Notes before the story - Ha, don't worry. I won't be doing these A/N before every scenario, but expect them every now and then at the beginning or end of the scenarios. Anywho, I've decided to follow a pattern and flux in between both of my stories every chapter. This way, I keep everything updated and nothing will fall behind the other. In this scenario, we see what could have happened in Shining Force 1 if our enemies had been a bit more…well, lenient. You see, sometimes the enemy actually helps the good guys by meddling around in their adventures just a bit too much.
Scenario 2 - Early to Runefaust
Max panted heavily as he sheathed his blade. The destroyed marionette lay before him, its wooden body having been slashed and chopped to pieces. Gort and Mae stood at his side, the only ones able to fully withstand the magical bursts unleashed from within the marionette's possessed body. Max shook his head weakly.
"Damnit. Our team was almost wiped out because of this hunk of crap…" growled Max as he kicked the battered wooden doll.
"Yeah…we were lucky that no one was actually killed…" said Mae, as she turned and trotted toward the stairs.
"Well, where's the boy we came here for?" Gort asked, as he ran to keep up with Max and Mae.
"I don't know." said Max, his slight anger having been replaced simply with his exhaustion.
"We should look around, then, I guess." said Mae. "If they haven't killed him, we should be able to find him and take the mayor's ship to Runefaust."
"Mae…" said Max, as he looked at her seriously. "Killed him already? Try not to be so negative."
"Negative? I'm just saying he could have been slaughtered and buried before we even got here!" yelled Mae. "I'm just trying to think of every possible situation. Things go wrong sometimes, you know…"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, damnit…" said Gort. "Kids…"
Max said nothing. They split up and searched the circus tent thoroughly until Mae called out from the northeast side of the tent.
"He's over here!" she called.
Max and Gort rushed to Mae, and when they reached her, she stood grinning slightly with the young boy sitting atop her back and holding her tightly around the waist, his eyes closed.
"You don't have to be afraid, kid." she said, laughing. "I'm not going to rear up and toss you."
Max grinned a little too, and the three of them exited the tent and headed toward the mayor's house. When they'd arrived, Mae and Gort waited outside while Max went into the house to meet with the mayor.
"Oh! Thank you so very much!" said the mayor's daughter-in-law as she grabbed her son up and hugged him tightly.
Max only smiled, and looked to the mayor.
"Ah, thank you, indeed." said the old man with a smile. "Well, I guess that means my ship is yours. Thank you again, and I wish you luck on your adventure…"
Max grinned and nodded, and then left the house. Mae and Gort stood waiting outside and they looked at him somewhat nervously after he'd come out.
"And?" asked Mae impatiently, one of her back hooves clopping rapidly against the pavement.
"It's ours." said Max proudly. "We have to go tell Nova and the group. Preparations need to be made before we take to the water."
Gort nodded and the three of them returned to headquarters to meet their comrades.
"So when will we leave?" asked Hans, who had taken a good beating in the last battle.
His right leg was heavily bandaged, and he had a long cut across the side of his chest.
"Don't ask so many questions, you lout! Gah, you're so annoying!" yelled Tao as she clocked Hans on the head with her staff.
She was slightly irritated at him for having gotten in her way during the battle, and almost cost her her life.
"Ow! Why'd you do that?" yelled Hans as he held his head. "Women are so brutal…"
Max wasn't really smiling though. It was mildly funny to watch Hans, who'd never done anything to bother anyone much, being abused by his comrade, but, at the moment, Max's mind was set on getting to Runefaust and finding Kane.
"Calm down, will you…?" said Max, as he shot Tao and angry look. "We don't have time for this."
Tao shrunk down into her seat.
"We're leaving in about an hour. Nova and I are going to the shop to buy supplies." explained Max. "When we get back, everyone will set themselves up for just in case we encounter anyone unexpected along the way, and then we'll be off."
No one said much. They all simply acknowledged Max's instructions and returned to their conversations. All of them accept Anri, that is. Since she'd decided to come along with Max and his party, she'd seemed somewhat distant from the entire group. Max had drawn easily that, outside of battle, she was still mourning her father's death, and need time to think alone. But there was something else about her that made him feel a bit strange.
