Tales of Harmonia

Guardian Angels

The Madrigora Dungeons were a dark, gloomy, and lifeless expanse of tunnels and prison cells used to hold prisoners of the church. Located on an island in the center of a large lake near New Meltokio, it was always eerily quiet because none of the cells ever stayed populated for long: the Grand Jury was usually quite efficient at doling out punishment to its prisoners, and very eager to do so. Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before their sentence – no doubt execution in some barbaric form – arrived.

Aidan was sitting against a damp wall in a cell with Arthur, and he looked very troubled. He traced random patterns in the floor with his finger as he spoke quietly. "They were… so strong. We didn't stand a chance."

Arthur had been sitting on a little stony ledge by the barred window, staring out at the moonlight dancing on the surface of the lake. He turned and looked softly at Aidan. "No… they were too strong."

Aidan wore a hurt expression. "Gee, thanks for making me feel better."

Arthur shook his head gravely. "No, I mean they were stronger than they should have been – than I know them to be." He turned his gaze to the floor and suddenly a troubled expression invaded his features. "There was something… dark about them today. Unnatural. You felt it – didn't you?"

Aidan thought back to Marisa's special attack, when she had somehow opened a gate to the underworld – Aidan had never experienced fear like that before. He recalled Halis' Bloody Lance attack, and the raw, evil energy pulsating from him as he used it. He nodded. "Yes, you're right."

Arthur looked back outside. "I think it's related to the Pope's secret meetings."

Shocked to hear this, Aidan looked up. "Really? His meetings with the Hand of Beatrix?" Arthur nodded. "But I thought they were just a group of bandits."

"I don't know who they are or what they do," Arthur said quietly, "but I know that the Pope has changed since he started meeting with them. I see him all the time – well, I used to, before he started leaving the cathedral to have his meetings. I didn't notice it at first, but now I realize that over the months and years, his eyes grew darker, more sullen; he became quieter and less friendly; he didn't seem to care about his people anymore. I'm not sure, but now that I think about it, I don't even think he slept anymore."

"Really?" Aidan questioned, surprised. "You didn't notice stuff like that? I mean, it seems pretty obvious."

Arthur chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, I guess you're right. But I always had… such faith in that man. Such unadulterated faith in and respect for him. I must have driven the changes out of my mind because I didn't want to believe he had changed. In my blindness, I must have ignored the changes in Marisa and Halis as well…"

Aidan looked away and pondered. Wow… it must be horrible… to realize that you had such trust in people, only to have it betrayed completely.

"I never wanted anything to do with it," Arthur said after a while. Aidan snapped back to reality and didn't know what Arthur meant. He looked quizzical. "The meetings, I mean," the bishop clarified. "The Pope occasionally invited us to sit in on the meetings with him; he said he wanted our input. Marisa and Halis always accepted, but it never sat well with me – the idea of holding meetings of which the details were never spoken outside the Pope's chambers, I mean." He sighed sadly. "I drifted apart from them during those months. I can't believe I was so stupid as to not realize it…"

"Don't beat yourself up," Aidan comforted. "There was no way you could have known—"

"But I should have!" Arthur interrupted. "They were… my friends once. Marisa and Halis. But Marisa looked… like she would have killed me as soon as given me the time of day. You know that bloodlust in her eyes?" Aidan nodded. "Before tonight I had never seen that. It was why I couldn't bring myself to use my magic against her. It was… so frightening, so jarring. I thought, is this really Marisa? This bloodthirsty demon is Marisa? And I couldn't move."

"But… how did she receive her nickname, then?"

Arthur sniffled a little. "Don't get me wrong – Marisa always dealt cruelly and harshly with those who crossed the Church's path. However, she always did so for the sake of the Pope and the Church of Martel. Tonight, I think she was acting on a carnal instinct. She was like… an animal…" As those words struggled valiantly to pass his lips, Arthur broke down and started crying.

Aidan could find no words to console his new companion. He sat in silence, surrounded by his own thoughts. In the murky blackness, penetrated only by the faint glimmer of the moon through the window, Aidan realized that he was involved in so much more than the games of a power-hungry Pope.

