Wow, that did go by more quickly. Only thing I have to say about this chapter is a bit of it varies from actual events. Does this affect the story line severely? No. I just thought this would be a bit better than following the game script word for word.
Epy: I thought Sain deserved that kill. Thank you.
John: Sain prefers to use his words to try and enchant women. Only problem is that it doesn't work very often…
Marco: Thanks for your opinion. I am trying to keep down character descriptions to a reasonable length, but they will be detailed enough to describe the characters to people who have never played. Or so I hope. Level descriptions are more necessary, since they are more forgettable for people who have played, and harder to envision for those who haven't. Also, sorry, but Florina and Wil are next chapter. Don't worry too much about that though, I always forget this chapter myself!
Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits
As they followed Sain and Kent into the outskirts of Bulgar, Lyn recalled something. "Please, hold for a moment. If you would not mind, I would like to be allowed to take a short detour."
"To where?" Elena asked.
"There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here," Lyn explained. "The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the onset of a long journey. I wish to do the same."
"Oh! How quaint!" Sain commented.
"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe," Kent said. "It is nice to see that here, at least, the ancient customs are still observed."
"So you are all fine with my request?" Lyn inquired.
"If that is what you wish to do, milady, then I have no problem with it," Kent stated.
"It should not take long at all if it's on our way, right?" Sain pointed out. "So why not?"
"I am interested in this sword too," Elena said. "Let us stop by."
"Thank you," Lyn replied as they headed towards the temple.
…
The mercenary kept his sword pointed at the priest that stood before him. It was not an idle gesture; this mercenary was more than ready to kill the man in front of him.
The mercenary wore a brown sleeveless shirt that exposed part of his chest and his arms. His brown pants matched his shirt, but his short, brown hair was a bit lighter. His eyes, on the other hand, were a much more dark, fierce brown as he glared at the priest in front of him. "Old man! Stay where you are, and remain silent!"
The priest, on the other hand, looked as though he was no threat whatsoever. With a blue-hooded cloak, grey long-sleeved shirt, and matching pants, he was dressed rather simply, yet well enough to fit in with the atmosphere of the temple. His grey hair and large grey mustache, along with his aging face, showed him to normally be a wise, kind old man. Perhaps that was why he was able to stay so calm and defiant in this situation.
"Threaten me as you will, but I will not surrender the Mani Katti! The Mani Katti is a sacred blade, under divine protection. It cannot be removed from its place of rest!" he stated.
The mercenary snorted. "You're a fool, old man. What good is a sword, if you cannot use it?"
"Use it? In combat? That is sacrilege!" the priest protested.
"Sacrilege?" The mercenary laughed at that. "I am Glass! Why worry about sacrilege when the gods fear my name? My swordplay is peerless! And if I want this sword, then this sword I shall have! Get out of my way!"
He sheathed his sword and shoved the priest aside, apparently not worried enough about him to kill him. The priest fell to the floor, but forced himself to rise as Glass stepped up to the altar.
Glass lifted the sword sheath, with the sword still inside it. Even though he could not see the sword, merely holding it in its black sheath and feeling its fine, firm, black handle told him what a blade it was. "This is it! It's more magnificent than I had imagined! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill!" Then he tried to pull it out of its sheath.
However, it did not come out. Glass stared at it, and then tried again. Still the blade did not budge. "What is this? I can't… draw the sword… from its scabbard?"
The priest shook his head. "The spirits of the blade have judged you. You have been found wanting, so they rejected you."
Glass turned to him, shaking in rage. "What? Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your own life, you'll get out of my sight!" Then he lunged at the priest, his own sword drawn again.
The priest realized that there was nothing he could do, and fled through a door in the corner. A click told Glass that the priest had locked himself in.
Glass threw the Mani Katti onto the alter with a curse. "Miserable spirits! I care nothing for you! I'll make you respect me; if I have to, I'll do it by tearing this alter down stone by stone!" He went to the front of the temple, where five brigands stood. "You, go to the side of the temple, and make sure nobody approaches! You come inside with me, and the rest of you are to stand outside. Kill anybody who comes near!"
