Zok stood in the large ground floor landing in his house at the back of Tule. It had been converted to function as a meeting hall where many of the towns inhabitants could come once a month to discuss issues which he would then present to the King of Tycoon when he held court. It was a hard job being the mayor of such a town, especially when he was also a former member of the King's advisory council and the keeper of the Torna Canal. He remembered getting word from the Wind Shrine several days ago that there were some issues there with regards to irregular monster activity and when he received word from Walse that there was trouble in the Canal, he used his authority and sealed it shut. Turning to face the table, he started to set it, awaiting the guests his assistant had informed him were visiting shortly. As he started to lay out the plates and cutlery, the sound of a familiar voice startled him.

Lenna: "Zok should be here somewhere, We'll wait here till he passes by"

Turning round, Zok couldn't quite believe it at first. He knew that voice but it had been years since he had heard it. Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, the minister jumped backwards in surprise as Lenna, princess of Tycoon stood before him with two companions.

Zok: "Ohhh! Princess Lenna!"

Lenna: "Zok! It's good to see you!"

Lenna rushed forwards towards the old man. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tightly, burying her head in his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Zok: "It has been a long time Princess."

Lenna let go of her embrace of the minister and stepped back. Smiling at him, she turned to her companions, Bartz and Galuf and introduced them properly.

Lenna: "Bartz, Galuf, this is Zok. He is the mayor of Tule, Canal master and a former minister of King Tycoon."

The three men nodded to each other and shook hands. After the greetings and pleasantries were exchanged, the four of them sat down at the table. Lenna, not wanting to waste any time cut straight to the point:

Lenna: "Zok... I have a favour to ask. We must head to Walse. In order to do that, we need to pass through the Torna Canal."

Zok: "Oh dear... Ever since the incident with the Wind Crystal the Canal has been unsafe for use - The monsters there have been multiplying like rabbits. I had to lock it because it isn't safe anymore"

Bartz and Galuf exchanged glances as Zok spoke to Lenna. Both of them could tell he was being truthful, but he couldn't meet the princesses' eyes as he spoke.

Zok: "Even worse, I seem to have lost the key to the Canal..."

Lenna let her head hang in defeat. Bartz and Galuf looked at Zok and watched as he leaned back, trying to avoid looking at the princess. Seeing her two companions watching him, he started to panic.

Zok: "I'm sorry I cannot help you Princess, especially after you have came all this way too. Perhaps you might wish to stay the night?"

Lenna looked to Bartz and Galuf who nodded. The princess smiled and then turned her attention back to Zok.

Lenna: "Certainly! I'd love to."

Zok clapped his hands together.

Zok: "Wonderful! Follow me please..."

As Zok led the way and Lenna followed close behind, Bartz and Galuf walked side by side, talking in hushed voices.

Bartz: "He's got the key. He's lying!"

Galuf: "Definitely. Think we should go get Faris to rough him up a little?"

Bartz shook his head.

Bartz: "No... Let's see what happens tonight. We might get a different answer in the morning".

=...=...=

It was the middle of the night when Bartz woke up. Lenna in the bed across from him was soundly sleeping as was Galuf in the bed in the other corner of the room. It felt strange not having Faris there with them after the events of the past few days, but he knew the pirate would rather be in the tavern with his crew compared to in a mayor's house. Slipping out of bed, Bartz picked up his boots and crept across the room. Slipping through the door, he carefully closed it behind him and slipped his boots on. Making his way across the hall, he exited the house and stepped out into the cool night air.

With the lack of wind, the air was still. The stream running past the front of Zok's residence reflected the night sky perfectly. As he looked down at the reflection of the moon, Bartz allowed his mind to wander. The past few days had filled his head with more questions than answers and had even brought back some old memories.

"The Crystals... Now that I think of it, they were the reason Dad..."

Bartz's train of thought was interrupted by the memory of his father in their home when he was a child. He recalled the fire being on, him laying in bed half asleep and his mother and father sitting at the table.

"The Crystals must be protected at any costs"

He remembered his father pausing and glancing over his shoulder.

"Stella - If anything is to happen to me... Never tell Bartz about the crystals. They aren't his burden to bear"

Bartz laughed to himself as the scene played through his mind. He held the crystal shard which hung from his neck tightly in his hand.

"Sorry Dad, it looks like it was my burden to bear after all"

Taking a deep breath, Bartz headed back into Zok's house. He walked towards the fire to warm himself before he went back to bed. Holding his hands out, trying to get warm, he heard footsteps in the bedroom where they were all staying. Creeping towards the door, he peered through the crack and saw Zok standing over Lenna.

