Chapter 4 - The New Shining Force
The next morning was a gloomy one, and the sun did not make itself at home in Orin's room as it had done the day before, so Orin awoke later than usual. He wasn't tired today, having gone to sleep early the night before. His mind was still full of information, which was swirling excitedly in his skull. He got dressed and proceeded down the tower stairs. He began to hear the morning chatter of the townspeople and soldiers below, and was happy to hear this sound for once.
He was greeted less than usual today because of the lack of villagers that were willing to visit the castle in such weather. Nevertheless, Orin was glad to see that his father was not speaking to someone that morning, in fact, he was not even in the throne room, but queen Elis was, and she seemed in a calm and tired mood that matched the look of the dark sky. Orin presented himself before Elis, who smiled at the sight of him, she yawned sweetly, and asked how he had slept. He replied happily that he had slept wonderfully and was dismissed for breakfast.
He had a larger breakfast that morning, considering there was no reason to study for any tests today. Orin filled his plate with eggs and sausage, and a piece of toast. He ate until he was content and full, and grabbed his new weapon and its case, and buckled it to his belt. The soldiers outside were standing guard, and waved to Orin, but said nothing to him, but he was glad for the change in the soldiers' greetings. The villagers were not yet out of their homes this morning, and as Orin walked to the well, it began to rain slightly. The rain was warm, though, because spring was fast approaching this cold winter, and the winds were strong, but felt warm on Orin's body.
He turned toward the school, as he seen Ikara wave to him through the window. He returned it as he walked up the stairs and opened the large, old door. It creaked loudly, announcing Orin's arrival, and Ikara turned to greet him, as did Gyan, who was reading the day's agenda.
"You're later than usual, Orin." said Ikara, looking a bit surprised.
"Yes, is something wrong Orin?" asked Gyan, still reading the parchment, but looking worried at the same time.
"No Sir," replied Orin, "I just woke up slightly later because of this gloomy sky."
"Well, take your seat then, and we will begin the lesson in a few minutes," said Gyan as he turned toward his desk, "and hopefully my other pupils will arrive late, instead of not at all, today."
Gyan's face was beginning to regain its red tinge again. It was true Keith and Duran were usually fooling around, and pulling pranks with each other, but they were much more likely to be late, and not absent. Orin sat down and set up his quills, and took out a small book from his satchel. It was titled "Devils and Demons of Arc Valley" by Sir Astral. Orin knew this man well, for he was his godfather, and once his father's teacher, but had passed away after Orin's 9th birthday.
He opened the tattered book to the third page, and began to read the index. There were thousands of names listed in alphabetical order. Orin searched through some names that sounded interesting, and began investigating the devils. As Orin examined the book, a loud noise came from outside. It was a horrible noise, that sounded like a bellowing elk. Suddenly, the school house door swung open and in came a tall boy. He was wearing green from head to toe, and had a belt that stretched from his shoulder to his waist, and a dark green shoulder cloak. On his back, was a quiver and bow, and he stood in the doorway, mouth slightly agape.
"Keith!?" yelled Gyan as his ran over to Keith.
Keith fell to the floor ,unconscious, with his face red and blood streaming down out from his mouth.
"My god!" screamed Ikara, as she jumped to her feet, and ran to Keith's side.
Orin shoved his book into his satchel and looked toward the window. Outside was a horde of devils, who were fighting two soldiers. The soldiers were holding their ground, but the devils were snapping at them aggressively. Orin drew his sword and ran outside to help the soldiers, but as he ran through the doorway, someone grabbed his leg from behind, sending him down to the hard, wooden floor. Orin looked behind him to see who it was, and caught a glimpse at Keith's blood smeared face.
"You can't go out there…." moaned Keith, still tightly gripping Orin's leg, "they'll---" Keith fell unconscious again, and let go of Orin's leg.
Orin stood and looked to Ikara who was weeping over Keith, and then to Gyan who was looking at Orin, his face pale with worry.
"Keith is right, Orin," said Gyan, "you have to stay here and make sure the devils don't get in."
Orin nodded, and put away his weapon, and rushed over to Keith with the others. Gyan stood, and drew forth his axe, which glowed a brighter red than ever. He walked slowly through the door, closing it behind him. Orin stood and walked to the window. He could see a battle raging outside, between a horde of about 20 devils, and there amongst them, were Gyan and five soldiers. There were more soldiers defending the homes of the villagers, and several defending the castle gate, as archers in the tower closed the large metal gate.
