Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Sailor Moon, Trigun, Evangelion, Lupin the Third, Outlaw Star, Rurouni Kenshin, G-Gundam, any other Gundam Series, Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, any movies, books, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Notice to Readers: To understand certain parts of this story, you'll have to read the other stories before this one. It is recommended by not required.
The DarkTower:
Anime's Unite
Chapter 14: The Eastern Group
The Mines of Midas
- - -
To the East of the town of Rachel, over the Misty Mountains, past the Martyr's Plains, there was the Elvish city of Riverden where the Fellowship of the Gundam was once again formed. This time including the children of the Preventers, the ones that their parents had hoped would never have to pilot a mobile suit, but they did anyway. The Shuffle Alliance, The Preventers, and the Preventer Teens were fed and prepared for their journey towards the Dark Tower that lied at the center of Mydar.
It was during the early morning when the plans were set. They all had met in Lord Hyrule's study to look at a map of Mydar. The Elvish king's study was massive, every wall was a bookshelf and no shelf was empty, only filled with books of all kinds. Some of them telling of the history of Mydar, ancient knowledge of the Elves, and even some cookbooks of Elvish cuisine. The room also had two balconies that went out to look over the river that poured from the waterfall. Throughout the study there were several tables littered with books, projects, pots, and vats filled with all kinds of compounds.
Hyrule had cleared one of the tables to bring out a map of Mydar, and the Fellowship gathered around it. They saw how expansive the lands of that place were, poked with mountain ranges, forests, roads, rivers, and towns. Gandalf pointed to the far right edge of the map where there was a dot that read, "Riverden" above it.
"We will start here." Gandalf said with his finger on the dot that was Riverden, "From here we shall move to the Northwest towards the Misty Mountains. We cannot go around it, because they Obsessed will expect that as well as us going over it with the Gundams."
"If we can't go around or over the mountain." Domon speculated, "Then how are we going to get there?"
"We're going to go through the mountain." Gandalf answered
"Then you're suggesting…" Hyrule said his voice sounding deep and heavy with knowing the gravity of what Gandalf was going to propose next.
"I know, Lord Hyrule." Gandalf said, "I wouldn't go through that place unless I had no other alternative, but in our situation it is dire. So we must go through here."
Gandalf's long finger pointed to a place at the foot of the Misty Mountains where there was a dot that read, "The Gates of Midas".
"The Gates of Midas?" Johan asked, "What's there?"
"Let us not worry about that now." Hyrule said, "We will pack your core landers for the journey, we will also give each of you a driver to take the core landers back to your ship."
"You're very generous to us, Lord Hyrule." Johan bowed
"For the freedom to the people of Mydar, we the Elves will do everything we can to help." Gandalf the Gray started to look around the room among the faces of the Fellowship and noticed that there was one member missing. Even though he was an old man, he wasn't exactly the kind that could be easily fooled. His sharp mind already knew who it was that was missing. It was the Elvish warrior, Link.
"Where could he be?" He asked himself.
- - -
The place where Link was wasn't too far from where the Fellowship was preparing and planning for the quest ahead of them. He knew that this mission was important, but he had to attend to a very personal matter, one that concerned him and the Princess Zelda. He had met the princess in the garden of Lord Hyrule's house. The garden itself was as much a piece of nature as the house itself tried to imitate. All around them there were rocks carefully planted but looked as though it had been there for centuries. Stepping stones in the water of a small pond, plants all around them of so many different varieties, and fireflies that were already burning in the morning light as they float from leaf to leaf.
The two Elves stand there on the stepping stones only a breath between them. They spoke to each other, whispering sweet nothings in that beautifully song-like Elvish tongue to each other. It seemed rather funny on a certain level, pillow talk in Elvish. Yet, their discussion moved onto something deeper.
"I still remember when we first met." Link said in his Elvish tongue
"So do I" Zelda answered back, "we were children, the innocence that we had didn't give way until we were older and that was over two hundred years ago. We did not have the same worries that we do now. It seems that my mother was right that children understand joy it is only adults who understand pain."
"With you here, pain seems like a distant memory."
"I know that, my love, because I feel the same." She looked deeply into her lovers eyes. Yes, these two Elves were lovers, they had been for several years, but they never quite told Lord Hyrule about their romance. Then again Hyrule was no fool; he could see the love that those two had on their faces from a mile away, because he had that in his days of youth with Zelda's mother. He simply allowed them to carry on their secret romance to give them their thrills of it.
"I know that you're concerned about me, my love." Link whispered
"You know of the dangers that are at the tower." Zelda warned, "I fear for your life and the lives of the Fellowship. I don't want to loose you."
"I will return…I promise you that."
"You cannot promise what is uncertain, Link, but I shall be waiting here for you. Please, take this."
Her delicate hand had been placed over Links rough and worked hand. Into it she dropped something that was very previous to her. Link felt it trickle down into his hand; he opened it and looked at it. There he saw a golden chain that had her pendant. The pendant itself was gloriously beautiful. Spun gold and silver in such an intricate pattern that looked like an odd shaped heart with the swirling of gold, silver, all making their grip upon the precious jewel in the center of it. Link knew of this pendant. It was something that was passed down through Zelda's family for countless Elven generations. It was something that Zelda's mother gave to her before she was killed in an attack by the Obsessed all those years ago. Link grasped it in his had.
