Dragon Quest Novel

by Melania Zveja

  "All of them, to an extent," answered Celia. "If you ask around for the lineages of the people there, you can find people or descendants of people from all over the world. Some nations, such as the empire, no longer exile people there as far as we know. I would imagine Aliahan's lack of ships means they no longer do either. But most nations still do."

  "Why exile them?" asked Suzanne. "It seems like the best way to prevent their ideas from spreading would be to execute them."

  "Never doubt the power of a martyr," answered Celia. "Besides that, if you exile a person to an unknown location many of his or her followers will waste time trying to find that person. And those that don't will patiently wait until the return of that person or until their ideas no longer burn in their hearts, whichever comes first."

  "Alright, this island has my interest. I'll talk with my comrades about it. Can you mark it on a map?" asked Suzanne.

  Celia took out a map and marked the spot at which she had encountered the village. She and Suzanne would converse for a little while longer before Suzanne decided it was time to gather her companions to leave.

  "One last thing, Suzanne," Celia stopped Suzanne before she left. "I know that a public endorsement from us at this time would do more harm than good to your cause. But when the time comes to make a move against that demon, leave a message with the Bears' Arms. My men and I will be ready to join the fight."

  "That means a lot, Celia, thank you. Take care," said Suzanne.

  After a long night of talking and storytelling, the four reassembled and told each other what they knew. In addition to learning the depth of the pirates' operation, Ron and Thomas had heard another interesting tidbit of information.

  "Do you guys remember Zlistan, the wizard who lives in Greenlad?" asked Ron.

  "He was the guy that wanted something called the Staff of Change," answered Suzanne.

  "That's right. Well it turns out, the pirates were the ones to give Zlistan that thigh bone he was talking about," Ron began. "They found it along with some treasure on one of their non-militant excursions. The bone would magically move on its own to point in the direction the Phantom Ship was. Apparently, it even glowed brighter the closer they came to the ship."

  "I believe the ship's occupants are cursed," theorized Thomas. "Not only will their spirits remain but any body parts will always seek to return to the ship. Of course, there's only so much a single bone can do on its own, so the thigh bone can only point people to the ship in the hopes they will take it there."

  "Well if we ever need to find this ship, we can just ask the pirates where it is. I don't know if we'll find the item Zlistan wanted in exchange for the bone," said Suzanne

  "That may be a bit of a problem," answered Ron. "After they got rid of the bone, the pirates tried to find the ship again, but to no avail. It was in the Batay Sea but no amount of searching led to the ship. It is a moving target in a large body of water after all. Being ghostly probably doesn't make it any easier to find either."

  At long last, the group left the pirate hideout and teleported back to Romaly. They spent a day restocking supplies and resting. They also had to give time for Captain Marbeley and his crew to reassemble and prepare to ship out. When the four had started their investigation, they had let the captain know that it would likely be a short while until they needed to sail and so the captain and his crew had enjoyed a short vacation in the empire's capital.

  "I wish we had those monster arenas in Portoga," Marbeley lamented. "My crew and I had a blast down there! Too bad I don't have much of a knack for picking the winner though."

  Suzanne, Alice, and the captain looked at their maps and the marking and directions that Celia had given and decided to it would be quickest to teleport to Aliahan in order to reach Luzami. Since they had just finished with a tough assignment, had ended up in their hometown, and did not know if they would have the time during their next adventure, the group decided to celebrate Thomas' birthday over a week early. Although Suzanne, Ron, and Thomas (despite his continuing dislike for his own birthday) had a good time, Alice was uncharacteristically withdrawn throughout the day.

  "What's up with her?" Ron had asked. "She's been quiet ever since we left the pirates."

  "She had a talk with Morrison before we left," Suzanne answered. "Sounds like he gave her a good telling off."

  "Ouch. You think she really liked him?" asked Ron.

  "She definitely thought he was a nice guy. But if she actually wanted to or still wants to date him I don't think she even knows," Suzanne replied.

  "Better that they stay away from each other," Thomas said. "Relationships require honesty and trust, two things which were lacking from the very beginning with those two."

  Ron was surprised by Thomas' comment, "Well listen to mister relationship counselor here! But don't you think that's a bit harsh? Surely they could start over if they wanted to."

  "I may have to agree with Thomas on this one," said Suzanne. "If only because we still have a quest to finish and no idea how much longer it will take. We're always on the move and he stays around the Batay Sea. Maybe when all is finished she can go back and find him but as for now, it wouldn't do for them to get involved with each other."

  The next day saw Alice in much higher spirits. A day with her friends and family had helped her mood immensely and she made sure to apologize to Thomas for being distant during his birthday party. The four returned to the Mad Hound and shoved off to the southeast. After two and a half days of sailing and a few extra hours of searching, they found a small island.

  "Geez, how did the pirates find this place?" Alice asked. "It's tiny! And their operations aren't in this area anyway."

  "Yeah but it's only a few days' trip from their hideout," said Suzanne. "Maybe they came across it while they were looking for a suitable spot to make their headquarters?"

