Spectrum: Chapter Three 8/8

   It was finally time. They traveled to Mandala as fast as they could, and when they reached the city, they found it in an uproar. The people were panicking; the mighty cone of Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, which had been quiet and smokeless for decades, was showing signs of dramatic activity! Pyre did her best to calm the populace, but her nerves were just as keyed. Was this Acheron’s scheme? Ignite the volcano and bury Mandala in lava? Clara felt this didn’t make sense, but Pyre was done with talking. They had to head to Mount Bas-Crysalli immediately!

   The enormous mountain was indeed smoking dangerously as they approached. Seles half-expected Clara to express fear over their coming task, but obtaining magic had done wonders for the girl’s sense of confidence. She approached Hellena Bas-Crysalli without fear.

   They saw immediately why they couldn’t have attempted this rescue mission without the help of the elements. Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli was a miniature world unto itself, covered with the cracked and disjointed heights of old lava banks and the huge, deep gouges of old lava flows. Everywhere huge boulders blocked the way, and treacherous igneous rock formations made walking even more difficult. Trying to climb the mountain on foot would have taken weeks.

   At last Seles summoned Faience to him. The great earth spirit had recovered power during her rest, and using that power, she created a long, smooth tunnel straight up the mountain, as close to the center as she dared place it without disturbing the volcano’s building pressure. They ran up the path; Faience warned them to summon Rogalian before going further and then disappeared, once again drained. Seles did so, and Rogalian wrapped them all in a shield impenetrable by heat, although he warned them that this protection wasn’t strong enough to stand up to magma and entreated them to be careful.

   As ready as they’d ever be, Seles, Clara, Niay, and Pyre ran into the heart of Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli.

Spectrum: Chapter Three 7/8

   They had collected the powers of Faience and Rogalian, so they could now follow Acheron into Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli. Pyre was understandably desperate to get there as quickly as possible, but Seles managed to persuade her that taking a quick detour to find Fu would be invaluable when they finally confronted her father’s kidnapper.

   It was the work of a moment to find the cave with three entrances; they had stumbled through it more than once during their search for the Crimson Palace. But this time, there was definitely something different about that cave. It might have been the trap door that opened up underneath them and dumped them down a hole into a cave lit by a roaring bellows.

   Fu was a tall man, stripped to the waist, with ferocious black hair and eyebrows that spoke more than he did. He conveyed a definite interest in the Wreath and Scroll, however, allowing Seles to explain that Faience and Rogalian had recommended him to them…or perhaps it was vice versa. This appeared to sit well with the intimidating blacksmith.

   The mysterious Kitsune Fur they had been collecting, Fu explained, was not only incredibly magical and durable, but also possessed of an odd transmuting property. To demonstrate, he took Seles’ bow and the tuft of fur Seles had won from the Brambler way back at the beginning of our story and began to fuse them together, wrapping expertly, adding additional leather and wax, polishing and bending until…Seles’ well-worn Longbow had become a Composite Bow, as though by magic!

   They had four tufts of Kitsune Fur besides the one Fu had already used. Fu offered to forge their armor as well as their weapons, although he refused to upgrade any weapon or armor more than once at this point. He drove a bargain with Seles that he would change his mind if they brought him more of the elemental artifacts to study.

   So now they were faced with a choice. They could either upgrade four of their weapons, all of their armor, or a few of both. It was a difficult decision. What would you do?

Spectrum: Chapter Three 6/8

   They were in what could only be the castle’s library, at the summit of the tallest tower of the palace. To their shock, however, it was coated entirely in ice! Rogalian himself was visible in the center of the room, frozen solid like a fly trapped in amber. They rushed to reach him, but were blown back by a great gale of blistering wind as from the ceiling came a terrible abomination: a blazing halo surrounded by seven enormous, fiery wings.

   Fighting the Unholy Wings was like forcing mice to fight a falcon. The monstrosity would zoom across the great expanse of the library at high speed, knocking them around with its flailing wings and searing slipstream. Occasionally it would hover in the air and summon down a great rain of fire around it, blasting them with meteorites. Dangerous though it was, this was their best chance to hurt it; they aimed for the fiery core with their ranged attacks while the beast recovered from its casting. After damaging it for a short time, it became angry and swept them all away from one another with a great blow of its wings. At this point, every one of them had to fight as if they were alone until their combined efforts injured the monster, sending it reeling away and allowing them to reunite.

   The fight was long and arduous, but although the Unholy Wings had the advantage of size and mobility, it couldn’t overcome the teamwork of the four friends. With Seles and Clara pummeling the creation at every opportunity and Niay and Pyre keeping everybody in good shape, the Unholy Wings was chipped slowly and decisively to its doom. Keening horribly, it vanished in a fiery explosion and dropped its core: a thin, bladed ring: a chakram. Clara, of all people, picked it up and gave it a few practice throws; deciding she liked it, she pocketed the weapon.

   But how were they to free the trapped Rogalian? On a hunch, Seles took the Garnet Wreath from Clara and held it up to the frozen fire spirit. Gathering power from the proximity of its creator, the Wreath flared with magic heat and melted the ice in a twinkling, freeing the spirit from his prison.

   Startling blue eyes amidst golden skin and flowing crimson hair; such was Rogalian, spirit of fire. With his awakening, the sweltering heat of the palace suddenly died down to a refreshing coolness, and outside, the glow of flames from the burning wood vanished like a blown-out candle.

