Chapter Seven: The Witch and the Dark Elf

Arin and Pierre were awestruck: the canal that separated Cornelia and Pravoka was expertly piloted through by two men. The white mage and the warrior took turns keeping watch for hostile creatures during the days of sailing. Only a scant few days after setting off, the Leviathan landed at a small port due south of the witch's cave. "Ha ha ha!" Agura gave a hearty laugh as he dropped the anchor. "With this baby, we'll have the crystals working again in not time at all."

"It is a grand vessel, but we must be cautious concerning our duty," Arin warned. "It would be wise not to underestimate the task that falls to us."

"Right," Agura said in agreement. "So, this witch we're supposed to see, what's she like? Is she a crazy magician or something?"

"Not quite," Pierre answered. "From what I've heard, she moved out into the wilderness to look for the perfect ingredients. She tends to focus her craft towards powerful medicines and tonics than arcane arts."

"What about the crystal?" Gordon asked. "What does she have to do with it?"

"I don't know." Pierre folded his arms and gazed to the north. "That's why we are here; to find out about it."

"Then it is settled. We will go see this witch and discover the truth of the crystal." Arin strode forward, using his hammer as a walking staff, while the others followed close behind.

In a ruined keep across the sea, a warped figure stared into an eye-shaped crystal in his clutches. "Show me the castle in Elfheim!" he screeched as he held the crystal up over his left eye. Through it, he was able to see the chancellor of the castle and the prince. "Kyeh heh heh! Perfect...It's only a matter of time now." The figure lowered the crystal and issued another command. "Show me the crown!" When he held the crystal up again, it showed him a beautiful crown resting on a pedestal, guarded by several monstrous, robed creatures. "They'll give in to me once they realize I am meant to rule, and then, not just Elfheim, but the entire world will bow before the great King Astos! I will be unstoppable!" Astos put down the crystal and laughed to himself before a thought entered his head. "Will be, but for now...Show me the greatest threat to my rule!"

This time, as he gazed into the crystal, he saw a young man, dressed in purple, walking through a forest. The vision widened to include a man in a white robe, a man in red armor, and a young man in baggy, green clothes. "Hmm...Humans? This could work in my favor." The blue-skinned creature ambled towards a book of spells and grinned. "Ah, yes, that'll do nicely." Astos glanced at a nearby mirror and chanted a phrase from the spellbook. As the dark words escaped his lips, he took the form of an old human man in kingly robes. "Perfect. I'll send these humans into the cave and have them give me the crown. If they die, then I will be that much safer in my rule, and if they succeed, well..." Astos traced another spell in the book with his finger and laughed, "I can just kill them myself before they suspect a thing."

"Hey Air? You got the feeling that we're being watched?" Agura asked, looking over his shoulder.

"No more than normal, I assure you," Arin answered, glancing around the trees that bordered their campsite. "We are in the wilderness. It would not be impossible for a wolf or an ogre to prey upon us, though after what you did to the last ogre, I doubt they would try to attack again."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Agura let the topic die as Pierre and Gordon returned from their hunt, carrying a warg wolf with them. "Is that dinner?"

"Unfortunately," Pierre grunted. "I was hoping for something less...mangy, but Gordon insisted we take it."

"Mostly because we couldn't find anything that suited his picky tastes," Gordon explained. "Just about everything we found wasn't 'good enough' for him."

"Oh, come on, Pierre. I've had wolf before, and it's eh, edible," Agura said, hoping to support Gordon. "Anyway, I think it's time we got to know each other a bit better. Gordon!"

"Yeah?" Gordon replied, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell us about yourself. Where you're from and all that."

"Oh, well, I lived in Cornelia for several years, but I was originally from a town called Melmond. Things there were pretty good until rumors spread that monsters were banding together in strange groupings. Fearing for our safety, my mother sent Garland and I to Cornelia in hopes that her brother would watch over us, but he was either dead or had left Cornelia by the time we arrived. We hoped that our mother would one day follow us, but after several months of waiting for ships from Melmond, we knew we were on our own on the streets." Gordon paused as he remembered his family. "It was just the two of us for a while, until Garland fought against a terrorist that intended to attack the king and his wife, who was expecting her second daughter at the time. This act impressed the king so much that he knighted Garland and took us in."

"So that is how Garland attained knighthood, despite the fact that he was a foreigner," Arin reasoned. "And what about you, Pierre?"

"I was born and raised in Cornelia," Pierre began. "I came from a family of knights, and trained with the best from an early age. It wasn't long until I became one of the best squires in Cornelia." The warrior turned to Agura. "And what about you? Where are you from?"

