Lore & Legends

By Moonraker One

A/N: Wow, anyone still reading after all this time away from working on this story? If you are, please review!

CHAPTER FOUR - Death of a Warrior Mage

The grand front entrance to the Palace of the Heaven Crystal slowly edged open upon the physical request of Butz. The instant the door opened, the interior of the palace looked nothing like the exterior; rather, it had the appearance of the inside of a cave-like tunnel. The walls were perfectly squared off, like a palace, but it didn't look glittery enough to be the palace of the heaven crystal. Guys, Butz telepathically told the other members of his team, We have to look out for Muzef and his crew.

"Oh, but we're already here!"

A door-like wall slid out of a solid section of palace wall, separating Koga from the rest of his allies. Butz desperately pounded on the wall, but it refused to budge. Footsteps and laughter led him, unwillingly and grudgingly, away from Koga and towards something he'd hoped he hadn't: he'd led them straight into a trap. "Just face facts," Muzef said, drawing his enemies into a wide open area of the interior palace. "You predicted my actions, and fell for them anyway. I win."

"That's what you think, Muzef!" Butz cried, rallying his friends into a battle he didn't have full confidence in. Cara drew back her Bow of Artemis, and fired off a rather powerful shot in Uodi's direction, just in time to prevent a rather forceful strike from Muzef from hitting Butz as he moved towards the left, past the dark leader as he dashed off into the dimly-lit hallways of the Palace. Muzef caught onto the hero's plan before the hero himself knew it completely, and turned to his main subordinate, Gliv.

"Gliv! Go find the Staff!" he commanded forcefully. "NOW!" Even though his choice of order seemed rather obvious, he now had to depend on his only remaining evil team member, Uodi. Nwaa, segmented from the team by the wall that blocked Koga from rejoining the team of which he was the strongest magic user. "It's just you and me, Uodi," he said to his servant, not taking his eyes off the three remaining heroes of Earth. "Make sure your arrows hit dead-on!"

Lenna drew her spear back, and with as much force as possible, hurled it in Muzef's direction. The dark leader reacted very quickly, not wasting a moment to freeze it in midair with his magic and send it back towards its source. Lenna caught it on the return, just barely avoiding getting impaled, and scanned the two evils for their weaknesses. Meanwhile, Muzef took opportunity to grasp Cara in a field of negative energy, and slam her against four walls in rapid succession. He then ducked beneath a katana swipe from Faris and slammed his elbow into her gut, bashing her against a far wall. Just as Faris attempted to pick herself up, an arrow from Uodi implanted itself into her arm. She pulled it out and doused it with a water spell, but the flame just wouldn't extinguish, and it began to sting.

"What is this?!" she shouted.

"Bow of Dark Fire," he said with a vicious grin. Instantly, Faris knew what it was, and the implications of it having struck her. "The arrows from this bow have a fire spell on them that prevents the fire from going out until the being is dead." Faris didn't like the way the flame was beginning to seriously hurt. She pulled out a few of her healing items and used them to increase her life points, but knew that it was inevitable that the fire would consume her entirely. Uodi took aim and fired off an arrow at Cara, just missing her by a hair's breadth.

Butz dashed down the hallways, the sound of Gliv's slightly heavy footsteps echoing a few yards behind him. He ran, not taking time to catch his breath until he came to a two-way fork in the path. He saw one way, and then the other, with no visible difference between the two. He had to instantly decide, and he decided upon the left path. He ran, not hearing that his follower took the opposing path. Butz just hoped he'd chosen correctly. The hallways began to change, the walls taking on a more rock-like appearance. After a short way's run, even the perfectly flat walls changed into a complete cave-like appearance. The light faded quickly thereafter, and the only light he could see was up in the distance, a quiver of light against the all-consuming darkness around it, trembling at the light's edge as though the light were poisonous to the dark.

Gliv had been around for centuries, and never had seen anything like this before. Although his hallway had to be exactly the same as his enemy's, he saw a lot of things different. He began to see crystal fragments littering the floor; useless fragments. He knew this because only three fragments of the heaven crystal had any purpose. Different than the elemental crystals, the heaven crystal is useful only near the tip of it. He also saw creatures sitting on the floor in strike mode—creatures that did not attack him. They did not strike because he was currently in the Saviour job class. Such a job class cannot be mastered by mortals, for it would require an eternity's worth of experience. Finally, after running for at least five minutes, he slowed to a walk as he entered a grand room, one like the crystal chambers in the other palaces. The center platform, which had a short staircase leading up to it, had a stand for a crystal like the other palaces did, but there was no crystal. All he noticed was, in the very back, a glass case with a staff in it protected by a magical field. A grand smile painted itself on his face—his task was done.