   Rogalian was indeed very weak, as Faience had feared. He had been attacked—he knew not by what—and, like the Sepia Palace, the Crimson Palace’s defense mechanisms had been triggered to protect him. Whoever or whatever his assailant had been, it had been powerful enough to strike him down before he had even sensed it coming; frozen him solid—him, the spirit of fire!—and then made it out through the Crimson Palace’s defenses. Was this strange antagonist targeting all of the elemental spirits of the world? But why? And how could anyone have enough power to do such a thing?

   It was Pyre who dragged them back from their speculation to the situation at hand. Once he understood their need to penetrate Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, Rogalian gladly lent them his powers. He would like to meet this Acheron, he said, a hard look in his blue eyes.

   Again, Pyre obtained the ability to cover her weapons with an element—fire this time, of course—and the technique for a new finishing move: the Muspelheim Blow. Clara received the power to smite and destroy using fire; Niay, the ability to strengthen and protect.

   For Seles, Rogalian poured his power into the Garnet Wreath, returning it to full strength once more. Like the Opal Scroll, Seles could now use the Wreath either to return to the Crimson Palace no matter where he was or to call Rogalian to his side, although like Faience, Rogalian warned him that he was likely to be weak for quite some time. Even recharging the Wreath had been a difficult task for him.

   With his powers granted, Rogalian turned his attention to the black mark on Seles’ chest. Faience’s fears had been correct; Rogalian could do no more about it than she had. He was rather more interested in Seles’ birthmark, however. There was power in it, he said, although he wasn’t sure what kind of power it was. Even if he had been at the height of his power, he admitted, Faience was by far the more experienced when it came to magical healing.

   When Clara mentioned Fu, however, Rogalian had useful information. He knew Fu well; in fact, Fu made his home in the Ringcon Caves beneath the Crimson Palace. The spirit told them to look for the cave with the three entrances, which was where the entrance to Fu’s workshop was. With the aura of two elemental artifacts around them, Fu’s curiosity was sure to be piqued and he would certainly grant them entrance. As a parting gift, Rogalian gave them a tuft of Kitsune Fur that he had used in the creation of the Unholy Wings; Fu would make good use of it, he said.

   The Magic Carpet flew them out to the front of the Crimson Palace, where they found the formerly burning wood had, with the extinguishing of the flames intended to guard the palace, been reduced to a plain of ash. Seles was sad that the forest—part of the Palace’s defenses—had been destroyed in this way, but Niay pointed out that the forest would likely grow back even better than before with the regeneration of the soil.

Spectrum: Chapter Three 5/8

   Of course, “safety” was a relative term. They might not be worried about falling flaming trees anymore, but Burning Beasts prowled the halls and Tinderflies buzzed about the ceilings. In normal, non-combustible circumstances, they might have found the Crimson Palace quite pretty—it was large and opulent, designed like a proper castle with sweeping staircases, long halls, and great chambers—but when every staircase was patrolled by a Flare Spider and every chamber was monitored by a Flame Dragon, the beauty was hard to appreciate.

   They wandered through the palace for what felt like hours, struggling to find Rogalian or at least some clue as to what could have happened to him. It was beginning to feel like a lost cause, and Clara was starting to complain, when Pyre suddenly heard something unusual—a sizzling sound, like water being dropped onto a hot pan.

   Following the sound, they found a spiral staircase from which water, of all things, was dripping! Where was it coming from? They climbed the staircase with all speed and found themselves in front of an enormous door emblazoned with an intertwined sun and moon.

   Pyre tried to break the door down, but the ornate construction was as solid as steel. Trying another tack, Niay used his Augury magic on it instead and learned that the door was impenetrable by physical means, but would open to the magic of an elemental spirit. The spotlight was on Clara; she cast Spitting Earth on the door, and sure enough, it blew open immediately.

Spectrum: Chapter Three 4/8

   The mountain was topped by a large, flat mesa covered with what had once been a beautiful forest. However, to Seles’ great sorrow, the trees were ablaze with fiercely burning flames. Pyre balked at entering the burning wood, pointing out rather logically that it was far too dangerous, but when Clara held up the Garnet Wreath, she could feel it was connected somehow to something in the middle of the flames. With a stab of intuition, she declared that the Crimson Palace had to be in the center of the wood, and they’d never reach it without taking the risk.

   And what a risk it was. The moment they set cautious foot into the wood, the flames turned on them as though they were alive, forming great beasts and serpents of fire. To get too close to these Burning Beasts and Flame Dragons was suicide; the heat thrown off by their colossal bodies injured Pyre when she tried to attack with her sword. Only the long-range capabilities of the Bow, the Rod, and the Whip could damage these foes without suffering burns.

   Faience’s magic was their salvation more than once. Niay’s Gift of Life not only restored their fighting spirit but could also soothe the burns left by the attacks of the flaming monsters, curing them as though they had never been. Clara stayed well back, attacking from afar with her Spitting Earth and Avalanche spells so that Pyre could borrow her Magical Rod to attack. And Pyre, when she found she couldn’t fight at melee range as she was comfortable with, learned instead how to focus her chi through her chakra, transforming it into a bullet she could fire from afar while she flung magic from Clara’s wand.

