Disclaimer: Shining Force will never be mine. How
cruel life is.

An Alternate Shining Force story

Distant Realities:
by Darksoar

Chapter Five

It was dark.

Black as pitched night.

And for the life of her, Mae was beyond confused. In
fact, she couldn�t fathom how she got there in the
first place. What was worse, she didn�t have any idea
why she was there or what she was doing before. She
was quite certain that something had happened to her,
but she couldn�t quite remember the specifics. The
memory was there, she could sense it like a dull,
lurking presence in the back of her mind. However,
trying to get a hold of it was much like attempting to
grasp air.

Looking around, she noticed that wherever she was, it
wasn�t one room or even one building. This dark place
seemed to be endless in length. Mae couldn�t help but
pause at that thought. Was it possible she was the
only living being in this place? Panic began to make
its appearance when she considered that idea, but her
military discipline firmly stomped it down. Forcing
herself to relax, she looked down at her body.

All at once, two interesting things occurred to her
simultaneously.

One, she could see her feet! Okay, well, make that her
entire body. Lifting her hand up, she closely examined
it. It seemed normal, except that her skin gleamed
with a faint whitish glow. Mae voiced the first thing
that popped up in her head when she saw it.

�Magic?� She wondered out loud. But almost immediately
after, she decided against that hypothesis. �I�m a
knight, not a mage,� she declared firmly, glad to have
at least remembered that. Mae blinked; how did she
manage that? Perhaps... With an effort, she wracked
her mind, trying to pull forth more memories. Then,
when it seemed that she was going to develop a
migraine, the blockage was pierced in a couple of
place. When that happened, more memories came forth.
She concentrated and finally called forth a ghostly
image that she found familiar. A tall, red-haired
attractive elf in robes, with a ready smile and an
uplifting laugh. Mae had a strong feeling that she
knew this person, but she couldn�t quite grasp it.

Being a practical sort, she shoved it away for later
contemplation, should she regain more of her memories
in the future.

The second interesting thing was that she was in full
armor. �Okay,� she said, trying to make sense of it.
�Normally I don�t wear full armor everyday. The only
times when I do are only when I�m training or going
out on patrol.�

At the word �patrol�, a flurry of images suddenly
flashed through her mind. She saw a two relatively
young men, one almost a foot and a half taller than
the other, fiercely engaged in a sword fight. She
suddenly remembered them: Musashi and Luke, two of her
best friends from the Guardiana Academy.

Then came three girls, two close to each other and one
standing off to the side. But yet all three seemed
friendly towards each other. The tall, red-haired elf
was back; Tao. A slightly shorter blonde with a gentle
smile; Khris. Another elf, this one with a serious
look on her face and a quiet, yet focused spirit;
Dianne.

An older male centaur with a white beard, noble
features, and a familiar face. He radiated love,
honor, loyalty and duty. Father, Captain Varios. More
images then appeared. Various different male centaurs,
whom her rapidly returning memory recognized as
members of a Guardiana patrol. With each image came
with a name. Tarks, Gallen, Crez, Gaen, Parran,
Needson . . .

With Needson�s name brought a horrifying thing to
view. It showed the private and a bigger, differently
armored centaur with a black lance locked in mortal
combat. It showed the young Knight being quickly
overpowered by his enemy and suffered a fatal wound to
his chest. Mae then saw herself challenging Needson�s
killer in a charge that ended in her being skewered
through her armor.

Shocked, astonished, fearful and disbelief coursing
through her, that memory proved too much for her. A
frantic wail of denial burst forth from her mouth.

�NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!�

She began crying for Needson and herself and for
everyone she would never see again. She cried because
she had no other way of dealing with what she
remembered. She cried and realized that she hadn�t
done so ever since she was ten years old. She slowly
crumpled to her knees and covered her tearing eyes
with her gloved hands.

Mae didn�t know how long she remained in that
position, sobbing. What she did know was that when a
soft, gentle hand laid itself lightly on her right
shoulder, it startled her enough that she stopped
sobbing. A strangely familiar female voice, presumably
the owner of the hand, said in a soothing and
comforting tone.

�Are you all right, Mae sweetie?�

Eyes suddenly widening, Mae turned her head and saw
someone she thought she would never see again. This
particular person had been one of two cornerstones in
Mae�s life. When she had abruptly disappeared, it had
taken a long time for Mae to recover from that loss.
In the barest hint of a whisper, the daughter of
Varios asked one question in an unsteady voice.

