Never before had the Warriors of Light seen a more foreboding sight. The ruined, hulking mass of the Chaos Shrine, all fifty meters of it, stretched menacingly up into the night sky. Lightning flashed, serving both to announce an impending rainstorm and to further highlight the ominous scene. The Temple of Fiends, as it was also known, was once an enormous pyramid, but the top three floors had collapsed completely; the remnants creating a jagged pile of rubble that looked for all the world like a spiky crown. To continue the theme, the cavernous main entrance looked like a monstrous maw, ready to devour anyone foolish enough to enter. To either side of the archway stood a goblin pikeman in heavy copper armor. The contours of their uniforms were lined with cloth that was dyed a dark blue, signifying their status as elite guards. Regardless of their rank or experience, the conditions were not in their favor. The six approaching humans were invisible to the naked eye, and the burgeoning thunderstorm drowned out the sound of their footfalls. Almost in unison, the two guards pitched forward among a dark spatter of blood, stabbed in the back of their heads.

"Simple enough," Argus whispered.

Without another word, the adventurers closed rank and stepped reluctantly into the ancient ruins. On either side of the main entryway were a row of columns, few of which were completely intact. Although the crumbling edifice was still imposing, it likely paled in comparison to what must have existed thousands of years ago; when the cult that constructed the temple was at the height of its power. The pillars, like the huge walls outside, were hewn of gargantuan singular slabs of obsidian; an impossible feat for modern architects. While such constructs were not beyond the Lufenian Empire, the shrine predated the Sky People by almost fifteen hundred years. The Royal Archaeological Society had reached the consensus that magic must have been used in the temple's construction. There was no other possible explanation. The wide corridor stretched off into the darkness, the sparse torches lining the walls and pillars failed to provide sufficient lighting. There could have been anything hiding in the gloom, and there probably was.

"Which way?"Sarina queried softly as she flickered back into existence, her invisibility spell failing at last.

One by one, the others regained their opacity. Immediately to their right and left were smaller, more narrow corridors. They were in a worse state of repair than the main hallway, and even more poorly lit. Maduin glanced at both quickly, then turned to point down the main hall. "According to the map, there's an inner sanctum or whatever at the very center of the temple. If we follow this route straight ahead, it should take us to... what was it called? Anyway, it's the center of the shrine."

"And that's where the princess is?" Argus asked impatiently.

The monk shrugged. "How should I know? It's probably the easiest room to defend and-" He stopped abruptly as another pair of goblins clanked toward the entrance- apparently to relieve the guards the warriors had just dispatched.

Kelga muttered a curse under his breath and hurled a pair of throwing knives into the darkness. The imps fell with a crash, but they made no other sound. He turned to the leader. "If we're going to conference, I suggest we at least do it off to the side or something. Not right out in the open like this!"

Maduin nodded and shepherded the group to the west end of the corridor, where they crouched between a pillar and the wall. "Okay," he huffed. "Garland's in here somewhere, most likely close to the princess. I shouldn't need to remind you people that we avoid him if at all possible. That's why I want to check the central chamber last. I'd wager that's where both of them are, but I want to do a quick sweep of the rest of the ground floor. Remember the map. These auxiliary corridors snake around the perimeter of the temple. They swing by several dungeons that can't be counted out just yet. After all, Kelga wasn't able to check all of them."

"The four dungeons are in each of the corner towers," Kelga explained. "There's only one entrance to each of them, but they're surrounded by yet another small corridor. It shouldn't be hard to get in, assuming they aren't sealed from the inside. There's plenty of room to get the jump on any monsters in our way."

"I want us to split up." Maduin stated flatly. "Three of us will take the auxiliary corridor to the east and the other three will take the one to the west. Once we check the southern dungeons we'll head north and check the northern ones. From there we'll continue on towards the center. We'll meet up in the north of the shrine and head south into the inner chamber."

Gilles wheezed. "What if we find the princess? Or Garland? Or both?" The musty air wasn't agreeing with him.

"Don't do anything." Maduin ordered. "Stay out of sight and meet up with the rest of the group. We'll head back to nab the princess if that's the case. Again, avoid Garland like a plague."

Argus was swinging his sword at his own flickering shadow. "Who's going where?"