Orin's face grew white with fear, as he saw two soldiers get slaughtered in front of the castle gate, and as 4 more devils poured through the outer gates, and into the village. The creatures were all the same, their half man, half horse bodies covered in shining black armor, and they carried huge lances and spears. Orin watched as two devils overpowered a soldier, and impaled him from opposite sides. Orin was stricken with horror, and he began to feel dizzy and feint. He quickly turned from the raging battle toward Ikara, who was wiping the dry blood from Keith's open mouth. Ikara turned to Orin, and looked at him, with sincere fear in her eyes, and tears streaming down her pale face. Keith coughed, and woke up suddenly, his face green from noxiousness. He vomited on the floor next to him, and slowly stood up.
"I can't just sit here," said Keith, as he spat blood and vomit onto the floor, "something needs to be done."
"But what can we do, Keith?" asked Orin, as color returned to his face, "You said yourself that these devils were very strong."
"You're right, but what if we work together?" said Keith, in a sly, yet angry voice, "Lets fight these monsters together."
Keith grabbed his bow and loaded it with an arrow. Orin nodded and drew his sword. Ikara looked at them, still upset, and seemed to want to speak, but words escaped her.
"It's ok," said Orin gently, but with authority in his voice, "We won't leave you here."
"O…ok" she said, as she stood and wiped the tears from her face.
She ran quickly to the basement, and was back in only a few seconds with her staff. Orin kicked open the door, and prepared for the fight, which he knew would be difficult, and surely life threatening. He ran outside, and a battered Keith followed, as Ikara stood in the doorway, looking around at the horrible sight of the battle. Bodies of mortal soldiers lie everywhere, as did the small mounds of dust from destroyed devils. Gyan had disappeared, as well has many of the devils, only 7 or 8 remained, still attacking a group of four soldiers.
Ikara, without any apparent fear in her heart suddenly appeared in front of both Keith and Orin, and from her mouth, she roared an incantation. Surprised at Ikara's sudden gain in speed, Orin regained his calmness and moved to her side. The fire around her staff was raging, and Keith had his arrow pointed at one of the devils, as they continuously attacked the soldiers, whom were only a group of two by now. Ikara launched a huge ball of fire from her staff, which slammed into a devils, and engulfed him instantly. It roared loudly, and became ashes within seconds. Two of the devils caught sight of the attack, and spun around to attack the children. Keith fired an arrow at one of them, stunning him shortly, and causing him to cry out, but he continued his rampage toward the three. Orin ripped through the air with his sword, and in a flash, had sprinted right around one of the devils, and turned to deliver his blow. The unsuspecting devil roared in premature victory, before his head was sliced down the center. He stood for a moment before flames burst from his wounds, and he was no more.
The second devil surprised Orin, but Keith already had his second arrow ready, and fired it into the devils leg. It fell over in aguish, and Orin finished it with a diving stab to its horse like torso. There was one devil remaining, and it had finished the last of the two soldiers, and was charging toward them. Ikara conjured her flames and sent a ball of fire hurtling toward the beast. It evaded the ball, and continued to charge. Orin was already launching an attack on the galloping devil, and blasted his sword clear through its body. The devil exploded immediately into a cloud of dust, leaving Orin standing tall in he and his teams victory. He turned to Keith and Ikara, who were both panting as he was, and fell to the ground. He was exhausted from the battle, and felt no reason to get up. Until, that is, Keith lifted him off the ground.
"Orin, come on, there is still much work to do." Keith said as he shook Orin.
Orin opened his eyes, wondering what Keith meant by this, but he quickly understood, as he seen the fire that was spreading across the roof of the castle. He stood of his own strength and ran toward the castle gates, which had been destroyed. He sprinted through the tunnel, that was littered with several bodies, and he got into the outer court. He looked up to the highest point in the castle, and stared as the fire raged over the building's rooftops, shining a brilliant orange and yellow light to the ground below. The rainfall was now very intense, and should easily take out the fire, but Orin was worried about his father and mother more than anything.
He heard the sound of Keith and Ikara's footsteps close behind. They ran into the castle, and past the bodies of more soldiers, and a few of the castle servants. Orin heard a loud scream from his mother coming from the top of the castle. Orin sprinted up several flights of stairs, and looked around for his mother. She was lying on a staircase, face down, and to Orin's delight, he could see that she was still breathing. He lift her with Keith's help to the bottom of the stairs, where she opened her eyes to see Orin. She was badly bruised, and her wrist seemed to be broken.
