Chapter 15 - A Sight to Behold

Vahn looked into Orin's eyes, as blood oozed from his fresh wound.

"Orin!" he cried out, as Orin's blank eyes slowly began to close.

Orin had eyes greener than the grass he lie in, but that shine was fading into a blank, cold stare. Vahn raised his wand and from it jutted light that splashed onto Orin's wounded and spent body. As the light began to grow, Vahn felt as if he were being cooled as he watched it shine brightly. In an instant, it seemed, the light grew to an enormous size, and even Vahn was engulfed. Finally, the light subsided, and Orin lie on the ground, his wound mostly healed. There was still a large cut in his stomach, but it was no longer bleeding, and had gotten much smaller.

"I fear that's the best I can do with what power I have left..." said Vahn softly, as he fell to his knees. "I've used all the magic I can spare..."

Keith appeared on a distant hill, and Vahn spotted him, running full speed to get to them. Ikara followed shortly behind, but stopped when she saw Tess lying motionless.

When Keith had reached them, he stopped, and leaned over, hands against his knees as he panted heavily. He looked at Orin, as he still lay quite still, his cold lifeless eyes staring at the same cold gray sky above him.

"God..." said Keith as he kneeled next to Orin. "He took on too many...he was too tired..."

"Heh. He has a strong will." said Vahn, as he too panted heavily, sweat dripping from his brow. "I've done all I can. It's up to him now..."

Ikara approached slowly now, Tess limping slowly next to her, using Ikara's staff to support her. Her face was covered in dry blood, and her chin and cheek were covered with small, circular wounds from the enemies gauntlets.

"Duran..." said Keith, as he stood up. "I'm going to go and find him."

"I have to stay here..." said Vahn, still panting. "If I come with you, I won't have any remaining power to heal..."

Keith nodded and jutted off into the direction were he had fired the Ancient Arrow.

When Tess and Ikara reached Vahn, they were both seemingly exhausted.

"I have hardly the means to use any more magic..." he said as Tess feel on her back, face to the sky next to Orin. "Though I still have a few herbs left."

Vahn pulled two herbs from his satchel, and handed them to Ikara. She lit both of them, turning them to ash, and drop some of the ashes into Tess' open mouth. She gulped them down, and the wounds on her face healed up in seconds.

"Ow..." she moaned as she sat up. "My head is killing me..." she rubbed her forehead rapidly, and then noticed Orin lying there. "Oh my...! He looks worse than I imagined..."

She crawled towards him on her knees and looked down into his deep lifeless eyes.

"He...is he paralyzed?" she asked, as she put her hand on his dirt covered forehead, and brushed back his hair.

"Most likely...but if we're lucky, the spear may have missed his spine." replied Vahn, hesitating slightly. "If he makes it through the night, it should be easy for his body to heal without trouble. We just have to hope he'll hold out."

"But, what if he is paralyzed...?" asked Ikara as she walked over to look at Orin.

"Well then I can't help him..." he said in almost a whisper. "I can't heal such critical wounds."

Keith appeared on the hill, walking slowly as he lugged an unconscious Duran over his shoulder.

"Thank god." said Ikara when she spotted Keith. "They're okay."

When Keith reached them, he slowly brought Duran's body to the ground. His face had only a drop of blood oozing down from his forehead.

"I think he's just unconscious." said Vahn, as he looked at Keith. "Ikara, give him the rest of those ashes."

She poured them into Duran's mouth, and he opened his eyes slightly. He gulped down the herbs and slowly lifted himself from the ground.

"Damn it." he moaned. "I could have had that fool if I had attacked quicker"

"It doesn't matter, he's just a cloud of gray debris now." said Vahn, as he kept on eye on Orin.

"Woah...they got him good, didn't they..." said Duran as he stood and looked at Orin, as he still looked blankly into the sky, his face pale, his eyes gray, his heart beating slowly.

"Keith...?" said Ikara finally. "How did you get the Ancient Arrow?"

Keith shot Ikara a stern look, but then looked back at Orin, and began to speak.

"I took it." he said calmly. "...from the shrine in Granseal."

Ikara's eyes widened, as did Duran's.

"Stole it!?" said Duran, a look of surprise on his face. "Those arrows are priceless!"

"You don't think I know that!?" yelled Keith. "I took it because I knew we would need it...in case something like this happened..."

He pointed to Orin as he lay there.

"If I hadn't used it..." he said, "we may not have gotten to him in time...besides, I only took one of the twenty that were their, and they magically replenish after 3 days."

"Yes, but those are the arrows of the master bow knight of Ribble." said Ikara. "They are originals...but then again..."

Ikara looked back at Orin, his eyes still gray, his body still.

