Chapter 2: Changes in Plan
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After a few well placed blows to the head and a bit of flattery on his sister's part, Palom agreed to go to school at the tower the next day. He wanted to keep his sight spell up and play hooky instead; he was in no mood to face the Elder.
"I don't want anything to do with him after what he said," he muttered as he trudged behind Porom.
"He just wants you to help someone in trouble. Is that so awful?" Porom asked.
"You want to help him?"
"If asked, yes."
"So we have to take him up there?"
"Not anymore. Elder promised mom that he would leave us out of it. Besides, he said he really wanted us to keep an eye on him."
"Oh. All of that's a relief."
The twins entered the tower to find the place deserted. Naturally, Porom got to work faster than Palom did; but she pretended not to notice.
Sheila passed by half an hour after they arrived, her nose buried in a book as she walked. She didn't seem to see them. She disappeared through a door and it was quiet again for a long time as the twins continued to pour through their own textbooks.
"What exactly are you studying?" Porom asked her brother after a long time.
"I'm studying the Firaga spell," Palom answered, absorbed in his book.
"You won't be able to learn it for a while; you just perfected the fire spell a few days ago."
"I wanna learn it anyway. What are you learning about?"
"This protect spell. If I can memorize the incantation and find something to practice on, I can master it in a few weeks. I'm also going to learn this Cura spell."
"Sounds useful. Along with the Firaga spell, I'm also going to learn Thundaga and Blizzaga."
"Maybe you should just concentrate on Fira, Thundara, and Blizzara for now. You could kill yourself."
"Oh… maybe you're right," Palom agreed and leafed back a few chapters in his book. After that flaming cannon ball nearly landed on him, he was consciously going out of his way to avoid death. In fact, he had hardly been outside since the raid.
The Elder finally came in to see how they were doing a little later.
"Good morning, you two. How are you doing today?" Rai asked amiably.
"We're doing alright," Porom answered. Palom didn't say anything; he pretended to be interested in his book's index.
"I don't think he's going to talk to you today," Porom informed sadly. "He's still really mad about yesterday."
"I don't blame him. I shouldn't have been so abrupt with it. I'm glad that you at least are showing some compassion for this man. I sense he's walked a hard road recently. Why else would he turn to us—the people he hurt so badly—for help?"
"How did he get here? Do you know?"
"Not really, but some scouts did say there are bits of plank-wood washing up on the shoreline. It's possible that he was shipwrecked somehow."
Palom slammed his book shut angrily. "Serves him right," he said meanly.
"Palom, please," Rai scolded. "We all understand how upset you are over your little brush with death, but you have to get past it. It's been months since the attack: we've rebuilt, all injuries have healed, and things have returned to the way they were. And don't forget that some people weren't as lucky as you."
"I don't care," Palom snapped and chanted his sight spell again. He vanished once more, and his book suddenly floated in the air. It darted off toward a closet door, which opened and then shut with a bang. Dharma, who had just appeared at the top of the stairs, looked on and sighed.
"Is Palom throwing another tantrum? He's certainly prone to them; he's got such a fragile personality," the black mage asked.
"Oh, leave him be, my boy," Rai instructed. "He just needs to cool off a bit, that's all. Now then, I need you to find Sheila for me. I'm expecting a very important guest today; though I'm not sure when he will be here."
"Do the children need to be moved to another room?" Dharma asked.
"No, I do not think so. They should have no need to interfere."
"Yessir," Dharma nodded his head and scurried off to look for his pink-haired friend.
"Who's coming?" Porom asked.
"Oh, you'll see in due course. It's no problem of yours, sweetheart. Just go back to your books. And don't move from the table unless I call you once my guest gets here, understood?"
"Yessir."
"In the meantime, could you try to talk to your brother?"
"I can try," Porom agreed and ran for the closet. She opened it slowly, and it snapped shut again. She pulled the door wide open, before her invisible brother could shut it again, and stepped inside. She closed the door and was left in the dark. It looked empty, but along with the coats, a broom, mop, and Palom, it was a little cramped.
"You're being such a baby," Porom scolded in a random direction. "Why can't you just grow up?"
"I'm over here, Porom," Palom informed angrily from her left. "And I don't care if I am. I'm angry, and that's that."
Porom saw how it was going to have to be. She'd just have to get through to him through his massive ego. (As usual)
"You know," she said, trying not to sound too sweet, "I was pretty flattered by the Elder wanting me to take the daark knight up the mountain."
"Why? I wouldn't want that job for anything."
"But isn't it nice that he thinks we can do it? Of all his students, of all the mages in the city, he asked us—you and me—to go on a dangerous, harrowing mission. We're only six, anyway."
"Well… I guess that does say a lot," Palom admitted, definitely sounding flattered.
