Slowly the Manakyr base eased to a stop, occasional loose stones plummeting
to the ground far below.  It was, as has been said before, an impossible thing -
of all things one would not expect to see in the air, a mountain was near the top
of the list.
     Yet despite the base's gargantuan size, the Worldtree was even bigger.
     Its trunk was at least ten miles in diameter at the base, its branches
spreading out even wider in the cloudless sky.  No leaf or twig had it ever shed,
and the crater surrounding its roots was barren, covered in nearly constant
shadow.  For two thousand years the Worldtree had remained, unchanging, immune to
the ravages of storm, fire, or winter.
     That was about to change.

                     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                   FINAL FANTASY LEGACY
                   Knights of the Round

     Begun (and herein continued) by Brian Stricklin

               With honored guest authors:
                        Madsman
                      Marcus Fong
                       NovaSeaker 

            EndGame I: Separation and Teamwork
                     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Davin stared at the radio speaker, unwilling to believe what he'd just been
told.  "Darovan's on the move?!"
     <"I'm afraid so,"> Gyn replied from Tienne.  <"I don't know why I didn't
sense it earlier; it's as though the mountain was being magically hidden...">
     "Where is he now?"
     <"I'm... not certain.  I have to concentrate.  The elementals are...">  The
hesitation in her voice faded.  <"He's east of your position, at the top of
a mountain range.  It's... he's at the Worldtree.">
     The companions exchanged glances, then Kyle turned his attention back to
the radio.  "Let us know if he moves again, especially toward Tienne."
     <"I will.">
     The Dragoon sat down in a nearby chair; Davin had already begun to pace
across the Excelsior's bridge, his brow furrowed.  "Well," Kyle said finally. 
"That came out of nowhere, didn't it?"
     "No kidding," Davin replied.  "What's he up to?"
     Perched on a bank of instruments (much to the consternation of the engineer
using them), Mika kicked her feet idly.  "What's the big deal?  It's not like he
can actually *do* anything without Marcine."
     "Yeah, that's what's worrying me.  He's no fool; there must be *some*
reason he's put himself out in the open like that.  We know that the Worldtree
contains Il'handra's - Emhara's - power; this has to have something to do with
that."
     "Well, the Worldtree is important to the spell," Marcine said, leafing
through Clea's journal.  "Not only does creating the seal need all that power,
but
it's all connected with Emhara herself.  She can't be resealed - or freed -
without the Mask."
     "Maybe that's what Darovan's doing there," Mika suggested.  "Getting the
Mask."
     Davin frowned.  "Maybe.  But it still doesn't add up; you'd think he'd want
to capture Marcine before he put himself at risk like that."
     "Well, there's only one way to find out - let's go over there, blow up the
mountain, and ask him."
     Despite his tense mood, he grinned at the young girl.  "You like the direct
approach, don't you?"
     She smirked.  "Best way."
     Fenris shook his head.  "Even if Darovan wants the Mask, it cannot be taken
away from the Worldtree without losing its magic, and may sever its connection
with the Tree completely.  No, he won't dare do anything without the Legacy."
     Davin scowled, something still nagging at him.  "I just don't like it. 
He's allied with the demons, we know that now... and you said they're getting
stronger?"
     "Well, yes.  Emhara's freedom brought back a portion of their original
strength, though much of it is still trapped within the Worldtree."
     He stopped, a horrible suspicion filling him.  "So... if freeing her
consciousness gave them a *little* power... then..."
     He never finished the sentence; abruptly, a piercing scream ripped through
his mind, and the elementalist fell to his knees in agony.

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     A howling winter gale surrounded the Worldtree, scything away leaves and
shaking its limbs to and fro.  Shiva hovered at the center of the blizzard, tears
streaming down her cheeks as she fought to resist the magical commands.  Finally
the magic ended, and the Goddess of Purity faded, staring at the ravaged tree in
anguish.
     Within the Manakyr base, Darovan simply held out his hand.  "Ramuh," he
said, and a Sorcerer reverently placed the amber globe in his hand.
     Watching nervously, Blight shook his head.  "I'm still not certain of
this," he muttered.
     Madonna smirked at him.  "I thought you'd be thrilled, demon.  Haven't you
been planning all this time for this?"
     "Yes, but not so... uncontrolled.  What good will the power do us if it
disperses before the Legacy arrives?"
     "Trust in Darovan," she said as the mage began to chant.  "He knows what
he's doing.  See?"  She pointed upwards, above the Worldtree, where a spiral of
black and purple clouds had begun to form.  "That's our signal to her."
     Blight stared at the clouds, almost in awe.  "Emhara's power..."
     "She'll be here.  Unless she wants to see everyone on the face of the
planet wiped out, she'll be here..."
     Darovan's voice rose to a pitch, and he pointed at the Worldtree. 
"Judgement Bolt!"

                    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     A fresh wave of pain lashed across Davin's mind, but he gritted his teeth
against it and got to his feet.  "Dammit," he growled.  "That bastard..."
     Marcine hurried over to him in concern.  "What is it?  What's wrong?"
     "I... I don't know..."  Fenris had collapsed as well, and shook his head to
clear it.  "Something is happening with the Worldtree, but I don't know what it
could be..."
     "I'll tell you what's happening," Davin said, bracing himself against a
table.  "Darovan's destroying it!"
     "I-impossible!" Fenris protested among the gasps.  "If he were to unleash
all that energy with nothing to control it, it could destroy all life on the
planet... perhaps even the planet itself!"
     He winced as another, fiery wave of pain passed through him.  "Maybe he
doesn't know that..."
     "No."  All eyes turned to Marcine, who was staring straight ahead with an
expression of realization.  "No, he knows.  And he knows that... that I'm the
only one who can prevent it."
     Uncertain, Davin stepped closer to her.  "Marcine?"
     "...I have to go."
     "No!"
     She whirled to face him.  "I have to, Davin!  There's no choice!  Even if
it's playing into his hands, if I don't cast this spell one way or another,
everyone... everyone's going to..."  She suddenly burst into tears, burying her
face against Davin's chest.  Behind them, Jil and Pearl exchanged glances, then
quietly hustled the companions a short distance away.
     Davin held her tenderly.  "Marcine..."
     "I, I have to do this, Davin," she sobbed.  "If I don't, then everyone
who's died... it'll all be for nothing!"
     "But if Darovan brings Emhara back..."
     "I know, but at least there would be a chance to stop him.  Besides, living
under Darovan is better than dying outright, isn't it?"
     He sighed, then gently pushed her back so he could look down into her eyes. 
"All right, here's what we'll do.  We'll drop you off in Tienne..."
     "No..."
     "...and go take care of Darovan.  Then we'll come back and get you, and you
can seal Emhara for good."
     "No!  I'm... I'm not going to let you go off by yourself," she said hotly. 
"Darovan's too powerful, and with the demons...!  You're going to need my help!"
     "It's too dangerous!  Darovan wants you more than anything - he'll stop at
nothing to get you!  You have to stay behind!"
     "I won't!"
     "Marcine, please be reasonable.  Think about what would happen if he got
hold of you?"
     "I don't care about that!  I won't be separated from you again, not now!" 
She stared at him, new tears rising in her eyes.  "I... I couldn't bear that. 
Don't you understand?  Why are you forcing me away?"
     He gazed down at her, speechless, and after a long moment she turned away
in helpless frustration...
     "Because I love you, Marcine," he said quietly; she stopped, her eyes
growing wide.  "I love you, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
     She stood paralyzed, and he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her
waist.  "You've already seen so much pain and misery since all this started, more
than anyone should see in their lifetime.  If Darovan got his way and used you to
bring back Emhara, you'd never forgive yourself.  I won't let that happen."
     Marcine closed her eyes.  "Davin..."
     "I promise.  No matter what happens, I'm going to be there for you,
Marcine.  Always."
     She turned around in his grasp.  "Then you're going to stay in Tienne with
me?"
     He blinked.  "Whah?"
     "You can't be in both places at once, after all.  And if you're fighting
Darovan, there wouldn't be anything to keep Siegvin from hunting me down, or one
of the demons from kidnaping me..."
     Davin stared at her, and gradually a slow smile spread across his face. 
"Hey, now, that's just playing dirty."
     She giggled.  "After traveling with Mika this long, I've picked up a few
things."
     "All right, all right, point taken.  Just... stay close to me, okay?"
     She hugged him.  "If you insist."
     He lifted his head and looked at his companions, who were for the most part
conspicuously not paying attention.  "Call Tienne and let them know," he told
Kyle.  "We're going to the Worldtree and engaging Darovan."

