Thomas approached Suzanne. "You heard, didn't you?" he asked.
Suzanne was so caught up in her reverie that it took her a moment to respond. Finally, she replied, "I heard that the hero that left here a couple days ago was my father."
"We heard the same," said Thomas. "Accounts of the hero vary quite a bit but we've been piecing together the stories that are common among a few people. It seems likely that your father was the hero."
Suzanne did not respond. Thomas took a guess at what was on her mind, "You're wondering if you should charge after him. Get him some reinforcements as he charges into Charlock."
Suzanne still did not speak. Thomas decided to continue, "It's an incredibly difficult choice. I suspect you know what my advice would be."
"You would tell me to stick to the plan we have," Suzanne replied. "Leave my father out there alone. That's what gives us the highest chance of success."
Thomas nodded. Suzanne turned to face him. "But he's my father, Tom! How am I supposed to just leave him out there!? I found out he's still alive after thinking he was dead for five years! He's my greatest role model! He's the reason we made it this far! He must've have known something that made him go alone. My father is not an idiot; he wouldn't go for Charlock if he didn't have a chance at success!"
Thomas listened quietly as Suzanne spoke. "If I go after him, I don't expect you or the others to come with me. I'll leave the Armor of Radiance and the Shield of Heroes behind for a true hero of Alefgard."
Thomas took a deep breath and then spoke again, "But I will go with you. And though I perhaps overstep my bounds in speaking for them, I suspect Ron and Alice would too."
Suzanne looked at him with surprise. Thomas continued, "You were only partially right in what you said before, that we made it this far due to your father. Your father is a great man. His journey gave you inspiration. He was a great role model and his example has guided you into becoming a great hero and leader."
"But as great as he is, he isn't the main reason we made it this far," said Thomas. "That would be you, Suzanne. You led us to this point. And along the way I imagine you made some decisions that your father wouldn't have."
"I wish he was here now," said Suzanne. "I wish he could tell me what I should do."
"It's unfortunate that he is not," replied Thomas. "But there is nothing we can do about that right now. You will have to make the decision, Suzanne. I will be with you, whatever you choose. I know I tend to take a negative view of things but there is one positive even I cannot deny: your leadership has never failed us. No matter what you choose, I will accept it as the right decision."
Suzanne was quiet again for a time. Finally, she replied, "Thank you, Tom. Could you leave me alone for a little while? I have to think about this."
Suzanne spent a couple hours thinking while the other three regrouped. Thomas found Ron and Alice and told them of his conversation with the group's leader. The three passed the time as they waited for Suzanne to return, preparing for the journey that they might soon have to take.
Suzanne walked into the room and addressed her friends, "Hey everyone. I know I've worried all of you."
"Think nothing of it, Susie," said Ron. "We know you're going through a lot right now."
"Tom told us what you two talked about," added Alice. "And he's right. We're with you, no matter what you decide."
"Thank you, all of you," said Suzanne. "That means a lot to me. You guys have put so much faith in me. That's why I've decided we're going to stick to our original plan."
"Really?" asked Ron, surprised. "Are you sure?"
"No," answered Suzanne frankly. "I've been going back and forth about it in my mind these past few hours. And I imagine I'll keep doing so. But the fact is that our plan gives us the best chance of taking down Zoma. If we go right now we'll be marching into the strength of our enemy with nothing to take the pressure off of us."
"What about your father?" asked Alice.
"I hope he succeeds," said Suzanne. "I hope by some miracle he takes Zoma down. Short of that, I hope that he doesn't put unnecessary risk on himself. He's an incredible fighter but he's smart too. He's not going to take on Zoma's whole force by himself. Maybe he'll have to stop his advance and we'll still end up catching up with him."
"That's some decision, Susie," said Ron. "But I think it's the right one."
"For our part, we did some more investigating," chimed in Alice. "There are some people that wanted us to bring you to them."
Alice brought the group back to the pub that the boy had brought them to earlier. Most of the same group of people were there. Jack, the boy's father, greeted them.
"So you're Ortega's daughter, huh?" Jack said. "I can see the resemblance."
"You told them who we are?" Suzanne asked to Alice.
"I'm sorry," said Alice. "We didn't know what you were going to decide. It just sort of slipped out."
"Don't worry, Suzanne," said Jack. "They also told us to keep this to ourselves. We're not going to broadcast who you are throughout the town."
"So you plan to go after your father?" asked Jack.
"At some point, yes," said Suzanne. "But we don't know what his plans are, why he felt he had to set out so soon. We have a plan of our own that we're going to follow."
"I see," said Jack. "I don't need to know the details. To know that there are people rising up against the Master after all these years…it's incredible. What can I do to help?"
"Unfortunately, secrecy is of the utmost importance right now," answered Suzanne. "We don't want it getting out that we are here. The best thing you can do is pretend like you never heard of us."
"I see. I wish I could do more," said Jack. "Though I have a friend who might be of some help. Borles, tell them what you know."
Jack motioned to another man gathered there. It was the same man who had chastised Jack earlier. He begrudgingly began to talk, "I still don't think you have a chance, no matter what your plan is. But I suppose doing something is better than just sitting around waiting for the Master to finally kill us."
