The Last Saga 1 (part 1 of 3)

a Original Fiction fanfiction by Kaiser

Date Begun: 18th April 2005 
Date Ended: 26th April 2005
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Albums Listened to during the making of this fiction: Silent Alarm (Bloc 
Party), Dirt (Alice in Chains), Unsung: The Best of Helmet 1991 - 1997 
(Helmet), (Best of) Nirvana (Nirvana), Final Fantasy VII Original 
Soundtrack (Nobuo Uematsu), etc.  

Author's Notes: These be greetings! Thank you for choosing this story 
(amongst others) to read. This here is a fiction known as the Last Saga 
(1). It's inspired by numerous video games, obviously of the RPG 
persuasion, such as Final Fantasy, Shadow Hearts, Breath of Fire, 
Vagrant Story, Star Ocean, Wild Arms, etc. It's slightly different from 
other stories I've written, because I made it all up as I went along. 
Yes, that's right, it was all written through mood and 
without/next-to-little notation. Though this may this might sour the 
overall image of this piece, I assure you, it isn't a mess. But whether 
this story is a success or not, well that will be for you, the reader, 
to decide. This story and all its characters are property of me, myself 
and I. If you have any comments send them to moonknuckle@hotmail.com. 

Still willing to have a read? On with the show!

**********

A woman cursed with duty. 
A woman who yearned to be free.
A woman tainted by a lost love.
And a woman who was too powerful to live . 

**********
PART ONE 

**********

"There! Another Shrike! Destroy it!"

There was no greater sight than that of a powerful woman in command of 
her troops. A believe shared by all those who would have had the 
pleasure to see such a thing. Rain gripped the brown leather reins of 
her horse, and swiftly reached behind her back. Withdrawing the blade 
that had been strapped to her many plates of typical Souru-Kai armour. 
The legendary blade known as 'Atama'. She pointed Atama towards the far 
end of the village. Fire and ash surrounded her and all of her twenty 
troops. The frail wood that had been used to burn the huts of the town 
were now spreading the savage flames. Passing the smoke along. Allowing 
brilliant cover for the Shrike to move all the more swiftly towards the 
east. Towards Rain's own village of residence. 

Following Rain's command, the first wave of mildly-armed soldiers 
charged forwards at the monster. A tall, slithering menace. Its three 
lengthy and snake-like heads reared up into the night air; high above 
the all grey smoke and ruination. The Shrike turned one of its heads to 
its right as the first group of warriors, numbered only at five, charged 
at it. It snorted with something resembling contempt. And pulled one of 
its heavy, flat hooves into the air. And then stamped down into the 
ground violently. The force of the stamping action passed a shockwave 
through the air lowly. Its strength was more than enough to blow back 
any hardened soldier. The attacking men all gasped with shock as they 
were thrown off their feet and tossed helplessly to the ground. The 
Shrike released a threatening cry from all three of its mouths into the 
night. Echoing over the vastness of this ruined village. In one action, 
a 1/4 of Rain's soldiers had been put down into the earth. 

Rain growled, clutching at the silvery hilt of Atama. "Damn! This Shrike 
is stronger than the other ones that attacked this village! And far 
larger!"

Beside Rain, mounted on her own horse, was the tall, elegant figure of a 
woman known as Estriah. Clearly older than Rain herself; her elongated 
locks of black hair contrasting Rain's short blonde. And while young 
Rain possessed a fiery courage, Estriah was the epitome of composure and 
calm. 

"Hmm." Estriah mused, "We will need the Metanim. Only the finest 
pedigree of magic-users like myself can handle a Shrike of this 
strength. You would be advised to use them instead, Princess Rain." 

"Alright then." Rain nodded to her second, then turned to her troops. 
Who were understandably frightened, but more than ready to fight, 
"Metanim! Three-man wave! Attack the Shrike with Ice Magics!"

The four Metanim, those humans with the ability to conjure magic, 
followed their given orders and moved from their posts beside Rain and 
Estriah. For the glory of the Souru-Kai Tribe they would use all their 
power. The four Metanim ran ahead then stopped short of twenty metres 
from the towering Shrike. Already it was prepared to move on. The 
soldiers that had been knocked down before were now scrambling to get 
out of the way, as the four Metanim prepare their assault. They stood in 
a straight line and placed their hands together. Closing their eyes, 
they gathered up all the mental and spiritual strength they could 
muster. Soon the grim feel of cold began to descend on that smoky, 
violated village. Waif-like traces of ice started diverting itself 
towards the hands of the Metanim. And soon ancient runic symbols 
appeared upon their foreheads. The symbol of the Metanim. And seconds 
later, icy cold beams of freezing energy were ejected from their hands. 
They shot through the warm smoke-ridden air and struck the Shrike at its 
fleshy chest. The beast screamed loudly at the force. Each powerful beam 
made its mark. And the blood of the Shrike, which was the noticeable 
colour of light green, was beginning to appear. The ice beams drilled 
into the grey ashen skin of the Shrike. Until its armour-like hide was 
unable to hold back the power. Each of the beams cut ruthlessly through 
the monster's stomach. Green blood and yellowish guts exploded from its 
body and the Shrike was sliced to pieces in that instant. The four 
Metanim lowered their hands and abandoned the ice beams. Then retreated. 
The heavy remains of the dead Shrike soon toppled. A loud crash echoed 
into the village and the surrounding forests. 

The beast was dead.

Rain's troops all whistled and shouted with victory at the defeat of 
that monstrous calamity. But there would be more to deal with. The clean 
up of all the minor Shrike that had attacked the village and had so 
effortlessly destroyed its defences. 

"Spread out, men!" Rain yelled commandingly, "Destroy any lesser Shrike 
that may remain in the village and report back!"

The troops acknowledged that command and marched into the many alleyways 
and ruined homes that had suffered from the attack. Rain heaved a sigh 
and lowered her sword, still holding tight to the reins of her mount.

"Looks like I won't need to use this," Rain said directly, right before 
sheathing the Atama sword, "And I can't say that I would have liked to, 
either."

Estriah shook her head, solemnly. "Fear not the sword, Princess Rain. It 
was wielded by your father. And wielded by his father. For generations 
your family has used to the Atama sword to protect the Souru-Kai Tribe 
from such destruction. It is an enchanted blade, kissed upon by the 
spirits and thus blessed with the power to manipulate magics. And as the 
future Queen of the Souru-Kai, it is your duty to not only wield that 
power, but understand it. Only then can you truly be our sovereign."

"I know that," Rain replied to the older woman, "My Father told the same 
to me before his passing. But I was never meant to be queen. That was 
not my intended role in life. If only my brother were still here."

Estriah's expression hardened. "He made his choice, Princess. He forsook 
the crown of the Souru-Kai when he accepted summons from the Dark Side. 
We cannot languish in purgatory over such matters. The crown must pass 
to the next blood. And that is you."

Rain sighed once more. "I know. I know. But it's not just that."

"Then what is it?"

"We are tempting fate," Rain claimed, looked up into the distant night 
sky above, "The Gods decreed that magic must be used judiciously, in 
only the service of protection of their world. The Book of Morel tells 
us this so explicitly."

"And you think using magics in the defence one of the villages of our 
own territory isn't judicial?"

"I didn't quite say that," Answered the princess, "but I still worry. 
Magic has always been the foundation of the Souru-Kai Tribe's 
agricultural life. This village was the most magically-inclined in all 
our lands. Surely it is more than simple coincidence that the Shrike 
have attacked such a place?"

Estriah shook her head. "You are being overly-cautious. The Gods will 
look down upon us with pride now that we have defeated such a mighty 
Shrike. And once we eliminate the rest of them, you can return to Khnum 
with pride."

Well that was one thing that Estriah was completely right about. The 
total destruction of the Shrike that had attacked this village. Rain 
nodded to her faithful helper and then jerked on the reins of her horse, 
turning her weight around. The horse turned around along with her and 
galloped down the long stretch of gritty ground that made up this 
village square. And when she did, Estriah smiled. Rain, though cautious, 
was an excellent military leader and a courageous fighter. It was 
strange. Outside of battle she was so calm and level-headed. But when 
she was IN battle, she was of a very different temperament all together. 
In the midst of fierce combat, Rain was furious and direct. Never 
looking back, never giving up. Estriah believed (and quite rightly so) 
that she must have inherited that attitude from her Father, the former 
king of the Souru-Kai Tribe. That great man's name was Braniserus. One 
of the most respected kings of the tribe in its 4500-year history. Rain 
had big shoes to fill. Which was why, when Rain and her forces all 
returned to the Souru-Kai's base village, Khnum, Estriah would do her 
best to make sure that Rain received the same kind of praise that 
Braniserus would have greeted with. 

Estriah then joined the other Metanim in the elimination of any stray 
Shrike that happened to be infesting the demolished, burning village. 
While Rain charged down the main pathway of the village to inspect. 
Though she was alone, she was very safe. With the Atama sword on her 
side, whole armies of Metanim would be nothing to her. Then as she rode 
along the ruins of the town, avoiding the hey carts and crates that had 
caught fire, the bestial scream of a minor Shrike sounded out.

"Breeeearrrrrghhhhhhhheeeeeccccckkkk!"

Rain sneered and reached behind her back, to the shaft of Atama. There 
really were a few Shrike still hanging around. They had to be disposed 
of. If any escaped to the west, then other Souru-Kai villages would be 
put at risk. Rain pulled on the reins of her horse. It neighed loudly 
(As loudly as it could amongst the sounds of crackling fire) and came to 
a stop. Rain swiftly jumped off the saddle and landed on the dusty 
ground. Then Rain noticed the sweat at her forehead. The heat was 
building in the village at a quick rate. They would all have to leave 
soon. Then the Shrike screamed again. But this time it was joined by the 
scream of a human. And Rain knew where it was coming from. The house 
nearest to her. Rain grit her teeth and kicked her boot into the wooden 
stick door that locked it. And then strode inside. The fire had spread 
into this room too. Across from her, Rain could see the silhouette of a 
young woman. She had fallen behind a table. The lesser Shrike stood just 
a short way away, ready to pounce on the girl and make a tasty snack out 
of her. It was a humanoid type, long spiky arms, bloated stomach, pale 
grey skin, and jagged/misshapen teeth. Vile creature as it was, Rain 
showed no fear whatsoever. She reached for the hilt of Atama once more. 
And this time she freed it in one smooth movement. A bright flash of 
light filled that dark hut, illuminated by the ancient power of the 
Atama sword. Its light was like a corrosive acid to the minor Shrike. 
And its bony arms covered its face when Atama's light was revealed. 

"Disgusting animal," Rain seethed, "You won't live to see another 
sunrise!"

Rain began circulating all of her will to the sword in her hand. She 
soon extended her arm and focused that power. Sparks began to surround 
the thin metal length of the blade. Ones that developed directly into 
full-out streaks of electrical energy. The power of thunder and 
lightning awoke within Atama at Rain's mental command. And she rushed 
ahead to attack her target with all that energy in play. The lesser 
Shrike slashed at the incoming princess with its claws. Rain ducked 
swiftly under the path of the slash and thrust Atama into the Shrike's 
rounded gut. The sword ripped through the flesh and intestines like 
nothing. And the electrical energy made its mark. The beastly monster 
cried out a harrowing shriek. Its flesh and green blood was charred to a 
crisp with thunderous power. Seconds later there was nothing left but a 
still, blackened corpse. Rain pulled Atama out of the creature's roasted 
torso and let it collapse to the ground. Turning her attentions to the 
young woman who she had just saved. But the girl herself was begin to 
realize what had happened too. She stood up from the ground as quickly 
as possible, looking up at her saviour. 