                            -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                    
     The Worldtree lay in ruin; nothing left but a massive stump, still burning
and smouldering from the intense assault.  Fragments of wood were scattered
around the crater - these were slowly evaporating into a purple mist, and rising
to join the whirling cloud above.
     Somewhat drained from his exertions, Darovan slumped back on his throne, a
triumphant sneer on his face.  "I do so love the taste of irony," he said to the
room at large.  "The Three Gods defeated Emhara; it is only fitting that they be
instruments of her resurrection."
     "As you say, Lord," a polite, yet somewhat petulant, voice replied.
     The mage cast an amused glance toward the speaker.  "You still don't trust
my plan, demon?"
     "Perhaps I simply have more to lose," Blight said.  "If this goes wrong,
*you* will merely die.  *We*, on the other hand, will be left powerless... and
the blame would most likely fall on my shoulders."
     "Come now, Blight.  With Emhara's power freed, you should already be
gaining strength.  Doesn't that give you more confidence?"
     The demon had to admit that Darovan was correct; he was indeed growing more
powerful.  "Perhaps, but it also makes me that much more eager to keep this new
strength.  Then, too, Fenris will also be enhanced because of this - he should
not be underestimated."
     "Oh, ignore the demon," Madonna said, slipping into Darovan's lap.  "I
believe in you, and that's all that matters."
     He gazed fondly at her.  "You really do, don't you?"
     "With my life."
     "Sir," a clairmancer said from his station, "the Legacy is approaching
quickly from the west."
     Darovan grinned.  "She's here sooner than I expected.  Deploy the new
airships, but tell them to be careful; they must only damage, not destroy, her
vessel."  He looked at Blight.  "You know what to do."
     "I will inform Hades and my siblings at once, Lord."
     As the demon vanished, Darovan stared into the middle distance.  "Come, my
Legacy," he whispered.  "Let me test you, and see what you can do..."

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Five Manakyr ships are moving to engage," the crewman announced.  "They
seem to be different from the ones that they used to have."
     Jil smiled thinly.  "Learnin' from their mistakes, are they?  Well, let's
see what they got."  She leaned her head toward the intercom system.  "Garmon! 
Get yer carcass movin'!  We got new targets ta test this bird out on!"
     "Aye, Captain," came the Weapon Chief's distorted reply.  "Cannon turrets
on standby."
     "Wait fer it..." she muttered, watching intently as the sleek silver
vessels soared closer.  "Wait... fer... it...  Now!  Open fire!"
     The Excelsior shook as it released a barrage of cannonballs, the heavy iron
spheres flying through the air toward their targets.  Plumes of smoke rose from
the airships' hulls as the heated projectiles struck home, briefly obscuring the
silver vessels.
     "Report!" Jil snapped at the crewman, who was already in the process of
collecting data from spotters stationed around the ship.
     "Checking..."  He hesitated, then shook his head.  "Minimal damage."
     She stared at him.  "That be impossible!  The Chariot took out their ships
easily!"  The hull shook again as the closest Manakyr vessel unleashed a blast of
magical energy, and Jil swore.  "Evasive maneuvers!  Garmon, get those cannons
reloaded!"
     "Working on it!"
     The Excelsior turned sharply and sped away from the silver airships, which
quickly moved to follow.  Even as Jil barked orders and the Excelsior swerved
left and right, she glanced occasionally at the Manakyr ships, which seemed to
have no difficulty keeping pace.  "Sneaky bastards," she growled.
     "I'll take care of it!"  A certain red-haired girl hurried toward the deck,
bomb launcher in hand...
     ...only to be intercepted by her older brother.  "Get back in here," he
scolded.  "If cannonballs can't hurt them, you won't be able to do much better."
     She pouted.  "Man..."
     "Captain!" Garmon called over the intercom.  "Cannons ready!"
     "What're you waitin' for?  FIRE!"
     Again the Excelsior shuddered, and again the nearest airships were pummeled
by cannonballs... but, as before, the barrage seemed to have little effect.
     Jil pounded the console before her in frustration.  "This be insane!  How
did they get so tough since the last battle?"
     "They must be using some new defensive spells," Kyle suggested, gripping a
railing firmly as the deck rattled under another assault.
     "Spells... that's it!"  Marcine hurried to the window, staring at the
closest airship.  "Where is... there!"  She pointed at a thin, dark blue stream
of energy that connected the airship to the Manakyr base itself.  "They're
drawing extra power from the mountain - that's what's improving their barriers! 
They aren't able to keep up this speed and power their defenses at the same
time!"
     "That be just peachy," Jil muttered.  "Do we gotta take out the mountain
before we can-"
     "No," Marcine said, watching as the blue energy trailed off.  "They can
only hold so much power; once that's depleted, they have to recharge."
     Jil stared at her, then a crafty expression appeared on her face.  "Is that
so?  Garmon, aim all port cannons at th' nearest airship."
     "Aye, Captain!  Cannons ready!"
     "Port cannons, fire!"
     The Excelsior lurched to the right as it launched a new barrage, but Jil
was already turning the mighty airship in the same direction, allowing the sudden
push to speed the rate of turning.  Soon the Excelsior had turned fully around,
its right side lined up with the Manakyr ship that was still recharging its
barrier...
     "Starboard cannons!" Jil shouted.  "FIRE!"
     This time, the explosions on the smaller airship's hull were quickly joined
by larger ones from within, and in mere moments the Manakyr ship was consumed in
a massive fireball.

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Interesting," Darovan said, seemingly unconcerned as a second airship was
destroyed by the Excelsior.  "They're more resourceful than I would have
thought."
     "Sir?" a clairmancer asked.  "Should I order the other airships to
disengage?"
     "Hmm?  Oh, I suppose so."  He nudged Madonna from his lap and got to his
feet, striding toward the bridge's caster platform.  The enchanted rings rose
around him, and he took a small globe from a tray before him.  "Now," he said,
"let's give her a real test.
     "From thy eternal slumber, I call to thee..."

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "The Manakyr ships are retreating toward the mountain!" the crewman
announced.
     Jil grinned and snapped her fingers.  "Har... lost the taste for battle,
have ye?"
     Shaking his head, Kyle glared at the Manakyr base.  "I don't like it.  They
wouldn't back off without having another plan..."
     Then the mountain turned on its axis, its bridge barely visible as a narrow
horizontal slit in its side, and the swirling red glow before it made the Dragoon
turn pale.  "No..."
     The events in Tienne were still fresh in everyone's mind... and the fiery
sphere hovering in front of the Manakyr base was immediately recognizable.
     Jil stood paralyzed as well, fear holding her in her place... then with a
burst of willpower she broke the spell, snapping orders.  "Hard ta port!  Engines
ta full power!  All hands brace for impact!  That elemental shieldin' better
hold..."
     Then there was no time to talk as gouts of infernal fire slammed into the
Excelsior, shaking its occupants to and fro.

                          -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     It was no use - just as in Tienne, no matter how much Ifrit tried, he
couldn't stop himself from surrounding the Excelsior with his searing flames. 
This didn't stop him from trying, however, and he writhed against his unseen
controller even as his arms beckoned toward the airship, summoning a giant pillar
of fire.
     What was even more galling, however, was the fact that Darovan was
consciously limiting Ifrit's power.  He was being held back and pushed forward at
the same time, the ancient mage doling out a specific amount of punishment to his
enemies...
     Then the spell ended, and like an unwelcome guest, Ifrit was sent back to
the aetheric plane where the Guardians dwelled.

                          -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     There was a long silence on the bridge of the Excelsior, then slowly, as if
reassuring themselves that they were still alive, the crew began to get to their
feet.
     Jil stood up as well, feeling decidedly sunburned; the heat still radiated
from every surface, though it was cooling rapidly.  "D-damage report," she
muttered.
     The crewman spent a few moments collecting the requested data.  "Numerous
casualties," he said dully.  "Serious structural damage to the hull... half our
ammo had to be dumped before it blew us all to hell..."  He listened for a
moment.  "Engines are still 90% operational, cannons should be ready for firing
within a few minutes."
     Clenching a fist, Jil smiled grimly.  "The shieldin' saved us.  No way we
coulda taken a direct his without it...  All right, all able personnel back to
yer posts!  We'll-"
     "Captain!"
     She looked up sharply... and paled in horror.  "No... that can't be!  They
can't do a Callin' twice in a row!"
     All eyes were fixed at the crackling yellow aura forming in front of the
base, a wizened, staff-bearing figure visible within.
     "Ramuh..."  Davin shook his head.  "Darovan must have found a way around
that limitation."
     "Full speed!" Jil shouted.  "Get us th' hell out of here!"
     "Engines are still down," the crewman replied.  "We're sitting ducks!"
     "The hell you say!  Get us some speed!  Now!"
     "I can't-"
     "Don't worry."
     A sudden hush fell across the bridge as Marcine stepped forward, an oddly
serene look on her face.  "I'll take care of this."
     Davin stared at her, uncomprehending.  "What are you-?"
     "I can... remember.  It's a gift."  She smiled at him.  "A gift from the
Three."
     Then she turned to face the Manakyr base, spreading her arms wide. 
"Guardian light, defender of all that is," she called, "envelop me in your all-
protecting aura!"  A bright, multicolored light suffused her body, and leapt
outward in all directions as she shouted the final words.  "Runic Barrier!"
     The light became a sphere of shimmering runes, which rushed away from her
in an instant, passing through the Excelsior's metal hull as though it wasn't
there.  It encircled the airship completely, wrapping it with an almost tangible
magical field...
     ...and then Ramuh's magic, a multitude of thick and jagged lightning bolts,
reached the Excelsior and sought to ground itself against the hull.  They touched
the barrier instead, and were instantly deflected, the enhanced power of the
Calling sliding off the runed surface with no effect.
     When the Calling faded, the sphere of runes retreated back to its source;
the Excelsior was entirely untouched.