   Tinderflies identical to the one Seles had fought to save Clara zoomed overhead, adding to their troubles as they worked their way into the burning wood. A few times Clara tried using her Earthquake magic to knock some of trees down and clear them a path. This didn’t always work—the trees had to be quite large and positioned in just the right way so that they would fall away from them without blocking the way—but Clara was surprisingly precise with it, and on the occasions where she wasn’t sure, Niay used Faience’s powers of Augury to predict the outcome of the tree’s fall. Without these spells, they might never have found their way to the Crimson Palace.

   But find it they did; an enormous scarlet building like a giant cathedral, the walls shimmering with golden flickers from the surrounding flames. They pulled open the heavy doors and dashed for safety inside.

Spectrum: Chapter Three 3/8

   When they entered the Ringcon Caves, Clara tried holding up the Garnet Wreath in hopes that its power would be rekindled. However, nothing happened, and the group knew that they would have to do things the hard way.

   The water from the flood that had stranded Clara in the caves had mostly seeped away or dried out, which made several tunnels that had been previously impassable now accessible. Unfortunately, this had also allowed some of the more dangerous local wildlife to move back into the area. The Silverfish were gone with the water, now replaced instead by hostile Wyrms, Fleshy Fungi, Tendrilled Slugs, and Luminous Slimes.

   Despite Clara’s protests at the, er, unattractiveness of their opponents, Seles realized that this was a good place to get used to their new magic. The Luminous Slimes had the ability to immediately and asexually divide themselves into two identical beings, providing more enemies to practice upon, and the Fleshy Fungi could plant spores that would soon sprout into new Fungi (although this was accompanied by a spray of the dangerous spores, which had to be avoided). Clara’s disgust aside, the experience they got was valuable and the battles quite necessary.

   They combed the Ringcon Caves as thoroughly as they could, searching for any clue to the entrance to the Crimson Palace. However, they found nothing until Seles realized that in the middle of one particular, otherwise unremarkable tunnel, he could feel something of a breeze. He tracked the breeze down to a slim hole in the wall that led to a long, low tunnel sloping upward. To their surprise, the tunnel came out into the bright sunshine high up in the Twilight Mountains, much higher than they could have climbed on their own. Whether this had anything to do with Rogalian or not, they weren’t sure, but it was certainly something worth exploring.

   There was something of a path out there on the side of the mountain, and they picked their way up it, fighting off Gold Vipers and Bright Eagles. The Bright Eagles used magic of their own; it was called Bedazzle, and it would blind one of them with a brilliant light, rendering them temporarily defenseless. Fortunately, Bright Eagles hunt solo, so even if one of the friends was stunned by Bedazzle, the other three could easily protect them from the Eagle’s beak and claws.

   It wasn’t until they reached the top of the mountain they were climbing upon that they realized they had unwittingly found their goal.

Spectrum: Chapter Three 2/8

   As they trekked back toward the Ringcon Caves, they experimented with their newfound magical powers, for—as Pyre said—it would be best to have the best understanding they could of their new skills before the next difficult battle came upon them. Pyre practiced enchanting her weapons with the power of earth, deciding to call the ability Stonestrike, and found that these enchanted attacks could turn an enemy to stone themselves. As she landed blows under the influence of Stonestrike, she could feel the energies of the earth building up inside of her. Whenever she built this energy to a certain strength through a continuous combo, the princess became capable of releasing a powerful magical martial art called the Midgard Crush.

   Niay and Clara practiced drawing upon their new spells. As Faience had said, Niay had obtained the power to heal and protect, while Clara had been given the power to strike down their enemies. Niay began to keep a close eye on his allies even when attacking so that he could pause to heal them when necessary, and Clara practiced mixing spells in with her physical attacks. Both confessed that after casting spells, they began to feel tired and worn out, although the thrill of hand-to-hand combat did invigorate them over time. Seles recalled Faience’s words about the source of their new powers and cautioned them to take things easy until they had developed greater tolerance for the drain on their spirits.

   Seles himself held back on using his own gift. True, Faience had told him to call her at any time, but he was wary of taxing her limited strength.

Spectrum: Chapter Three: The Union of Earth and Fire

   They knew that Merope was trapped by Acheron in Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, but still needed Rogalian’s power to reach him. Rogalian’s palace, according to Faience, lay in a familiar location—the Ringcon Caves—but reaching it, she had said, would not be easy. And they had a third quest in the name of the mysterious blacksmith, Fu. How were they going to find him? Even Faience had not known his location, although she said she felt certain that he would come to the Opal Scroll once he sensed its power.

   They had to return to the Ringcon Caves and find the doorway to the Crimson Palace. It was the only way to save the king.

Spectrum: Chapter Two 5/5

   The Golden Goddess was the most powerful enemy they had fought so far. She had a wide variety of dangerous magics that could dazzle their vision with sunspots, making it impossible for them to see her. Half of the time they were fighting blind! The Goddess’ tremendous limbs were also deadly, as a single crushing blow could easily render them unconscious. To make matters worse, golden statues of various enemies they had fought before—Whackoons, Fanged Caterpillars, Piggapods—would sometimes fall from the Goddess’ hair and come to life to aid her in battle! These new opponents came as more of a blessing than a curse, however. At this point, they were well experienced in fighting such beings and could easily dispatch them, and when defeated, these lesser monsters dissolved into golden light that gave the party a feeling of serenity, allowing them to continue fighting.

