Shining the Holy Ark Fan Fiction Project TFSW

Shining the Holy Ark: A Retelling

Written by:

The-Fantastic-Story-Writer

Based off:

Shining the Holy Ark

A/N: I wrote this a fairly long time ago and I don't have a beta reader. Sorry if any spelling or grammar irritates you.

Warnings: Slash, suggestive themes, violence, and my own sick mind.

The three soldiers rubbed their eyes, standing, (or in one case, leaning) against the wall of the entrance to Desire Mine. Finally, one of them, a short brunet spoke.

"Are you sure that Rodi is holed up in the mine?" The youngest of the men there asked hesitantly. Another of the men pulled off his helmet, revealing coppery brown hair. He nodded.

"Yeah, I saw him with my own eyes." The brunet shivered. "He ran in there with that big sword of his strapped across his back." He took a shaky breath. "The captain an' the others went in after him, but . . ." The oldest man there rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

"That explains it." He waved around a callused hand. "No wonder you were the only one out here when we arrived." They all glanced around, seeing nothing in the brutal heat. The youngest started again, timidly.

"You don't think . . ." He paused, looking hopeful. "I wonder if the captain will come back to get us?" The bearded man looked at him incredulously.

"It's been quite a while since the mine was shut down. There are probably lots of creepy things running around in there by now." He muttered, destroying the young man's hope. "Yeah. . ." He finally snapped out of his daze, looking around again. "I wonder where those mercenaries are." The brunet looked around hopefully.

"Hey, look over there," the boy pointed down the slope. They all turned.

"Yep, that's them alright,"

"Looks like they made it," The other male said, putting his helmet back on. "Looks like we don't have to go into the mine after all." He sounded relived.

Arthur walked a bit slower, grumbling to himself. Couldn't they just shut up already?! The pair had been talking his ear off nonstop since they started walking! They heard voices, carried in the wind.

"Those approaching must be Forte the sorcerer and his partner Melody the shaman. They have a fierce reputation." Forte and Melody shut up in surprise. Then they smirked at him.

"Look! There are three of them. Who's the swordsman?!" Melody and Forte raised an eyebrow. They had picked him up pretty easily, but they didn't realize he was virtually unknown.

"I know that guy! He's Arthur."

"Who?"

"A mercenary, idiot, keep up." Arthur hid his smile, while Forte and Melody's lips twitched.

"He recently was granted a passport to come into Enrich, ya see. He's downright famous in Veora," Melody and Forte watched as Arthur blushed faintly. Clearly he didn't want them to know.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa wait. THAT Arthur? The one who's blade can supposedly cut through magic?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Rodi doesn't stand a chance! Melody and Forte are a strong pair, but to put in Arthur. . ." they heard the helmeted man mutter. They heard more words, then "Keep it down already! They'll be here shortly."

"We're already here. Who's supposed to be stronger than us?" Melody asked drily, plunking a hand onto her hip. "If we were after you, you'd be dead by now." Here she glared at them, "We were told this was urgent, so we took a shortcut or two to get here faster!" Arthur smirked a bit. For a newbie, she hid it remarkably well.

"So this is it? This is the mine where Rodi's gone into hiding?" Forte asked, glancing back to see Arthur, who simply smiled innocently back, clearly not inclined to talk.

"So, the reason so few of you Enrich soldiers is out here is that the rest went in after Rodi, right? Well at least some of you have courage . . ." Melody jabbed, looking slightly sour.

"Why you . . ." The mercenary stopped at Arthur's slight smile and shake of his head. Forte jumped on the silence.

"How many?" He asked. Grumbling, the other man held up a finger. "Ten. Huh, it could put up a fight."

"Uh, no. I meant that he was in there alone." Forte looked surprised.

"What! Alone?! We could have taken care of this by ourselves! Why did we need to bring him?" They all looked at Arthur, who simply shrugged, a small smile worming its way on his face. Oh well. More money for him. The other teen shook his head.

"We're all aware of your reputation, but don't underestimate Rodi! He's a very crafty adversary and possesses some very powerful magic . . ." The other man warned pointedly. After some more chit-chat about money, the pair pushed Arthur forward.

"Well . . . Rodi is somewhere in this mine and we've got to find him. Why don't you take point?" Forte suggested, smirking.

"Yeah . . . Since you're the mighty swordsman, you lead the way. Agreed?" Melody grinned along with the older sorcerer. Arthur snorted quietly, but said nothing. He shrugged, grinning at them, clearly amused. If they wanted him to be a living shield, they were in for a sad awakening.

"I knew you'd see it our way. We'll be right behind you." Melody informed him.

"Oh come on," She whined finally, as Arthur wandered down one of the passageways. "Hurry up!" Arthur stopped, and sighed.

"Well, if you're sure that you don't want to make sure he's here alone, and be ambushed later, then fine," Arthur drawled casually, standing up. With a sigh, Arthur started walking towards the final soldier. "In here, right?" The man looked up and nodded.

"Well, get going." They stepped into a round chamber, and casually into the chamber. They couldn't see him, until he appeared.

"Welcome! So you are the chosen ones to join me in spinning the threads of destiny." Rodi greeted, smiling gently.

"Join you? Spin the threads of destiny . . . ?" Forte asked confusedly

"You must be Rodi, right? Why do you say such strange things? What do you mean by 'spinning the threads of destiny'?" Melody asked.

"Wait a minute! There are three of you! You aren't the ones sent by Sabato, are you? You're those blood-thirsty mercenaries summoned by that hag, Rilix!" Rodi glared vehemently.

"And it's nice to meet you too! By the way, what gives you the right to call anyone blood-thirsty?!" Melody snapped back.

"We have been sent here by direct orders from the king of Enrich to exterminate the rat that fled into this mine! And that rat is you, Rodi!" Forte retorted a bit imperiously.

"A rat? What a joke . . . So, my potential exterminators, I take it you won't just leave quietly if I ask nicely?" Rodi sighed.

"No, sorry," Arthur smiled wryly at him. "It's a shame really."

"I know each of you is confident in your skills, but do you really think you can defeat me? I guess the only way to find out is to try me!" Rodi drew his blade. "Ayakashi!"

"Here he comes, assume your positions! Blaze!" Multiple little birds fluttered, made of dancing flame, before they dive-bombed the ninja, who yelped, then jumped out of the way, only to jump back, his sword crossing with Arthur's own. Forte shot another Blaze, burning off part of his shirt. Rodi cursed again, parrying away the blade and shooting a Brutal Fire at Melody. She was hit in the shoulder, knocking her down harshly. Another one hit her stomach. He slashed at Forte, cutting across his cheek, then his chest. Forte retreated, pressing an Herb against the thickly flowing chest wound. Arthur parried, and then ran the tip of his sword across the outlaw's chest. Rodi gasped lightly, staggering back, landing on one knee.

"What a disappointment . . . However, I'm not finished yet! Not until my destiny is fulfilled!" Rodi snarled, struggling to stand.

A massive crash brought their attention to the ceiling, where a ship of some sort destroyed the floor. Arthur and the others fell through the floor, getting knocked out in a harsh strike to the back of his head.

Groggily, Arthur woke, seeing two blue and one pink orbs drifting around him then the others. They uttered a piercing shriek, and then disappeared as a byzantium-colored mist appeared, condensing into a dark figure. It floated closer, inspecting them all. It seemed taken by Melody, moving a strand of maize hair. Flickering lights of amber and amaranth sprung to light, as the crimson birds of flame attacked in a blaze of light and energy. The thing recoiled, then sped towards the celeste-haired male, whirling into mist on the way and wrapping around Forte's open wounds and mouth, seeping in. Forte groaned in agony, then went still. He floated up a few inches into the air, and flew off. Arthur's vision went blurry once more, and he blacked out.

Arthur ran down the halls, skidding to a stop in front of Melody. She called his name, desperate.

"Arthur!" Melody cried, vanishing. Panicked, Arthur ran down the hall she was in, and faced Forte.

"Arthur!" Forte called, pointing down the hall. Rodi greeted him, a smile curving his lips.

"You are the ones chosen to join me in spinning the threads of destiny." Rodi whispered. A look of outrage appeared on his face, as he regarded the younger brunet. "I have no need for bloodthirsty mercenaries. Leave this place!" Arthur spun around, running in the opposite direction. Rodi's laughter rung out, "Do you really think you can defeat me?" Rodi let his laughter echo, as he faded away. A crack of lightning resounded in the halls, as he ran. A boy with purple skin appeared, and Arthur had to skid to a stop in an empty chamber.

"I should have never been born! No one could possibly understand my pain!" He cried out in anguish. He spun around, only to be blocked in that direction as well.

"I will not let you inherit the Spirit!" An elderly woman rasped, sitting in a floating chair. He spun again to face the only unblocked entrance, to see that blocked too.

"Who are you? One of the chosen who will spin the threads of destiny with Rodi?" A crack of thunder accompanied his words, as Arthur backed away.

"Arthur!"

"What does the Creator want from us?"

"Arthur!"

"I have no desire to resurrect the Thousand-Year Kingdom!" He roared.

"Arthur!"

"Arthur!"

"Arthur!"

Arthur came around to a reddish dome of some sort, facing off a . . . Bat-eared something–or–other, for lack of a better word.

"Are you alright?" It asked finally. Before he could answer, it cut him off, "But obviously the answer to that question is no. I asked the wrong question." As Arthur struggled to sit up properly, it (he?) continued to talk. "Your life's eternal flame is almost gone, we must hurry." It propped him up. "We are the Spirits willed into being by the Creator. You three have been accidentally caught up in the struggle between the forces of life and death." With a wave of his hand, Rodi appeared.

"Rodi sustained brain damage from the falling rocks. As a result, he suffers from amnesia and can't remember anything, leaving us with no time to waste." As he spoke, a Spirit entered his body. "We Spirits have the power to heal. He can be restored if we possess his body, then he will likely make a full recovery." Melody appeared, sleeping. "Melody is in critical condition. Her rib-cage has been crushed and a fragment had punctured her lung. However, we will help heal her as well." The only pink Spirit entered her body.

"She regained consciousness for a brief moment earlier and witnessed one of the evil spirits possessing her partner. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to alleviate those emotional scars." He spoke mournfully. Arthur saw his body appear next to Rodi, as the ninja stood up. "The Spirit will partially control Rodi until he recovers from his injuries. He'll regain his magic and abilities, as well. His personality will remain intact." Melody stood up, shakily.

"Melody is able to act on her own free will. We will not affect her freedom. You are in critical condition as well. We feel responsible for you since the cause of all your injuries was our escape pod, and . . . I have need for a body too. If I remain here, among this evil, I will perish. Remember that you three, whose bodies have been imbued with spirits cannot be separated, even though you were once enemies. They all have agreed. I want you to remember that too." The spirit floated into Arthur's body, as the world slowly faded back into the normal colors of dull browns and rich, earthy tones.

"I remember fighting you, but I can't remember why. Maybe it's because of that rock falling on my head . . . I can't remember . . ." Rodi mumbled, sitting on the stone. Melody walked over, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Since we're all in the same situation . . . Just as the Spirits said, it's meaningless to fight with Rodi now. As long as they occupy our bodies, it's best that we work as a team." Melody said finally.

"Although I seem to have lost all my equipment and forgotten my fighting skills, I guess I should be glad that I'm still alive. Since I can't see any reason to stick around in this mine, let's find our way out of here." Rodi decided, stretching a little bit.

"Arthur, let's go! I don't think we can depend on Rodi right now, so why don't you take the lead and let's go try to find Forte. Since the evil spirit has recently possessed his body, we may still have time." Melody said hopefully. Arthur scowled to himself. Damn it, couldn't they let him breathe?

"What in Zod's name is with all the bats?!" Melody yelped, smacking a rather unfortunate bat in the head with the largest part of the staff. Rodi struggled to hold in all of his laughter, as he cut down the bat next to them. Arthur smiled faintly. Until the zombie came, at least. Rodi groaned, and cut its head right off, the decapitated creature dissolving at the faintest touch of the blade. A piece of paper fluttered into Melody's hand.

"Hell Blast," she read out, "Well this has–Arthur?" Arthur looked up from the piece of wall he was inspecting. They had been finding all sorts of things thanks to Arthur, who had (possibly) radar sense for it. He rubbed his fingers against the wall, letting it crumble apart. A small purple orb appeared, revealing a small Succubus.

"My name is Muran," she greeted. "Just call the name of my species, and I'll help you anyway I can," She disappeared. They waited for Arthur, who dusted off his breeches, then turned to face them.

"C'mon," Arthur motioned to them. "The exit is this way," Arthur strode purposely toward the exit, walking past a curious looking ghost, who chittered, then floated past them. The pair stared back at him, and then shrugged. Ah well.

"Ah, fresh air, how I missed thee!" Melody sang, twirling around. Arthur hid a smile behind one hand, and Rodi snorted, trying not to laugh. Arthur watched, as Melody toppled down a small hill. "Erk!" Melody crashed into a wall. Both boys lost it, roaring with laughter, Arthur using his blade to stand upright.

"Dear lord," a gruff voice sounded. "Not the way I expected to wake up first thing in the day," A green-clad Leprechaun popped out of the wall. "But you saved me, so I'll help where I can," he muttered, looking confused, and depressed. Arthur stifled more laughter. So did Rodi. Both boys rolled their eyes, but Arthur offered a hand to the dizzy shaman. She glared, cross-eyed, but took his hand.

"Jerks," Melody muttered under her breath, dusting herself off, before stalking down the mountain.

"Wrong way, Mel," Arthur called, breathless thanks to his giggles.

"Hey, Rodi," Melody said finally. The trio had stopped around the river that marked the halfway point to the village.

"Hn." Rodi looked up from sharpening his sword. "What is it?"

"Well, since you're technically still a fugitive, we can't really refer to you by name," Melody fiddled with the sleeve of her robe. "We need to give you an alternative name that we'll call you in the other towns we'll go to. Nobody really knows what you look like after all." Arthur nodded agreeably, refilling the water skins in the nearby river.

"She's right. We need to protect your identity. For now, we can just change your name. The posters haven't spread this far yet." Arthur stood up. "Let's go."

The three split up, agreeing to meet at the tavern after they had taken a look around. Arthur stopped to observe the map, and was pulled over by a little girl.

"You fought in the mine didn't you? I can tell. Were you scared? I bet you were, and you know why? I was told that mine is cursed. A long time ago, when people were digging in the mine, they found a passage leading to the Godspeak. Finding that passage was the start of many bad things: monsters, cave-ins . . . It was horrible. So they had to shut down the mine." The girl that talked to Arthur wandered away, interested in a butterfly. Damn. That girl had a set of lungs on her. He walked past the girl, only to be stopped by a young woman, who looked seriously at him.

"You are the mercenaries, who went into the mine, aren't you?" She waited to see his nod. "Since that outlaw was killed in the cave-in, the survivors went back to Enrich castle. Apparently some of the regular soldiers were killed as well, and because of that they've closed the border so nobody can leave." She smiled at him. "Be careful if you try to leave,"

"Thank you." Arthur commented, pleased that he could get a word in edgewise. He stopped by the chief's house, where he stopped a young woman to ask about the chief.

"The storyteller's mansion is located in the outskirts of Enrich. There, you can hear about our legends and even the history of our country. My father went there often just to listen to all their tales." The young blond told him. Arthur raised an eyebrow. That wasn't what he asked, but useful information none-of-the-less. "Come on by if you're interested in listening." He gave her his trademarked smile, watching her blush.

"Thanks for the offer," He told her, still smiling. He hadn't gotten exactly the information he had wanted, but it was good enough. He glanced around, seeing nothing more of interest. He stretched, walking towards the entrance of the pub, still sore from the hour's walk that was the chief source of his pain.

He walked into the pub, and seeing his companions, sat down. "Anything of interest?" Arthur asked casually, playing with a napkin, as the waitress sauntered over. "Three tankards of honey mead," He told her, sweetly.

"Uh-uh," Melody mumbled, after the barmaid left, resting her head against the top of the table. Rodi shrugged, opening his hand. An Incubus waved, and then disappeared, joining the other two.

"Well, the border is closed, so we're stuck here for a while," Arthur informed them. "There was a villager who suggested that we visit the chief of the place. I think that she's his daughter." Rodi rubbed at his eyes, and then nodded.

"It would be a good opportunity to learn some more about this place," Rodi remarked.

After a semi-interesting history lesson, the trio went back to the tavern. They chatted aimlessly for a while, mainly ignoring the Halfling that they had shared the table with.

"I've got to get to Enrich! If the border gate is closed I could try going through the forest... although I know it's dangerous . . ." they looked at him curiously. "You seem to have a reason to go too, right? Would you like to go with me? After all, there is safety in numbers." Rodi and Melody looked at Arthur questioningly. He leaned forward, a look of interest in his eyes. His hand waved in a 'go on' gesture. "I thought you might say so. You're staying here, aren't you? I'll visit your room tonight and we'll make plans then." Arthur took notice of a pair of mercenaries, the pair that the tavern owner had mentioned earlier. The Halfling left, and he turned his attention to them.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked with a smile on his lips, as the dragon-warrior huffed.

"We traveled all the way to this backwater village on the advice of Sabato, the sage of Enrich Castle. We were told that if we met with "Rodi", at the Godspeak, we would find what we were looking for, only to find he died in a cave in. Now, we may never know what he meant by that." The dragon snorted, looking irritated, ignoring the glares of the other residents. Lisa glanced at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Are you looking for someone to have a drink with? I'm not that kind of woman . . . Little boys aren't my style," Lisa told Arthur, who sighed in mock disappointment.

"Ha-ha-ha! You're wasting your time. The only thing that will turn her head is the strong, strapping warrior type." Basso laughed, as Arthur rolled his eyes. Lisa was trying not to smile, and he could see Melody's lips twitching from her spot. Rodi leaned near the door, his sword up in the room they had rented, and beckoned to him, holding up a slip of paper. Arthur didn't like that light in the mercenaries eyes, and he hastily got up, waved a cheery good-bye, and left, Melody in tow.

"Rodi, take off your headband," Arthur muttered, the ninja following, although confused, stuffing it out of sight, seconds before the door banged open.

"Rodi!" Basso yelled. Arthur ignored the dragon warrior, and wrapped an arm around Rodi's shoulder. Melody pretended to pout, and crossed her arms.

"You always seem to value Diablo's opinion over mine," Melody huffed, glaring at Arthur. "What makes him so special?!" Rodi looked mildly confused, and then picked up on it, recalling his false name.

"Actually, I'd like to know that myself." Rodi agreed, as he pulled his hair out of its hair tie, and redid it. Arthur shrugged.

"You're not her?"

"Hey!"

"That's for horses, Melody," Rodi commented smartly. Basso and Lisa watched the bickering mercenaries confusedly.

"Think we got the wrong guy?" Lisa whispered, watching the exchange with suspicion.

"Looks like it. Sabato could be wrong after all," Basso agreed.

"But he looks exactly like Rodi!" Lisa pointed out. "How many guys have long brown hair?" They headed back into the pub, still arguing, Basso delivering a particularly snappy comeback. All of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Let's take a better look around," Arthur suggested, walking towards the church. This should let them forget about their suspicions. Rodi passed the paper over to him, yawning slightly. It was a note from the blacksmith.

"All of Zod's children are welcome." The priest said gently, when the trio walked into the church. Arthur walked around chatting aimlessly to the people inside.

"Excuse me. What happened to this place?" Arthur asked the pretty blond woman in the middle lane.

"The reason why this village has become desolate is because of human greed. The miners kept digging in search of wealth until they penetrated into the shrine beyond. Suddenly, the sky blackened with seeming rage, and the earth split asunder, forcing them to close the mine. It sounds like a fairy tale, but sometimes, if someone's stupid enough to attempt to go to the shrine, it'll darken again," Marcia informed him, before returning to prayer. He caught snippets of conversation between his companions, before he saw Rodi go outside for a breath of fresh air.

"My dog has disappeared. I only looked away for a second, but then he was gone. Can you find my Jabby? It would be easy for you, right?" The boy begged Rodi, hopefully. Rodi looked at Arthur, who had just gotten out, desperately. Melody looked on in half interest, half irritation.

"There's no harm in looking." Arthur smiled warmly at him. The boy blinked, and then blushed crimson.

"Really? Then, um . . . um I'll wait for you here. Thank you." Arthur walked back to them.

"Arthur?" Melody asked. "You do realize you just got yourself a fanboy, right?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"No, and I didn't want to. Let's go to the inn."

Arthur scrubbed at his hair, letting the heated water soothe his aching muscles. He noted with a small scowl that his skin was paler than normal, most likely because of that accursed mine that he had been stuck in for who knows how long. He rubbed his fingers against the burn marks on his shoulders and arms. They would need ointment, at least. Shutting the water off, Arthur stepped out of the bath and toweled off. He pulled on his black leather pants, the material tight against his damp skin. He looked at his armor and winced.

It would need repair, of the long hours bent over a forge kind. He sighed, and then quietly checked his tunic. It looked pretty good, for a tunic that was exposed to fire and various other elemental attacks. He could buy one of the tunics in the store, just in case. He pulled it over his head, and walked out, armor in one hand, ointment in the other. Melody blushed at the sight of him, and Rodi rolled his eyes. Arthur looked down, confused. He was definitely still wearing his clothes.

"So that's what's under all that armor," Rodi remarked drily. "And here I thought you wore them to bed."

"I usually do, but I didn't want to wear dented armor to sleep," Arthur replied, deadpan. Melody gave a snort of laughter at the sight of Rodi's disbelieving expression, and then stopped with a look of shame on her face. "Melody, I don't think that Forte would want you to stop being cheerful, just because he was possessed by a creepy whatchamacallit." Melody cracked a tiny smile, and Rodi snorted amusedly.

"I guess," Melody sighed slightly, looking at her locket, where Arthur knew that a picture of Forte and her rested. When Rodi opened his mouth to question her, Arthur stomped on his foot, painfully. Rodi yelped quietly, but took the hint.

"You're early," Arthur informed the black spot behind the door. The spot shimmered, and revealed the Halfling from earlier. Rodi pulled out a blade, leveling it at his throat. "Put that down Diablo, it's alright," Arthur began to repair the dents in the metal, forcing it to mold back into its original curves. He pulled out a rag, and began to polish the armor gently, seemingly lost in the task, ignoring the currently irreparable pieces on the floor. "Why so early?" Arthur asked calmly.

"Sorry," The Halfling rasped, rubbing his sore throat. "The innkeeper will hunt me down pretty soon to force me back to bed," He admitted sheepishly. "I took the chance to get to talk to you properly."

"I don't know if anybody's listening in, so I'll be brief. It's going to be too obvious if we leave the village together. So we'd best split up. Why don't you leave and head for the forest first. I'll follow shortly thereafter and catch up with you. If we get lost, there's a graveyard deep inside we can meet up at." The Halfling suggested. Melody looked unsure.

"Do you think it's safe?" Melody said finally, giving the Halfling a wary look.

"I say go for it," Rodi muttered. "I'll go nuts if we stay here too long." Arthur smiled marginally.

"We'll give you a week to get over your cold," Arthur said finally. "After that, we have to get going." Melody and Rodi looked surprised, and then shrugged. "In the meanwhile, we'll scope out the place." He placed his mostly repaired armor on the chair he was sitting on. "C'mon, let's go to bed. Night." Arthur told him, snuggling into the blankets. Melody and Rodi followed suit, the Halfling closing the door behind him.