"And just think: if we went up that mountain, how much stronger would we get? You could learn that Firaga spell as soon as you came back."
"Hey, that's right! I never thought of that. Maybe it wouldn't be quite as awful as I had thought…"
That's right, big brother, Porom thought. Just soak it up.
"I mean, not that I would go if I was asked, but—"
"I would. It all just sounds too good to pass up. A fool migh pass it up, and I'm not fool."
"Me neither! I may not like him, but if he comes around, I'll go along with him. If the Elder asks, that is."
"No, you certainly aren't a fool," Porom agreed. In her mind, she was laughing herself sick at her brother's pride.
"So then, you'll come out of the closet?" she asked hopefully.
"Can I keep my sight spell?" Palom begged.
"I… Oh, fine. What harm could it do, really?" Porom consented.
The doorknob started turning and the door opened, seemingly by itself.
"Well come on then, sis," said Palom's voice from outside. "It's getting harder to breathe in there. Can you get my book, please?"
"Sure." Porom leaned over and picked up the textbook and then stood and walked out. She held out the book, once again in a random direction. Palom's invisible hand reached out and grabbed it by the spine from her right.
"Oh, puleez," Palom teased. "You're my twin; you can do better than that."
"I'm only six," Porom pointed out testily.
"So? I thought that was a good thing. Cast your sight spell so you can see me," Palom suggested.
"What's the point of being invisible if someone can see you?"
"Oh… Let's just get back to our books," Palom said sullenly and his book floated back to the table.
And so they continued to read their books in silence for the next half hour. Silence descended on the room again; silence was most fitting for the place.
The front door opened slowly, the hinges creaking. The noise echoes through the building, summoning Rai, Dharma and Sheila to the front.
"The Elder's special guest must be here," Porom guessed, not looking up from her book.
"I wonder who it is," Palom said. Porom felt the air around her stir and heard feet walk a few steps; just to be sure, she felt the spot on the bench where he had been and found it empty.
"Palom, what are you doing?"
"I want to see who it is." Palom suddenly gasped and ran back to Porom.
"Palom, what is it?"
"It's him! The dark knight is here!"
Porom gasped too. "Oh no! He's really going to take the test, isn't he? But who'll take him? He won't have guides!"
"He won't have us to protect him! He'll be doomed!" Palom said despairingly. "And I wanted to go up the mountain and get stronger…"
"Shh!" Porom hissed, putting her index finger against her lips. "He's talking to the Elder." She pointed across the room, where there ragged dark knight was speaking to Rai. The two crept a little closer, so they could hear better.
The knight had his head bowed. "I'm truly sorry for all that I have done to your people," he was saying. "Though I know that my meager apologies won't undue the mess I left, nor will they bring the dead back to life. I wish with all my heart that there was something I could do to redeem myself, but I fear it is too late for me."
Rai made an abrupt noise that sounded like a laugh. "Hmph. It's not too late for you, my boy."
"How could that be? I've worn this dark armor for so long—"
"Then I propose that you shed yourself of it."
The knight lifted his head and stared at Rai confused, but at the same time he looked as if he was just daring to hope. "How can I do that?"
Rai approached the man, coming dangerously close to him. He placed a hand on the knight's tarnished, dented shoulder plate. "If you ever hope to rid yourself of this—this dark armor—you must travel to the top of Mount Ordeals, which lies to the east. Climb to the top and take the challenge that lies at the top. If you succeed, you will never have to lift your dark sword again. You will be a warrior of the light: a paladin."
"Another mountain?" The knight sounded exasperated and disappointed. "But my friends are in peril now! I don't have time to climb a mountain and come back!"
Rai's look turned stern. "If you want any chance to save them, you will take this risk; you can't defeat the dark force I've heard of with a dark sword," he informed the distraught knight.
"But… Rosa could be dead by then," he lamented. He looked and sounded lost again.
"Who do you think Rosa is?" Porom whispered to her brother.
"His girlfriend, I'll bet," Palom giggled back.
"But then it could just be his sister," Porom pointed out.
The two waited in tense silence for the knight to make his choice. They both rather hoped he did accept the task. If he did, there was still a slim chance they could find a way to guide him.
The knight finally came out of his thoughts and looked Rai in the eye.
"I will go, then. If it is the only way to save my friends, I must go."
Rai clapped his palms together happily. "Wonderful! You've made a wise choice, lad."
"I hope I have… I should try to get some things together before I go, but I don't know how helpful the people here will be."
"I will see that you aren't hindered while you gather any supplies you might need," Rai informed.
"Thank you then, for this chance," the knight said respectfully, bowing low. "A chance for redemption is all that I have wanted for so long, a way to wash away my bloodstained past and try to start again. You have no idea what this really means to me."
