Chapter Text
The world was veiled in darkness. The wind stopped, the seas were wild, and the earth began to rot. The people wait, their only hope a prophecy.
“When the world is in darkness, four warriors will come, each holding a glowing orb of hope.”
***
It was a nice day in spring. The planting was done, the sun was shining and a nice warm breeze was blowing from the east, keeping everything from getting too hot. The sky was a deep pure blue, the random white fluffy cloud offsetting the blue in a picturesque way. In the kingdom of Cornelia, life was swell. Well except for the whole kidnapped Princess by a previously thought loyal knight but that was the troubles of kings and not commoners. It wasn't any of their business really, even if Princess Sarah was such a lovely lady.
“They're taking a rather long time to arrive,” Alex Highwind said to his sister as he tried to put an edge on his old, worn down sword. Lani just growled in reply tapping her hammer against her hand as she glared at the dimming, dying, Elemental Crystals.
Alex let out a soft sigh between his teeth. Lani was going to explode and take her temper out of the Light Warriors once they arrived. A thought accorded to him and he brightened. Once they had handed over their familial duty of Crystal guardianship to the Warriors, he would be free to spend the weekend with Jack! That would be great.
He started whistling cheerfully as he swung his legs and waiting for the light Warriors to arrive, ignoring Lani's glare.
***
Jack shifted the hurt bunny to the other arm so he could point threateningly at the laughing pickpocket, “I am Osmarr the Magnificent and you should give me back my money or I will set you aflame or cause lightening to strike you from the very skyyyyy!”
The elvish thief just bowed extravagantly, “My dearest kindly good sir, can you not spare a few gold coins to a poor man?”
“You're not a poor man you're a-”
“These are trouble times, my good sir, and people in desperate straits go to desperate measures,” the elf interrupted with a wide beaming grin, “But please allow me to introduce myself!”
Jack just glared before turning his attention to the bunny. Still trembling in fright, but thankfully not fleeing.
“I am called Adam the Trickster, and I am pleased beyond what words can convey to met you this fine morning my dear Osmarr!”, Adam slip up into Jack's space and leaned down to crooned into Jack's ear, “Indeed, I can earn my pay my dear handsome fellow, if you but give me a chance.”
Jack frozen in shock. The pickpocket was hitting on him! No one did that and he was so very glad his hat hid his face properly. He side stepped away from Adam, pointed his finger again and said in a calm, clear voice, “I don't like that. Don't do it again, please.”
Adam just waved his refusal away, “You worry far too much dearheart. We have only just met and this is clear to me. If you but just-”
Jack stepped around the elf and resumed his trek to the Highwind farm. He nodded in greeting to the Gate Guard as he passed them.
“Good sir!”
Jack closed his eyes in annoyed pain but kept walking.
“Good sir, if you just give me a moment of your time.”
A dead goblin flew over Jack's head, almost knocking his hat off as it smacked Adam in the face. Jack stared at the body, inwardly laughing at Adam's surprised face, before turning to whoever was going around slinging dead people around like rocks.
A woman, dressed in only pants and a chest wrap, short brown hair held back by a headband and a man with flowing white hair in red armor and a red hat with a fancy feather were surrounded by defeated goblins.
Jack blinked at them before sighing loudly and walking around the dissolving corpse pile. This was not his day.
The woman walked with him, peering over his shoulder at the bunny. Sometimes being short and tiny really sucked.
“What happened?” she asked, “I'm Yin! What is your name? Where are you taking the rabbit?”
Jack silently thought about it before deciding that ignoring her wouldn't work and answered, “I'm Jack, I saved the bunny from a wolf, and now I'm bringing it to my friend's sister. She is a white mage and can cast cure.”
“Mister handsome, I thought you said your name was Osmarr,” Adam interjected from behind them.
“I lied because you are a thief and I don't like you,” Jack replied, turning down the lane leading to the Highwind farm.
The white haired man said, “I'm Zen, in case anyone is wondering.”
“And I am Adam the Trickster! Pleasure to meet both of your acquaintances my dears!”
Jack walked faster, trying to get away from the strangers. It didn't work.
“Why would an elf have a human name?” Zen asked.
“Why wouldn't he?” Adam replied as Jack shoved the door open to the farmhouse.
“YOU ARE LATE,” Lani bellowed flinging her hammer at them. Once more, Jack was grateful to being short as it whooshed over his head and slammed into Yin's face.
