PART XIX

Vivli was slumped down outside the stone door to the tomb. Zinkata was sealed inside, trapped for all eternity.

"I couldn't save him." She sobbed. "I just couldn't." She paused, and for a moment, the painful memories of the real world filtered into her dream. "I will save him! I have to!" She rose to her feet facing the stone door. "But it's impossible." She broke down again. "I'm useless. I can't do anything to help him." She sobbed.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Came a voice. Vivli woke up with a slight jolt. "Are you alright?" She suddenly remembered everything that had happened.

"Zinkata!" She cried, jumping to her feet and bolting off. Or she would have, had she not been instantly pulled back to the ground by the knife pinning her dress to the floor. The figure who had woke her up sniggered slightly. He became instantly more serious when he saw the upset expression on Vivli's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She ignored him, diving for the dagger and trying desperately to pull it out of the ground. She failed, struggling uselessly with the embedded blade. "Here, let me." He said calmly, bending down and removing the knife. She got up and ran. The man sighed. Something was seriously wrong, even he could tell that. And he wasn't about to stand by and let it go. He bolted after her.

He was much faster on his feet than Vivli, and caught up with her quite quickly. He grabbed her, pulling her around to face him. She was still sobbing.

"Miss! Miss! Listen to me!" He cried. "VIVLI!" He finally shouted and she came back to her senses, still sobbing. "What happened?" He asked. She was apparently oblivious to the fact he had just used her name.

"My….my….." She sobbed, giving up with trying to speak and simply sobbing against the figure.

"Okay, calm down." The figure said politely. "I'll take you to my friends." The man paused, almost realising his mistake. "Urm, who are they?" He asked after a while. Vivli couldn't manage a response, and he decided in her broken state, it was better to just take her to them anyway, he knew who they were.

The stranger was a fairly odd looking hume. He was fairly young. He didn't appear to be any older than twenty. His facial features were smooth, bar rough stubble and a scar running across his forehead. He didn't wear armour, but instead an old and very beaten brown jacket, that looked older than he did. He had similar beaten brown trousers and boots, and a scruffy beaten shirt underneath. Vivli looked up, glancing at his deep brown eyes. They almost seemed familiar, but she couldn't think. All she could see was Zinkata. The figure pushed back his long black hair, worried for a moment he would be recognised.

"Vivli!" Came a cry, and Voldos ran over to her. Vivli broke away from the figure and ended up sobbing in Voldos's arms.

"Where did you find her?" Voldos snapped, straight to the point. The two Light Warriors had clearly already discovered what had happened to Zinkata.

"Over by the docks." Came the reply. "She was asleep and pinned to the ground. By this." He handed over the dagger that he had picked up.

"Zinkata's." Bootus confirmed.

"Dammit!" Spat Voldos. "What are we going to do?"

"Save him." Vivli whimpered. "We have to save him."

"That's impossible." Voldos sighed. "We couldn't save Illuga."

"He's taken the staff." Bootus explained. "If we don't find a way to stop him, the entire world will fall."

"Stop him!" Vivli sobbed. "Don't kill him!"

"Viv, we'll do what we have to." Voldos said grimly.

"I love him!" Vivli protested.
"And we don't?" Voldos suddenly screamed. "He's been like a brother to us!" He paused, looking down at Vivli's sobbing form. "But we'll do what we must. We need to reclaim the staff and stop Zinkata."

"Where's he gone?" The stranger asked.

"I don't see what you have to do with this!" Voldos snapped. The stranger paused.

"You need all the help you can get." He explained. "My name is Esolo. I will help you save your friend."

"What are you good at?" Voldos asked. "What skills do you have?"

"I've been trained as a warrior, a thief, a monk, a dragoon, a ninja, a ranger and a samurai." He paused. "If you need skill, I have it."

"All the melee classes but never ones that can cast magic." Bootus observed.

"I can't cast magic." Esolo admitted. He paused, noticing suspicious glances.

"How the hell did you learn all that at your age?" Voldos asked, his anger clearly visible.

"Does that matter?" Esolo shot. "We have to find Zinkata." He said the name with familiarity, but the others didn't seem to notice.

"Where's he gone?" Voldos asked Vivli. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face and mouthed the words 'I don't know'.