THUMP! CRASH! BOOM! "EYAH!" The whole of the inn was treated to the sounds that would become familiar to them in the next week. Downstairs, Lisa dropped her tankard with a yelp of surprise, while Basso spat his drink out, spraying the table in his alarm.

Upstairs, Melody fell out of bed; landing face-first into the floor (where Arthur had helpfully placed pillows to cushion her fall.) Arthur held a set of blankets in his arms, and Rodi was sprawled on the floor, with his legs still somewhat on the bed.

"Good morning," Arthur deadpanned. He dumped the blankets onto the bed. "I'll get you some coffee," He told the groaning ninja. He was dressed fairly simply, in a long-sleeve tunic, tight-fitting brown breeches, black boots, metal greaves on his arms and legs, and his sword strapped across his back and his dagger in his boot. He walked out, skipping steps due to his long legs. He walked past Basso and Lisa, and smiled at the innkeeper.

With a voice like syrup, he said "A coffee, black, and a mint tea, with some honey please," Arthur gave her a flirtatious smile, which made the young woman blush and stammer.

"Anything else?" She managed.

"Plain black coffee with cream," Deciding to test the waters, he teasingly brushed a fingertip across the back of her hand, making her blush massively, overwhelmed by his charm and good looks. He walked up to Lisa and Basso. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked. The pair shrugged. Arthur took a seat, spinning it around and straddling the seat. "Why did you mistake our companion for Rodi? They look similar, but Rodi's dead, as far I know, and I was hired to take him down." Lisa and Basso glanced at each other.

"Just clinging to hope." Lisa admitted. "Now that we're here, we have nothing to do." The innkeeper handed him his breakfast.

"Here you go Arthur," She mumbled, blushingly. He took them with a word of thanks.

"Arthur, huh? Your reputation precedes you. I look forward to crossing swords with you in the future." Arthur nodded genially to her, taking the tray of drinks and food (The innkeeper had bashfully given him extra muffins and a thick slices of bread studded with bits of apple) upstairs.

"Breakfast!" Arthur announced to the two in the room. "Black coffee for you, Rodi, and mint tea with honey Melody. Oh, a couple muffins and bread too," The two stared at him.

"How did you know what we liked?" Rodi beat the young shaman to the punch.

"Melody was drinking the same thing when we first met, and you were a very to-the-point kind of guy who tends to be pretty set in what you do, such as waking up at obscene hours of the afternoon," Arthur handed them their cups, and settled down with a blueberry muffin and his cup of coffee.

"Hey! Seven thirty in the morning is not that late!" Rodi protested. Arthur snorted, nibbling on the edges.

"To you, maybe. But you're burning daylight, and we've got a forest to explore." After a couple of minutes, everybody was dressed and ready to go. Arthur was downstairs first, followed shortly by Melody and Rodi. He sat down, running his hands through his hair, as they walked out of the town, following the path to the forest.

They went to the entrance of the forest, quietly observing the area. They took a couple of hesitant steps, and were confronted by a Hound. Arthur looked it over, and then whistled.

"Arthur that's not going . . . to . . . work . . ." Rodi shut up when it began yapping like a puppy, and nuzzled his open hand affectionately. He petted it a couple of times, and tossed a small amount of meat (and where he got it, neither of them would ever know) off into a random direction. Arthur stood up.

"What?" He looked at them questioningly. "It had a collar!" Rodi and Melody continued to stare. "Never mind," he sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's find that damn dog."

It took the better part of an hour and several pieces of meat, but the found 'Jabby', as the boy called him. Arthur was the only one that could get near the terrified pet, and it leapt onto him eagerly. He held it out at arm's length so it would not lick him to death. Rodi snickered, and Melody grinned at him smugly. He glared at them fiercely. This was why he didn't like pets. He tossed the yapping dog at Rodi, who caught it, and Jabby proceeded to lick him to death instead.

"Gah!"

"Thank you! You found my Jabby for me! My pixie says she wants to go with you! I'm sure she'll help out a lot. Isn't that right, Jabby?" The dog barked loudly, chasing its tail a couple times happily. The pixie fluttered in front of Arthur and bowed.

"Thank you for helping out Jimmy, he's taken good care of me. When you encounter monsters, please call on me immediately. I'm sure I can assist you during your battles," Cherry bowed politely. Arthur thanked the Pixie, and let her disappear. With a small smile, he turned to drag the pair off to the mountain. Arthur sighed, and stopped at the entrance. They grumbled, but followed him in obediently.

"I hate you." Rodi lamented, when he was pulled out of bed, unceremoniously landing on the floor. Melody was already awake this time, assisted by a magical alarm she had put on her pillow, set for dawn. Arthur, as he had done the six days before, dumped the mass of blankets on top of him, and sauntered downstairs for a meal and coffee. Lisa and Basso were still there, and gave him funny looks as he casually ordered a stack of pancakes. Thanks to his insistence of fighting until Melody and Rodi dropped from exhaustion, they had more gold than they knew what to do with, not that they would acknowledge the fact without glaring at him. He suspected that the other mercenaries were running low on money. Rodi tripped down the stairs, making the swordsman grin. It was odd to see any ninja fall down the stairs with all the dignity of a wet sock. He glared, but took the coffee from the lighter–haired teenager. Arthur snickered quietly, but scooched aside for the irate ninja. He let his fingertips stroke the rough grain of the sanded wood, as he took a deep drink of the rich, hot coffee. Melody plopped onto the seat next to him, asking for a chai tea.

"Hey, Arthur," Melody began quietly. "I never asked before, because I forgot, but how old are you?" Arthur felt the snarky reply of 'thirty' on the tip of his tongue, and was tempted, just for a second, to see their reactions. Instead he sighed.

"Sixteen," Arthur replied honestly. "People say I look older, though." He shrugged, and watched them nod, unsurprised.

"A year younger than I thought," Melody muttered. "I'm sixteen too, and don't dare say that I looked younger," She glared at them. Rodi coughed, faintly terrified at the look

"I'd guess seventeen," Rodi mumbled, absently. "I don't remember." Arthur looked him up and down.

"I can see that."

"Whoa, wait up." They turned to see an incredulous stare from Basso and Lisa. "You're all teenagers?" They glanced at one another and nodded.

"Crap," They heard Lisa grumble, "I'm a decade older than him, and I'm still less famous!" Arthur stifled laughter.

"Let's go up for the night, we've got some things to take care of tomorrow morning." he offered, going back up to pack his stuff. They followed him up. He smoothly packed everything up, and left it hanging on the windowsill. He walked out of the back of the inn, and caught his bags, then Rodi's, then Melody's stack. Arthur rubbed a fingertip against the leather strap quietly, making a mental note to find a tanner on the way to Enrich. This bag wouldn't last very long, with the wear and tear that it was being dealt. The two joined him, picking up their bags and disappearing into the forest. Arthur had a faint scowl on his lips, by the time they reached halfway to the graveyard. Unlike their first couple of travels, it was clear that the monsters in the area knew that they were trying to escape through the forest, and had launched themselves at the three, with everything from Bats, Bone Slaves, and even a Trent, a particularly vicious tree spirit, possessed by the vengeful spirits of the dead soldiers.

He was pleased to see that there was a Middle Shield behind the Tombstone, but once they had stepped up to the old graveyard they were attacked, by a massive Wraith. Arthur was not impressed. At all. He picked up a loaf of (rather strangely) warm bread, wrapped in a sheet of clear plastic.

"Boss . . . Boss . . ." A voice whispered, irking the tired, bleeding swordsman immensely. Right now, he wanted nothing else than to skewer the thrice-bedamned Halfling.

"You're the Halfling from last week, aren't you? You make us go through all that hassle, and then don't even show your face? How rude!" Melody cried, stamping her foot angrily on the ground. "Get down here before I use a Hell Blast on you!" Both Rodi and Arthur stabbed their blades into the ground at the faintest tingle of magic, well aware that she would do it, if for no other reason than to get him down here. As the winds whipped around them, the Halfling paid no mind.

"Boss . . . I've been waiting for you . . ."

"Who the hell are you calling boss and who are you?!" Rodi snapped, at the end of his line of patience. "Get down here!" Rodi demanded. The Halfling appeared, kneeling before Rodi.

"Boss, I'm glad to see you looking well. I heard that you were in that cave-in at the mine, so I didn't expect to see you again." The Halfling looked pleased to see him, if the puppy-love expression was anything to go by.

"You are . . . one of my men? Did you come to rescue me?" Rodi asked curiously. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because he fell back into a depressed state. Diva.

"Boss . . . what happened? Have you forgotten me? I, Doyle, the incomparably swift?!" He asked, a look of shock appearing on his features.

"I injured my head . . . and since then, I can't remember much . . . Or anything clearly," Rodi admitted. The Half – Doyle looked thoroughly upset. Arthur raised his sword, tempted, once again to skewer the insane Halfling in front of him.

"It's not like he had a choice in the matter. Shut up or you'll learn what it is to be a kebab, very, very, soon," Arthur snapped when Doyle opened his mouth, finally at the end of his rope as well. Twelve hours fighting, no matter how easy the opposition, was a terrible strain on his nerves. "Tell us how the hell to get through to the City of Enrich." Doyle fled into the trees.

"Boss, beware! These people intend to turn you in at Enrich by taking advantage of your loss of memory!" Doyle yelped. Arthur had enough. He stepped forward, and with a powerful strike, sent the tree toppling to the ground. Rodi and Melody looked on in irritated (and slightly impressed) indifference, as Arthur picked the Halfling up by the collar of his shirt. While he threatened the Halfling, they both looked for a pathway.

"Listen up, because I am only saying this once," Arthur hissed angrily. "We have something to do that is more important than your mind can clearly comprehend," He tossed the older male onto the ground. "This is a matter of life and death, and something you need to realize very soon, before someone skewers you. And if I have my way, I'll be the one holding the sword."

"Arthur," Rodi cut in quietly. "That's enough." He stood by the open Crypt. "Leave him here, and let's go. Mel's already at the bottom." Arthur gave him a look of the utmost contempt, then followed, the heavy click of marble echoing hollowly. Smoothly, he cast a sticking charm, which would last for several days. The idiot would have to make his way to Enrich City another way. "First, Arthur, your temper is going to get you killed. Nice shot by the way. How'd you learn to cut trees like that?" Rodi asked, falling back a little bit. Melody also fell back, curious.

"Too much practice and a bossy instructor." Arthur supplied. "This way," He pointed, ignoring the exasperated looks of his companions. He heard their faint whispering.

"You know, we only ever learned his name and age," Melody muttered. "I know he likes coffee, but so does every other man I've ever met," Melody grumbled.

"He'll open up eventually. I did, after all." Rodi pointed out brightly. "It helped me remember a few of my memories."

"Yes, but that was under the threat of being tied to a bed and tickled to death by me." Arthur stopped briefly, and then went back to walking. He heard them lowly discussing plans. With a smirk, he commented on one of their more . . . creative ideas.

"Kinky," He commented, feeling them blush behind them. "Incoming!" he called, as a flock of bats and a pair of Blue Worms attacked. They darted away, and took them down. With little difficulty, the trio moved through the massive caverns.

"We're out." Arthur told them, allowing them to breathe in the sweet, slightly chilly autumn air. They caught him by surprise, managing to chain him to a tree, his sword and daggers too far to reach. "Do I want to know why you chained me up? Or how, for that matter?" Here he looked at Rodi. "What did Melody bribe you with this time?"

"Arthur, we're not leaving until you tell us more about yourself." Melody said insistently. Rodi had a hand behind his neck, blushing.

"Sorry," He mumbled, looking everywhere but at him.

"What's there to know? I was orphaned in the War of The Rose in Veora, grew up with a blacksmith, and lived in the capital of Veora until I became a mercenary. Traveled around, got a passport and I ended up here."

"Oh." Melody looked curious. "What's the War of The Rose?" Arthur looked mildly surprised. So it wasn't common knowledge here. That was good. And kinda bad too.

"The War of The Rose was – is over a massive nexus of magical power. It's said to be contained in the soul of a human, and would be named rightful ruler. The peasants are being slaughtered left, right, and center by the nobility who fear the rise of a king sympathetic to the poor." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Now let me go, Mel." Melody sighed, and let him go. He pulled on his sword and daggers, and then hefted Melody onto his shoulder. "Payback time, sweetheart," he said, ignoring her shriek. Rodi backed away, hands over his ears.

Rodi admired the city, feeling their eyes on him. He caught sight of an orange-haired man, who eyed the blonde still on Arthur's shoulder, spewing violent obscenities at him in a staggering amount. Arthur dumped her onto the ground when he caught him looking. He gave the suspicious man a grin, all innocence and child-like charm. How he managed with that massive sword in his hands, Rodi had no clue.

"Difficult sister." He explained, taking a look around, every bit the wide-eyed tourist.

"Hey, you must have responded to the kings' summons huh? You look like mercenaries." He pointed down a long main road, clearly deciding that he was going to leave the topic alone. For now. "That has all the shopping areas you could ask for." Then he pointed to the two roads branching off to the left and right. "The path to the storyteller's mansion and the Inn go that way, on the right. On the left, is the housing district, and the main road has a blacksmiths and shop." The boy smiled warmly. "Welcome to Enrich." They mumbled an amiable hello, and looked around.

Arthur wandered the town aimlessly, feeling for the tingle of magic that would surely signify the presence of a fey being. There were two. One he found in the town archway, which really no one cared about, and the other was causing havoc in the home of two terrified people. They thanked him with several gold coins and reassurances that if he could use them to fight, he could have the devil.

Arthur met with Melody and Rodi at the Enrich Inn, writing on a sheet of plain parchment their supplies and current needs. A raucous crowd of mercenaries, clearly drunk, plotted on going to the forest to plunder the riches available. Nearby, two elder mercenaries shook their heads.

"When do you want to head to the castle?" Arthur asked Rodi quietly, sitting next to them. Rodi, his mouth full of food, gave a shrug and a noncommittal jerk of the head. Melody gave him a look, swallowing her mouthful of bread.

"No time like the present." Melody answered quickly, pushing a piece of bread into his hands.

"Hey, Arthur!" One of the younger guards (a former mercenary) waved enthusiastically at him. "Your pal Forte came back a while ago!" The other guard gave a sardonic snort.

"Damn bastard came back and wormed his way into the King's good graces. Since then, he's been a complete jack–" The younger guard stomped on his foot, cutting the swearword short.

"Anyways, maybe you can get his frostiness to defrost a little bit!" He chirped, ignoring the dangerous glare that the guard pinned him down with. Rodi grumbled a bit, half-hidden behind Arthur's tall frame.

"I'll have no success," He solemnly informed them, "But Melody might have a better chance."

Arthur stopped to talk to a stocky dwarf.

"Leif."

"Hey Arthur!" The man looked cheered to see him. "Been quite a while since I saw you!" Arthur nodded.

"That it has," he agreed. "So, anything strange going on lately?" The dwarf stopped to think about it.

"Not much. Something very strange entered Rilix's tower. I only got a glimpse of it, because it gave me the willies, but it must have been a spirit or ghost or something." He shuddered heavily. "It reeked of death, but once it was in the tower, the smell just vanished!" Arthur gave him a reassuring smile, clapping one hand onto his shoulder.

"Just keep away from the tower and you'll be fine."

"Don't need to tell me." The dwarf shuddered.

They were escorted into a massive hall, the domed ceilings gilded with gold and finery. Arthur rolled his eyes at the blatant display of wealth. This was rather disgusting. Nobles used gold and silver for the least useful of its abilities.

"Ah," The king leaned back, settling his hands over the broad expanse of his stomach. A disgusted expression flitted across the three mercenaries faces. He would die of apoplexy, with his diet. His frame was a mercenary's nightmare. "You have caught Rodi! Come here, so we may better speak of your reward." Nearby, Forte smiled at them. It was a sickly smile, one of a person who had lost a lot of weight in very little time.

"You don't mind that I came back a little bit earlier than you guys, right?" He coughed, his fragile frame shuddering. Blue eyes locked onto them. "You really should come closer," He added, coughing heavily. "It's a bit difficult to see you guys at this distance." They didn't quite like the way both the king and Forte had insisted on them coming closer. Rilix gave them a crooked grin, beckoning them closer.

"Ah, my dears," she croaked, gray-green skin stretched over spindly bones. "Come closer," she said, malicious black eyes lighting up at the sight of the ninja. That decided them. The three stepped a bit closer, but stayed well out of Rilix's reach. She frowned at that, but didn't bother to complain. "Now," she practically purred, "Strike him down." Neither moved, unaffected by the spell she cast onto them.

"Wha– Melody!" Forte sounded furious at her blatant disrespect. "Cast him down!" When Melody didn't move, save to adjust her grip onto the staff she wielded, he changed tack. "Melody," Forte cooed slightly, "You know how dangerous an outlaw like Rodi is," He pointed out with a sweet smile. "We need to strike him down." Rodi flinched, as if hit over the head with an unknown emotion.

Or a memory. Rodi shook his head, defiant.

"No. You two are not right." Rodi declared, his hands blurring. Rilix paid the brunet more attention.

"No!" She screeched, extending a hand. Rodi's hands stopped, and two ghostly shapes warped the area around the king and Forte, revealing the spirits that housed themselves in their souls. "If you continue any further, the spell will kill them!" She cackled, forming a sickly gray orb in one hand. Arthur watched Rodi's hands falter. Melody also paused, an expression of hurt and fear on her pretty features. "Weaklings," She crooned. "If I was in your place, I would have done so instantly!" Lobbing the sphere onto the ground, she turned her attention to the pair, returning the wraith-like creatures to their fleshly prisons.

"Enjoy jail!" She laughed loudly, as the trio fruitlessly attempted to escape, the ground dissolving into nothingness below them.

"Why did Forte look like that?" Melody muttered dejectedly to Rodi, her hair falling over her face. "That monster in him had to have done something to him. He wouldn't have let himself turn so thin otherwise."

"This sucks." Rodi said finally. Melody rolled her eyes. The whole plan had been blown to pieces, landing them in a jail cell. Of course it sucked. Arthur had yet to move from his position on the ground. Melody threw her hands up in disgust, green eyes reproachful and irritated.

"Tell us something we don't know," Melody snapped. Arthur sat cross-legged, his sword laid across his lap. They found this strange. An irritating strangeness, but strange all the same. Arthur let his emerald eyes open to two tired and angry expressions. He gave them a reassuring smile.

"We'll sleep here tonight, but he should be here tomorrow." Arthur announced softly, pulling the blanket that was in his pack over his pale body, leaving two confused people to wonder how he knew such things.

Arthur woke to the two muttering.

"You know, it was foolish of us to have come here without a plan." Rodi murmured quietly. Melody was almost bit out a sharp retort, but she had fallen silent at the sound of heavy footfalls and the rattling of keys.

"Arthur." A quiet voice he recognized. He opened his eyes to smile drowsily at the older man, who was holding a set of keys.

"Hullo," Arthur said agreeably. "So, doesn't this bring back memories?" The man chuckled drily.

"Sure does kiddo. So, that's one less favor I owe you, right?" He unlocked the door. "Ready to come home?" Arthur shook his head, ruefully. "Ah well, I tried. There's a well down that-a way. Oh yeah. Before I go, I should tell you that there's a passage down there that's blocked by a wall-like door. I left the key in the bottom of the well." He winked at Arthur, handed him a bag, and pulled his cap over his eyes. Whistling cheerily, he walked away, fading with each step he took, until he passed through the wall. Melody and Rodi stared.

"I want to do that . . ." Rodi said, impressed. Melody nodded eagerly, all former irritation at him gone for the moment.

"Not for a good while, hopefully." Arthur muttered, ignoring their downhearted expressions. He snagged a torch as he headed down towards the well, jumping down with little to no warning. He picked up the key, rubbing his fingertips against the smoothed walls. It was pretty old, this well, that he was sure of. In fact, it might be the place that Sabato had mentioned to them earlier. They continued to wander around aimlessly, until they met up with a strangely dressed man. Sabato.

"My name is Sabato. I was once the chancellor of the palace. Have you heard of me?" He asked. They all nodded. "So you've heard of me. I was rather famous, wasn't I?" He sighed quietly. "I saw what happened between you and the King . . . You are very courageous! You must have known that something very odd was going on. Yet, still you walked into the throne room anyway. In a way, thanks to your courage, we now have some idea of what that hag is planning. This is a lucky break for us." Melody tilted her head to the left.

"Sabato, you knew about the King and Forte?" Melody said, looking suspiciously at him.

"I didn't know exactly what was going on. That's why I couldn't do anything." Sabato admitted, rubbing a hand against the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off a stress headache. Arthur smiled. Melody tended to do that to people.

"So, now that you know the situation, are you planning to do something about it?" Rodi asked curiously, shifting to one side.

"I can't do anything about it by myself. Unless you're willing to help me . . ."

"Why us . . . ? Why are you asking mercenaries like us?" Melody asked.

"Melody, don't you want your partner Forte back? Arthur, you promised to help Melody, giving your word as a mercenary, correct? Do you not think that these are good reasons? They are sufficient. Also, you may be able to find better equipment for yourselves along the way. Go to Aborigine Mansion and meet with master Galm! Everything starts from there." Rodi looked at him forlornly.

"Sabato, I . . . What is my reason for going?" Rodi looked at him sadly. His memories were fragmented in the worst way possible, and nothing he knew right now was of any help to the ninja.

"Something happened to you Rodi, did it not? Did you lose your memory in an accident? Of course you have a reason to go. It's your destiny. You are led by destiny, and the other two will share that with you. I do not know, Rodi if it was Melody and Arthur. The only thing we know is that two men and one woman are required. You were selected as one of them. The other two are... unexpected. But that too, must have been fate. I sent you to Godspeak because the person who holds the key to our future told me to. I was told that your fate started there. He informed me that if you returned safely despite Rilix's interference, this would be proof that you were the chosen ones." Sabato smiled at them, like a grandfather surveying a favorite child. He irked Arthur.

"This 'person' . . . would be master of the mansion?" Rodi asked. Sabato shrugged.

"I would not know the answer of whether or not he truly owns the mansion. Although he supports our struggle, he is not directly involved. If he does not want to cooperate he had no need to. We are the ones asking for his help, so he is testing us. Testing us to see if we are worthy enough to justify the risks he will have to take. The first test is to find the key to the mansion. It is located somewhere in this waterway. You will do it, won't you?" Sabato directed the question to Arthur, who smiled and nodded, still not comfortable talking around anyone who wasn't Rodi and Melody. They walked to the end of the well, to enter a path of moldy, mildewed halls.

Arthur yelped, rolling back from the spires of ice that the Ice Siren shot at them. Rodi jerked away, bleeding profusely. He cast a Brutal Fire back at her as Melody healed him, melting away a section of her body connected to the pool of liquid. She screamed, and collapsed, her form lost. They sighed, relived. Another set of papers fluttered to Arthur's, Melody's, and Rodi's hands.

"I got a lightning spell," Rodi announced to them. "I'm going to go practice."

"Don't go too far!" She yelled, sitting. She took the paper into her hands. "Antidote. What about you?" Arthur offered her the paper.

"Spark. It's another lightning spell, right?" Arthur asked, curiously.

"Yep. Think we should call it a day?" Melody asked, pulling out a loaf of the (still) warm rye bread. She rubbed her hands together. Rodi marched on back, sighing quietly, a nick on his cheek.

