Post by Doklim on Jun 16, 2008 3:41:08 GMT 4
Long ago the five Goddesses of Acies Superum sealed the great Shadow away behind a door in the Heaven Chamber. After the Shadow was gone, peace ruled the lands once more. One day, however, three young Avenos found the chamber once again...
This is the story of the war that ensued...
Chapter 1
Finding the Chamber
Doklim...
"Not right now..."
Doklim, you made me promise not to let you sleep in past noon! Now wake up!
Sapphire cracked a spoon over Doklim's head and he woke up with a start.
"Saph, what's your problem?" asked Doklim.
"Well I wanna explore the world!" said Sapphire, "and that's kinda hard to do with you sleeping in all the time!"
"She has a point there," said Merilris.
Doklim shot a look at his older sister and turned back to Sapphire.
"So, where are we headed today?" he asked her.
"Meril found something interesting earlier today," replied Sapphire, "let's go check it out!"
"Please don't tell me it's another dead thing," groaned Doklim, "I don't get how you're my sister sometimes, Meril."
"Not dead thing interesting," replied Merilris, "dungeon interesting!"
"You found a dungeon?" asked Doklim, "I thought they only existed in video games and fantasy books."
Doklim ate lunch and they packed up their camp. It had been two months since they had left Avorum in order to explore the world.
Doklim and Sapphire followed Merilris through the forest. She was easy to follow because it's hard to lose someone with pink hair, so even if she was to get far ahead of them (which happened often, as her power over nature enabled her to simply just command low hanging branches out of her way) they'd still be able to see her. They eventually stopped outside the entrance to some sort of chamber.
"Well Whaddya know," said Sapphire, "you actually found a dungeon..."
Sapphire ran in. Doklim watched as her golden hair and wings disappeared into the darkness of the dungeon.
"She really has a death wish, doesn't she?" said Merilris, walking in after her.
Doklim hesitated for a moment, then ran in after the girls. They weren't going to have all the fun!
Once inside Doklim couldn't see a thing. He reached into his bag and pulled out a torch and lit it. There was strange writing all over the wall. The whole place gave him the creeps.
A hand touched his shoulder and he jumped, drawing his sword and dropping his torch.
Behind him Sapphire laughed.
"You're such and idiot, Dok," she said.
"Don't scare me like that, Saph," said Doklim.
Suddenly the ground began to shake.
"I think that we should get out of here," said Sapphire.
"Where's Meril?" asked Doklim.
Merilris ran up to them.
"We need to leave," she said, "NOW!"
A strange shadow flew around them, and they could hear screams fill the air. The three of them ran from the chamber and stood panting outside.
"Perhaps now would be a good time to go home?" asked Doklim.
Chapter 2
Doklim's Intro
Greetings. My name is Doklim Falcon. I'm seventeen years old and have blue hair and wings and enjoy sleeping, daydreaming and constantly competing with Sapphire and my Sister, Merilris.
I also trained under Jerrick Eagle, one of the knights in Avorum. My weapon of choice is a Zweihander (a huge sword). I chose it as my weapon first! And don't let Sapphire convince you otherwise!
While I'm pretty much a rookie in combat, I'm still better than Sapphire. Other than friendly competition, however, there's really no point in combat. Although I think that might be about to change...
Chapter 3
Sapphire's Intro
Hiya! My name's Sapphire Blade! I'm the half Aveno daughter of General Lee, the leader of the Golden Kingdom Army!
I have blonde hair and gold wings and enjoy lots of things!
I trained under Jerrick Eagle with my best friend and greatest rival, Doklim. My weapon is a Zweihander. I chose it first and don't let Doklim tell you otherwise!
I'm pretty much the best there is with a sword! So come on! Give me your best shot! I'll strike you down!
Chapter 4
The Shadow Rose
The three Avenos landed in Avorum. Merilris had been quiet throughout the entire journey. She jumped whenever anyone spoke to her and she refused to talk about what she'd seen down there.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said, "just leave me alone! Go and play one of your stupid games or something!"
Merilris ran over to her and Doklim's house.
"I don't know what stupid games she's talking about," said Sapphire, "our competition is serious!"
"Please, Saph, don't start," said Doklim, "this isn't like her.."
Doklim walked over to his house and tried to open the door. Merilris had locked it, however, and she was the only one with a key.
He decided to head to the library instead. Melody, the librarian, might know what they'd unleashed upon the world.
"So, Doklim Falcon, hmmm?" said Melody, "not with Miss Blade today, are we?"
"She's gone home," replied Doklim, "we've just flown here from somewhere in the middle of the Crimson Kingdom and we're tired. Merilris has locked me out though, so I've decided to try and figure out what the place was that we found."
"Ah, so you discovered something?" asked Melody, "there are a few hidden caves in Crimson. Tell me, what was inside."
"The walls had some kind of strange writing on them, and Merilris was the one to go down the deepest-"
Doklim's words were cut off by a piercing scream.
"That sounded like Meril!" said Doklim, running towards his house.
When he got there Sapphire was already there.
Doklim knocked on the door.
"Meril, are you okay?" he asked.
"Get away, Doklim!" was Merilris' reply, right before she shrieked again.
Doklim and Sapphire drew their swords and knocked down the door.
Merilris lay on the floor, sobbing.
"I told you not to come in here," she said, looking up at them.
Her hair and wings were darker than normal and her skin was pale.
"Leave, before she- Arrrgh!" Merilris broke into another scream before she could finish her sentence.
"Who?" asked Doklim, "who's doing this to you?"
Merilris' hair turned black and her eyes turned yellow.
"I suggest you listen to what I just said, brother," she said in a cold voice, "because if you don't I'll rip off each of your limbs."
"Merilris..." said Doklim.
"That's not my name anymore," said the girl, "now my name is Daemeril. Now leave before I tear apart every cell in your body!"
Doklim drew his sword and Sapphire followed suit.
"Tell me, brother," said Daemeril, "if it came to it, would you kill me? Could you kill me?"
Daemeril then kicked him and he didn't even move to block.
"Not much point in having that sword, is there, brother?"
"Don't call me that," said Doklim, getting up.
Daemeril giggled.
"I'll call you whatever I want to, brother."
She then raised her arm and a giant rose appeared in her hand.
"Roses are red and violets are blue," she said, "I've raised an army of undead just to kill you!"
A small army of undead then appeared around the house.
"Destroy the town!" shouted Daemeril, "round up all deserving townsfolk and have them converted! After being locked up for ten millenia we shall finally have our revenge!"
"Locked up?" asked Doklim.
"There are no answers for the dead!" replied Daemeril, aiming the tip of her rose at Doklim.
Doklim and Sapphire flew out the door and as far away from the city as they could.
"What happened to you, Merilris?" asked Doklim.
Chapter 5
Temple of Water
Doklim and Sapphire explored the forest they'd landed in. Doklim guessed it was somewhere in Cerulean.
It was getting dark and it was extremely gold. Sapphire began shivering. Doklim took off his jacket and offered it to her. Her pride, however, prevented her from taking it.
