Arcane Tales

*Kari looks up at Kentaro holding his hand.*

"What's happening?"

Kentaro:<Something bad.>

Aera: <I can't fly the ship through a storm like that, much less when I'm barely flying it anymore. Emergency landing straight on the woods!>

Allina: <What!?>

Kelphy: <What about the shore?>

Aera: <I think it's doable, but we're sinking fast so make a decision.>

Allina: <It'd take us hours to walk to the capital from there! How about we fly down to the capital on ourselves and you can go on to land the ship?>

Aera: <Sounds like a plan, but you need to hurry. Everyone ready? I'm activating the sphere to teleport you all outside the ship.>

Allina: <Okay! Sylphs, please help me with this!>

*A green circular glyph takes up most of the bridge's floor and the three Sylphs dart out of it, their giggling echoing around. The glyph's light wakes Derek up. He realizes he's lying on the floor with Olympe's cold hand on his face, seing as her body rolled over to him when the ship shook.*

Allina: <I'm ready. Guys?>

=====

*It should be noted the airship is pretty high in the sky. Also that he has never seen The Garuda. The storm is getting worse by the second, the thunder destroying entire houses and the rain flooding the streets. He has water by his knees, and there are soldier corpses floating about what little he can see around him.*

Alto wobbles to his feet and begins to walk. Aimlessly.

---

"Alright then" Lucien says, "lead the way."

*The two step on the glyph. Kentaro removing the rabbit from his shoulder and holding it tighly to his chest. All the while he feels Kari's grip on his hand tighten.*

*Derek slowly walks into the bridge, stunned at what's going on.*

Derek: <What the hell is going on?>

Kelphy: <Great, you're awake!>

Allina: <Cool. Everyone ready? No? Okay!>

*Aera nods and presses a button. Everyone's teleported outside, right under the large half-sphere on the underside of the airship. They start falling down towards the vast forest and certain death. Allina crosses her arms over her chest as the Sylphs spin around the group in circles and large green light wings spring from her back, and then everyone else's, leaving them hovering about a couple dozen yards below the airship. The damage is a lot more obvious from the ouside, with smoke coming out of several points of the airship and part of its right side on fire. It turns west towards the beach and Fahren's tower, still slowly sinking lower and lower.*

Allina: <Thanks!>

Sword Sylph: <Anytime.>

*The three of them poof in little clouds of green dust. Allina looks around and points at tiny Capital Sephira down below.*

Jade Rabbit: <Is this a good time to mention I am like super hungry?>

Allina: <Let's go?>

"Of course it is! Let's just fly around and catch a bird!" Creed says to the Jade rabbit with mock enthusiasm.

Kentaro:<Not really, no.>

*Kentaro takes the opportunity to glare at Creed.*

*They land outside the main gates, which have been destroyed. A couple dead soldiers lie among what's left of that section of the city walls. Stepping inside and therefore under the thick layer of black clouds covering the city, everything becomes a lot darker, with the occasional thunderbolt striking down. It's raining heavily, and they hear distant explosions as well as see red flashes of light over the rooftops every now and then. A lot of the houses have been wrecked, and they see no one but the several soldier bodies lying around every few steps, from all three kingdoms.*

Kelphy: <...What happened here?>

*They widen their eyes, staring around. A Toran soldier nearby groans and Allina runs to his aid, kneeling down next to him.*

Allina: <I'll help you!>

Toran Soldier: <(I'm... I'm afraid there isn't much you can do for me anymore.)>

*He has deep cut across his upper chest and neck and is bleeind profusely from his belly. Kelphy walks up to them.*

Kelphy: <What is going on...?>

Toran Soldier: <(Monsters... so many.)>

Allina: <This has to be Crone's doing.>

Toran Soldier: <(Will you please...?)>

*Allina nods as he speaks.*

Allina: <I'll tell them, don't worry.>

Toran Soldier: <(Thank you.)>

*He takes his last breath and Allina closes his eyes and gets up.*

Allina: <(Bastard.)>

Kelphy: <You couldn't have-->

Allina: <Yeah, I know. Can we go find Crone now?>

*She turns around as looks from Kari, to Kentaro and Derek.*

Allina: <Look what he did to our city.>

"And... the king..." from the rain Alto emerges dragging his sword along the ground. He looks like hell.

"ALTO!!" Creed exclaims.

"Crone... the king's probably dead... I couldn't... do... any... th-" he wobbles.

*Derek nods solemnly and draws his sword.*

Derek: <We have to take it back. This is our home.>

[Our city?]

