FOREVER DESTINY : Ancient Era Arc 1

Before the Beginning

Episode 3:

"Strength in Numbers"

Story Focus: The Conduits

By Nekochan

Author's Note

Some of you may recognize a few of these characters' names from the real show. I did that on purpose. They are the same people. However, if you thought THOSE characters being there was crazy, wait until you meet our next few characters!

Arigatou Minasan! (Thanks everyone!)

Nekochan

(-)(-)(-)

11:00 AM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

"I 'ave t' lock up m' 'ouse!" T'myra called after everyone was out the door. She began casting a spell that made her aura shift to red, orange, and yellow. The aura gathered and shot at the handle of the front door and the edges of the other door and all the windows. "I just love m' Mage Lock spell," she said as she beamed.

Kokuen-oh gathered up Sillehstah and they headed out, following behind him.

As the foursome walked, Hariel turned to Tamer. "Remember, I'll protect you if he tries anything," Hariel whispered.

Tamer smiled at him and took his hand in hers. "Thank ya'," she spoke so softly that Hariel almost didn't hear her.

Hariel didn't even glance at his hand or try to take it away from her. It makes me feel so important- no, so good when I comfort her. She puts up this big front like she can handle anything, but there really are some things that she can't . . . Kohmah, don't let this be a dream!

No one liked just following Kokuen-oh, especially with him perched up on his horse, but he wouldn't tell them where he was going. Finally, they arrived; it was, unfortunately, very familiar . . .

"The MARKETPLACE?" Hariel gasped.

"Ya' backstabbin'-" Tamer growled and leapt for Kokuen-oh, but was held back by Lord Saberstryke.

"Sir, how is it that you know The Map is held in this Marketplace?" Saberstryke asked.

Kokuen-oh stared straight ahead. He dismounted and said softly, "Because I saw it."

Everyone looked at him quite oddly.

"I don't know how, but . . . ever since the Nobles drained my Demidon blood, I've had dreams that become real . . . prophecies . . . Sometimes I see people I don't even know, fighting against each other . . . in a place I've never seen . . . and in a kind of armor I don't recognize. . . Then, I get confused . . . I can tell who's good and who's bad . . . but both sides are good, except one side is only tainted with evil . . ." Kokuen-oh explained. Then he sighed, "I feel like I've become a Seer . . ."

"They . . . drained your blood?" Tamer gasped, suddenly realizing that she had only recognized him because of his eyes.

In truth, he looked nothing like the Ch'tsu she knew. Ch'tsu was a "Half-Breed" - he had been three-quarters Demidon and one-quarter Saint - a little older than herself, but still about her age physically. The man she had been speaking to looked like a Sahngellian man in his late twenties or early thirties. He was wearing a beige tabard over a light brown long-sleeved shirt and pants of the same color. He had a dark brown sash holding the tabard in place and his pants up, not to mention a dagger behind his back. T'myra doubted Hariel had even noticed it, for it was so well concealed - maybe Saberstryke had, but she couldn't be sure. On Kokuen-oh's feet, he wore flat leather walking shoes.

Is that what the Demidons 'ave planned fo' all o' the 'Alf-Breeds?

"Do I look like a Demidon any longer?" Kokuen-oh demanded, fists clenched.

No . . . he looks exactly like a Saint in peasant's clothes . . . "I . . . 'ad no idea . . ." Tamer apologized, her hands together.

Kokuen-oh turned around and, holding T'myra shoulders, told her, "That's why I want to help you, T'myra . . . So they don't get you . . . or any of the other Half-Breeds . . ."

T'myra tilted her head down, "Ya' still . . . care . . . about me . . ." she blushed. "Ch'tsu . . ."

Kokuen-oh leaned in and kissed her forehead, causing T'myra's entire face to become a deeper shade of red than was natural.

Hariel could only watch in shock. His mouth was agape; his eyes went wide in dismay; his face was sheet white; and his heart felt like it was being squeezed very hard. He'd said he would protect her, but he hadn't expected that.

"Eh-hem," Saberstryke coughed, "Kokuen-oh?".

Kokuen-oh stood up and looked at him.

"Do you know what they plan to do with the Purebreds?"

"Heh. They've rallied most of them to the point that if anyone does turn on the Demidons, they're labeled as traitors and killed," Kokuen-oh snorted.

"Do you know why they are draining the Half-breeds' blood?" Saberstryke inquired.

"It's . . . only a rumor . . . but the Nobles believe that, if they gain more Demidon blood - more than their 100-percent Pureblood - then . . . they can achieve the status of . . . true Demons - Gizmutan," Kokuen-oh explained.

