The Last Saga 3 (part 1 of 3)

a Original Fiction fanfiction by Kaiser

Date Begun: 16th May2005 
Date Ended: 25th June 2005
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Albums listened to during the making of this fiction: Superunknown 
(Soundgarden), Alice in Chains (Alice in Chains), The Ultimate Escape 
(Tsunami Bomb), Ixnay on the Hombre (The Offspring), Shadow Hearts 2: 
Original Soundtracks, etc.  

Author's Notes: Alrighty then! This is the third story in The Last Saga 
series. Like usual, this story is highly influenced by Role Playing 
Games and is unconnected to those before it. Unlike The Last Sagas 1 and 
2, this one did have a fair amount of planning beforehand. But not a 
lot. I think the unpredictability of this series is what I like most 
about it. Anyways, usual disclaimers apply. The main theme this time 
around is Summoning and Transformation (as opposed to the magic of LS1 
and the polytheistic religion of LS2). All characters in this story 
belong to me and me alone, aside from 'Sophie Blue', who was created for 
this story by Shadow Bunny. If you have anything you wanna say about 
this story, you can mail me at moonknuckle@hotmail.com Well that's about 
it. Enjoy!

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The Last Saga III
**********

"Love lasts for such a short time. But misery -- goes on and on." - 
Masaji Kato 

**********

PART ONE 

**********

"Oh my Gods... this place stinks."

With careful and intent ears, Roll listened in on the sounds of anything 
ahead of her. Bit by she de-fragmented every little sound she heard and 
guessed what it could be. The dripping of water. The chink of rolling 
chains. The march of stomping boots. At least six pairs. Which obviously 
meant three guards. It would be hard to take them all down while keeping 
their presence unknown. But they had little choice in the matter. A lot 
of money was riding on this, after all. Roll pressed one hand into the 
grip of her waist-attached long sword, Kusabana, then eased up from the 
wall she had just been leaning on. Then turned to a woman who just 
happened to be standing next to her. The taller woman scowled angrily 
with the situation. An expression that in some respects suited her 
beautifully elegant features. And this woman was called Nagi. Nagi of 
the Xian. 

"How many of them are there?" Nagi prodded in a whisper, "One? Two?"

Roll shook her head. "Nah. A little more than that. Three. I guess we 
expected a little less than what we got, huh?"

Nagi just increased her scowl, still frowning, "...Accursed old man. 
Whenever we do jobs for that crazy old wizard I find myself wrapped up 
in more trouble. I don't even know why I agreed to this!"

"Will you stop whinging?!" Roll seethed in a whisper, "Dammit Nagi, all 
you ever do is bitch and complain all the time! We're getting BIG bucks 
for this! If you can't handle it then swing back to the front with 
Sapphire and I'll handle the rest by myself!"

"...Yeah. I'd like to see how far YOU could get without screwing up, 
Roll. Word of advice for the future, kid? Try to stay out of my way."

The young Roll shook her fist angrily while Nagi stepped away from her 
to the corner of this sewer-like dungeon. Then Nagi, with an amazing 
skill, began back-flipping rapidly down the pathway of the corner she 
had just turned. Roll didn't bother to watch what would happen. The 
three guards that she had picked up on made grunts of alarm and readied 
their weapons. A bunch of long daggers. The next thing Roll could hear 
was the swift sound of the slightly older woman's deadly spear, Esdra, 
slicing viciously through the thick plates of armour that those 
unfortunate guards happened to be wearing. Three violent slashes and 
there was no more noise whatsoever. Roll grinned and walked around the 
corner, around that moss-ridden wall, to see Nagi. She reattached Esdra 
to a clasp on the back of her purple-blue dress and tugged some of her 
long locks of jet-black hair to one side of her face.   

Roll looked over to the three downed soldiers, pools of blood seeping 
from their fresh, grounded corpses. "...Nice going, Nagi! Couldn't have 
done better myself!"

The other woman simply snorted at that and grabbed the set of keys that 
one of the guards had attached to their waist. "Well what do you expect? 
I am the queen of a warrior race, after all. Now lets get moving. We 
don't have a lot of time before Sapphire comes for us."

Roll nodded and followed Nagi as she ran to one of the doors that led 
upstairs to the more likeable parts of this small castle. Nagi unlocked 
the door with the ring of keys and dashed through it, up the stairs to 
the above. Just like Roll did. It was true that they didn't have a lot 
of time left. They had told Sapphire to make her entrance for their 
escape in about an hour's time. Unfortunately most of that hour had been 
spent battling the guards stationed all over the dungeons of this place. 
But the amount of men placed here did make sense. They were on the 
country of Ostantinople, after all. One of the four major countries of 
the world. The others being Norhia, the homeland of both Nagi and Roll, 
the Micaea Wastelands, and the last bastion of the monarchs, Catheriah. 
Each country had its own system of rule. Norhia was controlled by a 
parliament. Headed by Prime Minister Joseph Reidenbacht himself. The 
Micaea Wastelands were un-governed, inhabited by a fierce and primitive 
nomadic people who lived in poor, unusable lands that lacked profitable 
natural resources. Catheriah was ruled by the last existing monarchy in 
the world. The Sterngold Family. The head of this renowned family was at 
this time Queen Catherine XXIII, a powerful and noble woman. 
Ostantinople was quite the opposite of that. It was not governed by a 
central power, but divided into smaller kingdoms by local lords. Many 
had attempted to unify the divisions in land between the Ostantinople 
Lords, but all attempts had failed. The most they could do was set up a 
special council which summoned all lords together in times of need. This 
'council' had only ever been summoned once, fifty years ago, during the 
Norhian Civil War. Needless to say, there has never been a need to do so 
again. 

Because all of the Ostantinople Lords had followed this policy of 
isolationism for so long, they had come to create their own laws on 
their own land. The particular settlement that Nagi and Roll happened to 
be on was one where slavery was legal. As was the time tested policy of 
bigamy. Thus this principalities' lord, Count Mehus, had over twenty 
wives. Each of which he had at his choice and pleasure every day. This 
small castle that Roll and Nagi stalked through was more of a... harem. 
It belonged to Count Mehus and contained all of his twenty wives. Thus 
it was heavily guarded. The leader of this particular hamlet was quite 
the secretive man. 

Nagi rushed up to the door at the top of the stone set of stairs. It was 
locked, just like the one downstairs, but she had the key now, so there 
was no problem. Roll caught up with Nagi while she slowly unlocked the 
door. The two of them peered out the doorway and saw just what the 
innards of Count Mehus' dwellings looked like. The place was lavish. 
Nothing like the foul-smelling dungeons below their feet. The floors 
were carpeted with lust red and gold carpets that were imported from 
Catheriah. Fine paintings mounted on the walls, double glazed windows, 
all in place of the regular crenulations and battlements that other 
lords would have had in their castles. Count Mehus was apparently a man 
of great sexual enthusiasm and so he had made his minuscule palace 
reflect that. A nice thing to... look at. 

Roll looked around in the corridor they now happened to be standing in. 
"...Whoa. This ain't half bad. What this guy lacks in defences he makes 
up for in taste, I'd say."

"Trust you to say something like that about a place like this." Nagi 
spoke.

Roll's smile fell. "What the hell are you complaining about now?"

"Can't you see it? Everything around here is so..." Though Nagi's face 
was quite serious, there was a tiny little blush on her cheeks, 
"...phallic."

"...Uh... what's that mean?"

Nagi shook her head with a sigh. "Just forget it. We need to find the 
banquet hall. Dr. Oro said that that was the most likely place that we 
could find our target, right? We'll just have to look around for it 
while keeping our heads down. We wouldn't want to be caught after coming 
this far into this pervert's home."

Roll nodded and followed while Nagi led the way. The two of them ran 
through the corridors and hallways in search of the banquet hall. Count 
Mehus would probably be there too. Which would make it hard to do this 
without causing a scene. Very hard indeed. But there was no real 
alternative to it. Roll and Nagi eventually cut through most of the 
lower halls in the castle and made it to an upper level. It was smaller 
than the rest and had fewer guards on watch. Even though the rooms up 
here was clearly more significant than those below. The two girls 
invading this castle poked slowly through one of the four corridors that 
made up this part of the place. There was an open doorway on the other 
end. Pouring not only beams of light but also the playful giggles of 
women and the jingles of costume jewellery. This had to be the room they 
were looking for. Roll and Nagi rushed over to the open doorway, which 
had been covered over with a thin veil, and looked inside that large 
room.  

What they saw was the proof of Count Mehus' twenty wives. All of them, 
dressed in gold two piece undergarments, their bodies adorned with 
golden bangles, necklaces, earrings and even piercings in more 
suggestive areas. The room itself was fronted by a huge pane of glass 
that provided much of the light from the bright sky outside. It was full 
of soft velvet pillows, veils of satin along the walls and tables packed 
with bread, cheese, grapes and red wine. To the back of the room sat a 
older man. With a balding crown, long nose, yellowing teeth, saggy jowls 
and a pot-belly. He was surrounded by three scantily-clad women. All of 
them laughed with this man and fed him grapes, while he quickly sipped 
on his goblet of red wine. His eyes were focused on the lavish dancing 
of one of the women on a small stage just twenty metres ahead of his 
throne. 

"Well, well, well. I'd wager that the old letch is Count Mehus." Claimed 
Nagi, curiously. 

Roll didn't hear a word she said. All she was focused on were the women 
of this banquet hall. Her face was as red as a peach, her eyes 
constantly blinking with surprise. "...Holy damn!"

Nagi noticed this and scowled again. "Dear Gods, you're no better than 
that pervert! Roll, would you PLEASE focus on the mission?! You're the 
one who said that we could make a lot of money out of this!"

"Careful there, Nagi," Roll said suggestively, "Your jealousy's starting 
to show up again."

The older woman's fist clenched in anger. "Listen up, Raehlandria, the 
day I get jealous over YOU is the day HELL freezes over!"

Two of Count Mehus' wives, those closest to the doorway, gasped with the 
sound of voices. Roll clapped her hand around Nagi's mouth to silence 
her and the two dove out of sight. One of the wives looked at the 
opening for someone. Obviously she didn't see anyone.  So she went back 
to chattering with Mehus' other wife, the one sitting next to her. Roll 
sighed visibly. They hadn't been caught... yet.

Then she looked at Nagi, seething in a whisper. "...Would you keep your 
voice down?! And don't call me Raehlandria again! I left that back in 
Norhia!"

"...Fine..." Nagi agreed, pulling Roll's hand off her face, "...Let's 
just keep looking for that girl that Dr. Oro was talking about. The 
sooner I get out of here the better."

That was fine. Roll and Nagi turned back to the room for a look around. 
Now that the two of them looked around, it was obvious that there was 
more than twenty women here. Some of them were Mehus' wives but the 
others were clearly just more of his beautiful slaves. Ones he had 
probably picked up in other lands. Roll tried to ignore her own 
preoccupations with these scenes and concentrated on what was at hand. 
The girl. The young swordswoman ran a hand through her short brown hair 
and scanned the room. They had been given a description of the girl from 
Dr. Oro but neither Roll nor Nagi could see her. They kept on looking 
though. Eventually a separate veil over an opposite doorway was parted. 
And then a beautiful young woman stepped through it. The two girls 
stopped to get a better look at her. She was about Roll's age, eighteen. 
Her hair was a long blonde, splashing over her shoulders and reaching 
down to those small hips of hers. She had sweet blue eyes, very 
expressive, very calm. And somewhat of a pleasant (if not a little 
frightened) look on her face. She was unquestionably the prettiest girl 
here. But equally the youngest and least willing to be involved in all 
this. 

Roll tapped on Nagi's shoulder. "...Hey, Nagi. Think that's her?"

"...Hmm?" The older woman cast her eyes to the blonde girl that had just 
appeared from behind that veil of silk. She stood before Count Mehus 
(who had another lecherous smile on his wrinkled face) as timid as a 
water flower, "...That must be the girl, Elle Stuart. Are you ready to 
make a move?"

Roll grinned and reached for the hilt of Kusabana. "Ready and waiting."

"Okay then. Let's go."

With the agreement for action, Roll and Nagi leapt swiftly into the room 
of the twenty wives. All the women let out gasps of fear and surprise 
when they saw the two girls jump through the air and withdraw their 
weapons mid-air. Roll somersaulted in motion and landed directly before 
Count Mehus himself, astride of the girl known as 'Elle Stuart'. Elle 
herself was just as frightened by this, but the warm smile that Roll 
gave to her quelled some of those fears.

"It's okay," Said the swordswoman, "We're friends with Dr. Oro."

That clearly held some meaning with Elle because a small smile returned 
to her. Nagi landed near them with Esdra pointing aggressively at the 
neck of Count Mehus, who was a lot more furious than he was surprised. 
"What on Earth?! How dare you disturb me?! All intruders in my domain 
will be done away with!"

Nagi sneered. "...Don't be a fool. You're in no position to be barking 
loud orders, you bloated letch. I'm fully aware of what your men are 
capable of. And I'm more than enough for any and all of them. So do 
yourself a favour. Make this as painless an exchange as possible and 
just hand over that girl."

Count Mehus sneered, though still wary of the tip of Esdra, pointing at 
his neck. "...You think you can enter my dominion, threaten me, steal my 
slave and leave without any say so on my part? I do not know who you 
believe yourself to be dealing with... but you will learn first hand 
what it means to trifle with an Ostantinople Lord! Guards! Seize them!"

Behind the veils and curtains that hung around the walls of the room, 
there were doors. Each one positioned at a perfect place for a 
surrounding ambush. Each of those doors were shifted open one by one, 
revealing the fully-armoured guard of Count Mehus. They were all armed 
with short but thick swords, sheathed in their waist-attached scabbards. 
Around eight of them rushed out from the compartment doors and ran to 
meet with Roll and Nagi. Four surrounded Roll, drawing their weapons. 
While the other four marched around Nagi, making sure not to force too 
much in their stand off. She did have that spear pointed at their 
master's neck, after all. 

However Roll didn't look the least bit upset or frightened. The 
confident swordswoman then looked over her shoulder to the Queen of the 
Xian. "...Looks like this guy won't give up the gold without a fight. 
Hey, Nagi! Mind if I handle these guys?"

"Indulge yourself. I'd rather not sully my hands, anyway." Responded 
Nagi. 

That was just what Roll wanted to hear. The young woman pulled her long 
brown bangs from her eye line and locked onto the four guards that had 
just surrounded her. Her hand reached down to her blade, Kusabana, and 
clutched at the grip. Roll's hand encircled it like iron but did not 
move an inch. She kept her eyes on the four guards that were around her 
and waited. Her attentions so focused that she could not be caught off 
guard. When one of the burly guards shifted forwards on his boots, Roll 
took that as her cue to attack. Those bright emerald eyes of hers 
thinned out in that instant. Then she swiftly withdrew her blade and 
charged ahead in the blink of an eye. Four sharp slashing movements were 
made that had Roll darting from the guard's front to their backs. A 
second later she sheathed her blade as if nothing at all had happened. 
The guards all blinked with confusion at her bullet-like speed, but that 
was the least (and last) of their concerns. A few moments later, the 
front plates of their stocky grey armour fell apart and gushes of blood 
reared up from the wounds below. The scantily-clad women who had been 
gathered here to entertain Count Mehus (including Elle) all flopped to 
the ground whilst gargling on their own blood. While an amused Roll 
smirked and turned back around to face Count Mehus. The four men 
surrounding Nagi now looked less sure of themselves. While Elle herself 
was simply astounded.

Roll turned her smirk to Count Mehus. "Hey, old man, you need better 
help."

"...Why you..." Mehus continued to scowl at his intruders, "...What 
makes you think that I will stand for this?!"

"What makes you think that you have a choice?" Nagi questioned 
rhetorically. 

Count Mehus sneered at the two of them. "You stupid children. You will 
learn my name once and for all. Men! Leave us!"

The guards that surrounded Nagi were surprised at this command. Leave 
their master alone with two women that were threatening to kill him? But 
one look at the irritated and annoyed face on Mehus indicated that he 
was quite serious in his command. The armoured brutes all mumbled to 
themselves and each other with concern, but lowered their stances around 
Nagi and stalked off, leaving behind the sliced corpses of their former 
cohorts behind. The women in Mehus' room all scrambled after those 
guards to get away from this. A few minutes later, there were only four 
(living) people left in that room.  Roll, Nagi, Elle, and Mehus. Both 
Roll and Nagi were equally perplexed by the Count's order for his guards 
to pull out, but Roll was the one to address the issue. 

"Something wrong, sir?" Roll asked curiously, "Don't you wanna submit in 
front of your boy scouts troopers, is that it?"

The stout Count Mehus, who still had the bladed tip of Nagi's long spear 
poised at his neck, spoke thereafter with a bit of a chuckle. "...Heh, 
heh, heh. I simply did not want my forces to know of the true powers at 
my hands. In this day and age people can be fearful of that which they 
do not know. I wouldn't want to spark off that fear in my own guards."

"...What are you getting at?" Nagi prodded swiftly. 

He would show her right now. Mehus sniggered at the pair of them, while 
a silent Elle looked on. The Count's eyes darkened swiftly. The blue of 
them warping into pure black. While his grip on his seating grew. Nagi 
and Roll watched with curiosity as the bloated man started to glow with 
a magical energy. The glow was of a grim light blue, which hummed slowly 
around him, merging with the added sound of the Count's heavy breathing. 
Mehus pulled another grin then stood up from his seat. Nagi pulled back 
with Esdra a little, enough to keep on the threatening poise without 
retreating. But Mehus seemed unfazed by that. He continued to laugh when 
his flesh began to bulge at his sagging arm and chunky legs. The dark 
green official uniform that had been attached to his torso now was being 
ripped apart. All the fat that had made Mehus such a bulky person was 
transforming itself into muscle. The bright smile on Roll's face faded 
and she reached for her sword. While Nagi stepped back more and 
evaluated this. Count Mehus had endowed himself with magic. From the 
current experience he was going through, it was not naturally his. But 
all the same, powerful. The older man continued his sniggering while his 
entire body was ingested by that intense sapphire light. Then that light 
disappeared with a flash. Leaving Roll, Elle and Nagi to marvel at the 
results. 