"Well, that was fun." Rodi grumbled, trying to pat down his statically charged hair. The long strands clung to his fingertips, and floated. Arthur pulled out his dagger, gesturing for the ninja to scoot closer. Touching the tip of his dagger to the sparking hair, he let it absorb the lightning, before running his fingers through the tangled, long strands of hair to comb it out.

"Once Rilix figures out we're gone, she'll almost certainly fill out a wanted poster." Arthur commented. "I'm going to cut your hair, okay?" Rodi nodded lightly, allowing the young mercenary to cut his hair roughly, in a slightly neater style than his own. He left the right side longer than the left-hand side, and pulled off Rodi's headband to tie it over his eyes. "You can still see, right?" Rodi nodded slightly, blushing at the close, intimate contact. "We'll get you some new stuff once we get out." He put the dagger away. "Here," Arthur handed him his slice of bread, "you look hungry." Rodi nodded, munching away at his slice.

"Thanks," he mumbled, swallowing his bite of bread. "What about Melody?" Arthur looked her over, and then dug into the pack the stranger had offered. He handed her a unique set of robes.

"These are Miko robes. They're worn by the priestesses of my home country. It should do pretty well for now." He stretched, looking at Rodi and Melody with a smile. "Let's get some sleep. Good night." They both looked at the dead-to-the-world mercenary, sleeping propped up against the wall.

"Where does he get this stuff?" Melody grumbled.

"Screw that, how does he get to sleep so fast?" Rodi grumbled back.

"I have been . . . waiting . . . for the one to come and receive this key. Now finally my purpose is finished. I can rest in peace. The key is yours... but the quest is... just starting! Now you must solve... the mystery of Aborigine Mansion!" The skeleton rasped, looking at them thoughtfully. ". . . Heh . . . Let me tell you something before I go. It's the secret to solving the mystery of the Aborigine Mansion. Engrave these words upon your heart!" Arthur nodded, laying a steadying hand on an attentive, but terrified Melody. Rodi left his headband down and scooched closer to his companion.

"The hidden path in the mansion can be opened with a furniture switch. The power of the invisible spirits can be calmed with holy water, by doing so the book will be yours... When the non-ticking hand says tea-time, and if the grey knight, who challenges everyone to a duel, can be made to serve, then the ruler's door will be opened from the bed of the dead. Have you taken that in?" Arthur nodded. "You would do well to reflect on this. May Lady Luck be with you," the skeleton crumpled to the floor. Arthur picked up the key, and smiled lightly.

"Let's go." They headed back, and showed the golden key to Sabato, who would have danced for joy, had he been even a decade younger.

"Yes! You have found the Aborigine key. Hurry and go to the Aborigine Mansion. The master will be waiting for you. And when you have the opportunity, go by Rodi's home in Far East Village. There should be good news awaiting you there." He looked at them thoughtfully. "It seems good that you have changed how you look." He offered the brunet a box. "This should keep people from recognizing you as the same mercenary." He opened the box, seeing a set of armor from his hometown. "Stop by the storyteller's mansion, if you want to know more about Rilix." They nodded.

Arthur wandered around, returning to the church, where he muttered a hasty 'excuse me' and went to change. He drew on the clothes with slightly shaking hands. He hadn't worn anything from his home country because he knew somebody would recognize him. The rich gold and dark reds looked . . . Fuck. Arthur promised himself to kill his spiritual guardian next time he visited home. There was no way people weren't going to notice him this time. He already was noticed because of his sword. With the clothes he was wearing, it would be a miracle if somebody didn't realize who he was! He sighed, but stepped out, adjusting the plain gold band on his hair.

"Wow, you almost look like . . ." Melody gasped, her loose blond hair flying around. "You look like –"

"Prince Kato's little brother," Arthur deadpanned, running his hands through his hair. "I know. I am." He admitted, looking ashamed. "The younger siblings of Veroan royalty usually spend their lives as mercenaries, working for the common folk and returning every three years." He sighed lightly. "How famous am I, exactly?"

"Insanely. So, were you lying about how you grew up?" Melody asked curiously, as she made Rodi dress in the tunic and breeches she had gotten him, with a threat of 'Hell Blast'. The black tunic sported a crescent moon, the symbol of the Blind Hunters, who wore headbands over their eyes for the majority of their life. Rodi tied the one-way visibility headband over his eyes, blinking at the loss of light. Rodi skirted closer to Arthur, nesting closer to his companion as he adjusted. They had agreed that this was a possible chance to restore some of his memories, training him in various stressful exercises.

"No, I lost my mother in the war, grew up in the capital, got adopted somewhat by a blacksmith, my father found out I was alive, asked me to become a mercenary, and here I am." He gave them a half smile. "I didn't lie, unless you count by omission." He grimaced faintly. "By insanely, how bad is it?" Rodi spoke this time.

"My home village knows of you, and we pay nearly no attention to outside affairs," Rodi clapped his hand over his mouth, surprised. "That . . . was unusual." Melody looked excited.

"It looks like your memory is coming back." Melody sounded every bit as thrilled as she looked. They stepped into the store, stares landing on Arthur. Whispers followed them about, and Arthur grimaced. What fun, fame. He stepped up into the store, looking around. He stopped an awed-looking dwarf.

"I heard that the path to Far East Village was blocked." The man looked slightly surprised, but nodded.

"Yeah, that guy over there, Leon knows more." They walked over to the Halfling Leon. Leon nodded to them politely.

"How bad is it?" Arthur asked him conversationally.

"What I had thought was some sort of rock blocking the entrance to the southern cave was actually the Guardian! I had no idea anything living could be that big! With something like that blocking the way, I guess nobody is going south for a while . . ." Leon grumbled. "I would have gone and tried to do so earlier, but my weapon is way past repair and I have to wait until I get a new one to do anything!" Arthur smiled sympathetically.

"Why don't you tell us about it later? We'll stop by Enrich inn before we leave and see what we can do." Arthur suggested. Leon nodded, and got up, dusting off the soot from his traveling cloak and leaving. Arthur wandered around and stepped into the Storyteller's mansion. He greeted the oldest storyteller with a formal bow, hands clasped together in the traditional form of a hand over a closed fist. The old man's eyes crinkled in a smile at the rarely seen sign of respect. "Hello, Grandmaster."

"Welcome youngster. You must think it's important for you to know about the dark history of Enrich, eh? Culture can only flourish when a kingdom and its people work in harmony. However, cultural prosperity can also have a dark side. When driven by greed, it can destroy a kingdom. At the root of the story is the rebirth of the Thousand-Year Kingdom." He smiled, "Do you understand so far?" Arthur nodded quietly. He was one of the few longwinded people Arthur could stand.

"Yes sir," Arthur took a seat when he was offered one, as did Melody and Rodi, who faced the storyteller.

"A beautiful culture once flourished here under an administrator named Innovator. This was before the tyrant Vandal took control of the kingdom. Under his reign, people lived in fear, with all their hopes and dreams crushed. Ultimately, the kingdom was destroyed by a mysterious power that came from beyond the sky. Legends say Vandal fled, and took refuge in a tomb to await the rebirth of his kingdom." Arthur looked at him.

"Vandal?" Arthur looked curious. He nodded sagely.

"It was said that Vandal possessed incredible physical strength and powerful magic. He was a very cruel and evil ruler that was said to have a monstrous appearance, and repeatedly massacred his own people to satisfy his whims. His offspring inherited his aspect, and soon it was found that they were not affected by aging or death. The Vandal clan has never been numerous, but they are all very powerful."

"Along with them, the Rebirth of the kingdom. If one thing could bring about rebirth of the Kingdom of Darkness, it would be the power of corruption, for that has the potential to re-awaken Vandal. Corruption is a petty power created from human grief and tragedy, but when gathered in large quantities, it becomes a powerful evil. However, only the Holy Ark is capable of achieving this. " Melody copied down the story as best as she could. When she stopped, he opened his mouth to continue.

"The Holy Ark is a vessel that is said to absorb and contain corruption. It was created by the gods and is guarded by the Spirits. The vessel was placed in a room with the Spirits and it protects the Spirits from the evils of the world. However, legends say that if the Holy Ark is opened, the earth will be engulfed in horror as the evil is released. Then, everything will disappear with the ark." Arthur grimaced, while Melody groaned. Rodi simply frowned.

"Yikes," Rodi muttered from his place at the table. The storyteller nodded sagely.

"Indeed." Arthur agreed, standing up. "We should go. Thank you for your time."

"Thank you for listening to an old man," The storyteller replied. "It is rare when royalty such as you listens to the old tales."

"Not listening to the old tales in my country gets one killed." Arthur informed him dryly. Melody and Rodi stood up as well, and they each pressed a coin into his hand. They left the old storyteller, who was smiling, to head to the church. They stopped by the church, where a little boy stopped them.

"Wow, you must be mercenaries. You sure look strong. Um, I sorta need your help. If I pay you, will you help me out?" They looked at Arthur, who kneeled down, surprised.

"You don't need to pay us," He rested a hand onto his head with a gentle smile. "What is it?"

"Thank you. I really mean it. Could you please find my dad? He went to the mansion. If you bring him back, I'll give you the most important thing I have as a reward," He offered shyly, clearly expecting a refusal.

"I'm sure we can do that," Arthur agreed. The little kid reminded him of himself, a very long time ago. "We were planning on going that way after all. And really," He rubbed the top of his head, "You don't need to pay us."

They headed over to the inn to chat with Leon.

"After we equip ourselves better, we had planned to go down into the southern cave. Yet, now I hear that rock blocking the entrance cannot be moved. I wanted to study the magic of the Far East culture, at Far East Village, which is southwest of here. What shall I do now?" Arthur thought about it.

"I'll give you an answer in a while," Arthur assured him. "We need to get some things done before then." They paid for a room and sat down in it quietly. "What do you think?"

"There's a shrine in the south," Rodi commented. "I'm sure we'll have to go there anyways, so there's no time like the present." Melody nodded.

"Tell him to wait until we come back, and we'll have him join us to take the thing down." Melody suggested, undoing her hair ties, and pulling it back into one. Surprisingly, their tale about her being a foreign priestess had worked, though it might have been the fact that female sorcerers were rare in this country. Rodi was passed off as a page to Arthur for obvious reasons. Arthur rubbed his hand against his forehead with a groan.

After negotiating terms with Leon, they left quickly, walking into the forest. Arthur jumped, the moment a Twinhead jumped out, and he hit the head of the left side, dazing it with a gash over both eyes. Rodi grumbled, spearing the right side with a sharp shuriken. It died, with a particularly nasty Hell Blast, the tell-tale slips of paper accompanying the usual surge in strength.

"Spark level 2," Arthur commented, offering it to Melody. She was staring at her own confusedly.

"What is Iyasu level 3?" Melody asked curiously, looking at him. Arthur looked, unnerved.

"It's a healing spell from my country's original language," Arthur explained, touching it gently. "Only the priestesses of my country are allowed to use them. It's probably replaced your normal healing magic." He snorted. "The spirits must like you, if they're granting you this temporary assistance." Then he sobered. "But be careful. If the Priest promotes you, there's no going back. They'll stick with you for the rest of your life." Melody blinked.

"That might not be too bad, actually . . ." She muttered. It'd be nice if something actually stuck around . . .

Several hours later had them near the door, looking at it suspiciously. Arthur pushed the key into the lock, turning it with a hollow 'snick'. His wary, green eyes observed the area, and then he led them in. They sat watch, carefully taking turns, as they recovered some of their breath. The halls were overly spacious, but it was better than nothing. Warily, he touched a glowing spot on the pendulum in the clock nearby. A Leprechaun jumped into the waiting hands and he spouted his usual spiel and disappeared.

"Basso?" Melody ran over to help the groaning Dragon Warrior. "How'd you get here?"

"What . . . I mean where . . . is . . . this? I came down the passage under the coffin . . . and was going through some kind of maze, then . . ." Basso shook his head, dizzily. He peered owlishly at them, blinking quickly. "You . . . so you are Arthur's group . . . Unng, to think you'd be here . . ." Rodi knelt, tilting his head up slightly, looking into the dazed Dragon Warrior's eyes.

"He's got a concussion." Rodi dusted his hands off. "He's acting the same way I did, with less severe effects."

"What . . . I mean where . . . is . . . this? I came down the passage under the coffin . . . and was going through some kind of maze, then . . ." Basso shook his head, again. A look of alarm spread across his face. "Umm . . . the mansion. Yeah . . . it looks like one . . . Then . . . him . . . that's impossible . . ." Basso began to hyperventilate.

"Him?" Rodi glanced at Arthur and then back at Basso. "Here." He handed him one of their many water bottles. "Take a moment to organize your thoughts, then start." Basso nodded gratefully, taking the bottle.

"You see . . ." Basso explained his tale to them as they walked into another room. A map laid itself out on a wall, showing the arrangement of the beds. "So what happened to you?" Basso asked, pushing the beds where he was dictated according to Melody, who had helpfully marked the outlines with a bit of her magic. They all stifled groans.

"We went to the castle, got arrested and then escaped." Arthur deadpanned, "It was cozy while it lasted," He added drily. "Your forms of jail cells are more comfortable than those at home." He smiled at them, and then kept walking. Basso looked alarmed.

"Is he kidding?" He asked them. Rodi looked at him thoughtfully.

"You know, I'm not sure . . ." Rodi trailed off, picking up his sword from where he set it to rest. Basso looked even more alarmed at that, but jogged to keep up.

"The hell?" They all stared at the Time Warrior. Rodi grumbled.

"Can't it be easy for once?" He groused, lifting his blade. Arthur gave the ninja a cynical smile.

"Where's the fun in that?" Arthur asked, blocking a strike to the head.

"Elemental!" Melody's shout mingled with Rodi's own,

"Lightning!" Rodi and Melody's spells mixed, melting the armor to the arm of the furious Time Warrior. Basso's roar echoed out, visibly startling the monster, dazing him temporarily.

"How about you chat later!" He snapped. "Gah!" Basso dove to the side, avoiding a particularly nasty electrical shock, though it clipped his side. Rodi had dropped his weapon, letting the electricity ground itself, leaving him defenseless. The Time Warrior swung his axe down, though Rodi flung himself to the side, leaving the copper-rusted axe to embed itself into the wooden floor. Basso breathed fire, melting yet another segment of the armor, locking in place another piece of his jointed body. Hair flying, Melody let her glowing staff cut through the softening metal, making the copper statue collapse. Arthur waited, before stepping hesitantly over the destroyed frame. He pulled out the key they had found in the haunted room, and put it back into his pocket. He pulled the old, rusty lever down, facing a tiny bit of difficulty. Heavy rumbling shook the house, and the group escaped the house, facing no obstacles on their way out. Arthur led them down into the catacombs, taking advantage of the near-empty halls to get to the door. Rodi paused, and then tugged on Arthur's sleeves.

"Is that . . ?" Rodi murmured, jerking a thumb at the two dead mercenaries. Arthur strode over to their side. A glance showed him that the child's father was in fact one of the dead mercenaries. Arthur cast a concealment spell over the two still bodies.

"Yes, they are," He agreed. The mood soured slightly. Arthur solved the problem by sauntering over to the door and opening it.

Arthur walked in, the rest of them following the recklessly brave fighter. He bluntly pried open the other door the rest of the way, having them walk in a domed room.

"He's either incredibly brave or incredibly reckless," Basso commented, to Rodi's amusement.

"That he is," Rodi agreed, taking a stance near his companion. A screech brought their attention to a massive Vampire. Arthur and the others groaned, but moved to engage the creature, disregarding the blood and gashes that stained the floor.

Quiet clapping rang out in the silence of the vast room.

"Welcome. You fight courageously. I have been waiting for you, you who are Sabato's chosen ones, you who are the mortals destined to stop the Thousand-Year Kingdom." A purplish haze of color misted into the center, revealing a large, winged male. While his expression was cruel, scarred with age, he bore a friendly smile. "Yes, yes, I see . . . I can see the Apostles of Light shining in you three. It looks like you truly are the ones. As a reward for coming, I will give you a demonstration of my true power. Feel my strength replacing your lost life and energy." They all were surprised, as a warm energy that belied his true nature filled their bodies, removing years of scars and calluses. A few of their most memorable scars stayed, like the one that lay over Melody's breastbone, or the one on Rodi's left cheek.

"W-Who – no, what – are you, that you can call us mortals?" Melody asked, holding her tattered robes to her chest, her face flushed with embarrassment. Arthur helpfully wrapped his mostly unharmed cloak over her petite frame. She smiled at him briefly. "I'm not assured that you really are working on our side." The man looked at her with an amused smirk.

"I am a Vandal. Similar to Rilix, but much more powerful." He noticed the subtle tensing of shoulders, the altered grips on weapons. Rodi scowled, standing straight and proud, even as he spoke.

"Why would a Vandal, of all people, assist us? If you are a Vandal, then how can we be assured that your words are honest and true?" Galm glanced sharply at him, his look approving.

"It was Sabato who called me back into this realm. In order to understand the legend of Vandal's Thousand-Year Kingdom and the mysteries surrounding it, he woke me and asked for help . . . Me, the most powerful Vandal, Galm!" He held up a hand to stall the inevitable questions. "I do not share in the dream of rebuilding the Thousand-Year Kingdom. I have no need of either companions or kingdom. As long as I have my peace and freedom, I need nothing else. Sabato's request was a good chance to repay him, so that's why I agreed to help.

"It was left to you to determine whether or not this was possible, as all hinged on who would obtain and keep the Spirits. So far, you have fulfilled our expectations of you. In return, I give you my advice. In order to break the black magic of Rilix, you will need to obtain the Sacred Gem from the South Shrine." He nodded towards Arthur's sword. "The sword you have there is one of the six that are capable of using its' magic. And . . . you'll need it to stop the rebuilding of the Thousand-Year Kingdom as well.

"There are three ancient shrines in the south, west, and east of Enrich. Three Sacred Treasures have been stored, one in each shrine. The prophecy says that the treasures were placed there for just such a contingency as that which faces you. The shrines must be visited in order of south, west and east, as you must use the treasure acquired from one to unlock the next." At that Melody gave an irritated snort, still not pleased with the fact that her clothes were still torn, and fixed him with a piercing stare.

"The West and East Shrines are all fine and dandy, but how do we open the South?" Galm gave a husky chuckle at that.

"In order to enter the first shrine in the south, you'll need something else. I summoned you for the purpose of giving it to you." Galm gave her a smirk here. "I am not incompetent, child." Melody opened her mouth to give him one of her more famous tongue lashings, but Rodi elbowed her in the ribs. Hard. She yelped quietly, but subsided, glaring at Rodi furiously. A heavy rattle made the four mercenaries jump back, hand reaching for weapons. Seeing a plain treasure chest, they relaxed.

Barely.

Arthur held his sword out in front of him, allowing it to check for harmful magicks. Sensing none, he knelt, unlocking the chest swiftly, uneager to leave his neck exposed for any length of time. Galm watched the exchange with slightly amused eyes.

"Take what's inside this box. Use it when heaven and earth turn upside down. Then you should be able to conquer the shrine. Go now. Solve the riddles of the South Shrine, and retrieve the Sacred Gem. Humble Rilix's pride at Enrich castle, and then find the other Two Sacred Treasures that were left behind by the ancestors of the ancient people who cowardly fled beyond the wall paintings. Then go to their tower and meet their guardian!" He disappeared. Once he was gone, Arthur took the chance to mutter under his breath,

"Looks like dramatics and longwinded speeches run in the family." Melody cracked up, her stress level past its' threshold. Basso gave them a rueful smile. He promised to keep it secret, giving them all a smile, before leaving to pick up the two mercenaries. Melody looked worried.

"I hope he's okay . . ." Melody fretted, as they left the catacombs a few hours later, their arms full of all sorts of goodies. Arthur looked at her with a smile.

"I'm sure he's fine. Not many things can take out a giant, fire-breathing dragon warrior." Rodi smiled tiredly, stumbling after Arthur with a sleepy expression. Melody smiled a touch nervously.

"We just met one," She reminded him. Arthur grinned at the comment.

"Touché," Rodi agreed. "Hey, Arthur," Rodi grumbled finally. "What are we supposed to tell the kid?" Arthur stopped to think about it.

"The truth," He said finally. "It might be harsh, but the sooner he knows, the better off we'll all be. He needs to grieve, and put himself back together." Arthur sighed. "Sell these while I talk to Julian." As they walked off he muttered under his breath. "I hope I don't turn out as long-winded as those other people . . ."

As expected, Julian cried, holding onto his armor for all he was worth. The tiny blond stubbornly held onto his clothes, even as he sat down, and let the young boy cry himself to sleep. Mutters caught his attention.

"I never thought royalty would be so kind to a peasant," A girl whispered.

"I think he's quite sweet," A girl countered. "It really was quite nice of him, since the kid looks so upset." Arthur picked Julian up, stoutly ignoring the whispers. He pulled off his circlet, quickly placing it on his head. It was as close to an apology as he was going to get from Arthur. He handed the boy off to his mother, who looked just about ready to plop down and cry.

"Take good care of him," Arthur murmured. "He's going to need you to guide him." She nodded, taking Julian into her arms. He sighed, and left. Green eyes caught sight of a surprised-looking Leon. "Leon," He greeted, shortly. "You caught me?" The Halfling nodded. "Anyways, we're heading out soon." Leon blinked, but nodded at that. "Is your weapon repaired?" Leon smiled at him this time.

That was some serious conversational skills.

"Good as new," Leon agreed, taking a look at the staff blade. "I'm amazed he salvaged it at all." Arthur compared it to the rusty, broken piece of junk he had seen earlier, and nodded.

"Hear, hear," Arthur agreed, putting on his secondary circlet, which was his favorite. Oddly enough, Leon was already long gone. They all met up at the gate, Leon slinging a pack onto his shoulder. Rodi grinned, walking along with seemingly no trouble at all, softly jumping from one branch to the other. Leon blinked, but didn't question it too much, passing it off as ninja skills. At the entrance of the cave, they came across another surprise.

"Basso?" Melody looked at the upset Dragon Warrior in surprise. "Hey~ Basso!" She called, running over to hug the massive warrior. Alarmed, Basso spun around, but hugged her anyways, ruffling her hair.

"Hey, Melody," He greeted gruffly. "Arthur and Rodi here too?" Arthur gave a wounded look at the Dragon Warrior.

"You doubt me?" Arthur sniffed. "I wouldn't let a lovely lady travel alone, I'll have you know." Arthur grinned at the Warrior. "Ah, yes," He gently steered Leon up. "Leon, this is Basso. Basso, this man is a companion of ours until we reach the Far East Village." Basso greeted him amiably. Arthur sobered up quickly. "I'll take it that Lisa didn't show." Basso nodded.

"Lisa's never been late to anything," Basso admitted, squashing a bug under his foot, when it leaped out to stun them. Melody managed to keep a straight face, though Rodi wasn't as lucky. "I heard that she went to the castle, but wasn't allowed in. The mercenaries there told me that it was because of an arrest. I guess that it was a bit after you left," Basso said dryly. "After, she said that she was going to check the neighboring towns, if she didn't have a lead onto you guys. She disappeared near the forest." Basso shrugged helplessly. "I thought that perhaps I could get some help from the village. You three are busy enough as is, after all." Rodi thwacked him over the head. "OW!" Basso yelped, rubbing his sore head. "What in Zod's name was that for?" Rodi gave him the look. The one that said quite clearly that he was an idiot.