Lenna: "Father... The Crystals... I'll Protect them... Promise"

Bartz saw Zok shaking his head as Lenna mumbled in her sleep. Seeing that the mayor was begining to move, Bartz quickly retreated back towards the fire. Standing there, as if nothing had happened, Bartz acted surprised when Zok said his name.

Zok: "Bartz! Are you alright? What's the matter?"

Bartz: "I'm ok... It's nothing... Just woke up thinking about my parents, they died a while back. I just needed some air"

Zok nodded. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled something out and kept his fist tightly clenched around it. Reaching out, he took Bartz's hand and placed the object into it.

Zok: "Take it. It's the key to the canal. With it you can unlock the way to Walse."

Bartz: "Why?"

Zok: "Her father had asked me not to allow her to follow him if I encountered her after he set off for the shrine... Seeing her calling out to her father in her sleep, talking about the crystals... It's something I can't get in the way of..."

Bartz nodded. He didn't voice his initial suspicions about Zok having the key, but he knew the old man had a valid reason for not wanting to help Lenna. He didn't know that the Crystals had made them the new Warriors of Light, he just thought Lenna was chasing after her father in an effort to escape the castle once again. Putting the key into his pocket, Bartz looked at Zok once more.

Zok: "Look after her... Please"

=...=...=

The following morning, the three warriors of light woke up. As they gathered their things and set about making their way to find Faris. They bid farewell to Zok who waved them out of his house and set off towards the harbour. As they reached the entrance, Faris came out of the tavern to join them, followed closely by the pirate crew. Holding up his hand, the captain spoke.

Faris: "Sorry lads, but I'm leaving ye behind on this one"

Pirates: " Cap'n? But Why? Ye know we'd follow ye to t'ends of the Earth"

Faris: "I Know and I thank ye for it, but not this time men."

Faris turned his back on the pirates and looked to Bartz, Galuf and Lenna. He tried to hide the small tear forming in the corner of his eye as the crew began to object.

Faris: "This smells of a long journey... I need ye all to stay and guard the hideout. We can't let anyone raid our booty can we?"

Pirates: "But Cap'n..."

Faris: "Please..."

There was a hint of sadness in the voice of the captain. Something none of them expected. Seeing the look of seriousness on the face of Faris, the first mate stepped forwards and saluted.

First Mate: "Aye-Aye sir!"

Faris nodded in approval and saluted the crew. Motioning for Bartz, Lenna and Galuf to head towards the ship, Faris turned round to walk away when one of the newer recruits came rushing forwards from the ranks of the pirates. Standing there behind the Captain, he brought his arm up in a salute and spoke. His voice was slightly hesitant at first, but as he spoke, the confidence in it grew.

Pirate: "Wind at your back Cap'n! Godspeed!"

Nodding to his crew one last time, Faris turned round and headed off to catch up with the others. Waiting until he was safely out of sight of his men, the captain stopped for a second and wiped his eyes.

Faris: "Godspeed men!"

=...=...=

Lenna stood at the side of the ship. She looked over at the expanse of the stillness of the sea and took a deep breath. Although she knew Faris' vessel could move without the wind, thanks to the aid of the sea-serpent Syldra, she was filled with unease. As she stared aimlessly at the waves, Bartz walked up from below the decks and stood beside her.

Bartz: "Lenna... What's wrong?"

Lenna: "The wind crystal has shattered. Right now the wind is only slowing when it blows, sometimes stopping for minutes at a time, but soon it will stop completely..."

Lenna paused as she looked up to the sky and saw some gulls circling round the fishing boats.

Lenna: "In a few years, the air will grow stagnant and the birds will have no place to fly..."

Lenna reached up to her necklace and held the crystal fragment tightly in her hands.

Lenna: "Father said we have to protect the three remaining crystals..."

Bartz: "Three?"

Lenna stepped forwards towards the bow of the ship. She held her left hand up and counted the crystals off.

Lenna: "The crystals of Fire, Water and Earth"

Bartz suddenly caught up to what Lenna was thinking. Walking alongside her, he looked towards her.

Bartz: "If they were to fall..."

Lenna: "Nothing would happen at first... But it wouldn't be very long before the Earth started to decay, the Seas dried up, rivers lost their flow and fire's lost their heat. The world would become dark and cold... It really would become an unliveable place"

Galuf: "We gotta protect the crystals!"

Standing behind the two, the old amnesiac stood.

Bartz: "Did that trigger any of your memories?"

Galuf: "Nope! Don't matter much anyways... I'm still going to help!"

Bartz let out a laugh at Galuf. His memory problems were a serious issue, but his vigour and gung-ho attitude never ceased to amaze him. The man had forgotten almost everything, but he could still fight, remember his name, remember how to torment people and most importantly, remember he had to save the world.

Faris: "Well said old man! I'm coming along too... Besides we still have to find Lenna's father"

Bartz looked confused.

