Chapter 8: A Past and a Curse
For nearly three weeks, 'The Five' focused on training with the Chief Knights. Elde's needless death while protecting his mother drove them on, feeling as though they let his death happen. Jenny seemed to take his death the hardest as she would practice for hours on end until her fingers bled, stiffening the sinews until they were unusable. Her trying to use the power of the Emerald Crystal led only to frustration. Why couldn't she use it as effortlessly as the others? Athena and Irena would often forcefully stop her.
She would often only stop long enough to bandage her fingers or have them healed by Helen and then go right back to training. Helen suggested that her crystal may be tied in some way to her emotions, releasing more as her feelings became more intense, frustrating Jenny further. Emotionally driven power and actions led to dangerous choices in battle. Ultimately, Olsen was the one who was able to stop her from running herself ragged, demanding an explanation.
"Facing the Black Mage made me realize just how weak we are. How weak I am. I may have released the Emerald Crystal, but I still can't use it properly." She cried, tightly holding on to Olsen.
"I can help you to learn to control your crystal. Yes, we are all still very weak compared to the ultimate foe that we must face. But we can't let despair or sadness win out over us; there are hundreds of thousands of people counting on us."
"What if we can't defeat the Black Mage? What if we let them down?" Olsen brushed aside a few stray strands of Jenny's hair aside and looked her square in the eyes.
"We won't fail." The look in his eyes was firm and confident. Jenny sighed and nodded but couldn't see how. It would take all of them using the Crystals to defeat the Black Mage. Unsealing the Emerald Crystal was a significant step forward, but if she couldn't tap into it properly, it would be useless.
Not far from them, Helen and Jack spared until they saw Heidren kneeling at a small grave, the name 'Elde' carved into the headstone. The ache in Helen's chest became sharper when she saw Heidrein holding a little corn husk doll in her hands. How did Helen miss the fact that her Mantle wouldn't stop a weapon made of magic? Jack quietly walked to Heidren and knelt beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry that we couldn't prevent this," Jack said, closing his eyes and looking away at the realization that what he just said might have been the wrong thing. Heidrin sniffed, wiping away a tear, doing her best to speak with her breaking voice.
"It's alright; you five did your best. I wish that I…" Heaves of grief halted Heidrin, turning and clinging to Jack's shirt as she wailed. Helen knelt behind her, putting a hand on her back.
"Your son did what he thought was best," Helen said, trying to think of something in her spellbook lessons that would allow her even to do the impossible. The game of Maplestory contained a skill enabling a high-level priest class to resurrect characters; surely, there had to be something similar in this world.
"Swing harder!" Lillianne shouted to Matthew as he swung with all his might at the stone that he had been trying to split since he began his training. His new sword, the giant Zard, cut into the rock only a bit, the rings in the blade jingling.
"Again! Harder!" Lillianne demanded. Matthew dragged the massive sword back, letting it hit the ground with a thud before hoisting up. Light gathered at the hilt and flung it down, only to have it spark and skid across the surface, dragging Matthew to the ground from the momentum.
"Get Up! Hit it again, harder this time." Lillianne sternly ordered. Instead, Matthew stabbed the sword into the ground and slumped to the ground, unclipping the shoulder guards of the new samurai-like Jangoon armor.
"What are you doing? Get up and split that rock!" she barked, splitting a similar rock with a single-handed swing, tossing sparks and dust everywhere. When she turned back, Matthew stood in front of her and put both hands on the side of her head, making her look him in the eyes for a moment to see the more profound pain.
"I just watched a little boy die, and there was nothing I could do about it! Not even that stupid Gaia Mantle stopped him from dying! I FAILED!" he shouted, dropping his hands to her shoulders, gripping them harder with each word. Lillianne pried his hands away from her as he continued.
"How am I supposed to face her, knowing that I failed in protecting her son?" Matthew groaned, his voice hitching. Lillianne shoved his hand off her shoulders and then pulled him in close, embracing him tightly.
"I know it hurts, but you can't let this consume you. Get stronger, move forward, and be the hero I know you will be. I lost two of my best friends when the Black Mage was unsealed, and I wasn't able to do a thing about it. Yes, I cry about it, and it still hurts. But their loss spurs me on to become stronger so that no one else will have to know the pain I've lived through." Holding him tighter, Lillianne could feel Matthew collapse into her, putting his arms around her and merely hanging on to her.
"How am I supposed to live up to being a hero when I failed in my first real chance to be that hero?" Lillianne pulled Matthew back, holding him at arm's length.
"Then don't let it happen again, with everything that you have. I know that you can do it. Even if no one else thinks so, I know you can." Matthew hung his head and was about to argue her point when he saw Irena and Hawkeye walking towards them, quickly gathering himself once they were within earshot.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your training, but there is something that might require your attention," Irena announced.
"Is it a message or something?"Matthew asked, putting on his armor once more and sheathing the Zard on his back. Hawkeye shook head and crossed his arms.
"No, actually. It's this brass mechanical egg, and this voice keeps coming from it, saying that it's looking for the Antellion. Anything we do only seems to get the same response." He said, waving his hand to the side as he spoke. Matthew was about to begin returning when Lillianne stopped him by the arm. Lillianne locked eyes with him for a moment under her brow until Matthew patted her hand, both of them walking back to town where they met Jenny, Olsen, Jack, and Helen.
As they all neared their meeting campfire, Olsen noticed that Dances with Balrog was holding a device no bigger than an egg. Upon closer examination, the device appeared to be a Steam Punk Orgel, with hard lines and small spots of rust covering its metal surface.
"Is that the message?" Helen asked, holding out her hand to look it over, admiring the intricate designs etched in the brass.
