Bartz looked at the shining light in the mist coating the small cove where they stood. As he walked towards it, the others tried calling to him but he couldn't hear them. All he could hear were the familiar sounds of his deceased mother's voice. Slowly from the mist her figure emerged. She was slightly shorter than Bartz with long blonde and green hair and a gentle complexion. Holding out her hand she called out to her son once more.

Stella: "Bartz... Come Closer..."

Bartz: "Mom?"

Confused by what he was seeing, he looked to the others as if to ask them 'can you see anything' but their confused expressions gave him no help. Mesmerised by the sound of his mother's voice and the sight of her, in an almost trance like state he walked towards her.

Faris: "Gah! Somethin's up with him, we gotta help him"

Before Faris could even react, her head as well as Lenna's suddenly turned. A new shining light and voice called out from the mist. It was the voice of Lenna's father, King Tycoon. As his ghostly form appeared, Lenna rushed forwards.

King Tycoon: "Come here honey..."

Lenna: "Father?"

As she ran forwards, Faris chased her. Lenna turned round with a confused look as she saw Faris behind her.

Faris: "Lenna... Ugh"

Just like Bartz, the two had fallen under the same mysterious trance as they walked towards the ghostly images of their parents. Left alone and more so confused than normal, Galuf saw a third light directly in front of him. A child's voice called out to him before the image of a fourteen year old girl appeared in front of him. Holding out her arms, she tried to reach out to the old man.

Krile: "Grandpa! Over here!"

Galuf stared at the girl. Nothing seemed to register. Did he have children or even grandchildren? Why didn't she look familiar? As the questions buzzed around his head, he tried to remember but he couldn't. As he looked at the image before him, he shook his head.

Galuf: "Who is that? I just can't quite remember..."

Before Galuf could even try to fathom why he was seeing what he did, he felt a rush of magic in the area. Glancing to his side, he saw Lenna and Faris collapse before Bartz to his right did the same. As they fell, blue flames hovered above their bodies and a long blonde haired, barely dressed woman behind them appeared. Holding out her hand, she spoke with a raspy voice.

Siren: "Just let us have your soul... Become one of us..."

Galuf held his black mage staff tightly in his hands and slammed it onto the floor. The banging of the wood and the crackling of lightning magic around the old man distracted the mysterious woman. Stepping forwards, Galuf spoke with a power in his voice.

Galuf: "Demon! What are you?"

Siren: "Oho! I didn't expect you to escape the power of my magic... I am Siren, I am afraid your companions souls now belong to me"

Gesturing with her hand, the blue flames rose up further from the collapsed bodies of the incapacitated light warriors and started to float towards the ghostly apparitions in front of Galuf and the Siren.

Siren: "Because I am feeling generous, I will let you escape if you promise to do so with no fuss..."

Galuf walked forwards, his staff held in one hand tightly and a ball of thunder magic in his other hand. Levelling his staff at the Siren, he drew the battle lines.

Galuf: "Like Hell I would leave these kids to you missy!"

Siren's voice became harsh. Her eyes narrowed and a malevolent presence seeped through the cove.

Siren: "Why would you willingly give up the chance to live for these three?"

Galuf: "Because... They... They are my FRIENDS!"

Galuf unleashed the thunder spell he cooked up in his hand and shot it through the ghostly apparition of the girl claiming to be his grandaughter. As her image faded, the magic shot towards the Siren who jumped out of the way as it exploded into the rocks behind her. With a look of evil in her eyes. Before she could even react, the old man rushed to his friend's aid, slapping them across the faces, trying to rouse them from their induced slumber. Before he could rouse them, a crystal of ice magic exploded near him.

Siren: "Their souls are mine... Prepare to die!"

The Siren levitated in the air with her arms outstretched. As she floated towards the black mage, Galuf released a fire spell and blasted it at her. The flames didn't slow her advance down, but it delayed her enough for the old man to rap Faris over the head with his staff.

Galuf: "Get up woman! Don't be fooled by her trickery! She's the Siren, the scourge of the sea!"

