Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Chapter Six (Brave New World):
The ship sailed onward, past Crossbone Isle and finally spotted land after a few minutes. It was huge, perhaps the size of a fourth of Weyard. They crashed on the sands of its shore and got ready to board the island, noting the faraway town that rested afar. The party of eight walked out the flying ship. They were still visibly shaken, but had not given Piers a hard time for running out of psyenergy.
They walked to the town, not bothering for conversation. Once in a while, Garet would speak up with an, "Are we there yet?" Or a, "How much longer do we have to walk?" No one bothered to answer the Fire Adept.
They approached the gates of the town. "Halt!" A guard said. He examined them all in turn. "What do you think, Deak? They are a strange party."
"Yes." The other guard nodded. "Should we let them in?" He looked to the other guard, then back at the adepts. He examined them carefully in turn. "They don't look like they're from any place we know."
"Maybe they're travelers from Anemos?" The first guard suggested, but the second guard shook his head.
"I've been to Anemos and I know what the civilians look like. These people are clearly not from Anemos." The second guard named Deak explained, "Dean, you should go fetch Deirdre. Perhaps her powers will be of use."
"Good idea." The first guard agreed. He rushed back into the busy streets of their town.
Kraden walked up in front of the group. "Excuse me." He called to Deak. Deak looked quizically at him.
"Yes?" He asked curiously. What could this old man want?
"You've seen Anemos?" Kraden asked. The others were intently listening.
"Yes, I have." Deak answered conversationally. "Why? Do you have any intention of going there?"
"As a matter of fact," Kraden answered, "We have. Could you tell us how to get there?"
Deak shook his head. "Even if I told you, it would be very hard to get there. The city of Anemos is surrounded by fog and rises above Gaia Falls. It is rumored that the ancient god of Zeus guards it."
"Ancient god of Zeus?" Kraden turned to the rest of the group. "That sounds an awful lot like Lemuria, don't you think?"
"Yes." Piers confirmed. "Maybe there are other cities like Lemuria that we do not know about. After all, we only just learned of this world after our lighting of the lighthouses."
Kraden nodded and turned back to Deak the guard. "Please tell us. I am positive that we could get past whatever obstacles guard Anemos."
"If you insist, but I highly doubt that an old man and several children could fare against Zeus. Before the Aurora Borealis appeared, it might have been possible, but Zeus is a mighty adversary."
"He can't be any harder than the Doom Dragon." Garet said loudly. Deak jumped in alarm.
"Doom Dragon?" He gasped. "Are you… the Chosen Ones?" He gazed at the travelers' weapons and realized that they were just not normal. There was a supernatural aura about them.
"Er…" Kraden didn't know what to say. "What exactly do you know about these… Chosen Ones."
"The Chosen Ones are said to come from a faraway place." Deak explained. "They have fought mighty battles, one being with a creature known as a Doom Dragon and have lit their world's lighthouses. They bring with them a ship bearing the Wings of Anemos."
Kraden turned to the group. "That sounds an awful bit like us, doesn't it?" Everyone nodded happily.
Isaac stepped up beside Kraden. "Yes, we have fought mighty battles and the Doom Dragon. We have also lit Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars Lighthouses." He added proudly.
"And," Piers spoke up from inside the group. "We do bring with us a flying ship. The wings were conceived from the Ruins of Anemos near Contigo."
"Hmmm…" Deak said, taking it all in slowly. "That explains why Anemos was unable to make any more of these wings. The plans were lost when the city was literally ripped from another world a thousand years ago."
Suddenly, the first guard arrived bringing with him a tall, pretty girl. Piers gaped and the girl blushed. "So these are the travelers Dean tells me of?"
"Yes. And from our conversation," Deak continued, "I'd say they were The Chosen Ones."
"You mean the ones the Anemos used to tell us of?" Deirdre said skeptically. "I did not know you still believed in such stories. I thought only children took it to heart."
Deak flushed and looked at the ground, finding a new interest to his leather boots. "Yes, well, ma'am… your father believed in them."
"My father was half insane." Deirdre chuckled. "Still, there is no doubt in my mind that he did make a difference."
"Yes." Dean nodded proudly. "King Arthur was a man of many words."
"Don't forget his sword." Deak beamed. "The sword of Excalibur. Forged a thousand years ago."
"Excalibur?" Kraden looked to Isaac. "Did we not have a weapon called Excalibur back in Weyard?"
Isaac nodded. "I left it in Vale and took the Gaia Blade with me."
"What?" Deirdre interrupted. "That's impossible. Excalibur is one of a kind! The only one that own a blade of the name is my father… Arthur."
"You say Excalibur was forged a thousand years ago?" Kraden reasoned. "I believe that was at the time of the Lost Age."
"The Lost Age?" Piers finally stopped staring at Deirdre. "You think it's possible that the Excalibur they speak of was forged in Weyard?"
"It is quite possible." Kraden confirmed. "Where is this… Sir Arthur?"
"You must come from far away if you don't know the legendary Sir Arthur." Dean laughed. "He's a hero, with very special powers."
Kraden nodded. "You think this Sir Arthur is the man destined to help us light the first lighthouse?" No one knew what to say. "I'm not sure either, but we must find him and find out."
"Light the lighthouses? The Lost Age?" Deak thought out loud. "We do have stories of a Lost Age of man, but we thought they were just stories. As for lighting the lighthouses… do you mean Neptune lighthouse to the east?" The eight nodded. "I'm afraid that is an impossible feat. Even if you could get past the obstacles of the lighthouses and the monsters, you still don't possess the stars needed to light them."
"You know of the elemental stars?" Kraden sounded, sufficiently impressed.
"Of course, my father is a scholar since childhood." Deak informed.
