"Gramps! Are you down there?!" Hiro yelled, somewhat worried over the apparent lack of Gwyn in his house. The young hero ran down the stairs into the book-filled basement as Lucia and Nall waited in the main room.
Hiro returned in less than a minute and shook his head before either of them could speak.
Lucia silently pointed out both the messes that filled the main room and the gaping hole in one of the walls that permitted a brisk cold breeze to rifle through the pages of numerous overturned books.
Nall muttered, "It looks like a battle had taken place in here... and the wind has already removed whatever tracks the participants may have left outside."
"I fear the worst, Hiro... I'm sorry that we went to the Star Tower rather than back here," Lucia softly responded.
Hiro glanced at his love and shook his head once more. "It's not your fault Lucia. There's no way any of us could've known that any danger existed in this area without speaking to the Star Dragon in the first place. We should have hope since his body is not here at least," he answered.
"I know that monster attacks on settlements have certainly been increasing, but what could have taken out this wall and been able to defeat Gwyn? He may be an old man, but the creatures in this area are so weak that even he was able to fend for himself," Nall pondered aloud.
Lucia walked to the opening and looked around as Hiro and Nall scanned the disturbed tables and couch. Her long flowing hair wrapped over one shoulder as the increasing winds swirled into the small house from outside. She glanced up at the Blue Star among the clouds and darkening skies. Evening was approaching and she shivered, pulling her wrap tighter around her body.
"Hiro, is it just me or does it look like Gwyn may have had a visitor in for 'tea-time'? Look at the refreshments," Nall started.
"Yeah, and there's several maps underneath them," Hiro continued, pointing out the parchments that were held onto the table by the weight of cups atop them. "It looks like his visitor was looking for directions... but I can't tell if this guest was responsible for the fight or not."
Hiro noticed Lucia at the opening and walked over to glance outside with her.
"He couldn't have just left... the boat is still here," Lucia quietly spoke.
"Unless Leo came back with the Destiny... but that still doesn't explain the damage to the house then," the dark-haired young man responded.
They both stood there for a few silent minutes, looking at the smooth waves of the nearby sea in one direction and then at the vast dunes in another. In the nearly evening skies, the Salyan Desert could sometimes look beautiful...
Rummaging was still heard inside as the humanoid White Dragon kept investigating the house... then stopped suddenly.
"Hey! You two lovebirds! Found something interesting over here!"
Hiro turned and dashed over to Nall's side. Lucia soon followed to see the dragon hold up an odd black dagger that gleamed mysteriously.
"I found it amongst the papers that had been thrown about in the corner... any ideas?" Nall quested. "I haven't seen anything like it before..."
He passed it to Hiro. "There's no blood on it at least... just a slightly darker section... smells kinda like it was burnt."
Hiro examined it, let Lucia take a look and then put the blade into his pack.
"Now what?" Nall asked impatiently.
"I don't think waiting will help... maybe we should scout the surrounding areas before it gets too dark," Hiro, obviously dejected, replied. "Actually, Larpa might be a good start... if Gwyn IS with Leo, then the Destiny had to go past there. Someone would have surely seen it."
"Hiro, I fear that it may be too dark to find him even after we arrive in Larpa... I hope he's alright wherever he is..." Lucia trailed off.
Hiro nodded and the three of them walked out of the cabin.
Somewhere east of Larpa, a large dark form landed with the whine of a strange mechanical engine dying. A pair of winged figures landed next to it, each dropping an individual to the sands, and then took back off and flew north as the skies blackened.
KOMUSHA's chest region opened again. Gwyn's eyes were still tightly shut as the paralysis of the titan's previous attack persisted.
The three figures that were clutching onto the machine's limbs, Kuyo and the Blade Wizards, hopped to the ground. The female warrior's skin began to brighten and take on a human tone once again.
"KOMUSHA, I ask one request before we begin this 'attack'... a quick bath," she spoke.
"A bath?! Now? You don't stink at all... why do you need to clean yourself?" loudly quested one of the dropped-off figures. It was Anti-Lemina.
Kuyo glanced at the Junior Premier's double. "It's merely a ruse to help prove where I was if the heroes come by. I would have had to cross one small part of the sea to reach this town from the old one's home... if I'm dripping wet, it aids the idea that I chased my metal friend here all the way and as soon as possible."
"Ah," Anti-Ronfar, the remaining 'passenger' muttered, "that and the dagger you left back at his home are proof that you WERE there... interesting subterfuge."
Kuyo smiled and grabbed one of the metal man's huge arms once more. In less than two minutes they both returned, the woman now soaked to the bone and dripping. She did not shiver or show any signs of being cold as the brisk winds slapped her bright green mane of now-frazzled hair against her wet body.
Sounds of screams and swords clashing alerted all of them. They came from Larpa to the west.
"We'd best hurry, my allies," one Blade Wizard spoke.
