The Legend of Dragoon II, pt. 3

The dust settles and the group is assigned a new task. Where is fate taking them now?

The Legend of Dragoon II
part three

Disclaimer: This subject is owned by Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan (yes, Japan. That's where the story originated). I am merely borrowing this subject as to do a sequel, which I have wanted to do for some time now. If you recognize the names of the made up characters of mine from somewhere, I'm sorry. I'm trying to make up the names for originality.

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Chapter 15) Aftermath

    Orrin and Rashe'm walked through the streets of the burned city. They had already passed the castle, where the rest of the knights, including Shel, went back inside to report back in and make sure the Queen was safe. As Orrin and Rashe'm walked, they traversed the city weilding their weapons at their sides, in case any more robed men remained, even though they doubted it. But, they reasoned that it was better to be safe than sorry, so they searched the burned buildings for Al.

    It was difficult looking for Al, since there were so many homes on fire, but the three eventually met up as Al, covered in soot and had a few singe marks on his clothes, but overall completly fine, rushed out of a burning house near the edge of town carrying two little children. He had immediatly been greeted by a desperate mother, who rushed up to him, hugged him tight enough to make him pop, and then took her two children in her arms, thanking him all the while. The two came up to the scene, snickering at the sight of Al, but Rashe'm was the louder of them. Al came up to them, in surprise rather than being upset by being teased. He said, "So, did ya both kill that thing, the Mirage.... or whatever it's called." Rashe'm replied, "Yes, the VIRAGE is gone. I told it if it didn't leave, I'd give it a spongebath, with you as the sponge. It died of a heart attack." Neither Orrin nor Rashe'm could keep their composure anymore. They had planned that while they were trying to find Al, and they just had to laugh when Al looked at them with a funny expression.

    As all three walked back to the castle, Orrin and Rashe'm told Al what really happened, and each filled in for the other as one got tired of talking, back and forth, exchanging many times. When Orrin described the battle, it seemed dreamy and figmented, but Rashe'm told it as if it were a funny joke. Al hadn't minded, they were together again. So, all the way back to the castle, they talked, and talked, still talking as they entered the main foyer door, but they silenced when they realized that the Queen was there waiting.

The Queen began talking when the three came to a stop. "I don't know how to say this enough. Thank you, all. You have not only saved the country from the basilisk, but you rescued Deningrad in a perilous time. You have all proven yourselves heroes, but now is not the time for that. I'm sure you are all worn out, except maybe for you, Rashe'm. You've been sleeping since you got here." Rashe'm had barely been paying attention, because this was the first time he was consciously inside the castle, so he decided to look around. He only snapped back into attention when he heard his name, that and when Orrin nudged him. The Queen continued, "Is there anything that we can do for you, since you have done so much for us?" In a line, the three responded, starting with Rashe'm, "Food!", then Orrin, "Sleep." Last was Al, who said, "A bath." The Queen nodded to each of these, afterwards saying to each one in turn, "Go to your room, and I'll have someone in the kitchen bring you some food. You know where the beds are, and I wish you a good night's rest. The bathing rooms are down the hall to your left, take a right, follow the hallway, and it's the third door on your right. If you want, we can accomodate you with some new clothes, since your's seems to be extremely sooty." Al replied to the Queen, "Okay, thank ya. I'll just have to get a new uniform when I get home."

    Orrin and Rashe'm took the hallway to the right and Al took the one to the left after the Queen said, "Sleep well tonight, for tomorrow, we must discuss some difficult matters." Rashe'm said cheekily under his breath, "Goody, something to look forward to." They both returned to the room, and each took their beds, Rashe'm had to guess, but Orrin told him where. Orrin began to feel sleep as soon as he laid down, but Rashe'm remained wide awake. Sleepily, Orrin wanted to ask Rashe'm something, "Hey, Rashe'm. Are you going to keep the Dragoon spirit? I mean, when you get back to Heidra, what would you be able to use it for?" Rashe'm sat considering a moment, be he replied, "I haven't really decided what I could use it for. Maybe, when I get back, I could use it to travel the rest of the world, see things no one else has. I'm not totally sure though." Orrin didn't say much after that, because he had fallen asleep withing minutes.

    The next morning, around noon, Orrin finally woke up, feeling exhausted. The deeds of early that morning were catching up to him. He looked over to Al's bed, where Al laid, wearing his new clothes, which actually looked like his old clothes, but made with a richer fabric. He turned his head the other way to Rashe'm's bed, only to find it empty. Groggily, he got out of his bed, and stumbled out the door. Following the hall, he found himself at the main foyer, with the statues of the former Queen and the Sacred Sisters. Rashe'm stood there, in front of the statue of Miranda, looking at the crumbled hand of the statue. He walked up to Rashe'm saying, "So, I guess the Silver-white Dragoon spirit really was in the statue's hand. That solves that mystery." Rashe'm said, "I know. I couldn't sleep at all this morning, so the Queen gave me a tour, explaining the statues." Mentioning the Dragoon spirit made Orrin remember that Al still had the white stone. He figured that it would be handed over to the Queen, since they would have to leave for home soon.

