Ghaleon ate his breakfast at the foot of the mountain that held the Goddess Tower. He thought it was ironic that its base should provide a camp for him at the beginning of a journey destined to destroy it. But then life was always full of plot twists. The unexpected could always happen, and Ghaleon would try his best to remain in control of the situation.
A freshly caught rabbit roasted on a small spit he had set up above his campfire. It was best to have a hearty meal before teleporting to the borders of the Frontier. He didn't want to dig into his rations if he didn't have to, and for all he knew, this might be the last good meal he would ever have. Besides, he was waiting for someone, and it was nice to have something to do in the meantime.
He prodded the rabbit with a stick, testing to see how cooked it was. Satisfied, he lay the rabbit on a bed of wild cabbage leaves he had washed in a nearby spring. Then he placed a second rabbit on the fire. It would be a treat for his friend, even his friend rarely would eat anything cooked. The third rabbit laying skinned and prepared nearby would also be for his friend.
Ghaleon ate his rabbit greedily, surprised at how hungry he was. He decided his nerves from last night must have drained him more than he thought. The premier stuffed half a stalk of green onion into his mouth and had his jaw intent on tearing another chunk of meat off the rabbit when he noticed his cat had entered his camp. The cat was carrying a lavender sword sheath in his mouth, which was good. But much to Ghaleon's dismay, he also noticed his cat had a rider.
"Stuffing yourself, Ghaleon? This is a side of you I've never seen."
The premier groaned, starting to lose his appetite. He changed his mind about taking another bite of rabbit and worked on swallowing the green onion instead. Just great. He didn't want to make a pig out of himself, or be caught looking like a goofball with overstuffed cheeks, but that was what appeared to have happened.
"Is this for me?"
His visitor smiled and dismounted. She walked over to the fire, as graceful as any deer, and pulled off the second rabbit, which she proceeded to eat. She picked up the third rabbit by the fire and tossed it to the cat, who eagerly dropped the sheath, caught the rabbit in his mouth and began devouring it.
"Laurel..." he began.
The young woman smiled and cocked her head in his direction. She was chewing her food and he waited for her to finish.
Her presence complicated things. Laurel wasn't human. But like him, she didn't have a drop of monster blood in her. She claimed to be one of the old races, one of those that inhabited the world at the dawn of Lunar. The lithe woman was human in all physical appearances, but the way she could run through the forest, fleeter than any doe, the way she simply moved, was enough to prove that she wasn't human. Laurel's skill at eluding people had kept her hidden from most of the many travelers that wandered the trails between Meribia, Lann, and Vane. And her agility and speed allowed her to throw off the efforts of all who hunted her, except for one. Ghaleon.
The woman, then a girl of roughly the same age as Ghaleon, wasn't very happy at being caught, although she warmed up to him later. And sometimes Ghaleon wondered why he had been compelled to give chase to her in the first place. But he was glad that they had met, because Laurel's knowledge was instrumental in allowing the four heroes defeat the demigod. Her knowledge extended far into the past, and tended to be shockingly accurate, which was why he knew he may soon be in trouble.
While Laurel knew a lot, she could jump to conclusions faster than he would like. Because of that, she claimed to know about who he was and where he came from. It wasn't that he would mind knowing, but he painfully admitted that he didn't want to believe her, especially now that his plans would soon be effect. He didn't want to hear about the ancient Magic Empire, and how a child of the empire would survive its destruction and give rise to a new age of darkness. He didn't want to hear about how her race, the dryads, had been subjugated by the Empire and a curse laid upon them so that their livelihood was linked to the Empire's.
She was full of old stories. And if it wasn't for the fact that she involved him in them, he wouldn't mind listening so much. Ghaleon almost felt as though Althena herself had dropped the weight of the Goddess Tower on him. He wanted to be in control of his life, but if Laurel got wind of his plans, he'd feel like he was waltzing down a path someone else had chosen for him. She'd keep telling him how this was preordained and spew out a whole slew of reasons why, none of which he would be pleased to hear.
Laurel finished the chunk she had been chewing on, and now regarded him curiously, waiting for what he had to say. Just as Ghaleon was about to speak, his cat pulled the rest of the premier's rabbit off its bed of cabbage leaves and settled down to finish what his friend hadn't eaten. Ghaleon felt even worse now, having been robbed of the rest of his breakfast. At least he still had some more green onion...
"Laurel," he began again, "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm afraid I don't have the time to be a proper host today. I'm in a bit of a hurry, and I just wanted time to call my cat and have a proper breakfast before leaving."
She smirked. "And is roasted rabbit and wild green onion your idea of a proper breakfast?"
He sighed. "It used to be before I started living in Vane."
"I hadn't seen you since Dyne became Dragonmaster," she said, watching him carefully. "I happened to see your cat, and somehow I knew he was going to meet you, so I came along. It's been about five years now."
"You could have visited me in Vane," he offered lamely, knowing full well that she wouldn't have.
"No." She shook her head. "You know how I feel about walking among the other races. My home is the woodlands, not the realm of human civilization."