�M-mo-momma?�

*****************************************

�This for Mae-san! I, Musashi Yojimbo kill you,
bakemono!� (1)

An enraged Musashi, having seen Mae�s opponent impale
his weapon into her upper chest, leapt to engage
Pavash. His horse had been slain by a thrown lance, so
he challenged the leader of the Runefaust force on
foot.

Surprised at the smaller man�s speed, the Rune Knight
hastily snapped his bloody lance up to block a head
cut. He lifted the blunt end of the lance and jabbed
it down towards the human�s chest.

But clever Musashi had already spun around in a full
circle, shifting his stance just so that end of the
lance merely brushed by his mail shirt. He scored a
solid hit on Pavash�s right upper arm, yet due to the
resilient armor could not penetrate.

Gritting his teeth against the pain generated by the
impact, the Rune Knight backed away to gain more room.
But Musashi followed him every step, thrusting and
slicing aggressively.

For the warrior, he knew instinctively that the
centaur was much physically stronger than he was. In
addition, his enemy had the advantage of height and
reach. Wielding a lance just further increased his
range of attacks, so Musashi strove to stay close and
keep him on the defensive. His only decisive leverage
was his superior speed and his sword was the better
weapon in close combat.

However, Pavash�s full armor protected all his vital
areas and decreased the chances of a fatal or
distracting injury. Luckily, Musashi had sparred with
Mae and other Guardiana Knights countless of times.
Thus, he was knowledgeable on the correct way of
fighting with a centaur, and his burning desire to
avenge his dear friend drove him to a merciless
flurry.

But the leader of the Runefaust forces was no stranger
to combat himself. Pavash spun his lance clockwise and
counterclockwise, whenever the situation called for
it, neatly parrying every attack. He used the length
of his weapon to swipe at his human opponent, forcing
Musashi back several times.

While Musashi was engaging the apparent leader of the
Runefaust force, Calbridge, who had been the closest
one, had acted. Apparently fearing for Mae�s life, he
mercilessly attacked the lizardman he was fighting.
The lieutenant deflected a slash so fiercely that his
foe�s sword had flown to the side, leaving him wide
open. Instantly seizing the opportunity, Calbridge
hoofed him between the legs. While the lizardman was
bent over, moaning with pain, the centaur knight ended
his misery with a final thrust through the chest.

Immediately withdrawing his weapon, he left his place
in line and reached his subordinate�s side as quickly
as he could. Pulling a long, white towel from his belt
with both hands, he wound it up and then applied it to
her mortal wound. �Healer!� Calbridge shouted in the
air, looking around frantically for Khris. At the same
time, he placed a clenched hand under the reddenning
cloth and rolled a small, silver ball around in the
all too bloody part of Mae�s chest.

�Healer!� Calbridge shouted again, and maneuvered the
silver ball back into his closed hand. Seeing Khris
dashing towards them on her horse from the corner of
his eye, he withdrew his fist and slid it between the
layers of the folded tower. His actions made it seem
as if he had been applying pressure to the corporal�s
wound.

Khris never noticed his motions; her attention was
completely on her friend. She was nearly frantic in
her worry for the female centaur that she nearly fell
off her horse in her haste. �Remove the cloth,� she
ordered tartly. When Calbridge had done so, her face
went pale, but she did not lose control of herself at
the overwhelming sight. Despite her young age, Khris
was one of the more skilled healers in all of
Guardiana.

Calbridge stood up and threw the bloodied cloth away.
With a flat emotionless voice he stated, �I am going
to kill that bastard.� He retrieved his lance from
where it lay and headed off in the direction of
Pavash�s duel with Musashi. In the heat of battle, no
one saw him place something inside his belt pouch.

Meanwhile, Luke finished off his last goblin opponent
and looked around. He saw Khris�s vulnerable position
and immediately guided his horse to her side. He stood
guard, keeping a close watch and making sure she
wasn�t bothered. Upon seeing Mae�s wound, he became
deeply concerned, but he knew Khris would do
everything in her power to save their favorite female
centaur.

�Mae, please hang on, I�m right here,� she begged,
blocking out the sounds of the battle and then forced
herself to clinically examine her friend�s condition.

Mae was very near death�s door. The Runefaust Knight�s
lance had penetrated her armor, impaled her in the
upper right chest area, and exited out through her
shoulder blade. Thankfully, it had just missed the
lungs, but it had severed several arteries, snapped
the collarbone in half, and fractured her shoulder
blade. Khris had just barely avoided throwing up when
she had seen how much blood was gushing from both
ends. But one of her best friends was dying in front
of her eyes. She would not allow that to happen! With
great determination, she placed both of her hands over
the injury and channeled her ability.

She started chanting the spell. �Clericus targen othyr
centurus athan,� she paused feeling the buildup of
power within. �Heal!� she completed, releasing the
energy directly into the wound.