---

The clinking of metal echoed ominously through the corridors of the Madrigora Dungeons; a death peal for anyone who heard it. The prisoners of the accursed dungeon knew that when the Papal Knights deigned to enter their presence, it meant that the Grand Jury had rendered their decision. It was no surprise that the captured heroes suddenly began panicking as these sounds tolled for them.

Across the hall, Aidan could see Juna and Audrey in their shared cell. They had already tried to escape the cell in various ways, none of which were successful. Bartheo, who was now awake (the knights had knocked him out after he attempted one last resistance before being thrown into the cell), had tried smashing and bending the bars, but even his brute strength did not avail them. They looked at each other in turn and knew that their time had come.

The four Papal Knights were escorting a slimmer, pale man in black and white robes down the corridor. When they reached the captives' cells, this man stepped forward and unrolled an official-looking scroll. He cleared his throat and began reading in a crackly voice.

"Members of Zephyr, hereafter referred to as The Damned, have been found guilty of high treason against His Eminence Pope Nigellus XVII. You, the Damned, are sentenced to death by fire. You will be burned alive in the hopes that, as the flames sear your flesh, you will finally realize that the flames of revolution will never prevail against those who rule by divine right."

Juna scoffed audibly, causing the scribe to look up irritably from his scroll. "That's a pretty flowery way of saying 'We want to kill you so the truth will never be revealed,'" she said with a hint of amusement.

The scribe did not laugh. He rolled up the scroll and said, with finality, "The execution will take place immediately. Remove the Damned and escort them to the Ring of Fire."

Obediently, a knight opened each of the cell doors and the four beastly men flanked the group, leading them back down the corridor towards a large door at its end. From there, the group was shepherded through a series of corridors that forced them to appreciate how truly large the compound was.

Aidan had only heard stories of the Madrigora Dungeons. Apparently there were dozens of chambers set aside specifically for executions: hangings, beheadings, burning alive, and even more gruesome punishments. Usually the executions were conducted in private – because of their brutality, the church claimed. However, the confidentiality hid the many controversial executions happened there as well – executions that, according to popular rumour, would ruin the church if ever expoesd. In certain cases, however – like theirs – members of the public visited the compound via ferry to view the executions of those who would harm the Church of Martel.

The Ring of Fire was in essence a large stadium with a huge, ashen ring in the middle. The spectators saw the executions from an admirable vantage point in their seats starting at thirty feet above the ground and rising from there in true stadium fashion. Several iron stakes were planted into the ground inside the ashen ring – the stakes to which the Damned were tied. Aidan and each of his companions received their own, private stake; the Papal Knights bound them to them with steel chains and then began piling up wood around their feet and dousing it with gasoline. It would be a brilliant flash of flames, and there would be no shortage of suffering before, one by one, Aidan and his companions were snuffed out of existence to the cheering of thousands of devout followers.

The scribe's voice boomed throughout the stadium, enhanced by magic, as the last of the spectators filed into their seats. "These traitors have plotted against the Church of Martel and planned to kill our spiritual leader, Pope Nigellus XVII!" The crowd booed emphatically at his words. "Even one of the Papal Trinity, Arthur Theo, has been turned against his calling by the treacherous members of Zephyr." Arthur bowed his head, apparently ashamed, and was met with very loud boos and muffled cries of 'Burn the traitor!'

Those members of the group who could see each other silently consoled each other as they prepared for their last moments. There was obviously no escaping now: even if they somehow broke their bonds, they would have to fight through any number of Papal Knights and escape the screaming fanatics in the stands above them. Then there was the added trouble of actually getting off the island and finding safety elsewhere. It was simply hopeless.

"Sinners! In these, your final moments, I pray that you atone for your transgressions in the hopes that Martel, in Her unending mercy, will forgive you and grant you passage into the next life."

This was met with wild cheering from the crowd, and the lead knight raised his hand: the signal to start the execution. At the same time, all the knights lit their torches and prepared to drop them on the wood surrounding the captives. Before the lead knight could drop his hand, however, a voice rang sharply through the arena.