The lecherous Count Mehus was now warped beyond recognition. What was 
previously tanned white skin was now a sickly forest green. His scaly 
flash pulsed up and down with the throbbing of his thick veins. While 
the heavy rhythm of breathing that was once ignorable was now 
unavoidable. His bulky hands clenched and unclenched every few seconds, 
while his now broad shoulders chugged up and down. Elle grimaced at the 
ugly form her lord had just taken on. Roll and Nagi couldn't have been 
more surprised about it. 

Demon Mehus sniggered again, but this time with a demonic after-tone to 
his voice that really showed how much he had changed himself. "Heh, heh, 
heh, heh, heh! Now... you dare to enter into my palace and threaten me? 
You dare give me orders? You dare to bare your weapons at me? Know your 
ignorance!"

"Hmm..." Nagi stepped back from him, as did Elle, "...seems like this 
guy's can use magics to transform himself into... this thing... Dr. Oro 
didn't tell us about that."

Roll kept her eyes on the monster. "...No shit."

"And that's not all I can do!" Bellowed Mehus. The transformed Count 
crossed his thick arms over his heaving chest and growled lowly under 
his breath. Roll, Elle and Nagi locked their eyes on this as well. Mehus 
gathered more of those dark magics he had been endowed with, then 
separated his arms, spreading them outwardly. Two twin gusts of smoke 
reared up from the carpeted ground, one on either side of him. Those two 
smoke clouds rose up in size and height until they mirrored the mass of 
Mehus himself. Then the smoke dissolved. Leaving behind two identical 
copies of the Demon Ostantinople Lord. That was something that Nagi was 
not expecting. Shadow Copy magics. She had heard of it, in her past, but 
never had she met with someone who had that power to use before her. 

"That's a cute trick." Roll admitted. 

Nagi gripped Esdra even tighter than before. "...I haven't actually seen 
this kind of magic up close and personal before. So be on your guard."

Roll sniggered. But one of the Mehus copies was not as pleased to see 
that. The left Mehus monster growled violently and rushed ahead to 
strike at Roll. The younger swordswoman crouched down from the knees and 
stood on, waiting for the attack to come to her. Mehus #3 thrust its 
heavy talon right at the girl. While Roll dodged to one side of the 
swipe with a sudden shift of her feet. Roll came to another stop and 
withdrew Kusabana with lightning quick speed. Another of her powerful 
slashes came down on the target. And the long blade hacked right through 
Mehus #3's left arm. The monster-man shrieked aloud. Half of its arm was 
slashed off and then reverted back into the smoke it had been forged 
from. Roll sheathed Kusabana and grinned at this creature once more. 
Then turned that grin on Count Mehus. 

The real one.

"...That's not a half-bad skill, old man," She jibed, "now let me show 
you one of mine. After all, I couldn't very well come here and see that 
skill without picking up one of my own now, could I?"

Count Mehus and his two shadow copies snorted angrily. Unmoving. They 
wanted to know what Roll meant by that. Even Elle had to admit that she 
was a little bit curious as to what Roll was getting at. On the other 
hand, Nagi knew just what Roll was speaking about. The young warrior 
queen sighed and stepped back. Roll would be able to handle this on her 
own if she really meant to do what she was implying. Roll herself 
grinned with cunning. She spread her sandaled feet apart and grit her 
teeth. Then pressed her hand outwards. It pointed towards the real Count 
Mehus. She opened that hand and a vivid wind began to blow through that 
room. Even though now window or arrow-slit had been made in it. Then 
Roll's normally green eyes faded into a smooth plum-colour. The wind 
circled the girl's whole body with ease, causing the folds of her hakama 
flap against her legs. Then there was suddenly a bright flash at her 
hand. Count Mehus and his shadow-smoke copies were confused as to what 
this all was... because it did not feel like magic. But it was clearly a 
supernatural power. The chime and flash of the light came from Roll's 
hand in the shape of a small sphere. One that shot straight into the 
real Mehus' body. The bestial lord grunted but felt no pain as the orb 
of light disappeared into him. Then it reappeared seconds later. It shot 
out from his chest again. Then cruised right back to Roll, this time 
with a smoky-yellow colour to it. The light ball buried itself in Roll's 
chest from the thin gap between her breasts. Which caused both the light 
and the wind to cease. 

Mehus #2 laughed arrogantly. "Ha, ha, ha! What the hell was that 
supposed to be?!"

Roll said nothing at that point. Just kept up her grin. But then she did 
something odd. She crossed her arms over her torso as Count Mehus had 
previously done. When she did this, two puffy clouds of smoke appeared 
beside her. Those smoky clouds developed greater mass until they were 
equal in size with Roll. Then the smoke wafted away. Which left behind 
the results. Elle and the Mehus' copies gasped at the sight. 

Two identical copies of Roll. 

The pair of them were exactly the same as Roll herself. Right down from 
her short chocolate brown hair to her long sheathed sword at her waist. 
The three Rolls laughed in unison with each other, magnifying their 
voices. "Heh, heh, heh! Not laughing now, huh? Let me explain something. 
My power is YOUR power. I can steal the special skill of ANYONE I face 
in battle. Permanently."

The first Count Mehus growled angrily at her. "...I have heard of your 
kind before... you're a Soul Stealer!"

"You betcha!" Yelled the three swordswomen, "And this ain't the only 
Soul Power we've ever stolen! Let me show you another of my special 
skills!"

Each of the three Rolls pulled up their right hands. Bright glows of 
blue encircled those three hands. All as dazzling as each other. And 
that energy did not stay stoic for long. The sound of blasting energy 
rent the air and cut through any defence that Mehus and his copies would 
have been able to muster. Three powerful beams of energy shot outwards 
at one of the three Mehus', individually. Both of the smoke copies 
shrieked when the beams cut through their own bodies. They both 
instantly returned to smoke, blasted away like nothing. But a special 
kind of force was reserved for the real Count Mehus. The final beam 
struck him dead centre through the chest. And explosions of green blood 
and sallow guts were prevalent as the beam tore through his tattered 
clothing and burned through his ribcage. The beam burst back out from 
the gap between his shoulder blades. Along with the sickly, plopping 
matter of his innards. It all splattered on the ground behind him. Elle 
cringed at this, at the sheer gore of the attack, but it was over. A 
glazed-over look was in the eyes of the Count when the beam faded away. 
The rest of his body toppled to the ground without a word spoken in 
retort. Roll grinned again, while her smoke-copies dissolved back into 
smoke. Very few people in the world could stand up to her Energy Rapier 
skill, with or without armour. A little trick she picked up while 
fighting monsters in the Norhian Wilderness. 

"Well now!" The brunette placed her hands against her hips, "that was 
easier than expected! Even managed to pick myself up a new power! I'd 
say that Dr. Oro will be really pleased with our work today!"

Nagi sighed at that. "Stop patting yourself on the back. More of Count 
Mehus' guards could be back here at any minute. We have to wait 
patiently until Sapphire gets here-"

The queen of the Xian was silenced at the sound of a large and 
thunderous roar. It was that of a dragon. All three of the young women 
turned to the far wall. Suddenly there was a gigantic boom of noise. The 
sound of a wall being smashed open. Brick and stone was thrown in every 
which direction alongside the dust. Elle cringed at that. But she 
cringed even more when she looked at the creature hovering by the new 
hole in the wall. Just as they had thought, it was a dragon. A teenage 
Sky Dragon. Which were, in this world, known as wyverns. The winged 
beast shrieked from the newly revealed opening to the outside. Waiting 
for Roll and Nagi.

Nagi reattached Esdra to her back and ran for the dragon. Roll turned to 
Elle and took note of that fearful look in her eyes. There was still so 
much that this girl didn't seem to understand. "Hey. Take it easy. That 
dragon's real... but it's just a conjuration made by our friend, 
Sapphire. It came here to take us away from this nasty place. Trust us, 
okay? We won't hurt you."

Though she couldn't completely understand the reason why, Elle felt as 
though she could trust this girl. "...Okay."

The three of them then made a break for the hole in the wall. Leaving 
behind the dead Mehus and the remains of his defeated guards. An 
Ostantinople Lord had been defied. All for the sake of retrieving a girl 
who was far more significant than anyone currently knew. 

**********

THE LAST SAGA 3 - World of the Clandestine 

**********

Prime Minister Joseph Reidenbacht (junior) was a dangerous man.

Fifty years ago, it was his father, Joseph Reidenbacht senior, that had 
led the Norhian Civil War. That bloody and fatal war that ended with the 
destruction of the Norhian Monarchy all those years ago. It was a nasty 
affair. But by the end of it, a parliament had been established. And the 
many years of suffering from famine and corruption were over. That was 
not to say that the Norhian Parliament was any less devious than the old 
monarchy. But... the people were satisfied to the greatest length. 
Business, trade and culture had flourished under the current regime. In 
the not so distant past, people had to fight to the bitter end for food 
and shelter. But now it was a given. The populace was happy with this. 
And because of the recent boom in the Norhian Economy, the hard life 
offered under the late Norhian Monarchy seemed even more intolerable. 
Few were wishing to go back to that. Which made the idea of a reverse 
revolution in favour of a new monarchy seem... far more unlikely. 

At the head of all this prosperity was the son of the man who had begun 
it. That young man was Joseph Reidenbacht junior. By far the most 
politically powerful man in Norhia, possibly even the world. Although he 
had to submit to the will of parliament if they were all united in 
motion to stand against one of his policies, Reidenbacht was effectively 
all-powerful. The symbol of this power was his gigantic home. The place 
where all prime ministers would stay while in power. The Lambton 
Mansion. It was a large palace on the edge of the capital city of 
Norhia, Oswyn. It was a huge building full of all the old niches and 
cultural details that truly defined the lives of the Norhian upper 
classes. All the fine paintings, marble statues, rose gardens, imported 
throwovers and rugs; all stood for the power of the Reidenbacht dynasty. 

Something that Reidenbacht himself was determined to secure and protect.

The prime minister sighed and leaned back on his smooth leather chair. 
In one hand was his lit cigar. Billowing little traces of smoke. In the 
other was a glass of brandy. Another little weakness of Reidenbacht's. 
He was only 29 in years, but lived like any older politician would in 
Norhia. He took a sip from his glass of brandy then set it back down on 
his desk. Then he heard a knock on the door to his office. 

"You may enter." He offered to the knocker. 

The door clicked when opened. And three figures walked into 
Reidenbacht's room. Ones he was more than pleased to see at this point. 
The first was the shortest. And probably the most ruthless. A little 
belle named Molly. Molly Ragwurm. A ten-year-old clad in a large and 
frilly dress, in the colours of sky blue and pearl white. On her 
shoulder was her small and brown-furred pet monkey, known as 'Coconut'. 
He went with Molly wherever she dared to go. It was common knowledge 
that the two were almost inseparable. The cute and freckled redhead 
giggled upon entering Reidenbacht's office. But such a childish action 
did little to hide the bloodthirsty look of deviousness in Molly's eyes. 
Though she was only young, her power was that of magic. Higher magics 
that had been cultivated in her family for centuries. The clash of 
innocence in her appearance and ruthless power in her soul made Molly 
stand out more than most. Her magical strength was the major reason to 
overlook her age. 

Another of the three stood at the right. A male. Far older than Molly. 
And his name was Zuriel. But while Molly was playful and devious, Zuriel 
was straight-laced and serious. Though he had no special powers of his 
own, Zuriel was the commander of a section of the Norhian military. 
Those fighters were known as the Blizzard Guard. One of the most violent 
and influential divisions of the Norhian army. 

But, the most noteworthy figure in that group was the one who stood in 
the middle. Dressed in a regal suit in the tones of white, violet and 
gold. That suit was concealed by the hoodless full-body white cloak that 
surrounded his upper and lower body. Younger than Zuriel and older than 
Molly, this blonde man smiled softly with a dazzling intensity that 
marked out the great and unpredictable levels of power that boiled 
within him. The highest ranking magic user in Reidenbacht's regime and 
his closest chief advisor. 

A sorcerer known as... Sydney Linus Krauser.  

Reidenbacht nodded to Krauser, Molly and Zuriel. "So. You're finally 
here. How did your little errand in Catheriah go?"

Molly giggled innocently while little Coconut chirped on her shoulder. 
"It went fine, sir! Everything went just as we planned it! We didn't 
even need the Blizzard Guard on this occasion!"

"Be that as it may," Krauser interjected, "We did not find the Gold 
Crystal in the ruins. They have been secured at least. Further 
inspection of them may prove to be fruitful. Now that all the monsters 
plaguing the site have been killed at our hands."

Reidenbacht nodded. "Good. It is unfortunate that we have not found the 
Gold Crystal as yet. But the elimination of those Catherian ruins leaves 
only one place left on the list. And you know that place quite well, 
don't you, Krauser?"

The noble blonde man nodded. "Yes. The Stone Temple. I had hoped to 
visit the precinct before leaving Catheriah to return here. But it was 
important that I relay the details of the mission in the ruins 
beforehand."

"You could have done so by having one of my servants pass on the 
message." Suggested Reidenbacht.  

"True," Krauser replied, "but I felt telling you in person would be a 
better course of action at the time, sir. Besides. I believe it would be 
wise to have the Blizzard Guard accompany us on the excursion to the 
Stone Temple. Legend has it, there is a powerful creature that sleeps 
within its halls to devour any and all intruders. Since it has not been 
checked in over three hundred years... I am sure that the Gold Crystal 
will be there. If not, then... the Stone Temple would surely provide 
some information on the Celestial Deities. It is, after all, one of the 
major points on earth where they can be summoned from beyond eternity."

The laidback Reidenbacht nodded to his advisor. "I trust this mission to 
your capable hands, Krauser. The Gold Crystal must be found soon. If its 
powers are as strong you say, then we can afford to procrastinate no 
longer. Catheriah bubbles over on the brink of revolution. It will take 
only the slightest stimulus to trigger it. But I want something bigger. 
Something that shall be grand. We do not want Catheriah to stumble into 
revolution. We want it thrown in head first. The stronger the sentiment, 
the more powerful the uprising. In that confusion we can seize power 
over all of Catheriah. Then the last of the world's great monarchies 
will be crushed. Catherine and her Sterngold family will at last be out 
of my way."

Zuriel bobbed his head. "Yes, sir. I have also sent some of my Blizzard 
Guard troops ahead to Catheriah to keep the Stone Temple Ruins secure. I 
will join them while Lord Krauser and Miss Ragwurm obtain the means to 
enter the ruins. Hopefully we may find more precious artefacts there as 
well. We will make sure that your plans are brought to light."

"Uh huh!" Agreed the young Molly, "When we return to Catheriah, it'll 
all be done!"

Just what the Prime Minister wanted to hear. He took a puff of his cigar 
and grinned, leaning back in his leather chair once more. 
"...Excellent."

**********

Night had fallen on Ostantinople.

Elle Stuart tightened the grip she had upon herself. Wrapping her arms 
around her knees and shifting a little closer to the fire that had been 
erected in the middle of the campsite. She held her head low, keeping 
her pondering blue eyes on the tongues of the flames. They were all 
brightened in this darkness. With only the moon and stars to offer 
light. After fleeing the small but fortified palace of the monstrous 
Count Mehus; Elle, Roll and Nagi fled upon the beating wings of the 
Wyvern. One of the few summoned beasts conjured by the one known as 
Sapphire. The dragon took them across the skies of the Ostantinople 
grasslands and over to the place at which they would camp. By a small 
lake far to the west of Mehus' domain. They were on the borderline 
between the region that Count Mehus ruled and over to somewhere else. A 
region ruled by an equally powerful but minor Ostantinople Lord called 
Count Illia. Illia was one of only four female lords in the Ostantinople 
aristocracy. She was known to be a fair and kind woman. But those 
working under her were also known to run brutal regimes without her 
knowledge. These lands of Illia's were known as the Green Dales. And the 
group had decided to camp here before nightfall. 

Elle sighed and looked up into the sky, marvelling at the constellations 
of the stars in the backdrop of the night. She was so grateful to be out 
of the clutches of Count Mehus. But she felt so odd about this whole 
situation that she couldn't really say her thanks in the way that she 
would have wanted. Across from her were her rescuers. Nagi and Roll. The 
two of them were asleep. Roll snored loudly with her head propped up 
over a log, Kusabana unattached from her belt. While Nagi snoozed 
elegantly away from her friend, arms crossed and head tucked closely to 
her chest (as much as possible). From the little time that Elle had 
spent with Roll and Nagi so far, the blonde could see that they liked to 
bicker. A lot. Thus when they were both quiet and asleep like this, it 
better showed their personal beauties. Or so Elle thought. 

A voice then called to her from behind. "...How are you feeling, little 
one?"

The timid Elle jerked her head around, almost suddenly, until she 
realized that the person calling to her was not someone to be afraid of. 
Elle's worried expression eased into a fragile smile when she saw the 
owner of the voice. Sapphire. A mystic woman who accompanied Roll and 
Nagi on their mission. The one who conjured the Wyvern. Elle eyed her 
from top to bottom. The mysterious Sapphire was quite the sight to 
behold. Her cinnamon brown skin wrapped in a thin night dress, navy 
blue, which shimmered in the moonlight. Her dangling hoop earrings and 
her many gold wrist bangles jingled with each stride she made on those 
small, sandaled feet of hers. While her long black hair swayed from one 
side of her waist to the other, braided and adorned with beads of 
colour, varying from white to red to gold. She was also older than Elle 
and the others. Sapphire was in her mid-20's; which showed in her clever 
rationality and ability to moderate the enthusiasm of Roll and the 
vanity of Nagi. 