"But . . . the Gizmutan left long ago, at least, so the legends say," Lord Saberstryke insisted.

"I've never heard of such legends," Hariel mumbled in a low voice.

Saberstryke took note of Hariel's change in attitude, but spoke as if otherwise, "The Legend of The Gizmutan's Flight states that Gizmutan used to live in G'gonstrm, but became so disgusted with the goodness of Sahngell that they completely fled G'gonstrm and flew into the pits of darkness, which came to be known as 'Hell', the Gizmutadin word for 'home' or 'my castle that I reign over'. It is said that they left all of their belongings in the cities, including their children. As the children grew up, some of the children fell in love with Angels, Saints, Mages, and Mystics. None of these demi-demon children ever inherited the ability to cast spells but, instead, they could go into terrible and powerful Rages. While the modern G'gonstrm natives live longer than any other being on Cheakir, it's still far less than a Gizmu or Gizmata's supposed lifespan.

"Most practical people these days at least accept the Gizmutan mixing with the other races as to be how Demidons - less non-Gizmutan blood, mostly Mycuajan - and Monsters - more non-Gizmutan blood, mostly Sahngellian - came to be, and that the Gizmutan might have just died out after a while - if they didn't "flee", that is.

"Tell that to the Nobles!" Kokuen-oh laughed.

"Maybe we should go and get The Map?" Hariel grumbled.

"Yes, lead on, Kokuen-oh," Lord Saberstryke agreed. Hariel has taken on a quite foul temperament . . .

As they weaved their way through the crowded Marketplace streets, Hariel began to lag back, so the Lord slowed his pace.

"Is there something wrong, Hariel?"

The boy murmured with frustration, "Yeah . . . but I don't want to talk about it."

"If I can recall, you were fine up until after Kokuen-oh explained his prophecies . . ." Saberstryke hinted.

Hariel shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, then looked sad . . . "Right."

"Why- Oh! Could it be that . . . you have some affection for the Lady? T'myra?" the Lord asked rhetorically.

SOME affection? I'm beginning to think I've fallen a little harder than that, Lord Saberstryke . . . "Right again."

"I see . . . " Saberstryke sighed. "Well, the Lady T'myra harbors a silent hatred for Kokuen-oh. Why do you feel she still cares for him?"

"You saw them!" Hariel almost yelled, "T'myra blushing- Kokuen-oh kissing her!" Hariel grunted and pounded his fists together, "I wanted to punch him!" It's not like he deserves her affections after what he did!

"But, Hariel, where did he kiss her?" the Lord reminded him.

"On the . . . forehead . . ." Hariel spoke slowly. As forceful as T'myra had been with him in only a few months, he was sure that T'myra would've kissed her first love on the lips . . . if she still loved him . . . "Thanks, Lord Saberstryke."

"You are quite welcome, Hariel."

Hariel was sure that the Lord must have been smiling underneath that helmet. "Hey, Tamer! Wait up!" He called and ran ahead to her.

Lord Saberstryke could hear the conversation continue.

Tamer laughed, "Cotton! 'Ow nice t' see ya'! Why were ya' laggin' be'ind?"

Hariel could only chuckle and respond, embarrassed, "Aww, Tamer! That nickname again?" Suddenly, Hariel felt like the last few minutes' events had never taken place. T'myra was still teasing him playfully with his nickname, but flirting with him nonetheless. It made Hariel feel better about the quest he'd committed to with her. If there's still a chance for me to be with her, I have NO problem facing Monsters, Demidons, or even the Gizmutan themselves!

Saberstryke was smiling after that short dialogue.

(-)

11:20 AM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

"Kokuen-oh, how much longer until we reach The Map?" Saberstryke wondered.

"I believe . . . it is right there . . ." Kokuen-oh pointed to a shop where a spry man was calling out to potential customers in the street.

He seemed to be some sort of pawnshop owner, for his wares were varied in size and purpose from kitchen utensils to small weapons to clothing to food. He didn't seem to be having much trouble with selling those goods.

"Antulpan!" Kokuen-oh shouted as he started pulling Sillehstah towards the shop.

The shop owner looked at the group. He laughed and called to Kokuen-oh, "Hey! Kokuen! Get over here, you rascal!"

Following Kokuen-oh, the group made its way to the pawn shop.

"What brings you to my shop?" Antulpan wondered.

"I had heard some rumors that you acquired a rather interesting item recently," Kokuen-oh explained, taking on the air of a haggler.

At that point, Hariel, T'myra, and Saberstryke decided it would be a good idea to let Kokuen-oh do the bartering and for them to keep quiet.