Faris' eyes slowly opened up. Seeing Galuf in front of her, the ghostly blue flame which rose from Faris faded, freeing her from the spell of the fiend. Pulling herself to her feet, the thief quickly ran towards Bartz as Galuf roused Lenna in a similar fashion. With the white mage up on her feet, Lenna and Galuf moved in to hold the siren off who seemed to be moving faster than she was before. Hurling a blast of thunder magic at her once again, Galuf scored a direct hit, but it didn't slow her down enough. As Siren swooped in to attack, Lenna raised her staff up and swatted her with it, catching her off guard. As her staff made impact with the monster, its skin changed from human looking to rotted flesh.

Galuf: "Its Undead! Lenna, blast it with cure!"

Lenna and Galuf rained down blows of fire and restorative magic on the monster as Faris knelt over the incapacitated Bartz. Shaking him, she couldn't rouse him from his magical sleep.

Faris: "Get up yer dog! Its a trick!"

Punching him in the shoulder as hard as she could, Faris finally roused Bartz from the spell. As his soul returned to him, he looked up at Faris, who for a split second was actually smiling at him. Before he could even react, the feisty pirate slapped him across the face and pulled him up to his feet.

Bartz: "Ouch!"

Faris: "No time to be nappin' ! Galuf and Lenna are fightin the Siren"

Drawing his sword, Bartz shook off the slightly groggy feeling and ran towards the combat with Faris close behind. With all four of the chosen warriors back in the battle, Siren didn't last long. Despite her attempts to shift between her two forms, the physical attacks from Bartz and Faris when the monster was "living" were matched by the magical attacks when the monster was one of the Undead. As Galuf's fire spell delivered the killing blow, the Siren shrieked out in pain as the dark mist surrounding the cove faded. As the light of day flooded the area, Bartz walked towards the monster's corpse and pulled out a sturdy bronze chestpiece. Hoisting it up and putting it on, he re-adjusted it before turning back to Galuf who stood in the middle of the group.

Bartz: "Galuf... You saved us all... We owe you our lives!"

Faris went to speak up, trying to claim she saved Bartz but then she realized Galuf saving her in the first place had allowed her to Save Bartz. Looking at Galuf, the pirate captain nodded to him as did Lenna. Galuf tried to pass it off, shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'It's nothing' but a redness creeping into his cheeks said otherwise. Leaning in closer, Bartz pointed to his face.

Bartz: "Are you... Blushing"

Galuf: "I am doing nothing of the sorts!"

Laughing, the group all nodded to each other before gathering their belongings and making their way out of the cove.

=...=...=

Standing at the edge of a forest in the foothills of the mountains in front of them, Bartz surveyed the area. There were hills, trees, mountains and tough terrain as far as the eye could see. To their west was the sea and the Canal, near the coast was the ship wreck cove and to their north and east, rising out of the earth and trees were the mountains. As the day was getting on already, Bartz and the others decided to set up camp. As they pitched their tents and started a small fire, Bartz and Faris took first watch as usual, only this time, the knight and the thief actually stood side by side. No longer hiding her gender, Faris had modified her tunic slightly to show a slight amount of flesh, but not much. She still preferred to be seen as a tough male pirate captain, but her female side was slowly showing through.

Bartz: "Thanks for saving me earlier Faris... I owe you one."

Faris: "Behave! You've covered my back enough times over the past few days, I'm just doing what you've done for me... Drink?"

Faris held out her hipflask. Bartz didn't particularly like the taste of grog, but he took it anyway and drank from it. Wincing as he swallowed the gulp he took, he passed it back to Faris as he wiped his mouth.

Faris: "Ye still a little wet behind the ears boy, but we'll make a man outta you yet!"

Laughing, the pirate and the wanderer sat there with their weapons ready as they kept watch.

=...=...=

Lenna: "How much further do you think it is?"

They had been travelling for the past two days since they escaped the from the Siren, moving between the coast, the forest and the foothills depending on the terrain at the time. After fending off another purple bull-like creature, the group paused in a clearing near the edge of the woods. Looking ahead, Galuf pointed and shouted with joy.