And in the brief few seconds of their meeting, Rain was stunned.

This girl was so... beautiful. 

The pale cheeks of the princess began to redden as the blood rushed to 
them. And she stared at the village wordlessly, devouring every simple 
inch of her. The girl was possessed of the most soft, elongated chestnut 
hair imaginable for a peasant. It spilled against the small rising of 
her behind and splashed against her shoulders. Deep forest green eyes 
reflected the great relief of salvation. Her delicate and appetizing 
body was clothed within pallid grey garbs that were in no way fitting of 
it. And her delightful, energetic face struck Rain with a feeling she 
had not felt before. In any sort of way. The village girl smiled 
brightly and threw herself straight into Rain's soft but strong arms, 
wrapping her in an embrace that caused the princess' blush to grow ever 
deeper. 

"Oh thank you so much!" The girl cried eagerly, "Thank you! If you 
hadn't come by to help me, I would have been killed! Thank you, thank 
you! Thank you so much!"

Rain stepped back for a second, unwinding herself from the girl's 
cheerful (and tight) hold. "...Yes, that is fine. But why on earth are 
you still here? Didn't you receive the evacuation order from the village 
elder?"

"No," The girl claimed, shaking her head, "I was working the basement, 
sowing the wedding dress for my master's future wife. Everything seemed 
fine at first. But then I smelt smoke. So I came upstairs to see what 
was going on. And that thing appeared."

Rain scowled. "You mean you're a slave? And your master left you?"

The girl nodded to Rain's question as a yes. The princess of the 
Souru-Kai Tribe frowned. The people to the further towns of Souru-Kai 
land did not follow the same rules as those closer to the central town 
of Khnum. Slavery was forbidden in the inner lands. But out here, nobody 
followed those laws. It made Rain's idea of the town being punished by 
the Gods more palpable. But that did not matter at this point. 

Another question entered Rain's mind. "Okay then. What might your name 
be?"

"Me?" The girl absently fluttered those thick eyelashes of hers, "My 
name is Teela. Teela of the Bannockburn Family."

Rain sighed. "You can stop regarding yourself by your master's family 
name, Miss Teela. You are obviously free now."

Teela shook her head again. "No, no, no. That's not my master's name. 
That name of Bannockburn is my own. It's the one tie I have left to my 
homeland. That name."

So Teela was a foreign slave. It made sense. Very few people could get 
away with enslaving those of Souru-Kai birth. Obviously Teela's former 
master had the financial strength to have slaves shipped to him from 
other lands. Probably from the South. Not only were there fewer laws 
there, judging by Teela's exotic name and her tanned flesh, she was most 
likely a southerner. Perhaps hailing from the tropical region of Lorem. 

Nevertheless, "Well, consider yourself free. You will need to come with 
us for now. To Khnum. It just isn't safe here anymore."

Teela nodded her head fervently and threw herself back at Rain. And the 
beautiful southerner wrapped her arms around Rain's neck, dragging the 
taller girl into another hug. Rain jerked at the overtly friendly zeal. 
But couldn't rightly ignore a sudden stirring this act provoked. Rain 
peeled Teela off her and then sheathed Atama. 

"It's time to go," Rain said, "I have a feeling that my men have 
finished off the rest of the Shrike."

Teela blinked absently. "Your men? What's that mean?"

"What do you think it means?" Rain asked back, "Don't you know who I 
am?"

Young Teela shook her head for a no. And suddenly this 
overly-affectionate 'act' didn't seem like much of an 'act'. Teela 
really didn't know who Rain was. It explained why she didn't act with 
any real reverence. Which you would have at least expected from a slave. 

Rain closed her eyes. "I am Rain. The daughter of Braniserus. The 
Princess of the Souru-Kai Tribe and all its lands."

Teela's beautiful big green eyes widened. "YOU'RE a princess!?! And 
you're fighting these Shrike thingies!?!"

"You have much to learn about this land, it seems," Rain replied, "We 
who are monarchs of the Souru-Kai Tribe are trained from childhood to 
become warriors. Because there is always the chance that one of us may 
need to wield to the sword upon my back for the protection of our 
lands."

Teela held a finger to her chin and mused on that. "Hmm. So you're some 
kind of warrior princess, right? That's why you're fighting these 
monster things? I didn't know anything like that happened here."

"Well there you have it," Rain offered, turning to the door, "Come on, 
quickly now. We can't stay in this place any longer."

Teela smirked softly and followed. "Fine. You know, for a princess, you 
sure don't seem very regal, Rain." 

**********
THE LAST SAGA 1 - Into the Enchantment 
**********

To the west of the town of Khnum, there existed a place called The 
Siren's Forest. It was a forbidden place. A large stretch of towering 
green leaf oak trees that carried on for miles. Covering much of the 
lands that were owned and defended by the native Souru-Kai Tribe. At 
least those in the west of their territory. Many people had come here in 
the past. But there were very few that remained. Most peasants who tried 
to settle in an area this lush with timber claimed that a rather large 
and ravenous Shrike had taken up a home in the echoing region. Most of 
those outside of the forest took these as nothing more than silly folk 
tales to scare the gullible. But it was no accident that Siren's Forest 
had ceased to become a place of great pursuit these days. Shrike attacks 
were on the up. It was more than likely that if a Shrike was not 
inhabiting the forest in the past, there would surely be some that would 
be doing so now. 

This scared the common folk.

But there were some who did not pander to the talk of the peasantry. One 
of those said people happened to be traversing the heart of Siren's 
Forest. A tall, graceful and somewhat poised woman strode through the 
unmarked paths of the forest. Her high heels stepping over the weeds and 
grass as easily as possible. Her long midnight black hair flowed down 
from her scalp like an ebony-tone waterfall. Contrasting her milk-pale 
skin; a common trend in those born to the north. Where snow and frosty 
tundra was a way of life. Her body was decorated in a bastard hybrid of 
a dress and armour. Thin but protective plates of black material covered 
both of her shoulders. A protective chestplate was fixed over her large 
breasts. Everything below it was a satin black dress that shimmered in 
the vivid moonlight. Clunky as it all sounded, the outfit flowed from 
this woman so smoothly and exquisitely, that her garbs seemed like an 
extension of her body. A silver necklace dangled from her neck. A circle 
with cross built into its shape. This was the symbol of the illustrious 
and secretive Black Metanim; the personal guard of the God King himself, 
Saul. 

As this woman stalked through Siren's Forest, a white bird flocked in 
the high night sky. It descended towards the woman and landed upon her 
shoulder plate, resting its wings at its sides. 

Strangely, the white raven began to speak. "Well, well, well. I sense 
that we are close. This must be very exciting for you, Branwen. To think 
that a mere member of the Black Metanim wishes to unlock the many 
secrets of the lost Ortega. Not even Saul was THAT arrogant." 

The woman known as Branwen parted her lips and spoke with total 
authority to the bird upon her shoulder. "This doesn't concern the God 
King. And I have nothing in the way of arrogance. This is my birthright, 
remember? Were you not the one to tell me that, Baja?" 

Baja shook his head. "I told you of your Family's ancient legacy because 
your Mother ordered me to before she died. But she did NOT tell me to 
allow you to pursue it. Would you awaken the destruction again?"

"I did not force you to join me," Branwen shot back, "And that event 
will not happen again. You know for a fact that my powers surpass those 
of the rest. I'm the most powerful Metanim the North and West have ever 
seen. And it will be the same for the rest of the world. Being a member 
of the Black Metanim is beneath me. You know it."

Baja chuckled at that. "Oh, just listen to yourself. 'Being a member of 
the Black Metanim is beneath me'. You can't pass this off as mere 
power-lust. All you really wish for is the girl who made you believe in 
the power of love-"

Branwen cast one powerful and stern look Baja's way from the corners of 
her amethyst-coloured eyes. "One more word like that and I'll rip your 
little beak right off. Are we understanding each other? You will be 
roasting on a spit if you do not close that loud trap of yours." 

"Now, now, no need for that," Baja replied, "You certainly are uptight. 
That has to be the one thing I'll never like about you, Branwen 
Mortiria."

Branwen sighed as she continued walking. "Stop complaining. The Ortega 
is my birthright. I have to claim it. Nothing can stop me. And with Rin 
and his Sky Dragon Squad on their way to Khnum, the Souru-Kai Tribe 
cannot interfere. They'll be too busy with what the God King has planned 
for them."

"He'll eventually come after you," Baja spoke, "You can't get away with 
what you did at Ashurna Castle. You killed at least fifty of the White 
Metanim and twenty of the Black Metanim. And you still can't be sure 
you'll find the Ortega before Saul finds you."

"Did I not tell you to stop complaining?" 

Baja snorted (as best as a talking bird could). "Fine, fine. You never 
listen to my advice. Consider my beak locked shut."

Branwen smirked as Baja fell silent beside her. "Ahh. Finally, some 
peace and quiet."

Baja said nothing; but didn't spare his partner a nasty gaze. And so 
they continued on through Siren's Forest. Through all the trees and 
scrublands and tall grass that had been unseen for eons. Nobody had 
ventured this far into the Siren's Forest in recent memory. Most people 
would have never believed it to be humanly possible. At least not by 
foot. However Branwen was clearly different. In the Western Empire, the 
region which was under the totalitarian dominance of the God King Saul; 
she was known fondly as the 'Raven Haired Sorceress Blessed by the Gods 
and Devils'. The mention of 'Gods' pertained to her amazing beauty. And 
the mention of the 'Devils' referred to her savage killing power in the 
magical arts. She had been one of the highest ranking members of the 
Black Metanim in the past. But those days were over. Now she was simply 
Branwen Kalia Mortiria. 

But though her stature and political position had decreased, her powers 
had certainly not diminished. Only someone of Branwen's power could have 
hoped to flee the clutches of the God King and his Twelve Armies 
*alive*. 

The Dark Sorceress walked on and on in that seemingly never-ending 
forest until the path ahead grew clear. Branwen and Baja stalked up to 
whole new area in the forest. A gigantic clearing. At least as far apart 
as thirty Kefarbs (around 200 metres). At the centre of the clearing, 
which itself was the centre of the forest, existed a crumbling set of 
ruins. Decaying and ridden with weeds. The tall walls surrounding the 
old fort was broken in part. And the crowning circular stone roof of the 
main hall in the ruins' centre was completely destroyed. The place was 
so dilapidated by time. But somewhere inside all those decaying 
buildings was the Ortega itself. 

"The Ruins of the Ancient Ones," Branwen said with zeal, "The very place 
where the Ortega and Atama were forged. And those ridiculous country 
hicks of the Souru-Kai Tribe have left it to crumble into the dust of 
its former creation."

Baja now spoke up. "So the legends were true after all. It was predicted 
that the Souru-Kai would turn their backs upon this place. If that is 
the case, then there is-"

"No telling what else of the prophecy is true." Branwen filled in. 