"Max…?" she asked shyly.
Her voice was very quiet, but at the same time the sound of her voice was soothing.
"Y…yeah?" Max replied as he turned to look at her.
"Do you know what's waiting for us in Runefaust?" asked Anri.
"Not really. I mean, I know Kane is there, and his leader too. The both of them are our enemies. They destroyed Gaurdiana and killed so many people." explained Max. "But that's really all I know…"
Anri looked at him with worried eyes.
"It doesn't feel right, Max…" she said. "I can feel it. Something's wrong, and I'm not sure we're doing the right thing."
"What are you talking about…?" he asked, somewhat surprised at her. "Kane killed your father…he destroyed your country. Don't you want him to pay for something like that?"
"I…I want him to feel what my father felt, what my people felt, yes." she said calmly. "But this whole thing. The way we're going about this…just feels wrong."
Max couldn't say much else to her. At first, as she walked away, her feelings were top priority. But after a while, he could only think that she was feeling like this because her father had passed away. He figured it was just her way of expressing the feelings she had packed inside of her, and that she was just overcome with sadness at the moment. That was his mistake.
Within the next hour or so, Max and Nova had returned with a good deal of supplies, leaving the shop keeper to count the tons of gold they had given him in return. The group got suited up and ready for the journey across the waters. Luke was the first at Max's side as they lugged the last of the supplies to the harbor.
"Did we really need all this…?" asked Luke, as he tried to pick up a large crate. "I know you want to be prepared, but all this stuff will more than likely drag us to the bottom of the ocean."
"Stop complaining and lift, slacker!" called Gort as he lifted an equally large crate and hoisted it onto his shoulder and held it there almost effortlessly. "You should be carrying twice as much as I!"
Luke mumbled under his breath before he too hoisted the crate unto his shoulder, but walked away slowly with a pained look on his face. Max laughed a little and lifted the final crate himself, leaving headquarters completely empty.
Nova stood waiting for Max as he got onto the boat and laid the heavy crate next to Luke, who was taking them down into the cellar.
"We're all ready, Max…" said Nova with a weak smile. "We'll shove off when you give the word."
Max looked around at everyone on the boat. Only Mae, Ken, and Tao stood above deck, while everyone else seemed to be enjoying the inside of the ship a bit more.
"If everyone's here." said Max. "Lets go."
Nova nodded, and walked briskly off the ship. He returned shortly after, a young man at his side.
"Thank you, m'boy." said Nova, as the man untied the ship from the long wooden column that supported the dock.
"Go, now." said Darksol. "Before they're able to leave. Just damage their chances of leaving Rindo any way you can."
"Yes, milord." said Mishaela as she walked slowly away from Darksol, and disappeared into the air.
Her eyes where closed as she lunged through a split in the dimensions to her destination. She could feel herself growing quickly closer to Max and his party.
With a sudden flash, she was standing upon the boat, Max directly in front of her with his back to her.
"Ha." she laughed simply, only trying to call his attention. "That worthless marionette…"
"You!" said Max, his expression going from surprised to angry within a second.
He unsheathed his blade and prepared to attack, but it was too late.
"Fool! You cannot fight me." laughed Mishaela as she raised her right hand and pointed at him. "You'll never get to…"
But before she could say anymore, a voice came to her. A voice that changed that changed fate, and stop her from setting the ship ablaze.
"Stop, Mishaela. I have another idea." said the voice.
"Milord?" asked Mishaela aloud.
"Who the hell are you talking to!" yelled Max, as he ran at her with his blade.
She was twice as strong as he was, if not more, and she parried the blow easily with only her hand.
"Come back." Darksol's voice echoed through Mishaela mind.
With that, Max turned, but Mishaela had disappeared. Gone as fast as she had come.
Mae, Ken, Nova, and Tao stood around Max, puzzled by their sudden encounter with an enemy.
"What was she doing here?" asked Ken, as he looked around.
"She looked like she was ready to attack…" said Max. "But she started talking to herself, and then she was gone."