"Ah, you know me, Kokuen, it could be gone by now!" Antulpan, the shop owner, chuckled. He then added in a quieter voice, bent over, "What'd you have in mind, Kokuen?"

"You've heard of my past, I'm sure, Antulpan. I like collecting curiosities. I had heard about a map, of sorts," Kokuen-oh whispered back.

"Oh, yeah . . ." Antulpan returned to his standing position. "Don't know why it'd be so valuable to you though, Kokuen. You can't make hide nor hair of where to go for the treasure, and you have no idea what the treasure is . . . Why's it caught your eye, Kokuen?" Antulpan stared at him, as if searching for some hint in Kokuen's body movements.

"I told you, anything that's unusual, I take interest in. That's unusual if I've ever seen it," Kokuen-oh replied.

"Nope. You're not foolin' me, Kokuen! What's so special about this map?" Antulpan glared at him.

"I can't tell you," Kokuen-oh answered, "because I don't know."

"Hmm . . . I'll make a deal with you, Kokuen, since you're such a good customer of mine," Antulpan offered, "If you tell me why that there map is so great and let me have a small portion of the treasure you find . . . then I'll give it to you . . ."

"That's a rotten deal-" Hariel began, but was silenced by Kokuen-oh's hand.

"Fine, but that means you'll have to come along, to pull your weight of helping us find it. I've heard that you're a good scout - quick . . . among other things." Kokuen-oh gave him a wink that everyone knew meant something between the two friends.

"All right. Always could count on you to make a good deal!" Antulpan shook hands with Kokuen-oh. "Hey! Hashah! You're in charge for a while!" Antulpan called into the alley beside him.

"How long you gonna' be gone, Uncle Antulpan?" Hashah - a strong, young man with short blonde hair - asked. "Are we low on stock already?"

Antulpan began to dig through the shelves of his shop. "No, but this sounds like a chance to get some good stock, Hashah. If I do hit it good, you can be sure you'll get paid good!" Antulpan gave him the thumbs-up. "And I have a good chance of that!" He smiled as he produced a rolled-up piece of parchment.

"Great! I'll see you when you get back, Uncle!" Hashah called as Antulpan and the group walked away.

"You really trust him that much, Antulpan?" Kokuen-oh smirked.

"Yep, you should know that by now, Kokuen. So, who else is on this little adventure?" Antulpan looked around and saw Lord Saberstryke, then Hariel and T'myra. "What? What're these kids doin' here, Kokuen?" He knelt down in front of T'myra. "Especially a Mystic like this little girl!" Antulpan scoffed.

Tamer grabbed Antulpan's shirt by the collar and pulled him close. "I'm NOT a common Mystic an' I'm NOT a lil girl, so watch it, Angel!" Tamer yelled in his face.

That speech . . . "Woh! A MAGE? How'd ya' find her?" Antulpan laughed sarcastically, attempting to stand up.

Tamer tightened her grip and whispered, "If you're comin' on this journey, ya' need t' learn your place! I found 'im!"

"So what?" Antulpan asked, annoyed.

Tamer looked him straight in the eyes, her head an inch from his face, and smiled, fangs openly displayed. "I'm not someone ya' want as your enemy, Antulpan. I am much mo' than just a Mage."

"A- A Half-Breed?" Antulpan gasped, eyes wide and staring at her fangs.

"The name's Tayma . . . T'myra M'munda Orysy-H'htonre."

"Orysy? H'htonre?" Antulpan gasped, not really comprehending the significance of her parents' names.

"YOUR name's gonna' be Mockin'bird 'ere in a minute if ya' don't cut that out!" Tamer growled as she pushed him away.

"Heh. I can see where your G'gonstrm blood shines the brightest," Antulpan taunted.

Tamer took it in stride, raising her arms and laughing, "M' tempa' 'as been known t' go off now an' again . . ."

Kokuen-oh began to laugh. Antulpan was curious, "What's so funny?"

"She's only part Demidon-" Kokuen-oh began.

"So?" Antulpan wondered.

"And she can Rage," Kokuen-oh chuckled.

"A- A Half-Breed that can Rage?" Antulpan turned to the young girl who appeared to be only nine.

From what Antulpan had heard, when a Demidon Raged, all of their features and belongings inverted in color and they doubled in power, but they also continued attacking anyone until the anger they had built up in order to Rage subsided, and then they were extremely weak in power for nearly eighteen hours after that.

She smiled innocently. "Don't underestimate me, Antulpan-" she said sweetly, but then her voice deepened and it became more serious, "-o' ya'll regret it."

"Okay . . . " Antulpan cleared his throat, "Who are you?" he looked at Hariel.