    Orrin and Rashe'm remained in the foyer, still looking at the statues when Al came lumbering down the hall. He greeted the two saying, "Good morning, chums. What's for breakfast?" Rashe'm turned to Al, replying, "Breakfast came about three hours ago. You can go to the kitchen later, because the Queen asked me to take everyone to see her when you two finally got up." He said the last part pointing at Al and Orrin. As Rashe'm began to lead them all to the ceremonial chamber, Orrin asked Al for the white stone, to hold onto. Al willingly agreed, digging into his pocket, retrieving the stone, and dropping it into Orrin's hands. Walking on, Orrin followed, examining the white stone, the same way he had done long before when he first saw the red and purple ones.

    The three finally got to the ceremonial chamber, greeted by the Queen, wearing a different set of her fine coats. Two knights that had stood inside the chamber left, shutting the door behind them. The Queen began, "Good, you're all up. I must talk to you very seriously now. With the major destruction last night, it will take a long while before we are able to hold our own again. It wouldn't be so bad, but I fear that the spreading news of the attack last night will cause a great commotion. I have heard that the countries will start blaming each other as to who's responsible, and everyone's too fearful to listen to reason. If things go a little bit wrong, there will be an entire continental war. I tell you all this to warn you to be cautious on your trip." With that, Orrin approached the Queen, holding the Silver-white Dragoon spirit and saying, "If we're going to be leaving, I guess you'll want to hang onto this." He put the stone into her open hand, but she quickly returned it saying, "No, it's just the opposite, the stones are in your protection now." She opened her other hand, revealing the purple stone, which she also put into Orrin's hands. Orrin meanwhile stood there in confusion.

    The Queen was forced to explain, "With growing tensions, and the attack, the Dragoons are needed again. The attack of the robed men, the Soanites, and the Virage appearance is no accidents, it was planned. So far, Rashe'm seems to be the only one capable of using the Dragoon's power, but we need the others as well. Plus the fact that the Dragoon spirit actually chose Rashe'm means that the Dragoons are needed. As legend goes, there were originally seven, but then an eighth was created by the death of the Divine Dragon. You already have three, which means that you must find five more stones and the seven others worthy of the Dragoons." All of this buzzed around Orrin's head, but Al and Rashe'm seemed to understand just fine. Orrin had mixed feelings again, happy that he was still able to be with his friends, but sad that he couldn't go home now.

    The Queen continued, "I currently know the rumored locations of two of the Dragoon spirits. Both are in Serdio, one in the Indels capital, Bale. The ancient king, Albert, was put into epics for being a Dragoon, so that's a good place to start. I have sent an envoy ahead of you so that they would expect you. Once you find out about the Dragoon spirit there, there is a town close to the continent's border, called Seles. It's a bustling little city, since its popularity grew after the Second Campaign. I don't know which ones are supposed to be in the towns I have told you about, but I wish you well in finding them. After you find them, I want you to return. In your absence, I will do more research in history as to the locations of the other spirits." Then the Queen added, "Serdio is very south of here, and I have arranged transport for you in Furni. You will be taken to the port just north of Bale. You are free to go now, and I have scheduled the transport for next week. If you leave the day after tomorrow, you will make it to Furni with a day to spare."

    All three turned to the door, but then Orrin turned back towards the Queen, he needed to ask her something. He placed the two stones from his hands to his pockets, and then approached the Queen and asked, "Is this going to take a long time?" The Queen replied, "I assume so. It's not easy traveling the entire continent, and you just may have to do so." Before Orrin turned to leave, he added one more thing. "Could you send a note to my mother in Dranc that I'm not coming home just yet? I was supposed to come back after delivering the Dragoon spirits, but I guess that's not an option now."
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Chapter 16) The forest revisited

    The trio set out to the forest the next day, after some resting up and getting enough supplies to last until they made it to Furni. The Queen reminded them that they could stay another day, but they refused, saying it would be better to get to the destination early. Plus, they were tired of the cold. The Queen offered to give them a ride, as far as the forest. After a moment of consideration, they agreed. A few minutes passed and a cart pulled up to the castle, being driven by a familiar face, Shel. As soon as the three filed into the cart, more cozy than the one on the ride to Deningrad, Shel set off.

    Orrin, Al, and Rashe'm talked with Shel on the way to the forest. In this case, Rashe'm was really getting to meet Shel for the first time. After proper introductions, a conversation grew. Orrin started off, "Is it a coincidence that you, of all the knights at Deningrad, are the one to see us off at the forest?" Shel replied, "Actually, as soon as I heard about it, I jumped at the chance to see you off. Since bringing you to Deningrad, I kinda feel like we're friends." Orrin and Al shared the same feeling. As the cart drove on in the morning hours, the four talked, and if they lost interest in a topic, they'd throw out something random, starting the process all over again.

    Soon, Shel pulled the cart up near the forest and the three passangers got out of it. After taking out their supplies, they waved farewell to Shel, who in turn waved back before setting off back to Deningrad. As soon as the fond farewell scene ended, the three turned their attentions to the forest, which lay ahead of them. They didn't fear it, like last time. They felt that they had proven themselves against the basilisk, and nothing could bring them down. Before taking the first step into the forest, Orrin suggested to Rashe'm, "Why don't you just go Dragoon and fly us to Furni?" Rashe'm laughed, though Orrin couldn't figure out why. When the laughter stopped, Rashe'm replied, "First of all, I don't know where Furni is. We'll have to follow the directions the Queen gave us to go. Second, it seems pointless. It's not very discreet, and we'd alarm alot of people. Third, how do you think I'm gonna travel all that way carrying both of you? I mean, I can pick YOU up fine, but how am I gonna go cross-country with Al?" Rashe'm laughed again while Al gave a dirty look at him. Orrin said, "Good point." which also recieved a glare from Al.