And so she walked onwards. Soon her heels began stepping upon the stone 
of the ruins and off the grass of the forest. And she looked around her 
as she walked. At all the disintegrated towers and tall surrounding 
walls. The inner chambers had been broken in, allowing moonlight to pass 
through. Rats scurried along the floors, their squeaks so loud in this 
quiet place. Branwen continued her walk along the many open-air halls 
into the inner sanctum. The main hall. Branwen came face to face with 
the two stone doors that held it off from the outside. She pressed her 
hand against one of the doors to open it. But was surprised when it 
didn't budge an inch. Not even in the very least. Despite her feminine 
looks, Northerners like Branwen were born with incredible physical 
strength. To push open such a door would have presented no problem for 
her. Normally. 

"This is odd," Baja commented, "Why won't it open?"

Branwen smirked, closing her eyes. "It is obvious, loud-beak. The doors 
have apparently been sealed by magic. And it must be very powerful magic 
to have remained in effect for so long. I suppose they did not want 
anyone of unworthy blood to find the Ortega."

But Branwen was not of that sort. The dark-haired Metanim pulled up her 
hand and spread open her palm. Bright violet energy began glowing at it. 
In a circular shape, surrounded with streaks of bluish lightning, 
consuming her hand. Then her powerful arm jerked back as she unleashed 
the magical blast. The dark energy shot rammed into the doors. But 
rather than shattering the stone doors into little shards, the energy 
burst open the invisible magical barriers that were keeping the inner 
chamber concealed. That ancient sealing magic dissolved into 
nothingness. And Branwen lowered her hand. Then pressed the other one 
against the door. She shoved it open. And that heavy right stone door 
then opened fully. Giving access to main hall. Branwen walked inside in 
her usual, strolling gait. And Baja flew off her shoulder to get a 
better look at the room. The ceiling of the hall was gone. The seal had 
been broken by Branwen however. It would be possible to enter and exit 
from there now. It was much like the rest of the ruins. Except that at 
the centre of the main hall was a large stone podium. On that podium was 
a statue. That of a king, chiselled with both crown and kingly garbs. 
But curiously, there were two swords in the king's hand, both part of 
the statue. The one on the left of his hand was very smooth and linear. 
While the sword in the right hand was jagged and curved. Some form of 
symbolism. And at the chest of the king statue was a swirling mass of 
sky-blue energy. Writhing in itself and glowing upon the stone of the 
king statue itself. 

Powerful words began to echo from the energy mass. "Thou who tread upon 
hallowed grounds and cast spells of the dark nature! What is thy desire? 
What is thy intent?"

"I am Branwen Kalia Mortiria," Branwen declared, "I have come to this 
place for one reason and one reason only. To lay claim to my birthright! 
The soul of the sword! The Ortega!" 

The mass of energy laughed. "Ha, ha, ha! Thou art of the acceptable 
blood! Therefore thou art feasible to take the soul of the sword! But to 
lay thy hands upon it, thou must prove thyself worthy at my behest! 
Defeat the protectorate beast of this forest! And thou shall acquire 
Ortega! Doest thou except thine challenge? Or doest thou cower from it?"

Branwen sniggered while Baja landed back on her shoulder plate. "I 
accept this challenge. The Ortega is my birthright. It will be mine."

**********

The eager former slave Teela couldn't have been more excited as she rode 
through the great village-city of Khnum. The tanned girl sat behind Rain 
on her steed, her arms wound around the waist of her saviour. The 
village she had been working at was now long gone. All the Shrike had 
been killed off. There would probably be more attacks at the distant 
villages in the future. But for now that was something that could remain 
secondary. Right now Teela was far more concerned with the beauty of 
this town she had been brought into. More concerned with the city than 
even her own freedom. For this was Khnum. 

Of all Souru-Kai territory, this happened to be the biggest town. 
Bustling. With trade, democracy, life. The people were so bubbly and 
kind. Kids ran around playing, women carried baskets of fruit and 
vegetables from place to place, while the men worked on stalls and 
shops. The outer walls of the city were made of both iron and rock. 
Giving brilliant protection against any Shrike attacks that could occur. 
The surrounding wall was guarded at all times by more than fifty troops. 
Twenty five of them armed, the other twenty five being Metanim of high 
Tribal rank. It might not have seemed like much force for a village this 
big, but they were clearly just the tip of the town's military power. 
Teela and Rain rode through the village streets amid the cheers and 
waving of all the common folk. This cheer was devoted to Rain mostly. 
Though the soldiers behind them had fought well, the respect of the 
people was devoted to their monarchy. Thus Princess Rain was a popular 
figure. Estriah rode alongside the horse that Rain and Teela were 
riding. And she was more than happy to see the reaction of the people. 
The strength of the ruling power in the Souru-Kai always relied upon 
popularity and status. This was a good sign. The victorious band rode up 
through the town towards the great bastion at the centre of Khnum. It 
was respectfully called Anshiva Palace (Anshiva being the original king 
to unify the Souru-Kai Tribe). A large limestone palace that was 
somewhat out of place in this rural area. It had all the designed flair 
and renaissance glamour of the authoritative palaces of the Western 
Empire. When Rain, Teela, Estriah and the returning troops arrived at 
the gates of Anshiva Palace, they all began to dismount. One of the 
young attendant boys came up to Rain's horse and bowed with respect. 

"It is good to see you are unharmed, Princess Rain," He said, "Can I 
help you in anyway? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"There is," Rain nodded to the boy. Teela slowly dismounted. As did 
Rain. She then passed the reins of the horse to a nearby helper and 
turned back to the boy whom had addressed her, saying, "You can prepare 
a room. Miss Teela of Bannockburn is the only survivor from the attacked 
village. She is a guest in this palace and I expect her to be treated 
accordingly. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded, then sprinted off to make ready a room. And while Teela 
marvelled at the marble built walls behind Anshiva Palace's front gates, 
Estriah lowered herself from her own horse and spoke to the princess.

"I think I should go to the War Chamber," She offered, "To see if the 
plans that the advisors created for the outer villages have been 
finished yet. As soon as I deal with that I will inform the city of our 
victory."

Rain nodded. Then turned to Teela. "Lets go, Miss Teela."

She nodded back to the princess. And so they went. The gates to the 
innards of the palace began to open. The pair of them walked inside. 
Teela simply followed along while Rain led her through the towering 
marble halls of the palace. It was even bigger from the inside than it 
looked from the outside. Eventually they made it to a certain room. 
Called the Grand Chamber. It was a sort of recreational place for the 
leader of the tribe to rest in. It had one servant on hand outside. 
Teela and Rain entered and closed the door behind them. Teela looked 
across the room and gasped with amazement. There was a huge window at 
the back of the room that gave a brilliant view of Khnum. While Teela 
ran up to it and gazed outward, Rain heaved a sigh and took a seat on 
one of the puffed fabric chairs at the left of the room. 

"The ride home was long," Rain said irritably, "I should have rested 
more before I went out into battle. My Father always said that I have a 
tendency to put too much on myself."

Teela on the other hand was a literal tank of vitality. "I can't believe 
you actually live in a place like this! Rain, this is so amazing! I've 
never seen a city as big as this one!"

Rain shook her head. "You might find this hard to believe. But the 
cities in the Western Empire are far larger than Khnum. But the Western 
Empire is far richer than this place too, so it is understandable."

"There is so much of the world I haven't seen," Teela claimed, pressing 
her hand into the thick glass of the window, "I want to see it all one 
day. And when I grow old I want to return to the south."

Rain looked over at Teela. "So you are from the south. What part?"

"Lorem," Teela replied quickly, "It's such a beautiful place. Full of 
rivers and greenery. I wish I could go back someday. But when I was 
taken from my home by the slave traders, I gave up all hope of that."

"You don't strike me as the type to give in," Rain commented, "Do you 
have any family back in Lorem?"

Teela shook her head. "I don't. I've been an orphan for as long as I can 
remember. I do recall a couple of people back at my first orphanage who 
mentioned the name 'Mia' around me. I guessed that whoever that was, she 
was related to me. But I never did find out for sure."

"Why?" Rain asked.

"Because the orphanage was raided," Teela said solemnly, "I don't know 
who by. I was probably just about five or six. But they kidnapped most 
of the kids there. I managed to escape with a few others when the owner 
of the orphanage took us north. And we settled into a new place. I 
didn't like it much. When I turned sixteen I had to leave anyway. I 
found a job a month or so later. Then I was taken by the slave traders. 
And brought up here. That was about three years ago."

"So you're nineteen," Rain said, "the same age as me."

Teela would have said more about herself. But she didn't get that 
chance. The moment she opened her mouth, a loud bang came at the door. 
Followed by a shout of 'Rain! You're not getting out of your daily 
practice!'. This caused a deep sigh from the princess herself. And she 
slumped downwards, though Teela couldn't understand what on earth this 
could all mean. The voice at the door didn't wait to be allowed in. He 
roughly barged in and stood in the doorway with a toothy grin on his 
beard-covered face. 

Teela looked to the man. He happened to be of a stocky but agile build, 
dressed into exotic seeming garbs that beamed the colours of green, red 
and yellow. Strapped to his waist were three sheathed swords. Each one 
was had a scabbard with a name printed on it in gold. His three swords 
were called Shinae, Sahara, and Binu. While a long dagger was strapped 
to his back (named Yoona). This stocky, high and mighty man (who looked 
to be about 45 years of age) held a hand to his gristly face.

"Rain," He said directly, "I can tell that you plan on slacking off! 
Well, don't be so sure of that! Your Father gave me a mission! To beat 
that raw talent into raw skill! Don't think that by saving a village you 
can save yourself from my wrath! Ha, ha, ha!"

As the older man laughed like a fool, Rain heaved another sigh and 
turned to Teela, pointing in an introductory manner. "This elegant man 
you see before you is my teacher in combat arts. Kahn Gatou." 

Teela acknowledged him. "Nice to meet you, Mister Kahn."

"Child!" Gatou yelled haughtily, "Kahn is simply a title for 
sword-masters. My name is Gatou! The current Kahn of the tribe and the 
man who instructs Rain in the greatest methods of swordsmanship the 
world has ever known!"

The foreign girl giggled sceptically. And Gatou growled at that, but 
Rain could not help but stick up for her master. Sort of. "Do not let 
his crazy nature fool you, Teela. He is actually quite powerful. When he 
can bring himself to calm down."

Gatou growled at Rain now. "You need more training! If I haven't taught 
you to give proper respect to your master then I've failed as a 
teacher!"

And then Rain would have said something counter that. But another knock 
came at the door. Less rude but just as fervent. Rain called for whoever 
it was to come in. It looked like it would be a busy night. But she 
didn't know the half of it. A soldier opened the door and looked at his 
princess with an urgent expression on his face. Now Rain, Gatou and even 
Teela could see that something was wrong.

"What is it, boy?!" Gatou questioned.

The young soldier caught his breath and replied, "I am sorry to disturb 
you, Princess Rain, Kahn Gatou. But I think this is urgent! An emissary 
of the Western Empire is here! It is Rin! The Lord General of the Sky 
Dragon Army of God King Saul! And he has around seventy Sky Dragon 
Riders waiting outside Khnum!"

Rain blinked violently, standing upright. "Rin? What would that man be 
doing here?"

"Hmmm," Gatou growled under his breath again, "Something's amiss."