He opened his mouth about to say something to his beloved, but Zelda brought her finger over his lips.
"Shhh." She whispered, "You don't have to say anything." She leaned in and kissed her Elvish warrior.
- - -
The Fellowship of the Gundam were loading up their core landers for their journey to the Dark Tower, but before they had left for their journey towards the mountains. Princess Zelda had something very special for a few members of the Fellowship. She brought them all gifts of the Elves to aid them upon their journey.
For the "Sword bearer" Johan, he was given a crystal clear piece of smooth glass that looked like a bottle. Johan looked into its glassy depths and felt mesmerized by it. For it seemed so bright even though it was broad daylight over Riverden. The thing in his hand seemed to make its own kind of light as if it was a star captured into a bottle.
"I give you, The Light of Arawen," Zelda had presented this gift to him, "Use this well in dark places when all other lights are gone."
Johan had bowed to the Elvish Princess.
She then brought out another bottle shaped object, but unlike The Light of Arawen, this bottle did carry something within it. She took it to the Fellowship and handed it to the Fellowships doctor, Rain Mikamura Kasshu. Placing the bottle in her hand, Rain looked at it to see that there was a very odd reddish liquid in it that looked like red ink but seemed very thick to be ink. She looked back to Zelda who explained to her what it was.
"I give you the Fairies Water" Zelda had told Rain, "With this you may be able to heal anyone who is injured or ill, no matter how forgone their condition may be."
"Thank you." Rain had said to the elf.
Zelda had then brought out another wonderful gift. This time it was a flute, a golden flute that burned with its own metallurgic glory, but even with the shimmering gold, it too seemed to have its own kind of inner light. The Elvish Princess brought this gift to Trowa Barton. She handed the flute to the Gundam pilot. Trowa picked it up, even though he was amazed at what he was seeing, he still kepted that neutral look upon his face.
"For you Trowa Barton, I give the Flute of Olympus." She said, "When playing this flute, you may put any dragon, beast, or living machine to sleep."
Trowa looked deeper at the flute and saw the uniqueness to it.
"I will guard it with my life." Trowa said with his own cold kind of reverence
The next gift that Zelda had given was a shield. It was a rather small shield, comparatively speaking to a regular shield which nearly covers a person's whole upper body when held close to the chest. The shield that Zelda had brought to the Fellowship was a little larger than a dinner plate. It also was golden like the flute she had given to Trowa, yet the shield was speckled with jewels of all kinds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, and opals. All of the jewels arranged in a pattern like formation as it came down to the Ruby stud in the center. She brought this glorious looking shield to Quatre.
"Quatre Raberba Winner, I give you the Shield of Saturn, forged from its mystic rings it can ward off any dark magic spell."
Quatre gently took the shield, "Thank you, very much. Princess Zelda."
The last gift she gave was brought out by two Elvish servants to the Princess. They had brought out a very large wooden box made of the darkest wood but was carved with such great detail illustrating great battles that were fought like a tapestry mural. Zelda reached down and lifted the lid of the box to reveal the treasures inside. Link's eyes went wide with what he saw in there. He reached down and pulled them out one by one. The first item he brought out was a sword belt, scabbard, and sword itself. He unsheathed it to see the bluish metallic glow to it.
"Link, Warrior of the Elves. I give you the weapons that belonged to the greatest warriors that have come before you. First, the Sword of Michael, with it you may cut through the strongest steel and iron."
Link had then put the belt around his waist in favor of his new weapon. His hands then reached down into the box for the next item and he brought out a shield a great shield with red griffins on a blue background holding a great triangle in the center.
"The Shield of Ariel." Zelda had introduced, "The shield is light as a feather and harder than any stone on Earth."
Link had found the leather strap within the shield and had thrown it over his back as he went for the very last item in the box. From the great wooden box that the Elven servants had brought, Link had taken out a smaller wooden box. He opened it to find a great jeweled orb.
"This I give you our greatest weapon." Zelda had announced, "The Holy Hand Grenade of Antiok. Use this weapon wisely, Link."
"Thank you my Princess." Link said as he knelt before his love and princess.
With a few last gifts to give to the whole of the Fellowship was their greatest loaf of bread. One slice of it and the eater will never be hungry again for a week. Then she gave cloaks to all the members of the Fellowship, made of a material that can be cool on the hottest of days and warm on the hottest of nights. With all the gifts that were given to the Fellowship it seemed as if they were like soldiers being drafted to fight a great enemy overseas. Some members who knew enough of Earth's history had read about this sort of thing how young men had to leave their homes behind to fight for a greater good. Even with the gifts given, the Princess wanted to do one last thing for the Fellowship.
She requested that Johan would come to her chambers. At first Johan was rather leery, she may be an elf but she was still a woman. For Johan being a married man with two children and having a woman requesting him to come to her chambers, it does perk up some suspicions about what may occur. Yet, when he came to Zelda's chambers, he found out that there really was nothing malicious or self-intent about what she was doing.
