"Mirage, behind you!" shouted Argile.
The Blue Knight turned his head slightly to see another of the cyclops demons. Standing over eight feet tall and covered in dull gray scales and spikes, these one eyed monstrosities were strong, quick, and sporting very large claws. Mirage pulled his Scimitar from the corpse of another of the demons and dropped into a crouch as his attacker lunged. The sharp claws slashed the air above the Knight's head. Mirage rolled backwards and drove his blade deep into the monster's chest. The creature released a cry and died instantly. Pulling the Blue Dragon's Scimitar free, Mirage rolled away quickly as the beast fell to the ground. He got to his feet and scanned the battle scene. Argile was easily finishing off the remaining to demons. The large Knight brought the pommel of his Axe into the gut of a charging demon, and then reversed the action and cleaved the monster in two. The second cyclops demon lashed out at the Black Knight, but found no human flesh to render. A loud shriek was heard as Argile deflected the attack with his steel arm. Without a blemish on it, the onyx arm crashed into the demon's face cracking its skull. The monster groaned as it collapsed into death.
"That was a nice little exercise," said Mirage with a smile.
A black flash surrounded Argile as he deactivated the magic of the Black Dragon's Crest. Mirage wiped the blood from his sword and deactivated his own Crest. "I do not like this, Mirage," replied Argile. "This is the third pack of demons we have seen in the past two days, and these are not the normal beasts of the land. They are much too strong."
The Pirate Lord's smile vanished. "You're right. Do you think it's the Hades Army?"
"It must be," answered Argile with a nod.
"Then these are scouting parties." Argile nodded again. "And where there are scouts, there is an army. What should we do? We don't have time to notify the Stamarians, and even if we did we would probably get caught up in the battle."
"And we do not have time for that," added Argile. He slung his Axe over his back and pulled his Crest from beneath his gray tunic. The Dragon Crest was glowing slightly. "I think we are drawing too near to our goals to stop now. We must find the new Blue and Black Dragons of Althena if we even want to have a chance in this war."
Mirage took out his own Crest from his white tunic. It too was glowing slightly. "Mine pulls towards the east. How about yours?"
"Mine, too, calls for an eastward path." With that said, the two friends gathered their packs from the ground and set off towards the eastern borders of Stamaria.
For over two weeks now, the two Knights had been traveling Northeast into Stamaria. Wearing only simple peasant clothes and the packs on their backs, the two men gave off a harmless feeling, except for the deadly weapon each one carried. Lead only by the Crests they wore around their necks, Mirage and Argile had been searching for the heirs to the Blue and Black Dragon auras. Once that was accomplished, the Knights and the new Dragons of Althena could return to Vane and help with the war effort. But it seemed that the Hades Army and the war was not going to wait until the two Knights returned home.
Night fell and the they came to the edge of the river that once separated the Marius and Stadius Zones back before the days of the Stamarian Kingdom. The two friends camped at the river's bank and set out north in the morning. What was supposed to be a cool spring day was anything but that. The skies were dark with clouds, and the rolling green plains were gray and dying slowly. The evil that had infected the Blue Star was also setting its roots down on Lunar. If the Hades Army was not repelled soon, Lunar would look much like the devastated lands of the now dead Eastern Empire.
Mirage stared down at the river as he and Argile walked. The water level seemed to be lower than it should have been. The water itself wasn't in good shape either. Normally shinning blue, the water was dull and filled with mud. The Pirate Lord closed his eyes and looked away. The words of Carla's vision filled his mind. A plague would infect the Blue Star, and then it would spread to Lunar. If not stopped, all would suffer and die. His thoughts drifted from the morbid vision to Carla. Behind his closed eyes, Mirage saw the smirking face of the small Premier.
He loved her. He was sure of that. Despite her venomous tongue, violent temper, and lack of cooking skills, Mirage knew that he could never love another the same way. He opened his eyes and looked up at the clouds. Somewhere up there was Vane, and Carla. The Pirate Lord absently reached into a pouch at his side. He looked down into his left hand at an object wrapped in a rag. Slowly, Mirage unwrapped it. He pulled away that last piece and stared down at a diamond ring. Cut in the shape of a star, the diamond was grafted into a solid gold band. The Pirate Lord remembered the ship he had plundered it from five years ago. It had been a treasure barge bound for the Fummarrian port city of Cif. It's cargo had been the property of one of the Kingdom's more prominent Merchant Princes. The rest of the booty had been divided up between his men, but Mirage had kept this little jewel for himself.