"We'd help you regardless. With our luck, we'll be likely to find Lisa on our travels." Eyes watering, Basso nodded.

"Right. Stupid idea." Basso agreed. Leon watched with a peculiar expression on his face. Melody simply hooked her arm into Leon's arm, and primly led him away. "Ah!" He trotted after Melody. "Melody~ please wait, I'm sorry~! I didn't mean to ignore you~!" Arthur and Rodi cracked up, and Leon watched with a slightly bemused expression. Shaking his head, Leon sighed. What crazy people did I get involved with this time?

Arthur scowled at the slick, icy paths, but carefully skated around the craters. He picked up the treasures, and skated to the other side, where the rest of them stood, watching him with an awed expression. He rolled his eyes.

"What?" He asked aggressively. They all shook their heads.

"You really are prepared for everything." Rodi explained, while the others still gaped. Arthur scowled, muttering a few choice words under his breath that sounded vaguely like 'Idiots – too easily surprised, need a lesson in –' and there they stopped listening.

"The fuck?" Arthur muttered watching the giant snake warily. It hissed, three heads snapping wildly.

Arthur stood up, his armor smoking slightly. Arthur grumbled, while glaring at armor he would have to fix again. Basso helped Melody up with a firm hand. She smiled meekly at him, and turned to face Leon, who was every bit as roughed up as they were. The Halfling looked plenty pissed off, just like the rest of them.

"It was supposed to be one monster," Leon snarled. "Not four different monsters. I am going to strangle the bastard who said it was one!" Caught off guard, they all giggled. Arthur snickered lightly.

"You are an amazing comic relief." He informed Leon; ignoring his smoking armor, save for peeling it off. "This way." They all meandered around, healing themselves up slowly.

Arthur wiped off smudges of emerald blood, green eyes watching the silent landscape. Leon offered them a grin. They snatched out the papers from the air.

"Heal 3rd level," Arthur announced quietly.

"Lightning 3rd level," Rodi drawled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Elemental 3rd level and something called Kaiten," Melody informed.

"The Rotation. It's a deflection spell." Arthur informed her.

"That? Was fun." Leon informed them, standing up and throwing his cloak around Melody's shoulders. "Here." Melody smiled, the cloak covering what her Miko uniform didn't cover, torn as it was. They walked leisurely through the exit. Leon looked at the South Shrine, wide-eyed.

"That is massive," Basso mumbled, watching the sands of the desert shift and hide the building from view. A blue-clad teen materialized before them.

"This is Far East Village. Our ancestors who came here from the Far East named this village in remembrance of their homeland." He didn't look too happy to see them, but let them pass. Arthur entered the church after bidding Leon a goodbye at the shops. The priest was dressed in the standard garb, and when he saw them, he smiled at them benevolently.

"This is the church of the Far East. You look lost, I'm glad you came. What is it you wish for?" Arthur shifted nervously.

"I'd like to receive Promotion," Arthur said finally. Behind him, three added voices agreed quietly. The priest blinked. He held up one hand.

"Give me a minute." He said, calmly. He shooed each of the curious-looking ninjas out. "Ladies first, my dear." Melody walked up, nervous. "I see two paths before you Miss Melody." With a friendly smile he clasped her hand. "You may abandon the spirits that have offered their assistance and continue as a Summoner. If not, you may also continue on and finish as a true Miko. The Miko class is a dangerous path to walk, for both malevolent and kindred spirits will seek you out." Melody looked back, nervous. Arthur smiled at her, as did Rodi and Basso. She thought nervously about her life, and her decisions. The spirits that had been her companion since Arthur had given her the Miko robes settled down on her like a comforting cloak. That made her decision for her.

"I would like to continue as a Miko." Her pale green eyes looked at him shyly. The priest nodded sagely.

"A bold and dangerous path." The priest smiled gently. He handed her a staff.

It was delicate, thin strips of metal wound into an open sphere at the top, and the bottom of the staff had a metal sheet twisted around into a sharp point. "This staff is one used of the traditional Miko path. It's a bladed staff, my dear." He smiled gently at her. When Melody took the staff, it glowed vividly. The staff changed, Melody's name burning into the metal below the open gaps of space. The small glass orb that occupied the bottom of the basin-like cup glowed bright green. "You have been accepted. Be careful my dear." Melody bowed, taking the staff with soft thanks.

"Rodi." The priest gave him a small smile. "Home at last." Rodi blushed crimson at the gentle, teasing rebuff. "There are two paths ahead of you as well. The Spirits recognize your Veroan heritage, and offer you a chance to become more than what you have lost. This is irreversible. You could choose to be a Master Ninja, or you could become a Shade Traveler. They were once of our clan, but left to pursue the more dangerous arts of being a ninja, namely traveling through the shade, as their name indicates." Rodi blinked. His memory was fuzzy, but he knew he had been unhappy before he had left to assist the king. He had never taken to the ninja arts like – two people he remembered vaguely, but he knew that he had disappointed his father somehow. He nodded crisply.

"I'll take my second choice," Rodi stated, trying not to let his clouded past interfere with his mind. The priest looked again unsurprised.

"Then I give you my blessing." He intoned. Unlike Melody, nothing special happened, no mystical glow or anything of the sort.

"Basso. Do you consider yourself ready to be promoted to the status of Dragon Knight?" Basso paused, and thought about it with a hesitant look. He didn't want to get promoted without Lisa there to witness, but he knew that Lisa would whack him over the head with her sword for refusing on just those bounds. Well, she'd thwack him either way, Basso thought with a dry, sardonic snort of amusement.

"Yes, I do," He conceded with a half-nod. Like Rodi, nothing special happened. Arthur felt nervous, but stepped up, the only one left.

"Arthur." The priest said nothing for a while, watching the mercenary fidget. Arthur averted his eyes, nervous. "There are more paths left for you, but only two do not interfere with your quest." He winced mentally, hoping that what he was going to say did not include – "You may accept the title of champion," That wasn't too bad, so far– "Or you may formally accept the title of The Nexus of Rose." Crap. There it was, what he had been trying to bury under the sand since he left his home. Accepting that meant two things in his home: Kicking his brother off the throne, and Paperwork. If you saw the piles he'd have to deal with, yeah, you'd do the same. Though his brother was a good guy and all, he was possessive of power, and for all Kato cared, you could go to Xatan's lair in a handbasket, because he wasn't letting the throne go. Not without a fight. But Arthur knew exactly what might happen if he didn't: utter slaughter for his people. So he heaved a small sigh (And it was a small one. Very small, Arthur swore, and if anyone said otherwise, he'd run them through) and made his choice.

"I will accept the title of Nexus of the Rose." Arthur said finally. After all, while Arthur was many things, among them selfish, he was not a murderer. Not if he could avoid it.

It was quiet, after the ceremony for Arthur was completed. But Arthur knew what had happened at home. The roses would be in full bloom around the castle, beautiful and clear-scented after nearly seventeen years of the last heir's (his mother's) death. Perhaps a prophet or the like would catch a glimpse of his name in a vision. The civilians and nobility would lay down arms, their quarrel over. For a strange reason the flowers would grow over the castle, draping it into colored blossoms of all colors but black, only hints of the green, twining vines to support it. He'd have to go back in the next couple of years. And then, he'd spend the rest of his life signing paperwork, never to breathe fresh air outside of court functions or of disgusting rides by carriage. Arthur was stirred out of his dark thoughts by Melody, who steered him upstairs to the room that they would be staying the night in. Nobody spoke for a while, instead setting up for the end of the day. Arthur was going crazy, just waiting for them to speak. It was Rodi who finally spoke, sensing his comrade's unease.

"You were scared that this might happen." Rodi started. Arthur flinched, which he knew was answer enough for his companions.

"Yes," Arthur whispered, his body gripped by that very fear. If this journey took longer than three years, he wouldn't be able to help them face what was at the very end. Basso said nothing. Neither did Melody. It was agonizing, waiting for them to speak. "If I don't return in three years after accepting the Nexus, something is guaranteed to happen to my people. Something worse than the war." Melody spoke finally.

"I . . . don't envy you in the least." Melody said finally. "You'll have so much paperwork, it won't even be funny!" And suddenly, Arthur was laughing. The fear was still there, above every other sensation, but it was only a minor complication now. Those words were Melody's way of saying it was okay.

Everything was.

Arthur woke up ten minutes before dawn, set up the pillows, and with a grin to one still half-asleep Melody, who watched confusedly, he waited. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. . . Now!

THUMP! CRASH! BOOM! "EYAH!" The whole tavern woke up to the sounds of one Rodi, former Ninja, crashing to the floor. Melody's brain clicked, and she started giggling, almost as soon as she remembered Arthur's wakeup call. Basso landed on the pillows oh-so-helpfully laid out on the floor, sputtering. Arthur held the blankets in a neat bundle in his arms, watching Rodi wake up.

"Good morning," Arthur deadpanned to the groaning Traveler. "I'll get breakfast." With that, he dumped the blankets on Rodi's head and headed downstairs, undisturbed by the heads of multiple curious onlookers. Arthur smiled at the innkeeper with an apologetic expression. "One Chai tea, two cups of straight black coffee, and one coffee with cream, if you may." He put on his most winning smile, watching her blush and stammer. She handed him the requested items, along with some dango (Zod, it had been nearly a year since he had his homeland treat last,) and a few bean-paste filled dumplings. He carried the tray up, skipping steps as usual.

"I hate you," Rodi lamented loudly to the skies, before taking his coffee and a small bean-paste dumpling. Basso simply looked at him like he was crazy, but took some of the dango (Aww . . .) and his cup of coffee. Melody took a dumpling and her tea, still giggling like a small schoolgirl at Rodi. As he finished up his coffee and dango, Rodi finally awakened entirely. "Evil bastard," Rodi grumbled half-heartedly at Arthur. Arthur simply smiled benevolently.

"Actually, I am a Magnificent Bastard," Arthur corrected. Everyone blinked, and watched him as Arthur, humming serenely, walked out.

"Err . . ." Nobody had anything to say to that.

The lord of the house was a scarred man, with skin dark from years of harsh training in heavy sunlight. Despite this, he greeted them all with a friendly smile. Nearby, Doyle scowled darkly at them, clearly having not forgiven them for what they had done. That was okay. They didn't forgive him either.

"I wished to welcome you home to the village, but I see that the battle is far from over yet, Rodi. Still, you and the ones who share your destiny are welcome here for as long as you stay." He told them with a smile. Arthur could feel the Lord's disappointment of losing time with his son, but the man wisely said nothing. Rodi nodded, brown eyes watching his father with a wary, guarded expression. "However, I was surprised to learn that the witch Rilix used her black magic to cause evil spirits to possess the King. That was most . . . unexpected of her." At their shifted stances, the Lord knew he had traversed onto dangerous ground. He held one slightly arthritic hand up and continued. "Despite the fact that Doyle was unable to keep watch, I was informed by Sabato himself. He also informed me that the reason you are still alive is because of the Spirit you each host." He gave his son a smile. "I am pleased that you are alright, despite the danger." Rodi looked properly abashed. "I know very little about the Spirits, save that they are powerful beyond measure, and can save one from the brink of death." The Lord went on to describe the Shrine and the gem (which he spoke of freely). "I wish you luck on your journey ahead. And Rodi," He clasped both hands around his son's left. "Be careful my son." Rodi nodded shyly, and stayed behind to exchange a few words with his father. When he entered the Inn for the night, Rodi had a bright smile, and looked happier than he had been upon entering the village

Shortly upon entering, it became obvious that they would have to break down a wall or two. Basso effectively solved that problem by giving a massive roar, shaking the very dust from the ceiling. Afterwards, they continued to explore.

Perhaps scared, perhaps something else, no monsters attacked them save for small imps, trapped in a statue who neither cared nor even was aware that they had been the cause of the fallen areas. They encountered Leon shortly thereafter, attempting to walk the spiral passages.

"Oh, hello!" Leon seemed cheered to talk to them, lying upside down. "It may be just me, but I'm having an awful time trying to get up there," He told them with a sheepish grin. "I've been hoping to get the sacred sword out of here so I could take it for my people." At their skeptical stares, he relented, smiling all the while. "We have a shrine I believe is called the Shrine of the Valkyries, by your terms," He explained, making no move to stand up from his upside down position on the floor. "The best way would to get a Shrine's Maiden to use the bow and arrow to open the shrine to my people, but the Valkyries were also swordswomen as well, aside from archers." They all gave him baffled looks.

"And what, exactly, are Valkyries?" Rodi asked, settling himself onto the floor with their short-term companion. Leon blinked, derailed, righting himself.

"Warriors," He explained automatically. "They're all women though. The only ones yours – and our own kind – have ever seen have white wings. It's a legend to my people that Vandal sealed the shrine to ensure that his reign would be less troublesome." Leon shrugged. "Perhaps I am getting old, but I thought the sword might do the trick." Arthur leaned back.

"And yet again, a common goal for different outcomes," Arthur remarked wryly to his companions. "If you would like, you can accompany us yet again, Leon." The Halfling looked severely tempted. "We're looking for the Sacred Gem, so if you can find the sword, she's all yours." Here Leon perked up. He obviously thought that they would need to use the same thing. Arthur split the strangely shaped rock apart, the small threads of stone warped into an interminable figure eight, inscribed with gibberish. Each was stranded onto a thin rope he had and fastened around the neck. Melody looked at him funny. "Always prepared," he reminded her with a smile.

"What does this say?" Leon mumbled, trying to read the inscription. Strangely, it was Basso who spoke up. Since his promotion, Basso had been quiet. Perhaps the promotion without his female companion had been rough on him. He squinted at the inscription and then spoke.

"When Heaven and Earth are twisted, use me to travel amongst the stars. When they are righted, use me to return to the living." Basso rumbled. Melody looked impressed.

"That's what it says?" She said, squinting. "It looks like a bunch of gobbledygook to me," She complained, steadfastly ignoring the way Rodi hid his smile behind his hand, or how Leon choked on thin air. Arthur's lips twitched, watching the dragon knight chuckle heartily at her attempts to read the inscription.

"I'll go first," Arthur volunteered, taking careful, steady steps up the spiraling passage.

"He's either incredibly brave or incredibly reckless," Leon commented, to the amusement of everyone present. Unbeknownst to Leon, Basso had said the same thing several weeks prior.

"That he is," Rodi agreed, as he explained the humor behind the statement. In a low undertone, he muttered, "Bet Lisa and Forte say the same thing," Everyone hid their amusement from Arthur, who watched them quizzically.

"What?"

Traveling upside down was a bit of a headache, and the monsters even more so, but they made it to an abandoned treasure room. There were a few dusty tablets, seven gems, and two statues. Leon read the inscription after clearing most of the dust away.

"Offer seven stones equally to two gods." He then inspected the gods there. "Hm. Xatan and Zod." The rest of the group nodded.

Aquamarine is worth half as much as the black onyx.

Opal and Sapphire together are worth as much as the Black Onyx and Emerald put together.

The Emerald is worth as much as Aquamarine, Black Onyx and Opal put together.

The Diamond is worth as much as Aquamarine and Emerald put together.

The Sapphire is worth as much as the Black Onyx and Opal put together.

The Ruby is worth twice as much as the Black Onyx.

"Damn." Arthur muttered. "Mel, can you –?" Melody nodded with a smile. Hands glowing, she wrote out a series of problems.

A = ½ On

Op + S = On + E

E = A + On + Op

D = A + E

S = On + Op

R = 2On

"Thanks," He muttered. "Give Onyx a number easily divisible by 2, say, 10, please Mel?" Melody's hands shifted.

A = ½ (10)

Op + S = (10) + E

E = A + (10) + Op

D = A + E

S = (10) + Op

R = 2(10)

"Okay," Rodi mumbled quietly. "Aquamarine is five, and Ruby is twenty." He moved the runes around a little bit.

A = 5, On = 10

Op + S = (10) + E

E = (15) + Op

D = (5) + E

S = (10) + Op

R = 20

"Hmm . . ." Basso looked thoughtful. "If you put the equation for Emerald in for the second problem that should solve for Sapphire." He moved a few numbers around himself.

A = 5, On = 10

S = 25

E = (15) + Op

D = (5) + E

S = (10) + Op

R = 20

"Okay," Melody chirped brightly. "Then if we solve the problem for sapphire again, then . . ."

(25) = (10) + Op Op = 15

"So next is Emerald and Diamond," Leon concluded, moving the remaining runes around

A = 5

On = 10

Op = 15

R = 20

S = 25

E = 30

D = 35

Total = 140/2 70

"Okay," Arthur said dryly. "Then we split it up for each god. Xatan's presence comes in more numbers but Zod's strength is stronger in energy. So Zod needs less than Xatan."

"Zod has Diamond Aquamarine and Emerald, and Xatan has Onyx, Opal, Ruby and Sapphire." Rodi counted lightly, placing the items on the opened hands. Their hands closed, and the statues blinked. The alcove between them opened, featuring an inconspicuous jade ring, the Sacred Sword, and the Sacred Gem. Arthur stared blankly at the jade ring. He knew it from somewhere . . . The ring glowed, exposing a pale as death Witch. The jade ring attached itself to her wrist and the image clicked. A Witch of the Desert. That ring, if it connected, would suck out the liquid that sustained them until they died or they got away.

"Duck!" He yelped loudly, and they followed suit as a glowing disc of energy sailed over his head. "Don't let that ring touch you!" They all followed the hastily yelled order, diving out of the way. The ring gave a sickly yellow glow, then red as the witch's power waned. Bolstered, they fought harder.

"Elemental!" Her staff glowed red, as a fire-based elemental came to her aid, noticeably different from her old one. The jade ring cracked under the pressure and heat. Finally the sickly color faded as the ring fell apart. The witch's departure was a silent death, ashes falling quietly to the floor, adding to the dust pile. The gem and sword lay undisturbed. Arthur offered out the sword to the Halfling and took the gem for himself. His sword on the tip of the blade, the round circular slot, was mysteriously empty. He settled the gem into the center of the blade; green eyes observing the gem adjust the center of his sword to a bright green. Now, tell-tale slips of paper fell from the skies for the trio.

"Slow," Arthur informed them quietly.

"Elemental," Melody answered.

"Nice," Rodi murmured. "I've got Shade Shift." Leon, overjoyed by their success, babbled happily about how happy his hometown would be, to be able to see Valkyries once more. He told them of all his people remembered.

"The storytellers should know more about the Valkyries," he added. He relinquished the gravity stone to Arthur, and whistling, he headed home. "Oh!" He turned around to talk to them. "Also, they'll probably send someone over as a thank you to assist you guys once they've settled back into the real world. I wish you luck." Leon waved again, and left. A young woman greeted them this time at the entrance of the village. She perked up at the sight of Rodi.

"Ah! There you are!" She smiled. "Rodi, Akane has been looking for you." Her warm teak eyes saddened. "Since you and Panzer left, it's been so quiet here." They wandered around (Or in Basso's case, went to repair his weapon) chatting aimlessly.

"Travelers are much more secretive than Ninjas," said a lady who was practically as old as the village itself. "They are feared and respected by all, even the Ninjas that once stayed by their side. After a time, the Travelers were betrayed and scattered amongst the winds." Grey eyes blinked. "Only a few have the magical strength for the Traveler class." Here she watched Rodi until he fidgeted, uncomfortable.

"Ah, you've found the gem." The lord sounded pleased. "Rilix surely knows that you have received the sword by now. We have no time to waste." Arthur nodded. "We have resources, luckily. Doyle!" Doyle appeared, but slumped to the floor. He stumbled to his feet and attempted to throw a bladed weapon at a patch of the shades. A clang of metal to metal and the boy from Arthur's dream appeared. "Panzer! What do you think you're doing?" He sounded outraged. The leather-clad, blue-skinned teen smirked behind the face guard.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he sneered slightly. "The Gem should belong to us." He formed a sphere of crackling black energy. "I'm sorry brother, please hand the Gem over." Rodi smirked, uncharacteristically of him.

"Nice try. I'm not handing anything over." Panzer snarled slightly and flung the sphere at them, only for it to be redirected upwards by a blurred movement of pink. A pretty redhead shimmered into place between them. The exchange took less than a second.

"Why?" she asked, a dagger in hand. Brown eyes watched him with the hurt of a lover. Akane adjusted her grip. "Why betray us? Me?" her voice cracked. Panzer didn't answer.

"I won't fight you this time," He said quietly. "I can't afford to be so nice next time." Panzer vanished. Arthur shifted his body slightly, uncomfortable with having seen such a personal moment.

"We must hurry, then." The lord's voice was crisp, as if he had not witnessed such a thing, which in a way, was best. "You should know of the secret paths in and out of Enrich castle Doyle, we – Akane?" her father stopped, watching as she blinked, innocent.

"It is best I go." She said, finally. "Panzer will delay fighting our group as long as I am with them." Teak eyes blinked gently.

"If that is what you wish, my child." The lord looked decades older. "Please don't die, my child. Rodi. Take care of your sister." Rodi blinked, derailed.

"I-If it's necessary." Rodi agreed. He smiled as Akane rolled her eyes as she left with them.

"I saw that young lady!" The Lord yelled. Everyone jumped.

"Crap," Akane mumbled.

The return to the dungeons was quiet and easily boring. Akane was a fast fighter thank Zod, and capable of fighting even the swiftest enemies. They made steady, quick progress to the pier, where she called a boat, the slightly moss-covered, wooden vessel smoothly carrying them across the blackened water. Hidden depths covered the horrors of the deep waters, to which Arthur was grateful. Now, green eyes stared incredulously at the monster that currently faced them. Was that-? Nearby, Rodi gave a slight sound of laughter.

"Th- those are balloons!" Melody stammered through her laughter as the five of them stumbled towards the castle, still giggling profusely. Basso and Arthur took point, still giggling, but far more sober than the rest of them. The events of the cavern were boring at best. They acquired a pixie named Lime, her hair a brighter shade of yellow-green, hence the name. They crept up to the throne room, with bated breath.

"Well if it isn't Rodi and Arthur!" Rilix cackled. Melody snorted, throwing her hands up in aggravation.

"What am I, chopped liver?" She groused. Rilix blinked and paused, disrupted. The king and Forte looked even worse, the king's stomach bulging, stretching the fabric of his robe. Forte looked even frailer, all thin bones and pale skin. He smiled at Melody's comment, but when he attempted to speak, he began to cough heavily, shaking like a leaf. His hand, when pulled away, glinted red. The other three had expected as much, but Akane and Basso looked horrified at the way the dark, foul spirits had destroyed two formerly healthy people.

"Oh shut up," Rilix snapped. "My dear Arthur," She purred, "Give me the gem." Arthur shook his head, his skin crawling. He knew without a shadow of a doubt, that handing the gem over would make him like her, a twisted imitation of someone he used to be. Arthur scowled, and backed up. "No?" Her smile faded. "Then you and your childish plot shall end here." With a snarl, she chanted a spell so evil; the very air became heavier with its taint. "Minions! I call on you now to reveal yourselves! Rise up and crush these impudent mortals!" the spirits rose up yet again, to fling themselves at the five.