"He stole the staff." Bootus confirmed. "He wouldn't head for the desert again. That's too obvious."

"What about an aerial search from your airship?" Esolo suggested.

"He destroyed it." Bootus stated. "Cid's been badly injured." He turned to Vivli, explaining. "Wherever he's gone, we can't track him by air." Vivli just let out a loud sob.

"You've been wounded." Esolo observed. "I can see the blood stains."

"We ran into our friend." Bootus growled. "We weren't prepared to fight him."

"He's picked up some new tricks as well." Voldos input. "He fights like a paladin." Esolo cocked his head curiously. "His sword, belonged to his father. The sword of a paladin. Apparently he's drawing upon its power and using it."

"An evil paladin?" Mused Esolo. "I've seen weirder."

"He picked hell of a time to upgrade his class." Bootus grumbled. Vivli was too upset to cast a healing spell.

"Who might know where Zinkata went?" Voldos pondered. "We need a lead." Vivli wiped her eyes, and tried to speak.

"Sigmund-" She began. She gulped, wiping her tears again and trying a second time. "Sigmund re-enchanted the stone somehow. He wasn't at the magic shop. Whoever did that must have a lead on what he was planning. Might be similar to Zinkata." She broke down crying as soon as she finished. Esolo looked up to the other three.

"Magical enchantments? That doesn't narrow it down much in Windurst." He paused. "But I only know one enchanter that would ever serve somebody who's a danger."

"You know who it might be?" Voldos asked curiously.

"Yeah, I know a lot of people." Esolo said with a slight smile. "He's an older elvaan. Used to be a warrior, but retreated to here after some incident in San d'Oria." Voldos's blood turned cold. "Named Ben, I believe." Voldos froze.

"Ben?" He whispered. "As in, Ben Chuth?"

"Yes. Know him?" Esolo asked.

"You could say that." Voldos grumbled.

The four rushed through the streets as Esolo navigated his way to the enchanter.

"So, who's Ben?" Bootus asked.

"The reason I was exiled from San d'Oria." Voldos groaned. Vivli looked up from her tears, curiously.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"He was my mentor, and my tutor, when I was training as a temple knight." Voldos explained. "My final test in my skills was to duel my own mentor. He ordered a duel to the death. I won, but refused to kill him." Voldos paused painfully. "I mean, he was my mentor. How could I?"

"I understand." Vivli whispered gently.

"He was furious at me for disobeying him. He made sure I was exiled, and then left himself, refusing to ever return." Voldos explained.

"Sounds like a bit of a nutcase." Bootus observed.

"He was a little eccentric." Voldos admitted. "If he's our only lead, we could be in trouble."

"Zinkata's life is on the line." Vivli said with a surprising amount of fierceness. "I'll kill him if I have to." Voldos smiled slightly. Vivli wasn't the most fearsome sight, especially in a long flowing gown.

"Viv, we'll handle this. He'll help us." Voldos reassured. "I know he'll help us, for the right price."

Esolo kicked open the door to the house he knew Ben to hide in.

"Nice method of entry." Voldos remarked.

"It wasn't locked." Esolo told him. An old elvaan with long grey hair turned to face them.

"Ah. Irony." He remarked. "I love it."

"Hello, Ben." Voldos smiled. "Where is he?"

"Straight to the point." Ben laughed. "The fellow who Lavos corrupted, you mean, I assume."

"Yes." Voldos shot. "Where is he?" Voldos yelled.

"I think you know the price." Ben said with a smirk.
"To finish what I didn't before?" Voldos sighed. "To kill you?"

"Kill me?" Ben laughed. "Not quite. Another duel. Only when defeated in combat may my life be taken. You beat me once, but wont again."

"If he kills you, then how can you tell us where Zinkata is?" Esolo asked.

"I will tell you." Ben stated. "Before I die."

"Do you even know?" Bootus grumbled.
"Indeed. I know where he will go." Ben said with a smirk. "But you wont get such knowledge from me." Voldos drew his sword.

"Yes, I will." He said angrily.

"Didn't you learn anything?" Ben laughed, pulling two rapiers off a wall in his room. He threw one to Voldos. "That sword of yours is fine for cutting down beastmen, but it's no duellist weapon." Voldos sheathed his own sword, and stood en guard with the rapier, observing the thin blade.