*Out of the pair, Kari is the only one who appears to be the most bothered.*

Kentaro:<Let's hope this is the final confrontation.>

*Allina holds her hands out and Alto is enveloped in a blue strings of light that heal most of his wounds. Kelphy looks at Derek and widens her eyes as Alto mentions the King.*

Kelphy: <We must hurry.>

*As she looks back forward, she realizes Allina is already running off ahead of the group. As the group is moving across the city towards the palace, all they find are some dead bodies of soldiers and citizens, and occasionally burning houses which Kelphy takes care of. Soon, they walk past the entrance to an alley familiar to Kari, Kentaro and Alto. It has three houses. The first two are almost intact, though somewhat burned here and there. The third, Kari's, is partially destroyed. The hole on the back wall is also wider.*

"...." Alto blinks a few times.

Creed looks at him then at Kari and Kentaro.

"What?" Lucien asks.

Alto averts his eyes.

*Kari stares at what's left of her house her eyes wide in shock and horror.*

Kentaro:<(I'm sure we can fix it when this is over.)>

*She looks at him as he tries to give her a reassuring smile. It doesn't work very well.*

*Kelphy stares at them all, confused, while Allina just doesn't stop running.*

Kelphy: <Is something wrong?>

Allina: <Hurry up, people!>

*Soon they arrive at the palace's entrance. Much like the rest of the city, it has been wrecked. Its lacking the main gate and there don't seem to be any living people around.*

???: <Master Derek! And everyone else...!>

*Allina turns around to see a Sephiran soldier with white skin, messy blond hair and blue eyes saluting them. She widens her eyes.*

Allina: <You're... I remember you from before. You helped us and Crone get to that cave in Alda with the dragon, right? Oh yeah, after we escaped we got transported to the magic world and left you and your friend behind. You're name's...>

Ari: <Ari, ma'am.>

Allina: <Right! Have you seen the King or Crone?>

Ari: <No, I've searched most of the palace and I can't seem to find either of them.>

"Crone was looking for some secret library and had the king take him there" Alto says and looks at Kari quickly and sheepishly.

Derek: <Secret library.... Dammit, that's where the Sephiran royal family's most valuable texts are.>

*He rushes into the castle, where a large portrait of the king and his wife is hanging in the foyer.*

Derek: <Forgive me for showing them, Uncle, but it's for your safety...>

*He lifts up the painting and moves it aside, revealing a Scooby Doo-esque secret passage.*

Allina: <I've seen this somewhere.>

*Kelphy looks at Allina like she thinks she's weird and peers into the secret passage.*

Kelphy: <I hear voices, but I can't make out what they're saying.>

Allina: <Well, let's go inside!>

*A pair of Undead Searaptors comes crawling across the room towards them.*

Jade Rabbit: <Nasty.>

Ari: <I'll handle those, please go help His Majesty!>

*Allina nods and heads through the passage, Kelphy following her.*

Alto, Creed, and Lucien follow as well.

*Kentaro and Kari follow.*

*A dark narrow hall through the passage leads to a large, tall and dusty ancient-looking room with walls sculptured with floral patterns as well as several Aeldi and warriors, and bronze-tiled floor. There are really tall bookcases lined up in two rows from the left of the entrance to the back wall and another two from the right to the back wall, creating an empty hallway in between them leading to a strange and rather big computer device by the center of the back wall, which Crone is apparently trying to operate with his back turned on the entrance. Kelphy notices a round metal platform on the floor to the computer's left as soon as she walks in.*

Kelphy: <(It's another one of those devices that project three-dimensional images.)>

*King Arthos is sitting on the floor near Crone with his back against the side of a bookcase with blood dripping from his forehead.*

Crone: <How does this work...?>

*He slowly turns around and stares across the chamber at the group with a slight smile. The gunshot wound on his left shoulder has bled some since they last saw him.*

Crone: <How nice of you to have stalked me. Again.>

*He winks at Kari and runs a couple of fingers across the horizontal cut on his right cheek, inflicted by Kentaro during the fight back at his manor. The Jade Rabbit leers at him, growling a bit.*

Alto says no words but merely points his sword at Crone. Light arcs from Alto's body into it and back. Apparently a large chunk of his mana has mysteriously returned. A fact which surprises Creed seeing as Alto appeared to be utterly drained only ten minutes ago.

*Kari casts Valkyrie on Kentaro who draws his gun and fires at Crone.*

*Derek waits for everyone to enter the passage, then runs towards the source of the struggle, sword drawn.*

Derek: <Uncle!>

*He clenches his fist, then charges Crone, somewhat blindly, swiping all around.*