Jack slide sideways quickly as Lani leaped after her hammer. Noises and yells came through the door as Lani worked out her temper on the three new people.
Jack bit his lower lip, hoping his stomach butterflies weren't too obvious when Alex smiled at him. He also hoped his blush wasn't visible as he silently offered the bunny, foot digging into the wood floor.
Alex's happy booming laugh filled the house as he rubbed Jack's hat before yelled at the door, “Lani! Jack has another animal for you to cure!”
Lani came back in dragging the other three and glowering like a thunderstorm. Jack's impression of Yin rose as, unlike Zen and Adam, she was aware and still struggling.
Lani dumped all three on the floor and stomped over to Jack and Alex grumbling, “Oh give it here.”
Jack handed the bunny over as Alex moved to intercept Yin. Their sparring almost covered up Lani's complaining.
“What is with you and small helpless animals, Jack? Though the ox wasn't that small.”
He smiled and shrugged, no answer to give. He just couldn't stand seeing anyone in helpless pain. At which point multiple things happened at the same time. Adam and Zen woke up groaning, Lani finished curing, and Yin tossed Alex onto the table, breaking it and making the brightly colored orbs fly up into the air.
Which then proceeded to ignore the laws of physics and float there, light shining and casting shadows all over the room.
Welcome, the crystals sang in echos and vibrations, Welcome our Warriors of Light. Quest and journey and restore the Orbs to light! Defeat the Fiends and end Chaos's warp and rule.
Jack's hand reached out as the blue crystal floated down to him, same as the red to Lani, the green to Adam, and the yellow to Alex. At which point the light show ended and Jack was left feeling shocked down to his bones.
“What.” Zen said flatly.
***
Zen Janus was not having a very good day.
It had started just fine, with nice weather as he exited the ship to Cornelia. He had met very little monsters, and none that were hard to deal with. When has had seen a woman being menaced by a goblin horde, he had moved to help.
She had not needed his aid. She had not needed it so very much. He now knew this because she had thought he was joining in attacking her and broke both his arms quite casually before he had managed to scream his intentions.
At which point, she grinned and hugged him, oh god the pain, before guarding his back from the apparently endless small lake's worth of goblins. And declaring they were now bestest best friends.
Eventually, Zen managed to cure his arms and take out his sword to help with the horde. Yin cheerfully introducing herself, yammering about everything, and bouncing around, and laughing as she ripped heads off with her bare hands.
Eventually, they finished slaughtering the mob, Yin capping it off by tossing a dead body into someone else's face.
An elf was getting back up from the ground, regular elven features and black hair and eyes. A very traditional black mage, face hidden by the shadow of his hat, blue robe old and worn was carrying a bunny and walking away.
Following the black mage had been a terrible idea. In Zen's defense, he was still exhausted and not thinking straight from the battle.
Because an screaming blonde white mage had barreled into them, smacking everyone with her hammer and raging about them being late.
Zen had lost consciousness right about then and regained it to am utterly bizarre hallucination.
Only for everyone to seat around the broken table while the violent blonde and her brother explained that, no, this was real and now Zen's life.
“Right,” Zen said rubbing his face, “Let me see if I understand all of this.”
He pointed to the blond siblings, “You are Alex and Lani Highwind. Your family has been guarding the Crystals since Tiamat appeared, awaiting the appearance of the Light Warriors of legend.”
Lani huffed and crossed her arms, “Yes, yes, exactly.”
Zen ignored her and continued, “Which is why you thought us four would be the Warriors-”
“And why getting chosen ourselves was a surprised!” Alex cheerfully interrupted.
“Right, yes, thank you. But now you want Yin and I to stay and work your farm while you travel restoring the Orbs to grace.”
Yin bounced in her chair, “That sounds fun! I never grown plants before!”
“Neither have I! I don't have the skills or know how or anything,” Jack snapped out.
Lani smiled, slow and dangerous, “Don't worry. It is simple. Weed the garden, water the plants, keep monsters from eating them.”
Zen looked at her face and decided to accept that this was really not his day, “If you say so, madam.”
So now Zen was standing at the door to an old farm house, watching the four legendary Warriors of Light walk away. He could only conclude that the world was horribly, horribly *doomed*.
He then signed and went back inside. He wasn't any master carpenter but he knew enough to fix the table. It was only splintered legs, after all.