    The three followed the path of the forest, leading the way to Furni, when they came to a familiar fork in the path, right where they had battled the giant snake. The body was gone now, probably due to the knights at the lookout post. When they looked over at the post, they saw that the guard had recognized them and started beckoning them. When they walked up to the post, the guard seemed a bit hysterical, almost awestruck, saying, "Oh, my gosh! It's you. I mean, it's REALLY you! The guys who defeated the basilisk! I can't believe this, I must be dreaming! Oh, I should get your autographs and....." He kept going on and on while the three exchanged glances of confusion. Rashe'm decided to go up to the knight and drop his fist onto the knight's head.

    It seemed to work, the knight grew out of being hysterical. After sobering his senses, he said what he had wanted to say originally, "Thanks for that. I know you guys killed the basilisk and all, but there's a note here that says to stop you if you pass by. When the basilisk body was cleaned up, we found your stuff as well." This brought a smile to Al's and Orrin's faces. The knight disappeared to get the sacks of supplies, and it took a few minutes to retrieve all of it. When the sack of pots and pans was presented, Al took it with a fervor. The rest of the things, they said to keep it, that they wouldn't really need it, except for the bag of gold, which Orrin took resembling the fervor the Al had done with the kitchen supplies. After retrieving some of their things, they were off again, as the guard waved frantically.

    The group went straight on the path, instead of taking the path from which they had come to the forest. Al reminded, "This is supposed to be where the winglies are, so keep an eye out for them, because we don't exactly know what they'll do." They continued down the path, which seemed to take surprising twists and turns, almost like a maze. As they all became frustated, mostly Al, they decided to stop for a quick lunch. It wouldn't do good to travel frustated. Al assigned the tasks and they all went off to accomplish them, Orrin looking for dry burnables, Rashe'm to find a source of water, and himself to set up the fire.

    Rashe'm's task wasn't so easy, since there weren't many places with water in a forest. He did the only thing that he thought would help, he followed the paths where the trees and the shrubs grew thicker. Luckily, that plan succeeded. Rashe'm found a plentiful amount of water, but something seemed weird around where he was. Something felt unnatural, almost magical. He was about to check out a wall seemingly made of trees when he heard a sharp yelp. He could have sworn it sounded like Orrin, so he rushed to where the sound originated. As he followed the path, carrying a full pouch of water, he was surprised when he met up with Orrin. He said, "But, I thought that you......" then pointing in the direction that he was heading, "If you're here than what.......... Huh?" out of total confusion. Orrin replied, "I heard it to, and it sounded bad. There might be someone who needs help, so we need to hurry." Rashe'm nodded and they picked up the pace. They both stopped as they found a large group of men in a ring in a clearing of the forest. They were closing in on something, or things, but neither Orrin nor Rashe'm could tell from where they were. Slowly, they began to approach to see what was going on.
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Chapter 17) Platinum

    Orrin and Rashe'm approached the ring of men slowly, not wanting to catch their attentions. Whatever they were doing in a circle almost seemed to spell trouble there and then. As Orrin took another step closer, the forest seemed to stop moving. Every noise stopped, quite eerily. Orrin was about to step next to Rashe'm, to ask if he felt that something was wrong, when one of the men in the ring was thrown backwards, towards where Orrin and Rashe'm stood. The man landed sprawled on his back where Orrin was about to take his step, which meant it was a close shave, but the man then got up and scampered away.

    The attention of the two returned to the ring, but now that there was a gap, they could clearly see two people, but quite unlike anyone else that they had ever seen. They were about middle height, just about a few inches taller than Orrin, and the oddest feature was their hair, platinum. One of them was clearly a boy, but the other one wasn't as easy to tell. The other person wore clothes, exactly like the boy's clothes, but the person had distinct feminine features, and the platinum hair was a tad longer. Orrin settled on the guess that it was a girl. The forest began to grow quiet again, and Orrin and Rashe'm had a feeling they knew what was going to happen. They watched as the two people at the center of the ring began moving in odd ways, mostly moving their hands. Lights began to glow from the moving hands, creating an even deeper sense of mystery, which all dissipated as they spread their hands at two seperate men from the ring and an expulsion of blue energy shot out of the palms, sending the two men flying, like the first one. The whole ring of men began backing up, fearing the same fate. The two men on the ground managed to pick themselves up and run off, soon followed by the rest of the men of the ring, some tripping over each other to get away first.

    After the whole situation had ended, Rashe'm and Orrin, still in awe, began to approach the two identical people, standing poise as they were when they discharged their attack. In a moment, the two turned to face the oncoming Orrin and Rashe'm. Both Orrin and Rashe'm froze in place, the fear that had filled them was now filling them. Even though the two platinum-haired people were a good twenty feet from Orrin and Rashe'm, they covered the distance in a single jump. "WHY do you CONTINUE to ANTAGONIZE us?" shouted the female person of the two. Rashe'm was barely able to squeak out, "Hold on! We didn't mean........a-any harm,........we just h-h-heard....a sc-scream, and we came looking f-for who or w-what made it."

