Resurrection Chapter 3
By Icy Brian
As they neared Qlon, Pahn stopped suddenly and put his hand on Cleo's shoulder. "Did you hear that?" The others stopped and looked back at him.
"Hear what?" She asked.
"I could have sworn that I heard something behind us." Pahn carefully looked over the area, but nothing out of the ordinary could be seen.
"You must be hearing things." Pesmerga remarked. Pahn shook his head.
"No, I don't think so." Pahn protested. "I know that I heard something." Clive sighed and began to continue, when a dark figure dropped down in front of him from the top of a tree. Clive jumped back, and Lepant drew Kirinji.
"Holster your sword."
"Damn it, Kage!" Pahn shouted. "Stop doing that!" Cleo stifled a laugh.
"So, what brings you here?" Lepant asked him.
"I have some information which may interest you." He responded plainly.
"Let's hear it." Clive answered. Kage shot him a look. "Oh, right. How much?"
"Five-hundred is sufficient." Lepant pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to him. After a quick inspection, Kage pocketed the money and spoke. "Yuber and Vara are headed to Neclord's Castle to resurrect someone, whose name they did not divulge. Kovac has been given great power at Vara's hand, and will be joining them at the castle shortly."
"Then we need to get over there now!" Pesmerga shouted. He started in the other direction when Kage stepped in his way.
"I have a feeling you will need some help." He stated. "For, say, five-thousand bits I will lend you my power."
"If it will mean their deaths, then it is money well-spent." Pesmerga snarled. "Someone pay the man." Lepant sighed and counted out the necessary funds, handing them over to Kage.
"Smart decision. I will meet you there." With that, Kage dashed off.
"Well, I suppose we had better go too." Cleo said. The five resumed their journey, this time towards the luminous castle.
* * *
Arek pushed open the large iron door and stepped inside the castle, followed by six of his troops. He walked through the dark corridors, past extravagant tapestries and eerie suits of armor. Upon entering the throne room, he could see Kovac standing in the center of the room. His eyes were closed, but the grin on his face made Arek uneasy.
"Welcome." Kovac greeted them, slowly opening his eyes. They glowed bright yellow, and as he turned his face upwards, electricity flowed from them around his entire body. Arek gawked at him, surprised by this new action. Kovac let out a low laugh. "Surprised?"
"No... not at all." Arek responded, regaining his composure. He cleared his throat. "Do you have the weapons we discussed earlier?"
"The weapons? Oh yes, of course." He smiled and walked over to the far wall. Pushing in on a brick, a section of the wall lifted up. From it Kovac pulled a large crate, which he set down in front of Arek's feet. Arek pulled off the lid, and saw masses of Fire Spears inside.
"Very good." He held out his hand, and one of his men handed him a large bag. Arek tossed it to Kovac, who caught it with one hand. "I believe this is what we agreed upon. If there is nothing else, then we will be on our-"
"Actually..." Kovac cut-in. "There is one thing." He clenched his fist, and his arm took on a yellow glow. Arek took a step back as Kovac raised his arm into the air. He quickly opened up his hand, and several jolts of lightning flew from the tips of his fingers, decimating all six of Arek's men. Drawing his sword, Arek prepared for a duel.
"So, is it a fight that you want?" He hissed through clenched teeth. Kovac made no move to draw his blade.
"I had no such intentions." He retorted calmly. "I was simply ridding my fortress of the weak. I have a matter to discuss with you." Arek suspiciously raised one eyebrow.
"That being?"
"You are a skilled fighter, are you not?"
"The best." Arek scoffed confidently. "Even you should know that."
"Don't get cocky on me." Kovac smirked. "I propose that we form an alliance." Arek laughed at this.
"Why would I align myself with you?" He spat back. "You must think me to be a fool. I trust you as much as I would a hungry lion!"
"Should I blame you? After all, my reputation is one of the worst in the realm. But then again, so is yours." He sneered. "If we were to combine our powers, we could own this kingdom."
"I have no intentions of overthrowing the government." Arek said. "My goal is only to wreak havoc on those who imprisoned me."
"And that you shall accomplish. You can have your vengeance, while I assume my rightful position as ruler of the land. Believe me, together we shall make them taste the blood of defeat."
"Your words ring true." Arek pronounced thoughtfully. "Very well. Where shall we begin?"
"A man named Pesmerga has a certain staff in his possession. Our first order of business is to relieve him of its burden." Kovac grinned. The two left the fortress, prepared for a fight.