Her hands started to a steady blue, and the wounded
area also began to glow. Almost immediately, blood
stopped spurting out. Torn muscles stretched out to
each other and mended themselves back together again.
The horrifying wound began to slowly close and get
smaller. When it was less than a quarter of its
original size, Khris came out of her healing trance,
and the blue glow faded away. Luke looked at her and
asked, �Are ya awl right, lass? Will d� corp�ral be
fine?�

Perspiring due to the effort of healing Mae, Khris
nodded. �Yes, she�ll be fine, apart from being
unconscious for a few days. I wish I could heal her
fully, but others might need my help,� she replied,
feeling very drained. Healing Mae had taken a great
deal of energy. Kneeling for a few seconds, she sought
to recover some of her strength back. However, she
knew instinctively that the other knights needed her
help, so she rose to her feet slowly yet resolutely.

�Keep watch over her,� she ordered the dwarf, though
he didn�t need to be told. Turning her attention to
the battle in front of her, she got on her horse,
seeking out her next patient.
*****************************************

This pest was trouble, admitted Pavash.

So far the Rune Knight was kept almost entirely on the
defensive as this Musashi continuously attacked him.
Though Pavash trusted his armor to keep him safe, he
was not foolhardy enough to test it against his foe�s
sharp blade.

Long experienced in the ways of battle, Pavash knew
that the human could not attack indefinitely. Sooner
or later, he would slow down due to exhaustion and
then he would be susceptible to Pavash�s assault. A
vengeful grin formed at the thought of slaying him and
then finishing off the rest of the Guardiana fools.

However, luck was not on the Rune Knight�s side today.
As he jabbed repeatedly at Musashi, Pavash suddenly
caught sight of a Guardiana knight striding purposely
towards his battle with the human. Inwardly cursing,
Pavash knew that he could not stand against the two of
them at once. Hating the thought of retreating, but
knowing it was necessary, Pavash quickly retreated,
thrusting quickly with his black lance to keep the
human back.

It was time.

Before Musashi could dash forward, Pavash held his
blood stained weapon aloft in the air, visualized what
he needed, and called out a single word.

�Evoke!�

In an instant, the tides turned.

In a shimmering of light from Pavash�s black lance,
reinforcements arrived. Twelve more Rune Knights,
eight lizardmen, and a single Dark Mage appeared
around the Runefaust commander. The odds had
unexpectedly shifted in the Runefaust forces favor.

Captain Varios and his men, who had held the upper
hand in the fight, were shocked and dismayed by the
sudden turn of events. The remnants of Pavash�s band,
instead of renewing their efforts against their foes,
unexpectedly turned and retreated towards their
reinforcements. It was a wise decision for them,
because out of twelve centaurs, four were dead and
five others were seriously wounded. Only three of the
lizardmen were still standing, and all of the goblins
had been wiped out.

The Guardiana Knights knew better than to foolhardily
chase after their enemies. By now, they had spotted
the new arrivals and suspected some sort of magical
teleportation. Things looked bleak for them at the
moment.

Cursing soundly, the suddenly outnumbered Musashi
turned around and started running back towards his
companions. Calbridge had already started doing so.
With a bloodthirsty cry, the Runefaust reinforcements
surged forward.

Tao, seeing that Musashi and possibly the lieutenant
would not make it back to their lines, knew that she
had to buy them some time. Turning in the direction of
the oncoming new arrivals, she muttered, �Mah zin tor
ah pyre! Blaze Level Two!�

Just behind the retreating pair, a fiercely hot rain
of fire fell from midair. It hit the ground and
quickly burned into a wall of flame, feeding off the
healthy grass. The pursuers were forced to halt their
chase, else they be burned alive. The human and the
centaur safely reached their companions and began
getting their breath back.

Meanwhile, Khris was rapidly casting her Heal spell on
the more seriously wounded. The other lightly injured
took this short break to choke down the bitter tasting
healing herbs every Knight carried with him. These,
among other effects, lessened the pain, slowed the
bleeding, and speeded up recovery of such injuries.

Lieutenant Calbridge addressed his superior. �Captain
Varios, we should retreat! We are outnumbered!�

The captain had already reached a similar conclusion.
He muttered under his breath, knowing that he had less
than a minute to make a decision before Tao�s spell
dissipated completely. It would take the
reinforcements too long reach them before they were
annihilated. Swearing, he addressed his troops, �Men,
against all proper logic, I am NOT ordering a full
retreat!� None of the Knights said anything; they had
expected such a type of command from him.