"...maybe it was worth it." whispered Ikara as she forced a smile.

"We should take him somewhere to rest properly." said Vahn, as he stood from the ground. "Maybe back to were we were resting...before they attacked us."

The night was approaching when Orin was laid down under the shade of the large tree. Three boulders ran jaggedly through the trunk, and they blocked out what little sun was left in the sky. Duran walked into camp, carrying four slab shaped rocks, two on each of his shoulders. Sweat dripped from his nose as he struggled slightly to carry the heavy rocks, and he dropped them to the ground next to the fire.

"Oh, now what the hell is this...!?" said Keith loudly as he pointed to the large slabs. "Did you think they were slices of bread!? Dense dwarf."

Duran ignored Keith, shooting only an angry glare at him as he lined the rocks around the campfire, and walked away again. Keith smirked at his own joke, and continued to lounged against the large oak.

Duran return minutes later with a pile of twigs and sticks. He dropped them all in, and dropped another rock slap above the fire, supported by the vertical slabs lining the fire vertically. He reached into his pack, and pulled out several bottles of liquids and spices, and lined them along the grass. He reached in his pack again, pulling containers of flour and sugar, and he lined them all next to each other.

Keith watched in curiosity as Duran began piling ingredients together, and soon enough, he had a glob of soft dough.

"Hey!" cried Keith, as he stood and looked at the dough as Duran kneaded it carefully. "How'd you..."

Duran ignored Keith, and pounded the blob of dough against the slab with his fists, until it was flat, and then formed it into an oddly shaped oval.

"How's that for bread?" said Duran sarcastically, as he smiled slyly. "Too bad there isn't enough for such an 'intelligent' elf."

Keith growled and muttered as he sat back down against the tree and watched as the dough slowly rose. Orin still lie quite motionless, but he had closed his eyes now, though they had seemed glazed over like a dolls, lifeless and unmoving.

"Is he asleep?" whispered Tess, as she looked over him.

"Yeah, finally." replied Vahn, who had been caring for him for a few hours.

"You know...I never really got a clear idea of what you guys are going after." said Tess, as she sat against one of the large boulders, and looked at Vahn.

"Well..." he started as he crossed his arms and gazed at the fire. "We're searching...for our families."

Tess looked at Vahn curiously, still puzzled, and Vahn noticed this.

"Orin's father went missing after devils ransacked Granseal." he said calmly, his gaze still set on the blaze. "He and his friends," he continued as he looked to Keith and Ikara, who were both falling asleep, and Duran, who was poking the bread with a long twig. "They spotted Orin's father before he seemingly disappeared in the great Ancient's Tower that rests behind Granseal. They searched the tower carefully, but found no sign that he was still inside. So, now we believe he has been possessed by a devil that has taken him away."

"And you?" asked Tess. "Why are you here?"

"I..." started Vahn, but he hesitated. "My father was kidnapped by a similar devil. Our fathers we're once old battle comrades, and we suspect that is what these devils are after."

"After what?" asked Tess, her eyes fixated curiously on Vahn's unchanging expression.

"After the Shining Force." said Vahn, as he looked from the fire to Tess. "These devils...they aren't like normal ones. Devils kill, like the ruthless centaurs that ravaged Granseal, killing dozens. But these devils, they've come for something...and I think...we think it's for revenge against those that resealed their leader."

"Zeon..." whispered Tess. "The Devil King..."

Vahn looked at Tess suspiciously.

"How did..." he started, but Tess cut him short.

"Galam's Exiles were raised on the firm belief that the people of Granseal had brought about the eventual destruction of Galam." Tess said, talking slightly fast. "They believe Zeon was our savior."

Vahn jolted, and jumped from the ground as he heard this, and he dropped his rod as he stood.

"How could something like that be true!" cried Vahn, as Ikara and Keith jolted awake by his voice. "Sick bastards! They should rot in hell with Zeon if they feel that way."

"Calm down!" Tess yelled back. "They didn't know what kind of devil Zeon was, and so they don't know what destruction he could have caused."

"Still..." said Vahn as he sat back down.

"I've heard storied all my life about the Devil King, but I never realized how much of an impact he had on people." said Tess calmly. "We should get some rest. It's not good to get worked up about this at such an hour."

Duran walked over to them, a stone slab in his hands, and fresh sliced bread atop it.

"Hungry?" he asked with a smile, as he scoffed down a slice.

"Thank you." said Tess and Vahn as they both grabbed a work piece, and chewed it slowly, enjoying such a rare meal. The night was heavy upon them, and they slowly fell asleep, their bodies tired and their bellies full.

"Orin...Orin, wake up." said Ikara as she rubbed Orin's shoulder lightly. "Come on, you have to eat this."

