Four Set Forth

They walked together, four abreast upon the wide dirt road, heading north.

The afternoon was pleasant, yet still too cold for this time in spring. They knew the world was slowly dying; yet that wasn't very apparent now. However, the times were upon them whether it was apparent or not.

Gantz tried to move casually, the dark leather armor he wore not much of a hindrance to his pace. He was nervous all the same, however, occasionally glancing at Valor who walked to his left. The snobby noble had an air of stony determination about him and looked all the more uptight for it. He wore his armor well, however, and the thief admitted he cut a regal figure. That was the only good thing Gantz could think of about the haughty prig, and sighed irritably.

The black mage walked to his right, occasionally glaring at him with her glowing yellow eyes. When she wasn't glaring at him she was glaring at nothing. He supposed that since her eyes glowed, it might just seem she was always glaring, but from little he head learned of her, he doubted it.

Gantz hadn't shared much of his past those hours ago back at the roadside inn. The white mage, Sana-Lynn had been the first, Valor the second, Robin third, and him last and reluctantly. He could admit his secretive nature, and he hated revealing things about himself that weren't absolutely necessary.

Besides, he didn't really believe he had had much to share.

Gantz had been born in the distant east, in a small mountainous region that was said once to have been a great nation. However, most of it had been wilderness, scattered mountain villages and secluded communities that subsisted off of farming and fishing for their mainstay. The boy's oldest memories were of living in one of those, though with strangers, not with his family. Gantz had never really learned much about his family.

A cantankerous old hunter had taken him in soon after, and they had been constantly on the move. So, Gantz had grown up a wanderer without any real home, always drifting, always moving... like the wind, he supposed.

They had gone from place to place, village to village, living on the outskirts and in the wilderness. He shared that much in common with Robin Magus, at least to a point. When he'd been twelve, the old hunter had proclaimed he had found the greatest prey and had left to seek his glory. He had never returned. A week later, a black-clad man almost totally concealed, but for his dark haunting gaze, appeared in the woods where Gantz had slept. He had stood in the shadows, seemingly at one with them, and had planted two knives in the ground before the boy. Afterward, the shrouded figure had vanished without a trace. That was day that the boy had received his most prized possessions.

That very same month, Gantz had visited his first sizable settlement, and had decided he liked urbanity more than living in the wilderness. He had already been long aware of his preternatural knack for sneakiness and soon developed sticky fingers to suit. His chosen profession came as natural as breathing after that.

Four years to the day, just about, saw him here and now, Chosen of the Crystal of the Wind, and all he wanted to do was run and hide. He instinctively knew he could not, however, not from this fate, and that vexed him all the more.

So he moved with the other three toward the White City. Still a good half day away in the distance, Gantz could still make out the white walls and the Castle Cornelia jutting up above it all. He could even see the blue strand of the River Amathia that bisected the eastern parts of the city. The docks district, his home for the last four years had been there, set hard by the river.

Yet seeing the city from this distance, under these new circumstances suddenly made the thief feel as if he had never been to the city before, that he was embarking on something new, something epic. However, he glanced irately at Valor to his left again, and the buoying feeling of awe was quickly replaced by trepidation.

Suddenly, he growled: "Ah bloody hellfire! What in the bloody depths of the Abyss am I doing here on this blasted fool's quest?"

Robin growled to his right. "Wasting your breath, you ignoramus! For some reason, one of the Crystals chose your worthless hide to aid it, so you'd better accept the fact and be done!"

Valor gave an exasperated sigh. "Am I going to have to separate you two?"

Sana-Lynn giggled.

Robin clamped her mouth shut, gripping her rod tightly. Gantz, on the other hand, felt the overwhelming need to retort. "Just letting off some steam, you bloody snob of a noble. That ain't against your code of conduct is it?"

The warrior clenched his jaw, but Sana leaned back from where she was walking and wiggled a finger at him. "'Isn't' Gantz...'that isn't against your code of conduct', you meant to say."

The thief gaped at her. "What are you, a bloody grammar fiend? We aren't kids in a classroom, I can talk however I bloody want to."

The white mage just giggled again.

Valor frowned at him. "Robin is right, Gantz, you cannot avoid this fate. It is best to accept it and gird yourself for what comes. There will be a great many challenges, and I doubt any of us will ever get bored."

"Bored? You think I'm worried about getting bored?" Gantz cried in outrage, but quickly lapsed into silence.

They all did.

Some time passed and the four moved over to the right side of the road as a caravan of high-wheeled wagons passed them, heading south. They went by a few more small roadside inns and taverns, moving mechanically as the sun slowly slid down in an evening sky.

The city was probably still a good four hours distant when they passed another roadside inn and a tall fellow intercepted them. He was Valor's height, but not as broad, a foppish-looking man with shiny bronze hair and a pretty-boy face. Gantz figured he must be a noble, with his fancy red cloak, embroidered along the hem in alternating white and black triangles. A white silk shirt and fancy satin breeches were worn beneath, though the man's fine knee-high boots of supple leather covered most the breeches. He wore a rapier sheathed at his side, and bowed before them all, doffing his ridiculous red hat, a white feather sticking out from its side.