As Butz approached the source of the light, he felt shadows nearing him in the darkness. Probably because of the mere reason that he was one of the four warriors of light, they stayed their distance from him. He reached into a small jeweled box, and lifted from it a single shard of crystal. The crystal shard seemed cracked and useless—until Butz had an idea. Wait a minute, he thought. He reached into his pack and pulled from it a single red crystal shard; the one given to him by Lornac to shatter illusions. Replacing the cracked shard into its jewel case, he lifted the red shard high above his head.

"CRYSTAL POWER! ILLUSIONARY SHATTERING!" he shouted. The moment the crystal blinked a vibrant red and then disappeared, all of the darkness faded like dust into an exhaust vent. The shadows were revealed for who they really were: the protectors of the ultimate crystal shard. One by one, with the darkness gone, they surged towards him. One almost connected with him, but he swung and slashed it in two just in time. Quickly he reached at his side with his other hand and pulled the adamantium knife from his pocket and jabbed it into the heart of the next shadow, and began parrying the shadows with his sword and knife. Finally, he'd slain them all, and put both weapons back into their sheaths.

Very good, a deep voice called. you have passed our test, and are worthy of the final crystal shard, Butz, great warrior of light.

Gliv reached into the jewel box—being of the Saviour class, one special ability was to be unaffected by force fields—and pulled from it the one ultimate weapon, the Staff of Omnipotent Wrath. A golden gem stood at the tip, tightly held by the rest of the staff; it was more glorious than he could have imagined, with a golden shaft studded with small gems of every color. A very large, powerful looking creature stood behind him; ostensibly, it was the guardian of the staff. He merely pointed the staff at it and commanded, "Creature, die!" a wondrously destructive purple beam shot from the staff's tip and all at once reduced the creature to dust. He stared in astonishment at the power of the weapon only he could wield, and all at once dashed off to tell Muzef of the glorious news.

Butz put his hand into the jewel box again, only this time the crystal shard looked gloriously restored. It shimmered in his hand; this had to be the absolute tip of the former heaven crystal. He attempted to summon its power to change his job class into the one stored within the shard, but the shard refused to allow it. You cannot use this job class until you master it, a voice said inside his head. That made no sense to him; how could one master a job class unless they got experience by means of using it in battle? It hit him like a ton of bricks; he quickly sat his pack on the ground and began rifling madly through it.

The gathered heroes of Earth fought against Muzef and Uodi, each one striking blows as necessary to still dodge in time. Miraculously, no one save for Faris had been hit with Uodi's deadly arrows, although the female pirate's wound burned with a brighter fire now, and it really began to hurt. A thin bolt of lightning shot from the hallway behind the warriors and struck Uodi, annihilating him immediately. After his body turned to ash, the fire on Faris's wound went out, leaving her to heal it and continue to press the battle. Muzef was now alone, and he turned to the source of the attack. What he saw caused his jaw to drop.

"NWAA?!" he shrieked. "WHY would you betray me?!" His former servant stood fast. "After all," he continued, "you were one of my most powerful! Do you hear me, man-servant?" To this statement Nwaa sent a bolt of power to the floor just in front of Muzef's feet, and then pointed the stave back at his former master's face.

"You always did force me to act and dress like a man," Nwaa protested, pulling off the baggy robe that covered the battle vest worn underneath. "Well, no more! I am a woman and you cannot take that away from me!" The others, especially Faris who'd gone through a similar experience with gender hiding, seemed amazed that they didn't see her feminine figure before through a thick robe. She was beautiful, with green hair and pale white skin giving her an other-worldly appearance. She prepared to strike a death blow at him, when a figure dashed into the room.

"Lord Muzef! Lord Muzef! I found the sta…" Gliv stopped dead in his tracks and sneered when he saw Nwaa with her Stave of Pure pointed at his lord and master. "Well well, if the bitch hasn't finally gotten some guts about her; I'll be darned."

"Gliv!" Muzef commanded, fearful for his life. "Destroy the woman! Immediately!"

"Okay," Gliv said, pointing the staff at her. At the last minute, though, he changed its trajectory and pointed the staff at Muzef himself.

"What…?!" the dark leader barely had time to utter.

"Die!" Gliv shouted, and the familiar purple death beam shot from the staff and incinerated Muzef in a moment. He stared at the charred remains of his former master. "Hmph," he snorted. "That's for my family, whom you slaughtered. NOW then," he regarded Nwaa and the heroes standing behind her. Lifting the staff above his head, he uttered, "I command the staff to kill all those standing behind Nwaa first, then her."