"I'm Hariel, an Angel, like yourself," he said simply.

"Hmp. You don't look entirely Angel," Antulpan observed.

"I know. That puzzles me, too. I- I don't know my heritage, but that I grew up in Sahenangell," Hariel sighed. He scratched the back of his head, trying not to think of the memories that had brought so much pain to him in the past few months.

"Hhh . . ." Antulpan thought. "And what about you?" Antulpan asked the Lord.

"I am Lord K'kedki N'nshkoe, called Saberstryke . . . of K'kom G'gonstrm." He bowed.

"Ahh!" Antulpan cried and back away, "Not another Demidon, and a Pureblooded!"

Saberstryke laughed.

Antulpan turned to his friend, "Kokuen, HOW did you meet these people?"

Tamer giggled a little and said, "It's a long story, but I'm sure 'Kokuen' can tell ya' while Lord Saberstryke an' I look at The Map." Tamer extended her hand.

Antulpan looked a little relieved that her hand didn't have claws extending from it, but he wasn't quite sure he should relinquish The Map all the same.

"Give it to her," Kokuen-oh insisted, and Antulpan did.

(-)

12:30 PM Thursday- Sahenangell Countryside, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

After leaving the city's walls to find a place of relative quiet, the group decided to use the surrounding countryside for their first analysis of The Map. T'myra and Lord Saberstryke studied The Map on top of a low hill while Kokuen-oh explained everything to Antulpan, but at the base where Antulpan felt safer.

Hariel watched Tamer and Saberstryke intently. It gave him time to just watch T'myra, and figure out for himself what kind of emotion it was that he felt for her; endearment, friendship, lust, or love? I don't like just pretending I am or am not interested . . . but I don't just want to like her for being cute . . . Hariel smiled, Though it is a fact that she's more than a little attractive.

What T'myra and Lord Saberstryke deduced from looking at The Map, after a good hour or so, was that, in actuality, it was only a map on one side - a map of Cheakir, they're known world that encompassed the three continents and oceans connecting them. It was believed that 'Cheakir' was the holy word given to their lands by the Dekutan, their Gods and Spiritual Pantheon.

On the other side of The Map was text, perhaps depicting the coordinates of the Artifacts. They were having some trouble, however, for the text was aged and there were some faint strokes behind them that made the characters look different. Together, T'myra and Saberstryke found out that they were a distraction, for those strokes were not part of the characters they had to read. Unfortunately, Saberstryke had to rely on T'myra's judgment in translating the text, as it was an old variation of Mycuajan called Magic - a language which Saberstryke had not been taught.

"I think what these first two sentences are saying is that there are six very important people that are going to make a big impact in history, or something." Lord Saberstryke ran his armored finger over the words T'myra had already translated for him. " 'In the original days, there shall arise six Conduits. These will be the first to retrieve the Divine Artifacts and thrust the finality of all for a thousand years to come into chaos' you said, right? Does what I say sound accurate, then?" Lord Saberstryke handed The Map to Tamer.

"Yes! See, 'ere," T'myra pointed to the three capitals on the other side of the map, "there are five-pointed stars o' varying colors an', if ya' look o'er 'ere-" she pointed to a key at the top of the map, "-ya' can see the colors go in an order: White outlined in Red, Deep Aqua, Golden Orange, Pale Green, Shining Blue, an' Dark Grey. Perhaps each o' the Conduits are represented by a color." She handed it back to him.

"Yes, that would make sense. They do seem to have some correlation." Lord Saberstryke stared at The Map as he thought, My aura is golden orange . . .

"Now . . . if we could only figure out 'oo these Conduits are. First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, an' Sixth . . . strange that there are only five Artifacts but there are six Conduits . . ." Tamer sighed.

Lord Saberstryke pointed to the Golden Orange star in the key. "I am Third, it seems."

T'myra gasped and started to question him.

However, he continued, motioning to the Pale Green star, "Kokuen-oh is the Fourth Conduit."

"Saberstryke, 'ow d' ya'-" Tamer tried to ask, but was interrupted again by the Lord.

"Your Uncle told me one of his prophecies about you and the group of people who were to accompany you on your quest. Each of us were given a title . . . You, I assume, are Second. Hariel, I believe, is First. Kokuen-oh, almost certainly, is Fourth. I am most definitely Third. I am now sure that Antulpan is Sixth . . . but . . . who could be Fifth?" Lord Saberstryke wondered aloud.

"I wish we knew . . . Let me see if I can translate anymo' . . ." T'myra suggested, and they resumed their position and low conversation above The Map.

