoul! Now we can take the sword and kill the demons."

"You may not have the sword until you prove yourself. Fight against my servant, and show me that you can wield this blade. For only the strong and pure of heart can defeat the demons who are trying to take over the world," a female voice echoed throughout the chamber. Suddenly, the group heard a low growl, and a huge white ape appeared. It apparently was the legendary beast, Yeti. And he looked mad.

Ramza thought, 'Of course, there always is a Guardian for these things. That's the other reason why no one ever gets these legendary weapons. Not only do they have to find whatever key is required, they are unable to kill the Guardians who are trying to protect it from thieves." He knew that he needed to win, though, else the whole world would fall to Lucavi. So he grabbed his Chaos Blade, and held it out. Meliadoul thrust out Save the Queen, and Agrias was seen holding her Rune Blade.

Ramza began to charge Ultima, while Meliadoul concentrated on attacking with Flare. Agrias had the job of protecting them. Usually she had help from Tess or Margurita if they were fighting against other demons, but there was no one who would be able to hear their calls. So the whole thing was up to her. She used Crush Punch, hoping to kill Yeti at the same time. But, of course, it didn't work. So she ran at it, and struck out with her Rune Blade. Which was followed up with a Lightning Stab. Yeti then became Silenced, but it was of little use, as he only seemed interested in striking with his fists.

Ramza then finished charging Ultima, and hitting him. He gripped Chaos Blade in his hands, and decided to aid in the protection of Meliadoul while she was charging. The man attacked with the sword, and knocked him back. But that hadn't killed him yet, he was ready for another go with the warriors.

At that moment, Meliadoul let loose with a Flare. The Yeti found himself reeling from the spell, fire being his weakness and all. Then, he charged once more, only to face the blades of three reared warriors. Yeti had no time to hit even one before he was cut down. They watched for a few minutes, until the monster's body had become a crystal. Agrias used it to restore her HP, and then stepped back.

Then the voice from before was back. "You three have done well. I can see the determination in your hearts, and the way you work together to accomplish a goal. Now, take the Holy Sword Paladin, boy of the Beoulve family. Guardian of the Lindal family, you must protect him. It is the destiny of those two families to fight together. Throughout history, Beoulves have wielded this blade, while Lindals have acted as their shields in times of danger. Fight the demons, and bring peace back to the world."

Suddenly, the swords jerked free of the pedestal. It landed in Ramza's hand, radiating a warm light. The gem on the hilt shone a deep blue. He picked up the Chaos Blade, and handed it to Agrias, knowing very well that Meliadoul would never take off her Save the Queen, it was a gift from her late mother. Then, the dimension began to distort, and they found themselves outside once more.

* * *

"So, let me get this strait," Izlude said to his sister, "Mom's legacy is some sort of sword, and you three went into another dimension to claim it. That's amazing, you've got all the luck, sis. On assignment in Lesalia on the day we were in Riovanes, being able to fight alongside Ramza, and defeating one of the most dangerous demons in the world. All I've got is a job helping living heroes to fight demons. But I have barely fought anything but those stupid thieves, and only once."

"Don't worry, you didn't miss much. The place was barren of any decorations, except for the sword. Even the pedestal was just made of stone. Our ancestors must have been really boring people if they think that makes a really nice palace," stated Meliadoul, looking into her brother's eyes.

The trio had met up with him right after returning to the camp. As this was part of his heritage, he deserved to be the first to know exactly had happened while they were in the other dimension. Ramza had shown him the sword, and the boy was really amazed at the power flowing in it.

Izlude told Ramza, "I wish you luck in the battle ahead. There's only so much I can do while back here in the living world. When it comes to the battle with Vormav, it will be entirely up to you. As well as my sister, she's mother's only living descendant. Only she can be the Guardian that the mysterious entity spoke of. I only wish that I could help more, but I have my orders."


Meliadoul put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. We took on these creeps before, and we were able to beat them. Now, we have a sword that is more powerful than anything else in the world. There's nothing the two of us can't do when we fight as one, that's what the voice in the other dimension told us. Besides, our allies will all be standing by our sides as well."

Ramza hear the report as to what happened while they were gone. Malak had hurt his hand when dropping a carton of apples he had been carrying for Sage and Pete. He would be in the clinic for another week at least. Rafa and Alma had carried it the rest of the way after that.

'Things never change,' thought Ramza, 'It's at least good to know that. No matter what happens to us in the battles, and where we go, we'll always be able to come home to the same antics. I want to travel with this group for the rest of my life, or at least live close to them if we ever settle down.'

- - - -

Well, we're going to be involved in some more battles first. I really need to get rid of the demons before we find the entity, that's how I work things, you know it.