Changing of the Guard

Hey there Traveler, I’ve seen you around but I haven’t had a chance to meet you. Please, sit down. That battle really tired me out. My name is Gatspy, I’ve heard a lot about you from my Master, Arjun. He told me about how you fought at Veles Vasad, and how you fought here on Detulia. What else can I say Traveler? I’m glad you’re on our side.

Oh, you heard about me? Yeah, I’m one of Master Arjun’s Students. I lived in Hyksos, on Ghea’s Southern Continent, before Master Arjun discovered me. I was really little, so I don’t remember much about my time there. Most future Guardians are brought into the Order when they’re that young, if their families agree to it. My folks lived in Hyksos when the Dominion controlled the Continent and half the City was starving to death. When Master Arjun asked to take me, they didn’t need much convincing that I’d be better off with him. I…can’t help but wonder if they’re still alive. And, I sometimes wonder why I wonder. Master Arjun is a great and kind man, and I wouldn’t recognize my birth parents if I saw them. Still…I wonder.

Ugh, I’m rambling. I’m only sixteen and I’m already talking like an old man. Well, back to the story. I’m one of the older Students so, when Lucifer had turned on us, I was chosen to be a troop leader for a training trip. A couple of Sages went with us, and I was teamed up with ten other Students. Some I was just meeting and others I knew for years.

Caitlin, a human, is one I’ve known forever. She’s really kind, you’d like her. I can always talk to her when I need advice or if I just need to talk out something that’s bothering me. Unlike me, Caitlin was old enough to know her folks when she was brought into the Order. She likes to tell me funny stories about her folks. I guess I’m a little envious, she at least gets letters from home.

Emily, also human, is trouble. No seriously, she is. She was brought into the Order fairly recently, she’s only six. She’s quite a little fireball though, always reading spell books, always practicing spells and always making trouble. One time I was working on some fire potions in the Tower of Wisdom’s Alchemy Lab, potions you can throw that explode on impact are such fun, and I left the Lab to get some more flint for the burner. Emily comes along, practicing telekinesis spells with some big, rubber balls and one of them knocks over my potions. They burn through the floor and dump half the Lab into the Library where the Master Arjun was holding a meeting. Well, to make a long story short, they blamed me for it and I had to clean it all up and Emily was there with her sad, puppy eyes telling me how sorry she was. If she was so damned sorry, why didn’t she actually HELP? Well, she and I aren’t on speaking terms yet.

Zalor, the last human in our troop, is the pensive one. He and I have been on-again-off-again friends for a while now. He’s always been touchy, but I think he’s gotten worse since Lucifer turned on us. Zalor was Lucifer’s favorite, and best, pupil and Zalor looked up to him. I don’t even want to think about how hard Lucifer’s betrayal hurt Zalor.

Francisco and Isis are both Elves. I really don’t know Isis all that well, she’s a shy one and doesn’t talk much. Francisco though, I think he and I will get along. He’s really clever and a sharp telepath, but there’s one thing I can’t figure out about him: his ears. They’re smaller and less pointy than other Elves that I’ve seen. Could that mean something?

Gregory, the only Dwarf in our troop, is a great guy. He’s a jolly and upbeat as they come. He’s also probably the only male Dwarf I’ve ever seen that doesn’t have a beard yet. No, I’m serious! In Dwarf years, he’s younger than I am and he doesn’t have a beard yet. I know it’s hard to believe, just don’t gawk at him, okay?

Psamtik and Nebtuu are the Beastmen of our troop. Psamtik is an eagleman, always flies instead of using teleportation spells. Nebtuu…well, I haven’t warmed up to him yet. He’s a lizardman and he’s incredibly strong, especially when he uses his tail to fight. But, he sheds. Every month, he sheds a layer of his scales and just leaves it there. Doesn’t even bother to do it in private.

Finally, Lemnos and Raogao are the Imps in our troop. Raogao is the cynic, always saying that the plans I have are too risky or that I’m being too impulsive. She also keeps her expression blank, she says it’s to keep her rivals from knowing what she’s thinking. And, it works. Lemnos is the exact opposite, always cracking jokes and laughing himself hoarse. You should talk to him sometime, he’s almost as funny as he thinks he is.