   It was the job of Seles and Clara to attack the Golden Goddess head-on. Seles’ arrows gave him the distance he needed to strike safely out of range of the Goddess’ blows, and Clara’s rod remained the most effective weapon against her stone skin. Niay destroyed the golden enemies as quickly as the Goddess could summon them to keep the party in good shape, and when Pyre wasn’t using acupressure to keep her allies fighting, she attacked whatever was closest to her with sword and fists. Although it seemed like it was the end more than once, the quartet emerged victorious, and the Golden Goddess broke apart and fell to the ground in pieces.

   They managed to wrestle the heavy lid of the ebony coffin to the ground, and the moment they did so, the room was filled with a marvelous light. Even weakened and drained of power, the spirit of Earth was a majestic sight, rising from her prison with impossible beauty and grace. Yes: it was she, Faience, who had been incarcerated within the coffin.

   Someone had entered the Sepia Palace and attacked Faience, damaging her so severely that she had been unable to prevent her imprisonment within the coffin. The element of wood had further weakened her powers, leaving her unable to help herself. The stone sentinels that lined her halls had been called to life by her need and danger, but without her control, they had attacked anything they saw, including Seles and his friends. She apologized abjectly for indirectly endangering them and gladly entrusted to them her powers through an ancient artifact: the Opal Scroll, which empowered them with her element of Earth.

   To Pyre Faience granted the ability to coat her weapons with elemental magic, strengthening her strikes against enchanted enemies such as the Golden Goddess. With the breath of magic upon her weapon, Pyre could even call upon magical enhancements, allowing her to perform mighty finishing techniques as long as she could gather up enough chi through her preliminary strikes to fuel them.

   Through Niay Faience manifested the “yang” of her earthly powers, giving him the ability to weave spells of protection and healing. These spells, Faience said, would be fueled by the kindness of Niay’s spirit, and would protect his friends upon their journey.

   Through Clara Faience manifested the “yin” of her earthly powers, giving her the crushing strength of rock and the formidable anger of the shaking earth. These spells, Faience explained, would be fueled by the strength of Clara’s soul in much the same way as Niay’s would channel the kindness of his spirit.

   To Seles Faience granted her most potent gift: mastery over the Opal Scroll. Using it, he could call upon Faience herself, manifesting an avatar of her power that would come to his aid. She was so weak, however, that she would need time between such manifestations to recover for the next; he could not simply call upon her indiscriminately. Regardless, if Seles called upon her at the entrance to Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, she would gladly lend him her strength. Furthermore, now he could use the Opal Scroll from anywhere in the world to return to the Sepia Palace for healing and advice.

   There was more, however. Faience recognized the flaming wreath Seles had won from the Tinderfly oh so long ago as the Garnet Wreath, the unique magical artifact of Rogalian, the other elemental spirit whose powers they would need. However, the wreath’s powers were startlingly low, convincing Faience that Rogalian had to be in as much trouble as she herself had been, if not more. The spirit told them that although the Garnet Wreath should have been able to take them straight to Rogalian’s Crimson Palace, this was no longer possible with its virtue so reduced. They would have to return to the Ringcon Caves and search out the path to the Crimson Palace on foot. Faience wished she could tell them more, but as the spirits never left their palaces, she knew the way no better than they did.

   There was also, of course, the matter of the mark of the evil arrow on Seles’ skin. Faience attempted to use her powers of healing upon it, but the mark was filled with such potent dark magic that she could not even touch Seles’ hand because of it. The silver birthmark on the opposite side of his chest captured her attention as well, but even she could not say why. She could not help Seles with the curse any more than Melise or Agatha, and from the state of the Garnet Wreath, she very much feared Rogalian would be rendered equally powerless. However, she promised to think about the problem while they were gone and inform them of any solution she could devise.

   One last gift Faience gave them: a tuft of Kitsune Fur, which she had used in the creation of the Golden Goddess. She told them to seek out Fu, the demonic blacksmith, who alone would have the skill needed to unlock the fur’s potential. Although Pyre and Niay balked at the idea of dealing with a demon, Faience assured them that the Opal Scroll would serve as both bargaining chip and protection against any mischief Fu might consider.

   Seles used the Magic Carpet to fly them back to the entrance of the palace out on the side of the Opal Mountains, and they returned to Mandala to discuss their next move.

Spectrum: Chapter Two 4/5

   When they entered the secret entrance Agatha had revealed to them, they found themselves in a great underground cathedral limned with precious stones and metals: all the glory of the earth. Niay, who could read the ancient letters inscribed upon the walls, learned that this place was called the Sepia Palace and shared this information with the others.

   The palace was ornamented with a great many statues of figures both strange and beautiful, all carved out of stone with eyes of jewels and clothes of gold. However, as the echo of Clara’s heels touched the walls around them, the statues came to life and took up arms against them!

   There was quite a variety in the kind of statues that confronted them. Sword-wielding Obsidian Valkyries strode to the attack; floating Pumice Nymphs struck with crushing stone flora and powerful spells. By far the most dangerous enemy was the Clay Sorceress, a silent figure who crafted Gold Vipers and Glass Bats from the walls of the palace even as they fought her! It took all of the group’s wits to make it through this complicated area alive: Seles aimed his arrows straight for any Clay Sorceress in the area while Clara struck down Obsidian Valkyries with her Magical Rod. Pyre grappled with the Valkyries, keeping them safely away from Clara, and Niay used his whip to nail down the agile Pumice Nymphs.

   It proved to be a long, hard trek, but in the end they made it down into an enormous chamber that glowed with the light of a searing lake of virgin magma that surrounded it on all sides. The chamber overlooked the rest of the palace, which plunged straight into the magma and continued down for an unfathomable distance; they had only explored a tiny sliver of their location.