Zelda's chamber was much like Hyrule's study. It was a great room that was filled with all kinds of books, chairs and tables. She sat at one of the tables with a deck of cards in her hand that she was shuffling like a Vegas card dealer. Johan came over and sat down in the chair across from her and she began to deal the cards face down in a V-formation like planes flying over an air-show. As soon as she was done she looked at Johan who seemed to already know what it was about.
"You're going to tell me the future?" He asked
"No." Zelda had told him, "I'm simply giving you a map. What choices you will make upon the path will be up to you, Johan Rodriguez of Preventer."
"Then let's see what the path holds for me."
There were seven cards in that V-formation. Zelda went to the first card on her left of the formation and turned it over. Zelda looked at the picture seeing a man standing upon a path with three swords carefully placed on either side of the path totaling six. The man was looking down the path which stretched onward towards the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise.
"The Six of Swords." Zelda had read the Elvish text at the bottom of the card, "From this card I see this as a spiritual journey. A long hard road ahead, but it is filled with hope."
She went to the next card on her left and turned it over and in the picture on that card she saw a wizard sitting at a table with a scattering of evenly placed wands in front of him.
"The Ten of Wands" Zelda introduced, "I see tribulation and oppression ahead, many are and will suffer."
She went to the next card, she turned it over and gazed at the picture. Seeing a great horned and winged red beast sitting upon a throne covered in blood upon a hill of skulls. She looked at the card with great fear about it.
"The Devil." She said with agitation, "There is a great evil in the path ahead of you and you must face it."
She turned over the next card in the V-formation, "Eight of Swords. Challenge, you will challenge this great evil that lies in the path and who is also causing the great suffering."
She reached for the next card, and as she turned it over Johan started to take in the information that the Elven Princess was telling him. All of it sounding so ominous and for a moment Johan was going to take it seriously. He did see everything of the land of Mydar in that pink pall called the Wizards Glass, whose to say that these things couldn't come true?
Zelda turned the next card over, "Death."
Johan felt himself gasp when he looked at that card. A skeleton dressed in a long black robe, wielding a scythe, and holing an hour glass in his boney hand. As he gasped at this he felt a warm and gentle hand reach over to stroke his cheek.
"Be not afraid, Gundam Pilot." Zelda's voice soothed, "For this shall not be the death of you or anyone close to you. This will be a transformation and a rebirth. You shall be changed forever."
Zelda's hand went back to the cards upon the table. Of the seven cards, only five were tuned over, and two were left, like treasure chests waiting to be opened.
She turned over the second to last card.
"The Tower," she said, "as I said you will challenge the great evil and it will bring about change in you and this card means that there will be release from the evil and oppression."
It seemed rather hopeful to Johan that it wouldn't be all doom and gloom for him. He then waited as Zelda turned over the very last card.
"The World." She said with great relief, "Your journey will come to an end and you shall find peace."
It was for that length of time that Johan believed everything that she was saying. That somehow all of it would come true. Then the rational logical part of his mind kicked in and he thought to himself that he didn't believe in the idea that his life could be controlled. He was in charge of his own destiny.
- - -
The Fellowship was well upon its way to the northwest towards what the map referred to as The Misty Mountains. From what Johan saw, it was clear why they were called that. The Misty Mountains stretched from North to South with such majesty. The very peaks of those mountains were capped with the whitest snow, like an ice cream sundae that had syrup poured upon it. Hovering over the mountains was a blanket of clouds that were so thin that it did seem like mist. It seemed so beautiful that it was hard to believe that there was such a terrible blight upon the land of Mydar.
From what in dashboard computer was telling, the core lander train wasn't too far from the Gates of Midas. Looking at how far they are, some members of the Fellowship couldn't help but look up at the sky to see where the sun was at. It was coming down very slowly to the peaks of the Misty Mountains. They knew from spending their time out in the wilderness of their own worlds that it was coming close to nightfall.
Coming closer to the Gates of Midas, all of them remembered the very ominous warning that was given to them by the warrior Link. During the planning back in Riverden, Link seemed to cringe with fear at the name of Midas. It was then that the most fearless (or cocky depending on how one would want to look at them), Chibodee Crocket and Duo Maxwell had asked Link about this and the Elvish Warrior took on a very ominous tone.
"It is because of this." He said to the Fellowship, "For the entrance to the Gates of Midas is a cave. And the cave itself is guarded by a creature, so foul and so cruel that no man, woman, or elf has fought with it and lived! There are bones of 100 men, women and elves strewn about its layer! So, brave members to the Fellowship of the Gundam, if any of you doubt your courage, all your strength will go no further for death awaits us all with….nasty….big pointy teeth."
Hearing the very over the top warning, Johan had whispered to his wife and children who were listening, "That was a little over the top, wouldn't you say."
Haruka, Julia, and Leto all nodded in silent agreement.
The sun was slowly turning to dusk bringing about its glorious colors against the sky. It's fading golden glory mixing with the dark ominous night that was following it like a hunter chasing its prey. Yet, there was still enough light as the Fellowship had gathered around the place that the map had indicated. The place that the Fellowship had set their core landers looked like a very large version of a volcano that a kid would make for a science fair project. Its steep grassy and rocky slopes going uphill to a singular flat point that seemed to be nearly eroded to show its cracks down downhill. It was there that the Fellowship had gotten out of their core landers.