"You really are an idiot, preferring freezing in order to keep your pride," said Doklim.
"Sh-shut up," replied Sapphire.
"Tell me," said a voice behind them, "what's there to be proud of in freezing to death?"
"Who are you?" asked Doklim, raising his sword.
"And it's not that cold," said Sapphire.
A woman stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a red shirt, skirt and black tights. She wore a hat with a feather in it and a scarf, both red. On her hip lay a rapier.
"My name is Meneliell Shadowbane," said the woman, bowing, "High Priestess to the Water Goddess, Maddius."
"I'm Doklim Falcon," said Doklim, bowing back.
"And what's your girlfriends name?" asked Meneliell.
"G-girlfriend!?!" screamed Sapphire, "I'll h-have you know th-that..."
"Her name is Sapphire Blade," said Doklim, "and what she's trying to say is that she's simply only a friend of mine."
Meneliell smirked. These two were going to be fun.
"We'd best get her to the temple before she catches a cold," said Meneliell, "tell me, what brings two young Avenos so far from their city?"
Doklim told Meneliell what had happened. Once they got to the temple Meneliell fetched them a couple of mugs of cocoa and lit a fire to keep them warm.
"If you'll excuse me, I must speak with Lady Maddius about something," said Meneliell.
"If you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you speak with Maddius?" asked Doklim. He'd heard that High Priests had such abilities, but never found out how.
"I'm afraid my oath doesn't permit me to tell you," replied Meneliell, "I'd tell you if I could, but I can't."
Meneliell left the room and walked down the corridor. A few minutes later she ran back in, a panicked look in her eyes.
"Y-you've unleashed The Shadow back into this world," she said, "geez... I've only been High Goddess for a year... Why did a possibly apocalyptic disaster have to happen on my watch?"
"Ummm..." said Sapphire, "we've unleashed a shadow onto the world? But shadows aren't bad. They're just-"
"Sapphire, don't you remember the stories we were told," said Doklim, "the legends that our parents used to tell us?"
"You actually listened to those boring old things?" asked Sapphire.
"Th-they aren't legends," said Meneliell, "twenty thousand years ago a group of dark wizards decided to see if they could create the perfect agent of darkness. What they created was The Shadow. The Shadow was a being of pure darkness, that could break off small pieces of itself and place them in the soul of someone. It would then consume the person and use the person as a puppet.
"The five Goddesses, Solaria, the Pyro Goddess, Maddius, the Water Goddess, Igenaria, the Nature Goddess, Aera, the Wind Goddess and Pondera, the Goddess of Balance, locked up the Shadow behind a door in the Heaven Chamber.
"How your sister managed to unlock it is unknown, but The Shadow thanked her for it by not killing her and converting her instead..."
"Sound serious," said Doklim, "but what can we do?"
"Because this is your fault, you can help fix it," said Meneliell, "but first the two of you will need some sleep. There's a big day ahead of you."
Meneliell led them to a room. All the other priests were asleep already and the only room with beds ready was Meneliell's own room. She didn't mind sharing it with them, however.
The three of them climbed in their beds.
Doklim and Sapphire fell asleep almost instantly. Meneliell sat on the edge of her bed, thinking.
Maddius had been hiding something. She seemed to know how Merilris had opened the chamber, but was hiding it. She'd also said that Meneliell would have to aid Doklim and Sapphire in any way possible.
And she'd asked Meneliell to find her sister, Galiell, High Priestess of Igenaria...
Chapter 6
Meneliell's Intro
Greetings. My name is Meneliell Shadowbane. I am High Priestess of Maddius and, like all High Priests, I have a special title: The Waters of Kindness.
I may not look it, but I'm really only fifteen years old.
I haven't spoken to or seen my sister for three years, ever since our parents died, but I found out she'd become High Priestess of Igenaria.
There really isn't much else to say...
Chapter 7
Over to Golden Continent
Doklim woke up early in the morning. Something was nagging at him.
He looked over at Sapphires bed. She seemed to be okay...
He then looked over at Meneliell. She wasn't there.
Doklim got out of bed and pulled on his jacket and walked outside. He found Meneliell looking up at the stars.
"Couldn't sleep, huh?" he asked.
"I just need to think about a couple of things," said Meneliell.
"Fine, you tell me if you need any help, though," said Doklim.
Doklim turned to return to their room when Meneliell called for him.
"Wait," she said, "I was rude to you last night. I didn't think about how much it must torture you that your sister is... Well..."
"What brings this on?" asked Doklim.
"Maddius has asked me to find my own sister," replied Meneliell, "I haven't seen her for three years now, and I've only just realised how much I miss her..."
"Well, what's there to worry about, then?" asked Doklim.
Meneliell smiled at him.
"You're right," she said, "I'm just worrying about nothing."
She looked up at the moon one last time and the two of them returned to their room.
***
In the morning Meneliell got breakfast ready for Doklim and Sapphire and gave instructions to the other priests.
"We need to cross the sea and go to Golden Continent," she said.
"Cross the sea?" asked Sapphire, "b-but there have been reports of pirate attacks around here recently..."
"Saph," said Doklim, "why are you afraid?"
Sapphire looked down at her feet.
Doklim knew perfectly well why she was scared.
Her...
When they were kids, who had been the strongest?
Her...
Who had been their parents favourite?
Her...
Who had stomped her into the ground constantly?
Her...
"What is it?" asked Meneliell.
"Nothing," replied Sapphire, "lets go..."
They chartered a ship over to Golden City port at the nearby town.
Sapphire looked over the edge of the ship at the water. Doklim stood beside her.
"Listen, Saph," he said, "there's no reason to hate her."
"Why not?" asked Sapphire.
"Do I hate you?" asked Doklim, "despite you treating me the same way she treated you?"
The realisation suddenly hit her. Doklim was right! She treated him the same way-
"Pirate ship spotted!" shouted the lookout.
"I hope the three of ye know how to use those swords," said the captain.
Sapphire looked at the pirate ship... Sure enough, she was the captain...
"I'm not going to lose to her again!" shouted Sapphire, "I'm coming to get you, Serene!"
And she flew at the pirate ship, sword drawn.
Chapter 8
A look into Sapphire's past
About five years ago, before the thought of exploration even entered my mind, my twin sister destroyed my entire family. She had been so good as a little girl. Then, as she got older, she slowly became more and more cruel. She would constantly steal things and beat up random people. I was one of her favourite punching bags, along with Doklim. My parents were oblivious to all this, however, despite Merilris telling them what she'd been doing and even showing them the bruises Doklim had.
She was later permitted combat training. She chose to master the cutlass. She learnt quickly and decided to try out her skills on Doklim. Merilris couldn't stand to see her younger brother get hurt by her any more and attacked.
Merilris was powerful, but my sister proved to be stronger. She was about to kill Merilris when my parents entered. She ran away and, later on, we heard that she'd joined a group of pirates.
My parents began blaming each other for what had happened and eventually broke up.
I swore that I'd destroy her for destroying our family.
I'm coming for you, Serene...
