Chapter 6: To Catch A Thief
"So, the Dragon Shrine's just down here?" Ryu asked as the three adventurers crossed the lava blockage. Bo nodded.
"Yeah... soon as I saw that paper of yours I recognized the description of the place. See that clump of trees over there? Other side of that's the place. Don't know what you'll find there, but..." He shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Ryu asked as they rounded the clump. "I'll... find..." He stopped talking. The Dragon Shrine in front of him was nothing like the image of beauty and geandeur he had always imagined from Sara's stories. Once, it might have been... but no more. The building was an enlarged dome built along the same designs as the common Temple, with a towering spire on top... but the roof had holes, the pillars in front were mostly broken off, and the white marble was a dull grey.
"You... didn't know?" Bo asked quietly. "It's been like this as long as our Clan can remember."
"No..." Ryu shook his head in shock. "No, this can't be it... this isn't the Dragon Shrine I need..."
"I'm afraid it is, young man." An old man walked out of the Shrine's front door. He was wearing robes that were whiter than the marble, and had a snowy beard of the same color. An emerald pendant was his only concession to vanity, or perhaps it was for another reason. He bowed slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Melchior, High Priest of Ladon." Straightening, he examined Ryu keenly. "You'd be Ryu, then... Gaspar's other grand-nephew. Sara's sister."
"You knew my sister?" Ryu asked, momentarily forgetting his surprise. Melchior smiled and nodded.
"Of course... met her when she came through here, five years ago. She told me her little brother would be coming himself around this time... little earlier than I expected, but it should be fine."
"Your holiness..." Ryu looked around in disbelief. "What happened here? To this place?"
"Time happened, Ryu." Melchior sighed. "Time, and the need to make the outside world forget about us... if I truly wished to do so, I could have made this place a beacon of holiness that the entire world would see. But if I did... then the entire world WOULD see, and that cannot be our way any more. A lesson that, unfortunately, not all factions of our Clan believe in..." He frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "But oh well, now is not the time for discussing such things. You came here for a reason, Ryu... shall we get to it?"
"Sounds like a plan." Bo nodded and started forward, then stopped as Melchior held out a hand.
"Ah... I'm sorry, but only Dragon Clan may enter here..." The High Priest said regretfully. "Ladon's decree."
"It'll be all right." Ryu assured his friends. "Just camp here, all right? I shouldn't be too long, and we can get going towards the south tomorrow."
"Well... all right." Nina smiled. "If whatever this is will help you thrash Dark Dragons, go ahead. But we'll want an explanation when you get back!"
"All right, all right..." Waving, Ryu followed Melchior inside the Dragon Shrine. The main portion of it was a hallway, with a door on either side halfway down. Ryu didn't inquire about either; he simply followed the High Priest to the end. There, on a raised level, was a statue of Ladon... but even as Ryu approached, it shimmered and became the familiar spirit of the Dragon God.
"Huh?" Ryu blinked. "But I'm not asleep... am I?" Ladon threw back his head and laughed.
"No, Ryu... for this, I appear personally before all Dragons. Which you are certainly not. Are you prepared for the test?"
"I am, your holiness." Ryu nodded. "What must I do?"
"Combat, Ryu, against one who attempted this and failed." Ladon's smile vanished. "And if you lose, you shall become like him."
"If I let fear govern my actions, I never would have left Drogen." Ryu drew his sword. "I'm ready, your holiness. Bring forth your challenger." Ladon nodded in approval towards Melchior, who raised a hand.
"As you wish! Come, Talon!" A blob of darkness appeared over the High Priest's head, and out from it with flapping wings flew a hideous gargoyle. Grey and purple reptilian skin covered a thing that seemed to be all ripping claws, curved beak and batlike wings on a lanky frame.
"Talon's your name, huh?" Ryu swung his sword, clipping a lower claw. "Well, nothing personal, but looks like you won't be needing it after today!" Shrieking, Talon returned the sentiment by diving downwards, clawing at Ryu's face. The Light Dragon attempted to block it with his shield, remembered that he didn't HAVE a shield anymore, and cursed as the claws closed on his raised arm. Beating at Talon with his sword made the gargoyle retreat, hissing, but red marks all down his arm still bled. Cursing, Ryu moved forward on the attack. Talon simply flew up over him and came down on Ryu's back. Fortunately, the Light Dragon had been expecting this, and he whirled quickly, slicing open a gash on Talon's chest. Howling, the beast retreated into the air, then dived down like a hawk, closing with Ryu up close. Ryu began hacking wildly with his sword, even as he felt the gargoyle's claws rip into him again and again. They were too close now; both knew if they tried to retreat, the other would finish them. Blood poured out and coated the floor; it seemed the slashing and gouging would go on forever. Finally, one form collapsed with a hissing sigh, never to move again. Ryu leaned on his sword and winced.
"Sorry... looks like I did a number on the floor..."
"No, no, that's quite all right." Melchior laughed. "I'll clean it up... this place doesn't have to be in THAT bad shape."
"All right." Ryu smiled. "So, when do I... whoa!" He straightened up, eyes blazing.
"Right now." Ladon smiled as he watched the young Light Dragon transform. Ryu hunched over, then howled as his skin became pale, almost white-blue scales. His arms and legs shifted positions slightly and grew claws, and batlike wings sproted from his back. His face bulged outward, becoming an almost beaklike snout filled with sharp fangs, and a pair of horn sprouted from the back of his head. Its form was round and its eyes cute, but it was obviously very dangerous. Stretching his long neck upwards, the Dragon Whelp howled, releasing a blast of frigid air towards the spire at the top of the Shrine. He then turned back to the Dragon God and High Priest and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry... couldn't resist."
"It can be a bit of a rush." Melchior admitted, remembering his own pilgrimage. "The Ice Whelp, I see. Interesting."
"What's so interesting about it?" Ryu stretched his head around to inspect his wings.
"Well, you see... you will be able to assume three Whelp forms. Fire, Ice, and Lighting." Melchior explained. "Whichever of these a Dragon Clanner assumes at first after completing the trial... reflects the state of his soul at the time."
"Huh..." Ryu blinked. "Oh, that reminds me. Talon... was he a Light Dragon? Before, I mean..."
"No, he was a Dark Dragon." Melchior replied. "Why?" Ryu smiled. It was not a nice smile.
"Good. I would have felt bad about killing a Light Dragon." Melchior and Ladon exchanged a glance.
"Ice, indeed..." Melchior shook his head. "Glad I'm not a Dark Dragon."
"He'll change." Ladon assured him. "Well then, Ryu. There is one more thing you should know. You can revert to your normal form at any time... but afterwards, you will be quite fatigued, and will likely not be able to do much until you get some rest. This will lessen eventually, but right now... well, be careful."
"Gotcha." Ryu nodded. Ladon smiled, then returned to being a statue. Melchior handed the Ice Whelp a slip of paper. "What's this?"