Arthur yelped, and raised his sword, the semi-solid mass crashing against the blessed steel of mithril and iron. Melody pushed them back, spinning her staff, her magic making a temporary defense for them all. They desperately attacked back, jumping away from various attacks and taking those they couldn't miss. Arthur's sword hummed as the faintest tingle of magic began running through his veins. He parried a blow, and struck back. He didn't expect the flash of light, the roar of thunder, or for electricity to lance out of his sword to the monstrous spirit. It gave a screech and retreated. The other spirit, who had formerly been focused on the other four, each of them holding the stronger spirit back, turned and attempted to attack him. Again, Arthur was unprepared for the shield of fire that sprung to life, singeing the spirit with amber and amaranth flames. It recoiled with a scream of agony. Arthur yelped, surprised as anyone else. The spirits fell back, nursing wounds. Rilix floated to the forefront, blocking their way. Her own spell was deflected after it left her hands, veering to the left. Sabato appeared with a satisfied smirk in place, and Rilix reared back.

"Ah Rilix." Sabato was dangerously calm. "It seems that you have lost yet again." Rilix snarled.

"I am not so easily defeated." She shot back, her hands curling around the sphere of glass in her gold-edged chair.

"I think you are." Sabato informed her. Sabato blurred, and disappeared off to the side. Arthur knew a signal when he saw one. Arthur's blade shuddered, glinting gold, red, icy blue, and silver, slashing through the thinning, black lines of the connections to the king and Forte.

Both of them collapsed, the damage of weeks of the spirits draining the life out of them reversing rapidly. The dark spirits faded slightly as their vitality seeped away, back into the humans they had taken them from. "Good luck," Sabato bade them goodbye, disappearing with the two men, surprisingly strong despite his thin frame. Rilix snarled again, lunging at them in her rage. Rilix headed towards Arthur, her eyes blazing with anger. Howling winds cut her off, and she turned to face Melody, who, while exhausted, was still at full strength magically. The two spirits lunged angrily, the larger one attacking Arthur and the smaller one attacking the others with Rilix. Arthur ducked and parried blows as best as he could, the rare attack coming through, occasionally receiving some assistance from Melody and Rodi. Akane hung back, healing everyone so that Melody could focus on the fight, and attacking when anything dared come her way. Basso breathed out a torrent of flame, the smaller spirit moving too slowly to avoid the magically enhanced flames. Rilix swerved away, but instead she ended up with a lengthy burn to her side and a half-melted chair. A screech of agony marked one spirit's departure from this world. As its partner spun around to attack the Dragon Knight, Arthur lunged, his blade glowing silver, to cut the spirit open with a blade of ice. It died silently, the frozen spirit breaking apart onto the floor, the sound akin of shattered glass. Rilix flew away, her eyes blazing with hate.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," She snarled angrily. "You won't win if I call the others," she added with a laugh. "They are so much more powerful than me! Elise! Panzer!" Akane flinched slightly.

Panzer arrived, alone. He shot them an appraising look. "Perhaps you are stronger than you seem." He fixed Rilix up a little bit, and faced them with a smile. "If you don't mind, we'll be leaving now." They vanished, the reek of the dead and the monsters vanishing with them. Akane fell to her knees, exhausted beyond compare. Her skin was pale. Arthur helped her up, gently. As he looked around, he realized that the throne room was utterly destroyed.

"Oh for the love of Zod," Arthur groaned. "Now how do we fix this?" The king, looking much restored, limped in, leaning on a cane. He looked much closer to his original stocky, well-built frame.

"We can start by fixing you up," he offered.

Arthur sat on the counter, half-hidden by the shadows a barrel of wine cast on his slim frame. He picked up a slender flute of champagne, eyeing the bubbly drink with a sigh. He hadn't wanted to come down, but Sabato and the king had insisted. Zod, it'd be his luck to get poisoned by a glass of champagne. Basso was swaying happily, recounting an old tale to Melody of one of his adventures with Lisa, and Akane and Rodi were nowhere to be found. Arthur was faintly startled when Rodi's hand laid itself onto his shoulder.

"May I join you?" He asked quietly. Arthur gave him a lazy smile.

"Feel free." He set the glass down with a disgusted expression. "I swear, it'd be our luck to get this far and get poisoned by a glass of champagne." Rodi snorted behind one hand, tilting his hand up. A barmaid handed him two glasses of port wine. Akane was dancing with a young man, James, if Arthur remembered correctly. Rodi scowled at the sight, and then sighed with a tiny smile.

"Your luck," he corrected. "I'm not that unlucky, unless hanging around with you does that." Arthur smiled slyly back. Rodi took a drink, offering out the other one to Arthur, with a grin.

"It might," he agreed, taking the proffered glass with a word of thanks. Arthur took a sip. "It's strange," he observed, watching the rowdy crowd celebrate. "How we've made it this far." Arthur stared at his drink. Was this stronger than the norm? It had to be, since it was festering in a barrel for upwards of a century.

"It is," Rodi agreed. They spent a moment in silence. "Do you remember the morning after we arrived in Desire?" Arthur cracked up, laughing.

"I remember dumping you on the floor," he agreed, hiccupping slightly. Rodi gave a comical groan, taking another swig of his wine.

"That hurt," he whined playfully. They spent some time telling jokes, and Rodi, whose memory was definitely coming back, shared some of his more unfortunate (and amusing) adventures. The bells rang twelve, and they jumped.

"That late already?" Arthur mused, on his sixth glass of wine. Rodi was on his seventh, and had been singing to the music, loudly and very faintly off-key. He stopped, and glanced at Arthur over one shoulder

"Yeah, it really is rather late." Rodi paused, and then said, "You know, I remember hearing about you, when I was twelve or so," he told Arthur, quietly. He was swaying, half his drink gone. Brown eyes lit up as he caught sight of Arthur again. "You were always an enigma, a curiosity." He leaned forward a bit, his eyes dark. "They never mentioned how beautiful you were in real life." Arthur froze. The fuck? Rodi continued on, oblivious to his companion's thoughts. "They always say you're as straight as an iron poker, but," Rodi leaned a bit closer, a hand on his shoulder, the sweet scent of his breath perfuming the air. "Would you care to prove them wrong?" Rodi was so . . . damn . . . close . . . Afterwards; Arthur wouldn't remember leading him to his bedroom and the gentle kisses and teasing caresses. He only remembered the way Rodi fell asleep in his arms, the soft, content breath ghosting over his skin as Rodi slept, only to fall asleep himself, kissing the top of his head.

Arthur woke up, feeling more content than he had been for a very long time. The soft breath passed over his shoulder, and he woke up the rest of the way. He checked the clock. Half an hour before dawn. He lay back down, trying not to groan. He knew that Rodi was not so drunk last night as to not remember the events, but damn, now what did he do? In a way, this was more dangerous than a drunk, pissed off Melody hunting – Melody! She could help him, maybe. He slipped out of bed, hearing the gentle, protested whine that Rodi made. Padding down the hall, he knocked on her door.

Melody grumbled, stalking to the door to see one very disheveled and nervous Arthur. His habit of waking people up before dawn had her up an hour early. An hour! Still, she gentled her voice, and let him in.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. That started a mixed babbling of words, something about him, Rodi, and near sex – she paused. Near sex?

Oh hell.

". . . Now what do I do?" He flung his hand up in a mixed series of emotions. "I don't know anymore. What am I'm supposed to do?" Arthur complained, running a hand through his hair with frustration. "Help me," he all but begged with dark, rosy cheeks and pleading eyes. Melody blinked.

"Wake him up, and talk to him about it." She smiled. "That's the best advice I can give." Arthur sighed, green eyes genuinely terrified.

"Thanks," he mumbled. That was no help at all.

"Excuse me." The cook turned to see a blushing Arthur. "Can I get breakfast for two?" He whispered, all the while keeping an eye out for that one girl that had been entirely obsessed with him last night. The cook applauded his caution. Smart kid.

"Sure kiddo," he said back, just as quietly, handing him a tray of egg-dipped toast cooked in a pan with butter and two cups of strong coffee. He added a small pitcher of water, and a container of maple syrup, as well as two glasses to pour the water in. Whoever the gal was, they were damn lucky.

Rodi woke up, glancing at the clock as he sat up. He felt a sense of accomplishment at waking up before dawn. With relief, he noted that his boxers were still on. Arthur was gorgeous and all, but he wasn't ready to give his virtue to him. A gentle knock sounded on the door. Arthur poked his head in.

"You up?" Arthur asked shyly, "I want to talk." Arthur added, carrying a tray in, piled with breakfast. Rodi smiled and scooted over. Arthur joined him, laying his tray across their laps. Arthur and Rodi ate in a shy, slightly awkward silence. Arthur teased the strands of hair sometime later, still silent. "What do you want out of this?" Arthur asked quietly. "Rodi, I know you fairly well, but even so, I want to know what you want from this." Rodi stopped with his fingertips brushing the hem of Arthur's leggings. Timidly, he nestled closer.

"Right now, not much," Rodi admitted finally. "All I've ever wanted was someone to love me as me, not as anyone else. Panzer came close, but he would never have treated me the way I know you would. He fell in love with Akane, and that ship sailed. Arthur, you've never asked for anything you knew I couldn't handle, and I'm grateful for that. You know exactly what makes me happy." Rodi nuzzled his head into Arthur's neck. "Right now, all I need is affection. Everything else can wait." Arthur smiled at him. Unlike his other smiles, this was purely for Rodi, shy, and slightly affectionate.

"I can do that for you." Arthur kissed the top of his head. "I can definitely do that."

The king summoned them to his remade chambers (though still gaudy as all hell) and spoke to them with a small smile.

"Sabato has explained to me much of your journey. First, I would like to offer my thanks." Nearby, Forte nodded in agreement.

"It's quite . . . humbling, to say the least," Forte mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"Rilix has quite a powerful aura. The magic duel with Sabato and placing a price on Rodi's head were all parts of her . . . well, plot's the only way I can say it," The king sighed. "Rilix is one of the Vandals who have re-awakened to rebuild the Thousand-Year Kingdom, but she seems to lack a Vandal's super human powers. While her sister Elise looks like a young woman, Rilix looks like an old crone, and this is a symptom of her lack of strength. However, all Vandals are still very powerful, and if you hadn't recovered the Sacred Gem, they would have taken control of Enrich." He shuddered.

"I think I should explain to you what the mystery is all about. Having met with Galm and the master of Far East Village, do you understand what these Spirits are?" Sabato asked, shifting uncomfortably. Everyone but Basso and Akane nodded.

"Vaguely," Basso admitted, when given curious looks.

"Not very much." Akane groused, "Father never spoke details to me." Sabato smiled at her knowingly.

"Then let me give you a refresher. The Spirits are a power that is given to select mortals by the Creator. They are the source of all power, so have been sought after by heroes. The Spirits used to be frequently given to men, but since the collapse of the old kingdom, they disappeared. But now, 1000 years later, the Spirits have reappeared." Melody snorted at the deliberate lack of women in that statement. "Ah, yes, women too."

"We were able to predict this event from the many legends and from the paintings found on some of the walls in the tunnels underneath the castle. We have studied both and found that they contain the history of the collapse of the ancient kingdom. They also contain a warning that truly horrified us. All of our research points to the rebirth of the Vandals, and their Kingdom of Darkness." Arthur raised an eyebrow, placing one hand on Melody's shoulder.

"And?" He prompted.

"While we studied, we realized one thing . . . The three lights depicted in the last painting represented three heroes doing battle with the Vandals!" Sabato said cheerfully.

"Besides the warning, we found that the paintings also contained a very important message." The king added, shooting Sabato a slightly scornful look for getting overly worked up. Arthur couldn't blame him.

"Sabato?" Forte prompted.

"Ah! Right. We studied the paintings closely, as we needed to prepare for the coming of the Spirits. The painted Spirits consist of two blue lights and one red. If the colors were an indication of gender, then blue would indicate male and red would indicate female. We started looking for the right people." Melody opened her mouth to ask, but Arthur squeezed her shoulder in warning. She subsided, albeit with a glare thrown his way.

"The first person we selected was Rodi. However, we could not find any others, so we decided to look outside the country. The rest you know as well as us. We've guessed correctly only once, but things seem to be moving anyway."

"We didn't dare ask your country," Sabato added, looking at Arthur sheepishly, "since your country has a habit of ignoring all requests made to them." Arthur shrugged. He couldn't deny the truth. "That's all we know. Why would those ancient people leave these paintings behind? Was it a marker to a place of refuge? If so, they seem to be saying that we need to go there."

"In the paintings are pictures of the mural room itself. It seems to say that whosoever assembles all three Sacred Treasures can somehow travel from the mural room, to the Tower of Illusion, standing alone in the desert. Although we have the Spirits, before they are useful, their powers must be released. There's no magic in Enrich strong enough, so the ancient ones are telling us to go to this tower." Arthur blinked and stopped to think about it.

"There was one in Veora," he muttered dryly, "A painting like the one you mentioned, but it was moved to a different room of the castle." Arthur shrugged. "You know more about it than we do, though."

"Now, we hope you understand the importance of your mission. You must find the other two sacred treasures. Good luck." Sabato rambled on, ignoring Arthur. Arthur made a face.

"Everything that was displayed in the paintings has happened, and the mystic barrier that now surrounds the mine up in Desire is worrying." The king settled down, his grey eyes observing them.

"You should be able to conquer the West Shrine using the power of the Sacred Gem. We're counting on you!" Sabato encouraged. Arthur stifled a snort. Jackasses. Lazy jackasses.

As they were leaving, Forte ran up to them. He paused a second to organize his thoughts.

"I'd like to come with you." He started. "You probably might not want me along, but I think I could help." Arthur raised an eyebrow. Why am I surprised?

"You never seemed to like large crowds," he reminded gently. Forte shuddered.

"I'm not wildly excited about that," Forte admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "But to repay my debt to you, and well, to avenge myself against Rilix, I need to help you fight. And it never hurts to have extra support, right?" Forte added. Arthur glanced at his companions.

"This is your call Melody, you know him best." Arthur told her. Melody looked visibly startled. She viewed her lifelong companion up and down. Forte had luckily regained all his lost health and was still at his physical peak. He wouldn't hinder them.

"We'll be better off if Forte comes with us," Melody agreed, twirling her hair nervously. "He's got some good spells that I can't learn if I tried, and neither could the rest of us." She paused. "And jackass behavior aside –" That warranted an indignant 'Hey!' from Forte – "He's capable of long-term barriers that would allow us temporary safety at night." Arthur shrugged, and turned to face one mildly upset Forte.

"You can join us if you like then." Arthur said casually. Forte gave a sigh of relief.

"Thanks." Arthur observed the wear and tear that their clothes all had.

"How about we regroup in an hour or two so that we can get some new clothes and the like?" He suggested. Everyone perked up, and after a general assent, they all split paths. Arthur got stopped by one of the younger mercenaries.

"Hey, doesn't it seem strange that our contracts didn't get terminated? We were hired by Enrich to capture Rodi, but I think that Rilix had something else in mind. She wanted us to help her overthrow the King and this almost happened!" The mercenary, Jacob, informed him with a shudder. Arthur blinked in surprise.

"You're right," he agreed. "You should put that out of your mind now. It never happened, and it's no use crying over what might have." Jacob nodded, and wandered off to find a companion. As Arthur walked out, he heard a soldier grousing to his companion.

"This is the Enrich Castle! If you have no business here, you must leave!" He snapped at a few lollygaggers who milled about near the doors. "That old hag, Rilix! Who does she think she is, trying to take control of the castle?" Here he noticed Arthur and saluted, to his surprise. "Arthur, don't worry. If we see any suspicious people, we'll get rid of them, pronto!" He smiled and thanked them. Wasn't he popular?

"Ah, Arthur," the old head of the storytellers smiled, standing up to clasp his hand in both of his own. "I have found a new section of the tale, if you wish to hear it. I have also relayed it to you companion Melody." Arthur laughed lightly, setting the tense atmosphere at ease.

"Of course I would listen. Why would I not?" He asked, good-naturedly waiting until the elderly man had settled back into his chair to sit himself. The man's eyes crinkled into a smile at the little-seen display of respect.

"Legends tell us of a source of power called the Child of Light. This power will inherit a human body and develop with its host. It will grow with its host, both spiritually as well as physically. Eventually, this source of power will have to be released. In order to do this, the services of a priest known as the Apostle of Light are needed." He stopped. "Any questions?" Arthur thought about it.

"Actually, yes." He admitted. "It's not related, I think, but a companion of mine mentioned a Shrine of the Valkyries. Do you have any tales about them?" Everyone in the house froze. The head of the household paused.

"We have only a few," he admitted, wryly. "What do you know about it?" Arthur gave him a sheepish smile.

"Only that they are winged warrior women and that the shrine requires an arrow shot by a shrine maiden or the Sacred Sword to open." The storyteller nodded sagely, folding his hands into his lap.

"Those are two of the tales we have, also. Valkyries are dangerous women, and have no magic, since their wings need all of the magic that can be offered to them. They bear mostly women, with the rare male being born at any time, and kidnap 'husbands' through an old and rarely used method of 'husband theft'. Despite popular belief, they do not go after married men. They prefer mercenaries, men who can defend the homeland and help take care of large groups of people. When the shrine was sealed by Vandal, the last living Valkyrie was forced into a marriage with Vandal himself and bore him two children, whom are best known as Galm and Elise. He had another child, Rilix, by another woman just a year before that." Arthur started in surprise. "The women claimed to be twins, but it was obvious that they were not. Elise had the Valkyrie traits of wings, pale blond hair, and immeasurable beauty. Her eyes were dark, and her hair became white after many years, her only traits of Vandal heritage. She was capable of magic to the highest degree, along with flight, thanks to the overabundance of magic in her system." He cleared his throat. "I would tell you about Galm, but he had requested all traces of his own description be destroyed by the head storyteller, shortly before the fall of the thousand-year-kingdom." He shuddered. "But Rilix was never a beautiful child, and she was the apple of her father's eye, regardless of her lack of magic. Now, I believe that I've told you everything you need to know. Now go . . ." As before, Arthur bowed to him, on hand over a clasped fist.

"Thank you."

Arthur stopped by Julian's house, and was surprised to see Julian run towards him.

"Arthur, Arthur, you're okay!" The six-year-old flung himself into the startled teenager, who caught him gracefully. He noticed that his circlet was settled awkwardly onto Julian's head. "After losing daddy," Julian sniffed, "I didn't want you to get hurt too!" Arthur was touched by the genuine concern in his voice. Clearly Julian had begun to perk up, getting used to the loss of his father.

"You're being silly," he informed the blond. "I'm too damn stubborn to die." Julian giggled, and hugged him tighter.

"Julian honey, don't run like that – oh!" his mother stopped, looking at him with a bewildered expression.

"I came to see how you were doing," he offered with a warm smile. She relaxed a little bit.

"Oh, that's alright then," she sighed. "Julian's been like that puppy down the street, always asking if you were going to visit." Arthur laughed, and spent half an hour playing with the young child, relaxing away the weeks of stress.

Arthur walked into the store, feeling multiple eyes on him.

"Hello," he greeted the tanner, a pile of clothes in one hand. "Can I get a traveling bag?" The man looked up, and nodded.

"Of course," he stammered, surprised. "I've got just the one." He pulled out a sturdy, dark brown bag from under the counter. "Made of the best bull leather, and charmed against fire, stains, and damage." He pulled open his bag of coins, but the man waved him off. "No, no, I can't charge you," the man sounded scandalized. "Just take it, complements of the store!" Arthur walked out ten minutes later, dazed, and his bag of coins only slightly lighter.

Rodi covered his eyes, standing behind him. Arthur laughed, turning around to give the traveler a quick, chaste kiss.

"Ready for lunch?" Rodi asked shyly, linking hands with him.

"Of course." Arthur agreed. The pair shared a small lunch in the restaurant, ignoring any curious looks thrown their way.

They all regrouped, and Akane spoke suddenly.

"Father will want to know what happened," She said. "It is best that we tell him ourselves. We might be able to find something new out, or he may have an item for us." They all nodded, and set off across the town. Julian was waiting near the gate, a bag of something in hand.

"Arthur!" He tugged his mother along. "Mommy made some bread and stuff for you guys on your travel!" Arthur smiled and thanked Julian's mother, making the woman color an impressive shade of crimson. He hugged Julian tightly.

"Take care, alright?" He asked the tiny blond. Julian nodded vigorously, and tugged his mother away, babbling happily. "What?" he asked his companions dryly, as they walked out of town. Melody flung her hands up helplessly, Basso pretended to be excessively interested in the dirt, and Akane and Rodi simply shrugged, the brown-haired Traveler linking hands with his, which prompted a raised eyebrow from Forte, Basso, and Akane. Forte answered for them, avoiding looking at them.

"That was Julian, right?" The celeste-haired sorcerer asked. Arthur nodded aimlessly.

"Yeah, that was him." That started a slew of questions that lasted up until the cave entrance.

Once inside, it was clear that Melody's prediction was right. Forte set up camp for the night, casting a barrier spell far stronger than any of them could cast. Arthur spread out a blanket for himself and Rodi, which also garnered a curious glance. Forte stopped what he was doing to look at them.

"I had to have missed something," He said finally. "When did this happen?" Forte asked with nothing but a curious expression on his face. Basso, who was perfectly content to ignore the whole issue, thank you very much, choked on a piece of bread. Melody rubbed his back soothingly, giving Forte a glare. Akane also started, suddenly very interested.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Arthur asked back. Forte blinked.

"Should I?" Forte said. "As long as you two don't chase after me, I'm perfectly fine," ignoring the choke that came from Basso, or the way Akane toppled right off of her perch on a stone, and the way Rodi burst into giggles. "I'm just curious." Forte defended himself. Melody clutched her sides, laughing. "Shut up Mel," he warned, "I'm sure I could swap an embarrassing story or two about you." Melody shut up, watching him with a wary expression. Rodi gave a sidelong glance to Arthur, mildly amused, settling next to him.

"Should I tell them, or would you like too?" Rodi asked quietly. Arthur shrugged.

"We got drunk," Arthur said, utterly expressionless, prompting a facepalm from Melody and Forte. Basso, who had just managed to recover, nearly choked on his drink, and Akane popped up like a daisy. Rodi smiled sheepishly at her.

"That's it?" Akane said with a disappointed huff. "No denial, a midnight rendezvous, undying declarations of love?" Rodi failed at keeping a straight face, and so did one exasperatedly amused Forte. Basso shot her a glare, for he was still trying to finish his damn dinner, and Melody giggled.

"We had a lunch date," Rodi gave up, knowing that he'd end up telling her sooner or later. Akane cheered up.

"That's a step in the right direction!" Akane looked cheered. "Now all we need is to get you used to clichés and we'll definitely have a fairy tale on our hands!" Basso nearly spat his drink out.

"Woman, I'm trying to eat here!" Basso complained. Everyone laughed, and they shut up. Well, at least until Basso finished dinner. Then they talked about it, just to irritate him.

They were greeted warmly by the general population, once they reached the village, though a few shot Rodi and Arthur curious looks. A little boy looked a bit despondent, kicking the ground near the lord's home.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Melody asked gently. The boy sniffled. "Is someone hurt?" The little kid shook his head.

"I like Doyle. He got hurt so he had to stay in the village, and while he was here he played with me. But now he has recovered . . . I know he will leave again soon." The kid told them miserably. Arthur rubbed the kid's head reassuringly.

"He'll still play with you; he'll just be busy with work." Arthur offered. He might not have liked Doyle, but the man was decent enough, if all the things he heard were true. The kid perked up, and was pretty happy at that. They were settled down for lunch in a house near the church, a man mumbling to himself.

