Tales of Mancia, Book One: Beyond the Frozen Grove Options

[redsrock]

Tales of Mancia

Book One: "Beyond the Frozen Grove"


CHAPTER ONE

"I thought you said you didn't believe in magic, Verick? What happened to all that talk about magic being a myth and nothing else? Now all of a sudden you've changed your mind?"

"I know what I said, Arvus, just shut up for a second, alright? Damn, you can be annoying sometimes!"

Verick and Arvus Junson were freelance adventures as well as brothers, working for no one in particular. They simply hunted for treasure and sold it to their favorite merchants in the many large towns the country of Haven had to offer. Haven, ruled by King Leonard Fervine, is the "power region" in the world of Mancia, sort of the capital of the world in a way. Haven hosts Mancia's largest largest army, largest population, and richest country as well.

The two had been searching through a small cave when Verick had mistakingly kicked a tiny stone box hidden within the many rocks on the cold hard floor. Upon opening the box he found one green heavy stone. The gem itself seemed to glow with importance, though neither of the men recognized it; that is until the more intelligent of the two, that being Arvus, had whipped out his massive book of gems and stones. The two searched for what seemed like hours until on exactly the five hundredth page they came across what looked dead-up like the stone Verick had discovered by sheer luck.

The book claimed the stone (which had no "official" name) to have magical powers that held the key to a whole other dimension. Obviously no one had yet to discover such a stone, and the authors of the book heavily suggested that the story of the stone of was a hoax and nothing more. Now it appeared as if all of that was about to change.

"I mean...just look at it, Arvus," Verick said with a tone of extreme awe and waving his exited and shaking hands through his medium length set of black hair, and then across thinly-trimmed beard. The two brothers were the same age of twenty-nine, though they were not twins. Throughout their many adventures they had come across plenty of mystifying artifacts, but nothing could match the stone Verick had discovered.

"Okay, fine. We found a rock that looks quite similar to what the book describes," Arvus said with his arms folded and rolling eyes. The book of stones had been put back into his large leather pack. "But that doesn't mean the story is real, or if this stone really is what the book says it is. If anything I think it is a simple coincidence."

Verick threw his hands up in the air in frustration and then yelled, "Wow, how ironic this is! You've always been the one reading books about magic and all that crap, and now that we're face to face with something that could really actually have magical properties you want to dismiss it!"

"I read the material because it is interesting and entertaining, Verick," Arvus replied, his tone rising defensively. "That does not mean I think it is all real. True, I think there is some kind of basic magic out there in the world, but do I think a mere stone holds the key to a whole new dimension? Certainly not! Think about for a second, Verick, and then maybe you'll see how ridiculous all of this is. The 'gem' you speak of is probably nothing more than a simple rocked painted green, and planted here to make a fool of someone like you."

Verick was really getting angry now and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to strike his brother in his hairless chin with his fist. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time the two had fought. But when Verick eyed a tiny pond of water in the far corner of the cave he ran straight to it, motioning for Arvus to follow and forgetting about pounding his face in for a moment.

"Alright, Arvus, we'll have it your way." Verick then pulled a dirty piece of cloth from his pocket and raised it in the air for Arvus to see. "I will dip the stone into this puddle of water and scrub with the cloth. If the paint comes off and it really is only a stone, I will wash your boots with my tongue."

Arvus began laughing histarically, his long blonde hair moving irratically, but when he saw that his brother was actually telling the truth he tried his best to calm down, even if it was fairly difficult to do so. "But if I am right about this stone, and it does have magical powers, then you are going to tear that particular page out of your book and eat it right in front of me."

Arvus was no longer laughing, and was now looking rather offended but at the same time extremely confused. What in the world is he thinking? Does he really actually believe that rock holds the power to another world? He must be out of his mind... "Fine, I agree, Verick. However, I think you are making a big mistake," he replied towards Verick, again starting to laugh a bit from the silliness of the situation.

"We'll see," Verick whispered, just before sinking the stone entirely into the puddle of water. He began scrubbing it vigorously with the cloth, back and forth, back and forth. This went on for some five minutes until at last he brought the stone back up. What he said at first made him cringe, and Arvus laugh with amused joy.

"Look, you idiot, I told you it was paint! You sure hope you like the taste of-"

But then it was Verick who was jumping with joy and happiness, for he saw something that Arvus couldn't because of the fact that he was standing about ten feet away. It was true that the green-ness of the rock was something like paint and beyond the paint was regular stone, but carved into the stone was lines spelling out numerous words and phrases of a language Verick could not understand.

"Come here, look at this! There's some kind of scripture carved into the stone!"

Arvus quickly arrived at his brother's side and the two of them studied the stone closely, trying to figure out what kind of language it could be. Of course with Arvus being the intelligent one, Verick asked him if he recognized the carvings.

"No, none of this looks familiar to me at all," was his immediate response. "For a second it almost looks of the Tijion...or maybe even the Pantor...but no, that's not it. I..I don't have a clue what it says," he said perplexed and scratching his head in confusion.

With the stone in hand, Verick pumped his right fist high into the air and began to mock Arvus for not believing him. But Arvus quickly silence his brother with a raise of his hand and said, "But that doesn't mean the stone is magical, Verick. The book said nothing about a scripture of any kind."

"Did it speak of how to open the dimension?" Verick asked eagerly.

Arvus just rolled his eyes. "No, Verick, it said it was a hoax.....remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I think the book is wrong and I am right!"

"No, you are wrong, Verick," Arvus said, starting to get agitated once more. "Either way, at least we've found something of value. Let's go ahead and head back to Crestwood so we can ask the jeweler how much he thinks it's worth."

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Verick yelled at the top of his lungs, scaring the daylights out of Arvus. "We are NOT selling this thing, you idiot! This is our key to another world, brother! Can't you see? We will be famous!"

Arvus was now beyond agitation and instead almost to the point where he could no longer take his brother's ignorant immaturity. "Give me that!" He said to Verick while snatching the stone away and picking up its stone container from the floor, and placing the stone in the box. "We will-"

Suddenly his two hands began to shake violently and both he and Verick immediately noticed that the box was glowing with a bright green haze, almost of a bubble of sorts. Arvus dropped the box to the ground in fear, and the top broke off. Inside the stone was in the middle of the container, and it too was glowing a green haze. But now four rods from all four sides of the square container had somehow been stabbed into the stone, holding it in place.

"What in the name of-"

Before any of them could do anything the bright light first engulfed them, and then the entire room of the cave they were standing in. For a moment they were blinded by the light, until finally the brightness began to calm down. But something strange was happening. Arvus suddenly found himself suspended in mid air above the box, along with his brother right beside him. The strangest part was that when he looked down he could see his own body still standing next to the box with his hands shielding his eyes. His body looked like a frozen statue, and then he noticed that Verick's own body was doing the exact same thing. The 'suspended' Arvus looked at the 'suspended' Verick and the two of them were simply at a loss for words. The glowing of the stone again picked up and then the two found themselves swirling in a fast circle in the air, with green bubble also circling around them. The spun faster and faster, lower and lower, until the two of them were just inches away from smacking into one another mid-air.

But right before they could make contact everything went black, and neither of them felt anything but a rush of cold air.

[redsrock]

Please disregard the map I had previously created. I am going in an entirely new direction. Also, expect the next chapter sometime this evening. I hope you are enjoying the story so far.

[Burnt Sierra]

Interesting voice you've given it. The narrator I mean. It reminds me of a fairy tale, albeit a potentially action packed and violent fairy tale if your previous work is anything to go by Actually that sums up most of the best fairy tales. Hmm....

It's the beginning of the story, so I won't nit-pick too much, I promise. Except to mention tenses of course. Keep your eye on them, it keeps switching from past to present tense. I know that's something you're working on though, so I'm confident that will be resolved. Also I'm not entirely sure why you've hightlighted "suspended" twice at the end. It's a perfectly good way of describing what's happening to them, you don't need to bring added attention to it. Trust your words Final point would be place. You mention it's a cave, but there is no description of where they are or what they see, which is unlike you. Maybe a little more detail would help to bring that to life.

And now the positives, which thankfully are many. There's a nice interplay between the two brothers - I don't care how cliched the idea of squabbling brothers is, just about every pair of brothers I've ever met has lived up to that cliche - and the dialogue is natural and entertaining. The testing of the stone was well done, and really quite funny to be honest, and nicely described.

The introduction is set up nicely. You've given us a nice little taster, with the promise of adventure to come, and I'm looking forward to seeing what traps, pitfalls and (no doubt) disasters befall them. Promises to be a fun ride

[redsrock]

Don't worry about nit-picking, BSD, we all know I need it at times. Thanks for the kind words as well. It's good to get both critical and 'fluff' feedback all at once.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER TWO

The next thing Verick knew he was lying face up on a rough surface, looking up at what seemingly looked like the sun in a light blue sky, but this object was different than the one he was used to looking at back in Haven. Rather than the usual bright yellow and round object, this one was a bright red color, and instead of a perfect circle this one was somewhat of a large oval. Verick looked around and saw his brother lying motionless on the surface to his left, which looked to be some kind of rough blackish soil, almost sticky in a strange way.

"Arvus...Arvus!" Verick yelled to his brother loudly while still lying on the ground himself, thought it was no use and it appeared as if Arvus had been knocked out cold. Verick looked around for the box and the stone, but neither were anywhere to be found. It was as if the items had disappeared after dropping off he and Arvus at wherever they were located now.

He got up from the ground and some of the rock/soil stuck to his arm, signaling that it was likely that the two had been lying on the ground for an extended amount of time. So he brushed the rocks off, some painfully, and walked over to the unconcious Arvus. He shook his brother violently but that was no use as well. He was still breathing so at least he wasn't dead.

Thank the Almighty Mother! Verick thought to himself. Now what am I going to do? I don't even know what's going on or where we're at! And at that moment Verick was no longer happy that he had proved his brother wrong, for now it appeared that the two of them really were stuck in another dimension, judging by the strange 'sun', if that's even what it was called wherever they were now.

As he looked around more and more he realized that he and Arvus were located within some type of mountain of sorts, and a rather small area at that, roughly twenty yards on all sides. There were some small bushes all around them, but the color was different than any other plant Verick had laid eyes on. These bushes were a darkish red coloring. Around the bushes was, like he already realized, a mountain. He figured they were both in the middle of a pit of the said mountain, and the walls of the mountain were a dark silvery color. Verick wanted to walk past the bushes and touch the strange looking wall, but of course he also didn't want to leave his brother alone for any length of time.

However, he didn't have to wait long because within several seconds Arvus finally began to stir, followed by a weak, "Verick...are you there?" Arvus looked around until he saw his brother standing in front of him looking around. "Verick!" he said loudly, and this time Verick heard the calling.

"Are you alright?" he asked Arvus after running over to him, and Arvus simply shrugged his shoulder and sat on his bottom, wiping away the black rock soil just as his brother had done minutes earlier. For a second he didn't say anything, but then, again just like his brother had done, he started up at the orange oval hanging in the sky.