**********

The Ruins of the Ancient Ones began to shake. Branwen and Baja looked 
around for whatever it was that was causing this trembling. It just 
happened to be the beginning of Branwen's challenge. The entity in front 
of the king statue simply looked on when the ruins trembled with the 
awakening of the challenge. The beast that would provide it. The stone 
ground shook visibly. And broke in part just a short way ahead from 
Branwen. The dark sorceress was alert. When the ground split apart as it 
did, the trembling of the ruins stopped. Baja breathed out with relief. 
But that was obviously the least of their worries. A faint green smoke 
began to rise up out of the small crack that had been created in the 
floor of the ruins. It rose up out of that divide and formed a thicker, 
jade-coloured cloud in the air. Branwen watched this curiously but said 
nothing. And neither did Baja. But the green smoke cloud started to 
expand in size. When it did, it took on a humanoid shape. But a very odd 
one. The cloud of green smoke forged itself into the image of a man. Two 
legs, a head, a chest. But it also has six arm-shaped wisps to it as 
well. The smoke then started to solidify into an actual, physically 
solid matter. What was green then became grey. Grey flesh. A humanoid 
Shrike was made. And it did indeed have six arms. The creature parted 
its dripping teeth and screamed an echoing scream into the vastness of 
the ruins. 

Branwen tugged a smile. "A Shrike? Is this the fearsome challenge?"

"Be alert, Branwen." Baja warned. 

The six-armed Shrike cried out once more. But that was its call of 
battle. It began a swift charge at the dark sorceress herself. Branwen 
grit her teeth while Baja flew off her shoulder for her to fight. The 
Shrike picked up one of its six arms and thrust it in the raven-haired 
woman's direction. Branwen flicked her hand in front of her in a sort of 
counter-motion. As she swept her hand by, a shield of thin but 
relentlessly sturdy magical energy appeared before her. Protecting her. 
The Shrike's fist bounced off the magical shield like rubber. It made a 
second attempt with one of its other arms. Branwen conjured another 
magical shield as a defence. And now that she knew that the beast 
couldn't even break her defences, it made the claim for the Ortega look 
much more palpable. Branwen yanked back one of her hands and gathered 
power into it. A small fragment of what she was ultimately capable of. A 
bright amethyst glow encircled her hand just like before. Her whole hand 
was swallowed up by her hereditary magical energy. The streaks of blue 
lightning that was the defining mark of all Mortiria Family Sorcerers 
writhed over it. Branwen then pushed her whole arm ahead and opened her 
palm. A savage blast of magical power was thrown from her fingertips. 
The translucent magic wave smashed into the Shrike brutally. It screamed 
with pain. And was thrown back by the sheer force of Branwen's magic. A 
surge of green blood spurted into the air. Its back slammed into the 
dense stone floor of the ruins. Branwen smirked at this. And pleased 
herself with a look at the downed Shrike. Its lower ribcage had been 
ripped open. The green blood and the bruised, coursing guts of the 
Shrike had been revealed. And its mournful wails sounded all the more 
pleasing. But her smile soon dissolved. Because the grey flesh that had 
been torn apart from her magical attack was now beginning to re-weave 
itself into perfection.

Branwen sneered. "No wonder it is the challenge. It has the ability to 
regenerate its own wounds. Could this be the beast of the forest those 
old wives tales are based on?"

The Shrike stood upwards from the floor. Screaming once more. And 
Branwen knew that she could not take this monster lightly. If it could 
heal its own wounds then there was no telling what else it could do. It 
would be time for some more indirect magics. The dark-haired angel 
looked down at the ground before the Shrike moved to attack her. The 
weeds and vines that covered the ruins from the outside were growing 
beneath the floors of this grand chamber. Branwen concentrated her 
powers and a trembling sound awoke. The stone at her feet broke. The 
wrecked rise of stone was caused by something under the floor. And that 
something then streamlined for the feet of the Shrike. The stone beneath 
the Shrike's feet also burst. And great thick vines rose up from the 
ground to bind it. The beast shrieked when its hands, arms and legs were 
wrapped with the vines, slithering around its torso like oily snakes. 
The Shrike tugged at its bonds but was trapped in place. Leaving Branwen 
with the opening she needed. She snorted once; then raised both hands 
above her head. She opened her palms and focused her powers once more. 
The former member of the Black Metanim gathered up all her powers. She 
needed to consume the Shrike with something that would destroy all of 
its flesh before it could revive. Fire. Trails of orange energy drew 
into the gap between Branwen's raised hands. A sphere of pure burning 
flame then burst in-between them. The flame sphere climbed up higher and 
began growing in size. With each second past its diameter grew by half a 
metre. Until it was both twelve metres in size and height. Far bigger 
than Branwen herself. The sorceress threw her arms downwards. The giant 
flaming sphere was hurled along with her arms into the bound Shrike. And 
the sound of shattering stone and burning flesh hung well in the air. 
The monster screamed louder than ever as its regenerative skin and bone 
was burned away into nothingness. And the magical fire that caused its 
death faded away in seconds. Leaving behind no traces of embers 
whatsoever. And the illumination that caused by the flaming sphere also 
vacated.

The entity by the king statue spoke again. "Hark! Thou hast not proven 
thyself unworthy in blood and power! Thou art suitable to wield thine 
fated Ortega! Lo and behold thy heritage!"

On the king statue, one of the two swords, the darker one, began to glow 
a light purple. The ground in front of the statue started to move. A 
large slab of stone pulled under the statue to reveal a hidden set of 
steps. Ones that would lead to the Ortega itself. Baja flapped down onto 
Branwen's armoured shoulder. And they marched in victory over to the new 
set of steps. But before they actually entered... 

"Halt!" Yelled the Entity, "Before thy feet proceed, thine mind must be 
cleaved aware. Thou art tempting the wrath of the Gods. If thy hand 
takes the Ortega, thy will become Ungod! But if the soul of the weapon 
is returned to its body then thy actions shall cause the greatest 
calamity of a thousand hells."

Branwen walked on regardless. The Ortega was calling her. She descended 
the stairs and entered the lower chamber of the ruins. Much like the 
rest. It was dilapidated and broken. But far smaller in size. And the 
room would have been quite dark, if not for the bright purple glow of 
Branwen's prize. 

The Ortega.

It was rested upon a podium that resembled the one above. And the soul 
itself shone as Branwen approached it. To the normal naked eye of a 
normal person, it looked like nothing more than a precious stone. A 
spherical orb of sparkling purple energy. But Branwen could feel its 
power. The ancient power existing within it that had to transverse time 
in order to remain here for her. This was the Ortega. The Living Soul. 
Branwen (and a cautious Baja) advanced to the podium. Branwen stopped 
shortly before it. And her long fingers reached down to touch it. To 
feel it. And the second she put her hand on the orb, the glow in the 
room grew brighter. The orb that was once solid now became flashes of 
light. They ran up Branwen's arm and buried itself in her torso. Her 
body. Her heart. The glow disappeared for a few quiet seconds after that 
moment. Until a new glow of purple arose. But this did not come from 
some all-powerful jewel. This glow came from Branwen herself. Her eyes 
widened with the addition of the Ortega's warmth. The power joined with 
her. And the proof of his came suddenly. 

In the form of crystalline wings. 

Branwen screamed and gripped her arms. Transparent, beautiful amethyst 
wings sprouted from Branwen's shoulder blades. Each wing around two 
metres in length, a total wingspan of four metres. Bringing a new 
radiance of energy into that small dark room. Baja's beady little eyes 
took this all in with some surprise. He heard stories of Dark Angels who 
appear when the Ortega is touched... but he never suspected something 
like this. The bright purple glow surrounded Branwen so completely. And 
in her eyes burned all new awareness, strength, power, determination, 
courage, understanding and durability. 

"Amazing," Branwen said, her voice now far more ethereal, "I did not 
believe that it was possible. But you were actually underestimating the 
strength of the Ortega. I feel as though I have become the body of the 
sword myself! Such rapture! Such ancient authority! I was destined for 
this moment, Baja! Now do you believe?"

Baja looked on from her shoulder. "I believe that you shouldn't take 
your new powers lightly. The Ortega exists within you. But it still is 
not one with you. The Ortega is an autonomous power unto itself. And you 
are merely its host."

Branwen giggled. "He, he, he. So now you can bring yourself to be 
serious? It does not matter anymore. I have everything I need. Except 
one thing. And I will find her now."

The Dark Angel opened her hand. A blue light appeared there. And it rose 
from her hand. Taking on a new form. That of a little girl. It was a 
ghost-like image. Transparent and somewhat blurred. Baja found it 
frightening. Not only because it looked that way. But because it was a 
formation of one of the oldest magics known to man. Created long before 
magic-users were known as 'Metanim'. This kind of conjuration existed 
during a time when magic had no name. Many thousands upon thousands upon 
thousands of years ago. 

Branwen spoke to the little girl, "Tell me. Where can I find the one 
named Mia Bannockburn?"

The little girl replied, "That woman no longer exists."

"That cannot be," Claimed the raven sorceress, "I know for a fact that 
her soul is alive. I have felt her spirit more than once."

And so the little girl continued, "Mia Bannockburn no longer exists. Her 
soul remains until the body can be revived. And when the body is revived 
a new Ashidah will be born. But until that time she will remain in the 
body of her sister. And this sister is the shield. The one thing besides 
the Atama sword that can resist the power of the Ungod. And that woman, 
that shield, is Teela Bannockburn."

Branwen blinked. "That one is still alive? Where is she?"

"To the northeast," The little girl pointed in that direction, "In the 
city of Khnum. The chief city of the Souru-Kai Tribe. Where the Body 
exists. The Atama sword. And its wielder."

Baja was alarmed. "You can't honestly mean to go there?!"

But there was nothing that could change Branwen's mind now. "Mia. I will 
have her again. Even if I must revive her by killing her spirit's host. 
And with all my new power, not even God King Saul can stop me."

Branwen pointed her right arm upwards after saying this. Baja flew away 
in that second. A gigantic magic blast of energy was shot from it. The 
energy literally swallowed up the ceiling of the room. Consuming the 
king statue and the Entity above. The blast of purple light shot so far 
up into the sky that it could be seen throughout all of the Siren's 
Forest. Meshing well with the night sky. And a smaller glowing figure 
rose out of the ruins to join the light in flight. That was Branwen. 
Flying slowly towards the northeast. Towards Khnum. While Baja followed 
behind as best as he could. 

As she flew, Branwen crossed her arms. And her greater level of sight 
could see the city of Khnum in the distance. In there was Teela 
Bannockburn. And inside Teela was Mia, or at least what was left of 
Mia's soul.

"Mia," Branwen whispered, "I'm coming for you. Finally."

**********

The Sky Dragons of Rin's army were truly frightening creatures. They 
were the hybrids of Shrikes and Dragons that had mixed in the Northern 
territories. Because of this, these dragons had gained powerful wings 
that could carry at least three men across the globe at any one time. 
Some of the armies of the Western Empire had gathered these types of 
dragons into their forces. They were far better than any horse. Able to 
swoop down on their opponents from above and attack on command with fire 
from their mouths. While the riders themselves had their own weapons to 
attack with. It was no surprise that they were one of the God King's 
most powerful military forces. Which was why it startled the Souru-Kai 
soldiers to see the leader of the Sky Dragon Squad. The man known as 
Rin. 

The roof of the Anshiva Palace was flat. Just for the purpose of landing 
of the dragons that happened to bring word to the palace. Three Sky 
Dragons, large, towering and restless, stood on the marble roof. Two had 
its riders on their saddles. The other one was unmanned. That dragon, 
which happened to be larger and more ferocious than the others, was 
called Azi Dahaka. And it was the personal dragon of Rin. 

