After contending with the heat of the Bernink Province and traversing the Helskiz Province, Prince Ayn, Darren, Mieu, Wren and King Lyle made into the Chalst Province, where Landen was.
"You guys sure need to get some cars. It's too much like hard work, all this walking." Darren sighed, stopping to stretch the pain out of his legs.
"Get used to it. It'll keep you fit, and you can see all the lovely sights of Samesina!" Lyle replied, helping Darren back onto his feet. Eventually the party made it to Landen, but to their surprise, no-one was there!
"No... the cyborgs must have attacked and taken all the people." Ayn said sadly.
"Wait a minute! No-one's been taken at all! I sense lifeforms." Wren said.
"You could just be sensing us, Wren." Lyle sighed. Wren looked in the direction of Castle Landen, but the gate was shut. He ran over and checked, but the gate was locked tight!
"I know how we can get in." Wren said with a cruel edge to his voice. He produced a rope from his pocket and grabbed Lyle around the wrist.
"What do you think you're playing at, Wren? Has your computer chip got a virus or something?" Darren said, but Wren carried on tying the rope around Lyle's wrists.
"Damn it, Wren! Stop it!" Mieu shouted, trying to grab Wren, but the cyborg was much too quick, pushing her to the floor.
"Nearly done!" Wren said, taking a cloth out of his pocket and gagging Lyle. To his surprise, a tear fell from Lyle's eye.
"Wren, you're distressing him! Untie Lyle, this instant!" Ayn ordered, but Wren silenced him.
"Do you really think I'm going to listen to a wailing brat who calls himself a prince?" Wren said nastily. Ayn had had enough. He drew his sword and held it to Wren's neck.
"For Orakio's sake, Wren! He's getting upset!" Ayn jabbed Wren with the sword. Wren pushed Ayn away and dragged Lyle to the gate of Castle Landen, threatening to kill him if the owner didn't open up, just exactly how Rhys did it to gain access to Castle Shusoran when he was just a prince.
However, Wren didn't tie the gag around Lyle's mouth too tightly, so after some violent head-shaking, the king was able to get the gag from around his mouth.
"LET ME GO!" Lyle sobbed, trying in vain to free himself from the rope. Wren had tied it so tightly that it was impossible for him to even loosen the rope, let alone getting it off altogether.
"You heard him, Wren! Let him go!" Ayn yelled, baring his sword at Wren threateningly. The cyborg finally took the hint and untied Lyle. Ayn sheathed his sword.
"Lyle! You OK?" Darren asked. Lyle said he was fine, but then he burst into tears. Darren handed him a handkerchief and gave him a comforting hug.
"Don't EVER do that again." Lyle said sternly to Wren. The cyborg nodded his head sadly and sighed deeply.
"Well, how are we to get into the castle now?" Wren asked.
"I've just remembered something! My father once told me that a staircase in one of the shops lead to the castle basement. We can get in through there!" Ayn replied with a smile. He then went on to say that the staircase was in the Technique Shop, a shop that sells wands, spellbooks and scrolls to do with techniques.
When they got inside, though, the scrolls were scattered all over the floor and several wands were lying on the floor. Darren picked one of the wands up and inspected it. It wasn't damaged. He put it in his pocket.
"Well, let's get going." Ayn said, heading down the staircase. The rest of the party followed, and then they found themselves in the basement of Castle Landen. The walls were damp and covered in moss, and a dank, musty smell lingered in the air. The floor was wet and slippery.
"Yuck! Do people even clean these basements?" Darren said disgustedly, pinching his nose.
"I'd rather not. They're just gonna get dirty again." Lyle replied. A rat scurried along the floor, its nose twitching contentedly.
"Eek! Rats!" Darren screeched, scrabbling frantically and grabbing Lyle's cloak.
"It's just a rat. Wait... I begin to smell a rat. There's something other than rats here. I smell perfume." Lyle said. He looked at Ayn.
"What the... I didn't squirt no perfume!" Ayn said, but he was lying. He had sprayed some of his perfume on himself, but even the sickly sweet smell of Ayn's perfume couldn't counteract the dank, musty smell of the basement. The party could hear footsteps.
"Someone's coming!" Mieu said, leading the party to an alcove. However, their escape was in vain, for the footsteps headed straight for them!
"Anyone home?" a female voice called. Darren whimpered.
"Don't be frightened. I'm not going to hurt you." the voice said soothingly. Darren came out of the alcove. He was damp with the damp of the basement, and he smelled almost as musty as the air. A young brown-haired woman was standing before him. Her chocolate-brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and she was wearing a white blouse and a pair of brown leather pants. She had two knives jammed into her belt.
"Who are you? And where are the others?" she asked.
"You nosey old trout." Darren said hastily. The woman looked stern.
"I'm only asking! Just tell me who you are, and where your friends are, and I'll leave it at that!"
"Oh, OK. I'm Darren Jones, and my friends are in that alcove there." Darren pointed to the alcove.
"Right. I'm Sari, by the way. I'm Lena's daughter." Sari said as she crossed over to the alcove and beckoned Ayn, Lyle, Mieu and Wren to come out.