"What in world is that?" he asked in awe.

"I don't know," Verick replied softly, "but I don't think we're in Haven anymore."

Arvus stood up from the ground and wiped the remaining particles of loose dirt and rock from his body. Then he looked at the red bushes, and outside of them the walls of the silver mountain that wrapped around the two of them from all sides. "My, my...I don't believe it," Arvus whispered, feeling as if he was in some kind of dream. But the stinging pain from the scars on his bare arms, left by the rocks that had once been there, told the truth.

"I just can't believe it brother," Verick whispered back.

For several minutes that seemed like hours the two of them just stood in the middle of the black soiled pit, their eyes wandering to and from the bushes, the 'sun', and the massive mountain that blocked most of the sky. Then, without warning and without hesitation, Arvus punched Verick hard in the left cheek, sending him falling to the ground in utter surprise.

"What was that for?" Verick yelled angrily, rubbing the cheek that was already bruising from the contact of Arvus's fist. Arvus wasn't really the expert fighter, but he sure had landed a successful punch to Verick's face.

"For having a fit back at the cave and HAVING to dip that rock into the puddle. You just had to-"

Suddenly Verick got up and charged Arvus, who was looking up into the air and mocking his brother dipping the stone into the pond. Verick easily tackled him to the ground and was about to hit his brother in the face with his right hand, but Verick' fist stopped mid-air after a deep and loud roar sounded from their left, seemingly inside the mountain. The roar sounded again and now Verick was off of his brother and had already grabbed a small iron dagger he always carried in the tiny side slot on his left leather boot, shaking with fear and anxiety at whatever it was that was making the noise.

"Judging by that sound of whatever is making that noise, I think you're going to need something a little bit bigger than that knife," Arvus said, looking at the blade and then back to the where the noise was coming from. At that moment the two of them both spotted a small opening leading into the side of the mountain. Verick spoke first.

"Look, Arvus, there's an entrance to inside the...mountain, or whatever it is."

"Okay, and?" Arvus asked, knowing that he his brother wanted to travel inside the mountain. Arvus didn't like the sound of that one bit, and it was apparent by the critical look on his dirty face.

"And I think we need to travel through there if we want to get out of this pit," Verick replied sarcastically, looking right into his brother's scared blue eyes.

"No, you're crazy, Verick! Did you hear those roars? I'm not going anywhere!" he said, crossing his arms and backing away even further from the opening that was already nearly twenty yards away.

"We sure ain't goin' anywhere if we just sit and here and do nothing!" Verick said, flipping his hands in the air out of frustration. "We are stuck in whatever this place is, and the only way out seems to be the opening over there. I don't know about you but I don't just wanna sit and rot away."

Arvus didn't say anything but instead looked through the hole in the mountain, just waiting for some strange looking creature to hop out and kill them both with long, sharp claws. "Yes...you're probably right. I just didn't want to admit it," Arvus replied after looking back to his brother. "Also, I want to apologize for hitting. I don't know, I guess I just lost it for a second."

"Don't worry about it, brother. You're just lucky I didn't get in a shot of my own," Verick said with a wink and playful punch to Arvus's arm. "I was surprised more than anything. You packed quite a punch for someone who's never beat me in a fight."

"Yeah, judging by the bruise it mustn't have felt very good," Arvus said with a laugh, though he still felt bad for hitting his brother.

"No worries, it's over now. I'm just still amazed at what's going on. You know, as soon as I picked the stone up back at that cave I knew something was special about it. But even given that, I still find what's happening unbelievable. It just doesn't seem like this could at all be possible," Verick said.

"Yeah, well, I guess it's like you said. There's nothing else to do but go through that mountain and meet whatever is inside. I don't particularly want to do it, but I also don't think we have a choice. Let's just hope that on the other side of this mountain is a way back home," Arvus said while taking out his own dagger his it's side pocket in his shirt, this one made from stone by a weapons-smith back in Crestwood, their home and Haven's capitol city.

"Alright, just stick close and we'll be alright."

The two took one last look into the opening and then began to walk towards it, both of their daggers shaking wildly in their scared hands.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


If it weren't for the fact that they were indeed in another dimension and that their only exit was through the mountain, Arvus would have never agreed to going inside the cave leading into the mountain. He never was the brave and courageous person his brother was. Arvus was more into books and plants, and other things of that sort. And he never really wouldn't have even been a 'freelance adventurer' if it wasn't for Verick asking for help. Verick was a fine adventurer, but he didn't know anything about what plants were poisonous and things of that nature. He had asked Arvus to help out long ago and that was that. From that point on, about five years ago, the two have been an adventurer-duo, seeking tombs and ruins with treasure all throughout their country of Haven.

For the most part they haven't faced too much danger, save for the occasional bandit here and there, but Verick had always been able to fend off attacker because he had been trained with a blade during his childhood. Arvus had not been trained in such a way. Verick was a Daddy's Boy, choosing to go the 'manly way' of things. Verick, whether he liked it or not, was a Mommy's Boy, choosing books and wild-life rather than fighting and all the stuff that goes with it. This sort of girly reputation hadn't bothered Arvus much, mostly in part because Verick never really hounded him about it. The two made a terrific pair, and that was enough for both of them.

"Just stay close, Arvus, and whatever is in there hopefully we can sneak past it," Verick whispered just as they entered the cave and began walking down a slim and straight corridor. The interior was of course pitch black except for the light seeping in from the outside. Sooner or later the two would have no light to guide them through, and unfortunately for them Verick had dropped his torch at the cave back in Haven.

The ground was similar to the one outside, except in the cave there was no soil, just plenty of wet rocks and a hard stone-like floor. Some kind of waterfall could be heard deeper within the cave, so that's where they headed. From his experiences in Haven, Arvus and Verick both remembered that a river or waterfall inside of a cave usually led to an exit of some kind. But the key word is usually.

After a few minutes of walking the two came to another opening to the left. The sound of rushing water was gaining and they were both excited that hopefully soon they would find their way to the other side. But when they entered the room they were met with both good and bad news. The good news was that atop a small hill in the northern part of the room was a hole with water rushing in and down into a large pond-like surface at the bottom of the floor on Verick and Arvus' level of sight, with light coming through signaling that there way of escape was only around fifty yards away. The bad news was that guarding that opening was a creature neither of them had ever seen before.

It looked to be standing about ten feet tall and was very thick and muscular, for the room they were now in had to be at least twenty feet tall. The beast was standing on all fours looking to be about ten yards in length, and it had a massive head with two thick knobs extending about three feet from its forehead. It did not have claws on its feet, but rather hooves resembling a large horse. The hide of the beast looked very thick and almost leathery in a way. It was also smooth and hairless skin, except for around its hooves and around and about its face. It was a darkish gray color, but because the place was fairly dark Arvus and Verick were having a hard time telling if it was or not.

"By Smearna, Arvus, just look at that thing..." Verick whispered quietly. "How in the name of Hoal are we going to get passed it? See those natural-stairs behind it? It's guarding the way out."

Suddenly the creature roared back its head in alertness and uttered yet another massive roar, shaking the room and causing rocks to fall from the cavern's roof. One of the smaller rocks landed with a thud on Arvus's right foot, and unfortunately for him and Verick he could not keep in the pain. He yelled out in agony and the creature immediately turned its head. Seeing that they were about to become the beast's next meal they turned around to head back into the dark tunnel where the beast could not reach them, but large boulders that fell from the roof had covered the entrance, blocking Arvus and Verick from escaping.

"Hurry, follow me," Verick yelled, taking the role as leader like he always did in situations such as this. (Of course, they really haven't been face to face with a creature ten feet tall and horn-like knobs as long as a sword.)

The two ran to the right and as they did the beast followed in pursuit from the north. It charged with all of its might and speed, shaking the rocky ground with every steps of its heavy hooves, it's furry mane-like hair flapping as it ran. Just inches away from getting trampled by the beast, Arvus and Verick both lunged forward, rolling under a bridge-like rock that was deep enough to where the beast could not touch them.

Arvus crawled behind Verick as the two watched the beast struggle to get into the tiny space where they sat, giving the two of them their first glance at the beast's long and sharp fangs. It was a scary time for both of them, but they needn't worry no more than about two minutes, because at that time the beast roar as if it was in pain. And indeed it was in pain. As it backed away from the space Verick noticed three very long spears had somehow been thrusted into the side of its right rib cage. Then Verick saw three figures on the right side of the beast, near the blocked entrance in which he and Arvus had come from.

The beast turned to chase towards the figures and they took off to their own right, running up another small hill where the beast could not reach them. Because it was dark Verick could not see the figures' features, other than that they looked to be rather skinny and somewhere around six feet in height. They threw more spears at the beast, with two hitting the creature in its front right hoof, and the other hitting it in its eye. The beast roared in anger, and rather than fight on the beast ran to the west side of the room, retreating through a different opening Verick and Arvus had not previously noticed.

As soon as the beast was out of sight and everyone was safe for the time being, the three figures down from their fighting spot and ran over to Verick and Arvus. For the first time Verick got a close-up look at the beings, and he was both awed and slightly disgusted at the same time. The beings looked to be human in a way, but their skin was sort of scaly in random areas, and its color was a very light green. Their body features resembled a human, except that they had six fingers rather than a humans five, and their fingers were abnormally long as well. Another thing different about them was their head. While it closely resembled a human head, the creatures' were slightly taller than normal, and in their forehead was what looked like a stone. As Verick looked closer he realized it looked exactly like the stone that had transported he and Arvus to this strange world.

Verick was in too much shock to say much, so the being in the middle of the three spoke up with a medium-pitched tone, but with a hint of vibration almost. "That was a close call, wouldn't you say?" The being held its hand out to Verick to help him out of the space, but Verick was still seemingly frozen in time, unable to speak let alone move his hand.

Verick looked behind him and realized that Arvus was out cold unconcious once more, and had apparently passed out. Verick looked back at the beings who were looking at him oddly, back at is brother, and at last back to beings once more. All of the hectic craziness finally took its toll on Verick and he passed out as well.

[redsrock]

Just a quick correction: Arvus is the one with short black hair and trimmed black full beard. Arvus is the one with medium/long blondish-brown hair.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER THREE


By the time he woke up Verick was apparently already outside of the cave, lying in what felt to be some type of hanging hammock he had used so many times at the beaches of northwestern Haven. Back then it was for pure joy, a place to escape the darkness of the caves and relish in the sun's many rays and the cool soothing sound of the rushing waves hitting the beaches.

Lying on the hammock-like bed Verick could almost hear the voices of children playing and sea birds splashing as they dove in to catch their fishy prey in the shallow waters. Verick remembered those days of paradise, that much was for sure. But when he finally opened his eyes he was reminded that his current situation was anything but that, and much rather some kind of nightmare that just happened to be a reality.

"Oh, my head..." he mumbled softly, but apparently loud enough to be heard by the fish-humans to his left about five yards away. All three of them were there, grinning from ear to ear. The one had an extended a hand back in the cave walked over and knelt beside Verick's position.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with sincerity.