Chapter 9
Pirates and Shadows
Sapphire landed on the deck of the pirate ship. The pirates all drew their blades, but the captain simply waved them back.
"So," said Serene, "you think you can beat me, Sister?"
"I've gotten alot stronger since the last time we saw each other," replied Sapphire.
Sapphire swung her sword at Serene. Serene simply dodged out of the way, drew her cutlass and put it to Sapphire's throat. She then dragged Sapphire down below the deck.
***
"She has Sapphire!" shouted Meneliell, "that bitch has Sapphire!"
Doklim got ready to unsheath his sword and fly over to the other ship, but then he saw a shadow looming on the horizon.
"Oh boy," he said.
"Big looming shadows are rarely a good thing," said Meneliell.
***
Serene dragged Sapphire into her quarters and bolted the door behind her.
"You nearly made me look like a fool in front of my crew!" she said.
"Made you look like a fool?" said Sapphire, "what about me?"
Serene smiled.
"I'm proud of you, ya know that?"
Sapphire was taken aback. Praise was the last thing she expected from Serene.
"You're either extremely couragous, or extremely stupid," continued Serene.
"You don't know me," said Sapphire, "I might be both."
"I don't think so," said Serene, "I think you're just couragous. Courage is an important thing. Never let go of it."
Serene sighed.
"Do you think this is the life I wanted?" she asked, "I threw away everything, and I don't even know why..."
"We've both made our mistakes," said Sapphire.
"What do you mean?" asked Serene.
"I treat Doklim the same way..."
The boat lurched as a wave hit it.
"Doklim..." said Serene, "how is he?"
"He's fine," replied Sapphire.
"Good," Serene said, "and what about his sister, Merilris?"
"Well..."
The door was then blast open and Daemeril entered the room.
"Merilris is right here," she said.
"Who are you?" asked Serene, drawing her sword, "and what do you want?"
"That's Merilris," said Sapphire.
"What's happened to her?" asked Serene.
"You've been a good little pirate," said Daemeril, "absolutely nasty. You deserve to be converted! Now step aside, your sister has been deemed to be too pure!"
"And I'll make sure she stays like that!" said Serene, rushing at Daemeril.
She pushed Daemeril away from the door.
"Saph! Run!"
"B-but Serene!"
"No questions! Just get out!"
Sapphire ran from the room.
"Why do you defend the doomed?" asked Daemeril, "you just lost your survival!"
"I'm not going to let you kill her," said Serene, "I promised that, if I got a chance, I'd try to redeem myself to her!"
Serene slashed her cutlass at Daemeril, who blocked it with her Rose.
"Redemption is for the damned!" shouted Daemeril.
Daemeril then kicked Serene in the stomach and pointed the tip of her rose at Serene.
"Aera, please guide Sapphire to safety," said Serene.
"Prayer will not save her!" said Daemeril.
Daemeril then fired a beam from the Rose right at Serene's heart.
***
Both ships were overrun by undead, but Doklim had grabbed Meneliell and flown up into the air. They were halfway to Golden Continent, he had to hope that he could carry Meneliell that far. He looked down at the ships. The pirate ship was beginning to sink. Then he saw her! Sapphire had manged to escape!
"You made it!" said Doklim.
Then he realised that tears were streaming down Sapphires face.
"Serene..." she said, "I'm pretty sure she just died to save me..."
Chapter 10
Temple of Earth
Doklim and Sapphire landed. Doklim put Meneliell down and began checking his surroundings.
Meneliell was extremely pale.
"You alright, Menel?" asked Sapphire.
"I never want to do that again," replied Meneliell, "I hate heights."
She then looked over at some bushes.
"Excuse me for a second," she said.
She ran over to the bushes and started puking in them.
"Doesn't take too well to heights, huh?" asked Doklim, "what's with these humans and their obsession with keeping their feet on the ground?"
"I heard that, Falcon," said Meneliell, walking back over to them.
"How far away is the temple?" asked Doklim.
"Directly east from here, I think," replied Meneliell.
They walked east through a large forest. Eventually they saw someone reading a book in the distance. She was dressed in green clothes and looked relatively well muscled. However, the similarity to Meneliell was the most obvious thing about her.
"Galiell!" shouted Meneliell.
Galiell looked up and saw her sister.
"I've been expecting you," she said, "so, these are the ones?"
"Yup," replied Meneliell.
"Galiell Shadowbane," she said, "High Priestess of Igenaria. At your service."
"Doklim Falcon."
"Sapphire Blade."
"So, I take it the three of you would be tired," said Galiell, "Igenaria said you were attacked by The Shadow last night."
"These two will," said Meneliell, "we have some stuff we should probably get out of the way."
"Straight to business, huh Menel?" said Galiell, "some things never change."
***
Galiell led them to the Temple of Igenaria. She led Doklim and Sapphire to there rooms and then returned to her sister.
"They're young," said Galiell, "younger than any of us expected."
"It happened sooner than any expected, too," said Meneliell, "besides, the two of us were younger than expected... But how was Merilris able to open that door?"
"Igenaria has said that we're to gather at the Temple of Pondera," said Galiell, "perhaps Jericho will know."
"Perhaps," said Meneliell, "although I have a theory."
"Shoot," said Galiell.
"First, let's not say that," said Meneliell, "second, doesn't Pondera usually have two High Priests?"
"Yes," said Galiell, "the Godesses choose their High Priests when they're born."
"But she currently only has one," said Meneliell, "and her other one was meant to be revealed a few days ago when Merilris opened the door."
"So you're saying that Merilris is the one destined to become Pondera's second High Priest?" asked Galiell, "that's an imbalance whenever I saw one."
"What could it mean?" asked Meneliell.
"It means that this is more than just a small battle," replied Galiell, "this is full scale war."
Chapter 11
Galiell's Intro
Hey there! My name is Galiell Shadowbane, High Priestess to Igenaria and older sister to Meneliell! I am 18 years old and enjoy taming animals.
Like Meneliell, I have a special title: the Strength of the Earth.
Well, I am pretty strong, so I think it's accurate.
One time... Oh, wait, Meneliell says I probably shouldn't go on for too long... Well then see ya!
Chapter 12
The Chosen
In the morning Galiell and Meneliell woke up Doklim. Sapphire was already awake, as she hadn't been able to get much sleep. She refused to talk about it, but Doklim could tell Serene's death was haunting her.
"The Shadow has its sights set on the two of you," said Galiell, "it probably knows that you're here, so we can't waste time going to the Temple of Balance on foot."
"How do you propose we get there?" asked Doklim, "I could barely carry Meneliell yesterday and-"
"We are not going to fly," said Meneliell, "especially not that far."
"No," said Galiell, "Igenaria has arranged for the Portal to be opened."
"The Portal?" asked Doklim.
"The Portal is a portal that can lead us to the other temples," explained Meneliell.
"So we just walk through some portal and we're there?" asked Sapphire, "why couldn't we do that in the first place?"
"The Goddesses need to guide us in order to ensure that we get there in one piece," explained Galiell, "and they generally only want to do that in emergencies."