"The bloodshed will stop!"

The crowd sounded confused for a moment, and then someone shouted and pointed to the top of the pole Aidan's was tied to. Standing thirty feet above the ground, a woman was balancing on the narrow stake. She was a black-haired beauty dressed in black tights; a red, leather trench coat hung around her shoulders, and it was tied tightly around her waist by a crimson ribbon of silk. Underneath the jacket, she wore a revealing black top that amused many of the male members of the crowd.

"What madness is this?" the scribe's voice demanded.

"These people have done nothing to deserve death," the woman explained, her voice singing even louder than his. As soon as she spoke, a hush fell over the crowd. "They merely seek the truth – the truth about a Pope who has misled you!"

Amid gasps of disbelief, the stranger produced in her hands what looked like cards and then leapt with supreme grace from the top of the pole. Her long, raven-coloured locks of hair and the tail of her red coat fluttered playfully in the wake of her descent. By now, however, the Papal Knights were on her like moths to a flame. She produced another card from within the jacket and threw it forward as she landed. It suddenly lost momentum and hovered in the air half-way between her and the wall of knights aiming to stop her; then it spun wildly, uncontrollably. Energy pulsated from the deceptive piece of paper and it began to glow. Moments later, after a brilliant flash of light, the card was no longer there: something more sinister had replaced it.

The creature looked vaguely like a featherless bird with long, clawed arms instead of wings. Instead of a tail it had a strange ornament on its back that could be likened to the steering wheel of a large ship. Upon this wheel-like appendage was draped a piece of paper with a strange symbol that meant 'Water'. The Guardian growled angrily through its hooked beak and stared down the frightened knights.

Their saviour wasted no time, realizing that the knights had to be dealt with if they were to be freed from their bondage without incident. Aidan was amazed at the fact that she showed no sign of faltering despite the fact that she was up against eight fully-armed Papal Knights. He was even more amazed at her speed: in the blink of an eye she had vanished from her spot, and a streak of crimson was all that could be seen across the backs of the line of knights. They all simultaneously stumbled and fell forward onto their knees, propping themselves up with their halberds.

When they had recovered, the knights decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to divide their forces evenly. Four of them charged at the stranger, while the other four attempted to tackle the strange vulture-like beast she had summoned with a piece of paper.

An amused grin was painted onto the stranger's beautiful face as she saw the knights surround her and brandish their weapons. "Surrender now!" one of them demanded. She merely laughed.

"I don't think so." The woman held her cards aloft, extending her hands out in front of her, palms open. Somehow, the cards were suspended in mid-air before her, and they too began to glow. "It's over! Whirlwind Seal!" She spun around and slammed her now-free hand into the ground. The glowing cards divided and multiplied as though they were bacteria being examined under a microscope. Before the knights even had time to react, the newly-multiplied weapons whipped up into a frenzy, swirling around the stranger in a crazed vortex of dangerous cards. The knights cried out in pain as the simple pieces of paper somehow cut through their thick armor, quite literally like knives through tin cans.

If Aidan craned his neck, he could also just barely see the summoned guardian easily defending against its four targets. Occasionally one knight would jab at it with his halberd, but the vulture-like beast would reach out with its long arms and grab the weapon by the shaft, or slash the knight in the face and cause him to stumble. Aidan also occasionally saw the creature's wheel-shaped tail spin wildly just before it unleashed a powerful spray of water from its mouth, sending knights flying in every direction.

Looking back towards the mysterious stranger, Aidan could see that her powerful seal attack had finished the knights in one blow: all four of them were lying in agony on the ground, feebly attempting to scramble to their feet. She was now darting around the arena and using her cards to break the bonds by which he and his companions were held. However, the sounds of more clinking metal could be heard, and Aidan knew that more Papal Knights were filing onto the scene, ready to oppress the revolt.

Finally, the woman reached Aidan's stake. She raised a card above her head and brought it down forcefully; Aidan expected to hear some kind of shattering noise, but did not. The chain merely severed and fell to the ground with a clank. He stepped forward and turned to thank her, but the woman had already vanished into the throng of knights now stepping into the arena.

