There is one last thing you four should know, said Rubiss. And it is not easy for me to tell you.
"What is it, Rubiss?" asked Suzanne.
Zoma likely knows of your deeds, said Rubiss. And he knows that hope is starting to spring forth in Alefgard. Indeed, I believe it is planning on it.
"Why would it allow that?" asked Suzanne. "Allowing the people to rise up could only be a threat against it."
Zoma has been stuck behind the seal for centuries now, said Rubiss. It has tried to leech some of Ramia's power from the seal, and tried to use my power to bolster its efforts. So far nothing has worked to bring about its return to your world.
Zoma does not just enjoy the suffering of the people, continued Rubiss. It feeds off it. It grows more powerful as the people suffer more.
"So how could allowing people to gain hope again help it?" asked Ron. "Wouldn't that just make Zoma weaker?"
"It would at first," said Thomas. "But what if we lost? What if we rally the people of Alefgard to stand up against Zoma, bring everything we have and everything the people of this land have to its very doorstep, and are crushed? Besides the suffering of those who would be slain there would be massive depression among the survivors. If such an effort, likely the best chance at bringing down Zoma that has ever come about, were to fail then how could there be any trace of hope left in Alefgard?"
Thomas has it right, said Rubiss. That is what Zoma is counting on. It will likely allow the people to organize against it for now. But when the time for battle comes it will bring its full might against you. If it wins the suffering and depression of the people will be immense. So immense that it may give Zoma the power boost it needs to finally break through the seal.
"So by trying to inspire the people and fighting against Zoma we might just be playing into its hands," reflected Thomas. "In a way, it's like by being afraid to hope that the people were defending not only themselves but the seal as well. Without maintaining hope to be crushed, the people have kept Zoma's power at a status quo for ages now."
"We may fail but this is a chance we cannot pass up," said Suzanne confidently. "If Zoma gets its power from hopelessness and suffering then it will be at its weakest when the battle is to occur, when the people are filled with hope and confidence in their success. It is attempting a high risk, high reward strategy and I say we make that risk as great as possible."
What you said is true, said Rubiss. But do not underestimate the Master Archfiend. Even weakened as you said, it will be near invincible. It maintains a cloak of darkness that is near impossible to penetrate. To be honest, I have no idea how it can be defeated while so armored.
"Would this help at all?" asked Alice. She withdrew the Sphere of Light which the heroes had received from the Dragon Queen.
What is that? asked Rubiss.
"We received it from the Dragon Queen in our world, just before she died," said Suzanne. "She said that if we would do battle with the Master Archfiend we should take this Sphere of Light and bring peace to the land."
It houses extraordinary power, said Rubiss. I can sense it! This incredible light should be able to pierce Zoma's defenses! You must be sure to guard it well. Now, it is time that we leave this place.
"Very well," said Suzanne. "Back to Tantegel."
The four returned to Tantegel Castle and sought audience with King Raosu. Tracy was also called into the throne room. The heroes told the king of all that had transpired since their last meeting. They told him of the fear they had encountered in cities like Hauksness and Cantlin where people were afraid to hope. They told him of the return to work in Cantlin. They told the story of how they found the Armor of Radiance and unsealed Rubiss. King Raosu had Tracy examine the armor to verify.
"It is true, Your Majesty," said Tracy. "This is the Armor of Radiance."
"How amazing it is that you four have found not only the Shield of Heroes but the Armor of Radiance as well," commented King Raosu. "Are one of you able to use the Armor as well?"
"I am, Your Majesty," answered Suzanne.
"Extraordinary," said the king.
"If we may be so bold, Your Majesty, we have a question for you," said Suzanne.
"You may speak," answered King Raosu.
"In Kol we heard rumors of a secret mission that had been conducted by your father, King Rius," began Suzanne. "During that mission it is said that your father fought personally against Zoma. And in that fight Zoma destroyed the Sword of Kings, the very weapon that appears to be at your side right now. Is that true?"