"My head really, really hurts," Verick replied bluntly, closing his eyes and beginning to rub his forehead. That's when he felt a large bump, and then the fish-man reassured what Verick already assumed.

"I'm not surprised. When you passed out in the caverns you hit your head hard on the surface. Sorry for not catching you in time, but I really wasn't expecting you to pass out. At least your companion didn't suffer the same painful fate."

You try being chased by a ten foot monster and see if you don't pass out Verick thought to himself. The truth was that the fish-man probably had experienced that certain situation many times before, or at least that's what Verick gathered. Now that they were in the light of the day Verick go an excellent look at the fish-man. They had more scales than Verick had previously thought, in various random spots.

"He's my brother. Where is he?" Verick asked, forgetting about the fish-men for the time being. The one talking to Verick stood up and pointed behind Verick. Verick turned around and about forty yards away sat Arvus, on a large rock and staring into a small stream leading to a lake about one hundred yards to the west.

Without responding to the fish-man Verick stood up from the hammock, noticing that it really wasn't what he expected it to be. It was actually hovering above the ground, connected to no trees or anything else. Verick gave the fish-man a strange look, and then dismissed that thought as well. To be honest he really wasn't that surprised, only still a bit perplexed that all of this was really happening.

He walked over to his brother, who looked back and offered a, "How's the head? Hmm...it doesn't too bad anymore I suppose. At least the swelling has gone down."

"Yeah, well I guess that's a good thing," Verick replied, then sitting down right next to his brother, now both of them sitting and staring into the stream. That's when Verick looked around at the surroundings altogether. He saw the mountain and the cave in which had just came from, about forty or so yards behind them. The rest of the surrounding was vast plains and many tall plants resembling palm trees in a way. Except these trees held an item that looked to be some kind of fruit. It was red in color, and was about as big as an orange but a bit lumpier and also seemingly rougher. When Verick narrowed his eyes he saw that there were tiny hairs on the items as well.

"You see that city over there?" Arvus asked Verick, pointing straight in front of them. What looked like many miles away was a massive structure that looked to be some kind of castle, though it was nothing compared to what they had back in Haven. This structure was extremely tall, with plenty of towers and other decorative objects. Even from what seemed so far away Verick noted how pearly white the structure was, and very beautiful as well. Surrounding the castle-like structure were other buildings, some big and some little. But for the most part, aside from the large castle, everything else was somewhat a blur because they were so far away. To the left and right of the enormous city were more mountain ranges, and it appeared as if these mountains surrounded the entire area, for Verick looked all around and noticed that indeed there was almost a wall of mountains circling the vast area as if protecting it from whatever evils lurked on the other side. "According to him," Arvus continued while pointing back at the talking fish-man, "that is their home. And apparently this world we are in is called Mancia."

As Arvus said this and then continued to stare back out into the water. Verick could easily see that his brother's thoughts were drifting from one subject to another, the most obviously about how in the world they were going to get out of this Mancia.

"We almost died back there, Verick," he whispered just loud enough for the two of them two, but not looking directly at Verick. "I mean, I...I just still can't believe what's happening. I want to say it's alright and everything will be fine, but...I can't because it would be a lie. I really don't know what's going to happen, or if these...fish-people are hostile or not. Yeah, I know they saved us and whatnot, but that doesn't mean they're friendly for sure."

Verick looked at his brother and he could see tears beginning to form on his hair cheeks, though not yet dripping down his sweaty and dirty skin. He patted Arvus on the back and said, "Well, if it means anything at least we're not separated, you know? I'm just glad we weren't sent to two different places, or something worse..." he said, trailing off at the last bit.

This time Arvus did look at Verick and responded, "You are right about that," he said with a hint of a small smile. "But either it doesn't matter. We are here now, stuck in some strange land that wasn't even supposed to be real. What now?" He asked.

"I guess follow the fish-men to their home. Maybe they have a King as well who can point us in right direction home or something," Verick offered, though he really didn't believe in the idea. It appeared Arvus didn't either.

"Yeah, I don't think it's going be that easy," he said, this time clearly smiling. "Oh well, there's nothing else to do but follow them I suppose. Come, let's just hope for the best." He stood up and offered a hand to Verick. He pulled him up from the rock and then they both hopped off and walked back to the fish-man who had been talking with Verick.

"Are you finished?" The fish-man asked the two as they neared him. Verick didn't take too kindly to the tone, but of course he didn't know the fish-man didn't really mean any harm.

"Yeah sure, whatever," Verick responded. "But before we do anything or go anywhere, you are going to tell us what's going and where we are. Obviously you can tell that me and my brother aren't from this world."

"But of course," the fish-man replied with wide grin. "We knew that as soon as the fires had been lit."

"What fires?" Arvus asked.

The fish-man smiled even more and said, "Perhaps we should talk this over while taking a walk? I think that would be best."

So rather than argue with the thing Verick and Arvus simply nodded, and then the fish-man motioned for them to follow as he lead them down a dirt path, following the exact stream Verick and Arvus had been following just minutes earlier.

"We knew you had arrived in our world about two hours ago, maybe three, I really don't remember too clearly. We were all excited and not many could think clearly for the first minutes upon learning that you two had indeed finally arrived."

What do you mean 'finally'? You mean to say that you were expecting us?" Arvus asked. By now the walk was over, and all three were standing underneath one of the tall trees Verick had been studying before. Then the fish-man continued.

"First off, I think I need to introduce myself, and please forgive me for not doing so earlier," he said, grinning just as much as he had been the entire time. Verick was astonished that the creature's jaw muscles weren't aching. But then he once again remembered that he wasn't in Haven anymore, and the body of these fish-people were likely much different than that of a regular a regular Doman. "My name is Vaalvier, special courier and agent to the Ibis, Lord Rejai of Mancia."

Vaalvier was certainly proud of his rank, though of course neither Arvus nor Verick knew what he was talking about. "Ibis? What is that?" Verick asked.

"This Ibis is the title of our leader. Rejai has been commanding our army and leading our fine people for over five-hundred years, and she is only the third Ibis in our history. She is waiting for your arrival to Tagroth this moment."

"Tagroth?" Verick asked, and then Vaalvier pointed in front of them to the massive castle.

"Yes, Tagroth is the name of our grand city, and as you can tell it is certainly something of special delicacy to us. Our ancient ancestors did wonders in creating our magnificent city, and we now are doing our best to preserve what they gave to us."

"It is beautiful, but I am still confused," Arvus said. "What does this have to do with knowing that we were coming?"

Vaalvier actually laughed this time and said, "We didn't actually know it would be you two to appear, in fact we were only expecting one. That is why I am so excited right not because there are two of you. You, as soon as the Stone of Ibisarion teleported you here the Fires of Mancia, three gigantic balls of green fire situated in the Ibis's throne room, lit up in glorious fashion. That was the sign that at last the Savior of Mancia had arrived, except in this case I should say Saviors."

Arvus was more confused than ever now so he sat down on the ground and just looked at the running stream, thinking deeply about what Vaalvier just said. So Verick began asking the questions as his brother listened on while staring into the water.

"So what you're tryin' to say is that you think we are the Saviors of Mancia? And Mancia is the world we are in now, right? And what is an Ibisarion?"

"I think I should let the Ibis explain this to a more clearer extent," Vaalvier chuckled. "After all, she holds all the answers anyhow.However, WE are the Ibisarions. It is our race. Come with me and my men and I shall take you to Tagroth, where all of your questions can be quickly answered."

"Wait a second! What if I don't want to go with you? What if I want to go back to that cave and just get eaten by that monster and end all of this crazy nonsense?"

The smile had not been wiped away from Vaalvier's mouth, and rather it somehow seemed to have only enlarged. "I will not let you do that. My sole job now is to protect you until you have trained enough and have learned enough to fend for yourself. You can try to leave, but I can assure that you won't get very far."

Arvus stood up now, just mere inches away from Vaalvier's own set of wondrous eyes. Verick could easily see Arvus wanted to punch the fish-creature's face in, but of course that was probably impossible. The thing probably is trained in all kinds of fighting arts, plus I am sure they know magic. I mean...just look at the floating hammock Verick thought to himself.

Thankfully Arvus didn't do or say anything else, and rather backed off and went to stand next to his brother. "I'll admit...Vaalvier...you have me curious, but not in a good way. Let's just leave here so I can meet your Ibis. Maybe she will be able to tell us how to get home."

Vaalvier just chuckled again and then turned, walking away and leading Verick and Arvus back to where the other two Ibisarions were standing patiently. Verick could have sworn he heard Vaalvier whisper, "Too bad there's no going back, human."

When Vaalvier had escorted Verick and Arvus back to where the other two Ibisarions were standing, he made motions towards the hammock and suddenly the bed-like object spread open on its left and right. All of a sudden it was basically a big leather-like rectangle floating just inches from the ground. It was about five yards in width and about fifteen yards in length. "Hop aboard, this will take us to Tagroth," Vaalvier told Verick and Arvus without looking at them. Then he walked over to the two others and they began talking quietly with one another, low enough where neither Verick nor Arvus could hear.

Verick and Arvus both carefully climbed aboard the hammock and waited for the others to join them. "How do you think they make this float?" Verick asked out loud in astonishment, for the first time taking a long gander at the weird contraption.

"Who knows, but it certainly is interesting," Arvus responded, cooled down after almost having a heated exchange with Vaalvier. "I'm sure there will be many more wonders to see in Tagroth. But something tells me we won't like all of them."

Soon Vaalvier and the other two Ibisarions joined Arvus and Verick. Vaalvier took a seat beside Verick and Arvus in the middle, while the other two sat in the front, making motions with their hands in which the hammock rose even further from the ground, and then suddenly taking off at a fast speed towards Tagroth.

Arvus and Verick immediatly grasped for something to hold on to but of course their hands hit nothing but air. For a second the two thought they were going to fall off of the edge and down onto a tree or perhaps a lake, but they hit some kind of invisible barrier that acted as the hammocks wall. Vaalvier laughed loudly at this and yelled, "There's nothing to worry about, I assure you. The invisible barriers in which you just bumped into will keep you inside."

"Are you sure about that?" Arvus asked angrily, rubbing the left hand that had bumped forcefully into the magically-induced field.

"Do you want to try it again?" Vaalvier asked sarcastically, nodding towards Arvus's hurt hand. Arvus, being the non-confrontational person he was, shrugged off the sarcasm and just stared out to the side at the wavering trees down below. Although Arvus had not retaliated towards the sarcastic comment, Verick could see clear as day that Arvus had a pure hatred towards Vaalvier. He sensed it as soon as the two were within a few feet of each other. Verick himself didn't quite like the foreign creature too much, but it appeared as if for some reason Arvus was taking it to a higher level.

"I know there's a...Ibis...for Tagroth, but what about a king?" Verick asked Vaalvier, who in turn gave back a look of both curiousness and confusion.

"A What? A...keen?"

"No, no. A K-ing" Verick said, sounding out the word so Vaalvier could understand.