Abruptly heartened by the lack of protests or by the
lack of shocked disbelief on any face, Varios
continued. �As I said before, all of you know well as
I do the dangerous risk of leaving the Gates of the
Ancient to these invaders. Though I do not know the
specifics, I do know that abandoning the Gates will be
the greatest and possibly the last mistake that the
world Of Rune will ever know. I do no intend for that
to happen, not on my watch!�

Several grunted agreements made themselves known from
the Knights. Motivated by a fierce sense of honor and
duty, Mae�s father balled his left hand into a fist
and slammed the butt of his lance into the ground
forcefully.

�Our primary duty as Knights of Guardiana is to
protect the land and the lives of Guardiana�s
citizens. Today, we shall fulfill that duty to it�s
finest! Though we may be outnumbered, though we may
perish on the field, we must keep them Runefaust
bastards from fouling this holy shrine with their
vulgar hands. We must fight on, fight on till our last
breath, to prevent a possible Apocalypse! ARE YOU WITH
ME!?� Varios lifted his lance in the air, trying to
rally his men.

A split second of silence followed, then...

Luke swung his middle-axe in a arc above his head and
shouted, �FOR GUARDIANA!�

Everyone else followed his example by raising their
respective weapons in the air. �FOR GUARDIANA!�

Musashi held his sword aloft vertically. �FOR THE
KING!�

�FOR THE KING!�

As one, the Guardiana soldiers formed a single line,
chanting an old battle hymn to lift their spirits.
Varios narrowed his eyes, regarding the enemy line.
Turning his attention to Tao and Khris, he quickly
spoke in a hard, determined, not-to-be-questioned tone
of voice. The tone of command.

�You two, I want to fall back. It will be extremely
confusing and dangerous once we hit them, so you won�t
have any time to heal or do magic. I know you want to
fight with your friends, but I have a personal
request.� Waiting for their nod, he continued.

�Watch over my daughter as best you can, and as long
as possible. Wait for our reinforcements to arrive,
they should be here in the next half-hour or possibly
earlier. I feel it in my gut. Are my orders clear?�

Clearing their faces of any protest, both of them
snapped a decent approximation of a salute, their
faces full of grim determination. Without a word, they
surrendered their horses to Musashi and Dianne, both
who had lost their own earlier. Nodding partly in
relief and partly in resignation, he snuck a quick
glance at his unconscious daughter.

�I will see you again, my child, I swear it,� he
thought with a father�s passion.

With that, the captain turned to face the enemy line.
Sensing the tensed anticipation of all his men, he
pointed his lance forward and shouted, �CHARGE!�

With their weapons at the ready, they dashed towards
their enemy.

*****************************************
�What are those fools doing? They can�t be charging!�

�Wellthh, theythh wanthh a quickethh deathhh letth
uthh obligthh themm,� suggested C�rees as a eager
gleam for battle filled his eyes. Nodding in reply,
Pavash said, �Let us answer their last moments of
life. Soldiers of Runefaust, CRUSH THEM!�

The combined force of centaurs and lizardmen responded
to the order and dashed towards the incoming Guardiana
company.

*****************************************

On her horse, the world seemed to slow down for
Dianne. A superb marksman, she was well acquainted
with archery on horseback. The constant minor jarring
from her running horse did little to decrease her
accuracy.

Knowing that her arrows would do little harm to the
Runefaust knights, she concentrated on the lizardmen.
One had already fallen from his horse with an arrow in
his chest. Nocking another of the wooden shafts, she
focused in on her second target. Sighting along the
arrow, the elf Ranger allowed adjustment for the
jolting and let fly.

The arrow covered the distance from the elf to her
green-skinned target in a split second. With a death
wail, the lizardman clutched uselessly at the shaft
suddenly protruding smack in the middle of his
forehead. Letting go of the reins, he fell gracelessly
off his horse, only to be mercilessly trampled by a
uncaring Runefaust Knight.

Making some rapid mental calculations, the elf Ranger
judged that there was enough distance remaining for
one more shot. As she quickly fitted an arrow to her
long bow, one of the lizardmen decided to retaliate.
He reached into his weapon belt and withdrew a
hatchet. Taking only a second to aim, he cocked his
arm back and threw it at her.

The small throwing axe tumbled end over end in a
blinding whirl as it flew towards the female elf,
directly on target.

Reacting quicker than practically anyone else could,
Dianne shifted her aim slightly and fired. Incredibly,
her missile flew directly towards the whirling
hatchet. As a rotation of the small axe was about to
complete, with the bladed end upright, the arrow
struck the wooden handle and instantly shattered it.
This new force deflected the hatchet from its present
course and caused it to fly harmlessly to the side.