Sapphire was, more or less, the 'brain' of their group. 

Elle nodded to the older woman as she approached. "I feel fine. Thank 
you. If not for you three, I would still be in Mehus' manor. I shudder 
to think of what he would have done to me if I had stayed there any 
longer."

"There is no need to thank me," Sapphire commented, slowly crouching 
down before the campfire, "It was Roll and Nagi that did most of the 
work. I simply gave them a method of escape from that place. But it was 
lucky that they got to you in time. Our friend, Dr. Oro, has told us to 
get you back to him as soon as possible."

Elle smiled again. But this time more genuinely. "I am glad... that he 
has not forgotten me." 

"I doubt that he ever would. That old man does not often offer us so 
much money for a single job. But we could not refuse it. You see... Dr. 
Oro has helped us many times in the past. We consider this to be our 
favour to him."

"Is that why the three of you are together?" Questioned the blonde, 
"Because you do 'jobs' for people? I find it hard to believe that three 
warriors as powerful as you would just stumble into each other by 
chance."

The older Sapphire chuckled lightly. "I suppose you could see it like 
that. We are all special, in some way, shape or form. Nagi over there, 
is the last remaining descendant of a warrior race known as the Xian. 
They were exterminated fifty years ago during the climax of the Norhian 
Civil War. All due to their support of the monarchy. But her father and 
mother managed to escape from the destruction of their village. And Nagi 
was born to them much later on. But they both died of sickness by the 
time she turned ten. Since then Nagi has more or less raised herself."

"And what about you?"

"...Me?" Sapphire's sweet blue eyes drifted off with nostalgia, "...I am 
what they would call a 'God Summoner'. I have the ability to call on the 
spirits of dead creatures and restore them with physical bodies for 
short periods of time. This power I have is one I carry from birth. For 
I am a member of the Cloud Dancer Tribe. We are all born with this 
power, you see. I grew up in my homeland, Catheriah, in a town called 
the Village of the Wind. Built on the shores of the Norhian Sea. Life 
there was nice for me. In my younger years I would often play with my 
brothers at the waterfalls. Then everything changed. My grandfather 
began to have dreams of a great evil. One that was threatening to 
swallow up the world. These dreams of his were reoccurring. And soon 
afterwards, we all began to feel a disturbance in the Unumbanga."

Elle blinked questioningly. "Unumbanga?"

"It is a word of the old language of the Cloud Dancer tribe. It means 
'Spirit of the Earth'. It is the very life-force of our planet. Even 
now... I can feel it crying out. In agony. We all knew that this was a 
dire omen. So, three years ago, my grandfather sent me out to discover 
more about the disturbance in the Unumbanga. I had to start with someone 
who knew much about the world and the way it works. That led me to Dr. 
Oro. In my search for him, I joined with Nagi and then later Roll. We 
have been friends ever since. And though I did not find out what is 
causing the disturbance from Dr. Oro, he promised to keep searching for 
the answer until he discovers it himself."

"I see. And what about...?"

"...Roll?" Sapphire filled in, "Well, she's a little fireball, that is 
for certain. Though she may seem like the most talkative of the three of 
us, she speaks very little about her past. You do not have to look hard 
to see that it was an unhappy one. What I do know is that Roll's village 
was completely destroyed when she was about eight years old. This act 
was caused by a single man. Though I do not know who this man is. 
Neither does Roll. Sometimes I think that Dr. Oro may know more about 
Roll's past than he lets on... but for the most part, Roll keeps those 
memories to herself. But she has deeper significance than that. She is-"

Elle joined the dots herself. "...A Soul Stealer?"

"You know about them?" Asked the older woman. 

The blonde shook her head as a no. "Count Mehus called her that. I 
didn't really understand what that meant..."

Sapphire cast her eyes to the sleeping Roll. "A Soul Stealer is a unique 
human being. Born with the power to 'steal' the strength and abilities 
of their enemies. It is a rare but legendary ability that occurs in 
mankind from time to time. But Roll is different somehow. From what I 
learned from Dr. Oro, a normal Soul Stealer can only copy a being's 
abilities for short periods of time. Not unlike my God Summoning. But 
when Roll takes a power... she gains that power permanently. It is a 
remarkable strength that most people have never even heard of. I can 
sense that a great destiny lies ahead of her because of it. But whether 
this destiny ends in happiness or misery... is something that I cannot 
foretell."

"Wow," Elle uncurled her arms from her drawn-up knees, "I had no idea 
that Roll had that kind of power."

"Yes. But I cannot say that it is always a force for good. You know how 
Roll is very energetic and passionate? Well... she was not always so 
driven. When I first met Roll, she was very distant and quiet. Ever 
since she has been using those powers of hers, she has had changes in 
her very personality. I believe that... when she steals, or rather 
copies, the power of an opponent, she not only takes that power, but she 
also takes a little piece of their persona. I can feel that those pieces 
of her opponent's persona are beginning to culminate inside of her. I 
just hope that it does not lead to something tragic."

That was more than Elle could have believed on its own. The beautiful 
blonde watched the sleeping Roll from her position across the fire. She 
seemed to normal right now. But Roll had deep powers inside her. Just 
like Elle did. "...So what happens now?"

"Well..." Sapphire smiled at the younger woman, "we were given the task 
of tracking you down and bringing you back to Dr. Oro. So we will do 
just that. As you must know, he lives in a small laboratory to the north 
of the Green Dales. We just need to focus on getting you there safely."

**********

Dyrnabog Castle.

A great stone building that had been erected thousands of years ago by 
Catherian soldiers who had rebelled against the rule of the monarchy on 
their own lands. Thus they sailed to Norhia to establish themselves. 
Those settlers built many castles to their name. Dyrnabog Castle was the 
last remaining one of them. It had seen much decay in years. The spire 
of the many towers that were rotting away in the dust. The stone pillars 
that Dyrnabog used to hold itself up were crumbling. Yet still it stood. 
In the darkness illuminated only by moonlight. Far at the top tower, the 
keep of the castle, two wisps of wind energy blew into the grand upper 
hall. Two figures came into sight where those wind clusters arrived. 
They were Krauser and Molly.

Krauser's white cloak flapped from the windy energies of his 
teleportation, but slowly came to a stop when the energy subsided. Molly 
giggled gently as her little Coconut looked around on her shoulder. 
Neither of them had been there before. But Krauser had. He clearly held 
much in the way of knowledge about this ancient stone castle. 

Molly looked up at her superior. "Lord Krauser? Why have we come here? I 
thought we were going to the Stone Temple Ruins in Catheriah...?"

"...We are," Krauser answered, "but I need to obtain something first. 
You see... the Stone Temple is not only guarded by an ancient 
creature... but access to it is prohibited by a very powerful shield. 
Even my magics cannot break it. We need something before we go there. A 
kind of 'key'. A tool that will allow us to pass through that shield."

Molly nodded. "Okay then. So tell me this, sir. What on earth is this 
place?"

"Dyrnabog Castle. A bastion of Catherian men who fled from Catheriah 
millenniums ago. They came here to Norhia and plotted a revolt against 
their country in secrecy. But this failed. Those deluded men never 
amassed the sort of support necessary to overthrow the rule of the 
Catherian Monarchy. This is the last castle of those Catherian rebels. I 
found it quite some time ago. I remember being told of a castle haunted 
by spirits of the dead. I had to see it for myself. And when I came to 
Dyrnabog... I purged this place of its lost souls. Then made it one of 
my many bases of action. Thus I placed the key to the Stone Temple 
Barrier here after I discovered it in Ostantinople."

"I see." Coconut squeaked on Molly's shoulder as she responded. But 
after this she looked around the great hall of Dyrnabog. Along the walls 
were many images of higher beings. Great powerful creatures that came 
from beyond the stars, and from the depths of the earth. These images 
were in the forms of primitive carvings. It added to the gloomy and 
foreboding climate of the castle on the whole. But Molly felt right at 
home here. Krauser then noticed the chilling redhead whilst her eyes 
darted from one side to the other, observing any and all of the 
carvings. 

The older smiled, shutting his eyes. "So you can feel the significance 
of these carvings, yes?"

Molly nodded, wordlessly. 

"I thought so. This too is one of the main reasons I chose Dyrnabog as a 
station of my operations. Because it houses the ancient artworks of 
those who came across the great power of the Celestial Deities. The 
legend is clear. And I have been able to decipher it from what I have 
seen here. Many ages ago there was great suffering and misery in the 
world. Men fought and butchered each other in the name of greed and 
power. The land was impossible to farm as it had been. Leading to great 
famine and starvation across the four countries of the world. The 
festering corpses of the dead that were scattered to the fates, 
abandoned in fear, soon thereafter sprouted the pestilence of plague. 
Which ravished the population and raped the world of even more lives. 
The skies had turned black with the evil hearts of the people. It may 
have appeared to be the end of earth as our ancestors knew it. Until 
they appeared..."

Molly blinked. "...They...?"

"The Four Wise Men," Responded the blonde sorcerer, "the four greatest 
magicians of that age. Perhaps of any age. Each came from a respective 
country. One from Norhia, one from Catheriah, one from Micaea, and the 
other from Ostantinople. They saw the darkness in the souls of those who 
ruled and lived in the world. The darkness that would generate evil the 
likes of which had never been seen. Before a great tragedy took place, 
the Four Wise Men used all of their powers and summoned creatures from 
both space and the centre of the earth. Those organisms were named 
Ixram, Sczamahchai, Anaxagoras, and Thanatos. And they were The Four 
Demon God Kings of the Celestial Deities. The four most powerful deities 
ever to be contacted by human beings. The Wise Men pleaded... and 
demanded... for the beings they summoned to quell the darkness in 
mankind. But those men were fooled by power. And thus they were 
possessed by the will of the very same entities they had summoned. The 
Demon God Kings crossed over the world and plagued each of the four 
countries. Destroying anything that came into their way. Until one group 
came together. Seven men and women who were set against the violent rule 
of the Demon God Kings. The greatest hero of the seven wielded a magical 
sword known as Deuel. One by one, that hero destroyed all of the Four 
Wise Men. Because their mortal vessels were killed, the Demon Gods were 
weakened. Enough for them to be sealed away in four select locations 
across the world. So far... I have only been able to locate two of them. 
One being the Stone Temple Ruins. The other is Freeda Abbey. But the 
less said about that place the better. For now we will concentrate on 
the Stone Temple."

Molly giggled again. "Of course. No matter what stands in the way, I 
will destroy it in your name, Lord Krauser. Then everything planned will 
come to light."

"Correct. Now. To obtain what we came here for."

There was a far door built of wood across the hallway. Krauser walked 
towards it while Molly followed closely behind him in short strides. 
Before his hands could touch upon it, the blonde nobleman flashed his 
eyes in the colour of a dark gold. His magic was invoked. The lock that 
bound that door opened up shortly afterwards. The wooden door then swung 
open for the new master of this castle and his cute/devilish 
subordinate. Krauser and Molly strode through the doorway and into a 
whole new hall. It was mostly empty. Just like the one before it. 
However in the centre of the room was a stone altar. And on that altar 
was the key to the barrier that surrounded the Ruins of the Stone 
Temple. Krauser's smile widened while Molly just blinked and took in the 
image of the key. It looked very ordinary. Like any other iron key that 
would open any normal door. 

"Is that it?" Questioned the redhead.

The pure sorcerer nodded. "Yes, Molly. This is the key to the barrier. I 
placed it here, as you know, for safekeeping. It was secure here. Few 
people know of Dyrnabog Castle. Those that do rarely come to it. I knew 
that the item would be best protected from probing hands here more than 
anywhere else."

But that led to another question from Molly. "...Wait a second, sir. If 
you already had the key to the barrier, then why haven't you made an 
attempt to enter the Stone Ruins before this? You did say that reaching 
the Celestial Deities was your life work."

"..." Krauser was not quick to reply, "...I had my hands full with other 
locations. But my attempts there came to naught. I turned my attentions 
to the Stone Temple Ruins when it became obvious that I... would need 
lesser power beforehand. But even the Stone Temple will be a challenge. 
The beast that we warned Reidenbacht of? I have seen it in my mind. It 
is the Gold Dragon"

"Gold Dragon?"

Krauser nodded, walking over to the altar with the key on it. "...Yes. A 
formidable creature. I have foreseen its strength. It is the offspring 
of another monster. One that died shortly before I found the key. Both 
of them are strong enough to challenge my rights to the ruins. Before I 
dared attempt to raid them... I had to be sure that my own powers were 
enough to win the battle with the Gold Dragon. I believe that time has 
come. And with the backing of the Norhian Government behind me... things 
may go even more smoothly than I had planned."

In the second, Krauser opened his cloak and reached out with one of his 
hands. He clasped the key in between his fingers and drew his arm back 
into the confides of his cloak, turning back around to Molly. "Come, 
Molly. There is little more to be done here. We must be off."

That white, gold and purple cloak whipped around Krauser's torso when 
magical wind energy surrounded him again. In a flash he was gone, his 
teleportation magic taking him from Dyrnabog Castle to their next stop. 
Molly smirked and did the same, her sky blue dress waving around her 
small ankles. "Time to go, Coconut!"

Both were gone in seconds.

**********

"Looks like we're here!"

Crossing Green Dales from where the group had camped was not hard even 
in the least. It had been a while since Roll, Sapphire and Nagi had 
approached Dr. Oro's Laboratory from the south but they knew there way 
around this area like they did their own bodies. And thus they came 
along to the lab of their current benefactor. The wise old master of 
sage magics and a skilled adept in the ways of the world. Dr. Oro. Roll, 
Nagi, Sapphire and Elle strode up to the top of one of the many hills 
that made up the turbulent landscape of Green Dales. Below their very 
feet was the laboratory of the adept himself. 

It was not a normal building. The laboratory was shaped like hexagon of 
tall stone that had been erected many years ago. Even though the lab was 
quite old in years, it looked freshly built. Smoke rose up from one of 
the three chimneys at the roof of the small home, while an electrode 
charged with magical energy flickered around alongside them. A cool wind 
swept through the valley that Dr. Oro's lab was located in, adding to 
the kind of haunting feeling that was prevalent throughout Ostantinople. 
But the man inside it was far from haunting. At least not in that sense. 
Roll lowered herself to one knee and smirked, rubbing the underside of 
her nose whilst looking down at the laboratory.

"I wonder if the old man's home right now?"

Nagi crossed her arms. "We'll wait for him if he isn't. I would not like 
to think that I wasted my time in rescuing this girl because that old 
man skipped out on the payment."

"Oh, you know that Oro isn't like that," Sapphire chided, "He's a good 
man. A little eccentric, but still, a good man."

Soon enough Roll stood back up on her feet. "Meh. Lets just see if he's 
in."

And of course, Roll was the first to act on her own command. With a 
giddy yell she jumped down off the top of the hill down to the bottom 
grass below. Nagi sighed with resignation at that but followed the 
action, jumping off the hill herself. Sapphire (and most certainly Elle) 
was not quite as reckless as that; so walked down the lowering stretch 
of the hill and slowly made the way to the lab. Once the two of them 
caught up with Nagi and Roll, Sapphire gently knocked on the door to Dr. 
Oro's laboratory. A creaky old voice yelled back at the door from the 
innards of the structure, saying,

"Is that the sound of my girls coming back with what I asked?"

Sapphire giggled, Roll chuckled, and Nagi heaved a sigh. Elle remained 
somewhat stoic. Still caught up in everything that had happened so far. 
Nagi shoved the door straight open and entered with the others taking up 
the rear. Thus revealing that lab that all four of them had seen so many 
times before. It was packed with beakers and tubes that contained and 
heated certain chemicals. Numerous in amount and variety. Along the 
walls and over the tables were many ancient ornaments from across the 
world. Beside the left wall there was a tall bookcase. Loaded with 
dozens of books that spanned across many subjects. From philosophy to 
magical engineering. And on the other walls were hundreds of little 
sheets of paper. Oro's notes. As soon as he got a plan into his head or 
a theorem for a magical spell, he made sure to write it down on a piece 
of paper and stick it on his wall so he could mull over all of them at a 
later date. This was that laboratory of Dr. Oro. And the old man himself 
stood in the centre of all its intricacies. Dr. Oro, the old, stooping, 
suit-wearing magician with a oak staff in his hand, stood before the 
four women who had come to him on this day. His wrinkled lips parted 
into a smile, and from those same lips came an amused bout of laughter. 

"Aha, ha, ha!" Laughed the sage, "I knew the three of you would be okay! 
Count Mehus and all his men would never have been a match for you. And I 
see that you brought Elle back to me safe and sound."

Elle's normally mild expression brightened immensely. "Doctor!"

"It's good to see you, my dear," Replied the older man, "Mehus and his 
dogs were swift in their kidnap of you. I should have pursued you 
myself. But I had to remain here. Still, I knew that Roll, Sapphire and 
Nagi were more than a match for the mission. I am indebted to you all."

Roll grinned greedily at him. "Yeah, well you can replay that debt with 
the gold pieces you promised us, old man."

"Ah, you young ones and money." Dr. Oro shook his head. He then reached 
behind his back with his free hand and pulled out a sack full of gold 
pieces. The old magician tossed the small brown bag of money over to 
Roll, who caught it in the air. 

Roll pulled open the sack and smiled at the cash inside. "Whoa! You 
didn't steer us wrong, old man! This should see us over for quite 
sometime!"

It was for this money that the group had gone to Mehus' dwellings, but 
there was an even more important question on Sapphire's mind. One that 
she felt needed answering. "Um, excuse me, Doctor? May I ask you 
something?"

Dr. Oro tugged a smile. "Polite as always, my dear. What is it, 
Sapphire?"

"Um..." The God Summoner looked over at Elle, "What is your connection 
to this girl? It seems like the two of you know each other. But you've 
never mentioned her before."

