Pathways
Chapter 1: The first steps
Author's note: This is basically a novelization of the games storyline, except I'm trying to integrate all six characters plot lines. The main character will be Duran, in that he's the one that will accomplish most of the in-game plot scenes. However, there is no set three member party like in the game. You'll see.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, general concepts, or anything else Square copyrighted.
The wind carried a wave of heat in from the desert. The sensation was welcome; temperatures were already plummeting with the sun's steady retreat over the horizon. The moon's silvery light shone gently, casting the desert into a still white-blue sea, stretching to the distant horizon.
"Ready?" Ben whispered, shifting smoothly from one leg to the other to face Hawk.
"Of course," Hawk answered smugly, smirking, and shifting his eyes to the cat-person crouched next to him. "How about you, Nikita?"
"Come on, Bro! We only went over this about a dozen times!" Nikita complained, cocking his head to one side and squinting with his right eye.
"Hurry up, then," Hawk said quickly, hopping up and dashing away, Ben keeping pace beside him.
"Hey!" Nikita complained as loudly as he dared before sprinting after them. They made him carry all the equipment, then they just dashed off without warning! It wasn't fair!
Hawk smirked as this two cohorts set up in their positions, Nikita lagging only slightly. The cat was actually quite a bit faster than him, when it came to running quietly.
The door was locked, but the work of a few seconds and a lock pick had it open, and Hawk slipped inside like a wraith. He moved as a shadow through the small house pausing bay the stairs. He glanced at the woman and child asleep to his left, noting how beautiful the lady was, and that the boy, surprisingly, looked healthy. It never ceased to amaze him how people could lose sight of things that were so much more important when faced with mere money!
The stairs creaked badly when he put his weight on them, so he braced his hands against the walls and half walked, half climbed up the stairs. The room upstairs was simple, perhaps a bit above average save for the large gilded chest at the foot of the bed, and the obscenely fat man tangled up in the bedclothes.
"How shocking," Hawk whispered to himself, sarcastically smirking, as he moved to the chest and examined the lock. Naturally, it was quite a bit more complex than the one on the door that was protecting the man's family. Nevertheless, it yielded easily in Hawk's hands, and the lid of the chest popped up slightly.
Hawk shook his head in disapproval when he saw the enormous pile of coins. All of this taken from people with less than this fat old fool. How low humans could sink for something so petty.
Hawk took the oversized bag he kept wrapped around his belt out and carefully starting setting handfuls of the money into it, careful not to make a sound. He left a few hundred of the tiny silver coins; there was no reason to let the family downstairs starve.
"Oh, man, this is heavy!" Hawk said loudly, as he slung the bag over his shoulder.
"What? Wha, what is this? How did you…?" the fat man stammered, startled awake.
"Just a visit from your friendly neighborhood thieves guild, my friend! And the next time you get rich, make sure you do it the honest way!" Hawk answered, running to the window and pausing with a grin on his face.
"Hey! Give that back! And I won't be lectured by the thief who's robbing me!" the fat man yelled, falling out of the bed in his attempt to get up.
"Work hard now!" Hawk said, almost gleefully, as he hopped out of the window and then nearly broke a leg.
"Oi, this really is heavy!" Hawk complained as he ran across the roof and tossed the bag down to the ground. Ben picked it up as Hawk jumped off the roof, and the three of them, Nikita straggling again, took off into the desert.
"You were great today, Duran. You make us soldiers proud," the sentry said, leaning heavily on the wall. "I'd give an arm and a leg to be the tournament champ like you, specially considering how young you are!"
"Huh? Sorry, I must have nodded off for a second," Duran said groggily, shaking his head. He had heard, actually, but after hearing the same line from half the people in Forcena, he was just tired of it.
"Well, I just came on shift, so I thought I'd compliment you. Haven't had a chance to talk with our grand "mercenary" for weeks," the guard continued. Duran stared at him; yes, the man was vaguely familiar. He didn't remember him being so annoying, though.
"You know, I'm not really a mercenary. I just don't want to be a regular soldier," Duran said dully, steering the man away from the tournament.
"No kidding! If I could fight like that, I wouldn't want to be a regular soldier either! Even from the back of the crowd I could tell it was a totally one-sided fight," the man continued, droning on, and on. Please, Goddess, Duran thought, make him shut up!
