"It is your thirst for blood I would call upon," replied the Dragon Queen. "Turn that thirst towards Zoma. Though you will need more than bloodlust to fight such a foe. Do you have the courage?"
Suzanne was again reminded of the words the king of Aliahan had spoken to her at the start of their journey. "We do."
At that the Dragon Queen stood up. Even in pain, the dragon was a magnificent and yet terrible sight to behold. The sky darkened as the Dragon Queen spoke again. Her voice was already loud and authoritative but this time it seemed to boom throughout the area.
"If you possess the courage to do battle with the Archfiend I will give unto you the Sphere of Light! I hope, with this Sphere of Light, that you can hasten the return of peace to this land."
After that, a light appeared. Even though the area had darkened this light was so bright that it might have been a second sun. Yet somehow the light was not blinding or difficult to look at, as the sun is. The four found themselves walking forward, drawn to the light. As they neared its source they realized the light was coming from a spherical orb hovering in front of them. Realizing that this was the Sphere of Light that the Dragon Queen had mentioned, Suzanne took hold of it.
The sun returned to the sky above. Even with the sun's bright rays shining down without a cloud in the sky to block it, the Sphere of Light seemed to outshine the sun. Then the Sphere's light diminished. The Sphere itself still glowed brilliantly but somehow it did not give any of its light of to its surroundings. Suzanne held it, wondering what she should do.
Then the Dragon Queen gave another roar. This was even louder and more pained than her other roars had been. Her servants came forward then, dwarves and unicorns. The four stepped backward to get out of the way and let them attend to their mistress. The Dragon Queen continued to roar in agony.
It took over an hour. For the entire time the Dragon Queen roared in pain. Her servants tried to help and comfort her as best they could. The four tried to help with whatever healing spells they had but none of it had any effect.
Finally, an egg appeared. The egg was magnificent to see. It was covered in orange and blue patterns that swirled about the surface of the egg. Immediately after the egg's appearance the Dragon Queen collapsed. She had died.
Though they had known the Dragon Queen for only a matter of minutes the four joined the rest of the castle in mourning her passing. The next day they decided to take a break and relax in the upper world. For at least that one day, the troubles of the Alefgard and the weight of their task were lifted. When they returned to the dark land they felt renewed.
The heroes went back to Cantlin to continue where they had left off. This time, the group researched more than just what they could find about Zoma and the Armor of Radiance. They researched techniques in fighting and magic as well. Suzanne realized that the group had not been keeping up with their training and so had tasked them with brushing up and learning what they could about the magic and fighting styles of Alefgard. They read and practiced many of the skills developed by the Gardians and added them to their repertoire.
Ron learned many new skills with the sword. Though most Gardians preferred not to draw attention to themselves in the present day there had apparently been some great swordsman in Alefgard's history. Thomas learned new magic. He learned how to conjure up a mighty whirlwind with almost the strength of a tornado. He also further practiced his healing spells, particularly the one that could bring a person back from the brink of death. With the techniques of Alefgard he believed he had come close to perfecting it.
Alice learned a way to further strengthen her fireball spell. Her fireball was now as powerful as Baramos's had been, with the capability to explode into a tower of flame. She believed she was close to discovering how to match its explosion spell too. Alice also learned much about healing and was now able to match all but Thomas's most powerful healing spells. Suzanne progressed greatly as well, learning the same sword skills Ron was learning and studying magic with Thomas and Alice. Suzanne's healing skills developed immensely, she even learned Thomas's spell to bring someone back from near death though she was not as skilled as he with it.
Further, Suzanne felt as though she was on the brink of discovering new and great powers. As she studied the techniques of Alefgard she began to believe that even more incredible powers were within her grasp. When she cast magic it was as though there was some part deep within her that was waiting to be called upon. Thomas and Alice helped her explore the possibility of these new powers.
