Brilliance, A Legend of Mana Story

Chapter 11 -The Hokuten-

Vandal threw back the tent flap, and hissed at what he saw. Godhand sat completely nude, Kana rubbing oil into his shoulders. Only a small animal skin blanket covered his lap. Making a face, Vandal cleared his throat. "Your fanclub showed up."

"His home?" Godhand asked, not opening his eyes. He leaned harder into Kana's ministrations, as if there was terrible pain in his back and neck. She cooed something softly into his ear, but Vandal couldn't catch what it was.

"Well, funny story behind that . . . Apparently he has a big ass tree in his backyard, and some really violent pets which killed the fire demon and stopped the house from burning down completely. I destroyed his shop, and the barn is gone too."

Godhand sighed. "An Ishu?"

"Just looked like a big ass tree to me. Want me to send them in, or not?"

"Not now, Godhand." Kana's voice became low, husky, breathless. Vandal would've killed to hear her use that tone with him. It was a bedtime voice, a promise of pleasure to come. And an open taunt. "Send them away, we have to hurry the resurrection. Let them continue our efforts, while you recover from the strain of leadership."

Godhand nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, go. Tell them to continue hunting that man and his allies. And give the grunts the retreat order."

The spear-carrier turned, and left the tent. There was muffled noise, and then Kana laughed, the sound of it making him flinch. Trying his best to ignore it, he looked around. "Everybody, pack up. Camp's moving in an hour. Only the Nanten are to remain."

"What about us?" The sorcerer hissed, sounding like he was literally drooling about the children they'd kidnapped. Vandal smirked. "You guys are to hunt done the guy that whupped Godhand."

The girl moved; it was extremely slight, barely sensed, but it was there. Vandal turned on her. "There a problem?"

That fox-mask gave nothing away, and she turned on her heel, leaving the camp. The sorcerer looked back at her, and shook his head. "Nuance . . . She's a strange one. Lord Idogawa swears by her prowess, but I have to wonder."

"All I have to wonder is, why you're salivating over two kids, when you have a luscious piece of work like that walking around, who knows the most valuable rule a woman can learn: Keep your mouth shut." Vandal smirked at the sorcerer, and walked away.

The man scowled at his retreating back, before shaking his head. "You'll never get the chance to find out."

Riven paused at the crossroads, slipping his hands into his pockets. A brisk wind blew strongly from the north, a mere taste of the icy wether coming. His fingers brushed against the snow globe Cervantes had brought him. He pulled it out, looking at it. "I don't remember putting you in my pocket." He frowned at it, and moved to put it away, when it pulsed, energy crackling through his hand, forcing him to drop it in surprise.

The Artifact fell, and shattered on the ground, energy cascading out in all directions, picking him up and carrying him in its wake. It ran over him, quickly drowning him in sensation, sound and light. He fell, and drifted away.

-Snowy Globe-
Temple of the Magic God

Riven awakened, groggy and numb, his ears still ringing from the snowglobe's explosion. He got to his feet, and immediately felt the wind tearing through him. He shivered, grabbing his hat and pulling it down hard over his ears. The snowy field he stood in was beautiful, but it was an emotionless beauty. Crystalle's Garden of Icicle Flowers held more warmth then this place.

"Literally too," he chattered out loud as he glanced around. He was standing in the center of a huge cemetary, snow piled up to his knees and getting deeper. He could see gravestones barely peeking out over the top of the snow, and almost nothing else through the swirling white. He shook himself, trying to get off some of the powder that'd collected on him while he was unconscious. Clumps clung to him, and when he scratched at them with his fingertips, he found they were extremely cold. The type of cold that burned.

Taking off his hat, he slapped it hard against his leg once and pulled it back on, free of debris. Then, after a deep breath, he started trudging forward. Of course, he didn't really have any clue if forward was where shelter lay, but he really never knew anything about the places that emerged from Artifacts. But usually, forward led him to where he needed to go.

