Anri- I knew Sol was being too hasty. Just like we predicted, there's a new reviewer.

RCM- Yes, Anri, I read it. He does bring up some valid points as well.

Anri- Oh?

RCM- I admit, character naming has always been a weakness. That and titles.

Anri- Well, from here, we can make the names of the creatures more interesting, right?

RCM- Perhaps… but until they meet the next Mage, the party will have no way of knowing what those names are.

Anri- I may have an idea about how to solve that problem. In the meantime, shouldn't we get started?

RCM- Yes. In this chapter, Lance and Hugh meet up with two new party members, one of which we had been following for some time…

Anri- We don't own video game material, so with that said, we hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9

Lanstar's Archer Convention

"I still can't believe Graham didn't make it." Lance said as he kicked a rock down the dirt road. The morning sun was rising, shining brightly over the Talon Peaks, where their former mentor now lay.

"Oh grow up, Aran! There's nothing either of us could've done!" Hugh wouldn't admit it, but he was just as distraught as his partner. "He wanted us to stop Chaos, and we will. All we have to do is keep going and get the rest of the shards."

"Yeah… what was the name of that elf again? El… something?"

"Elric."

The two stopped dead in their tracks. "Uh… Hugh? Who said that?"

A yellow fairy flew around them once before stopping to face them. "I did."

"Solaris? What are you doing here?"

The fairy let out a small sigh. "Please, it's Sol. Only Master calls me Solaris, and that's when I'm in trouble. I'm here to give you one last gift from Master." The fairy flew up to Hugh and dropped a compact red orb into his hands.

"What's that?" Lance asked, leaning over to get a better look. As he did, his pendant began to glow faintly.

"That is a little bit of Master's power, so that when you meet your allies, they can learn Fire Chaos moves like you did." Sol smiled brightly. "There's even one that can learn Fire Spells!"

Hugh, the eternal cynic, raised an eyebrow at the fairy. "Spells?"

"Yeah. You remember Master saying that the Control Techniques vary from user to user, right? Well, most Chaos moves channel through the weapons of the user. A very few can be concentrated without them."

Lance looked at his sword. "So what does that mean? Will we be able to learn Control moves that don't need our blades?"

The smile on Sol's face shifted a little, showing the pity he felt. "I'm sorry, but the way that one Chaos move is learned will be the way almost all of them will be. It's just how fate has decided the matter." His face brightened again. "I can tell you this. The one who was destined to be the Spellcaster in your party was foreseen by Master to be a girl. The rest of you will be harnessing the powers through the tools you use."

"Thanks Sol. We'll keep our eyes peeled."

"Sure. See ya." He began flying away, but hesitated. "Oh, one more thing. I heard Anri mention that Elric was an archer. Hopefully that will help you find him. Good luck."

As the fairy disappeared, Hugh turned to Lance. "I think the annual Archer's Convention is being held in Lanstar for the next few days. If we hurry, we can get there before nightfall."

"Let's get moving." The young blonde was familiar with the nearby town of Lanstar, as his mother often visited the large shopping center there. The journey was pretty uneventful, save for a brief encounter with a trio of slimy ChuChus. After roasting them with a Fire Spin, the pair entered the town. "Archer's Convention? This looks more like a festival to me."

Lance's assessment wasn't far off. The convention brought together hunters and sharpshooters from all regions to exchange stories, play games, and compete for the title of Marksman of the Year. It was quite the celebration. "Come on, let's see if we can find this Elric guy."

"What? Now? Can't we take a break first? We've been walking all day."

Hugh sighed. "Fine… but only if you face me in a round of darts, Mr. Aran." The grin on Lance's face was mirrored with one of his own. Each boy had learned how to play through his father, and as with everything else, yearned to prove himself superior to his best friend. As it stood, Lance was leading the ongoing competition by one game. As they entered the tavern, they spotted a young boy sitting at the bar, looking around as if he didn't know where he was. "Hey, stranger. Looking for someone?"

The boy, clad in green, seemed startled by Hugh's question, but shook his head. "Not really, I'm… new around here. I'm just trying to get my bearings."