Duran snapped wide awake when he noticed the man had, abruptly, stopped talking, and was staring at the other side of the castle. Duran spun around, drawing his sword automatically. One of the soldiers on the far wall had been frozen in a block of ice, his sword only partially free of its sheath. There was no way that any monster did that; someone was here.
"Come on!" Duran called, running past the stupefied man and heading for the frozen soldier. If this was a wizard's work, were they from Altena? That didn't make any sense! Duran shoved his thoughts aside and glanced back, halfway to the frozen man. The other soldier had followed him, but in a daze. He wouldn't be much use to Duran, certainly not if this was a true wizard. Hell, how did you fight something that used magic?
"Never mind, go check on the King!" Duran yelled at him, shoving the man towards the second entrance to the interior of the castle. Duran sprinted away towards the doorway the intruder had entered, or rather, the former doorway. The doors themselves had been smashed to pieces against the far wall. Goddess, if they got to the King…!
He sprinted past the soldiers lying to one side; both men had been hit by something that'd left their armor bent and misshapen. Ahead of him, he could see a red cloak billowing out from a thin frame as another soldier was frozen, quite similarly to the first.
"Oh, one of them survived?" the thin man asked with a smirk, turning and sidestepping as Duran did his best to impale the man on his sword. The man gave a short laugh and tapped the sword, melting it instantly. Duran stared in shock at the molten steel pooling on the stone.
"Who the hell…?" Duran asked, looked back up at the man, but before Duran could so much as blink, an arc of lighting struck him and he was thrown back against the parapet.
"Still alive? Let's fix that, shall we?" the man said, raising a hand over Duran. Black energy started to well up around him, even as Duran struggled to stand up.
"Over here! The intruder's over here!" a soldier yelled, rushing out towards the wizard.
"Hmph. Another time, then? I'll be back for you and the king, kid," the man said, turning away. He faded away like a bad dream as Duran slumped back to the ground, the hilt, all that remained of his sword, still clutched in his hand.
Light streamed into the room where Duran lay staring at the ceiling. The sight of his sword melting, the enemy defeating him…ridiculous, all of it! He, Duran, accept defeat? Never!
He pushed himself upright with some effort, pulling free of the covers. His entire torso was covered in bandages, many of them stained red. That wizard had left deep wounds, injuries that would take weeks to heal completely. Waiting, however, wasn't something he did, either. That wizard was going to pay for this, no matter how long it took to track him down, and when he found him, that cloak wouldn't be the only thing stained red.
"Aunt Stella said you weren't supposed to get out of bed today," a tiny voice called quietly, as an equally small face appeared at the edge of the banister, watching him.
"Wendy, Aunt Stella doesn't know as much as you think," Duran said, turning to his sister. "Know where she stuck my clothes?"
"They're all burnt up. She's out getting new ones," Wendy answered quietly, staring at Duran. She was a bit over ten now, but her eyes, pericing blue eyes like their mothers, still held the innocence of a newborn. "Brother, I don't think you should be up. You're all bloody!"
"Hah! These are just scratches!" Duran said, smacking his chest. He resisted the urge to double over and start crying from the pain.
"Well…" Wendy mumbled as Duran walked as steadily as possible to the closet and looked around for something to wear. He'd only had the one shirt that actually fit him. The others were either too big, too small, or an odd shade of pink, thanks to a washing accident last year. He'd never got a strait story out of his aunt about that; he knew it involved cats, somehow.
"Don't worry, Wendy. I'm just going to go talk to the king, alright?" Duran said, pulling out the oversized sleeveless shirt that he was supposed to grow into. Not that that was likely. The stupid thing reached to his knees! The pants were all right though; nothing special, but at least he could stuff them into last year's boots and make do. He strapped his fencing belt on gingerly, tightening it just enough to make the shirt look like it was actually a jerkin; he hoped that it looked like it was supposed to be that long.
"Alright, But I'm telling Stella when she gets back!" Wendy said warningly as Duran passed her on his way downstairs.
"You do that," Duran said, shaking his head in mock annoyance. His mane of unruly red hair spread out like a great feathered wing, gently falling back into place. It didn't matter what Duran did to it, or how much Stella brushed it; the stuff refused to be anything but a huge mass of red, and Duran refused to let anyone cut it.