The old wizard sniggered, almost childishly. "Direct! I like that. 
However, let me end the confusions you may have. This is Elle Stuart. 
She is the daughter of a very well-known family of magical researchers 
from the northern lands of Ostantinople. Elle happens to be the last 
surviving member of that family. And more important than that... is the 
secret property that is bound to her blood."

Elle looked over at her rescuers, with somewhat of a small, sheepish 
frown. "...I am... I have the power... to..."

"You needn't," Dr. Oro said, cutting her off, "That is not important 
right now. What needs to be said is this. Elle is very special. She was 
raised by a friend of her family's after the... death of her parents. 
When that woman died years later, she entrusted Elle's guardianship to 
me. It was the best way to keep Elle from falling into the wrong hands. 
For there are men out there would more than love to use Elle's gifts for 
wrongdoing. Her powers are unique. A few years ago, when Elle had grown 
enough to live alone, I let her live this way in a nearby village. It 
was only few days ago I realized that Count Mehus had raided the village 
and seized Elle. But I could not rescue her myself. Thus I summoned the 
three of you."

Sapphire nodded. "I get it. So Elle is a friend of yours. With great 
magics. So you keep her safe from harm in case someone may seek her out 
to misuse those powers."

"That is correct." Answered the wizard.

Nagi scratched her temple. "Hold on a minute. If a village in Green 
Dales was attacked just a few days ago by Count Mehus, then why hasn't 
Count Illia taken any action against him? Normally something like this 
would constitute war between Ostantinople Lords."

The smile on Dr. Oro's face fell. He turned his back to Nagi and the 
others, whilst walking towards a circular steel basin, propped up by a 
wooden table and filled with water. "...I fear that Count Mehus... is in 
the pocket of the Norhian Government. If this this true, then I assume 
Count Illia was fearful of invoking discontent with the Norhian Prime 
Minister, Joseph Reidenbacht."

"Reidenbacht," Nagi scowled at the mention of his name, "...bastard. His 
father helped to destroy my people and our history. If the Gods were 
kind enough grant me the opportunity, I would have him dancing on the 
end of my Esdra..."

Dr. Oro continued. "Regardless, I strongly think that Mehus and the 
other Ostantinople Lords are pending union with Reidenbacht and the 
current Norhian Government. But not out of truce or even power hunger. 
But rather... out of fear. Norhia has grown exponentially since the 
Civil War that caused the Norhian Monarchy and the likes of the Xian to 
be wiped from the face of the earth. Their militaristic and economical 
powers have reached heights that cause fright in even Queen Catherine 
XXIII and the many Ostantinople Lords. The Norhian Army is currently 
amassing all manners of weaponry, including magically-powered firearms 
and field artillery. Even magically-powered airships. And I also 
believe... that Reidenbacht and his regime are turning their eye on 
Catheriah."

Sapphire gasped. "My homeland? What would they want with it now?"

Nagi's question was far more direct. "Are they preparing for another 
war?"

"...No." Dr. Oro lowered his eyes, "I do not think that Reidenbacht will 
risk such an action as yet. Though Norhia is by far the most powerful 
nation in the world, I believe that war with Catheriah would be 
damaging, almost crippling, to the Norhian power base. And if the Lords 
of Ostantinople were to unify and capitalize on that weakness... well, 
it would spell the end of Reidenbacht. I think that the Prime Minister 
has a more covert plan in mind. He seeks to provoke revolution in 
Catheriah. Not unlike that which befell Norhia, fifty years ago."

Sapphire was visibly shocked. "...It cannot be..."

Finally, Roll made a comment about something other than money. "So 
you're saying that this guy Reidenbacht wants Catheriah to get rid of 
its monarchy? What good would that do? I mean, just 'cause Queen 
Catherine goes, it doesn't really mean that a Catherian Government would 
be any easier to overthrow."

"Think about it, Roll," Suggested Oro, "The weakness caused by the 
Norhian Civil War caused the nation to fall to its knees. It is only 
thanks to the current government that Norhia is a stable country, let 
alone a successful one. Just imagine if something like that were to 
happen to Catheriah during this Norhian growth spurt. Reidenbacht would 
have no problems in seizing Catheriah for his own. And if the Norhian 
and Catherian military were unified, that empire would be able to 
conquer Ostantinople EFFORTLESSLY. Do you all realize what that means? 
If Reidenbacht were to successfully provoke civil war in Catheriah, he 
could take control over the entire world in a matter of years." 

Elle placed her hands together. "Isn't there anything... that can be 
done...?"

"...I believe there is..." Oro turned his head around to look at the 
four girls, "...Sapphire. Do you recall that when we first met, you 
sought to discover the truth behind the disturbance in the Spirit of the 
Planet? I have discovered the reason."

Sapphire's bluish eyes widened. "You have? Really?"

"Yes," Dr. Oro responded, "I think that it is being caused... by a 
feeling of apprehension. Of fear. Of an impending power that threatens 
to swallow up any and all defences that the planet can create for 
itself. The power that brought pandemonium to earth all those eons ago. 
Do you know of what I speak?"

The worry in Sapphire converted into outright terror. "Dear Gods! Are 
you telling me that someone is attempting to make contact with the 
Celestial Deities again?!"

The aging man nodded. "Yes. I believe so. The folly of the Four Wise Men 
is about to be repeated. Although I cannot be sure of the reason, 
someone out there is attempting to make contact with the Celestial 
Deities again."

"Celestial Deities?" Nagi blinked, "What on earth are they?"

Sapphire answered for her. "They are... relentlessly overwhelming and 
destructive creatures. So great and so terrible in their strength that 
it is said that they have the power to consume the world in oblivion. My 
people are well versed in the legends of the Celestial Deities. For we 
worship the Gods; Onreld (God of Light/Life), Aeraph (Goddess of 
Darkness), Ishu (Goddess of Love and War), Divinity (Goddess of 
Thunder), Serene (Goddess of Earth), Nai (God of Fire), Zaiki (God of 
Water) and Necros (God of Death). The ancient scriptures say that even 
the Gods were fearful of the power of the Celestial Deities. In an age 
of great sin, four men, who are called the 'Four Wise Men', summoned 
bestial creatures from both space and the heart of the earth. But they 
could not control the terrible, ancient power of the Deities, and thus 
they used the Four Wise Men as mortal vessels to commit horror after 
horror over the world. Until a young hero, carrying with him the magical 
sword Deuel, slew the Wise Men. His group of friends then sealed the 
Celestial Deities away. Using great buildings across the globe to act 
'sealing points' for their binding. I had heard that a man tried to 
unlock one of the Celestial Deities ten years ago. Thankfully he was 
unsuccessful. Someone stopped him. But if Norhia... actually meant to 
make another attempt..."

Oro nodded. "Who knows would kind of damage they could do. Come over 
here, you four. I wish to show you something."

Though stunned by the revelations of the Celestial Deities, Roll, Nagi, 
Sapphire and Elle listened to the doctor and strode over the lab to Dr. 
Oro himself. They ended up standing before that circular water basin 
that he had walked to. Once everybody was in a position to look into the 
water, Dr. Oro cast one of his bony hands over the surface of it. His 
magic flowed freely in the form of blue sparkles. Those sparkles touched 
the water softly. Causing a ripple effect. But this effect led to an 
image appearing in the water. It was like a window to a far off place. 
The girls all watched this. The setting shown in the mirror was of a 
large tower, rising upwards from a collection of ruined buildings and 
structures. Dozens of Norhian soldiers scrambled around at the foot of 
that tower.

"Where is that?" Asked Elle.

"It is Catheriah," Dr. Oro answered her, "To be precise, it is the Hiess 
Region of Northern Catheriah. The buildings you now look at are the 
Stone Temple Ruins. One of the four places in the world that holds back 
the power of a Celestial Deity. The soldiers at the base of the tower 
are the Blizzard Guard. A highly-trained division of the Norhian 
military. I suspect that their plan is to free the Celestial Deity of 
Catheriah, allow it to cause its destruction, then blame that on Queen 
Catherine XXIII. It would demoralize the Catherian Monarchy in the eyes 
of its people. Providing the perfect grounds for revolution."

Nagi's face showed her puzzlement. "But I don't get it. If these 
'Celestial Deities' are as uncontrollable as you two seem to be 
suggesting, then why would Reidenbacht believe that he, of all people, 
could manipulate them? What's to stop such a thing from laying waste to 
Norhia as well?"

Dr. Oro shook his head. "Now that is one thing I do not know. Perhaps 
Reidenbacht is not aware of the destruction that the Celestial Deities 
are capable of. Or perhaps he feels he has found some way of controlling 
them. I cannot be sure of the reason. All I am aware of, it the carnage 
that the Deities will cause. Reidenbacht's plans must be stopped. Before 
he frees one of the Celestial Deities."

Now Roll was beginning to catch on. "Whoa! Wait a minute! You're not 
suggesting that WE should be the ones to do that, are you?"

Sapphire's resolve hardened. "We cannot stand by and watch this happen! 
Now that I know what causes the agony of Unumbanga, I cannot simply turn 
my back on the possible solution like a coward! How would I ever return 
to my village and face my people, knowing that?"

"...Hold on a minute," Nagi interjected, "can't we just inform Queen 
Catherine of what's going on? I'm sure that she would take action 
immediately, regardless of how powerful Norhia is now."

Oro shook his head. "...We... cannot involve Catherine."

"Why not?" Roll questioned, "If Nagi's right about her then this could 
be over and done with before it even got started."

"Catherine is a noble woman. But we cannot tell her of this. Not because 
I wish not to, but because we simply have no real proof. Although 
Reidenbacht's plans are quite obvious, there is no solid evidence to 
suggest that he is attempting to contact the Celestial Deities. 
Catherine is wise enough not to risk conflict with the Norhian 
Government without definite evidence of wrongdoing. And I scarcely think 
that she will believe us in what we say. It would jeopardize the false 
peace between her kingdom and Norhia."

Roll's shoulders sagged. "In other words, we have to do it, yeah? Oh, 
man. I just can't believe that I'm about to get involved with something 
like this. But... I suppose I haven't got much choice in the matter, 
right?"

The old magician chuckled softly. "It would seem so, my dear. I know the 
three of you have had your hands full in rescuing Elle for me. But I 
would like to hire your services again, with an even greater payment, of 
course. Roll, Nagi, Sapphire? I want you... to stop the Blizzard Guard 
and whoever is leading them, from calling forth the Celestial Deity in 
the Ruins of the Stone Temple."

Sapphire nodded to him. "I will do this, sir."

"Meh," Nagi shrugged, "It wouldn't be the worst way to check out what 
the Norhian Military is really capable of. I heard that the Blizzard 
Guard can be absolutely ruthless. So I guess I'll tag along with 
Sapphire."

All eyes turned to Roll. The girl stared back at everyone else. It was 
pretty obvious that they wouldn't let themselves go without her, so in 
the end, what choice did she really have? The Soul Stealer sighed at 
this. "...Well... it wouldn't be the worst way to make some extra cash 
around here..."

Nagi snorted and looked away. "Money? Is that all you ever think about?"

"Don't you give me ANY of your crap, Nagi!" Roll yelled back, waving her 
arms, "Not all of us are bloodthirsty killers with chips on our 
shoulders!"

And Nagi's neck cranked back when she heard that one. "What did you just 
say to me?!"

Sapphire sighed while Elle tried to calm down the now bickering Roll and 
Nagi. Dr. Oro looked surprised from a brief moment. Then that surprise 
faded into charm. He smiled once more, in his usually cheerful manner, 
and allowed his girls to express themselves. If they could be this 
carefree in the face of the ominous Celestial Deities, then there was 
hope yet. 

**********

Zuriel, with his arms crossed and his mouth silent, watched with a 
smile. His Blizzard Guard troops had done well today. The Stone Temple 
Ruins had been secured. The powerful general stood at one of the walls 
of a nearby house. One that had been broken and worn. By both time and 
weather. It was the same situation for all the other buildings around 
this area. This part of Catheriah had once been a powerful trading post, 
considering its closeness to the sea. But a brutal battle between 
certain members of the Catherian nobility, 200 years ago, served to 
completely destroy this area's worth. Most people abandoned it before 
the conflict was even over. By the time the remaining swords were 
sheathed, Northern Catherians had left this place to its own. In the 
past, the town was called White Raven. But now the whole principality 
was just called the Stone Temple Ruins. All the houses, shops and huts 
surrounding the temple itself had been destroyed. There was no need to 
think of this as a town any longer. 

The Blizzard Guard; huge, bulky men and women, armed to the teeth with 
knives, swords, axes and armour, marched into position around the local. 
Most took point around the battered walls that surrounded the temple. 
Others stationed themselves in the ruins of the town itself. Zuriel had 
only taken around fifty of them with him to Catheriah. Though it was 
important to secure the ruins for Krauser to enter the temple, very few 
people actually came here. There was nothing of worth left in the town 
ruins. When the villagers fled the town during the conflict all those 
years ago, they had taken most of their goods with them. And for the 
most part, bandits had raided and pilfered everything that those 
villagers had left behind. 

The tall commander sighed and looked up into the sky. The clouds 
covering the skies were beginning to thicken. It was still light out. 
But the operation would begin soon enough. As soon as Krauser and Molly 
made their arrival. Which would not been too long now. When he heard a 
crackle of wind, Zuriel looked away from the sky and over to his right. 
Standing there instantly were Krauser and Molly (and Coconut) 
themselves. Little Molly ran a hand through her curly fire-orange bangs 
and scanned the ruins of the temple. 

"Ah!" She said eagerly, "See, Coconut? We're here!"

Krauser turned to Zuriel. "How have things proceeded?"

"Everything is under control, sir," Zuriel replied respectful, "my 
troops have secured the perimeter of the ruins and are in position to 
stop any intruders from interfering with your work."

"Good job," Praised Krauser, "Now the time has come. Molly? We must be 
off."

The little magic-user nodded to her master. Coconut made his usual 
squeaks and noises. Whenever Molly was excited, he was excited. Krauser 
then stepped forwards and walked towards the tall stone walls that 
protected the Stone Temple from outsiders. Molly skipped along behind 
him, following the blonde magician. The two of them passed through the 
open gates into the surrounds of the temple itself. Zuriel remained 
outside with the other soldiers of the Blizzard Guard however, for what 
would happen in there was not for him to see. He had no magical 
abilities anyway. It was necessary for Krauser and Molly to go alone. 
The two magic users strode through the courtyard and came to the front 
of the temple. It was a design very much resembling that of old 
Catherian belief. The stones that made it all up were of a sandy brown. 
It was a simple square-like structure. Into the walls were the carvings 
made by those of the ancient belief system. The most prevalent being the 
carvings of the gods. The most frequent being a watery knight with a 
powerful sword at his side. That was the Water God Zaiki. From his old 
studies, Krauser could recall that many Catherian people worshiped 
Zaiki. As God of Water, he was seen to have control over the sea and the 
rain. Prayer to him (in the opinions of the ancients and a few remaining 
believers) would assure safe sea travel and good harvests, thwarting the 
wrath of storm and drought. The Stone Temple Ruins were built by people 
that held a heavy connection to the Water God, probably more so than 
most, taking into consideration the fact that this was once a major 
trading outpost. 

Though the former town of White Raven was around 500 years old, this 
temple dated all the way back to the days of the Four Wise Men. It was 
thousands of years old. And unlike the contiguous town, these temple 
ruins had not suffered much in the way of damage. This was due to the 
strength of the barrier that protected it from the outside. One of the 
seals placed on this place by those who were victorious over the Four 
Wise Men. 

Molly looked the temple up and down. Though the barrier was invisible to 
the naked, human eye, her magical powers could detect the energy 
brimming from the shield. It was more than strong enough to repel all of 
her magics. "...Hmm. This barrier really is pretty tough."

"Fear not, Molly," Said Krauser, confidently, "We retrieved the key to 
this barrier from my base, Dyrnabog Castle, remember? The ancient magics 
that bind this place shall not obstruct my path any longer."

Soon after saying that, Krauser opened his pearly cloak and extended his 
hand. The key that he had picked up in Dyrnabog Castle was in that hand. 
He opened his palm and revealed it. The key, seemingly made of iron, 
rose up from his hand and into the air in an steady hover. It glowed 
brightly with the tint of gold, and continued to rise upwards. It 
reached a good few metres above the heads of Molly and Krauser. It then 
stayed in place for a brief few moments. And soon afterwards it shot 
itself forwards in an arrow-shaped blast of magic. The protective shield 
that secured the temple showed itself when the key arrow shot into it. 
The collision of energies had the shattering effect of a stone through 
thin glass. The great magical barrier was broken into thick shards. 
Which disappeared again after only a few moments in plain sight. The 
barrier was gone. And the key dissolved itself into its original shape. 
It returned to the hand of Krauser in the iron-like key form. He closed 
his palm and retracted his arm, allowing his hoodless white cloak to 
cover up his body again. The shield was taken care of.

Molly smirked. "That was easy enough!"

"As it should be," Replied Krauser, "Now, let us be off."

**********

The sun was beginning to fall over Ostantinople. 

It seemed to get darker here more easily than it did in Norhia or 
Catheriah. Something that Roll had just started to realize. Not that she 
liked to think of such things all that much. Right now she had to think 
about what was coming up later on. In the morning, they would all be 
heading off to Catheriah to stop whoever it was that was planning on 
making contact with the Celestial Deities. Such a plan seemed to be very 
alarming to both Dr. Oro and Sapphire. Which was no real surprise. 

Sapphire was journeying with them until Oro discovered what it was that 
was disturbing the planet. This happened to be the machinations of 
Reidenbacht, and his will to use the Celestial Deities to provoke civil 
war and revolution in Catheriah. It was understandable that she wanted 
to work to her fullest to stop this. Her Cloud Dancer Tribe were 
spiritual people, and Sapphire was no exception to that. 

As for Dr. Oro? Well, he WAS Dr. Oro, after all. He had a habit of 
getting involved in important issues. He made it his business to know 
when something big and bad was about to happen. More than anyone else in 
the world, was Roll's guess. 