"The directions for the next Shrine, of course." Melchior explained. "Would you like a drink of Water of Life? There's a spring in the west room..."
"No, thanks." Ryu shook his head. "I should go out and see how the others are doing."
"Doubtless rather surprised by your little display through the windows in the spire." Melchior joked as he accompanied Ryu out. The Ice Whelp winced.
"There are windows up there? Whoops..."
"Okay, what's going on here?" Nina yelled as soon as she saw somebody start to emerge. "Ryu, you-AH!" She flew into the air, startled, upon seeing the Ice Whelp.
"Chill, guys. It's me." Ryu smiled, then looked at Bo. "Put the arrow down, already. It's not neccessary."
"And how was I supposed to know that?" The Forest Clanner asked, dropping the weapon. "All right, you done in there?" Ryu nodded. "Good. Then come on, the campfire's cooking dinner. And we REALLY need an explanation now."
"All right, all right..." Ryu sighed, grabbing something meaty that smelled good off a roasting spit. "We're called the Dragon Clan. What most people think of when they hear the word 'dragon' is a big flying reptile like this." He indicated himself, then shrugged. "Well, maybe not so much the big part yet. Anyways, how it goes is when we turn eighteen, those of us who want to go on a pilgrimage to Ladon across the world. There are three Shrines that have to be visited in order. At each one, there is a test... completing it will unlock the power of the Dragon. Basically, being able to turn into big flying reptiles. Presumably, the next shrine will give me stronger forms... and the third, to the ones that make it that far, unlocks their true, unique dragon. If you do THAT, you're either a Priest or Priestess of Ladon."
"Wait." Bo blinked. "So that old guy who performed Terry and Amelia's wedding..."
"Could probably have wasted the entire town in his youth." Ryu nodded. "Yeah. I'm not anywhere near that state yet... got a couple more to visit first. Matter of fact, the old guy gave me some directions to the next. Let's take a look here..." Opening the slip of paper, he read it aloud.
On the tip of the Builder's Horn,
Southwest of demon bird pines,
Look carefully for the second of
The great and mighty Dragon Shrines.
"I don't suppose you know where this place is either?" Nina asked Bo hopefully. The Forest Clanner shook his head.
"Afraid not... no clue. That bit about the Builder's Horn makes me think it might be in the Builder Clan lands, but I can't think of much else."
"Well, it's not like we need it right away." Ryu grinned, looking at his claws. "This may not be town-wrecking level, but I'd hate to be the next Dark Dragon we run into."
"I don't know... I think it's kind of cute." Nina smiled mischeviously and began scratching the Ice Whelp's chin.
"Hey, what... oh. Oh." Ryu stopped protesting and closed his eyes. Nina giggled and used her other hand to scratch his horns, and Ryu actually smiled, leaning slightly back. Bo coughed.
"Look, you two... could you at least wait until I'm asleep before starting this kind of thing?" THAT brought an end to it; Ryu and Nina instantly seperated, the Wing Clan princess blushing.
"I'd, ah... I'd better change back." Ryu said, his scales darkening slightly as well. He concentrated, and the Ice Whelp shrank, becoming the familiar Light Dragon youth. He immediately slumped onto the ground. "Whoa... ugh. They weren't kidding... that packs a punch. Whew."
"You okay?" Nina asked, concerned. Ryu waved her down.
"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure... just some exhaustion. It's customary."
"Yeah... we should be thankful whoever designed that transformation put clothes into the formula too." Bo grunted. "That could have gone badly otherwise... although some people might think differently."
"Enough, already." Nina rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get some sleep, then. Even using the Cape Tunnel under the mountains, it's a bit of a hike to Auria on the other side."
"All right, we turn left here." Bo directed them through the Cape Tunnel. "We're just about there."
"What happens if we went straight?" Ryu asked. "Dead end?"
"Recently, yes." Bo nodded. "Used to go to a nice little inlet, but the way caved in. Shame. Ah, here we are..." They emerged out into the light of day, and Ryu stopped in his tracks, staring. Auria was a city famed the world over for its vast wealth. The entire city was surrounded by a high wall, with soldiers in red uniforms patrolling it at all times. Aside from the docks on the west side, there was only one entrance. Inside, however, the buildings and even the streets themselves were all covered with beaten gold. The entire city was one huge, shimmering monument to money.
"Gross, isn't it?" Bo made a face. "Gives the word ostentatious an entirely new meaning. They have to repaint it all the time, too."
"Paint?" Ryu blinked, and Nina laughed.
"What, you thought it was REAL? There's not enough gold in the entire world for THAT. High Merchant Ross' house MIGHT be, but I doubt it... don't tell him I said that, though." As they drifted into the city, they were immediately accosted by a square-jawed guard with heavy eyebrows.
"Hold it! Stop right there. I haven't seen you folks around here before."
"We're new to this city." Ryu tried to explain, but the guard cut him off.
"New, eh? Right, you're coming down to the station with us!" Before they could make a break for it, several more soldiers were there. The travelers were forced down to a station in the center of the city, where they were tossed into a barred cell in the basement. The soldier who had arrested them fixed the lock, then smiled. "Right then, you can think about what exactly you were intending to do here for a while. When I come back, I'll have some questions about that, and I'd better like the answers." He left them, laughing.
"Well, this is just great." Ryu sighed, slumping to the floor. "Now what? If I go Dragon and bust us out, the noise'll bring every guard in the city..."
"Hey, could you keep it down? Some people are trying to sleep here!" None of them had seen the cell's other inhabitant sleeping on a cot. He was a youth who looked about fifteen, with short, curly hair and banana-yellow clothes. He looked like an average human, but strangely, his skin tone was much darker than any of them had ever seen. Now awake, he yawned. "So, what you folks in for, anyways?"
"Apparently, entering the city." Bo growled. The youth laughed.
"Bet it was Captain Gata who got you. He's the head of the city guard, and uber-paranoid. Even down in Bleak, the town of thieves, he's a legendary nightmare."
"That bad?" Bo winced. The inmate nodded solemnly.
"They say nobody's EVER successfully bribed him... and that's in THIS city."
"That IS scary." Nina shuddered.
"Yeah... he's proud of it, though. No one calls him Captain, though... everybody puts 'Zenny' in front of his name to tease him about his antibribery."
"Captain 'Zenny' Gata, huh." Ryu shook his head. "Well, he got us. We're stuck here."
"You kidding?" The youth laughed. "I can get you guys out of here, no problem." Jumping over to the lock, he probed at it with the point of a dagger for a few moments, then leaped back onto the cot as the door swung open. "There you go. Try not to let them see you on the way out." He was instantly asleep again. The three travelers exchanged a puzzled glance, then as one, shrugged and left the building.
"So, where to first?" Ryu asked. Nina smiled.