                         -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     And Darovan... smiled.  "Now!" he shouted.  "Do it!"

                         -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Disoriented by the display of color and lightning, Davin rubbed his eyes to
clear the spots away, then turned to look at Marcine.  "Wow.  That was-"
     First he saw Marcine, utterly drained by the spell, falling backwards, and
he started toward her...
     Then her fall was interrupted, and he saw who... what... had caught her.
     The woman's skin was purest ivory, her lips and eyes the crimson of freshly
spilled blood.  Her garb was a thin, revealing vest and skirt, leaving little to
the imagination.  Of more immediate notice, however, were her arms - she had
four, two on either side.  Three of these had caught Marcine and were holding her
carefully... while the fourth wielded a curved dagger, placed delicately at the
unconscious girl's throat.
     Davin drew the Ashura Blade reflexively.  "Who the hell-"
     "Kali," Fenris growled - quite literally, his hackles rising in anger. 
"Get *away* from her."
     The demoness chuckled, raising a finger scoldingly.  "Tut, tut, 'Nriss,"
she said, her voice echoing with faded screams.  "Is that any way to treat
family?"
     Kali looked around at the assembled companions, each one ready to act but
held at bay, and laughed.  "So, these are the Legacy's protectors.  I hardly see
why she's survived this long.  Well, no matter."  She smirked at Davin.  "If you
wish her back, you are extended an invitation to Lord Darovan's dwelling...
provided, of course, you can get there!"  With a laugh she disappeared, Marcine
vanishing along with her.  Davin leapt at their fading image, but only ended up
sprawled on the floor.
     "That's... that's not fair!" Mika shouted, stomping her foot.  "You can't
just take her!  Come back!"
     "Dammit," Davin said through gritted teeth, painfully climbing to his feet.
     "Captain," a crewman said, "the other Manakyr ships are attacking again!"
     "Bastards!" Jil shouted.  "Davin, we can handle these guppies, but now
there's nothin' stoppin' 'em from roastin' us with a Sleeper!"
     "I know, I know!"  He scowled, thinking.  "Maneuver us in close, and behind
the base.  If it turns, we turn with it!  Keep us out of sight of their bridge."
     Jil nodded slowly.  "Aye, that'll help... but it'll limit our maneuverin'
options.  We'll take some damage from th' smaller ships... maybe too much.  We
won't be able to last forever."
     "Dammit..."  He paced for a moment, glaring at the mountain.  "If only
there was a way over there... we could take care of all of our problems at once."
     "Maybe there is," Kyle said slowly.  "Bring us closer to the base, and
we'll have a look."
     Jil nodded, and barked a set of commands; the Excelsior dove between a pair
of airships, accepting glancing hits from their magical blasts, and cut in close
to the serenely floating mountain.  It swivelled to try to target the Excelsior,
but the Church airship matched its pace.
     Kyle studied the mountainside, then shook his head with a grimace.  "No
good," he said.  "There has to be a hole or something where we could get
inside..."
     "A hole?" Mika asked.  "No problem!"  She scurried over to the intercom. 
"Hey, Garmon!"
     "What?"  The Weapon Chief sounded surprised and annoyed.  "I'm a little
busy down here-"
     "Never mind that," she ordered.  "Aim at the mountain and fire... the Mark
One!"
     There was an eerie pause, then: "Are you crazy, girl?!  That thing-"
     "Do it, or else!  Don't *make* me come down there!"
     "All right, all right.  Crazy, messed-up kid..."
     Dancing away from the speaker, she rubbed her palms in anticipation.  "This
is gonna be good!"
     "Mika," Davin began ominously, "what... *exactly*... is the Mark One?"
     "It's... a cannonball."
     "A cannonball?"
     "Yeah, a cannonball."  She shifted uneasily under his stare.  "...filled
with explosive potion surrounding a fully-charged Sunstone."
     "WHAT?!"
     "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe!"  There was a pause.  "In theory."
     He turned toward the intercom...
     The entire deck suddenly tilted toward the mountain as, in the belly of the
Excelsior, the Mark One was fired with tremendous force.  The enhanced cannonball
slammed into the mountain, with results that were nothing less than cataclysmic. 
A large section of rock was knocked away, falling into the crater below.  A huge
cloud of dust and shattered stone rose up, but was soon whipped away by the
rushing wind; when it had finally cleared, the companions could see what was
clearly a set of lit tunnels within.
     After climbing back to her feet, Mika smirked at Kyle.  "There's your hole. 
How do we get in there?"
     He stared at her in utter disbelief, then shook his head.  "You're insane. 
I want you to know this."
     Kneeling down, he picked up Marcine's fallen equipment sack, and reached
inside.  After a moment's search, he pulled out a Sleeper Egg, white and red and
silver.  "Everyone," he said, "get on deck.  *This* is how we get aboard."
     
                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     The massive bird, its plumage dimmed by the overhanging clouds, gave a cry
of relief as it flew free once again, angling toward the huge hole Mika's
cannonball had created.  On its back, the companions gripped onto its feathers
tightly; they were held safe by the magic of the Calling, but it remained an
unsettling experience for most of them.
     With another screech of exhilaration, Palidor swooped into the hole,
landing lightly in a large open room before depositing its passengers and
vanishing.

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     The wind from the tunnel tugged Davin toward the hole but he stood his
ground; after everything he'd been through, he wasn't about to let a little
breeze stop him.
     "What shall we do now?" Stine shouted.  "'Twill be a difficult task to find
Madame Cavanaugh; this place be as big as a mountain!"
     "I think I can handle that," Pearl replied.  She held her hands out before
her and chanted briefly; a moment later, a small sphere of light appeared,
bobbing gently.
     Kyle stared at it.  "That's a Seeker, isn't it?"
     She nodded.  "I told you I was good at clairmancy.  It'll take us right to
Marcine."
     "But what about th' Excelsior?" Jil said.  "Even if we get Marcine, without
our ship we'll never escape."
     Davin thought hard.  "Pearl, do you think you can make one to find
whatever's recharging the airships' barriers?  And we need to stop them from
Calling... maybe one to find where they keep their Eggs?"
     She nodded slowly.  "The defensive magic of the barriers should be easy to
track, and the Eggs have a pretty distinctive aura... yes, I think so."
     "Do it," he said, then looked at his companions.  "We're going to have to
split up.  We know those demons are here, so we have to keep the Ashura Blades
ready... okay.  Kyle, take Jil and Tharlo and head for the Eggs; they're probably
near the bridge, and Jil might be able to do some damage there."
     He nodded.  "Got it."
     "Mika, you and Shizuka go with Zarela-"
     "What?!  I wanna go with you!"
     He shook his head.  "You're probably the only one who might be able to
recognize the barrier generator when you see it."
     "And you're going after Marcine, I know."  She pouted, then grinned up at
him.  "Be careful, Big Brother."
     "Don't worry about me."  He turned to his own group.  "Fenris, do you think
you can-"
     But the giant wolf wasn't paying attention.  "...he's here."
     "What?"
     Fenris looked at him.  "I'm sorry, but we must part here for a time.  There
is something I need to do."  Without another word, he loped off down a corridor,
the wind ruffling his fur.
     "...okay."  Davin shook his head.  "Stine, Pearl, you're with me.  Let's
get going."
     The three groups headed away in different directions, each following their
own Seeker.

                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Where's the Seeker?"
     "This one saw it turn the corner over there..." Shizuka provided helpfully,
dodging a volley of spells aimed at her and then responding in kind with thrown
daggers assisted by a small wind charm.
     "We'd better hurry up or we're gonna lose it," Mika stated, slightly out of
breath.  A bomb launcher was in no way light equipment.  She'd better get to
designing a more compact version once she was done with all this.  Pocket-sized,
perhaps?  Swiveling at a bestial roar from behind her, the small girl fired once,
blowing a bewildered Atma beast to the lower levels of the broken mountain,
making it a threat no longer.  "ZARELA!  Where in DAROVAN'S BUTT *are* you!?"
     Mika and Shizuka's hall was intersected by a larger, wider corridor from
whence Manakyr appeared to be flying, or to be more precise, being launched in
all directions and trajectories before either slamming through a wall, or
thudding unconscious on the ground.  What sounded like laughter could be heard
wafting from the general noise of groaning humans, exploding stockpiles, burning
equipment and disintegrating debris.
     Mika frowned at the armoured figure that emerged from the crossing.
     "ZARELA!  What are you DOING!?  We're supposed to be looking for the shield
generators, NOT defeat every single mage and monster on this mountain!"
     "Hmmm?" Zarela blinked, mouth pursed thoughtfully, barely hearing the
command from the annoyed alchemist.  "What was that?  Did you say something?" 
Two Atma beasts burst from some smoking detritus when Zarela stepped close to it. 
She turned her head towards Mika while simultaneously stabbing the first beast
that got to her through the heart and then withdrawing her bloodied blade to
behead the other one in mid-pounce.  She swung her sword once to free it of
clinging blood.  "Yes, little girl?"
     Mika sighed.  "The plan, remember?  We go down to the engineering section?
Find the barrier machine?  Save the world?"
     Zarela eyes brightened.  "OOOH, of course, of course.  Well, what are we
waiting for?  Let's go!"
     At that, the armoured blonde rushed past both ninja and alchemist before
Mika could protest that she was going the wrong way.  Mika sighed, shaking her
head. 
     "Just WHO is the adult here anyway?"
     "Mistress Gilchrist," Shizuka called anxiously, having followed the moving
Seeker to a corner before it moved on without them.  "The Seeker waits not-- this
one advises that we move forward immediately."
     "But what about-"
     "It would appear that there is no choice," Shizuka said patiently. 
"Mistress Grenados apparently has a plan of her own; perhaps she ought to be
left to it, lest we disturb her."
     Mika looked uncomfortable.  She turned her head and saw Zarela slice the
staves from the hands of a band of Manakyr mages, sending them scurrying away. 
By all appearances, the female warrior was simply going where the trail of
baddies was taking her.
     "The Seeker waits not, Mistress Gilchrist," Shizuka reminded her.
     "FINE!  Let's go!" Mika conceded, throwing her hands in the air.  "But if
she gets in trouble alone, it'll be her own fault for not coming with us!"
     Shizuka nodded and sprinted ahead to check the Seeker's progress.
     Mika took one final look where the sounds of battle still rang loud and
clear and scoffed.
     "Idiot."
     She spun on her heel and took off hurriedly after the ninja.