"I would hope so. I've never seen anything like this. I am unsure how to open it." Dances shrugged, handing the device to Helen, where it instantly unfolded into a spider-like machine.
"Antellion detected, playing message." It whirred before the voice changed to a deeper monotone note as if playing from an old record.
"Antellion found and confirmed. The continent of Masteria in need of the Antellion to sustain energy requirements. Bring this unit and crystal to Masteria. Transportation is waiting in Kerning City Subway." Once the message had played, the machine folded back into the shape of an egg.
"Antellion? What's that?" Jenny asked, poking the egg, making it wobble in Helen's hand. Athena walked forward and looked closer at the machine, examining the designs on it.
"Legends of the past say it was a crystal of immense power. The large red gem leading to the fall of the Sharenian empire, The Rubian, is rumored to be a piece of that crystal." Helen lowered her brow and tapped on the egg, trying to get the message to play once again.
"Then why would it say that crystal is here?"
"My knowledge of this is limited, but perhaps an investigation is called for," Athena suggested. Olsen folded his arms, holding his chin.
"But we need to go to Victoria. The majority of it is still under Black Wings control. We don't have the power to take on too many of them at one time."
"That's why I'll be going with you," Lillianne announced.
"Even if the Black Wings still control Victoria, if Joel can get us to Kerning fast enough, they shouldn't have time to mobilize." She said sternly. Matthew looked to Olsen, who shrugged and nodded his approval.
"I would like to accompany you as well," Cygnus called, as she and Mihile walked into the circle.
"Empress, forgive my saying, but I don't think it is such a good idea for you to come," Helen exclaimed, handing the egg back to Dances and facing Cygnus fully.
"I won't be going alone. Mihile shall be coming with me as my guard. I believe bringing Aran would be a good idea" She smiled, folding her hands before her. Jenny nodded as she called out her agreement.
"I think so too. If there's something that my mom doesn't know about, then it could change how we approach the Black Mage." She said. Matthew nodded as he listened, looking back at Lillianne.
"I'd like to take Lilli with us too; there might be things that we can't handle that she and Aran could take on."
"You mean that you want to bring your girlfriend with you, right?" Jenny chuckled, nudging him with her elbow. Matthew chuckled, telling Olsen and Jack to gather a few potions and some food since no one knew how long it would be before they returned. Fifteen minutes passed before all the supplies had been gathered and were on their way to the Ticket's ship. It was risky, but there was currently no other way to got to Victoria in a relatively short amount of time.
As the group left, Gregory and May watched, hopeful that someone would explain what their daughter Helen would be doing. But as the minutes' drug on and their ship shrank into the distance, they began to worry. Yasmin Drake seemed accepting of her son's roll in saving this world, and Kyrin's husband Mark at least appeared to be attempting to welcome what had happened. Gregory and May, however, found it challenging to accept.
The people and even the creatures that lived here were doing the best they could to help them adjust, and they were thankful; everyone seemed kind and polite. But without knowing what their daughter was up to whenever she left made them uneasy. Even the month of training changed all the kids drastically. After asking around for a bit, Gregory and May found Grendal in town. Initially, he brightened, standing to greet them until May stopped him.
"Glen, is Helen safe out there? I mean with all this talk of this dangerous man named Black Mage and all, is she really safe? For that matter, are any of the kids safe?" Grendal smiled under his growing beard, holding out his hand as a chair for each of them floated over to his table.
"What can I say that will assure you that Helen is as safe as she can be?" Grendal asked.
"Tell me what she is doing is all just some elaborate act. Tell me that this is just a phase and that everyone here is playing a part. Tell me that this Black Mage isn't real and that this is all fake." Grendal sighed, reaching for his cup of tea and taking a sip, remaining silent for a long while.
"Dad?" Gregory asked with bated breath.
"I could tell you those things, but it would be a blatant lie. Everything you see here, from the refugees of Victoria to the very leaves on the trees, is all real."
"Then why are you risking our daughter's life like this? Is this all some sick joke to you?" May spat back, slamming her hand on the table and standing up. Grendal put his cup down and signed, reaching for her hand and setting his own on her's.
"Helen is a smart girl, and she has studied her abilities very well. Her friends are just as intelligent and powerful. She will eclipse me one day, but until that day comes, Dances with Balrog, Athena, Jin, Kyrin, Myself, Aran, Lillianne, and The Chief Knights will all be here for them. Until they can take care of themselves, we will all be here to help them in every way." May slowly sat back down, her shoulders slumping as she sat back in her chair.
"I just feel like there is nothing that I can do. We're supposed to be the ones to keep Helen safe until she is old enough, not the other way around." Gregory put his arm around May, rubbing her arm and he pulled her close to him.
"I feel like she's becoming someone we don't know anymore and that you're taking her away from us." Gregory sighed. Grendal Nodded, but he had no counsel for them. Anything Grendal would say could only make them more worried. For now, he could only say that he wouldn't let anything happen to Helen.
With a roar of thunder, Joel dove into the Kerning City Square, coming to a rough landing. Newspapers and dust billowed from the engine's exhaust, lingering just long enough for the group to disembark. Once Joel was gone, the ire silence amplified the presence of broken glass from shop windows, and half-dressed mannequins standing all around them. As they started down the road to find a subway access staircase, the sound of tire squeals echoing through the streets caught their attention.
"This can't be good," Jack muttered, setting his hand on the butt of his new Moon Shot pistol, ready to draw.
"We need to get off the road now!" Matthew commanded, ushering everyone towards a nearby shop and its broken window. Mihile picked up Cygnus with ease, carrying her through so as not to catch her dress on the glass still in the frame. Within moments, everyone was hiding behind whatever they could find, hearing a car come to a stop as someone got out and began calling. Olsen slowly made his way to a couple windows, trying to see where the person had stopped while throwing his hand down, flicking a pair of stars into his hand.
