The featureless sky above was unnerving, devoid of clouds, sun, or any other feature that should be there. The dull gray made me feel like I was inside some sort of dust-covered snow globe.

I could see well enough, but the lighting gave the impression of a late fall overcast, chill and gloomy despite the warmth of the air. The grass was much the same color as the evergreens, a deep green so dark that it was hard to tell where the shadows ended and the boughs began. The sea and mountains I could see were equally bland and almost lifeless looking.

I tightened a couple of straps on my magic armor and sheathed my flame sword, thinking that the somewhat mournful overworld theme running through my head fit the place perfectly. After visiting the other bright and welcoming DQ worlds full of life and beauty, this one was a sharp and disheartening contrast.

I'd already seen several slimes and even a few red slimes, but the creatures had shied away from me. If I remembered my last save in the game properly, I was on my way to the final battle in the SFC remake of the game. I couldn't translate more than a little of the Japanese, but I knew the original game so well that I'd had little trouble finding my way. Thus, the monsters were fleeing from me exactly as they would have the hero in the game.

I could see the town of Brecconary and Tantegel castle a short distance away. Both looked far more like dark ages fortresses than the cities and castles of the other DQ worlds. Turning toward the sea, I could see the black basalt specter of Charlock rising from the swirling mists. I could just make out the one bright spot in the world, the Rainbow Bridge.

The old man had hinted that I was supposed to go to Kol, but I really wasn't looking forward to the long hike around the mountains. The place was depressing, and I felt exhausted for some reason. Turning back toward town, I decided to stop off in Brecconary for a beer or three and a rest.

The streets were paved with crumbling stone and lined with buildings constructed of whatever the occupants could find. A few substantial structures of stone lined the road, but most were made of wood, and some were little more than rude shacks.

The people looked as downtrodden as their town. Everyone moved slowly from place to place with their heads down, and few spoke or acknowledged the others they encountered. Once I stepped into the inn, I realized that the tiles in the game had left out a lot. There were actually several rooms in the inn, and a small drinking area with a bar. A few townsfolk sat around nursing their brew silently, but I did see a few listening to a flute player with faint smiles on their faces. I grinned as well, recognizing the tune he played as the town theme of the game.

"Welcome to my humble establishment, good traveler. Do you seek a place to bed down, perhaps?"

I turned to the innkeeper and nodded. "I need a beer and a bed something fierce."

The innkeeper's smile spread far wider, and I could see hope in his eyes. I assumed that he probably didn't get much business to the tavern, and even less from people seeking rooms. I tried to remember the cost of the inn from the game, and then doubled that. I still had more gold coins jingling around in my bag than I knew what to do with, so I figured I might as well spread the wealth.

"Good Master, this is..."

"What I'm paying you," I said, cutting him off. "Just take it."

"You are most kind. I will endeavor to make your stay here the most grand you have ever experienced."

"I appreciate it," I responded, taking my room key from him.

I walked over to the bar and took a seat. The flute player was now recounting the legend of Erdrick. I knew it well enough, considering I'd played through it in DQ Three several times. He linked the current descendant of Erdrick to the story, trying to drum up hope amongst those listening.

I dropped a coin on the bar and ordered a beer, chuckling as the barkeep bit into the coin before staring at it in wide-eyed surprise. I turned back to the minstrel telling his story, and something hit me. I knew I was in the SFC version of the game, because I'd been able to discharge a fireball from my flame sword as I chose my equipment. The minstrel was referring to the characters and places in the game by the familiar U.S. localization terms, though.

"Your mind changes things around to make you more comfortable," a voice I knew all to well said from behind me.

I turned toward the old man with a sigh, wondering what he was going to pull on me this time.

"They aren't even speaking a language you could actually understand. It's part of the magic."

"Thanks for the heads-up. I suppose you're here to try to shuffle me off to Kol. Well, go fuck yourself, old man. I'm staying right here."