"Follow me." She led them towards the back of the town, past one horribly overdecorated house after another, until they came to the largest one of all in the very back. On top of it, a long, tall tower rose; and atop the tower was a light so bright none of them could look at it.
"The Light Tower... resting place of the Light Key." Bo explained grimly. 'And no, boss, we can't just go up there and take it. The only way in is a secret passage inside this house that only the High Merchant knows."
"Excuse me, sirs... madame." A tough-looking butler greeted them as they entered. "Do you have business with High Merchant Ross? If not, I'll have to ask you to leave."
"Will this do?" Nina asked, holding up a letter. The butler read it, then straightened up and bowed sharply.
"Excuse me! High Merchant Ross will be informed of your arrival immediately!"
"Very nice." Bo muttered. "Royalty has its advantages, I see."
"Shh." Nina hushed him, and they waited until they were ushered into a beautiful garden in the back. An old, rather fat man wearing rich purple robes and a golden turban was lounging on a hammock.
"Ah, there you are." He dismissed the butlers, then waved at them to take a seat. "Princess Nina, it has been too long."
"Likewise, old friend." Nina smiled. "We really should get together more often." Ross nodded graciously.
"My doors are open to you whenever you wish." He paused. "Do you think that satisfies the tedious formalities?"
"If not, we can always lie about it later." Nina giggled, then became serious. "We're here on business, your grace."
"I suspected as much." Ross nodded. "I've heard the stories. Congratulations on routing the Dark Dragons from the northwest, all of you." He sighed. "Unfortunately, things are not going quite as well here."
"Dark Dragons?" Ryu's eyes narrowed, and Ross shook his head quickly.
"No, no... a much more personal problem. There's a vault underneath my house... it's where I keep my most valuable treasures. And, well..." His voice lowered. "My daughter... seems to have locked herself in there."
"Aw, hell." Ryu groaned. Ross nodded.
"Fortunately, there are holes for air... large enough for us to push food and water through too. However... we have yet to find a way to get her out. She has the only key in there with her, and it only opens from the outside."
"How thick is the door?" Ryu asked.
"Twenty feet, solid iron."
"Damn." He thought for a moment. "Hm... it sounds like you need a thief. Somebody who opens things like that for a living, and is very good at it."
"Bleak." Bo snapped his fingers. "The town of Bleak. There's got to be somebody there who can do the job."
"Thank you..." Ross smiled. "I hate to ask, but could you go there? If you can rescue my daughter, anything in my power... it's yours."
"On those terms, how can we refuse?" Ryu smiled. "As a matter of fact, there's-" He stopped as Nina gently kicked his shin. "There's... the matter of a ship. When we move on from here, we'll need one."
"I have just the one." Ross nodded. "A new ship commanded by the best captain in the city."
"All right, then." Ryu nodded. "We'll be going to Bleak tomorrow, then."
"Until then, you have the hospitality of my house." Ross smiled. "I'm afraid that night isn't really a thing around here any more, with the Light Key... we just sleep whenever we're tired."
"We'll do that, then." Ryu nodded. "Thank you again, your grace."
"Any friends of Nina's are friends of mine." Ross assured them.
After sleeping, the heroes went down into the city, on a shopping trip. Bo glanced sidelong at Nina once they were clear of Ross's house.
"Why didn't you want to talk about the Light Key?"
"There's something up with our friend Ross." Nina explained. "He's not telling us everything about that problem with the safe. The Light Key would be a touchy subject here already... the people of this city worship it almost as much as they do Ladon."
"So it makes it so that it never gets dark around here?" Ryu shook his head. "That's got to be wierd. Can't imagine ever getting used to that. Hey, check that out." The building he was pointing at had a bust of a Maniro's head above the door. The Maniro, a Clan of fish people, were to a man a merchant species, fascinated with commerce and profit. Their city under the ocean, Prima, boasted that if they didn't have something for sale, it was only because the guy who refused to sell it to THEM was certifiably insane. "They should have some good stuff. Let's check it out." Inside, two of the Maniro clan were standing behind the shop counter, grinning widely. One was green and slim, the other orange and fat.
"Ah, hello, friends." The green one winked. "I'm Nuzi, and this is my cousin, Gobi. Anything we can help you with today?"
"Well..." Ryu pointed at a fishing rod behind the Maniros. "Could I see that? It looks like a good one."
"Absolutely, sir!" Nuzi handed it to him. "Here!"
"Yeah... been a while since I held one of these, but it'll do fine." Ryu assessed, weighing the rod in his hands.
"You fish, huh?" Bo blinked. "Didn't know that. Hm... maybe I should pick up a better bow for hunting, at that thought..."
"Look no further, sir!" Gobi handed him one. "What do you think of that? Professional longbow, of the type commonly used to defend castles!"
"Not bad at all." Bo nodded approvingly. "This and the rod should keep us in food all the way to Bleak fine."
"Going to Bleak, good sirs?" Nuzi grabbed something else. "Then you'll need this, absolutely!" He was holding a wallet. Before any of them could comment, he opened it, revealing that inside was a complex mechanism. "Anybody who grabs it without pressing the bottom, it opens and grabs their hands! The other string ties to a button to keep them from going anywhere! Perfect for prevention against pickpockets and thieves!"
"Now THAT's a good idea for Bleak." Nina nodded. "We'll take one of those, too."
"Buying so much, why not go all the way?" Gobi continued greedily, whisking a cloth off of... a stack of gold bars. "Look at these babies! Only sixty-five thousand Zenny each!" They all stared.
"Uh... no thanks." Ryu shook his head. "We'll... just call it here, thanks." Shooting his cousin a dirty look, Nuzi rang up the bill.
"It'll be five thousand, four hundred and... sixty for the rod, bow and pouch."
"Right." Ryu paid the Maniros. "Thanks, guys. We'll stop by again some time." They walked out, and headed for the exit.
"So, to Bleak?" Bo asked. Ryu nodded.
"To Bleak."
"Hey, you!" A loud yell drew all their attention to Zenny Gata, who was staring at them. "I just locked you all up yesterday! Get back here!"
"Run for it, boys!" Nina yelled, and they dashed for the exit, Zenny Gata howling in pursuit behind them.
Some time after Ryu and his friends had left Auria, a ship drifted up to the docks. Its sails bore a black dragon emblem upon them, and on its side was the name Quincunx. The guards at the dock carefully averted their eyes from it, as they had been paid to do. The ship came to a halt and rested, with no apparent activity. An observer with a keen eye might have detected a flash of movement here or there, but that would be gone almost instantly.
At the manor of the High Merchant, Ross was in his garden again. This time, however, he was not happy. He was frowning deeply in worry as he drained a glass of wine, apparently waiting for something... or somebody. Out of nowhere, he suddenly felt a knife press against his neck and tensed up. He did not relax when the knife was removed and its owner, a stuningly beautiful woman with long blonde hair, walked in front of him. She was wearing millitary armor and a pure white cloak.