Galuf: "The plains! I can see plains! There HAS to be a town nearby!"

Bartz: "If only Boko were here, I could scout ahead and find out..."

Faris: "I think I know where we are... If we head south across the plains then swing west instead of East through the gap in the mountains, we can make it to Carwen... It's a town which is kinda like Tule"

Lenna: "Can we start in the morning then? I'm exhausted"

The group sighed as they looked to Lenna who sat down on a fallen tree. Casting a cure spell on her legs, she let out a sigh of relief before reaching into her bag for a flask of water. Taking a drink, she offered it round to the others who gladly accepted it.

Faris: "We can push on for another hour or so... when the sun starts to go down, we'll make camp and then we can make it to Carwen by noon if we keep the pace. Stay there for a day or two to recover and then we can make our move to Walse from there"

Bartz: "Sounds like a plan"

Galuf nodded in agreement and looked to the princess who sighed. Pulling herself back to her feet, she leaned on her staff.

Lenna: "Fine then... Just promise me there won't be any more trees or hills till Carwen.."

Faris smiled.

Faris: "Carwen is surrounded by trees, so you'll get your wish for the time being..."

Lenna groaned as the rest of the party laughed before setting off once more.

=...=...=

It was shortly after noon when they reached Carwen. Hidden by a forrest and tucked away on the coast, the small town was peaceful. It was nearly the same size as Tule but only half as busy. Whether this was due to the closing of the canal was still to be determined, but as the heroes made their way towards the Inn, they seemed in good spirits despite how tired they were. Opening the door of the Inn, Lenna headed to the clerk and booked the room for the four of them for two days whilst the others headed upstairs and waited for her to come with the key. Opening their room, they put their gear on the beds and almost straight away, Lenna collapsed onto the mattress. Closing her eyes and falling asleep almost instantly, the others crept out of the room and back down the stairs. Exiting the building, they stood there and discussed their plans.

Galuf: "We should restock, sell some of the junk we've found and buy better gear"

Faris: "Sounds good t'me... I think we also need to head to the pub, I need a fresh drink"

Bartz: "Sounds good. Galuf, we'll go and pick up the supplies, Faris, you head to the pub, get a drink or two and ask around, see if anyone knows anything or how to get to Walse from here..."

Faris nodded and set off almost immediately, leaving Galuf and Bartz with the hefty bag of surplus potions and spoils they had acquired on their journey so far. After hitting the shops and buying new equipment - swords, daggers, rods and staves, armour, shields, helmets and robes, the two men headed back to the Inn to drop off their stuff. As they reached the room, Lenna was sat on her bed along with Faris.

Bartz: "You find anything?"

Faris: "Yeah, the drink here is weak... have they ever served pirates before?!"

Galuf let out a laugh as Lenna stood up.

Lenna: "I think we should head back there, maybe if the four of us ask, we can find out what we need to do"

Galuf: "Righty-o then."

Departing for the Inn once more, Lenna led the way to the pub. As they neared the pub, a young woman stopped them.

Woman: "I heard you travellers are planning on heading to Walse..."

Lenna nodded.

Woman: "Sorry to break it to you, but you're outta luck. The ships aren't sailing as the wind has subsided and its across the ocean, there is no other way to make it there..."

Lenna turned round and looked to the others.

Galuf: "With no wind, and no Syldra, we can't cross by sea..."

Faris' head sank at the mention of her sea serpent.

Galuf: "...Sorry"

Bartz: "I don't know how we'll get there then..."

Faris: "In the pub before I heard some folk going on about a flying monster... think we should look into it.. It might be just drunks talking but sometimes even a drunk gets things right"

The others nodded and proceeded to the pub. As they entered the building, Bartz went straight to the piano on the wall and begun to play a number much like he did in Tule to the delight of the patrons. As he kept the crowd happy, Lenna and Galuf searched with Faris for the drunk. Eventually finding him, they sit at his table.

Drunk: "Oh, looks at you... Comin' t'laugh at me smore eh?"

Faris: "Nonsense lad. We be here for the tale about t' flying monster"

The drunk banged his fist on the table.