None of them noticed a woman quietly sneak away.
…
Lyn, Elena, Kent, and Sain could soon see the temple. They were all amazed by how large the stone, grey building was. Even at a distance, they could tell that it was huge.
"It's incredible!" Lyn said, awed.
"And it's close by!" Sain commented. "We should be there soon!"
"Wait…" Kent narrowed his eyes. "I believe somebody is approaching us."
It turned out to be a female villager, clad in a light red dress with a brown cloak over her shoulders. Contrary to her neat, brown hair kept back in a bun, her brown eyes were filled with worry.
She came up to them, and hesitated for a moment before speaking to Lyn. "I beg your pardon, milady. Are you headed east, towards the temple?"
"Yes, we are indeed," Lyn answered.
"Then please, you must hurry and help the priest there," the villager begged. "I saw a band of ruffians head in there not long ago, and they were intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!
"What? They want to steal the Mani Katti?" Lyn exclaimed. "I cannot allow that to happen! Do not worry, we will stop them!"
"Thank you," the villager said with a sigh of relief. "I know you will be able to save him, and the sword."
"Hold on for a moment," Kent said. "We cannot just rush in there. We must prepare ourselves for what we will be facing."
Elena looked over at the villager. "Perhaps I could ask a favor?"
"If I can assist any of you in any manner, tell me how," the woman said.
"If your house is nearby, please let me stay there for a while," Elena requested. "I am a tactician, and I will be able to assist my companions from there. Is that all right with you?"
"Yes, of course. I live in that house, right there," the woman replied, gesturing to one of the houses amongst a group of three.
"I will contact you shortly," Elena assured her friends. "Please wait for me to look at the terrain before you go any closer." She paused, and then added, "Sain, Kent, do you think you could run over to the two other homes? Perhaps the local residents would have some ideas that would assist us."
"We're on it," Sain assured, before galloping over to one of the homes.
"We will relay to you what we have learned when you contact us," Kent told Elena before he followed.
"Lyn, you need to remain here and make sure the enemies do not come this way," Elena said. "Wait for Sain and Kent to return before trying anything."
"Very well," Lyn replied.
Elena then left with the villager, and soon arrived at her home. Elena quickly got out the Dimicatio Prospectus and concentrated on it. It soon began to glow as it showed the landscape. The woman watched in amazement as Elena bent over the board, surveying the battle field.
Around the homes and the side of the temple, it was mainly flat plains. There were a few patches of trees in occasional locations though, and Elena noticed two fortresses nearby the temple. Although they seemed to be abandoned, fortresses offered good defense when units could use their landscape to their advantage, so Elena made a mental note of that. There was also a long, stone fence of some kind that separated the homes from the temple. This left only a narrow path to the front of the temple. However, the landscape in that path was rather mountainous. Elena realized that this would make it very hard for Sain and Kent, with their horses, to cross it, if they even could. Lyn would have a difficult time as well. Elena quickly looked around the field again, but could see no other way to the temple.
Disturbed by this, Elena looked for their foes. Three brigands stood guard in front of the temple, while a fourth was to the upper part of the temple's exposed wall. A fifth and final brigand stood inside the temple itself, while a mercenary was next to the altar itself. Elena instantly realized that this was the leader of the group, and the strongest member at that. Mercenaries, skilled sword users, were nothing to underestimate. Their speed and skill with blades usually made them very dangerous opponents.
But that was not Elena's main concern at the moment. The bigger problem was how they were going to get into the temple. Elena waited could not see any way of doing it, so she quickly contacted Sain, hoping he or Kent had heard something that would help them.
…
"So, you're looking for information on the area?" the man asked Sain, who stood outside his door, holding onto the reins of his horse.
"Anything you have so that we can assist the priest, along with protecting the temple and sword, would help greatly," Sain said.
"Well… you can't go very easily through the front door," the man said, eyeing Sain's horse. "It's a mountainous area, and I know horses can't handle terrain like that. I'm sorry, but I don't know another way in. You'll have to search around and hope for the best."