Bartz: "But the king vanished into thin air..."

Faris laughed. Throwing his arms out, the captain looked to the sky.

Faris: "He's alive. I can feel it in me bones! Never for a moment believe otherwise!"

With three people committed to the cause, Lenna turned to Bartz.

Lenna: "Bartz... Will you come with us?"

Bartz turned to look at everyone. As he glanced at each of them, he looked down towards his feet,

Bartz: "At first I was just along for the ride... But seeing everyone here..."

Bartz held out his crystal shard. Its shimmered with a pale green light.

Lenna: "...The crystal shards!"

Bartz: "We have been given the power to protect the world..."

Bartz felt the power of the crystal rushing through him.

Bartz: "That's it... I'm In! We've got some crystals to save!"

The others all nodded in agreement. As they held out their arms, Galuf pushed past them all. Climbing up onto the bowsprit, the old man triumphantly raised his hands into the air.

Galuf: "Enough talk. Let's be off!"

Faris nodded and brought out a whistle. As the captain prepared to call on the beast, Lenna looked up to Galuf.

Lenna: "Galuf, I don't think it's a good idea to be standing there when this ship gets moving..."

Before Galuf could shoot Lenna down, there was a roar from the front of the ship and a crashing of water. Syldra raised its head above the surface as Faris blew the whistle and lurched the ship forwards. The sudden movement caused the old man to lose his balance and stumble back down towards the deck, much to the amusement of everyone else.

Galuf: "Know-it-Alls!"

=...=...=

The ship approached the canal by the middle of the afternoon. As the sun blazed overhead, Bartz came out from under the deck in his knight's armour. Faris stood at the wheel in the thief's garb and Lenna wore her white mage robes. Standing in a red suit with a red-cap and holding his sword was Galuf, the only person to experiment with multiple abilities of the crystal. Ready for combat, the four warriors of light reached the gate to the canal. as they reached the locked gates, Bartz climbed up on the bowsprit and pulled the key out of his pocket. Carefully advancing up the narrow beam of wood, he reached the lock and pushed the key into it. Giving it an almighty twist, he let the mechanism click into place, triggering the door-release before removing the key. As he slipped it back into his pocket and headed down towards the deck, the others looked shocked.

Galuf: "Bartz! Where in tarnation did you get that key?"

Bartz: "Does it matter? Let's get going!"

Faris headed back towards the wheel of the ship so they could begin to enter the canal. As the pirate captain moved away, followed by Lenna, Galuf stood in front of Bartz.

Galuf: "Did you find that key then or did Zok hand it over?"

Bartz: "Zok had it all along. He gave it to me under the condition we protect Lenna... Don't let her know, it'll break her heart and she'll never forgive him"

Nodding in agreement, Galuf turned and walked away towards the back of the ship.

=...=...=

As they sailed through the canal, countless aquatic monsters attacked them. Bartz and Galuf fended them off with sword and spell strikes but Faris, the thief was too lightweight for the onslaught. The pirate captain, narrowly avoiding a flailing arm of a giant octopus which was trying to pull them all overboard reached down for the crystal and closed his eyes. The red light of fire surrounded him and in an instant, the thief's garments had gone and were replaced by a dark blue robe and a yellow pointed hat. Only the face of the captain was slightly visible under its wide rim. Holding his hands up, the pirate shouted something and a bolt of thunder magic cut through the tentacle of the octopus, sending it back down into the depths of the canal.

Lenna: "Faris, are you ok?"

Rushing over to the black mage's side, Lenna knocked the tentacle of another octopus out of the way with her staff. Raising her hand, she cast a curative spell on the pirate who in turn responded with a thunder spell aimed at the octopus which was trying to ambush the princess. Making sure the back of the ship was clear, Faris returned to the wheel and continued to steer whilst the others fought.

Bartz: "No.. Wonder... Zok sealed the canal!"

Holding his sword up in front of him, Bartz blocked a jet of ink aimed at him by one of the mutated squids which had made its way on deck. He flicked the slimy black substance off his blade as he spun it round and thrust the tip of it right between the squid's eyes. As it let out a shriek of pain, the other monsters quickly fled whilst Galuf used some of his magic to thin out the numbers and those monsters which were unlucky enough to still remain on board whilst Lenna tended to Bartz. After what seemed like an eternity, the deck was finally clear and the canal seemed calm. Panting, Bartz wiped the sweat from his brow and looked to the other Warriors of Light.

Bartz: "If this is what happens when a crystal breaks..."

Before Bartz could even finish his sentence, the boat violently jerked. Rushing to the front of the boat, Bartz and Lenna looked out at the surface of the canal. There was a huge vortex in the water. The rapid rotation started to effect the currents and steadily began to drag the ship towards it.