Maduin's face contorted in earnest thought. "...Argus, Sarina and Gilles. Take the east route. The rest of us will head west. Avoid patrols if possible. Take them out as quickly and quietly as you can if necessary." He motioned to Kelga and Duane. "Okay, let's move out."

Without another word, the six adventurers split into two groups of three and began moving away from each other.

"Okay, what's that noise?" Argus stopped dead in his tracks. The point position in their single file line, the two mages following him were obliged to do the same. He pointed his sword into the musty darkness. "What the hell is that?"

Humanoid shapes were shuffling up and down the passageway. Too tall to be goblins, too bulky to be skeletons. They looked like people, but their movements were slow and laborious. One by one, the shapes turned and started staggering towards the three. Their posture slouched backward in a way that looked painfully unnatural. Their arms were held out straight before them for balance.

"I sense no life in them," Sarina glowered at the gradually approaching creatures.

"That's because there isn't any." Gilles answered. As the shapes waddled into view, one could plainly see that he was right. They were human, or at least had been at one time. They were animated corpses, kept in a perpetual state of undeath by dark magic. Unlike the skeletons the group had faced previously, these shambling subhumans still retained most of their rotting flesh. Most likely recent victims of Garland's war, they were driven only by their desire to feed. They could sustain their bodies indefinitely with a steady supply of fresh meat, and three hearty kills stood before them here and now.

"Zombies," Sarina spat with contempt. "What a disgusting perversion of life this is! If there were such a thing as an ultimate sin, you're looking at it right now. These souls are trapped forever in a world of miserable pain and hunger."

"Uh, they're getting closer." Argus pointed out.

Gilles coughed. "They probably burn well." He gestured toward the approaching targets. "Shall I?"

"No," Sarina shook her head. "They're mine."

"What are you going to do?" Argus had spent more time with the white mage than any of the others. In all that time he had yet to see her attack in a way that didn't involve swinging a hammer. Although the zombies were desperately slow, their gaping jaws and vicious claws made melee combat very dangerous. A quick Fire spell probably was the way to go.

Sarina's response was in Divine. She began chanting a spell that Argus had never heard before. Sarina's aura flared up, just like it always did whenever she used magic, but all familiarity ceased there. From her outstretched hands shot a beam of searing white light. The beam dispersed to bathe every zombie in golden luminescence that looked not unlike sunlight. The zombies gasped and moaned as their rotting flesh was burned from their bones. In a few seconds it was all over, their naked skeletons had disintegrated before they even hit the ground.

"Wow," Argus whistled, impressed. "How come you've never used that spell before?"

Sarina didn't look jubilant. Her expression was still one of intense disgust. "That was Dia. I never use it because its utility is severely limited. It's really little more than concentrated sunlight, but the fragile flesh and bones of the undead possess a severe allergy to it."

"Very impressive, Sarina." Gilles agreed. "Let's continue."

"Find anything?" Maduin leaned against the doorway to the dungeon in the southeast tower.

"How do I look?" The thief grinned. He was wearing a tall, steepled hat very much like the one Gilles wore, only this one was crafted from sturdy leather instead of straw. He made his hands into claws and pointed them at Duane, who was on lookout. "Thunder! Bzzap!"

The monk rolled his eyes. "Anything else in there?"

Kelga doffed the hat. "Nope. I butchered a couple of big green dogs though. They were scary. Nothing else of interest. The cells were empty."

"Werewolves, probably." Duane was all business. "Hang on to that hat, Kelga. Gilles might want it."

"You mean he can change hats!?" Kelga gasped in mock astonishment.

"Come on," Maduin growled. "The others are expecting us."

"This one's locked too." Argus tugged on the heavy double doors, but to no avail. "That's one hell of a spell!"

"Is it the same enchantment?" Sarina was referring to the door of the dungeon in the southeast corner of the shrine. It had been sealed with powerful magic that neither the healer nor the wizard could dispel.

Gilles patted the door up and down. "Yeah," he grunted. "Same stuff. I've never seen anything like it. That's saying a lot, too. I'm a spellbreaker by vocation."

"You mean Garland did this?" Argus was incredulous. "He's a better enchanter than either of you? How are we supposed to get to the princess now?"

"The princess isn't behind these doors," Gilles muttered, annoyed.