"Is anyone here?! I saw the ship come this way. If anyone is here, I could really use the help!" the man called. Walking around the immediate area for any sign of movement.
"That idiot is going to call all the Black Wings if he keeps that up!" Jenny hissed from her hiding spot, nocking an arrow and taking aim at him.
"What are you doing?!" Lillianne hissed, forcing Jenny's hands down, both of them speaking in heated whispers.
"If he doesn't shut up right now, we could be in a heap of trouble. Not to mention that we have the Empress with us at the moment!"
"Yes, I know, but you don't have to shoot him. He's a civilian!"
"I wouldn't have shot him to hurt him. I'd just knock him out with my bomb arrow." Jenny replied, holding up the arrow where a small bit of mana made a blunt tip. Lillianne was about to object when Jack hushed them loudly.
"If he's a civilian, there shouldn't be any problem in finding out what he needs, right?" Olsen called in a moderately loud whisper. When he heard no objections, he tucked the stars back into his claw. Not wanting him to go alone, Jenny quickly left her spot and followed after Olsen as they came out of the building. Nodding to Jenny, who called out to the man from behind him.
"Excuse me, you were calling help?" The man spun around, drawing up his fists. Instinctually, Jenny nocked an arrow, leveling it at him as it glowed with blue mana flames
"Calm down both of you!" Olsen commanded, stepping between them and holding his hand out to either one of them.
"How can I be sure you're not a Black Soldier in disguise? You just came out of nowhere!" he asked with a growl. Jenny released the tension on her bowstring and put the arrow back in her quiver.
"Because the Black Soldiers would have already tackled you or shot you," Cygnus answered as she came out with Aran and the rest of the Guardians at her side. The man's eyes went wide as he quickly knelt down on the road.
"Your Highness!" He said nervously, looking up and more carefully looking at the others surrounding her.
"Are these your knights? They seem much younger than I heard about." He said, standing once Cygnus had acknowledged him.
"No, good sir. This here is Aran, one of the Heroes of Ossyria, and these young people are the Guardians." Visual relief came over him as he folded his hands, reaching for Olsen's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Thank Minerva! I need the help of the Guardians. My name is Valen, and I have lived on and maintained Florina Island, known far and wide for its beaches. Even though the Black Mage has risen, this island is one of the few places that have been left alone. But that's beside the point: there is a beast that My sisters and I used to think was only a legend. But it was realized just a few hours ago when My Sister Rael and I went to gather some of the fruit on the island. We tried to run, but she was swallowed by the creature. If the legends are true, then she is still alive within the beast's belly. I saw your ship flying overhead and came here as fast as I could. I have no power of my own, and all the people of Florina had left to Herb Town once the Mage arose. Please! Rescue my sister before she's turned into fish food!" Matthew lowered his brow, stepping forward.
"Is the beast that took your sister named King Clang?" He asked. Valen quickly ran to him and clapped a hand over his mouth while putting a finger to his own lips.
"If the legends are correct, then he'll make Rael vanish from his stomach and be ready for the next meal if he hears you." Olsen shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Not everything in a legend can be trusted as truth." Jack tapped Olsen's shoulder with the back of his hand.
"That may be true back in Ohio, but here, anything could be real. Remember, for the longest time, this world was only a computer game for us." Valen reached for Jack's shirt and gripped it hard, shaking him as much as his strength would let him.
"This is not a game! My sister is in REAL DANGER!" he screamed until Lillianne pule Valen away, making him face her as she asked further questions.
"Who else is on the island?" She asked, firmly gripping Valen's arms to make sure that he wasn't going after Jack again.
"Just me and my sisters, Riel and Roel. As the legend is supposed to go, the beast lives near the Sands of Fire shore. No one goes there because the sands are unnaturally hot." Olsen nodded his understanding, turning to Matthew and Cygnus.
"I can handle this 'beast' on my own since I'm the only one with a Fire Mantle. No sense in all of us going." he said. Matthew shook his head, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders.
"I'm coming with you."
"I don't think that will be wise. If your armor becomes too heated, you might get burned." Helen warned. Matthew nodded his understanding, retorting that Olsen may require the back-up.
"Matthew, if you go, I won't be there to protect you if something goes wrong." Lillianne pointed out.
"We'll be fine. Besides, whatever is in Masteria is more important." Olsen shrugged, seeing as he couldn't sway him, following Valen to the taxi he had commandeered and headed back to Florina. As they sat down in the car, Olsen looked back to Matthew and spoke to him with a low voice.
"You aren't coming because I might need back up, are you?" Olsen smirked.
"I want to prove to myself that I can save a life," Matthew muttered, setting the Zard sword across his legs as they sped off.
"WE should really get going. All the noise could have alerted the Black Wings. And we're standing in the open." Mihile grunted, setting a hand on the pommel of his sword and looking around. Jack reached into his knapsack for the small device, holding it out on his palm.
"What are you doing?" Helen asked when she saw him holding out the device.
"I don't know, I just thought it might lead up to this 'transportation' it talked about." Device clicked and unfolded, jumping from his hand and beginning to walk down the street until it came to a stairway leading to the subway lit only by a flickering light. Waiting at the platform, a large shape loomed: giant gears and cogs connected to levers, and fans, while lights pulsed in a cascading motion. Steam hissed from some of the many pistons guarding the giant wheels as a few levers and drive shafts clanked and clicked like a mechanical heartbeat. As they neared, the shape became more defined, revealing a steam engine. Behind the tender, a 50's style passenger car waited with open doors, its light spilling onto the platform.
"This train will depart in thirty seconds." Called the device from the dark as valves turned, and levers clicked into different positions. As the group sat down in form-fitting seats, Jack noticed a harness looming over each place.
