Sparks of War Chapter 10
The Plan in Action
By Limited Moon
"Stahn...."
Everything was black, Stahn looked around but there was nothing there.
"Stahn...."
A beam of light formed in the darkness, and from inside it, a figure emerged.
"Who are you?!" Stahn yelled.
"I am Resmah, master of dreams, Stahn."
"Resmah?"
"Ha, ha, ha, i'm not here to hurt you Stahn. I only wish to help you..."
"Help me do what?"
"Heh, help you defeat the Empress of Cavalese of course. After all, it's not like you wont have to, the Cavelesian Castle was built right over the Temple of Fire."
"...you mean?"
"Yes, Garr's a fool, come with me Stahn."
Resmah extended his hand, and Stahn reluctantly held it. Resmah pulled Stahn into the light, and they both disappeared.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Philia," Rutee said, "better go wake up Stahn."
Rutee, Philia, Bruiser, Stahn, and Lilith were on their way from Phandaria to Cavalese in the Cerafina. They had just dropped off Karyl's team and were now on their way to the Cavelesian Empire. They all sat in the bar, dreading their arrival in Cavalese.
"Ok, Rutee," Philia complied, and she went to Stahn's room.
She knocked on the door, "Stahn", there wasn't even a grumble in response. So she opened the door, and when she looked onto Stahn's bed, he was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Yes, Stahn, this is what you really were from the beginning," Resmah said.
"Why me, though?" Stahn asked.
"Because...," Resmah said, "you have a part of you, a part of you, that has his personality, and memories....you have always hidden it."
"Me?" Stahn asked, "Have a part of myself like THAT?"
"Yes. Now, it is time, you must release all the powers you've hidden all this time. Go to Cavalese, Stahn...DESTROY CAVALESE!!"
Then Resmah faded away, as if he were never there. Soon the Red Knight appeared in his place, and said, "take a rest, Stahn...let me take care of all those fools, they took everything from us, our town, our grandfather, our life. Let me, the one who has true power, take over now."
"Yeah," was Stahn's only reply.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Philia ran back into the bar, obviously worried, "Stahn's GONE!"
Rutee looked at her, "What?! How could he be gone, his room goes straight here! If he would've left, he would've had to go through the bar!"
"but Rutee!" Philia said, "he's not in his bed, nor anywhere in his room, Aretha's still hanging on the wall. I got her down for questioning, and she said Stahn just disappeared!"
"disappeared?" Bruiser asked, "what on earth is going on now?!"
"My brother...," Lilith said, "we must find him."
"We're almost to Cavalese," Rutee said, "lets make a quick search of the ship for Stahn, ok?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Cerafina had arrived in Cavalese only two hours later. Cavalese was deathly quiet, it wasn't even occupied by a single soldier.
Rutee, Philia, Lilith, and Bruiser got off of the ship. The town was completely deserted. No signs of life whatsoever, not to mention, the town itself was completely sacked.
"Who...could've done this?!" Philia asked.
Rutee looked around, "I don't get it, i've never seen a town this screwed up before EVER."
Bruiser looked around and walked forward, "We should make our way to the capital, I have a feeling something's going on..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Empress listened to her soldiers' death cries, one by one, as she sat in the throne room. She knew that her Empire was gone, only she had remained. However, if she was to die, she wanted to know what was going to kill her.
She sat up as she heard the screams and yelling get nearer and nearer, a soldier ran in and shut the door behind him.
"Your majesty!" he yelled.
"I know, Owen, he is here," the Empress said.
"He's in red armor, you can't even see the blood stains on it, but the armor is COVERED with the stuff. Not to mention he's way too powerful!"
"Come, come, Owen, gather as many servants from the back room as you can, and take 'the passageway'" the Empress solemly ordered, the soldier nodded.
The Soldier ran to the back of the throne room and the Empress heard a thump on the large door, it came crashing down, and there was the Red Knight. He was holding a long sword and was immoving, she gasped as she noticed blood dripping all over him.
"Who...are you, you DEMON?!" she yelled.
"Me?" his voice was deep and powerful sounding, "I am one of your many victims you claimed in the Fitzgald invasion..."
He walked over to the Empress and held her up by her collar, she couldn't even move out of fear.
"F...Fitzgald? I don't remember ordering that..."
"Shut up!" the Red Knight said as he tossed her away, "you caused EVERYTHING when you took my town."
She looked down onto her dress and when he had held, blood was all over, he was covered in it....she gasped and tried to wake herself up as if this was only a nightmare, but it wasn't....only he was.
"Ha, where is that annoying oaf that challenged me that day...yes... haven't killed HIM yet...."
He sheathed his sword and extended his hand at the Empress.
"Uh, may I ask what you are...?"
"Grab the damn hand and get up, you're not leaving my sight!" the knight snapped.
She extended her hand, it was shaking, towards his, he grabbed it and pulled her up. He motioned her to come with him. Why is he doing this?! she thought, why didn't he just kill me, like the rest?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Owen grabbed the crystal that he believed would give him immense power, he found this crystal in the castle basement after defeating a monster. There was a sword in the ground too, but it was the crystal he wanted.
He pocketed it and then tried to find a way to escape, with quick thinking he began to look for an air vent, all the windows were too small. Then the door smashed open and he was there. Pulling the Empress with him like a chained dog. Owen backed away.
"There you are," the knight said.
"Please don't kill me!" Owen said, "I'll do anything!"
"Fine," the knight said, "give me your crystal."
Owen's face lightened up, he held out the huge crystal he had found, it had bought him and the Empress freedom...
The knight snatched it, and pushed the Empress into the small closet also. He closed the door....
"Owen..." The Empress said.
"Yes, majesty?"
"Maybe, we could do things differen'tly, maybe that knight was here only to teach us this....yes, lets remake our Empire, but with no military...we'll become a trading kingdom...i've had enough of war."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Where on earth is Karyl?!" Garr asked.
"He said he would only be gone for a minute," Chelsea said, "and he was gone since last night."
Just then, a beam of light appeared, and Stahn materialized within, holding a long silver sword. He opened his eyes looked around, and then fell unconscious.
.