"These seals have been in place for a very long time," Sarina explained indulgently. "Hundreds of years at least."

"There must be something really important inside, then!" Argus bounced up and down as he gave the handle another tug. "Maybe really awesome weapons or armor!"

"We'll never know, because we'll never open it!" Encountering magical phenomena beyond his understanding always put Gilles in a poor humor "Now let's go!"

"Any good swag in that one?" Maduin stood outside the northwest dungeon expectantly.

Kelga had returned with an armload. "Must have been a storeroom of some kind. I mean, yeah, it's a dungeon, obviously. But archaeologists must have left this here, since it isn't the kind of stuff goblins would use or undead would need."

"What is it?"

"I found a disposable tent and a bottle of healing potion. There wasn't anything else of use."

"What's that all over you?"

"Oh, this?" Kelga handed the goods to Maduin and started brushing himself off furiously. "Cobwebs. There was a huge freaking web in there. Kind of gross, really." He frowned as he glanced at Duane, who was standing there pointing at him. The red mage's mouth was agape and his eyes were wide. On top of that, his face was flushed of all color. "What's with you?"

Duane didn't say anything, he just started walking backwards.

Kelga and Maduin both turned to follow his gaze. Slowly descending from the ceiling was the largest spider any of them had ever seen. Its spindly legs were at least three meters in length and its bulbous, black abdomen was adorned with a fiery red spot in the shape of an hourglass. Eight red eyes focused on the three humans. The arachnid's primitive ganglion had concluded that they were full of delicious juices.

"Fry it," Maduin commanded in a hushed tone. "Duane, fry it now!"

Before the giant black widow touched down it was greeted with a large fireball. The spider made a rattling noise like broken glass as it fell to the ground. It thrashed briefly as it burned alive. Eventually, it folded up into a ball of legs and stopped moving. The spell completed, Duane spun around and vomited all over the temple floor.

"He really doesn't like spiders," Kelga explained.

"What took you guys so long?" Argus chided, good-naturedly.

"A better question would be how did you guys get here so quick?" Kelga looked genuinely confused. "I thought I was pretty damned efficient. I had to clean out the dungeons, you know."

"You mean you could get inside yours?"

"You mean you couldn't?"

"The southeast and northeast dungeons were sealed tight," Sarina explained. "We got here so quickly because we couldn't get inside. Not much to do in that case, you understand."

"Well, that does explain it," Maduin agreed. He nodded to Gilles. "I never thought a petty lock would stop you. You said both of them were sealed?"

"Maybe I should go have a look at them." Kelga offered.

"No, you don't understand." Sarina sighed. "They were sealed with magic. It wasn't Garland's doing, either, so the princess isn't there." She gestured down the south corridor. "That leaves one place we haven't looked."

"Yeah, I suspected as much," the white monk concurred. "Damn it, I don't like this. We didn't encounter anything but animal type monsters. Where are all the guards?"

Sarina nodded. "Yes, it does seem like Garland has entrusted temple security to dumb beasts. We ran into a pack of zombies and a couple of skeletons." She turned to Maduin and shrugged. "Maybe the bulk of his forces are at the front?" She offered hopefully. The sentiment was meant to be reassuring, but she didn't sound like she believed it herself.

"Or maybe we're waltzing into one big trap."

"Whatever!" Argus threw up his arms in exasperation. "We know where she is now. Let's finish this job and get out of here!"

Maduin rolled his eyes. "Does the prospect of facing Cornelia's greatest swordsman really make no nevermind to you?"

"If we have no other options, standing around and moaning about it isn't going to do any good. The six of us can take him!"

"Oh!" Kelga removed his pack and thrust an arm down into it. "I almost forgot! I found something for you, Gilles."

"What?" The wizard looked mildly interested, but none too hopeful.

Kelga produced the wadded up leather hat and shook it open. "It looked like something a black mage would wear, so I got it for you."

Gilles' eyes had widened slightly. "Why... thank you." He accepted the article from Kelga. "This is very nice indeed. Yes, I think I'll use this."

"You have to put it on right here!" Kelga grinned viciously. "In front of us!"

"Not a chance," the wizard shuffled off to change hats safely behind a pillar.

