Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, the group's finally going to Navare and they are going to try to get the Dark Key. Meanwhile, Transell has been sent to Navare by Gideon, and Iris Dante has been sent by Legence to Navare to get the key and kill Transell. Gotta love double crossing, eh?

So, the whole chapter might be a bit slow due to the fact I have this annoying writer’s block. Uh, not so much I don’t know what to write. It more like I don’t know what order to write in. It’s weird, I know.

Right. Well, this should be a fun little chapter :) Fans of Seiken Densetsu 3 might recognize a couple of cameo characters... hehehe.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)

Most would agree that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Usually those sitting around the table would discuss what they would do for the day, what plans they had and the such.

Sadly for most of the people present, it was a discussion that no one wanted to have.

The group had decided to try to plan what their next move would be over a nice, hot breakfast. They had convened in one of the large dining halls and were seated at the large table as their food was being prepared and brought to them.

Sari was, predictably, seated at the head of the table, Salla and Leon at her left and right sides. Troy, Manna, and Jin were seated on the left side of the table while Nina, Nunnally, and Ryu were on the right. Nunnally looked at the seating arrangements with curiosity. She knew that her brother and the Fae princess had feelings for each other, but for some reason, they looked highly uncomfortable.

Manna and Troy on the other hand looked highly amused. Jin looked like he’d rather be elsewhere, and Salla looked embarrassed. Sari could only sigh in aggravation and Leon looked like he was just as annoyed as Sari.

Nunnally decided to voice her curiosity. There was also something else that bothered her. She had heard Nina and Ryu yelling last night, too. She had to wonder if they were hurt. If they were, they would need to get medical attention immediately. After all, Nina was walking around awkwardly, like she was in pain.

“Is there something wrong?” Nunnally asked Ryu and Nina. The two of them could only blush in response.

Leon groaned and grabbed his head in his hands. Nunnally gave her half brother a confused look. Sari tapped the fork she was holding on the table as she waited for Manna or Troy to say something. It was surprisingly Jin that spoke up.

Jin looked over at Nunnally as a plate with food was placed in front of him by one of the servants. “There is nothing wrong, Nunnally.”

The Brood princess did not look convinced. “But, I heard Ryu and Nina screaming last night! I am scared that they might be hurt.”

Jin was starting to look uncomfortable. It was the sex talk with Nina all over again. It was pretty clear that no one ever had the talk about the birds and the bees with Nunnally. It had been a nightmare to have a six year old Miyuki come home from school and tell a visiting Jin about this boy that had showed her the difference between boys and girls.

For her credit, all she said was that it looked like a garden hose. Jin had then asked her WHY that boy had showed her. She said that the boy had to go pee behind the bushes during recess. Yuki just happened to be playing around the bushes with some of her girl friends.

Jin shook his head. He really wasn’t looking forward to explaining all that stuff to Momo. Maybe Yui could do all of that for him. He figured that he was safe for the moment, though. Momo was still too young to even be curious about that sort of thing.

“They are not hurt,” Manna explained in a calm voice, despite looking like she would burst only a moment before.

“But… they why were they screaming so loud last night?”

Ryu and Nina looked like they wanted to disappear right then and there. Troy smiled slightly and turned his attention to Nunnally. “They were role playing!”

Everyone turned their heads towards Troy. It was a crazy excuse, but one they hoped worked.

“Role playing?” Nunnally asked.

“Yeah! They were playing that Nina was a fair damsel in distress and Ryu was a brave knight that was going to save her by slaying a fearsome demon with his long, powerful… sword…” Troy’s voice trailed off slightly. He snorted and started laughing like a maniac.

Manna merely sighed and shook her head. “Nunnally, has anyone explained the birds and the bees to you?”

“The…what?” Nunnally asked in total confusion. She blinked as realization dawned on her. “Oh? Oh!”

“Right…” Manna deadpanned. “That.”

Leon merely groaned louder as he banged his head against the table. Nunnally twitched and glanced over at Nina and Ryu. “Did you make sure to use protection?”

Nina’s face exploded in crimson as Ryu rapidly shook his head. “Ah, uh… should we REALLY be talking about this at the breakfast table????”

Manna snickered and nodded. “For once, dragon boy, I agree. So, we are going to Navare now to get the Dark Key, right?” There were various nods. “Okay, so, who’s going?”

Ryu and Nina raised their hands. Jin, Troy, and Sari all voiced they were going. Manna nodded in approval. “Alright. Then it’s settled. The six of us will head off to Navare after we eat!”

Troy nodded. “Okay, just one question, though. What should we expect once we get to Navare? I mean, they are a thieves guild, right? And if my memory is correct, they’re one of the best.”

Jin smiled. “The guild’s head knows me.”

Ryu nodded in agreement. “Me as well. We should be able to get in without any problems. Hopefully, anyway.”

“The question is, though, will they cough up the Dark Key or will we have to fight for it?” Sari asked.