As he straightened, but before he could say anything, Robin took a single step forward and stabbed her rod at him. "Out of the way, you foppish bint! I have no interested in what you're selling, and neither do the fools I'm traveling with, if they have any sense at all." She glared at them all doubtfully.

Gantz rolled his eyes, and Valor sighed, but it was Sana-Lynn who came forward. "Please forgive her, stranger, she has a terrible affliction which hampers her manners."

In response, Robin growled like a beast, then just plopped down on the ground, arms folded irately, as if all this were wasting her time. Gantz thought he might agree with her, frowning and folding his arms as well.

The man didn't seem put off in the least, and bowed again, with an especially elaborate flourish that made the thief want to wretch. "Oh, I've run into all types," he proclaimed, gracing Sana with a broad smile. "Still, yours is a beauty I have rarely glimpsed," he finished, taking the girl's hand and kissing it.

Sana's face went red as the man's cloak, and Gantz heard Valor growl in the back of his throat for some reason. The thief leaned over. "You see why you nobles make me sick," he said.

Valor's jaw clenched, but he did not take his eyes from the pair as he responded. "I do not like him either, thief." Gantz frowned at his tone, but gave a slight nod. He supposed they could agree on some things.

Anyhow, the fop wasn't finished, turning toward them all. "You four are far too distinct to pass for mere travelers so you are undoubtedly the ones I seek. I have come to bring you to speed on the many happenings in the City of Dreams so you know what you're walking into. Please, I have made arrangements at this humble inn and ask that you take me up for the night. Rest assured that you could be underway as early as must be on the morrow."

Valor shook his head, and then went up to stand beside Sana before this man. "Who are you, and why would you have a need to speak with us?"

The man smiled again. "Ah, of course, how terribly rude of me." He made another flourish of his scarlet cloak. "I am True Herring, the Red Bard, and we have mutual acquaintances, Valor, Son of Loftlan."

The warrior narrowed his eyes, but Sana suddenly smiled. "A bard? Do you play music?"

"I do indeed, my beauty. I am versed in the flute and the hand harp, if you would care to listen."

Valor shook his head. "That will have to wait," he said to them both. Sana looked disappointed before nodding, though the fop – True was his name – looked positively crestfallen. "You must explain your presence and your purpose here first. Frivolity can come after."

For all his apparent loss of spirit, the red-cloaked dandy was smiling again all too quickly. He really did make Gantz want to wretch.

Robin suddenly growled where she huddled. "That fop makes me want to vomit," she admitted irately.

The thief wasn't sure if that had been meant for him or no one in particular, but he managed a nod in agreement. "My thoughts exactly."

The black mage grumbled a bit, but said nothing more.

The fop continued. "Explanations are forthcoming, Lord Loftlan, but not out here. If it pleases you, follow me to the inn where I have procured a private dining room. It is there we can speak over supper."

Valor hesitated, looking to them all for consensus. Sana nodded, Gantz shrugged, and Robin didn't deign to acknowledge the warrior's questioning gaze. Exasperated, he spoke for them all. "Very well."

Dusk had fallen when the white mage, the warrior, the thief, and the bard occupied the small dark-paneled dining room. Valor and Sana sat at one side of a small circular table across from True, while Gantz stood to one side of the room's only door, leaning casually against the wall. Robin was absent, having retreated to her single room.

A nice fire was crackling in a plain stone hearth to one side, lighting the room, but not warming it much, strange as that was. Gantz frowned at that almost as much as the fop's explanations. Oddly enough, the red-cloaked man had taken on a more serious demeanor since entering the room.

"A momentous shift has occurred in the political undercurrents of the White City recently," True began, all the ingratiating servility gone from his voice. "It seems that the four Great Ducals have vanished, their Houses in complete disarray. Without the foundation of their influence, their retainers and other allies have descended into political infighting. This has granted the faction I represent a definite opportunity to reassert its power."

Gantz shook his head. "You fool nobles and your bloody power games."

The fop gave him a sudden sly smile, sly enough to make the thief almost nervous. "You are the Master Thief, Gantor Raz, are you not? You are wanted all over the city."

"Gantor Raz?" Valor said distastefully.

Sana smiled at the thief. "Is that your real name, Gantz?"

The thief smoothed the surprise from his face with difficulty and nodded sharply. "Aye, that's me. Haven't used my full name in a long time, definitely not since I came to Cornelia. Seems you're a little more than just the trussed-up peacock I took you for, Master Herring."

True waved that away, sounding wistful. "Oh, I do wish I could be but a simple bard, Master Raz, but the times demand more of me, I'm afraid."

The thief's lips twisted sourly. "That's as may be. And its just Gantz, by the way."

The man smiled. "As you wish."

Valor did not smile. "Regardless, you say the political power base is shifting within the capital. How has the king been acting?"