Nagi's reasons for going were far more self-indulgent. Which suited her 
abundant narcissism to a razor's edge. All she wanted was to check out 
the skills of the Blizzard Guard, the most secretive division of the 
Norhian Army. The Blizzard Guard had not really been established during 
the days of the civil war and the Xian, so they had little connection to 
the end of Nagi's people. They worked under Reidenbacht (junior). But 
his father (Reidenbacht senior) had EVERYTHING to do with the death of 
the Xian. This was not the worst way for Nagi to help in the weakening 
of the Norhian Government. 

Roll couldn't guess for sure what Elle would be doing. She wanted to 
help out, and, according to Dr. Oro, she had a great power inside of 
her. But would it help against the Blizzard Guard? Roll didn't bother to 
think long about it. She simply sighed and leaned backwards. She 
happened to be sitting on one of the many hills that surrounded Dr. 
Oro's lab. Nagi and the others had gotten an early night in preparation 
for tomorrow. But Roll couldn't sleep on it. Even on that little 
excursion to Count Mehus' dwellings, Roll had been too excited to really 
get a good night's sleep. She enjoyed fighting more now than she 
previously did. Though Roll really had no idea why. 

The swordswoman remained silent, with the sheathed Kusabana unattached 
from her belt and resting beside her on the grass. She looked off into 
the sunset, pondering what was going to happen tomorrow, until she heard 
the snap of a twig. Roll's head jerked around to see who or what it was 
that caused the noise. Her concern eased when she saw Elle standing 
there, a tiny smile on her small, thin lips.

"Hey," She said softly, "May I join you?"

Roll shrugged. "Sure. Aren't you tired though? We had a long walk from 
Mehus' territory this morning. I would have thought that you'd be laid 
up in bed right now."

Elle smoothed out her skirt before sitting down next to Roll on the flat 
grass of the hill, facing the bright ruby sunsets that were a trademark 
of the Eastern country of Ostantinople. "I tried to sleep. But I just 
couldn't... relax. I keep thinking about what Mister Oro and Sapphire 
were saying. About the strength of those Celestial Deities."

"They're probably overreacting," Stated Roll simplistically, "I've 
fought dragons, ogres, soldiers, magicians and beasts in my time. None 
of them were enough to kill me. But if they want me to stop those things 
from being contacted, then I guess I have no choice. 'Cause the old man 
promised me some serious cash this time around."

"Is that all you're doing this for? Money?" Asked Elle.

Roll bobbed her head. "Yup. I really don't have any other reason to 
live."

"You can't honestly mean that," Those sweet blue eyes of Elle's grew 
concerned, "I am sure that you have another reason to live. If not for 
yourself, then for others. Don't you want to protect your friends? Nagi 
and Sapphire?"

Roll chuckled grimly. "They're my friends, alright. But they don't need 
me to protect them. Sapphire's a God Summoner. She can call on some 
strong creatures to do that job. And Nagi? Well, don't tell her I said 
this, but she's ten-times the warrior that I am. I can only keep up with 
those two thanks to my powers..."

"You mean the Soul Stealing?"

"...I guess Sapphire or the old man must have explained it to you."

"Sapphire did," Replied Elle, "She said that you had a special power. 
Then I remembered that I saw you 'steal' that ability of Count Mehus. 
That ability to copy yourself. When he called you a 'Soul Stealer' I put 
it all together. She just clarified things."

Roll shook her head. "Hey, I don't mind. It's not exactly a secret, or 
anything. My kind are rare, but we appear from time to time. My Dad was 
a Soul Stealer, too. Before he died, he taught me all about my powers. 
The process, the skill needed, the beings that can and can't be stolen 
from. In our village, we called him a hero. And I loved my Dad very 
much. When my mother passed away... he made sure to take care of me as 
best as he could. I miss them both, especially these days."

"...I'm sorry about that," Elle said, solemnly, "I know what it's like 
to not have your parents by your side. Especially when you need them 
most. So... how... did they die? If you don't mind me asking."

Roll's eyes hardened. And she looked out into the sunset with a heavy 
heart. "...My mother died from sickness when I was really young. Just 
when I was old enough to really remember her. And my Dad... he died 
protecting me. He used to be friends with Dr. Oro. Shortly after he came 
back from a meeting with the old man... it all happened. About ten years 
ago, when I was around eight. A huge fire swept through my village in 
Norhia. Nobody knew what was happening. It was so sudden that most of us 
couldn't even register it. The town elders called on all the able-bodied 
men to douse the flames before they got out of hand. My father, Enryu, 
joined with them. But while they were all doing this at the south of my 
village... a man came to us from the north..."

"Fucking bastard..." Roll socked her fist into her palm as she 
continued, "...to this day, I still don't know what his name is. But I 
remember his face. And what he looked like. A tall blonde guy with pale 
skin. A Norhian. Dressed in a white and gold cloak. And he kept 
demanding to know where the 'Gold Crystal' was. Whatever the fuck that 
is. When the village women tried to explain that they had no idea what 
he was talking about, he slaughtered all of them with his magic. I was 
terrified. I ran into my house and watched nervously as he ripped the 
limbs off the elderly. I watched him slice apart the kids with wind 
magic. And I realized then that it was HIM who started the fire. With 
magic. That was why it was so hard to put out. The man then marched door 
to door and demanded information about that Gold thing from people. I 
could hear all their screams when they told him that they didn't have a 
clue. When he came to my house, I tried to run. But he grabbed me and 
yelled at me. Screaming 'where's the Gold Crystal!?'. I told him I 
didn't know. Thankfully my Dad came. And managed to drive this guy off. 
The fire had been put out. And my Dad left me in the care of a friendly 
survivor. While he went off to catch the guy who did this. That was the 
last I ever saw of them. Both the white cloaked man and my Dad. The old 
man told me that he and my Dad worked together to stop the bastard that 
destroyed my village. But Dad died in the fight. The white cloaked man 
escaped from their grip. Ever since then... its just been me on my own 
against the world."

Elle was shocked by the story. To think that there was a man out there 
that had the power to do something like that. "...I'm so sorry, Roll."

"Ah, forget about it. That was a long time ago." The brunette shrugged 
Elle's comment off with a smile, then reached around her pocket and 
pulled out a little metal flask. It had brandy in it, "Fancy a swig?"

The gentle girl shook her hands as a no. "...Um... no thanks. I don't 
drink."

"Tch. Suit yourself."

Roll uncorked the flask and gulped down some of the brandy she had 
stashed. Elle sighed and gathered her legs up against her body, wrapping 
her arms around her knees like she always did whilst sitting out of 
doors. "...I never really knew my parents."

"Huh?" Roll stopped drinking, "Really?"

"Yeah. All I know... is that my family were magical researchers. We 
lived in the Ostantinople highlands, in a mansion called Applegate 
Manor. My Mother was named Emma. She spent most of her time taking care 
of me. While my Father, Stephen, maintained his role as a magics 
researcher. I don't remember much else. I was quite young in those days. 
But I know that there was some kind of argument between my Mother and 
Father. They both died shortly afterwards. Mister Oro says that he knows 
the reason for this; but that he couldn't tell me why until I was mature 
enough to know the truth."

Roll blinked. "So what happened after that?"

"A maid in Applegate Manor," Elle began, "Her name was Virginia. She 
took me with her when she left. And she raised me as her own. She passed 
away, but left me in the trust of Mister Oro. It has never been a... 
nice life for me. But I have gotten by. I'd like to think that I am 
luckier than most."

Roll agreed with that one. "We've both had hard lives, it seems. But 
we're still here to tell the tale. That's got to be better than nothing. 
Is that why you're coming with us to Catheriah?"

"...How... did you know?" Wondered the blonde.

"It's written all over your face," Roll answered, "You've got that look 
in your eye. That look of a woman who'll go out of her way to protect 
the lives of others. At least those that deserve it. You think that if 
you allow Reidenbacht's plans to reach fruition, many people will die 
needlessly. So you're gonna come with us to make that that don't 
happen."

Elle cast her eyes downwards. "...Am I wrong for wanting to do that...?"

"Nah," The young Roll shook her head with a grin, "My Dad used to think 
just like you do. He often told me that it was my duty to use my power 
for the right reasons. To use them in the  defence of those less 
fortunate than myself. Those unable to defend themselves. If he could 
see me now... I guess he'd wonder where he went wrong, huh?"

Elle frowned. "That's not true. You saved my life. If not for you then I 
would be-"

"I did that for the money," Roll said forthrightly, shutting her eyes, 
"Nothing more, and sure as hell, nothing less. I'm not a hero like my 
Dad. Although I don't like to see people... suffer, I don't feel any 
real responsibility to protect them, either. I fight for money. Not 
honour."

A silence then descended on the two of them when that was said. Roll 
took another gulp of her brandy while Elle looked back out to the 
sunset. Needless to say, Elle wouldn't have liked to have thought that 
Roll cared so little for herself and her father's legacy... but it was 
true enough. But while thinking of that, another question came to mind. 
"...Roll...?"

"Yeah?"

Elle lifted her head again. "May I ask you something?"

"...Go for it." Replied Roll.

"Why did you tell me about your past?" The Stuart girl asked, "I heard 
from Sapphire that you didn't like to talk about it. Why did you tell me 
about what happened to your village? And about what happened to your 
Father?"

The swordswoman remained silent for a moment. But the questioning stare 
that she was getting from Elle seemed to suggest that she actually 
wanted an answer to that question. Roll sighed, slotting her flask of 
brandy into her pocket. Then she clasped the smooth black sheath of 
Kusabana, standing up from the grass. She dusted herself and her hakama 
off, right before saying,

"...You'd better get some rest. We're leaving early."

Elle said nothing as Roll marched silently back down the hill, towards 
Dr. Oro's lab. Elle heaved another sigh and looked back out to the red 
sunset over the hills. She doubted that she would get an answer to that 
question anytime soon. 

**********

The sound of polished shoes clacking against dusty stone was vivid in 
the staircase of the  upper tower of the Stone Temple Ruins. Krauser 
ascended the stairs of the tower slowly but surely, his eyes focused on 
the task. While Molly followed along behind him. The two had entered 
this sandy stone structure from the bottom level, the grand hall that 
was full of the statues and wall carvings that the ancients had 
dedicated to the Gods. The two of them made their way to the large set 
of stairs that led up the heights of the ruins. Which was what they were 
climbing now. Aside from the odd chirp from Coconut or the squeaks of 
the rats, it was eerily quiet in the Stone Temple Ruins' main tower. A 
fact made more... chilling by wall carvings. 

The further they climbed the tower, the more the carvings appeared. And 
they told many a frightening story. It seemed the ancients used to burn 
'heretics' alive in boiling hot oil. Those that were deemed traitors to 
the Gods by denying their existence were killed ruthlessly by a select 
group that appeared a lot in the wall sketches. They were often drawn 
with reverence, holding a kind of respect over the people that showed 
how important they were. Molly took this all in whilst little Coconut 
scrambled on top of her head. 

Molly giggled at her pet, but addressed Krauser. "Coconut doesn't seem 
to like it here. I wonder just why that might be?"

"He is probably feeling the malevolence of the spirits interred here," 
Krauser replied, still keeping up the march to the top, "Animals like 
yours seem to pick up on energy, good and evil, far more easily than 
normal human beings can. You see... the Stone Temple Ruins was more than 
a place of worship. Do you remember all the rusted cauldrons and weapons 
that had been left down at the bottom of the ruins? Those were used to 
torture the enemies of the Gods. These 'enemies' were nothing more than 
disillusioned men and women who saw no truth in the legend of the Gods. 
These atheists felt that this religion was nothing more than a tool for 
control over the working masses. Whether this is true or not, no one can 
say. But such views were deemed by village elders as potentially 
seditious. And so began the persecution of the unbelievers. Those who 
denied the existence of the Gods were hunted down and killed like pigs. 
Those who willingly sought to turn people away from the worship of the 
Gods were tortured to death. Here. At the Stone Temple. It is now 
estimated by modern historians that over 3000 people were slaughtered by 
the religious zealots of the past. Now their spirits dwell in this 
forbidden home of the dead. So it is no surprise that your little pet 
can feel the evil desire for revenge that burns in their damned souls."

The dark-in-nature Molly smiled at this. "I didn't realize this place 
was so interesting..."

"We shall not be here for much longer, my dear."

Krauser's eyes thinned out when they came to the end of the stairs. They 
led to a shaky wooden door that had been attached to the sandstone that 
made up the walls. The blonde master magician stepped forwards and 
opened the door with his own magic. It swung open for him and he strode 
through the doorway, with Molly following him in. The two entered a new 
room. It was a dreadfully sizeable hall. Supported by withering stone 
pillars. The walls of this room were covered in cracks and loose stone. 
Dust fell from the ceiling every few seconds. It all seemed like it was 
about to come down within the hour. Yet it had managed to stay in one 
piece for thousands of years. Molly was surprised at that. But Krauser 
had a more important concern than that. His soft sky blue eyes widened 
and a tremendous smile of victory passed over his normally calm face. 
Across from him on a large sandstone pedestal was the item he had been 
looking for. A transparent gemstone that shimmered with intense golden 
light and literally crackled with its awesome magical energies. 

The Gold Crystal. 

"...Finally..." Krauser said, almost in disbelief, "...I have finally 
found the item I sacrificed my entire life to locate. The very same 
jewel that will allow me to communicate with the true Gods of our 
time... the Gold Crystal..."

Molly tilted her head to one side. "...But what about that ancient 
monster you were talking about? Did you not say that a monster was 
protecting the Gold Crystal, Lord Krauser?"

The young-looking sage said nothing. He stepped forward in a delirious 
trance, one foot after the other, inching closer to the pedestal with 
the crystal on top of it. Krauser opened his cloak by extending his arm, 
reaching out to touch the Gold Crystal. The second that his fingers came 
within the glow of the item, it burst alive with all new energy. The 
bright flash of gold light startled Krauser, as well as Molly and 
Coconut. Krauser retracted his hand and scowled. Molly wanted to know 
where the guardian was? Well Krauser got the feeling they would be 
seeing it really soon now. He stepped back to take stock of what he had 
done, or, what he had caused to happen. The light from the Gold Crystal 
surrounded the entire pedestal and then engulfed it totally. In the 
middle of the lush illumination, a figure of a young male human came 
into appearance. He stepped from the light in a golden glow, his muscled 
but lithe body completely naked. Then the light dissolved. Leaving 
behind only the naked man. The bright gold of his waist-long hair 
shimmered before Krauser and Molly. That hair then magically tied itself 
into a braided ponytail, while a new flash of light was cast over his 
body. When that second luminosity ended, the man was now dressed. In 
just a plain white robe and baggy dark brown slacks. His eyes opened 
thereafter, the colour of gold, matching with the tint of his hair.  

Molly stayed silent while Krauser questioned this man. "...Who are you?"

"...I am Long..." He answered, his voice gruff, despite his 
twenty-something looks, "I am the guardian of the Gold Crystal and 
protector of the Stone Temple. I exist to prevent the folly of the Four 
Wise Men from ever taking place again. Your touch has awakened me. 
Therefore the Gold Crystal now knows what your intentions are. To break 
the pact of the forgotten heroes and reach out to the engines of 
destruction, the Celestial Deities."

Krauser smiled again. "You are well informed. Or at least, perceptive. 
But you cannot deny me my prize. I am ordained by fate to take the Gold 
Crystal for my own. You cannot stop me from doing so."

"Very well. Just like any other human. Your way is the way of death. So 
be it." The Guardian of the Gold Crystal, Long, shook his head with 
disappointment. With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks, 
he stepped backwards. Around the pedestal with the Gold Crystal and back 
away from it. Into the large amount of space that this hall had to 
offer. That same golden light appeared around him. Surrounding his 
youthful-looking body and shielding it from sight. Once it was 
impossible to see him thanks to the intensity of the light, it began to 
grow in size and brightness. Larger than either Molly or even Krauser 
would have expected. Then there was a thunderous clap of momentum. The 
light vanished in one instant. Then the results were shown. In place of 
Long was a large, four-legged, gold-skinned dragon. With a twenty metres 
wingspan and bodily length of over fifteen metres. The Gold Dragon 
released a furious from the powerful jaws of its oily mouth. While smoke 
rose from the nostrils on its elongated snout. 

While the thick ivory claws on the Gold Dragon gnashed at the ground, 
Molly stood with a stunned smile of her own. "Wow! That man knows Dragon 
Transformation Magic! I've never seen that before!"

"Hmm," Krauser stepped back with caution, "I have heard of this magic 
many times in the past. But I have only seen it once before. Strangely 
enough. It seems that the heroes of old put more thought into the 
protection of the seals than I had first imagined."

"Never you mind, sir! Coconut and I are ready to take on the challenge!" 
Just as Molly was about to step forward to fight with the Gold Dragon, 
Krauser shot out his hand to prevent her from fighting with the 
creature. Molly was confused. "...Lord Krauser...?"

The youthful-seeming wizard shook his head. "No, Molly. I will deal with 
this. It is my will that his reached to this point. And it is my will 
that caused this event to begin. I shall handle my own affairs. And do 
down anything that seeks to obstruct my pass."

Though she was prepared to fight to the death for her master, Molly 
accepted the commands given to her. She pulled back and allowed Krauser 
to deal with this matter on his own. The Gold Dragon inched backwards in 
short steps with its large, clunking feet. Then pulled back its long 
neck and snout. Its jaws opened once more and a gigantic gust of fire 
surged from the core of its throat. Krauser remained in place, not 
moving an inch. Those burning hot flames engulfed his body totally. 
Coconut went into hysterics on Molly's shoulder as they watched the 
master be bombarded with such searing fire. The Gold Dragon closed its 
jaws once more and lowered its head to brood over what looked to be a 
victory. The fire of the dragon did not have the effect intended, 
however. Krauser stepped out of the flames, his body surrounded in a 
smooth shield of protective magical energy. Not even his clothes had 
been burned by the fire of the Gold Dragon. The small eyes in the skull 
of the Gold Dragon blinked with what seemed to be surprise. But Krauser 
was unharmed. Molly giggled with pride, Coconut dancing as best as it 
could on around her shoulders. 