Anyway, when Lucifer turned on us, we were away on a training mission. A couple of Sages came with us, but mostly Master Arjun wanted us kids to learn for ourselves. So, there I was, studying herbs and their healing properties, making sure the other Students behaved themselves and generally being bored out of my mind. Then, while I was mixing a potion from a ground powder of the seeds of something and the pollen of something-else and the petals of whatever-the-hell-it-was, we suddenly sensed a…disturbance in the Currents of Magic. It was overpowering, it felt like getting stabbed through the arm. Well, we packed up and raced to the Tower and, well, Maser Arjun already told you what had happened.

I won’t lie to you Traveler, I was scared. Lucifer had massacred the Guardians, the Aura Knights, the Sages, the Students, anybody he could get his hands on. And, there was just us and Master Arjun left.

When Master Arjun met us in the Entrance Hall of the Tower, where the bodies were all around us, he asked if we’d still honor our Oaths to serve the Peoples of Ghea. The other half of the question was if we were willing to help him fight whatever had killed all our comrades. I still don’t know where the courage came from, but I found myself staying with him. It may sound wrong of me to say this, but I was excited. Ever since I was old enough to begin my training, I wanted to do the REAL Guardian’s work. I wanted to save people and now, I had my first chance. I just hoped it wouldn’t be my last as well

Oh, Master Arjun told you about how we studied the Prophecy of the Nine and split up to find them? Well, I’ll skip ahead a little then. Well, I went by myself to Nubal. I was pretty sure that since the Nine would appear after Zednanreh was destroyed, which the Prophecy implied, that someone from the Nine had to be nearby. Alexander never noticed me, but I followed him everywhere. I was able to sense that he was of a troubled mind but that he was also incredibly powerful. Of course, he wasn’t easy to follow. He moves so fast and, when he wasn’t moving, he was in Old Shotglass’ Tavern (run, strangely enough, by a rather young Shotglass). I followed him in there a couple of times, but I started to attract suspicion since I went in there so often but never had a drink. I’m sure the others would have a good laugh about that.

After the Battle of Nubal, Master Arjun asked that we start training those in the City with magic skills. And this time, we could do it our way! No herb collecting, nor mortars and pestles and no history lectures on how each spell was invented. Just drilling. Gregory had this one line, for whenever someone was out of line, that was just hilarious.

*Deepens voice to imitate a gruff Dwarf’s voice* “Now drop and give me fifty fireballs!”

Only problem was that they took his order a little too literally…they gave him the fireballs and nearly burned off his robes. Ha, ha, ha! Whatever you do, don’t tell Master Arjun. He’d be furious.

Anyway, we tried to keep track of Master Arjun and the Nine as best we could. Eventually, he came back to us. And, the news was better than I could’ve imagined: we were going to invade Veles Vasad and end the War once and for all. Personally, I still wish Master Arjun had taken us along when he and the Nine attacked the Throne Room. We all knew that Lucifer was in there, and I wanted to make sure he got what he deserved after all the things he’d done and all the people he’d killed. But, Master Arjun wanted us to stay with the troops and heal the wounded. I wasn’t exactly happy about it, but it was probably for the best now that I think about it. They’re were more wounded than I could count. All the blood and screams and the bodies…I guess seeing that helped me to wise up about just how important our invasion was. If we lost, everybody that died would’ve died for nothing. But, we won. Lucifer got away, but the Emperor was dead and what was left of the Dominion surrendered. The oppression and tyranny and bloodshed had ended. For quite a few of us, it was the happiest moment in our lives.

Of course, something had to go wrong. During the celebration, when Alexander had proposed to Laura and when Lucifer’s Vasadian Death Syndrome hit the Army, things looked bleak. And, it surprised the living hell out of me when I learned that Hazar knew what to do. The idea of traveling to the Avatar homeworld thrilled me. The Avatars founded the Order, had given the Guardians their powers and immortality, and I was going to actually see them! I’d have been jumping for joy if the Syndrome hadn’t had me close to paralyzed. When we got to Ava, and the saw the state it was in, I was at a loss for words. I could tell how great and beautiful that planet used to be and seeing what happened to it after its sun went supernova…I nearly burst into tears just thinking about it.