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


     Kyle and his group ran down the corridors, following the Seeker as it 
flitted to and fro, frantically searching for the Eggs.  "This is wrong," Kyle 
muttered.
     "What is?" Jil asked as she ran beside him.  They were running far ahead 
of Tharlo, but the sage warrior told them he would catch up with them and not 
to worry.
     "We should have been met with resistance by now. I mean... with our 
entrance, everyone in the base should know we're here."
     "Aye, they should, but maybe th' others are keepin' 'em busy." Jil, 
however, was quickly proven wrong as a searing ball of flame slammed into her
side.
     "JIL!" Kyle brought his Ashura Lance to bear just in time as a bolt of
lightning arced toward him. Electricity played off the Ashura blade as it 
absorbed the magic. Five Manakyr in ornate robes had turned into the corridor
from another, and were charging Kyle's position. Each of their hands were
starting to glow a colored aura as they pointed them at Kyle. He wasn't sure if
he could block all those spells at once...
     Suddenly a tremendous battle cry shook the corridor and Kyle saw the 
mages switch aim for something behind him. Before he could turn around to see, 
Tharlo charged past him. Kyle distinctly saw a jagged icicle fly towards him, but 
it looked like Tharlo batted it aside with his axe. Tharlo dove into the mages
and it was a gruesome sight, but the dwarf made short work of them. "Now tha' 
be hardly a challenge at all." Tharlo stated.
     "Probably...erg... a scout party." Jil struggled. Kyle helped her up.
     "Can you go on?" he asked worriedly.
     "I'm nae that frail, lanceboy. Tis' merely a flesh wound," Jil grinned 
and already seemed to be recovering. "How'd yae do that, Tharlo?" Apparently Jil 
also saw the dwarf deflect the magic attack.
     Tharlo hefted his axe and showed them the blade, which had a large 
glowing rune along its length. "Nae last fer long. Let's go."
     The Seeker seemed to be hovering just down the corridor, waiting for 
them to start moving again, and they quickly obliged.

                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  

     "How many?" Davin whispered. Just ahead of him, peering around the corner,
Pearl flashed five fingers at him... and again. Ten.
     "Huh. So much for inviting us to visit." Davin's Ashura Blade hissed out of 
its scabbard. "We can't take the time to go around. Looks like we'll have to go 
through."
     "Wait a second," Pearl told him. Drawing back from the corner, she 
exchanged a look and a gesture with Stine, and the two started to chant in 
unison.
     "With my voice, I lull my foes. with my breath, I quiet my foes..."
     Davin moved forward, leaning out slightly for a wary peek at the Manakyr. 
Groups of two and three were positioned carefully along the corridor, spread 
out to lessen the chance of a good spell or explosion taking out too many at 
once. However, they were currently being distracted by a mage in slightly 
fancier robes--probably their squad leader--delivering some kind of briefing 
or speech. Good.
     "With my power, I will my foes... asleep... asleep..." came the chant from 
behind. Davin tensed as a couple of the mages stiffened, eyes darting around in
surprise--
     "Lullaby!" Stine and Pearl finished together. A swirl of floating musical
notes appeared, bobbing cheerfully down the corridor towards the mages. A few 
cries of alarm were heard, and then a thick, boiling cloud of orange gas 
smothered everything.
     "Nice work," Davin remarked as the gas cleared, revealing a field of
slumped red robes. "By the way, can you get that to warn us when it sees a 
Manakyr?" he asked, gesturing at the Seeker.
     Pearl thought a second, then shook her head. "Sorry. Seekers aren't all
that bright; the only thing ours cares about now is Marcine."
     As if to emphasize the point, the Seeker jerked impatiently and floated off 
down the hall, over the sleeping Manakyr. Davin gave it a look of silent
agreement and followed, the others close behind.

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Battle.
     It had always been about battle, but not this time.
     After the initial thrill of combatlust left her, Zarela felt empty as she
sliced open an Atma beast here, buried a squad of mages under some rubble there.
The fight was no longer enough, she realized, cutting through something new she
encountered in one of the random halls she was fighting through.  It was slightly
smaller than an Atma beast, colored white, but was armored with leathery plates
that made for difficult slashing.  They were really soft in the joints, however,
Zarela concluded as she downed her fifth.
     This time, she was supposed to be doing something.
     "STASIS SWORD-" came the knight's cry as a wave of power left her and
smashed forcefully through a hapless line of soldier-mages, freezing the lot of
them in arcane ice.  Stepping past the immobilized patrol, Zarela tried to think.
     What was she battling for?  In the past it had been for the indescribable
rush that permeated her being when she was engaged in combat, the tingling
sensation of power and victory when standing over her fallen foes.  It didn't
really matter with who, when or under what circumstances.  Being a Holy Knight
just gave her a little direction, that was all.
     Slowly, with dawning realization, Zarela began to wonder whether she hadn't
grown past all that.
     She was battling for *something* this time.  She was part of a group-- a
*team*, and that team was trying to save the world.  She was part of prophecy now
and it was apparently her destiny to take part in no small way in the salvation
of millions.  So was she dutybound to fight for the lives of others?  Zarela
sampled the notion and found its taste intriguing.
     Four of the white things, three Atma beasts, and a small party of Manakyr
appeared before her.  Zarela smiled.
     If it was her duty, it didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy doing it.
     Readying her sword and launching herself into the fray, Zarela toyed with an
idle question.  Where was she supposed to go again?

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Kyle pulled his Ashura Lance from the chest of an Atma Beast, holding a 
hand to a wound on his shoulder that it gave him. With a fluid motion he swung 
the demon blade to his right, slicing a Manakyr in the side. The cultist 
slumped over, the fiery red aura around his hands fading. "You okay, Jil?"
     The captain in question was, for the most part, fine, throwing a trio 
of shuriken into the squad of Manakyr. Her burns didn't seem to hamper her 
much. "Aye, though Tharlo seems to be downright enjoyin' 'imself."
     Indeed, the staunch dwarven king was whistling merrily as he swung his 
axe through several Manakyr at once. He looked at his axe to check the magic 
repelling rune on it. It was still glowing. Tharlo smiled happily and strode
toward the last remaining Manakyr in the corridor.
     They had made it quite far before encountering serious resistance, but each 
time they defeated a contingent, powerful troops came to meet them down the line.
The dead Atma Beast at Kyle's feet was the first of its kind they had
encountered.
     "The Seeker still in sight?" Kyle asked.
     "Aye, it be just up ahead," Tharlo answered, gesturing Kyle and Jil to
follow him as he walked over the bodies he was just finished with.
     Kyle and Jil nodded and ran to catch up with the warrior from the 
underground.