   In the middle of this glowing chamber was an altar of black ebony…or, as Pyre realized, a coffin. As they neared it, the chamber shuddered as though in an earthquake, and a truly enormous statue of a goddess wreathed in gold became sentient…and violent!

Spectrum: Chapter Two 3/5

   Freed from the power of the Corposant Eyes, Agatha floated down from the sky, returning to her normal self. As she shook herself like a sleeper awakening from a deep dream, she realized everything that she had done, and she was horrified.

   The Corposant Eyes had appeared from nowhere one day, bearing a message from someone named Acheron. Acheron had threatened to kill Agatha if she “interfered,” and then the Corposant Eyes had possessed her body. It was actually the Eyes that had cast the dark spells that had turned the Tellah Forest into such an evil place and attempted to take over Mandala…and also teleported King Merope away. Because Agatha had been the channel for the Eyes, she knew where the king had been sent: to Acheron, who was hiding in the fiery center of Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, an active volcano north of Mandala. However, if they were going to storm Mount Hellena Bas-Crysalli, they were going to need the powers of Faience, the spirit of Earth—in order to move aside the rocks for safe passage—and the powers of Rogalian, the spirit of Fire—in order to protect themselves from the heat of the volcano.

   Although Agatha would have liked to help them further, her own powers had been drained by the presence of the Corposant Eyes, and she could not. She did however assure them that, as her powers returned, she would do her utmost to atone for everything she had done while under Acheron’s control. She informed them that Faience lived somewhere deep underneath this very mountain, and she used her magic crystal ball to show them the entrance at the base. With this information in mind, Seles used the Magic Carpet to fly back to safety.

   At this point, they had a decision to make. They could either head back to Mandala to rest and recover, or they could plunge right ahead into Faience’s domain. What would you do?

Spectrum: Chapter Two 2/5

   Eventually the Bramblers were defeated, and they stepped into a final portal that took them to the base of the Opal Mountains. Niay warned them that from here on, things were about to become very dangerous; they had to stay on their guard.

   Their trip up the mountain was long and arduous. Whackoons, Jackkoons, and Fangflies swarmed them from all sides. Enormous Rock Golems rose up from the ground and tried to smash them with their massive stone palms. Slippery Gold Vipers lashed out from unexpected cracks in the ground, snapping with their venomous opal teeth. Bright colors and unusual rocks distracted them. A rockslide nearly obliterated them all, forcing them to take a new route through a cavern populated by throngs of Glass Bats and Rock Golems. Fragile floors shattered underneath Clara’s high heels, dumping her down into caverns filled with Gold Vipers.

   Without Niay, they never would made it through this violent and distracting area. Niay’s skill with a whip allowed him to use it to swing across gaps and pull down distant stalagmites, and Ken’s Hammer was such a powerful tool that Seles could use it to smash rocks that had fallen in their way. Pyre’s Acupressure proved a literal lifesaver, as did Seles’ amassed collection of Flower Seeds. And Clara? Much to her astonishment, she found that the ephemeral powers of her Magical Rod made it the only weapon effective against the colossal Rock Golems.

   It was a difficult journey, but eventually they made it to the top of the Opal Mountain, where they saw a most unusual sight: a tall house running around on chicken legs! They chased the house around the mountaintop, splitting up and trying to catch the thing, but it was too quick for them. Finally, at the end of her rope, Clara screamed for the house to stop—and it did, nestling down much like a hen on her eggs.

   This was even odder than seeing the house to begin with, but they had no time to ponder its meaning. They leapt for the house and made it into the front door.

   Agatha was inside the house, but she was, to put it mildly, uncooperative. She brought the chairs around her table to life and used them as a distraction. The chairs were insignificant combatants, but they bought Agatha the time she needed to escape outside. While Seles and Pyre smashed the chairs into kindling, Clara chanced to see a treasure box near the stairs that contained a tuft of Kitsune Fur.

   Pursuing Agatha, they found her outside, surrounded by the Mandalan Army. King Merope was at the head of his soldiers, sword drawn. Cackling, Agatha used fiery magic to strike down the soldiers; the king managed to evade the spell’s burst, but many of his soldiers were killed instantly. Her cackle becoming insane, Agatha opened the folds of her robe to release five flaming Corposant Eyes, which surrounded her and lifted her into the air. She opened a magical portal underneath Merope, teleporting him to an unknown location—possibly the bottom of the sea, or the heart of a volcano!—and then turned her magic onto Seles and his allies.

   Levitating under the power of the Corposant Eyes, Agatha flew across the field wrapped in a cloud of darkness, continuing to cackle. However, she was nothing more than a distraction. The five Corposant Eyes roaming across the mountainside were the true threat. Each Eye could strike with electrical tentacles or cast a spell called St. Elmo’s Fire, which would attack one target with flaming lightnings.

   Pyre used her Acupressure to keep everyone’s health up, but her abilities were not enough; she and Niay had to keep a close eye on everybody and administer Flower Seeds constantly to ensure that none of their allies perished. Meanwhile, Clara and Seles ganged up on one Corposant Eye at a time. Although the Eyes were quick and powerful, they were not at all durable, and it was easy to finish them off once Seles had knocked them down with his arrows. It was a fast and furious fight, but it finally ended with the victory of Seles and his allies.

