"Where am I...?" she asked him uncertainly. Despite her pain, she was coherent.
The man seemed surprised. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "And I only just removed the crown!"
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Head...hurts..." she groaned, and she fell to her knees, weak and dizzy.
"Easy!" the old man cautioned. As he helped her up, he said, 3You1re in a town called Narshe. I found you in our mines.2 He took something off a shelf and showed it to her, a large silver circlet. It was beautiful in its craftsmanship, yet somehow glinted with subtle malice. "This is a Slave Crown," he said. "The others had complete control over you while you were wearing it."
The woman shakily got to her feet, trying to think back. Finding no memory of past days, she bowed her head. "I can't remember a thing..." she said wearily.
"Don't worry," the old man said gently. "It'll all come back to you...in time, that is." She shook her head, confused.
A mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic...the old man had seen immediately that she was no ordinary being. The woman had an aura about her, an aura of power not yet brought to its fullest potential. It intrigued yet frightened him...well did he know of the outcome of the War of the Magi, and he had heard many rumors as to this woman's power. Her natural magical nature had doubled the strength of the Magitek armor she'd been wearing, and had infused it with abilities no other armor in the Empire posessed.
Now the old man fully understood why this woman was an essential part of Emperor Gestahl's plan. But with that understanding came greater danger, and he knew he must hide her away as quickly as possible.
A sudden gleam came into the woman's eye as a brief memory returned. "My name...is...Terra," she said hesitantly, and the old man smiled, jolted out of his meditations.
"Impressive! I've never heard of anyone recovering this fast!" It was an encouraging sign. If the woman regained her memory, perhaps it would be easier to convince her to become a Returner...
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of barking dogs outside his door. They heard a sharp knocking, and a guard demanded, "Open up! Give us back the girl and the Empire's Magitek armor!"
The old man hurried to the outer room and peeked out the window. "Open this door!" the guard demanded again. "We want that girl! She's an officer of the Empire!"
Terra, hearing the shouts, went to the outer room. "Empire?" she asked, confused. "Magitek armor?"
But the old man was not listening. "Look, I have to get you out of here!" he said urgently. "I don't have time to explain! Over here!" The old man led Terra to the back door. "Make your way out through the mines! I'll keep those brutes occupied!" He removed something from his belt and gave it to her. "Take this. You may need it in the mines."
Terra accepted the item. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's a mithril knife," the old man replied. "I know it's not much of a weapon, but the mines are dangerous and you'll need something to protect you." He walked over to a cupboard, opened it, and took out several items. "Here's some leather armor. It's the best I can give you at the moment. Now please, you must leave, and don't worry about me!"
Terra, about to ask more questions, saw how concerned he was for her safety. So after donning the armor and palming the knife, she followed his instructions without further delay.
She shut the door as quietly as possible and crept along, trying to make herself inconspicuous. But as she made her way over a wooden bridge that led to one of the mine shafts, four guards suddenly appeared beneath her. "She's up there!" one shouted, and they rushed off to intercept her. With no time to think, her only thoughts centered on getting away, she ran into the mines.
Terra breathed a sigh of relief as she saw a blue light, somehow familiar to her. She instinctively knew this was a safe point, so she rested for awhile.
When she woke up, she was only slightly refreshed. Remembering the danger she was in, she quickly got to her feet, momentarily set back by a sudden stab of pain that shot through her head. She steadied herself, shook her head to clear the pain, and continued her escape.
Hostile creatures lurked in dark corners, attacking her without warning. Alone, armed only with the knife, and lacking battle cunning, Terra nevertheless managed to fight her way past them. She walked over rickety wooden bridges, occasionally guided by candles thrust in the rough stone walls. Treasure chests were scattered all over the mine, but she bypassed them, intent only getting away.
Terra climbed a rough stairway hewn out of the rock and was ambushed by Were Rats, who bit and wounded her before she had a chance to orient herself. She fell back in surprise, but then she steadied herself. Weak and desperate now, Terra barely defeated them and went on through the narrow passage.
Suddenly she heard a yell. "Got her!" guards shouted as they came from behind her. Terra ran forward and saw a door, only to have more guards rush through it. Trapped, she began backing into a corner. Just as the guards reached her, she felt the floor tremble and give way. With a scream, she fell into the depths of the mines.
Terra hit the ground with a hard thud. Slowly she got up and walked a few steps, but fatigue and dizziness overcame her. Falling into a semi-conscious heap, she began to dream...
She was sitting in a dim, suffocating room. She felt drained
of all energy, and she heard a man's rough voice. "My sweet little
magic user!" he exclaimed.
Magic?...Was he talking about her?...Her mind was fuzzy...
Despite a feeling of helplessness, she could feel herself trying to fight back, but whatever was holding her to the chair was too strong. She saw a man come up in front of her. Although he was richly dressed, wearing a fur-trimmed cape and silk clothing, she felt nothing but repulsion at the sight of him.
The man gave an evil cackle. "Uwee, hee, hee! With this Slave Crown I'll practically OWN you!!" He brought forward a shiny ringlet. She tried to struggle, tried to get away from that gleaming headband, but there was nothing she could do. The man placed it on her head, and she felt it tighten, felt it become part of her...
Her head jerked up. With a sudden, wicked gleam in her eye, all her anxieties and confusion were gone. She knew what her purpose was, and she laughed at the thought of her ever being indecisive. She had power now, she had control! She looked at the man in front of her in the eye. He nodded curtly, and so did she.
She got up and nimbly hopped into the Magitek armor that stood nearby, and went outside to join the army that was preparing to storm a town. They marched in perfect formation, their Magitek armor booming out a song of doom.
They reached the town, and eagerly she fulfilled her assignment. She burned buildings and crushed all those who resisted her. Some soldiers stopped to grab any loot they could find, but she had no interest in treasure. She fought until the entire town was destroyed.
The rich man, also in Magitek armor, came up beside her. "Uwee, hee, hee!" he cackled. "Good! Burn everything up!" The man stood there and watched as she and the other soldiers continued with the destruction, cackling all the while...
She became a model soldier. She found herself standing on a high metal platform as the Emperor himself pinned a medal on her, in front of the entire Imperial army. She shook hands with the three Imperial generals, with the richly dressed man among them...
The Emperor stepped to the front of the platform and addressed the assembly. "We stand on the brink of a major breakthrough!" he shouted to the soldiers. "In the days to come, we'll witness a total revival of magic!" He waited for the cheers to subside before continuing.
"It is our destiny, and ours alone, to take this mystic force and claim what is rightfully ours!" he cried passionately. "With our new-found power, nothing can stand in our way!"
The three generals came up behind the Emperor and began to shout. "Hurrah!! Long live Emperor Gestahl!" The crowd followed suit, and exuberant cries could be heard from all directions. "Hurrah!! Long live Emperor Gestahl!" Caught up in the frenzy of the moment, she found herself cheering and shouting along with the rest. She raised a fist and took up the cry as well.
"Hurrah!! Long live Emperor Gestahl!"...
She dreamt no more.