Alexander and his companions met a White Rose Avatar (though they didn’t know about the White Rose and Black Rose Clans back then) named Artimis. She’s the one that cured us of the Syndrome and she also told them about how Blademaster gave Lucifer those glowing Swords and his powers. While they were talking though, a troop of Black Rose Avatars ambushed and captured them.

Now, Master Arjun wanted us to go back through the Portal with the Army to keep track of what Lucifer was up to but I had a bad feeling about leaving him and the Nine alone. None of us had seen any of this coming, and I was worried about what else might go wrong. So, we stuck around but we weren’t able to stop the Black Rose Avatars from capturing Master Arjun and the Nine.

I had no idea what we could do to help them, but I got lucky. You see the Tal’cara, the Skyship that the Nine used, was still on Ava and it got the White Rose Clan’s attention. Apparently, they were interested and the White Rose Leader, Apollo, wanted to help us. We were brought aboard the Paladin, the White Rose Flagship. That ship, starship I guess, is incredible. It’s huge and, somehow, it’s so fast.

And then, there are the weapons that the Avatars (of both Clans) use. They are the Wrist Blades, these big bracers that go over the forearms. The bracers emit blades of some sort of energy that can cut through just about anything. The Cobrastaffs give me the creeps, for one thing they’re alive. At least, I THINK they are. When they’re limp, they work like whips and can bite or spray venom and they can be used like quarterstaffs or spears when they’re rigid. The Lumina Streamers are these strange streamers attached to bracelets. I really don’t know how, but they charge up with electricity and you can use them to shock or flash-blind an enemy. The Sling Spears are small spears and strange chains. You throw the spear, the chain goes taut, and it boomerangs back to you. Finally, they are the Dragon Blades. They really aren’t much different from normal swords, but the hilts are styled to look like dragon heads and the blades are made to look like arcs of flame, as if the dragon is breathing fire. You wouldn’t believe how much I wanted to take one as a souvenir. You want one too? Well, talking the White Rose Avatars into it might be tricky.

Well, the Paladin and its Battle Group ambushed Blademaster’s Flagship, the Infernal Flame, where our friends were being held. Artimis, who was still with them, broke them out and stole a Shuttle to get them back to us. I was hoping that the worst of it was over, but I was wrong. Blademaster had found some sort of artifact called the Jewel of Despair. He’d used it to torture Master Arjun and the others. They didn’t tell us much but…I’m not sure how to say this, but I could see something in their eyes. Their eyes were raw, bloodshot and haunted. I couldn’t believe it, but I knew that I wasn’t wrong. And, it made me worried.

If whatever Blademaster did could SCARE the Nine…I don’t even want to think about it.

Apollo eventually told us that the Jewel of Despair wasn’t really a weapon. It was a power source. It was designed to harness pain, anger, sadness, rage, regret, sorrow and, as the name implies, despair to power the Soul Crusher. It was some sort of weapon that was built by the Black Rose Clan during what the Avatars call the War of the Dark Aeon, back when all the Avatar Clans were fighting one another. The Soul Crusher could wipe out entire armies by, literally, draining their life force right out of them, and could breed powerful creatures called Warlords. The White Rose Avatars and their allies, the Detulians, defeated the Soul Crusher and ended the War. The Jewel of Despair was shattered and its pieces were hidden by the White Rose Clan while the Detulians hid the Soul Crusher itself in one of their temples. Blademaster had already found, rebuilt and recharged the Jewel, and his ship was heading to Detulia when Artimis broke them out, so that meant that Blademaster was ready to reactivate the Soul Crusher.

We did have one ace up our sleeve though. A Detulian Warrior had used the Amulet of Harmony, another Avatar artifact, to fight the Crusher. The Amulet was a sentient artifact that brought the soul of the person wearing it into the Ether Plane, or the Spirit Realm as non-Guardians call it, where the Crusher couldn’t reach it. I say ‘sentient’ because it chooses who can use its power. Nobody really knows why the Avatars couldn’t use it themselves, but the Amulet chose Alexander.

When we arrived on Detulia, we had hoped to reach the temple and stop Blademaster from reactivating the Crusher. Of course, we knew that would’ve been way too easy. And, we were right. Black Rose troops were already on the planet and the Black Rose Fleet ambushed the Paladin and the other White Rose ships. We used a Shuttle to fly down to the surface while the fighting was still going on.