"Weigh anchor, now…" Nova called to Luke, who now stood at the front of the ship. "We can't wait here any longer and risk another encounter."
Luke began to reel the anchor to the ship's side, with the help of Gort, and the young man on the dock had finished releasing the ropes from the dock's wooden support columns.
Max watched as they slowly drifted from the docks in the direction of south east. After about 10 minutes, Max, Gort, and Luke had clung to the netting around the wooden masts that stood in the center of the boat, and began to climb to the top and release the sails.
"Ready?" called Max from the backmost sail.
"Aye!" called Gort in return, and the both of them released the sails in unison.
Luke released the sail under Gort's, and the boat began moving twice as fast with the wind directly eastward. If they planned right, they would arrive just outside the walls of Runefaust, and be near the end of there journey. And though it had been short, their intentions where clear. Find Kane, and defeat him and his followers. They believed truly that they needed only to kill Kane to release Protectora from his clutches, and end the reign of the Runefaustians and their army. Again, Max's thoughts were far from correct.
"Milord, I mean not to question you…" said Mishaela, as Darksol stared at her sternly. "It's just I could have killed them so quickly…"
"I have a better idea than just burning their ship. They could easily travel to another port in the North and get here eventually." said Darksol. "We couldn't be sure sinking the boat would also sink their journey completely."
"So? What will happen now?" said Mishaela. "Wait for them to reach us?"
"Indeed. They'll be torn to shreds. Kane, Elliot, Balbazak, and you yourself will take all of them at once." said Darksol with a hiss of laughter. "Instead of sending one at a time to try and stop them if they did proceed north."
"You are indeed a tactical genius, milord." said Michaela as she smiled.
"And it will let us continue research on the Laser Eye as well." said Darksol. "They would have undoubtedly tried to pass through the area of excavation if they continued to search for us." said Darksol as his happiness grew. "You're the only one who can get to the rest of the group. Bring Balbazak and Elliot back immediately. Inform Kane and tell him to report back within a day or two."
"And what of his research on the Dragonian Shrine?" said Mishaela.
"I may deem that as failure for the moment. We're not even sure if that's where the Manuel is." said Darksol. "And we may never need Dark Dragon as long as we defeat this petty force and Zeon remains idle."
"And…what of Lucifer?" asked Mishaela.
"He's probably dead anyway…It's been so long he must have passed by now…" mumbled Darksol. "But enough damn questions from you. Get out of here!"
Mishaela flinched a bit and disappeared with a fiery look of anger in her eyes.
"I hope this is the right way to go…" muttered Darksol.
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps came from the imminent darkness that surrounded Darksol on all sides.
"Darksol." called a voice from the shadows. "I need you, where are you my friend."
Darksol looked in the direction of the voice. A figure appeared, eyes a strange shade of red that peered out at him through the shadows.
"Ah, there you are. What are you doing hiding in this old fortress." said Ramladu. "Not even I go here anymore."
"My liege." said Darksol with a small bow. "I simply exploring. I've never seen the whole of this place."
"Indeed. I used to come here to think, but with you as my advisor, I no longer have worries I must ponder upon." said Ramladu. "Speaking of which, I have some thing I must ask your advice on."
Darksol nodded, and the both of them walked toward the exit of the fortress, contemplating with one another about an attack on Uranboatl.
One week had gone without a sound, and the group was soon getting low on supplies and on spirit. Half the group found a new meaning for sea sickness, while the other half had found the best part of the trip was sleeping for 15 hours a day.
"Max!" yelled Nova from the bow. "Land!"
Max's eyes widened and he ran next to Nova and looked out toward the strip of land in the distance. Max smiled happily at the sight, as did Nova, as the rest of the group scurried to the sides of the boat to see the land awaiting them.
"A little more than a three hour ride I should say." said Nova. "Lets just make sure we keep this route and we should land just outside the walls of Runefaust."