The old man waved his hands in front of him in a gesture of mocking fear, and then scoffed before saying, "I'm here for the beer. You'll go exactly where you're supposed to go."

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled, purposely turning away from him as I finished my beer. When I glanced back over my shoulder a little while later, the old man was gone. A look around the room didn't reveal him anywhere.

I shrugged and ordered another beer. A little while later, with a good buzz on, I dropped a couple of coins in the minstrel's hat and headed for my room. Just like hunger is the best sauce, exhaustion is the softest mattress. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the scratchy pillow.

I awakened to cries of alarm, the sounds of a fight, and a drakee furiously beating its head against the window of my room. Fortunately, after so long practicing, I could pull on my armor as quickly as any soldier in the DQ worlds. I managed to get dressed and get my sword ready just as the drakee burst into the room.

With little room to swing my sword in the tight confines, I resorted to a maneuver that had served me quite well on numerous occasions. I blocked the screeching bat-like creature with my shield, constantly batting it toward walls. Finally, the critter was in the perfect position to smash it hard against the wall with my shield.

The sickening crunch told me that I'd surely busted several bones in the drakee's body. It slid down the wall in cartoon fashion, flopping off the simple hand-carved headboard of the bed to land on the mattress. I scraped it off onto the floor and stabbed my sword into it to finish the drakee off.

I heard a terrified woman's scream from outside the inn, and I certainly couldn't ignore that. I found the innkeeper furiously bashing a red slime to death with a broom, and other members of his family likewise dispatching other slimes with various household implements.

With everything under control inside the inn, I stepped outside. Everywhere I looked people were battling slimes and drakees. While the townsfolk were doing well against the slimes, the flying drakees were staying out of reach and diving in to attack. The townsfolk had few weapons that could attack the airborne menaces.

I drew my sword with a wicked grin. I pointed it at the nearest drakee and tracked the creature's movement. I released a fireball from the sword just ahead of the creature's path, and it fell like a screaming meteor to the earth below. My second fireball missed, but the third and fourth connected.

Facing my effective fireball assault, the drakees took to their wings and fled the town. Without the distraction of the flying monsters, the slimes didn't stand a chance. Red and blue goo soon coated the cracked flagstones throughout the town.

With the threat finally ended, I turned to find the innkeeper wiping his brow after smashing a final slime to the ground. Towns were safe havens from monsters in the game, unless the plot demanded otherwise, so I was a little surprised at the attack. "Does this happen often?"

The innkeeper shook his head. "Never before have any monsters dared to attack the town. It has happened before in other towns, but the monsters there are far more fearsome."

Must be some last ditch effort to stop or distract the hero, I thought.

A group of soldiers suddenly burst through the main gate of town to fan out and stare with amazement at the carnage. I assumed by the embellishments on his armor that the one approaching the innkeeper and I was some sort of officer. When he addressed the innkeeper, that led me to the assumption that the man was some sort of unofficial governor in town.

The soldier took off his hat and said, "We were set upon in the castle as well. I apologize for not arriving sooner, but it appears you had things well in hand."

The innkeeper slapped me on the shoulder and said, "Nay. Were it not for this traveler and his magical sword, we surely would have still struggled against the invading creatures even now."

The soldier looked me over and grunted approvingly. "The King will surely wish to reward you for your bravery, traveler."

I could tell that the guy was fishing for a name, so I supplied one. "Thakkor."

The soldier raised his eyebrows. "You seem to share the bravery and skill of the man for whom you are named."

That was a surprise. Apparently, my most common name in DQ Three actually translated over to the legend in this world. "Just did what I could," I responded with a shrug.

"Please, come with us and guest in the castle. The King will surely receive you in the morning."

I knew better than to refuse a Royal summons, even when issued without the direct word of the King. I turned to the innkeeper and clapped him on the shoulder. "Looks like you're getting an even better deal than before. You get double the rent for half a night."

"Would that we could repay you for what you have done this night," he said, clasping my hand in a firm handshake.