* * *
Pesmerga had separated himself from the rest of the group. Having heard enough insolence out of Pahn, he now walked a great distance behind them. They have no idea what they are meddling with. He thought to himself. They ought heed my warnings. A rustling in the brush broke his concentration. His head snapped to one side, and he could scarcely catch a figure duck out of sight. His hand moved to his sword, but before he could draw it, he was knocked to the ground by someone tackling him from behind. As he stood up, a jolt of electricity hit him in the back, knocking him headlong into a tree. The crash alerted the others, who quickly ran to his side. Before they could reach him, the flat of a sword slammed Pesmerga's skull into the trunk of the tree. The assailants were gone when the team got to him.
"What happened?" Clive asked as he helped Pesmerga to his feet.
"I don't-" Pesmerga stopped as his hand reached for his belt. "The staff! It's gone!"
"Well damn, that sucks." Pahn said. "At least they didn't get mine." Pesmerga was about to charge at him, but Lepant and Clive restrained him.
"Obviously they only attacked you to get their hands on the staff." Lepant commented. "They must have been sent by Yuber and Vara. They knew that you had a staff, but were not aware of the one which Pahn found." In the distance, the castle's towers could be seen through the dense fog which surrounded it.
"The castle will be upon us in minutes." Clive told them. "Let us not waste time." He quickened his pace, and the others did the same. Soon after, the mysterious castle lay before them. Stone jutted from the hills on which it stood, and Pahn muttered something about tortured souls being buried within. Cleo tightened her grip on her spear as they made their way up the path. When they reached the doors which led inside, Clive pushed them open with ease. "Unlocked. They're expecting us."
"Possibly." Kage announced as he dropped down from the shadows above the doorway. "But don't base it on that. I already picked the lock."
"I was wondering when you'd show up." Pahn laughed.
"Kovac and Arek are already inside." He continued. "With them they carried one of the Demon Staffs.
"So that's who attacked me..." Pesmerga mumbled. "And what of Vara? Was she angered that the staff she hid had been taken?"
"Strangely enough, it did not seem to distress her. She said it was merely a 'minor setback,' and would not delay matters."
"That's odd." Clive remarked. "I would think they would need all three of the staffs to resurrect someone."
"Perhaps they know the other is on its way." Lepant suggested, looking at Pahn. "Maybe it would be best if you left yours outside."
"What!? And risk Krin coming around and stealing it?" He exclaimed. "Besides," He added, seeing the look Cleo was giving him. "That would make it too easy for Yuber to grab if it were left unguarded."
"Just keep it out of sight." Clive told him. "Come on, let's go." They walked up numerous flights of stairs and past countless coffins. As they reached the top floor, the sound of Vara's voice could be heard echoing through the hall. The coldness of it cut like a knife. Seeing the door to the main chamber open, the six charged inside. Standing near the back windows behind a casket was Vara, and in front of her stood Yuber, Kovac, and Arek.
"Stop them!" She shouted. "I need more time!" Not wasting a moment, Arek cast a quick fire spell, engulfing Pahn and Cleo in flames. Kovac followed by throwing two large bolts of lightning at them. The electricity twisted around their bodies, flowing into their pores and draining their power. With her last bit of strength, Cleo cast a healing spell on the two of them, and knelt down to catch her breath.
"You'll have to do better than that." Pahn grunted through clenched teeth.
"I intend to." Kovac laughed in his usual demeanor. He charged forward at Pahn, who caught him by the arm and threw him to the ground. Before he could get up, Pahn drove his knee into the small of Kovac's back and yanked back on his head. A sharp pain ran down Kovac's spine, and he quickly tossed Pahn off his back. Both got up simultaneously, and Pahn threw a Punch at Kovac. He dodged it, grabbed onto his arm, and hurled him into Pesmerga, who had been dueling with Yuber. The two crashed to the ground.
"Watch where you're going!" Pesmerga screamed in rage. "Or else it will be your head!"
"Oh, stop yer whining." Pahn grumbled as he stood up. "By the way," He grinned. "Thanks for breaking my fall." Pesmerga felt like slitting his throat, but the sight of Yuber made him reconsider.
Across the room, Vara had formed a shield over herself and the coffin. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be almost in a trance-like state, mumbling words in a low voice. Lepant and Clive were using all their strength to attack the shield, but their efforts were to little avail. Arek jumped in the air and kicked Clive in the back of the head, smashing his face into the force-field. Lepant slashed at Arek with Kirinji, and he barely moved out of harm's way in time. Lepant took another swing, this time cutting through his sleeve, but Arek jumped back just before the steel pierced his skin. He tried to draw his sword, but as soon as he pulled it from its sheathe it was knocked to the ground by Lepant. Without giving Arek a moment to retrieve it, Clive picked the sword up off the ground and hurtled it through a window. Now without a weapon, Arek ducked down and spun his leg under Lepant's feet, tripping him onto his back. Sensing Clive behind him, he sprung back up and kicked his foot into his jaw. Arek was about to attack again, when Cleo threw a spear at him. He stepped out of its path and caught it as it flew by. Seeing Lepant get to his feet, Arek slammed the side of the shaft into his head. Lepant staggered back, and Arek hit him again, this time in the gut. Lepant now keeled in front of the large window, and a wicked smile came over Arek's face.