Lance took a seat next to the young traveler, waving over the bartender. "Well, maybe we can help. I know this town pretty well, so… Hi, an Ale please, and a double for him."

Hugh gave his blonde counterpart a weak punch to the shoulder. "I can order for myself, knucklehead." Turning to the bartender, he paused as if in thought, then declared "I'll have a double!" The boy in green laughed at his new company, feeling more comfortable now that he had met some potential guides. "So what brings you here, kid? You look a bit young to be a competing archer."

The young boy shifted in his seat. "Well, to be honest, I'm looking for some people, but I don't know who exactly. I've been told they are collecting… oh, what did Valoo call them… something Chaos…?" He noticed the two boys stiffen. "I take it you know what I'm talking about."

Hugh pulled Lance out of his seat to confer quietly with him about this development. "He knows about our mission. You think this is Elric?"

"No, he can't be. Sol said he would be an archer. This kid has a sword, and besides, he's not an elf."

"Well, why else would he be looking for us?"

"Didn't the Mage say Elric would lead us and another destined through the forest?"

"You think this kid's it? He looks a little young for that."

"I don't know. You have any better ideas?" After Hugh shook his head no, Lance turned back to the waiting boy. "Alright, you say you were looking for the ones collecting something regarding Chaos, right? Would those things happen to be called Chaos Elements?"

Recognition lit up the youth's face. "Yes, that's exactly what Valoo called them."

Hugh leaned against the bar, his eyes still examining the newcomer. "Well, you can consider your search over. We're the ones collecting the shards."

"Thank the Goddesses I found you so fast. My name is Link. I've been sent by the Goddesses to help you… uh, what were your names?"

Lance seemed to accept the explanation, brief as it was, and extended his hand. "I'm Lance Aran, and this is Hugh Connor. We just started looking for the Element shards yesterday. If…" An explosion outside cut him off instantly.

Hugh drew his sword. "Here we go again… Lance, you coming?"

"Of course!" Lance followed Hugh out of the door, unaware that Link was tailing behind as well. It didn't take long to isolate the source of the blast, as Hugh was quickly sent flying by a black lightning bolt. The source was another demon, this one in the form of a large, winged skeleton. Firing off another blast from its twin horns, it closed in on the heroes. As Lance prepared to counter with a Flare Blade burst, a sudden gust of wind from behind him disrupted the beast's balance, sending it crashing to the ground. Turning, Lance saw Link holding a large green leaf, sparkling with magical energy. "Nice trick, kid!"

The young Hero of Winds ignored the compliment, instead pointing behind Lance. "Look out!" The creature, having recovered from its fall, quickly came up behind the blonde and prepared to take off his head with a swipe of its clawed arm. Luckily, it never got the chance. Without warning, an iron arrow slammed into the demon's neck, spinning it around. As it roared in rage, four more of the projectiles lodged into its chest. The attacking elf loaded one more and, with careful aim, let it fly. The bolt impacted right between the monster's eyes, and it blew apart into a cloud of blue smoke.

"You should be more alert to what your opponents are doing, warrior." The elf said with a small bow. "You could've been killed quite easily."

Sheathing his blade, Lance just shrugged. "Maybe. Thanks for your help though."

"It was my pleasure. I am Elric. And you are?"

Hugh, who had finally dug himself out of the haystack he was thrown into, chuckled softly to himself. "And here I thought finding this guy would be hard."

After the introductions concluded, the four returned to the tavern. Sitting down at a table, Elric begins the conversation by asking, "So why were you looking for me?"

"Well, after Hugh and I received the Chaos Element of Fire, the guardian Mage said…" Lance was cut off by Elric's gasp.

"Wait! You have one of the Chaos Crystal Shards?!" He nearly fell out of his chair as Lance showed him the red gem emblazoned with the symbol of fire, still residing in his pendant. "The legends must be coming to pass… The King of my homeland has spoken to me about the shards. He told me that the destiny of the world lay on the shoulders of seven warriors: two humans, two elves, a dwarf and two he could not see."