"I was wondering if the Megalith belief and the sealing spell have similar effects. If so, then maybe the people of the Far East and of the West have the same origin? I'm not making sense, am I?" He grumbled, running a fingernail along the grain of the table, avoiding looking at them.

Outside, another woman babbled to her grandchild and his friends who were listening to her tales with interest.

"I've heard of a race that lives in the North part of the continent whose magic is similar to ours. They may be the descendants of Far East Ninjas or they may be magicians of different origins. I would like to see them some day." Arthur overheard, and smiled to himself. They weren't even human, but he wouldn't tell her that. Rodi saw his look, and tried not to laugh.

"You know what they are, don't you?" Rodi accused, as they headed to the mansion.

"Feh." Arthur simply shrugged, throwing his hands up with an impish grin on his face. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I've travelled quite a bit," Rodi laughed with him, holding his hand.

The Lord listened to them with avid interest, and when they finished, he began to speak. "The way you defeated Rilix was brilliant. You've learned to conserve your power and have become an equal to her. However, don't get overconfident. You never know what kind of power they will have at Godspeak. As you may have seen already, Panzer is exceptional. He is very powerful . . . He lost his mother at birth and grew up in this village, but other than that we really don't know anything about his background. Although misfortunes happen to too many people because the world is cruel and fate capricious, it is hard to find anyone that carries that much sorrow. I pity him because I understand him.

"As he began to grow up . . . he felt that there was something else inside of him. He often got irritated by it and became violent. The only support he ever got was from Akane, but he realized that if he couldn't suppress himself, he might hurt her someday. Then, he left the village. We didn't hear anything about him after that. But now, he has appeared as the enemy.

"I have investigated a little about his mother and have come to suspect some things. Even if what I suspect is true, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone. My suspicions are not based on facts, but even if I knew the truth, I still couldn't disclose it. That's just how any parent would act. But I can't let you lose either. I won't be silent and watch while my poor child creates disaster." The lord fell silent. "I had initially planned to send Doyle with you, but a guest had arrived instead, and offered her services. So instead, I have sent Doyle to search for Travelers, and their magicks for you, Rodi." He stood up. "Let her in." She was pretty, Arthur assumed, looking her over. She wore a short white skirt of silk and feathers, a white shirt that bared her midriff, and a metal belt that had a set of daggers from it. She had a pair of dark brown boots and bronze bracers. She wore a gold headband and sapphire earrings. Her hair was braided down her back, and she had lively blue eyes, framed by long lashes and some freckles, though that wasn't what everyone was looking at. They were looking at the white wings that sat demurely on her back.

"Hi!" she greeted them with a large grin. "My name is Alice, but people call me Ali."

After getting over the shock of the fact they now had a Valkyrie (A freaking Valkyrie!) as assistance, the rest of their day there was pleasant. She had been vaguely disappointed that Arthur was attracted to Rodi, as well as royal, and the same for Rodi's attraction to Arthur. Basso was part dragon, which could end in a dangerous childbirth. So she went after the only single male still left.

Forte.

Poor Forte dealt with her flirty advances, and being as old fashioned as they come, insisted on a female chaperone. Akane often joined them, poking fun at the flustered magician. If not Akane, Melody would act as a buffer for her first best friend, as he found excuses not to impregnate the Valkyrie.

That night, Forte made two barriers: one for the group in general, and a second around himself and his belongings so that Ali would not attack him while he slept. They all found this hysterically funny, but kept quiet for his sanity.

They ended up stopping at Desire Village in a last-ditch attempt to find Lisa, but were met with no success. A little boy tugged on Arthur's sleeve.

"I looked up at Godspeak at night and saw lightning at the top of the mountain. But no adult would take my story seriously. Why won't they listen to me? You believe me though, right?" he asked hopefully. Arthur glanced at the mountain, and recalling what Sabato had said, nodded. He glanced over at Basso, who didn't look very happy.

"Of course," Arthur agreed.

"I can't sleep at night either. I can hear strange noises from the mine and I saw something like fireballs scorching the night sky." A little girl told the boy, seriously.

In the pub, the place was loud and cheerful.

"I heard a long time ago that there are ore cart tracks laid along some of the major mining routes deep in the mine. The track has some switch points which you'd need to use if one wanted to travel with the ore cart freely." One of the women told the men, who listened with interest.

"So, is there anything an old blacksmith can do for you?" the man quaffed down some mead, as he leaned onto the counter. In response, Arthur held out some of the mithril ingot that they had found. He brightened. "This is very rare material. I can make something great out of this. Who should I make something for?" Arthur smirked slightly, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Ali." The old blacksmith performed a spectacular double-take, eyes widening at Ali's wings. Suddenly, he slapped his knee and gave a laugh.

"A Valkyrie, eh! Been quite a while since I saw one of those! Last one that came by, I was still a wee boy, and she was taking the path through Godspeak to join the Elvaan up in the north!" He laughed again. "A good metal bow and some arrows shall do for you, milady!" He gave another booming laugh, and took the ingot. "Come back tomorrow, and see what I can do!"

They stopped by the church, watching the priest give his sermon. Afterwards, Arthur stopped to talk to one of the women.

"Do you know the word 'retribution'? It means that if you curse or hurt someone, that action will come back to haunt you some day. What's happening in this country must be a form of retribution. You reap what you sow, right?" Marcia said to them, a dry smile on her face. "You should go now," she told them. "The way the priest is looking at you worries me."

He stopped to purchase a room for the night, one for the men and one for the women. That didn't stop Forte from making the barrier around his bed, though none of the men could blame him. Arthur joined Rodi, wrapping his arms around the Traveler's waist, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of the neck.

"I'm still waking you up at dawn," he murmured, falling asleep.

"Damn," Rodi sighed, quietly, joining his companion in sleep.

THUMP! CRASH! BOOM! "EYAH!" The regulars sighed, and one lamented the curse of mercenaries. Forte shot straight up, staring at the groaning Traveler.

"Is this normal?" He asked Basso sleepily. Basso nodded, bemused at his casual question. Arthur dumped the blankets on top of Rodi.

"Good morning." Arthur deadpanned, halfway out the door. "I'll get breakfast." He walked down, seeing the three women sitting there, cups of tea in each hand. "Hello!" Melody grinned, and laughed.

"Rodi up?" She asked, eyes dancing wickedly. Arthur gave a good-natured laugh, hearing gentle footsteps.

"Yeah, I'm up," Rodi grumbled, though there was a small smile on his face. Arthur put the tray of coffee down, gently. "Turn around, jackass," Rodi told Arthur, who complied with a resigned sigh. Said sigh was cut short by a hot and heavy kiss to his mouth, prompting many of the female patrons to giggle and whistle when they pulled apart.

"Good morning," Arthur murmured, pulling Rodi closer.

"Morning," Rodi agreed, kissing his neck. Rodi pulled away, a playful smile on his lips. "I don't know why I love you, but be happy I do, you insufferable ass." He murmured lightly. Arthur kissed his cheek.

"Of course I am. Who else would deal with me?" Melody overheard and declared,

"Most certainly not me!"

"A fine weapon for a lovely woman," the blacksmith declared, to Ali's embarrassment as they walked into the smithy. She thanked him shyly, taking the weapon with her after gratefully dispensing 120,000 gold coins to him.

The travel to the West shrine was silent, mostly because of Basso's downcast mood. Arthur let him brood for a while, before pulling him back a ways.

"Basso." The dejected Dragon Knight looked at him. "Lisa's going to be okay, I promise." Basso looked slightly skeptical. "You'd know if she was dead, trust me. And since you're still with us, that means she's still alive, okay?" Basso looked doubtful. "You love Lisa, and when someone you love gets hurt, you feel it. I promise she'll be fine." Basso's face had slowly cleared of doubt, and he managed a weak smile at that.

"You have a boyfriend, and you suddenly turn into a sage of advice?" Basso teased lightly. Assured that Basso would be alright, he chuckled.

"Not too sure about that," Arthur admitted with a grin. "But relax. You'll be fine." Basso returned to their group in higher spirits than he had left. Rodi sidled up to his right side, linking his hand with one of Arthur's. There was a glowing barrier that floated in the way of their entrance. Arthur lifted his sword, shattering the shield with an effortless ease.

"Turtle snacks," Arthur mumbled, holding up a bag to the front of the turtle's (tortoise's?) face. It perked up, and Arthur fed it a few pieces, allowing the group to travel in a clearly predestined pathway.

"The fuck?" Arthur stared at the white, semi-translucent . . . tentacle. It had a purple pad, and clearly wasn't letting them go anywhere. They stuck to fire and lightning spells, dashing away from the thing when it got too close. Call them filthy minded, but seriously, that thing wasn't getting anywhere near them.

"That . . . Is so wrong," Forte mumbled later, as they stumbled away from the thing. The girls were blushing, particularly Ali. They were all soaked, and apparently smelled interesting, if the Turtle's reaction to Arthur was any indication, which he let sniff him with a lenient sigh. Arthur dried off, and caught a paper as it appeared, along with Forte, Melody, Akane and Rodi.

"Attack, First Level." Arthur announced to them.

"Forgotten, First Level," Rodi read aloud.

"Soul Steal First Level," Forte deadpanned.

"Allay Second Level" Melody said quietly.

"Praying Fourth Level" Akane announced. "So what was that about?" She asked, pointing to the slips of paper. "I thought it was just a one-time thing, but this is kinda creepy." The original three simply shrugged.

"Hell if we know," they chimed.

"The decayed wall of deceit will not stop your charge," Melody read aloud. "Ick . . . I'm not running through a decayed anything," Melody grimaced. Ali and Akane snorted.

"The burn it down," Arthur suggested, deadpan. Everyone else paused.

"Oooh . . ." everyone else chorused, and Arthur smacked his forehead. It had to be the lack of fresh air. It had to be. He knew they weren't idiots.

Usually.

"Arthur," Rodi mumbled, stopping by a treasure chest. "What's this?" Arthur drifted over. There were two slates, but that wasn't what he was referring to, obviously.

"I don't know," he confessed to the brunet. "It isn't malicious, that much I can tell." Rodi opened it, and gave a very, very unmanly shriek. Everyone jumped, and Basso was about yell at him when Arthur yelped just as loudly and jumped back in alarm. "Who in Zod's name did that!?" Arthur gasped. Basso and the others gaped in horror at the eye, clearly ripped out of someone's skull. Rodi slammed the chest shut, trembling.

"Now would be a pretty good time to read those slates," Melody murmured.

"The eye of truth will light your way," Arthur read the first one aloud.

"The truth is within the left eye of the skull." Basso read over his shoulder. They all blanched. Rodi pulled his gloves back on and picked up the treasure chest.

"I'm not opening it until we get there," Rodi mumbled. Nobody complained. They would do the same damn thing, and hearing a faint rattle, Rodi moved it further away. Once they arrived, Rodi opened the chest. There was a bright flash of light, and a pier opened out to a bridge, where they stepped out curiously. Arthur took point.

"He's either very brave or very reckless," Forte and Ali mumbled, to general amusement.

"It's a snail." Arthur deadpanned, staring at the excessively oversized snail. "Anyone have salt on hand?" Arthur said quietly. Rodi coughed, hiding his laugh.

"That is an evil-looking snail." Akane agreed. Said king (ah, so snails did have royalty) snail took offense at her comment and attacked.

"So, as expected, you have defeated the guardian of the West Shrine." Galm's voice rang out as the snail slimed away into oblivion. Arthur spun to his left, his hand flying to his sword.

"I see you have progressed far enough to locate me by my presence alone. Very good." Galm complemented. Rodi lifted a hand and summoned a sphere of fire, flinging it into the center of the rotted area. They cautiously made their way through and were faced with the Vandal. Ali, Akane and Forte hung back, wary. "I have a present for you." Galm raised a hand, and the area to his right shimmered and revealed one tired-looking Lisa. "If I hadn't arrived when I did, Elise would have taken Lisa's life." He shooed her over to their side.

"I missed you . . ." Basso said, hugging her affectionately. She smiled and said nothing, content to stay in his arms for now.

"I saved her life completely on a whim, so don't thank me. I'm actually surprised that I bothered." Galm's voice was amused. Arthur tried not to gag. Egad, Galm so did not do subtle.

Ever.

"Now then. Since I've restored Lisa to you, it's your turn to change the status quo. I'll be watching you." Galm left, in an utterly low-key manner compared to his typical flashy departures. Lisa handed Arthur the Sacred Mirror.

"I followed you into the castle, and ran into Elise. Then . . . That's all I remember. Galm explained about your destiny and your plans." She gave them a small smile. "If there had been stout-hearted people like you all around when my kingdom fell, we would have rebelled against our oppressors." She gave a bit of a sigh, as they walked out of the shrine. "The calamity of a kingdom falling into chaos . . . I vowed to never let it happen again." Lisa said that with such conviction, none of them could doubt her. "You don't mind if I come with you?" Lisa asked quietly.

"No. We can use the help," Arthur admitted.

"That's good. I understand that we have very little time remaining to us. Let's find the sacred treasure."

The East Shrine was very eventless. Well, until one particular thing attacked them.

"Gargoyles, then plants, and now a masquerade artist!" Melody complained loudly, flinging her hands up in disgust. "What next, a leprechaun in a tutu?" The Hattari paused in his spell-casting to look at them. Rodi took the chance to stab the thing in the back, one hand over his mouth to hide his giggles. It dissolved, and left a glowy something. Arthur picked it up nonchalantly, and stuck it in his pocket while everyone was still giggling.

"Aha ha," Rodi giggled, "Zod Melody, I didn't know you had such a sense of humor." Lisa recovered last, not used to Melody's particular brand of sarcasm.

"Wait!" Melody took a crystal vial that had once upon a time held tears of a goddess, and scooped up the liquid into as many containers as she could. There was still plenty left, and she filled the crystal jug.

"Oh, Zod help us," Arthur complained. "First a (king) snail, now a fucking flower!" The flower took obvious offense, and lunged towards him first, his smaller 'pods' picking and choosing as they pleased. Arthur jumped back, pressing an herb against his side, where blood trailed thickly over his fingers, the poison taking effect. Melody smashed a glass near his feet, and the vapor of a crushed antidote herb floated up, the magical vapor heating and clearing out the poisons from their system.

"Ayakashi!" Rodi flung his hand at the creatures, pitch-colored mist obscuring their vision. Ali drew back her bow, sending one glowing arrow into the middle of the spit seeds. It exploded, setting the roots of all the plants aflame. For three of the seeds, the attack was too much. They crumbled into ash, and the last one was seconds away from death.

"Hah!" Lisa stabbed the blade into the ground, sending up flares of fire that angled towards the mad as all hell blossoms. Melody cast one of her newer spells, pulling up a shield that sent the seeds back in random directions. Arthur grumbled to himself, yanking out his dagger and flinging it at the roots. To general surprise, sparks of red fire swirled around the center and shattered against the roots of the two remaining plants. The blossom and its pod shrieked loudly, the flames eating away at the small pod. Melody closed her eyes, summoning her magic with as much strength as possible.

"Elemental, Lightning!" Melody yelled, over the fierce winds of Ali's wings, which were beating heavily to help fan the flames, the blaze shrinking slightly, then bursting up higher when she stopped, devouring the influx of oxygen. Gold lightning sparked above their heads, forming what looked to be a harpy, the winged beast spiraling down with a crescendo of rolling thunder, before pulling up and going back down twice, claws scratching into the plant's roots.

Everyone stopped to catch their breath, gasping for air. The crazy plant was slowly burning to death, to the great satisfaction of everyone else. Perhaps intimidated by their display of strength, the roots managed to procure a small pendant. Dark blue and curved like a dragon's tooth, it was unmistakably the final sacred treasure. The eight patched themselves up and headed back to the castle.

"Great work! You have collected the three Sacred Treasures! By using them in the murals below the palace, you can finally go to the Tower of Illusion." The king told them, nearly dancing for joy.

"You have solved the mysteries of the shrines and found the Three Sacred Treasures! Now, you may enter the paintings of the ancient ones, and even though I can't go with you, I'm excited by what you will find there. From the hallway just outside the throne room, descend the stairs and you'll see the mural room. Enter at your own will." Arthur thanked Sabato, and watched them nervously.

"Ready to go?" Arthur asked, as he drew up to them. Everyone glanced at one another.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Melody agreed.

"Oomph!" Melody fell onto a dune, planting face-first into the sand. Only Arthur landed gracefully, his feet settling onto a blank tablet. He caught Rodi smoothly, observing his boyfriend as he struggled to free himself.

"Let me go you jackass!" Rodi squirmed, embarrassed. Arthur gave him an amused look.

"If you want . . ." Arthur sighed, dropping Rodi onto the floor.

"Hey!" Forte shook sand from his tunic (he had changed his clothes for something more suited to the desert) and glanced over at them.

"If your lover's spat is over, may we go now?" Forte deadpanned. Basso squirmed, shaking his tail. Lisa and Melody dusted themselves off, and Ali ruffled her wings. They found themselves being stared at curiously.

"I wonder how long it's been since we've had any travelers. Time stands still in this village, so we welcome outsiders. Why don't you stay awhile?" There was an orange-haired teen, leaning against a fence.

"Sure . . ." Arthur mumbled under his breath. "Not much choice," Rodi overheard him and giggled.

"You're the ones housing Spirits that the priest predicted would come. You're here to take part in the Evolution Ceremony, right?" The young woman looked at their baffled expressions. "I see I need to explain things to you. Evolution is a ceremony conducted when the Spirits are fully formed. The Evolution ritual is held in the desert in the Tower of Illusion." She pointed at the tower. Nearby, a man waved them over.

"Are you looking for the High Priest?" A young man asked with a smile. They nodded, shaking off the sand on their bodies. "The High Priest has already left for the Tower of Illusion, to prepare for your arrival. He is awaiting you on the top floor of the tower. Entering the tower, and then proceeding to the top are the tasks set for you. These two things will be your test for Evolution. That's why he went before you." They thanked him and took a look around the small village.

"You came from the world that moves with the currents of time, didn't you? Have you been to the weapon and armor shops yet?" He asked Forte.

"Yeah . . ." Forte agreed. "If it had been a week or so ago, I would have been deeply impressed." The smith looked offended.

"What did you say!? Are you saying my equipment is inferior!?" The man snapped. Forte shrugged.

"Not so much inferior as less finely crafted." Forte deadpanned.

"If you think the equipment from your world is superior to ours, then show me!" He demanded. Forte waved Arthur over. Having listened in on the conversation, Arthur pulled out his blade, displaying the cut-out center where the nexus of his homeland rested, changing the glowing spiral of colors to a deep rose color, fully adjusted to the addition of the Sacred Gem. It burst into life, and the blade glowed faintly. The man blanched. "Wha . . . Where did you get that? You didn't find that here, did ya? It certainly is superior to mine. I think I need more training. I'll start first thing tomorrow morning." Arthur stifled a laugh, watching the man stumble off and ordered a tankard of heavy mead. He was in high spirits until they had to crack the puzzle of the tower.

"I feel utterly ridiculous." Arthur declared, but followed each of their suggestions. Late that night, Rodi went downstairs and found Arthur mumbling to himself, marking out patterns. Everyone else was asleep, and since Rodi had become accustomed to sharing a bed with Arthur, he was feeling out of sorts. Rodi nested himself against a still fully-dressed Arthur, and went to sleep. Arthur paused and smiled gently at Rodi, carrying him up to the bed that they shared.

Rodi woke up with a lazy yawn, surprised to see Arthur still asleep. I should wake up earlier more often, Rodi mused, brushing a strand of hair out of Arthur's eyes. He slipped out of bed, smoothly, and padded downstairs, requesting four cups of straight black coffee and some muffins. He set one cup and one muffin next to Forte and Basso's bed each, and set the tray of food next to the table.

"Wake up sleepyhead," Rodi murmured, pressing his lips against Arthur's own. Arthur mumbled tiredly, and popped up, wide-eyed.

"You're actually up before me." Arthur murmured, surprised. "About time," he muttered/teased the teen. He kissed the tip of Rodi's nose, snuggling with him. Rodi pressed a cup of coffee into his hand.

"Got it!" Arthur's triumphant yell surprised everyone, who turned to face Arthur crossly, only to stare, amazed at the now solid mirage. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Coming?"

"The Zod is this?!" Lisa gasped, amber eyes wide. "It's an abomination!" Upon entering, they were suddenly forced to watch the stone ghoul fling its hand, the hammer-like structure flying at them. They yelped, and dodged, but Forte wasn't lucky enough. The hand clamped onto his wrist, dragging him down, and the stone attaching itself to the surrounding area. Forte struggled to free himself, Ali flying close to defend him.

When the battle was over, they stared blankly at a pile of golden coins and a cuff of some sort. Arthur picked it up and tossed it to Basso.

"It's yours," he said by way of explanation, picking up the stack of coins and putting it causally into one of the many bags of coin. "Forte, get your hands off of the thing." Forte removed his hands from the stone, watching nervously. "I need your permission to break that," Arthur informed him quietly.

"I give you permission to do whatever you deem necessary, now get this thing off me!" Forte said, exasperated. Arthur unsheathed his sword, and brought it down on the stone. The substantial ring of metal on stone, and then an ear-splitting crack signaled Arthur's success. Forte bent down to see how badly his ankle was scraped, and he winced. The skin was raw and bleeding, and his body screamed in protest when he dared put even the slightest amount of weight on it. "Damn," Forte murmured quietly a few seconds later. "I'll have to leave. This won't respond to any healing spells." Melody and the others blanched slightly. Ali scooped him up, for once utterly serious.

"I'll take you back."

Forte and Ali lay against a bed, as Forte studied the wound, pressing a poultice of herbs against it. It seemed to work fine and shimmered brightly as the healing agents charmed into them activated. He wrapped it back in the ice and laid back.

"I'll be fine Ali," he soothed the upset Valkyrie woman, placing one hand on her shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. She sniffed, but took him at his word.

"Can we . . . snuggle?" She asked hopefully. He blushed crimson, but was smart enough not to argue with an upset woman.

"Sure," He sighed, begging the gods that his sisters never found out that he slept with a woman in any way before he married her.

Arthur picked up the second carving piece, and stuck it in his pocket.

"Do you want to walk, or would you like me to use a spell to get us back?" Arthur asked, leaning against the wall. Everyone tiredly advocated for the second choice. Melody was sound asleep, Basso picking up the tiny half-pint of a female and carrying her as the spell activated.

"Way to go Ali," Rodi murmured into Arthur's ear, as they all stared at one sleeping Ali and Forte. She had cuddled as close as she could, nesting near his lengthy frame. Everyone stumbled into their respective beds, after pulling off their armor. Well, except for Arthur. Rodi glared at the metal, and Arthur pulled it off for him with a small smile.

"Sooo . . ." Melody grinned at Forte the next morning. His ears turned slightly red at her comment, but he refused to look up from his cup of coffee. Ali was settled next to him, large wings stretching out and then closing up.

"Nothing happened," Ali said with a sigh. "Absolute perfect gentleman, as always." Forte nearly choked on his drink.

"I'm right here," He squeaked, blushing.