(-)

1:50 PM Thursday- Sahenangell Countryside, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

"Rrrah!" Tamer yelled as she punched a tree. She began to curse as birds flew from the no-longer tranquil branches of the tree, "I 'aven't been able t' decipher any mo' o' this!"

"T'myra, you have deciphered some of it, though," Saberstryke pointed out, making a futile attempt to calm the angered, demon-child, "That is an accomplishment, given this complex writing style."

Complex writing style? Does he mean encryption? Hariel walked over to where the Lord was still sitting next to the Map and looked at it over the Lord's shoulder. "It's not that hard to read," he commented.

T'myra and Saberstryke gaped at him. Tamer came back over to The Map to listen to Hariel's explanation.

"See? All the characters are angled - you have to use this sunburst, on the other side, as a compass." To the left of the key was a pure golden sun, and you could only see a quarter of it, since it was in the corner. Hariel held that corner up to the sun, "Now you just have to read this encrypted junk. I'll bet Shedosh could do that," Hariel was looking at the characters that were made up of the faded strokes.

" 'Ariel , you're a genius!" Tamer gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek.

Hariel blushed at her open display of affection for him, but appreciated it all the same. "Gee, thanks Tamer . . ."

"Tell us, Hariel, who is Shedosh?" Lord Saberstryke wondered, "A friend of yours?"

"He's the one who raised me until I was sixteen," Hariel answered, "He's a Mystic, but moved here, to Sahenangell, with me two years ago. He was going to let me stay here by myself, but decided against it when we got here. Rumor has it that he can cast as many spells, that are just as powerful, as any Mage. I haven't seen him cast any super-powerful ones, but his spells are impressive."

Tamer and Saberstryke gawked at him with round eyes, "Wow."

"He's the one who taught me that deciphering technique, which is why I think he could decode it," Hariel continued.

"So, how's it going?" Kokuen-oh and Antulpan approached the threesome observing The Map.

"Is that T'myra girl any calmer?" Antulpan called out from behind Kokuen-oh.

Tamer shot him a dark stare, but answered Kokuen-oh. "We're gonna' go see a friend o' 'Ariel's," she responded, " 'oo can 'elp us decipher The Map."

(-)

2:10 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

"Hariel, it's good to see you!" A male Mystic embraced the boy; he had to be in his mid-thirties. "What brings you back to me this early in the day?" He laughed a little as he said this.

"You're still the best at deciphering scripts, aren't you, Shedosh?" Hariel replied.

"Ah . . . Where is this script?" Shedosh questioned.

"Right 'ere," Tamer handed him The Map.

"Hello, young Mage. Pleased to meet your acquaintance," Shedosh said politely and bowed as he took The Map.

"You're Shedosh?" Tamer eyed him.

"Yes."

"You can decipher scripts well?"

"Again, you are correct. A most interesting group you've met, Hariel," Shedosh chuckled a little smiled at T'myra then Hariel's other three companions.

"So, are you gonna' help us, or not?" Antulpan demanded, his green eyes looking rather annoyed as he ruffled his short, blonde hair at the back of his head.

"Let's sit; it'll be more comfortable." Shedosh showed everyone to a beautiful, oaken table in the back of the small, one room house.

When everyone was seated, T'myra and Lord Saberstryke, after fully introducing themselves, told Shedosh what they had found out. Then Hariel told him how he had used the sunburst compass to discover the hidden paragraph. Shedosh complimented him and began to decipher the part of The Map that Tamer and the Lord had not.

" 'Torch of the Spirit, seek out the five, drinking strength from Immortal Fire.
Good is pressured by Evil, standing strong with all its might; the darkest prison shall shed the light.
Discover the Third Warrior, for Evil must halt, churning within a pillar of salt.
Time shall run short, escaping the clocks. Seek the dormant Warrior, Fourth, burning within a heart of rock.
Find the Fifth Warrior, as hope begins to die, floating among all with Eyes of the Ages, unmoored in the Sea of the Sky.' "

Shedosh took a deep breath, "But, since this is Magic we're talking about, it has to have another meaning, otherwise it would've produced a magical effect whenever anyone read it-"

"I don't think I understand," Saberstryke interrupted. "I don't know the history of the Mycuajan language; I was just taught it during my years in G'gonstrm."

"I apologize," Shedosh said as he nodded to emphasize his comprehension, "You see, Sahngellian and Mycuajan are both derivatives of Dekutadin, the Language of the Gods. Over the many years of Cheakir's existence, they've developed into the modern versions we speak today, but the original Mycuajan language - what we now call Magic - was preserved because the early Mycuajans realized it had amazing properties. Both Dekutadin and Magic aren't fit for common speech because they use such amazing amounts of ambiguity, especially in their writing system. However, if one is able to construct a sentence that is narrowed down to only one possible meaning, the result is a visible effect related to the sentence's meaning - a Spell, as we have dubbed this relationship. It is the Mycuajans' belief that this is the source of the Dekutan's power."