"Me? I lived in Onrac for a good chunk of my life." The monk grinned as he pointed in the direction of the Leviathan. "The waters around there are pretty nasty, so my parents worked on building the Leviathan, and my dad was the best of the best when it came to sailing the waters there. He used Leviathan to ship local goods to other lands, but one day, he set off for a journey and never returned. It wasn't until after I left home that I heard that Bikke had the ship." Agura then directed everyone's gaze to Arin. "Okay, spill. It's your turn."

"Well, I came from a faraway city, one that you will not find on a map today," Arin said as he tried to find the right words to say. "The city was attacked by a fearsome dragon, and it gave me the curse that afflicts me to this day. When I came to, I found myself in Gaia, where a kindly red mage raised me and taught me the basics of white magic. He told me that the curse I had was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely remove, but the enchanted robe I now wear could keep the curse at bay." Arin shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I honestly did not learn how to control white magic until I had stopped in Cornelia, though my teacher did tell me that once I learned how to control the first tier of magic spells, future spells would be much easier to master, provided I find the right teachers."

"Wait. You need someone to teach you more magic?" Pierre spoke up. "I remember seeing a school of white magic in Pravoka. Perhaps we should make a detour there once we return to the ship."

"He's right," Gordon added. "Your magic has helped us immensely so far. If you improved your skills even further, we would be much more likely to fulfill our destiny as the holders of the Crystals."

"I never truly intended to master the craft, but if it will help our quest, I will consider it," Arin said pensively. "Of course, that will have to wait until after we have met with the witch."

"I'll take the first watch," Pierre announced. "Let me know when- ugh- dinner's ready." He shuddered out of revulsion and took his leave of the group.

"Gordon?" Agura asked, his face becoming stern, "why does Pierre hate you?"

"It's hard to say," Gordon sighed. "It wasn't always like that, but the longer I stayed in Castle Cornelia, the more hostile he became towards both Garland and I."

"I see," Arin mused. "Do you think perhaps-"

"Alright, let's drop the subject," Gordon suggested. "This beast isn't going to cook itself." The others nodded in agreement and began to prepare their meal.

Days passed as the heroes traveled to Matoya's cave. Along the way, they fought many battles against creatures both great and small. "We're almost there, but..." Arin looked around at the others. "We're not alone." As if to punctuate his warning, three ogres ran across the plain, waving giant clubs over their heads.

"Yeah, and I doubt Matoya's going to want us to bring these monsters to her front door," Gordon added. "Hey, one of them looks different."

"There they are!" the largest ogre shouted. His skin was a pale green color, much unlike the smaller, purple ogres that accompanied him. "Those are the humans that humiliated my son!"

"We outnumber them, and we are all well armed! What do these fools hope to achieve in attacking us?" Pierre snorted as he drew his sword and leather shield. "So what's the plan?"

"I will provide healing and protection, should you need it." Arin raised his hand and shouted for his Protect spell to envelop the four men. "The smaller ones seem to be short of breath, and the one on the left appears to be more than a bit dizzy from fatigue."

"Then I'll deal with him," Gordon claimed. "Even a tired ogre can pack a punch, so I'll have the best chance of victory if I can evade all of its attacks."

"Sound thinking. The one on the right seems to be struggling to keep a steady grip on his weapon. Perhaps his arms are sore." Arin turned to Pierre. "Do you believe you can face him?"

"Please," Pierre sneered as he crouched in position, "that weakling is no match for a man of Cornelia."

"So that leaves me with the big one?" Agura snarled, moreso out of excitement than irritation.

"Um, well, I do plan to assist you," Arin added sheepishly.

"Don't strain yourself." Agura flashed a sly grin. "Just stand back and let me handle it." The ogres were close now; the three fighters charged forward, focused on their targets.

"Hah!" Gordon, the fastest of the three, landed the first blow, stabbing the dazed ogre in the arm, drawing its rage. "Here goes!"

"You puny human! I'll kill you with one strike." The ogre lifted the club over his head, paused for only a moment, then slammed his weapon into the earth. "Gotcha! Huh?" Gordon stood next to the club, completely unharmed. The monster gave several more swings, but the nimble Gordon evaded them all. "Stand still!"

"You say you can kill me in one shot, and I believe you," the thief gasped as he dodged, preparing to strike with his rapier. "That's why I'm not going to give you the chance!" Gordon jumped forward, his sword ready for another thrust. This time, he aimed carefully and stabbed through the ogre's head and watched as the monster gasped one final time. Gordon dared not take his eyes off the ogre, but behind him, he could hear Pierre fighting his foe.

"Is that really it?" Pierre taunted. "Come on! Is there any muscle in those arms, or is it all just fat?"