"Why would we need these harnesses? I can't imagine the journey to Masteria being that dangerous. Even in the game, it was only a simple train ride." Helen pointed out, motioning to the harness just as the others sitting down. Cygnus and Aran Both pulled down the harness, making sure that it was secure.
"Unfortunately, Masteria is under the water. Very, very far under the water. I've been to Masteria before when it first appeared, and believe you me, these harnesses are very much needed." Clicks and hisses arose as the doors closed and then locked in place with a heavy bolt, while more clicks and hisses came from the engine as it heaved its way into motion jolting them. The rest of them quickly reached up, pulling down the harness as the train accelerated rapidly, bursting into the light from under the ground and humming along the rails stretching out behind them.
"Wait, did you say Masteria is under the water?" Olsen asked as the train began gathering speed. Cygnus nodded, reaching up to the harness and gripping the metal handles on it.
"Yes, why?" She asked.
"So that means we're gonna be going down into tunnel soon, right?" Olsen pressed, realizing just how fast they were speeding over the ground. A speaker in the car crackled as the device's voice came through.
"This train will be leaving the tracks soon. Please be sure that you are properly seated and buckled into place." Heavy bolts locked all the windows while a small hiss of steam emanated from each and the harnesses, locking them in place. The hums and clanks coming from the engine ceased as the acceleration stopped, replaced with grinding and steady a humming taking its place. All at once, the humming stopped as they all watched the cliff edge shrank into the distance, and weightlessness overtake them.
"Everyone! Lean your head against the side of the harness nearest the front!" Cygnus shouted. Everyone clamped onto the handles as hard as they could as they did as instructed. The moments before they hit the water felt like an eternity until all went black as the engine hit the water.
"Beginning Underwater Drive." The mechanical voice said over the speakers as lights came on in the car, and the harnesses unlatched, allowing anyone to leave their seat if they so desired. Lillianne leaned forward and held her pounding head. Slowly, the others did the same, everyone groaning in pain.
"If you wish to look around, the windows can provide you with enough light to see what is in the water." The voice said again. Squid-like creatures clung to the sides of the rocks while schools of fish swam away from the train as it leaned from side to side, descending into the depths.
Sharks stealthily swam by, uninterested in the machine that was invading their waters. However, Jenny noticed that there was something in the dark just outside the light of the windows with glowing red eyes. From the seat, metal arms shot out and grabbed each of them, locking them into place again.
"Do not resist as this is for your safety. We are approaching a pack of Skelefish, another of the Black Mage's minions. Some of the sharks and squid have been stirred into a violent frenzy by the Skelefish. The ride will be slightly bumpy." The voice said. Helen felt a chill run down her spine, similar to her ice magic when something hard hit the side of the car, freezing the window. The window across from Helen allowed her to see a bright blue hex appear, then another and another as more and more ice began to pummel the car until the light dimmed.
"Battle mode, Transform." The voice said as gold circuits began thrumming up the walls and forwards along the roof. A hum rose over the sounds of pummeling, lighting up the waters as a bright yellow flash came from the engine and disappeared into the dark, striking one of the sharks, repeating every few seconds. The motion made all of them sick, even Aran. After a few moments, the humming stopped, but the sound of seized actuators whined all around them as the mechanical voice came over the speakers again.
"We are nearing Masteria. Due to minor damages, the Battle Transformation cannot be undone, and the landing on the rails will be rough. Please excuse this." Clicks and snaps sounded as if the engine were going through some kind of seizure. A hard jolt shot up their spines as the wheels made contact with rails once more, and a thin membrane passed over the windows. Once through, a suburban area teeming with people appeared before them. Quickly and unsophisticatedly, the train's wheels locked, sliding into the station and the doors unlocked with a heavy clank.
"This unit will disconnect from the Drive Unit shortly and will lead you to Bigger Ben, where the one that sent this unit is waiting." A few people on the platform stared as they left the train, whispering among themselves. Jenny managed to hear a few of them talking about seeing new visitors as well as the train. Helen turned back to see the engine and was taken aback by what she saw.
A massive three barreled cannon sat where the boiler should have been, smoking at the ends. Along the tender were triple turrets, similar in shape to the main cannon, while gill-like louvers revealed a pulsing golden yellow substance within the base of the engine. More of the golden material swirled behind the wheels, billowing smoke and steam. Great patches of ice hissed over the engine, tender, and passenger car.
"Woah…" Jenny whispered, becoming aware of the people standing on the platform, all staring at them.
"Perhaps we should be going," Helen muttered, pointing to the small orgel already quite a distance away from them. An awkward silence followed as they left the station, painfully aware of everyone's stares as they not only left the station but also along the road following the orgel.
"Do you know why they're all staring at us? We're nothing special." Jack asked as he leaned toward Aran.
"Time seems to have stopped here. It is rare for people to come to Masteria. We are all oddities here." Aran answered, waving to a few of the people to try and lift the tension. The stares they received lessened as they went further in, following to the center of the city where a towering clock stood, chiming with massive bells hidden somewhere deep within as the hour struck. The metropolitan itself resembled and mid-50's New York if it still followed steam technology. Most of the people there wore earthy colors, highlighted with bronze fabric or polished brass accents. Helen became painfully aware of how much they all stood out as she looked over their own clothes and noticed Jenny wearing a new outfit.
"When were to given those?" Helen asked, motioning to Jenny's white and red attire.
"Isn't it cute? My mom said it's called the Piettera. This Vaulter bow is SOOO much lighter then the Ryden, but it's like twice as stiff. The only complaint I have is this Heckler, it's so long that it hits my leg some times. What about you? You look quite mysterious with that dress." Jenny complimented in return.