"There is definitely something mysterious about your magic, Susie," said Alice. "I can sense it whenever you cast a spell. It reminds me of Ramia, actually: there is some power within you that is mysterious yet incredible as she is."
"I must agree with Alice," said Thomas. "When I see you cast healing spells there is a quality to it that I can't quite put my finger on. But I believe you're very close to figuring it out. When you do, you will work better spells than I have ever cast."
"Surely you're exaggerating, Tom," replied Suzanne. "You've been studying healing your whole life. There is no way I could match that."
"This power isn't something I sense within Tom or me," said Alice. "This mysterious force I sense in you isn't something that I sense in Tom or myself. I wonder if somehow some of Ramia's power has flowed into you and stayed there."
"In any case, we both feel strongly that we should continue to work on it," said Thomas.
"I agree. We'll need any power we can call upon, no matter how mysterious," declared Suzanne.
The city of Cantlin began to improve at long last. Ron and Garin continued to put on shows and put particular attention on Torin and his Golem. The story seemed to inspire many people as it had Alice. Torin found many people coming up to him and asking about his work. Some began to help him however they could while others decided to go back to work. Construction even resumed on the additions to the fortifications. There were still many too depressed to work but it seemed as though Cantlin was getting back on its feet.
After about two more months the snows and ice had nearly disappeared. Alice remarked at how strange it was for Alefgard not to have a longer winter due to the lack of sunlight, as was known to happen in portions of the upper world. Nevertheless, the four were not complaining. This allowed them to resume their journey shortly after Suzanne's birthday, which also marked the two-year anniversary of their quest.
The four decided that they would teleport back to Brecconaly and commandeer the Shadow Ferry. With the ice gone they could sail to the village of Kol. The heroes wanted to finally travel to the village and try to find the Fairy Flute they had heard of, fulfilling their promise to the widow they had met in Hauksness.
The journey to Kol would take some time. They had to sail out of the inlet near Tantegel and around the land. It would take about four days to make it to Kol. They also had to keep in mind what they had heard from Welcome when he had first given them the Shadow Ferry: that monsters would soon attack the vessel. The group had studied what they could of the local sea monsters but they had not found very much; the Shadow Ferry was apparently the only ship being used in all of Alefgard.
"That seems quite odd," Ron remarked when that fact had been revealed to him. "Come to think of it, I've seen maps of Alefgard but never heard of what's out there beyond this land."
"That's because nobody here is quite sure what's out there beyond Alefgard," said Alice. "Sail too far in any direction away from Alefgard and one will meet a wall of water. Some claim to have seen a top to this wall before but none have been able to get there. Some believe that this too is the work of Zoma."
"For all anyone knows, there could be a whole world out there as large as ours," said Thomas. "Maybe Zoma has control of them all but separates them so that the people of the world cannot rise up against it. Imagine if Baramos had done that; we would have stood no chance."
"Or maybe Zoma only has the power to hold Alefgard so he hides away from the rest of the world," said Ron.
"If
we run out of options we may have to investigate this wall of water and see if we can break through somehow," said Suzanne. "If there is a whole world out there it would help Alefgard immensely if we could somehow rejoin Alefgard with it."
"Or join Alefgard with our world," suggested Alice.
"Bah! That would be no help," scoffed Thomas. "The nations of our world are too petty to want to ever help Alefgard."
At that moment Ron looked at the sea and saw something. "Guys! There's something climbing aboard!" he warned.
Three large orange and purple squid were climbing aboard. After Ron's warning the four stepped back and prepared for a fight. As soon as they climbed over the railing Alice greeted them with an ice spell. Jagged spires of ice shot up from the deck of the ship in several directions, cutting into the squids. One managed to avoid the worst of it and the other two were hardly deterred.
