Part 1

"This is impossible. Only the chosen ones, the descendants of Erdrick, could make it to this refuge," the nun admonished again.

Groaning, I said, "Give me a break, Sister. Trust me — I'm not here to muck up the prophecies, or cause some great rift in the cosmic balance. Give me a few minutes to think here, and I'll figure out some way to get out of your hair. Shouldn't you be praying for the safe deliverance of the chosen ones, or something?" The woman's high-pitched voice was grating on my nerves, as if I didn't have enough problems already.

Letting out an indignant gasp, the nun stormed off, deeper into the monolith somewhere.

Okay, time to think. What would the two princes be wearing? Odds are I'm not going to be able to use anything they are. That eliminates all the Erdrick equipment, the Thunder Sword, the Light Sword, and the fur coat — as if I'd be caught dead wearing that anyhow.

Ticking through D.Q. Two's item list in my head, I realized I was already wearing the best armor I could likely pull out of the bag. Okay, I'm stuck with Magic Armor. Let's see if I've got a Dragon Killer buried in here somewhere, though, because that's stronger than a broadsword. Oh, and a Shield of Strength.

Rummaging around in my magical sack, I found what I was looking for. "Sweet," I muttered, and dropped the broadsword back into the bag. Giving the Dragon Killer a few practice swings, I grinned at the green aura of magical power surrounding it. Slipping the shield on my arm, I could almost feel the healing energy within it.

"Speaking of magic..." I concentrated, hoping to have the words of a spell pop into my head.

No such luck.

Hmm, the Hero wouldn't have had any magic at the point where I popped up near Endor. The Hero in D.Q. Two doesn't have any magic at all. I guess that means I'm restricted to whatever abilities the Hero has in the game.

"Guess it's just you and me, buddy," I said to my sword.

Against hordes of smiling, instant death baddies, my brain finished for me, even though I was trying to ignore that particular little problem.

Stones of Life would be nice, about a dozen of them strung around my neck would work, I think. No such thing in this game, though. Dragon's Bane — that will at least help to block some spells.

Digging through the bag again, I recognized one of the stones. Pulling it out, I strung the leather thong around my neck. Good thing I'm obsessed with gambling, I thought. The lottery in this game was more random than the casinos in later games, but I remembered making a pretty good haul. I could see another lying in the bag, so I gave a shot at pulling it out.

I whistled the Finding an Item tune, and then held my breath, as I tried to slip the second stone around my neck. In the game, only one could be equipped. Fortunately for me, I appeared to be somewhat outside the rules. After having no trouble with the second stone, I dug around, and found another, buried under a set of Wayfarer's clothes. They had to be from alternate saves — lucky for me — or I wouldn't have had so many.

Three Dragon's Banes should put a crimp in any of the monster's little death spells. Then I thought, Maybe I don't have to deal with them at all. I could just hit the portal, and head back to Beran. Surely I can handle the critters outside of Rhone, equipped as well as I am.

A sound like an explosion outside drew me out of my musings. Walking over to the window, I was amazed to see three people outside the Monolith. I knew who it had to be, as the nun was right, nobody else should have been able to make it here.

The explodet spell from the Princess did some damage, but it was a waste of magic power. The Prince's defeat spell took out all the Blizzards in one fell swoop. Even though the group was still a goodly distance away, I could tell they weren't in great shape. Remembering my runs through Rhone, I could certainly guess why.

They were headed toward the Monolith, obviously on the way back for some healing, before they set out to try to reach Hargon's Castle again. With the Blizzards out of the way, as close as they were, they should have been home free.

I have no idea where the Giants could have been hiding. They popped up as if from nowhere, rising above the staggering heroes. Surprising the descendants of Erdrick, the one-eyed gargantuans both swung their clubs.

"Surround — cast surround!" I shouted, but I knew they were too far away to hear me. The prince of Cannok dodged the attack of one giant, but the Hero wasn't so lucky. I winced as he went down, and a hazy specter appeared above his body. The crackle of lightning from the Princess' Staff of Thunder proved to be little more than an annoyance to the Giants.

The Prince tried to dodge again, and attack, but with two giants now concentrating on him, he didn't really stand a chance. A moment later, he too fell to the earth, his spirit hovering above him.

The desperate Princess made the right move, casting surround, and the Giants both flailed fruitlessly, missing her by a mile. It was only a temporary reprieve, however, and I knew it.

My survival instinct warred with my conscience. They weren't real people. They were just video game characters. A quick reset — the alternate reality spell, as I liked to call it — and they'd be just fine.

The Princess fled while the Giants were partially blinded by illusions, the bodies of her two cousins vanishing, now housed in the specters trailing along behind her. I could see tears running down her cheeks, and that's what made the decision.

I walked over to the door, checked over my equipment once more, took a deep breath, and stepped outside. Two Blizzards were coming up on the Princess fast, and she hadn't seen them yet.

I screamed, "Watch it! Blizzards!"

The Princess glanced back over her shoulder, and I could hear her gasp, as she was that close to the safety of the Monolith now. Unfortunately, she wasn't close enough. Summoning up my courage, I charged out to join her. Desperate, the Princess once again opened up with the explodet spell. This time, the Prince wasn't alive to use his death magic against the beasts, and they survived.