"Come," said Meneliell, "let us go to the Temple of Balance."
***
When the four of them stepped through the Portal they appeared almost instantly in a strange chamber.
"There you are," said a man, "it took you long enough..."
The man had white hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a trenchcoat that was half black, half white. At his hip he had a Falchion and a gun.
"Why were we sent to the Chamber of Gathering?" asked Meneliell, "these two-"
"Haven't met their destiny yet?" asked the man, "they did, Meneliell, when they found the Chamber..."
"I assume that you're Jericho, then?" asked Meneliell.
"That's correct," replied the man, "Jericho, High Priest of Pondera. Now, don't bother introducing yourselves, Pondera has taken care of that for you."
"And now it's time for these two to know exactly who they are."
Doklim, Sapphire, Galiell and Meneliell spun around and saw four woman. They instantly seemed to know who they were.
The first one to catch Doklim's eye he felt a strange connection to.
She appeared to be in her late teens, and had red hair, golden wings and was wearing golden armour. She smiled at him and he looked away. Solaria...
Sapphire felt a strange connection to the one on the opposite side.
She was an elf with blonde hair and wore sky blue armour. Aera...
The one next to the golden girl was one that Meneliell knew well; Maddius. She wore blue robes and had brown hair.
The one wearing green robes was Igenaria, who had black hair.
And there was one who was wearing a white breastplate and a black skirt. Pondera...
"I knew he'd turn out to be handsome," said Solaria.
"Hmph, well I managed to get the most powerful," retorted Maddius.
"Will the two of you stop competing with each other for one minute?" asked Igenaria, "we have more important things to discuss, don't we Aera?"
"Yes, we do," replied Aera, looking at Sapphire, "very important things..."
Solaria looked to Doklim.
"The flames burn brightly within him," she said.
"And the winds blow strongly within her," said Aera, nodding at Sapphire.
"Are they ready?" Maddius asked Meneliell.
"Much more ready than I was," replied Meneliell.
"Take them," said Pondera, "but be quick. The Shadow is gaining strength from one of my Priests..."
Solaria walked up to Doklim and put her arms around his shoulders.
"Prepare for the exam," she said, "there is to be no talking to your classmates, as you have none, and it is to be closed book, as you don't have any books. No doubt you didn't study, but don't expect me to go easy on you because of that."
"What?" asked Doklim.
"I'm giving you a test," replied Solaria.
The two of them then teleported away.
Aera walked up to Sapphire.
"Don't worry," she said, "I'm more serious than my sister."
"Huh?"
"Although I'm afraid I do have a test for you."
And Aera teleported away with Sapphire.
"Do they have to do this?" asked Meneliell, "people have died in these tests!"
"Relax," said Maddius, "the two of them have been exposed to pure shadow and been uncorrupted. They can pass a small test."
Chapter 13
The Tests
Solaria and Doklim arrived in an arena. Facing them was a dragon.
"Good luck," said Solaria, teleporting away.
"You have to be kidding me..." said Doklim, "I have to fight this thing?"
The dragon spurted flames out at Doklim. he dodged.
"How am I meant to win?" he asked.
***
Aera and Sapphire appeared in a similar arena. Another dragon was there.
"Good luck," said Aera, teleporting away in much the same manner as her sister.
"Hmph," said Sapphire, "this will be easy..."
Sapphire struck at the dragon and her sword bounced right off. She dodged out of the way of a fire attack.
"There has to be a weak spot somewhere," she said.
***
Doklim continued to dodge the attacks.
"I suppose I won't know till I try," he said.
He struck at the dragon and succeeded in cutting off it's head. Solaria teleported in.
"Well done," she said, "that was your greatest weakness. You give up too easily."
***
Sapphire dropped her sword.
"I'm powerless to stop it," she said, "I failed..."
"Actually," said Aera, teleporting in, "you pass."
"Huh? But I couldn't kill it," said Sapphire.
"But you acknowledged that you aren't invincible," said Aera.
***
The four of them reappeared in the Chamber of Gathering.
"Their greatest weaknesses have been overcome," said Solaria.
"Now, shall we begin?" asked Aera.
"Begin what?" asked Doklim.
"Planning for the coming war," replied Solaria.
Chapter 14
A Sinister Plot
Daemeril grabbed the priest by the collar.
"Where are they?" she snarled.
"Th-they went through the portal," said the priest, "they headed to the Temple of Balance."
Daemeril dropped him on the ground. So they'd gone straight from the Temple of Igenaria to the Temple of Pondera?
"My lady," said Dennin, bowing low, "should we go to the Temple of Balance?"
"No," replied Daemeril, "I know you've been waiting to get your revenge on Meneliell for what happened at the Water Temple, but I think we should let them come to us."
Dennin's face turned even more grim as he remembered his failed assault on the Water Temple, right before Meneliell had found Doklim and Sapphire.
"My lady?"
"Go to Hannorah," said Daemeril, "tell Darkir that if he succeeds in removing a few of the weeds then we'll allow him to be converted."
"Yes, my lady."
Dennin teleported away. Daemeril checked her reflection in a puddle of blood, then turned to the priest who had so kindly given her the information she desired. She reached down and grabbed him.
She kissed him, draining his life force right out of him.
She smacked her lips.
"Mmmm... Life force of a priest. That has got to be fattening."
She laughed and teleported away.
Chapter 15
The Briefing
The five Godesses, along with the party, sat around a large table.
Solaria was already looking bored, and was chewing gum in a rather annoying fashion.
"May I ask you a question?" asked Doklim.
Solaria smiled at him.
"Listen, first thing you gotta know about me," she said, "I don't like it when people are all formal. Now, ask away."
"Never mind," said Doklim, "you just answered it..."
"If I may please have your attention," said Pondera, "as you may know, the Gem of Balance is kept in the city of Hannorah, the capital of the Golden Kingdom."
"I didn't know that," said Sapphire.
"Well now ya do," said Solaria, "continue, please."
"As I was saying," continued Pondera, "the Gem of Balance is kept in Hannorah. The King, however, has sided with The Shadow. Daemeril will surely seek it out, as it will grant her the power to give her physical form."
"What do you mean 'Physical Form'?" asked Doklim, "she's already got one."
"No, she currently has a host," replied Solaria, "sheesh. You may be handsome, but you sure are stupid."
"That's enough, Solaria," said Pondera, "don't make me send you to your room again."
"Yes, Mum," replied Solaria.
"Wait," said Sapphire, "Pondera is your mother?"
"Pondera is the one that created the four of us," said Aera, "so yes, she is our mother."
"We don't have time for such idle chatter," said Igenaria, "mother, if you could continue?"
"Your task should be relatively simple," said Pondera, "Jericho has a contact in Hannorah who has been keeping the Gem safe. She won't be able to keep it safe forever, though, so you must bring it back here."
"We have a plan," said Solaria, "now we just need to wait for it to go wrong."
"That's it," said Pondera, "give Doklim his armour and go to your room."
Solaria snapped her fingers and Doklim was wearing golden armour. She then teleported out of the room.