                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


     "Let me guess," Davin panted, snapping the Ashura Blade up just in time to 
deflect a fireball aimed at his head. "That Seeker can't be instructed _not_ to 
take us through the middle of the base, either?"
     The Seeker was leading them up a huge spiral staircase, evidently some sort 
of central corridor for the mountain. Fortunately, with the base's crew at 
battle stations, there were relatively few Manakyr hanging around.
     "Relatively", of course, still meant they'd had to fight all the way up.
     An Atma Beast loomed over him suddenly, its fanged muzzle nearly brushing 
the high ceiling as it roared. Davin threw himself to one side as it swung a 
clawed hand; the steps of the great stairway were wide and deep enough to 
leave quite a bit of room for movement.
     He snarled in frustration as the beast swiped at him again, driving him
back.  They didn't have _time_ for this! He needed to get to Marcine, _now_...
     Davin flung out one hand, concentrating. If he could control this one just 
right... "Powers of earth and stone, render to the depths!  Pitfall!"
     The segment of stair precisely under the Atma Beast's right foot collapsed
as it took a step. Howling in surprise, the beast stumbled and fell to its knees, 
bringing its tigerish head within Davin's reach.
     "Inhabit flesh and steel as malignant needle! STAB!"
     And that was that.
     Yanking his blade free, Davin glanced over at his comrades. Pearl had
leaped into the middle of a group of Manakyr, her scythes whirling in furious
arcs.  Several of the mages were already down, and Pearl seemed to be handling 
the remaining two quite nicely.
     He looked around to Stine, found the Beastmaster hurling the last few 
Manakyr down the stairs and into the curved wall below. "HAH! That will 
teach thee to stand in the way of our noble quest, thou WRETCHED 
HERETICS--!"
     "Come on!" he called to the others as Pearl dropped her final opponent. 
Keeping his sword ready, he started up the stairs after the Seeker. Another 
turn and the stairway flattened out into a landing, giving Davin's knees a 
welcome respite as he turned a corner--
     --and sunlight glared into his face, leaving him blinking as his eyes
adjusted. 
     The pathway led to an observation deck on the face of the mountain. Icy 
winds moaned as they rushed past.
     "Wow. Quite a view," Pearl commented. "I bet you could get an even better 
one from up there, though--" She broke off, staring, and both Davin and 
Stine whirled to look upward, at the next observation deck up.
     A familiar figure stood there, his pose oddly casual as he smiled down at 
them.               
     "Siegvin," Davin growled, raising the Ashura Blade to a guard position.
"Hear me, spirits of the air, and scream your-"
     But before Davin could finish, Siegvin had merely shook his head and turned
away, disappearing over the edge of the deck's railing.
     "What doth that blackguard be doing in this mountain?" Stine queried,
peering up at where Siegvin had been.
     Davin shook his head. "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling." His face
tightened.  "Let's hurry. He might be looking for Marcine, too." He started to
turn back to the pathway, then felt a tap on his shoulder.
     "Don't blame yourself, Davin," Pearl advised. "Marcine knew the risks. It's 
not your fault."
     Broken promises. _No matter what happens, I'm going to be there for you, 
Marcine. Always._
     "I'm not," he heard himself say, and realized with faint surprise that it
was actually true. "There'll be time for that _after_ we get her back."
     Their Seeker came back into view, bobbing towards them as if chiding them 
for being slow. Then it swung around and floated lazily away again, heading 
up toward the mountaintop.
     _Not far to go now. Hang on, Marcine._

                           -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     The flow of mages and beasts had slackened so progress had been decently
good.  Was the bulk of the mountain's forces being concentrated somewhere else?
Likely.  A factor would have to be the fact that Mika and Shizuka were descending
and weaving their way into the very bowels of the flying fortress, where soldier-
mages were getting scarcer and scarcer and mere magic technicians am increasingly
common sight.
     "Mistress Gilchrist!  Duck!"
     Before Mika could do it herself, Shizuka grabbed the chemist by the
shoulders and pressed her bodily to the floor.  Where Mika had once stood, wood
and metal hither and tither as a minor explosion erupted from the floor.
     "This one thinks it is a ward of some kind," Shizuka said as she helped Mika
to her feet, pointing towards the eerily glowing orb that hovered in the center
of the corridor they were in.  "This one believes that they use these in the less
populated areas in lieu of mages."
     "Cuz' they can't spare the manpower," Mika finished, dusting herself off.
She looked out beyond the floating orb.  "Well, whatever it is, we'll have to put
it out of commission fast-- the Seeker's leaving us!"
     "Mistress Gilchrist, the orb!"
     Mika barely sidestepped in time before an arc of white-hot electricity
sizzled its way towards her only to singe an area of metallic wall.  Shizuka was,
in the meantime, jumping away from a barrage of icy projectiles emanating from
the magical orb.  Mika went on one knee to try and aim her bomb launcher, but was
forced to retreat when the orb pelted her with fireballs.  Shizuka managed to
throw a few daggers at it, but they flew right through without touching it.
     "It's only using low level spells, but it's slowing us down," Mika muttered,
gritting her teeth in annoyance.  She palmed a bottle inside her vest and tossed
it at the offending sentinel.  "Try THIS on for size!  Shizuka!  Out of the way!"
     As the ninja obeyed and leapt nimbly to the side, the bottle shattered
against the ceiling above the multicolored orb and exploded fantastically.  Mika
grinned when the orb was nowhere in sight amidst the falling woodwork and smoke.
     "Well, I guess that's tha-"
     A strong gust of wind slammed into Mika with the force of a good punch,
sending the winded girl sprawling and making her drop her weapon.  Shizuka was at
her side at once.  *Mental note,* Mika thought groggily.  *Orb thingies can use
Aero, too...*
     "Mistress Gilchrist!" Shizuka said worriedly, brushing the shrapnel off the
other girl's hair.  "Are you alright?"
     Mika got up and the two scuttled for some cover behind a fallen piece of
machinery.  The orb was making no further attempt at killing them.
     "I'm... I'm okay... just... let me get... my breath back..."  Mika tried to
think through the ache of her abdomen, chest and hip.  If she worked out what
that orb was, she'd have a shot at getting rid of it.  Okay, so physical attacks
didn't work on it.  Sooo... was it some kind of spell-casting device, then?  One
with... uhhh... some kind of 'Etherealize' spell cast on it?  Bah.  She was no
good with this magic stuff.
     "Mistress Gilchrist," said Shizuka, peering up and over their hiding place,
a tension in her voice.  "The Seeker has almost left the area."
     "Then we've got no choice," Mika winced, standing up.  "We'll just have
to.." She got up and whispered her plan into Shizuka's ear.  The ninja blinked at
her, as if surprised she hadn't thought of it herself.
     "Ready?" Mika invited.
     Shizuka nodded and then they both jumped from behind the bulwark and ran
straight towards the floating guard orb.  It hurled another small fire spell at
Shizuka, who jumped over it and went on running, while Mika ducked under a bolt
of miniature lightning that surged past, hastily picking her launcher up as she
ran past.
     They got to the undersection of the orb itself... and then kept on running.
     Mika turned to make a face at the orb as it sent now somewhat pathetic
flames and blue flashes licking at their heels.  It was stationary, as Mika had
suspected.
     "Nyah, ya loser!" Mika taunted as she and her comrade rushed down the hall,
catching up to their Seeker.  "Can't catch us, ya brainless gob of-"
     She stopped when she noticed that Shizuka had skidded to a halt beside her.
     The Seeker went on blissfully, unmindful of the five orbs floating about
serenely across the height of the corridor.

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     The last of the Manakyr guarding the double steel doors to the bridge 
fell at Jil's feet, and she quickly chucked a pair of shuriken at one of the 
two remaining Atma Beasts. The group had finally made it, but the trip had taken
a fair toll on their endurance.
     Tharlo was lucky; the rune on his axe had faded, but he caught a powerful
water spell on his artificial hand. The rune-laden construct was damp but
otherwise fine, though the same couldn't be said for the mage responsible for the
spell. Kyle's armor was heavily dented in a few places, and tore open in others.
Jil's burns didn't seem to be to bad, but they were a constant nagging pain that
she only let the back of her mind register.
     Jil's shuriken flew straight and true, both embedding themselves in one 
of the Atma Beast's eyes. The creature reared up in shock and pain, exposing its 
soft underbelly to Tharlo's axe.
     Kyle somehow managed to jump onto the last Atma Beast's back, and he 
struggled to stay on as the monstrous animal tried to throw him off. Jil almost 
smirked looking at the sight, but refrained when the beast finally managed to
throw Kyle off its back, before he could bring his spear around to strike the
beast's spine. Kyle flew over the Atma Beast's head and landed on his back.
     Before the monster could take advantage of Kyle's prone form, Jil and 
Tharlo charged it from two sides, each slicing large gouges into its artificial 
skin.  Eventually it fell on its side with a thud.
     "Aye, that be the last o' them," Tharlo stated, almost with a hint of 
regret.

                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Okay, it was official.
     She, Zarela Grenados, was completely, utterly, and hopelessly lost.
     Sure, she'd remembered that the two she'd been teamed with had wanted to go
to the lower levels, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out HOW to get
to the lower levels, not with mages, monsters and whatnot distracting her every
other minute.
     "The three gods curse this all!" Zarela screamed disgustedly as she sent yet
another throng of soldier-mages sprawling all over the fortress hallways with her
Holy Sword skill.  "What am I supposed to DO!?  Ask for directions!?"
     "There's a maintenance tunnel that leads directly to the rear of the barrier
generator nearby.  The entrance can be found straight ahead-- you'll recognize it
for the small lift beside the first door to the right."
     Zarela whirled towards the familiar voice, sword at the ready and beheld a
familiar red-cloaked man leaning casually against a wall.  Firelight glinted off
the sickly yellow gem in his eye socket.
     "YOU!" the Holy Knight cried, rage contorting her face.  "You stole
Nikolai--"
     "The Eye shows you many things," Siegvin went on bemusedly, apparently
unaware or unmindful of Zarela's ire.  "So many, many things... but seldom the
things one most wants to see..."
     Zarela hesitated before attacking who was so clearly her foe.  What was
he...
     Siegvin nodded his head to her, arms folded.
     "I have the things I have to do and you have the things you have to do," he
told the Holy Knight, tone bored.  "I will fulfill my destiny.  YOU-- you just
go as soon as you can.  Time MAY be of the essence here."
     Before Zarela could say anything in reply, a six-legged horse materialized
beside the masked man.  The fallen Sleeper mounted it in the spacious corridor
and then vanished, mask, sword, horse and all.
     Zarela gaped.
     "Now what was *that* all about!?"