Thomas had wanted to join in with a spell of his own but the squids were already bearing down on the group. He, Suzanne, and Ron went forward to engage the enemies in melee. The squids beat upon the three with their large tentacles. The squids used their multiple tentacles to wedge into the group's formation. Thomas found himself with a squid to each side of him. A flurry of tentacles flew at him, smashing into him from a multitude of angles. He managed to block the first two and removed one tentacle with his sword but all the rest came through. After being beaten nearly to pulp the last blow sent him flying backwards into a mast. He tried desperately to remain conscious and get back to his feet.
Suzanne and Ron fared much better; as two of the squids had focused on Thomas only one had challenged the two of them. However, with all its tentacles Ron still took a couple blows to his side. Suzanne managed to block any that came her way with the Shield of Heroes.
"Alice! Help Tom! Be ready for close combat! Ron! Keep this one off my back!" Suzanne ordered. Suzanne then turned to drive her sword into the squid behind her. Even with its back turned, it whipped its limbs behind it to block Suzanne's path. Suzanne removed one tentacle and slashed into the creature's back but it had succeeded in lessening the damage. Ron likewise had trouble fighting his way to his opponent's torso.
Alice ran to Thomas and cast a healing spell on Thomas. Her increased skill in healing was rewarded as Thomas was then able to spring back to his feet, good as new. There was little respite, however. One of the squids came at the two. Before Thomas could get his shield up another tentacle sent him flying, this time over the side of the ship. He just barely managed to grab onto the side, holding on for dear life to avoid falling into the water. Meanwhile, several tentacles came for Alice too. She furiously fought and blocked the blows but one smashed into her head that almost made her black out.
Thankfully, the other squid that had attacked Thomas was now focused on Suzanne. It tried to turn around so that it could bring the full force of its attack upon her. Suzanne used the situation to her advantage. When the squid chose a direction to turn Suzanne cut at the tentacles as they tried to move by her. By the time the squid was able to face Suzanne many of its tentacles had then been detached. The squid screeched in pain and rage and tried to hit Suzanne with its remaining tentacles but Suzanne blocked most of the blows with her shield.
Ron now had a tougher time. His opponent was facing him and launched another flurry of blows at him. Ron realized that he needed to press the offensive to keep the squid from getting to his friends. Thus, he endured the attacks as he worked his way inside the squid's defenses. He took several heavy blows to both sides and narrowly avoided a blow to the head that would have knocked him out cold. He was rewarded for his pain by being able to slash open the squid's middle. The squid recoiled and backed away from him.
Still dazed from the last hit she took, Alice struggled to keep her squid at bay. Tentacles flew at her from her left and she viciously blocked and slashed at them, keeping them away. However, then tentacles flew at her from her right and she was too sluggish to turn and respond on time. She was beaten down to the ground, tossed near the edge of the ship. The squid pressed its advantage, readying all its tentacles in an upwards motion to finish Alice off.
Suddenly, a great whirlwind sprung up on the deck, cutting at the three squids. Thomas had managed to pull himself up just enough to get one of his hands free. This was sufficient for him to cast a spell. The squid Suzanne was fighting was in terrible shape now. Suzanne took advantage by slashing the squid across the eyes, blinding it. The squid was effectively incapacitated, flailing around with what tentacles it had left.
Even though she was on the brink of unconsciousness, somehow Alice managed to cast another spell. This time she healed herself and with that she was able to get back on her feet. However, Thomas was in a dire situation. The squid that had been about to finish Alice decided to go after him instead. He was still dangling off the edge of the ship and if the squid smashed him into the water he would likely lose consciousness and drown.
Fortunately, it did not pay adequate attention to what was behind it. With her squid blinded, Suzanne was able to help Thomas and Alice. There was no resistance to fight through so Suzanne buried her blade into the squid's back. The creature howled in agony but was unable to stop Suzanne. She buried her blade into the squid over and over until it stopped moving.