And Rin himself happened to be standing beside it. He was strident, his 
short spiky black hair waving in the slight breeze of this height. 
Dressed in typical Western Empire armour, which was covering the upper 
half of his body. But his armour was coloured silver. The defining trait 
of those in the Sky Dragon Army. Rin waited above with three soldiers of 
the Souru-Kai Tribe standing guard. Just until their princess arrived. 
Three figures climbed out of the staircase shortly. They happened to be 
Rain, Teela and Gatou. The three of them walked up to the commander with 
gracious but cautious expressions. Well, Rain and Gatou did. Teela was 
far more focused on the imposing nature and stature of the three 
dragons.

The princess bowed before Rin. "It is good to see you again, Commander 
Rin. But I've received no word from God King Saul about any wish to 
speak with me. So I am afraid I must ask just what you are doing here."

Rin rested a hand on his waist, on the opposing side to which his sword 
had been attached. "I am sending word right here and now. I have been 
given a message to send to you. Do you wish to accept it? Or do you 
refuse?"

Gatou crossed his arms snootily. "Of course we accept. We have no 
quarrel with the God King."

"Good. Then I assume that you will have no problem in accepting his new 
terms for duties you have been paying to the Western Empire."

Rain suddenly grew less hospitable. "What are you talking about?"

And so Rin explained. "The money and goods we collect from you each year 
has been the basis for the trade relations between the Western Empire 
and the Souru-Kai lands. However. You know for a fact that we only 
received 78% of the normal amount in the last due payment. And this has 
displeased his majesty. So we have decided that the terms of agreement 
between us must be changed."

Gatou snarled at the Sky Dragon Leader. "To what?!"

"We demand," Rin pulled another devious smirk, "58% of the Souru-Tribe's 
annual revenue. In full." 

The Princess blinked with shock. "Are you out of your mind?! There is no 
WAY I could agree to something like that! You know full well that the 
money we could not give to you was used as relief for those who were 
effected by the recent Shrike attacks! Hundreds would have starved to 
death if not for that! Surely someone as wise and powerful as the God 
King would understand why we did what we did?"

Rin smirked at this comment. "Princess Rain of the Souru-Kai. We have no 
use for explanations of such trivial matters. If not for the duties your 
Father agreed to offer us for shared peace, your lands would have 
already been annexed into the Western Empire. Because you broke our 
agreement; you changed the rules. And thus we must insist on 
compensation. If you wish to keep our violated treaty in tact."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Gatou yelled out, "Taking damn near 60% of our 
yearly revenue would put the Souru-Kai into destitution! We cannot agree 
to such terms!"

Rin snorted at the sword master. "I believe I was speaking to the 
princess of your tribe. Not to you, old man."

"Old man?! Why you-"

Before Gatou even thought about starting against someone like Rin, Rain 
shot a calming hand before her master. Then concentrated of the 
commander himself. "Listen, Commander Rin. Please understand. We cannot 
give you that kind of money so quickly. We are prepared to renegotiate 
the terms of our treaty with the Western Empire. But we cannot agree to 
something that is so unreasonable."

Yet another nasty smile came from Rin. "As I thought. However, Princess, 
this is not a request. This is an order from the God King himself. We 
want what is ours. If you do not give it to us then I will be forced to 
take action. We currently have eighty Sky Dragon Troops stationed 
outside of Khnum. If you do not agree to our terms then I will order 
them to attack. As you know, this force is more than enough to destroy 
both Anshiva Palace and the entire city."

"WHAT?!" Gatou cried. 

Even Teela was now serious. "Please, Sir, can't you rethink this?"

"This is not a matter of debate." Claimed Rin. He walked from the three 
of them towards his dragon, Azi Dahaka. The Sky Dragon lowered its long 
neck and head. Rin hopped onto his saddle while the two other dragon 
riders who joined him readied themselves for flight. 

Before they left, Rin said one last thing. "You have one hour. If you do 
not agree to our terms by then, my forces will storm the skies of Khnum 
and burn it to the ground. The choice is yours."

One loud shriek from Azi Dahaka and Rin was off. His dragon's two legs 
stomped around and took flight into the cool night sky. And he was soon 
joined by his two accompanying troops. They flew off towards the 
settlement at which Rin's bulk forces were staying. Just outside of 
Khnum. Leaving behind a stunned Rain and a furious Gatou. Teela ran a 
finger through her long locks of brown hair and turned to Rain. Even she 
could see that Rin was serious in what he said. And so soon after Teela 
had been rescued. 

Gatou shook his fist in anger. "That traitorous scum! He knows we cannot 
afford to pay him that much! And yet he still insists?! How do we even 
know that he speaks for the God King himself? This could all be some 
elaborate trap to rob our kingdom."

A forth voice called out. "I do not believe that is the case, Kahn 
Gatou."

Gatou, Rain and Teela turned around. Back to the flight of steps that 
led back inside Anshiva Palace. Estriah stood beside them. She had 
obviously heard everything that Rin had to say. And she didn't look very 
happy about it either. But what could they really do about it? Those Sky 
Dragons were so powerful and sleek. Taking them on would be more than 
just difficult. Yet they couldn't pay what Rin was asking for either. 
Not only would it take months to generate those kind of finances from 
the Souru-Kai lands, doing so would probably bring the majority of the 
people living on those lands into total poverty. How could Rain do that 
to her own people?

Estriah walked up to the other three, watching Rin and his two guards 
fly over to their encampment. "I can sense that Saul has his hand in 
this. I do not understand why, though. He knows that we intended to pay 
what we owed to the Western Empire during the next exchange. Why would 
he do something this drastic now?"

"Who cares?!" Gatou yelled back, "All we need to think about is 
protecting Khnum and the Princess! We must destroy all of Rin's forces! 
In one easy blow that will save the kingdom!"

"Fight? We cannot fight them. We'll have to pay them what they are 
asking of us. We have to." Said Rain. 

"Forgive my rudeness, Princess, but," Gatou bellowed, "ARE YOU OUT OF 
YOUR MIND?! We can't let those pompous rich Westerners pillage this 
tribe! We have more than enough Metanim and soldiers to resist three 
times as much Dragon Riders as Rin has outside the city!"

Rain shook her head. "Master, that might be right. I do believe that we 
can defeat Rin's army. But that is only a small portion of the God 
King's Forces. Would you really set us against the entire Western 
Empire? The Souru-Kai may be the most powerful tribe in Eastern lands. 
But we as a military force are less than nothing with comparison to God 
King Saul. Fighting off Rin would save Souru-Kai from immediate danger. 
But then there would more than likely be a reprisal to our resistance. 
What then?"

That put a dent in Gatou's armoured argument. As powerful as his pride 
was, his primary concern was always for the safety of the Souru-Kai 
Tribe and its Monarchs. And he had to obey them. But strangely enough, 
he wasn't the only one with the opinion to resist. 

Estriah rested a hand upon Rain's shoulder. "This might not sound very 
sensible, Princess Rain. But Gatou does have a point in his own, 
'unique' way. This is clearly an attempt by the God King to undermine 
the authority and sovereignty of our tribe. We cannot pay what he is 
asking. It just is not possible without crippling Souru-Kai. And even if 
we did pay these new duties to the king? What then? Would we be forced 
to pay even more if he decided that what he currently gets is not 
enough? Where would it end?"

Rain blinked. "Are you saying that combat is unavoidable?"

"Not unavoidable," Corrected Estriah, "But necessary. We might incur the 
God King's wrath, but, our people would never forgive us if we taxed 
them more than they can afford simply to assuage Saul's greed."

The princess had to agree that Estriah made sense in that respect. She 
did not want her people to fight. But she could not allow Saul to do 
this to them either. After taking one cleansing breath, Rain's 
expression hardened. Suiting her current armoured look. 

"Alright then," Rain said seriously, "I suppose we have no choice. 
Estriah, Gatou? Prepare for Rin's attack. They will raid by sky so we 
must have all available Metanim ready to be moved into defensive 
positions over Khnum. Once our forces are in position come to the War 
Chamber and inform me of it. We will then plan out our next move."

Gatou and Estriah bowed to Rain in acceptance of that, then moved out to 
get things prepared. Leaving behind Rain and Teela. The former slave 
girl had remained respectfully quiet through most of this. But she could 
not remain that way now. She could see that this whole thing was hard on 
Rain. She had just saved one person from the Shrike. Now she would be 
forced to save her whole city from danger. And even if Rain was 
successful, it would not assure the safety of the Souru-Kai. It would 
only be a temporary help.

It was such an unfair, no win situation. "I'm so sorry, Rain."

"You should not be worried," The Princess replied, "The Souru-Kai are 
made of stern stuff. We can handle ourselves in battle. And the God 
King? I suppose I'll have to face whatever else he will send our way. My 
Father died leaving me in charge of this place. I have to honour his 
faith in me by protecting it. That was why I was given the Atama sword. 
To defend the Souru-Kai. Even if it costs me my life."

And Teela smiled at that. Not one of her normal friendly smiles. A 
caring one that was somehow charmed by Rain's courage in the face of 
such problems to her reign. Teela could tell that Rain would make a 
great Queen when she was finally crowned. And she was suddenly wishing 
that she was there to see Rain's coronation. The former slave blushed 
and looked downwards, digging the rim of her right sandaled foot into 
the marble floor of the palace roof. 

"I know everything's going to be okay." Teela said, surprisingly 
bashful. 

Rain turned to her new friend. "But it might get a bit rough around here 
now. I could have you sent to another settlement beforehand. The Cloud 
Dancer Tribe are good allies of ours. Their city of Lorinth is safe and 
prosperous. Would you like me to have you taken there before the 
battle?"

Teela frowned and shook her head repeatedly. Then rushed over to Rain 
and wrapped both of her arms around one of the princess'. She held on to 
the other girl tight and said, "You can't! You're the only friend I have 
now! I don't want to leave you behind! Don't make me leave! Please don't 
make me leave!"

Rain blinked. "It's okay! If you want to stay I won't force you to 
leave."

"Good," Teela said, smiling softly, "I don't wanna leave without you."

**********

The Southern Kingdoms were unlike the rest of the world. The flat, rural 
grasslands to the East were cut up into small demi-nations that were 
ruled by dozens of different clans and tribes. The West was a lot more 
exquisite and held a far larger population. And that entire region was 
ruled by the God King Saul, a national hero in his gigantic citadel of 
Ashurna. The North was very cold and had only a few groups of people. 
They tended to be strong of muscle and dealt with Shrike on a daily 
basis. But life in that area was hard. The South was the only place one 
could go to in the world that was not offering harsh life. It was a 
place with less rules. Fewer monarchs and more in the way of barons. And 
the people in the lower lands were a lot more forgiving than their 
Eastern, Western and Northern counterparts. Which made it easier to 
understand why Branwen had come to the South for her training in the 
Magical Arts. 

Those who lived in the South, in that tropical climate, had grown to be 
more researchers than fighters. In fact the weapons and magics that gave 
the God King so much power in the Great Wars were mostly a result of the 
researchers that did their work here. Since the level of Shrike in the 
South was comparatively smaller than that of the East and North, it was 
a brilliant place to both discover and invent new magics. By testing it 
on the Shrike in controlled circumstances. The South of the world might 
not have been as rich as the West or as heavily populated as the East, 
but it did have character. And so Branwen came to the South. Upon 
studying here at the Grand School of Magic, in the lands of Lorem. She 
learned all of her Family's secret techniques. And of the Ortega. But 
though she was concerned with that, she was more concerned with a 
certain woman she had met.