"Thank you. Grandfather said it was called the Black Moon. My new staff is waiting for me once we return. I think he called it 'Hall.'" Helen looked over to Jack's hands sporting heavily red armored gloves with brass studs on the knuckles. Jack noticed her stare and held up his fist, lifting his eyebrows and grinning.
"Neozards. These Suckers are heavy, though." He said, laughing a bit. The puffy candy-striped pants and red vest made him think that he looked like Aladdin, especially with his hair tied down in a bandana of the same candy striping. As they neared the clocktower, the orgel walked up the side of the wall, then sank into one of the windows. A platform swung down, waiting for the eight of them to get on, then lift up the side of the building with dozens of people below watching them rise.
At the top sat a massive brass and iron door with four giant gears in the face with a red light in each corner. Once the lift stopped, eight large pistons hissed, pulling into the sides as a large bolt clanked open. The lights changed to green, and the gears began to turn. The door sank away in four sections revealing a dark room. Sounds of hissing steam, clanking gears and drive rods thrumming out a mechanical heartbeat came from within. Once they walked in just beyond the door's threshold, vintage-style incandescent lights illuminated a catwalk leading down a set of stairs, taking them past gears and generators.
"I suppose this is the way we are supposed to go?" Lillianne shrugged, looking to everyone for some kind of answer.
"It appears to be the only way, and we did come here to see someone. Perhaps this is the person's way of leading up to him." Helen suggested. With no other explanation, Jack took charge and walked ahead, followed soon by the rest. As they descended, strange floating green stones surrounded by steel or bronze rings lined their path. A myriad of wires connected the rings as spider-like robots welded something on the rings or looking over each of the stones. After nearly thirty minutes of walking, they soon realized they were far below the ground, and still, they descended. Gears hanging in the ceiling were arranged as a transmission, stretching into the dark while more robots tended to the machinery.
The lighted catwalks led to what appeared to be a throne room. On the far end, a dull red glow hummed, almost as if something were asleep. The glow brightened as clicks, whines, scrapes, and clanks echoed in the chamber. Braces and conduits disconnected from a central point as six arms spun around a mechanical eye set inside a triangular, snake-like body hanging from the roof. Clinking gears and humming clutches engaged as the machine moved to them.
"Are you the ones that have brought the Antellion?" The machine's voice was rather calming and didn't sound at all like it was a machine. However, his size worried them all; Aran and Mihile stepped in front of Cygnus while Jack, Helen, and Jenny widened their stance. Lillianne carefully stepped forward, her hand twitching, ready to reach for her polearm.
"The device sent to use has said that we have this Antellion, but we are all a little confused as we do not have said crystal." She said, waiting in baited anticipation for whatever may come. The machine clicked and hummed, shifting its gaze over them until it responded.
"That is quite strange. I was certain that my scanners picked up the energy of the Antellion." The machine said, turning away as it's glowing eye fluttered as if thinking.
"I am sorry to sound impolite, but who are you?" Empress Cygnus asked, drawing the attention of the machine once more.
"My apologies. I am The Machinist, the ward of the Grand Gears to produce artificial mana."
"Is that why you need the Antellion? To produce this mana?" Helen asked, standing beside Lillianne.
"To produce the mana itself requires only the generators. But powering them requires a substantial amount of energy. And the Antellion was used for that very purpose. That is until it was lost." Cygnus stepped from behind Mihile and Aran, sure that this machine wasn't a threat.
"I have heard many a tale about the Antellion and its power. But any kind of history that we currently possess is more myth than fact. Were you built at the same time as the Antellion?" she asked. The Machinist gazed at her for a short time before reaching for a series of points on the wall. The room became illuminated, revealing hundreds, if not millions of gear sets, which pulled away to uncover something that resembled the inside of a pocket watch. Gears and connecting rods jolted into motion, shaking the rust that had gathered in thick piles along each edge. A platform under the group jolted into action, following the Machinist spoke his tale.
"Long ago, far before the time of Corus and Minerva, there was the continent of Olde Sapp watched over by the Goddess Rhinne, as well as the Transcendent of Light and Life. Over a few hundred years, the three Transcendents became aware of a malicious presence, of which Rhinne revealed had been with her since the beginning of the world.
"The Three Transcendents concluded there was no way to rid the world of this presence and over 2103 frozen years, gathered and contained this presence into a single crystal called The Antellion. However, this concentrated power intoxicated anyone who was near it, even the Spirit of All Time, Nexus. To protect the world from its seeming malicious intent, the Transcendents chose the family named Crimsonheart as guardians of the Antellion, giving them the power of all three Transcendents to resist the crystal's influence.
"During this same time, technology advanced by leaps and bounds, resulting in all of Olde Sapp being driven by steam power. But steam requires fire, and fire requires fuel. After a few thousand years, their primary source of energy, Coal, was beginning to run out. The countries of Olde Sapp all came together, seeking a way to provide for the ever-growing needs of the world. Together, they decided to use the Antellion to power the generation of Artificial Mana. Production of this power source led to the creation of the Grand Gears, as well as my creation to maintain the ever-growing amount of Mana Generators.
"With this new form of fuel, technologies began to advance exponentially, even creating World Gates, allowing the people to travel to many different worlds and gather new technologies. Despite the power provided, thousands of battles and seven great wars were fought to obtain the crystal from the Crimsonwood Keep. Through the research of two brothers, Narcain and Subani, it was found that the Antellion fed off the traits and emotions of every person in the world, converting it into usable power and that this power was growing. Unfortunately, Narcain, the son of Andrew Crimsonheart, would succumb to its influence and ultimately lead to the downfall of that world.