"A king? No, I do not even know what that is."

"Back where we come from a king is our leader. He is called a king because there is no other rank higher than him."

"You mean to tell me that a male rules your world?" Vaalvier asked with an extremely astonished look.

"Well, he doesn't exactly rule the entire world. He simply rules our own country of Haven. There are six other countries as well, all with their own leaders, whom all have different titles for the most part. And yes, he is a male. Does that surprise you or something?"

"Yes, it most certainly does. In Tagroth men are the warriors and workers. The women serve as our leaders, including the Ibis and her Council of Faala. Also, her daughter, Brina, serves as Tagroth's own Ibis-in-waiting. It is customary for the daughters to take the throne once their mothers are killed."

"And what if the Ibis doesn't have any daughters?" Arvus asked.

"There will never be such a problem. The Ibis simply mates until she has a daughter, and then she stops mating, unless of course the daughter is killed but thankfully that has yet to happen, thanks to our elite and protective Silver Arms. The Silver Arms is a group of the most dedicated and skilled soldiers. They serve as bodyguards for both the Ibis and her daughter."

Then Vaalvier looked in front of the flying hammock and exclaimed, "Ah, we're finally here."

Verick looked in front as well and he eye sight was met with a bright white stone of some kind. He looked up and realized it was an enormous gate leading into what looked to be the largest city Verick could ever have imagined. The walls easily reached one hundred yards into the air, and possibly even further than that.

"Shall we enter and meet the Ibis?" Vaalvier asked. Verick and Arvus just looked at each other in awe for a second, and then quickly followed, desperate on meeting the Ibis and perhaps getting a better answer to their many questions.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER FOUR

"Watch your step, it's a bit further than you think," Vaalvier offered, but a little too late. Arvus had already tumbled to the ground three feet under the flying-hammock, and Verick still stood above now laughing at his brother, holding his stomach because it was already hurting from laughing to much.

"Thanks," Arvus called up to Vaalvier with a nastily sarcastic tone. Damn fool did it on purpose he angrily mumbled to himself as he brushed some of the dirt from his elbows. That's when he noticed a small scrape on his right one, although there wasn't a whole lot of blood from the wound, rather just a few drips here and there that he wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Here, lemme help you up," Verick offered after he had successfully and safely jumped from the flying hammock. He pulled Arvus off and helped wipe the dirt off. Arvus wiped away the dirt from his angered brows and stretched out his arms and legs. Through their entire ride to Tagroth the ground looked to be a very thick grassy surface, but poor Arvus happened to land in one of the few dirt spots.

"He did it on purpose, Verick," Arvus whispered loudly to his brother once everything was settled, gritting his teeth with sheer hatred. "He wanted me to fall, and you know it as well as I do. He wanted me to get hurt, he wanted to-"

"Brother, will you calm down?" Verick said with a slight laugh, but mostly a tone of bewilderment. "Surely he wouldn't do such a thing, especially since we are apparently so important to him and his Ibis...or whatever her name is."

"Yes, Ibis is correct," a voice replied from above, and the two looked up to see Vaalvier seemingly float down from the hammock. He had jumped, along with the other two Ibisarions, but as they dropped they did so at an unbelievably slow rate.

"How did you do that?" Verick asked in amazement once Vaalvier landed safely on the ground.

"Do what?" Vaalvier responded, not having a clue what Verick was asking about.

"How did you three float from the hammock?"

Vaalvier laughed at the question and replied, "First of all, it's not a...hamm-uck...I don't even know what that is anyway. Our mode of transportation here is what we call a Calpo. Does that answer your question?"

"Partially I guess," Verick said, happy to at least know what the hammock's true name was. "But actually I was talking about how you three floated from the Calpo."

Vaalvier laughed again, and this time the other to did as well, the first time the others had done anything except stand and smile. "Umm...it's really something a bit too complicated for you, right now anyways. Don't worry though, all will be answered within a short amount of time, I assure you."

Verick could have sworn Vaalvier winked at his two companions, and then he began walking past Arvus and Verick. "Shall we at last enter Tagroth? Everyone is waiting for you two."

Verick and Arvus followed Vaalvier as the other two Ibisarions stood by the Calpo, still smiling just as much as before. Arvus himself thought the smiles were somewhat on the evil side. Something about all of this isn't right. There's something going on here and I don't like it a bit. he thought to himself.

"Wait, let me and my brother discuss something real quick," Arvus asked Vaalvier, who himself was seemingly getting agitated.

"Very well, but please hurry," he replied, though with no real tone of sincerity.

Arvus pulled Verick away from the small dirt path leading to the gates and lead him over to behind one of the small trees. Some of the red fruit had dropped from the tree and was laying peacefully in the dirt soil, the soil itself resembling that of the material Verick and Arvus found themselves lying in the mountain pit. Verick stared at the fruit that looked to be rather heavy, as it was much larger than Verick had originally anticipated. He was about to pick one of them up when Arvus shook his shoulders

"I don't like this, Verick. Something bad is going to happen if we follow him in there. I can just feel it."

Verick looked into Arvus's eyes and he saw true panic. Then he looked up to the air and he saw something orange and yellow flying through the sky at a reasonably high altitude. The creature resembled some type of bird, but it looked to be scaly, though of course Verick couldn't tell because it was so high up. He only wish his brother acted as peacefully as the strange creature was. "What is wrong with you?" he asked Arvus. "You look and speak as if they want to kill us or something."

"We're in another world, Verick! Why else would I feel this way? I'm just surprised you aren't feeling the same way, even if you always have been the one looking for an adventure."

"And that is exactly what this is, Arvus," Verick said, cutting his brother off with a raised left hand. "These people have done nothing to harm us, you know, and I think we should be polite and see what is really going on. Apparently we are like Kings to them."

"But as Vaalvier said, they have no Kings here, only a female ruler that seems to believe we are the goddamn Saviors of Mancia for crying out loud! Think about this, Verick. Does this sound like a safe gamble to you?"

"Ah, but that is what's great about gambles, my dear brother," Verick said with a laugh and pat on Arvus's right shoulder. "No gamble is a safe one. Come, let's entertain Vaalvier and the Ibisarions and show our faces."

As Verick was about to walk away Arvus rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, Verick, we'll have it your way."

Verick then rolled his own set of baby blue eyes and the two finally followed Vaalvier through the now opening gates and at last into the ancient fabulous city of Tagroth, home of the Ibisarions.


********************************************************


Neither Verick nor Arvus knew how the gates had been swung open from inside, though it was likely that someone from the inside obviously saw who it was and immediatly opened the gates. Of course stranger things have happened to Verick and his brother, to say the least. Once the gates were all the way open the two walked into the city, only to find the streets barren of any life whatsoever.

"What's up with this? I thought everyone was waiting for us?" Verick asked Vaalvier.

"Don't worry," he replied with the same sly smile. "They most certainly are."

The entire place sort of resembled Verick of home back in Haven, but there were also many differences as well. For one, the street was paved with what looked like gold, but it was a bit too dark to be such, perhaps almost a copper coloring, but then again it was even darker than that to an extent. However the color of the street seemed to be, it had apparently been paved not too long ago because there was virtually no specks of dirt or any kind of debris scattered across the ground, or on the sides of the streets for that matter.

"What did you all do, pave the streets fresh when you realized we had arrived?" Verick asked jokingly, knowing that it was impossible to have done something so rigorous so fast. Then again...

"Oh no, the streets always stay this clean and smooth. The material of bavlin is extremely hard to cut into," Vaalvier explained. "We only have to remake the streets once or twice a year, and thankfully our people are not wild animals making a mess every chance they get."

"Bavlin?" Verick asked.


"Yes, bavlin. It's a hard metal found in the deepest depths of the mountains, and a few select caves to the north as well. Our warriors would use it for armor if it were not so encumbering."

Verick and Arvus were both pleased that Vaalvier had called it a metal. At least there were a few similarities between Mancia and Haven's world of Vagon.

They continued to follow Vaalvier through the extensive streets of Tagroth, and as they did Verick noted how similar the various building's material matched that of the mountain he and Arvus narrowly escaped through earlier in the day, appearing to be in the early morning since the 'sun' was just now starting to set. Of course their was no telling what time-system Mancia was running on.

"What material are the buildings made of?" Verick asked.

"They're made from the very stone the mountains are made from. The actual name of the material is called 'kol'. It's a fairly stable stone, and usually can be counted on not to break apart for about a hundred years or so. It doesn't matter either way because our workers are matched by no one. They can get the job done in no time if need be."

They walked even further down the streets, with Verick wanting personally meet the workers who built the buildings. The structures were all for the most part extremely tall and were absolutely gorgeous. Most had fancy designs carved onto the entrance doors, though of course he had not a clue what they were saying. While the Ibisarions seemed to know the Doman language, their writing on the other hand was certainly 'from another world'.

"You like the design of our buildings, eh?" Vaalvier asked, almost as if he was reading Verick's mind. Verick himself thought that exact same thing for a second, but then deliberately dismissed the idea from his mind.

"Yes I do. They...they're so beautiful," he just barely mumbled.

"Indeed they are. Jindle Graveth is the creator of all of our structures and he is the one who makes the designs, save for the chateau of course. I advise you to seek him out after the ceremonies. He is a very intelligent and exciting man."

"Ceremonies?" Arvus asked hesitantly.

"Oh yes, of course. We have been waiting many years for this mind you. Everything has been set up for I don't know how long. Finally the time has come to where we can at last put the planned festivities to good use."

Suddenly they stopped in front of a large domed building that loomed high into the air, though not even half of how high the castle was. Two extremely large doors opened and suddenly a rush of noise and air exited from within. At that exact moment both Verick and Arvus figured out why the streets had been so empty.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER FIVE

"I told you we've been waiting," Vaalvier exclaimed with a widening smile.

Verick and Arvus stood frozen like a statue, unable to move, let alone speak. They were standing on one side of an enormous arena, on one side of a long stone bridge that extended to the very end that was far away. On both sides of the bridge was water, and on each side there was a tall column that loomed high into the air, almost entirely higher than the roofless top of the buildings. Surround the water and the bridge from all angles and sides were thousands upon thousands of seats, every one of the filled with Ibisarions of all shapes and sizes.

"I...I've never seen anything like this!" Verick yelled, though it was hard to even hear himself speak because everyone was screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs. "There's got to be at least half a million of them!"

"Three-fourths of a million to be exact," Vaalvier said proudly. "There are about seven-hundred thousand of us living here, give or take a little."

"Well, that explains why there wasn't anyone on the streets," Arvus said, his mouth hanging open in amazement. The screams were almost hurting his ears, but he didn't care. What he and his brother were witnessing was unlike anything they had been a part of before.

"Exactly. I wanted this to be a surprise to the two of you. This is a truly special event...for all of us. Come, let us meet the Ibis."

Vaalvier began walking down the slim, stoned path. Verick and Arvus, not really knowing what to do, followed in pursuit. As they did the screams rose louder and louder, shaking the entire building.