"Okay," Maduin announced. "We'll be splitting up one more time. Same groups as before. We'll circle the central chamber and look for an alternate way in." He scratched his head. "To tell the truth, I'm not all that hopeful, but I'm also not going to use the main entrance unless there really is no alternative. Keep your eyes peeled."

None of the six had found a weakness in the central chamber's very solid wall. The two groups had reunited in front of the large, heavy double doors that stood between them and the almost certain location of the princess. They were now closer to their objective than ever before, but each of them were filled with an intense anxiety. Because although Princess Sarah was definitely beyond that massive portal, so was Garland.

"Don't worry," Kelga tried to reassure the defeated monk. "We can still sneak inside. We have that invisibility magic, after all."

"What's the point?" Maduin sighed, swiping a hand towards the huge doorway. "There's no way we can open that without whoever's inside noticing. No, this is it. Every one of you, get ready. Remember your training. Remember everything you've learned on the way here. If we're at all lucky, it will just be Garland." He hung his head. "I did everything I could to avoid this, but it looks like we'll have to confront him after all."

"It's not your fault." Argus was having a hard time containing his excitement. "Like you said, you did everything you could. Now it's time to show them what the Warriors of Light are made of!" He jerked on the right hand door and swung it open with a loud, rusty groan. Once there was a large enough opening he immediately stomped inside. "Let's kick some ass!"

The Chaos Shrine's central chamber was shaped like the inside of a sphere. The center platform was a cross-shaped pathway connected to the walls of the vault. The bridge spanned a deep abyss, the depth of which was anyone's guess. This room had the best lighting in the entire temple. On the north end of the room a green haired girl in a filthy dress lay sprawled on the cold, tomb-like floor, unconscious. In the center of the chamber was a golden altar that sported a large, black crystal. The spherical gem seemed to distort the air around it. Several bats shrieked and flapped about the ceiling as the Warriors of Light entered the sanctuary. Brooding over the huge, black crystal was a tall man in wicked, darksteel armor and purple cape.

As the six resigned adventurers filed in he whirled around to face them. "Who's there!?" Garland demanded, his voice reverberating inside his helmet.

Argus clutched the hilt of his broadsword with both hands. "We're the Warriors of Light. We've come for the princess."

The dark knight snorted contemptuously. "Hmph! The king's lapdogs! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?"

"Yes, General, we do." Sarina brandished her cudgel and closed ranks with Argus. The remaining four fanned out into their preferred positions, weapons drawn.

"Oh, ho! It's that snooty little bitch from Prontera! Lady... what was it? Alexander?"

"Alexandra," Sarina corrected coolly. "Sarina Alexandra. On behalf of the gods I'm going to see to it that judgment is served!"

"Whatever," Garland shrugged. He glanced back and forth between the others. "I'm afraid I don't know the rest of you..." His electric, glowing eyes settled on Duane. "You! Albino! Have we met before? You seem familiar."

Duane didn't feel like correcting Garland's assessment of his complexion. "My name is Duane Sorel," he stated simply.

"Ah! AH HAHA! Wonderful! It's Anton's little brother! I'm going to enjoy killing you!"

"You won't be killing any more people!" Argus exclaimed. "Not without getting through me!"

Garland cocked his head. "You really think you have what it takes to cross swords with ME?"

Argus didn't so much as blink.

"...Very well. I, Garland, will... KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN!!"

Argus didn't get a chance to mock that last very pathetic line, because the dark knight was upon him instantly. Garland's steel longsword crashed against Argus' iron broadsword, again and again. Argus had never before encountered such a fast and ferocious onslaught. He parried what he could through sheer luck, but in mere seconds he had sustained several vicious slash wounds that had penetrated his armor. The young fighter fell backwards, the momentum kept his body rolling in a decidedly awkward position. When the warrior stopped rolling, he didn't get up.

"Argus!" Sarina rushed to his side.

Garland hissed and leveled his sword at the vulnerable healer. He knew better than to allow the mages to sit back and cast with impunity. If he eliminated the white mage here and now, the remaining 'warriors' would be at a terrible disadvantage. He charged, but before he could penetrate the frail healer the white monk swept in with a blur and snatched her away to safety. Garland abruptly changed direction and charged for a very terrified Duane who didn't have time to cast any spells. Rather than parry the strikes with his flimsy rapier, the red mage leapt to safely. Garland growled, looking for all the world like an enraged, metal minotaur. That anger certainly didn't subside when three throwing knives crashed harmlessly against his back. He whirled around to face Kelga, who tossed another three, deftly aiming for the opening in his visor. The daggers would have made their mark too, had Garland not deflected them with an impossibly precise swing of his sword.