"The wife of Crimsonheart and mother to Narcain, Glona, had been lost in the seventh war, leaving him changed. This change led to Narcain using the crystal itself as a weapon, obliterating half the world's population before he was stopped by his Brother, Subani. Subani then concluded that leaving the crystal whole would only destroy the world slowly. He gathered his power and unleashed it on the crystal, obliterating its form and releasing all the energy stored within it. The explosion wiped everything away, including the flow of time. For some strange reason, the city-country of Olde Sapp and Versal, the home country of the Crimsonwood Keep, was saved, frozen in time. Without a way to determine the passage of time, I am unable to say how much time passed before I became aware once more, soon after Minerva Corus came to the world and rebuilt it as Ossyria." Pictures would appear beside them as the Machinist spoke, revealing scenes of those times. Helen stepped closer to the platform's edge.
"If the crystal was destroyed, then how is it that you detected it?"
"I am unsure. Even now, my scans can detect the presence of the Antellion surrounding you and two others. Though it is but a small fraction of its original power." The platform came to a stop as it seems to slot into an elevator and begin to rise. Aran lowered his brow and stepped forward.
"That can't be. The Guardians possess within them the power of the Crystals which were created by Minerva and Corus!" he thundered.
"And how were those crystals created?" Then Machinist asked in return.
"Many years ago, before Minerva's death, she told me that there was an abundance of energy within the world that she and Corus collected and compressed into the crystals."
"Perhaps that energy was in some way tainted by the releasing of the Antellion's power. It did, after all, destroy the flow of time." Helen said, holding up her hand as a cloud of violet power swirled in her palm.
"That is a possibility. But that does not explain the energy I am detecting is of the same exact wavelength as the power of the Antellion. If it were indeed tainted energy, then what I am identifying would be different in some way." Helen held her chin as she thought, remembering something from the history of Ossyria.
"There is another possibility. The Rubian. The history of Ossyria claims that it is the last surviving shard of the Antellion." The platform slowed its ascent, coming to a stop before beginning to move sideways.
"I did account for that and have sent my scouts to search for it. However, this Rubian appears to be locked with an extra-dimensional space, one that I cannot access." The platform carried them all to what appeared to be a giant cable cut clean through.
"What is this?" Mihile asked, ready to draw his sword.
" This is the only remaining fragment of the cable that fed power from the Antellion to the generators here in Olde Sapp. If the three of you would be so kind as to provide some of your power to me, I could make quite a bit of artificial mana. The reserves of this city are running quite low." Jenny shrugged her shoulders, looking to Jack and Helen.
"Well, he did say that our power is similar to this Antellion. What harm would there be in giving this city some juice?" she asked. Jack lifted an eyebrow while Helen thought.
"Machinist. We could provide you power, but as you said, it is only a small fraction of the energy you used before. I doubt that we could even offer you enough to begin basic operation." The Machinist's eye flickered as he thought, turning to them and nodding.
"Indeed. However, some energy is better than no energy." With a sigh, Helen agreed as she, Jack, and Jenny touched the cable and dug deep within themselves. Jenny struggled, constantly warring to make sure it was the Emerald Crystal's power she provided and not a rush of mana. But as the minutes' drug on, providing her power became easier. It was still tricky, but she understood better.
The Mage's eyes smiled as the Dark Crystal danced between fingers like a coin, letting the crystal ball go dark as he watched a listened to the Machinist. As crystal spun around his finger, he caught it and held it up to the light. How were his powers and the powers of the crystals alike?
"May I ask something of you, Master?" Eleanor sweetly stated as she smoothly walked up to him and sat down across his lap, leaning her head against his chest. The Mage waited silently for her to begin, holding out his hand as if saying to ask her question.
"If you wanted to merely train the crystal's power to a level that would suit you, then why don't you send out the Stump King and push them until the power becomes usable?" The Mage sighed, his breath sounding ethereal while whispers hung in the air all around them.
"Released? The crystals have been sealed? How is that possible? I thought the Masters didn't possess that kind of knowledge or power." Eleanor exclaimed, shrinking back slightly when The Mage snapped his stare to her, hissing in the back of his throat with a deep tone.
"Apologies, Master, it was not my intention. I was not aware that Minerva was the one who put such a seal on them. Does that mean that the Dark Crystal also has a seal?" The Mage shook his head, turning the crystal to allow the light through it.
"Then, my second question is…" The Mage quieted her words with a bony finger to her lips, clenching his hand around the crystal and making it disappear. He then held out his hand as an image of a beach appeared. Whispers took the form of a small cloud, traveling to the water's edge and disappearing below the surface where a bright blue glow shone for a moment.
"I see," Eleanor said smoothly, getting up from her position and standing next to the throne, watching intently at what was about to happen.
It took some time to traverse part of Victoria back to a seaside town, and then take a boat to the island. But once there, Olsen and Matthew sped through the deserted tourist town, grabbing coconuts for water before heading into the jungle-like forests of Palm trees and ferns. Both of them fought off or dodged the occasional, dog-sized crabs and outwitted the powerful water jets from tortoises that slept on the beaches.
It was only a few minutes of trekking until they arrived at the northern-most part of the island, an expansive beach of white sand with no trees, vegetation, or rocks to use for cover. As Olsen stepped onto the sands from the tree line, he instantly realized why it was called the Sands of Fire. He hadn't taken more than three steps when his feet began to hurt, sweat running down his face, and his skin felt as if it were being burned just by standing in the sun. Quickly he ran back to the shade, feeling the temperature drop instantly, making him feel cold in comparison.
"Is it really that hot?" Matthew asked. Olsen nodded and watched as Matthew trotted over the sands, as he tried to stay moving before coming back to the shade of the trees, his pants darkened from sweat at the waist.
"It's not so bad if you stay moving." He panted, taking one of the coconuts from his belt and pulling the cork to take a drink, only to find that the water inside was distastefully warm.