    The two eased up, and returned to normal stances. The boy said, "We are sorry, we thought you were with the other men." Then, both bowed at exactly the same time, which Rashe'm and Orrin found really creepy. The girl continued, "We meant no harm as well, we were only defending ourselves. As you see," she had the boy turn around, "they have burned my brother. He screamed when they put their torch to his back." The girl's voice was very sweet and flowing, soothing the tense air around her. Rashe'm tried to be helpful and offer any medicinal needs. They refused saying, "We don't need the medicines that you humans use, we have our own way of healing, but thank you for the offer." The girl started moving the way she did before, but a little differently, and when her hands glowed, pressed against her brother's back, the burn mark healed, but the fabric of the shirt was still scorched.

    Al suddenly walked onto the path, wondering where Rashe'm and Orrin had gotten off to, but when he found them, he saw the two platinum-haired people doing magic. "Well, I'll be..." he started, "I've never seen a wingly up close before. This is amazing!" This brought the attention of all four to Al. While all were quiet, the two began to say simultaneously, "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves." The boy dropped out while the girl continued. "My name is Liza. This is my brother, Derreck. You may have figured this out, but we are twins. And, as your big friend mentioned, we are also winglies." After a few moments of silence, Al spoke up, "My name's Aljandro, but ya can call me Al. The short one is Orrin, and the other is Rashe'm. I'm sure on behalf of all of us, it's an honor to meet ya both." A little stunned, Rashe'm and Orrin began nodding. They were still taking everything in, not knowing if they could take it all.

    In a polite gesture, Al offered the twins to eat lunch with them. They seemed at first to consider it among themselves, even though neither was moving, but eventually, the girl cheerfully replied, "We would love to." When the five came to the campfire area that Al was setting up, Orrin handed over all of the fire wood that he was carrying, and Rashe'm gave Al the water he collected. In no time, it was set up, but the flint to make the fire wouldn't spark. Liza suddenly spoke up, "I believe I can help with that." She made a few more hand gestures and movements, and when her hands glowed, the fire was lit. Orrin asked, "So, is that magic you're doing? It's amazing that you're only about my age and you can do magic." Orrin noticed Al slap his hand to his face, and the twins said, "Don't let our appearances fool you. Though we look no older than a sixteen year-old human, we are actually One-hundred and eighty-three years old." Orrin's jaw dropped. Al added in, "Winglies don't age as fast as humans, so they always appear younger than they are." First relief showed on Orrin's face, but it was replaced by confusion. "How do you know so much about winglies, Al?" With a nervous glance, Al said, "I just know a lot of random information, that's all." Silence commenced among the five, as Al prepared the lunch he was making.
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Chapter 18) City of the winglies

    Orrin and Rashe'm sat quietly as they ate, but Al was conversing with Liza and Derreck, about their village, family, and other such topics. Orrin looked up from his food to the clothes that the twins were wearing. It was a magnificent shade of blue, eccentuating their platinum hair. The main color was a rich navy blue, and it was bordered by light blue, going around the collar, the bottom of the shirt, and the sleeve cuffs, with a strip of white connecting the light blues from the collar to the sleeve cuffs. The pants, as Orrin noticed were the same navy blue as the shirt. The only real difference in clothing between the two was that Liza's clothes were a little bit lighter than Derreck's.

    Orrin returned to his food, almost finished, while the conversation between Al and the twins seemed to finish. After the twins finished their lunch, Derreck announced to Al, Orrin, and Rashe'm, "Since you have shown us such kindness, my sister and I would be pleased to show you our village, even invite you to stay the night. We will even introduce you to the sage. She is very wise and may give you some words of wisdom for your journey." Orrin and Rashe'm looked kind of indifferent, but Al's eyes lit up with glee. He said, "Oh, we'd love to! Thank you!" As he finished his food, Al continued, "As soon as we finish cleaning up, we can be off." Immidiately, he took all of the bowls and used the some of remainder of the water to clean them, using the rest to put out the fire.

    Derreck and Liza led Al, Orrin, and Rashe'm through the maze of the forest. Rashe'm grew curious as he noticed that it was nearly the same path that he took when he went to find water. Liza stepped ahead of Derreck, stopped, and turned around at the same wall of trees that Rashe'm had been at when he heard the scream. Liza said to the rest, "Be cautioned, try not to be startled. There is a magic barrier here, and it has recently been put back up this past year, ever since other men began searching for us winglies to harrass us." Slowly, she turned around, and Derreck walked up to her side. Suddenly, concentrated beams of light sprouted out of the backs of the twins, shaped like downward wings. Within seconds, the wall of trees disappeared, replaced by a swirling gate of bluish light. Derreck stepped through to demonstrate how to pass through, and when he passed through, Liza turned to Al, Orrin, and Rashe'm saying, "All you have to do is pass through this gate. It is actually a warp gate," then giggling, "I find it quite fun myself." Orrin noticed that Liza seemed less proper and more free spirited when she was seperated from her brother. A smile actually had spread across her face while she talked.

