GAMBIT

Some say, those who climb the tower, even with bravery and strength were unable to return back. They have been lost forever, turned into the beast"s artifacts and sculptures.

The people of Tres are famous for their primary source of income, which is agriculture. The plain which the city sits on, gives the people a bounty of crops, fruits, berries, and many more. Quite peaceful and kind the people are to any visitors and travelers, they would even offer them free food and drinks to soothe their hunger and thirst from the journeys they have been too.

Upon their arrival on the city, the maiden and the young man, alongside with his parrot, proceeds to the plaza of the city in order to query for directions. According to some locals, they have seen Melchior Stronghold, a famous man of their city.

According to them, Melchior is one of the very first p.a.w.ns who fought for the king and the kingdom. However, time has pa.s.sed and his old age could not carry him anymore, leaving him with only one job left, and that is to make maps for travelers. Tres is his homeland, however, he prefers to work at Uno.

"Melchior? Oh him, I saw him a few days ago but never saw him again. I think he said something about climbing the tower to save his brother Gallius." A local replies to their question. She then walks pa.s.s them, continuing her daily agendas.

"The tower? Sire, if there is anything we should avoid, that is to climb the tower of maiden"s peak." Endeavor apprises.

"What for Endeavor?" Quartz asks to his falcon.

"The Tower of Maiden"s peak is home to a beast which goes by name of Sevii. It has terrorized the people of Tres for many years, even until this day. Sevii is a serpent with seven heads, capable of turning anyone into stone or concrete once they look at its heads.

Slaying the heads of the serpent is worthless for it can regenerate its heads back.

Perhaps Melchior was turned into stone too when he tried to save his brother Gallius." Virgo answers the man"s question, also a.s.suming on what happened with Melchior Stronghold.

"Although the snake may turn any foe into stone, there is a way to turn them back. However, if we are to save Melchior, we must first defeat the serpent. Once the serpent is defeated, I will be pouring a droplet of this kind of fluid unto Melchior"s head." The maiden explains furthermore, showing the young man a small vile containing a liquid in the color of blue.

"Sire, this is completely a bad idea. I suggest that we just forget about the serpent and the old man." Endeavor contradicts the maiden"s proposal.

"Come on Endeavor, it will be a fun journey to climb the tower." Quartz convinces, tickling the chin of his falcon. Hearing his words, Endeavor sighs instead.

The cylindrical tower of maiden"s peak is located in the east of the city. The brick is the same as any other, until one takes a closer gaze. It has the hues of an earthen sunrise and as dappled as the light beneath a broad and well-clothed tree. They were able to arrive at the tower just in the nick of time, before the arrival of another thunderstorm.

Inside the bricked tower are floors and walls of pure artistry. They speak of stories and tales about the feared serpent. Slowly, the maiden and the young man make their ascent to the pinnacle of the tower. As they do, Quartz"s eyes remain stuck on the wall, gazing on the ill.u.s.trations and dialects of the seven-headed serpent.

"I smell the flesh of a mortal." The voice of the serpent echoes, however, it is nowhere to be seen. On the pinnacle of the tower is a galore of statues which were once alive and moving. All of them have one thing in common, fear was present in their eyes.

Quartz and Virgo starts to become cautious, as so as Endeavor. Although having the power to turn anyone into ice, Endeavor is no match for even he can be turned into stone once he looks at the serpent. Another sound emits, the sound of the serpent hissing. They can feel its presence, but cannot identify where it is. They search for the serpent by looking at the statues. They may not directly look into the eyes of the beast but they could look at its reflection.

As the man looks on one of the statues he sees the serpent jolting towards him. He quickly closes his eyes. His body starts to tremble with fear for he could sense the serpent in front of me, tempting him to open his eyes.

"Open your eyes." The serpent instructs, whispering to Quartz"s ears.

"We could give you something that others cannot give. Open your eyes, and I will show you." The serpent tempts.

"Quartz, don"t listen to the serpent!" Virgo interrupts, shouting at him from the other corner of the room.

"Tsk... what could the maiden possibly give you? We, can give you gold, fortune, and money acquired from the travelers who interrupted our chambers. All you need to do, is to take a little peak." The serpent persists to tempt, whispering on his ears.

"There is not enough money or wealth in this land that could satisfy one"s greed." Quartz counters, staying firm and avoiding to fall under the temptations of the serpent.

"Power? We will give you the capability to harness our powers. Soon, your foes will turn to stone. You fight for the king don"t you? With our powers, the war could end right away for the next thing you"ll know, Vladimir Witherstone, alongside with his kingdom has turned into stone.

Open your eyes, and you will possess our powers." The serpent tries another way to tempt the young man. Quartz thinks about the serpent"s words for a while. The sooner the war ends, the faster he could return back home with the help of Balthasar Bluemagic.

"Quartz, the serpent has no power to pa.s.s what it holds to you. Whatever the serpent says is a lie." Virgo shouts again from the corner of the room, helping the young man avoid the temptations of the serpent.

"The maiden has a point." Endeavor concurs, sitting on the shoulder of the young man while closing its small tiddly eyes.

"If not power nor wealth then why not supremacy? Open your eyes, and we will teach you a spell that could make kingdoms and countries fall under the palm of your hands. Just a small glimpse is all we ask for, and the whole of Sacchi will be yours.

It"s up to you on what king you could become. A good or bad one, it does not matter, open your eyes and the spell will be yours." The serpent tempts for the third time.

"Being a king comes with a lot of responsibilities. Do not allow yourself to be tempted." Virgo counters once more from behind.

"Persistent little brat!" The serpent"s voice echoes with frustration as it jolts towards the maiden instead. Virgo quickly closes her eyes, taking a peculiar object from her bag. A l.u.s.trous mirror, she points it towards the serpent. Seeing its own reflection, the serpent"s fate has been sealed, turning itself into stone.

With the serpent defeated, Quartz and Endeavor safely opens their eyes with relief and comfort. His confrontation with the snake has made him perspire heavily. The now proceed to one last task and that is to free Melchior and his brother Gallius wherein luckily, Virgo is quite familiar with their apparel and looks. As for the other people who were turned into stone, sadly they couldn"t be saved for the potion was not enough.

With their business in the city finished, the four of them return back to Uno in order for the trade between Melchior and Virgo to commence. Glad, the maiden is, to receive a Star Ruby from Melchior, and on the other hand, Melchior was glad to receive the Sapphire.

"To express our deepest grat.i.tude for saving me and my brother, I would like to give you my sword young man." Melchior offers, showing the same sword Quartz saw a few hours ago inside his shop. The sword with the dragon seal.

"Him and I were once p.a.w.ns of the king, now, our bodies are too old and tired to fight. You may have his sword, and use it for good use." Gallius bids.

"This sword is unlike any sword at all, for it is unbreakable. It symbolizes the unity, the power of one. The handle is the king, and the blade of the sword is the people. With the handle and the blade separated from each other, the sword would seem useless wouldn"t it?

You cannot fight with merely a handle of a sword as so as king can"t fight alone." Melchior utters.

"If only the people of both kingdoms could reunite, Sacchi"s peace would return and the chaos would stop. That is my dream after all." Virgo adds.

Hearing their words, a brilliant idea comes to the young man"s hand that he wishes to advice to the king. Unity, perhaps this is the key to stop the war that took place for nearly a century and even now, is continuing to perish the land. Witherstone and Pureheart combined into one.