While that was happening, Dianne had already fired a
second arrow towards the axe thrower. He tried to
dodge it, but unfortunately his reflexes weren't as
fast as Dianne�s. The lizardman was propelled
backwards off his saddle, struck squarely in the side.

A small grin made an appearance on Dianne�s face as
she briefly acknowledged that first impossible shot
she had made. But that didn�t last long because the
two opposing lines were about to collide with each
other. Tossing her bow away behind her, she drew her
short sword and readied herself.

*****************************************

With a loud crunching of metal and screams of sudden
pain and death, the two opposing forces crashed into
each other. Riders were thrown off their horses,
centaurs knocked each other down, and general chaos
ensued.

Getting to his feet after being knocked off his horse,
Luke hefted his axe in his hands as he looked around
in the confusion of the battle. He spotted a lone
Runefaust knight about to deal a deathblow to a downed
Guardiana centaur, who was bleeding from a chest wound
profusely. With an outraged roar, the hardy dwarf�s
muscled legs pumped hard and he swung his axe low.

With a loud, pained oath, the Runefaust knight felt
the thick axe blade cut through the armor and
completely shear off his left hind leg. The loss of
that one limb sent him collapsing to the grass,
leaving him in shock as he felt his lifeblood gush out
from his stump. Then he felt nothing at all when a
second swing beheaded him.

�Err, laddie, ye awl right? Ye gotta be quick and take
yer �ealing �erb.� Luke spared a look for the young
centaur as he stood guard over him.

But his temporary charge gazed at his rescuer and
smiled one last smile. �Th-thank you...Sir,� he
managed to gasp out before dying from a pierced lung.

War was cruel and unkind.

Luke snarled viciously, then prepared to take out his
fury on those who deserved it.

After scanning the battle around him, he�d found a
convenient perfect punching bag. The dwarf warrior
spotted a lizardman who wore the colors of a
commanding officer. He was locked in fierce combat
with a Guardiana Knight, whose name was Gallen.

What Gallen didn�t know was that two more lizardmen
were coming up quickly on his blind side.

Luke grinned in a way that, should any foe see it,
would have made them think twice before crossing the
formidable dwarf. He loved a challenge.

In a single, reckless move, Luke threw his axe with
all his might and then began running toward Gallen�s
position. One of the unsuspecting lizardmen turned his
head to the side just in time to see the axe before it
nailed him squarely in the face. His fellow lizardman
just looked dumbly at the sudden death of his friend
and was suddenly tackled to the ground by two hundred
and sixty pounds of warrior dwarf.

His face locked in a sincere grin, Luke pummeled away
eagerly at the lizardman�s face with his mailed fists.
Said foe could not bear the raw strength of the
dwarf�s blows and was soon unconscious. His blood
pounding, the dwarf snatched the lizardman�s sword
from his hand and drove into the chest up to the hilt.

Seeing that Gallen could take care of himself, Luke
stood up and went to retrieve his weapon. With a loud
(and sickening) crack of bone, the young dwarf yanked
it free and looked for his next foe.

*****************************************

Corporal Gallen was in the hardest battle of his young
life. The lizardman he was facing was very skilled, as
well as faster and trickier than any other of his kind
the centaur had the misfortune to meet. It was a good
thing that Gallen had drilled much harder in weapons
use than any of the other centaur Knights stationed at
Guardiana. It was the only thing keeping him alive
against the fearsome axe of his opponent.

�Selth C�reess will kill youthh quickethh, no
worrietthh aboutthh thathh,� mocked the lizardmen
commander as he feinted a head swipe then turned it
into a descending chop. Corporal Gallen smacked it
aside with his lance, then leapt up and bent his
forelegs so that the axe barely missed them as it
passed through the open space. Using the extra force
given to him by gravity, the centaur landed on his
hooves with his lance jabbing downwards.

Selth, already recovered from his first attack, saw
him coming down and jumped back, whisking away his
tail from getting shorn off. Then he stepped forward
and swung his axe into a series of quick and tight
swings, aiming for the upper body of the centaur.

However, Gallen neatly deflected every attack as he
worked his lance before him skillfully. Quick stepping
backwards, the Guardiana Knight began thrusting and
feinting at C�rees, using the increased distance to
effectively counter attack.

Taken by surprise at the change of tactics, Selth
C�rees barely dodged one of the thrusts. Instead of
tearing through his upper arm, he received a shallow
gash. Growling in fury, Selth leaped forward and swung
his weapon.