"The entrance to Midas is too narrow to take the core landers." Gandalf said
Accompanying the Fellowship was a small squad of Elves that Lord Hyrule had ordered to go with them in order to take the core landers back to their ship by the Great Tree in Martyr's Plain. The Fellowship had shook hands with the Elvish Drivers and thanked them for this favor.
"For the Freedom of Mydar." One of the Elves had said as they all boarded the core landers and headed south leaving the Fellowship to enter the Gates of Midas.
They climbed up the steep volcano-like slopes to the top. There they saw that the steep slopes were only half of it. At the top of the volcano-like slopes, it could be seen that it was an Earth made wall that blocked view of the cave entrance which was set down the rough and rocky slopes and a good set of yards to the caves entrance. The whole area with the slopes and the cave entrance was much like a Greek Amptheater with the slopes as the seats and stairs, with the caves entrance and flat area in front of it like the stage. It was there in that stage like area that the Fellowship had seen what Link was talking about.
Down upon the stage there was dark moss that was covering bones, clear and clean cut bones. All of them scattered across the stage, piling upon one another like bone wastes from a slaughterhouse after all the precious meat had been stripped away from them. All of them human or human-like. It was hard to tell with all the scattering of different bones, rib cages here, skulls there, and some other countless bones that had odd sounding names.
"Dear God." Domon said as he looked down into the graveyard stage, "What kind of creature could do this?"
"Who knows?" William Maxwell asked, "Let's get going before it comes"
"Too late!" Link said, "Everyone get down!"
The Fellowship went down upon the dirty ground of the steep slopes behind the steps and stage of the creatures Amputheater. They brought their heads over the edge of the slope they looked for whatever it was that Link was talking about.
"Where is it?" Sai-Saici asked
"There!" Link pointed down the caves entrance as they Fellowship saw something small, white, furry hop its way out of the dark caves entrance. Squinting, they looked down and saw what it was. It was a small white rabbit. Yes, it was a white rabbit that was hopping around down there upon the graveyard stage amongst all the bones that this creature that Link was talking about had eaten.
"Where?" Trowa asked, "Behind the rabbit?"
"It is the rabbit." Link answered
Already the silliness of the situation had descended upon the Fellowship. The rational parts of their minds had already kicked in and they decided to put all fears aside that the Elf had told them.
"You stupid son of a bitch!" Chibodee insulted
"What?" Link asked very shocked at what Chibodee had said to the greatest Elvish Warrior of Mydar.
"You got us all pumped up and ready for action and we get this?"
"That's no ordinary rabbit!" Link contended, "That's the foulest, cruel, and bad tempered creature you ever set eyes on."
"You bastard!" Sai-Saici backed up the insult, "You scared me nearly half to death with what you were talking about!"
"Look that things a killer!" Link still contended to his story
"What's the worst it can do?" Hikaru Yuy asked, "Nibble our asses off?"
"I'd listen to Link if I were you." Gandalf advised
"Ok, that's it. I'm going in!" Hikaru said as she brought out her beam saber, "One rabbit stew coming right up for all of us tonight!"
She activated her beam saber as she made her way down the dusty and rocky slope to meet with the creature that seemed so harmless to the eyes of the Fellowship. At least to those who were Gundam pilots, but Gandalf and Link knew better about this.
As Hikaru Peacecraft Yuy took her steps towards the rabbit back at the top of the hills, Link pointed down into the Graveyard Stage, "Look!" He quietly shouted
Down on the Graveyard Stage, Hikaru looked down at the rabbit, still thinking to herself why there was so much concern about such a small creature. How could such a small thing do so much damage, if in fact it was this creature that was causing all this trouble? Then it was answered when the rabbit took its position and leaped straight at Hikaru as if it were launched by a catapult. Luckily Hikaru's reflexes had acted just in time when she saw the rabbit coming right for her. A little genetic trait she inherited from her father and trained through her years, she ducked out of the way of the rabbit, and just as that happened she dashed out of the Graveyard Stage back up to where the Fellowship sat.
"Oh my god" Hikaru gasped, "That's no rabbit!"
"I warned you!" Link said with a thick hint of sarcasm, "I warned you, but did you listen to me oh no, you didn't. It's just a harmless little bunny, you said. I always try to warn people but no one listens to me."
"Alright!" Johan groaned, "We were wrong and you were right, but how do we deal with this?"
"We can't risk another frontal assault." Heero assessed
"That would increase our losses and we cannot afford that." Trowa analyzed
"Why don't we try shooting at it?" Hikaru suggested
Link shook his head, "With the way that rabbit jumps we'd simply miss."
"What do we do then?" Chibodee asked in his own frustration
Link thought back and for some reason his thoughts went back to his love; Princess Zelda. When he thought about her, something came up in his mind like a whale breaching to the surface.
"The Holy Hand Grenade!" Link suggested proudly with his light bulb idea
"What?" Duo asked
"The Holy Hand Grenade of Antiok" Link repeated as he reached into his leather knapsack and pulled out the wooden box. He opened it revealing the jeweled orb that had the diamond cross set on top of it like a crown. He took it out and held it in his hand.