Max nodded and kept an eye on the land even after everyone else has clambered away, almost as if he was making sure it wouldn't leave. The night sky was setting in, and the waters where growing a little more choppy as they grew closer and closer to their destination. The entire group, except for Nova, who was steering the ship, had fallen asleep. Max still stood outside, watching as the water slowly crept behind them, and the boat drew closer. Finally, the land was but 200 yards so from them, and the carrier boats where prepared to be dropped into the water. The entire of the group was now awake, and the humans and elves got on first. The went to shore, and one human in each boat returned for the centaurs, who where almost too heavy and large to balance themselves on the small boats. Nevertheless, they were able to get to land safely, and Max watched as the anchored boat tossed subtly with the waves, the sun setting in the distance. He turned to the rest of his group, and without a word, they followed him into the fields.
"Milady. Sentinels have spotted an anchored ship in the bay." said a messenger. "They are quite sure it is the enemy party."
"Thank you." said Mishaela, as the messenger turned and headed back though the large gate in the wall.
The gate drew closed, and Michaela and her troop stood outside, preparing to meet the enemy.
"Elliot." said Mishaela. "You will take to the forests in the northeast. Hide and wait. Balbazak, you take simply to the sands just north of us. When the force engages you, Elliot will spring for an ambush. Kane and I will attack well after the both of you have weakened them."
"You hide in the forests. I'll do nothing of the sort." snapped Elliot. "You'll not have the right to command me."
"Elliot, this is under your kings orders. Will you betray him?" said Mishaela with a smirk.
Elliot said nothing.
"Good. Balbazak?" said Mishaela, as she turned to the pirate-like warrior.
"No, milady." she said in a gruff voice from under his helm.
"Quite. Now, into position." said Mishaela. "Kane."
"Hm?" mumbled Kane.
"Are you prepared?" asked Mishaela.
"Always." said Kane. "Not that this is even necessary. I doubt Elliot would be defeated alone against these children."
"Don't be so angry." said Mishaela. "Feel proud. They are all coming here for you, remember?"
"Yes. And they believe you to be my underling." said Kane.
"Preposterous!" laughed Mishaela.
"And I am three in rank your superior." growled Kane.
Mishaela stopped laughing and looked at him angrily.
"I am your superior, Kane. Despite what Ramladu says you are, he knows not that I even exist, you fool." said Mishaela.
"I will not argue with you, but it is obvious who could defeat whom." said Kane. "I'd like to show you how easily I could smash your head someday soon. I hoped I'd never see the day when a bitch like yourself came into my king's castle."
"You'll die for that." said Mishaela. "Soon enough."
"Good luck to you and you 'magic', milady." said Kane, as he moved forward ahead of her and into the fields.
Mishaela stood furious. If not for her fear of Darksol's punishment, she would have set him ablaze at the first chance she was given. She regain her composure and disappeared from sight.
"Thank you, sir." said Nova as he and Max left a nearby tavern.
The group had gone to rest in the city just north of the Runefaust gates. They had asked the men at the tavern whether or not there had been much activity in Protectora lately. They answered with tales of Runefaust's latest slayings throughout the countryside, and even of attacks on the city itself. The castle had been destroyed, but the king and his warriors survived much of the attack, and went into hiding deep underground in a system of ancient tunnels.
"So, when will we leave?" asked Nova, as the headed toward headquarters.
"The morning." said Max calmly. "I want everyone to get themselves prepared before we try to force our way into the city. An entire week bobbing across the ocean probably didn't leave them much sleep, even though they were in their cots half the time."
"Indeed." said Nova simply as the reached headquarters.
Max himself couldn't get much sleep that night. The excitement and anxiety of what would happen in the morning was flooding his mind with thoughts. He got up out of bed and crept quietly past Luke, who lay sprawled out in his bed, snoring like a monster.
Max walked into the next room, the backmost part of headquarters where the tables and stools sat. Gort could often be found back here swigging whole bottles of rum while the rest of the group sat and chattered. Now, this late into the night, there was no one there, only a three dimly lit candles lined the walls, making the room look almost ghostly. Max sat on a stool in the far corner next to the brightest candle. He could do nothing but think about what would happen on the battlefield. Facing Runefaust's strongest warriors with only a year of sword fighting experience, and what he'd learned from fighting during the past few weeks. He though about those that had come with him. Ken, high spirited and funny, Hans, quiet and quick, Tao, cheerful and kind. Arthur…womanizing. He laughed a bit in his head for an instant, and then feel back into thought. Anri. What about her? She'd been with them probably the least of the group, next to Arthur, and he felt like he knew her so well.