Having ensured Sarina's safety, Maduin leapt down directly in front of Garland. Despite his fierce opponent, the black belt's demeanor was as calm as ever. Surprisingly, the dark knight didn't charge immediately. He apparently knew what he was dealing with, and didn't want to give the deadly fighter the slightest advantage. In that instant of hesitation, Garland was struck by a black haze which bound his shadow in place and burdened him with a terrible, illusionary weight. From his relatively safe vantage point, Duane had nailed him with a Focus spell. The dark knight's movements wouldn't be quite so blindingly fast now.

That was all the opportunity Maduin needed. Exploiting Garland's enfeebled state, he delivered an impossibly powerful roundhouse kick to his opponent's face, sending him flying backwards into the Black Crystal. The impact was punctuated by the cacophonous crash of metal against crystal. No sooner had Garland righted himself then had Kelga dashed in and snatched the steel longsword right out of his hand. Unarmed, he lunged after the thief with an irate roar, but had little hope of catching him.

"Everyone! Get down!" Gilles shouted. "Thunder!" A vicious, blue bolt of lightning shot forth from both of his outstretched hands. The spell snapped and hissed as it arced toward Garland's very metal armor, which drank up the electricity eagerly. Garland stopped instantly, making no sound at first; just shuddering violently while standing upright. But as Gilles continued to pour more energy into him, he began to wail in agony and rage as his flesh was welded to the inside of his mail. The runes on his armor glowed with indigo light and smoke poured out from between the joints. The air stank with burning flesh, hair and ozone. After the screaming stopped, the black mage finally relented, allowing Garland's body to darken and cool where it stood locked in place; that is until a recently-revived Argus crashed into it with his shoulder, sending it careening into the abyss like a cast iron rag doll. After the count of three, a sickening crunch echoed up from the bottom of the pit, proving that there was, in fact, a bottom.

"We... we did it," Maduin gasped, dropping to his knees on the temple floor. "We actually did it."

"Well, there are six of us," Gilles pointed out. "A general isn't much good without his army."

"But that was Wyrmkiller Garland," Duane seemed as astonished with himself as Maduin. "The man who single-handedly felled the Red Dragon of Lariat!"

"Yeah? Well we're the Warriors of Light," Argus beamed, jubilantly. "The men- er, and woman- who felled Wyrmkiller Garland!" He strode over to where the young woman lay sprawled. Eyes open, but staring blankly at nothing in particular. Argus knelt down next to her and and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Hey there, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

The green-haired girl was incredibly beautiful, but that beauty was grievously marred by weeks of illness, malnutrition and inadequate hygiene. Somehow, her emaciated body still retained enough moisture for her eyes to well up with fresh tears. The raw skin around her eyes testified that these were not the first. "You... you've come to rescue me?" She croaked weakly, her voice all but nonexistent.

"Yes, we have," Argus took her frail hand in his. "I'm Argus. We're the Warriors of Light. You're safe now. It's all over."

The girl managed a smile and laughed with a mixture of joy and disbelief. "I don't know how I could ever repay you. I am Sarah, Princess of Cornelia."

"We surmised as much," Duane removed his hat, kneeling down alongside Argus. "It is good to see you again, Your Highness, even under these most dire circumstances."

"...Duane?" Sarah was stunned, "Duane, you're alive! You had us all so terribly worried! You are one of the Four? I don't believe it!"

"Ah, no. Well, not exactly... Milady." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, rare color forming on his face.

"There are actually six of us, Your Excellency," Sarina explained. "You have already met Argus Baron, warrior and bearer of the Earth Crystal. I am Sarina Alexandra, Priestess of Light and bearer of the Water Crystal." She gestured toward two more of her comrades. "Gilles Arkham, black mage and bearer of the Wind Crystal and Kelga Vasquez... um, 'adventurer' and bearer of the Fire Crystal."

"It's okay. Thief. You can say it," Kelga grinned. "It's nice to finally meet you, Princess. Duane and Maduin may not have Crystals of their own, but they're helping us out just the same. In fact, we probably couldn't have done it without them."