Mia Bannockburn. 

She was a student at the Grand School of Magic, just like Branwen. 
Tanned of flesh, brown-haired, green-eyed, intelligent and gifted in the 
magical arts, just like the rest of her Family. For she happened to be 
the daughter of the founder of the school. Magic use was in her blood. 
When they met, Branwen and Mia felt an instant connection that bound one 
to the other. There was no escaping it. Eventually they found themselves 
in the same classes. This led to a friendship based upon shared 
interests and a mild curiosity. Branwen was charmed by the beautiful 
Southerner. And Mia was drawn to the fair-skinned Northerner. Before 
long that friendship evolved into something far bigger. The friendship 
back a relationship. But it had to be kept secret. One thing that the 
South did not have was a tolerance of relationships between two women. 
It was seen as a fundamentally seditious act, loathsome to larger 
community. Branwen could not understand the sentiment (after all she 
came from the North and people had no problems with it there) but Mia 
knew better. They had to keep it a secret or run the risk of being 
thrown out of the school. So the two often snuck out of their rooms at 
night to see each other. Which was what was happening now. Branwen stood 
at the window of her room. Looking out into the moonlight-bathed 
courtyard of the Grand School of Magic. It was Mia's turn to sneak into 
her room today. She just hoped that her conjurations were enough. But 
then the subtle sound of rolling winds entered Branwen's room. The 
dark-haired angel looked back behind him. Smiling softly.

It was Mia. 

Looking as beautiful as she ever did. Wearing a long snow white dress 
that seemingly shimmered in this dark room, which so delightfully 
complemented her lightly sun-browned flesh, sparkling emerald eyes and 
shoulder-long cinnamon hair. And her magical powers had grown too. 
Branwen could barely tell that Mia had transported herself inside her 
room. The two said nothing after her arrival. They simply rushed to each 
and kissed in a way that spoke volumes about their relationship. These 
bursts of passion had to be so carefully chosen. They had no idea who 
could be watching right now. Which was why they had to be so careful. 
Mia wrapped her arms around the firm but soft neck of her lover and 
pulled back from their kiss, sighing.

"Oh Branwen," She spoke, "I couldn't wait any longer to see you. I've 
been thinking of you all day long."

Branwen smiled. "I know. I know. My tutor in elemental conjuration kept 
berating me about my lack of attention in class. And yet all I could do 
was think about seeing you tonight."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mia answered, "But I am glad we have some time 
alone now. I tucked up Teela in bed. She should be asleep now. But I had 
one of my friends watch after her while I'm away. We have nothing to 
worry about for now. So lets enjoy what time we have together. Okay?"

"That is fine," Branwen spoke soulfully, "And that is all I want. Just 
to be with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Branwen!"

The enchanted girl awoke with a frightening start. Her eyes fluttered 
open, graced with the cold presence of night. Her body flew gently but 
swiftly through the skies above the Siren's Forest. Her arms crossed, 
her amethyst crystalline wings flapping from her shoulder blades. She 
looked across to see little Baja struggling to keep up with her. It was 
his voice that she heard. She must have fallen asleep whilst flying 
towards Khnum.

"Baja?" She spoke in her newly empowered double-voice, "What in the 
world is the problem?"

The white raven shook his small head. "...We are reaching the end of the 
Siren's Forest. If you really plan on restoring Mia then you must be 
alert. Don't forget that Rin and his Sky Dragon Squad will launch their 
assault soon. Assuming that the Souru-Kai refuse the God King's terms."

Branwen frowned at that. "They were made specifically to be 
unreasonable. To provoke the Souru-Kai Tribe. If their current leader is 
anything that resembles the former King Braniserus, then they will opt 
to fight. And I will take the girl Teela during the confusion. The God 
King does not know it, but he is making my journey easier and easier by 
the second."

"Don't underestimate him," Baja warned loudly, "You know as well as I do 
that he is by far the most powerful ruler in the world. With his armies, 
money and influence, he could crush a tribe like Souru-Kai effortlessly. 
Not even your new powers can stand against the fullest might of the 
Western Empire."

The Dark Sorceress chuckled. "Oh, you worry far too much, loud-beak. My 
mother may have deemed you as my guardian, but I am more than powerful 
enough to defend my own interests from now on."

**********

The War Chamber of was one of the most beautiful and authoritative rooms 
in Anshiva Palace. Where the leader of Souru-Kai and all of his/her 
advisors gathered to discuss certain issues. Be it conflict with other 
tribes or the economic prosperity of the lands. It was filled with 
parallel pillars and great artworks of previous kings of the Souru-Kai. 
It was an awe-inspiring place indeed. It was sentiment shared by Teela 
as she entered the room for the first time. The chief advisors for the 
current regime had gathered here around the long oval shaped table that 
centred the War Chamber. While Rain, Teela, Estriah and Gatou had joined 
them. All to discuss what would be done about Rin and his forces. What 
strategies they could use to crush his Sky Dragons, with as little force 
and as much speed as possible. They had to maintain as much of their 
strength as possible for the God King's reprisal. Which would come soon. 

Gatou crossed his arms, standing beside Estriah. "Well then?! What is 
our plan?! My swordsmen could tear through Rin's troops with ease, if 
not for those Sky Dragons!"

One of the robed advisors shook his head. "Forgive us, Kahn Gatou. But 
we cannot use your Ashkar Swordsmen in this battle. They are primarily 
ground-based warriors. In this fight we need mastery over the sky. 
Otherwise we are completely outmatched."

Estriah stepped forwards. "Then my Metanim soldiers will be the key mode 
of defence?"

"Half of them will be," Another advisor claimed, "We had debated that 
the better way to handle this would be to take the flame to the source. 
If we launched a ground assault upon Rin before the end of the hour he 
gave us to decide, we could make the battle easier on our forces."

Rain nodded. "I see. You want the normal soldiers to attack Rin's camp 
as soon as possible. That way we can weaken him. And then he will be 
forced to attack Khnum. Where the Metanim will be waiting for him and 
his attackers."

"Yes," The third advisor nodded to that, "We should split our Metanim 
into two divisions. One to attack from the gates of Khnum. While the 
rest are dotted around the city to pick off each of the Sky Dragons. It 
seems to be the only sure method of victory. All it needs is your 
approval, Princess." 

That plan was fine with Rain. "Please proceed. But be as quick as you 
can. We must defend Khnum and the Souru-Kai Tribe with all that we can. 
Not just for our predecessors. But for our successors. Understood?"

All the advisors nodded. They understood quite well. They too loved 
their kingdom and thus would lay their lives on the line to protect it. 
That was the way forwards. Once the plan had been accepted, the advisors 
all moved out and left the War Chamber to prepare the forces to move 
into position for the strategy. Estriah and Gatou had already dressed in 
the battle garbs (but for Gatou, his attire was always battle-ready, he 
had simply strapped on plates of armour to his shoulders). 

Rain took a deep breath, standing beside Teela. "This will be the first 
time in over 20 years that Khnum will have to defend itself. Not since 
my Father's reign. And his victory against the Syrah Tribe saved us all. 
How could I ever hope to replicate that?"

Estriah smiled warmly. "You are your Father's daughter, Princess Rain. 
You have all his strength within you. And you need only lead us with the 
best of your ability. We will be victorious."

"Yes!" Gatou assured proudly, "Lady Estriah is correct! My Ashkar 
Swordsmen will guard the Anshiva Palace as well! Our power is more than 
enough to quell the firestorm of Rin and his Sky Dragons!"

And Teela could be relied on to add to the cheer. "Yeah! Everything's 
going to be okay, Rain! I'm sure of it!"

And the Princess smiled from hearing this from her friends. As long as 
she had their support then she could do anything. And now the time had 
come to actually deal with Rin's troops. Anshiva Palace was a turbulent 
place in the brief twenty minutes it took to mobilize the Metanim. 
Estriah herself went to the front gates of the city alongside her 
warriors. While Gatou left to assemble his men for the defence of the 
Palace. Rain and Teela left the War Chamber and returned to the Grand 
Chamber to wait for the battle. It was all they could do. As much as 
Rain wanted to join her people on the field of battle, the protection of 
the Souru-Kai monarchy took preference. It was a fact that Rain herself 
was fully aware of, no matter how much she hated the idea. Soon Khnum 
was assembled into its battle stations. The people had been warned of a 
coming attack but had been ordered not to panic. They fled back to their 
homes and hoped for the best. During this time the Metanim marched onto 
defensive positions all over the city walls. The other half of the 
Metanim stationed themselves at key points inside the city itself. 
Gatou's few but brilliantly trained Ashkar Swordsmen gathered in and 
around Anshiva Palace. 

By the time the city was in readiness, there were fifteen minutes left 
in Rin's demand time. A small selection of Souru-Kai fighters snuck out 
of the city walls and marched towards Rin's camp. Buzzing with the 
colourful sounds of Dragon cries, the grunting, cheers and laughter of 
men. In the centre of the encampment was Rin himself. Standing outside 
of the largest tent. A young page helped him adjust his upper layers of 
silvery armour. Fixing his sword (Vae Cerpher) against his waist. 

Rin growled as he looked around. His troops couldn't wait for action. 
They were so bloodthirsty that the possibility of the Souru-Kai 
submitting the payment had not even occurred to them. Then he looked to 
the city walls of Khnum. It was the middle of the night so he couldn't 
see much of the city beyond. But fewer lights were there. If they were 
plucking out the torches and candles now then they would probably refuse 
the demand. 

"Those foolish peasants," Rin said scathingly, "I can imagine that they 
do not intend to submit what we asked for. So typical of Easterners. We 
will burn away those country-dwelling pigs with the flames of war."

The boy page looked up innocently at Rin. "Sir? What about the people 
inside the city? Aren't they gonna die too?"

Rin smirked at him. "You are a child of the Western Empire, boy. So you 
needn't trouble yourself over the fate of these lower breed mortals. 
Just be concerned with the impending victory we will offer to the Empire 
and its God King." 

And so the page nodded to Rin and scampered off to aid some of the 
others in putting on their armour. Rin crossed his arms and walked back 
inside his tent. There was not much they brought with them on the flight 
to the East (they had only actually brought Three Carrier Dragons with 
them) but Rin had to have a certain kind of wine brought with him. It 
was the richest of its kind back in the Western Empire. One bottle of it 
cost over forty gold pieces. The equivalent of a poor man's monthly 
wages at a work place. Rin strode up to his tent table and poured some 
of the wine into a small glass. Then brought the glass to his lips and 
drank. That soothed him. Then in the second he put down the glass, Rin 
heard the distinct sound of battle cries. And a few moments after that, 
the sound of clashing swords. Had a fight broken out? Rin charged out of 
the tent with a furious expression on his face. And it was magnified in 
shock when he looked across the camp and saw Souru-Kai troops attacking 
the front of the encampment. Their thin, scimitar-shaped blades battled 
with the long broadswords of Rin's men at the front of the camp. With 
all the passionate fervour that Easterners were famous for in battle. 

"What is happening here?!" Rin yelled, "Those bastards launched an 
attack on US?! The sheer... arrogance of it! I'll slaughter Khnum and 
ALL of its citizens! Tylim! Where are you!?"

Lieutenant Tylim, the second in command of Rin's current force, pulled 
out of his respective tent across from Rin's. He bowed before his 
superior in that second and said, "Yes, sir!"