"How is that Mantle supposed to protect you? It doesn't seem to work." Matthew commented, taking another drink of water. Olsen unbuckled his Mantle and laid it down on the sand, watching as it immediately began glowing around the edges. Gingerly, Olsen stepped onto it, surprised that he was unable to feel the heat billowing around him. As he thought of a way to continue on, a shimmer across gold embroidering in the neck caught his eye. He knelt down to better see when a mass of whispers rose around him, saying 'Pensez et donc il est.' Olsen looked back to Matthew as he watched him.
"Did you say something?" Matthew shook his head slightly as Olsen turned his attention back to the words. Upon closer examination, there was some embroidery on the back shaped in an old language. The characters at first were swirls and angles until they blurred and became English words spelling 'Think, therefore it is.' Slowly the whispers changed to match what Olsen read when the memory of what Aran had said about the Gaia Mantles.
"Perhaps these Mantles aren't restricted to one form." Olsen thought as he stood back up, thinking what other uses it could be used for rather than just a shield against fire and heat.
"It said, think therefore it is. Maybe…"
"Is everything alright?" Matthew asked impatiently.
"I think the Mantles can change forms base on what their powers are," Olsen explained. Matthew watched in clouded interest as Olsen closed his eyes and then placed his hand on the embroidery, repeating the thought of a protective barrier blow him in his mind. The Mantle began to pulse and glow until it disappeared into a light, wrapping around his boots, protecting him from the heat. Matthew and Olsen were impressed. Olsen searched the sands while Matthew searched the perimeter for any sign of their target. Minutes went by like hours as they searched for the giant, iridescent blue shell. It was the identifying characteristic of the monster they hunted from the game. But nothing stood out to them. They even went to the other side of the island, and still hadn't found the beast King Clang anywhere.
"He may be partially spirit, meaning that he may not need to stick close to water." Olsen thought when he felt a presence inching closer behind him, making him reach for his Bazlud Dagger. He couldn't sense any hostile intention, but this presence was huge. Looking down to the sands, he watched part of a shadow lift what appeared to be a claw. Matthew rushed to him and deflected the creature's swing into the ground, throwing the scorching grains of sand into the air. Olsen flicked some stars into his hand and threw them back at whatever had tried to hit him, pink flames roaring after them. But the hardened shell of King Clang deflected the poorly tossed stars as Matthew retreated to the nearest shade.
This giant crab-like creature looked different then they thought he would look. Instead of the iridescent blue shell they were expecting, it was brown, covered in barnacles with seaweed draping from each of the ridges. Despite them knowing what the creature looked like, his appearance was much more terrifying in person. The black flame aura of his body leaked from sections of his caracola-like shell, highlighting his lightning blue eyes hanging in the inky darkness of his body. Thin arms of aura protruded from the front reaching to the massive claws, making them move with lazy sways, almost as if they were levitating.
"So, you're the famed beast. I'll be taking back the girl you swallowed." Olsen sneered, drawing his dagger and charging hard. Despite his large size, Clang moved with eerie speed, his movements becoming blurry. Clang drove another claw into the sand only to miss as Olsen disappeared. Matthew charged again from the shade and jumped, swinging his Zard down onto one of the exposed sections. With a quick leap, Clang avoided the attack, swinging his claw at Matthew and throwing him across the hots sands. Clang tried to spot Olsen, who reappeared on top of his shell with a pink ghost surrounding his fist. Before he had a chance to make contact, Clang swiped at Olsen, sending him flying. Olsen righted himself, running at Clang again with wings appearing on his feet while throwing stars and drawing his dagger.
Matthew jumped up from the sands and changed after Olsen, holding his sword to the sky while a small stream of mana shot up, followed by the blade being surrounded in light. With a growl, Matthew sent a Solar Scythe whistling towards the crab. Clang effortlessly blocked the fireball stars but was taken off guard as Olsen buried his daggers in the top of his shell, cracking it. With a blur of movement, Clang smacked him away, making Olsen trip and tumble the sand as he tried to regain his footing. As Matthew's Solar Scythe howled towards him, Clang tucked his legs to roll away, cutting clean through a rock behind him. Once Olsen had recovered, his eyes glowed a hot pink with the same color flame engulfing his Avarice as he wiped the blood from his lip.
"So… your shell is your weak point," Olsen growled, flicking his wrist and pulling stars into his hand with the flame engulfing them.
"Let's just see how strong it really is. Matt! Go for the shell! YAH!" he threw the stars so hard, the air around them rippled like water, leveling the sand smooth from the wind that blew in their wake. Clang tried to block the stars, only to roar in pain as his claw exploded, spewing black blood over the sand. Matthew took advantage of the momentary lull, sheathed the Zard and drew the Traus, jumping into the air and driving the point of the sword through Clang's shell. Olsen quickly followed, sending a rooster tail of sand into the air as he shot forwards, disappearing momentarily and reappearing on top of him. Olsen grabbed the dagger still in his shell when he had been knocked off, then appeared in front of Clang.
Matthew pulled the sword from the shell and leaped down under him, driving the sword through his underbelly while Olsen folded his hands, holding his index fingers up. Clang roared in pain and raised his remaining claw into the air to strike Olsen when threads of blue shot out of Olsen to four points around Clang. The fairy of darkness he had made a pact with sent him its mana. Four dark violet blurs appeared in the air, striking Clang in four different directions. Matthew jumped back as Clang growled and righted himself and then quickly stuck the stump of his arm into the water, pulling from it a regenerated claw, though it was slightly deformed.
"Do you think that I am so easily injured?" Clang asked in an ethereal voice.