"No need," I responded, not knowing what else to say.

I followed the soldiers back to the castle, where they put me up in a far more comfortable room within the castle. With the adrenaline rush gone, I soon slipped back into an exhausted slumber once more.

I was awakened politely, but insistently, the next day by an attractive middle-aged woman. The castle servants had somehow managed to polish my armor and bring in a tub without waking me, a testament to exactly how tired I was when I hit the hay. I was still pretty hazy when I tossed back the covers to climb out of bed.

I came back to my senses just in time to notice the woman glancing away from my morning erection, hidden only by my boxers, and blushing furiously. She looked once more before closing the door, and I had to wonder if she'd find some excuse to come back in once she assumed I was in the bath.

Washed and dressed in my sparkling armor, I had to admit that I cut a pretty dashing figure in the full-length mirror. Too bad this look wouldn't work quite so well in the real world.

A knock a few minutes later revealed another servant hoping I was ready, because the King was ready to see me. I was rather ill prepared for what awaited me when I exited the door. Quite a few of the townsfolk had turned out along with everyone in the castle to line the pathway to the stairs where the King and Gwaelin awaited.

As soon as I stepped outside, armored men on either side of the path presented weapons, while others took up instruments. It was a little hard to not straighten my back and puff out my chest as the powerful, swelling cords of Overture sounded, the common theme of all the games. It never failed to give me goose bumps the first time it rang out whenever I started a new game, and it had the same effect upon me then.

At the same time memories of getting my hands on a new game for the first time flooded through me, I also felt a little like I was reliving the end of the first Star Wars. It all combined to make me forget pretty much the entire procession, and the speech the King gave. I have no idea how I responded, and I only really came down as I ascended the stairs to the throne room with the King.

The King wearily took a seat on his throne while Gwaelin took her place across from him. It was only then that I really noticed her. Damn, the hero is one lucky bastard, I thought as I looked at her. Gwaelin appeared to be about nineteen, with honey-gold hair that hung in perfect ringlets framing her face, and even the conservative gown she wore could do little to hide her perfect figure. She looked like a supermodel, but something in her eyes bespoke a lot more humanity than that, despite her lofty station.

I had to fight the urge to chuckle as I remembered that I'd gone to rest at the inn with the hero while carrying Gwaelin home after rescuing her in the game. I had to wonder if the hero took opportunity to do more than sleep before returning her home to her father. I don't know how he could have resisted.

"We wish to offer our thanks personally for your brave and noble deeds in protecting our citizens. We also wish to ask of you a boon, Thakkor."

Crap. Knew this was too good to be true. "How may I be of service, your Majesty?"

"One has come to us in need of escort to the city of Kol, and we cannot spare the soldiers to accompany her. The fair lady now intends to make the journey alone, and this weighs heavily upon our heart."

I could almost hear the knobby-kneed old man chuckling in my ear.

I knew I was trapped, so I put on my best Mandorallen lofty nobility and responded, "Surely it doth weigh heavily upon mine own heart to consider the peril that a woman wouldst face alone upon the long, harsh journey to fair Kol, and I cannot in good conscience allow this to come to pass so long as I do possess the strength to lift mine sword, your Majesty. I do vouchsafe that the fair lady shall meet no misfortune so long as she doth travel at my side, though the foulest of monsters and creatures of the dark do beset us in our grand journey to the safe environs of fair Kol."

I was rather proud of myself when the King paused, obviously needing a moment to process my answer. If I'd opened up on him full force, I'd probably have knocked his crown off waxing poetic and verbose.

"We are most pleased and grateful to hear such fine news, noble Thakkor. The fair lady impatiently awaits your answer, having agreed to wait only at our insistence after hearing of your deeds within Brecconary. We do hope you can leave on your journey soon, as we doubt she shall wait for much longer."

"I need only what I have, your Majesty. We may set out this very morn, from this very room."