Looking back, I really regret that we didn’t have time to just explore Detulia. While we were flying, I could see forests that just seemed to stretch on forever. I was even to see the birds and the rivers. For a minute, I forgot we were in the middle of a War while I was looking at those woods. I can see that you liked the view also Traveler.

When we landed, we met up with some Detulian Warriors. You remember how all of them used sign language instead of talking? I had trouble believing it, but they have no vocal chords. Yeah, it’s hard to picture an entire civilization of mutes, isn’t it? Don’t let that fool you though, the Detulians are a brilliant people. Did you see those temples they built? They’re magnificent, I haven’t seen anything like them back on Ghea.

Ah, I’m rambling again! Anyway, the Detulians led us to these huge Lizards and, while Alexander was going for the Crusher’s temple, the rest of us charged the Black Rose troops. Riding those Lizards was tough, the way you bounce when they run and how they bend and turn so fast makes it hard to stay on their backs. I hear you didn’t have much trouble though, how many Black Rose Avatars did you beat? Twenty six!? I say again Traveler, I’m glad you’re on our side.

So Arjun, the Nine, the other Student Guardians, and you and I managed to clear a path to the temple and Alexander went inside and did the whole hero thing. When he was done, the Crusher blew up, the temple blew up, Blademaster’s Flagship Infernal Flame, coincidently, also blew up and the planet blew up. No, just kidding. Still, quite a few things blew up at once. When the Crusher exploded, it took the temple with it. The explosion was so big that the White Rose and Black Rose Fleets were able to see it from space, it’s a wonder we didn’t get charbroiled. The White Rose Fleet was able to regroup and it attacked and destroyed the Infernal Flame. The rest of the Black Rose ships broke and ran and their troops on the ground surrendered. Where’s Blademaster now you ask? Do you see that huge quartz crystal over there? Take a look inside? Yes, Traveler, that’s Blademaster inside the Crystal and I don’t think he’s coming out anytime soon.

Like I said Traveler, that was quite a fight. And, we finally have a way to beat Lucifer. You remember those glowing Swords that he carries? Like the Amulet of Harmony, they’re sentient too. They chose for Lucifer to use them. But, Alexander could use the Amulet to bring himself into the Spirit Realm and speak to the Swords on their real plane. If he can talk to the sentience of the Swords then maybe, just maybe, he could…get them to change their minds about letting Lucifer use them. If Lucifer loses his new powers then we might have a chance against him.

There’s…something else you should know Traveler, this will be hard to explain. I’ll just come right out and say it: the other Students and I aren’t returning to Ghea. I know that’s a little hard to swallow, but let me explain. The Avatar Civil War has been going for over one hundred years and, even though Blademaster and the Soul Crusher are gone, it’s not over yet. And, on top of that, the Avatars will need a new homeworld when the War is over. I…I just can’t leave things as they are, after all a Guardian’s first duty is to those in need. I’ve talked things over with the others, and we’re all agreed. Now, I just have to think about how I’m going to explain this to Master Arjun.

I’ll be honest with you Traveler: the others and I don’t want you to stay here with us. Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s nothing personal. Seriously though, this is Guardian business. We’ll be staying here to end the Avatar Civil War, one way or another, and afterward we’ll need to find a new homeworld for the Avatars. That could take years, maybe decades. And besides, Alexander and the others are going back to Ghea to find and defeat Lucifer and I’d bet a helluva lot gold that you want to be right there for the action.

If Master Arjun agrees with me, but that is a big ‘if,’ then I want you to take this. It’s a Mage Sphere, I’ll be giving one to Master Arjun as well. It will allow us to keep in touch, you’ll know that I’m trying to contact you when it starts vibrating and making this really annoying tuning fork sound. But please, DON’T try to sell it. First, Master Arjun would go ballistic and second, it may look like a big, valuable sapphire but it’s just enchanted glass. A merchant would have to be pretty dumb to mistake this for a gemstone.

Well, looks like Master Arjun and the Nine are ready to head back through the Portal. You’d better get moving. I’ll talk to you using my Mage Sphere when I can, I’d like to keep track of what’ going on back on Ghea. I don’t know if we’ll meet again, face-to-face anyway, so it was great to meet you and I enjoyed talking to you. Good luck when you and the Nine fight Lucifer. And, be careful.