"Now, you die." Arek kicked Lepant in the chest, sending him crashing out the window. Clive dove after him, barely grabbing onto his hand before he fell to his demise. "Well, well, well." Arek laughed, stomping his boot onto the back of Clive's knee. Clive winced in pain as he struggled to pull Lepant back inside. "I guess I can kill two birds with one stone." He raised the spear above his head, ready to drive it into the back of Clive's skull.
"Not yet." Arek spun around to see Kage standing across the room. He never had a chance to move, screaming in pain as a shuriken cut deep into his shoulder. Arek staggered a few feet away, falling to the floor while clutching his bleeding shoulder. The ninja ran across the room and helped Clive pull Lepant inside. Not too far away they could see that Pesmerga had been stabbed in the leg by Yuber, who had rejoined Vara by the casket. Cleo cast another spell to close the wound, but Pesmerga refused to be helped up. On the other side of the room, Pahn didn't seem to be having much luck against Kovac, having just been thrown across the room and landing a few feet in front of Yuber.
All of a sudden, Vara's eyes shot open and her hands rose into the air. A mystical glow surrounded her as mist swirled over the coffin. A bright beam of light stretched between the two staffs, which had been placed on opposite ends of the casket. "Wake now!" She screamed. "And breathe in the life of those who destroyed you." A figure rose out of the coffin, and as the light from the staffs died down, Neclord stood between Yuber and Vara. The group gasped in horror at the sight of the dreaded vampire. "How do you feel?" Vara asked him. Neclord smiled, his fangs protruding past his dark lips.
"Vengeful." He looked at the ones who surrounded him. Kovac and Arek had joined them beside the coffin, neither one of which he knew. "And them?" He nodded at the two.
"They are allies." Vara told him. She then pointed at the six warriors before them. "But they die." Neclord started to walk towards them, when the staffs' power resumed. "What's going on!?" The light had now become brighter than before, and the mist was swirling at an extreme rate. The light was starting to stretch away from its path. Pahn shouted in pain. The staff had burnt a hole through his pouch, scalding his leg. The light shot out from the other staffs, connecting the three in a triangle, with the swirling mist in the center. It was beginning to pull things into it, and they struggled to hold their ground. Shards of glass from around the room were flying into it, followed by the coffin.
"I warned you!" Pesmerga screamed over the howling winds. " I told you this was a power you could not control!" Lepant drove Kirinji into the floor and held on with one hand, the other grasping Pahn's wrist, who had a tight hold on Cleo's arm. Clive latched onto an organ which sat in the middle of the room. With nothing to hold on to, Kage was pulled into the portal.
"Can't you stop it?" Yuber shouted.
"I... I don't know!" Vara was desperately trying to think of a way to counter it. "Kovac! Block the flow of energy!" A wall of electricity was starting to form next to the beam of light, but Kovac couldn't get it to penetrate.
"It isn't worki-" He got cut off as the winds pulled him in as well. Clive tried to aim his rocket at one of the staffs, but the violent wind prevented him from getting a clear shot. As the speeds of the wind increased, Lepant lost his grip on Pahn's wrist, and he flew into the portal along with cleo. Clive watched helplessly as Lepant's sword was dislodged from the floor, subsequently sucking him into the void. As the organ was lifted into the air, Clive knew that there was nothing he could do.
"You have unleashed the power of the Demon Gate!" Pesmerga shouted as he felt his grip on a stone pillar begin to loosen. "And now it will destroy us all!" The stone of the pillar broke off in his hands, pulling him into the portal. Seconds later, the force-field Vara had created over herself, Yuber, Neclord, and Arek gave way. The four were devoured by the gate as thunder boomed around them. Immediately after they had vanished into the mist, the gate closed behind them, and all went silent.
.
Author's Notes:
Sorry if this wasn't exactly the best writing I've ever done. I'm sure by
now you've realized what this leads to, and what my reasons were for writing
it. Since Suikoden is my favorite of all the games to be used in "Demon Gate,"
I wanted to make sure that I gave its lead-in more detail and intrigue.
All-in-all, I don't think it came out that bad. It was written over a course
of about six months during intervals in "A Shadow of Evil," which explains
the changes you may have noticed in my writing style over these three chapters.
This is all going up on the same day as the Introduction to "Demon Gate,"
so you can go ahead and check that out now. I hope you enjoyed this fanfic,
along with any other stories of mine you may read in the future!