"This...this place is so huge!" Verick yelled to Arvus, trying his best to speak over the cacophony.

"Yes, it's nothing like I've see before!"

Ahead Arvus could see Vaalvier smiling proudly, and Arvus couldn’t say that he blamed him. The entire arena was jam-packed with so many people. The width of the place was vast; it was difficult to see some of the people because they were so far away. Arvus looked upward and noticed that there was no ceiling, and that as the seats went further back they also rose as well, giving the place more depth.

Within a few minutes they had made it across the bridged path and were about ten yards from a large and decorative throne of dark red and orange, hewn from a stone similar to that of the buildings in the city.

Sitting in the throne and holding a long metal staff with three feathers was large female Ibisarion; one feather being green, the other orange, and the last yellow. She was a tall and plump female Ibisarion, who Verick and Arvus assumed was the actual Ibis herself. She had wide grin spread across her wrinkled face, rivaling that of even Vaalvier himself.

After a few more minutes of cheering she stood and raised the staff into the air and the noise ceased almost instantly. Now that she was standing Verick noticed just how large she really was, which just happened to be more than he originally thought. She had enormous arms and her stomach was almost bulging in a way. She was wearing and bright yellow and orange robe, so it was quite arduous to tell exactly how big she was.


"Welcome to the city of Tagroth, Saviors of Mancia!" At that moment the entire place once again erupted into applause and screams, startling the two brothers. The Ibis's shining black hair was woven in a large and tightly formed bun at the very tip of her head, signaling that he let free the hair would likely fall to the floor, even given the fact that she was quite tall compared to the other Ibisarions.

The two brothers simply looked around at everyone, with Verick waving meekly and Arvus just standing there, not knowing what to do. The Ibis let this go on for another minute or so until she once more raised the staff to silence the enormous crowd.

"For hundreds of years we've been waiting for this moment, to finally meet and adore our beloved Saviors! For many years you have struggled to keep our lands barren of the Zervigei horde, fighting many battles to keep our city of Tagroth from falling! Such a life has been hard for every last one of us, this I know! But now the time has come for a new era! No longer will we play the role as defender! Oh no, soon we shall become the attackers!"

Her powerful and deep voice somehow boomed throughout the entire arena, echoing off the massive walls and traveling through the seats in which the Ibisarions sat. They began cheering like mad men and woman once more, before quieting down at another raise from the Ibis's staff.

"Let this day mark the beginning of the end to our struggles! Soon the ultimate battle shall be won and we will be united with the Zer and his Children of Scife!" She exclaimed, pronouncing Scife with a silent-c.

It appeared that her speech was over, for the Ibis stepped down from her throne and began walking towards Verick and Arvus. That was when Verick noticed a slim and fit Ibisarion female walking alongside the Ibis. Even of a different race, Verick still immediately found the Ibisarion very attractive, almost mesmerizing in a way.

"Hello, my Saviors! Welcome to Tagroth!" The Ibis was now right in front of both Verick and Arvus, both of them just now noticing how tall she really was. She easily stood taller than they, perhaps by a few heads (and in Haven, the brothers were certainly considered tall). "I see you've already met by advisor and special agent, Vaalvier. Please follow me to my chambers and we can discuss matters in private. Besides, we have to give the people time to set up the festivities. It shouldn't take too long, no more than an hour or two I would say. Come, follow me!"

She immediately turned around, heading past the throne, with the other woman Verick fancied following behind her.

"What do we do now?" Verick asked.

"I guess there's only one thing to do. If we want our questions answered we must follow her," Arvus answered. The two took off for the Ibis, who was now being lead by five armored Ibisarions with short spears. They were decked out in a full garment of a dark orange and red armor, a material neither Verick nor Arvus had yet seen in Mancia.

"These guys are a lot more muscular than the others," Verick whispered to Arvus, who nodded in return.

As they walked toward the Ibis Verick looked back at Vaalvier. He was no longer smiling, instead standing where he was before, his arms folded and having an irritated expression on his pale green face. Once he realized Verick was looking at him he quickly smiled and waved, very slowly.

Verick gave a weak wave back and he and Arvus followed the Ibis and the armored Ibisarions through a large entrance located behind the throne.

On the other side of the entrance were streets similar to where Vaalvier, Verick and Arvus had come from, but of course now they were on the other side of the city. Verick reckoned Tagroth was at least three times as large as Crestwood, the brother’s home and a large city in it’s own right and holding only around a fourth of a million people.

While walking through the streets it was becoming more and more crowded by the second. As they walked the streets gradually became more crowded. Apparently all of the Ibisarions had been released from the Arena and were now bustling to and fro, running full speed to get ready the festivities for Verick and Arvus.

"I take it they are all getting everything ready to celebrate our arrival?" Arvus asked the Ibis from behind.

She merely looked to her right, not looking directly at Arvus, and replied, "Oh yes, my people were so excited this morning when the fires were lit. They want to make sure you two are more than welcome in Tagroth. However, we shall speak more of the subject upon entering my chambers. It shouldn't be too much longer, just around the corner here."
And sure enough, just as they passed some kind of shop, the enormous castle loomed in front of Verick and Arvus's eyes. They stood there for a second, taking in what they were looking at. It was the first time they got a good close-up view of the structure. Soon the Ibis called for the two of them and the trance of amazement was over.

At top of the tiny hill they had ascended they then came to a single door of the castle. It was a good fifteen feet tall and was around ten feet in width. Without a moments haste the door immediately swung open, giving out a loud creak while the stone entrance opened, revealing the lobby area of the castle, or so the brothers assumed.

Inside they walked into a room decorated with various lavish carpets and curtains. Strange foreign flowers that neither of the two brothers recognized were spread out through the large room, accompanying paintings and portraits of different people. It was a truly beautiful sight, and again they were lost in amazement, or rather Verick at least. Arvus on the other hand was taking more of a look towards where the Ibis and the five guards were. They suddenly disbanded from the Ibis, all five going a different way and likely off to another patrol.

"Come, you two, there will be plenty of time for visitation later," the Ibis said proudly. Her beautiful daughter stood to her side, who(m) Verick assumed was the Ibis-in-waiting. He really couldn't see it any other way. "I know my flowers and many portraits attract you, but there are more important matters to attend. I give you my word that we may visit this same room some other time."

"I'm sorry, but this is just surreal. I...I am still having trouble believing all of this is happening. It's almost as if this is some kind of dream or something," Verick gasped as he began walking toward the Ibis.
Suddenly she took her free left hand and scratched Verick violently on the left forearm with her overly long but trimly cut fingernails, the part where the skin was exposed. Already crimson blood dripped down his arm. The wound looked as if it might leave

"What the-" Verick yelled, before something happened that took both he and Arvus by surprise, almost causing both of them to faint again.

A large glob of blood had dripped from Verick's arm and now a stream of the blood was falling to the floor. In a quick motion of her staff the Ibis stopped the blood in midair. The stream hovered in the air, a faint green light emitted by the staff engulfing it.

Verick no longer felt a sharp stinging pain, and instead felt quite...happy. That's when he noticed his entire body was being encased by the green light, and it was then that he realized this same light was what had come from the stone and the box, back at the cave in Haven.

"What are you doing to him? STOP!" Arvus screamed loudly, not knowing what was going on and only thinking the worse. He began running towards the Ibis when sudden a beam of white light erupted throughout the entire room from the staff, temporarily blinding his eyes. When the light faded, he saw that Verick's wound was healed.
"How...how did...I..." Verick was speechless, or rather was unable to say a full sentence. The fact that the scar and blood were gone dumbfounded him. It was a true act of magic, something that excited him greatly, but also scared him to death.

"By the Almighty Mother, why did you do that?" He yelled loudly at the Ibis, with anger now that he realized that he had been attacked. The Ibis herself was laughing with pride and joy, happy to give the two brothers a very small sample of her powers.

"You claimed everything to be a dream. I simply wanted to refute that preposterous idea. Now, did you not hurt once I scratched you?" She asked Verick, who could only nod slightly. "Precisely. What I just did was I have you a tiny taste of what powers I can give you. No...let me rephrase myself...what I will give you. However, all in due time is all I can say. For now follow me to my chambers. There is so much I need to explain."

[redsrock]

CHAPTER SIX


"What's that supposed to mean? I understand that you all seem to think that my brother and I are saviors, but what exactly are you getting at? Do you expect us to save you from an evil force across the mountains or something?" Arvus asked, taunting the Ibisarions’ beliefs.

The Ibis simply looked at him, her smiling-stare still present and just as strong. "That's not exactly what we have in mind, but a good guess I would say. However, it is much more than that mind you. It's difficult to explain, especially to someone who is as unconvinced as you seem to be." She said the last sentence with a great deal of mockery, something Arvus didn't take kindly to.

"Oh yeah, well you try and go through what my brother and I have and see how you feel about all of this! Really, Saviors of Mancia! Phh, I don't even know a thing about this place other than what I've already heard, and that hasn't even been much because it seems you and that boatmaster Vaalvier don't want to say a damn thing, like it's some sort of conspiracy or something!"

Arvus' temper was rising, something Verick wasn't used to. "Brother, calm down. I've never seen you so angry before. You were never this way back in Haven you know."

"In Haven I was never chased by a ten foot monster that wanted to eat me alive!" Arvus screamed, both of his arms flailing in an angry state.

He was now livid with anger and was even starting to cause some of the other Ibisarion soldiers were walking around to stop and stare; that is of course until Arvus gave them a indignant glare, causing them to swiftly go back to their duties.

"How about this: stay here while your brother and I discuss matters in my chambers. Take a walk through my garden outside the entrance we came to, look at the many paintings and portraits we have displayed here in the lobby, just something to settle your mind. This is a troubling time for you, and I can understand that," the Ibis said affectionately. "After I speak with your brother I will come to you, provided you feel calmer. I assure you there is a reasonable and understandable explanation for everything."

For several seconds Arvus looked her in the eye, not really wanting to believe or listen to what she was saying. But as Verick had just mentioned about Arvus being a rational person, he finally settled down his anger and approved of the Ibis's suggestion. "Yeah, maybe that'll work. I guess I'll go look at that garden you mentioned. How long should your meeting take?" He asked.

"As long as your brother has questions. I will tell him the entire story and why you and he have been summoned to Mancia. Next I will allow him to ask as many questions as he sees fit. There's really no telling how long the discussion will take to the exact minute."

Arvus nodded his head, "Fine." Then he turned around and stomped angrily toward the entrance.

Verick was about to go after him just to make sure everything was all right, because he had never seen his brother in such a state.I can't believe he's acting this childish, Verick thought to himself. Then again, this situation isn't anything we've been through before. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm more surprised that I myself am not as angry as Arvus, and rather I am more than anything I'm actually a bit excited about this.

It was true that Verick was excited about the adventure that he could envision in the near future, but of course there was no way of determining any of the specifics, at least not until he had his meeting with the Ibis. "Alright," Verick said to her after turning back around to meet her eye to eye, "Let's talk."