Krauser pulled up his arm, spreading his palm open and pointing it at 
the Gold Dragon, which was the last hurdle between him and the Gold 
Crystal. "You fool. Do you think for a moment that I have been idle all 
my life? I have immersed myself in the deepest powers and magics of the 
universe. There is only one power than transcends my own. The power of 
the Celestial Deities. And yet you DARE to presume you can stand against 
me? Know ye now! To thee, I am truly a God!"

The hand that Krauser had extended at the Gold Dragon then buzzed with 
the magical power that he had cultivated for so many years. Constant 
study into his own strength and magical lineage had come to this. A 
bright silver power surrounded that hand and silvery streaks of magic 
travelled up and down Krauser's arm whilst doing so. That silver energy 
grew in size as an orb. Which shifted from dazzling to blinding in a 
matter of seconds. The Gold Dragon stepped back in confusion, apparently 
shocked by the savage strength of the magic powers that Krauser had at 
his fingertips. The silver orb completely swallowed up Krauser's hand. 
The chime of its energy ringing in the ears of the Gold Dragon, Molly 
and Coconut. The light from magical ball actually dwarfed that of the 
Gold Crystal. Then suddenly it came forth, just as Krauser yelled, 
"Aurora Scramasax!"

Molly's dress and Krauser's cloak were both blown back by the force of 
the projectile. A forceful orb of silver energy shot ahead through the 
dusty air and straight into the Gold Dragon. The creature tried to 
defend itself by pulling up one of its wings. But the loud and agonizing 
scream that came from it showed that the Gold Dragon could not deflect a 
blast of such strength. As the Aurora Scramasax magic attack hammered 
its body, the Gold Dragon was bathed in silver light. Then thrown off 
its feet and straight back towards the far wall of the tower. The blast 
propelled the dragon straight through the stone wall with an explosion 
of rock and debris, hurled into the outside. Once thrown out of the 
tower, the Gold Dragon reverted back into Long, and the young man 
plummeted down toward the unforgiving ground. 

Inside the tower, Krauser lowered his hand with a smirk. Then strode up 
to the pedestal with the Gold Crystal on it. Molly straightened out her 
dress (which had gotten a little ruffled) and walked with her master to 
the pedestal. Krauser exhaled and reached out to the Gold Crystal, 
taking it into his hands. Finally.

"At last," Krauser exclaimed, admiring the stone, "the Gold Crystal is 
mine. The key to total eternity is at last mine. Now it is time to begin 
the next phase in our plans. Molly. Remain here. I must ascend to the 
top of this tower. To begin... The Beckoning. It will take a short while 
before I can gather enough energy into the Gold Crystal to complete The 
Beckoning. Until that time nothing must interrupt me. If someone, 
somehow, manages to get past Zuriel and the Blizzard Guard, do all that 
you can to stop them. Do you understand?"

Molly nodded. "Yes, Lord Krauser."

"Good," Krauser then turned away, walking over to the adjacent flight of 
stairs in this hall that led up to the top level of the tower, "...Soon. 
Soon enough, all that we have worked for will be achieved. All too 
soon..."

**********

"Okay, girls, it's time to go."

Roll, Nagi, Sapphire and Elle had gathered with Dr. Oro at the bottom 
floor of his lab. The small stone chamber that possessed the item that 
would take them to Catheriah. A large stone arch built into the far 
wall. Inside that arch was a barrier of sparkling blue energy. But it 
acted more like a... gate. The girls and the doctor had all gotten a 
good night sleep. Now it was early morning. The sun was returning to 
Ostantinople. But it was now time to carry out the mission. To go to the 
Stone Temple Ruins and stop who ever it was that was planning to 
correspond with the Celestial Deities. 

Dr. Oro stood beside the large stone arch that held the swirling magical 
gateway. "This is my Teleportation Chamber. The archway contains a 
portal that can take us to anywhere in the world. I have chanted the 
incantations necessary to take us to the Stone Temple. However it is not 
a two-way channel. Once we pass through this gateway, we will have to 
find some other way to get back."

Roll shrugged, pressing her hand against her hip. "Ah, whatever. Sailing 
is a lot more scenic, don't you think? Let's just get this show on the 
road. As soon as I complete the mission, that little cash reward is all 
mine."

"My Gods, you ready do have a one-track mind," Complained Nagi, her 
Esdra spear fully sharpened and ready to be used.

Sapphire shook her head. "That does not matter now. We must to go 
Catheriah quickly."

As soon as she said that, the cinnamon-skinned God Summoner strode right 
over to the arch portal and zipped through the portal. It was obvious 
that Sapphire was the most serious about all this. It was the reason she 
had left her village, after all. Elle was just as determined as Sapphire 
was to get this all done, so followed the older woman up the steps of 
the archway and through the swirling portal. 

Roll blinked. "What got into them?"

"They're concerned," Dr. Oro said, "that this event could change the 
fate of Catheriah. It is Sapphire's homeland. And Elle...? She has a 
liking for this planet that would suggest that she would not take well 
to seeing it in the clutches of such a man as Joseph Reidenbacht."

Nagi just walked forwards, through the portal, right after saying. "Well 
then, lets not keep them waiting for a conclusion."

Once Nagi vanished into the energies of the portal, Roll shrugged once 
more and followed the three of them. Dr. Oro tapped his staff against 
the ground for a brief second, and walked through the portal directly 
after Roll. The gates and passageways in the fabric of time and space 
were manipulated. Thus allowing the five to traverse hundreds upon 
hundreds of miles of distance to reach the Catherian ruins of the Stone 
Temple. In one of the ruined houses that used to make up the layout of 
White Raven village, a wisp of blue energy appeared. Right above the 
dusty stone ground of what used to be a kitchen. The light chime of the 
energy hung in the air. But did nothing to catch the attention of the 
Blizzard Guard, some of which had been stationed just ten metres away 
from that very same house. The re-opened portal crackled when figures 
began jumping out of it. First came Sapphire. Her heels clicked against 
the stone of the floor when she walked out of the portal, while her eyes 
looked up. The roof and left wall of this house had been broken open. 
Thus Sapphire could see the setting clearly. The skies over Catheriah 
had turned grey. And bleak. No rain or thunder came down with this, but 
it was still ominous. Now, more than ever, Sapphire could feel the agony 
burning deep within the Unumbanga. Something or someone was about to 
cause calamity unless they were stopped. 

Next to come out of the portal was Elle. She flopped out of the energy 
mass with a stumble, but maintained her standing position. Enough to see 
the worried look on Sapphire's face. Then soon enough, Nagi, Roll, and 
Dr. Oro also came from the depths of the portal. Those three joined the 
current two, reassembling the party inside that small, ruined home. And 
they all began to take in the misery of this ruined former town in which 
they stood.

Dr. Oro spoke amid the girl's gasps. "This place you see before you is 
White Raven. It was once quite the commercial town. Until the old wars 
of the nobles seeped into it. This town was in the middle of that 
conflict. Thus the people fled to escape it. Since then it has been 
nothing more than a dim reflection of the past. The only thing of 
significance left here is the Stone Temple. Which is our destination."

One of his bony fingers pointed to the left, through the smashed wall. 
Roll, Elle, Nagi and Sapphire turned and looked. Across from them by 
about fifty metres was the Stone Temple itself. Towering above the 
devastated remains of White Raven. One of the four places in the world 
that sealed up one of the Four Demon God Kings of the Celestial Deities. 
"Do you all see that tower? That is the tower of the Stone Temple. 
Whoever is behind the Beckoning will be in that tower. He/she must be 
stopped before anything happens. We can waste no more time."

Nagi scanned around with her eyes. "Hate to burst your bubble, doc, but 
this place is crawling with Blizzard Guard soldiers. I can tell from 
those swords that they're working under the orders of Reidenbacht. 
There's no sneaking in with them on our tails."

"No kidding," Roll scratched the back of her head absently, "So what's 
the plan?"

Dr. Oro thought about it for a second. Then he turned to Sapphire. "Hold 
on. Sapphire. You will have to summon a creature. Have it attack one of 
the Blizzard Guard troops. The rest will join in the fight to stop it. 
Then we will move onto the Stone Temple."

It seemed like a good plan. Sapphire nodded to him. "...Okay."

The beautiful God Summoner acknowledged that she would have to use her 
powers again if they were to get ahead in all this. She slipped her eyes 
shut slowly. Then pressed her hands together as if in prayer. Sapphire 
lowered her head, while her many gold bangles jingled at her wrists. 
Then she softly muttered to herself in the old language of her people, 
the Cloud Dancer Tribe. Roll and the others just watched as Sapphire's 
natural blue aura arose from her body, surrounding her. All the while 
her smooth pink lips chanted to the spirits. To call on one of them to 
re-inhabit a physical body constructed by her own powers. Then, just 
about five metres from the group, outside the house, there was a loud 
clashing sound. It was a burst of spiritual energy. But what stood there 
was not a magical force. But the reformed body of one of Sapphire's 
resurrected creatures. A four-legged bullish animal, covered in thick 
grey skin that acted more like armour than flesh. Its thin tail swished 
behind his buttocks while its hooves scraped against the ground. And two 
ramming, gore-inducing horns extended from the sides of its skull, 
curving forward at a length of 62 centimetres a piece. Dr. Oro knew just 
what this was. A Shunga. A creature used for farming in Eastern 
Catheriah, where the Village of the Wind was located. But this one was 
far larger than usual. And clearly had no will to be tamed by anyone or 
anything other than Sapphire. The God Summoner lowered her hands and her 
head arose. The Shunga gave a crude snort and a loud roar, then charged 
straight ahead, hearing Sapphire's commands telepathically. The shocked 
gasps and yells of the Blizzard Guard came swiftly. And the Shunga 
stomped ahead regardless. One of the defending soldiers screamed a 
gargling death cry once impaled on the ramming Shunga's maiming horn. 
Blood splattered everywhere below his feet. And the surrounding Blizzard 
Guard members took up the call for action. They rushed over to the beast 
and began, in vain, to try and kill it, unsheathing their blades. Soon 
more death cries joined those of the gored soldier. 

Roll nodded to the group. "Now's the time! Come on!"

The group responded all and ran with Roll out of that old house. Though 
the small pathways between the other destroyed homes, towards the Stone 
Temple Ruins. Most of the Blizzard Guard had been caught up with 
Sapphire's Shunga beast. And it was keeping them well entertained. The 
five of them rushed past the occupied guards without being caught. They 
ran through the surrounding wall of the temple, via the open gate, into 
its main precinct. To the front opening that led inside. But whilst 
running, doing her best to keep up with the others, Elle noticed 
something from the corner of her eye. A crater. And unlike the damage 
done to the other parts of the ruins, it looked rather fresh. She 
stopped out of nothing but a curiosity. When the others noticed this, 
they all stopped to. Looking back at Elle with confused expressions. 

"Elle?" Sapphire probed, "What's the matter? We cannot remain here. The 
beast I summoned will dissolve in a few minutes, now that it is apart 
from me."

She said nothing, but walked over to the crater she noticed. She 
crouched down and looked inside the shallow circular trench. There was 
something inside it. A man. The others came over to the crater and 
noticed him. A young-looking man with golden hair and shredded clothing. 
He was unconscious. But still breathing.

"...Who is that?" Nagi wondered. 

Roll crossed her arms. "Well, I don't think he's a member of the 
Blizzard Guard. He looks pretty beaten up."

"Hmm," Dr. Oro mused, "I feel a curious energy from this boy..."

Elle could feel it too. But she said nothing. She just closed her eyes 
and pushed her hands forward, slightly above the crater. Seconds later 
those two hands of hers were awash with a bright green light. That same 
light surrounded the body of the fallen golden-haired man. And Roll, 
Nagi and Sapphire stood astounded, as those cuts and bruises began to 
fade away. Now Elle's power was begin to reveal itself. Or at least a 
part of it. She had the power to heal. To mend the damage done to the 
body of a living being. Soon enough all of the injuries that this man 
had sustained were vanishing. The glow at Elle's hands then ended. As 
did the luminosity that surrounded the young man. And abruptly those 
bright golden eyes of his flapped open with surprise. 

"Gah!" He expressed, "W-what on earth?!"

Elle lowered her hands. "...I just healed you. You were injured."

"Never mind that!" Roll argued, "Who the heck are you? How did you get 
battered like that? Are you working with the Norhian Army or something?"

The golden-haired male pressed his hand into his bangs and scowled. 
"...My name... is Long. I was... freed from the Gold Crystal. Someone... 
plans on... calling on... the Celestial Deity that is interred here... I 
tried... to stop him... but the fiend is incredibly strong..."

Dr. Oro smiled. "Ah, I see. You must be the guardian of the Gold 
Crystal. The one who was fated to protect it from thieves for eternity. 
I had heard of you before, but most people I knew argued your existence 
as a myth. Now I see that they were wrong. It is good to meet with you 
now, my friend."

"...Who are you people?" Long questioned, rubbing his skull.

Dr. Oro then introduced everyone. "Us? We are friends. Fear not. The 
swordswoman over there is called Roll. The girl wielding the spear is 
Nagi. The child who healed you is Elle. And the young woman in blue is 
Sapphire. And I am Oro. We have travelled here to stop the one who did 
this to you, whoever he is."

Long leaned upright and sighed. "...I see. Thank you. I am in your debt. 
I do not know the name of the man who defeated me. But he must be 
stopped. The Celestial Deities are..."

"We know," Nagi answered, "Relentlessly powerful, yeah, yeah, yeah. It 
won't come to that. That man who did this to you will be stopped soon 
enough."

It was then that Long brought himself to stand up on two feet, his 
breath ragged. "...Do not underestimate the magics of the man you intend 
to face. His power is extremely dangerous. Almost frighteningly so. I 
have to get back up to the tower and stop him before he brings about his 
aims. I have to stop him."

Elle nodded. "Come with us then. We'll fight him together."

It did not seem practical for Long. He was more of a 'solo' person, if 
the little time he had spent out of slumber alone meant anything. But 
there was more at stake than pride. The guardian of the Gold Crystal 
nodded in both acceptance of the terms and as thanks for them. And the 
party made their next move. The group, now six, re-gathered themselves 
and made for the opening into the Temple itself. While running through 
it, Sapphire felt her Shunga struggle to hold its matter together while 
separated from her energy. It was about to dissolve entirely. But 
thankfully, it managed to do its job and get rid of the attention of the 
Blizzard Guard. The group rushed through the sandy stone hallway inside 
the ruins, making note of the torture devices around but making no 
comment on them. They then climbed up the large flight of stone stairs 
that extended all the way up to the tower. Towards the last floor below 
the roof. Roll, Nagi, Elle, Sapphire, Dr. Oro and Long rushed up the 
steps as best they could. Until they came to the door at the end of 
those stairs. The door of the upper grand hall. In which the Gold 
Crystal was once stored. Nagi growled and kicked the door down, in the 
middle of her stride. The six warriors entered the room. But stopped 
running when they saw the one waiting for them. A young redheaded girl. 
In a blue and white dress with a little brown-furred chimp on her 
shoulder.

Dr. Oro narrowed his eyes. "Eh? And who might you be, little girl?"

"Heh, heh, heh," She had her back turned to them, so turned around once 
called, "Me? Oh, well my name is Molly. Molly Ragwurm."

"What are you doing in a place like this?" Elle asked with concern.

Molly chuckled darkly. "My master wishes to touch upon the very seat of 
divinity. To ascend to heights that no man has ever reached. His plans 
are about to come to light. But Coconut and I, believe that you may act 
as a kind of... obstruction to that."

Long pulled up his fists. "Beware of that child! She is not what she 
seems! She is in league with the man who defeated me!"

To that, Nagi grinned. "...Oh she is, is she, huh? Well. I guess that 
makes her a Norhian supporter, doesn't it...? I might as well hammer out 
some of my issues with this girl here and now. You guys move on ahead. I 
got this covered."

"...Thank you, Nagi," Dr. Oro said, "Keep her occupied, while the rest 
of us deal with the man that is behind all of this."

With that decided, he and all the others ran past Molly towards the 
staircase that led up into the roof of the Stone Temple. Strangely 
enough she made no attempt to stop them, but kept her eyes on Nagi. The 
only one who did no run with the others was Roll. Who retained a blank 
expression on her face. Nagi noticed this. But the look she gave to Roll 
in reply assured the girl that she would be fine. With that in mind, 
Roll ran after the others and so they all climbed the stairs toward the 
roof. Nagi smirked at Molly throughout this. Then reached behind her 
back, removing Esdra from the catches on the back of her outfit. 

Molly giggled at her. "I know you. I can feel your aura. You are the 
last of the Xian, are you not? The one remaining survivor of that 
legendary warrior-mage tribe."

"Correct," Nagi answered, "I didn't know you were so well informed."

"Well... Reidenbacht has told me much about your people's resistance to 
the destruction of the Norhian Monarchy. It seems strange that such a 
thing could happen while sparing the lives of the head of the group 
itself. I didn't wanna believe that a Xian could still be alive in the 
world. But I was wrong."

Nagi pointed Esdra at Molly. "...Apparently, you were."

"Oh well, never mind," The ten-year-old's expression suddenly darkened, 
"at least I will have the pleasure of killing the last Xian. And thus 
wiping the warrior-mage tribe out of existence for good. Such a thing 
would make me famous, would it not?"