Faris: "It's no use... The rudder's not responding!"

Galuf rushed to the pirate captains aid. The two of them pulled at the wheel, trying to bring the ship under control, but it was no use. The pull of the whirlpool in the canal was too great for them. At the front of the ship, Syldra, the great serpent tried its best to pull them to safety but nature proved too much for the beast. Letting out a defeated howl, the beast relaxed itself and tried to position the ship so it wouldn't get smashed on the rocks.

Bartz: "LOOK OUT!"

All heads turned in the direction where Bartz was pointing. There was a fast moving shadow coming up from under the surface of the water. The large crab-like monster launched itself out of the canal and came crashing down on the deck of the ship with a pounding impact. The boards of the deck started to crack and splinters and shards of wood from the weaker planks which made up the surface were tossed into the air as the beast landed. Letting out a terrifying scream, the monster lashed out towards Lenna but before it's feelers could even hit the princess, Bartz flung himself in the way. The impact of the blow wasn't much, but it left a horrid stinging sensation which caused his body to lock up.

Bartz: "Watch out... That thing's touch can paralyze you!"

Jumping back, Lenna cast a simple curative spell on Bartz to try and rid the effects of the monster but it was little use. Faris raised his hands in the air and brought down a bolt of thunder magic once again and Galuf did the same. As the electricity shot across the creature's body, it whipped its tail forwards, smashing it into Galuf, knocking him across the deck. The old man hit the side of the ship with a massive thud, but just as soon as he tried to get himself up, the monster was on the move again. Charging forwards with its claws ready to deliver the finishing blow to the old man, Bartz snapped out of his incapacitated state. Rushing forwards, he swung his sword and managed to cut through the feelers on the creatures extended limbs. As the monster howled in pain Faris brought out another blast of thunder magic, this time targeting the exposed flesh on the creature's arm.

Bartz: "Lenna, cure Galuf, me and Faris will drive it back!"

Lenna nodded. Bringing her staff up, she swatted away a glancing blow from the monster and ran across the deck towards Galuf. Opening her palm, she flung a small green ball of curative magic at the old man who had just about managed to get himself to his feet. Feeling his energy restored by the spell, Galuf raised his sword and pointed it at the beast in an almost theatrical manner.

Galuf: "THUNDER!"

A blast of thunder magic shot across the deck and smashed the creature in the tail, causing it to rear up onto its back legs. Seizing the chance to deal a massive blow, Bartz ran in with his sword ready. Ducking out the way of one of its forelegs, the knight swung his sword, cutting into the exposed underbelly of the sea creature. As it squealed in pain, Faris launched another thunder spell which crashed down onto the top of the beast. Being unable to take anymore, the sea monster retreated.

Faris: "Oh no ye' don't"

The black mage readied another spell, but before he could launch it, the ship violently jerked, tossing the warriors of light to one side and the monster over the rail into the depths once more. Scrambling to their feet, the four of them quickly held onto the side rail as the ship somehow managed to clear the vortex. As Lenna held her arms up to celebrate the others rushed to the front of the ship. Something wasn't right.

Faris: "SYLDRA!"

The pirate captain ran as far forward as the ship's structure would allow him to. As he carefully balanced on the edge of the pole, the others saw what he was shouting about - although they had cleared the vortex, it had come at a great cost - Syldra had gotten trapped in there. The sea monster let out a howl as it struggled to swim in the violent currents, its head constantly popping up and down behind the massive swells. Faris, unable to watch any more prepared to jump in, but the arms of Bartz grabbing hold of him prevented him.

Faris: "SYLDRA!"

Bartz: "She'll be ok Faris, she's tough! You can't go in after her!"

Faris shoved free from Bartz' grip and tried to jump again but this time Galuf grabbed hold of one of the captain's arms and Bartz grabbed the other. Using all their strength, they managed to keep the agitated captain on board despite his best efforts to save the sea monster.

Faris: "Unhand me! Let me go! I HAVE to save Syldra!"

Before Faris could break free one last time, there was a huge surge of water towards them. The boat shook as the waves crashed into its hull. As the warriors of light struggled to get back to their feet, the last thing they could see was Syldra's head sinking under the water in the vortex once more. Utterly defeated by the loss of his friend, Faris slumped down to the floor and let his head hang. The wide brimmed black mage hat kept his face covered enough to hide the tears which begun to roll down his cheeks. Nothing else mattered right now, the crystals, saving the world. It was all irrelevant to the pirate - he had just lost his best friend. Stepping away from the pirate, Bartz and Galuf moved towards the side of the ship whilst Lenna stayed near the captain, trying to console him.

They had managed to escape the vortex at a great cost, but with no wind in their sails, a damaged rudder and no method of propulsion, they were drifting.

=...=...=