Suzanne's question caused Tracy to gain a shocked look upon her face. The king sat back on his throne and closed his eyes for a time. There was a moment of silence in the throne room. Then the king reached down to the sword hanging on his belt. He withdrew the sword from its sheath. It was as the four had heard: the Sword of Kings had been sundered such that it looked like a magnificent dagger.
"Have you ever heard the tragedy of my line?" asked King Raosu.
At that, Tracy leaned forward to whisper something to the king. King Raosu waved her back. "It is alright, Tracy. They have done so much already. I feel they should know."
"It is said that the Master most enjoys playing with humans in positions of power," started the king. "It shows how powerless we are against it, that it can take those with the most power and torment them so. That is most certainly true with the members of my line."
"My family is cursed. Almost every child born in my family is stillborn. All except the first-born male, who can take the throne and continue the line. I imagine the Master finds it most amusing to keep my family on the throne. It could let my line end and allow the land to fall into anarchy. However, a little order and hope is useful to it. It is through hope that it brings about the most suffering."
"You heard of the excursion of my father," continued King Raosu. He held up the broken Sword of Kings as though it was the embodiment of some distant memory. "He did not go there for Rubiss's sake. No, he went for the slight chance that he might find something to put a stop to the curse. He went for the sake of his wife, my mother, that she might not have to bear with this horrible curse any longer. He went for the sake of giving me living siblings. He failed."
"It is for that reason that I have refused to take a wife. I could not bear to go through what my father did, and his father before him. I could not bear to put a woman through that. My line will end with me. I have no doubt that there are still fools out there that covet my throne. They are idiots. This throne is a chair of suffering. And the Master will ensure that whoever sits here will continue this cycle of misery."
Finally he looked up at the heroes. "Do you know how my father died?" he asked.
"We do not, Your Majesty," said Suzanne. "Was he slain by Zoma in that battle?"
"No, the Master spared him," said the king disdainfully. "He was too amusing a puppet. It allowed my father to carry on another fine tradition in our family. It is not easy to view the suffering of the people of this land and know full well that you are powerless to stop it. It is not easy to experience the misery in your own family and be completely helpless. No, the Master did not slay my father. My father was slain by his own hand. As was his father before him and his father before."
Suddenly, Rubiss's voice could be heard in the minds of all assembled in the hall. Raosu, I am deeply sorry for the terrible things that have happened to your family. The time has come to put an end to the one responsible for your family's ordeal.
The king reacted with alarm. "Who is this? Show yourself!"
Rubiss appeared in the middle of the throne room. King Raosu called for guards. Rubiss slowly glided towards the king, seemingly taking no notice of the guards approaching.
I am the spirit Rubiss, answered Rubiss. Creator of this land of Alefgard. I wish for this land to be free of the terrible darkness that has been cast upon it. However, we will need your help.
"Can it be true?" asked Tracy, almost breathless. "Is it really you, Rubiss?"
&n
bsp; "What does it matter?" asked King Raosu. "Your own research has revealed that this Rubiss was defeated by the Master before. What can she possibly do now?"
It is true, said Rubiss. I can do little against Zoma now. That is why we need you, Raosu. Call upon the people of this land you need. The time has come for the people to stand together against their oppressor.
"So that we can be destroyed?" asked the king. "The Gardians are afraid to hope and with good reason. All hope here exists to be crushed."
"That's not true," interjected Suzanne. "We have seen hope survive even in this dark land. Even in Cantlin, where the city was in danger of falling into ruin due to depression, the people have gotten back up and dared to hope again! The same can happen across the realm!"
"And for what purpose?" asked King Raosu. "Even united, we cannot stand against the Master! This is what happens to those who try!" The king held up the sundered Sword of Kings for emphasis.
"For the purpose of finally freeing this land," replied Suzanne. "We are closer than you think. The tools for defeating Zoma are coming together. Behold!"