"Or we may miss the battle that we were supposed to start," the other finished.
Larpa was in deep trouble...
After the initial surprise, the guards of the city were doing they best they could to defend their home as a horde of Sand Clops, Death Worms and Scorpions crashed through the gates and proceeded to wreck the place. A trio of Flash Lords led the attack until Kuyo's group entered the village. She and the two doppelgangers spoke briefly with them at the west end of town as KOMUSHA and the hooded wizards took positions outside Althena's temple. The Lords understood what the newcomers were doing and continued with their attack, now multiplied with the assistance of the trio near the temple.
Kuyo, Anti-Ronfar and Anti-Lemina, however, hid in the shadows behind a few buildings.
Hiro and Lucia stepped to the ground from their perch on Nall's neck after the fabulous White Dragon landed. Nall transformed into human form and, surprised, watched as Hiro began to run toward the town.
Then Nall noticed the smoke rising from Larpa...
"Another city attacked," he grumbled.
Hiro dashed past the wrecked gates and found himself in the middle of a horrible siege. The monsters immediately around him were all deceased, but he could see that the sheer number of them attacking on the higher plateaus of the city was slowly overwhelming the defenders that remained. Many of them were trying to break into the shrine at the rear of town... unsuccessfully so far. Gritting his teeth, Hiro unsheathed Althena's Sword and entered the fray just as Lucia and Nall were running through the gates.
"Nall..."
"Lucia, these creatures seem too weak and simple to initiate an attack on a town... there has to be something intelligent organizing them," the White Dragon spoke, glancing at the Guardian of the Blue Star.
"I know Nall... but I feel a strong presence of evil here... from the temple-" Lucia responded but was cut off.
"Maybe it's us!" yelled Ronfar... or something that looked like him but was shimmering. Two Flash Lords were flanking him.
Lucia and Nall were caught unaware as bolts of lightning flashed down upon them. Lucia unleashed a Spark Cannon to instantly decimate one of the Lords before the spells shocked her. Nall grabbed a sword off the body of a fallen guard and parried Anti-Ronfar's mace as he tried to bash her skull.
Hiro, on the other hand, was cutting through the attackers at lightning speed with his blade and boomerang. The creatures were falling quickly as he ran toward the temple. He recognized a pair of familiar forms slinging magical blades at the remaining soldiers and guards... the same wizards who had attacked him back in the Crystal Spire on the Blue Star.
"I'll be faster this time..." Hiro murmured to himself as he cast a Force Wind in their area.
The Blade Wizards were surprised by the blast of swirling winds. KOMUSHA, on the other hand, simply turned and pointed one hand at the young man. A beam of searing white light was emitted.
Hiro ducked right before it collided with him and watched it slice through an attacker that he didn't know about... the third Flash Lord had his electrified staff raised above his head and was about to club Hiro until the beam cut him down.
He smirked and turned back to face his adversaries as he noticed some commotion at the west end of Larpa... a lithe, dark figure appeared to be cutting through many of the minor creatures that were gathered there. In amazement, he watched as the form slashed and diced many Sand Clops using a long sword... and some VERY familiar black daggers.
Hiro looked back to catch the Blade Wizards' next attack. One orange-robed magician flung his arms in a wide arc and unleashed a wave of needle-like blades at Hiro. The pointy shards flew rapidly... but glanced off and fell to the ground before Hiro even attempted to parry them with Althena's Sword. He looked around to see the telltale glow of a White Dragon Protection spell surrounding him. Hiro turned and saw Nall casting the potent protection spell on him and Lucia as she healed herself and removed the last Flash Lord with a Soul Finger spell.
Hiro turned and smiled... then proceeded to perform a Battalion Sword technique. The Blade Wizards and KOMUSHA each took a nasty slice.
Lucia and Nall came up to his side as both mages doubled over in pain. Anti-Ronfar was still at the front of the village... seeing stars after Nall whacked him silly... the dragon was a lot more experienced in hand-to-hand combat than a mere copy of someone who wasn't even a sword-user.
The other doppelganger popped out behind them as KOMUSHA's chest plate opened as he sparked from the blade swipe... revealing Gwyn once more.
"Gramps!" Hiro yelled in unison with another voice from the west end of town.
Anti-Lemina put a Magic Shield up around her and the fallen Blade Wizard brothers as KOMUSHA unleashed the small triangle-shaped 'probes' again... some sort of optional weapons he used in addition to his beam attacks.
Nall's Dragon Bolt crashed into the shield as Hiro tried to approach the metal man whom 'held' his grandfather. Lucia remained in back of Nall as she protected and healed the two of them.
"HAI!!!!"
Hiro heard that voice once again as he finally got close enough to slash the machine. KOMUSHA emitted a stream of sparks and backhanded the young hero, sending him sprawling to the ground next to Nall. He barely rolled out the way as Anti-Lemina's Ice Lance slammed into the ground where he once lay.