Aidan's friends had already been freed, and he could see them holding their own against whatever knights had made the mistake of attacking them. Juna was off to his right, and he could see her dancing around a pair of Papal Knights. She easily dodged every attack they made, and occasionally bombarded them with the energy summoned by the song of her flute.

The boy was surprised to see Audrey fighting two knights of her own off to his left. Audrey was moving gracefully, directing her gymnast's ribbon with flicks of her wrist and swings of her arm, but it seemed that if she gave the ribbon an inch, it took a mile: Aidan could have sworn it had a life of its own as it darted about. First it lashed out and turned across the first knight's chest, and when it retreated, he could see a gash in the man's armor through which blood was trickling, as though the piece of cloth had somehow become a deadly razor capable of shearing metal effortlessly. Then the ribbon doubled back and aimed for the second guard; Audrey used it to grab him, wrap him up tight, hoist him several dozen feet in the air, and then drop him like a hot potato. There was a sickening crunch as he hit the ground, and Aidan had to turn away.

Bartheo was showing just why he was so difficult to capture back at the cathedral. He had already downed two knights by cleaving them cleanly down the torso, and two more were making futile efforts at subduing him by force. He was able to parry their attacks with his dual axes and follow up by cutting through their armor like tissue paper.

Even Arthur was holding his own: he was standing still and a small group of knights was sidestepping around him carefully, trying to find an opening. However, whenever one of them advanced, he raised his staff and a bolt of light shot out from its tip and struck them, sending them flying. Occasionally he chanted a verse and a ball of light appeared above his head, from which several rays shot out in all directions, scattering the ring of enemies around him.

Aidan was not standing still as he watched, though: he was already being confronted by two armor-clad tin cans and was doing his best to keep them at bay. His usual advantage over an opponent was that his spear was much longer than whatever weapon they had, and thus he could keep them at a distance. However, in this case, the knights' halberds were about as long as his spear, so he had to be doubly careful and alter his tactics a little. Whenever one of them attempted an attack, he carefully stepped to the side and used his momentary advantage to drive the head of the staff into their chest or arm. His weapon did not pierce the metal quite as easily as his companions', but it was sufficiently suited to defeating the knights.

Before long, the group had mowed down enough knights that a small opening had been created, and the strange woman was standing at one of the exits to the arena and beckoning to them. Of course they did not hesitate: each of them ran towards her as quickly as they were able. Aidan and Bartheo took one last look to make sure no knights were dangerously close to them before also turning into the tunnel and racing after the woman.

"My name is Shareen," she explained in transit. Shareen appeared to know the island very well, as she was turning down a seemingly-arbitrary series of tunnels and passageways that would have taken the group hours to navigate on their own.

"Thanks for saving us," Juna said immediately as they ran, "but what are we supposed to do now? The Madrigora Dungeons are on an island, after all."

Shareen apparently decided that there was no time for talking. She said nothing more, and nobody asked, as they headed frantically for the way out of their almost-resting place.

---

The night air was refreshing after being locked in jail cells and almost burned at the stake, but none of the group had any time to enjoy it. Shareen was still running, heading towards the lake that surrounded the compound. Aidan could just vaguely make out a shadowy figure standing near the water beside was looked like a boat. He didn't ask any questions as they hurried toward him.

"Brother!" she called out suddenly. "Let's get out of here!"

Moments later they had reached the boat, which was more than large enough for all of them, and they hopped in without hesitation. Already knights were pouring out of the exits to the building, and alarms were wailing loudly into the night. Suddenly, a glowing card appeared in front of Shareen, and she took it in hand. "Damn," she muttered.

"What does that mean?" Aidan asked, looking at the card.

"It means my guardian has been defeated. There must be more of those knights than I thought."

"Not to worry, sister," the strange man said, stepping into the boat. Aidan looked at him and saw that he was dressed in a very typical ninja fashion; his body was covered in light, black clothing so that only his eyes could be seen. He made an odd pose and said, "I call upon the maiden of the mist! I summon thee – come, Undine!"

