Beowulf jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding a sideways slash from Rofel's Save the Queen. He brought his own sword, Hrunting (A/N: Not a Tactics weapon, but wouldn't that be cool?), up to strike a blow to his armored shoulder, knocking him down to the ground. He put his sword to Rofel's throat.
"Yield," Beowulf said, out of breath. "I have won."
"You are a promising student Beowulf," Rofel said, equally winded. "One of the best sparring partners I have had since I was learning from Vormav. That may be enough to push you over the edge and get you that spot in the Shrine Knights."
Beowulf removed his sword from Rofel's throat and extended his hand to help him up. Rofel took it and Beowulf pulled him up. Rofel shook his hand when he was standing.
"Good match," he said. "All right losers! Line up for roll call!"
All the potential candidates to fill the position in the Shrine Knights opened up by Jorge Zanuba's untimely demise at the hands of a dangerous assassin. Beowulf quickly scanned the line for who he considered to be the most beautiful candidate for the spot: Reis Dular. The Dulars were a prominent trader family in Lesalia. Their daughter Reis had considerable talent as a mage, so they sent her to Gariland. Beowulf and his best friend Buremonda trained alongside her for years. And now all three were in line to be the newest Shrine Knight.
The potential candidates lined up. First in line there was himself, dressed in his cadet uniform. Each of the cadets were. It was slate gray, and a little more form-fitting than Beowulf would have liked, but Reis looked good in it. Next to him stood his friend Buremonda, wearing a scowl on his aging face. He was only about a year older than Beowulf, but he always looked about twenty years older. He was a little shorter than Beowulf, and he had jet black hair and blue eyes. He was sarcastic, vengeful, and a powerful black mage, even though technically he was a priest.
Next to him was Reis. The love of his life. The first time he had enlisted in Gariland, Reis looked once at him with her deep blue eyes, and he melted. Mushy, he knew, but he had always kind of been a romantic. For the longest time, he thought she was interested in Buremonda, but lately she had been hinting that she liked him. After today's practice, he would talk to her.
Next to her stood Tara Richardson. Tall, blonde, and drop dead gorgeous, her beauty was the one thing that fit her for field work. She specialized in assassination. Her targets were distracted by her good looks, and they usually didn't fight back. (A/N: She's supposed to be like a Barbie doll, I'm doing this on purpose) She was taller and tanner than Beowulf. Beowulf noticed how attractive she was, but Buremonda had not because he was so obsessed with Reis.
Then, there was the fifth and final Temple Knight that was in line for the position in the Shrine Knights: Kletian Drowa. He was a little younger than Beowulf, the same age as Reis. He had dark brown hair, and was an extremely powerful mage. Occasionally, he did use a sword, but he usually used swords in conjunction with them, such as setting the sword on fire. He tended to be more on the sadistic side than Beowulf liked in a friend, but they were in the same training group, so they got along. Kletian was somewhat of a prodigy, graduating top of his class in Gariland.
Five friends all in line for the same job. Each overqualified, each wanted it badly, and each would do anything to get it.
"Okay maggots," Rofel said. "Listen up. Today is the day when you get your results from the fencing tests." He handed Kletian a couple of pieces of parchment. "Kletian, you scored third place. Good for a mage." He moved down the line to Tara. "You, Tara, scored second place." Beowulf let out a sigh of relief. She was the one he was most worried about. Rofel moved to Reis. "Reis, fourth place. You could do better." Reis sighed, and Rofel moved to Buremonda. "Buremonda, I'm embarrassed. Not only did you score last place, but your performance was atrocious. You were wounded ten times." He stepped in front of Beowulf and handed him some more parchment. "Try to duel more like Beowulf, then you may get first place like him." Rofel's eyes glowed with appreciation.
"I was a fool to trust you back then," a voice said from the shadows. It was his old religion teacher, Renault. He wore bright blue robes, which complimented his bleached white hair, even though he was only about thirty. He was never serious, and a very sarcastic teacher. Beowulf looked around and none of the others seemed to notice he was acting strangely.
"What are you saying? You can always trust me," Beowulf said questioningly. "After all, I am your best student."
"Were," Renault said as the other figures disappeared. "Were my best student. Let's look at something that happened a long time ago." Beowulf felt the ground move underneath him, and the two old friends looked on a scene from Beowulf's past. It was Reis standing on a bridge near Murond and Beowulf looking on from the shadows.
"Sh," Renault chided. "It's just getting good."
The figure Beowulf walked up to the girl on the bridge and handed her a package.
"Aw, Beowulf," she cooed. "That's sweet. What is-" She opened it and revealed a small clock. She gave Beowulf a confused look.
"It's so you can get up early and learn to spar," Beowulf said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "With me."
"You know what Beowulf," Reis said, slipping her hand into Beowulf's. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
She pulled in close to him and they kissed. He pulled his hand out of hers and put them around her waist, and she put hers around his neck. His hands roved a little around her body, forceful enough to imply he wanted more, but subtle enough to still be a gentlemen. The perfect amount.
"Aw," Renault cooed, and the scene froze. "How sweet. But let's look at it from a different standpoint." The view shifted from Reis and Beowulf to Buremonda. He was standing behind a couple of bushes and watching, absolutely mortified.