“Depends on Karn’s mood, I guess,” Ryu grinned. “But, no. We should have no trouble getting the key from Karn. He’s Destined, as we are. He probably had the guild take the Key to keep it safe.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” Sari sighed.

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The Navare guild was located deep in the heart of the Arad desert. Back in ancient times, at the location of the present guild was a city of thieves called Bleak. The city was enshrouded in the dark of night due to the powerful magical effects of the Dark Key.

When the first Destined Child and his companions came to the city, they were seeking a local thief by the name of Karn Danc. The purpose of finding him was two-fold; the were seeking his aid to pick the lock on a vault so they could release a girl that was locked inside, as well as seeking help getting the Dark Key.

After going to the Krypt and getting caught in a trap, Karn appeared before them and set them free. The Krypt itself was supposed to hold a book that would teach a thief the ultimate thieving techniques. Ryu and his companions agreed to assist Karn in getting the book if he agreed to help them. He quickly agreed.

The group fought their way through the many traps in the Krypt. Finally, on the final floor, they found the book. Upon finding the book, Karn realized that the book was merely a ruse. The Krypt itself was the test and the one that made it all the way through would be recognized as a master thief.

With that knowledge in hand, Karn and the group left the Krypt to save the girl and get the rest of the Goddess Keys. Karn traveled with the rest of the group for the remainder of their adventure and learned during that time he had the power to combined or fuse with his teammates to create a more powerful version of themselves. It was apparently a trait of his clan, but he was unsure as to what his clan actually was. One theorized that he might have been a shaman, a person that can fuse with another person and grant that person their powers, but it was only that, a theory.

After the defeat of the Dark Dragon Empire, Karn ventured around the world many times over, and it was theorized that during one of his trips, he stumbled upon the ruins of the Obelisk and the strong magic effects there made him stop aging, but no one is for certain. Not even Karn knew why he stopped aging.

What was known though, was that during that time, Karn developed what he said was the ultimate thieving techniques. He soon became known as the Phantom Thief and founded what would eventually be known as the Thieves Tomb, exactly where the old town of Bleak used to be.

Bleak itself was moved to the Yraall Region when the desert became too inhospitable to live in. The city of Bleak was changed to Syn City. Unlike Bleak that was founded on the honor of thieves, Syn City was a shady city that was built out of greed and treachery.

Syn City was known to house the largest underground Black Market in the world. The city had ties to the mafia during the Third Cycle. Many rare goods are sold here illegally and for outrageous prices.

During the next few hundred years, many people flocked to the Thieves Tomb in order to prove their worth as master thieves. Many sought out Karn to train them in the art of the Phantom Thief. It was over time that the students of Karn grew large and ended up becoming a large, close knit community. It was then that Karn and his people decided to take on the name Navare.

They made a vow to become the greatest thieves guild in the world. In the more recent times, Navare had indeed became a great guild. The guild itself followed a strict honor code and would only steal from greedy merchants or those who took it upon themselves to harm others. They would steal from the rich and greedy and give it to the poor and needy. They did not kill, however. To kill another guilds man would mean certain death. They did not take traitors very well, either. Once a member, a person was a member for life, even if they left the guild.

Those thoughts, however, were the last thing on his mind. The person in question was a young man in his late teens. Dark skin with long silvery, lavender hair tied back in a tight bind, he was dressed in a dark sleeveless tunic, dark pants, and boots. He wore bracers on his forearms as well as a belt with a pair of short swords on them. In his hand was the Dark Key, its many grotesque faces staring back at him.

His group had recently sneaked into Worent and took the Dark Key right under those cats’ noses. Apparently, it was an order from the Guildmaster himself. One did not ignore or take lightly a direct order from Karn Danc. Him and his group asked no questions. They went in the cover of night to retrieve the key without question.

Now they had the strange Key. He wasn’t very familiar with the legend behind the Goddess Keys, but what he did know was that they made for a really rare treasure hunt. He heard from Karn that there were several groups trying to get the keys themselves. One group was the Destined. The other were what Karn referred to as a bunch of demons working for a goddess spawned demon.

Karn always had a nice way of wording things.

He also figured that the Woren queen must have been preoccupied if she did not know that the Key was stolen from her. An Avatar of a god was supposed to be on top of stuff like that. Especially if the thieves in question were able to Warp from one continent to another to get the damn thing.

He shook his head. He was considered one of the best the guild had. His instincts were sharp and his reflexes were good. He had been one of the many orphans that had been raised in the guild. His original name was lost to everyone, even him. So, he took on a new name. A name that was taken from his deadly and excellent aim.

“Hey Hawkeye!” one of the scouts shouted.

The young man, Hawkeye, was quickly snapped out of his musings. He glanced over and spotted the scout running over to him.

“What’s up Tac?” Hawkeye asked.

“I think that we’re being ambushed,” Tac said. “Your orders Hawk?”

Hawk thought for a second. “Do we know who would try an ambush?” He quickly pocketed the Dark Key. If it was a person after the Key, he didn’t want those trying to ambush them see the Key.