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Darovan chuckled as Davin, Pearl and Stine emerged from the mountain. 
The ancient mage stood on a rocky platform jutting out below the base's 
summit. Marcine stood next to him, her face pale and her eyes lifeless. A sword
was at her neck, held by a dark-haired woman in black armor who he didn't
recognize--
     "Madonna," Pearl hissed, and he made the connection. The Knight of Wind... 
which meant the odds had just gotten even worse.
     "Release Marcine Cavanaugh, heretics, or face the wrath of the Citizens' 
Justice!" Stine bellowed, drawing a smirk from Madonna. Darovan merely ignored
him.
     "Well done indeed, young man," Darovan called to Davin over the whipping 
wind. "I almost wish I could take the time to play... but alas, I am needed 
elsewhere.
     "Don't worry, though," the Caller continued, his dark eyes burning with 
mirth. "I'll make sure you're adequately entertained." He made an extravagant
gesture with one hand.
     And with that, a brilliant pillar of light shimmered down from the sky, 
enveloping Darovan, Marcine and Madonna... and when it lifted, they were gone.
     Davin swore bitterly. "Where did--"
     He broke off, following Stine's pointing hand, as their Seeker pulsed once 
and then threw itself off the edge of the mountain, drifting down until it was 
only a bright speck against the sky.
     Towards the crater where the Worldtree had once stood.
     "We've got to get down there," Davin said aloud. "Pearl, Stine, do you have 
any id--"
     A giant shadow fell over all of them.
     "Greetings, Mortals."

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Fenris finally saw him as he idly sauntered along the top of a giant tube,
one of the mountain's interior walkways exposed by the Excelsior's attack.  He
followed his quarry for a moment, then leapt in front of him, teeth bared.
     Siegvin seemed utterly unsurprised to see him.  "Nice to see you, Fenris. 
Buried any good bones lately?"
     "Why are you here, Odin?" the wolf growled.
     "Where should I be?" the fallen Sleeper replied cryptically.  He turned to
head back the way he came.
     "Stop!  Face me, Odin!  We have unfinished business!"
     "No, we don't.  Our story ended a long time ago."
     "I won't let you stop us," Fenris growled, his fur bristling.
     "Stop you?  Quite the contrary, 'old friend' - I'm here to help you.  It's
in my best interest, after all."
     And then, between one step and the next, he was gone.

                      -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID-"
     The five rainbow orbs disregarded the frustrated alchemist's imprecations
and simply zapped in their general direction a literal rain of minor spells.
     "STUPID MAGIC... sentries... traps... STUPID WHATEVER YOU ARE!"
     Mika used her launcher to blow a hole in the floor and both girls jumped
into the temporary shelter as the barrage of mixed fire, lightning, ice and wind
flew past overhead.  Mika cursed quite inappropriately for a child her age.
     "Well," the chemist breathed, calming down somewhat.  "We sure ain't running
away from THIS one.  Those things'd fry us before we get two steps past."
     "This one will investigate any alternate routes that we may take," Shizuka
suggested humbly, readying herself for the short recon trip.  "If this one is
lucky, she might find some tunnel system or another that bypasses the sentries."
     "Good idea!" Mika was barely saying before the dark-clad ninja had gone on
her errand.
     A minute passed and then Shizuka was back again.
     "Well?" Mika invited.
     "This one regrets to report that no detour is possible," the small warrior
said somewhat regretfully.  "This one had thought that it would be possible to
climb into one of the shafts meant for providing fresh air to the entire castle,
but..."
     "The ventilation shafts?" Mika asked.  "And then?"
     "This one has discovered that the shafts are too small for either of us to
crawl in," Shizuka provided, lowering her eyes.
     There were several moments of silence.
     "O... kay," Mika said finally.  "I suppose we'll have to do this some other
way then... Okay, listen-- I've got *another* idea..."
     In the stillness that followed as Mika worked her plan out with her
companion, the orbs floated quietly without targets.  They flickered when a red-
topped head bobbed into view from the floor.  An orb reflexively sent a shot at
the running figure and hit it dead center.
     The image of Mika Gilchrist promptly vanished, revealing only an innocently
lifeless piece of planking.
     At once, there was no shortage of targets for the orbs-- Mika, Shizuka,
Mika, Shizuka, Mika, Shizuka and yet another Mika and Shizuka appeared from the
hole, all making mad dashes around the general range area of the orbs.
     The orbs were simple time-delay spells, thought up by some Manakyr brain and
then set to automatically attack unauthorized personnel striding through the
corridors.  Their simplicity was also their weakness, though-- the Manakyr had
not thought to provide the sentries with more sophisticated sensory equipment,
and the visually-oriented sentries were, almost literally, dumb as rocks-- they
shot madly at every alchemist and ninja in sight.
     The real Mika and Shizuka however, were already well on their way to passing
the orbs even as, around them, their Art-generated copies were one by one turning
into planks of wood and then getting obliterated by the minor spells they were
being hit with.
     "Ouch," Mika winced as another one of her doppelgangers turned to ash. 
"It's kinda painful to watch in a weird way...  How come you never used this Art
before, Shizuka?"
     "The need never arose," Shizuka said simply.
     They were past the influence of the orbs.
     They encountered a similar barricade further down, but after that, no repeat
performances were required-- they could see the Seeker as it approached a large
door at the end of the hall.  The door was emitting a loudish humming sound, and
the two runners could feel vibrations from under their feet.
     Mika reached into her satchel for a big metallic cylinder and handed it to
Shizuka as they ran.  "One of these," she hastened to explain, "will be enough to
blow something like... Oh, say, the spider-walker, to kingdom come and then the
precincts past *that*.  It explodes on impact, so be very careful with it.  I'm
expecting the barrier generator to be a BIG sucker, so we'll both be having one
of these and tossing 'em in, just to make sure... In case the generator has some
magical fielding of its own, we--"
     They burst into the generator room and Kali was there waiting for them.
     The instant of encounter was a blur of activity from all corners and then...
a standoff.
     "Well, well, well..." the demoness chuckled as she stared at Shizuka with
her malicious red eyes.  "At least *one* of you can be quick on her feet when she
needs to be."  The evil was pinning Mika to the adjacent wall by two of her arms
with two of her own.  A third hand played coyly with an intricately decorated
dagger, inching it dangerously closer and closer to the struggling Mika.  Her
satchel and bomb launcher lay useless on the floor.
     From across the room, with the barrier generator purring mechanically behind
her, Shizuka stood, body tense and motionless.  She had just been fast enough to
evade the demoness' quicksilver strike, and she was still holding Mika's custom-
made grenade.  She looked behind her at the generator and then at Kali and Mika.
Confusion was in her suddenly wide eyes.  She paled when Kali pressed her knife
close to the vulnerable chemist's heart.
     "Lord Darovan won't appreciate you breaking his little toy, child," Kali
cooed, pursing her rose lips at Shizuka as if to taunt her.  She squeezed at
Mika's arms, making her squawk with pain.  "Give me the device, child, or this
girl dies."
     "DON'T DO IT, SHIZUKA!" Mika screamed, still fighting futilely against the
demoness' strength.  "BLOW IT UP!  DESTROY THE GENERATOR!  BROTHER DAVIN'S
COUNTING ON US!  NEVER MIND ME!  IF YOU DON'T DESTROY IT, WE'LL ALL-"
     "Come now, lass," Kali crooned, her deceptively gentle voice quite
inexplicably drowning out Mika's frantic cries.  "Would you sacrifice your dear
friend's life to destroy the little toy behind you?  Think about it.  Would you
be able to live with this little girl's *blood* on *your* hands?"
     The young ninja was clearly troubled, looking back and forth at the machine
and then at Kali and Mika.  Her breathing became erratic.
     Shizuka was torn between the generator and Mika's safety, the grenade held
tightly around her arms.  Eyes wide, Shizuka realized that for the first time in
her life, she couldn't decide what to do with absolute certainty and with
efficient speed.
     "This... This one..."  She began to tremble.
     "Give it to me," Kali singsonged sweetly, reaching out with an open palm.
     "DON'T DO IT!" Mika was shouting.  "SHE'LL KILL US ANYWAY!  DESTROY THE
GENERATOR!"
     When Shizuka looked up, there were tears in her eyes.
     "This one regrets to do this, but this one must," the still shaking ninja
said in a soft voice almost inaudible over the constant whirring of the generator
behind her.  "This one hopes that Mistress Gilchrist will understand someday."
     Mika held her breath in anticipation of the unknown decision.  Kali snarled
prematurely, an expression that distorted her perfect features, showing for a
moment the hideous creature that she truly was.  Shizuka began to move...
     And then stopped as from all around them, the world crashed asunder.