True arched an eyebrow at him. "Your royal cousin has turned over a new leaf, Lord Valor, but something very disturbing has happened recently, something that has awakened fear in all of us."

Sana suddenly nodded with a frown. "The Veil of Darkness."

"Yes, Sana-Lynn. A shadowy phantasm appeared before the court two days passed, claiming that it was Garland. I was present, sitting in with my noble brother, the Count deLufron. The phantasm emitted a powerful demonic dread and the visage was nothing like Garland the man. It was a towering monster in shadowy black-barbed armor that pronounced the destruction of Highland's entire army at its hands. It also declared that the Princess Sarah was in its clutches and that the End Times were coming and it would gladly usher them in. Afterward, the thing vanished and chaos ensued. Shouts of the Fifth Cataclysm were everywhere and the subtle failings of the land were suddenly remembered and brought to voice. Worst of all, the king stood and left the hall without a word. Crying and raging and the gnashing of teeth were left in his wake."

Valor pounded a fist on the table. "How dare he relinquish his duty when he is needed most!"

Sana suddenly put a hand on his shoulder, her voice strangely serene. "It is his daughter, Valor. He has lost her, the one thing he had left to care about, the one person that had not betrayed him."

Gantz and Valor gave her a questioning look, while True gave a considering one. The bard spoke: "That was my conclusion as well after some consideration. I know of Sarah and was there to witness this, however."

The white mage gave an off-hand shrug. "Sometimes I just sense things."

Valor gave a nod, accepting, but frowned again. "I must speak with the king as soon as possible."

True nodded. "The city is beset by turmoil, but I will use whatever truck I have to get you to see him as quickly as I can. Regardless, there will be a need for you to explain yourselves."

Valor looked grimly determined. "Whatever must be done, I shall do."

Gantz slowly wiped a hand down his face. "Ye Gods, what a pain. I can't believe I have to get dragged into this bloody midden heap."

Sana looked over at him with a sweet smile. "You can always become a bandit, Gantor Raz."

He grumbled and fidgeted, but said nothing. The girl giggled. True laughed.

Valor frowned. "My mother and Dalton Samar of the Order of the White Staff will head back to the city to bring what stability they can. They will not arrive before we do, however. Is there anything more you have to tell us, True Herring?"

The Red Bard folded his white-gloved hands on the table. "My immediate superior in the organization I am currently attached to is the Viscount Brannic Sutherland, a colleague of the Duchess Loftlan. I do not know of anyone higher up, though I have my suspicions. From what I've gathered, however, your mother may already possess a high seat within the circle. She may even be the leader, but I can find nothing to corroborate such an… accusation."

Valor leaned back to consider. Sana gave him a grin. "It seems your mother is quite formidable."

The warrior nodded. "More than you know, Sana, or I, for that matter. She may already have things in hand, but I must leave that duty to her. We have our own to see to."

Sana simply nodded. "Of course."

Gantz grimaced. "Well, I'm bloody glad you're all so eager to stick your heads into this blasted hornets' nest, but I ain't looking forward to it at all. Tell you one thing, though, I damn sure better get that bloody bounty taken off my head before I get my head taken off. I've become rather attached to it over the years."

"A pity that," Valor said with the hint of a grin. Sana giggled.

Gantz just huffed.

True smiled, then stood from his chair with a flourish of his cloak. "Well then, if you will all pardon me, I think I shall head to the common where I will play for the folk a tune or three. A good night to you all."

Sana stood as well, adjusting her white cloak. "I would like to accompany you, Master Herring. I've not heard a good recital in quite some time. I think it'll be fun."

The man bowed again. "As if I could refuse such a gorgeous offer. If you would allow me." He offered Sana his hand and the girl took it with a slight blush before grasping his arm and being led out to the hall.

When they were just outside the door, Gantz jerked his chin at Valor. "You gonna let that red dandy take your woman without a fight. I thought you had more sense than that."

Valor's face went burgundy. "How dare you, you vile wretch! She is nothing of the kind, and can do as she pleases! I have no right to impose upon her actions! If you had any claim to decency at all, you would..."

And on he went, though Gantz made a mocking motion with one of his black-gloved hands. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, spare me the indignant tirade, you blue blooded bung cork." He didn't bother to stay after that, just opened the door and left the room, with Valor still raging inside.

He went down the hall to his single bedroom with a huge grin on his face. There was just nothing better than making that haughty prig have apoplexy. Besides, Sana was pretty, it was no pain to admit, and she was actually quite nice unlike that shrouded harridan of a black mage, who threatened to burn everything in sight at the drop of a gil.

In his room, Gantz suddenly sighed, however. He was well and truly caught in fate's grasp, and would have to face whatever it was that was coming. Duty wasn't a word in his vocabulary, but he supposed he was going to have to learn it sometime. That hardly meant he was going to get all bung-tight like Valor bloody Loftlan, but maybe taking on some real responsibility would be interesting...

Maybe it would even be a challenge.

That thought stayed with him as Gantz plopped down on the bed.

Maybe it would even be fun.