    Al was the first to attempt passing through the gate, and Orrin watched as he dissappeared through it. Then, Rashe'm stepped forward and did the same. Orrin grew a little nervous, because the warp gate was very alien to him. He began feeling very small, but his nerve began to come back to him when he looked at Liza, who smiled at him very cutely. Reasons to follow through the gate came to Orrin's mind, like the fact that he's already seen odder things, like the Dragoon armor that Rashe'm wore during the fight in Denningrad with the even stranger Virage. Gathering his nerves, he walked towards the swirling gate, shaking a little. After he fully entered the gate, he was suddenly thrust forward at an unimaginable speed. The path was not straight, it weaved back and forth, making the thrust propulsion even greater. Orrin was wondering if his body was going to be torn in half from the force, when he found his feet on solid ground again.

    Orrin looked around, and he had indeed gotten out of the stream. He saw that ahead of him were Derreck, Al, and Rashe'm. Then, he looked back just as Liza came out of the portal, which looked exactly like the one in the forest, except the swirl was reversed. He took time to reflect on the trip through the warp gate, and thought to himself that Liza was right, it was fun. He spoke up to her, "You're right, Liza, that was kind of fun." That brought Derreck to give a quizzical look at Liza. When she walked back next to her brother, she said, "Well, it is!" almost pleadingly. Orrin hadn't noticed, but the wingly city was visible from where they had gotten out of the gate. And additionally, he noticed that Liza seemed to return to her properness when she met up to her brother.

    Liza and Derreck led the three humans on the path to the city. When they entered, many of the winglies, some flying from building to building with their light wings, looked at the group saying things like, "Humans?", "Wow, we haven't had humans here for about half a century!", and similar things to that nature. Orrin noticed that the air was warmer here, very odd for being in the cold forest. Also, he saw that there were more buildings than he thought at first. All of the buildings seemed to be centered around a tree-like building, and that was where Liza and Derreck were leading the group. Liza turned around, walking backwards and looking at her and her brohter's guests and said, "We're going to take you to the sage first."
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Chapter 19) The wingly sage

    Walking the path through the city towards the center, which was both similar looking to a tree and the location of where they could find the sage, Orrin looked at the unique structure of the buildings he passed. They were made out of metal, but which type he couldn't determine. It seemed to be an alloy of mysterious origins, giving each building its own mystical beauty, yet they could fill one with fear of the unknown at the same time. Most of the buildings seemed to be about the same height, varying only by a few feet.

    Orrin returned his gaze to the direction which he was traveling when Liza announced, "We are almost to the sage's home. It is quite unwise to offend the sage, so I suggest that you prepare anything that you want to say beforehand." For a second, Orrin could have sworn that Liza looked directly at him while telling them the advice. The only reason that he could rationalize was that it was because he hadn't been paying attention. He looked past Liza and Derreck and saw that the tree-like building, their destination, was indeed very close. The thought played over in his mind, "I suggest that you prepare anything that you want to say beforehand" and he felt it very odd. But, it did remind him about the Dragoon Spirits, so he went up to Al and whispered, "Should we say anything about the Dragoon Spirits?" Almost immediately, he replied, "I'm not sure, but I suppose ya better keep the stones in yer pocket and not say a word. Winglies are powerful, magical creatures, and they might still bare a grudge towards Dragoons. I don't think they can even sense them, they've been alienated from their power for so long. So, until we know for sure, don't say a word about them." Mindfully, Orrin added, "Then maybe you should tell Rashe'm. He might spill the beans."

    By the time that Al finished relaying the message to Rashe'm, they were all right near the tree-building. Liza and Derreck began seperating off, almost as if they were going to go on opposite sides of the building, but instead, they stopped on each side of the teleport pad in front of the tree. Derreck spoke up, "This warp pad here is the same as the warp gate. There is no need to fear for this one as well." Liza broke in where Derreck cut off, "I will enter first this time, so follow me, one at a time. The pad gets picky when taking more than one person. We even had a case of splicing before, and it was quite a mess. They were att....." She stopped when Derreck gave her a hard look. She finished up, "Fine, I guess we do not need to get into full details, but it is still a good story." a little offended. Qickly and quietly, she stepped onto the warp pad, and disappeared a second later.

    Rashe'm and Al went on the teleporter, one at a time, but Orrin looked at Derreck for a second. Within that small amount of time, he noticed that being seperated from the sibling also had an effect on Derreck. He appeared harsher, almost malicious. Orrin took his face to say, "Stay away from me, or you shall go in pieces." It made him shudder, and he wanted to go through the warp as soon as he could to get away from Derreck. As soon as Rashe'm disappeared, the way Liza had a few moments before, he raced onto the platform, and immediately felt the teleportation begin. He began to rise upward, very fast. It was as Derreck had said, it was like the warp gate. Realizing that, Orrin began to grow a little giddy, and he had to completely agree with Liza that the warp tunnels were fun.

    Moments later, Orrin felt solid ground again as he saw Rashe'm, Al, and Liza standing before him, Liza showing on her face the same giddy joy that Orrin felt. He stepped off of the pad, so that Derreck could enter, and sure enough, a few seconds later, Derreck appeared on the pad, but Orrin noticed a difference. Derrecks face was no longer malicious or hostile looking. Orrin looked at Liza and saw that she was back to her non-perky self. To him, it seemed that together, Liza and Derreck were of one mind, but apart, they had a seperate conscience.