"Yes, and?" She asked playfully. She linked her hand with his, and for once, Forte took it. "It's too much fun to tease you." She sighed, dramatically. "My old nanny used to say that there were only a few men in the world worth keeping, and I think she'd agree with me that you are one of them. I'll stop the drastic measures if I can snuggle with you." Basso, who just reached the end of the stairs, slipped on the very last one, planting face-first into the ground.

"I excuse my companion," Lisa declared regally, jumping over the sputtering part-dragon. "Talking emotions with or around him tends to make him socially awkward." Basso felt fully justified in his next line.

"HEY!"

"So aren't we lucky?" Arthur drawled as they left the tower for the fifth time. "On one hand, we're alive, on the other . . ."

"We're not going anywhere." Forte agreed. "If time really does stand still, we should be able to do a lot of training here." Arthur and the others mumbled agreement. Ali was flying around, stretching her wings after nearly breaking them. She flew down to greet Forte with a shy kiss to his nose. Forte gave her a similar greeting.

"Can you let us out first?" Melody whined. Forte pretended not to notice, gently leading her into the village. Akane made a face at the two of them.

"Ow . . ." Melody moaned painfully. "Xatan's underwear that hurt!" Arthur coughed incoherently as Rodi burst into incontrollable sniggers. Slips of paper fell into their hands, as was the norm.

"You – have a unique sense of humor." Arthur managed once he regained his composure. "I've got Raise second level" The other five looked at them incredulously. Their smiles were wiped out when they realized that they'd have to leave the rest of them behind. The group had absolutely no problem with it at all, waving the three on.

"Shadow Flight." Rodi murmured back quietly. Melody looked at her paper.

"Holy Judgment." Melody informed them. Arthur took the paper automatically, then handed it back.

"That's rare," Arthur murmured. "Once you learn it, destroy the paper. If you get Unholy Judgment, do the same thing." Melody blinked and nodded.

A pale illusion shimmered before them, before slowly moving past them and up.

"Welcome! You've had a long journey. Don't just stand there, please approach me." The High Priest smiled at them benignly. They obediently stepped forward. "Now, please don't interrupt me." He sighed, and began to speak.

"I have waited long for you, and for this day. The day when the Spirit of Light would mature and . . . would require my services. Those who wish to receive Evolution, please step forward." They all stepped up. "Before we proceed with the Evolution . . . I have something I wish to tell you, who have come to inherit the Spirit's power. While it is a powerful force for Light, the Spirit also has a dark side . . .

"The ancient ones considered the heroes that the Creator granted the Spirits to, the Innovators, the pillars of the kingdom. However, public opinion is fickle, and soon people began to live extravagantly and took the happiness and riches brought to them by the efforts of those heroes for granted. This promoted laziness in the people, and eventually, the dark side of the Spirit was invoked." Rodi's eyes widened.

"The kingdom was built on the premises of justice and peace, but eventually, corruption and greed started to spread throughout the kingdom. Innovators, who agonized over the people's plight, were somehow transformed overnight. It was at this time that the Vandals were created.

"As you see, the Spirit is the source of all power, both good and evil. It has the power to create Innovators as well as Vandals. I have often wondered why the Creator would endow us with such a potentially dangerous source of power . . .

"We are being tested by the Creator . . . The Spirit is the Creator's own instrument to measure if a society has the ability to correctly handle prosperity. . . If the society fails this test, the Creator destroys that culture. Thus, ours has been buried for a thousand years. This is why our kingdom collapsed. The Spirit can be a very destructive power!

"Given a choice, I would prefer not to perform the Evolution Ceremony, burdening you with the power and responsibility of being an Innovator. However, as the Vandals have already set their plans into motion, that choice has been taken from us. Let the Evolution Ceremony begin!" He stepped forward, and drew Melody to him, encompassing them both with a bright light. It went from pink to pure white, and she stumbled back, shivering.

"Rodi, come here." Rodi obeyed, and the light changed from blue. Arthur stepped up, and the world went black.

Ow! Arthur landed none-too-gracefully onto the ground, rubbing his behind with one hand. He looked around, and with a jolt, realized that Rodi and Melody were nowhere to be found. He observed the spirit(s) that he had accepted.

"Fascinating . . ." the Priest spoke from behind him. "I have never seen a spirit that was not bound to the Holy Ark." Arthur whirled around, hand flying to his sword. He blinked, and observed his spirits. The red and gold one was closer to him, and was twirling about lazily. The blue one did not move very much, and drifted closer to the Priest.

"It is an unusual complication, to have two Spirits to host. But one is tied to your homeland, and another is tied to the Holy Ark." He smiled. "I should start the ceremony." He spoke in a language impossible to decipher, but Arthur didn't really pay it attention. Instead, he watched as the one from his homeland adhered to him instantly. His eyes followed its progress, watching as the second one drew into him. His sword disappeared, and was replaced (gem included) by a new blade. It was tinted rose and thin spires of green metal formed spikes of deadly beauty. The Sacred gem had turned gold, forming a set of roses at the hilt. The handle was a bone handle. The other one drifted closer, and was accepted into his body. He felt stronger, more powerful. Green eyes touched onto his clothes. 'Oh lovely. An instant costume surprise.' Arthur thought irritably. He took a better look at his clothes. This wasn't too bad, so he ignored it. "Congratulations Arthur. You are an Innovator."

Arthur swayed, stumbling back dizzily, two slips of paper in one hand. He sat down, pressing his hands to his temples.

"Arthur?" They looked at him interestedly. "You look more dignified," She informed him. He made faces at her.

"Flattering Melody," He snarked.

"Nice sword," Rodi murmured. He looked at the slips, questioningly.

"Inferno," He said instantly. "Full strength. And Rozen." The Priest reappeared.

"The Evolution is complete. You're now Innovators, and will be able to use near super human powers. I'm sure you have many questions, and I'll answer them now. You became Innovators the moment the ceremony was complete, but to say that the changes are complete would be false. Your powers will gradually increase over time. Immediate change is evident due to your Evolution. Your new magic abilities are one aspect of this. However, there is one important thing I must tell you.

"Usually, the ceremony of imbuing a Spirit into a new host is held in front of the Holy Ark. Through my communications with the Spirits in you, I now know that in your case, the ceremony was held somewhere else. I am not sure why, but your connection with the Spirit is very weak. Maybe it is due to the unusual circumstances of your imbuing ceremony. It seems like the Spirits want to return to the Holy Ark." He sighed faintly. "The power inherited by Arthur will be enough to break the mystic barrier created by the Vandals. Go to the Holy Ark and find out for yourselves what the Spirits want." Arthur grimaced. His country's homeland Spirit . . . did it want to leave as well? Arthur was held back by the High Priest.

"Arthur." His brown eyes looked at the boy seriously. "Your 'Nexus' as you've called it for your entire lifetime, shall not leave you. It is tied to your country, and inevitably, you yourself. Do not worry about it." Arthur relaxed. One question down. He bowed lightly.

"Thank you." Arthur bowed politely to him, before standing up and turning to leave.

"So, you can keep the Nexus of Rose?" Melody summed up, as they descended another level. Rodi ducked under a spiral of lightning by the Hattari.

"Basically." Arthur blinked, and then smacked himself in the forehead. "Gah! I forgot. Use Holy Judgment Mel." She complied, bringing her staff down. A blast of pure holy energy left the end of her staff, dissolving every creature that the light could touch. It travelled like a shockwave, going until there was nothing left of harm to the trio, and the group downstairs that was battling monsters on their way down.

Said group was fighting around four Guilt Spirits which dissolved at the holy energy. They all stopped with a gasp.

"Dibs that it was Melody," Forte chimed, leaning against a wall. Everyone else blinked, and then started giggling. Ali swooped down.

"Whatever it was, the place is completely clean," Ali informed them, offering a hand to Forte, who accepted cordially. They sat down and waited. Akane fidgeted as she reappeared. Like Ali, she had been doing a sweep of the area.

"I thought it was after us at first," Akane confessed. Snorts.

"We thought so too," They all agreed with a laugh. They five of them lounged about, Lisa and Basso trading stories with them, waiting for the three to return. Arthur rubbed his eyes when he saw them.

"Didn't you guys leave?" Arthur asked curiously.

"We thought you could use the company," Lisa said automatically. They smiled at that.

"Thanks," Rodi said sincerely.

"We'll never forget you, even after you return to your own world. I don't know when, but if I ever meet another with the Spirit, I'll be sure to tell them about you." The dwarf informed them, teary. Melody consoled the villagers with a smile. Neither Arthur nor Rodi had the people skills to calm them.

In the throne room, Arthur and the others found the King and Sabato virtually unchanged. They rubbed their eyes.

"Aren't you Arthur and his companions?" The King said quizzically.

"Yes." Arthur deadpanned. Sabato blinked.

"So it is you! I thought you had already left for the Tower of Illusion?" The king stated. Arthur and the others nodded.

"We did." Rodi agreed. Both Sabato and the king looked confused.

"What do you mean by that? Haven't you gone yet? Gone where? You mean the shrines? You're saying you've been to the Tower of Illusion and became Innovators?" Sabato asked.

"That's the general gist of it," Lisa agreed, hiding a large yawn. Basso elbowed her with a scowl, and she smiled back at him.

"Impossible! You've just left. How'd you return so quickly?" Sabato asked. Arthur quickly summed it up. Akane paused.

"We should get going," Akane pointed out. That startled the two men into action.

"Well done, Arthur! I think we have a chance now. Since your mission is complete, you must have mastered the legendary magic of Inferno. Now you will be able to remove the mystic barrier created by Rilix. Go to Godspeak!" Sabato encouraged. Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked out.

"Dramatic much?" Arthur mocked under his breath, causing the rest of them to laugh. The travel to Godspeak was quiet. They paid the blacksmith another visit, getting something for Rodi.

Arthur stared at the tree which was crawling slowly in one direction. Rodi beat him to it.

"Doyle?" The Traveler asked. Doyle popped back into existence.

"Boss!" He sounded thrilled. "I found some things on Travelers for you!" He handed over various slips of paper. "I haven't looked at them, I swear!" Doyle promised. Rodi gave him a polite smile.

"Thanks Doyle," He thanked the Halfling who left shortly after. As they walked onwards to the mine, they felt the hairs on their neck rise with the feel of the raw evil. A barrier shone with the same disgusting feel. Arthur gathered a sphere of heavy, crackling fire, which he flung at the barrier. It shattered, and some of the feeling dissipated.

"Ugh." Short, but true to everyone's feelings. Rodi stayed slightly behind, muttering as he examined slips of paper and burned them with a series of sparks. Arthur grimaced as Rodi sidled up to him, uncharacteristically silent. Melody stepped up to the ore cart, and looked at it.

"Everyone back off." Melody instructed, holding her staff in front of her. "Sancti Judicium!" Her voice rang clear, as she tapped the edge of her staff against the ground. The same white energy rippled out, clearing out the taint of darkness from the air. A full surge of strength accompanied the massive dispersion of various monsters. Melody gasped, and staggered back a bit. Akane caught her as she smiled weakly at them. "I'll be fine. Just tired." Rodi poked the track switch, experimentally. They all climbed in, save for Ali and Rodi, both of whom promised to catch up. Rodi watched his boyfriend grumble as he was stuck with Melody on the set of carts. He felt Arthur's signature fade as well as the others, Ali following in the air. When Arthur's signature energy settled, he muttered an incantation and, hoping he hadn't been wrong, stepping through the shadows.

Arthur nearly cleaved his boyfriend in half when Rodi wrapped his arms around him.

"Holy fuck Rodi," He gasped in surprise. "I could have killed you!" Rodi gave a soft laugh, kissing his neck.

"No you wouldn't have. Anyways," he changed tack, knowing that the argument was a lost cause. "It works, but I need someone with a familiar signature at the end." They were all listening now.

"Is that why I was forced into a cart and nearly squashed Melody?" Arthur complained, said girl glaring at Rodi.

"Partly. The other part was because it was funny." Everyone had a good laugh at their expense.

Melody's trick had done its job. Only a few monsters were still alive at this point, giving them more time to relax. The metal statues taken care of, they stopped. Arthur looked at the fifty pixies that he rarely requested help from (Melody and Rodi were better with them), and felt a tugging in his gut, so similar to what he had felt when something useful was near. He whispered a request into Rodi's ear, and the brunet had complied. They all sat for what they were sure was their last meal, and Rodi returned.

"You were right." Rodi declared. "They had a queen in that obelisk. She gave us this." It was a spectacular glass orb, shining brightly even in the dim lighting. "I should stop being surprised when your instinct proves right," Rodi sighed. They shared one last covert kiss, and they ascended the massive steps, hoping that this battle wouldn't be their last.

They passed the shrine quietly, stopping briefly at the sight of the Holy Ark, which had a gruesome face upon it.

"Stop right there!" They ignored her, before they all had to jump back at a blast of energy. Rilix floated down, her sallow skin stretched in a leer. "You've broken the mystic barrier . . . I underestimated you." She sounded . . . approving.

"We're so close . . ." Panzer mumbled, his purple hair falling over his face. It was clear he hadn't slept in quite a while. Akane made a choked noise, and nearly ran to his side.

"Go now, Panzer! I should be enough to take care of these fools." She sneered contemptuously at them. Panzer hesitated, looking concerned.

"Rilix . . . Can you . . . handle them, alone?" Panzer asked, seemingly caring about her well-being.

"Of course! If you stay and fight alongside me, I'll feel stronger, but you're needed elsewhere. I'll be OK." Rilix responded, her barrage of magic keeping them back. "Since you have come this far, you must have seen and defeated these before. But, are you prepared to battle several at once? I call on you now, my evil servants!" She flung two spheres to the side of her. Elise appeared, dressed entirely in red as always, the leather stretched tightly over her chest and hips.

"If Panzer is busy, can I help you?" Elise asked, her voice dripping with boredom. They groaned quietly. Not her too! "Please don't misunderstand me, Rilix. I just want to help." She drawled, cutting her sister off with a sharp look. She flung two spheres of her own into the already stagnant ones, turning them to a volatile purple. She again cut Rilix off. "Don't worry, Rilix. Look!" They morphed and stretched into a pair of Vampires, exactly like the ones from the mansion.

"That's brilliant, Elise!" She cackled, facing them again.

"Well, you've seen what I can do. It's your turn, Rilix." Elise sat down, and Arthur had a vague impression that she wanted popcorn or something. He didn't think about it too much, as Rilix attacked almost instantly. Dodging a spire of earth, Arthur jumped back, realizing everything was aimed at him. Rilix was keeping him busy, while the vampires attacked his companions. Arthur didn't like that too much. He pressed an offensive, distracting the vampires into defending Rilix. When he jumped back from a fireball, he caught sight of Melody and Forte shooting a spell of bright fire at the enemy. A sliver streak nailed one in the eye, and he could tell that Ali was keeping an eye on him. Basso and Lisa were fighting one of the Vampires with moderate success. Rodi was out of sight, but he could feel him shimmering in the background. Rodi pulled off a spectacular spell of raw energy, taking out one of the two vampires from the battle permanently. They rest grouped up on the Vampire save Rodi and Ali, while Arthur continued to attack Rilix. He pushed as much power into his given blade, and when it pulsed with that same energy, he struck. The group had just finished off the Vampire as the scent of roses filtered through the air, making everyone freeze. The world filtered red, and a black line cut through Rilix. The world went back to normal, save for a very red line of blood that crossed Rilix right shoulder to her left hip. Arthur's blade hummed as the thorns on the blade retracting, glistening red. Rilix's passing was as horrible as she was, leaving behind a stench of pure, raw evil.

"So Rilix has been defeated." Panzer sounded amused. "We'll be able to open the ark very soon. Once the Holy Ark is opened, the evil will be released. Our revenge will be complete. Unfortunately, Rilix will not be here to witness it. If there is no one left to fight the do-gooders, there is little point in my continuing . . ." Elise stood up, her eyes burning with a passionate fury.

"Are you giving up, Panzer?" She asked, bitterly.

"I thought you didn't give a damn about the Thousand-Year Kingdom!" Panzer sounded surprised.

"I didn't before . . . . . . Before my sister failed and was killed right in front of me. I'll not stand by and see all the Vandals destroyed!" Elise snapped back. "If my sister's last wish was to open the Holy Ark, I'll help you." The ark began to light up, but Arthur stilled their progress with an upraised hand.

"Wha-" Panzer gasped.

"I don't know!" Elise cried, the ark glowing, but no brighter than before.

"I won't let you go any further than that, Elise!" A vivid orb of malevolent energy zipped past her, and she fell to her knees.

"I understand how you feel. But if you get involved now, the result is obvious." Galm said dryly. Arthur tuned them out, ignoring the family spat, more concerned about Panzer, who was the closest threat.

"Watch this! Witness the greatest moment in Vandal history! Witness as I call on the Master of Evil!" Panzer did something both fatal and stupid: He jumped into the ark. They all cried out in alarm, hands grabbing at weapons and swords.

"Panzer! What are you doing . . . ?" Elise cried. An earth-shattering rumble of energy swept through, Melody shielding them from the worst blows. Panzer climbed out, his body a transformed, malevolent beast. Thick lines of flesh connected two evil forms to his sides. Everyone gagged, but moved to engage the creature. Arthur gasped, moving away from the stench of overpowering evil. Rodi looked torn from his decision, but in the end, he smashed the glass orb, the offering from the pixie queen, into the ground. The pixies, which had hidden themselves nearby, rose to attack, repairing the glass orb in the process. Their magic alleviated the evil within Panzer slightly, just enough to be bearable. Melody called out a Holy Judgment, blasting him back. Lisa and Basso stuck to the flanks of Panzer. Akane leapt forward, tackling him and making him stagger back. Rodi and Ali worked on keeping him very, very busy, dodging all sorts of attacks. Arthur yelled at all of them.

"Back off!" He yelled loudly. "He's mine!" Arthur glared at the thing summoning up all of his energy. "Rozen!" The world dissolved, and they were in a field of pure roses, from black to gold, to red and even multicolored. Thousands of vines wrapped around Panzer, covering him in greenery. Suddenly, the vines tightened, and snapped something inside them. The scene faded quickly, leaving a normal-looking Panzer. His body was torn, and Arthur could feel Akane sobbing into Rodi's shoulder as he collapsed. It was silent afterwards, for a few seconds.

"You've done it, Arthur! You've stopped the Vandals' plan." A voice echoed out, joyful. Akane gave a shuddering sob, and her brother held her ever tighter.

"Now, we can return to the ship with the Holy Ark . . ." One of the spirits, Melody's, he thinks, adds.

"When we possessed you, we were contaminated with the evil. Another ship will be coming soon to retrieve us and the ark . . . and to cleanse you of this evil. We don't have much time, so please, bear with us." A vivid flash of light blinded everyone, and Arthur knew his second spirit had left, but whether or not Rodi's or Melody's had left them as well. Of the two, he guessed Rodi's had stayed.

"We must restart the ark that stopped functioning, due to the shock caused by the accident. It's very dangerous to be around the ark when it starts up. Please stand back." They obeyed, and Arthur kept an ear out for the two Vandals.

"Did everything go as you planned, Galm?" Elise asked lowly.

"I am not quite sure. I did not anticipate two of the three Spirits would separate from their hosts." Arthur grinned privately to himself. Two of four left, not three.

"But one of them stayed behind and therefore will disrupt the balance. That should be good enough to finally know what the Creator's plan is, isn't it?" Arthur was no longer the only one listening.

"Yes, but we paid a very high price to find out what the Creator intended when he brought the Spirits to earth! The corrupted kingdom was destroyed a thousand years ago, and now the Spirits have returned. What does the Creator want? Even if only select individuals are given the Spirit's power, they might abuse it. I'm afraid that people are born with an innate desire for power. Could the Creator have planned this? Can they really use this power for peace? I helped them just to find answers to this." Galm grumbled.

"Let them show us, Elise. Whether they become our adversaries as Innovators or they become our brothers as Vandals, at least we will know. Let's go . . . If we stay any longer, we'll be absorbed by the Holy Ark. Then, we won't be able to return to earth!" He left. Elise glared irritably.

"As usual, he certainly does what he damn well pleases . . ." Elise grumbled. "So now do you understand Galm's plan? Unfortunately, we don't know whose Spirit remains and whose have gone. Finding out will be part of the fun! See you again soon, whichever of you is the Innovator!" She disappeared in a swirl of red.

"We must hurry. The ship has landed, and we must increase the power of the ark." The spirit mumbled. It was clearly Arthur's, not that he would say that out loud.

"We'll never forget our journey with you. Good bye, take care." The other spirit told them genially. They began to walk down.

Arthur and the others have escaped from the mine. They went to Enrich Castle and reported the results of the battle.

Each of them received a large reward in compensation for their accomplishments.

Thereafter, they returned to town to relax and toast each other over several drinks.

Arthur left before the others and returned to the throne room alone.

"We heard that you wished to speak to us. You must be tired. What is it?" The king asked quietly. Sabato nodded.

"Are you saying you wish to turn down the King's offer and leave Enrich?" Sabato said finally. Arthur nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. I need to cut my hair, he thought irritably.

"Yes. You probably know who my family is by this point," Arthur said calmly. "I have the Nexus of Rose and an obligation to my people. I can't stay here." Sabato nodded sagely.

"We expected as much," He agreed.

"Thanks, for letting me stay so long in your country." He bowed, and left the throne room. The king's voice reached him at the door.

"Well then, I guess it's useless to try to stop you, so I won't say anything more. Just . . . when you get tired of ruling a country and need a place to settle down, remember that Enrich will always welcome you."

"I didn't realize how powerful your adversaries were until today. I wish you would reconsider our offer, and become our leader." The soldier Arthur knew as James told him. The other one, Cecil, nodded quickly, his white hair fluttering.

"I'm ashamed to call myself a soldier. While you mercenaries were risking your lives to save our kingdom, I did nothing. Some people may be against the idea of mercenaries serving our kingdom, but what do they know!" He gave a disgusted sound. "Good luck; I hope your people know how lucky they are." Arthur smiled, touched by his clearly high opinion on him.

"Many women are looking for such a promising young man as you, Arthur. Some of the young maidens are very aggressive, so be sure you know who you're dealing with." One of the attendants told him with a half-smile. He shuddered and thanked the man nervously.

"No wonder you looked so serious after defeating Rilix. I guess you had your reasons. Naturally, we want you to stay and protect Enrich." She confessed.

"Welcome Sir Arthur!" One of the guys at the gate greeted him, his blond hair messy. "It seems strange to be both royal and a knight, eh?" He ribbed gently. Arthur laughed, and waved a goodbye to them. He wouldn't see them for quite a while. He sobered at the sight of Akane, who was sniffling, hidden in the archway of the town.

"Oh, it's you . . . How embarrassing . . . I didn't want you to see me like this . . ." Akane mumbled. "You know, with Panzer's end being so . . . so . . . I don't feel like celebrating right now. So could you let me be alone for a while, please?" Arthur hugged her quickly, and cast a concealment spell around her. She gave him a watery smile, before lapsing back into misery.

"My daughter had to leave this town because of the master of the mansion. I never saw her again. In a way, you have avenged my daughter's death for me. Thank you. She will be able to rest in peace now." The man grasped his arm firmly. "Take care." Arthur smiled sheepishly, tilting his head forward.

"Oh, it's you, Arthur. Welcome. Everyone in Enrich is talking about you. Please come inside." The old Storyteller sat down, and after a moment, Arthur did as well. "You will be leaving soon." It wasn't a question. "I heard from the castle messenger that you drove a stake into the heart of the dark messiah. However, the fact that Galm survived and has vanished means that evil may once again raise its ugly head. However, we should enjoy this time of peace while we have it, for it may be short lived." At that Arthur smiled slyly.