Spectrum: Chapter Two: Agatha, Faience, and Acheron

   The Tellah Forest was a mysterious wood grown in the outlay of a heinous maze to stop people from reaching Agatha's demesnes: the Opal Mountains. The strange trees with their cloudlike foliage and huge, lamplike flowers hid not only the sun above, but also dozens of magical portals placed strategically to deter intruders. Seles accidentally walked into one just inside the wood and disappeared, giving Clara and Pyre quite a fright; however, he soon reappeared, realizing that this area was going to be trickier than he had thought.

   The Ghosts that roamed this area were sometimes corporeal enough to drop White Capes, which provided an extra defensive and evasive boost (as well as being quite a fashion statement). The woods were also swarming with Fanged Caterpillars, Fangflies, and the unusual Jackkoon, which was a raccoon crossed with a jack-o-lantern. Niay proved himself invaluable in this area; having visited here before, he had a mental map of the teleportation portals and their exits, which made the travel much easier. He told the others that the forest had been around for as long he could remember, but when he and Ken had been children, the woods had simply been haunting and labyrinthine, rather than dangerous and monster-filled the way they were now.

   As they traveled, Pyre took the occasional moment to study her texts on acupressure and learned the locations of healing pressure points. She began to use them on her allies to keep their endurance high, a necessary precaution considering the amount of enemies they were beginning to encounter.

   Everything not blocked by enormous fallen trees or magical teleports was overgrown with poisonous brambles. This was probably why Seles wasn’t too surprised when they stepped through a teleport and found themselves facing off against a Brambler like the one Seles had fought alone back in the Lattice Forest.

   What did surprise him was the fact that there were two of them.

   Seles shouted to stick together and tackle the Bramblers one at a time, to take them down faster. Pyre called out that it would be better to split up and tackle both enemies simultaneously to keep them both distracted. What would you do?

Spectrum: Chapter One 5/5

   Pyre was a hardy, experienced warrior, and with her sword added to Seles’ bow and Clara’s rod, the Whackoons, Piggapods, Wood Birds, and Fangflies (apparently an evolved form of the Fanged Caterpillars that had infested the Lattice Forest) fell easily. She was also far wiser in the mechanics of battle than either Seles or Clara; she suggested that they all switch their weapons amongst each other, so as to become proficient at multiple armaments just in case Clara should ever need to defend herself hand-to-hand or Seles should ever need to unleash a magical assault.

   It turned out that Pyre was also trained in ancient medical and martial arts. She knew how to focus her energy to temporarily increase her strength, speed, and endurance, and assured Seles and Clara that she would certainly learn more techniques as she visited new places and absorbed new experiences.

   The Sanctuary was not too far from Mandala, and they made good time on their way there. The terrain consisted mostly of gentle hills and vibrant meadows, and travel was easy. Before long, they had reached it.

   They were welcomed by a young priest named Niay, who brought them to the Abbess of the monastery. The Abbess recognized Pyre as the Mandalan Princess and offered her free respite at the Sanctuary whenever she should need it. When she heard that Pyre was going to petition Agatha to halt her dark magic takeover of Mandala, the Abbess put her full support behind the idea. She offered them a Magic Carpet that could carry them out of places of evil if they got in trouble and the assistance of Niay, who was well schooled in the holy arts and had some knowledge of the Tellah Forest. Niay was happy to put his sacred training to good use.

   Leaving the Abbess’ room, Niay asked that they first stop by his room so that he could pick up a few things for the journey. They headed there, and Niay changed into more suitable travelling clothes than his priest’s robe and secured his Whip around his waist. Leaving the room, they encountered Niay’s best friend, Ken, who wanted to say goodbye. Having heard from the Abbess that Niay was venturing into the Tellah Forest and the Opal Mountains, Ken gave Niay his beloved hammer, which would certainly come in useful amidst the rockfalls and crowded tunnels of the Opal Mountains.

   It was time to find Agatha.

Spectrum: Chapter One 4/5

   It wasn’t too far from here to the Royal City of Mandala, and Seles and Clara made their way there with little trouble. Despite her difficult personality, Seles found his journey much easier with Clara there to assist him; she soon revealed that her Magical Rod could fire out bursts of magical energy, which were far more powerful than they looked. The Whackoons, Piggapods, and Wood Birds were no match.

   Mandala was a large, glittering marvel of architecture, overflowing with flying buttresses, stained-glass windows, and delicate spires. It was truly a lovely place. However, even this place of such beauty was not untainted by cruelty, as Seles and Clara came across a young boy being tormented by his peers just feet away from the city entrance. About to intervene, Seles was beaten to it by a woman with dark skin and golden hair who sent the bullies howling for home with one sharp reprimand. When Seles inquired, the rescued boy was happy to inform him that the woman had been Princess Pyre, the heir to the throne of Mandala.

   Although Seles asked many people around Mandala as to the whereabouts of Agatha, none could tell him anything very helpful. All of them, however, suggested that he try at the palace; the royal family was traditionally the protector and defender of Mandala, and anybody as potentially dangerous as a witch (Seles fumed to hear this, but kept silent) would certainly be under close scrutiny by the King and Queen. Several townspeople mentioned the recent wicked deeds of the Witch of the Mountain, whom Seles had never heard of.

   Entering the palace, Seles and Clara sought an audience with King Merope, ruler of Mandala. Clara presented her amnesia to the King first, and asked if there was any way he could help her return to her home kingdom. The King, however, had no idea where Clara hailed from, and informed her that he could not spare the resources it would take to find out. He was rallying together an army to go and kill the wicked Witch Agatha of the Mountain even as they spoke!