  The Mad Hound found dry land and the four went ashore. Despite the small size of the island and having Celia's directions finding a settlement turned out to be somewhat difficult as the entire island was a forest. After an hour of searching they finally came across a settlement. There was a clearing of trees with some small houses and tents set up for the residents. As the group approached the settlement the people going about their daily work quickly took notice of them but after a swift glance they went back to their routines.

  One man quickly came out to greet the group. He was an older man, bald but with a large grey beard and wearing long green robes. "I apologize my young friends but I will have to ask you all to leave. Your last visit caused enough of a stir as it is."

  The four looked at each other in confusion before Suzanne stepped forward to answer, "I'm afraid you have us mistaken for some other group. We're not here on any sort of recruiting mission."

  "Oh? I owe you more apologies then. You see, this village has only had armed visitors once before. Their visit released a lot of bottled emotions and memories. Emotions and memories that were better left bottled," explained the man.

  "I'm guessing you're talking about a group of pirates," replied Suzanne. "It was they who gave us your location."

  "I see. Well my name is Mlician," the man introduced himself. "And who might you four be?"

  "I'm Suzanne. These are my comrades Ron, Thomas, and Alice," answered Suzanne.

  "May I ask what your business is here then?" Mlician asked.

  "Have you heard of the Archfiend?" asked Suzanne. "We're trying to gather proof of its existence and power as well as information on it. We heard that this village was filled with wise people."

  "Ah yes, the Archfiend. I do believe there are a couple people here who were exiled for 'starting riots' to get the people to accept the threat it poses to humanity," answered Mlician. "If that is your mission then I am surprised that you did not find this island under escort as the rest of us have."

  "Well we never stay in any nation long. If we stayed a while continuously warning about the dangers of the Archfiend they may have seen reason to do just that," gues
sed Suzanne.

  "A possible answer. Well if it is information on the Archfiend you want then you should talk to Mathias," suggested Mlician. "I can take you to him."

  Mlician began to lead the group through the small village towards Mathias' dwelling place. As they walked, Ron had a question for him.

  "So Mlician, if everyone here was put here against their will, why didn't you all leave with the pirates?" asked Ron. "Even if you didn't support their cause I'm sure they would've given you passage to land."

  "Ironically enough," began Mlician, "this prison isle has brought freedom to several of her residents. You see, when you work under the eye of a nation and her ruler, you have to abide by that ruler's laws and regulations. And as you can see, a nation is not always so appreciative of her scholars. Meanwhile, here we can make our own laws and our own regulations. We can create a community tailored for study and knowledge."

  "That is why the pirates are less than popular with the people who have remained here," continued Mlician. "And why I was somewhat rude to you when I thought you were with them. Many of the younger people here, whether they were exiled or the descendant of an exile, were quick to take them up on their offer. They wanted to see the world. The older people disagreed. Now we find ourselves with a severely depleted younger generation. The future of our community is bleak because of it. Many people here believe the pirates stole our dreams of a scholarly community."

  "But if you wish for a community dedicated to knowledge, then you have to branch out, don't you?" asked Alice. "I've learned so much since we left our homeland, which was similarly cast off from the rest of the world."

  "Your words have their own wisdom Miss Alice," replied Mlician. "For some, it was not knowledge but fear of change that guided their decision. But do not get me wrong, there is still much to learn on this island, and for some that was the only thing that guided their decision. I myself am quite fascinated with the magic seal covers the island. Never before have I heard of a magic seal with no record of a human or monster who created it."

  The five continued through the village until they came across a large house. The group entered and found the house was used as a smithy. The house's occupant, a well-built middle-aged man with hair that was dark except for some strands of grey, was busy at work as the group entered. After seeing he had visitors, the man quickly finished the part he was working on and went over to talk with them. Mlistan introduced the man as Mathias and then introduced the group to him.

  "Mathias, would you be kind enough to tell these nice people why you were exiled?" requested Mlistan.

  "Very well. But you lot will want to take a seat. It's a bit of a story," said Mathias. The five pulled up some chairs and stools and took their seats.

  "I'm originally from the land of Samanao, far to the north of here," began Mathias. "Samanao has been xenophobic for the past decade or so. Our king convinced us to blame all outsiders for the strife that was caused in the last Great War. So great pains were taken to shut ourselves in. Samanao is naturally surrounded by mountains, except for one gap which is covered by a poisonous swamp. Eight years ago, a group of people managed to find their way in to Samanao. They told us about the Archfiend gathering power in southern Tarasia."

  "Eight years ago?" cut in Suzanne. "Did you meet this group of people?"

  "I did. Why do you ask?" asked Mathias.

  "My father, Ortega, went on a journey similar to our own starting around eight years ago," replied Suzanne. "I was wondering if you met him."

  "I did meet him, though not immediately," said Mathias. "He was not part of the initial group that visited Samanao."

  "Perhaps they visited Aliahan after Samanao then," theorized Suzanne.

  "It is possible," agreed Mathias. "We will have to talk about your father after my story. But back to the original tale, I and some other people were worried by the group's story. We decided we not only believed them, but we would do everything in our power to help them. Some of my countrymen and I accompanied them when they left our land, almost literally chased out by the king."