"We are attacking now!" Rin yelled loudly, "Mobilize all our forces! 
Tell them to mount their Sky Dragons! We are going to crush these 
peasant scum here and now!"

Tylim nodded and then ran off to launch the attack. Rin himself ran in 
the other direction towards the makeshift stable that had been made for 
his Sky Dragon of preference. Azi Dahaka. The noble Dragon of pure 
silver flesh (as opposed to normal Sky Dragons with skin of white) 
waited for him patiently. Rin ran into the stable and climbed up onto 
the back of the sleek wyvern. Its wings spread outwardly and it gave an 
echoing shriek into the night. One that signified the tremendous fury 
that Rin wished to bring down upon Khnum and the Souru-Kai Tribe. In no 
time at all, Tylim had told the other soldiers to get ready for the 
attack. All the dragon riders made their way to the stables and mounted 
their respective dragons. The soldiers that were occupied against the 
small Souru-Kai attack force remained at the camp to fend off the 
assault. Once most of the dragon riders had gathered together, Rin 
growled furiously and screamed,

"ATTACK!"

Nothing more need be said. Azi Dahaka soared into the sky and flew 
toward the walls of Khnum. The dragon-riding soldiers all yelled in 
unison and flew up with Rin to the city. The loud sounds of flapping 
wings grew bigger and bigger as the Sky Dragons began the attack. The 
Souru-Kai Metanim that had been placed on the city walls looked on with 
mixed emotions. Four of the dragons at the head of the attacking force 
opened their jaws. Searing hot surges of blue fire were ejected from 
their mouths. Those balls of fire struck the walls violently. Some of 
the Metanim were thrown off the feet simply from the force of the 
blasts. One even fell off the wall to the outside and his death. The 
rest of the Sky Dragons began shooting fireballs from their powerful 
mouths. Ones that struck the city walls repeatedly. Each time more 
damaging. Setting certain parts of the wall alight. At the head of the 
city gates was Estriah. The noble Metanim grit her teeth and pulled her 
hands together, making a sacred ancient chant. Great golden energy began 
glowing at her hands. And the dozens of other Metanim standing along the 
wall did the same. Until the front portion of the wall looked (from a 
distance) as though it had been adorned with lights to brighten the 
night. 

Estriah then looked up at the dragons that were about to swoop over the 
city in their speed. "Now, men! Fire!"

Grand gold-fire beams of magic energy were shot from each of the 
defending Metanim with an incredible synchronization. The beams cut 
through the sky and were hurled into the bulk of the attacking Sky 
Dragons. Those at the flanks and head of the conjoined force flew apart 
to avoid the magical attacks. Those who were at the centre were not so 
lucky. The dying shrieks of hit dragons could be heard for kilometres 
around. They were plucked out of the sky suddenly. And the riders 
screamed as they fell to the ground in what would be their deaths at 
those heights. The Sky Dragons zoomed over the city wall in that second. 

Rin looked down upon the city as he flew over it on Azi Dahaka. More 
golden lights were appearing at certain points in the city. And he knew 
what that meant. Rin climbed upwards on his dragon. The others behind 
him did the same as that. Those golden lights below became fresh new 
magical blasts that tore through the night air. The Sky Dragons all 
scrambled to avoid each of the castings of energy. But some were 
inevitably shot out of the air. Rin, and around twenty or so more Sky 
Dragons continued on towards Anshiva Palace. The remaining numbers, 
which rolled around at about twenty, split off and flew around the city. 
They all threw blue fireballs down at the large principality. Homes were 
set alight instantly. The screams of the dying grew in number. And the 
Sky Dragons were now splitting apart into separate teams of action. 
Groups of dragons swooped over the walls of Khnum again and blasted the 
Metanim from above. Blue fireballs rained down on them aggressively and 
killed many. The Metanim struggled to fire reprisals at the dragons. The 
summoning of magic took time. And in the time it took to generate one 
blast of magic, the dragons could unleash ten fireballs. 

Estriah watched as a dragon shot a blue fireball in her direction. She 
swiftly pulled up her arm and a great shield of invisible magical power 
surrounded her. The blue dragon fire gushed at the shield but could not 
break it. However the force of the fire was enough to knock Estriah off 
her feet. She tumbled to the ground after repelling the blue fireball. 
Then one of the Metanim helped her up while two others gave them cover.

"Are you alright, Lady Estriah?" He asked. 

Estriah nodded to the young man. "Yes. I am fine. But I fear we that 
have greatly underestimated the coordination of the Sky Dragons. They 
are more calculating in battle that I would have imagined possible. 
Perhaps making an early attack on them was not the best plan after all."

If that was the case now, there was nothing they could do about it. The 
Sky Dragons now began a steady attack on Khnum. One group rained down 
fireballs on the city walls, killing off the defending Metanim bit by 
bit. While the others bombarded the city itself. Men, women and children 
released blood curdling screams as they were burned alive by blue dragon 
fire. Homes and lives were destroyed with frightening, terrifying 
swiftness. The Metanim fought their best to hold off the attacks by 
launching their own. But for each dragon they took down, ten other 
Metanim were killed. 

Rin looked back over his shoulder and smirked at the coordination of his 
soldiers. He had trained them all well. He and his smaller number of Sky 
Dragons flew towards Anshiva Palace, at the centre of Khnum. Soon enough 
they were close enough to attack. 

"Now!" Rin yelled out in command, "Fire!"

Azi Dahaka and all the other dragons in that squad fired blasts of fire 
at the roof and walls of Anshiva Palace. The soldiers and Ashkar 
Swordsman that had been posted on the roof were burned into cinders by 
boiling hot blue flame. The Sky Dragons zoomed over the palace and then 
circled around, firing more blasts at the marble-erected bastion. Gatou, 
who happened to be on his way to the roof, grit his teeth and marched up 
the steps as best he could without falling from the shockwaves of the 
attack. He soldiered on and climbed up the stairs until his flesh was 
touched upon by warming night air. And his heart fell to see Khnum. 
Already, a third of it had been burned to the ground. Flashes of blue 
and gold sparkled in the night while the Sky Dragons and Metanim battled 
to outdo each other. 

"Damn!" Gatou sneered and looked up at Rin, circling the Palace with his 
cronies. "I knew that the Sky Dragon Army were powerful, but I did not 
expect anything like this!" 

Rin and his smaller force ceased their attack when they saw Gatou 
standing there. Alone. With no troops to aid him. Picking him off now 
would be easy as pie. But where was the fun in that? 

Rin soon grinned and yelled to his men, "Go join the others in razing 
this city to the ground! I will deal with that old man!"

The dragon-riders all nodded to him and flew out unto the battlefield. 
The attack on Anshiva Palace could wait for now. And Gatou couldn't hear 
any of that. But he knew that Rin was challenging him. The noble and 
overbearing old sword master went to his waist and pulled out one of 
this three curved long blades. Shinae. Once he withdrew that with his 
right hand, he withdrew one of two remaining swords, Binu, with his 
left. He had both invented and mastered a two-handed sword style called 
Gatou-Ryuu. And he would use it to protect Rain and Khnum. In the honour 
of the Souru-Kai. Rin smirked at the old warrior and pulled out Vae 
Cerpher from its own sheath. He would use no dragon fire to kill this 
man. Just pure skill. Azi Dahaka shrieked another dragon cry and flew 
down towards Gatou. The aged master looked on without fear. The great 
silver dragon dove straight at him but he showed no fear at all. Just as 
he was about to be rammed by the head of the dragon, Gatou crouched down 
and rolled over the ground, extending his right sword. Azi Dahaka 
bellowed as the tip of the blade cut through the underside of its 
stomach. It flew off in the opposite direction, bleeding profusely from 
the two and a half metre long slash over its belly. 

"Blast!" Rin said irritably. Azi Dahaka was now out of control. He 
quickly undid his feet and body from the stirrups and saddle; and then 
jumped off for dear life. The silver dragon soon flew off the side of 
Anshiva Palace's roof and tumbled down to that which would either mean 
death or crippling disability. Rin landed on the ground, rolling across 
the marble floor with a thump. Gatou stood up and sheathed Shinae, 
leaving Binu behind to deal with this upstart. Rin clawed up to a 
standing position with a furious expression directed at Gatou.

"Impertinent muck-dwelling bastard!" He yelled, "You will share in the 
death of my dragon! As will your entire city! Then the rest of Souru-Kai 
will follow!"

Gatou smirked back. "Even if that happens, you won't live to see it, 
boy! I am going to show you the true power of swordsmanship! The 
ultimate skill of Gatou-Ryuu! Prepare yourself!"

Rin gripped Vae Cerpher in a two-handed hold, watching Gatou charge him 
across the roof of Anshiva Palace. Sky Dragon Rider though he was, Rin 
was no slouch when it came to swordsmanship either. While those two did 
battle on the roof of the Palace, Estriah was struggling with her forces 
to stop the dragons and their relentless assault. But more and more of 
her fellow Metanim were dying by the second, unable to resist the dragon 
fire. Estriah threw a blast of magic up in the sky that killed a dragon 
and its rider. But when she did so a separate blast rained down from up 
there. Estriah managed to avoid it. But it blew away the solider that 
had been fighting next to her. He was burned to a crisp. And Estriah 
stumbled away to avoid the spreading of the flames. They would not be 
able to keep this up for much longer than this. She got herself back 
into a standing position. Then fired another golden magical attack. It 
pierced the hot air but the dragon it was aimed at avoided it. Then 
returned fire. With such speed that it was impossible to block it with a 
magic shield. The wall was bombarded with the blue fireball. 

And Estriah was killed instantly.

The Metanim that had been posted at the city walls were now all but 
gone. And the small but effective number of dragon-riders were left to 
ravage the city, almost unopposed. The destruction that had been 
threatened by Rin now looked far more realistic. The few Metanim left 
inside the city itself were beginning to realize that the fight was a 
losing one. Some bravely stood their ground against the sky-borne 
attackers, but most fled back to the palace to make their last stand. A 
defence of the Princess. While the Sky Dragons tore apart Khnum from the 
skies, there were two figures even higher above them that were watching 
the slaughter. 

Branwen and Baja.

The Dark Sorceress had finally made it to Khnum. Her wings buzzed with a 
great tingle. And Branwen herself could feel that the Ortega power 
inside her was feeling the presence of its other half, the Atama sword. 
The soul was within range of the body. Though Branwen was more concerned 
with the battle. 

"Hmph," She pouted, "The Souru-Kai could not stand against the attack. I 
thought that this would be the case. Rin is one of the more intelligent 
commanders of the God King's Armies, despite his zeal. Hopefully Teela 
will have stayed alive throughout all of this."

Baja lowered his head. "Such carnage."

"Forget it," Branwen ordered, "These people are not our concern. This 
would have been their fate whether we were here or not. Now. I have to 
do what I came here for. Mia's spirit. I can feel it. It's finally 
time."

Branwen and Baja vanished from their positions in the sky. 
Teleportation. Back in Anshiva Palace, in the Grand Chamber, Princess 
Rain herself looked out unto her city. The pride of the Souru-Kai Tribe, 
Khnum. It was slowly being picked apart. The screams and the crackling 
of the blue fire was so loud it was almost deafening. Both she and Teela 
looked out the wide window of the Grand Chamber with disheartened looks 
on their faces. Not even the optimistic Teela could deny the seriousness 
in all this. The battle had only begun a short while ago but the city 
was being demolished, ruthlessly raped by dragons and their 
sapphire-tinted balls of fire. The Atama sword at her back began to glow 
brightly. But Rain simply did not notice it. All she could see was the 
crowning glory of the Souru-Kai Tribe in flames. And there was nothing 
could do to stop it.