"How does that thing work?" Wufei asked with his own sarcasm believing that such a weapon would never work.
Link reached back into his knapsack and pulled out a small book, "The Book of Armaments, chapter two, verses nine to twenty-one." Link remembered as he looked through the Book of Armaments that was written by the elves about all kinds of weapons that they had made that were used in times of war. He looked through it and came upon the passage that he was looking at.
"Saint Legolas raised the Hand Grenade upon high saying, 'Oh Lord, Bless this hand grenade but with it thou may blow thy enemies to tiny bits….in thy mercy'. And the lord did grin and the people did feat upon the lambs, sloths, carp, anchovies, breakfast cereals, fruit bats, and…"
"Skip that please, Link." Gandalf had asked the Elf
"Right." Link said as he skipped through the passage coming to the most needed part, "And the lord spoke saying, 'first, thou shalt take out the Holy Pin and thou shall count to three. No more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count and the number of the counting shall be three. Four thou shalt not count, neither count two, excepting thou then proceed to three….five is right out! Once the number three being the third number be reached then lobbeth thy Hand Grenade of Antiok towards thy foe, but with it not in my sight shall snuff it."
"Seems pretty straight forward" Domon observed.
Link had placed the Book of Armaments back in his knapsack and took the Holy Hand Grenade firmly in his hand. He reached for the Holy Pin, the diamond encrusted cross on top of the jeweled orb. He pulled it from the orb which then began to smoke and spark like sparklers on the Forth of July.
"One….two….three!" Link counted and threw the Holy Hand Grenade at the rabbit and it exploded with such a great bang sending out fleshy bits of fur and blood in every direction of the Graveyard Stage. They saw that the path was clear and so the Fellowship went down the rocky slopes down to the bony covered ground where the weight of their bodies crushing the bones under their boots. Saying a small apology to the long since departed, the Fellowship moved on into the Darkness of the cave. They all went down into the cave, but they felt as though the Darkness was a creature swallowing them whole to be digested for a thousand years.
As the light became a simple dot behind them, one member of the Fellowship noticed something. It was Julia Peacecraft Rodriguez who noticed something was glowing right next to her, it was faint like a thin cloth covering a lamp shade. She looked to where it was and found it was coming from her father, Johan.
"Dad." She called, "What's that in your pocket?"
Johan looked and he found a light coming from within one of the pockets in his jacket. He reached in, his fingers casting shadows across the light that was coming from within his pocket. He pulled it out and found that it was the gift that the Princess Zelda had given him, the Light of Arawen.
"It may be used in dark places when all other lights go out." Johan repeated as the glass thing in his hand gave off light brighter than anything he had ever seen. Though the other members of the Fellowship had gotten a similar idea and brought out their beam sabers which sent out a multi-colored glow throughout the cave. Even Gandalf took out a small crystal from his robe and placed into his wooden staff which glowed in the same way as the other lights in the cave.
The Fellowship felt like rescue workers going down to save someone who had fallen into pit. Yet, with all the lights that were glowing within the cave, they all had noticed something. The floors, they were even and flat like a road. Unlike the outside that was rough and rocky the floors inside the cave were smooth as if whoever built that place wanted cars to go through it. It was an oddity in such a place, but they kept moving forward.
After traveling down into the darkness for what felt like fifteen minutes, the Fellowship had reached the Gates of Midas. With the multi-colored glow of the beam sabers as well as the white lights from Johan's Elvish gift and Gandalf's crystal, they saw the doors to be enormous and golden. In approaching the gate it was seen how the ceiling was sloping upward to the golden doors. They saw several symbols going vertically down the doors where there was a seam in the middle of them denoting that the doors opened from the middle. They saw above the symbols were strange letters arching over them like a rainbow over a landscape.
"What are these strange letters?" George DeSand asked
"It's the language of the miners." Gandalf explained, "It reads, Here is the doorway to the kingdom of King Midas. Bring gold to enter."
"What does that last part mean, is the question." Kaworu pointed out
"Simple." Link smiled, "Just speak the password." He came to the golden gates and placed his hand upon the golden doors that shimmered in the lights like nothing that the Fellowship had ever seen before. "The password is the Elvish word for gold."
"Which is what?" Argo asked
"Kulu." Link spoke and immediately the great golden doors had opened to a greater darkness within.
"We now face the long dark of Midas." Gandalf said with an ominous tone, "Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things in the bowels of the world. It's a two day journey. Let's hope our presence goes unnoticed."
With what they had faced at the cave with the killer rabbit, the Fellowship did feel a little on edge. The world that they had come to was very strange through and through. First meeting each other, but of course that was quite the joyous event since the Preventers and the Shuffle Alliance were very happy to see each other once again. Then came the wizard who led them to meet the elves and along the way they had run into a group called The Techno-Wraiths. Of course, the elves were very hospitable to them, which was always a plus in coming to a new and unknown place. Yet, there were still questions among them about what lied ahead, what was the Dark Tower that they spoke of? It seemed that only three members of the Fellowship knew about this, Gandalf the Gray, Link, and Johan only knew the more explicit details.