He fought his way forward, until a shape managed to distinguish itself from the snow. A massive gray, flickering in and out of sight behind a veil of ice and sleet. Grinning, he fought forward harder, and ran smack into a wall. "Yowch!" Riven grabbed his nose. "Well, salvation is salvation," he thought out loud. He felt his way along the wall, slapping his hands together every time sensation started to leave them again. In no time at all he found stairs, and climbed up them. There was a slight awning, which offered little solace from the snowstorm, and he found a large set of double doors. Banging on them shamelessly, he blew on his hands between knocks.

The door opened, and a young woman looked out at him. She wore a simple black dress, and carried a feather duster in one hand. Her silver hair was tied back with a black bandanna. He smiled, teeth chattering. "Hi," he said.

"Oh dear," she whispered.

Escad stalked through the Underworld, shadows cringing from his rage. "Quit following me!" he snarled.

A girl laughed, and continued skipping along behind him, mocking him shrilly. "Quit following me!"

"Stop it this instant!"

"Stop it this instant!" She cackled, throwing her head back with glee.

Finally fed up, he whirled around, and raised a hand threateningly. She danced away, hiding behind some rocks. "You're not any fun!" she yelled, sticking her tongue out and pulling down her lower eyelid. Escad made a comment crude enough to make her mouth drop open in astonishment, and continued on her way. She kept shadowing him, however, following him through the tricks and turns of the Underworld, until he finally whirled on her again.

"Where is Olbohn?!" he snarled.

She laughed. "Nobody's seen Olbohn in days." Tossing her frazzled red hair with one hand, she flashed him a smile that was, despite her odd appearance, quite pretty. "He went, chasing the Shadoles when they flew away." She made a mock shape of a bird with her hands, flapping her fingers like wings.

"Hasn't been seen . . .?" Escad scowled. "What were those shapes then, if they weren't Shadoles? I saw them cowering in the darkness."

"People," she said. "They were hiding cause you're oh-so-scary!"

He scowled again, and turned away from her. "So what do I do now?" He flexed his arm, which had been returned to him on his death, and stared at it like an alien thing. Escad wasn't certain he could still use it. "What now?" he whispered.

The girl's arms wrapped around his throat, choking him. "Anything we want!" she laughed, dragging him backwards with her weight. He almost fell, but managed to pull away from her.

"Awww . . . I wanted a piggy-back ride," she said glumly.

Escad clenched his fist, but forced it back to his side. Instead, he kept his voice as cool as possible and said, "Leave me alone, woman."

She frowned. "God you're mean. I can see why no one likes you."

He arched an eyebrow, but she didn't explain. Instead, she started away. "In fact, you might as well just leave like most of the other's did. You don't seem the type to stay in the Underworld."

"What type?" He took a step after her, almost against his will. "What are you talking about?"

She spun in a circle, and waggled a finger at him. "Everybody who stays here is either afraid of living, or is afraid of the Nanten. Are you afraid, Holy Knight of Liotte?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," he snapped. She smiled knowingly at him, and he licked his lips. "You know what's happening down here . . ."

"You could say that," she said slowly. she snickered again, seemingly unable to help herself. She was like a hyena, laughing with every breath.

He cleared his throat. "Have you . . . have you seen Matilda?"

She raised a finger to her lips, and made a big show of thinking about her answer. Since he knew it was to rile him up, he kept a tight reign on his temper. When she finally noticed she wasn't going to piss him off, she sighed. "Yeah, I saw her. Talking to Irwin."

Escad flinched. "Irwin."

"Yeah."

"And you know Irwin, I take it?"

She smiled, sensing she finally had his weak spot. "Yeah. I know him. I-"

"Can people die twice?" Escad asked quietly, the promise of such a death in his voice.

The woman stopped whatever she'd been about to say, and backed away slowly, giggling nervously "You can't find Matilda. Only Irwin can."

Escad smiled. "Then I'll have to find him." He turned his back on her, and started towards the surface. Pausing at the turn of a corridor, he glanced back. "What's your name, girl?"

She looked at him, eyes suddenly distrustful. "Jackal."

"I'll remember that." He started on his way again. As he continued on, the walls darkened, the eerie light inside them fading. A hollow and frightened voice called out to him from the darkness behind him.

"Stay away from the Nanten. No dead person can fight the Necromancer. Not out there . . ."