                       -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "Report! Where are the intruders?!" a robed figure bellowed into a crystal
orb.
     "W-we dON'T know sir! They seem to be in all places at once!"  Disgusted,
the Manakyr in charge of the bridge cut the connection.
     "Fortify th-" He stopped asking as he turned around and met an Ashura 
Lance, face to face.
     "The entrances to the bridge? Yeah, we took care of that already." Kyle 
smirked. 
     Jil smacked the base of the mage's head with the pommel of her sword, 
knocking him unconscious. "Go get th' Eggs, Kyle. I'll be 'ere trying to do some 
damage with this mountain."
     Kyle nodded and then walked to the section of the bridge where the Seeker 
was hovering. He looked upward and noted the high ceiling, which was decorated 
with some mosaic design. As Kyle neared, the ball of light faded, its purpose 
fulfilled. There, in a small box, were numerous Sleeper Eggs, probably twenty or
so, Kyle noted. "I found them."
     "You found more than you bargained for, human," a sickly voice stated 
coolly. 
     Kyle, Tharlo and Jil spun to see an old, robed man with a long unkempt 
beard. The light seemed to shy away from his body, or the darkness seemed to
spread from it, Kyle wasn't sure. All he was sure of was that this was no
ordinary Manakyr mage.
     "Who are you!?" Kyle demanded, bringing the Ashura Lance around in a 
ready position.
     "I... am known by many names... But you may call me..." the figure 
trailed off.
     The darkness around him condensed into a shell of obsidian. Tharlo, who 
was the closest, could see dark lightning arcing inside, silhouetting the figure 
within. It slowly began to change, shoulders broadening, arms bulging, and then
the shell of pure darkness shattered.
     With a roar, the demon spread his arms. He was a perverse centaur-like 
creature, with a sickly horse-like body and a human torso. Or it would be, if not
for the fact that its skin had a green taint, and a giant demonic maw was where
its chest and abdomen should be. It had no head, but from it's shoulders sported
large, muscular arms.
     "You may call me BLIGHT!"
     And with no other warning, the monstrosity launched a punch at Tharlo who
tried to use the face of his axe as a shield, but was thrown into the air and
past Kyle. He landed on some sort of console with a large clattering of armor
plates smashing together and denting.
     Kyle ignited his boost engine briefly, enough to launch him upward but not
crash into the mosaic ceiling. As he reached the apex of his boost jump, Kyle 
readied his lance aiming for the giant, dagger-toothed mouth of Blight.
     Just as Kyle was about to pierce the demonic face, Blight reared upward 
on his hind legs, causing Kyle to fly straight past it and land directly under
his spiked, hoofed front legs. Before he could dodge, one hoof smashed down on
his chest as Blight landed on him, the other hoof pinning Kyle's wrist to the
floor, forcing him to drop the Ashura Lance. "Tsk tsk, dragoon. I expected
better."
     "Shut yer trap, blotch!" Jil roared sending a shuriken flying toward 
Blight's face.
     Which Blight deftly caught between the index and middle fingers of his 
right hand.
     "That's BLIGHT!" he corrected her, as he swung his left arm forward, 
sending a wave of green energies at her. Jil dove behind one of the consoles on
the bridge which quickly had it's interface turned into molten slag, running for
a few moments after the verdant energies subsided before cooling into a warped
shape.
     Kyle struggled futilely to pry the hoof off his chest with his free 
hand. When he started to panic he forced himself to calm down. He was a Dragoon,
he was better than this. He needed to assess the situation and use anything to
his advantage. Blight had pinned his chest down and disarmed him but...
     Kyle kicked upwards with his legs, rolling onto his shoulders. He 
ignored the pain caused by Blight's hoof grinding up his chest, denting his
armor, and thrust upward with both feet as hard as he could.
     Blight 'oof'ed softly and backed up, allowing Kyle to complete the 
motion and backflipped onto his feet. He immediately dove for his Ashura Lance,
but Blight recovered in time to kick it towards the panorama window in front of
the bridge, over Kyle's shoulder. Before Kyle could even begin to turn around to
run and retrieve it, Blight delivered a devastating blow with his huge fist to
Kyle's face, knocking him down and skidding him back towards the others.
     "I would have liked to say this has been fun, but you worms were far too 
pathetic to even entertain me." Blight brought his hands together, palms outward
and thumbs interlocked. Jil ran out from hiding to try and retrieve Kyle before
Blight let loose the sickly green aura building in front of his hands. Blight's
twisted maw grinned. She wasn't going to make it.
     "ZANTETSUKEN!"  The cry came from out of nowhere, as did the masked 
warrior. He dove from Blight's right side to his left, drawing an Ashura Blade
through the bottom of the demon's torso. He landed in a crouch a short distance
to Blight's left, and stood up.
     The centaurine demon gaped at the masked figure, blubbering gently.  "m..
master..."
     Siegvin nodded politely to Jil, strode toward the left exit of the bridge,
then swiftly cut himself an exit through the locked doors and left.
     Blight's torso slid off his horse-like body and he threw his arms in front
of himself to break his fall. The four-legged portion of Blight quickly turned 
to dust and fell toward the floor in a pile of ash, while Blight's torso bled 
disgusting, vile fluids that steamed and bubbled.
     Blight struggled to lift his body off the floor and arched his back, 
bending his torso upwards to face the humans before him. His maw went slack,
however, when he spotted the small, half-sized man walk slowly but purposely
toward him from the front of the bridge... carrying the Ashura Lance.
     Tharlo stopped right behind Jil and Kyle, resting the pommel of the 
Ashura Lance on the floor and holding it upright. Blight reached up a shaking
hand at the trio, trying to gather energy to smite them like they deserved. "'E
goin' ta be alright, lass?"
     Jil was in the middle of trying to drag Kyle to safety, she turned to 
Tharlo and yelled, "Aren't ya going to help me move 'im?!" A small aura of green 
energy started growing in front of Blight's hand.
     Tharlo nodded. "Aye, but tha' can wait. `E okay?" The aura of energy before
Blight's palm started to pulse and he poured more power into it.
     Jil's eyes went wide at the crazy old dwarf. That demon was going to kill
them if they didn't... "YES! 'e'll be fine! Now help me move 'im before..."
     Then with a swift pivot, Tharlo stabbed Blight with the Ashura Lance, the
cursed blade sliding easily into the demon's flesh.  Moments later, the
monstrosity turned to ash.
     "...Oh."

                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     "HELLCRY PUNCH!"
     Kali reeled back, yowling in agony as a blinding sapphire flash cut into
her, dealing damage and shattering her enchanted dagger.  Mika was dropped to the
floor unharmed.  She crawled away on all fours as fast as she could as the
demoness spat blood and whirled about furiously at her aggressor.
     "Painful, wasn't it?" Zarela inquired, sword at the ready.  "That isn't half
of what you deserve, you four-armed bimbo."
     "YOU!" Kali hissed in fury, quite beside herself with anger.  Black strands
of power burst forth from her outstretched hands and entangled the Holy Knight
who couldn't slice at all the tendrils fast enough.
     Kali began to squeeze, as Zarela tugged uselessly at her tightening bonds.
     The demoness smiled and licked her lips.
     And then let go as an intense physical force threw her into a solid face of
gears and pistons, screaming all the way.  Meanwhile, Mika tossed the other
grenade in.  The smoldering lump that was once the shield generator rocked with
the second explosion, apertures belching flame and smoke.  Its destruction
completed, the blackened heap of slag teetered precariously on its compromised
foundation.  The floor fell in and outwards, spraying random pieces of wreckage
across the face of the Worldtree crater.  What was once the shield generator fell
through with them unceremoniously, taking with it its silenced purring noise and
the protection it had provided the levitating mountain and surrounding airships
up until now.
     Kali emerged from the broken generator controls bubbling with rage.  What
dark abilities she had at her beck and call had restored her to full health and
had armed each of her hands with exact copies of the dagger she'd lost.  She
bared dripping fangs at the three girls stepping backwards from her.
     "I DON'T *need* all my power to slaughter three sniveling mortals!" the
monster screeched, launching herself at the trio.  "The toy's loss won't matter--
Lord Darovan WILL win!  I will regain the glory that I had lost and you will all
DIE!"
     Shizuka unsheathed her daggers and Mika aimed her bomb launcher.  Zarela
stepped forward in front of the two, who looked up at her strangely.
     "Perhaps," Zarela said, uncharacteristically serious and composed.  "Darovan
may win.  We may all die.  But we may not.  And that's why we all fight."
     Speechless, both Mika and Shizuka stared up at the armoured knight,
blinking.  Kali was having none of it, still fully engaged in her all-out charge.
     "One thing's for sure, though," Zarela said, raising her sword and then
executing a battle stance with a short clank of armor.  "If we get killed, it
won't be by YOU-"
     Kali screamed something in the demonic tongue at Zarela but it was Zarela's
turn not to listen.
     "Ancient strength flow through my veins," she chanted, power coursing
through her, with her.  "Mighty heavens deal a fatal blow to all those who would
defy the gods!  HOLY EXPLOSION!"
     Pinkish purple energy surged from nowhere and everywhere into Zarela's sword
and she swung with all her might in Kali's direction.  The demoness was consumed
in bright pink light and then ran through from underneath by a gigantic tempered
blade of magical make, runic inscriptions on its face.
     "GEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA--"
     "That's a little something I made up on the spot," Zarela smirked, squaring
off.  She sprinted towards the besieged demoness.  "Now for something a little
more old-fashioned."
     Kali only gurgled inarticulately as Zarela first sliced off both arms on one
side.  Kali's eyes were wide with shock and bewilderment.
     "HOW-- My body!  I cannot be harmed by mere mortal weapons!  I-"
     "Alexandros isn't any ordinary mortal sword," Zarela informed the writhing
demoness, remembering Davin's story in the Ryukin house.  She withdrew to make a
final attack.  "Does the name 'Ashura' ring any bells in that demonic head
of yours, bimbo?"
     Kali gaped.  "Brother?  My brother's sword?  But how-"
     "Figure it out on your own," Zarela ordered, piercing the monster's chest
and pushing the full length of the sword in.  The wound gouted black, viscous
blood and Kali coughed the same.  "I had a hard time understanding it all
myself."
     Kali clutched at the blade hilt protruding from her chest with her two
remaining arms.  Zarela let go and the gasping Kali stumbled forwards and fell
headlong into the gaping hole in the floor.
     "Zarela... You..." Mika mouthed.  She stopped there, not knowing what else
to say.
     The Holy Knight favored them with a warm smile.  "Alexandros was getting
kinda fond of you.  I couldn't leave you by yourselves, could I?" she said by
way of explanation regarding her timely rescue.
     "But Alexan... I mean, your sword is..."
     Zarela looked down at the ragged opening from where debris was still
falling.  Her eyes narrowed slightly as the wind whipped her golden tresses about
her face.  "He wanted a reunion anyway," she said cryptically.  She turned. 
"We'd better go see about the others."
     Mika nodded, still a little boggled by Zarela's sudden turn of mood.
     The knight paused and turned to the small chemist.  "One question."
     "Hm?" Mika said, wondering what it could be.
     Zarela rubbed at the backside of her armor, squinting slightly.
     "How in Ashgard did you get past those infernal orb thingies?" she demanded.
"My hair's singed and my butt *still* stings from all those spells."
     Mika stared at her.  "What?  But... you mean... you saved us... Kali...
Orbs... you didn't-?"
     She couldn't help it; Mika fell over, laughing despite herself at the sheer
ridiculousness of the situation.
     Zarela sniffed.  "Oh, grow up."