"Sorry to keep you waiting... your grace." She smiled. Ross forced himself to incline his head.
"No... no problem at all, White Assassin."
"Please, call me Cerl." She sat down in a chair opposite him and took another wine glass without even being asked. "How are things going here in Auria? Commerce doing fine?"
"There are no problems with the commerce." Ross nodded stiffly. Cerl took a sip of wine and nodded.
"Ah, good. Then... if we can get down to business..." She snapped the stem of the glass with a single twitch of her thumb. "Where. The hell. Is the. Light. Key." She was still smiling, but now it was frozen, with all the emotion of a snake about to strike. Ross gulped.
"That... that, there are some difficulties with."
"I guessed as much." The White Assassin nodded. "Since the Light Key is not currently in the Dark Dragon Empire's possession as we had agreed upon, I would certainly hope that thre were some difficulties... rather than direct recalcitrance on your part. You are not stupid, after all." Ross shivered.
"No... no, I am not. Your... analysis on the fate of my city convinced me to aid you, after all."
"It is in your best interest." Cerl nodded. "The Dark Dragon Empire is going to conquer the world, and nobody can stop it. Oh, there have been some setbacks up north, but those will be rectified in time. Auria is much wiser to surrender its Goddess Key to the Empire peacefully, instead of forcing us to come here and... take it." Ross nodded unhappily.
"I am prepared to do whatever I have to in order to save my city."
"Good." Cerl grinned wider. "Very good, Ross. You know, there was once a place that thought differently from you. A place in the west that hated the Dark Dragons, that would have nothing to do with them. Why, they even killed one of their own when she took a Dark Dragon general as her husband. Do you know who those people were?" Ross slowly nodded.
"Yes... the Fusion Clan."
"And do you know what happened to the Fusion Clan in the end?" Cerl purred. Ross nodded, shaking. The fate of the Fusion Clan was a tale of horror known to all.
"They... were massacred."
"Very brutally so." The White Assassin smiled. "They were all killed, and their home was burned to the ground. I was there at the time, so I can assure you-it was VERY nasty. And so perished the Fusion Clan."
"Auria will not make the same mistake." Ross assured her. She let one hand stray towards her knife.
"Good..." Faster than light, she was standing behind Ross, knife at his face. "Because if you do, our war fleet will sail into Auria's harbor and lay waste to it totally and completely. We will knock down the buildings, we will slaughter the people, we will burn everything, and what we don't burn we will crush into gravel. Nothing will remain of Auria but a smoking patch of wasteland. Understood?" Ross nodded yes, knife biting into his cheek. "Excellent." Cerl let him bleed for a moment, then moved away, back in her chair instantly. "Now, then. What are these 'difficulties' you speak of?"
"My... daughter." Ross held his cheek. "She somehow heard of the plan... and has locked herself behind the safe that goes to the tower. She has the only key with her."
"Damn." Cerl frowned. "I'm out of practice with safecracking... I MIGHT be able to do it, but I might break the mechanism, and then the damn thing'd never open. Better not risk it. Are YOU doing anything about this?"
"Yes, actually." Ross nodded stiffly. "Some friends of mine are heading for Bleak to find a thief who can open that safe as we speak."
"Would these friends happen to be Light Dragon Ryu, Bo of the Forest Clan, and Princess Nina of Winlan?" Cerl asked archly. Ross went white.
"How did you...?"
"Please, Ross." Cerl laughed. "You thought to keep secrets from ME? But don't worry, I'm not angry." She grinned viciously. "On the contrary... those fools seem to be blessed with the most incredible luck. It's very possible that they will, indeed, find us a thief who can get that safe open. Lord knows they've been successful enough in screwing up our operations up north." She shrugged. "Of course, after they've done that, they'll go back to being a liability for us. I trust you can arrange to have them suitably disposed of when that happens, Ross."
"But..." Ross started to protest and was cut off.
"No buts, Ross. Not even one if you want to keep your city-and your daughter-in one piece. Understood?"
"Y... yes..." The High Merchant agreed sadly. Cerl reached over and gave his cheek a mocking pat.
"That's the way. You see, Ross, governments can always come to a mutually beneficial agreement if they try hard enough. Keep your mind on what's important... Auria and your daughter. Nothing else matters to you more than those. Get us the Light Key, and both will be spared... we'll turn our attentions to the Dark Key in Bleak, and Auria won't see so much as a single attack ship." She yawned. "Ah well, I should be getting back to the ship. I hope the Light Key comes to us soon, Ross... for your city's sake, it had better." She disappeared, gone out the window instantly, and Ross silently buried his head in his arms.
"So, Bleak's a village of thieves?" Ryu asked as they passed through the ancient construct known as the Light & Dark Tunnel that connected Auria to their destination. Nina nodded.
"Yeah. The entire society's based off of it... mostly, they try to come up with ways to top each other. The concept of a personal possession is nearly unknown... anything is yours only as long as you can guard it. Travelers, of course, are fair game, but they'll never kill or take so much that the poor saps would die unless the other guy attacks first. Because of this, they're recognized as a legitimate society by the other lands of the east, and their boss, Elder Khel..."
"Is an old friend of yours?" Bo guessed.
"However did you know?" Nina asked in mock surprise, then laughed. "That won't mean much to the others here, though... we'll have to keep a close eye on our money. And that INCLUDES the women; they'll rob you as easily as the men will. Understood?"
"Wouldn't dream of following any strange women anywhere." Ryu assured her. "Present company excepted, of course."
"You're a laugh riot." The princess muttered, leading them out of the tunnel. The land around Bleak was almost the polar opposite of Auria; it was dark as night, despite being around noon.
"Let me guess." Ryu frowned. "The Dark Key?"
"You got it." Bo confirmed. "The Dark Tower's not in the town itself, it's on the opposite shore of that lake... see?" He pointed out an edifice that rose from the earth like some long, jagged fang. "And no, we can't go in. The tower's locked tight."
"Maybe the safecracker we find in Bleak will be able to open that too." Ryu shrugged. Nina frowned.
"Maybe, IF we get the Elder's permission. That Tower's just about the only place the thieves of Bleak WON'T break into just for a lark... even the wildest one is dead sober about the Goddess Keys. They know what's important."
"Smart people." Ryu said approvingly. "Hopefully we'll be able to get through to them. Here, this has to be the place." Built on the south edge of a lake that was at the center of a valley deep in the eastern mountains, Bleak was a loose collection of buildings whose construction could be described as slapdash at best. The layout seemed designed to provide as many shady alleys as possible, and the streets were filthy. Surprisingly, the people seemed unusually cheerful; whether warming theirselves in front of a flaming barrel, sneaking through the aforementioned alleys or just wandering around trying to look more inconscpicuous than everybody else doing the same, they had wide grins on their faces. "Happy town, I see."