Saberstryke looked completely awestruck. "That's incredible!"

Shedosh smiled. "I know; I scarcely believe it myself sometimes. Of course, all spells require a certain kind and amount of energy to fuel the effects they produce. Such research is still being done in Mysecuamaja to this day!" He held up The Map. "Now, the second meaning of what I already read to you is . . .

" 'First; adventurer's passion will light the way, no matter the distance, at night or day.
Second; seek the true self, though the soul may seem dark; if sorrow engulfs you, you'll miss your mark.
Third; though power of the body can get you so far, endurance of the heart will be your lucky star.
Fourth; when songs of the past haunt victims of despair, suddenly it seems that they're no longer there.
Fifth; if you confine your thinking to what you know and you see, you won't find anything easily.'

"Either way, this clearly depicts five Conduits for the five Artifacts and, specifically, where to find them. The map tells us a general area, but this script tells us exactly where to look."

"Us? You're coming, Shedosh?" Hariel asked.

"This will be a dangerous and lengthy journey, Hariel. As your adopted father, I insist that I come," Shedosh explained. "Besides, you may find more scripts you need me to translate." Shedosh smiled.

All of a sudden, T'myra gasped, "Kokuen-oh!" He had fallen to his knees, on the floor, and was holding his head in pain.

"Conduits . . . Assembled for the Quest . . . The friends whose bonds are strong as chains and must never be broken . . . Seek the Artifacts for the-" He made a sharp intake of breath. "-Destruction of G'gonstrm . . . for peace . . ." Kokuen-oh moaned. He then released his hands from his head and, at the same instant, tilted it upward, and everyone could see his eyes open wide. "Hariel, K'kedki, Shedosh, Kokuen-oh, T'myra . . . The Conduits . . . First, Third, Fifth, Fourth, Second . . ." He recited in a flat tone, and fell to his side.

T'myra and Antulpan rushed to his aid. Tamer knelt next to him, holding one of his hands. Antulpan got out of his chair and sat on his legs, next to his friend on the floor.

He placed his hands on Kokuen-oh's shoulders and shook him, very concerned, "Kokuen! Kokuen? C'mon bud, get up!" Antulpan gently smacked Kokuen-oh's face once, but the unconscious man didn't stir. At this failure, Antulpan opened a flask on his hip and held it under Kokuen-oh's nose.

Kokuen-oh began to sputter and cough as he sat up and held his head. "Damn those kinds of prophecies . . . Normally, they come when I'm asleep, so there's no pain!" He looked at the flask held by Antulpan. "What is that?"

"Oh, this?" Antulpan displayed the leather-concealed bottle. "It's a special blend of liquor and some spices. It'll wake anybody up!"

"Well! That settles it," Lord Saberstryke sighed, "The Map, Kokuen-oh, and Duke Kynejycue Orysy's prophecy have confirmed that we are the six Conduits."

"Yes. Hariel, T'myra, Lord Saberstryke, Kokuen-oh, myself, and Antulpan, in that order," Shedosh agreed.

"But," Hariel pondered, "why wasn't Antulpan assigned an Artifact?"

"Ah, I don't care. Since none of you would let me sell it, gold is good enough for me!" Antulpan shrugged.

Outside of Shedosh's window, just as Antulpan was speaking, a dark blue shadow, with a paler shade for eyes, regarded Antulpan with interest. Acknowledging what he had come for, the shadow disappeared.

" 'Oose Artifact will we find first?" Tamer wondered, "It can't b' as easy as First t' Fifth!"

"You're probably right, T'myra," Shedosh sighed as he examined the other side of The Map. "Whoever created this map made it quite obvious that this key was important," Shedosh pointed to the multicolored stars, "They're in an order . . . but that shows us which Conduit is associated with which star . . ." He stared at the map and the stars on it . . . then he rotated it so that the sunburst was in the top corner . . . He stared again, and his eyes opened wide. He turned to everyone and held out a hand to Kokuen-oh, saying, "Kokuen-oh has given us the answer!"

"What?" Kokuen-oh gasped.

"When you spoke the names of the Conduits who would retrieve the Artifacts - with quite a monotone voice, might I add - you said them in an order," Shedosh replied, moving his finger over the multicolored stars and, after moving from the Red and White to the Golden Orange, in a counterclockwise motion, "Hariel is the Red and White star, then Lord Saberstryke who is the Golden Orange, next myself - the Shining Blue, then Kokuen-oh - the Pale Green, and finally T'myra - the Deep Aqua."