"Orin….they took your father to the tower, I couldn't stop them." said Elis, as she sat up and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'll be fine here, go help your father Orin, those devils can't hurt us if you help him." Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked upset that she was not able to prevent Bowie's kidnapping.
"Yes, of course mother." said Orin as he wiped away his mother's tears.
Orin stood up, as did Keith, and the three ran towards the tower hidden behind Granseal castle. They ran up another flight of stairs, and through a dimly lit tunnel, until finally they found the tower. It went higher than imaginable, and could be seen from every city in Arc Valley. Statues of gargoyles filled the outer walls, and vines hung from the tower, because of its centuries of life. Orin ran toward the tower, sword gripped tightly, as he ventured inside, his comrades at his side. As he entered the tower, he saw nothing but the stairs in front of him, and no devils were in the tower, but Bowie was. He stood at the top of the stairs, at an alter.
He was no longer dressed in his royal robes, and his crown was not on his head. Instead, he wore a long, red cloak, and light blue and white clothing. He had a blue bandana in place of his crown, and a large sword hung from his belt. He looked as if he were ready for battle, but his eyes had changed, and in place of his bright blue eyes, they were filled with nothing but white, and his face had almost no expression. Orin looked at his father, terrified of his tormented looking face. Bowie turned away from Orin, and quickly disappeared into the depths of the tower. Orin cried out to his father, but got no reply. Orin, stood in disbelief at his father's disappearance, and did not know what to do, but finally, he began to speak.
"We will find him, if you are both willing to help me." said Orin, as he turned to Ikara and Keith.
"Of course we help you Orin." said, Keith, as Ikara nodded in agreement next to him.
"Wonderful, then as a boy of royal blood, I declare that we are the next Shining Force." he said loudly, as he raised his arm in the air.
Sweat was dripping off Orin's angry and determined face, but Keith and Ikara raised their weapons high into the air, and looked and each other, smiling for what there destiny held. They would find Bowie, and though they could not travel into the depths of the tower as he did, they find a way to do so anyway. They did not know, though, that only two ways aloud them into the tower. One, by way of a magical sword, hidden somewhere in the world, and another by two jewels, one dark blue and one red, which Orin had not notice hanging tightly around Bowies neck….
The next morning was a gloomy one, and the sun did not make itself at home in Orin's room as it had done the day before, so Orin awoke later than usual. He wasn't tired today, having gone to sleep early the night before. His mind was still full of information, which was swirling excitedly in his skull. He got dressed and proceeded down the tower stairs. He began to hear the morning chatter of the townspeople and soldiers below, and was happy to hear this sound for once.
He was greeted less than usual today because of the lack of villagers that were willing to visit the castle in such weather. Nevertheless, Orin was glad to see that his father was not speaking to someone that morning, in fact, he was not even in the throne room, but queen Elis was, and she seemed in a calm and tired mood that matched the look of the dark sky. Orin presented himself before Elis, who smiled at the sight of him, she yawned sweetly, and asked how he had slept. He replied happily that he had slept wonderfully and was dismissed for breakfast.
He had a larger breakfast that morning, considering there was no reason to study for any tests today. Orin filled his plate with eggs and sausage, and a piece of toast. He ate until he was content and full, and grabbed his new weapon and its case, and buckled it to his belt. The soldiers outside were standing guard, and waved to Orin, but said nothing to him, but he was glad for the change in the soldiers' greetings. The villagers were not yet out of their homes this morning, and as Orin walked to the well, it began to rain slightly. The rain was warm, though, because spring was fast approaching this cold winter, and the winds were strong, but felt warm on Orin's body.
He turned toward the school, as he seen Ikara wave to him through the window. He returned it as he walked up the stairs and opened the large, old door. It creaked loudly, announcing Orin's arrival, and Ikara turned to greet him, as did Gyan, who was reading the day's agenda.
"You're later than usual, Orin." said Ikara, looking a bit surprised.
"Yes, is something wrong Orin?" asked Gyan, still reading the parchment, but looking worried at the same time.
"No Sir," replied Orin, "I just woke up slightly later because of this gloomy sky."
"Well, take your seat then, and we will begin the lesson in a few minutes," said Gyan as he turned toward his desk, "and hopefully my other pupils will arrive late, instead of not at all, today."