"So Lena's been breeding, has she?" Lyle said, without thinking. Sari looked confused.
"What on Samesina are you talking about? And who are you all anyway?" Sari asked. They all told her. Ayn turned to face Sari, his bright blue eyes looking right into her dark brown ones.
"Sari, you have the Power Topaz. We need it. I want it." Ayn said. Sari laughed.
"Prince Ayn! Why, I have no idea what you're talking about!" she said, but she couldn't deny that she had the Power Topaz. It glittered on her belt.
"The stone on your belt. We need it to get to Satellite." Ayn said coolly. Sari shook her head.
"You can have it." Sari said, taking the stone from her belt and holding it out to Ayn. Just as the prince was about to take it, she snatched it away.
"But you'll have to fight me for it, first!" she ordered, replacing the stone and drawing her two knives. Ayn drew his sword. Everyone else readied their weapons, but Sari said that it would be unfair if they all fought her. Ayn had to fight her alone. The prince looked at Lyle, just as one of Sari's knives cut his right arm, the arm that was also his sword arm. He winced.
"Well come on! If you want that stone, you'll have to fight for it!" Sari said, swinging the knife at Ayn's head. The prince ducked and swished his sword. The edge hit Sari in the left leg, opening a small wound. Sari retaliated by throwing one of her knives at Ayn. It hit his sword, forcing it out of his hand and sending it to the other side of the corridor. Sari laughed.
"Out of ideas, Prince?" she said, hooking her foot around Ayn's ankle, tripping the prince up as he ran to get his sword. Lyle thought quickly.
"Don't break it, Ayn!" Lyle shouted, throwing his staff to the prince. Ayn caught it and swung it at Sari, hitting her in the side with a blow which knocked the wind out of her. She collapsed to the floor.
"This isn't over, Prince!" Sari sneered, grabbing Ayn's left ankle and forcing his leg off the ground. The prince lost his balance and fell to the floor with a sickening thud. Lyle, Darren, Wren and Mieu closed their eyes. Ayn was about to pick himself up, but Sari was much too fast, springing onto him and pinning him to the floor. She pressed the blade of her knife to the prince's throat.
"You lost out, Prince Ayn! How unfortunate." Sari sighed, bringing the knife back. Just as she was about to thrust it forward, Ayn grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop the knife. Wasting no time, the prince picked up the knife and drove it into Sari's chest. She collapsed and rolled off him.
"You've won, Prince... just take... the stone..." Sari croaked, plucking the stone from her belt buckle with a trembling hand. She tried to hand it to Ayn, but she dropped it.
"Oh no... I was too rough with her. What have I done?" Ayn said, picking up the Power Topaz from nearby Sari's outstretched hand. He began to sob.
"Don't cry for me... just go to Satellite... but there's something... you must... know..." Sari said, before losing consciousness. Ayn sobbed harder.
"What is it, Sari? Tell me!" Ayn wailed, but Sari didn't respond.
"I've killed her! Oh, Lyle, I'm a monster!" the prince cried, handing the staff back to Lyle. He pulled the knife from Sari's chest and brought it high above his head.
"Monsters should never live! I deserve this!" Ayn yelled, but just as he was about to stab himself, Lyle stopped him.
"You're not a monster, Ayn! You just didn't realise your own strength. It's happened to me once or twice." Lyle said. Ayn dropped the knife and embraced Lyle, his eyes flooding with tears. After a while, the prince was able to dry his eyes. He picked up the lifeless form of Sari, but just as he did, Wren came bounding over with a sword in his hand.
"Prince, I got your sword back!" Wren said, putting the sword in the sheath that was attached to Ayn's belt. He also produced a scroll from his pocket.
"This, my friend, is the scroll for the Reverser Technique." Wren said. Ayn carefully placed Sari's body down and took the scroll.
"And how will this help?" the prince asked. Wren explained that the Reverser Technique was a technique that can revive the dead. However, it was a high-level technique, and the only person who was capable of pulling off such a technique was someone who had had a lot of experience in the field of healing techniques. Thankfully, Lyle fitted that description. He took the scroll and charged up the magic in his staff. He muttered a few words, then fired a bright green magical beam at Sari. Her wound healed and she began to breathe.
"Hmm? I thought that people couldn't be brought back from the dead." Ayn said, but he helped Sari to her feet anyway. She rubbed her eyes.
"Back from the dead? Well then, we've got a techniques master here! I'm coming with you!" Sari said, embracing Ayn. The prince pushed her away slightly.
"I'm not the techniques master. That's Lyle." Ayn said, indicating Lyle. Sari embraced him, and then she picked up her knives.
"What I was going to tell you before... it's just that Satellite isn't the safe place that everyone believes it is. It's actually where the cyborgs are coming from!" Sari said, but just as she was about to say more, Lyle cut her short.
"Look, there's something I've just remembered! I have to run." he said, darting up the staircase and out of the Technique Shop. As he ran up, he threw a stone to Ayn, saying that it would lead them to the Stalden Province, where the way to Satellite was. The prince picked it up.
"We should get going." Ayn said, putting the stone in his pocket and leading the party out of the basement.