He snatched a half of a loaf of bread from the kitchen table on his way out, munching it thoughtfully as he headed for the castle. Surely the King would know who the wizard in the red cloak was, and how to get strong enough to beat him.
Lise shivered in the morning mist, tucking her cloak closer to her body as she sat, leaning against a stack of roped-down crates. The ship had docked, but was it Jad, or just another stop? They'd twice stopped, once at some blistering desert, and then at some godforsaken snowfield. Her knowledge of geography wasn't the best, but that meant they'd gone at least half way around the world. Where now?
"All passengers, last stop, Jad!" one of the sailors bellowed, repeating the phrase several times. Lise stood up, shaking the dew off her cloak, and headed for the ramp. After several months onboard this ship, dry land seemed like a very, very good idea.
"Careful, miss," the same sailor said, turning to her. "Something's wrong. There should be another ship here, waiting to move on to Maia. Keep an eye out for anything dangerous, and don't take chances. All kinds of folk end up in Jad."
"Thank you," Lise answered, nodding slightly. Come to think of it, the harbor did seem oddly vacant. There wasn't a single person waiting down there. Well, that was no reason to stay onboard. She needed to get to Wendel, no matter the danger, and the only way to get there was through Jad. She went down the exit ramp, recovering her land legs so quickly it would have surprised anyone that didn't know her. She stepped out through the long arch way into the city proper, and stopped abruptly.
"Once again, we, the beast men, now control this town! Do not oppose us, and you won't be harmed! Otherwise…" a particularly mean looking beastman was saying angrily, raising a fist to a young man. "You don't want otherwise, get it?"
"Got it!" the man said shakily, backing away. Lise sighed in annoyance, shaking her head. This was typical; her first time away from home, and she lands right in the middle of an invasion. Other passengers were coming into the town behind her, mainly because the several beast men behind them weren't allowing them much of a choice.
"They're sinking my ship! I can't make a living without that ship!" one of the sailors complained as they were likewise herded out of the harbor. Lise glanced back in time to see the ship sliding beneath the waves. How'd they break it in half?
Lise pulled the hood up on her cloak and adjusted her grip on the long spear under her cloak. If any of the beast men got too close to her, they'd find out why she was the commander of the Amazons, painfully.
"Oh, please, not this, not now!" a purple-haired man said, shaking his head. "This is the last thing I need! I have to get to Wendel, I don't have time for this! There are lives at stake!"
"I don't care if you've got a sick grandmother, you aren't getting out of this town! I've got orders!" one of the beast men snapped, turning on the man. Lise walked past slowly, hand on her spear. The man didn't look like much of a fighter, and certainly not a match for a beast man. Not alone, anyway, and unfair fights were, quite frankly, disgusting.
"Fine, I don't want any trouble," the man said, turning away and shaking his head. Lise eased her grip on her spear as the beast man glared at him, then walked the opposite direction.
Lise paused for a moment, considering that last comment. What was it, again? Something interesting in the way he'd turned away so easily? He didn't seem at all broken, not by the way he walked, or how he'd spoken. It looked much more like he'd just decided to change his approach. That man, unless she was quite mistaken, had a plan. She considered her options for a moment, then followed him towards the pub.
"Wendel? The place people make pilgrimages to?" Duran asked, scratching his head. "What would a priest be able to help me get strong enough to beat this Wizard of the Red Lotus?"
"He knows how to access the inner strength of an individual," King Richard answered, raising a hand. "Your father and I both received similar power through his guidance."
"Really? Well, then I'd better get going. That red wizard could loose to someone else at any minute, and I plan on being the one that beats him!" Duran said, ramming a fist into a palm and grinning.
"You should at least tell your Aunt before you go, Duran. She has something for you, I think," King Richard said, leaning forward with a glint in his eye.
"Of course. Thank you, Your Highness. I swear to you, as soon as that wizard pays for this insult, I will return," Duran said gravely, saluting as he backed away. He dashed out of the room, not waiting for a response. Or to be dismissed, King Richard noted.
"That boy is an exceptional swordsman, you highness. Are you certain we should let him go, especially considering that Atlena is mobilizing its army?" one of the King's bodyguards asked, turning to the King
"He needs to grow, and he can't do that here anymore. He needs to find his own way now. Don't worry, I'm certain Duran will return when we need him to," King Richard said reassuringly, leaning back in his throne and lacing his fingers together. "In the meantime, make sure we double the guard again."