The clatter of footsteps broke his thoughts to pieces, as he turned to see who had entered the room. Anri stood, dress simply in a nightgown, her hair tied back into a ponytail. She looked a bit strange with her hair tied back so quietly, but her entire face was now visible, and he could see how beautiful she was, even in the dim of the room. She almost glowed in the darkness. For a moment, Max almost didn't realize he was staring at her strangely.
"I thought I heard someone about…" she said.
Her voice was so quiet. He felt just his thoughts about her a few minutes previous had awoken her.
"Just me. Can't seem to sleep." he said, as he turned head down to the table he was sitting at. "Too nervous."
"Oh." she said, still hardly loud enough to hear. "I'm nervous, too. I bet everyone else is."
"I've been thinking," Max blurted, "about what you said to me before we got on the ship…"
Anri looked at the ground and her face grew almost pained. Max couldn't tell really with the dim of the room.
"I'm sorry I ignored you. I'm beginning to have a strange feeling, too." said Max. "I almost wish…we'd endured…more."
Anri glanced at him, and then back at the ground again.
"It was too easy, getting where we are. It doesn't seem right." said Max. "I don't know why, though. We are going to finish what we came here for. Aren't we."
Anri looked at him again. He wasn't, but he could have sworn her eyes shined with tears.
"I should be asking you that, shouldn't I?" she said with a smile.
"Maybe." said Max, as he smiled back at her.
She came closer to him now, wiping her eyes as she walked, and she sat down next to him. Max felt his stomach curl.
"I was feeling homesick back in Manaria." said Anri. "Even more so now."
"So do I." said Max. "Even though I'm not sure where home is…"
Anri had her back to him at the position she was sitting. He couldn't see her expression.
"Are you okay?" Max asked, as he tried to look over her shoulder to see her face.
She turned a bit more to avoid him.
"No, I'm fine." she said.
"I've been around more women than you know…" said Max with a small grin. "I know when they are lying."
Anri inhaled heavily. She must have been in tears about something.
Max stood up. He couldn't listen to her cry. He walked around her and kneeled down in front of her. She didn't turn away this time, though. Her face was wet with tears, and his heart sank.
"You're too cute to cry…" Max said suddenly.
Anri laughed and wiped her eyes, and the both of them stood. She was only a half of a foot shorter than him, and she looked up somberly, her eyes still slightly wet. And before Max could think of anything more, she leaned forward, and their lips met.
Elliot's campfire blazed as he and his 3 comrades sat to eat a late night meal. They knew full well the enemy wouldn't arrive for a while yet, and it was there job to stay hidden well until the force had passed them by.
"Milord…" said one Elliot's soldiers, the young magician Cedric.
"What is it?" asked Elliot.
"Is this group really our enemy? They seem like they have a just cause…" said Cedric timidly.
"A just cause? They intend to kill Lord Kane and his soldiers. Do you want to let your leader die?" said Elliot. "I'll admit, Kane is not the same as he once was. He has kept his personality, but he was never so brutal. I think Darksol may have something to with it."
"Yes, milord." said Cedric as he looked down at his food.
"If I had the mind and the courage a general should have…" said Elliot. "I would have tried to snap our king out of his trance, but Darksol would simply destroy me without a second thought. He is so blinded now because of Darksol, he doesn't even know Mishaela exists."
"I'm not fond of her, if I may say so, milord." said Cedric.
"I'm not fond of the entire situation…" said Elliot. "Our king is blind and my superiors listen to him. I should do nothing but follow what my king says only because his trust is dear to me…"
"Why…why confide this with me, milord. You only hardly know me." said Cedric.
"No matter. This battle plan seems flawless, but I have my doubts." said Elliot. "If it would save this group, I'd back down and let the plan go on without us."
"What?" asked Cedric.
"You're right." said Elliot, as he stood. "Their cause is just. Kane destroyed their city and killed their king. They have a right to come looking for him."