Gyan's face was beginning to regain its red tinge again. It was true Keith and Duran were usually fooling around, and pulling pranks with each other, but they were much more likely to be late, and not absent. Orin sat down and set up his quills, and took out a small book from his satchel. It was titled "Devils and Demons of Arc Valley" by Sir Astral. Orin knew this man well, for he was his godfather, and once his father's teacher, but had passed away after Orin's 9th birthday.
He opened the tattered book to the third page, and began to read the index. There were thousands of names listed in alphabetical order. Orin searched through some names that sounded interesting, and began investigating the devils. As Orin examined the book, a loud noise came from outside. It was a horrible noise, that sounded like a bellowing elk. Suddenly, the school house door swung open and in came a tall boy. He was wearing green from head to toe, and had a belt that stretched from his shoulder to his waist, and a dark green shoulder cloak. On his back, was a quiver and bow, and he stood in the doorway, mouth slightly agape.
"Keith!?" yelled Gyan as his ran over to Keith.
Keith fell to the floor ,unconscious, with his face red and blood streaming down out from his mouth.
"My god!" screamed Ikara, as she jumped to her feet, and ran to Keith's side.
Orin shoved his book into his satchel and looked toward the window. Outside was a horde of devils, who were fighting two soldiers. The soldiers were holding their ground, but the devils were snapping at them aggressively. Orin drew his sword and ran outside to help the soldiers, but as he ran through the doorway, someone grabbed his leg from behind, sending him down to the hard, wooden floor. Orin looked behind him to see who it was, and caught a glimpse at Keith's blood smeared face.
"You can't go out there…." moaned Keith, still tightly gripping Orin's leg, "they'll---" Keith fell unconscious again, and let go of Orin's leg.
Orin stood and looked to Ikara who was weeping over Keith, and then to Gyan who was looking at Orin, his face pale with worry.
"Keith is right, Orin," said Gyan, "you have to stay here and make sure the devils don't get in."
Orin nodded, and put away his weapon, and rushed over to Keith with the others. Gyan stood, and drew forth his axe, which glowed a brighter red than ever. He walked slowly through the door, closing it behind him. Orin stood and walked to the window. He could see a battle raging outside, between a horde of about 20 devils, and there amongst them, were Gyan and five soldiers. There were more soldiers defending the homes of the villagers, and several defending the castle gate, as archers in the tower closed the large metal gate.
Orin's face grew white with fear, as he saw two soldiers get slaughtered in front of the castle gate, and as 4 more devils poured through the outer gates, and into the village. The creatures were all the same, their half man, half horse bodies covered in shining black armor, and they carried huge lances and spears. Orin watched as two devils overpowered a soldier, and impaled him from opposite sides. Orin was stricken with horror, and he began to feel dizzy and feint. He quickly turned from the raging battle toward Ikara, who was wiping the dry blood from Keith's open mouth. Ikara turned to Orin, and looked at him, with sincere fear in her eyes, and tears streaming down her pale face. Keith coughed, and woke up suddenly, his face green from noxiousness. He vomited on the floor next to him, and slowly stood up.
"I can't just sit here," said Keith, as he spat blood and vomit onto the floor, "something needs to be done."
"But what can we do, Keith?" asked Orin, as color returned to his face, "You said yourself that these devils were very strong."
"You're right, but what if we work together?" said Keith, in a sly, yet angry voice, "Lets fight these monsters together."
Keith grabbed his bow and loaded it with an arrow. Orin nodded and drew his sword. Ikara looked at them, still upset, and seemed to want to speak, but words escaped her.
"It's ok," said Orin gently, but with authority in his voice, "We won't leave you here."
"O…ok" she said, as she stood and wiped the tears from her face.
She ran quickly to the basement, and was back in only a few seconds with her staff. Orin kicked open the door, and prepared for the fight, which he knew would be difficult, and surely life threatening. He ran outside, and a battered Keith followed, as Ikara stood in the doorway, looking around at the horrible sight of the battle. Bodies of mortal soldiers lie everywhere, as did the small mounds of dust from destroyed devils. Gyan had disappeared, as well has many of the devils, only 7 or 8 remained, still attacking a group of four soldiers.