Aera snapped her fingers and Sapphire was wearing sky blue armour.
"Good luck," said Aera.
The four remaining Goddesses teleported out of the room.
This is the story of the war that ensued...
Chapter 1
Finding the Chamber
Doklim...
"Not right now..."
Doklim, you made me promise not to let you sleep in past noon! Now wake up!
Sapphire cracked a spoon over Doklim's head and he woke up with a start.
"Saph, what's your problem?" asked Doklim.
"Well I wanna explore the world!" said Sapphire, "and that's kinda hard to do with you sleeping in all the time!"
"She has a point there," said Merilris.
Doklim shot a look at his older sister and turned back to Sapphire.
"So, where are we headed today?" he asked her.
"Meril found something interesting earlier today," replied Sapphire, "let's go check it out!"
"Please don't tell me it's another dead thing," groaned Doklim, "I don't get how you're my sister sometimes, Meril."
"Not dead thing interesting," replied Merilris, "dungeon interesting!"
"You found a dungeon?" asked Doklim, "I thought they only existed in video games and fantasy books."
Doklim ate lunch and they packed up their camp. It had been two months since they had left Avorum in order to explore the world.
Doklim and Sapphire followed Merilris through the forest. She was easy to follow because it's hard to lose someone with pink hair, so even if she was to get far ahead of them (which happened often, as her power over nature enabled her to simply just command low hanging branches out of her way) they'd still be able to see her. They eventually stopped outside the entrance to some sort of chamber.
"Well Whaddya know," said Sapphire, "you actually found a dungeon..."
Sapphire ran in. Doklim watched as her golden hair and wings disappeared into the darkness of the dungeon.
"She really has a death wish, doesn't she?" said Merilris, walking in after her.
Doklim hesitated for a moment, then ran in after the girls. They weren't going to have all the fun!
Once inside Doklim couldn't see a thing. He reached into his bag and pulled out a torch and lit it. There was strange writing all over the wall. The whole place gave him the creeps.
A hand touched his shoulder and he jumped, drawing his sword and dropping his torch.
Behind him Sapphire laughed.
"You're such and idiot, Dok," she said.
"Don't scare me like that, Saph," said Doklim.
Suddenly the ground began to shake.
"I think that we should get out of here," said Sapphire.
"Where's Meril?" asked Doklim.
Merilris ran up to them.
"We need to leave," she said, "NOW!"
A strange shadow flew around them, and they could hear screams fill the air. The three of them ran from the chamber and stood panting outside.
"Perhaps now would be a good time to go home?" asked Doklim.
Chapter 2
Doklim's Intro
Greetings. My name is Doklim Falcon. I'm seventeen years old and have blue hair and wings and enjoy sleeping, daydreaming and constantly competing with Sapphire and my Sister, Merilris.
I also trained under Jerrick Eagle, one of the knights in Avorum. My weapon of choice is a Zweihander (a huge sword). I chose it as my weapon first! And don't let Sapphire convince you otherwise!
While I'm pretty much a rookie in combat, I'm still better than Sapphire. Other than friendly competition, however, there's really no point in combat. Although I think that might be about to change...
Chapter 3
Sapphire's Intro
Hiya! My name's Sapphire Blade! I'm the half Aveno daughter of General Lee, the leader of the Golden Kingdom Army!
I have blonde hair and gold wings and enjoy lots of things!
I trained under Jerrick Eagle with my best friend and greatest rival, Doklim. My weapon is a Zweihander. I chose it first and don't let Doklim tell you otherwise!
I'm pretty much the best there is with a sword! So come on! Give me your best shot! I'll strike you down!
Chapter 4
The Shadow Rose
The three Avenos landed in Avorum. Merilris had been quiet throughout the entire journey. She jumped whenever anyone spoke to her and she refused to talk about what she'd seen down there.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said, "just leave me alone! Go and play one of your stupid games or something!"
Merilris ran over to her and Doklim's house.
"I don't know what stupid games she's talking about," said Sapphire, "our competition is serious!"
"Please, Saph, don't start," said Doklim, "this isn't like her.."
Doklim walked over to his house and tried to open the door. Merilris had locked it, however, and she was the only one with a key.
He decided to head to the library instead. Melody, the librarian, might know what they'd unleashed upon the world.
"So, Doklim Falcon, hmmm?" said Melody, "not with Miss Blade today, are we?"
"She's gone home," replied Doklim, "we've just flown here from somewhere in the middle of the Crimson Kingdom and we're tired. Merilris has locked me out though, so I've decided to try and figure out what the place was that we found."
"Ah, so you discovered something?" asked Melody, "there are a few hidden caves in Crimson. Tell me, what was inside."
"The walls had some kind of strange writing on them, and Merilris was the one to go down the deepest-"
Doklim's words were cut off by a piercing scream.
"That sounded like Meril!" said Doklim, running towards his house.
When he got there Sapphire was already there.
Doklim knocked on the door.
"Meril, are you okay?" he asked.
"Get away, Doklim!" was Merilris' reply, right before she shrieked again.
Doklim and Sapphire drew their swords and knocked down the door.
Merilris lay on the floor, sobbing.
"I told you not to come in here," she said, looking up at them.
Her hair and wings were darker than normal and her skin was pale.
"Leave, before she- Arrrgh!" Merilris broke into another scream before she could finish her sentence.
"Who?" asked Doklim, "who's doing this to you?"
Merilris' hair turned black and her eyes turned yellow.
"I suggest you listen to what I just said, brother," she said in a cold voice, "because if you don't I'll rip off each of your limbs."
"Merilris..." said Doklim.
"That's not my name anymore," said the girl, "now my name is Daemeril. Now leave before I tear apart every cell in your body!"
Doklim drew his sword and Sapphire followed suit.
"Tell me, brother," said Daemeril, "if it came to it, would you kill me? Could you kill me?"
Daemeril then kicked him and he didn't even move to block.
"Not much point in having that sword, is there, brother?"
"Don't call me that," said Doklim, getting up.
Daemeril giggled.
"I'll call you whatever I want to, brother."
She then raised her arm and a giant rose appeared in her hand.
"Roses are red and violets are blue," she said, "I've raised an army of undead just to kill you!"
A small army of undead then appeared around the house.
"Destroy the town!" shouted Daemeril, "round up all deserving townsfolk and have them converted! After being locked up for ten millenia we shall finally have our revenge!"
"Locked up?" asked Doklim.
"There are no answers for the dead!" replied Daemeril, aiming the tip of her rose at Doklim.
Doklim and Sapphire flew out the door and as far away from the city as they could.
"What happened to you, Merilris?" asked Doklim.
Chapter 5
Temple of Water
Doklim and Sapphire explored the forest they'd landed in. Doklim guessed it was somewhere in Cerulean.
It was getting dark and it was extremely gold. Sapphire began shivering. Doklim took off his jacket and offered it to her. Her pride, however, prevented her from taking it.
"You really are an idiot, preferring freezing in order to keep your pride," said Doklim.
"Sh-shut up," replied Sapphire.