The speaker seemed to move faster than the eye could see, as Hiro could barely catch anything but a blur as he sat up to see the doppelganger's shield shatter. The blur leapt into the air and screamed as it neared the strange metal horror.
"CHAOSLICE!!!"
Hiro could see the person as it attacked. It was a strangely attired young woman with a bright mane of green hair and dark armor. The woman appeared to be rather wet. She took a wild wide slash at the enemy right before she landed and then completed the strike with a strong downward swipe as she touched down.
KOMUSHA seemed stunned as the blade pierced his frame twice.
Hiro took the opportunity to deliver a powerful cut across the frame of the metal creature in order to release Gwyn. He collected the old man and dashed away with a look toward the girl... who had just thrown a spread of flaming black daggers into one of the limbs of the adversary.
Anti-Lemina looked shocked as KOMUSHA fizzled wildly and seemed to deactivate for a moment. The probes re-entered his frame. The titan abruptly reactivated, stood up and collected the injured wizards. The doppelganger of Lemina grabbed one of his arms just before his jets fired up and he rose into the air. Before Hiro or the others could do anything, the machine flew to the gate of the town, allowed Anti-Lemina to pick up Anti-Ronfar, and then surged off into the evening sky toward the north.
Lucia tried to wake Gwyn as Hiro, Nall and the strange woman finished off whatever invaders remained. Most of the creatures had bolted when the titan had flown away. Others mindlessly continued to attack the villagers.
As the skies continued to darken, the siege of Larpa ended. As usual, there was much structural damage and injuries, but barely more deaths then the attack at Dalton had entailed.
Gwyn gained consciousness to find a group of familiar faces around him.
"Hiro my boy! You defeated that metal thing... oh, my head is aching..." he said slowly.
"With some help," Hiro answered, looking at Lucia and Nall beside him. "Don't move Gramps, it looks like you've been out cold for awhile. Rest up for a few minutes."
"You're right... I don't know what it hit me with, but it sure packed a wallop," the old half-beast responded and shook his head wearily.
Nall glanced up as the strange woman finished checking around the city to make sure that no creatures were hiding and to see that the wounded were being tended. She walked toward them as they stood around the recovering man.
"Is Gwyn recovering well?" she asked in a worried tone as she approached, sheathing her sword at the same time.
Lucia glanced at her strangely for a moment, then looked back at Gwyn.
"Yeah, he's doing fine. Thanks for your help, ah-" Hiro started.
"Kuyo? How'd you get here? Hiro, Lucia, Nall... this is Kuyo, the young lady I was entertaining when that metal monster crashed into my house," Gwyn interjected.
"I followed you... had to swim for a bit since I didn't know if you had a boat or not," she answered with a quick grin as she wrung out the water that was soaked into her skirt.
"We can see that, Kuyo was it?" Nall quested... enjoying the view...
Kuyo smiled.
"So it was your dagger back at the house... you were the 'visitor'?" Lucia quested. Hiro handed the dagger he had found back to Kuyo.
"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't protect Grandpa before but that machine caught us both by surprise... tried to follow as soon as I woke back up... anyway, Gwyn, do you know why it wanted you?" the sword-bearing woman answered.
Gwyn shook his head as he tried to sit up. "No... no idea whatsoever... and I didn't hear anything since I was asleep the whole time."
Nall began to pace. "I have no idea what that creature was... then again, those magicians were also unfamiliar..."
Hiro and Kuyo helped Gwyn to his feet. The former spoke. "I've seen them... they were from the Blue Star... the ones who entered the crystal before the zoo and that girl."
Lucia looked at him then around at the village.
"The Blue Star, Hiro? That doesn't make sense... what could live on the Blue Star?" Kuyo asked with an inquisitive look on her face.
"Ah... uh." Hiro realized his slip of the tongue and began to sweat.
Nall broke in and changed the subject quickly. "We should be off... it's a long tale and we're in a rush now."
Kuyo replied, "I'd like to hear it if possible later... if that's okay."
"All right... later then," Hiro sighed in relief. "Lucia, Nall, I think we'd best keep Gramps with us for now... if he's a target for these villains, we can't leave him unprotected."
Lucia nodded and glanced at the woman once more. "Kuyo, are you coming as well?"
"Yes... I want to know what's behind all these attacks... and also to make sure that Gramps is not hurt again."
Nall began to leave Larpa. The other four followed quickly.
"Let's make us much progress as possible before night fully falls then..." Nall transformed into his dragon form at a safe distance from Larpa.
Kuyo was certainly amazed by the sight. "Wow! One of the four dragons of Althena? I'm going to ride one?"
"Yes," Nall said with a smirk on his jaws. "Enjoy the flight. We're heading north to see if we can follow."
Hiro, Lucia, Gwyn and Kuyo all climbed onto the White Dragon's neck. Nall spread his wings and soared off into the remarkably cold and windy atmosphere.