"Our beloved daughter, so recently returned to us from the clutches of darkness, will escort you to the fair lady immediately then. We do fear that we must take council with wise men to discern the best course of action in light of the recent attacks."

"I understand, your Majesty," I said with a bow.

Gwaelin stood and gestured for me to approach. While she maintained her royal demeanor as she escorted me out of the throne room, I could see it falling from her shoulders like an unwanted cloak as soon as we closed the door. She pulled something from the bodice of her gown and glanced down at it. The heart shaped pendant could be only one thing, the twin amulet to the one the hero carried — Gwaelin's love.

"He'll return to you soon enough, safe and triumphant. You'll know long before he arrives, however, as light and life returns to the world ahead of him."

She turned to look at me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "I pray that you speak true, but are you a prognosticator? Is the future yours to behold?"

I smiled and replied, "I put my faith in the blood of Erdrick, and in the cause of justice. He has already delivered you from the clutches of a dragon and liberated the artifacts of his line from far and wide. What evil could stand against him?"

Gwaelin swelled with pride, love, and what I do believe was a hint of desire. "I believe as you do, though few share such high hopes. There is much of my love in you, I think. You resemble him, and so do your deeds. The one you are to escort is as dear to me as a sister, and it gives me comfort to know that she will travel with one such as you."

"I'll protect her, Gwaelin."

Her smile was absolutely radiant. "So few will speak my name because of my station. It sounds almost as fine on your lips as upon those of my beloved Matusen, and though I like your noble tongue, I find your common speaking also a welcome change. I will take you to Renelle, that you may see her safely to Kol. She had experienced a vision, and I believe time is of the essence to see her delivered there."

"I'll get her there as quickly as possible."

Gwaelin knocked on a door and said, "Renelle, he says he'll escort you. He's ready to leave whenever you are."

The door opened to reveal a woman that could very well have been Gwaelin's twin, except for subtle differences in their facial features. Renelle's robe gave me a better view of her body than Gwaelin's gown, but it also revealed the woman's profession.

Well, at least I don't have to worry about getting into trouble with her, I thought as I recognized her cleric's vestments.

"I've heard about what you did in the town. I'm glad you're willing to protect me on the journey to Kol."

"Whenever you're ready," I responded.

"Please be careful," Gwaelin said, taking Renelle's hand.

"I will," Renelle responded. "We must go now. I have waited to long already."

"My father has provided some things to aid you on your journey. I wish it could be more, but..."

I held up my hand and smiled. "I understand. You have a whole nation to protect. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few — or the one."

The urge to do the Vulcan salute was almost impossible to resist.

Gwaelin led us to a pair of treasure chests containing the supplies she'd spoken of. Within were several bottles of fairy water, a large tent, a pair of bedrolls, healing herbs, and other camping essentials. The thought of camping out in a hostile land full of riled up monsters wasn't appealing, but I didn't see any real choice. The old man was going to get me to Kol somehow, and he'd found his way. At least this way, there would be two sets of eyes and ears.

Renelle was anxious to leave, and I'd barely packed the supplies into my magical bag before we were on the road.

I cast the repel spell the moment we stepped outside the castle walls. It was heartening to note that any monsters we encountered as we walked north fled long before we reached them. If the critters were affected by the repel spell, they would probably stay away from fairy water too.

Renelle marched along as though driven, lost in her own little world. I just kept my eyes open for trouble and didn't disturb her. Keeping my eyes on the road and the ever-thickening foliage wasn't exactly easy, though. Renelle's bottom swayed in the most hypnotic way when she walked, and seemed to have an almost magnetic effect on my eyes. It helped to pass the time and dull a little of the depressing nature of the scenery as we moved farther away from civilization.

I could feel my energy winding down and tell that Renelle was getting tired too, and that's the only reason I knew it was night. With no sun, moon, stars, or even change in the light, it was the only way I knew how much time had passed. Despite her weariness, Renelle was still marching resolutely toward the first bridge. I got the impression that she'd just keep on walking until we reached Kol unless I pulled her up short.