Cedric said nothing.
"If it would help them, I would let them past and see whether or not they could defeat Kane and Balbazak, and even Mishaela." continued Elliot. "They might even be able to kill Darksol."
"And if Darksol uses Ramladu to fight them off?" said Cedric.
"That's the only time I'll intervene, if the time ever comes." said Elliot.
The night had flown by, and the morning had taken its place. Max lay sprawled out in his bed, laying crookedly with both legs hanging off the side.
"Wow…" said Max, as he sat up and shook his head. "Did all the stuff really happen…last night."
He recalled everything perfectly. He was unsure of whether it had been a dream or not, though. He'd often had strange dreams that left him confused the next morning. This time, though, what had happened was very clear. Everyone was out of bed and probably getting breakfast, everyone except Max himself, and Anri, who stood in the doorway nearby, the same somber smile on her face.
"Morning…" she said quietly.
Her hair was back to the way it was usually, hanging oddly over one of her eyes.
"Oh…" said Max nervously.
He was sure he was blushing horribly.
"Good morning." he replied.
"Everyone's waiting for you. They said I should come and shake you awake." she smiled brightly now.
Max smiled back.
"Luke says you've had enough beauty sleep, and that it's your turn to make breakfast." she said and walked away, still smiling.
Max feel out of bed and put on his bandana and his garb. He hated cooking, especially when Luke was the one giving him orders.
Max walked into the same room he'd gone to the night before, and sure enough, everyone was in their usual positions. Gort sat next to Luke, both of them swigging down ale, while Hans and Tao sat together at another table, both of them whispering and chuckling to one another as Max entered. Arthur stood next to Mae, and kept repeating the same 'Are your legs tired?' pickup line on her.
Anri sat next to Gong. The both of them where best near each other because neither of them usually said a word. Khris, Lowe, and Ken were nowhere to be seen.
Max walked in Tao's direction to see what they found so funny about him this morning.
"Hey." he said with a smirk.
Tao giggled.
"So? What's funny?" said Max, hoping they weren't laughing at what he thought they were.
"I saw your little encounter the other night…" whispered Hans. "I thought it was cute, but Tao made it sound hilarious."
"Yeah, he told me what you said. You're so 'sensitive', Max." laughed Tao.
"You were eavesdropping, Hans?" asked Max, his face now completely red as he blushed and grew slightly angry at the same time.
"Uh…I guess." said Hans, as Tao broke into heavy laughter next to him.
Max lifted his fist and clocked the both of them atop the head and walked off.
"Oww. You always get me in trouble…" said Hans, as he held is head.
Tao continued laughing uncontrollably as she rubbed her head.
Max walked to the front and began to speak. He usually did this in the mornings, and every turned to listen immediately, even Tao, who tried her best to hold the laughter in.
"Hopefully, the battle today will be one of the last. Scouts from the city have spotted Kane and his soldiers on the field. They were kind enough to inform us." said Max. "Once Kane is finished, we'll not have to worry about attacks from Runefaust."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Suit up." said Max loudly, and he walked away.
"HEY!" called Luke from one of the tables. "MAX! Where're my eggs?
"Darksol has nothing to do with it." said Kane calmly.
Mishaela grew angrier by the second.
"Do want to die now, then?" she screamed.
"If you'd like disobey your all powerful leader, I'll take you on right now." said Kane, with the first sound of anger in his voice.
"Then DIE!" yelled Mishaela, as she slid backward and shot forth a cannon of electricity.
Kane bounded out of the way and bolted forward at her. She avoided blows from both of his blades as he swiped at her repeatedly. Finally, he grew somewhat tired and stopped his assault.
"Tired already?" asked Mishaela. "I've only just started this fight."
"You mean I've just finished it…" said Kane, as he lifted his blade.
His sword, the Sword of Darkness, was plague with evil energy not even Mishaela knew of. The sword glowed black and purple, before releasing an orb of energy which took it's position in the air, and swirled like a black whole.
"This is my close personal friend. I thought you'd like to meet him before you got to hell." said Kane.