   Horrified, Seles and Clara withdrew from the audience chamber. Clara was distraught, and Seles feared for Agatha’s life. Quickly they hurried down the hall to exit the palace, but out of the shadows stepped none other than the Princess Pyre, who had been present—albeit silent—in the throne room during their speech. Pyre asked if it was true that Seles knew Agatha; it turned out that King Merope planned to lead the army after the Wicked Witch himself despite his age, and Pyre was extremely concerned for his safety. When she learned that Seles was the foster son of the Good Witch of the Woods, who would vouch for Agatha’s purity of spirit, Pyre decided that she would accompany Seles to Agatha’s home in the Opal Mountains in an attempt to stop her diabolical schemes peacefully before Merope would be forced to end things with violence.

   Pyre had armed herself with a sword and a pair of brass knuckles before ambushing Seles; she most kindly offered Seles and Clara the use of them if they pleased, as she certainly couldn’t use both of them at once. When they visited the Mandalan stores, the shopkeepers were horrified at the idea of taking money offered by Pyre, offering their goods at half-price only under strict duress from Pyre herself.

    Weapons and discounts were not all that Pyre brought to the table, however. She also had a Map of the World, with which she pointed out the Opal Mountains, which were accessible through the Tellah Forest. Just outside of the Tellah Forest—at the edge of the plains that surrounded Mandala—was a monastery known as the Sanctuary at which they would be able to rest before tackling the forest, the mountains, and Agatha.

   After taking a rest at the inn in Mandala (for free, courtesy of Pyre,) the trio headed across the plains towards the Sanctuary.

Spectrum: Chapter One 3/5

   As he was trekking towards Mandala, Seles had to make his way through the Ringcon Caves, which were the only passage through the Twilight Mountains—an offshoot of the Sunset Mountains, which nobody had ever before crossed over alive.

   Although very mazy and wet, the only real danger of the Ringcon Caves was the swarm of Silverfish splashing around through the marshes inside and outside the caves. The Silverfish would indiscriminately run Seles over with their random flailings, so he was often forced to destroy them just to make sure he survived. All evidence pointed to a recent flood in the caverns; Seles couldn't imagine why so many aquatic creatures would be splashing around in these caves otherwise.

   Midway through the Ringcon Caves, Seles found that he was not the only victim of the Silverfish. A young girl clad in fantastic finery was draped unconscious across the rocky floor of one open cavern, her comatose body bounced and bludgeoned by the stampeding Silverfish. Quickly Seles leapt in to rescue her, and after beating off the Silverfish, he managed to revive her.

   The girl was not grateful, however. Thinking that Seles was trying to take advantage of her, she screamed, walloped him with a wooden rod, and ran off down a tunnel that actually led deeper into the Ringcon Caves. Horrified, Seles ran after her, entreating her to stop before she got lost or awakened anything dark and evil down in the ground—but it was too late. The girl was seized, with a piercing scream, by a massive glowing firefly.

   The Tinderfly held the squalling and fighting girl in its multiple small arms and flew around exuding heat and flames from its glowing posterior. Seles had to keep his distance and fire arrows at the creature’s head, being sure not to hit the girl held underneath its body. As it began to feel the pain of Seles’ arrows, the Tinderfly began to mix up its attack pattern, alternately making flying dashes across the cavern and using its wings to blow gouts of fire at Seles. However, Seles was determined not to lose, and with the Flower Seeds he had picked up from the Whackoons, he was able to keep himself in the fight long enough to see the Tinderfly out of it. As the Tinderfly crashed to the ground and burned in an incandescent blaze of glory, Seles managed to rescue the girl, another tuft of Kitsune Fur, and a strange wreath made of glowing, fiery leaves unlike anything Seles had ever seen before.

   Since he had saved her life, the girl reluctantly introduced herself as Clara. She couldn’t remember anything more than her name, however; a flood had recently struck the Ringcon Caves, and she had been swept up in it and deposited here. She had an acute case of amnesia. Seles rather gallantly offered to help her find her way home; Clara rather less graciously accepted the offer.

   Although Clara had her wooden rod to battle with—and Seles could attest firsthand to the punch she packed with it—Seles told Clara to stay back away from the main brunt of the battle. Just by looking at her, it was obvious that she was even less used to battle than he was, and her delicate frame—to say nothing of her highly ineffective, albeit certainly flashy, choice of clothing—just screamed monster bait. For her part, Clara was more than happy to stay back. That was one order she was glad to follow.

   The Silverfish were still bouncing around the Ringcon Caves, but after the Tinderfly, they were nothing to Seles. He bulled through them with his Axe, Clara on his heels, and made it out once again into the bright, dry sunshine.

Spectrum: Chapter One 2/5

   Melise’s cottage was not far from the site of the battle with the Brambler, and Seles easily found his way back after his victory. Melise was pleased to see him back so early, but when she saw the arrows of his quiver, she knew exactly what had happened.

   The arrow in the tree had been an arrow of intense evil fired into this forest a long time ago. Melise lived in this forest for the express reason of using her magical abilities to keep the arrow sealed and its dark magic impotent. By touching it, Seles had given the evil magic of the arrow a center and allowed it to escape the confinement of Melise’s power. The new black mark on his chest was a physical symbol of the evil magic’s possession.

