Meg: Were there any other people in the dungeons? I didn't see anyone else...
Rachel: At the beginning, there were... But something happened to them... Merlin took them somewhere... then I heard their screams... fading away into nothing. It was horrifying!
Rachel continued to sob.
Richard: You are safe now, Rachel. Do not worry. I find it infuriating that I could not arrive here sooner.
Rachel: Sir Lionel... he...
Richard: I know, Rachel. He died doing his duty. I promise... that Dark wizard will pay!
Meg: Rachel is safe now. But this isn't over... That Dark mage is very dangerous, and we still have no way of defeating him. Even though we were able to avoid being annihilated, we have to be ready for a future showdown. The female voice that spoke to him ended up saving us this time around. We may not be so lucky next time...
Besides... what Rachel said about his plan for bringing a demon from another dimension to destroy the world is... Disturbing... To say the least.
Legend: I'm glad we survived... But to be honest... I felt mostly helpless... When the time came to face the bad guy that was behind all of this, I just didn't know what to do... I have to get stronger!
Nimrod was there while all the others were talking. He was with his arms crossed, staring at Rachel. When Rachel looked at him, he quickly tried to simulate looking in another direction, making the entire situation all the more awkward.
Rachel: Is something wrong? I saw that you were trying to help me as well. I thank you.
Nimrod got a big smile on his face after hearing that.
Richard: You opposed me at first, but I as well thank you for helping my sister.
Richard went toward Nimrod and extended his hand to shake, but Nimrod ignored him.
Nimrod: None of you should be thanking me... I was the one who abducted Rachel and brought her to the dungeon.
They were all surprised to hear that. Nimrod wasn't facing any of them when he said it. It seemed as though it was something he wasn't proud of.
Nimrod: But now I realize how stupid I was to do anything that would harm this... Angel...
Nimrod looked at Rachel while he said that. And truly, she irradiated beauty and purity like none other in the Arkana.
Nimrod: Rachel! Please, forgive me! If you ever need me, no matter how trivial the reason, just shout my name really loud. I promise I will come to you.
Rachel: I don't even know your name...
Nimrod: It's Nimrod. Just say it real loud. I'll be there.
Rachel: Ok... thanks?
Nimrod then flew away and disappeared in the distance.
Meg: Listen up, everyone. The three of you are now standing on the vanguard of life in the Arkana. You must hone your skills and prepare for the coming battle.
Richard: I believe our feathered friend is right. It is our duty to defend the Arkana from the evil plot we just uncovered. Though we do not truly know many details about it...
Meg: How would you like it, Richard, if I called you skinned friend? Or armored friend? Huh?
Richard: I see... You were annoyed by my feathered friend comment. I meant no disrespect.
Meg was still looking pretty annoyed.
Meg: I know of something that may be able to give us a fighting chance... the weapons of the arsenal of light.
Richard: The weapons...?
Legend: ... of the arsenal of light?
Rachel: Please, Sir bird... Tell us more!
Meg was not annoyed when Rachel called him Sir bird, though. As a matter of fact, he liked it.
Meg: I believe it would be best if we all went to the Ancient Library in Lybia. There you'd be able to see for yourselves. We don't really know how long we have until Merlin tries again. But the truth is, as we are now, we have no chance of victory.
Richard: Very well.
Legend: I've never been to a library before. It should be fun!
Rachel giggled at Legend's comment. She really loved libraries and books. Any chance that she had, she would always go to the Ancient Library and spend hours on end in the company of books, partaking of their knowledge.
Rachel: I know the Ancient Library very well. It's kind of my second home! I have somewhat of a research project currently... and... that's where I was when I was abducted.
The party agreed, and they all headed for the Ancient Library.
The Ancient Library was located in Libya, a very prosperous city in alliance with the Kingdom of Dalmacia. Some believed it had the greatest collection of books and tomes in the Arkana. It also housed the greatest schools of all manners of learning: History... Archaeology... Alchemy... Magic... among others. Its scholars were learned in all the aforementioned disciplines. It was the greatest honor for scholars to be accepted as teachers or even assistants there.