**************************************************

The beautiful Ibisarion that Verick was so attracted to had left the premises, taking a back route outside a side exit and to her own set of chambers, located elsewhere in the castle, or so the Ibis explained. She also explained, while she and Verick were settling in inside her chambers, that Verick had been right and the young-looking Ibisarion was indeed the Ibis-in-waiting.

"Yes, she is my only daughter, and only child in fact. One hundred and twenty years of age and only just beginning on her path to preparing herself to take the throne when the time comes," she said proudly after she had nestled into the comfortable and lavish chair, behind a gorgeously crafted desk made from the same stone as the other buildings and the castle. To Verick it seemed as if the Ibisarions took great pride in the stone, or bavlin as Vaalvier called it.

"And when will that time come? If I may ask of course," Verick asked the Ibis after taking a seat in an almost just as comfortable and beautiful chair in front of the Ibis' desk.

"Ah, but that is the question, is it not?" she replied with a hearty laugh that shook her flabby arms and neck. "There is no telling I am afraid. However, there are several scenarios that have the greatest chance of happening. Would you like to hear them over a glass of Sharde?"

"I'm not really sure what Sharde is," Verick said confusingly. "Is it some kind of food?"

"Close, but not quite. It is a sweet and expensive drink, and is actually a mixture of regular water and a sweet substance called Shardevagei. The name comes from an infamous cave, just a few miles south of northern mountains. That is an extremely dangerous area, and we don't go there quite often. Only to gather Shardevagei, really."

"If it's so dangerous then why do you go there?"

"Because the drink is simply marvelous," she replied comically, as if Verick should have already known. "But we straying off the course now. Shall we get back to what I was talking about, the scenarios of my daughter, Brina?"

"Yes, let's talk about Brina," Verick said quickly, wanting to know more about the beautiful girl.

"Well, I am not sure if you are already aware of this, but my life in forever existent in terms of age. I may receive more wrinkles and I may get more feeble as the years pass, but unless I am harmed physically, I will never perish. Such is the life of an Ibis, and whether than fortunate or unfortunate is for you to decide. I don't think about it myself, I only think about how wonderful it will be to see the Zervigei crushed once and for all. But I myself am getting off course this time. Where was I? Oh yes, Brina.
"Like I've already explained, she will either have to wait until I am killed, or until I step down and give her the throne, but mind you the latter has never happened. In fact, Tagroth has only had a mere two leaders in its vast history, aside from me."

"How were the past Ibis's killed? In battle?"

"You could say that, but there's much more to it than that. Either way it doesn't really matter, and it definitely has no relevance to you, my dear. What I can tell you is either Brina will be the next Ibis, soon, or she will never be, and that all depends on you and your brother."

"Really?" Verick asked, both excitingly and warily, almost in a way not wanting to know why.

"Oh yes, that is certain. But before we actually begin to discuss these very important matters, what is your name? I'm afraid I haven't been given that information just yet."

"Verick, Verick Junson of Vagon. That is what my world is called. What is your name? Other than Ibis I mean."

"There is no other name, at least that I can recall. You have to remember that I have been the Ibis for a great part of my life, and was I was put to the throne my given name had been thrown out the window and I truly do not remember what it had been. And again, that doesn't matter either."
Now, what has Vaalvier told you about what is happening?"

"Not much, other than something about two fires lighting once we had been teleported here from our world. Sorry, but just one more question before we continue. Have you heard of my world, Vagon? If so, are we years ahead or years behind here in Mancia?"

The Ibis beamed with joy and replied, "You are certainly starting to catch on, Verick. Vagon is actually the centerpiece to all of this. Your world is somewhat directly involved, thought not entirely. Sorry, I know that sounds confusing, so just let me finish what I have to say, and then maybe this will all make sense to you. As for your question, our time in years is exactly the same."

Verick nodded and then the Ibis continued. "We Ibisarions are a simple people with one goal in life, and that is to soundly and completely defeat the leader of the Zervigei, Shando, and his Black Minions, the name we have given to his monstrous army. Our God, Zer, is the creator of Mancia and everything located within, including us, Tagroth, even the beast that you met back in the cave. He put us in this world to do something he could not."

"And what's that?" Verick asked.

"To eliminate the Zervigei and destroy the Frozen Grove. The Grove is an ancient and holy place to the Zervigei, but to us it a prison. The Grove holds hostage every Ibisarion that has died, whether it be from old age or from battle."

"So not every Ibisarion's life is everlasting as yours?"

"No, regular Ibisarions have a lifetime of roughly two hundred or so years. Now, as I was saying, the Grove contains every fallen Ibisarion, so you can imagine how crowded it is. The Grove is a desolate wasteland of rock and mountainous terrain, or at least according to the tales. Nobody has actually been inside the Grove. And this is where you and your brother come in. You see, in the early days of Mancia, and I am speaking of more than five thousand years ago, there was no Ibis. It was the powerful warrior Zer and his fellow soldiers. Back then there was another city to the northwest called Shandelore. This city was made up of the foul Zervigei, and of course their leader in Shando.
"After years of bitter fighting finally Zer was able to penetrate the Zervigei defenses and he killed Shando, along with many, many other Zervigei minions. But there is a catch to Zer's success. While he rid our lands of the Zervigei by forcing them retreat to the other side of the mountains and to a vast and once barren desert, he also sacrificed his own life as well because he was soon overwhelmed by Shando's powerful soul. Weeks before being killed, Shando somehow was able to magically enhance his soul, making it so that whoever killed him would also perish, and into the Frozen Grove. Shando knew the only person powerful enough to eliminate him was Zer, so it was truly an intelligent and scheming move. Zer himself knew this, but he also knew the sacrifice was well worth the consequences.

"So, let me get this straight," Verick said, thinking hard about what the Ibis jus laid out before him. "Your god, Zer, says that you and your people were put on this world solely to defeat the Zervigei? And the Zervigei's god, Shando-"

This Ibis then put up a hand and interrupted Verick. "No, Shando is was not a god then. Only when he was killed was he made a god, but how that happened we still do not know for sure. All that we know is that the core of his army lies in the Frozen Grove, waiting for the Savior of Mancia to do battle with him. Or in this special case, Saviors, as in two. It's unique really, to have both of you here."

"Wait, this is all getting confusing again. If Shando was killed by Zer, wouldn't that put an end to the war, since they were all seemingly banished to either the Frozen Grove or to the desert you mentioned?"

She smiled. "No, no, no. It is more than that, Verick. It is beyond the Frozen Grove, something must be saved. Right now Zer's soul is locked up someplace in the Frozen Grove. Where we do not know, but the first Ibis recorded that in a dream Zer had visited her, and he told her of what had happened. You see, days before Zer was killed he announced a new title and leader to lead Tagroth, calling that leader an Ibis. Ever since then that is how it's been, the Ibis leading the Ibisarions. Now, in this dream I spoke of Zer told the first Ibis that his soul was being held prisoner in the Frozen Grove, and until it was freed and the ghost of Shando was destroyed there will always be a threat of a takeover."

"A takeover? By whom?"

"Well, I will explain. After the dream the first Ibis sent out an elite group of warriors to the outskirts of Mancia, into the Forsaken Mountains of the north. There they found some sort portal, something that looked to be a mirror but rather than glass there was a blue haze-like smoke in between two large stone pillars. While they were hiding behind rocks they heard some of the Zervigei talk about certain things, things that when the men came back they had a hard time explaining. What they did find out for sure is that there is indeed some kind of portal leading into the Frozen Grove . And apparently Zer's soul must be released before we Ibisarions can have true peace."

"And this is where Arvus and I come in, right?"

"My, my, you really are catching on, aren't you," the Ibis said with a laugh. "Yes, according to something else that was mentioned in the first Ibis' dream, 'a Savior from Vagon must expel Shando and release Zer once and for all'. We do not know why it has to be someone from the outside world, but it must."

"Wait, so you know about my world?"

"Yes, we do, at least Vaalvier and I after Zer died that is. We learned this actually about fifty-five years ago. For the first time since the Zer's death, I went inside of his personal castle, which is located about twenty miles north of Tagroth. I rummaged through his belongings, trying to find something that would help me in figuring out how to defeat the Zervigei, because you see everything then had been so vague. But then I found his journals and other articles that he had written. That told of the Stone of Mancia, and of your world of Vagon. He described what your world was like and those writings he repeatedly wrote that it HAD to be someone from Vagon to release his soul and defeat Shando."

"So did you go and find the stone or something after that?" Verick asked.

"Oh no, I certainly did not, but I sent a group of my most trusted warriors, including Vaalvier. Zer's scriptures had mentioned the stone and its powers, but even he was unsure of where the location was. You see, even in life Zer had been a god, and during his reign on this world he created the stone, actually just weeks before he went into battle against Shando. Somehow Zer knew Shando would think of something awful to put a blockade in Zer's plan to rid the world of the Zervigei completely. That is why Zer created the stone, to ensure that there would always be a way. It is all written in his scriptures that I have hidden away."

"So Arvus and I are the Saviors who must finish what your god had started thousands of years ago?"

"Yes, but it is awfully odd that both of you have been summoned. Never in the scriptures did it say multiple Saviors, but here you are."

"Is it possible that perhaps who are not actually 'the chosen ones'?"

"No, that is in fact impossible. The stone only allows those fitting to be the Savior, or like I've already said, in this case Saviors. You are both here to fight and defeat the Zervigei. There is no other explanation."

Verick stood up from his chair and walked over to the other side of the room and to a large reddish plant looming up to the ceiling. Verick studied the large and almost fuzzy leaves as he thought about what the Ibis had told him.

So I am supposed to fight for a world I've never heard of, against some ghost that's real life body had killed a god? Oh man, this is just getting better and better. Verick thought to himself, growing more excited, but also growing fearful, as well. All of this talk of fighting a large army of monsters was beginning to eat at him.

He walked back over to his chair and took his seat once more. "So what if I were to deny all of this and walk out of here, and back to the stone?" he asked the Ibis, who only laughed.

"Oh, Verick you are going to have to do better than that to trick me. You and I both know the stone is no longer in existence. You must remember that I have the scriptures, not you. The writing specifically says that once the Savior is selected the stone will disappear forever. And as for you leaving, that is impossible as well. Your fate is with us now, whether you like it or not. And judging by the way you are acting I believe you have mixed feelings about this, correct?"

"I'll admit, this is all of sort of interesting, in its own twisted and insane way. Part of me wants to just leave, but another part wants to keep going and see where all of this leads me. Why can I not leave?"

"Because there is nowhere else to go I'm afraid. The portal between Mancia and Vagon has been destroyed for good. Now that you are here Shando knows this, and he will now be even more aggressive, sending armies and armies of Zervigei until you are killed. He himself cannot travel outside of the Frozen Grove, but you should consider that a good thing."

"So what you're saying is that I am stuck here?"

"Not exactly. There's a catch to this as well, just as there was when Zer killed Shando. If and when you destroy Shando's spirit and release Zer's soul, you will be named the new leader of Tagroth, under the title of 'Ibo'. And this is not a lie at all, it's in the scriptures, Verick. There is 'stuck', you see. You will be given something that no other male Ibisarion has been given before, and that is complete power and rule over Mancia."