"The people here have no illusions about what they are." Bo explained. "Aurians like to describe this place as a cesspool... but if it is, then it's perfectly happy with being a cesspool, and does its job very well instead of trying to be something else."
"There are worse lifestyles." Nina admitted. "Now come on, let's find the Elder." They passed through town, smilingly passing down several offers, from a young man in starry robes who offered to sell the Planar Sphere to a young woman in a revealing dress who offered to tell their fortunes. Finally, they reached a series of warehouses in the very back. Nina approached one with two men standing outside who bore an astonishing resemblance to the Gremlin that General Graham had transformed into. Nina approached one fearlessly and handed him a familiar letter.
"Could you take this to your boss please? I think he'll be interested in it." The two gorillas looked at each other, and the second one nodded. The first one turned and walked into the warehouse, while the second watched them carefully. After a moment, the first one poked his head back out and motioned for them to come in, which they did. However, instead of taking them further, he folded his arms across his chest.
"Very well, then." He spoke for the first time. "Apologies, but I must take steps to verify your identities before conducting you to my employer." Nina recovered first; ignoring Ryu and Bo's slackjawed stares, she smiled winningly.
"Ask away, good sir."
"Which ruler of the Lands of the East did NOT attend the strategy meeting to discuss the Dark Dragon advance ten years ago?"
"That would be the Chief of Romero." Nina answered without hesitation. "Those people up there are standoffish almost to a fault. I think they try to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist most of the time."
"Excellent." The thug's granitelike features creased in what was probably a smile. "Please, accompany me to the locale of Elder Khel." He took them to a small study in a back room, where an ancient man with skin like an aged prune was calmly doing paperwork without even a hint of difficulty moving. Looking up, he smiled.
"Princess Nina, it is you... apologies for Flak's suspicion, but these days, caution is neccessary."
"We understand." Nina nodded. "Elder Khel, allow me to introduce my friends... these are Ryu of the Light Dragons and Bo of the Forest Clan."
"Of course. We know all about your adventures." Khel grinned. "You three are quite the heroes down here. If anybody took some of your money, they'll be waiting outside to give it back to you when you leave here after word spreads. Which it already is, undoubtedly."
"Is that so?" Ryu smiled. "Think one of them might be willing to help us with a job, then?"
"A job, eh?" Khel's eyes glimmered. "An interesting one, I hope? You won't get many volunteers if it's just an everyday task..."
"Not at all." Bo grinned. "We need the big safe underneath High Merchant Ross' house in Auria opened. His daughter's trapped in there."
"Ah, now it makes sense..." Khel's eyes narrowed now. "So that's what Ross told you... we were wondering."
"You know what's up with Ross?" Nina demanded. Khel nodded sadly.
"Yes, unfortunately... it seems old friend Ross had made some wrong decisions. He's been in contact with the Dark Dragons."
"Dark Dragons!" Ryu's eyes went flat. "Is he selling out the lands of the east?"
"Not by choice, no." Khel shook his head. "There's several Dark Dragon warships at anchor a bit north of Auria. It's not hard to guess what happens if Ross doesn't do exactly what they tell him. They want the Light Key."
"The safe!" Bo snapped his fingers. "The secret tunnel into the Light Tower... it's there!"
"Exactly." Khel nodded. "His daughter's smart... she locked herself in there on purpose, so nobody could get the Key." He sighed. "I don't know what to do about Ross... but sooner or later, you WILL need to get into the safe."
"Yeah." Ryu agreed. "So, know anybody who could do that?"
"Only one." The Elder admitted. "We're all good, but THAT safe is another thing altogether. The one you need... is my own son, Karn."
"Your son?" Nina yelped. "I didn't know you..."
"He's adopted." Khel explained. "After the meeting nine years ago. I found him wandering outside Bleak one day and discovered he had the skills of a genius thief. Now, he's a legend here, and he's only fifteen." He frowned. "However... there's a problem."
"There always is." Ryu groaned. "What is it?"
"Karn left for Arad recently." Khel explained. "He said he was going to rob the legendary Krypt... also known as the Thief's Tomb. Supposedly, the book that's at the very bottom contains all the secrets of the world's greatest thieves... every one who steals it adds their own knowledge and returns it when they're done."
"And Karn wants to be next." Bo shrugged. "Okay, so we'll go to Arad. Unless..." He groaned. "TELL me there isn't a sandstorm right now." Khel nodded solemnly.
"Just started after Karn went through... it'll be two weeks at least, maybe even a month, before it dies down."
"And we can't wait that long." Ryu growled. "There's got to be some way..."
"Well... technically, there is." Khel looked uncomfortable. "We... have a treaure here in Bleak... or to be more specific, I have it. The Sapphire Icicle... it's an artifact that, supposedly, can quell sandstorms."
"However, every thief in town had probably tried to steal it and failed." Nina guessed. "So if you just give it to somebody, even us..."
"I kiss my position goodbye." Khel shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, but unless you can find something of near equivalent value to exchange for it..."
"We might..." Ryu thought for a moment. "If we could get a big old whopping solid gold bar from Auria... would that work?" Khel's eyes widened.
"Solid... yes, that just might!"
"Right, then." Ryu nodded. "We'll see what we can do about getting one." Khel nodded back.
"I hope you can... until then, friends." Flak the thug showed them out. Once they were outside the warehouse, Bo and Nina rounded on their leader.
"Are you INSANE?" The Princess hissed. "Did you see how much those things COST?"
"I know, I know, but what other options do we have?" Ryu defended himself. "We need that Sapphire Icicle. Auria's got lots of money... we'll figure out SOME way to get some of it."
"I sure hope so, boss." Bo growled, unconvinced. "We'll head back there in the morning, then... for now, let's try and find an Inn that doesn't look like it'll have rats behind the desk."
"All right, let's start thinking." Ryu said as he took a large drink of his beer. The group were back in Auria. Instead of going to Ross' again, however, they had found a bar. Coincidentally, there was one on the second floor of Nuzi & Gobi's; apparently, the Maniros were quite successful in their profession. "We need sixty-five thousand Zenny, preferrably fast."
"How much did that innkeeper back in Bleak give you to keep quiet when you caught him with his hand in our wallet while we slept?" Bo grinned.
"Five thousand. That plus the twenty-five thousand we already had is a good start, but not enough. I'm just glad all the royalty we've met were THAT generous with funding us." Ryu stared into his mug. "There's no helping it. We're going to have to split up and do anything we can to make money." Nina winced.
"Royalty actually doing honest work? My parents will have fifteen heart attacks between them simultaneously if they ever find out."
"Say it's their fault for not making your allowance bigger." Bo shrugged. "All right. Meet back here in... two days?"