"Oh, wait," Rai said as the knight went to go. "I just remembered something important. It is impossible to scale the mountain alone; part of the challenge is setting aside one's own self to work as a team with others. Also, the undead creatures on that mountain will not fall to your dark blade. At any rate, you don't even know the way there: in short, you'll be needing a guide. As such, I'll be sending two skilled students of mine with you."
Palom and Porom felt their spirits sink as Rai said this. Whoever he was going to pick probably wasn't going to be them. Standing still behind Rai, Dharma and Sheila tensed with anticipation, waiting for their boss's unwelcome command.
"Palom! Porom! Come here, please," he called.
Their hearts jumped into their throats. Could it be…? They dashed over to their uncle, and Palom tripped over his long red cape. Porom skidded to a halt before crashing into Rai's legs.
"Yessir?" she asked. "Is there something we can do for you?"
"Porom, where's your brother?"
"He was—" Porom looked around, realizing that Palom was no longer right beside her.
"Oh, that brother of mine! Palom, where did you go?"
Palom chanted his sight spell again and he reappeared nearby. He was floating above the ground, as if he were seated on an invisible stool. His red cape fell to the ground below him.
Show off, Porom thought to herself.
"I'm right here," Palom answered his sister. "I tripped."
The knight stared at the twins in disbelief. "These are the mages? But… they're children."
"I know that; they're twins," Rai informed. "They maybe young, and a bit dysfunctional at times, but they are highly advanced and a bit brave for their own goods. I think they will be fine for the job."
"Well," Palom said loudly, trying to act cool, "all I can say is that you're darned lucky to have me along. After what your guys did to us, you don't really deserve to have our help."
"Palom! Show some manners!" Porom scolded. She turned to the knight and nodded her head politely. "It's nice to meet you, sir. My name is Porom; I'm a white mage. And that kid over there is my brother."
"I'm Palom, and I'm an amazing black magic prodigy!"
"Palom, show some humility," Rai instructed. The boy pouted and let his eyes wander boredly.
"Now that you've all met, it's probably best that you make yourselves ready to leave at first light; the road to Mount Ordeals is a long one," Rai advised. "Sir—your name is Cecil, is it not?"
"Yes, it is."
"Sir Cecil, it might be wise to spend the night here. I've heard they threw you out of the inn yesterday."
Cecil blushed lightly. "Well, I can't say that I blame them. They have every reason to not want me here."
"You mustn't continue to lower yourself like this," Rai said soothingly. "You are making an effort to change. That is all we can reasonably ask of you anymore. Dharma, come over here."
Dharma walked up beside Rai and asked what he needed.
"I want you to escort Sir Cecil around the city so he can stock up on items he'll need. If he goes alone, they'll throw him out again, like they did yesterday. You are both excused, whenever you're ready."
Dharma glared suspiciously at Cecil and cut his glowing golden eyes at him. Just to get out from under the direct gaze, Cecil turned and headed for the door. Dharma followed him closely and they soon disappeared out of the tower.
"Poor Dharma," Sheila murmured, feeling sorry for her cohort.
"Don't stand there, Sheila," Rai said in an authoritative tone. "Make a room ready for our guest. And make it nice; don't be slack or careless out of spite."
Sheila nodded and went on her way. Rai turned to his niece and nephew and stared at them sternly.
"I can't believe you actually picked us!" Palom cried happily. "I thought you told mom you'd leave us out of—"
"Wait a minute!" Porom interrupted. "I heard you promise mom that you'd leave us out of the whole thing! You're breaking your promise!"
"Porom, lower your voice; it's unladylike," Rai scolded.
"But—"
Rai knelt down before her and took her tiny hands in his own. "Porom, I know that this isn't right, and it's a bit confusing to say the least, but I need you to keep this secret from your mother for me. You and your brother just get some things together and be ready to go in the morning when Cecil comes to get you, okay?"
"You've never lied to anyone before. Why now?" she asked.
"I have no idea what is going on, but whatever this man's destiny is, you and Palom have a part to play in it. Will you please just do this for me?"
"Well…"
"Oh, come on, sis; it's not it's the end of the world," Palom said pointedly, setting his feet back on the ground. "I don't see anything so rotten about it. We're getting to go, aren't we?"
"Not with mom's permission," Porom pointed out.
"Are you kidding me, child? Your mother and I almost never got our parent's permission before doing things like this," Rai informed. "In fact, I don't think she's been better behaved than since you were born."
"That's no excuse," Porom whined.
"Porom, please. You have to do this, whether you think it's the right thing to do or not. I'm giving you permission, as your Elder and your uncle; that should be enough, don't you think?"