Sain sighed. "All right. Thanks anyway." Sain got back on his horse, and began to go back to where Lyn was.
"Sain! Did you have any luck?"
"Whoa!" Sain pulled back the reins in shock, causing the horse to buck. Still surprised by Elena's thought, Sain fell off his horse, hitting the ground on his back.
"Are you all right?"
"Ow… yeah… I am just not used to that," Sain commented, rising.
"Sorry. So, did you find anything out?"
"I discovered that we cannot go through the front door of the temple, due to it being a mountainous location," Sain told her.
"Unfortunately, I already knew this and am trying to find a solution to it. Go back to Lyn and wait for Kent to arrive."
"I'm on it!" Sain said before getting back on his horse and racing towards Lyn.
…
The young girl pondered Kent's question. "I am afraid I will not be much help, sir, because I stay at home most of the time to help out my parents. They aren't available at the moment; I am sorry."
"That is fine. Thank you for your time," Kent said.
"Oh! I can tell you something interesting though," the girl said with a bright smile.
"Yes?"
"Do you know about the sword held at the altar?" she asked.
"I know some thing about it. It is called the Mani Katti, and it is a legendary blade," Kent stated.
"That much is true. The Mani Katti is actually blessed by the spirits," the girl told him. "According to the priest, the Mani Katti is actually waiting for its rightful owner to appear! It's pretty odd, don't you think? I think the idea that a sword can choose who to wield it is rather strange."
"Intriguing…" Kent mounted his horse. "Thank you once more."
"I'm glad I could help!" she said, waving as he left.
He soon caught sight of Sain, who was remounting his horse and going over to where Lyn was.
"Why did he fall off in the first place?" Kent wondered out loud.
"I startled him by contacting him."
"That explains," Kent said. "I am afraid I found out only facts about the Mani Katti itself, which will not be of much use to us in a fight."
"I see. Thanks anyway. Go over to Lyn and Sain. I'll contact you all shortly." Elena broke her connection and put her hands up to her forehead with a sigh.
"Is something wrong?" the woman asked her.
"I can't find any way to get into the temple," Elena explained. "The entrance is blocked off by mountainous terrain. Due to that, I do not see any way we will be able to reach it."
"Perhaps you could benefit from something I saw earlier?" the woman suggested.
"By all means, tell me," Elena said.
"The temple happens to have a weak point in the wall," the woman told her. "It is cracked and in poor repair, since the priest has not been able to repair it yet. It is possible that you might be able to create another entrance by knocking down that section of the wall."
Elena looked back at her Dimicatio Prospectus and took a closer look at the temple wall. Sure enough, she could now see a part in the wall that looked as though it would crumble apart if enough force was applied to it.
"Thank you! That's perfect!" Elena said. Then she had another thought. "But if we knock down the wall…"
"The priest won't mind," the woman assured. "The temple can be repaired, but we cannot replace the Mani Katti."
"That's true. All right, we'll use that as a method of getting in!" Elena stated, already beginning to connect with the group.
…
"That actually might work," Sain said as Elena explained what the plan was.
"It is regretful that we would have to damage the temple though…" Lyn said.
"We are desperate. This is the only way we will be able to make it in time," Elena replied. "I wish there was another way, but there really isn't."
"She is right. We have to act swiftly," Kent stated. "What do you say, milady?"
Lyn considered this, and then nodded. "Elena knows what is best. Give us our orders, and we will follow through with them!"
"All right. Lyn, there is a lone bandit outside the wall to the temple, to your left. You should be able to handle him by yourself. Sain and Kent, you two should head towards the ruined wall. It is straight ahead. If any of the bandits come up your way, be sure to deal with them before attempting to knock down the section of the wall," Elena instructed.
"Understood," Lyn replied. She ran towards the direction Elena had specified, while Sain and Kent galloped to the wall.
Soon, Lyn caught sight of the bandit Elena had spoken of. The bandit, however, saw her as well. Without hesitation, he began to run towards her.