"Tell me," said a voice behind them, "what's there to be proud of in freezing to death?"
"Who are you?" asked Doklim, raising his sword.
"And it's not that cold," said Sapphire.
A woman stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a red shirt, skirt and black tights. She wore a hat with a feather in it and a scarf, both red. On her hip lay a rapier.
"My name is Meneliell Shadowbane," said the woman, bowing, "High Priestess to the Water Goddess, Maddius."
"I'm Doklim Falcon," said Doklim, bowing back.
"And what's your girlfriends name?" asked Meneliell.
"G-girlfriend!?!" screamed Sapphire, "I'll h-have you know th-that..."
"Her name is Sapphire Blade," said Doklim, "and what she's trying to say is that she's simply only a friend of mine."
Meneliell smirked. These two were going to be fun.
"We'd best get her to the temple before she catches a cold," said Meneliell, "tell me, what brings two young Avenos so far from their city?"
Doklim told Meneliell what had happened. Once they got to the temple Meneliell fetched them a couple of mugs of cocoa and lit a fire to keep them warm.
"If you'll excuse me, I must speak with Lady Maddius about something," said Meneliell.
"If you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you speak with Maddius?" asked Doklim. He'd heard that High Priests had such abilities, but never found out how.
"I'm afraid my oath doesn't permit me to tell you," replied Meneliell, "I'd tell you if I could, but I can't."
Meneliell left the room and walked down the corridor. A few minutes later she ran back in, a panicked look in her eyes.
"Y-you've unleashed The Shadow back into this world," she said, "geez... I've only been High Goddess for a year... Why did a possibly apocalyptic disaster have to happen on my watch?"
"Ummm..." said Sapphire, "we've unleashed a shadow onto the world? But shadows aren't bad. They're just-"
"Sapphire, don't you remember the stories we were told," said Doklim, "the legends that our parents used to tell us?"
"You actually listened to those boring old things?" asked Sapphire.
"Th-they aren't legends," said Meneliell, "twenty thousand years ago a group of dark wizards decided to see if they could create the perfect agent of darkness. What they created was The Shadow. The Shadow was a being of pure darkness, that could break off small pieces of itself and place them in the soul of someone. It would then consume the person and use the person as a puppet.
"The five Goddesses, Solaria, the Pyro Goddess, Maddius, the Water Goddess, Igenaria, the Nature Goddess, Aera, the Wind Goddess and Pondera, the Goddess of Balance, locked up the Shadow behind a door in the Heaven Chamber.
"How your sister managed to unlock it is unknown, but The Shadow thanked her for it by not killing her and converting her instead..."
"Sound serious," said Doklim, "but what can we do?"
"Because this is your fault, you can help fix it," said Meneliell, "but first the two of you will need some sleep. There's a big day ahead of you."
Meneliell led them to a room. All the other priests were asleep already and the only room with beds ready was Meneliell's own room. She didn't mind sharing it with them, however.
The three of them climbed in their beds.
Doklim and Sapphire fell asleep almost instantly. Meneliell sat on the edge of her bed, thinking.
Maddius had been hiding something. She seemed to know how Merilris had opened the chamber, but was hiding it. She'd also said that Meneliell would have to aid Doklim and Sapphire in any way possible.
And she'd asked Meneliell to find her sister, Galiell, High Priestess of Igenaria...
Chapter 6
Meneliell's Intro
Greetings. My name is Meneliell Shadowbane. I am High Priestess of Maddius and, like all High Priests, I have a special title: The Waters of Kindness.
I may not look it, but I'm really only fifteen years old.
I haven't spoken to or seen my sister for three years, ever since our parents died, but I found out she'd become High Priestess of Igenaria.
There really isn't much else to say...
Chapter 7
Over to Golden Continent
Doklim woke up early in the morning. Something was nagging at him.
He looked over at Sapphires bed. She seemed to be okay...
He then looked over at Meneliell. She wasn't there.
Doklim got out of bed and pulled on his jacket and walked outside. He found Meneliell looking up at the stars.
"Couldn't sleep, huh?" he asked.
"I just need to think about a couple of things," said Meneliell.
"Fine, you tell me if you need any help, though," said Doklim.
Doklim turned to return to their room when Meneliell called for him.
"Wait," she said, "I was rude to you last night. I didn't think about how much it must torture you that your sister is... Well..."
"What brings this on?" asked Doklim.
"Maddius has asked me to find my own sister," replied Meneliell, "I haven't seen her for three years now, and I've only just realised how much I miss her..."
"Well, what's there to worry about, then?" asked Doklim.
Meneliell smiled at him.
"You're right," she said, "I'm just worrying about nothing."
She looked up at the moon one last time and the two of them returned to their room.
***
In the morning Meneliell got breakfast ready for Doklim and Sapphire and gave instructions to the other priests.
"We need to cross the sea and go to Golden Continent," she said.
"Cross the sea?" asked Sapphire, "b-but there have been reports of pirate attacks around here recently..."
"Saph," said Doklim, "why are you afraid?"
Sapphire looked down at her feet.
Doklim knew perfectly well why she was scared.
Her...
When they were kids, who had been the strongest?
Her...
Who had been their parents favourite?
Her...
Who had stomped her into the ground constantly?
Her...
"What is it?" asked Meneliell.
"Nothing," replied Sapphire, "lets go..."
They chartered a ship over to Golden City port at the nearby town.
Sapphire looked over the edge of the ship at the water. Doklim stood beside her.
"Listen, Saph," he said, "there's no reason to hate her."
"Why not?" asked Sapphire.
"Do I hate you?" asked Doklim, "despite you treating me the same way she treated you?"
The realisation suddenly hit her. Doklim was right! She treated him the same way-
"Pirate ship spotted!" shouted the lookout.
"I hope the three of ye know how to use those swords," said the captain.
Sapphire looked at the pirate ship... Sure enough, she was the captain...
"I'm not going to lose to her again!" shouted Sapphire, "I'm coming to get you, Serene!"
And she flew at the pirate ship, sword drawn.
Chapter 8
A look into Sapphire's past
About five years ago, before the thought of exploration even entered my mind, my twin sister destroyed my entire family. She had been so good as a little girl. Then, as she got older, she slowly became more and more cruel. She would constantly steal things and beat up random people. I was one of her favourite punching bags, along with Doklim. My parents were oblivious to all this, however, despite Merilris telling them what she'd been doing and even showing them the bruises Doklim had.
She was later permitted combat training. She chose to master the cutlass. She learnt quickly and decided to try out her skills on Doklim. Merilris couldn't stand to see her younger brother get hurt by her any more and attacked.
Merilris was powerful, but my sister proved to be stronger. She was about to kill Merilris when my parents entered. She ran away and, later on, we heard that she'd joined a group of pirates.
My parents began blaming each other for what had happened and eventually broke up.
I swore that I'd destroy her for destroying our family.
I'm coming for you, Serene...
Chapter 9
Pirates and Shadows
Sapphire landed on the deck of the pirate ship. The pirates all drew their blades, but the captain simply waved them back.
