"Ahh...are we all ready?"
The sun was just rising over the horizon, only slightly visible through the open flap of Alisia's tent. The young woman was busy cramming a few more items into her pack when she looked to see if her companions were ready.
Dragon Frye looked onto his slender back to see the small backpack that Alisia had made for him still open. Boomer dropped one more healing potion into the leather pack and closed the flap.
Alisia shouldered her own pack and smiled. Thundra flew to her shoulder and whispered something in her ear.
"Hmm...good idea. Anyone mind if I try that LightningFang spell one more time before we set out?"
Frye and Boomer briskly crawled under the cot.
She sighed, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
The mage began to chant in an unfamiliar tongue while holding out her hand. Energy began to form above her palm and manifest into a long, jagged shape. She continued to concentrate as her little friends watched intently.
With a spark, the electricity settled into the form of short sword. Alisia opened her eyes and looked at the lightning blade.
"Wow! I actually pulled it off this time," she remarked. With a single incantation, she dispersed the blade's energy.
Thundra emitted a pleasant note of song and shifted her perch on Alisia's mail.
The dragon and lizard popped out from under the bed, noticed the roof was still on the tent, and sighed in relief.
She giggled and spoke, "Okay, let's see if there's anything at that crash site."
The girl walked out of the little tent with the raven on her shoulder and the two reptiles beside her. Whisp was waiting outside with a trio of slender water drakes. The eight of them set off.
"What luck! Could this be the item that the master described, brother?"
"Indeed, I think it is!"
Miles below the 'landing site' of Baldour's palace, a pair of orange-robed wizards stood over a gleaming object. Nearby was one of the engines of the formerly floating castle, which had slammed into the Blue Star/Earth's surface and formed a deep cleft.
The mages were known as the Blade Wizards due to their preferred magic. Alisia had once encountered these henchmen of Baldour near the dragon shrine of her village. Apparently their defeat was not necessarily their demise. They were identical twins who kept their faces covered by their hoods. No one knew their identies except for Ornah and Baldour.
One picked up the object which turned out to be a cruel looking sword.
"Hmm... it feels light and empty... perhaps it is not awake yet."
The other nodded and looked around.
"No sign of the master though..."
All around were the crushed remains of statues in the form of dragons and gorgons, some of which carried cruel looking maces. The subterranean cave looked like it had once been a shrine of some sort, at least before the debris crushed it. The two statues that were still upright were in a guarding stance of some sort, but were not whole.
The first held up the blade.
"Didn't the master once mention that were was another sword of equal power to this one?"
The other mage thought for a moment and responded: "Yes... but not on this world. Its supposedly on the moon's surface," he pointed upwards.
"If we had both, they would surely have enough power to revive the master. But how to get to the lunar surface..."
"I know of a way... I once overheard the master speaking to the Necromancer that one of his allies... Zophar was his name... had revealed a way for his mortal followers to travel between these two globes. Supposedly there is a crystal spire that can use to travel among the stars," he made a motion with his hand.
The duo began to slowly levitate, still holding the sword.
"...of course, there is a Guardian to deal with."
Hiro was worriedly pacing back and forth in the spire's main chamber. Lucia was still in her bedroom.
It was early afternoon, yet she was still apparently sleeping. He hadn't heard a peep out of the room, but didn't want to sneak in to see if she was okay.
"Maybe she's just tired... I hope its nothing more serious..." he muttered to himself. Suddenly, Hiro heard her quiet voice emit a short cry.
He couldn't take anymore. Hiro burst into the chambers...and promptly covered his eyes and muttered. He remembered Lucia slept 'naturally' a little too late.
"Lucia! Are you okay? I heard you cry out... what's wrong?!" he spoke as she buried herself under her bed covers quickly. "Sorry."
Hiro heard her sigh and reply, "Oh Hiro... let me dress first and I'll explain..."
He nodded and, still with a hand over his eyes, backed out of the room.
"Anything down there?"
At about noon, Alisia Dragoon and her companion creatures reached the deep hole. She had sent her fiery friend down into the depths for a look.
Alisia and Frye stood staring into the chasm. Whisp popped out of the crevice and shook his head.
She sighed and tapped her sandaled foot.
"How far down did you go?"