Hugh thoughtfully took a sip from his drink before asking, "So if Lance and I are the humans, and you are one of the elves, then what does that make Link? He is clearly involved in this, but he doesn't fit in with what you were told… unless he is one of the two your King couldn't see."

Lance nodded. "That may make sense. Link, you never told us the details of your story. Would you mind filling us in now?"

The Hero of Winds smiled. "Sure. I wouldn't be surprised if I was one of the 'unseen ones' since I'm not even from this realm. Three Goddesses sent me here because both realms are history if you fail. My best guess is that my job is to help keep that from happening."

"But you are only a child." Elric pointed out.

"I may only be 14, but I've already saved the world I know twice. It's how I got my title as the Hero of Winds. Oh, and as to the race thing, my best guess is that I'm a descendant of the Hylians." The others nodded as they absorbed what they heard. "If you want, I can tell you some of the adventures I've had so far."

The positive responses came quickly, as each was curious to hear the exploits of the young 'Hylian' boy. Not surprisingly, the exchange of tales lasted well into the night, until the bartender sent them on their way to the inn. As the morning sun shone through the windows hours later, the four had already risen and went about their business. Link sat on the edge of the roof, sketching the layout of the town to show Tetra when he finally got to return home. As Elric went off to compete in the archery competition, Lance and Hugh proceeded back to the tavern to have their darts match. By noon, the artist and the archer entered to find the boys from Nidero in the middle of a very animated disagreement.

"You did not! That throw was way off!"

"Oh, please! I nailed that bulls-eye!"

"Then where's the freakin' dart?! I don't see a freakin' dart!"

"It's in your hand, you lying sonuva…"

"Oh, so now I'M cheating?!"

"Yeah! I beat you again, fair and…"

"Bullshit! I won and you know it!"

"Yeah, you won the Loser of the Year Award!"

"I'll show you…" Hugh was about to take a swing at Lance, but Elric quickly restrained him. The elf was clearly annoyed.

"Alright, which of you is going to calm down enough to tell us what is going on here?"

The two roared in unison. "He's cheating!"

Link recoiled from the volume. Turning to the bartender, he asked "How much did they have?!"

The keeper shrugged, cleaning an empty mug. "About four for the blonde, six and a double for the other one." Link could only blink in disbelief before holding his head in his hands.

Elric roughly shoved Hugh into a chair, motioning Link to do the same with Lance. "These are the two humans destined to stop Chaos? Reduced to drunken bickering after only a day?! This is embarrassing!"

Link pulled out two bottles of blue potion. "Here. This ought to sober them up quick."

After briefly examining the blue substance before them, the pair downed the liquid. Though the haze clouding his vision was quickly dispelled, Lance had to fight down the urge to throw up. "Ugh… what is this stuff?"

"Standard blue potion… Tastes bad, but it instantly restores health and magic power. Judging from your eyes, it works just as well here as it does at home."

Standing up, Lance shook off the last of his drunkenness. Slamming the mug he had used back on the bar and pushing it away, he stated plainly "Now I know why Mom never let me drink more than one…" That got a light laugh out of everyone, with the exception of Hugh.

"Alright… alright, I'll admit it… I did take the damn dart. You won the match."

Lance laid his hand on Hugh's shoulder. "And we should care because…?" His serious look fell into a smile. "Forget about it. We were drunk, and things got out of hand. We'll call that match a draw and leave it at that. Deal?"

Hugh smirked, raising the empty potion bottle. "I'll drink to that." The other three promptly rose and walked out. "Aw, come on guys! I was kidding!"

End Chapter 9

RCM- I trust that bad experience will keep their intake to a minimum… Such foolishness has its consequences, even though it can lend to humor at times.

Anri- Master, Sol is doing something a bit drastic.

RCM- What do you mean?

Anri- He's trying to cast a spell to summon more reviewers.

RCM- (sigh) Solaris, what am I going to do with you? Excuse me, I must stop Sol before he makes a fool of himself.

Anri- Again.

RCM- Anarina, don't make me discipline you as well.

Anri- I'm sorry.

RCM- Please review so that the little one will stop this nonsense. I will provide the next chapter as soon as it is finished. Farewell.