Orin opened his eyes slightly, and looked up toward the sky, as Ikara's silhouette hovered over him.

"Ikara..." said Orin, his voice low and raspy.

"Come. Sit up." she whispered to him, her hand black with the ashes of an herb.

Orin sat up, his stomach twisting in pain, and he ate the burnt herb Ikara held out to him. A cool gentle breeze seemed to sweep over Orin, and he felt as if he was covered in a thin layer of frost. His stomach ceased to hurt, and the wound fully closed.

"Thanks" Orin said, as he tried to stand.

He almost toppled to the ground, but Keith grabbed him under his arms, and helped him keep his balance.

"Can't have you falling over, Mr. I-can-do-anything-without-anyone's-help." said Keith sarcastically, as he spun Orin around to look at him.

"Thanks guys..." Orin said in a low voice. "It was just...these devils...they never stop. They obviously know what we're after. There hasn't been this many devils for 25 years, and now they are popping out of the woodwork."

"Heh." chuckled Keith. "Well, we're just going to have to get rid of their menacing hides, aren't we?"

"Seems so." added Duran.

"Yeah." replied Orin. "Next time, I'll make sure I have someone to back me."

"Well..." started Vahn. "I think it's time we got moving. We can't just lay here all day."

"Right." said Orin, as he leaned over and grabbed his sword and sheath, and buckled it to his belt.

They traveled toward the western city of the Dwarves. A river came into view, and it reached from the western mountains into the northern ones.

"Ah, hell." moaned Duran. "Don't tell me we walked all this way to find a dead end."

"Duran, you twit." said Keith. "It's called swimming. Then again, your so brainless you'll probably use your empty skull to help you float across."

"Oh, good one elf boy." mumbled Duran. "We can use you big head as a boat and your ears as oars."

Keith mumbled something under his breath, and Tess pointed and laughed at them as they fought.

"Don't encourage them." said Ikara. "They'll just keep going."

"Nothing like two idiots stuck in an endless loop of mindless comebacks." said Vahn.

They had finally reached the river's edge, were the water stretched some 40 feet from them to the forest on the other side. The water rushed ruthlessly, and the waves crashed against hundreds of jagged rocks jutting from the riverbed.

"So much for swimming." mumbled Duran.

"There has to be a way across." said Vahn, looking puzzled. "If the Shining Force reached the dwarven village, their has to be a way across."

He looked at the rushing water for some five minutes, when he noticed something.

"The water doesn't come in as far here, maybe..." Vahn looked around on the ground, and there, slightly sticking out of the ground from the sand, was a red stone.

"There!" he yelped, and he reached down under the sand and pulled out the stone.

Surprisingly, though it was buried beneath wet sand, the stone was totally dry, as if it had been covered in a layer of rust.

"This is it, I remember now." said Vahn, as the rest of the group approached them.

"The dry stone..." whispered Orin.

"Exactly..." said Vahn, as he held the stone in the air.

After a second, the stone burst forth a cloud of red dust, that flew into the air, and collided with the rushing water. It slowly parted, revealing a smooth brown riverbed that connected to the forest ahead.

"Now that..." said Ikara. "Is magic."

Vahn stepped down onto the riverbed first, and he cautiously walked toward the other end of the river. His body was ridged as he walked, as he tried to make sure the water didn't reunite itself suddenly and crush him against the nearby rocks. He held confidence in the stone, though, since his father and a procession of soldiers had crossed this path years before. Orin and Keith followed Vahn, also feeling skeptical about the easily revealed path.

Ikara watched as Duran rushed onto the path after them, and as Vahn, Keith and Orin reached the other side unharmed. She walked after Duran, slowly, but not as nervous as the others. She even stuck her fingers into the still moving water as she walked between the columns of water that towered over her.

She caught up with the rest of the group, and walked with them as they grew ever closer to the Dwarven city. Orin closed his eyes and let the sun beat down on his face, and calm his nerves. As they walked, though, and everyone began to gossip, he noticed Tess has not yet come through the river pass behind them. He sighed loudly, catching everyone's attention, and he stopped and turned back toward the river.

"She's stalling." he muttered, allowing only Ikara, who stood closest to him, to hear. "I'll go get her. You should all keep moving."

Ikara nodded, but her face showed she was worried. They walked in opposite directions, and Ikara stared at him over her shoulder until he disappeared behind a cluster of trees.

Orin reached the river's edge in only a few minutes. Tess was nowhere in sight, though, and Orin's patience was beginning to ware thin. He crossed back to the other side of the river, and looked in all directions for her. Nothing. He couldn't find her anywhere. Had she decided to leave even after she had asked to accompany them on their trip?