"Sounds like a plan." Ryu nodded. "See you guys then, I guess." Paying for his drink, the Light Dragon hit the streets of Auria. It only took him two hours of wandering aimlessly for him to realize just how hopelessly out of place he was. "This sucks. If I was in a smaller town, I'd find something great... except it wouldn't pay nearly enough. Maybe I should just go back north anyways..."
"Excuse me?" Somebody was accosting him. It was an older woman wearing very expensive-looking clothing. "Sir... did you say you come from up north?"
"Yes, I did, ma'am." Ryu quickly agreed. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Please... my son went up there..." She sniffled. "He said he wanted to cut wood in all the forests up there... but he hasn't returned, and it's been four days..."
"I'll go up there right away and find him." Ryu promised. "He might have run afoul of the Forest Clan, but I'm on very good terms with them, so if that's the case I can get him out. I'll bring him back, ma'am." It took him the better part of a day to go back through the Cape Tunnel. Fortunately, when he emerged outside, he saw his target right away. About a mile off, an exhausted-looking young man was running endless circles around a circle of flowers.
"Help! Help me!" He called as soon as he saw Ryu. "Please... I'm under a spell!"
"Are you from Arad?" Ryu asked. The young man nodded.
"Yes... I came here to chop wood, but these fairies came out and did this to me! I can't stop!"
"Wood fairies...?" Ryu wondered. "Thought they were just a myth... well, if the stories were true, I might know a way to bail you out. But, you're going to have to promise them never to cut live trees again."
"Of course!" The young man nodded frantically.
"Good. I'll go see if I can find them, then." Ryu hiked into the nearby woods, and soon located a clearing full of flowers like the ones in the circle. As he approached, several things shout out into the air. Tiny, humanlike figures with insect wings, each only the size of his hand. They were all female, with long lavender hair and leotards that seemed to have been made out of red flower petals.
"Are you here to cut wood too?" One of them demanded. "If you are, I'll enchant you, too!"
"Not at all." Ryu carefully moved his hands away from his sword. "Actually, I'm here with a message from that first guy you put a spell on. He says he repents chopping the trees, and promises never to do so again." The fairy leader's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Are you sure? If that's so... all right, I'll forgive that foolish human. Come on, sisters! You too, Light Dragon!" Laughing, the fairies flitted off into the trees, and Ryu followed as quickly as he could. When he reached the circle of flowers, the fairies were hovering around the would-be lumberjack as he spun in place.
"Help! The spell...!" The young man gasped, then fell to the ground. The fairy leader flew down in front of his face.
"Now you know what you've done. You cut a tree that took hundreds of years to grow..."
"I... know." The man clutched his head. "I won't... never again..."
"What did you do to him?" Ryu demanded. The fairy leader glanced at him.
"I allowed him to see what the tree he killed had... all of it. He won't be the same... never again. But it's a good difference. Who knows? Maybe he'll even do things that will make nature thank him before his human life is done." Laughing, the fairies flew off into the trees. Ryu gave the young man some food and water from his pack.
"Here you go, bud. Have some of these and rest up here tonight, and we'll go back to Auria in the morning."
When they arrived in Auria, the young man took Ryu to his house, where his mother was waiting. After a tearful reunion, the rich woman walked over to Ryu.
"Sir... thank you. You rescued my son... and now, he even knows what he wants to do with his life..."
"I'm going to be an ecologist." The former lumberjack told Ryu. "That's... well, it's a type of scientest that protects nature. Mom's sending me to Prima to be educated about it. Maybe, some day, I'll see them again." His eyes grew distant at "them." The rich woman handed Ryu a bulging pouch.
"Here, sir... I know it's not enough, but..."
"Ma'am, this is more than I deserve." Ryu bowed. "Anybody from my hometown would have done the same. I'm just glad everything turned out well."
"Then wherever your hometown is, may Ladon bless it." The rich woman murmured. Ryu's face darkened for a moment, but then returned to normal.
"He does, ma'am. Good luck to both of you." He went back to the bar above Gobi and Nuzi's, and found Bo and Nina waiting for him.
"Well, how'd you make out?" Bo asked as soon as Ryu had ordered a drink. "I got five thousand... some guy in here drank so much he was falling off his stool before he remembered he had to meet his wife in ten minutes. I got him some sobriety pills from downstairs and he left his wallet with me."
"I got you beat, then." Nina smiled. "I made ten thousand."
"How'd you do THAT?" Bo demanded. She blushed a little.
"Well, there was this old man..."
"Aha..." Bo smirked. "What did HE want?"
"Ah... well, he wanted a... back massage." Bo and Ryu stared at her.
"That's IT?" Bo shook his head. "Geez... this is what comes of a sheltered upbringing." Nina calmly tossed out a word that made every head in the bar turn towards them, and the Forest Clanner winced. "Never mind. Ryu, how'd you do?"
"Missing persons case... twenty thousand Zenny." Ryu reported smugly. Nina groaned.
"Rats... thought I was the winner."
"We're ALL winners, Princesss... or hadn't you noticed? We have enough to buy that Gold Bar now." Ryu grinned. "We'll have to go a little light on supplies until we find another chief or something willing to finance us, but them's the breaks. Come on, let's go down and watch Nuzi's face fall off when we actually buy one of those things!"
Elder Khel had traded the gold bar for the Sapphire Icicle instantly upon seeing it, and within minutes, the news of how good a deal the Elder had made off of finally selling the treasure was all over Bleak. It was still being talked about the next day when the heroes left the town to go even further south. Krypt was in the Desert of Arad, which covered almost the entirety of the extreme southeast. To get there, the fastest way was yet another mountain tunnel.
"What is WITH the far east?" Ryu complained as a bat nearly hit his head. "Tunnel from Forest Clan lands connects to Auria. Tunnel from Auria connects to Bleak. Tunnel from Bleak connects to Desert of Arad. Did Ladon consult a Mole Clanner when designing this part of the world or something?"
"Be glad these tunnels are here at all." Nina suggested. "Otherwise, we'd be stuck mountaineering, and we do NOT have time for that."
"We're here." Bo announced, pointing ahead. The cave opened up a while ahead, but before any of them would even get close, they would be caught up in the raging winds and flying sand that even came into the tunnel. "Yikes... Khel wasn't kidding. We'd be dead meat if we tried going through that. You got the Sapphire Icicle, Ryu?"
"Yeah..." Ryu doubtfully examined the tiny blue conic gem for the tenth time. "So... do I just throw this out into the storm?"
"Seems that way." Bo nodded. "Give it a shot, boss." Ryu wound up and hurled the Icicle with all his power. The change was instantaneous; it was almost as if Ladon had flicked some meteorological "off" switch. The sandstorm was gone. Walking forward, Ryu nonchalantly picked the sapphire icicle back up and pocketed it.
"Well, whaddaya know. It works after all. Very nice."