Mishaela's eyes widened as the orb became enormous, and a huge block figure emerged from the black circle. Once the figure had past through fully, the orb imploded and disappeared. The figure lifted its hands, revealing an enormous scythe in its hands.
"What the hell is that?" cried Mishaela.
Kane said nothing as the giant hooded figure approached Mishaela as she backed away in fear. She stopped and tried hr best to conjure a cloud of electricity, but as the huge bolts collided with the figure, they vanished and did not damage.
Mishaela let out as scream as the ominous figure lifted its scythe and brought it clear through Mishaela's body. She dropped to the ground in pieces, and her sole rose from her body, and disappeared in the large figures hand. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the figure vanished.
"How simple." said Kane. "She didn't even try to teleport away."
"You fool." said a voice from seemingly nowhere.
Kane's eyes widened and he turned to see Darksol standing there, his head tilted back in disappointment.
"You killed…her." said Darksol.
For the first time ever, he seemed to have forgotten his anger. Darksol was more concentrated on the death of his underling. Why was that?
"You…" groaned Darksol. "You've just ruined it all. Without her…"
"What are you talking about. She called the fight. I did nothing but accept a challenge." said Kane. "I was defending myself."
Darksol's red eyes became slits as his rage grew. He extended an arm out from under his cloak and had grabbed Kane by the throat. Kane choked and hissed from under his mask as Darkols held him up.
"Darksol…." he hissed again. "I will bring you with me to hell…"
Darksol gritted his teeth as Kane struggled to break free of his grip, but it was no use. Darksol tightened his grip until Kane's body feel limp. Darksol dropped him to the ground as Balbazak and his soldiers appeared, running in Darksol's direction.
"LORD KANE!" cried Balbazak. "Damn you Darksol!"
"You want…to die too, Balbazak?" yelled Darksol, which stopped Balbazak in his tracks.
"N..no." said Balbazak, as he backed away slowly and walked in the direction he'd been camping before.
Darksol shook his head and turned. He'd lost two of his most powerful warrior's within only a few minutes. The force had at least some chance of getting into the city now. Before Darksol could think anymore, a sharp pain pierced his mind, and he fell to his knees. The Sword of Darkness was protruding from his stomach, and he coughed blood as he realized he'd been fooled. He turned his head back slowly to see Kane before him, his mask on the ground and his broadsword still in his hand.
"You killed the masked man, not me." said Kane with a smile.
He drew the Sword of Darkness from Darksol's stomach, and twirled the blade in his hand as Darksol choked in pain.
"Free my King, now, you bastard!" yelled Kane with anger, as he held his blade back behind him, and brought it forward to remove Darksol's head.
Max and his party advanced on Runefaust. Kane had broken free of Darksol's spell and finished him, releasing King Ramladu as well. When the force arrived, they were engaged by Balbazak and his men, who offered immediate diplomacy with Guardiana. The force accepted the offer but still took to Protectora to see Kane, and to at least face him. Kane explained the situation, and though max and his party were skeptical at first, the story made sense and the force took leave of Protectora and returned to Guardiana. Anri took her place as queen, and Max disappeared soon after. Ramladu fell ill several months after the spell had been broken, and he passed away, leaving Kane as king or Protectora.
Ten years later, Runefaust was attacked by a group of marauders, the leader of the group was called Earnest. He killed Balbazak and took leave of the city immediately, but Elliot hunted him and his group down and finished them. Both cities remained peaceful until Max returned to Protectora. He revealed past memories both he and Kane had forgotten. Neither of them had any idea that they were indeed closely related. Max again vanished a short while later, and was never seen again. After some time, Kane's wife bore a child, a boy, named Ian. Kane passed away some years later during war, as did his mother due to disease, leaving Ian alone to lead the kingdom. Ian, who was not fond of being royalty, set out on a journey to find his only remaining relative, Max. Neither of them returned.
The world at peace convinced the gods that nothing more could go wrong. Their ignorance allowed Zeon to finally rise from his unguarded tomb on Grans Island. Both Mitula and Volcanon were killed, leaving Zeon to ravage the countryside with his followers in tow. Soon, the world fell into total devastation, and naught lived but devils.