Aidan saw, behind the boat, a swell of water energy. A strange woman rose up from the water. Her skin was blue, and she looked to be wearing robes that were not made of cloth, but of water. Her purple hair flowed like a river out behind her.

"Undine," the man said, "please propel this boat as quickly and safely as you can to the other side of the lake!"

"As the pact-maker wills," the spirit said in a sultry voice. She merely lifted her hand and vanished into thin air. A small wave of water rose behind the boat and rushed forward; the group was jarred by the sudden burst of movement, and had to hold on for their dear lives as the little wooden vessel raced across the lake and away from the fuming knights behind them.

---

Although Port Kilika was usually a quiet little port town on the edge of the large lake, today it was bustling with life. News of the interrupted execution had reached even this sleepy little villa by now, and Papal Knights were prowling the dusty streets in search of the strange woman and the captives she had freed from death. They were safe, however: Shareen had led them into the basement of a building on the edge of town. The upper floors were a souvenir shop, a front for the fact that the building was really the base of operations for an espionage ring in the city.

Aidan and the others were seated on the floor around a large wooden table. Shareen and her brother sat together, with everyone else gathered around them. By now, Genis and Raven had caught up with them. It was not difficult to gather the information that the others had been taken to the Madrigora Dungeons, and thus they headed there immediately to try and rescue them. Shareen and her brother intercepted them, knowing their plight, and went off to rescue them themselves. Genis and Raven had insisted on coming, but they were persuaded that four was too much of a crowd, and thus they waited at the port, never knowing – until now – who the strange saviours were.

"It is time for a proper introduction," her brother said. Everyone could get a closer look at his face now that he had removed his black hood and mask, and they had gotten over the initial shock that he bore a striking resemblance to his sister, Shareen. "I am Shard Fujibayashi, chief of my village, and this is my twin sister, Shareen."

Genis looked shocked to hear this. "Did you say… Fujibayashi?" he asked feebly. Aidan turned and thought he saw the old half-elf's eyes mist up.

"Fujibayashi?" Aidan questioned. "You mean like the Legendary Hero, Sheena?"

Genis' eyes watered more noticeably now, but he closed them and nodded his head briskly.

"Yes," Shareen answered. "We are descended from Sheena Fujibayashi, the greatest chieftaness of our village."

"But how did you know to rescue us?" Juna inquired. "I mean, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but… what led you to mistrust the accusations that we were plotting treason against the Pope?"

Shard looked in her direction and chuckled. "To this instant we have no doubt that you are plotting treason against the Pope."

The group was taken aback. Audrey looked confused and asked, "But how did you know? Were we… not careful enough?" She shot a worried glance at Juna, and both of them seemed to wonder who else knew if these two strangers did.

"You were indeed very careful," Shareen complimented. "In fact, gathering information on your efforts was a difficult task even for us."

"'Even for you'?" Bartheo asked skeptically, crossing his arms. "What's that mean?"

"They're from Mizuho," Raven said matter-of-factly with a knowing expression on his face. "Sheena Fujibayashi was one of the greatest leaders of that village. She was the first chieftaness to form pacts with all ten summon spirits of this world, and was the second person in its history to do so. Only a handful has succeeded since then. As soon as they mentioned her, and as soon as I considered how they knew about us last night, I pieced it together immediately."

Juna nodded her head slowly. "And Mizuho is infamous for its spy network. They say there isn't anything you can't find out if you want to."

Shareen nodded her head with a smile. "That's right. We haven't lost our touch. Of course, since Zephyr is a group that has recently done a lot of espionage, you were well-versed in tactics to hide your true intentions. But we were, in the end, more skilled," she gloated.

Aidan held out his hands and said, "Woah, woah, woah. That's great and all, but I still don't get one thing: why did you help us if you knew we were plotting to kidnap the Pope?"

Shard fielded the question. "Because we also knew your intentions were not malicious."

"We've noticed strange behaviour in the Pope as well," Shareen elaborated. "Not only in the Pope, but in the organization known as the Hand of Beatrix. In fact, the only reason Shard and I are here is because we're investigating a group of its members who are operating within Kilika. If it hadn't been for that…"

"—you wouldn't have been able to come to our rescue," Juna finished with a slight chuckle. Shareen nodded solemnly.

