The Best Is Yet To Come

[03.09.00] » by Ryan Mitchell

A dark, dank, dusty room. The sort of compact, wood paneled room through which one cannot walk without tripping over a hundred ancient books and causing a tornado of allergy-activating debris. The sort of room which one pictures as quiet and unmoving, still, perhaps, for years or decades, a reference room for the sort of obscure tomes which are only consulted exceedingly rarely, by the exceedingly rare people who frequent their adjunct libraries. Thus, when one finds need to consult such a room, it is a bit of a surprise to run headlong into another person doing the same, and it is especially uncommon, and especially surprising, if that person happens to be a battle companion one has not seen for years. Quite uncommon indeed, yet this is precisely what happened to Ashton Anchors.

"Ouughh!" "Awrrrrrooo!" "Awrooo-roooo!" "Ouchh!"

Exclaimed the tangle of mercenary, as yet unknown stranger and howling dragons, various parts of which went on to say.

"Who in the name of- Dias!"

And

"What kind of young ruffian- oh, it’s you Ashton."

"Wow, what a coincidence! (Aw-awroo-rooaw!) I mean, we haven’t seen each other since…"

"Since Indalecio fell."

Indalecio had fallen several years before, after a pitched battle that was won mainly through the efforts of Ashton, Claude, Dias and Rena. His death freed the galaxy, but consigned the people of Nede to die, all but Rena, Noel and Chisato. A few of the heroes had stayed in touch, Ernest and Opera had decided to stay on Expel, and continue their research, as did Claude, albeit for a less noble pursuit, that being that he was determined that he would sleep with Rena before he left the planet. As far as Ashton knew, he had been utterly unsuccessful, but Ashton had not talked to either of them for quite a while, so he asked Dias about it.

"Hmm… well, Claude wasn’t exactly successful with Rena, no, but he did find true love."

"What? Who?"

"Bowman."

"Oh really? Well that’s surprising…" I knew it!

"Oh, not that surprising."

"What about Bowman’s wife?"

"She left him for Keith, said she wanted a real professor."

"Well at least they’re happy. Say, what brings you here?"

"…"

"Dias?"

"I’m… looking for a quest."

"What do you mean?"

Dias did the things he does so well, waiting and brooding. Had there been a championship for waiting and brooding held on Expel, Dias would have won gold, and to top it off would have glared silently at the post-victory interviewer with one eyebrow raised. Yet even he could not resist three inquisitive "Awrrooo?"’s (three, because Ashton was beginning to pick up some of the dragon language, and would lapse into it when he wasn’t thinking)

"Well, to be frank, I have never been happy in my adult life except when I was killing something or taking care of Rena. And I’m too proud to be trying to take care of her when she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. So, the first option is the salient one, and I have found no quest to satisfy my needs, they’re all over before they begin. I’ve been hoping to find some ancient demon lord or something that would really challenge me."

This was quite a speech for Dias, and it took the other three quite off guard, Ashton had no idea how to reply.

"Rorooraw?"

"What?"

"Oh, sorry, I said, ‘and this would have nothing to do with the fact that you were recently turned down for the eighth time by Chisato?’."

"That’s all a single word? No, wait, never mind, I don’t want to know. Anyway the answer is no. What are you here for?"

"Well, as you know these two are my best friends, (Awrrrrrroo!) and I couldn’t think of better companions, but we need some space. I’m looking for a way to separate them from me, so that we’ll be able to do things without structuring our activities around the fact of having three heads."

"I see. How are you planning to do this?"

"Well, apparently I have to obtain permission from the great king of demons, which means I have to defeat him in a great, epic battle."

"Hmm…."

"Hey, how’d you like to go along?(Roo-awroo!)"

"I think I’d like that."

"Sure! Watch out foul shades who inhabit the dark climes of hell! Ashton and Dias are on their way!"

(Rooooo-rawrarooro!)

"And Gyoro and Ururun too!"