"I can just hear it now," Renault said, mocking Buremonda. " 'He was my best friend, how could he?' Always was a little dense."
"Why are you showing me all this," Beowulf asked, very confused.
"Because I made a deal with a higher power to get you out of limbo," Renault said. "Which is where I've been stuck after I died because of some of the, um, things I did with your classmates back in Gariland. Anyway, I couldn't get into Heaven without getting you back in Ivalice."
"What?" Beowulf was still very confused. "I don't understand any of this. I'm just-"
"Sh," Renault chided again. "Watch this right here." He began to play the scene in slow motion, until it showed Buremonda in a position clutching his chest with a look of intense pain on his face.
"Right there," Renault chuckled. "You can see the moment where his heart breaks and his head snaps."
"Oh my god," Beowulf said, utterly amazed. "I knew obsessed over her, but I had no idea he was-"
"Oh well," Renault said. "Let's move on."
Beowulf got that 'earth moving under his feet' feeling again, and they moved to Buremonda's dorm room he shared with Beowulf and Kletian. It was pretty modest, mostly consisting of a cot, a desk, and a lamp on either side. The floor was dirt, and the walls were filthy. Beowulf always assumed that these meager conditions were part of Rofel's training.
"Now I never knew about any of this," Renault said. "I didn't know any of you five when you were training with Rofel, but I saw all this coming from your high school days in Gariland."
Buremonda was throwing random ingredients into a pot that was being lit by a bright purple fire. The liquid inside was glowing a dull neon green.
"Fareth Kaos De Vanda," Buremonda chanted. "Have to get this finished before Reis shows. Kaos De Urlitz Dragona."
"This had been going on for about a half an hour now," Renault commented. "He's waiting for- Oh never mind, there she is."
Reis walked in the room. "Buremonda, hi," she said nervously. "Why did you ask me over. And what is that cauldron doing in-"
"How are you and Beowulf," Buremonda asked coldly. "Are things good between you two?"
"Well, we're still friends if that's what you mean," Reis answered. "What is this about-"
"Liar!" Buremonda yelled. "I saw you two. Kissing in the gardens. You betrayed me!"
"Buremonda," Reis tried to comfort him. "I have liked him for a long time now and-"
"Kaos De Urlitz Dragona," Buremonda screamed. "Dragona es Feolio! Change Reis! This is your punishment for your sin."
Beowulf watched in horror as the young mage started to turn purple and was no longer bipedal. She grew claws and fangs and all sorts of other terrible things. Reis was no more, and the Holy Dragon had taken her place. Buremonda laughed madly.
"That's what you get," he said, pointing at her and laughing again. "That's what you get for sinning against God!"
The Holy Dragon let out a wretched cry, and raced out of the room. Beowulf and Renault followed. Further down the hall, they saw Tara, Kletian, Rofel, and Beowulf himself come out of their rooms, well Kletian came out of Tara's, to watch the spectacle. Everyone was clambering for Beowulf to do something, but he couldn't bring himself to.
"This is your punishment too Beowulf," Buremonda yelled at him, and Beowulf turned to look at him. "Letting yourself get seduced by that little harlot."
"You monster!" Beowulf screamed, and lunged at Buremonda with the Hrunting outstretched to skewer him with it, but it just bounced harmlessly off his midsection.
"Demonic pacts," Buremonda chuckled evilly. "They promised to keep me safe if I delivered them a dragon." He laughed madly and disappeared. Beowulf started to follow the Holy Dragon.
"Beowulf wait," Rofel yelled after him.
"Why, Rofel," Beowulf asked, even though he already knew the answer. "She's one of us. I just want to help her."
"She's a liability now," Rofel replied calmly. "Healing her will only waste our valuable time and energy." Beowulf gave him a defiant look and continued to march away.
"If you leave now, you can never come back," Rofel called, and his lapdog Kletian nodded. Beowulf stopped again, turned around, and in his last act of defiance, drove the Hrunting into the dirt floor. Then he continued out.
"And that's the story of how Kletian Drowa became a Shrine Knight," Renault narrated. "Because of two men's love for the same woman."
"What about Tara?" Beowulf asked.
"Right after you left, she went after Buremonda, and still hasn't found him," Renault said. "Love and religion can make people do damn crazy things."
"I had no idea," Beowulf said, amazed.
"So now you know," Renault said. "So have you gotten over those feelings of uncertainty yet, 'cuz I'm about ready to get to Heaven."
"How did you know about that?" Beowulf asked.
"You told me," Renault replied. "Well, not directly, but the dead can hear all the living's thoughts. And you might want to tell Malak that it ain't gonna happen when you get back."
"When I get back?" Beowulf was thoroughly confused.
"Yup." Renault raised his hand, and the entire structure flashed white.
A/N: This was about twice as long as usual, but I think it was about twice as good. I really enjoyed this chapter, and I like Beowulf more now.
Let me say something: like most of you probably did, I first thought of Buremonda as an old man who was jealous of Reis and Beowulf's love. But I thought this was more exciting. And also, keep close tabs on Buremonda and Tara: they're not gone for good.
Next chapter is, aw hell I'm gonna screw up the order again and go with Kylie so you all can meet one of my originals.