"So," said Serene, "you think you can beat me, Sister?"
"I've gotten alot stronger since the last time we saw each other," replied Sapphire.
Sapphire swung her sword at Serene. Serene simply dodged out of the way, drew her cutlass and put it to Sapphire's throat. She then dragged Sapphire down below the deck.
***
"She has Sapphire!" shouted Meneliell, "that bitch has Sapphire!"
Doklim got ready to unsheath his sword and fly over to the other ship, but then he saw a shadow looming on the horizon.
"Oh boy," he said.
"Big looming shadows are rarely a good thing," said Meneliell.
***
Serene dragged Sapphire into her quarters and bolted the door behind her.
"You nearly made me look like a fool in front of my crew!" she said.
"Made you look like a fool?" said Sapphire, "what about me?"
Serene smiled.
"I'm proud of you, ya know that?"
Sapphire was taken aback. Praise was the last thing she expected from Serene.
"You're either extremely couragous, or extremely stupid," continued Serene.
"You don't know me," said Sapphire, "I might be both."
"I don't think so," said Serene, "I think you're just couragous. Courage is an important thing. Never let go of it."
Serene sighed.
"Do you think this is the life I wanted?" she asked, "I threw away everything, and I don't even know why..."
"We've both made our mistakes," said Sapphire.
"What do you mean?" asked Serene.
"I treat Doklim the same way..."
The boat lurched as a wave hit it.
"Doklim..." said Serene, "how is he?"
"He's fine," replied Sapphire.
"Good," Serene said, "and what about his sister, Merilris?"
"Well..."
The door was then blast open and Daemeril entered the room.
"Merilris is right here," she said.
"Who are you?" asked Serene, drawing her sword, "and what do you want?"
"That's Merilris," said Sapphire.
"What's happened to her?" asked Serene.
"You've been a good little pirate," said Daemeril, "absolutely nasty. You deserve to be converted! Now step aside, your sister has been deemed to be too pure!"
"And I'll make sure she stays like that!" said Serene, rushing at Daemeril.
She pushed Daemeril away from the door.
"Saph! Run!"
"B-but Serene!"
"No questions! Just get out!"
Sapphire ran from the room.
"Why do you defend the doomed?" asked Daemeril, "you just lost your survival!"
"I'm not going to let you kill her," said Serene, "I promised that, if I got a chance, I'd try to redeem myself to her!"
Serene slashed her cutlass at Daemeril, who blocked it with her Rose.
"Redemption is for the damned!" shouted Daemeril.
Daemeril then kicked Serene in the stomach and pointed the tip of her rose at Serene.
"Aera, please guide Sapphire to safety," said Serene.
"Prayer will not save her!" said Daemeril.
Daemeril then fired a beam from the Rose right at Serene's heart.
***
Both ships were overrun by undead, but Doklim had grabbed Meneliell and flown up into the air. They were halfway to Golden Continent, he had to hope that he could carry Meneliell that far. He looked down at the ships. The pirate ship was beginning to sink. Then he saw her! Sapphire had manged to escape!
"You made it!" said Doklim.
Then he realised that tears were streaming down Sapphires face.
"Serene..." she said, "I'm pretty sure she just died to save me..."
Chapter 10
Temple of Earth
Doklim and Sapphire landed. Doklim put Meneliell down and began checking his surroundings.
Meneliell was extremely pale.
"You alright, Menel?" asked Sapphire.
"I never want to do that again," replied Meneliell, "I hate heights."
She then looked over at some bushes.
"Excuse me for a second," she said.
She ran over to the bushes and started puking in them.
"Doesn't take too well to heights, huh?" asked Doklim, "what's with these humans and their obsession with keeping their feet on the ground?"
"I heard that, Falcon," said Meneliell, walking back over to them.
"How far away is the temple?" asked Doklim.
"Directly east from here, I think," replied Meneliell.
They walked east through a large forest. Eventually they saw someone reading a book in the distance. She was dressed in green clothes and looked relatively well muscled. However, the similarity to Meneliell was the most obvious thing about her.
"Galiell!" shouted Meneliell.
Galiell looked up and saw her sister.
"I've been expecting you," she said, "so, these are the ones?"
"Yup," replied Meneliell.
"Galiell Shadowbane," she said, "High Priestess of Igenaria. At your service."
"Doklim Falcon."
"Sapphire Blade."
"So, I take it the three of you would be tired," said Galiell, "Igenaria said you were attacked by The Shadow last night."
"These two will," said Meneliell, "we have some stuff we should probably get out of the way."
"Straight to business, huh Menel?" said Galiell, "some things never change."
***
Galiell led them to the Temple of Igenaria. She led Doklim and Sapphire to there rooms and then returned to her sister.
"They're young," said Galiell, "younger than any of us expected."
"It happened sooner than any expected, too," said Meneliell, "besides, the two of us were younger than expected... But how was Merilris able to open that door?"
"Igenaria has said that we're to gather at the Temple of Pondera," said Galiell, "perhaps Jericho will know."
"Perhaps," said Meneliell, "although I have a theory."
"Shoot," said Galiell.
"First, let's not say that," said Meneliell, "second, doesn't Pondera usually have two High Priests?"
"Yes," said Galiell, "the Godesses choose their High Priests when they're born."
"But she currently only has one," said Meneliell, "and her other one was meant to be revealed a few days ago when Merilris opened the door."
"So you're saying that Merilris is the one destined to become Pondera's second High Priest?" asked Galiell, "that's an imbalance whenever I saw one."
"What could it mean?" asked Meneliell.
"It means that this is more than just a small battle," replied Galiell, "this is full scale war."
Chapter 11
Galiell's Intro
Hey there! My name is Galiell Shadowbane, High Priestess to Igenaria and older sister to Meneliell! I am 18 years old and enjoy taming animals.
Like Meneliell, I have a special title: the Strength of the Earth.
Well, I am pretty strong, so I think it's accurate.
One time... Oh, wait, Meneliell says I probably shouldn't go on for too long... Well then see ya!
Chapter 12
The Chosen
In the morning Galiell and Meneliell woke up Doklim. Sapphire was already awake, as she hadn't been able to get much sleep. She refused to talk about it, but Doklim could tell Serene's death was haunting her.
"The Shadow has its sights set on the two of you," said Galiell, "it probably knows that you're here, so we can't waste time going to the Temple of Balance on foot."
"How do you propose we get there?" asked Doklim, "I could barely carry Meneliell yesterday and-"
"We are not going to fly," said Meneliell, "especially not that far."
"No," said Galiell, "Igenaria has arranged for the Portal to be opened."
"The Portal?" asked Doklim.
"The Portal is a portal that can lead us to the other temples," explained Meneliell.
"So we just walk through some portal and we're there?" asked Sapphire, "why couldn't we do that in the first place?"
"The Goddesses need to guide us in order to ensure that we get there in one piece," explained Galiell, "and they generally only want to do that in emergencies."
"Come," said Meneliell, "let us go to the Temple of Balance."
***
When the four of them stepped through the Portal they appeared almost instantly in a strange chamber.
