AN: -Cough- Okay. New chapter. New chapter... Errmm... I had this big speech lined up. Oh Belgium! Note that Belgium is a very bad word throughout the entire universe. Except on Earth. Yeah. Shows you how out-of-the-loop we are... To the story!
Attic-Window: Thanks! Yeah, I guess it isn't too long, but I'm planning on writing a bit more... maybe a sequel... Though I might just condense the two together. Yeah, Ryker is a cool name... As a small hint, the names I choose (besides Ayrill, I made that up off the top of my head though I'm sure has used it before... Dunno where though) have something to do with the character. Like Aradia means Goddess of Witches. And Ryker is Fast Strider. And... A couple of them have somethin' to do with what'll happen to them...
"Ah, Druce... It's good to see you again," Grendel greeted politely.
Druce smiled and bowed slightly. "Grendel! I haven't seen you since... Well, since I was going through this!"
"Indeed old friend. It's hard to believe we were both young enough to go gallivanting of into the horizon, searching for some adventure."
"Yes, that was before you became the Magician Elder. Old Hines used to get pretty mad."
"I can't believe it was that long ago... Athena and Dark Lord were still kids, and Dances with Balrog was still called Sitting Bull!" Grendel smiled.
Druce threw his head back and laughed heartily. "I remember when he got that title. We were out in the Dungeon, and we'd all had a little to much to drink---"
Aradia looked down into the lobby of the Magic Library. "Sir? Alex and Chase need some more healing, and its just a little beyond my range," She called down to Grendel.
The old mage looked up and smiled. "Of course, Aradia. I'll be up in a minute. Tell Dances with Balrog that Druce is here, will you?"
She nodded and headed back into a doorway. Druce sighed. "I still can't believe that you've all got apprentices now. These are hard times... I can understand you and Dances with Balrog getting apprentices, but Dark Lord and Athena? In our time, the younger Elders would just be starting to teach their potential apprentices."
Grendel smiled nostalgically. "Aye, but we had such easy times because of you!"
Druce looked away. "Yes... But it looks like this generation's hero is taking a different path than I..."
Grendel raised an eyebrow. "Maybe the hero isn't who we think it is..." They had reached the doorway Aradia had disappeared into. "Well, let's go in..." He threw open the door and Druce rushed to greet the warrior chief. Grendel's gaze wandered throughout the room, lingering on its inhabitants. Chase was lying in a small bed with Aradia wrapping a bandage around his head. Ryker sat in the corner, thoughtfully rubbing the blade of his dagger. Alex trembled in another bed beside Chase's. The old magician's eyes stayed on Alex the longest. The boy was not taking his brother's transformation easily. He barely eat, and he seemed to avoid talking to others. Grendel wandered over to him. "So, Alexei. Why did you desert the warriors?"
Alex didn't raise his head to acknowldege Grendel. "Because. I needed to prove myself. But... I did not want to show my skill to... those who would elevate me higher in the ranks. I wished to prove myself to my father... and Akuji... But mostly myself. I did not need a test to prove I could fight well. The true test, for me... Is to defeat my brother. But now, I doubt I will have that chance..."
Grendel nodded. "Aye. There is few who could best Akuji now, now that he is fully under the control of the demon. I suppose they told you the story?"
"Of course."
"Then you will know that the clans have been divided?"
"What?"
"We have... on our side... The apprentices of Dark Lord, Dances with Balrog, and myself."
"You mean... Akuji was to become Athena's successor?"
"Yes."
"And who is Dances with Balrog's apprentice?"
Grendel smiled knowingly. "That... is not for me to say. But you know him..."
The warrior chieftain walked over. "Grendel? Talking to my... student? That's more than I could do..."
Alex glared up at him. "I do not need your petty titles!"
The chieftain gazed sadly at him. "Of course you don't. Grendel, Dark Lord has just arrived and he says Athena was not far behind him. Apparently he didn't deign it upon himself to wait for her."
Grendel smiled and nodded. "Of course. Alex, if you will excuse me..."
Ryker tensed as he watched his teacher walk into the room. Chase trembled next to him. "Do... Do you think he'll be mad?"
"About what?" Ryker asked.
"Well, we didn't beat those balrogs did we? And we let the hero escape..."
"Ha! You mean the Emo Hero? We couldn't stop him if we tried. Listen, the first Akuji went ballistic like that, he took, like, this huge meteor to the head. And I mean, right on the head! I was like, wtf? Excuse the slang, but ya know, I've been hanging around those beginners. Ya know how they hate to say like, more than three words in a sentence? Well, anyway... Oh yeah, it looked like Akuji was blown up so I had to take on like 7 balrogs on my own! I killed a few of 'em... But then as I was leadin' them in a circle, to wear 'em out, right? Then Akuji pops up outta the crater and kills them all by himself! With only his hands!"
A hand clasped Ryker on the shoulder. "A mighty story... and if it's false... A mighty lie!"
Ryker tensed. "Sir... I say it's true. You may choose not to believe me, which I don't doubt you will."
Dark Lord straightened. "You are as cold as ever, Ryker. Chase, I see you are recovering well."
Chase inclined his head slightly. "Yes, Dark Lord."
Aradia walked over and greeted the leader of the Thieves Guild. "Dark Lord, Grendel and Dances with Balrog are requesting you accompany them to the front door to greet Athena. They say they will then decide what course of action to pursue about... Kronos."