I reached her just as the Blizzards attacked, fortunately trying to tear her apart with their claws. I wondered how they could hit anything, or be hit, considering they looked like shimmering beings of light. While I couldn't see through them, they certainly looked insubstantial. The Princess managed to dodge the first Blizzard's wicked attack, and took only a glancing blow from the second. It was enough to drop her to her knees, however.

Whipping my Dragon Killer into an overhead blow, I let out a scream, turning the attention of both the nasty critters to me. Part of me was silently screaming, Oh, that was fucking stupid. Heere's yer sign! I ignored it, following through with the strike.

The Blizzard screamed, an ear-splitting sound that sparked an image of a cat being electrocuted in my head. The combination of a screeching yowl and a crackle of electricity marked the demise of the Blizzard. Not really prepared to have slain it in one blow, I was a bit off balance. The second Blizzard struck, its claws not penetrating my armor, but hurting nonetheless from the strength of the attack. I knew I was going to have a nasty bruise.

Regaining my balance, I danced off to the side, swinging my sword in a feint, trying to draw the creature away from the Princess, who had lost consciousness. It obviously considered me the major threat at this point, because it ignored her and came after me.

Weak and angry, the Blizzard turned to its death magic. I could feel the chill touch of the life-snuffing spell wash over me, and the warm glow of the Dragon's Bane amulets beneath my armor. "Nice try, Blizzard boy!" I charged back in, swinging my sword at the creatures out thrust arm.

The Blizzard screamed in pain as the blow connected, and lashed out with its defeat spell again. Once more, luck — and my Dragon's Bane amulets — were on my side. The spell rolled off me, and I ducked a swipe of the creature's claws. It lost its balance, stumbling forward slightly when I wasn't where it expected me to be.

I took advantage of the slip, and swung my sword at about where the creature's knees should be. The creature screamed again, louder than before, but looked groggy. I didn't give it time to recover its wits, and stabbed upward into the thing's chest.

The Blizzard winked out of existence, and I turned, sighing with relief when I didn't see a third spirit hovering over the landscape. The Princess was still alive. Sheathing my sword, I picked her up, surprised by how light she was, and ran to the Monolith.

Panting for breath, I tried to ignore the expressionless spooks hovering around my shoulder. I put the Princess down in front of the dais at the head of the Monolith, and as soon as I could manage, I shouted, "Hey, nun lady! The chosen ones could use a little healing here!"

The bruise beneath my armor shot pain through me, and I remembered my Shield of Strength. Raising it overhead, I felt healing energy pour through me. The pain ceased, and my exhaustion vanished. Nice, I thought, Hell of a lot more convenient than screwing around with herbs. Safe within the Monolith now, and not feeling like dragging around the shield, I tucked it back in my magical bag.

The nun walked out from somewhere deeper in the Monolith, and gasped upon seeing the state of the chosen ones. Moving immediately to the dais, she closed her eyes and offered a prayer. Healing energy poured through the Princess, and the two specters sank down into a reclining position. Once on the floor, the hazy images of the two Princes became their bodies once more, and they too were permeated by the holy light of the nun's magic.

After a while, all three chosen ones groaned and stirred. They stood slowly, trying to shake the cobwebs out of their heads.

"What happened? Is everyone alright?" The Hero asked his companions.

The Prince and Princess both nodded their heads in the affirmative, and then the Princess turned toward me. "This man helped me. I don't believe I would have made it back without his aid."

The Hero pulled off his helmet, shaking out his short, dark hair, and walked toward me, extending his hand. "You have my gratitude. I am Thakkor."

Looks like it's time to fall back on my second run-through name, I thought. "Not a problem, Thak. The fate of the world does lie in your hands, after all. Just doing my part. My name's Matusen, but you can call me Matt."

The Prince approached next, his spiky blonde hair bouncing as he walked. "You have my gratitude as well. I am Lars, Prince of Cannock." His tone struck me as a little arrogant.

I shook the Prince's hand, but it took a lot of focus to keep my eyes on him. Behind him, the Princess was pulling off her miter, and shaking out a wealth of blonde hair. It had been hidden by the miter, and tucked into her Water Flying Cloth previously. Those are some big, blue eyes, I thought. Snapping my brain away from the beautiful Princess, I said to Lars, "You're welcome. Good to have you back."

The Princess then approached. She moved with a dancer's grace, just the faintest hints of the curves hidden beneath her Water Flying Cloth showing. "I thank you as well. I am Gwen, the Princess of Moonbrooke."

I took her hand and kissed it. Her cheeks turned rosy, which served to make her even more beautiful. "What sort of man would not come to the aid of someone in need? No thanks are necessary, Milady."

Gwen's lips turned up into a smile. "I notice you didn't say a woman in need."

I winked, and said, "I'm smarter than that."

Gwen laughed, and pointed at Lars. "Perhaps you should teach him how to speak with a lady. He's quite hopeless."

Lars protested, "Gwen!"