"Renelle, neither of us is going to be very alert if we keep going. We need to make camp for the night and get some rest. We're just going to run into stronger monsters across the bridge, trust me."

She looked around as if only now realizing where we were. She sighed and said, "I suppose you're right."

"I'll get the tent up. If you don't mind gathering up some dried grass and any kindling you can find nearby, I'll get a fire going. Not much point in it since it isn't actually going to get dark or cold, but camping without a fire just feels wrong."

I actually had to tear my eyes away from her when she smiled. She was beautiful enough anyway, but her smile made her look absolutely angelic. Her voice was just as incredible. "None talk about the way things were anymore. Everyone has given up hope."

I shrugged and said, "I've known Matusen for a long time. I've got faith in him."

Renelle's smile lost a little of its light, and it worried me more than a little how sad that made me feel. Her eyes hardened with determination then, and she said, "That's why I must reach Kol as quickly as possible."

"Your vision?"

She nodded. "The goddess Rubiss spoke to me in my dreams. The dark one imprisoned her when he sealed away the ball of light. She has mustered her power until I was ready. I must free her. Without the power she gives to goodly magic, I fear even the blood of Erdrick may not be enough to see Matusen to victory."

This wasn't part of the game, I thought. Rubiss wasn't even in the original Dragon Quest. Hearing that she was captured didn't sit well with me. "Then we need to get you where you're going." I rolled out the tent and said, "But for now, we need some rest."

Renelle nodded and her smile brightened a little once more. She turned to gather kindling for our fire.

After a quick bite, we spread out our bedrolls for the night. I didn't sleep very well, partly because I was nervous all night about the fairy water doing its job. More than anything, it was some subtle, enticing scent that Renelle wore. I hadn't really noticed it while we were walking, but within the confines of the tent, I couldn't ignore it. Between her perfume and the sight of her curled up in her blankets so close to me, I had a hard time thinking about much of anything else. I did finally drop off after going outside to clear my head and sprinkle some extra fairy water around.

Shortly after we awakened the next day and crossed the bridge, I felt the hackles on the back of my neck stand up. I'd come to trust this sixth sense even in the real world, and I'd really started to pay attention to it since I'd awakened in the DQ universe. "Renelle, keep your eyes open and stay close."

"What's wrong?"

"Something's up. I have a feeling that our good luck with the fairy water is about to run out." I drew my sword in anticipation and strapped on my shield.

We kept walking, our eyes warily scanning the scrub and tall grass for signs of danger. I barely caught the quiet chant and saw a flash of movement in time to interpose my body between the magician and Renelle.

The fireball from the magician's hurt spell exploded against my magic armor, the potent magical gear protecting me from all but a little warm breeze of air. I actually heard the cloaked magic user mutter, Uh oh, from his place of concealment in a knot of small, thick pine trees.

"That's not a fireball," I said in my best Crocodile Dundee as I raised my sword. "This is a fireball," I finished as I unleashed the sword's power. While it wasn't really much stronger than the magician's hurt spell, I could unleash the blasts far more quickly than he could cast the spell.

The wizard dived away from the first fireball, and then proceeded to do his best to dance out of the way of the volley I sent toward him. Soon enough, he was rolling around on the ground trying to put out his smoldering robe.

When he managed to tear away the hem that threatened to burst into flames, I was standing right above him with my sword pointed at him. "You're rare right now. If you don't want to try for well done, I'd suggest you sit nice and still before I decide to throw another shrimp on the barbee."

Remarkable to me, the magician lunged past me toward Renelle with a growl. Feeling more than a little squeamish about killing another person, I opted to rap him smartly on the back of the head with my shield instead. He collapsed like a sack of potatoes on the ground.

"Nutbag must be bleedin' suicidal," I muttered as I kicked him to make sure he was really out. Considering I gave him the nutcracker suite and he didn't even budge, I felt it safe to assume he was well and truly unconscious.