Tamer gaped at The Map, "Oh, Cuamyjy! That sounds like it!"

"Maybe, but you all missed one big thing," Antulpan insisted, "I'm still represented by a star." He pointed to the small Dark Grey one in the key, "but I'm here, in the center of everything. Plus mine is larger than all of yours." Antulpan motioned to a larger one almost in the center of the map.

"I see . . ." Shedosh looked at The Map. "I haven't deciphered the hidden paragraph yet . . ." Shedosh sighed, holding The Map up to the light.

"Deception will bribe the Sixth Conduit, and so shall turn on the other five . . ."

He paused as the five of them looked at Antulpan, who paled, and Shedosh continued.

"Only First can dismiss Sixth, with power channeled through his Artifact and that of Third. Only Fifth's Artifact can safeguard the Gate from Sixth's flight and only Fourth's Artifact can enjoin the deeds of the Conduits. Second's Artifact alone can preserve their entities. By the deceit brought upon by Sixth-"

"STOP IT!" Everyone turned to see a very distressed Antulpan, eyes squeezed shut and fists clenched.

"Antulpan?" Kokuen-oh had never seen him so upset.

"I'm NOT the bad guy! Okay, I may not have the best morals Cheakir has ever seen, but I'm NOT the Emperor of G'gonstrm, here! I WOULDN'T turn on my friend!" Antulpan looked at Kokuen-oh, "Come on, Kokuen, not me."

"I know you wouldn't, but the prophecy says-"

"Then, DAMN THE PROPHECY!" Antulpan cursed and stood up, out of his chair. In doing so, he knocked it down. "If that thing says I'll go bad-" he pointed to The Map, "-then no gold, Artifact, or Deku will make me a part of it!" He slashed his arm from his chest out ward, so it was straight in front of him.

Kokuen-oh gasped, internally, for Antulpan's hair seemed to have changed to dirty blonde right before his very eyes and Antulpan's eyes now looked like a darker shade of green . . . and wet.

Antulpan muttered again, "No part of it."

"I don't know what to say, Antulpan," Kokuen-oh sighed.

"I do."

Everyone turned to see T'myra also standing and looking at Antulpan with a focused stare.

Tamer said, "I don't like the way this sounds either, but, I'm goin' t' face it, an' do m' best." Tamer looked straight into Antulpan's eyes and, as soon as she resumed speaking, he couldn't bear to look into them. "If ya' can't handle this, then . . . not only do I think ya' shouldn't be a part o' this an' leave immediately, . . . but I think The Map an' the prophecy are startin' t' come true as we speak."

Shocked at the suggestion and in complete denial of the possibility, Antulpan shouted, "No! I just don't want to hurt my friend!" Everyone looked at him with mixed expressions. Antulpan's mind was racing, but he couldn't find any rational explanation. All he could think to do was . . .

"Antulpan, come back!" Kokuen-oh called after his friend. He was about to run after the merchant, when Tamer stopped him with her words, not by force.

"Kokuen-oh, wait," Tamer ordered. " 'Ee's already a threat t' us."

"But-"

"No matter what 'appens, should good o' bad befall us b'fore we're done, it's best 'ee goes. I learned that . . . when ya' left . . ." Tamer trailed off, looking down at her left side.

"I- I understand . . ." Kokuen-oh agreed. Antulpan . . . don't do anything stupid . . .

(-)

3:30 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.

Deciding it would be best to decipher some more of The Map later, the Conduits suggested that they work off of what they now knew. Upon leaving Shedosh's small house, the first thing they noticed was that Antulpan had taken Sillehstah, Kokuen-oh's horse. He told them to forget about it and said they should be discussing where the Artifact of First - Hariel - was and how to get it.

"It'll be somewhere in the vicinity of Sahenangell," Shedosh reminded them.

"Well . . . I think I already 'sought out' the five Conduits, and had quite an 'adventure' doing it . . . but 'Immortal Fire' in 'night or day'?" Hariel asked.

"It probably means a fire that burns forever," Kokuen-oh suggested.

"My first thought would be a volcano, but they only exist in G'gonstrm," Lord Saberstryke offered. Along with dark caves, rocky mountains, and sharp cliffs. Not to mention Hell, the pits of eternal darkness . . .

"You're all thinkin' too 'ard," T'myra laughed, "Immortal Fire does exist in Sahenangell, an' people go there fo' guidance at night an' in the daytime!"

The four men present stared at the young girl and she smiled.