  "We split off from that group and eventually made our way to Tarasia, where we saw the devastation first-hand," continued Mathias. "But as we had been told, the way to the Archfiend's land was surrounded by impassable mountains. It was risky, but eventually it was decided that we needed to find a way into its land. We needed more information and we believed that some proof of the Archfiend's power would convince more people to believe us."

  "We've reached similar conclusions," said Suzanne.

  Mathias nodded and continued his tale, "The two groups reunited for a time. Then your father and three others continued the journey while some of us stayed near the Isis-Romaly border. We were intrigued by some of the volcanos that were in the Necrogond. Among us were several who knew much about magic and about geology. And I know how to forge a good magical item. We had a theory, some may have called it crazy."

  "What was your theory?" asked Alice curiously.

  "We believed we could make an item that would cause one of the dormant volcanoes to erupt," explained Mathias. "Near one of the volcanos was a break in the mountains. But this break was covered with hostile waters. This body of water was landlocked so the only way to cross would be to build a bridge or a raft, but it was impossible to build anything on those rough waves. Likely the Archfiend cast a spell over the waters so that they could not be crossed. But if the waters were replaced with land…"

  "I see!" said Alice excitedly. "You wanted to cause a volcanic eruption in the hopes the lava would cover the water! And once it cooled, you had a suitable land bridge to use."

  "Very clever, lass," said Mathias with a smile. "Yes that was the idea. But the plan went awry. We figured out how to make such an item but as you can imagine, it would not be easy to make. I needed specific materials for our work and unfortunately I had only ever encountered some of these materials in my homeland. We would have to sneak back in."

  "Thankfully, the king and his forces never discovered how we made it in the first time," Mathias continued. "A friend of mine and I managed to sneak back in with little effort. His name was Simon, named after the hero of the First Great War. Could always tell he'd end up being a hero too. Anyway, we went to work gathering what we needed and making the artifact that would make a volcano erupt."

  "It was a masterpiece," said Mathias, as he looked as if into the distance. He no longer realized the other five were there as he remembered one of his greatest achievements. "The Sword of Gaia, we called it. My specialty had always been blades. However, this blade was not enchanted to slay other creatures. Don't get me wrong, it'd do great in a fight but that was not its purpose. Its purpose was to be thrown into the crater of a volcano and work its magic."

  Mathias refocused on the group as he went on, "But unfortunately we had attracted too much attention at this point. We weren't the only ones who had been worried by our comrades' first visit, just some of the only ones to follow them. People began looking to us for inspiration, wondering how they could help us. Some even began to suggest that Samanao should reintroduce herself to the rest of the world."

  "As you can imagine, the king didn't take well to that," continued Mathias. "Simon and I were arrested. We were charged with treason for trying to begin a rebellion. Like many on this island, the king realized there would be riots if we were executed. So we 'disappeared.' No doubt the story was spread that we deserted Samanao, realizing our 'evil plot' had failed. He made sure to separate us so we could not work together. He also found out how we had made our way into and out of the country and sealed it up. And to add further insult, the king made sure to send the Sword with Simon so that I would never see my masterpiece again. Now, I have no idea what happened to Simon or the Sword of Gaia."

  "Why wouldn't he just destroy the sword?" asked Ron.

  "To further torture me," replied Mathias, anger and sadness entering his voice. "If he destroyed the Sword, I would at least know what happened to it. A certain am
ount of closure comes from that. But as things are, I know the greatest thing I've ever made is out there somewhere but I have no idea where. I can try to make more objects, but even if I had the materials and support I had I am always haunted by the ghost of my greatest achievement. Any time I strike my hammer against metal I am reminded of the incredible blade and the enchantments within. And although I know it's exactly what the king wanted, I regret to admit that my work has suffered since. I used to take great pride in making the best swords, even non-enchanted ones. Now I can look at any sword I've made since and find flaws in it."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories," apologized Ron.

  "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault," replied Mathias.

  "Is that why you didn't take your chance to leave the island when the pirates came?" asked Suzanne.

  "That's right. I just don't have the fight in me that I did, the passion," answered Mathias. "It warms my heart to see you youngsters picking things up where we left off. Tell me Suzanne, how is your father?"

  "Unfortunately, my father met his end three years ago," answered Suzanne. "We were told he was fighting a dragon on his own on top of an active volcano in the Necrogond mountains."

  "Another good man lost," lamented Mathias. "Why was he fighting alone? What happened to the other three?"

  "They were ambushed by a hoard of monsters and separated. We were told that two of them died on top of that volcano as well," said Suzanne. "One survived, a dwarf named Gerule. He managed to escape the volcano and come to Aliahan to tell us what happened.

  "Ah yes, Gerule. I remember him. Well at least he survived. It seems as though most of the great people I worked with met an ugly fate," commented Mathias.

  "Could you tell me more about my father?" requested Suzanne. "I didn't have a good chance to talk with Gerule and haven't seen him since. You worked with him some. Could you tell me some details about his journey and his achievements?"