Thakkor burst out into laughter, drawing an angry stare from his royal cousin, and more laughter from Gwen. I chuckled a little, but decided that cracking up at the Prince's embarrassment probably wasn't a good idea.

Thakkor's expression turned somber after a minute or so. "Sorry, Lars, but I needed that laugh. How are we ever going to survive to even reach Hargon's castle, let alone defeat him?"

I jumped in, "Do you still have a Leaf of the World Tree?"

Thakkor shook his head, "I had to use it on Lars, after that Silver Batboon attack."

I ticked off another vital piece of equipment I always carried when making a run for Hargon, "What about Wizard's Rings?"

All three shook their head. Gwen answered, "We had one, but it dissolved when I restored my magic, shortly before you arrived to save us."

I asked Gwen, "Are you carrying a Shield of Strength?"

Gwen hung her head, "I couldn't possibly use something so heavy."

I bent down and smiled at her. "You could put one in your bag, though, and use its magic to heal you when necessary. It won't weigh anything in the bag, and you could lift it long enough to heal yourself, I'm sure."

"I have held Lars' for him sometimes," Gwen admitted, raising her head back up with a grin.

"There you go," I told her with a smile. Tapping my finger on my chin, I said, "I'd say some shopping, and a little gambling is in order. It's a pain in the ass that nobody sells Wizard Rings, but I think I can win a few in the Lottery. I'm pretty lucky. We'll need some lottery tickets, and that means fighting some Healers. Either that, or hoping Puppet Men have the rings themselves."

"We acquired our Wizard's Ring from a Puppet Man," Lars interjected.

I countered, "Healers aren't very dangerous, though, and I really think I can pull off winning some. No sense taking the extra risk, unless we have to."

Thakkor nodded. "It's worth a try. We'll need to get a new Leaf of the World Tree, and buy Gwen a Shield of Strength."

The nun stepped forward then, curiosity and suspicion both evident in her eyes. She stared me down, asking, "Who are you?"

I smiled at the nun, shrugging my shoulders. "Nobody important. I'm just trying to help. I can't explain why, but I've made a run through Rhone once or twice." Turning to Thakkor, I asked, "Did you make it to a fork in the path?"

Thakkor nodded, "Yes, we found a place where there were two choices, both leading south, toward where we believe the pass through the mountains to Hargon's castle lies."

"Did you take the eastern path?" I asked.

"Yes, but we did not penetrate far, before we had to retreat," Thakkor answered.

"The monsters there weren't as strong, were they?"

Gwen piped up, "No, they weren't."

Turning to the nun, Thakkor said, "I trust this man."

Nodding her head, the nun said, "Very well, I will defer to the judgment of the chosen ones. In truth, I find his advice wise."

"That's good enough for me," Thakkor announced. "We should use the portal, and go gather what we need."

Pulling my shield back out of the bag, I said, "Once more unto the breech. Should be a cakewalk after Rhone, though."

"A what?" Lars asked with confusion.

I chuckled. "Sorry, expression from my homeland — it's pretty localized, I guess. It will be easy. Let's get going, then. We have some Healers to beat up, and some prizes to win."

Stepping out of the second portal, now back to safety in the town of Beran, I was glad I hadn't eaten anything in the last several hours. My stomach was quivering and lurching in a very uncomfortable manner. "I'm glad there's no need to do that very often," I muttered.

My three companions, who all looked a little green as well, nodded their agreement.

"First things first, let's sail to World Tree Island, and collect a new leaf," Thakkor suggested.

"Good idea," I agreed. "Then we'll find some Healers hoarding lottery tickets."

We crossed town, and I was again struck by just how little the game actually showed of the bustling cities. This was no glorified village with a dozen or so people living in it.

The jaunt cross-country from Beran to the port was uneventful, which was surprising, considering how many strong enemies lived in the region. I discovered that in this real-world version of Dragon Quest, there was actually a village where the ship docked in the game. It was a collection of homes and businesses, which would have been the poor dockside area of a large city sitting directly on the seashore.

It wasn't hard to find the docks once we got there. The smell was like a beacon that couldn't be ignored. I chuckled, thinking about how many stories I'd read about people dumping things into the sea, not thinking that they would come right back with the tide.

Breathing shallowly, we hurried across the docks to the companion's boat. A sailor greeted us, "Your Majesties, we didn't expect you to return."

"You mean you didn't expect us to return so soon?" Lars asked, his tone of voice carrying a note of rebuke.

The sailor paused for a moment, and then answered, "Uhmm, yeah — so soon. Are we bound for the sea again, then?"

Thakkor replied, "To World Tree Island."

Bowing, the sailor said, "Of course, Prince. Do we leave immediately? We are fully supplied, the crew is on board, and the tide appears to be with us."

"If we're stocked up, let's get underway," I suggested.

"The sooner we're away from the reek of the docks, the better," Lars agreed, holding his nose and rolling his eyes at the village we'd just passed through.

The sailor rolled his eyes as well, and I could almost see him thinking the word, lubbers. "We'll get underway, then," the sailor announced, and then turned to shout orders to the crew.