"What is that?" asked Argile nodding towards the ring in Mirage's left hand.
"Commitment," was all he said.
Argile looked down at his friend and smiled. "I look forward to that day. It will be a festive celebration."
Mirage rewrapped the ring and placed it back in his pouch. A half smile appeared on his face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy, but I haven't even asked her yet."
Argile's large hand patted the pirate lord on the back. "Worry not, my friend. She loves you as much as you love her. Why else would you two fight so much?"
"I thought she yells at me because I'm a slob." With that the two of them burst out laughing.
The day was drawing to a close, and the two Knights finally saw the lights of a village in the distance. Dusk had just set in when they arrived at a small town built haphazardly on the shores of the river and actually on the river itself. "Where are we?" asked Argile.
A drunken man was swaggering past, and Mirage motioned him to come closer. He reeked of sour ale and some poorly cooked beast. "Excuse me, sir, but what village is this?" asked the Pirate Lord.
The drunk hobbled over. His clothes were patched and covered in various stains. There was a severe lack of hair on his head, and his nose and chin seemed too big for his poch marked face. He gave them a gap filled grin. "Why yer in da ton o' Dermyo!" he shouted with the loudness common to drunks.
"I've never heard of such a place," said Mirage.
The drunk squinted at him and burped. Mirage quickly clamped his hand over his nose as the drunk continued to speak. "Will, 'bout ten hundrid millyon yars ago, we had us a far. Da whole ton was burnted down. Any hoose, when our kins rebuilded they hud fergotten da name o' da ton." He stopped to spit before going on. "Then they founded da remains o' da ton sign. It wad in peeces, so when they had put it back togedder it spelled Dermyo!" He smiled again. "That's how da ton gut it's name."
Mirage patted the drunk on the back, dropped a silver in his hand, and sent him on his way. He shuffled away mumbling to himself about finding what sounded like his cousin. Mirage motioned to Argile to lean closer. "I remember reading a book about ancient geography. There was once a town called Meryod that linked the Marius and Stadius Zones. Supposedly, the town's inhabitants suffered from severe inbreeding. About a couple thousand years ago the whole damn place burned down. This must be what was rebuilt over the remains."
"It seems that the current inhabitants of the town are not much different from their ancestors," added Argile. Mirage nodded in agreement. "My Crest has stopped guiding me east."
"Mine too." Mirage pulled the Blue Dragon's Crest from beneath his tunic. It was warm to the touch and no longer glowing. "I think we've hit the jackpot, buddy."
Argile, too, had the Black Dragon's Crest in his large hand. "Then our goals are somewhere in this town." Argile laughed silently. "Shan and Briss were very wise to hide their heirs here. No one would look in this den of debauchery for future Dragons of Althena."
"Well, I say we make due with whatever sleeping arrangements the local inn can give us, and then start looking in the morning," suggested Mirage. Argile agreed, and the two Knights began to looking for Dermyo's inn.
Onyl placed the pitcher of ale on the table, and the drunk's head shot right up. A toothless grin spread over his pudgy face as he reached for the brew. She frowned back at the fat drunk and walked away back to the bar. The young woman placed the tray down and brushed her long dark hair from her face. Her brown eyes gazed about the room. The common room of the inn was filled with all the local drunks. They were all seated around the tables of the room either pouring beer down their mouths or passed out face down on the table top. Onyl sighed and looked at herself. She felt that she was an attractive eighteen year old. Long black hair cascaded down her back all the way to her waist. She was about a little over a meter tall with a slim build. Her plain brown skirt and white blouse were stained with beer and other food stuffs. She grimaced at all her broken nails as she looked at her hands. "I'll never get a date at this rate." She looked around the room again, and her frown deepened. "Then again, everyone in this goddess damned town is related." Mumbling to herself, the young women started to fill more pitchers with beer.
There was a small commotion near the door. Onyl stopped what she was doing and looked to see what was going on. Several of the drunks had risen from their respective tables as two strangers walked into the room. Her eyes went wide as she gazed at them. The first one's skin was a smooth brown and glistened with perspiration. Onyl looked closely at his face and noticed the barely perceptible traits of the beast race. His brown eyes were slightly almond shaped, and when he opened his mouth his incisors were pointed. His shirt and pants were covered in dust, but the hilt of his sword was a bright azure.Onyl's gaze lingered for a moment as she looked at the dragon's head pommel of the sword.