**********

Roll, Elle, Sapphire, Long and Dr. Oro charged up the short flight of 
stairs that let to the roof of the Stone Temple Ruins. They stopped when 
their feet finally touched the archaic imprints that made up the stone 
of that wide, high tower rooftop. All caught their breath. And all 
looked on. At the figure, who stood across from them. Over the tower 
roof. Quite close to its eastern edge. A man that was enswathed in a 
hoodless cloak, woven in the colours of white, gold and purple. The wind 
picked up as the dust rolled off the floor of the rooftop. The grey  
clouds above growing in their dense thickness. Just ahead of that blonde 
man was the Gold Crystal, which Long felt an instant connection to. It 
floated in the air. At chest-level of the white-cloaked male. It glowed 
fervently. Power gathering within it. A fact displayed by the great 
streaks of energy that rose up from the ground and surrounded it every 
few seconds. The plans that this man and Reidenbacht had concocted were 
finally beginning to take shape. 

He could feel the arrival of the others. But he did not turn around to 
face them. But rather, in his ethereal voice, he spoke, "Ah. So it 
begins. I know you all, you see. I could feel your powers across the 
globe. I knew you would be coming here. To stop me. The one aside from 
me who possesses the God Blood. The Guardian of the Gold Crystal. The 
fellow student of mine. The last descendant of Xian, who fights with my 
prot‚g‚e below. The future leader of the Cloud Dancer Tribe. And 
finally... the daughter of Enryu, who was the only man ever to defeat 
me."

The whole group (Aside from Long) gasped. This man knew who they all 
were. But no one was more shocked than Dr. Oro. The old man shook 
visibly, his beady eyes now wide with the shock that was passing through 
him. "I... I should have known... it was you all along... Krauser!"

Krauser smirked. "...Oro. It has been a long time. I haven't seen you 
since that incident at Freeda Abbey. You thwarted my plans those ten 
years ago. You and Enryu. After my failure to retrieve the Gold Crystal, 
I was attempting to use my own power to free the great Celestial Deity, 
Ixram, from imprisonment. But my defeat ended that hope. I disappeared 
into my own legend. Lost for years with the knowledge that I had failed. 
Yet a glimmer of hope remained. That I, Sydney Linus Krauser, could once 
again rise and make a second attempt at reaching the Celestial Deities. 
And yet now you stand before me once again."

Dr. Oro was about to say something about that, but his attention turned 
to Roll. There was a look of absolute fury in her eyes. One that was so 
deep that it even frightened Elle. Roll's eyes narrowed out, while her 
hand reached for the hilt of Kusabana. "...You... I know you... the 
white-cloaked man! It was you! The one who burned my village! You're the 
one who killed my father!"

Krauser chuckled again, then turned around to face the girl from the 
distance between them, his cloak flocking around his legs through the 
action. "It is so, Soul Stealer. I murdered your father in cold blood. 
It was one of the few times in my life where I could not maintain 
control over myself. You see, he caused my life's work to collapse. He 
ruined what would have been my crowning triumph. Such a thing could not 
have gone unpunished in my mind. But while I did not like your father... 
I could at least respect him."

But Roll was way beyond listening to anything like that. "Bastard!"

Thin, sleek metal was drawn from its sheath. Roll pulled out her 
Kusabana blade and rushed straight ahead at the tall, strident Krauser, 
bellowing a ferocious battle cry. Krauser himself remained still and 
calm. Not moving an inch in either fear or caution. Roll leapt up off 
the dusty flat roof and brought her sword down to strike at the murderer 
of her father. Then a thin but forceful shield of energy appeared in 
front of his torso. Roll's sword bounced right off the shield. With such 
force that the blade broke halfway up the edge. Roll was then thrown 
back into the ground from the power of the clash. She skidded hard into 
the ground, her torso awakening the traces of dust along the ground. 

"Roll!" Shouted Sapphire.

Krauser looked at the fallen warrior, temporarily unconscious. "...She 
has her father's fire. But not his power, it seems. Still. It is to be 
expected. Whether or not they are equals... I am far more powerful than 
I was when I was confronted by Enryu."

Dr. Oro shook his head. "You are just as deluded as you were then. No 
matter what level of power you have attained. Why on earth would you use 
YOUR great powers to aid that fool, Reidenbacht?! If you help him 
trigger off revolution against Catheriah, you are inviting a whole new 
opportunity for a Norhian Empire! One that would swallow up the entire 
world! What possesses you to allow such a thing?!"

"Heh, heh, heh," Krauser chuckled, "You still do not seem to understand 
what will happen here. You see this from Reidenbacht's perspective. But 
not my own. Have you forgotten all you were taught when we studied 
together under Master Li? It appears that you have. And now you will 
bare witness to the realities of my struggle. For you see... I have 
lived for over 400 years. Using my magic to sustain my own life. 
Struggling day-by-day to surpass my own powers and increase my own 
knowledge. All for this one moment in time. Now is the Day of Reckoning. 
The tide of destiny is at its peak. The Beckoning shall finally take 
place. I now walk in the footsteps of the foolish Four Wise Men who 
could not fathom the powers they dared to reach. But unlike them, I will 
not fail. I will ascend. The last stage of this era is at hand. I shall 
usher in the next phase of life."

Sapphire shook her head. "You're not making sense. The planet is 
desperate to shrug off the force you are about to awaken. Your powers 
might be strong, but they are not enough to control the strength of the 
Celestial Deities. Don't you see that? Your own ambition is going to get 
you killed!"

"Child," The blonde one said, "You too, do not understand the power that 
I wield. I have planned for this. For so many years. Reidenbacht and 
Catherine XXIII, Norhia and Catheriah, they mean absolutely nothing to 
me. That arrogant waif sits on his pretty throne and seeks to let others 
do his work. He wishes for power. Yet he does not think to attain it 
himself. For he is so drunk on his own self-image that the very thought 
of doing so is impossible to formulate. Reidenbacht is nothing more than 
a worthless shadow of his father. And I submitted to him only for this 
moment to take place. Now. The Gold Crystal is almost fully charged. 
Open your eyes and behold the new age, first hand."

But there was no way any of them were going to do that. Dr. Oro sneered 
at his peer and pulled up that thin wooden staff of his. Evening it out 
in front of him with both hands. Long concentrated his magical energy. 
And his golden aura appeared, which would soon allow him to transform 
into the Gold Dragon. Sapphire clasped her hands together and her own 
aura appeared. But hers was a deep azure. The God Summoner would do all 
that she could to stop Krauser as well. The white-robed mage watched the 
three of them prepare their assaults upon him. 

But still, he did not fear them. "...Stupid children. You refuse to be 
witnesses to the fate of the world? To my shining achievement? I should 
have guessed as much. Well then. If you have the courage... come at 
me..."

**********

"Do you really think a little kid like you can beat me?" Nagi prodded. 

Molly just grinned at the older woman. "You're very brave. Lord Krauser 
told me that the Xian were the ones who fought the hardest for the 
Norhian Monarchy before the collapse of its armies. But in the end, even 
the tremendous force of the Xian Tribe were just... swept from the board 
like so many chess pieces. And to think that I now have the opportunity 
to finish the jobs that Lord Krauser and Joseph Reidenbacht (senior) 
started! It's time to die, Xian! Now, Coconut!"

The cute brown-furred monkey swung its arms about its head with 
incessant chirps from its small little mouth. Coconut then hopped off 
Molly's shoulder and leapt to the dusty stone floor of the Stone Temple 
Ruins' Tower. The monkey locked eyes with Nagi then, while Nagi herself 
looked on curiously with an upraised eyebrow. What on earth could that 
'cute' little monkey do to her? Coconut simply stood staring at the 
uncrowned queen. But while he did that, Molly did something of her own. 
The young girl in the frilly dress clasped her hands together and shut 
her blush-covered eyelids. The folds of her dress gathered and flocked 
around her small ankles when the wind in that room started to move a 
little faster from the outside. The aura of the girl, a scorching flame 
of ocean blue, rose up around her body. The smile that she had grew 
wider apart with the growth of her aura flames. Then seconds later, the 
exact same thing happened to Coconut. Molly's pet simian was also 
surrounded by blue aura fire. This fire did not belong to Coconut's 
spirit. It was purely Molly's doing. But it had an effect on the monkey 
that it did NOT have on its owner. Nagi kept watching as Coconut bared 
its small fangs at her in a scowl. He tightened his little hands into 
fists. Then, slowly, it started to increase its size. Molly concentrated 
her powers to greatest extent and this was making its mark on her 
beloved Coconut. The cheeky chimp grew larger and larger until it was 
looking down at Nagi, not up. What were once small hands were now large 
ones, armed with thick knuckles for pounding and battering. His fur also 
grew outwardly, downwards, with spiky layout and giving a rough-tough 
hide on the back and head. The cute monkey had become a rather tall, 
bullish ape-like being. No longer little Coconut. But rather...

"Meet Malial!" Molly said, lowering her aura flames now, "The evolved 
form of my little pet, Coconut! Isn't he the cutest?"

Nagi eyeballed the bulky primate. "That big gorilla of yours is a lot of 
things... but one thing it isn't is 'cute'."

"...W-what? You'll pay for that! Malial! Go get her!"

The primal beast lifted its arms and pounded against its chest 
repeatedly. It unleashed a loud roar from its throat. Then charged Nagi 
head on. The warrior-mage blinked, holding onto the shaft of Esdra with 
as tight a grip as possible. Malial cried out again and thrust one of 
those big, long, hairy arms at the woman. Nagi scowled and dashed 
forwards, ducking under. The fist crashed into the wall, loudly, 
shattering the now frail rocks that the Stone Temple had been 
constructed from. Malial pulled its fist out from the dusty hole it had 
broken into the wall and chased after Nagi. It swung its arm at her. 
Nagi (who wasn't looking back) sensed this action and jumped right up 
into the air. Malial's furry arm swung just under her ankles, missing 
the intended target. The uncrowned queen then forced herself against the 
wall and leapt off it with the power of her momentum. Her graceful body 
flipped over with Esdra in a flailing but tight grip. Once her torso 
somersaulted over the head of Malial, Nagi swung the spear across the 
head the creature, slashing at it. Esdra's steel tip sliced over its 
face from the cheek, over the bridge of the nose, to the right eye. 
Malial roared in pain, Molly scowled, while Nagi flipped forwards and 
landed on her heels with a grin on her face. Malial cried out again, 
this time from anger. It swung its body around and pulled up one of its 
arms to strike down the Xian. Nagi jumped back from the strikes, while 
Malial kept following them up with more blows. Each of which Nagi danced 
and ducked around effortlessly. The ape got angrier the more this 
carried on. It heaved both of its arms up, interlocking the fingers of 
its hands. Then Malial swung both arms back down. Nagi somersaulted 
backwards and Malial's joined hands crushed the stone floor beneath 
them. But that was all they crushed. Nagi flipped back from the 
overgrown monkey. Then came to an abrupt stop. She reattached Esdra to 
her back, then pulled up both of her hands. Nagi focused on Malial but 
kept a small part of her wise attentions on Molly Ragwurm, as well. The 
air around her hands became colder. It was now that Nagi felt like using 
the very same powers that allowed the Xian to be regarded by the name 
'warrior-mage'. A cold energy was being gathered at her hands now. Nagi 
grit her teeth and pushed her hands down towards the ground. Suddenly a 
blast of freezing cold power was thrown from her hands into the floor. 
This shifting slates of ice soon shot outward from that point and zeroed 
in on Malial. The ape was too confused to do something about it. And the 
ice trail slithered along the ground like a snake. Just until it reached 
the gorilla's feet. The ice attack, that Nagi called Ice Blast, froze 
the air around Malial's lower legs. It was soon trapped in thick sheets 
of frozen water/air that could not be broken. He certainly tried to do 
so. Malial pounded his fists into the ice that bound him in one place. 
But it was no good. He could hardly dent it. Nagi grinned once more than 
unattached Esdra from her back. She held the spear like a javelin in one 
hand. Then threw the long pole-arm right in the towering ape's 
direction. Esdra cut through the air and then went straight through 
Malial's neck. 

"Coconut!" Molly yelled in fright.

Green blood spurted from its mouth and through the gaping hole in its 
neck. Malial's body slumped backwards from the knees, falling dead. Nagi 
chuckled arrogantly at that, rising up from her poised stance. "...Looks 
like that portly chimpanzee of yours wasn't all that strong, either. Too 
bad for you, huh?"

Molly's pale blue aura now became dark blue when it reared up again, in 
her anger. "...You are going to regret this... I SWEAR you will!"

**********

"...Stupid children. You refuse to be witnesses to the fate of the 
world? To my shining achievement? I should have guessed as much. Well 
then. If you have the courage... come at me..."

Long was first. His transformation began swiftly. Though in his human 
form, he cried out an echoing roar of his dragon form. Golden light 
surrounded his thin yet muscular body. That light widened to a larger, 
more bestial size. A second dragon's roar sounded out from the depths of 
that immense luminosity. Then it vanished. Leaving behind the 
four-legged higher form of Long. The Gold Dragon itself. The large beast 
reared up into the sky and flew ahead, its large wings whipping up the 
dust of the huge tower roof again. It swooped downwards after reaching a 
certain height. Then the Gold Dragon opened its long mouth. White-hot 
flames generating in its throat. Soon afterwards the Gold Dragon 
breathed outwards with a huge pillar of fire aimed at Krauser. A second 
try at his defeat. The blonde sage closed his eyes and smiled. That same 
shield of magical power surrounded his upper body again. The burning 
flames from the Gold Dragon crashed into that shield. But did not break 
or burn it. Krauser maintained the shield until the fire assault ran 
dry. Once it did, he thrust his hand up into the air at a diagonal 
angle. No energy was gathered at that hand. But it appeared right around 
the Gold Dragon. A huge sphere of electrical force surrounded the 
creature. Then thin streaks of lightning-like beams came on from the 
innards of the sphere. Those beams were miniscule in size. But they took 
a heavy toll on the Gold Dragon. It shrieked thunderously as those shots 
electrocuted it over, and over, and over again. One after the other. 
Smoke rose from the sphere while the Thunder Prison magical attack 
continued. And the Gold Dragon could not respond. Nor break free. The 
damage reached new levels when blood and smoke began to coalesce. 
Suddenly, it gave a loud scream of agony. And the Gold Dragon reverted 
into Long once again. The Thunder Prison faded away. Long tumbled back 
down to the surface of the tower, unconscious. 

Sapphire scowled at this. But she was now ready. With her hands together 
and her lips speaking the chants of her people, that clap of arrival, of 
one of her own monsters, came into the fold. Beside her arrived a 
hulking, flesh beast in humanoid image. Its disproportionately long arms 
flailed along its body. While its razor-sharp talons slashed at the air. 
It was what Norhians and Catherians would call a Verdelho. The Verdelho 
shrieked into the skies and followed the silent, telepathic commands of 
its master, Sapphire. It rushed ahead and made its way to Krauser. He, 
once again, did not flinch. The Verdelho, swept its arm around to try 
and slash Krauser with its claws. The older human moved none. The shield 
of previous appearance came again. The Verdelho's sharp talon collided 
with it. When this happened, the bone of its hand was smashed into 
bloody fragments. The beast howled with grief, just as Sapphire did, 
feeling the pain of her monster. A pain that was so severe that Sapphire 
passed out, her body shivering. Her torso collapsed into the ground, 
following Krauser's defeat of Long. And without his mistress conscious, 
the Verdelho evaporated into nothingness with the same ease as what had 
brought it here. 

Dr. Oro was the last fighter left to stand against Krauser. The old man 
grit his teeth, while  concentrating his magical force. He was a 
legendary magician. He would use that same force to stop Krauser. Even 
if it meant his own destruction. Gripping his oak staff with two hands, 
he staked the rod into the ground and directed his momentum towards the 
blonde-haired  mastermind. The air around Dr. Oro grew cold and icy. And 
tiny fragments of ice started to gather together above the staff of the 
old adept. The ice kept gathering into itself . Forming into a ball of 
frozen water. This orb increased its size while the gathering of ice 
continued. Until it was ready to be used. With a rickety cry of anger, 
Dr. Oro cast the Snow Ball magic spell at Krauser. The ball of ice 
hurtled through the air, chilling it, straight for the target. 

"Hm. Child's play." Krauser mocked. He dragged his left hand back out 
from the folds of his ankle-long cloak, assimilating power. His hand 
smouldered brightly with the orange-tinted flames which soon burst to 
life around it. Krauser smirked and threw those flames at the Snow Ball. 
The orange fire took on the shape of a spear, coursing in itself with 
intense heat. The Pyro-Spear magical attack rushed ahead and clashed 
with the Snow Ball. It burned right through the frosty sphere and 
shattered it ruthlessly. Dr. Oro drew in a frightened breath. The 
Pyro-Spear was now coming in his direction. He fumbled to establish a 
magical barrier of his own to shield himself from the blast. He was 
successful in that. Krauser's spear of flames hit Dr. Oro's magical 
defence. But the Pyro-Spear did not dissolve upon collision. It 
maintained its force and drilled into the shield for all it was worth. 
The old man struggled to hold back that power. It was too much, even for 
him. There was a brief explosion of force. The shield was shattered by 
the Pyro-Spear and the Pyro-Spear was burst into embers from that blast. 
Dr. Oro yelled out, and was thrown backwards from the altercation. His 
back slapped against one of the pillars that surrounded the edge of the 
rooftop. Effectively removing him from the battle.

Leaving behind only Elle. 

Krauser watched her. She was terrified. Her whole body trembled. It was 
understandable to the older magician, however. He knew full well that  
Elle had no magical fighting abilities. Only the skill to heal. She 
posed no threat to him now. "...You are the last, hmm? Poor girl. All 
your life you have suffered. Yet you try to hide your pain. Even from 
the ones who wish to understand you. It is unfortunate. But... would you 
like to know the truth behind the fate of your parents?"

"You... knew them...?" Elle quivered. 