"Maduin..." Sarah seemed to mull the name over.

"Maduin Vargas," the monk nodded amicably. "My-"

"Reputation proceeds you," Sarah was agape.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Er, no... not if you are in my father's employ, anyway," she chuckled. "As seems to be the case."

"Oh yeah, Argus!" Kelga called. "I still have this. It' better than the one you've been using, but too heavy for my tastes. You should take it." He handed Garland's ornate, steel longsword to the fighter, who promptly dropped his old sword in exchange for the vastly superior weapon.

"Oh, Awesome!" Argus exclaimed, testing the near-perfect balance of the mastercraft longblade in his hands.

"That sword..." Sarah's voice grew quiet. "Where did you get it?"

"Right out of Garland's right hand!" Kelga sometimes had trouble containing his pride. This was one of those times.

"And Garland is..."

"Dead." Gilles grunted, speaking up for the first time.

"Very dead," Maduin elucidated. "Or he should be, anyway. I don't know how anyone could have survived everything we put that poor bastard through."

"He's a pile of human bacon coated in molten slag at the bottom of this really deep shaft!" Kelga cackled with glee, pointing to the floor below him. "You should have heard the noise he made when he hit the bottom, Princess!" He shuddered involuntarily just thinking about it.

"I... I see..." Sarah hung her head.

"Is something wrong, Your Highness?" Duane asked.

"N-no. That's the first time anyone's ever defeated Garland." She sat in silence for another moment. "You must allow me to show my gratitude. Please, accompany me to Castle Cornelia!"

"That's easier said than done," Maduin said. "My apologies, but you're in really terrible shape, Princess. We may need to stay here a few more days so that you can recover. It's a pretty rough track back to the capital."

Sarah shook her head. "That won't be necessary, sir. With Garland dead, his wards that contained my powers and bound me here have also fallen. My magics can take us as far as the Temple of Light in nearly an instant."

"Teleportation?" Sarina stammered, visibly humbled. "That's very impressive, Your Majesty. Such spells are as yet beyond even my abilities."

"It is one of the few spells I do know, Milady." Sarah reassured her with all genuine modesty. "Shall we be off then, my valiant champions?"

"Wait," Gilles interjected. "Are you in any condition to use such a difficult spell?"

"I will be fine, sir. Do not worry." Sarah struggled to her feet on weak and wobbly knees, braced against Argus' sturdy, mail-clad frame for support. "Are you all prepared?"

The six adventurers all mumbled their agreement and Sarah began casting. In a few moments' time, the entire party was enveloped in a brilliant, white light and then promptly vanished into nothingness.

"Your Holiness! Your Holiness!" Healer Etoh barged into the office of Cardinal Vias, streaked with sweat and gasping for breath. "Your Holiness!"

"What is the meaning of this!?" The pontiff demanded, scrambling to fully conceal the choir girl beneath his desk. "Why must I suffer such indignity!?"

"A thousand apologies, Your Holiness!" Etoh wheezed. "I have come from the palace, courier pigeons bring news from the front! The undead hordes have all become as dust in the midst of battle! The goblin armies are retreating on all fronts!"

"Impossible..." Vias couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Any word as to why?"

Etoh shook his head, sending droplets of sweat in all directions. "The development came completely without warning, Your Holiness! Entirely unexpected! The Leinhoffen front was on the verge of collapse!"

"It must be them," the cardinal mused. "It must have been Miss Alexandra and her motley band of heretics and traitors. To think they've actually gone and accomplished their mission...!"

"But sir, are they not the Warriors of Light?"

"Apparently they are, Etoh. Apparently they are."

Suddenly, a whirl of commotion sounded from outside the office doors. Templars clacked down the marble corridor in their steel boots, some could be heard shouting for healers. Etoh stepped outside to see what all the fuss was about. "What's going on?" He demanded of the nearest temple knight.

The templar beckoned for him to follow. "Word 'as it the princess and her entourage 'ave just arrived in the Goddess Shrine. It's said she's in grave condition. Please follow me, sir!"

Etoh looked back at Vias, still fidgeting uncomfortably at his desk. "Go on and tend to them, Etoh. I'll be right behind you!"