Unfortunately, the next few days were not quite so nice. On the contrary, they were akin to traveling through hell. The desert sands were horribly hot in the daytime and equally cold at night. Despite the loss of the sandstorm, ordinary winds could disrupt dangerous amounts of sand at any moment. And there were monsters all over, from Creon insects the size of livestock to mobile cacti with tentaclelike roots and cycloptic eyes to angry, living clods of the sand itself.
"Why did I agree to this job?" Bo moaned on the fourth day. "I should have stayed a pro hunter. This is insane. This is..." He blinked as he reached the top of the dune. "Hey, check THOSE out!" The others joined him. Down below were three very interesting things. The first was a large, grass-covered hill, almost a mountain, with what appeared to be some kind of ruins on top. The second was a huge, stone fortress with a "moat" of quicksand completely surrounding it. And the third... a collection of tents, with small figures completely covered in heavy robes wandering between them.
"The natives!" Nina gasped. "Let's go! Finally!" Summoning up enough strength to run (or, in Nina's case, fly fast), the travelers bolted for the tents.
The natives of Arad were amazingly friendly and helpful; as soon as they saw the travelers, they were given a tent to stay in and enough food and water to keep an elephant happy. After recovering, they were taken to meet the Elder, Khan.
"Princess Nina." Elder Khan bowed deeply. "You honor us with your presence."
"We are honored to be recieved so cordially." Nina smiled. "Elder, we hope you can be of help to us. We are seeking a young man from Bleak who came here looking for a place called Krypt."
"Ah... young Karn." Elder Khan stroked his mustache, the only part of him visible aside from his eyes beneath the hood. "I am afraid you just missed him. He left for Krypt yesterday."
"Figures." Ryu sighed. "I'm hoping Krypt was one of the places we saw yesterday... either the green hill or the big stone place with the quicksand moat."
"It is the latter." Elder Khan confirmed. "The former... that is the moving town of Wisdon."
"Moving town?" Bo blinked.
"Yes... a great mystery." Elder Khan explained. "The entire hill constantly roams across our desert... whenever anybody tries to get close, it avoids them. None have set foot on it in centuries. Krypt, however... every so often, a thief from Bleak tries to enter. Rarely, one will even make it back."
"How do they make it across?" Bo asked.
"They attach a rope to a knife, throw it across so that it embeds in the rock, then anchor another knife on the other end of the rope securely on this side. Then they climb across the rope." Elder Khel shuddered. "I don't know how they do it myself."
"Neither do I." Ryu admitted. "Well, we're screwed. There's no way WE can get across there. Well, Nina could..."
"Any chance you could make it in one of those dragon forms?" Bo asked. Ryu shook his head.
"Those ones, the wings are too small. No chance."
"Well, there is one way." Elder Khan admitted. "We do... have a treasure here. A relic that will make a bridge appear across the moat. The Fife. But..."
"But you can't just give it to us." Ryu sighed. "Right. What can we do for you?"
"You can rid us of a scourge." The Elder answered fiercely. "Every night of the new moon, our goats are attacked by a horrendous beast... a sandworm."
"Sandworm, huh." Ryu grinned. "As it turns out, pest removal is one of our specialties. If I'm not mistaken, there's a new moon tonight... we'll get rid of that thing for you."
"Do so, and the Fife is yours." Elder Khan promised.
They remained in the Elder's tent until night, relaxing in the abscence of the sun. When the last traces of light were gone, the three of them walked outside.
"So, this thing only comes out of the ground at night, huh..." Ryu muttered as they moved towards the goat pen. "Sounds like it doesn't like heat."
"You going to try a traditional fire dragon then?" Bo guessed. The Light Dragon nodded.
"Yup."
"As long as it can rip this thing to shreds." Nina shuddered. "I've heard about the sandworms of Arad. They're nasty. I feel sorry for those goats."
"Aw geez, move!" Ryu yelled, dashing forward. Ahead of them, the sand was already churning underneath one of the goats. When they were five feet away, the goat pen erupted as a long red mass blasted straight upwards like a rocket. Bits of the unlucky goat that had been above it flew everywhere. As Ryu transformed, the Sandworm lowered its upper portion to glare down at them. It was mostly composed of warty, pink-red spheres, linked in a chain. The head, however, had heavy purple armor plating. There were no eyes, but a pair of armored antennae swept back from the head, and a fat-lipped mouth gaped full of fangs. Ryu immediately went on the attack, jumping forward and attaching himself to the segment just below the neck. The Sandworm hissed, then screamed as he released flames into the wounds his teeth inflicted. It twisted around, trying to reach him, but it was unable to.
"Nice move, Ryu!" Bo cheered, flexing his arm and causing a flame to sprout inside the Sandworm's guts, where the body went back into the ground. Screaming anew, it opened its mouth and spewed a wave of blistering sand at the Forest Clanner. Growling, Bo stood his gound and fired again. Then Nina drove her rapier into the head right under the armor, and the Sandworm decided it had had enough. Howling, it retreated back the way it had come, taking Ryu with it.
"RYU!" Nina yelled, starting to dash for the hole. Bo held her back.
"Easy, princess. Could be a trap!"
"But...!" She started to move forward again, then stopped. A small red dragon had climbed back out.
"That was a close one for a moment... but that bug won't be going anywhere!" Ryu chuckled, reverting to his normal form.
"You were stupendous!" Elder Khan ran up, holding some kind of brightly colored musical instrument. "Here, the Fife is yours. Take it!"
"Thank you, your grace." Ryu accepted it with a weary smile. "But right now, we need a bed more than anything. Whoof."
"All right, let's hope we just have to play this thing, and that the quality doesn't matter." Ryu commented as they stood near Krypt's moat. "I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket." The others nodded in agreement. Putting the Fife to his mouth, Ryu blew sharply. The sound was akin to a windchime that had been coated in grease, but it did the job. Even as Bo and Nina were covering their ears, a wooden bridge extended outward from the Krypt to the opposite bank. Ryu and Bo easily walked across, with Nina flying above them. As soon as they had stepped off, the bridge vanished again in a puff of smoke.
"I just hope that thing isn't one-way, or we're in trouble." Bo grumbled as they entered Krypt. The ancient stone building had a long hallway that wound all the way around the main room on the first floor. Fortunately, it seemed someone had been here before recently and set off all the traps, and they had not yet reset.
"Our man Karn." Ryu smirked. "He did all this on purpose... knew these all and set them off just to show off. He's definitely the guy we want." At the center was a staircase leading down. The next floor was covered with small raised levels, each one holding an empty treasure chest. At most of the intersections where the paths between them joined, trapdoors gaped open. The travelers carefully moved across to the next stairs. The third floor down had the stairs to the fourth right there; the rest of it was covered in four-foot spikes.
"When we find this Karn, remind me to thank him very much for opening those trapdoors first." Bo sweated. The fourth floor seemed quite unremarkable; in front of them was a large boulder. Embedded halfway in it was something very strange. It was flat and made out of wood, and seemed to be in a rounded V shape.