"Of course, my dear. They were some of the most famous magical 
researchers in all of Ostantinople, after all. You are Elle Stuart. 
Daughter and only child of Stephen and Emma Stuart. But all was not 
happy. Your father was rather abusive, you see. And he concerned himself 
only to the research of your powers. Power which you wield thanks to 
something that is known as God Blood. A trait that I too possess. When a 
new maid arrived at Applegate Manor, Virginia Airey; a passionate love 
affair began between her and your mother. When Stephen learned of 
this... he flew into a tempestuous rage. Emma and Virginia were forced 
to flee with you. But he chased them. All the way to Freeda Abbey... 
where he used magical powers to transform himself. And he killed your 
mother."

Elle was stunned. "...My Father... killed... my Mother...?"

"Indeed," Krauser replied, "Virginia managed to escape with you. Shortly 
before Stephen also died."

The question had to be asked. "H-how could you know this...?" 

"Because I was the one who gave your father those magical powers, my 
dear. In exchange for supplying me with the research he had acquired on 
the properties of God Blood, I gave him a small amount of force. Enough 
to allow him his revenge on your mother and her maid. But like all 
normal people who try to harness that kind of strength, Stephen crumbled 
under its great weight. Such is the fate of the fool. I assume that Oro 
did not tell you any of this. He too knew the secret. But telling you 
the truth would make you aware of your God Blood. Considering my own 
strength... he probably felt that telling you this... would turn you 
into something... like me."

It was also overwhelming for Elle. Her mother had had an affair. And her 
father had killed her for it. That was the tragedy of her family. Never 
before had Elle felt so disappointed and shocked. The girl fell to her 
knees with tired, pain-filled eyes, both unable and unwilling to even 
speak about the issue. Long groaned on the floor. Sapphire whimpered in 
agony, while Dr. Oro battled to maintain consciousness. But Roll was 
still prepared to fight. The young woman tossed the broken Kusabana 
sword to one side and stood up from the ground she had been thrown down 
to, smiling defiantly.

"...B-Bastard..." Roll seethed with a chuckle, "you're tougher... than I 
thought... you'd be."

Krauser closed his eyes with a fellow smile, his cloak waving in the 
breeze. "Yes. Enryu made that same mistake. To underestimate his 
opponent. And it cost him his life. Have you repeated his fatal error? 
It seems that... even though you have lost your weapon, and have come to 
the face of an enemy who bests you in every possible way, you still wish 
to fight."

There was a little blood coming down from Roll's bottom lip. She wiped 
it off, looking over at the others, who had fallen. "...No shit. I'm no 
heroine... but... nobody... is gonna do this... to my... friends..."

"Heh, heh, heh," The blonde man chortled again, "Just like your father."

Roll smirked back at him. That smirk then turned into an angry frown. 
She crossed her hands over her chest, focused herself, and unlocked one 
of her stolen powers. Two thick puffs of smoke rose up from beside her, 
in large quantities. The clouds of smoke came to a similar size as Roll. 
The smoke then dissipated. Leaving two fresh copies of Roll in their 
place. Krauser watched this but did not move. He was the one to give 
Count Mehus is demonic powers. So he was fully aware of who Roll had 
stolen this from. The three Rolls then extended their hands for the 
Energy Rapier attack. Blue wisps of power came in front of their hands. 
Volatile enough to shatter stone. Then each of the Rolls projected their 
respective blasts at the still Norhian Wizard. The three blasts zeroed 
in on him swiftly. Krauser acted twice as fast. Both of his arms shot 
forward. And invisible magics made their impacts. The three Energy 
Rapiers were diverted at a 90 degree angle, shooting up into the sky at 
a right angle. Krauser grunted. The three Energy Rapiers made another 90 
degree turn, propelling the blasts back in the sky above Roll. A third 
right turn by Krauser sent those same beams straight down at the three 
who had cast them. The real Roll jumped out of the way. The two others 
were destroyed as soon as the beams of power cut through their smoky 
torso. Combustion was created from the three shots hitting the ground. 
The shockwaves of the explosion threw Roll backwards again. Though she 
kept her head together, she found it extremely difficult to move. 

Krauser had defeated them all.

"Now there is no hope for you to stop me," He said, turning back to the 
now intensely vibrating Gold Crystal, "This is the beginning of the new 
age. Nothing can stop it. For it is fated to be. The sacrifice of Enryu 
was in vain. All he succeeded in doing was prolonging the inevitable.  
The Beckoning is complete. In moments, my true destiny will arrive. Now 
it is simply a matter of awakening the catalyst."

The white-roped man pushed his hand forwards, toward the Gold Crystal. 
"Now. It is time. To awake from sleep that has lasted for millennia. 
Arise! Arise to the mortal plane once again on this day! I summon you 
from the deepest pits of Greed and Hope! Arise, Sczamahchai!"

A tremendous rumble swept through the halls and tower of the Stone 
Temple. Everything shook. Even the ruins of White Raven. The stones that 
made up the building began to shake and tremble with incredible force. 
Dust and stray rocks slipped down from the gaps between the looser 
stones that made up this place. The pillars around the roof and those 
that supported the tower itself were shaken to their limits. The battle 
between Nagi and Molly was ceased when they both felt that tremor. Down 
below, the Blizzard Guard (around half of them dead thanks to Sapphire's 
Shunga beast) held onto something desperately to stop from falling over. 
The corpses of the slain shook vividly from the rumblings. The small 
homes that were left standing now began to crumble. The roofs (those 
that remained) all caved in and crushed what little was left in those 
houses. Soon the walls followed that actions, collapsing into dust and 
rubble. The stone that was strong enough to remain now cracked. As did 
any remaining glass. The walls of the Stone Temple started to break in 
fractures. Ones that snaked along the sandy stone like writhing worms. 
The clouds above now broke and shouted with thunder, crying with 
lightning. The echoing sound of a tempest of destiny. 

The awesome power of Sczamahchai was finally being unleashed. After 
thousands of years of imprisonment. Sapphire was still awake. And so she 
felt, savagely, what this was. The rumblings were the cries and screams 
of the Spirit of the Earth, the Unumbanga, terrified of the awakening of 
one of the Demon God Kings. Krauser suddenly seemed a whole lot smaller 
as the effects of his summoning came to light. Swiftly, a gigantic ring 
of runic symbols materialized in the grim air above the tower. All in an 
ancient language that not even Dr. Oro or Sapphire could decipher. 
Krauser extended his hand from one side of his body to the other in 
motion. His cloak spread open like a cape, and was blown back by a 
enraged gust that suddenly surged through the ruins. 

"Arise, Sczamahchai!" He bellowed fervently, "Arise as my gateway into 
infinity!"

And, expectedly, the fate of the whole world changed. 

From the bright, ancient energies that made up that wide ring of glowing 
symbols, came a ear-splitting, horrifying howl that resonated over all 
of Catheriah. Slowly a head began to arise from the distorted space 
inside that ring. A fleshly, sickly head adorned with two large horns 
extending from the sides of the skull towards the back. Huge red eyes 
opened up in the skull of that head. A fiery red boiling in them. This 
was Sczamahchai. And the rest of its titanic, grotesque and ungodly form 
continued to rise along with its head. Roll, Elle, Long, Sapphire, and 
Dr. Oro looked on in sheer fright as that enormous Celestial Deity arose 
from its imprisonment via that strange luminescent ring of symbols.  The 
bolts of lightning and the cracks of thunder took on all new pitches. 
And the smile on Krauser's face showed that this was all intended.

"Yes!" He yelled passionately, "Come forth! Awaken! Your long, forced 
slumber is now over! Return to the world of men! The fate of all mortals 
has now been decided!"

Over of the floor, Sapphire struggled to speak. "S-stop... it... 
please..."

But Krauser would never have listened to that. He could not stop now. 
Not even if he wanted to. The enormous form of the giant higher being, 
Sczamahchai, rose up fully from the ring of symbols. From its oily 
shoulder blades swung two powerful sets of wings. At a total wingspan of 
over 58 metres. The group below had to hold on for dear life to 
something, as the violent squall created by the flap of Sczamahchai's 
wings blew through the ruins. Its long armoured arms reached out into 
the sky, while its long legs spread out in the air. The demon humanoid 
Celestial Deity looked up into the sky and shrieked out once more, like 
an animal. It was now that Krauser took his final step. He turned to the 
overloaded-with-energy Gold Crystal and focused himself amid the screams 
of Sczamahchai. Then a great beam of pure gold energy shot up from the 
crystal. Through the body of Sczamahchai, and up into the sky. The light 
beam parted the stormy grey clouds above and reached higher and higher 
until it touched out into the depths of space. On the tower, Krauser 
laughed with utter glee. The light beam that was passing through 
Sczamahchai was widening the gap it had created in the clouds. Because 
it was paving the way for the arrival of something else. Once the beam 
reached a certain peak in space, it halted. And remained in a rod-like 
shape, sticking out from the higher face of the world like a needle out 
of an apple. Then another of those symbol rings occurred, with the beam 
slightly below its centre. But this ring was far larger than the one 
that freed Sczamahchai. 

And then, slowly, something crept out of that ring. 

Its slow, still and gargantuan form descended towards earth down the 
beam of light that reared up from the Stone Temple. It was the guiding 
beacon. Eventually the structure made its way into the earth's rapidly 
warming atmosphere. Then down to the skies of Catheriah. Suddenly, as 
everyone on the roof of the tower looked up at the clouds, glorious 
heavenly light was bathed over the entire scene. Yet it did nothing to 
brighten the hearts of those who looked upon it. Then the cause of that 
light appeared from beyond the clouds. The eyes of Roll, Elle, Long, 
Sapphire and Dr. Oro all widened when they took in the sight it.  

It was a colossal, flawlessly shaped pyramid. Made of the same sandy 
stone that the Stone Temple had been built from. But outside of looks, 
the stone that made this pyramid was far different. It was smooth. 
Clear. The dust of those stones rolled of the edges of the sky pyramid. 
Falling to the earth below like gold dust. In the middle of the north 
face of that pyramid was the symbol of an eyeball. And the light that 
shown from the entire structure was magnified at that point. Sczamahchai 
simply screamed bestially at the giant pyramid that now hovered in the 
skies above Catheriah, while Krauser's eyes flooded with his glee. 

"Finally," He yelled, "Finally my TRUE aim has been realized! Now the 
Divine Pyramid of Pandoria has descended to the world from heaven! The 
vessel to eternity! The ark of the flood! The means by which Gods can be 
reached! After all this time, after 400 years of waiting and suffering! 
My time is finally at hand!"

Dr. Oro was in utter shock. NOW he understood what Krauser was doing. 
"...How could I have misread the signs?! Krauser's intent was never to 
simply call on a Celestial Deity! He needed their powers as a fulcrum to 
summon the Divine Pyramid of Pandoria! If he enters that structure... he 
will become... the Atma God!"

Roll groaned. "Atma... God...? W-what are you talking about?!"

Krauser's mind was far from them, though. "Idiotic mortals. My day has 
come. My destiny is at hand. And the very fate of the world has fallen 
into my hands. With my divine blood, I shall become the Atma God! The 
schism between life and death will forever be erased! All will descend 
into the ever-shifting soup of reality! The minds, hearts and souls of 
humans shall coalesce into one form! For this is the will of the one 
TRUE God! Amen! Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Krauser's brown shoes rose up from the ground. The patient man could be 
patient no longer. He flew up into the skies above the tower, his body 
surrounded by sparkling force. His body soon past Sczamahchai towards 
the Divine Pyramid, to reach that which would be his destiny. Dr. Oro 
struggled to gather enough strength to cast a spell. But it was no use. 
Long was too weakened to change into the Gold Dragon and chase after 
him. And Sapphire was in too much pain to summon another monster. There 
was nothing that seemed possible to stop him. But Roll had one last plan 
in mind. It was too late to stop Krauser, though. His form flew up to 
the Divine Pyramid above. The Stone Eye in the face of that huge wonder 
opened bit by bit with archaic magics. Krauser entered through that 
opening. Which sealed itself once more once he was inside it. 

Dr Oro's head lowered his defeat. "Dear Gods... it's over..."

But Roll had something to say about that. She struggled and struggled 
and struggled, but finally got back up on two feet. She pushed out one 
of her hands. Which glowed brightly and switched from green to purple in 
colour. Her extended hand began to glow with bluish light. Elle and the 
others could not understand this. 

And an urgent Dr. Oro correctly surmised what she intended to do. "No! 
Roll! Stop! You cannot fathom the power of such a creature! Its force 
will destroy you! Roll! ...Raehlandria!"

"I've got to stop him!" She would not listen. Roll jerked her body and 
shot out her 'Soul Catcher', the ball that stole the power of her 
enemies. The ball climbed upwards and slipped unabated into the torso of 
the ethereal Celestial Deity, Sczamahchai. It came back out from the 
being, now furiously energized with a silvery force. Roll grit her teeth 
and braced herself as the loaded Soul Catcher returned to her. But 
nothing could have prepared for what happened when the ball sank back 
into her body. Her whole body jerked, from the tips of her hair to the 
tips of her toes. Her eyes shot open fully. Her mouth parted as widely 
as possible. And thus came the most horrific scream any human being 
should ever have to hear. Even through the rumblings of the Spirit of 
the Planet, they were clear to be heard. Roll's entire body was 
possessed with the sheer intense force of an organism that completely 
transcended anything she could ever possibly conceive or even 
comprehend. Her mind and soul felt that great weight without fail. This 
was unlike any Soul Stealing that had come before. Elle and the others 
looked on with fright. Her screams were magnified soon enough. As her 
body began to change. Roll's flesh began to change into a sallow mix 
between plum purple and light russet, becoming hard and oily. Scales 
appeared like armour over all her body. Her clothes were suddenly ripped 
from her body and turned into tiny shreds. All of which were blown away 
in the heavy winds. Roll's fingernails extended into sharp claws while 
her arms, legs and chest became far more muscular. Her shrieks continued 
to torment the heart of Elle. From her shoulders blades, two pairs of 
wings sprouted. Four in all. Each one over a metre and a half in length 
from the body. And the bone in Roll's skull quickly developed  horn-like 
proportions that curled backwards around the frame of her head. And the 
screams coming out of her mouth turned from those of a frightened girl 
to a that of a atrocious entity, as she became less a human and more a 
monster. A bastard hybrid between mortal and immortal. 

Roll had become... a 'demi' version of Sczamahchai.

Elle was absolutely devastated. "...No... Roll!"

Demi-Sczamahchai screeched out to a similar pitch as its superior cousin 
above, both unaware of the words of Elle. Or what kind of danger they 
were in. Soon the brightness from the Divine Pyramid of Pandoria ceased. 
And it all snaked slowly towards the underside of the floating fortress. 
Forming an orb that resembled the Stone Eye at the front. That orb then 
made its purpose clear. An ASTONISHINGLY powerful beam of crystal white 
force was shot from the base of the pyramid. It burned through the skies 
of Catheriah with inconceivable speed. Then blasted straight through the 
towering torso of Sczamahchai. The beam cut through its chest, and out 
its back in frightening time. Green blood surged all over the tower, 
dropping down to the ruins of the town around it. Sczamahchai bellowed a 
reverberant death cry. One that sent shockwaves throughout the nearby 
area. Shockwaves that shattered stone, ripped trees from their roots, 
and created a huge gust of sound that simply knocked birds out of the 
air. The light beam faded away and the body of the fallen Celestial 
Deity, now with a gigantic hole in its massive chest, was plucked out of 
the sky. It plummeted back down to earth and smashed into the ruins of 
White Raven. Crushing to death the remaining members of the Blizzard 
Guard who still happened to be down there. Including Zuriel. 

Sczamahchai had been killed. 

The blast that finished it was now being followed by many smaller ones, 
that battered the surrounding countryside. The tall mountains, wide 
hills and long valleys around were now being bombarded with striking 
energy blasts from the base of the pyramid. Thunderous explosions added 
to the pain of the planet, which was now so intense that the tremors 
were becoming fully fledged earthquakes. The whole earth was rocked with 
intense rumbling as the ground began to split asunder in all parts of 
the world. People as far as Ostantinople were feeling the effects of 
this planet's fear. While Catheriah was inundated with the savagery of 
the pyramid's attacks. 

The group on the roof were all panicked. Elle, Dr. Oro, Sapphire and 
Long all knew that this was the end of them. But while all seemed lost, 
the seemingly wild bout of madness that came from Demi-Sczamahchai was 
short-lived. Its bright red eyes looked across the face of the roof. 
This whole tower was about to collapse into itself from the tremors. 
Demi-Sczamahchai opened its hand and projected it forwards. Towards its 
friends. 

Elle noticed this. "...Roll...?"

All of the group, even Nagi, who was unconscious down below, were 
surrounded by a green light. The powers of the higher being had been 
stolen as well as its form. A few seconds later, their bodies vanished. 
Elle, Nagi, Sapphire, Long and Dr. Oro were all instantly teleported 
from this place, but not before Elle screamed out to her half-deity 
saviour. "Roooooooolllll!"

Shortly afterwards, the Stone Temple Ruins was completely disintegrated 
from one of the Divine Pyramid's blasts. They continued to devastate the 
surrounding area until nothing was left but a gigantic smoking crater. 
Even the body of the Demon God King, Sczamahchai, had been blown to 
bits. The continual firing came to a stop. But the frightened rumbling 
of the planet did not. Then, suddenly, a voice came out of the Divine 
Pyramid. It was that of Sydney Linus Krauser. But no longer the voice of 
him as a human. It was that of him as...

...Atma God.

And its ominous words were loud enough to be heard by every single man, 
woman and child on the face of the planet. 

"...IN THREE SHORT WEEKS I SHALL COLLAPSE ALL OF REALITY INTO A SOLE, 
UNCONTAMINATED FORM," It declared, "LIFE AND DEATH SHALL END. PAIN AND 
JOY SHALL END. DARKNESS AND LIGHT SHALL END. ALL WILL BE ABSOLVED INTO 
NOTHINGNESS. LO AND BEHOLD. THE WORK OF THY TRUE GOD SHALL BE DONE. 

Onwards to Part 2

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