Suzanne withdrew the Sphere of Light and showed it to all assembled. As though it knew its own significance in this moment, the Sphere shined so brilliantly that the entire room was brightly illuminated. The king and his guards gazed in awe of the Sphere.
"Wha – What is this?" asked the king.
"The Sphere of Light," answered Suzanne. "A fitting weapon in the fight against the darkness, as you can see."
Suzanne set the Sphere of Light down and approached the king. She silently asked him for permission to hold the Sword of Kings. He obliged and handed over the broken blade.
"A defeat in the past does not guarantee defeat in the future," declared Suzanne. "Not as long as the defeated are willing to stand up and try again. Even this broken sword can be restored. We met a man in Kol who will be able to restore it."
"A smith capable of repairing the Sword of Kings?" asked the king. "I find that unlikely."
Ron stepped forward. He slowly withdrew the Sword of Thunder and held it for all to gaze on. "The guy made this sword I'm holding here. It's the most incredible weapon we've ever found, and we've seen quite a bit!"
"Everything is coming together," said Suzanne again. "But we need you, Your Majesty. We need the people of Alefgard. Will you take a chance? Will you endeavor to free these people from their long centuries of suffering?"
The king sat back on his throne, lost in thought for a few moments. He stared again at the Sphere of Light, still filling the room with its beautiful radiance. Then he finally turned and answered the heroes. "Very well. We shall take this chance you offer. My father would have jumped at a chance such as this."
Then the king motioned for Suzanne to come forward. He whispered into Suzanne's ear, "When we make our move I want to be on the front lines. If this endeavor dies I want to die with it."
Chapter 41: Preparing A Rainbow
With the support of King Raosu the land of Alefgard soon saw a transformation. The first goal was to get the people to rise out of their sulking and be willing to fight the Master Archfiend. The king sent out public declarations throughout the land declaring that the time to fight had arrived and calling for the people to aid the effort however they were able. It was the most daring act of defiance made against the Master Archfiend for centuries.
There was some initial reluctance by the people to heed the king's call. Many expected that he would be horribly murdered right after sending out his declaration. Others suspected it was a trap concocted by the Master Archfiend. The king was patient. He continued to send out declarations in order to prove that he had not been struck down.
For their part, Suzanne and her friends teleported to the different cities of Alefgard they had visited. Instead of covering up the Armor of Radiance and the Shield of Heroes she proudly displayed them for all to see. Crowds began to form around her wherever they went. She looked like a proud warrior of Alefgard, covered in the land's treasured armor with the Gardian crest displayed openly. The heroes assured the people that the king's declarations were genuine and that they could make a difference in the fight to come.
Finally, the king himself made a tour around the land. He gathered some mages who had also been around the realm so that he could teleport safely from one location to the next. He kept a heavy guard around himself at all times. Nevertheless, seeing their king and hearing him speak so boldly again the Master Archfiend gave courage to the people. There were even reports that Rubiss had been heard speaking in some areas.
Once the people responded it was time to make preparations for the fight to come. It was decided early that Suzanne and her group would play a key role in the battles to come. Thus, efforts were made to aid them. The first task was to acquire the oricon they needed to give to Demik in Kol. Hauksness went to work immediately.
The strange man the four had met in Hauksness turned out to be right: oricon was found within the city limits. In fact, a vein was found inside a man's stable. He moved his horses to a different location as the digging progressed. Enough oricon was found there to repair the Sword of Kings. Once the oricon was dug up Suzanne and her friends took it to Kol immediately.
The heroes brought a cart of oricon directly to Demik's shop. Demik's shop was on the second floor of a restaurant and so the heroes ended up barging through in the middle of dinner. The people dining there were confused by the display at first. However, a few had heard about the efforts to find the oricon and they began to spread the word. Soon, the people there were excitedly whispering about what they were seeing.
The four paid them no attention for the time. When they reached the stairs leading up to Demik's shop they began to carry the oricon up using buckets. Demik was just in the middle of closing his shop when the group found him.
"Oh ho! What's all this?" asked Demik.
