The Forsaken Arts

Chapter 47: A Friend In Need

With all the newly acquired information, the remaining fighters began to devise a counter attack. However a thought loomed in the air, Thengol was right. Ishnero was dead and if somehow he was alive that would make him over hundreds of years old.

"Ishnero has been dead for how long?" Cavell asked while picking at a piece of cloth he found on the nurse's station.

"How can you be so sure he's dead anyway?" Slarant asked.

"He's dead, I'm sure of it. That's the reason I'm with the resistance and every other ninja is on their own path. After the war was over, Ishnero was proud and bull headed enough to try and overthrow Rendarg."

"... You're kidding right?" Chri asked in disbelief.

"No, that's how Ishnero met his end. According to the story that was passed along, the ruler of Rendarg at that time was the one to defeat him. With the fall of Ishnero, the ninja went their own way from that moment on."

Llaw released a frustrated sigh, "Okay... so Koshinto is causing all of this trouble for nothing...?"

"Seems that way." Naitosai replied.

"In any case, that's not important. Sounds to me like one less thing to worry about, the objectives anyway are to defeat Koshinto, free Krinx, rescue Mikhail and end the war right?" Slarant pointed out, getting the group back on track.

Everyone around him nodded in agreement.

"Before we do anything, there is one more thing that needs to be done." Dai sternly implied.

"What could be more important than the task at hand?"

Glaring at Slarant for his annoyed tone, Dai replied, "Taking the time to bury those we lost."

The room got heavy once more as they all thought about the friends they lost. Even Slarant had enough common sense not to poke fun at this moment.

"Agreed, bury our comrades in the Garden of Heroes. We should also get Jasmine to get a working party up here to clean up and start on repairs." Naitosai added while pushing himself up from his chair.

As the group gathered to leave the room, Cecilee's internal struggle seemed to end as her body began to radiate a bright white aura. As the light faded away, like her son, her mystical armor disappeared and she too returned to normal. A very calm expression could be seen on her face as if she were in a peaceful and relaxing place.

"She isn't...?"

"No she's fine, she's resting now." Naitosai replied, before Thengol could even suggest the alternative.

"Okay, we really should start getting things rolling into motion, there's a tough road ahead of us." said Evenharth, trying to motivate the group.

"Hey Dai, wanna come with me and get Jasmine to start preparing the bodies for burial, I don't want the workers to see them like that when they come to make repairs?" Cavell asked.

"Yeah... of course, Osyrus is my responsibility to the very end." he replied as he and Cavell made their way to the main recovery center.

"I think I'm gonna go help them, don't need everyone standing around in here I suppose." Llaw said as he ran out to catch up with them.

Thengol returned to window and starred out once more, "Pretty ironic huh? This is all because of a war that happened hundreds of years ago and in this day and age, it's supposed to end the exact same way."

"Well, if you're right and he is in fact dead, then that would be impossible." Slarant replied.

"Yeah but to think, we'd be in the middle of an ancient war. Which side would we choose, or do we fight against both?" Chri asked.