"Well, let's get this over with." He sighed, and the two lunged into combat.

Ben attacked first, but Voldos quickly parried the blade and quickly extended his arm for a counter jab. Ben parried this downwards in a semi-circle and lunged forwards. Voldos leapt backwards, making sure Ben's lunge fell short. The two stood off for a moment, carefully positioned and awaiting attack.

"What are they doing?" Vivli asked, confused.

"Simple fencing principle." Esolo stated. "An attack that is successfully parried leaves you wide open, so they try to lure the other person into attacking so they get that opening."

"I'll never understand sword fighting." Vivli sighed. Ben grew tired of Voldos's patience, and attacked. Voldos parried this, and lunged forwards, dropping to one knee. He skied along the ground before springing up onto his feet for a second lunge. Ben hadn't expected him to do a double lunge, and was caught off guard. He jumped back, parrying, but stumbled. Voldos took this opportunity and lunged again, catching Ben in the shoulder. Ben let out an angry cry, and knocked Voldos's sword downwards and lunged himself, catching Voldos on the cheek. Voldos retreated a couple of steps and stood still. He waited for Ben's attack. Ben waited for his. Suddenly, a grin spread across Voldos's face. He ran at Ben. Ben prepared himself to finish Voldos off. At the speed Voldos moved, he knew the elvaan would lose control and be easy to finish off. Voldos suddenly dove into a roll just before Ben could attack him, rolling to the left. Ben completely missed on his attack and Voldos simply brought his sword up, slicing Ben's leg and sending him crashing to the ground, the ligaments sliced. Esolo laughed.

"The failure of a fencer." He stated. "They fight on a two dimensional line. A three dimensional move like that he never saw coming." Voldos held his blade to Ben's neck.
"You are finished." Voldos grinned.

"Same old move." Ben sighed, thinking back to the years past. "Will you kill me?"

"If I have to." Voldos said with a cold hearted stare. "Now. Where did Zinkata go."

"Norg." Ben stated with a slight smile.

"What's he doing there?" Bootus demanded.

"A nice place for finding carnage." Ben explained. "Your friend, like Sigmund before him, wants to evoke carnage upon this world before Lavos. That black mage rushed things, and look where it got him. Using pirates and petty thugs from Norg, he'll protect himself while he summons Lavos. You'll never successfully stop him."

"Thugs won't stop us." Spat Voldos.

"And your bargain?" Ben grumbled. Voldos sighed.

"This time I'll furfill it." He said bluntly. Vivli looked away as Voldos drove his blade into Ben's heart, and threw down the sword.

Silence seemed to fill the room for a few minutes, broken only as Voldos dropped his sword and it crashed to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Vivli asked softly.

"I've just finished what got me exiled." Voldos stated. "And murdered my mentor."

"We don't have time for this." Esolo stated. "We have to get to Norg. I'm sorry Voldos, but more is at stake here."

"I've killed one friend today, I will not kill another." Voldos decided. "We have to find a way to save Zinkata."

"We can figure it out on the way." Esolo decided.

"How are we going to get to Norg?" Bootus asked. "Without the Raven?"

"I have a ship docked in Mhaura." Esolo stated. "A new one too. Called the Sea Serpent. Replaced my old ship."

"You had an old ship?" Bootus pondered.

"Been a bit of a mercenary." Esolo laughed.

"We had better move." Voldos stated. The four ran out of the room, and Voldos stopped in the doorway. "Goodbye, Ben." He stated, looking tearfully at his fallen mentor.

The four adventurers quickly rushed from the gates of Windurst. Vivli suddenly slowed to a stop, grasping at Esolo's hand. He stopped, and turned to her.

"You owned an old ship?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered curiously.

"Was it called the Lightning?" She suddenly asked.

"It was." Esolo said with a knowing smile. Vivli looked into his eyes curiously.
"What is it?" Bootus asked.

"Esolo." Vivli stated. "Esolo backwards is-"

"Olose." Grinned Voldos.

Author's Note: I have to point out, I'm pushed for time with revision at the moment, so I can no longer guarantee daily updates for the next few weeks. I'll do my best, I can't be certain I'll keep updating. But I'll keep trying. I love writing, so will do whenever I can.