"We did that after the Red Wizard attacked, sire," one of the knights said helpfully.
"I'm aware of that. Now, double the guard again," King Richard said cheerfully, smiling to himself at the look of disbelief on the knights face. It was strange how young people assumed you didn't know what you were thinking, just because you were a few decades older than them.
Duran paused outside his house, eyes closed. Something the King had said made him think Stella already knew he was planning to leave.
"Duran?" Stella asked, making him jump. "You haven't already packed, I see."
"Aunt Stella? I thought you were already home!" Duran cried, spinning around. She shook her head gently and stepped around him, reaching out a hand to his shoulder.
"I've only just finished getting these for your trip," Stella said, walking inside with Duran and raising the packages in her right hand. "I knew you'd be going when I heard what had happened. You're just like your father, only when he did this, he took the Prince along with him!"
"You mean you actually want me to go?" Duran asked, shocked.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I don't want you to go, but can you honestly say there's anything I can do to make you stay?" Stella asked, setting down the packages.
"No," Duran answered simply, without considering it very much.
"You see? Now, go put these on," Stella said, handing Duran a new pair of boots, pants and a shirt. "Your new armor is waiting for you at the blacksmith's, so you can get that on your way out of town as well."
"Uh, right," Duran answered, taking the clothes, and heading upstairs. Blue pants, sturdy brown boots, and a thin black undershirt. Well, it was his favorite combination of colors, but still, did it have to be so similar to what he had before? Then again, the tailor had said he'd made two of them for him, since he knew Duran would ruin one of them…
Duran tossed the clothes on the bed and undressed quickly, wincing when he pulled off his shirt. He'd bled more during his informal audience with the King; running out wasn't the brightest thing he'd done today.
"Are you really leaving?" Wendy asked, making Duran jump. How did she sneak up those stairs like that? At least he was almost dressed.
"Sorry, Wendy. I'm just taking some time for, uh, vacation," Duran said, turning to his sister as he buckled his belt back on, tighter than before. "I'll be back in no time. You'll see."
"But, why?" Wendy asked, clinging to the stairwell. It occurred to Duran that this was going to be the first time he'd ever been apart from his sister for any length of time. He'd been a father as much as a brother to the girl, even though he was only seventeen himself.
"It's something I have to do, Wendy," Duran said, kneeling next to his sister and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'll be back, though. Don't worry."
She hugged him tightly, only letting go when he stood up. It was almost enough to make him consider staying. Not quite, though.
He swept past her and took the stairs two at a time, ending with a slight skid at the bottom of the steps with Stella in front of him, holding a familiar package.
"This is your fathers sword. It's not what it used to be, I'm afraid, but King Richard told me when he brought it back that, even so, it's still an excellent sword," Stella said, offering the old wooden box to Duran. He took out the sword carefully, staring along its length. The blade was nicked and scratched all over, though someone had taken the time to sharpen it and polish it recently.
"Thank you, Aunt Stella," Duran said solemnly, sliding the sword through one of the tough leather loops on his belt. "I'll try not to damage it any more."
"Take care, Duran, and you'd better come back, alright? If you don't, I swear I'll come down there to get you!" Stella threatened, wagging a finger at him.
"I believe it!" Duran said jokingly as he stopped by the doorway, pausing in spite of his laughter, and his conviction. "I will come back, though. As a swordsman of Forcena, I will come back."
Stella held her breath as he strode out, hiding the tears welling up in her eyes. He needed to do this, she reminded herself; if he stayed here now, instead of fulfilling his honor, he wouldn't be half the man he was now. But, Goddess, she was scared.
Lise stepped into the pub and glanced about, startled. Where'd he gone? He'd only walked in a few seconds before her!
The stairs on the far side of the room creaked suddenly, drawing her attention despite the immediate room. The pub was crowded, both with sailors and townsfolk that were trying to drink away their self pity. She walked across the room as quietly as she could, drawing her hood closer to her face. She didn't want anyone in here getting any ideas; killing a few drunks wasn't something she wanted, even if they were disgusting.
She moved up the stairs quickly, spear gripped tightly in her right hand. Something rammed into her suddenly, knocking her against the wall, and a pair of piercing blue eyes were facing her.