- - -
The first day through the Mines of Midas was thankfully uneventful. Since there was still very little light coming through Gandalf kept his crystal atop of his staff while Johan kept out his Elvish gift to let the Fellowship know where to step and where not to. That was especially true when they had passed one bridge that spanned over a great canyon that led down and down into the deep darkness of the mines where God only knows what was down there.
Looking down into the darkness, the canyon was so deep that even the slightly childish Sai-Saici tried to toss a rock down into it. He felt that it was some kind of trick to make them scared, but as he tried to listen for the rock to hit something, he heard nothing. Seconds passed and still nothing and that was when Sai-Saici knew that nothing was setup in that place.
With the lights that the Fellowship had, they saw how empty the mines were. There was hardly a soul around; unlike Riverden there was no one to greet them at the gates. It just felt like some kind of abandoned ghost town. That question was addressed around the first campfire the Fellowship had in the mines.
"Many ages ago" Gandalf had started the campfire story to answer the Fellowships question about the mines, "there was a king named Midas who came to the one true king of Mydar and asked him for one request. To have the ability to turn anything into gold with a single touch, but the king of Mydar refused his request telling him that such a wish would have dire consequences. Yet, King Midas was persistent in his request. So appealing to his good nature, the King of Mydar granted Midas' wish. He had received the Golden Touch and with this gift he came down here into these mines where the gift and the curse had consumed him. With every wall he touched in these mines they turned to gold and he worked the miners to death in these empty halls. The labor of the miners had brought forth riches of such majesty that they only equal the riches in the King of Mydar's vault.
"With all the riches that his gift could give him, the gift had brought about a terrible consequence. Because the king could not touch anything without turning it to gold, he starved to death."
"What about the miners?" Quatre had asked the wizard
"I believe that's a story for another time." Gandalf said with a grandfathers concern.
That night in the Mines of Midas, while beyond the rocky walls there were others who were working towards the walls, the light of the fire burned brightly so much that the Fellowship no longer needed to use their light sources as the beam sabers or the magic items of Gandalf and Johan. Some members of the fellowship had a slice of the Elvish bread that they were given and shared stories in a manner of catching up. At least some of them did. Johan (the Sword Bearer of the Fellowship) sat on the outskirts with his back towards the fire and looking at the sword he was supposed to carry to the Dark Tower. As he gazed at the sword in its sheath, from behind him his dear and loving wife Haruka came over and sat by him.
"What's on your mind, Johan?" She asked
"This sword." Johan answered without even looking at his wife; with her at his side he unsheathed it revealing its gleaming blade with the light from the fire behind him. It seemed like the sword itself was a jewel harvested from the bowels of the earth like the gold and jewels that men have gone crazy trying to bring to the surface.
"It's beautiful." Haruka observed with it, "But why did it choose you?"
"That's what's been bothering me for most of the day." Johan answered, "I really don't know. Maybe it was because of my contact with the Wizards Glass that gave me a view of this place, or perhaps this whole time in the office of Preventer and encountering these people from alternate worlds it was preparing me for this. But why me, that is still the big question on my mind."
Johan's mind was like a torrent ever since he left Riverden with the sword in his hand. For some reason the sword felt unusual and comforting at the same time. Unusual that such an inanimate object would choose him as its bearer but comforting while he carried it as if it was an old friend that he had lost and then found again.
"Mom. Dad." A young voice called out to Johan and Haruka. The two of them turned around and they saw their daughter, Julia Peacecraft Rodriguez. She stood there with a look on her face as if something very deeply painful was troubling her and she was desperately seeking someone to help comfort her.
"Yes, Julia?" Haruka asked her daughter
"Mom, can I speak with dad alone for a moment?"
Haruka felt rather awkward by her daughters request, she felt that since Johan and she were a couple that they could handle their children's problems together. Yet, there was something in that look that Julia had of her face, Haruka seemed to know as well as understand it. She knew that when she told her parents that she wanted to go into the Oz military to be a mobile suit pilot, back in the days before the Gundams came to Earth. She looked back at Johan and got up and left them to go back to the fire's side with the rest of the Fellowship.
Johan patted the rock, "Sit down, Meha." He said gentle in that fatherly tone that he developed over the years since she and her brother were born.
Julia sat down next to her father.
"What's bothering you?" Johan asked his daughter
"I have a confession to make." Julia said as she looked at her hands in her lap almost as if she were hanging her head in shame.
Johan placed his arm around his daughter, "Meha, whatever you have to say you can tell me."
Julia swallowed hard trying to figure out a way to tell this confession of hers to the one of the most important people in her life. At last she cleared her throat and said those words to her father;
"I'm…" she struggled, "I'm…I'm a…I'm a lesbian." She looked back down at her hands her chin touching her chest, she felt ready to cry, ready to hear the rejection of her father. "I didn't want to tell you because I was too ashamed of this."
She was ready to hear all the reasons why her lifestyle was wicked and to be kicked out, to be cut off from her family. It didn't seem to matter anyway, because the darkness of the Mines of Midas almost made it seem like they weren't going to make it out alive. She knew that it would be better to die then have her family; the ones who loved her all her life, to simply throw her out like garbage.