"So you see," Shard continued, unfazed, "we rescued you because we supposed to an almost certain degree that your aims were the same as ours. Of course…" – he looked at each of them grimly and seriously – "if we find that our trust was misplaced, we will simply turn you back in to the Papal Knights. We of Mizuho are currently on decently good standing with the Pope, and thus the knights would never suspect our involvement with undue cause. Your next visit to Madrigora Island will not be so lucky."

Aidan gulped hard at this news and thanked the spirits that they were indeed only trying to figure out what the Pope was really doing. He certainly didn't favour the idea of being thrown back into prison to await a sentence that would likely be more gruesome than the previous one. Nobody had ever resisted execution in the Madrigora Dungeons before, and the Grand Jury would have a ball thinking up a new punishment for that sin.

"I assure you that we intend no undeserved harm to the Pope," Juna said. This seemed to satisfy Shard, and he nodded.

"Good. Then for now our two paths become one," he said.

"You said you were investigating Hand of Beatrix activity in this area," Raven said after a short silence. His eyes were closed and he was showing his usual lackadaisical attitude.

Shareen nodded quickly. "Yes, we are. A small group of its members are active in this region, and their base of operations is here in Kilika. We came very close to finding its exact location, but then they paid us back in kind by almost ferreting us out. We are currently waiting until things blow over before we make our next move."

Juna looked interested in their findings. "Have you discovered anything odd so far?"

Shard shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, no. We know that their leader is a woman named Sonia Mi'Arden, but we don't know much about her. On the surface they seem to be an ordinary bandit ring, but their targets are not ordinary trinkets. They are trinkets that no merchant in the free world would even consider buying – priceless but worthless, if you will. We want to know why."

"As do we," Juna assured him with a nod of her head. "That's why we were trying to interrogate the Pope. We want to know what his involvement is. The Hand of Beatrix has gone unopposed for far too long. He simply must be involved with them somehow."

"We are of the same opinion," Shareen said. She ran a finger absentmindedly through her long, raven hair, and Aidan could only stare, enchanted by her beauty. She didn't notice.

"Well, why don't we help you find out?" Aidan said suddenly. The idea had come to him initially as a chance to get closer to Shareen, but overall it sounded like a good idea. "By now, we must be pretty well known amongst the Hand of Beatrix, assuming they are in league with the Pope and all. We can lure them out or something."

Shard seemed to consider this for a moment. "It would help us if we could interrogate one of their members… and it is true that we can't risk attracting their attention by ourselves… but I do not wish to get you involved, strangers."

Genis chuckled slightly. "But we already are involved, if you take my meaning. One way or another, the Hand of Beatrix will eventually set its sights upon us. We might as well direct their gaze when the cards are in our hand."

Shareen smiled and giggled. "Brother's just trying to sound responsible. He meant to ask you for help all along." Shard objected to this accusation audibly, but Shareen waved him off. "As we have told you, the Hand of Beatrix covers their tracks well: whenever we see their members exit a building, we go in to investigate, only to find an ordinary home or shop. We suspect that they have several fronts in this city, like ours up above. Our reports indicate that they most frequently emerge from one particular tavern in the northern part of town: the Black Eye."

"The tavern is notorious," Shard continued, "for being a meeting place for all types of low-life activity. Bandits and pirates of every variety spend their evenings there. We have little doubt that if someone caused enough of a ruckus in there, he would certainly attract the attention of the Hand of Beatrix."

Excited, Aidan leapt to his feet. He had a faraway, adventurous look in his eyes. "So all we have to do is make some trouble in this Black Eye bar, right? That sounds easy!"

Juna gave him a chiding look. "Easy, yes, but dangerous. There is also another variable we need to control: attracting the attention of the Hand of Beatrix and not the other pond scum hanging around. The last thing we need is a group of drunken pirates looking for a fight."