"Maybe…"
"Run along, dear. You and Palom can have the rest of the day off. Use it wisely."
"Yahoo!" Palom crowed and ran for the door. "I'm so out of here!" He was out of the door in the space of a few seconds.
Rai laughed, amused with Palom's antics for once. "You should go and catch up with him; you might never find him"
"Okay," Porom said sadly with a nod of her head. She ran to get her textbook, but then decided to leave it. The way she figured it, she would be back in less than a week. She ran for the door, intent on catching up with Palom before he got too far ahead of her.
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After a while, freedom got boring for the twins. They were walking around in the square, trying to think of something to do, or anything they might need before they started off.
"Hey, Porom, look! There's Dharma and Cecil!" Palom cried, pointing across the road. "Look at all the stuff they've got; they must have bought 100 potions."
"I guess so," Porom agreed, assessing the number of bags the two carried. "Let's go see if we can help them."
"Sure."
The two ran across the road and onto the sidewalk where Dharma and Cecil were arguing over the cost of all the things they had bought.
"I never asked you to pay for it all," Cecil was saying, sounding like he was losing patience. "And I can pay you back every gil, and then some."
"Do you think these people want your money?" Dharma snapped.
"I—Oh, look who it is," Cecil said when he saw the twins. "How are you doing since I saw you this morning?" he asked.
"We're doing pretty good." Palom said cheerily without meaning to sound cheery.
"We saw you carrying all those bags, and we wondering if we could help you carry them," Porom offered. "Do you need any help?"
"No, I think we've got it under control, kids," Dharma insisted. One of his bags suddenly broke open and the contents, several potions and some vegetables, spilled onto the sidewalk. He muttered a swear and tried to pick up his lost items without dropping his other things as well. The twins started laughing.
"Are you sure you don't need any help, Dharma?" Palom asked.
"You guys pick those things up," Dharma ordered shortly. "You can carry it all in your capes; I think that should be fine. Just don't get in our way, okay?"
"Of course not," Porom answered as she and Palom knelt to pick up the spilled items. Cecil knelt down to help them.
"We don't need your help," Palom snapped, pushing the knight's hand away.
"That's what Dharma said," Porom reminded. Dharma snorted indignantly at her. When Palom still refused Cecil's help she smiled sweetly at him.
"I still need help," she informed. Cecil smiled weakly and helped her pile things into her green cape. When they had finished, the four of them walked back to the tower.
"Sir, I want to apologize about my brother's manners," Porom said to Cecil as they got closer to the tower. "He's really very nice, once you get to know him."
"He has every right to not trust me."
"Well, one of the flaming cannon balls almost hit him. He's been trying to learn the Firaga spell just so he could throw it at you a few times. It's comical," Porom informed.
"A friend was a bit of a prodigy herself," Cecil said vaguely. "She was five when she started her training… How old are you?"
"Palom and I just turned six. We've been studying magic since we were four."
"Four?! You're more advanced than I thought! Rosa didn't learn cure until she was five-and-a-half."
"Rosa? You said something about her earlier this morning. Who is she?"
"She's a very dear friend of mine; she was kidnapped and I mean to rescue her. But it seems impossible now."
"I'm sure you'll be able to save her. She's a white mage, huh? I'd like to meet her."
"I think Rosa would really like you; you're such a sweet child," Cecil agreed. "Your patience and compassion surprise me; most everyone else doesn't want anything to do with me."
"Hey! Mister Cecil," Palom called over his shoulder.
"Hm? Yes?"
"What did your mom and dad have to say to you when you got home, huh? I'll bet they were pretty mad at you, huh?" Palom guessed.
"Uh…" Was all that Cecil had time to say. Dharma interrupted to say that the twins would have to go on home with a few of the other bags so he and Cecil could continue their shopping. The twins grudgingly took some of the heavy bags and walked away to the tower.
"I wonder what he was going to say," Porom mused.
"He probably got grounded," Palom answered, hauling a particularly heavy bag on the sidewalk "Man, I wish you knew the Float spell," he added.
"He's a grown man, Palom; he wouldn't get grounded."
"Sure; whatever."
"You know, we still have to pack some stuff for the journey," Porom remembered.
"Oh yeah, I guess so. What all do we need, again?"
"Extra clothing, our fighting staffs, some food—"
"Why bother with the staffs? We stink with them; let's just take some extra ethers."
"We're bound to run out eventually. It's always good to have a backup plan. Let's hurry and get these back to the tower. If we're away for too long, mom might get suspicious."
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I just realized where I got the name Dharma for the Elder's black mage assistant: Dharma is the name of my best friend's dog! I just thought that sounded like a good name for him; I'd forgotten where I learned it until just now.
Now, off to the mountain!