Meanwhile, Ron carried on his duel with the last squid. It was a war of attrition between the two. The squid pushed Ron away from it and then hammered on him with its tentacles. Ron cut away a couple of the tentacles but was beaten severely in return. Ron then tried to cut his way to the squid's torso again but the squid was ready. It brought a tentacle down right on Ron's head. This brought Ron to the ground. The squid then picked him up and flung him away.
The strength had left Ron's body. Sensing its opponent's weakened state, the squid slowly closed in, ready for the kill. Ron was seeing stars and his thoughts were clouded. As the squid drew near, Ron remembered something at the last moment. He spoke the command word and his Shield of Strength responded. The shield drew off the danger of his predicament and healed some of his wounds.
The squid did not realize what was happening. Thinking it was going in for an easy kill, it did not expect Ron to jump up. With its defenses down, Ron leapt above its tentacles and down to the creature's eyes. Ron destroyed the eyes with his jumping attack. Ron did not stop there. He slashed the creature's torso open until it was dead.
Seeing that Ron had managed to defeat his foe, the other three carefully approached the last squid, the one that was blinded by Suzanne's attack. They waited for the confused squid to expose a blind side and then rushed in to finish it off. Finally, all the squids were down.
"Those were some vicious creatures," said Ron afterwards, struggling to catch his breath.
"We'll need to figure out a better strategy for fighting them," said Suzanne. "I have a feeling those aren't the only of their kind we'll come across."
"I wonder why they came straight for us and didn't try to harm the ship at all?" thought Alice aloud.
"Welcome made it sound like Zoma permitted him to use this ship," said Thomas. "Perhaps the Archfiend wants to preserve this ship for its own uses."
"That makes some sense, Tom. If we keep fending off the attacks of its minions we'll have to be ready for them to change that strategy," said Suzanne.
On the fifth day of their trip, the four entered the village of Kol. It was the smallest settlement with a teleportation waypoint in all of Alefgard.
"A waypoint was established in Kol to connect the northeastern portion of Alefgard to the rest," explained Alice. "Other than that, Kol is the biggest settlement out here; there aren't a lot of people in this area. I guess at one time people would teleport to Kol and find a ship going to Rimuldar but swarms of monsters both on sea and on land have shut that practice down."
"I remember hearing from someone that they're building a tunnel going south on the southern end of this island," mentioned Ron.
"I guess they want to try and find another way to get people
to Rimuldar," said Alice. "Rimuldar is a city of decent size. But with how difficult it is to get there and its close proximity to Charlock Castle Rimuldar has become as isolated from the rest of Alefgard as Cantlin. In fact, the only current ways to get to Rimuldar are teleportation, sailing, or going on foot from Hauksness. All are dangerous journeys."
"For the time being, let's see what we can find out in Kol," said Suzanne. "We'll start by finding the local hangouts and then see if this village has a library or anything like that to study from."
"What about the Fairy Flute, Susie?" asked Alice.
"From what the widow told us, she buried it in a public place when nobody was looking. We'll look for it under the same conditions," said Suzanne. "She was worried that it would fall into the wrong hands. It may take us some time to find it, if it's still here. I don't want to risk somebody seeing us and then finding it before us. We'll wait until night to look for it."
The four went about their business in the village. As they did so they began attracting some attention. Kol was a village that did not see newcomers very often. It was also small enough that the addition of a few people garnered some notice. The fact that the heroes were formidably armed also stuck out. At one of the local pubs a depressed-looking man decided to welcome the group.
"The lot of you must be new here, am I right?" asked the man.
"That is correct, sir," answered Suzanne.
"Probably came from Brecconaly, by the looks of you," observed the man. Though the four had grown quite a bit paler during their time in Alefgard they still were clearly not native-born Gardians. And anyone not native to Alefgard went through Brecconaly as some point.
"Well take it from me, you'd best flee from here as soon as you can," said the man. "You four look like you have some fight in you. The Master will find out about you and make an example out of you. And if there's any place where he's at his strongest, it's here."
"What do you mean, sir?" asked Suzanne.
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