Shard nodded his head, impressed. "This is correct. You are wise beyond your years, Juna." He stood up and moved across the room to a wooden cabinet in the corner. Opening the top drawer, the handsome man pulled out a golden statue of an angel wearing a diamond-studded tiara. Genis' eyes lit up.

"That's—it can't possibly be—"

"The Spiritua Statue," Shard said with a nod. "Or, at least, a good enough replica to fool all but the most astute collectors."

"What's a Spiritua," Aidan asked in a puzzled tone, "and why is there a statue of it?"

Juna sighed. "Spiritua was the first Chosen of the ancient world. She began the first pilgrimage of world regeneration, and her success branded her as a saint and saviour for the entire world of Sylvarant."

"Oh," Aidan said with a nod. "I knew that."

"The Spiritua Statue," Shareen explained, "is a treasure long thought lost even to the church. The popular joke among collectors is that not even the church would be able to afford the Spiritua Statue if it were ever found."

"And so it would be irresistible to the Hand of Beatrix," Raven reasoned. Shareen nodded.

"But what makes you think they'll take the bait?" Arthur questioned with a strange look. "There haven't even been rumoured sightings of the Spiritua Statue in over seven centuries."

Shard moved back toward the table and set down the startlingly-accurate replica in front of everyone. Even Genis, who had seen the real thing a thousand years ago, could not believe it was actually a fake. "That is irrelevant," he said simply.

"Irrelevant?" Aidan questioned. "How?"

"The replica is so good," Shareen elaborated, "that even those who have seen the real statue" – on saying this she cast a glance at Genis – "can scarcely tell that it's a fake. Of course, if it passed into the hands of the church it would no doubt be found out for what it is. However, we don't need to get that far."

"The only thing we need to know right now," Shard continued, "is where the Hand of Beatrix is operating from in Kilika. We can figure out what to do from there. This statue will easily fool any of the random thugs hanging around in the tavern. They will undoubtedly take you to one of their superiors, and we can take things from there."

Juna rapped one end of her flute against the wooden table absentmindedly. "Take things from there… and how do you suppose we do that? If they take us into their base to meet with their superior, we'll be in unfamiliar, enemy territory without any way of contacting you."

At Juna's words, Shareen withdrew a card from a pocket inside her open jacket; it looked almost exactly like the one she had used to summon the strange creature at the Ring of Fire. "This is a Guardian card," she said, tossing the enchanted piece of paper across the table. Juna caught it effortlessly. "As you have seen, they can be used to summon creatures called Guardians. However, they are also linked with me, their current master. If one of you holds one of these cards, I will be able to sense your location at all times, and contact you telepathically. I would assist you personally, but unfortunately Shard and I are too well known to the Hand of Beatrix bandits in this city."

Juna passed the card to Aidan. He fingered it awhile, looking it over and trying to figure out how a mythical creature could possibly be hidden inside of it. Aside from the strange, illegible markings on both sides of the piece of paper, he could see nothing that explained the matter.

"We believe that you and Aidan would be the best choices," Shard announced.

"But I wanna come too!" Audrey protested.

Shareen grinned and shook her head. "I'm afraid you don't fit the description of a typical mercenary treasure hunter, or an archaeologist, or any suitable cover for this case."

"There is also the fact that we do not wish to involve too many of you at one time," Shard rationalized. "The fewer of you there are, the less chance there is of anyone suspecting you of being something you aren't."

Aidan nodded his head, still looking as excited as ever. "Alright! So let's get going!" He took the false Spiritua Statue in hand and stood up excitedly.

"Let's go over the plan once," Shareen said carefully. "We can't afford any mistakes."

---

Juna would later point out that the events in the Black Eye tavern could not have gone more smoothly or perfectly if Providence Itself had stepped in to guide them. She and Aidan entered casually and excitedly, dressed like two archaeologists back from a dig; their expressions were perfectly suited to the act: they had just discovered an artifact of great importance to them, and yet they were not so obvious in their excitement as to give away its value. This was to prevent other random treasure hunters intervening in order to get a quick fortune, as any warm-blooded human would of course be attracted to do: when one waves a steak in front of a starving dog, one cannot but expect the dog to leap.