Gallen�s eyes widened as he hastily brought his lance
up to block the unexpected attack. A loud metallic
clang sounded as the thick middle of the sturdy lance
withstood the cleaving force of the axe. However, the
centaur�s defense wasn�t fully in place. The swing of
the axe overcame the lance�s stable position. The
remaining momentum was enough for the axe to knock the
lance away and cut through armor, skin, and muscle of
Gallen�s right arm.

As blood spurted from the wound, Gallen cried out in
agony. It seemed like a thousand bees were stinging
him there at the same time. Although his arm dangled
uselessly, he managed to keep enough of a presence of
mind to keep a hold on his lance with the other. He
quickly backed off, knowing that the lizardman would
rush him. It looked extremely bad for him, because he
couldn�t use his weapon effectively with only one
hand. Fear for his mortality gripped him, freezing him
on the spot.

Grinning cruelly at his huge advantage, Selth dashed
in for the kill, axe raised over his shoulder. He
never noticed someone else�s presence behind him until
it was too late.

*****************************************

Musashi and Dianne were fighting back to back,
guarding each other�s blind areas. They had lost their
borrowed horses (yet again) and were forced to fight
on foot. A Runefaust Knight lay dead at their feet,
but both man and female elf had a number of small
wounds. It was only a matter of time before fatigue
and exhaustion caught up with them.

Things did not look good. Musashi was facing off
against a Runefaust Knight and Dianne had to deal with
two lizardmen. Worse for the two, they had fought a
battle already, while their opponents were relatively
fresh.

As good with a blade Musashi was, his opponent was
proving to be a handful. The Runefaust Knight was
armed with a long sword and was on the defensive. The
swordsman hacked and jabbed, but the centaur�s
parrying kept him alive. Musashi pressed on however,
knowing that he would get through eventually.

Dianne was kept on her toes by the constant assualt by
both of the lizardmen she faced. Although certainly
she was better in swordplay than any of the lizardmen,
she was pressed hard by this efficient double team.
She knocked a low thrust away, then on the return
barely parried a slice.

Sweating heavily, the elf Ranger knew that she
couldn�t rely on Musashi for help. He was occupied
with his own problems. She realized that she would
have to somehow win this by herself.

A downward parry saved her leg from being slashed
through; then her sword fanned left to right deflected
a stab to the heart. Dianne continued to work
furiously, turning aside strike after strike. Her arms
began to ache; she knew that she could not keep up
this pace for long. She would have to do something
quick before her stamina ran out. And that something
would have to be very brilliant.

The lizardmen then fell into a conventional pattern.
Where one�s attack ended, the other�s begun. Seeing
that this was a the chance she was looking for, Dianne
quickly formed a desperate plan that might just work.

Measuring their movements carefully, she waited for an
opening and finally got it. After she knocked away a
high swing, she quickly stepped forward and spun a
full one hundred and eighty degrees. During that spin,
she snatched a dagger from her belt. The finishing of
that maneuver had her standing face to face with a
surprised lizardman. Then death glazed over his eyes
as he fell backwards, a victim of a sudden dagger
thrust.

Of course Dianne wasn�t wasting time by watching him
die, she was already attacking the remaining
lizardman. Fueled by the frustration of being ganged
up on, she took out her anger on him through a
ceaseless flurry. Now, with one on one, all things
considered in terms of skill, Dianne just plain
overwhelmed him. After seven meetings of their blades,
the Ranger was already turning away, seeking to aid
Musashi with his opponent.

Only to find out that he was facing her, with a dead
centaur lying on the ground behind him, obviously
about to attempt the same thing. They grinned briefly
at each other then went to see if they could kill more
enemies.

*****************************************

The Guardiana soldiers fought bravely and brilliantly.
Although fairly outnumbered, each member took their
own respectable toll on the enemy. Several small
victories were won. But, alas, the larger fight was
far from winnable. As if mental contact with each
other, the Runefaust force pressed their foes in,
herding them all together into one spot.

Surrounding the blood spattered remnants of the
Guardiana patrol, their enemies formed a ring around
them.

Corporal Gallen winced at the wounds he had received
from C�rees. If the dwarf hadn�t charged in when he
had, the young centaur Knight knew that he would have
certainly died. He took stock of the situation while
hastily chewing on a healing herb.

His heart sank in sudden depression and grief as he
only spotted Captain Varios, Lieutenant Calbridge, and
seven other knights. Shaking his blonde topped head
slowly, Gallen couldn�t believe it. Out of a patrol of
twenty-five centaurs, not even half remained standing!
He prayed fervently that there were other survivors
who were just knocked out or too badly wounded too
stand.