"What is THIS?" Nina wondered, giving it a tug. It didn't budge. "Huh. Wierd. Oh well, if even Karn couldn't get this out, we don't have much chance."
"Can't win 'em all." Ryu agreed, walking past it, then pausing. "Now what's THIS thing?" It appeared to be a mechanical eye, grey with a glassy red pupil, hovering motionless in the air.
"Go away!" It hissed. "Nobody gets in here!"
"Oh really?" Ryu smirked and walked around it. Immediately, it darted past him towards the back of the room, where several more were collecting. They clustered together around something and then came forward, with whatever it was obscured save for dangling tentacles of various bright colors.
"All right, hold it right there, assholes!" The thing yelled. "And just where do you think YOU'RE going?"
"Uh... we're going on down, Mr..." Nina fumbled. The thing laughed, shortly and mirthlessly.
"ICU Security Unit #031, but you can call me the Eye Spy. And I'm afraid not, lady."
"You do know we're not the only intruders hre, right?" Bo said converstionally. "Another guy came through here a while back. We're just looking for him, actually."
"Yeah, right." The Eye Spy snorted. "Sure, buddy. I wasn't built THAT long ago. Okay, enough talk. You've got two options. The first is the one I'd advise; you turn right around and march your butts back the way you came."
"And the second?" Ryu asked, hand straying near his sword. All the mechanical eyes twitched.
"The second... is that I rip you all to shreds!" The Eye Spy yelled, and all of its small eyes blasted forward, slamming into Ryu simultaneously before returning to the main body. "Hey! What the-?" When they returned, Ryu was no longer looking the same as before; he was now a vibrant blue Thunder Whelp.
"You really should be more open to negotiation." Ryu grinned before opening his mouth and releashing a whip of electricity that lashed the mass of eyes. Three of them spun off, destroyed. Bo smirked and drew his bow. In only seconds, three more fell to the ground, pierced. Howling. the Eye Spy directed its attack at Nina, who met it head on, felling one more with her rapier even as the remaining three hit her. Ryu roared and blew them out of the sky. With none of its satellite eyes left, the Eye Spy was revealed. The main body looked much more biological; it was a green-fleshed sphere, dominated by a huge blue eye that had a red pupil. Brightly colored tentacles of various colors dangled from its bottom.
"Idiots! Now you shall truly taste my wrath!" Yelling, it blinked, and Bo was struck by a bolt of electricity. The Forest Clanner stood his ground bravely and grimaced.
"THAT's all you can do? I can do that too, moron!" A similar bolt of lightning smashed into the Eye Spy from above, knocking it to the floor. It rose only to be hit again, head on, by a much stronger bolt from Ryu that blew it through a wall. Large chunks of rock collapsed upon it, and there was no movement. A single tentacle protruded limply.
"Well, THAT was annoying." Ryu grunted, reverting to his human form. "Argh... shouldn't have done that."
"You okay, boss?" Bo asked. Ryu nodded.
"Yeah... but let's hurry up here, okay? I'm having visions of our beds back in the natives' camp." Walking down the next set of stairs that the Eye Spy had guarded, they found themselves in a room surrounded on all sides but the one they had entered by a deep pit. The only thing on the floor were several empty red chests, and one blue one that remained closed.
"You don't suppose the stairs are in there?" Nina asked. Ryu shrugged.
"Where else? Pop it open and let's see." The blue chest was empty... and made an ominous clicking noise when opened. Ryu frowned. "Uh-oh. We might have just made a big mistake... oh, crap." The way they had come was blocked by iron bars. Bo cocked an ear.
"That sound... oh, double crap. Water." The pit around them was being filled with slowy rising water.
"What do we do?" Nina yelled, almost hysterical. Bo looked around wildly.
"Search the area! There's got to be some failsafe... a way to turn the trap off!"
"All right, who's the amateur!" A new voice complained from the blue chest. It slid over to the side, revealing the stairs UNDER it. As it slid into place between three empty chests, the water stopped rising. Nina sighed with relief.
"Thank you... Karn."
"You know who I am, eh? Well, then..." The thief from Bleak jumped up and stared at them. "What the... the guys from Auria?" It was their cellmate, the one who had opened the lock on the jail. They all stared back.
"YOU'RE Karn?" Bo demanded. The young thief recovered and smirked.
"The one and only! You guys can't be thieves here for this place... not if you set off THAT simple trap. And from the sounds of the scuffle above, you got caught by the ICU too, huh?" Ryu nodded ruefully.
"You got it. This isn't our line of work. Actually, Karn, we're here for you, on the recommendation of Elder Khel. We have ajob for you."
"Sorry, no deal." Karn said firmly. "I'm not budging from this place until I've got that Book of Thieves." His eyes glimmered. "But still... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to know what's going on."
"It's the huge safe in Auria... under High Merchant Ross' house." Bo explained. "Somebody's trapped there, and there's a Goddess Key too."
"A Goddess Key?" Karn's eyes narrowed. "You guys aren't with the Dark Dragons, are you?"
"Exactly the opposite." Ryu shook his head. "I'm a Light Dragon, and we're looking for the Keys to keep them AWAY from the Dark Dragons."
"Ah..." Karn looked thoughtful. "Well, then... I could probably open the safe... IF I had the Book."
"All right then." Ryu sighed. "We'll help you get this Book. We're not much at trap spotting, but..."
"I can handle that." Karn assured him. "Actually, we're almost there. This is exactly where I need guys like you. Come on!" Following him down to the final floor, they discovered that there were twelve coffins of solid stone set evenly around the room. Karn pointed at one. "Let's start with that one. Now, one of these will have the Book in it. Problem is, I don't know which one. So, we'll do it like this. You two big guys, grab either end of the lid and move it. When you do, I'll be looking for any traps, and disarm them before they can nail us. Bird lady, you're on lookout; warn us if any monsters approach." Ryu and Bo moved into position. "On three. One, two, lift!" Grunting, they did so. Faster than their eyes could follow, Karn's hands darted into the coffin and came out holding a nasty-looking dart. "All right, let's see... darn!" The coffin was empty. "Right, didn't think it'd be the first anyways. Put that back on and let's try the next!" The next coffin was empty as well. As was the next... and the next... and every one after, until the last one.
"Figures." Ryu muttered. "Should have known it'd be the last one right from the beginning."
"Yup, it usually happens that way." Karn admitted, smiling. "Ah well, let's open 'er up!" Ryu and Bo lifted the lid, and Karn removed the trap. All four leaned over the casket, looking inside. It was empty, like the others... but there was something written on the bottom.
If you have come this far, thief, you need no book. Nothing in this world is safe from you. Your skills are unparalled. You have conquered Krypt. Well done! Slowly, the four travelers looked up. They all stared at each other with perfectly blank faces.
And then, as one, they broke out in helpless laughter.