To further prevent any unfortunate interventions from the undesired crowd, Juna purchased a round of drinks for the lot of them, inducing rousing chants of nonsense that she could only assume were some form of thanks. Now that we're on better terms with them, she thought at the time, there will be less chance of their prying.

Naturally the bartender inquired as to why Aidan and Juna were so joyous and generous that evening. Aidan played his part by vaguely describing the Spiritua Statue. Juna could have mistaken him for a true actor, for he played the part well: he only provided imprecise details about the statue and its origins, enough to put off the average passerby (who would undoubtedly cast it aside as another of the religious artifacts the church was so fervently seeking in those times), but also enough to entice those knowledgeable enough about such things.

It came as no surprise that the Hand of Beatrix fit that particular bill.

Shortly after Aidan had carefully laid his bait, and once the crowd was beginning to settle down (for they had become unruly and cheerful after being given a free round of ale), he and Juna were approached by a shady character. The man was tall and slim (not to be confused with a lack of muscle), and he was shrouded in dark robes that concealed all of his body. A black band of cloth ran horizontally across the middle of his face, covering his nose but leaving his eyes and mouth exposed. Aidan wondered was it terribly uncomfortable, but decided that it must not have been. Without being invited, the man took a seat beside the pair and signaled for a drink.

"Did I hear you correctly?" he asked in a rasped whisper.

"I don't know," Juna said, spinning around in her stool and leaning back against the bar. "What did you hear?"

"That you've found the Spiritua Statue."

Aidan and Juna both turned. Aidan had never once mentioned the name of the statue: even the most uncultured barbarian knows just how valuable the Spiritua Statue is. If this man was able to deduce what exactly they were talking about, he was clearly knowledgeable in ancient religious artifacts. This did not immediately mean that he was a member of the Hand of Beatrix (though Aidan felt sure he was if for no other reason than his odd clothing), so further investigation was required.

"You assume much," Aidan said with a bit of a chuckle. He shifted in his seat as he awaited the response.

The stranger huffed with amusement. "You did not need to say it directly. The description was clear enough: not to one of these rag-tag mercenaries, perhaps, but to one well-versed in the acquisition of artifacts, you could not have been more obvious unless you had named it directly." He took the drink offered by the bartender and sipped it quietly while gazing at the pair through the corner of his eyes.

"A master of antiquities, then." Juna turned to face the stranger and eyed him up and down. "Supposing we have found the Spiritua Statue… what of it? Have you come to take it from us?" She grinned playfully; the stranger would no doubt take it as a challenging grin, but in fact Juna knew that his answer would do a good deal towards deciphering his allegiance.

"No," the man replied simply in his whispering voice, drowning himself in another shot of the drink in his hand. Aidan wondered if he was merely deterred by the horde of sailors now friendly toward him and Juna thanks to their generous donation. "But I do have a proposition."

He immediately rose from his seat before even waiting to see if Aidan and Juna were at all interested. Quickly he glided across the floor; black robes billowed behind him like a dark wind, beckoning the pair to follow. They passed a glance at each other, and without words they expressed that they both felt sure this was the man they were looking for. Without hesitation, they stood and followed behind.

The opposing wall of the room seemed nothing out of the ordinary: it was lined with shelves upon which stood glasses and mugs of a variety of shapes and sizes, some of them on display because of their value (for there are indeed true valuables among such things to those who are interested in seeking them).

"My… employer would be very interested in this find," the figure whispered. A few strands of black hair had fallen loose from his hood and hung over his eyes. "She would very much like to meet you with, I am sure."

"You're still assuming we actually have found the Spiritua Statue." Juna eyed the man curiously. He looked at her and chuckled darkly.

"It is a chance I am willing to take."

He passed a glance at the bartender, who surveyed the room and then nodded back at him. The figure reached up and palmed an empty beer mug on the shelf. Very gently he slid it forward, and to his left, the wall slid open, revealing a descending flight of stairs. "Come." He said no more and dropped into the darkness. As Aidan and Juna followed, the drunken crowd never even realized that their generous companions had vanished.