"You can talk?!" Olsen exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Yes, I can. The people of this island called me their god for so long; I almost let them blind me to it. But then a man dressed in black came and showed me what it really means to be a god. I gained so much power over the people of this place! Since those four fools didn't leave the island like I demanded, I took the first one I could reach, and I must say that she was rather tasty, and given how much time has passed, she is no doubt a part of me now. She was so naive in thinking that a mere fruit offering would appease me." Olsen gritted his teeth hard as a pink flame slowly wavered into existence, making small grains of sand float into the air where he stood, his hair losing all traces of blond. Was his fight for nothing? Matthew drew his Zard and charged forwards, swinging up to the belly of the beast. But Clang was faster, moving to the side and swatting Matthew hard into the forest of palms as a cloud of dust and sand rose into the air.
"MATT!" Olsen called, having to jump back as Clang's claws came crashing down on him.
"You humans are all the same; nothing but weak bags of flesh." Olsen looked down to the ground and gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw visibly tensing.
"Valen didn't ask to have his sister taken away from him." Olsen's hair began to float from the hazy pink flames surrounding his body.
"He just wanted to live in peace with his three sisters. Matthew is not weak; in fact, he's the strongest person I know!" Hot pink flames flared around his Aravice, thundering as though it were a raging wildfire.
"If nothing else, I will make YOU PAY!" swinging his hand, the two stars leaving his claw sounding like a cannon as he threw them, grazing Clang's shell and making it crack along the side. Clang became desperate, curling his tail up and over his body only to have it dive into the sand with Olsen appearing behind him. The blade of his dagger hummed with the power of the Pink Quartz, buzzing each time it moved while a faint orange glow followed its movements. Clang turned around and swept his claw where Olsen stood only sweeping the sand smooth, revealing that Olsen was standing on his claw.
Clang brought down his other claw on his first, smashing it into pieces. Olsen lopped his right arm off, spewing black blood onto the sand and a little onto Olsen's face. The next few moments went by in a blur as Clang and Olsen exchanged blows so quickly the two of them looked like a hurricane. Clang drove his remaining claw forwards as Olsen came changing in. He threw a star at Clang's face and swung his dagger hard into his side. As they passed each other, a metallic sound rang, echoing off the waters and buzzing through the beaches. The two of them stood silent for a bit; cuts on Olsen's face and leg split and spurted into existence, bringing him to one knee. Clang chuckled, thousands of cracks appearing all over his shell. The aura of his body began to dissipate until finally, the aura blew away, the shell falling to the ground while the sand lost the heat it once had. Matthew finally came back to the sands, his face and hands red from the heat, and walked over to Olsen, placing his warm gauntlet on Olsen's shoulder.
"Rael's gone, Matt. And I just destroyed him. There's no getter her back now," Olsen said sadly. He had been inspired by Jenny's tenacity at the Black Mage's castle, but now he understood her ferocious sorrow: so much energy and time had been used, and yet it wasn't enough to save one life.
"At least now, he can't be a terror to anyone any longer," Matthew said.
"Black Mage, you've taken away so much life! When will it all end?!" Olsen shouted to the wind, gritting his teeth while small tears trickled down from his eyes, hitting the sand and turning it a grey color. Matthew shook Olsen's shoulder and pointed to the deteriorating shell of Clang as something appeared from the cloud of dust.
"No, it can't be." Slowly Olsen stood as both he and Matthew ran for it.
"Valen, you've gotta just trust in them. They're the Guardians, remember?"
"Yes, I know, Roel. But I can't help but wonder if they really just took off and didn't want to help." Valen said as he sat with his two remaining sisters in a tiki bar in the central tourist part of the island.
"Valen, I don't think they're those kinds of boys. They're two of the five promised heroes to stop the Black Mage. I think that they have been… Valen, look!" Riel exclaimed. To the east, Olsen and Matthew cam walking, supporting their dark-haired sister between them as they walked. Valen, Roel, and Riel ran to them as Olsen's strength left him and fell to the ground, leaving Matthew to support Rael.
Valen and the others all let their tears of happiness flow, thanking Olsen and Matthew over and over again. Olsen tried as best he could to return their thanks, but he felt exhausted since he hadn't used all his mana in a very long time or had used the power of the Pink Quartz to that level before. It wasn't long before Joel landed on the island bringing all six of them onboard. Once on deck, Joel turned the ship back to Herb Town, where the rest of the guardians would meet them having been brought back by Shinsoo. However, on their way back, Olsen's cheek began to burn, and his head felt light as Clang's blood seeped into a hairline cut on his cheek.
"So it would seem that the Guardian Ninja has fully awakened the power within him. All that remains now is to train the power into something far more powerful." Eleanor said happily as she handed the Mage a glass of her special potion. Questioning whispers from the Mage hovered in the air a moment before swallowing a mouthful.
"The search following Horn Tail's sighting was just diamond ore from when Ossyria was still new. The next location being looked into is the area around the Time Gate, where Nexus resides." The Black Mage nodded his approval, swirling the potion as though it were a fine blue wine.
"However, it seems that our friend the Ninja isn't feeling well," Eleanor pointed out, leaning down and looking into the picture that still hovered before them of Olsen collapsing to the ground, his face and hands flushed bright red. The Mage narrowed his eyes, setting down the goblet on the arm of his throne, touching the tips of his fingers together when a commanding whisper hung in the air.
"You want to send Eldan Giant? Why help them?" The Mage turned a hard gaze to her, holding out his hand, making her claw at her throat to try and dispel the invisible hand around her neck as she was lifted into the air. Cold growling whispers surrounded her before opening his hand and tossing Eleanor to the ground, leaving for his laboratory
"Was it my imagination of him talking so kind to me a few days ago?" she asked herself, thinking back to when she had come back to the castle with shredded after failing to kill the Empress a second time. But such was the mystery of the Black Mage. There were just some things that weren't meant to be understood.