"But before I tell you what I know, I need your own guarantee that you won't share my past with other people," said Borles. "Can you give me that?"
"We can," answered Suzanne.
Borles took a deep breath. "I used to work at Charlock. I was an agent of the Master's, a person who gathered information for him. I would work my way into the trust of people who were fortunate or who had a chance of rising against him. I'd provide the monsters with these details so they'd know how to strike at people."
Borles had to turn around at that moment. It was clear he could not bear to look at any of those assembled as he spoke of this. "At the time, I told myself it was what I needed to do to survive. As long as I cooperated the Master would leave me alone. What a fool I was."
"Anyway, during my work for that wretched beast I was taught to use a secret passage in Charlock," continued Borles. "On the same floor as the entrance is the throne room. Behind the throne is the passage. It's treacherous to get there; the monsters had to enchant me to levitate or I would have been fried. A few paces behind the throne is a section of the dangerous floor which is not active. It's very small, almost impossible to see if you don't know it's there. You can reach down in that spot and not be harmed by the floor. In that spot is a switch which will reveal a staircase going down. It is down through those passages that the Master resides."
"That is incredible information," said Suzanne. "You have our words that we will not share your past with others. Thank you for speaking to us."
Another man in the group stood up to speak then. "Ortega stayed at the inn I work at for a short time. When he left he decided to leave behind a magic ring. He said to leave it for some worthy hero. I believe he'd like nothing better than to have his own daughter take the ring."
"A magic ring?" asked Suzanne. "Do you know what the enchantment on it is?"
"He said that it heals its wearer while the wearer walks," answered the man.
"I wish he would have brought it with him then," said Suzanne. "He needs it more than I do, alone on that island. Hopefully I'll be able to find him so I can give it back to him."
Disclaimer: Dragon Quest 3 does not belong to me in any way. It belongs to Square-Enix.
Chapter 42: Charlock Castle
The time had finally come to strike. The forces of Alefgard had been gathered at Tantegel Castle. All the preparations and appearances made by the king and the heroes had paid off as the host that had gathered was mighty indeed. Many members of the army were green recruits, people who had come from farms and workshops to fight for a chance to free the land from its seemingly eternal oppressor. However, a good portion of the army was also made up of master swordsman and skilled wizards. Normally, when one rose to such prominence the Master Archfiend was sure to have them cut down. Fortunately, there were many that were able to anticipate such danger and hide themselves. Now, knowing that Alefgard needed them, they came out of hiding in droves to support the cause.
Nevertheless, it was clear that there was fear and anxiety among the gathered people. Only the newest arrivals to Alefgard carried themselves with the reckless confidence that victory was assured. Those who had not seen the sun in years, if ever, knew better. They were not foolhardy enough to think that a battle to overthrow a monster that had dominated the region for centuries would be easy. They had hope enough to show up but it was clear they still expected the worst.
Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice stood on a balcony of Tantegel Castle as all assembled waited for the king to appear. Suzanne wore a cloak around her, hiding her armor. King Raosu walked out in front of the people adorned in a beautiful set of armor. The armor had a golden tinge and had on it the bird-symbol of Alefgard as well as the crest of his family, a picture of the sun rising up from behind a cloud. Most of the people had never before seen the crest of the royal family just as they had never seen the sun. Given their history of hardship, the king's family normally made sure to hide their family crest.
The king addressed the people, "Today I address all of you, my fellow countrymen and soon-to-be comrades in battle. Some of you are new arrivals to this land. Others have lived here your whole lives. It matters very little now; we are all now denizens of Alefgard and will go into battle together as true Gardians."
"I see much anxiety and fear among this group. It is difficult not to be afraid. We all know what we are up against. For centuries now all we have done is live in fear. Those that tried to show courage were cast down by the Master. That is because they were too few in number to pose a threat to that monster. But look around you now! Now the courageous number in the many! The Master cannot simply cast you down now. And now it will be you courageous ones who will cast down the Master!"
A cheer began amongst those gathered. It was indicative of the group itself; the cheer began with only a few people. As the people heard the cheer more of them joined in. Soon, the whole group was cheering and chanting. The king motioned for Suzanne to step forward. Suzanne stepped forward and removed her cloak. The sight of the Armor of Radiance with the symbol of the golden bird on the front gave the people more courage. The people gave a loud cheer as she held out the Shield of Heroes. Finally, she reached into the scabbard at her waist and drew out the weapon that was there. The sight of the newly-repaired Sword of Kings cast aside any lingering doubts in the people assembled. Their shouts could be heard throughout the entire town and castle.
The king waited some time as the cheering continued before motioning for quiet again. "The Shield of Heroes, the Armor of Radiance, and the Sword of Kings. These items were once grand symbols of a great nation. A nation as great as any in the upper world that many of you hail from. A nation that some of you have only read of or heard stories about. A nation that saw the sun rise every day."
"To those born here such a land is but a legend. But I tell you now that that dream is no mere legend! That dream is what we are here to fight for! We will throw off the chains of our oppressor and make Alefgard the land it was meant to be!"