Ikara, without any apparent fear in her heart suddenly appeared in front of both Keith and Orin, and from her mouth, she roared an incantation. Surprised at Ikara's sudden gain in speed, Orin regained his calmness and moved to her side. The fire around her staff was raging, and Keith had his arrow pointed at one of the devils, as they continuously attacked the soldiers, whom were only a group of two by now. Ikara launched a huge ball of fire from her staff, which slammed into a devils, and engulfed him instantly. It roared loudly, and became ashes within seconds. Two of the devils caught sight of the attack, and spun around to attack the children. Keith fired an arrow at one of them, stunning him shortly, and causing him to cry out, but he continued his rampage toward the three. Orin ripped through the air with his sword, and in a flash, had sprinted right around one of the devils, and turned to deliver his blow. The unsuspecting devil roared in premature victory, before his head was sliced down the center. He stood for a moment before flames burst from his wounds, and he was no more.
The second devil surprised Orin, but Keith already had his second arrow ready, and fired it into the devils leg. It fell over in aguish, and Orin finished it with a diving stab to its horse like torso. There was one devil remaining, and it had finished the last of the two soldiers, and was charging toward them. Ikara conjured her flames and sent a ball of fire hurtling toward the beast. It evaded the ball, and continued to charge. Orin was already launching an attack on the galloping devil, and blasted his sword clear through its body. The devil exploded immediately into a cloud of dust, leaving Orin standing tall in he and his teams victory. He turned to Keith and Ikara, who were both panting as he was, and fell to the ground. He was exhausted from the battle, and felt no reason to get up. Until, that is, Keith lifted him off the ground.
"Orin, come on, there is still much work to do." Keith said as he shook Orin.
Orin opened his eyes, wondering what Keith meant by this, but he quickly understood, as he seen the fire that was spreading across the roof of the castle. He stood of his own strength and ran toward the castle gates, which had been destroyed. He sprinted through the tunnel, that was littered with several bodies, and he got into the outer court. He looked up to the highest point in the castle, and stared as the fire raged over the building's rooftops, shining a brilliant orange and yellow light to the ground below. The rainfall was now very intense, and should easily take out the fire, but Orin was worried about his father and mother more than anything.
He heard the sound of Keith and Ikara's footsteps close behind. They ran into the castle, and past the bodies of more soldiers, and a few of the castle servants. Orin heard a loud scream from his mother coming from the top of the castle. Orin sprinted up several flights of stairs, and looked around for his mother. She was lying on a staircase, face down, and to Orin's delight, he could see that she was still breathing. He lift her with Keith's help to the bottom of the stairs, where she opened her eyes to see Orin. She was badly bruised, and her wrist seemed to be broken.
"Orin….they took your father to the tower, I couldn't stop them." said Elis, as she sat up and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'll be fine here, go help your father Orin, those devils can't hurt us if you help him." Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked upset that she was not able to prevent Bowie's kidnapping.
"Yes, of course mother." said Orin as he wiped away his mother's tears.
Orin stood up, as did Keith, and the three ran towards the tower hidden behind Granseal castle. They ran up another flight of stairs, and through a dimly lit tunnel, until finally they found the tower. It went higher than imaginable, and could be seen from every city in Arc Valley. Statues of gargoyles filled the outer walls, and vines hung from the tower, because of its centuries of life. Orin ran toward the tower, sword gripped tightly, as he ventured inside, his comrades at his side. As he entered the tower, he saw nothing but the stairs in front of him, and no devils were in the tower, but Bowie was. He stood at the top of the stairs, at an alter.
He was no longer dressed in his royal robes, and his crown was not on his head. Instead, he wore a long, red cloak, and light blue and white clothing. He had a blue bandana in place of his crown, and a large sword hung from his belt. He looked as if he were ready for battle, but his eyes had changed, and in place of his bright blue eyes, they were filled with nothing but white, and his face had almost no expression. Orin looked at his father, terrified of his tormented looking face. Bowie turned away from Orin, and quickly disappeared into the depths of the tower. Orin cried out to his father, but got no reply. Orin, stood in disbelief at his father's disappearance, and did not know what to do, but finally, he began to speak.
"We will find him, if you are both willing to help me." said Orin, as he turned to Ikara and Keith.
"Of course we help you Orin." said, Keith, as Ikara nodded in agreement next to him.
"Wonderful, then as a boy of royal blood, I declare that we are the next Shining Force." he said loudly, as he raised his arm in the air.
Sweat was dripping off Orin's angry and determined face, but Keith and Ikara raised their weapons high into the air, and looked and each other, smiling for what there destiny held. They would find Bowie, and though they could not travel into the depths of the tower as he did, they find a way to do so anyway. They did not know, though, that only two ways aloud them into the tower. One, by way of a magical sword, hidden somewhere in the world, and another by two jewels, one dark blue and one red, which Orin had not notice hanging tightly around Bowies neck….