    When Liza and Derreck took the lead again, they led the rest through exquisite hallways, made of the same odd alloy that the buildings outside were made of. Orrin also noticed that there were small, yet noticeable figures on the walls, in a single, thin line going from the teleporter pad to wherever the hallway led to. A minute more of walking took the group to large days, which were also made of the alloy, but while the rest of it was silver, the doors were a greenish tint. Derreck stepped up close to the door and whispered something incoherent, apparently in another language which Orrin couldn't understand. When Derreck stepped back, the doors opened towards them and they were showered in a phosphorescent light.

    Orrin figured that what Derreck had said was some sort of password, in order to gain entrence. After the doors had fully opened, Orrin saw a grand hall, almost so big that it seemed impossible to fit in the tree-building as they saw it outside. Liza and Derreck continued forward at regular pace, but Al, Orrin, and Rashe'm all slowed down to look at the grandness of the room, and also being puzzled with the perplexity of the room actually fitting inside the building. Without warning, six wingly guards came up to the three and demanded, "Leave your weapons with us. It is for the safety of everyone." The last part was added somewhat as a reassurance. After Orrin took his spear out of its harness, Al took his axe from the bag on his back, and Rashe'm handed over his sword, the guards stated, "Proceed." Liza and Derreck had waited for their guests, and once they all caught up, they continued. When they were all near the center, Orrin noticed that someone was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, a man, and after a few more steps, the man stood up. When they got to the foot of the elevated floor, which the chair sat upon, Derreck and Liza bowed, which was met by the man saying, "Ah, Liza, Derreck, it is wonderful to see you again, my children."
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Chapter 20) A tale of two winglies

    Orrin's mouth would have dropped right through the floor, but he remembered about his manners just as it started to drop. "If this is the sage," he reasoned in his head, "then does that mean that the sage is their father? Why would they only refer to their father as the sage?" Many questions buzzed in Orrin's head, but meanwhile, Liza and Derreck said their greetings while still bowing, but while Liza said, "Hello, father.", Derreck said, "Greetings, high sage." This made the sage laugh. "You may rise now, my children." As they did, Orrin took notice of the sage's features. he wore a long, silver-gray tunic, a one-piece outfit. He held a staff with a gem on it, at the very top, which seemed to shine, whichever angle it was viewed at. He also had the platinum hair that was attributed to the wingly traits, but his hair seemed a little meshed and tangled, and it only went down to his ears.

    "So, my children," the sage began, "what brings you here before me with guests? Human by the looks of them." Liza started, "We found the man you spoke of. And you were correct, they were all on their way on a long journey." Orrin felt shocked, decieved, stabbed in the back even. "They were waiting for us? This can't be good." he thought. Then, pointing to Al, the sage asked, "Is that you, Aljandro?" Al's eyes seemed to shoot open at that, at the sign of recognition. "Guaraha?"

    Both Al and the sage, Guaraha, walked towards each other until they stood face to face. Without a word, Al wrapped his arms around Guaraha in a very grasping way. After the hug, Al and Guaraha backed up and began talking, starting with Al saying, "Guaraha, it's been, what, twenty years?" Still squeezed out from the embrace, Guaraha piped out, "Yes, but time seems to slip by me lately." Al said, "Ya didn't tell me ya had kids! Why not?" Guaraha replied, "You were only a boy, then. You were about this boy's age," he pointed at Orrin, "were you not? I thought it would be unneccessary for someone of that age to know everything about me." Al answered back, "I guess I was about fifteen, maybe even sixteen. Those were fun times back then. But, I'm on a little quest of my own now." Guaraha stated back, "I see. What is your quest for, may I ask?" But before Al could reply, Rashe'm took his Dragoon spirit out of his pocket, letting it glow, and said, "These."

    Both Al and Orrin simultaneously slapped their faces out of both shame and embarressment. Al said the shock-faced Guaraha, not realizing that he was staring at the gem in amazement, "Pardon me, I need a little time with my 'friend'!" He went back to where Rashe'm was, put down his hand, and came up to his ear and savagely whispered, "What do ya think yer doing? I told ya not to take it out. Are ya daft? Were ya knocked in the head too hard by the snake? What were ya thinking?" The only thing Rashe'm said was, "Oh..... I thought you WANTED me to take it out. My ba...." he was cut off by Guaraha, saying, "Aljandro, is that what I think it is?" Shamefacedly, Al turned to face him and said, "Yeah, it is. And ya can call me Al." Guaraha stood there looking at it, while Liza and Derreck watched their father and Orrin and Rashe'm watched Al. The room was silent for a moment that seemed to linger longer than it actually did. The silence was broken when Guaraha said, "It..... it reminds me so much,..... of Meru."

    A tear formed at the edge of Guaraha's eye, seemingly taking it's time to well up. He asked, "May I see it again?" When Al looked back at Rashe'm, he nodded in affirmation, and Rashe'm held out his hand and put the stone in Al's. When Al gave it to Guaraha, Guaraha held up the Dragoon spirit so that the light in the room reflected off of it. "It has been so long" said Guaraha, "since I have seen anything that reminds me of her, aside from our children." Al inquired, "Meru, as in, the Meru from the Second Dragon Campaign?" Slowly, and still looking at the stone, Guaraha nodded. Silence continued as Guaraha stared at the stone, completely fixated on it. Orrin, Al, and Rashe'm stood there, mostly in anticipation for Guaraha to continue, but nothing happened until Guaraha sighed heavily and said, "Derreck, Liza, will you both go to prepare the rooms for our guests?" Without even answering, they revealed their wings and flew out through an almost nonvisible window that Orrin hadn't noticed before.