Butz frantically rifled through his pack until at last, he found his target. Lifting the blue crystal shard high above his head, he smiled. This shard, also a gift from Lornac, allowed any job class immediately to be mastered. Taking the golden crystal shard in his right hand, and the blue shard in his left, he closed his eyes and, taking a deep breath, brought the two together. The two shards combined with a burst of light, at first doing nothing. A second later, though, the shard shot a bolt of electricity straight through every inch of Butz's frame. "AAARRGGGHHHH!" he screeched as he became a living lightning rod for a moment. The force of it actually lifted him above the ground for a minute, and let him go a second later. He stood up, and found out that he could now see everything in his sight with a clarity he'd never before experienced. He could zoom in as though his vision were a camera with impossible zoom capabilities, never once did his vision blur on any distant object. He looked around as he stood confused; what had just happened? He knew that he'd returned to normal—as one did whenever they mastered a job class—but he searched his mind for extra abilities gained since the mastering of the job class contained within the shard, and found only three, as opposed to the five or six he got with the other job classes.

The first one became apparent when he attempted to figure out what was going on with his friends, and a mental picture immediately was painted. A broad grin came as he realized the truth behind the job class; he had mastered, by means of the blue shard, the ultimate job class. He was above Immortal, above Saviour, even.

He was a god.

He quickly snapped out of his amazement and prepared to assist his friends in their predicament.

"I hope you're ready for the void!"Gliv raised his staff high andpointed its tiptowards his opponents. "DIE!"

Out of nowhere, Butz materialized in front of the purple beam of death. The blast struck him full on, with no time for him to dodge. Gliv sneered and Butz's friends shrieked out of terror as the purple light engulfed him. A second later, the beam seemed to dissolve into nothingness and the hero from Earth stood unaffected. Unfazed, Gliv lifted the staff again and pointed it at the hero with a command to kill. Once again, however, the beam did not affect Butz. Earth's hero stepped towards his foe, taking the staff from him with one clean swipe. As the enemy went to announce his surrender, Butz lifted his hand and pointed one finger at the dark warrior.

"Doom," he merely replied, the force of death overtaking Gliv all at once. His body dissolved in the typical purple mist as he instantly was erased from being. Butz looked at the staff in his hand. He smiled and placed it into his pack. Regarding his friends—and the newly befriended warrior female, Nwaa—he smiled and approached them. "Let us all join hands in a circle for a moment," he requested, knowing it was the only way to share the job class with everyone. One by one, every member of the team took hands with him, with the exceptions of Gilgamesh and Nwaa.

Lenna saw the two staying out of it by being in the back. "Gilgamesh? Nwaa? What's wrong?"

Nwaa shook her head. "Forgive me," she explained, "but I am unworthy. I have, for centuries, lived with the knowledge that I allowed Muzef to annihilate my entire home planet's surface, killing all of my people. I put up only a moment's fight, for it was all I was powerful enough to do. You see, 'Nwaa' is not my name, it is the title given to the most powerful warrior mage of my planet. I am Ethiala, Nwaa of the Nekorian people."

Butz would not be deterred. "Take my hand, and you can return home and restore your people from the dead," he offered. She shed a tear as she accepted his wholehearted offer. Never before had she experienced such selflessness. Gilgamesh, however, seemed to be noticeably upset about his situation.

"Gilgamesh?" Faris inquired. "What's up with you right now?"

He scratched his head with one of his left arms. "I was the pride of the mighty Milylian race of many-armed warriors, until I sided with Exdeath. I allowed him to destroy my people by not being powerful enough to stop him! I deserve to die!"

Butz motioned for him to come over. "C'mon, Gilgamesh. You can't blame yourself forever, and besides, Exdeath is dead."

But the warrior shook his head. "No; I couldn't bear to hear their cries again, as they begged me to stand up to Exdeath. No, I have to face them when I die. I don't want to see their faces again in the living world and know that I caused their deaths."

"Gilgamesh…"

"NO."

Butz shrugged. "Okay, then…I'll just allow you to grow old and die. Getting frail and gray…"

Gilgamesh quickly snatched up one of the spare pairs of hands. Butz knew his one weakness: the prospect of dying. Butz concentrated, sharing the crystal's energy equally amongst all present. One by one, their spirits were accepted and the power was given to them each.

The morning saw a calm mist upon the surface of the ocean's water. As the old man turned to his class, the class he'd taught for a while now, he pointed out to them the various aspects of the sea. The children ooed and awed as they watched the sea creatures swimming and playing with each other. He sat down at the shoreline and invited them to sit near the water's edge, where they each watched a unique aspect of the ocean. One of the kids grabbed the teacher's shirt and began to tug to get his attention.

"John? What is it?" the old man asked. He and most of the other kids gasped when they saw a legendary figure walking towards them. Her long, violet hair swayed back and forth in the mist as she calmly strode upon the water's surface, unhindered by the waves. "Oh my…! We're being graced by the presence of Lady Faris!" They bowed their heads.