"You promised us that if you had oricon you could make a new Sword of Kings," answered Suzanne. "Are you ready to make good on that promise?"
"So this metal you have, is it truly oricon?" asked Demik.
"We brought the original sword too," said Suzanne. She set down some oricon and then dug the broken sword out of her pack. "Do you really think you can repair it?"
Demik studied the broken sword for a few moments. "Truly, this looks to have been as great a sword as they say it was. I can repair it. Or I could make a new sword, a sword that is yours. It would be every bit as great as the Sword of Kings."
"No, that's fine," declined Suzanne. "We came here to have the Sword of Kings repaired."
"Think about it for a moment, at least," said Demik. "I told you: I studied the Sword of Kings. I am aware that the sword chooses its wielder. And it can be quite particular. The magic that does that would most likely be stored within the portion of the sword you still have. This would mean, even though I would repair the sword, that I cannot guarantee you or anyone else you know would be able to wield it. However, if I create a new blade, I can make that guarantee."
"He brings up an excellent point, Susie," said Thomas. "What if neither you nor any of us can use the Sword of Kings?"
"Why wouldn't Susie be able to?" asked Ron. "She can already use the armor and the shield. Why not the sword?"
"I admit, it seems likely that she can use the Sword of Kings," conceded Thomas. "But as Demik says, there is no guarantee. Do we want to take that risk?"
"The Sword of Kings will not just serve as a weapon," said Suzanne. "It will also be a symbol. That proud bird symbol that is on the sword is the symbol of this land and it will be the symbol of the people's hope. A different sword, even a replica, will not do. The Sword of Kings will participate in the coming battle, whether it is in my hands, the king's hands, or someone else's."
Then Suzanne turned back to Demik. "Demik, I'm sure. Make the Sword of Kings whole again."
Demik went to work on the Sword of Kings. In the meantime, there were other preparations to be made for the attack on Charlock Castle.
Rubiss, with her ability to see throughout the land of Alefgard, was invaluable for this.
"We know in the past that the defenders of Charlock were defeated when King Soren created a Rainbow Bridge to go over the rough waters surrounding the island," Suzanne had said during a planning meeting.
"We also met that man in Cantlin. In his visions he said we'd need the Stones of Sunlight, the Staff of Rain, and the Sacred Amulet to reach the Archfiend's island," chipped in Alice.
"And before he died, Bert told us the Rainbow Bridge was formed 'when sunlight and rain meet,'" continued Alice, now with a more somber tone. "It makes sense then that the Stones and the Staff would be involved."
"So all we need then is the Staff of Rain," concluded Suzanne.
I can help with that, said Rubiss. On the south side of Alefgard there are two shrines that will be of great aid to you in this endeavor. I can show you where they are.
"Excellent!" said Ron excitedly. "For once, it sounds like we're going to know where we're going!"
It will be a dangerous journey, warned Rubiss. You have seen how powerful Zoma's aquatic minions are. And it will take several days to reach these shrines. I will be unable to help you once you are on the waters. If I tried, Zoma would sense my presence. It would send a legion of its minions at you then.
"We'll have to make sure we're prepared then," replied Suzanne. "Okay everyone, let's get ready for the trip. We'll spend a day on the Shadow Ferry running drills, making sure we remember how to fight what we saw out there. We're not going to let ourselves get taken out just as Alefgard's hope is beginning to flourish."
Rubiss instructed the group to teleport to Hauksness. Cantlin was closer however it was some distance away from the sea and surrounded by mountains. Thus, it would have added some days traveling on land just to get back to the Shadow Ferry. From Hauksness, the heroes sailed around the southern end of Alefgard.
On the second day of the trip the group saw something very odd. The Shadow Ferry made it to the most southern point of Alefgard. Alice used a spell to illuminate their trip. She could even focus her light such that it lit up a cone going a great distance forward. At one point she pointed this cone to the south. However, it was Thomas who noticed the oddity.
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