    "I wonder where to start." mumbled Guaraha, starting to pace across the floor. "Maybe I should start with how I know Meru. You see, she was my wife. I loved her very much, unconditionally. Some two hundred years ago, we decided to try to bare a child, which would have brought honor and glory to us. Little did we expect what would happen next." As he continued to mull over his thoughts, he passed the stone back and forth between each hand, mournfully. "I remember the joy that we both felt when we learned that Meru was pregnant. Things seemed to be going right for the both of us. We did what was typical for every wingly to do in their life." Then he turned around, so that his back was to the three. "When it was around the time of conception, Meru began feeling a little ill, so much that even our magic couldn't make her feel better. Then, the big day finally came, and we found out that we had not only one, but two healthy, beautiful children. The problem was, Meru never became better afterwards. She remained with our best doctors, they did as much as they knew to help."

    Guaraha turned back around to face them, at the same time, handing the stone back to Rashe'm. "A week passed since our children were born, and Meru only became worse. The doctors seemed to figure that having two children was what made her ill, that it was too much to handle. That same night as the week after she gave birth, her life began slipping away from her. She had called to talk to me specifically, to speak of something very private. We had been alone in the room, and she looked so pale, so helpless. It made me want to pity her, but I just couldn't, I was still too much in love with her. She could barely speak, and when she did, she said, 'Please, watch over our children. I'm sorry that I ended up this way, too weak to barely breathe.' Then, she opened up her palm, which had been clecnched since I had entered the room. Out of her hand came a polished blue stone. I had no idea what it was, but the last thing that she said to me was, 'Keep it safe, for me.' "

    "That day, I lost the love of my life, the passion of my heart, and I almost gave up the will to live, but the only thing to keep me going were my newborn children." At this, Al had to wipe a tear from his eye, sniffling at the same time. Guaraha continued, "I had lost all ability to share my love with anyone, making the exception of my children, since they, aside from the stone, were all I had left of her. The others in the city decided that my experiences had made me wisened to a higher comprehension, which it had, as to how I knew of your coming this way. They gave me the title of the village sage, and I have held that title ever since." This was the end of Guaraha's tale, and Al spoke into the silence, "I.... I'm so sorry, I never knew." Guaraha stated, "This is why I didn't want to trouble you at such a young age. I'm sure that at that age, and it being you, you would have given up on all of your ambitions then and there."

    Something clicked in Orrin's head, "So, if you knew Meru, then you should know where all of the rest of the Dragoon spirits are, right?" Guaraha wore a regretful face, "Sadly, no. I have no memory of the Second Campaign, all I knew of it was that Meru was a part of it, that was all that she would tell me. This, Dragoon, did you call it? Would it be possible if I could see what it looks like?" Rashe'm nodded, and then held the stone in his hand, which then began glowing red. In a flash, Rashe'm was in his red, highly decorative armor that Orrin had seen him in before. To Al and Guaraha, this was a new experience. Solemnly, Guaraha said, "Thank you, I just wish I could have seen what Meru would have looked like." In another flash, Rashe'm was his normal self again. Orrin asked something else, "How did you lose your memory?" This made an emberrassed look come across Guaraha's face. "I am not completely sure, but from what I hear, Meru was doing a few antics, and she knocked a pot over and off of a shelf, coming down on my head. That's my first memory I can recall, Meru looking down at me, asking if I was alright." Silence continued for a second, but Guaraha continued, "I suppose you should get some sleep now, it is quite after night. It was very nice meeting you both,.... uhh......... what are your names again?" Rashe'm said, "I'm Rashe'm." and Orrin said, "My name is Orrin, and it was very nice meeting you." Guaraha smiled, "And it was nice meeting you too. Goodnight, Al, Rashe'm, and Orrin. I wish you a good night's sleep."

    All three turned back towards the door to leave. They went halfway down the hall when Orrin turned back to look at Guaraha, who was now back in his chair, and apparently, he was crying into his palms. Orrin truly felt sorry for him, not that he had infact experienced the loss, but having to live through it again while telling the tale. Before Orrin knew it, Al was already pushing open the door, where Liza and Derreck stood waiting for them. Politely, Derreck said, "Your weapons are already in your rooms. We will take you there now." While everyone else looked forward going towards the teleporter out of the tree-building, Orrin remained looking back at Guaraha, and he continued looking until the doors, slowly closing, finally shut.
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Chapter 21) Continuing the journey

    While walking back to their rooms, no one spoke. The tale that they had just heard shocked them into silence. But, even though they were silent, Orrin had some questions that he wanted to ask Al, mainly about the adventure he had with Guaraha. So, they continued, out of the tree-building, down the near deserted lanes with luminescent lights shining above them, when Liza and Derreck stopped in front of a building, which didn't stand out too much from the others. Derreck began saying, "This is where we live, and we have prepared your rooms in our quarters." He turned to face the building, and he waved his hand across a wall, which soon slid off to one side, like a door. Still leading, Liza and Derreck led the group into the building.