"What?" Enraged by the fighter, the ogre swung with all his might, only to watch as his club harmlessly bounced off the man's shield. "Ah!"

"My turn." Pierre tossed down his shield and gripped his saber with both hands. The fighter charged forward and jumped into the air, putting himself between the sun and his target. The ogre could do nothing but shield his eyes from the light before Pierre felled him with a single slash. "Simple as that."

Agura ran to the ogre leader and sent him flying with a spinning kick. "You're a little old to be charging into battle, Gramps. I'm way above you in terms of power."

"You shamed my son! I'll see to it that your death is slow and painful!" the green monster cried as he raised his club for an overhead strike. Agura smirked, but his grin faded as the club fell faster than he predicted. He barely dodged the initial attack, but the ogre chief quickly followed with a second swing, striking the monk in the side. "When Larg returned, he lost the use of his right arm." The chief ogre grabbed Agura's arms and snarled. "I think I will return the favor twofold! Then, as you lie dying, you will remember the name Ungan the-" The gloating monster's speech was sharply interrupted by a strike to his leg, startling him into letting Agura free. "Wha-"

"I was there too, Ungan," Arin said calmly. "Your son attempted to kill us for no reason, save for foolish pride. You should let him learn from his mistake instead of placing the blame on Agura." By this time, Gordon and Pierre joined in, surrounding Ungan on all sides. "I advise that you stand down and let us go free. Killing you would serve no purpose in our quest."

"But what about Larg?" Ungan shouted. "Strength is everything to our people, and in his current state, he won't survive, let alone succeed me as chieftain."

"Uh, not my problem," Agura huffed. "He picked a fight with me."

"Yes, well," Arin grunted. "I remember the injury fairly well, and it is not beyond my power to mend. I can try to fix the damage that my comrade has done, but on three conditions."

"Grr... and they are?" Ungan snarled.

"No more hunting down and killing humans," Arin started. "There is no shortage of wild animals in the forests and plains. Next, instruct your son in wise leadership. His behavior is unbecoming of one who will one day hold the lives of many in his hands."

"And the third?" Ungan growled.

"To be truthful, the last is merely a request. We four are the Warriors of Light, and we are searching for the Crystals that sustain the world. If you learn anything about their whereabouts, I ask that you relay your findings to us, if at all possible."

"Warriors of Light?" Ungan just shook his head. "Whatever. I swear that I will instruct my tribe to ignore human travelers. I agree to your terms, human. I will send my son here with an escort tomorrow morning. Do not fail to show up." Ungan turned and stomped off, causing Arin to sigh in relief.

"We're wasting time! We have to go see Matoya!" Pierre reminded the team. The four quickly shook off the nasty encounter and walked until they found a small cave by the land's edge. "This cavern... is this what the witch Matoya calls home?"

Before anyone could answer, a strange voice echoed in the cave. "Front-words, back-wards, any way you see! Such a strange spell to swish-swish-aree!" As the four cautiously wandered in, they spotted the unlikely source of the chanting; a broom moving of its own accord.

"An animation tonic?" Arin guessed. "My teacher mentioned such a potion, but I never thought it was real."

"...Guests?" The broom stopped and twisted slightly. "Oh! Terrible news! I'm afraid Madam Matoya is not seeing guests nowadays... or us... or her hand in front of her face. A thief stole her crystal eye, and ever since, she's not only lost her farsight, but all ability to see."

"Farsight?" Gordon asked. "What's that?"

"It is a power similar to foresight. It allows for the user to see almost anywhere in the world, but only in the present. The crystal eye granted this power, but those who abuse it's power become dependent upon it." The broom wobbled from side to side as it neared a stable door. "I apologize for any inconvenience this may bring to you."

"Are there any other kinds of crystals here?" Pierre asked. "We are the Warriors of Light, sent to purify the land from the evil plauge destroying the world."

"No, there aren't," the broom answered, "but if you returned Madam Matoya's sight, perhaps she could seek out what you are looking for."

"That sounds most helpful," Arin noted. "Can you tell us who it was that stole Matoya's crystal eye?"

"Well, all I know is that it said something about Elfheim. Perhaps an elf stole the eye?"

"Elfheim?" Gordon spoke up. "But I thought the elves formed an agreement not to spy on Cornelia or the lands around it."

"Where did you hear-" Pierre grunted and shook his head. "Never mind. For now, it seems that our destination lies across the sea. Now about lodging... Broom, may we spend the night here?"

"Well, there aren't any available beds, but I could set something up for you." The men nodded at the magical tool's offer. "Great! Tomorrow, you can begin searching for that thief! Until then, just rest easy, honored guests." The four quickly accepted the offer and began preparing for the next leg of their journey.