Drunk: "I told two others who just laughed at me... Said I saw a big monster with wings wearing armour flying towards the mountain in the valley in the east."

Lenna's eyes widened at the description. Only a wind drake could wear armour and fly like the man said, and because her father's one, Hiyru was the last of its kind, it was too co-incidental for her liking. As she turned to Galuf to discuss the matter, Faris continued to talk to the drunk.

Faris: "What you mean, two others?"

Drunk: "A man and a woman, they looked like explorers or something... Real interested about what I saw but then they called me out on it, saying why should they believe a drunk."

Rejoining the others, Faris caught the tail end of Galuf and Lenna's conversation.

Lenna: "If it is indeed Hiryu, then we have a way to make it to Walse. We have to leave first thing in the morning!"

Galuf: "But we paid for tonight and tomorrow night"

Lenna: "North Mountain is east of here. It is the only place where Dragon Grass grows. Dragon Grass is the only thing which can heal a wind drake, so if Hiyru is headed there..."

Faris: "Then the wind drake must be hurt right? So we head there, find Hiyru and see if the king is with it?"

Lenna: "Exactly. Tell Bartz to get ready, we leave in the morning."

=...=...=

Dawn broke and the four departed from Carwen. As they made it through the forest and out onto the plains, they looked to the east and saw the giant mountain rising in the middle of the range. As they crossed the plains, the monsters posed them little trouble now. All of them had grown stronger due to their time with the crystals. Taking the chance to experiment more, Bartz had learned how to completely absorb an attack as a Knight with little damage received whilst Lenna's white magic skills had improved so much, she switched to the black mage class and was able to cast both white and black magic spells. Faris had learned to move faster than she normally could due to the power of the thief which enabled them to easily escape from battles they did not need to fight in and Galuf was still working his way between the powers, trying to find what was best for him. Cutting down more monsters in their path, they eventually made it to the divide in the mountains which was the starting point for making the journey to North Mountain. Setting up camp once again so they could rest up and head out, Galuf in his Monk class did all the hard work. Punching through a giant boulder, he moved some of the fragments from it around and created a small wall for them to shield the fire from the wind and to give them something to sit on which wasn't the floor.

Bartz: "You're certainly getting to grips with everything Galuf... but why aren't you just getting stronger as one thing?"

Galuf flexed his arms much to the amusement of the ladies before he sat down. Wiping his forehead, he spoke to Bartz.

Galuf: "I like to change things about..."

Bartz: "You mean you can't remember what you were working on before so you're changing?"

Galuf shook his head but his denial only served to prompt the others to tease him further. Eating some fruit and bread they had picked up in Carwen, Bartz cast a sideways glance towards Lenna who stared at her pendant when she wasn't eating and then to Faris who was busy sharpening her daggers. Standing up, he readjusted his armour and sword and looked at the sky - the sun was slowly starting to set.

Bartz: "I'll take first watch... You guys rest up and prepare for tomorrow"

Faris: "Hold up! I'll come with you. I wanna test something out and I'll need you to watch my back"

Bartz nodded as Faris walked along side him. As they went to the edge of the camp and started to discuss their plans, Galuf and Lenna exchanged a glance filled with mischief.

Galuf: "You think they're going off to 'practise' something?"

Lenna: "I doubt it. Faris doesn't seem interested in anyone, and if I paid any attention to you, I'm fairly certain Bartz would be asking me to take night watch with him!"

Galuf: "Trust me, he has the hots for you... But the important question... Do you have the hots for him?"

Lenna went bright red. Not through embarrassment, but through the bluntness of the old man's questioning.

Lenna: "No! No disrespect to him, but I've not got the hots for anyone! All I can think of right now is finding father and saving the crystals..."

Galuf shrugged his shoulders as Lenna went back to looking at her pendant. As she held it in her hands, she started thinking about her father once more and the growing fear she had which rose from Hiryu being spotted in the vicinity of North Mountain. Retreating to the tent she shared with Faris, she climbed into bed and tried to put the thoughts out of her head which plagued her mind.