Elena quickly scanned the area. "Lyn, get to those old fortresses for cover! You may be able to handle him in a one on one fight, but I want no risks. If you can use the terrain to your advantage, do so!"
"Good idea," Lyn replied, turning and retreating a short distance to the run down buildings. Then she stood behind a pillar that still remained as a rough outline for the building.
The bandit rushed in without thinking. She sprang out from behind the pillar, slashing him across the chest with her katana before ducking behind the pillar again. She was just in time; the bandit's axe slammed into the pillar. The bandit let go of his axe with a yelp as the shockwaves from the blow went through his axe. Lyn did not let the opportunity go to waste, and lunged at him once more. This time, her katana went through his chest. He fell at once.
"Nice job. Head over to Sain and Kent now," Elena instructed.
"Right."
Elena moved her gaze over to where Sain and Kent were. Both of them had reached the damaged wall. Sain was now slamming his lance into it several times, trying to get it to collapse, while Kent watched tensely.
"Come on! Fall already!" Sain exclaimed, hitting it with his lance again.
"Perhaps I should help?" Kent suggested.
"Nah, I'm fine. Keep an eye out for any bandits coming our way, I've got it covered here," Sain said, continuing to strike the wall.
"How is it coming?" Lyn asked, stepping up.
"It's weakening, that's for sure!" Sain replied, not pausing to turn to her. "It should be down soon, hopefully."
Elena looked into the temple; so far, it appeared as though neither the bandit inside nor Glass had any idea of what was going on. Glass was attempting to find a way to unsheathe the Mani Katti, but was so far failing. The bandit just seemed to be bored, and had his axe arm slack.
Relieved that they were not doing anything drastic to the temple yet, Elena looked towards the entrance. Then she froze. One of the bandits was remaining by the door, but the other two had heard the commotion of Sain attempting to knock down the wall. Being used to the mountainous terrain, they were having no problem crossing the area separating them from Elena's companions.
"Watch out!" Elena warned them. "Two bandits are coming! Lyn, take one, and Kent, you handle the other. Sain, keep trying to break through that wall!"
"All right," Lyn said, holding her katana in a ready position. Kent drew his sword, waiting.
The bandits arrived shortly, and charged towards them. One of them, seeing Lyn, went after her at once, thinking her to be much weaker than Kent. The other bandit, cursing his bad luck at missing the chance to assault the more frail of the two, tried to hit Kent with his axe.
Kent was used to these clumsy hits though, and merely pulled back his horse's rein. It reared instantly, dodging the strike just in time. As it came down, Kent fluidly brought his sword down into three cuts. One hit each shoulder, and the third his chest. The deep wounds caused him to stagger and collapse.
The other bandit was in for quite a shock. The woman he had thought to be so feeble easily dodged his axe slice before hitting him multiple times. Before he could realize what happened, he was dead.
"Beautiful as always!" Sain said to Lyn. "Pure brilliance!"
Kent shook his head at his companion's behavior. "Sain, we have no time to waste! Are you nearly done?"
"No need to chastise me," Sain told him. "It should break down right about… now!" Then he thrust his lance forward.
It pierced right through the wall, causing the rubble to fall all over the place. The opening was just wide enough for them to fit through when going one at a time, so Kent's horse leapt through, while Lyn followed. Sain came after putting aside his lance and drawing his sword.
The bandit, who had been off guard, was warned by the loud noise of the wall falling apart. Even so, he barely had enough time to lift his axe to defend himself from Kent's attack. Seeing Kent had his opponent occupied, Sain charged towards the door, where the last bandit outside had run in to see what was going on.
Assured that her companions had the situation covered, Lyn ran up the stairs to where Glass was. Seeing her coming, Glass turned away from the altar, drawing his own sword.
"Who do you think you are?" he spat at her. "What chance do you think you have against me?"
"A very good one," Lyn replied, holding up her own weapon. "I can't let you get away with what you are attempting to do!"
"Do you want that useless hunk of metal too?" Glass said in disgust. "Why bother? What good is a sword that cannot be used?"
"I don't even see why I should bother spending the time to try and make you understand!" Lyn said, before lunging.