"Then I will come back to prevent it." The Storyteller gave him a surprised look, which quickly turned into one of approval.

"I'm sure your people will be pleased at your determination." He gave Arthur a smile. "Good luck."

In the church, he stopped to talk to Nina. The friendly woman had been so nice to him since he had taken care of Julian; it seemed a disservice not to say goodbye.

"After you left for the battle a few days ago, the priest told us about the danger that Enrich was facing . . . and we gathered at the church last night, hoping that you would win. I'm glad you won. Now everything should be peaceful once again." Nina collected her things. "Also, thank you for keeping my nephew happy. It means so much to both me and my sister."

Arthur felt soft arms wrap around his waist. "So, too warm in there?" Arthur asked, letting Rodi's hands play with his shirt.

"Pretty much. They're all in there waiting for you." Rodi murmured. "Stay one more night with me?" Arthur thought about it, turning to face Rodi.

"Of course." He kissed Rodi's cheek. "But you're coming with me, right?" Arthur asked, kissing him again.

"Always."

"Although I received a reward from the King, I agreed to travel with you to fulfill my own purposes. Now that our common task is done, I intend to go on my own way. Our time was well spent, but I believe the score is even now." Forte informed him. "Not to mention, I've got to introduce Ali to my sisters . . ." Forte shuddered, clearly not looking forward to that conversation. Ali hugged him, and he left the budding couple alone.

"I think I'm finally content for the first time now that everything has been . . . solved." She sighed. "By the way, what's with you and Rodi? You both look upset, why? We defeated the Vandals. You should be more cheerful." He gave her a small smile.

"Crowds and my brother." Melody winced at that.

"Oh right. The throne. I can come with you, if you like," She offered. Once upon a time, Arthur would have turned the offer down. Now, after nearly losing everything he had, he wanted nothing more than to have his companions close.

"That'd be great, Mel." He agreed. "Rodi and I will keep it toned down for you," He added. She grumbled.

"Joy. If I walk in on you to lovebirds, I reserve the right to leave." She muttered with a smile.

"We'll lock the doors and soundproof the walls," Arthur promised, watching Melody laugh and go upstairs, ready to retire early. Smart girl. He plopped down next to Lisa with his tankard of mead. She eyed the tankard with a sigh.

"Heavy drinkers," she muttered enviously. "I didn't see you around for a while. Where did you go? I guess we will be leaving pretty soon, and I wanted to say good-bye before we left. Hmm . . . Looking back, it turns out that all of us were dancing to Sabato the sage's tune. Well . . . I'm glad we met. I had wanted to ask you if you wanted to join us but as a king-to-be and a knight . . . Good luck, Sir Knight." She grasped his shoulder firmly. "Don't let your country fall." Arthur nodded.

"Never." She smiled, satisfied. Basso swallowed, and gave him a last smile.

"We had a very strange first meeting, didn't we? Very funny, I think. Do you remember the incident in Desire village?" Arthur nodded. "I wonder what would have happened if we had fought at that time? Neither Lisa nor I want to join this country's army, as officers or otherwise. We have our own destiny, so we have no intention of accepting the offer. But you? I wish you luck. Family spats aren't pretty." Arthur gave him a smile.

"Thanks Basso." Basso nodded.

"Take care ya hear? Or I get first in line to wallop you over the head." Arthur managed to laugh.

"Hear, hear," Arthur said mirthfully. "If you two ever need a place to stay, my country is willing to offer you sanctuary." Basso shook his head.

"Thanks. We'll stop by."

Arthur lay with Rodi late that evening, teasing the strands of brown hair with his fingers. Rodi hadn't given himself completely over to him, but he didn't mind. That could come with time and trust.

"We'll go tomorrow, to see your father," Arthur murmured quietly. Rodi nodded, letting his boyfriend – no, his lover now – pull him closer. "Then, we can go to Veora." Arthur kissed his shoulder.

"I'm scared, Arthur," He said finally. "What if Father doesn't let me go?" Here Arthur tried not to scowl.

"Then I steal you away and we run like Xatan himself is after us," Arthur whispered. Rodi relaxed.

"I love you."

"I love you too honey," Arthur soothed gently. "Now let's get some sleep."

Arthur rolled his eyes as they three of them traveled together. Forte and Ali had left a short while ago, heading off to their own lives. The caves were empty and barren, the monsters here surprisingly affected by the magical suppression that Melody had cast, explaining the massive surge of strength. He heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes irritably. He had been planning on reliving some stress with a battle or two. He settled down for the evening, cradling Rodi in his arms and casting a quick spell for Melody to sleep better.

The lord of the house seemed pleased to see them, though he sobered as he was given a recollection of the past couple of events. He gave Rodi a surprised and impressed look at the news of their relationship.

"As much as I would like to ask you to stay, I could not." He sighed, dark brown eyes rueful. "You are obligated to follow him, as Travelers are common in Veora." He grasped his son's hands. "Try to visit, my dear." Rodi nodded, stunned.

"Of course, Father," He managed, clearly not expecting such an answer.

The townspeople were waiting for them. They were given hugs and teary goodbyes, and Arthur was stopped by one very serious woman.

"Take care of him." She said quietly. "I never thought he'd leave." Arthur nodded.

"Always. I'll never let him go."

There were a few monsters, clearly still weak, but they didn't quite care. They took the fights gratefully, clearing their minds of the last couple of days. They met up with another surprise at the end.

Akane stood at the entrance of the cave, Doyle standing next to her, a stack of books in hand.

"So, I guess this is a goodbye," She said finally. "Take care of yourself, you hear?" She asked softly. Rodi nodded. Doyle gave them a quick nod, and bowed lowly to Rodi. Rodi raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question, tilting his head meaningfully towards Akane.

"I'll keep an eye of Akane for you," Doyle promised, answering Rodi's unasked question. "Good luck boss." Doyle vanished, leaving the three alone again. Arthur walked in silence with the pair, before stopping.

"Julian," He all but groaned, smacking a hand to his forehead. "We need to say goodbye." They blinked, but didn't complain.

Julian smiled brightly at them as they entered the house. "Arthur, Arthur, Arthur!" Julian cried, hugging his leg tightly. "I told mommy that you wouldn't leave before saying bye, but she didn't listen!" He stuck his tongue out at his mother. Arthur gave him a tap on the head.

"Don't do that. She's your mother." He scolded gently. Rodi and Melody watched in awe as he gave his final farewell to the pair. He pressed a slip of paper into her hands. "A pass, if you ever want to come to Veora. It covers three people, should Julian come to age and marry." She smiled at him, and gave him a tight hug.

"You'll make a good king," She whispered into his ear. "Call it a mother's intuition, but trust me, your country will be happy to have you." Arthur smiled, reassured.

"Thanks."

Arthur settled onto the chair, watching the seascape with hooded eyes. They had left Enrich soil, and Arthur remembered why he avoided returning – he hated boats with a passion that would probably dry up the sea if he could physically manifest it. Heavy footfalls marked the entrance of his boyfriend. Rodi flopped onto a chair, grumbling.

"I hate boats," He informed Arthur solemnly, before clonking his head on the railing. Arthur laughed, rubbing his back reassuringly.

"So do I, but Veora is a fairly massive island. They planned on making a bridge when I left two years ago, but it would take some serious manpower to pull off a bridge to Enrich. It got pushed to the side shortly after that." He kissed Rodi's head. "Another day and we'll be fine." He pulled out some coins. "Take these and get yourself drunk. The swaying doesn't bother you as much." He promised with a gentle smile. Rodi mumbled assent and left, looking faintly sick. Melody took his chair a moment later.

"I got a question." She asked. He made a face.

"Uh oh. Should I worry?" He laughed. She laughed with him, but shook her head.

"It's about mikos," she explained. "I was wondering if being an outsider will cause problems." Arthur thought about it.

"It shouldn't. If you do, challenge the girl who does to a magical duel. You'll win because you're more in tune with the spirits. Alright?" Melody nodded. She watched the sea silently, and the rest of the ride was silent, save for one very happy and drunk Rodi to make himself known, snuggling into Arthur and refusing to leave him for the rest of the night.

The soil of Veora was richer than it used to be, Arthur thought, bending down. Clearly, accepting the Nexus of Rose had been a very good thing for his land as well as his people. He could feel the earth, passing along the message that he was home, in the port city of Roze.

Home.

"Arthur!" The barkeep roared delightedly, clapping a hand on his back. "It's been too quiet without you!" Arthur laughed, setting Rodi and Melody, who were tense, at ease.

"I highly doubt that," Arthur remarked dryly. "If anything, it got louder." He pulled Melody and Rodi up. "I met these two in Enrich. Melody, Rodi, meet Lucian." They muttered a greeting.

"Hmm . . ." Lucian observed Rodi and Melody. "They yours?" The two had a blank expression, and then it clicked.

"Hell no!" Melody snapped, while Rodi blushed crimson, but didn't deny that he had been with Arthur. "That is practically incest!" She spluttered. The man looked fascinated.

"Just the boy then?" Lucian amended brightly. Rodi blushed deeper, but didn't argue. "Ah-ha! So it is the boy!" Lucian beamed. Arthur thwacked him over the head. "Ow! Shutting up!" Lucian complained.

"I need a favor. Do it, and your night here is free," Lucian told him cheerily, as they sat down to dinner. Arthur looked tempted, and glanced at his companions. Melody shrugged, swallowing her bite.

"Don't ask my help," she warned Lucian. She hasn't taken kindly to being treated like a possession, and her attitude showed that. Rodi shrugged.

"If it means he'll still be breathing tomorrow, I'm game." Lucian beamed.

"There are a few men here who know of your reputation in the bar. All your drinks would be on the house if you win, and if you lose, you still have a free night." Arthur sighed.

"I'm so going to regret this in the morning." He groaned. "Fine."

Arthur took a swig of his drink, feeling a very, very pleasant buzz in his body. He grinned lazily at Rodi, who giggled at him.

"You're an interesting drunk." Rodi told him, as his opponent struggled with his 21st drink. Arthur swallowed his 23rd drink lazily, the effects starting to actually get to him. He wondered if he should have one more when his partner (Whose name he forgot) passed out. The men looked very sour, their eyes glaring at Arthur, but they didn't dare to argue. Arthur stood up fluidly, the alcohol in his system barely deterring him from dragging Rodi up the stairs. He pressed several coins into Lucian's hand.

"For Melody's room," He murmured, before taking Rodi upstairs. In the room, he cast every protective and silencing spell he knew.

"A-Arthur?" Rodi stammered, looking at the somewhat drunk teen. Arthur leaned closer.

"Mmm?" He nuzzled Rodi's cheek, hands deftly pulling the soft fabric off those thin shoulders he so liked. "Yes?" Rodi stopped squirming away.

"Aren't you drunk or something?" Rodi protested gently. Arthur laughed the noise a clear, beautiful sound.

"No, honey," he corrected, "I'm intoxicated." And Arthur proceeded to shut Rodi up from that line of questioning.

Arthur woke up to see Rodi sleeping, his back facing the young prince. Arthur wrapped his arms around Rodi's waist, pulling the lazy Traveler close.

"Morning," Arthur greeted, kissing him awake. Rodi winced as he sat up.

"Morning," he agreed, flinching. Arthur healed him gently, giving him an apologetic kiss.

"Let's get going, hmm?" Arthur suggested.

Melody handed them a cup of strong coffee each, and gave Rodi a knowing smile when he sat down, wincing all the while.

"Had fun?" She drawled wickedly, watching Rodi choke on his drink. Arthur managed to keep his composure, but a blush stained his cheeks a rather pretty pink. "You must have, if Rodi isn't complaining about how sore he is," She teased, watching Arthur's cheeks deepen in color. She eyed them over her cup of tea and decided to leave the topic alone for the time being.

Out of the city, the well-paved cobblestones were worn smooth, showing that travel was frequent here. They made idle chit-chat with other travelers, who Arthur asked for news on the war.

They spent a week traveling towards the city, and now, they were being threatened at sword point. Well, not really sword point, but you get the idea.

"Look miss, by King Kato's orders, not even a Miko or a Traveler is allowed though." The man looked sympathetic. "We'd love to let you in, trust me, but I've got my own family to think of." Melody deflated, and looked at Rodi desperately. Arthur walked up and offered a mild smile at the man, whose hand tightened on his weapon.

"Is something the problem, Rubin?" Arthur asked. The man preformed a spectacular double-take.

"Arthur!" He looked delighted, and then nervous. "The king is in a complete uproar about the claim to nexus, and until he finds the-" Rubin cut off, as Arthur showed him the sword of Rozen. The metal vines wrapped around its length had thinned, and spread thin flowers around it. He touched the sword to one of the dead rose plants that had not revived due to his distance. The wall exploded in a shower of color, as the roses revived with a touch of Rozen's – no, his – blade. Rubin paled, watching the thorns retract and the flowers disappear into the blade.

"Oh crap." Arthur nodded in assent.

"Perfectly said." Arthur agreed with a smile. "Now, as the Nexus of Rose and your rightful king, I declare all gates open to traffic once more." Rubin hastily unlocked the door and bowed.

"You're being pretty reckless if I can say so, my king," he muttered. Rodi and Melody giggled. He simply smiled.

"I prefer to think of it as irritated with reason." Arthur said with a smile.

Arthur hated the hall of mirrors. It reminded him of all the money he now had while his people struggled to feed themselves. It wasn't that he didn't have money, no. He was a moderate workaholic with modest tastes, but even so, he rarely had money for something so expensive. Arthur nearly scowled at his brother, but managed to keep his calm composure.

"Kato?" Arthur called. The king stood up, surprised. He was as tall as Arthur, with black hair and lively brown eyes. He appeared to be strong and fit, and wore the crown like he was born with it.

"Arthur!" He sounded delighted. "Have you heard about the Nexus? Whoever it is, they're being a bit of a pest. And the servants are horrible; they've refused to hand him in." Arthur simply smirked.

"That would be because the Nexus is me." Arthur drawled lowly, watching the king freeze.

"You – you – you're," Kato sputtered in disbelief. Arthur felt Rodi and Melody stiffen, hidden in the shadows of the throne room.

"Bingo." Arthur smirked slyly, subtly drawing his sword out. Kato tensed, pulling his sword out as well. "Do we really need to fight, Kato?" He purred, letting Ro– his sword out, holding it firmly. Kato hesitated, nervous, before his temper took over.

"Arthur, I am king." Kato gritted out, a betrayed look crossing his face.. "I will not let you take that from me." Arthur rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Ah, but you forget, I host Roze." He reminded gently. Kato paled. "I don't want to fight you older brother." Kato looked desperate.

"I've led this country for your entire life," He snapped. Arthur shrugged.

"You make it sound like I want to deal with the paperwork involved." Arthur said with a dramatic sigh. Kato glared.

"I'll kill you," he snarled, losing his composure. Arthur snorted.

"Rose will revive me." Arthur sounded so nonchalant about it, Kato couldn't even doubt him. "Kato, face it, you are no longer king. I'll be more than happy to have you as advisor, and you can stay here, but Kato, you are not a king anymore." Arthur said firmly. "If I must, I will have you disposed of. But get the hell off my throne." Arthur stressed the last four words, hoping that Kato would hurry up and make his decision. He would hate to do so, to kill his only sibling, but his people needed him, and he'd be damned if he let him stay on the throne and damn them. He'd resigned himself to this a long time ago. Kato's eyes turned wild, and he lunged, his sword aiming for his heart. Arthur took it with a small grimace, before he stepped forward and ran Kato through himself. Kato wore a surprised expression, like he had when Arthur had been announced as his sibling, before toppling over, dead. Blood stained Arthur's chest and hands, as he pulled out the sword from his body with a light mumble of pain. The liquid was reflected in every mirror, and Arthur could see now what Kato had seen him as.

His hair was still brown thankfully, but it had a rosy tint to it. Green eyes glowed with healing energy as his body repaired itself, and his armor shifted and shimmered, much like a mirage. The energy settled down, and the servants who had fled walked in, heads low out of respect. He caught sight of Rodi and Melody, the blond moving over to send Kato's spirit to the Dark, lest he become an evil spirit like so many others who did not have the luxury of a magical burial. Arthur didn't know when he stopped paying attention, but the last thing he remembered was Rodi's arms encircling his shoulders, and the ringing of the old bell in the tower. The one that rang only when an heir of Rose returned to the throne.

Arthur's hands sought the warmth of his lover, only to find the right side of the bed completely empty. He sat up, disoriented. Melody saw him get up, and she picked up her staff as he sat up, about to leave. Oh no, he was not getting out of that bed.

"Back in bed, Arthur," she threatened. Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of her, and he yanked her closer, startling the blond.

"Where's Rodi?" He demanded, insistently. Melody's eyes widened in realization. Of course. He always woke up with Rodi by his side nowadays.

"He's getting breakfast." She told him warmly. He relaxed, and flopped back down, relived.

"Oh, good." He covered his eyes with one hand. The head Miko, Arianna, bustled in with a tray, a disgruntled Rodi behind her carrying a large medicine kit. Rodi put down the kit, snatched the tray from her hands, and stalked over while Arianna sputtered.

"Hi honey," Rodi told him, setting the tray down gently in front of him. Arthur pulled him closer.

"Hi," he whispered, kissing him, and hard. Arianna blinked, and then sat down. Melody stifled giggles at her disbelieving face. Rodi pulled away, kissing his forehead.

"Eat, or you're sleeping alone tonight." He threatened, though the smile on his face belied his threat. Arthur kissed his cheek. He took a bite of his eggs, feeling much better.

"How long was I out?" He asked after swallowing. Melody answered this time.

"About three days," she answered, fluffing up his pillows. He smiled at his quasi-sister affectionately. "The whole country's been celebrating Kato's death." Arthur raised an eyebrow, surprised at her venom at his name. "He didn't have any heirs that could challenge you and his wife left him sometime after your claim of the Rose." Arianna interjected.

"We need to perform the crowning soon," she added. "This impudent little whelp–" here she jabbed a finger at Melody – "Refused to let me wake you, and wouldn't accept my challenge." Here Arthur looked at her in amusement.

"I couldn't fight her when I needed to make sure nobody affected your healing," she protested. "If I'm a citizen of Veora now, my job is to my king first, my regional lord should I leave and live somewhere else on the island, and to myself." She reminded. Arthur sighed dramatically.

"Well I'm up now." He pointed out brightly. Melody grumbled, but turned to face the smug Miko.

Melody stopped, watching Rodi create a barrier, as many different Mikos surrounded them, clearly curious as to who was so foolish to challenge Arianna. Melody shivered slightly. She saw Arthur sitting on a chair – well, throne, really, chatting aimlessly to Rodi. He saw her looking and tipped her a slow wink. 'Show me what you've got, Miko,' his eyes told her, dancing wickedly. She smiled, held her head high, and promised herself that she wouldn't lose this battle. Arianna had changed into a tunic and pants, something Melody scoffed at quietly. She was a damn Miko for crying out loud, she shouldn't have to change for a fight! Melody drew back her sleeves.

"We have gathered here to witness the battle between two Mikos for the rights as Head Miko and the crowning of Prince Arthur." The same stuffy-looking guard that had devoutly obeyed her during Arthur's time unconscious spoke. "The battle is of the Mikos Miss Melody, of no family name yet announced, and Miss Arianna, also of no family name announced."3. "All magical attacks are allowed, but no weapons but a staff or arrows." 2. "May the two challengers step into the boundaries?" 1. "Begin!"

Showtime.

Melody jumped to the side, blowing stray strands of hair out of her face, growling with quiet frustration. She cast a particularly nasty Hell Blast, the whirlwind of spirits appearing behind her and catching the woman off guard. A savage grin crossed her features. That's how it worked. She only saw what was in front, but now, she'd expend more energy trying to observe all of her surroundings.

"Unholy Judgment!" Arianna cast the spell, surrounding the blond with monsters. Melody snarled quietly under her breath. Just lovely.

"Holy Judgment!" She cried, forcing more power than necessary into her attack. The monsters were dispelled, and Arianna was blown back but sheer force. The white energy rebounded against the shield, and Melody felt it speed towards Arianna. Like hell she was going to win.

Arthur watched Melody with interest, as she battled the Miko. Arianna was crafty, but Melody was not just crafty, she was Zod-damned hell-bent on winning, and damn the consequences. Melody lunged, and spun her staff to deflect her opponent's attack.

Melody panted quietly, spinning around to avoid her attack. There was no way this woman was going to be allowed to crown her quasi-brother. None at all. Time to end this.

"Heaven's Gate!" She threw her staff into the ground before Arianna, the metal glowing with the holy energy. It blasted the area, sending the Miko into the shield, and knocking her out. The shield dissipated, as the guard drew towards Arthur.

"Does she have a family name that can be used?" the guard muttered. Arthur tilted his head in agreement.

"I've adopted her as kin, if that works." Arthur murmured back. The guard shot up, stunned, but shook his head and announced to the gaping crowd.

"All hail Head Miko Miss Melody Saiyō-Rozen!" he announced, to the stunned disbelief of the crowd.

Melody picked up the two glasses of a rosewater and wine mix and stirred each cup quickly, setting them in a neat line in front of Arthur. He kept his face neutral, but took one sip from each glass. He watched detachedly as Melody lifted his chin. Soft hands dipped into the rosewater that was left, and then traced thin lines along his face. She drew thin marks on his arms and pulled her fingertips away. Lifting the crown, she picked it up and, with the entire royal court as witnesses she placed the crown on her brother's head.

Arthur fidgeted nervously, watching as the servants rushed around, in a flurry of activity after his crowning. Arthur had been adamant about not have rich fare, claiming that he could not handle it after years of being on the road. While he could handle small amounts, he did not need a heaping table of more food than he would ever eat in a week, never mind a day. He had offered an official treaty to the kingdom of Enrich, which was pending, and had currently been trying to catch up with the paperwork.

He had just sat down to start more paperwork when he heard a knock on the door. Rodi gave him a soft smile as he came in.

"Hey," Rodi said cheerfully, sitting next to the brunet. "Would you like assistance?" Arthur nodded brightly, dividing the smaller stack in two.

"These are pretty simple, so you can do those," Arthur said, kissing his cheek. "Thanks honey."

An hour later and several stacks of paper found Rodi lamenting the curse of paperwork. His eyes found Arthur working on a noticeably smaller stack of papers. He sighed, but collected his stacks, set them on the 'out' side of the desk, and he took up some more. There was nobody out there who was having a worse time with paperwork than he was.

Paperwork is a sin to all things holy. Melody thought, glaring at it with a furious expression. As head Miko, she had been forced into doing way more stacks of paperwork than should be allowed. She sighed, and looked at the clock, wondering if there was any way to get her two best friends to eat lunch out for the day, get some sun. She filed away the last of the paperwork, and stood up. Time to harass my brothers.

Arthur rolled his eyes, but let Melody drag him out for a picnic. They had finished up the final bits of work for the last set of paperwork, and there wasn't anything else to be done, by his knowledge. Melody grinned at him. He smiled back, and Rodi huffed, catching up to the pair of them. As they shared sandwiches and the standard picnic fare, Arthur sent a silent thank you to Zod, who had granted his previous wish from three and a half years later.

It looked like he finally had all the things he needed.