   There was only one thing to do. Removing her magic from the site to help Seles would free the creatures of the arrow’s energy to wreak havoc in the world. It would take another witch’s magic to free Seles; Melise told him that he had to find her old friend Agatha, who lived in the Royal City of Mandala. She also recognized the fur Seles had found after defeating the Brambler: it was Kitsune Fur, dropped by one of the Seven Kitsune Gods who had created the world at the beginning of time. This fur was intensely magical and the strongest substance known to man—it would surely come in useful.

   Melise could not leave the Lattice Forest, even in order to escort her foster son safely to Mandala, but she gave him his wood-chopping Axe to help protect him on his journey, along with two helpful Bandages and her secret savings of 80 Aurum.

   Seles bade a quick farewell to Melise, promising he would soon return safely, and left her cottage. He traveled safely to the edge of the Lattice Forest, protected by Melise’s magic, but once he left the forest, he found himself again a target of monsters. He wondered, as he frantically fought off more Whackoons and some bouncy Piggapods, whether the influence of the dark arrow was causing this unmitigated hostility he was encountering. He rather feared it might be.

Spectrum: Chapter One: The Dark Arrow, The Mysterious Girl, and The Royal City

   He had been exiled from his home village as a newborn child, left in the woods by fearful parents who saw the silver birthmark over his heart as a sign that he was tainted by the powers of the Sea. He had been found, however, by Melise, the Witch of the Woods, who brought him to her small cottage hidden deep within the Lattice Forest at the foot of the Sunset Mountains and raised him as her own. He had been named Seles by the good Witch, and he had been raised as one with the powers of nature; growing with, learning of, and always respecting the creatures of the forest.

   As he grew older, however, he became more and more inquisitive and overly confident in his own abilities. It was his constantly growing confidence that provoked him one day to enter the part of the wood he was forbidden to go.

   He quickly learned why he was forbidden to travel this area of the forest when a rampaging Oroax appeared and tried to gore him. He leapt about, dodging its charges and shooting arrows from his quiver at it—and although he managed to chase the creature away, it took all but his very last arrow to do so. He hesitated, not feeling safe unarmed, but curiosity won over caution, and he continued onward.

   Exploring boldly through the low-hanging foliage, he came across a most unusual sight; a dark arrow lodged into the trunk of a venerable old tree. A stream of sap bled sluggishly from the bark in a manner disturbingly similar to blood; feeling the old tree’s pain, Seles walked up to the tree and tugged the arrow out.

   In a flash of dark light the arrow disappeared, and Seles was surrounded in a dark miasma. Something hit his birthmark with a powerful force, and, repelled, swirled around and plunged into the right side of his chest instead with a sharp, stabbing pain. The miasma expanded in a whorl of indigo light, and suddenly a throng of Whackoons exploded from the bleeding hole in the tree.

   Reaching for his last arrow, fully expecting to die at the sharp-clawed hands of the Whackoons, Seles was astounded to find that his quiver was suddenly filled with arrows of silver and black. With one smooth movement, he drew and fired at a Whackoon.

   Although the Whackoons were great in number and could do great damage with their sharp little nails, they were not particularly hardy creatures, and it only took two well-aimed arrows to take one out of commission. Seles ran from the leaping Whackoons, firing as he went, and managed to make it away from the clearing of the bleeding tree.

   As was the nature of Whackoons, they had a tendency to have small collections of various odd objects on their person, and sometimes Seles managed to salvage a few of the Whackoons’ treasures after their defeat. Most of this treasure was spare Aurum the Whackoons had stolen from streets and villagers, but a few Whackoons possessed some medicinal Flower Seeds that were highly nutritious (as well as delicious). One Whackoon even had a Lucky Whackoon Paw stolen from some other Whackoon; Seles decided to keep this, hoping it might bring him some luck.

   If it was supposed to, it failed, because as Seles tried desperately to find his way back to Melise’s, he began to encounter new creatures. The Wood Bird was actually made out of wood, and it slapped Seles around with its sharp-edged wings; the Fanged Caterpillar would pop out of the trees at unexpected moments and latch onto Seles with its rows of teeth. Seles had never seen so many unusual and hostile creatures in one place before!

   As he defeated enemy after enemy, he began to grow experienced in the art of war. Having rarely used his arrows with the intent to kill before, he was unskilled at battle; every encounter honed his strength and accuracy to new levels of power.

   It was fortunate that this occurred, because just as Seles saw the trees of the deep forest begin to thin, he was attacked by an enormous growth of thorny vines. The Brambler was a tough opponent that lashed Seles with its long appendages and tried to drag him into its thorny maw; however, Seles recognized the mouth as the weak point and filled it with arrows. It was a difficult fight, but Seles finally emerged victorious, carrying away from the battle a colorful tuft of mysterious fur.

Spectrum: Introduction

Spectrum is a tale, not of swords and sorcery, but of arrows, of castles, of love and hate and giant robots, of silver fish and talking cats, of human foxes and demon blacksmiths and foundling children lost in the woods. My concept of its battle system is something of a cross between Secret of Mana, Brave Fencer Musashi, and Bayonetta, with the four playable party members participating in real-time battles with monsters without a separate battle screen or background. Piggybacking off of this, I decided while writing its design to present it in the same format as was used by the venerable Secret of Mana game guide: that of a novel. So read on and enjoy snatches of the story of Spectrum, told in a style both bold and elegant, and imagine the game that would result from its invention.