                         -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Davin choked as the purple-black sphere appeared around him, squeezing 
him savagely. It faded away and he staggered, almost falling to his knees.
     "White Wind!" Pearl called, and a sparkling breeze washed over all of them, 
forcing new life into Davin's exhausted body. Pulling himself upright, he 
watched Diablos hover above them, readying another attack.
     "Devastation of my enemies, come in forms of light ethereal! Matra
Missile!"  Stine shouted, and a familiar flock of bright streaks shot overhead.
Too big to dodge, Diablos roared as he was wreathed in explosions.
     Davin gritted his teeth. As long as Diablos was hovering out of reach,
sword techniques were useless. Which left... "Blade of wind, shear the threads
that bind spirit and flesh!  Kamaitachi!"
     The sharp-edged wave of wind slashed through the air, slamming into the 
demon and dissipating without any visible effect. Diablos hissed in pain, though,
and gestured toward Davin. Another energy sphere surrounded him, crushing him
from all sides... and then another... and then another...
     "Matra Missile!" Pearl cried, and more flashes of light hurtled past to
strike Diablos. The great demon swung around to face Pearl... leaving Stine right 
behind it.
     "Crimson breath of dragons past, converge and strike forth with ancient
fury!  Flame Thrower!"  A torrent of red-white flame poured from Stine's mouth, 
enveloping Diablos in a searing cloud.
     "Impudent Mortals!" Diablos boomed. "GRAND TRAIN!"
     Ribbons of absolute blackness leapt out from the demon's clawed hands, 
swallowing all three companions in waves of devouring energy. Davin's knees 
buckled; as he fought to hold himself up with his sword, he dimly saw Pearl and
Stine reeling under the assault. The tearing, crushing sensations just seemed to
go on, and on, and on...
     When the crushing blackness finally lifted, Davin tried to get up and found 
that his muscles refused to obey him. _Damn it, if Marcine were here..._ He
glared at the demon, laughing triumphantly in front of him. It couldn't end this
way.
     Could it?
     "And Now, Time To Finish This." Diablos gestured again. "GRAND TRAIN!"
     Davin heard Pearl's cry of "White Wind!" and felt the healing energies
sweep over him once more, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. He used his 
returned strength to leap to his feet and charge anyway, a last gesture of 
useless defiance...
     "GRAND TRAIN!" Stine bellowed to his right. Davin faltered, blinking at 
Stine. It couldn't be--
     But as the malevolent ribbon leapt from Diablos's hands, a smaller but 
equally menacing lookalike sprang from Stine's. The two ribbons collided head-on,
and the energy arcs reaching outward toward Davin and Pearl whipped back, fusing
into a glowing, violet-edged rope of darkness connecting the Beastmaster and the
demon.
     Davin stared, awestruck. Stine gritted his teeth, falling to one knee and 
bracing himself against the ground. The Muscle Belt shone brightly in the storm
of energy.
     Diablos's shriek rent the air with blood-chilling force, pain and anger and 
hatred combining into an unearthly sound none of them had ever heard him make
before. As Davin and Pearl watched in amazement, Diablos was forced down out of
the sky by the crackling storm of energy, until he nearly touched the ground. The
great demon's form wavered, starting to warp and bend like jet-black putty.
     Davin shook himself. "Now!" he shouted to Pearl, but she was already
moving, her scythes a silver blur as she plowed into the demon's legs. Davin was
only an instant behind, slashing at Diablos's smooth black hide. The Ashura Blade
tore through the demon's skin with surprising ease, dripping black shadow as it
swung and ripped again.
     "Look out!" Pearl cried, and Davin looked up to see Diablos's taloned hand 
whistling down in a disemboweling sweep. No time to get out of the way, no 
shield to interpose--
     _Armor give way to unstoppable seed of death--_
     "SHATTER!" Davin cried, because there was no time to say the rest, and met 
the claw head-on with his sword. The hand smashed into fragments of inky 
blackness, hurtling harmlessly past him. The noise Diablos made was simply 
indescribable.
     But if Diablos's current state left him softer-skinned than before, it was
still clear that he wouldn't be defeated so easily. The scattered blots of
darkness shot upward as they passed Davin, reforming into a hand as they flew
back to the demon's arm.
     Davin exchanged looks with Pearl before they turned their attention to
Stine.  The Beastmaster was trembling with the effort of holding himself upright,
his jaw clenched and muscles standing out with the strain. Clearly, he wouldn't 
last much longer... and when he fell, the energies weakening Diablos would 
almost certainly dissipate.
     Reaching this conclusion at the same moment, Pearl and Davin began 
battering Diablos with furious desperation. Pearl's scythes danced and whirled,
and the Ashura Blade sliced, split, slashed, stabbed, skewered, shattered and
severed... but it wasn't enough, and both of them knew it. If only he had a more
powerful technique...
     ...but he had, didn't he? He'd sworn never to use it, remembering the first 
time, the blood on his hands...
     But this time, if he didn't, the blood would be Marcine's. Hers and the 
world's.
     Davin made his choice.
     "Mindless charge into the fray..." he whispered. "No mercy unto the enemy, 
decapitate and destroy, bring sudden end to life, shortened sweetness sighing
away..."
     As he spoke, the shadows welled up in him.
     "_Slaughter._"
     It wasn't like last time. There was no consuming rage, only determination
as cold and sharp as the Ashura Blade. Colours dimmed and faded, turning the 
world into razored grey and black.
     Davin's sword whirled and struck, riding the shadows, flickering, dancing,
a dozen blows in each severed heartbeat, as Diablos howled...
     His vision cleared, life and light flooding back in, and he gathered that
up and threw it all into a final attack.
     "HOLY BLADE!" He leapt, glowing sword thrust forward, and Diablos recoiled 
with a rending scream--
     --then, as the tip of the Ashura Blade met the demon's body, Diablos 
_flowed_ back, into a ball, and exploded. A black swarm flapped and rushed at
Davin, glancing off the Holy Blade's protective aura.
     Davin hit the ground, fighting not to stumble, and looked up. The mass of 
chittering batlike things which had been Diablos circled and swooped overhead.
Then they gathered themselves in a huge cloud and rushed away, the sky
brightening behind them.
     He made his way over to Stine, who was getting up with assistance from 
Pearl. The Beastmaster looked much the worse for wear, and his movements were
stiff and painful, but his eyes shone as proudly as ever.
     "Truly, 'twas a glorious battle," Stine rumbled. "Yon beast will not
trouble us again soon, methinks."
     "Hold still," Pearl scolded, reaching into a pouch for white sand.
     Davin grinned. "That was some show you put on. I've never seen anything 
like it before."
     Stine nodded gravely. "That doth make two of us," he replied. "Thy
finishing blow was worthy of--"
     "Thanks. But it's not over yet." Davin turned, casting his eyes down at the 
Worldtree's crater below. "We'd better get back to the ship.  If the others did
their jobs, the Excelsior should be able to mop up the remaining airships with no
trouble."
     He couldn't allow himself to be distracted now.  There was a job to do.