    Orrin layed in his bed, unable to sleep. He seemed to have trouble lately, with all of the excitement and adventure. He decided to go out into the hall, to go to the room that resembled a kitchen to get some water from the sink, but he passed Al's room and saw that he couldn't sleep either. He figured that this was a better chance than never to ask Al what had happened, along with some other questions that were swimming in his skull. He knocked on the doorway frame, to announce that he was there. Immediately, Al said, "Orrin, come on in. What's troubling ya?"

    Orrin took a seat in the room, settling himself before he talked. As soon as he was comfortable, he said, "I just couldn't sleep. What Guaraha said, it just got to me. But, you were talking about taking a journey together with him. What was that all about?" Al apparently took some time preparing what he was going to say next, but finally, he replied, "According to him, it was a journey to find himself. After I met him, he told me that he had lost something precious to him, that he was almost nothing without it" Orrin quickly asked, "How did you meet?" Al didn't need time preparing this time, "Well, it was when I was about yer age. I went out to get some items for dinner that night, and along stumbles this man in odd clothes. He looked awfully weary, so when he came up, I asked him, 'Would ya like to come for dinner? It looks like ya haven't eaten in days. I'm sure my parents will be glad to see ya, they love being kind to strangers.' So, he stayed and had dinner, then he was so wiped that he stayed the night too. That went on for a week, but then he comes up to me and asks, 'Would ya like to come with me for awhile on my journey? Something about ya makes me feel better.' Of course, my parents said it was okay, so, we were off."

    Orrin felt a little awed by the selflessness of Al's parents, how they cared so much about someone they didn't even know. Al continued, "My parents didn't realize that he was a sage, let alone a wingly, but they trusted him none-the-less." Orrin then asked, "What did you do on that journey?", but Al only said, "That's for another time. Now I'm tired and going to bed. I suggest ya do the same." Orrin did feel a little tired now, and reluctantly, he went back to his room with other questions still buzzing in his head, after he went and got a drink of water.

    In the morning, Al and Rashe'm woke up early, and they had to wake Orrin up. Orrin had finally gone to sleep around 1:30, far later than he wanted to. Derreck and Liza weren't in the quarters when they were all finally awake, but they found some victuals on the counter, most probably left out for them by the two. After the small "continental breakfast", they were ready to leave, everything being  packed. They headed for the door out of the building, and when it opened, Guaraha stood there, waiting for them. There was silence for a few seconds, but then, Guaraha, who didn't wait for the question that he was sure was about to come, said, "I came to see you all off..... but that's not the only reason." He put forth his left hand, which had been behind his back, and revealed a polished blue stone, similar to the white and purple ones in Orrin's pockets and the red in the possession of Rashe'm. Amazed reactions came out of all three of them. "I am sorry that I did not show this to you last night," continued Guaraha "but I was fighting with myself whether or not to show it.......... It belonged to Meru. It is my last reminder of who she was, a Dragoon. From what I heard from her, the appearance of the Dragoon spirits meant that they were needed again. When I saw the red stone last night, I knew. But, here," he handed the blue stone to Al "I want you to have it, for whoever is chosen by it as the next Dragoon." Al took the stone, almost unwillingly, not wanting to tear a memory away from a man. He didn't hand it over to Orrin, though, he was going to hold onto that one, since Guaraha was a close friend.

    "And as another request," Guaraha continued after Al put the stone in his pocket "I want my children to go with you on your journey. I believe they will be very usefull, and I want them to experience a journey like their mother had, many years ago." At this, Derreck and Liza came up from behind the three, taking them by surprise. Liza said "I know we are going to have a lot of fun.", but Derreck said, "That is what I am afraid of." almost without any emotion. The party was now up to five, and Al said to Guaraha, "Thank ya, Guaraha, my friend. I'll make sure that they aren't harmed." Guaraha then said, turning to leave, "No, it is I who thank you, for being there for me." They all watched as Guaraha flew back to the tree-building, and then a cloud of silence fell upon them.

    No one said anything until Liza said, "Should we not be going now?" The rest snapped out of the staring-into-space mode and walked down the street leading to the gate out of the forest. Somehow, without anyone noticing, Liza was at the front of the group again, leading to the destination. When Al caught on, he said, "I believe we can find our way out of here." Liza, with a foolish face, said, "Sorry, force of habit, I guess." She slowed her walking until she was walking next to Orrin. Orrin then noticed that Derreck had been walking at his right for awhile, while Liza was on his left. For some reason, his thoughts suddenly turned to the Dragoon spirits in his pockets, with the white stone in his left pocket and the purple in his right.

    When everyone was back in the forest after passing through the gate, which Orrin found incredibly enjoyable the second time through, the five stood where they had the day before. Al said, "Okay, we have a few days before the ship leaves from Furni, which is about how long it will take to get there. I say that we move and keep moving, only resting for when we set up camp at night. If that works, we might have a day to spare." Once out in an open area, Al started looking for a path that would take them all south, towards Furni. Using the moss on the trees, he found the path to take. Now, the group was five members strong, four spirits found with two possibly in the near future.
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                                Continued in part four...................