"What will happen to you if that is to happen?"

"I am not rightly sure as of yet, I am still trying to decipher that through Zer's scriptures. I have a feeling that I will not just be killed, but something else will happen, maybe not even involving me directly. Who knows, Zer's scriptures are so in depth and it will take me forever to understand them. It's a good thing I have that long," she said with a laugh.

Verick laughed along, but it was an uneasy laugh. How in the world is this real, I just can't believe it. And what is Arvus going to think about all this when he hears it? I don't even want to think about that right now. "So, is that all I need to know?" he asked the Ibis.

"No, not at all. But is enough for one day. Go get your brother so that I may be able to speak with him. I have a feeling he isn't going to be as understanding as you've been. After I speak with Arvus alone I will then talk with the two of you at the same time. Until then you may browse about and do as you please. Just don't leave Tagroth of course."

Verick merely nodded and left the room, still wondering how all of this was really happening.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER SEVEN


Sure enough, as Verick had hoped after walking out of the Ibis's castle, Arvus was indeed having a look through the vast garden the Ibis had mentioned. While Verick neared the plants he noted how different the they were compared to those back in Vagon. There were all sorts of colors and various shapes and sizes as well.

"See something interesting" Verick asked his brother while creeping up behind, who in return jumped with fear. "Did I scare you?" He said with a laugh, but Arvus didn't return the favor, and rather simply stood there looking at Verick with an expressionless face. "Arvus, it's time for you to speak with the Ibis now."

Arvus didn't say anything return and instead walked right past his brother. Verick, appalled at how immature his brother was acting, grabbed his shoulder forcefully and turned him around. "What is up with you, Arvus?"

"Don't touch me!" he replied angrily by shrugging his brother's hand away. "I don't even know who you are anymore, Verick!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that here we are in an unknown world and all you can think about is your little adventure!" Arvus said mockingly. "You don't even care how I feel, it's all just some game to you!"

Verick crossed his arms and said forcefully, "Fine, Arvus, fine! What's wrong? Just tell me already!"

"I shouldn't have to say anything! We're in another world, Verick! My feelings should be self-explanatory! I want to go home, I don't want to dabble in all this nonsense!"

"Arvus, just go and talk with the Ibis and maybe then you'll understand what's going on. When all this first started I had the same opinion as you, I really did. But now I see this as an opportunity. Besides, life at home wasn't a grand time in itself. We barely made a living scouring through caves day in and day out."

"BUT IT WAS WHAT WE WANTED TO DO!" Arvus yelled loudly, causing a few little yellow bird-like creatures to flutter away from a nearby tree. "That was our life and we enjoyed it, Verick. Sure, it was hard keeping a decent life but it was the adventure that hooked us, I just wish you would remember that."

"This is an adventure, Arvus, it's-"

"No, Verick, this is different. Don't give me any of that. Back home we knew what to expect and our lives didn't depend on anything in particular. Before they died Mother and Father wanted us just to be happy. Do you remember what father said, Verick, because I sure do. He told us not to worry about anything but each other and look out for one another. We did that back in Haven. We had a nice small house in Crestwood, the capitol of Haven even! Everything we ever wanted was there. And now look at us, stuck in some odd world with a bunch of green people and other strange creatures. But yet you walk around as if this is all fun and games. I just don't see it that way. "

He then shrugged past Verick and walked inside the castle, too quick for even Verick to give a brief response. For a moment or two Verick stood there and watched while his brother entered the castle, an angry man like Verick had never seen before. This damn place is tearing us apart! Sure, we argued like normal brothers do back in Haven, but this is getting ridiculous. Then again, perhaps I should just sit down and have a nice talk with him later on. Something must be done.

Verick looked into the sky and he saw the same bird-creature he had seen earlier in the day. The orange and red creature swooped down from the air and landed no more than a few feet away from Verick, its hairy snout digging into the ground and likely sniffing for some food. Verick was astounded that the creature was calm even when a total stranger like himself was a few feet away. And now that he had a close look Verick noted the creature's body, and now that he thought about it it was much different than a regular bird. It's neck was very long, but was more hairy than feathery like a regular bird. Its body was also just as furry as its neck, as well as its talons that it had for feet. The only thing feathery about the creature was its wings, which was also the only orange part.

Suddenly the creature's snout come up from the ground with a mouthful of tiny bug-like creatures that were all unfamiliar to Verick. The creature gulped the food down in one swallow and then licked around its snout with a long pink tongue. Its face reminded Verick of a bird in some way, but it was the furry state of it that threw him off. As Verick stood there and studied the creature, the creature did the same back.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

Verick was startled by whoever had spoken the words behind him, though he could tell it was a female by the soft and soothing tone. He whipped around quickly and saw that it was the Ibis-in-waiting, or rather Brina. "Oh, hello. You startled me," Verick said with a weak and embarrassingly squeaky laugh.

Brina giggled in return, putting her soft hand up to stop herself. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's alright, I was just off in another world." Verick found this quite amusing and ironic, but Brina didn't seem to catch on. "But yes, she is beautiful. What is she?"

"Her name is Gaafa, and she is a Fringeta. We like to call her the Faajel ona Sie, which translates to 'Eye of the Sky.'"

"Wait, what language is that? You and your people speak me and brother's language. I just figured that's how it worked."

"Well," she said with a charming smile that to Verick seemed to light up the area around him, even if it was sometime in the late evening, "It is based off of an old language we Ibisarions used to know long ago before we settled into our own. To be honest I am not sure what the name of the old language is for sure, because you see we do not use it daily anymore, or at least not many of us. My mother uses it from time to time, but not much."

Awkward silence for a few minutes, and then Brina asked a question that immediatly lit up Verick's day and causing his dispute with Arvus to temporarily disappear. "Say, would you mind taking a walk with me through the garden?"

"Ser," he nervously mumbled, then corrected himself with a quick laugh, "I mean sure."

Brina giggled once more and the two entered the dense garden through the back entrance. It was hard for Verick to explain his attraction to the girl, other than that it was just there. Her beauty was extraordinary to Verick despite the fact that she was an Ibisarion. Though it should also be noted that Brina doesn't look the same as the others. Her skin was a much, much lighter shade of green."

"Do you like it here in Tagroth so far?" Brina asked as they rounded the first corner of the massive garden. "I know you've only been here for a little less than a full day, but surely you have some idea of how this place compares to your home world."

"It's not bad to tell you the truth, and I won't try to hide it. I miss my own world of course, but this place seems alright I guess. It's too bad my brother doesn't feel the same way," he replied with an obvious hint of sadness in the last sentence, even if he was trying to be subtle. "More than anything I'd have the say I love the garden and just how things are brighter here. This garden is amazingly beautiful."

Like the arena where Verick and Arvus had first been greeted by the entire city, this garden was vastly bigger than any he had seen in Haven as well. The plants themselves were larger than normal ones in Vagon, and the colors were of a much brighter and wilder variety. Not to say Verick didn't enjoy, but rather he did. To him the colors brought out the good in things, rather than normal green shrubbery back in Mancia.

"Yes, we take pride in nature, especially the trees and other plants. They really are a thing of beauty. We try and uphold their looks as best to our ability. But about your brother," She said, her tone changing to a more serious one now. "I couldn't help but overhear you and him arguing earlier. Please forgive me if I sound intruding."

"Oh no," Verick responded while stretching his arms in front of him. "Arvus and I should be the ones apologizing. I'm sorry we made a scene back there. He's just not at all used to everything just yet."

"And he shouldn't be honestly. Quite frankly I am surprised that you yourself are so laid back and relaxed. Why is that?"

"I don't know...I guess I just like it here for some reason. Arvus argues with me that we had fun back in Haven, and I suppose there's some truth to that. But the more I think about it the more I realize how that really isn't the truth. I mean, that's what I've been forcing myself to believe all this time, but really I was getting sick and tired of working every day, finding lots of junk and making little off of it. It was getting old quick, and you know once we came here today, it was just like a relief. I don't know, it's stupid-"

"No, it's not stupid at all, Verick," She said affectionately, touching Verick's left shoulder with her soft and delicate right hand. "I'm glad you like it here. I really am." She was smiling widely again, but Verick didn't see it as he did the other Ibisarions. To him Vaalvier's smiles had almost been cynical in a way, and the Ibis's in the beginning were as well. But during the meeting with her Verick didn't feel that way at all, and in fact most of her smiles were more of the proud and hopeful kind.

They walked around another corner and began their way down a long pathway that seemed to Verick to stretch for miles. Most of the plants in the garden had long and leafy vines, mostly either orange or red, though here and there one could find a darkish yellow vine. Verick knew it was going to be one hell of a walk and as the two started on that walk Brina asked a question of her own.

"I'm sure my mother explained the role of Savior of Mancia, in full detail of course. However, I seriously doubt she told you of how we Ibisarions act and live. Is that so?"

"Well, no, she didn't actually," Verick responded, not really thinking about it until then. "She told me that after she spoke with my brother one on one then all three of us would have a meeting at once. She didn't really talk about your way of life at all."

"In that case, would you like to know? I mean, it's only fair for you to receive a glimpse of how things work around here."

"Sure," Verick said with a happy tone. The two walked further down the path until Brina suddenly stopped, in which she then asked Verick if it would be okay for them to sit down why they discussed matters and of course Verick obliged, at the moment ready to do almost anything to please the gorgeous Ibisarion.

"First off, ask me some general questions and I'll try and answer them to the best of my ability. What is it you would like to know."

"Umm, I guess what do you all do for fun around here?"

She smiled again, her bright teeth shining even brighter than before, or at least to Verick that is. "Fun is something of a luxury for most people around here, other than the children of course. Once an Ibisarion is inducted into the adult stage, which is the exact age of twenty-five, they are immediatly thrown into the work-world, where they find a job. By this time an Ibisarion has usually found their mate, and for the most part they've already born children as well. From this point on they work, work and work, in order to help support their family and provide them with the everyday essentials."

"And what are those essentials?"

"Well, water first and foremost, and that is actually a very important aspect of our lives. But before I delve into that, has my mother already mentioned to you about our god, Zer, creating us long ago?"

"Yes, she mentioned it," Verick said, knowing that was of course an understatement.

"Alright then, perhaps I can put more detail into what she's already told you. Yes, Zer created us long ago shortly before defeating the physical form of the Zervigei leader, Shando. However, Zer did not simply grasp the clouds from the sky and form us into what we are now," She said with a laugh. "Oh no, it is a bit more complicated than that I'm afraid. Before I move on, take a guess at what we were created from. It shouldn't be too hard for you to decipher."

"Err...a fish?" He said hesitantly, not wanting to sound rude of offensive.