It took the party a couple of days to arrive in Libya. They were traveling on two horses (one for Legend -and Meg- and another for Richard and Rachel). Once in the city, Richard decided to see an armorer. His shield was wholly ruined due to the recent battles against the hordes of mimics.
Richard: I need a new shield. Go to the library and start the research. I shall join you after I find a replacement.
Meg flew and landed on Richard's head. Richard suddenly freaked out, swatting Meg frantically.
Meg: What's the big idea?
Richard: You ruined my hair!
Meg: Seriously? I never imagined you would be one of those vain idiots, Holy knight...
Meg then landed on Richard's left shoulder pad and whispered in his ear.
Meg: Richard. Just a heads up... We are being shadowed. I can't tell by whom... But I first noticed when you were dueling with Legend back in Miranda. All I know for sure is that it's a man. I wish I had gotten a better look at him...
Richard: I understand. I will remain alert. Thank you for warning me.
Rachel, Legend, and Meg entered the extensive facilities of the Ancient Library and were shortly after greeted by Sven, one of the scholars and keepers of the library.
Sven: Princes Rachel! I'm so glad to see you again! And safe!
Rachel: Thank you, Sven. I am happy to be safe and to see you again as well. This here is Legend, who rescued me with help from my brother.
Sven: Ah! Astounding! You must be a very skilled young mage, then.
Legend: I'm actually a martial artist. I don't know a thing about magic.
Sven: I see...
Rachel: And this lovely pigeon also helped rescue me. His name is Meg.
Sven: Isn't Meg a female name?
Legend: I know, right?
Meg seemed to be fine just until he heard that comment. Then he suddenly looked pretty angry about something...
They asked Sven where they could find information about the Arsenal of Light.
Sven: The Arsenal of Light, huh? Interesting... This way, please.
They walked a considerable distance, following behind Sven. During this walk, they saw people consuming the knowledge contained in the library books. The majority of people in the library were old, though. Of course, there were a few exceptions. The young people that were there were likely aspiring scholars or mage apprentices. Sven then stopped and pointed at the section where they could find what they were looking for.
They spent a few moments looking through the different books in the section until Rachel found one she had read through before being abducted.
Rachel: Look, Sir bird. Is this what you were talking about?
Rachel showed Meg a picture in an old and very dusty book. It was a hammer and seemed to have been made with flawless craftsmanship.
Rachel: I can't read the text... It seems to be an archaic language...
Meg: It is. It's a nameless language... The one spoken only by...
Rachel: ... Giants...
Meg: ... Yeah... That's right. It's one of the weapons that we need.
Legend: How many weapons are there in this arsenal of light?
Meg: There are three... But the weapons we need to obtain in total are six...
Legend: This is getting confusing! - Legend said while scratching his head and looking quite a bit confused.
Rachel: I'm afraid I must agree with Legend, Sir bird. But it can't be a coincidence...
Rachel was alluding to her dream... The one she kept having. In it, she was holding a baby. The baby suddenly started to grow in her arms, then out of her arms... And the child became an adult... A giant-shaped adult.
Meg: What can't be a coincidence?
Rachel: It's... It's nothing. Does it say where the weapon can be found?
Meg: It doesn't, sadly... Finding these weapons won't be easy... but it will be worth it in our quest to protect the Arkana.
They continued browsing through the books. Meg carefully passed the pages with his beak, and in one instance, the corner of the tip of a page was torn off... He brushed it off with his wing and tried to act casually. It didn't look like anyone else had noticed. If any of the library staff had seen that, they probably would have made him pay for it.
Rachel was focused. She was looking at what title she would browse through next from the shelves. Legend was a bit less focused... But while he was passing the pages of a book, he saw the artwork of a very familiar item, which caught his absolute attention.