Fortunately, it seemed that most of Varios�s
handpicked command crew were still alive. The dwarf
(who had saved his life), the elf Ranger, and the
slant eyed human warrior were all there. Although
covered with wounds and surely suffering from
exhaustion, they were still ready to continue
fighting.

�Any ideas?� Musashi asked under his breath.

�Go out in a blaze �er glory,� replied Luke
nonchalantly, as if facing certain death was nothing.
He threw both Dianne and Musashi a knowing wink, which
they returned, and all three of them got ready.
Further conversation was interrupted when the leader
of the Runefaust soldiers addressed them.

�Well, well, well my friends,� he began mockingly,
�you fought the good fight, but alas, it wasn�t
enough.� Without further adieu, he turned around and
added a few parting comments. �If you will excuse me,
I have something important to finish. Good mage, will
you accompany me?� Pavash gestured towards the sole
Dark Mage, who hadn�t participated in the battle at
all. The centaur had another use for him.

With an attitude that spoke volumes of cold
indifference, he noted Seth C�rees. Or what was
remained of him; his head was splattered like a melon.
�Well, I see C�rees really lost his head that time,�
he joked, shrugging disdainfully. Then he threw his
one last order to his men.

�Kill them.� 

*****************************************

Then it happened.

Before Pavash and the Dark Mage even took another two
steps forward, a miracle happened.

Out of thin air materialized a hail of flame, which
seemed focused on a part of the Runefaust forces. The
immediate effects were quite obvious.

The circle of centaurs and lizardmen quickly and
abruptly dissolved. All the unaffected soldiers,
confused by this unexpected attack, instinctively
distanced themselves from their burning comrades.
Those who were at the mercy of the firestorm dropped
and rolled over in the grass, trying to put it out.
Although only five of the Runefaust soldiers were
affected, paranoia and confusion were temporarily
widespread.

Of course, the enclosed Guardiana soldiers didn't let
this opportunity pass by. Dianne, Musashi and Luke led
the charge towards the weakest link of the circle.
Roaring battle cries, the remnant of the patrol
followed them.

Slamming down the unfortunate lizardman who happened
to be in his way, Luke chopped him down with his axe
and veered in the direction of a wounded Rune Knight.
Musashi followed him, as did Dianne. Captain Varios
led his knights as they abruptly wheeled around to
clash once again with the Runefaust force. Thanks to
the timely Blaze Level Two spell, the numbers were
more even. And during the brief respite, all of
Varios�s wounded men had taken healing herbs.

Reacting quickly, Calbridge broke away from his
position in line. "Captain, I�ll stop their leader!�
Without waiting for confirmation of his sudden
request, the brown haired centaur immediately galloped
away toward the ancient shrine.

Fighting down an urge to cuss, Varios quickly ordered
Gallen to go and aid the headstrong Lieutenant. He
himself took Gallen�s place in battle.

*****************************************

As the Blaze spell ran its course, Tao�s eyes rolled
up and she collapsed. Khris was there to catch her
friend and ease her descent to the soft grass. The elf
wizard had exhausted the last of her energy in casting
the spell at a distance of fifty feet. But this time
however, Khris herself had taxed her healing energy
too much, so she settled in to watch the ensuing
battle and also over her two unconscious friends Mae
and Tao.

All she could do now was hope for the best.

*****************************************

Running full out, never hesitating once, Pavash
struggled to at least complete his mission. Inside he
burned with an embarrassed rage; even with
reinforcements, he was virtually on the brink of
failure! He instinctively knew that someone would be
chasing him, so he poured on the speed.

When the two of them finally reached the Gate of the
Ancients, the Dark Mage lost no time in dismounting,
and coming to a halt before the locked oak doors, he
immediately began a spell. Wheeling around, Pavash
impatiently spun his lance before him as he waited for
the mage to open the door with his magic. As he saw
the form of a single Guardiana Knight approaching at
an alarming speed, he growled, �Hurry it up, you
blasted fool! They�re almost here!� Some distance
behind the charging centaur, he saw another Guardiana
Knight.

Sweating profusely, the Dark Mage sang off the last
few words and pushed forward with both of his arms. A
reddish glow of magical energy shot forth from his
open palms and covered the doors like a thin, second
skin. A second later, the formidable obstacle had
simply disappeared into thin air, and the spell caster
slumped in weariness.

At seeing the door disappear, a blaze of thoughts ran
through Calbridge�s mind and he came to quick
conclusion. In order to increase his chances of
getting the full payment, he would have decrease then
number of foes he faced. With that in mind, he
instantly launched his lance with all the might he
could muster at Pavash.