Escad turned, to look back, but couldn't see Jackal. He wondered at the odd warning, but finally shrugged, and left the Underworld.

The interior of the church was huge, but poorly lit, only a few candles towards the pulpit providing light. When he commented on it, the young woman apologized. "With so few parishioners, we don't have much use for candles."

He smiled broadly, trying to get past her shyness. "I'm glad you see the need for heat. And blankets." He flapped the end of his blanket at her. "Its pretty awful outside."

She nodded sadly. "The storm has been going on since . . . well . . . uh, would you like something to eat? There's not much, I'm afraid."

Riven declined politely. "Are you a nun?"

She smiled shyly. "No, I'm just a caretaker. I watch this place for . . ." she drifted off, searching for the word, before pointing up lamely. Riven nodded, and looked around again. The building was made of some kind of black stone, in complete contrast to the pale color of the building's exterior. He would've said obsidian, but he didn't know whether it was possible to build with obsidian.

"Ah, if you'll excuse me, I have chores to attend . . ." she said after several moments of awkward silence.

"Would you like some help?" He started to stand. "Its the least I can do -"

"No, no, that's quite unnecessary." She excused herself, and went on her way, scurrying to the back like a frightened mouse.

With a heavy sigh, Riven shook his head. He made the caretaker nervous, but without any idea of why, he couldn't do anything to help it. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. He got to his feet, wrapping the blanket tightly about him like a cloak. He walked up the aisle, looking at everything in the church. There was little of note, except for the massive statue of a black-armored man, kneeling in prayer, a lance held lightly in one hand, and a softer statue behind it. The lines on the female were much less defined, as though to represent someone while pointing out that they didn't belong here.

The woman in the black dress appeared beside him, looking up at the statue admiringly. "That is the Magic God. He is the one this church was built for."

"Magic . . . God?" Riven frowned, confused. "I thought . . ." He smiled nervously when he noticed her intense stare. "Well, I've only ever heard of the Mana Goddess."

"Mana Goddess?" She arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

She wasn't nervous anymore, and quite obviously infatuated with her god, so Riven decided not to antagonize her. "Its nothing, forget I said anything. Who's that in the back?" He said loudly, pointing.

"That is the Goddess of Power. All that is physical flows from her. Strength, weapon skills, and such. But this place belongs to her brother." She lifted her hands, pressing fingertips to her forehead, then heart, and bowing deeply to the statue in front.

"I can't believe I've never heard of them . . ." Riven muttered, and jumped when he realized the woman was staring at him, mouth agape. She took in a breath, ready to denounce him as a blasphemer, when someone cleared his throat.

Both Riven and the woman turned to the back of the room.

"The twins are old gods . . . deities with no place in Fa'diel." The speaker moved forward, head bowed, so that his dark blue robe's hood covered his face mysteriously. He chuckled. "She wouldn't know it, but this artifact was sealed away for a long, long time. In order to keep them from ever returning."

Riven blinked, looking at the girl, who produced a massive spear out of nowhere.

"I know it." She snapped into a fighting position, black spear held ready. "And I am waiting for the return."

"You wait and serve," the newcomer chuckled. He ripped his robe off in one movement, sending it flying at her. She leapt into the air, calling upon a skill Riven had never seen before, and came down on the robe, point first. She gasped, suddenly realizing her target wasn't inside it, a second before his sword pierced her heart. She slumped to the ground, and he snatched his robe, sliding into it smoothly. The thin blade came back free of blood, and he slipped it into the sheath in his other hand, which appeared to be a cane. "Waited a second too long, there."

Riven drew his sword, and the man waved his hand dismissively. "Riven, are you that eager to fight me?"

"She gave me shelter, and - wait, how do you know my name? Answer me!"

The man drew back his hood, and Riven gawked, mouth working in silence. His old master nodded knowingly. "Yes, I am Saiga. Also known as Master Idogawa, of the Hokuten. I've sought you out Riven."

He lifted his cane, sword still tucked inside, but Riven flinched back anyway. "I've answered the call of the Nanten, and now, you must too."

He looked down at the body of the young woman. "You have a choice to make, my boy. Serve, or die. There is no other way out."