He parried her blow effortlessly, and then he began to fight back. Lyn soon found herself parrying, blocking, and dodging his sword strikes. She managed to get a few slices on him, but he did as well. Soon they were both cut up in several locations, but neither was about to give up.
Meanwhile, Kent had finished off his opponent. Sain had had some difficulties, such as getting his left arm cut by the bandit. However, he was still a much better fighter than his foe. The bandit was lying, dead, shortly after. After that, Sain quickly galloped back to Kent's side, looking at where Lyn and Glass were fighting.
Lyn moved to block another attack, but miscalculated the amount of force Glass had put into it. He struck her katana fiercely by the hilt, sending it flying out of her hands and to the side. There was no chance of her retrieving it from that position.
Glass, sensing triumph at hand, brought up his sword once more. Lyn knew she would not last long without a weapon. Without thinking, she grabbed what was closest by her; the Mani Katti. Grasping it by the hilt, she pulled it out and held it up to block Glass's strike.
Something was wrong with this. Lyn knew that in the back of her head. But her mind was completely on the fight. Glass, on the other hand, was completely stunned by what Lyn had just done. Seeing him freeze, Lyn leapt, slashing into him as she went down the steps, landing at the foot of the stairs that lead to the altar.
Glass turned, looking at her in disbelief as blood came out of his side. "You… you… how…?" Then he fell, dead.
Lyn stood up, looking at the weapon in her hand with shock. It was a pure white blade, that had a thin line of blood where she had used it to cut Glass. But what was truly remarkable was how it was glowing. The blade was surrounded with a brilliant white light, which filled the room with radiance.
Elena stared at the scene, amazed by what was occurring. The woman, who had been watching over her shoulder, was also speechless.
Sain and Kent couldn't find any words to say either. So it turned out that the first thing to break the silence was the door at the side of the temple opening.
The priest stepped out, and was frozen as he saw what Lyn was holding. She looked up to him, and then back at the sword, confusion written all over her face.
After a second to get his voice back, the priest spoke. "I… I had never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."
The Mani Katti suddenly stopped glowing, and the blade was now its normal, pale white color.
"What do you mean?" Lyn asked, still staring at it.
"It is the power of the spirits," the priest explained. "They have looked into your souls, and they have called out to you. Therefore, you are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti."
Lyn paled at these words. "No… I can't… I couldn't…"
"It is the sword's wish," the priest said simply. "You were able to draw it. That is proof enough that you are meant to keep the Mani Katti."
"But still… to have it be… my sword… that can't be," Lyn said in amazement.
The priest looked over her. "Your clothing… are you of the Lorca tribe?"
"Yes. I am Lyn, the chieftain's daughter," she replied.
"I see." The priest gazed at the Mani Katti one more time before looking back at her. "Lyn, it is time for you to go. You will face many great ordeals. Grasp the Mani Katti and meet your destiny head-on."
Although still astonished, Lyn forced herself to nod. "Yes… yes sir!"
Kent, still practical as ever, even after witnessing this event, looked over at the dead bandits. "We are sorry for the trouble. Let us remove these corpses from the temple."
"Ah, thank you. I would greatly appreciate that," the priest said.
"Speaking of that, are you hurt, sir?" Lyn asked as she grabbed Glass's body.
"No. Thanks to all of you, I am unscathed," the priest replied with a smile.
"What about the wall?" Kent asked.
"It will be repaired. Do not worry over it. Now, you must head off. I wish you all well," the priest told them.
"Thank you for everything!" Lyn said as they all hauled the three corpses out of the temple.
Elena decided now would be the best time to contact them. "I will be over there shortly."
"All right. We will see you then," Lyn responded.
Elena let the energy from the Dimicatio Prospectus seep back into her before she stored it in her bag again. "Thank you for letting me stay here temporarily."
"It was no problem," the woman answered. "I should be the one thanking all of you, for saving the priest. A wielder for the Mani Katti… how extraordinary! I hope your journey goes well."
"Thanks," Elena replied as she left.