She then felt something, she felt the other arm of her father wrap around her, bringing her close to his chest where she could feel and hear his heart beating. It was surprising, not like what her friends at school experienced. She did have friends back at the Saint Gabriella Institute that were lesbian, and one of them confessed it to her parents and she was stripped of all privileges and sent to live as a street urchin. What she was experiencing was nothing like that, her father was hugging her. She then heard her father whisper to her:
"Meha," he said, "Whatever you are…you're still my daughter. As long as you find happiness, that's all I can ask of you."
Julia felt the stinging sensation around her eyes and the waters starting to break though. She grabbed her father and hugged him as she wept into his shirt. It was such a happy day, that she finally let out this dark and so-called dirty secret of hers and yet Julia Peacecraft Rodriguez was still Johan's little girl. As she wept into Johan's chest she felt his hand stroking the back of her shortly cut black hair like he did for her in those days when she was young. How Julia would come running home at the age of ten crying how the other children were making fun of her because she was a tomboy. Johan did that very same thing, stroking the back of her head as she was cradled in his arms. She felt such comfort there.
She pulled away from her father drying away her tears while Johan placed his hand atop of Julia's head brushing his fingers through her hair. He smiled as he said, "You know something, Meha?" He asked
"What dad?" Julia asked back
"This brings you closer to your brother." Johan smiled
"Why's that?"
"Because you two will be chasing the same thing and now I know what to get you two for Christmas. A good supply of skin magazines."
"Oh, dad." Julia laughed as she jokingly shoved Johan's shoulder.
Later that night as Julia and Leto were asleep, Haruka had asked Johan what it was that he and Julia spoke about. Johan explained everything about the situation how their daughter Julia was a lesbian. Of course Haruka was very surprised but then Johan told her that no matter what she was, Julia was still their daughter and nothing could take that away from her. Plus Johan brought up the fact that if the two of them ever got married they wouldn't be loosing a son and a daughter, they'd be gaining two daughters.
- - -
It was by the end of the second day through the Mines of Midas that the Fellowship made a discovery that would answer their questions about what happened to that place. After all everything seemed so marvelous despite it being so dark and dank. The halls were constructed in such a way that would equal the wonders of their own worlds, like the Pyramids of Giza. Yet, the people were all gone.
The Fellowship had come to a great hall where the great stone constructed pillars reached heights like those of sky scrapers. It reminded a few of the more cultured members of the Fellowship of an old classical piece called, "In the Hall of the Mountain King". On a certain level they were still expecting to be greeted by creatures much like the Elves of Riverden, but still there was nothing. Just dark emptiness. At least until Hikaru Peacecraft Yuy noticed something on the far left of the great stone hall. There seemed to be a white light coming from there. She went over to it with curiosity in mind but with little fear in her heart. From where the light came she saw a small room that had wooden doors that were partially open. She pushed the doors open that let out a loud creak that echoed through the stone hall. Inside the room that had the white light she made a discovery that made her gasp.
"What is it, Hikaru?" Heero asked his daughter, then he too saw what she had found.
She had found a small room that was strewn with skeletons all over the floor. While the white light was just something that was pouring into the room like water pouring from a spout into a pool. The light came down upon a rectangular stone monument, which was then found out to be a coffin. Upon it were those same strange letters that were written upon the Gate of Midas.
Gandalf looked at it and translated, "Here lies King Midas, ruler of all the Golden Mines."
"And who are all these people?" Domon asked looking at all the skeletons.
Gandalf looked down at one of the skeletons who held a very thick book in his boney arms. He reached down and picked it up and read aloud:
"The creature has eaten most of our men, women, and children. Yet, its hunger is still not satisfied. We've boarded up the gates of this room where our mad king is entombed, but it'll only be a matter of time before it breaks through. It continues to roar its terrible roars in the deep of these mines. Some of us have already cursed our departed king in his grave for releasing this creature upon us because of his lust for the gold."
As Gandalf read the ancient book, the Fellowship looked around the room but dared to not touch anything. At least most of them except for the Gundam Fighter Chibodee Crocket, who saw something in the far corner of the room, he saw a skeleton sitting upon the lip of an old well that had a sword in its hand. The sword itself looked very precious indeed since its hilt had several jewels in it even though the blade was rusted all to hell. Chibodee thought to himself that if he took back some of those gems for his girls that were his team they'd make quite a present for them. He tried to pull the sword away from the old boney hands with the spider webs still sticking to them, but the fragile skeleton didn't want to let go as if its immortal spirit still wanted it. Chibodee tried again as the wizard Gandalf continued to read from the book.
"We can't get out of here." He read aloud, "Our food stuffs have been reduced down to flour, vinegar, and lard. We've all reached an agreement; we must resort to the most unholy of acts in order to survive. We've drawn lots and the one who has drawn the shortest will have to agree to what will happen to him. May God have mercy on our souls for what we are about to do…"
"Rest in peace…you poor devils." William Maxwell whispered his prayer to the departed.
Chibodee Crocket had accomplished his goal. He had pulled away the jeweled sword away from the skeleton that sat upon the lip of the well. As he did it had leaned back and fallen into the deep darkness of the well sending out echoes of it hitting the walls and whatever else was down there. It seemed only several seconds later with the Fellowship staring at him as if asking, what did you do? that the noise had ended. Gandalf looked at the Neo-American fighter and slammed the book shut.