"The torches an' candles in the 'Igh Temple t' Cuamyjy - sorry, I mean Kohmah - are constantly watched ova', b'cause it is said a chain o' bad events will occur if they are eva' doused!"

"So, let's go to the High Temple!" Hariel cried. Everyone agreed and they began to make their way to the very center of the great city. The High Temple; the temple dedicated to the High Deku, Kohmah. If anyone can guide us on the right path, it'll be Kohmah's priests!

(-)

3:40 PM Thursday- Sahngell Countryside May 5th- 981 D.A.

"Damn that prophecy . . ." Antulpan cursed and cried as forced Sillehstah to gallop out of the city. Now I have to leave so my part won't come true! This sucks! He was out of the city now. It's not fair! I don't want to hurt anyone! Just to live a wealthy life and have some friends, that's all I want!

He was in the countryside of Sahngell, and noted that Sillehstah was getting exhausted. They'd been moving for a long time . . . maybe half an hour . . . an hour? He wasn't sure how long it had been. In fact, as he looked around, he wasn't exactly sure where he was, either.

Antulpan dismounted from Sillehstah, but held onto his reins tightly. "Where am I?" he whispered as he looked around.

"Why, you're in the countryside of Sahngell, of course, on the hills bordering the sea that leads to G'gonstrm . . ." answered a raspy voice.

"Who's there?" Antulpan demanded, dropping the reins and standing in a defensive pose.

"Do not be afraid of me."

Antulpan could see a cloaked figure emerge from the forest nearby.

"I have seen your troubles. I wish to help," it said in a kind tone.

"Why? Why would a perfect stranger want to help me?" Antulpan scoffed.

"Because-" the owner of the voice stepped out and Antulpan could see pale, glowing blue eyes hidden by the face mask, "-by helping you, I will help myself. You don't want the prophecy to come true and neither do I." As he said this, the figure motioned to Antulpan, seeming to accentuate his words with hand movements. Just a few more moments and the Sixth Conduit shall be mine to manipulate! Just ignore my hand movements.

Antulpan grinned. His hair became an even darker shade of blonde, and his eyes were a cold hazel. He was changing, and the figure smiled to himself. "Do you really think we could do it? Could we stop The Prophecy from coming true?" Antulpan wondered.

"With the right amount of power, anyone can do anything they please," the figure insisted, continuing to make almost mute gestures that Antulpan didn't seem to notice.

"The right amount of power? Yes, power . . . That's all I need! I'll bet you have lots of power! Together we could stop The Prophecy dead in its tracks!" Antulpan pounded a his right fist into his left hand, palm open.

"That's precisely what I'm talking about. If you work with me, you will develop powers unimagined by anyone on all of Cheakir!" The glow in the figure's eyes flared briefly. It was such a small change underneath of his hood that Antulpan, who wasn't even looking into the figure's face, couldn't have seen it at all. Yes, let your young naivety and greed grow. That's what makes a strong leader in this world!

Antulpan stood straight up again and smiled. "I accept your help. No matter what, we will stop The Prophecy from coming true! I'll get the power enough to do it! Now . . ." He took on his merchant's air. "I would know the name of one who assists me."

"You may call me Badamon, and I must call you by a secret name . . . may I ask your true one?"

"I am Antulpan."

"Now you are 'Arago'."

(-)(-)(-)

Continued in: The Search for the Artifacts

1/27/2001
 (Sad Face) Poor Antulpan . . . Badamon's such a meanie for tricking him!

2/9/2005
 Is this better? I hope it is. It's a little tricky deciding where to split up my stories, but I think this is working out better. (Evil grin) The story is beginning to take shape . . . and the characters are, too . . . no one shall be safe from plot! MWAH HA HA!

2/11/2005
 I fixed a few things, mostly minor like spelling, grammar, emphasis, and meaning, but I also fixed one fairly major thing. This was the question I asked myself: "What the heck happened to Kokuen-oh's HORSE?" So, I thought it was more appropriate for Antulpan to take it - a horse could go on at a brisk face for a lot longer than a human could; Antulpan couldn't really have been running for a full hour . . . I realized that. So, here's a real good part of the story for me to use later, and I didn't even do it on purpose! LOL! Can anyone guess what I mean? (evil giggle)

2/27/2005 and 3/31/2005
 It had been noted that I hadn't really put much of a description in here about how exactly Badamon gets Antulpan / Arago on his side in the first place, so I expounded upon that and tweaked the words on The Map a little bit. The Map's double meaning has been explained as has the story of The Gizmutan's Flight, now told by Saberstryke himself. I also did some minor wordsmithing.

Nekochan