"I'm afraid it is quite possible to light the lighthouses of this world, for we do know the location of the four elemental stars needed to light them."
"Four elemental stars?" Deirdre inquired. "Just what is the fourth for? There are only three lighthouses and they are so far away."
Kraden turned to Felix. "Do you think it's possible that Gaia Falls has already started to erode one lighthouse just as it did to Mars?" Felix nodded, in thought. "Yes, I thought so, too." He turned back to Deirdre. "Tell me, what lighthouses do you know of here in…"
"Terra." Deirdre finished for him. "There is Neptune to the east. To the south of that is Uranus. To the west of Uranus lies Pluto."
"What about Saturn?" Jenna asked Kraden.
"Saturn is probably west of here." Kraden guessed, " We must hurry, we are running out of time. Gaia Falls is eating away this world faster than Weyard."
"Hmmm…" Deirdre pondered for a second then. "Come on, let's go to my house. I'd like to be filled in on this."
A few minutes later, they were in a huge castle overlooking the town. "Say," Kraden asked. "What town is this exactly?"
"This is called London." Deirdre answered. "Now just stand there, while I perform something." She stood in front of Kraden and focused hard. After a few moments, the group was surprised to see a psyenergy aura encircling Deirdre. She penetrated Kraden's mind barriers and saw into his thoughts. "Hmmm…" She examined. "I see…" After a couple of minutes, she stopped and looked at the group. "I see… so you really aren't of this world. You have been traveling so much. I understand that time is against you. My father can help. I will send him to Neptune Lighthouse as soon as he arrives. By that time, you should have gotten the elemental stars in Anemos. I have no doubt that you will overcome Zeus, after all, half of your number has already overcome Poseidon, correct?"
"Poseidon?" Dean interrupted. "You can't be serious! How could they defeat a mighty god?"
"Don't underestimate them, Dean." Deirdre warned. "They have fought forces even mightier than Poseidon and have victored. As a matter of fact…" She froze as she examined the group. "One of them is not here, apparently having gone on a mission herself. She and the blonde haired youth named Ivan have the mighty god of thunder Thor at their disposal."
Deak and Dean gaped. "Thor?" They looked to Ivan in awe. Ivan blushed a deep crimson. "Yes. It's all thanks to the Djinni we collected."
"I see…" Deirdre observed. "Then am I right in assuming that the other three summons are gods as well?"
"Yes, Deirdre." Kraden answered, "The Venus summon is the mighty god wielding the power of the apocalypse. The Mars summon wields the power of the heavens, and the Mercury summon wields the power of ice."
"I see…" Deirdre whispered. "You must hurry to the Gates of Light deep in London's catacombs. Once you solve the puzzle that blocks you, it will carry you to the high heavens to the place that guards Anemos. Once you've gone through there, you will have a safe passage to the city."
"I don't think it's quite as simple as that…" Kraden looked to Deirdre. "It will involve immense danger, won't it?"
"I'm afraid so." Deirdre confirmed. "London catacombs consist of powerful monsters, all vanquished by my father. They will be quite a challenge. The puzzles alone are quite difficult. Only the soldiers of Arthur have ever seen them, and even some of their numbers, however strong, perish."
"Sounds hard…" Garet whispered to Isaac and Felix, "let's do it."
Deirdre frowned. "I am not sure whether your courage is to be acknowledged as admirable, or incredibly ignorant." Jenna burst out laughing. Piers thought she looked a lot more beautiful when she was angry.
"Show us the way to the catacombs." Isaac accepted. "If there's a way in, we'll find it…" He paused, then added, "we have to."
"Excellent." Deirdre applauded. "Come with me." She ventured through several huge staircases and corridors and rooms until Garet could've sworn they were very deep underground. "This is the second entrance to the catacombs. The first in the town is blocked by a stone wall. This one should make your journey easier."
"Thank you, Deirdre." Kraden smiled then, "Am I right in assuming that you are a Pluto Adept?"
Deirdre was taken aback. She finally returned the smile and nodded. "Yes, I am a Pluto Adept. My mother comes from the southwestern reaches. I believe they are a Native American tribe."
"Then it is safe to assume that you have powers here similar to Ivan's own?" Kraden inquired.
"Yes. I have already learned Reveal from birthright. My father took me to Pluto Rock when I was younger to learn Mind Read. Other than those two, my psyenergy is different from Ivan."
"How so?" Kraden asked. "I have psyenergies that are aligned with Mercury, like Water Blessing and such. I also have Wish."
"I have those psyenergies." Mia added.
"Deirdre, this may be come as a shock to you, but do you want to come along on our mission? I'm sure you're very knowledgable in this world."
Deirdre shook her head. "No, it does not come as a shock. I also cannot embark on your journey with you. I must rule London in the absence of my father. I thank you for your offer, though."
"Ah…" Kraden processed. "Goodbye then, Deirdre." He waved as the other waved goodbye as well. They ran into the catacombs at a steady fast paced jog. "What do you think, Felix? Does Deirdre play a role in the near future?"
"I'm no Jupiter Adept, Kraden." Felix answered. "But as a hunch, I think she will. She possesses some powerful psyenergies and the knowledge of our quest has more than tweaked her interests. We'll have to wait and see…"
A monster leaped, having appeared as if it came from the shadows of the wall. It was a gigantic bat. "Megiddo!" Felix slashed fiercely. The bat was dazed. Piers ran by and slashed the gigantic bat, finishing it off. They were making good time.
Pretty soon, they came upon a log rolling puzzle, then a torch which they had to use Blaze on. It was quite easy for them. Soon they reached a circular cavern with a bright ray of light emmanating in the center. "This must be it." Kraden breathed. "Let's go." They stepped into the circle. All at once, they couldn't move and the light got brighter. All they could see was white! Then… blackness…