Ghaleon nibbled on the stalk of his green onion before speaking again. "Well, I'd best be going. Being the premier of Vane doesn't give me much time."
"Where are you off to?" she asked.
"I have guild business to attend with Damon, the Keeper of Knowledge," he replied smoothly. His words weren't entirely a lie either. It was the only way he could slip away from Lemia long enough to go to the Frontier. After he was through with his meeting with the Vile Tribe, he would indeed go see Damon about guild business.
"Well, good luck to you," she sighed.
Laurel leaned over and kissed him full in the mouth. Then she stood up, nodded to him, and glided off, as light on her feet as ever.
"What am I ever going to do about her?" Ghaleon asked of no one in particular.
His cat sneezed.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," he agreed, even though what passed between him and his feline friend did not require words. His cat picked up the sheath lying on the ground as he continued talking. "We'd better get going. Are you sure you can sustain yourself in the Frontier?" The cat merely looked at him. "All right then. You will be my nose and my ears, to smell and hear what I cannot see. Perhaps between the two of us we will emerge from this foolhardiness alive."
Ghaleon smothered out the campfire and stamped dirt over the remaining ashes to make sure the embers did not rekindle. He shoved the last bit of green onion in his mouth and chewed noisily on it as he picked up his backpack. Just as he slung his backpack into place, he swallowed the semi-crunchy mass in his mouth and placed his right hand on the giant feline's shoulders. Ghaleon swiftly traced the sigil for the transfer spell, spoke the words, and transported the two of them to a special Fountain of Transmission.
Unlike the fountain that brought him down from the floating city of Vane to the ground below, this fountain was the entrance to a cavern connected to the desolate Frontier. The fountain had been inoperative for countless years though. The magic waters that kept its power alive had long since evaporated. Rumor had it that the fountain had not been used since Althena sealed the Vile Tribe in the Frontier five hundred years ago, and that Althena herself removed the waters to prevent travel between the Frontier and the outside world.
The fountain could only be reactivated from outside the Frontier, which was an unlikely event since everyone outside the Frontier had no desire to let the monsters inside out. But Althena had not counted on someone from the outside wanting to go in.
Ghaleon studied the magic seal around the Frontier during his time as premier, and he knew he would only have to pass through this cavern once. The nature of the seal around the Frontier was meant to keep the Vile Tribe from leaving. The seal was like a giant magic dome over the Frontier, which left the fountain's cavern as the only physical route into or out of the Frontier. So the removal of the Fountain of Transmission's waters was an obvious precaution. While the magic seal also prevented the Vile Tribe from using the spell of transfer to leave, it would not prevent someone else from doing so. And once Ghaleon knew the layout of the Frontier, he could merely teleport back in whenever he felt compelled to do so.
The premier supposed he could teleport inside since he was already familiar with the location of the black dragon's cave, but again, he wanted to conserve his magic. He would have to use more crude methods of getting in, and physical fighting until his magic was really needed. The last thing he would want would to be is rejected by the Vile Tribe and attacked by them while he was drained of his magic. And he hadn't the slightest idea where their leader would be in the Frontier anyway. Emerging out of the cavern might actually be closer than the black dragon's cave.
He shook his head, tired of trying to second guess himself. Ghaleon turned to his cat and took the lavender sheath the beast had been carrying. He grasped the golden hilt of the sword inside and pulled the blade free. It came out easily, shedding a lavender mist as it did so. The premier hooked the sheath to his belt and gave his weapon a good swing.
Yes, that sword would have to do. It was a fine blade, forged out of elven steel, and enchanted by Ghaleon himself. The fool merchant the premier obtained it from in Meribia had no idea what a gem he had. But then, few people would recognize the workmanship like Ghaleon would. Though in all appearances the blade looked like an ordinary broadsword, albeit ornately decorated, the wielder would find the weapon to be incredibly light in his hand. And now that Ghaleon had enchanted it, the blade would perform even better.
"You did well to guard this for me, my friend," Ghaleon murmured, scratching his cat behind the ears.
The cat purred deeply, its low voice almost sounding like a growl.
Ghaleon sheathed his sword and pulled a vial of liquid from the folds of his tunic. It was a memento from when he and the other three heroes had visited the town of Pao. Research later revealed to him that this water he had so foolishly swiped from the well there years ago was the Water of Mirage, and it was the only water capable of revitalizing the Fountain of Transmission.
He uncorked the vial and poured its contents into the dry fountain. As the water magically began to spread and increase in volume, he hurriedly put the vial away and drew his sword, waiting in case any monster should suddenly leap from the teleportation pad. His cat lowered itself into a hunting crouch and growled.
Powerful magic was at work, the two of them could feel the waves of magic rolling over them. It was almost overbearing, but Ghaleon forced himself to watch the pad until the feeling passed. And when it did, he stole a glance back at the fountain. The waters had been restored.
"All right, cat, this is it. There's no turning back now."
The cat sniffed the air in response, as if already searching for possible enemies.
"Let's go."
Ghaleon rested his free hand on his friend's shoulders and the two of them walked on to the teleportation pad.
Back to Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures.
Back to the Shrine to Ghaleon.