"No, by all means, continue enjoying the sight of the ocean!" she offered. "After all, I wouldn't have it any other way." It made her happy that such young children were enjoying the sea. Shortly after accepting Butz's offer to become holy, she decided that, with her newfound abilities, she'd become the goddess of the sea. She tended to ship crashes and other disasters at sea, and made sure the ocean was a place for people to be happy and get their shipping chores done safely. It made her happy to watch over the travelers crossing the waters of Earth, and to avert severe tragedies. As important as some of her tasks were, nothing made her more proud than people like these who just sat and watched.

It indeed was a busy morning in the kingdom of Tycoon, where countless citizens went about their business, and personal matters. Lenna had agreed to become queen when her sister Faris refused the honor, and the chancellor simply couldn't believe the economical growth that the kingdom had experienced shortly thereafter. Tycoon's residential area had to expand to meet an influx of tourists. Unbeknownst to him, Lenna made sure that all kingdoms enjoyed the fruits of peace and disasters came rarely and without severe cost of life. She was the goddess of the population, making sure that all people could go about accomplishing their own goals, and that no slavery or mass murder would ever take place. She enjoyed the mere task of talking to people and inviting them to do the same.

"How're you doing, Lady Lenna?" some of the citizens would call to her as she'd walk by.

"I'm fine," she'd offer them in response.

A group of no less than ten people roamed through the large forest north of Karnak. A brown-haired journeyer showed them the various flora and fauna and explained the practical purposes to them. Most of the people on this particular adventure were trainees, people who wanted to know the things you need to know when going on a long journey. Some of them, the ones that knew he was directly responsible for helping in the defeat of Exdeath those years ago, did it to study more complicated aspects of battle under him. In fact, several kingdoms had hired him to train their soldiers in the complex art of swordplay. Right now, he was explaining useful aspects of trees.

"This," Butz explained, lifting a leaf, "is a leaf from the Kuzruu tree. The Fluoo tree's sap is used to make pies and other foods, and its leaves are used to make drinks that make one more awake. Kuzruu trees' sap is used to make sealant and glue, and sometimes, explosives." The group examined the sticky substance running down the side of the tree. Somehow, they couldn't picture the slimy, purple sap exploding, or catching fire, even. "The explosive quality of Kuzruu tree sap requires wet clay, which can be found in abundance in the caves around the edges of this forest. You mix one part wet clay with three parts sap, and let the mixture dry into a hard, pink brick, and you have a hand-made bomb, perfect for opening passages. I suggest using several tied-together blades of grass as a fuse instead of lighting it directly." This brought on a collective round of laughter from everyone. "But, if you don't need a full-on explosion, use two parts clay instead and you'll create a smoke bomb, perfect for clouding up a passageway to escape from enemies."

"Excuse me, Butz?" one person asked. "What if you use four parts sap?"

"You have fireworks," he answered. "It becomes a brick that shoots off into the sky and makes a brilliant flash, alerting anyone within a mile's seeing distance of your presence. Perfect for if you're stranded and there's a search party coming."

"And of the leaves of this tree?" a girl inquired.

"It can be boiled and the resulting liquid can be poured onto any puncture wound, for it has wonderful antibacterial and antiviral qualities," Butz explained, "or, if you're one for rest after a hard day of work, it is far more potent at relaxing a person than tobacco when smoked and has none of the harmful side effects." Again, a bit of laughter came about.

"Wow," a second person stated. "It seems like everything in this forest has a practical use!"

Butz grinned. "You'd be amazed what nature can be used for."

Cara had no particular task she decided to assume, and this was also the case for Gilgamesh and Nwaa. The latter two merely decided to watch over their people after restoring them. They kept in touch and were very good friends with each other, despite the original differences. Indeed, as everyone else had a particular task, they decided to keep at an easy life.

Koga stared into the inky blackness of the portal. Electricity shot off the edges of the black, spherical opening between this dimension of reality and the Cleft of Dimension. He'd known all along what it meant to be in this corner of reality, the Cleft. He knew the horrid monsters that lurked within. However, there was one thing that plagued him more than any thing else. It bothered him ever since Muzef's defeat.

I KNOW it is locked away here, Koga thought. A grin—almost a sneer—formed on his face. It IS here. I am certain of it. I shall do what my previous self could not. Exdeath was a moron; he did not even realize the truth about what it was. That is why I will succeed where he failed miserably. That is why it is I who will become the first to bend its awful power to my will. I will do that because I AM better than he was.

With the same sneer-like grin, he stepped into the black portal, and into the darkest corner of being, the Cleft of Dimension.

I WILL master the power of void, he thought. And I WILL make it obey me.

Fin