…
By the time Elena reached her friends, the corpses were dealt with. Sain was drinking a vulnerary, while Lyn seemed repulsed by it.
"What is wrong?" Elena asked as she came up.
"When we were taking away Glass's corpse, we discovered he had three vulneraries," Lyn explained. "Sain was… generous… enough to suggest that I should not waste a vulnerary on him when he could use ones that Glass was carrying. I detest from the idea of using something Glass carried, but I suppose it is not like he would have a use for them at this point."
"How are all of you, anyway?" Elena inquired.
"I healed myself," Lyn replied.
"A minor wound, nothing serious!" Sain said with a grin. "So, what do you think? Don't you think my simply superb sword strikes would stun anyone?" Elena noticed he had directed this to Lyn.
Sain then yelped with pain as Kent smacked him over the head. "Enough, Sain. We have more important matters to think about."
"Like the Mani Katti?" Sain asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"I would like to see it," Elena said.
Lyn nodded, and drew the katana to show them. The blade sparkled as the sunlight reflected off its white surface.
"This is all so unbelievable…" Lyn said. "I cannot believe that I have perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae in my hand."
Recalling what the young girl had said to him earlier, Kent said, "It is not so strange. In fact, many legends tell of similar tales. Special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. When I saw you draw that blade, milady… it was extraordinary. I could feel it… that sword was waiting for you. You were meant to draw it."
"Stop it!" Lyn protested, blushing slightly. "I… I'm nothing special!"
Sain thought for a moment, and then suggested, "Think of it this way. Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does that make it any easier for you to accept?"
Lyn considered that. "It… does feel right in my hand…"
"I doubt Sain or Kent can use it," Elena added. "I think you should keep it."
Lyn nodded. "A blade that only I can wield… that seems reasonable enough, I suppose. I can understand that. Thank you, all of you."
Elena looked over at Sain. "I'm surprised you were able to make a serious comment."
"Do not get used to them," Kent stated.
"Alas, he has a point," Sain sighed.
Lyn untied her katana sheath from her side, and instead put on the Mani Katti. She looked at the sheathed blade, and nodded. "So this is… my sword. I must care for it well…" Then she lifted her head. "Shall we continue?"
"By all means!" Sain replied.
"Let us move on," Kent agreed. With that, they all set off.
…
Meanwhile, in a distant location, there was another person interested in Lyn's progress. But it was not for her good will. Indeed, Ludgren wanted exactly the opposite for her, as Sain and Kent had been well aware of.
"What? Madelyn's daughter is still alive?" Ludgren said in disbelief as he listened to his soldier's report.
Ludgren was quite an imposing figure. Although he looked to be about sixty, he still stood strong. His royal purple armor with gold trimming, along with his pale white cape, added to his powerful image. His hair, already grey, went down a bit past his shoulder blades. His narrow, black eyes were what made people the most intimidated though. There was no happiness in those eyes, except when it came to completing his evil plans. Then his eyes gleamed with a kind of fierce joy for his murderous intentions. Right now though, they were widened in surprise, and then glimmering with anger.
The soldier, who wore the standard red armor and face-concealing helmet that all soldiers of his rank wore, hesitated for a brief moment. He was well aware that Ludgren was not a person he would want to make angry. But he knew withholding the truth would be even worse. "Uh… yes, Lord Ludgren. The girl is traveling with Kent and Sain. What are your orders, m'lord? If we let them be…"
Ludgren snorted. "Bah! Northern Bern is full of bandits! She's just a young girl; she will never be able to survive her journey here. No, she is not a problem. Instead, I am more concerned with my older brother. His life must be ended quickly. The poison…" He trailed off, glancing around, as though to make sure nobody was listening in. Reassured that his henchman was the only one present, he continued. "There must be no blunders with it."
The soldier nodded. "Yes, m'lord. He suspects nothing, and continues to drink it. The marquess's death, due no doubt to 'sudden illness', is not far off."
Ludgren gave a horrible smirk, and laughed coldly. "With them both out of the way, soon… soon Caelin will be mine!"
To be continued…