Onyl barely shifted her gaze to the mountain of a man behind the dark skinned stranger. He stood at least seven feet tall and bulging with muscles. His soft brown eyes were quite a contrast to his size and hard set expression. His clothes, too, were dirty from traveling, and strapped to his back was a very large axe. But what stood out most of all was his left arm. It wasn't flesh! It was solid steel and all black! Onyl shivered slightly as she started at it. It was then that she noticed a small feeling of familiarity with the large man. It felt as if there was some sort of connection between the two of them.
The crowd stared at the two strangers for a few more minutes and then slowly returned to getting nicely drunk. The two strange men looked at each other and headed for the bar. Onyl's father finished cleaning a mug and made his way over to the approaching men. Her father was of average height with a little gray hair left on his head. He was plump around the middle and waddled as he walked. With an ever present smile on his round face, he wiped his hands on his apron and welcomed the strangers. "Welcome to the The Watering Hole gentlemen. My name is Simon, and I am the owner of this fine establishment. How can I help you on this evening?"
The dark skinned stranger smiled and extended his hand. "My name is Mirage, and my friend here is Argile. We are hoping to find food and boarding on this night, friend Simon. Do you have any vacancies?"
Being ever the business man, Onyl's father shook Mirage's hand, but stalled on his answer. "Well, you see I would have to check on the rooms..."
Mirage's smiled widened as he flicked a pouch at his side with his other hand. There was a definite clink as coins rattled inside. "Money is not a problem."
Simon with drew his hand and clapped loudly. "Then it seems that there is an opening this evening. Why don't you gentlemen have a seat and have something to eat. You look hungry." Simon guided the two men over to an open table. He seated them and came back to the bar. He walked over to where Onyl was filling pitchers. "Onyl, hurry and take some drink to those two men."
"Yes, father." She grabbed a pitcher and hurried over to the two strangers.
"It's here," whispered Argile.
"You sure?"
He nodded. "The Black Dragon is here."
Mirage frowned and looked around the room. "You mean one of these drunken louts is the heir to the Black Dragon's Aura?" Argile nodded again. "This trip just keeps getting better and better," muttered the Pirate Lord.
A girl suddenly appeared at the table holding a pitcher of beer. Mirage smiled slightly and gratefully took the pitcher from her. She placed a mug in front of each of them. Argile watched his friend quickly fill the mug and drain it just as fast. As the Pirate Lord began to refill, Argile looked up at their waitress. A bell went off somewhere in his head. "Would you like anything else?" asked the girl.
"Yeah, some hot food," muttered Mirage after a rather loud burp.
"Excuse my friend here," pleaded Argile with a smile. "It's been a long day. But some hot food would be nice, ummm..."
"Onyl," she said quickly. "It shouldn't be that long until the food comes. The Hole 's cook is pretty fast with orders."
"Your accent is not the same as the others of this village," said Argile. "Are you not from here?"
She smiled at him. "Not really," said Onyl after a moment. "My parents brought my younger brother and myself here when I was five. I'm not really sure where we lived before here, but I guess that's just because I was young."
Instinct told the large warrior to keep talking to the girl. "Is the inn keeper your father?"
Onyl nodded. "Yes. He's been running the inn ever since we came here thirteen years ago. I started working here three years ago, but as things are I'll probably be here for the rest of my life." She looked over her shoulder at the bar. "I think your food is ready. I'll be right back with it." Argile thanked her as she walked away.
"Did you feel it?" he asked Mirage. When no reply came, he looked back at his friend. The pitcher of beer was more that half empty, and Mirage had a goofy grin on his face. "Oh, Mirage," sighed Argile.
The food arrived, and Argile was able to get Mirage to at least eat a few mouth fulls. When the meal was finally over, Argile was given directions to his and Mirage's room by Simon. The large warrior left a tip for Onyl, threw Mirage over his right shoulder, and headed for the room. On the third floor, Argile found the room a the end of the hall. The room was of modest size and very clean. There were two beds, a dresser, and an oil lamp. Argile dropped Mirage down onto the nearest bed. The Pirate Lord mumbled something about "captured booty" and began to snore. Argile laughed quietly as he removed his friend's weapon and leaned it on the wall nearby. He removed his own Axe from his back and laid it on the floor by his bed. He turned off the oil lamp and laid back on his pillow. "I know that girl is the Black Dragon. And if my guess is right, her brother is the other Dragon." He continued to think about the possibilities as he drifted off into sleep.