"This is terrible," Teela said softly, "I hope Estriah and Gatou are 
okay."

Rain lowered her head. "...This battle is a failure."

"What?"

"I said that it's a failure," Rain repeated, "And there is nothing that 
can win the fight now. We underestimated them. We should have called for 
reinforcements from other villages in the beginning to bolster the 
attack force. I failed to defend my Father's legacy. It will soon... be 
in ruins. All I can do now is protect those that are left."

Rain then turned to Teela. "You're going to have to escape."

"I told you, I'm not leaving here without you!" Teela replied sharply.

The Princess shook her head. "You have no choice. I'm sorry, but I have 
to join the remaining soldiers in defence of the city. And you cannot 
stay here. If you get caught by Rin in this battle, he'll either kill 
you or send you off to some slave camp in the Western Empire. And I'm 
sure you've heard the horror stories about them."

Teela nodded. The Work Camps of the Western Empire were notorious across 
the world. It was said that one could go insane from spending less than 
two weeks there. As a former slave herself, she knew how lucky she was 
to avoid something like that. But those camps were mainly for prisoners 
of war. And if she got caught by Rin's Armies in this situation, then 
she'd more than likely be sent to one of them. The innocent Teela looked 
downwards with sadness, knowing full well that Rain was probably right 
in all this. 

Rain continued. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all this. And if 
I have one nice thing to say about the past 24 hours, it's that I got to 
meet with you. You're a wonderful person Miss Bannockburn. You need to 
live on so you can pass on that name to others. To your children."

No reply came. Before Teela had the opportunity, a third voice called 
out to the pair of them. "Sorry, children. But neither of you shall be 
going anywhere."

Teela and Rain turned around to see a third woman standing across from 
them in the Grand Chamber. Dressed in an all black female-designed 
Western-style armour, with transparent wings extending from her shoulder 
blades. And an all-powerful tone in her voice.

Rain narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name?" The woman spoke, "My name is Branwen Kalia Mortiria."

And Rain knew that name. "I know you. You used to serve as a member of 
Saul's Black Metanim guard. But you betrayed him and fled Ashurna 
Castle, did you not?"

Branwen nodded. "You are well informed. But it matters not. The God King 
is not on my agenda just yet. I am here for one reason and one reason 
only. That girl you see standing there, she has something that is mine."

Branwen pointed at Teela, who was as confused as anyone about all of 
this. "What are you talking about? Do we know each other?"

"Explain yourself!" Rain demanded. 

Branwen sighed. She had hoped to be able to snatch up Teela as quickly 
as possible while all the fighting carried on outside. But if they 
wanted an explanation then she would give it to them. "Fair enough. 
Years ago I lived in the South. To train. As you can see I am a Metanim. 
But I met someone. Her name was Mia Bannockburn. A young woman with a 
Southern first name and a Western second name." 

Teela took note of the name but remained silent as Branwen continued. 

"She was incredibly gifted in magics. But there was more to her than 
that. Mia had a legacy that transcended even my own. She was of a breed 
of Metanim that only appears every 300 years. And they are known as 
'Ashidah'. Human beings born with magical powers that can transcend the 
powers of the Gods themselves. Mia was an Ashidah. Even though I did not 
know that at the time of our meeting. But her powers did not gain 
favour. Ashidah are detested by most people as harbingers of destruction 
and misfortune. Whenever they appear they are killed before they reach 
the age of 18, which is when their powers mature into their savage 
extremes. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Mia was murdered. By none 
other than her own Father. While I was away, her father killed her. I 
was powerless to do anything about it. For years I have been searching 
for a way to bring her back to life. Now I have it. This current power 
that runs threw my veins is enough to return Mia to me. I must have 
her."

"What's that got to do with Teela?" Rain questioned in suspicion.

"Mia's spirit still exists," Branwen claimed, "It was placed into the 
body of her sister. That girl you call 'Teela' is the sister of Mia. 
Mia's soul is alive and well inside that girl."

"So 'Mia' was my sister?" Teela asked. 

Branwen nodded. "Correct. Now we have that out of the way, I will ask 
you to come with me, Teela Bannockburn. You possess something that does 
not belong to you. And I have come to take it."

Teela stepped back with fear as Branwen advanced. Rain quickly darted 
between both of them and gripped the hilt of the Atama sword, which was 
glowing more brightly than ever. 

The Dark Sorceress frowned at Rain. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. 
The sword you wield is more powerful than you could imagine. Far more 
than just an enchanted blade. The entity that now empowers me is bound 
to that weapon by fate and creation. And to strike me with the Atama 
sword would cause the kind of destruction that would make what is 
currently happening to Khnum look like nothing."

Rain sneered. "Why should I believe you?"

"You have no reason to," Branwen replied, "I admit that. But try and you 
will see if I am lying or not. To tempt fate is your choice. I myself 
have only one concern now. To revive Mia. And I will do so now."

The tall woman then thrust her hand forward. Teela froze by the power of 
magic. And could not move an inch. Branwen effortlessly cast this spell 
from the powers of the Ortega inside her. Rain gasped at this. Teela's 
sandaled feet began to rise from the ground and she was dragged towards 
Branwen at a slow pace. Rain would not stand for that. She quickly 
gripped the Atama sword and unsheathed it, then rushed for Branwen. 

The Dark Woman scowled at this. "You fool!"

Her free hand turned to Rain and shot off a large orb of amethyst 
magical power. The blast sucked through the air and rammed against Rain. 
The noble princess yelped from the burning power. Not strong enough to 
kill her, but more than powerful enough to stop her. She was thrown back 
into the wall of the Grand Chamber, dropping the Atama sword to the 
ground. Then Branwen returned to the business at hand. Teela. But rather 
than take the soul out of her here, Branwen flew up into the air, 
smashing through the rooftop of the palace. Teela screamed and struggled 
to try and help the unconscious Rain. But Branwen's magic was far too 
strong. She was dragged up though the hole in the ceiling that Branwen 
had made. All the way up to the outside. Branwen, with Teela in tow, 
climbed up into the night sky, illuminated by the blue fire of the Sky 
Dragons that was tearing Khnum apart. Gatou and Rin stepped back and 
watched in confusion on the roof. When Branwen stopped, Teela was 
dragged up to her. And the dark woman extended her hand. Right in front 
of Teela's stomach. 

Teela released a heart-rending scream of agony. Blue wisps of matter 
were pulled out of her body by magic. It was an excruciating process for 
the former slave girl. But Branwen's smooth face remained unsympathetic. 
The very soul of Mia, her sister, was ripped out of Teela's body. The 
girl passed out from the pain. And Branwen released her from the magical 
grip. Teela's unconscious body dropped towards the roof of the Palace. 
Gatou saw this and quickly sheathed Binu, running towards the area in 
which he expected Teela to fall. With a bit of a thud, he managed to 
catch her. She was unconscious, but alive. 

While Rin looked up at Branwen. "Is that Branwen of the Black Metanim? 
What on earth would that traitor be doing here?"

But Branwen took no note of Rin. Her mind was focused on the swirling 
orb of energy that she knew to be the soul of Mia. After being separated 
for so long they would finally be together. The former servant of Saul 
threw her hand down in motion. The soul orb of Mia began to react to 
this. A glorious light filled the skies above Khnum. The fighting 
between the Sky Dragons and the Metanim began to lesson. All of them 
took note of the glorious light that was being cast from Anshiva Palace. 
It hung so brightly in the air that it looked like the middle of the 
day, not the middle of the night. All those in Khnum turned and watched 
this amazing spectacle. Rin and Gatou covered their eyes to prevent from 
being blinded by it. And its force began to effect the city. The 
foundations of Anshiva Palace started to crack. All the pillars and 
glass windows around cracked along with them. The dragons cried out with 
numerous squeals and shrieks. Knowing that something was wrong. No 
matter how wonderful the light appeared to be. And Branwen Kalia 
Mortiria floated within the very eye of that light. Manipulating ALL of 
the magical power that had been given to her by the Ortega. And so she 
got results. In the brightness that was the white light, a form took 
shape. That of a woman. Naked, wrapped up in a fetal position. Flowing 
locks of brown hair. Lightly tanned skin. 

Mia.

Branwen smiled. All her efforts had finally come to a head. Mia was with 
her now. Alive. But this was not the end of her revival. Branwen's smile 
faded when she realized that something else was happening to Mia in all 
that glorious white light. Her naked body lost all of its colour. That 
of her skin, eyes, hair, nails. All of it. It was washed away like dye 
and replaced with nothing but the colour of a pallid white. As bright as 
the ethereal light that was covering the skies over Khnum. Mia's lips 
parted and she cried out with a thunderous scream. So violently loud 
that everyone for three miles had to cover their ears tightly to prevent 
themselves from being deafened. Gatou held Teela close to him and 
covered his own ears. As did Rin. The Dragons that were in the sky 
dropped out of it as their ear drums popped from the maddening scream of 
Mia. And the riders who happened to be on them were killed from the 
fall. But all eyes were on the bright light that surrounded the 
resurrected Mia. And the woman of purest white continued to scream, 
while her body reacted. From both her twin shoulder blades sprung three 
pairs of wings. Six in all. Each burst from her body and spread out in 
the light. Each wing around twelve metres in length. Dwarfing the 
overall size of their carrier. Finally Mia's scream ended. And the 
throbbing light started to fade. However she was no longer Mia 
Bannockburn. But something far more ancient. Something primal. Something 
bizarrely powerful. She was, finally, a true Ashidah.

The Seraphic Maiden. 

Branwen gasped at the purely white six-winged creature. The Seraphic 
Maiden thrust her hand forwards at the dark Ortega wielder. And Branwen 
screeched as she was thrown back from nothing more than the sheer force 
of Seraphic Maiden's aura. Rin took cover, whilst Gatou (with Teela 
still in his arms) jumped down into the hole in the centre of the roof 
of the palace. It was then that the Seraphic Maiden began thrusting her 
arms about in wholly different directions. Blasting the city, its walls, 
the Siren's Forest over to the west. The people below in the streets of 
Khnum fled into their homes or anywhere else that looked safe. But there 
was no place in Khnum that was safe enough to protect them from this 
creature. Blasts of the Seraphic Maiden's aura stormed down on the town 
and destroyed anything they touched in vibrant explosions. Killing 
hundreds in literal minutes. Branwen fell into the grounds surrounding 
the now ruined Anshiva Palace. Baja flapped to her side, resting on her 
shoulder. He looked up at the Seraphic Maiden as she threw more and more 
of her aura waves at anything and everything. It was as he feared.

"Oh, Branwen," Baja said chidingly, "What have you done?"

The Seraphic Maiden shrieked again. Extending all six of her wings to 
their fullest. Khnum was in flames. The whole of the city. The blue fire 
that had been created by the dragons had been eroded into the flames of 
the Seraphic Maiden's aura. She then thrust herself upwards. Into the 
night sky. Away from the devastated Khnum. Away from the hundreds of 
corpses. The dead dragons and dragon riders, the flaming buildings and 
the shattered lives. It flew of into the northwest. Without a clear 
destination. Nothing was left but utter destruction. The city of Khnum, 
the eye of Souru-Kai pride, was destroyed. 

And an unholy creature had been unleashed on the world. 

Onwards to Part 2

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