Worthless

                             Chapter 2
                        Rescuing the Princess

"What is this reaction? I feel... like my Orb is digging into my mind!"

And it was. Each of the Orbs was searching its holder's mind, body, and
spirit for something to feed off of for the good of its holder. Eventually,
they all bonded and created something they referred to as "the status menu."
The warriors could already use items, change weapons and armor, and cast
spells, but the thing that they could not do was track their power. This new
neural creation of the Orbs was built so the warriors could assess their
powers and plan accordingly.

When the four discovered this, they accessed their own neural link to find
their strengths. During Academy training, they had all reached Level 3. They
decided that they would give fighting Garland a try. They headed
north-northwest to reach their destination, the Temple of Fiends.

They soon reached Burn's hut. Burn realized that he had a Tent stored away
in his tiny little dwelling and that he needed to go get it. But when he
entered his home, a blue-haired man with tan skin and brown rags for clothes
was rummaging through Burn's drawers. The man seemed to have okay senses.
Then again, maybe it was Burn's loud entrance. Either way, the thief whirled
around and pulled out a Rapier. Burn drew his sword as well, and with a
rousing battle cry attacked the intruder.

Burn's strength and the intruder's were about equal, but the intruder was
much faster. With lightning speed, he parried Burn's blows and retaliated
with his own. One particular slash carved a little diagonal scar on Burn's
right shoulder. He cried out in unbearable pain.

"Our little outcast sounds like he's in trouble," Red said, pointing his
thumb over his shoulder to the little straw hut where the red mage was
crying bloody murder. The mages nodded in agreement and rushed in, weapons
drawn, to save their companion. The thief looked up from the the L-shaped
scar he was crafting with his sword on Burn's chest to find the flat of
Red's sword knocking him back. Silk tended to Burn's wounds with a few Heal
Potions she had received from the Academy so she could preserve spells. Red,
however, held his sword against the downed thief's throat.

"Who are you?" Red growled threateningly.

"M-m-my name is Lane, sir. I am but a humble merchant."

"At a pawn shop, I'll bet," Burn sputtered.

"Who sent you?"

"I-I-I came in search of goods for sale."

"Pawn shop owner," Red muttered.

"I already said that!" Burn shouted.

Red paid no heed. "Tell you what, Lane. I'll make a deal with you. Return
the goods you stole from my friend here, and I'll let you go alive. Are we
agreed?"

Lane the thief vigorously nodded and was released from the blade. He left
behind the "goods" (one Tent) he had stolen and returned to Coneria. The
four were now all at their feet and they proceeded to the Temple, cleaving
and frying a few Imps along the way. They didn't notice the knife that Lane
aimed for the back of Red's head, which veered off to the right about a foot
and buried itself in a Gray Imp's chest.

                            *  *  *  *

Soon they arrived at the Temple of Fiends. They camped in Burn's Tent and
discovered that if they died, they would be reincarnated from that point in
time. So they walked into the Temple and instinctively started looking for
treasure. They found two locked doors, a Cap that Maim took, and some other
assorted unimportant supplies. Then they charged Garland.

"No one touches my Princess! What? Light Warriors? You impertinent fools! I,
Garland, will knock you all down!"

That's more or less Garland's words as he charged into battle. However, he
was subdued quickly. He struck Burn hard, but Red cut his sword arm off.
Silk healed Burn's wound while Maim blasted Garland with a Fire spell. Burn
finished him off by plunging his sword straight through Garland's heart.

"So you are the Light Warriors? Thank you."

That's what the Princess said, in a nauseated tone, which probably was
linked somehow to the display of inexplicable gore lying on the floor before
her.

The four (five?) were teleported to Coneria Castle throne room. There, the
Princess presented them with a 2000-year-old Lute and the king promised to
build a bridge to the next continent.

And thus, the first quest was completed.