Renelle approached cautiously and said, "I feared as much. The Dragonlord knows about my quest."

Frikkin' piddly-ass magician shouldn't have been able to get through the repel spell, I thought as I regarded the downed magic user. I wouldn't have expected anything short of a wyvern or a werewolf to have the guts to approach someone of my 'level' through the repel spell. "Then we need to get you to Kol as quickly as possible. I'll feel better with some stout walls between us and the Dragonlord's hordes."

"We must spend at least one more night in the wilderness, but I believe we can reach a place of safety in time."

I asked, "Where's that?"

"There is a cave that once served as a waypoint for travelers across the river. There is a shrine to Rubiss there where I believe we might find both safety and comfort."

It wasn't anything that existed in the game, but I took her word for it. "Let's just make sure that Wizzo the magician here doesn't come following us." A few chanted words later, my sleep spell compounded the bonk on his head to ensure that he wouldn't be following us any time soon.

The next magician was a little braver than the first, so I saw him just as he started his spell. My flame sword was far quicker than his spell casting, and I used the distraction of him putting out his robes to zap him with a sleep spell. I'd no more than sent him off to the Sandman before I noticed another magician in some bushes not far away. Some movement farther up the trail told me that there were probably more. I decided that an example might just be in order.

The hurtmore spell had greater range and power than the hurt spell the magicians knew, so I had plenty of time to speak the chant and make the gestures. The resulting fireball blew the magician out of his bushes and sent him rolling down the hill toward the next one down the line.

The flight of robed figures was almost comical. Two of them actually collided head on and managed to knock themselves out. We stayed atop the rise for a little while before continuing, and we had no trouble when we reached the bottom.

"Looks like they got the point this time," I chuckled as I stepped on a piece of smoldering robe.

Renelle asked, "How is it that you know that spell?"

I shrugged, even though I knew that I had the same spells as the hero. "I just picked it up somewhere."

"Few are blessed with that magic that do not serve the darkness. Only the most noble and trusted of warriors and wizards is allowed to learn that powerful magic. It is carefully controlled."

"Well, I don't serve the Dragonlord, I can tell you that."

Renelle smiled then, relieving my worry that she thought I was some spy for the bad guys. "There is much more to you than is obvious. You are unique."

"More than you know, and not all of it is that great," I chuckled.

"We should continue," Renelle said rather hastily, as though she wanted to change the subject.

I nodded in response and set off again. Rather than walking ahead or behind me as she had for most of the journey, she fell into step with me instead. A couple more magicians showed their faces, and so did a few magidrakees. The latter fled from my repel spell, and word had apparently reached the former, because they all took to their heels the moment I aimed my sword at them.

We were both feeling the effects of our long march when we reached the bridge. I knew we would face stronger monsters on the other side, but the promise of a safe haven was enough to keep me going. Luck was with us, and we reached the cave without further incident.

The cave was well hidden by both an overhanging rock formation and a large, thick stand of trees. Once we ducked into the entrance, the cavern opened up into a wide space that had a ceiling high enough for me to stand upright, but not much more.

"Do you feel it?" Renelle asked with an angelic smile.

I had no idea what she was talking about at first, but then it hit me. "It's that sort of warm feeling I get when I cast the repel spell, except a lot stronger."

"This cave is protected by the magic of the goddess. The Dragonlord's evil has not yet reached this sanctuary."

A quick look around, aided by my radiant spell, revealed a source of clean water, plenty of wood for fires, and a fire pit with a natural chimney that worked very well. Concerned about the smoke, I went outside and looked to see that the smoke emerged quite some distance away from the actual cave in an area where swirling winds diffused it almost instantly.

"Think I'll go without the armor tonight. Sleeping in a tin can isn't the most restful thing in the world," I said as I sat back from our evening meal.

"We might take this opportunity to wash," Renelle suggested, and I had little doubt it was a subtle hint. Walking around in an iron suit tends to leave the distinctive smell of sweat and rust on you.