An already alert Runefaust commander merely
sidestepped the incoming missile. Suddenly hearing a
thunk and following gasp of disbelieving pain, he
glanced quickly at the source. Only a brief appearance
of something that might have been guilt flickered in
his soul, then died quickly. Shrugging it off, he
raced through the open doorway to finish his last duty
to Runefaust.

Leaving behind the corpse of a lance impaled Dark
Mage.

*****************************************

�Damn, he�s already inside,� cursed Calbridge as he
raced against the ever increasingly difficult
opponent, time.

There! He had finally reached where the door had been.
Yanking his lance free from the Dark Mage�s body, he
rushed in after Pavash.

*****************************************

The next few events would start the shaping of an
unbelievable tale.

The Runefaust commander stepped inside the ancient
shrine. In a quick examination, nothing really stood
out. It seemed the Gate of the Ancients was built from
basic materials; flat, gray concrete floor and stone
walls and ceiling. Fifteen feet from the opened
entrance was another door, which was made of oak wood
as well. The major difference was that this door was
sealed shut with an extremely powerful magic, one that
no ordinary mage or sorcerer could ever hope to
unlock.

Another difference was that this door had a big,
square lock (without chain), attached to the front.
This enchanted lock also had the keyhole located on
the front, rather then the bottom.

Fortunately, Pavash came well prepared. His masters at
Runefaust had given him a very special, enchanted item
to use at this moment. With a victorious yell, aiming
for the keyhole, he charged forwards with all his
speed.

He was about three-fourths of the way to his final
destination, when Calbridge entered through the
doorway. Seeing that his opponent was about to reach
the keyhole before him, he grabbed the blood coated
silver ball and flung it with all his might.

Calbridge�s round projectile, as if having a magnetic
attraction to the keyhole, flew towards in a blink of
an eye. With a loud �clunk�, it fitted itself nicely
within the hole, nearly submerging half of its width.
This had happened so fast that Pavash could not stop
his approach in time, could not even yank his weapon
out of the way.

Pavash�s ebony lance was just behind it. When the
sharp tip made contact with the blood covered surface,
it sank in only up to a half of an inch, then stopped.
This sudden resistance made the Runefaust leader�s
grip on the lance to slide forward and the rest of
body followed. With a loud clanging noise, the butt of
the lance met his abdomen. Thankfully, his armor
cushioned the impact to a mere bump that sent him
staggering a few steps back.

Pavash didn�t really notice all that because a burst
of dark green magic exploded suddenly from his lance,
enshrouding the entire length of it. The force of the
discharge blew the nearby Pavash off his feet and
sending him crashing to the floor halfway across the
room. Calbridge was still at at the door way,
seemingly rooted to the spot at the sight before him.

It was best described as a clash of magics. As in
response to the black lance, the crimson painted ball
flashed a bright red aura. The inside of the shrine
brightened by the swirling of the two magical items,
as their innate magic seemed to try and overwhelm each
other. Shadows expanded and contracted as the energy
battle continued.

Then it seemed to reach a climax as both ball and
lance increased their light show ten times. Both
centaurs were forced away from the blinding flash.
Seemingly brighter than the sun itself, the light show
suddenly exploded outwards in a powerful blast of
conflicting energies.

The wave enveloped first Pavash, whose last thought
was �This wasn�t supposed to happen!�

Several feet behind him, Calbridge had barely freed
himself from the hypnotizing spectacle of the light
show and began retreating. He didn�t make it in time
though, before the destructive wave reached him. He
only had time to wonder if he would survive this so he
could get his payment.

Then the Gate of the Ancients exploded in a fiery
blaze of fire, smoldering wood, chipped cement and
stone, and lingering magical energies. 

*****************************************

At that instant, in an undisclosed location, a gray
haired old man with a beard looked up from where he
was writing on scroll.

�Hahaha! Well, Dark Sol old friend, it appears that
the opening move is in MY favor!�

His eyes briefly glowed a malevolent red, then went
back to normal. He returned to his work, chuckling in
satisfaction.

End Chapter Five

Rough Draft completed: November 6, 2004

Preliminary editing completed: November 6, 2004

Author Notes:

One of my most delayed chapters ever! Yay, thank
goodness it�s done! All I can say is that it took a
long time for my muse to work it�s way up from
wherever pit it fell into.

And now, a bit of bad news from me. Future chapters
will be a bit slower in production. No, RL is not
getting to me (I really make sure of that). I have
some other ideas that I want to put on pen and paper
(or keyboard and monitor). Rest assured that Chapter
Six will be written (or typed) in due time. I will
take on the dubious task of writing two different kind
of stories at once, or maybe three. Yup, the writing
bug has bitten me with a vengeance.

See ya in Chapter Six!



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