"Fool of a Gundam Fighter." The wizard scolded, "Next time you volunteer for a quest make sure not to get in the way so much."
"Hey, I-"
From the depths of the mines the Fellowship had heard a great roar. It echoed through everywhere, every chamber and every hall. It seemed almost like a shriek and a roar at the same time, so piercing and terrifying that every member felt the gooseflesh crawl over every inch of their skin.
"What in God's name was that?" Johan had asked with the fear in his heart
"That is the very answer to your question of what happened to the Miners of Midas." Gandalf answered grimly while holding onto his staff, "The Dreaded Black Beast of Ahhh. An ancient demon with a ravenous hunger…it is a foe beyond all our powers."
"What do we do then?" Quatre asked his voice fluttering
"Run." Gandalf uttered, "Run!"
The Fellowship followed his suggestion to the fullest and ran in the direction that he lead with Link at his side. Gandalf's crystal blazed in the darkness as they all dashed away to the exit that was very near. Soon they would leave the darkness of the mines and rejoin the sun once again. Yet, that roar was still fresh in their minds like tracks left by a heard of buffalo across the wet plains. The very memory of that…unholy of sounds frightened them so much that it motivated them to run even faster to catch up with Gandalf. They soon came to a stony bridge with no guard rails on either side that led straight down into darkness like the one at the beginning entrance of Midas.
"Fly you fools!" Gandalf ordered to the Fellowship as they all crossed the bridge to the other side of the chasm, "Fly!"
Just then they heard that roar and shriek again and in the light of Gandalf's crystal they saw the horror of the Black Beast. They saw a great head with jaws that would rival the ancient sharks of the deep. A mouth that was wide and filled with teeth as it reached the back of its throat. Atop of its mouth were eyes upon eyes, like grapes in a bowl of fruit, each grape was an eye that looked down upon its next meal. Crowning the mouth and the eyes upon eyes were two horns that curved upward like any demon. The head of the black beast was set upon a tiny neck and body that was supported by two stubby legs that equaled its stubby tail. It opened its mouth again to reveal its mouth filled with rows of teeth as it once again let out another terrifying roar and shriek.
As the last member of the Fellowship had passed over the bridge, Gandalf had stayed behind at the mouth of the bridge to face the black beast. He raised his staff that had shown more and more of the Beasts hideous features. He reached his staff up above his head like Moses when he raised the tablets above his head read to break them.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf had declared as he brought down the staff to the stony floor of the bridge which sent out a flare of white light like a firework that dissipated into the darkness.
The Black Beast had lunged forward with its mouth open ready to devour Gandalf the Gray as its next meal, but as its teeth came down upon the wizard it stopped as if it was blocked by a shield. That wasn't all, the lunge that the Black Beast had made weakened the stony structure underneath its stubby feet and the mouth of the bridge began to give way. As it did the Black Beast tumbled down and down into the darkness while Gandalf stood upon the firm part of the bridge seeing that he won. He turned to face the Fellowship in his victory but not seeing that the Black Beast had opened its mouth and let loose its long frog-like tongue which had stuck itself to the wizard's leg. Gandalf had looked down but his reactions were too slow as he tumbled backward into the darkness, but his old fingers grasped the edge of the steady half of the broken bridge, his old blue eyes looking at the Fellowship.
"GANDALF!" Johan shouted out as he tried to go help Gandalf, but his wife and children stopped him from making a foolish mistake.
Johan had come to know Gandalf the Gray in those two days that they had spent in the Mines of Midas. The Gundam pilot had told Gandalf how much he wished that all this wasn't happening to him, but he also knew that it had to be done. We sometimes must do what's required of us, Gandalf had told Johan that first day they came into the Mines. It was as if Gandalf had become Johan's second father, or at least everyone's favorite uncle that makes the house a great place to be when he visited. Even in that time of doubt, Gandalf had told Johan; when your heart feels down, think of pleasant things. So, Johan tried to think of the various wonderful things in his life, his wife, his children, even certain foods, sushi, and rolls in sweet butter. It reminded Johan of those pieces of fatherly advice that his dad gave him before the beginning of Operation Meteor and that felt comforting for the time that he, Gandalf, and the rest of the Fellowship were in those mines.
Gandalf hung for dear life to say one last thing to the Fellowship, "Fly you fools!" He whispered loudly to them before he let go and fell down into the darkness of the chasm with the Black Beast of Ahhh.
"NO!" Johan screamed as he tried to break free of his families grip, but they pulled him back as they made their way to the exit gate. When they got there, the gates were huge and golden like the entrance. As they stood there Link had used the same word that opened the Entrance gate and the exit opened to the glorious sunshine beyond. Even with such a great blessing as the sun the Fellowship soon felt lost and alone without Gandalf the Gray, their friend and wizard.
With heavy hearts, the Fellowship continued on to a town at the foot of the Misty Mountains with the Elvish Warrior Link as their guide. The success of their quest seemed to stand on the edge of failure, but all of them knew that they had to go on or else Gandalf's death would have been for nothing.
To be continued…