"I guess I've just been wasting my time..." he mumbled, as he gave up and turned back toward the river pass.

It was then that he noticed something. A ragged pair of clothing was lain out neatly under a small tree near the river.

"Oh no...!" he whispered when he spotted the clothes. "Have the devil's gotten her!?"

Orin rushed over to the tree examined the clothes carefully. They were torn badly, and yet they looked as if they had been cleaned. There was no blood or evidence of a fight nearby, and Orin instantly became confused.

"Where the hell..." Orin stopped mid-sentence, as a figure emerged in the distance.

A small lake connected to the river, and it looked as if it had been created by man. The water passed through less rapidly then, almost calmly. What caught Orin's eye was this figure. Whomever it was, they did not notice him, and walked calmly and briskly in his direction.

"Damn..." he said, and hid behind the tree, just hardly concealing himself from the approaching figure. "I'm still not well. I can't hold off even 1 devil alone..."

The figure approached him quickly, and he could hear the rustling of grass and leaves as the thing reached the tree. He swallowed hard, and decided to try and catch a glimpse at this devil. If it had taken Tess, it would not hesitate to do him harm as well.

He moved head forward slowly and could only see the shadows of this creature. Why was it on the hunt in the middle of the day? Devils that resembled humans were usually only werewolves and golems. Witches and goblins. And not many of them could be found in this area, so close to the mountains. Whatever it was, it was shaking its head rapidly, as if to be shaking something off.

'It must be that werewolf again...but that can't be...it's broad daylight!' he thought.

Finally, he built up the courage to confront the beast. It was no use waiting for it to sniff him out and find him. He was going to get the first hit in. He slowly drew his sword from its scabbard, being sure not to make any noise from the scraping steel and hard leather. He held his sword close to him, so that the creature could still not see him behind the tree, and he got ready to pounce.

Finally, in a seemingly blind attack, Orin lifted his sword above his head, and bolted from behind the tree to meet his foe. He ran to it, ready to bring down his sword and strike the first, and hopefully deadly blow. His eyes widened at the site of his enemy, and he stopped dead in front of it, as it looked back at him in utter surprise.

Tess stood before him, her body completely naked and wet. Orin's face lit up red, as he brought his eyes from her feet up to her face. She held a large cloth in her hand that she was using to dry her hair, and within a few moments of the encounter, Orin lay on sprawled out on the ground, his face reddened even more by a sudden, and powerful slap.

When he finally felt the stinging pain subsiding, and had heard Tess bolt off with her cloths without a word, he got to his feet and rubbed his sore left cheek.

"What the hell did she do that for!?" he yelled to himself. "It's not my fault she decided to wonder off and take a bath. Damn it!"

He remembered the innocent look she gave him, her face was so beautiful, and he had never noticed it under her dirty shell. Her eyes had gleamed in the sun for just a second, and her lips with them. Her hair shown jet black under the shade of the tree, and it seemed less frizzy and unkempt. How could he not have noticed.

He snapped out of it, and looked to the river. He could see her walking briskly in the direction of the rest of the group, and fists clenched in a surprised rage.

He ran to catch up with her, and explain what had just happened. When her reached her, though, he got exactly what he expected.

"You perverted FREAK!" She screamed for the whole forest to hear. Her voice echoed like a bell. "You damn peeping tom!"

Orin backed away just in time to dodge her swinging fist. He almost fell back against a tree that stood behind him, but he managed to keep his balance.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!" he cried, and he tried to speak his story. "You...have to listen...to me!"

He dodged several more punches, and grabbed her fist when she swung again.

"LISTEN!" he yelled, his face growing red with anger. "You misunderstand my intentions! That was a mistake!"

Orin pointed back toward the tree in the distance, and let go of her fist. She looked back at the tree and then at him again.

"What are you talking about...!?" she yelled, her voice a bit lower than before.

"I went back to look for you! How was I supposed to know you stopped for a bath!? Without telling anyone, I might add!" He yelled back at her, and she looked at the ground.

Her face changed from and angry red, to and embarrassed one. She rubbed her dug her foot into the dirt, and mumbled a bit.

"I'm...I'm sorry I hit you..." she mumbled, her face getting redder.

"It's...no big deal. Lets get back to them..." he said, as his face also became beat red.

They walked for about 10 minutes before they reached the forest where the Dwarvin village stood. Everyone stood waiting for the both of them there.

"What happend?" asked Duran, who had approached them as they came closer.

"Nothing, nothing..." Orin mumbled, he and Tess still a bit shaken. Duran shrugged, and looked at Vahn and Keith, who eyed Orin suspiciously.

They forgot it quickly and headed off into the woods toward their destination.