The fire elemental came close to her face and uttered a few strange sounds.
"Three hundred feet... why didn't you go further? Never mind... did it look like it was much deeper?"
The reply brought on a sigh from Alisia. She walked away from the opening. The dragon and flame followed her to where the others were waiting.
"Well...I guess we can fly down to look. Feel strong enough to carry me again Frye?"
The young dragon looked up to her and grinned, nodding his head. Boomer suddenly screeched and pointed one of his claws toward the opening behind her.
Alisia spun on her heel and saw two shapes emerge from the chasm.
"YOU!" she yelled as she recognized them.
The Blade Wizards were not prepared for the blast of Thunder magic that Alisia slammed into them. One fell to his knees, clutching his arm. The other stumbled, holding onto a sword of some sort.
The former began muttering as the latter held up the blade and spoke.
"Curses... the dragon girl again... and the sword is still not awake."
Alisia exclaimed, "I see that not all of Baldour's legions were destroyed... and what is in your hand there? A sword of some sort?"
The second mage snickered as his brother stopped chanting.
"Yes...far beyond your comprehension, girl. In fact, you could have expected to see the master alive once again... could have, that is, if you were alive!"
Alisia immediately ducked and rolled as she heard it coming. She was on her feet in a second to see a stream of green flame strike the spot where she was just standing.
The Blade Wizards leapt in the air and were in a second on the back of what appeared to be the skeleton of a dragon. The abomination emitted a piercing shriek and flapped its bone wings rapidly. A stream of emerald colored energy seemed to surge within its empty rib cage.
Dragoon recognized it as soon as it screamed... it was the same Screech Wyrm that had attacked her before she entered the caverns where that strange metal ship had crashed on her quest before. Only now it was... undead... apparently the Necromancer had 'revived' it before facing her in Baldour's palace.
The Wyrm immediately began soaring toward the north with the twins on its back. Alisia leapt onto Dragon Frye's back as Boomer and Thundra took off after the beast. The green dragon's powerful wings flapped hard and joined the chase.
Lucia stood unmoving on one of the projections jutting from the pinnacle of the spire. Her long blue hair waved majestically in the frigid winds, matched by the motion of the folds of her crimson robe.
"It's the Dark Scimitar... it has been uncovered and found... and may soon be awake."
Hiro, with a puzzled expression, responded: "The Dark Scimitar... what is it?"
She shivered slightly.
"A blade created by a being of unspeakable evil... the counterpart to Althena's Sword... and greater in power."
Hiro questioned, "Stronger than Althena's Sword?" He looked at his side by reflex to see GlitterEdge in his sheath. He sighed and remembered that Leo had returned Althena's Sword to Nall. Now, Hiro always carried Ghaleon's Sword, known as GlitterEdge for its flashing lightning powers, around with him.
He turned back to her. "A being of evil... Zophar?"
She shook her head. "No, something worse than Zophar... he was but a subordinate demon of this power."
"Worse... and we don't even know if Zophar is truly gone for good even..."
Lucia nodded at his reply.
She paused again and stared out onto the horizon.
"Althena left a Fifth Dragon on the Blue Star in order to make sure none of this evil one's minions (including Zophar) would ever discover the Dark Scimitar."
Hiro's reply: "Another dragon? Like Ruby or Nall?"
"No... different... much different... In one form or another, this guardian kept the blade from being discovered for so long... I don't know who or what it is..."
Lucia turned her head briskly and gazed in one direction to the south.
"The strange thing is... it feels like the blade is coming this way."
Alisia shivered slightly as Frye soared through the air in chase.
"It's g-getting c-c-colder, isn't it-t."
Whisp muttered something to her.
She looked at her outfit and slapped him as the water drake to her left spit out a blast of water.
"N-n-now, don't get-t f-fresh!" she stuttered as the liquid collided with another stream of green fire from the undead Wyrm in front of her. Steam was the only result.
Alisia let loose with another bolt of lightning to keep the twin mages from conjuring any blades to slice her. Boomer and Thundra repeatedly darted in close to the Blade Wizards, but were deflected by the dracolich's claws numerous times. They settled on Frye's back to rest as the chase continued.
The two dragons soared through snow covered hills and valleys as Alisia noticed a peculiar shape appearing on the horizon...