"Move an inch, and you're…" the assailant started, suddenly turning red. "You're…a woman?"
"Amazon, actually," Lise answered quietly, shooting a look down to the spear positioned against the man's stomach. His knife was against her throat, so they were even, for the moment.
"Ah," he answered, removing his left hand from her chest and moving it away from the spear. "How about we both just back up and lower our weapons?"
"Or you could lower yours and I could keep mine. You did attack me, after all," Lise said logically, twisting the spear slowly. It didn't affect her thrust any, but it looked dangerous.
"Well, that's natural. You were following me," he answered, swallowing, but leaving the knife where it was.
"You looked like you knew how to get out of here," Lise explained quietly, easing her grip in appearance only. He took the knife away and backed up, sheathing it.
"Well, if that's all…sorry about that," he answered, making sure he was out of her range, or what he thought was her range, first. "I'm Hawk."
"Lise, of Rolante," Lise responded, shifting her dress slightly where he'd accidentally, if it was accidental, groped her.
"I'd guessed, what with you being an Amazon. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Navarre Thieves' Guild planning to invade?" Hawk asked, tensing up again.
"How did you know that?" Lise asked angrily, raising the spear again. "Are you from Navarre?"
"No, no! Listen, I'm not one of them!" Hawk said, waving his arms frantically, and Lise relaxed a bit. "Well, not anymore, at least. I used to be, but they're trying to get me now, too."
"Why? If you're one of them, shouldn't you be in my castle right now?" Lise asked, tensing her arms again. It would be so satisfying to put her spear in him right now, after what those monsters had done…
"No way! The Navarre thieves' guild would never kill anyone. A girl named Isabella is manipulating everything. First she killed my best friend, then she locked me up, and put a curse on his sister…I take it her plans to invade Rolante were a success, then," Hawk said, slumping into a nearby chair, already quite certain of the answer. Damn Isabella! She'd already succeeded, it seemed…
"Yes," Lise answered sullenly, lowering her spear. "How did you escape, if this Isabella has so much power?"
"A friend of mine broke me out and I had to run for it. I caught a ship in Sultan and, well, here I am. Until dark, at least," Hawk answered, resting an arm on the table and closing his eyes.
"What happens then?" Lise asked, putting the spear back under her cloak.
"Wait a bit, and you'll see," Hawk said, smirking. "But I'll tell you this, as soon as night falls, I'm heading for Wendel."
"I heard. As it happens, that's where I'm headed as well," Lise said, pulling back the hood on her cloak and shifting into a more comfortable position against the wall.
"Really?" Hawk asked slowly, tilting his head to one side and looking at Lise's face. She looked a bit familiar, somehow. "Care to travel together?"
"That depends. What happens tonight?" Lise asked coolly, a sharp edge still present in her voice. She might be beautiful, but she was still an Amazon. Take one step wrong and you could say goodbye to your spleen.
"Well, you see, these beast men have an interesting weakness after dark…" Hawk started, leaning forward.
"What the hell?" Duran yelled, drawing the sword. "You brought me to a town I can't leave? What kind of morons are you?"
"Aiie! No, wait! We didn't know Jad had been taken over!" the three sailors Duran was menacing cried in unison.
"That's enough out of you!" a beast man growled, reaching for Duran.
"Hold on a sec! I'll get to you once I'm finished with them!" Duran said irritably, smacking the Beastman up side his head with the flat of his blade, knocking the poor soldier senseless. Why hadn't Lugar told them they'd be dealing with a blasted Forcenan knight?
"Enough," a particularly large Beastman said, starting up the plank. "Put away that sword and I, Lugar, commander of the beast man army, won't kill you."
"I, Lugar? What's that supposed to be, fur ball?" Duran taunted, leveling his sword at the beast man.
"My name," Lugar said, lunging forward and catching the sword before Duran could move. "And don't forget it, kid."
Duran spat blood and dropped to his knees, clutching his body where his wounds had just reopened. That punch! It'd just been a blur!
"No, damn it…if I wasn't already injured, you'd never…" Duran gasped, already falling forward. When he hit the deck, he was already unconscious.
That, was chapter one. A bit long, eh? And I only introduced half the main characters, too! I should have another chapter up soon. The more reviews, the quicker I update, though, so feel free to leave good or bad reviews, as you like.