“Heh…” Tac started to laugh. Hawk looked slightly concerned. He took a step towards his comrade, but the other man just drew his daggers.

“Uh, Tac?” Hawk took a slight step back. He watched as his friend advanced on him. Tac took a swing at Hawk, but the younger man quickly dodged the swing and twisted around so that he was behind Tac.

Tac growled in an inhuman voice and jerked around. Hawk was forced to draw his short swords and block another blow from his friend.

“Tac?! What the HELL are you doing?!” Hawk yelled as he was forced to block another attack. “HEY? Guys?!”

Hawk did not consider himself to be a coward by any means, but a comrade did not usually attack a person. Especially those who were members of the Navare guild. Hawk turned tail and took off in a sprint, desperate to find his other comrades.

Hawk stopped a few moments later and noticed at least four of his men lying on the ground in pools of blood, dead. Three other men were staggering around, blood on their daggers. Hawk swallowed hard. What the hell was going on?

“You look confused child,” a female voice taunted Hawk.

Hawk glanced up and noticed a young, beautiful woman with long blond hair, dressed in a sectioned black dress that fell to her ankles, black boots and gloves.

“What… the hell…?” Hawk growled as he drew his daggers.

She frowned. “You are not under my spell?”

“The fuck?” Hawk growled. “Did YOU do this?!”

The woman smiled slightly. “I am Iris Dante, Sword of Water in the service of his Highness, King Gideon Laurante. You have something that my king wants. Give it to me now.”

Hawk smiled sadistically. “Oh, sure… right. Like I’m going to give you an ancient thing of mass destruction. Especially after you took control of my friends and had them kill each other. Go to hell bitch!”

Dante’s eyes narrowed. She snapped her fingers and light appeared around Hawk’s fallen comrades. The bodies vanished in a plume of dark light. Hawk glared at the woman.

“What did you just do?!”

“My god requires their life forces. He feeds on the energy of you pathetic mortals. I am just giving him a good meal. You on the other hand, if you do not give me that Key, I will kill you.”

“Ha!” Hawk laughed. “Go ahead and try!”

Dante smiled. She snapped her fingers and Tac and the other three came running over to Dante and rallied around her. She pointed with her finger and the men lunged at Hawk. Hawk sighed in annoyance and prepared to jump out of the way of the attacks, but another gesture from Dante stopped him in his tracks.

The bitch had frozen him in place. The controlled men lunged at Hawk. Hawk was forced to watch as his controlled comrades sliced into his exposed flesh. Hawk tried to scream, to fight, or to at least get away, but he was unable to move. After what seemed to be an eternity, but was only a few precious moments, Dante snapped her fingers again. The four men collapsed to the ground and transformed into balls of light.

Dante gathered the light into her hand. She smiled and walked over to Hawk, who for his credit, was fairing out better than he thought he would have. Every part of the teen’s body felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t move, but he could feel the stab wounds that his now deceased friends had inflicted on him.

Dante smiled and placed her hand on Hawk’s chest. “You obviously don’t know any magic spells to escape from this kind of trap.” Hawk could only glare at the woman. She smiled and pressed her hand against Hawk’s chest. Hawk choked as he realized that he couldn’t breathe. He coughed and water came out of his mouth. He could only stare in horror as she continued to talk.

“I said that I was the Sword of Water. What I am doing right now is filling your lungs with water. In a few short moments, you will drown due to the water in your lungs,” Dante smiled slightly. She reached for where Hawk had placed the Key, but was stopped by a shrunken that had hit her hand.

Dante screamed and jerked around. She would kill the person that would dare attack her. She was surprised to see a woman with light brown hair staring right back at her, preparing to go into a battle stance.

Dante growled. “Who the hell are you?!”

The woman merely smiled. She flashed and vanished. Dante jerked around in confusion, only to have the woman reappear and stab at Dante with one of her short swords. Dante howled in pain as the woman repeated the attack over and over, until Dante was finally forced to flee.

Hawk’s body seized as he fell to the ground. Even though Dante had vanished, the spells that she had placed on Hawk were still in place. The woman realized that and quickly ran over to Hawk.

She placed her hand under his head and lifted it up slightly. She made a hand gesture with her free hand and released the paralysis spell. Hawk choked as he tried to breathe. The woman frowned and made another hand gesture, this one to cancel out the water spell. Hawk jerked and doubled over. He jerked out of the woman’s hold and vomited on the ground next to him.

He shuttered and fell back to the ground. The woman lifted his head back up as Hawk’s golden eyes locked onto the woman’s.

“Who…?” Hawk gasped.

The woman gave Hawk a sympathetic look. “Are you with Navare?” Hawk nodded. “Good. I think that woman is going to invade Navare.”

“How… do you know that?” Hawk asked as the woman helped him up. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled. “My name is Yui Uzuki. I, too, am a member of the Navare Guild. Come on, we have to go warn Karn.”

 

To be continued…