"There you are," said a man, "it took you long enough..."
The man had white hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a trenchcoat that was half black, half white. At his hip he had a Falchion and a gun.
"Why were we sent to the Chamber of Gathering?" asked Meneliell, "these two-"
"Haven't met their destiny yet?" asked the man, "they did, Meneliell, when they found the Chamber..."
"I assume that you're Jericho, then?" asked Meneliell.
"That's correct," replied the man, "Jericho, High Priest of Pondera. Now, don't bother introducing yourselves, Pondera has taken care of that for you."
"And now it's time for these two to know exactly who they are."
Doklim, Sapphire, Galiell and Meneliell spun around and saw four woman. They instantly seemed to know who they were.
The first one to catch Doklim's eye he felt a strange connection to.
She appeared to be in her late teens, and had red hair, golden wings and was wearing golden armour. She smiled at him and he looked away. Solaria...
Sapphire felt a strange connection to the one on the opposite side.
She was an elf with blonde hair and wore sky blue armour. Aera...
The one next to the golden girl was one that Meneliell knew well; Maddius. She wore blue robes and had brown hair.
The one wearing green robes was Igenaria, who had black hair.
And there was one who was wearing a white breastplate and a black skirt. Pondera...
"I knew he'd turn out to be handsome," said Solaria.
"Hmph, well I managed to get the most powerful," retorted Maddius.
"Will the two of you stop competing with each other for one minute?" asked Igenaria, "we have more important things to discuss, don't we Aera?"
"Yes, we do," replied Aera, looking at Sapphire, "very important things..."
Solaria looked to Doklim.
"The flames burn brightly within him," she said.
"And the winds blow strongly within her," said Aera, nodding at Sapphire.
"Are they ready?" Maddius asked Meneliell.
"Much more ready than I was," replied Meneliell.
"Take them," said Pondera, "but be quick. The Shadow is gaining strength from one of my Priests..."
Solaria walked up to Doklim and put her arms around his shoulders.
"Prepare for the exam," she said, "there is to be no talking to your classmates, as you have none, and it is to be closed book, as you don't have any books. No doubt you didn't study, but don't expect me to go easy on you because of that."
"What?" asked Doklim.
"I'm giving you a test," replied Solaria.
The two of them then teleported away.
Aera walked up to Sapphire.
"Don't worry," she said, "I'm more serious than my sister."
"Huh?"
"Although I'm afraid I do have a test for you."
And Aera teleported away with Sapphire.
"Do they have to do this?" asked Meneliell, "people have died in these tests!"
"Relax," said Maddius, "the two of them have been exposed to pure shadow and been uncorrupted. They can pass a small test."
Chapter 13
The Tests
Solaria and Doklim arrived in an arena. Facing them was a dragon.
"Good luck," said Solaria, teleporting away.
"You have to be kidding me..." said Doklim, "I have to fight this thing?"
The dragon spurted flames out at Doklim. he dodged.
"How am I meant to win?" he asked.
***
Aera and Sapphire appeared in a similar arena. Another dragon was there.
"Good luck," said Aera, teleporting away in much the same manner as her sister.
"Hmph," said Sapphire, "this will be easy..."
Sapphire struck at the dragon and her sword bounced right off. She dodged out of the way of a fire attack.
"There has to be a weak spot somewhere," she said.
***
Doklim continued to dodge the attacks.
"I suppose I won't know till I try," he said.
He struck at the dragon and succeeded in cutting off it's head. Solaria teleported in.
"Well done," she said, "that was your greatest weakness. You give up too easily."
***
Sapphire dropped her sword.
"I'm powerless to stop it," she said, "I failed..."
"Actually," said Aera, teleporting in, "you pass."
"Huh? But I couldn't kill it," said Sapphire.
"But you acknowledged that you aren't invincible," said Aera.
***
The four of them reappeared in the Chamber of Gathering.
"Their greatest weaknesses have been overcome," said Solaria.
"Now, shall we begin?" asked Aera.
"Begin what?" asked Doklim.
"Planning for the coming war," replied Solaria.
Chapter 14
A Sinister Plot
Daemeril grabbed the priest by the collar.
"Where are they?" she snarled.
"Th-they went through the portal," said the priest, "they headed to the Temple of Balance."
Daemeril dropped him on the ground. So they'd gone straight from the Temple of Igenaria to the Temple of Pondera?
"My lady," said Dennin, bowing low, "should we go to the Temple of Balance?"
"No," replied Daemeril, "I know you've been waiting to get your revenge on Meneliell for what happened at the Water Temple, but I think we should let them come to us."
Dennin's face turned even more grim as he remembered his failed assault on the Water Temple, right before Meneliell had found Doklim and Sapphire.
"My lady?"
"Go to Hannorah," said Daemeril, "tell Darkir that if he succeeds in removing a few of the weeds then we'll allow him to be converted."
"Yes, my lady."
Dennin teleported away. Daemeril checked her reflection in a puddle of blood, then turned to the priest who had so kindly given her the information she desired. She reached down and grabbed him.
She kissed him, draining his life force right out of him.
She smacked her lips.
"Mmmm... Life force of a priest. That has got to be fattening."
She laughed and teleported away.
Chapter 15
The Briefing
The five Godesses, along with the party, sat around a large table.
Solaria was already looking bored, and was chewing gum in a rather annoying fashion.
"May I ask you a question?" asked Doklim.
Solaria smiled at him.
"Listen, first thing you gotta know about me," she said, "I don't like it when people are all formal. Now, ask away."
"Never mind," said Doklim, "you just answered it..."
"If I may please have your attention," said Pondera, "as you may know, the Gem of Balance is kept in the city of Hannorah, the capital of the Golden Kingdom."
"I didn't know that," said Sapphire.
"Well now ya do," said Solaria, "continue, please."
"As I was saying," continued Pondera, "the Gem of Balance is kept in Hannorah. The King, however, has sided with The Shadow. Daemeril will surely seek it out, as it will grant her the power to give her physical form."
"What do you mean 'Physical Form'?" asked Doklim, "she's already got one."
"No, she currently has a host," replied Solaria, "sheesh. You may be handsome, but you sure are stupid."
"That's enough, Solaria," said Pondera, "don't make me send you to your room again."
"Yes, Mum," replied Solaria.
"Wait," said Sapphire, "Pondera is your mother?"
"Pondera is the one that created the four of us," said Aera, "so yes, she is our mother."
"We don't have time for such idle chatter," said Igenaria, "mother, if you could continue?"
"Your task should be relatively simple," said Pondera, "Jericho has a contact in Hannorah who has been keeping the Gem safe. She won't be able to keep it safe forever, though, so you must bring it back here."
"We have a plan," said Solaria, "now we just need to wait for it to go wrong."
"That's it," said Pondera, "give Doklim his armour and go to your room."
Solaria snapped her fingers and Doklim was wearing golden armour. She then teleported out of the room.
Aera snapped her fingers and Sapphire was wearing sky blue armour.
"Good luck," said Aera.
The four remaining Goddesses teleported out of the room.