Another cheer rose up from the assembly. Suzanne began to speak. "People of Alefgard, though I stand before you wearing the legendary armor of your people know that it is not I who will win the battles to come! Some of you, the most recent arrivals here, know of how Zoma's minion, the Archfiend Baramos, was defeated in the upper world. It was not my work or the work of any other individual that accomplished that feat. It was the work of a large group of people united, all fighting for a cause! Now you are that group of people. Trust in yourselves and trust in the people fighting next to you! Through cooperation we can defeat a Master Archfiend!"
Yet another chorus of cheers rose up. Then another voice came to the people, into their minds. It was soft at first and many did not notice it. But after some time the people quieted to hear it.
My dear people of Alefgard, came Rubiss's voice in everyone's heads. I have been away from you for so long. Most of you do not even know who I am. I am Rubiss. I have seen your suffering over these long centuries and I have shared in it. Now I too shall do my part in the battle to come. Please join me, my people. Have courage to pierce through the darkness! Together, we shall restore the light to this land!
This time the people were too shocked to act immediately on what they heard. Some began to realize who spoke and they began the cheer once again. All speakers had now finished so the assembly was free to make as much noise as they wished. The king and the heroes watched over all of them.
"For centuries now it has always been dreadful for a king to call an assembly of the people," said King Raosu. "Assemblies have always been to announce the direst of news. I have never witnessed a sight such as this, with the people so joyous and hopeful."
"We'll need every bit of hope for the battle ahead," said Suzanne. "Even if our plan works it will look bad for the people for a time."
"Are all the preparations ready?" asked Thomas. "Now that Rubiss has spoken to the assembly there won't be much time. Zoma will make every effort to capture or destroy her."
"Everything is prepared," answered the king. "The only left to do is to fight and hope that it is enough."
The next day saw the beginning of the battle against Zoma. The Grand Army of Alefgard formed up for the first time in centuries with the aim of storming towards Charlock Castle. Rubiss appeared before the army and used some of her power. A great bridge of light formed stretching across the rough sea that separated Tantegel and Charlock. The Grand Army began their march across the bridge.
As was expected, their march towards Charlock failed to catch the enemy off-guard. A host of monsters rushed forward on the bridge of light to meet Alefgard's forces. The fighting was fierce after that. Rubiss used as much of her power as she could to aid the fight against Zoma's army. On the bridge of light she formed up walls to serve as cover for the Gardian army while she left Zoma's monsters out in the open. She cast spells and called down lightning on Zoma's minions. However, with much of her power having been stolen by the Archfiend Rubiss was unable to swing the battle in Alefgard's favor, as she had feared.
Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice were a key factor in the early days of the fighting. By this point it was clear that they were the most powerful warriors in the land. They led the charge against many of Zoma's monsters and cut deeply into the monster's lines. However, even they had to fall back before going too far ahead. If they charged ahead they would get surrounded by Zoma's minions and cut off from their allies.
The two opposing armies met just a bit closer to Tantegel's side of the bridge than Charlock's. However, after the first couple days the Grand Army of Alefgard had managed to gain ground and push past the halfway point. Morale remained high among the army as they observed the early success they were having.
After the first two days of fighting the four heroes met in secret to discuss the final stages of their plan. They huddled together in one of the tents and talked in low voices.
"The battle is goi
ng well," said Ron cheerfully. "We might not even need to separate from the main group!"
"Don't be fooled," said Thomas. "You heard what Rubiss told us when we first met her. The only reason this army exists in the first place is because Zoma has allowed it to. It's going to wait for just the right moment and then it'll crush the army."
"Tom is right," declared Suzanne. "Notice how the fighting stops when to give us time to rest? Remember the battle against Baramos? Baramos' forces never allowed the fighting to stop. Fatigue and exhaustion were its allies. Zoma is allowing this time of rest before it truly puts its power out there."
"We can't deviate from our plan," continued Suzanne. "We have to leave tonight for Rimuldar. From there we march to Charlock on our own."
"Do you think Zoma knows about our plan?" asked Alice. "It already seems to know about everything we do."
"Either it doesn't know or it doesn't care," answered Suzanne confidently. "Zoma is like Baramos, like every Archfiend. They don't consider humans to be a threat. To show fear against a group of four humans like us would be insulting to it. But it does respect Rubiss, to an extent. As long as Rubiss remains with the army and aids it Zoma will not care what we do."
"With that said, it's time to go," declared Suzanne. "Alice, do you still have the sphere?"
Alice carefully reached into her pack and showed a gleam of light, light from the Sphere of Light that the four had received from the Dragon Queen. She quickly covered it back up so that nobody would see it.
"Good," said Suzanne. "Okay everyone, I hope you're ready. It's time for the final battle."
The four discreetly teleported away from the camp to the city of Rimuldar from which they left immediately. It would take them three days on foot to reach the point where they could use the Rainbow Drop. They had to travel around the lake surrounding Rimuldar, through some forests, over some hills, and finally to a desert. Fortunately, they met very little resistance on the way to the Archfiend's island.
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