She giggled and said, "Yes, exactly! More so the Ibivars to be exact. They were a small fish that swims in the deepest depths of a large and lengthy river that runs a few miles north of here, and extends all the way into a mountain in the north. A massive lake is where the river starts, in case you'd like to know. And ironically that is what I would like to speak of next.
"The lake I speak of is of course located just a few miles to the north of us, and it is our main source of water. Being somewhat of a 'fish-people' we rely on the substance greatly. In fact, if we were to go a mere three days without water we would shrivel up and die, to say the least. When Zer created us he did so with many modifications to which we would be able to survive out of water."

"So, when an infant is born, what does it look like? And more specifically, how is an Ibisarion born?"

"An infant looks exactly how an adult Ibivar used to look, and I sau used to simply because they have died out, no doubt from Zer's creation of us. So like I was saying, an Ibisarion infant is born through an egg, which of course comes from the female Ibisarion. She and her husband simply mate and whatnot, and then the egg comes roughly three weeks later."

"Three weeks is all?" Verick asked with shock. "Wow, it takes a lot longer where I come from, but of course we don't come from eggs."

"Oh yes, I am well aware of that. My mother has given me the opportunity of reading through your home world's history. Zer himself knew of this land and wrote many aspects of it down into his various scriptures, something I'm sure my mother has already spoken to you about as well. I must say, Verick, Vagon sounds like a very interesting place."

A stick snapped behind Verick and he jumped, causing Brina to giggle again. Verick blushed and quickly said, attempting to cover up him being startled, "It is an interesting place, but it's nothing compared to here," he said, looking up into the sky.

"Yes, Mancia sure is a wondrous place. Now, I never really got to telling you what we, or the children rather, do for fun. Have you heard of the name, Jindle Graveth?"

"Yes, Vaalvier explained to my brother and I that he created the design of Tagroth's buildings."

"He sure is. But he is also the avid story-teller, spinning many webs of creative stories that he excitingly tells the young ones in the evening, in the shade of a large tree that is located in the northern part of the city. The children flock there daily to hear Jindle's many tales. Even some adults have stopped to listen from time to time, even if they won't admit it. For the most part that is what children do around here, other than helping around the house and other chores of course. Work is something we Ibisarions pride ourselves on. However, the males and the females differ in terms of work."

"How so?"

"The males make up our military, and they start training for the military at a very young age, usually around fifteen or so. Most of them make it through training and are admitted into the military at the age of twenty-five in which they are also inducted into adulthood. Those that don't make it usually start a small shop in the city somewhere. But most do make it fortunately."

"What do the women do?"

"The lucky go through certain trials in order to be admitted into my mother's Council of Faala. You see, unlike your world, women rule Mancia, or at least Tagroth I should say. The lucky women who are chosen by my mother make it into the Council. There they have various jobs, including judges, advisors, so on and so forth."

"That's strange, no offence or anything. It's just something I'll have to get used to I guess. I-"

Suddenly something sharp nipped at his Achilles Tendon from the ground. He yelped and then turned to see a small and red leaf-like creature right beside his foot, it's mouth dripping with blood. Verick tried to stand up but he felt to the ground, clutching his right foot that was also dripping with blood.

"That thing bit me!" he yelled in agony. The pain was hurting him immensely.

"I am so sorry," Brina exclaimed. "It is a Gringle, a tiny but violent little creature that finds its home within many of the plants that reside in this very garden. I should have known it would go after you. They don't normally bother us, but you of course are a bit different to say the least."

Brina took her hand and hovered it over Verick's wound. A shining silvery white light erupted from the bottom of her hand and zoomed down onto Verick's foot. It staid there for a few seconds, until finally it disappeared. And as Verick soon realized the wound on his foot and the pain had disappeared as well.

He looked at Brina gratefully and said, "Man, this is definitely something I can get used to."

She helped him up and the two continued down the long path.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER EIGHT


The walk resumed for only about ten more minutes, in which neither Brina nor Verick said much of anything, although Brina did apologize for the wound Verick had suffered earlier. Of course Verick, already in love with the woman in less than a day, wasn't about to get angry with her over anything.

"No worry, I'm okay now. I'm just curious as to how you did that back there."

"Well, actually, if my mother would have seen that she probably would've been mad. You see...I'm not really supposed to show anyone those powers. No one besides her and a few select others know that I have magical abilities, and not many other than my mother and I have them. It's a secret art that only a select few know."

"And why is that, because it's sacred or something?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that. My mother just doesn't want anyone she doesn't want to learning the power. She believes it would cause a rebellion because people would no longer respect her. I'm not sure about that part, but it probably is best that not everyone knows the secret of the divine power."

"So...how does one learn to use the power? And whom does your mother allow to learn it?"

She laughed and her shining black hair fluttered in the wind. "You don't really learn it. It has to do with old stones, found in a large cave to the east called "Warrior's Paradise". The stones aren't very big, perhaps as big as your fist, or maybe a tad bit smaller. Anyways, the stones are magical thanks to a spell put on them by Zer himself long ago. You see, during the Old War with the Zervigei, Zer needed something to refresh him and his men after battle. He enchanted the stones in this cave with a mixture of different spells. The effect was more than he anticipated, and before he knew it, whoever possessed the stone could heal almost any wound, unless of course the person was already dead. There has been speculation between my mother and some of her closest agents that the stone can indeed revive the dead, but nothing has been proven yet.
"As for who possesses these stones, well, not many I'd say. Only myself, my mother, Vaalvier, and a few other top-rank agents of the Silver Arms, my mother's inner-circle of elite agents, commanded by Vaalvier himself."

"So, these rocks, you mean anyone can use them if they have them in their possession?"

"I know where you're going with this," she said with a playful wink, something Verick adored, "but the answer to that question is simply...I do not know. We've never had foreigners in this land of course, so it is possible, but not likely. I am sure the stone somewhat dictate the user's biological makeup to an extent, thus why we Ibisarions can harness the power. We know for a fact that Zer enchanted a part himself into the stones so that all of his kind could use them. The Zervigei could not, obviously because they are not of Zer's kin."

"Well, I mean I wasn't really directly referring to myself, but it does sound interesting. I must ask, though, do the stones have any similarity to the Stone of Mancia that brought me and my brother here, and also, how many of them are leff?"

"I thought you'd ask that," She laughed. "No, unfortunately it does not. It would have been a nice story though. As for the amount of stones left, there's really no telling. There've been several mishaps in the east that I can think of, small groundquakes here and there. The cave has shifted shape many times now, and if there are any of the stones left, they are more than likely well hidden.

Silence for a few minutes, and then Verick asker her something he didn't exactly want to, although it was bugging him outrageously. "Will I ever meet your father?"

She stopped walking and looked at the ground, shifting her feet. "Well, it's a long story really. Let's just say he's not a subject that is brought up anymore, especially in front of my mother."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be all nosey or anything."

Then Brina, seeing how Verick looked so apologetic, decided to give him an answer. "It's fine, I don't really blame you for being curious. You know what, I'll go ahead and tell you."

"You don't have to..."

"No, no, no. No sense in keeping everything bundled inside all the time. Before I was born my father was a nice and comforting man, or so says my mother. According to her, just days before my birth, my father had a run-in with some friendly Zervigei from the north."

"Zervigei? I thought they were your enemy..."

"Yes, they are our enemies. However, during the Old War a small group of the Zervigei abandoned their ranks and fled to the southeast, opposite of their former land and passed our city. Because of this Zer spared them their lives and allowed them to set up town in the far southeast. Well, my father ad been walking in the streets one day when one of the Zervigei's Calpo had just narrowly missed from hitting him. My father had yelled something at them and the Zervigei stopped where they were going and approached him. A fight insinuated in no time and my father was killed. Needless to say my mother was outraged and immediatly sent an army of troops to the southeast and crushed what little resistance there was."

"Wow, that's awful, Brina, I mean your majesty," he corrected quickly.

She laughed harder than ever before and said, "Please, call me Brina, Verick."

The two looked at each other for a minute before continuing down the path. But it wasn't but a few minutes before they reached the end of the path, and the exit out of the garden.

"That was fun, Verick, I had a good time. Shall we do it again sometime?"

"Yes, and soon, please. I had a lot of fun as well."

The entrance to the castle bursted open and out came Arvus, looking sulky. "I think I better go, Verick," Brina announced. "I'm sure I'll see you soon." And then she took off down the road.

"What's that all about?" Arvus asked Verick once Brina was out of earshot.

"Nothing, we were just taking a walk through the garden, and she let me ask a bunch of questions about the Ibisarions and other things. How did your meeting with the Ibis go?" he asked quickly, trying to avoid the subject of Brina and his love for her. It wasn't something he planned on telling anyone soon, not even the woman herself.

"Not too bad, I got a lot of things off my chest and I feel better than before, that's for sure. Anyways, I wanted to apologize for getting angry earlier. I know that isn't like me, it's just I'm still getting used all this is all."

"Not a problem, brother," Verick said while clasping his right hand on Arvus's left shoulder. "I do care about you, no matter what you may think sometimes."

"I know that, but I'm still not too keen about all this, especially after what the Ibis said to me. She wants us to take on some kind of ghost, Verick. Doesn't that frighten you?"

"To an extent, yes, but not a lot. Like I told you before, I am excited by this. And despite what you think about life back in Haven, I didn't enjoy it a bit. We were barely even making enough money to stay alive."

"So what? We had fun didn't we?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you actually liked living from table scraps most of the time? Because that's what we did, you remember? We would sometimes eat someone's leftovers at the local tavern, sometimes days in a row. Do you really miss that?"

"I miss the good times of adventuring, Verick. Sure, eating leftovers from someone else's plate wasn't the most pleasant thing to endure, but it's not like we were the only ones. Most of the freelance adventurers in Haven did that, to save money."

Verick shook his head violently, not believing his brother. "I don't believe it, I really don't believe you. Think about this for a second. Describe the other adventurers in Haven, will you?" A pause, in which Arvus said not a word. "Exactly, you don't want to because it would prove my point. The other adventurers were dirty, rarely bathed, and were on the brink of beggary. Is that the classification you want?"

"But that's not how we were looked upon. We we looked at as young men trying to make a living adventuring. If we would have kept on-"

"We would have fallen the same lowly path as the others," Verick said, finishing Arvus's sentence for him. "The time was right for this to happen, or at least to me it was."

Silence again, this time for a few minutes. Arvus then sighed heavily. "Alright, Verick, I know how you feel and you know my feelings on this issue. Either way it doesn't matter, because as the Ibis has told us, we are stuck here forever. Now, I am not going to sulk around and feel sorry for myself. I'll go on with their plans simply because I have no other choice. But there's another reason I will tolerate what they want from us, and that is to protect you. I know you're all for this adventure and I don't want you going in alone. You sure do piss me off sometimes, but I guess that's what brothers are for, eh?"

He patted Verick on the head playfully, Verick jokingly shoved him aside. "Yes, I suppose so. Now, is the Ibis waiting for us or what? I am ready to get this adventure underway," He said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Yes, actually she is. She wishes to speak to us and then she wants us to embark on some kind of trial tomorrow morning. Anyway, let's just go."

The two brothers then turned around and walked back into the castle to meet their first mission.