Dark Lord nodded and moved away, leaving the young heroes alone. Aradia sank into a chair beside Ryker and Alex moved to a closer chair. Chase glanced around and coughed. "Eh... So what do you think they'll decide to do?"
Aradia shrugged tiredly. "Who knows... There isn't much in this world that can stop Akuji... Kane... and Kronos now. I don't think anything can stop Kane if his master is summoned."
Ryker nodded. "Yeah... Did you hear what Grendel said though? That the clans are divided?"
Aradia looked questioningly at Ryker. "No..."
"Well, he said we have the soon-to-be rulers of the Warrior, Thief, and Mage clans on our side. We know that Aradia's inheriting the Mage clan, and I have a sinking suspicion that I'm the Thief inheritor. That still leaves the Warrior clan... I wonder..."
Alex sighed. "It can't be me. I... Left the clan. When I deserted, I gave up any rights I had to become the next leader of Perion."
"Yeah, but you were preaching to Akuji how you don't need a title to know how strong you are. Maybe... Maybe Dances with Balrog is takin' a leaf outta your book, Alex! I mean, times are changing! It's possible... Right?"
Alex shrugged and Aradia frowned. Chase shook his head. "Well, it's no use to sit here and talk about what's going on. We have to actually do something! Not just wait for the people who are our betters to decide! That could take ages! I mean, seriously, they aren't personally involved in this war! Our Elders' time is over! This is our age, and our battle! I say we take things into our own hands, and not wait for old people to flush our world down the drain because they don't care what happens, because they're gonna die soon anyway!"
Ryker grinned. "That's what I wanna hear! Let's go! We'll take down ol' Emo Hero before he goes completely berserk!"
"But that still doesn't tell us how to do that," Aradia noted. "We need something that will help us get stronger..."
Alex looked skeptical. "What, like a legendary sword that can vanquish evil?"
"Or, maybe a holy force untapped that could just give us the edge..."
The four young people whipped around to face Druce. They had thought he had gone to speak with Grendel and the others. "Druce! We.. uh... weren't doing anything!"
"Ha! Ya know, that kind of talk would've been considered rebellion in my time. But... I agree with you. Too many times has the world been pushed to the brink of collapse because people took to long to decide what to do. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take action!"
Chase nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"
"Now, that holy force I was talking about... Okay, it might not exist so don't get your hopes too high, okay?"
Aradia nodded. "Of course."
"It's told to be locked in some dungeon in Ossyria, guarded by the greatest heroes each clan had, reanimated."
Alex sighed. "Sounds a little too cliche, I mean, a fairy tale force that is locked away so it can't be misused in a dungeon in the farthest, coldest region of the world, plus, it's guarded by ancient heroes brought back to life. It doesn't seem realistic..."
"I know. That's why we should go after it. Because... Because reality... I really don't know how to explain it... But... Doesn't it seem cliche that a monster is trying to take over the world? Isn't it cliche, that the one thing that can stop it, is in the hands of that monster? Our safe, unique little world that plays against cliches is unravelling. We're beginning to live in a fairy tale, Alex. Our world... is becoming another story, another cliche that people dismiss as being far-fetched to possibly be real."
Silence reigned in the room as each person thought about what he said. Ryker grinned widely and stood. "Right! I say we snag this force or whatever and put the beat down on Emo Hero and his buddies!"
Aradia sighed. "Always the hopeless romantic, huh Ryker? Eh, sure, could be helpful. But if it's fake, we're in trouble. I mean we'll have wasted all that time and effort."
"I couldn't agree with you more, madam! I wouldn't have brought it up if I had the slightest doubt the rumors were false," Druce remarked, bowing dramatically. "Then, I shall assume that Chase and Alexei are in agreement?" The two nodded. "Then, we shall depart now. There is a ship leaving to Ossyria in a few minutes; if we hurry, we can make it."
Ryker looked surprised. "Wait! You're coming too?"
"Of course! Who else would guide you?"
XxX
Kane gazed at the dying sun. The sky was dyed a deep, blood red by the lingering rays of the blazing sun. Caden shuffled up behind him. "Wha--" Caden was cut off by Kane as he spun around and gripped Caden by the neck.
"Never follow me again! I shall know, and you shall know who it was that sent you to hell!"
Caden gurgled helplessly.
Kane released him. "The fields of my enemies shall match this sky when my master is summoned."
Caden looked fearfully up at Kane, then prepared to speak.
"Kronos wants to see me. Yes, I know. I am not the fool my human vessel was."
Caden nodded. "Then I shall leave."
"You are under Kronos's control, are you not?"
"Aye..." Caden answered warily.
"Hmph. Gullible fool. I pity you..."
Kane stalked off, leaving an awed Caden to follow in his wake.
AN: Okay. That got a little... Err... I dunno... in that conversation with Druce. Don't blame me, blame Neon Genesis Evangelion. I just watched to last two episodes... Jeez its weird. I mean, most of all the other episodes were action-y and what-not. But the last two are like... really deep... Anyway, please review. I appreciate it! And... and... and... and... Well, I dunno another reason to review... Oh! I got one! Welcome to... The Twilight Zone! It's like... gonna send a freaky gremlin/monster to rip off the engine of the next plane you go on... While it's flying! That's from Twilight Zone episode #123 (seriously) first aired October 11, 1963. Well, anyway, review pleeeeeeease! Oh, I forgot to mention: Hines is the Magician Elder in MapleSEA and Sitting Bull is the Warrior dude in MapleSEA. I just threw those in because I don't want to make up more names.
