Dragon Quest - I - Chapter 2, Part 6

Creepy old dude (pp87-92)

6 - Cave of Loto

The stars shone brightly in-between the spaces in the clouds above. The Goddess-of-Eight was plainly visible. Using the constellation as a guide, Aleph continued his hike through the gusty desert.

Three days had passed since he spent the night in that small cave.

The days were usually clear, but the nights brought winds and clouds. The red full moon, which Aleph could see until just recently, was now covered by wisps in the sky. It was only a matter of time before the Goddess-of-Eight would be hidden, too. The wind showed no sign of abating. Aleph quickened his pace.

He was headed for the area marked by the sigil on his ancient map. The ‘stars’ and the ‘southeast’ foretold by the old woman seemed to point precisely in that direction.

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Just when the Goddess-of-Eight was about to be completely eclipsed by the clouds, Aleph spotted a mountain, jutting up from the desert just above the horizon, like an island at sea.

“That’s it!” he cried, and began sprinting into the wind.

It was further away than he anticipated. Aleph had run for an hour, and when he finally arrived at the big rock his shoulders shook with heavy breaths. He looked up at the jutting stone, noting it was about the size of the palace at Radatome Castle, when he realized the sky above had become clear.

The red moon showed itself, shining down from above as if illuminating the mountain.

Aleph couldn’t believe it was a coincidence. Taking it as some kind of revelation, he reconfirmed the location of the sigil on his old map. He was sure that the ‘darkness’ must refer to a ‘cave’ around this area.

Aleph began to climb up the rocks, relying on the light of the moon to help him find the cave’s entrance. Eventually, he found a crevice in a large outcropping in the center of the mountain. Its mouth opened into a deep darkness that continued within. Lighting his torch, Aleph dove in.

After a short time, his torch revealed stone stairs that descended deeper downward. It was not natural - human hands had made this staircase.

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As if beckoned, Aleph descended the stairs. The dust that covered the floor must have been accumulated over a hundred years, and as he stepped forward it danced up behind him in wisps. The stairs had led him into a labyrinth.

Nervously, Aleph quieted his breath and moved on, until he reached another set of stone stairs. At the bottom, the flame of his torch revealed an open door.

Aleph went inside, raising his torch to illuminate the area and looked around. It was a square room with roughly-hewn stone walls. In various spots on the wall ahead was some kind of writing.

He approached the wall and wiped away the layer of dust, causing some ancient-looking runes to become visible. It appeared that the writing covered a vast area, and after wiping away more dust, more and more text showed itself.

Aleph, however, had no idea what it said. He knew nothing of ancient languages, and couldn’t decipher the runes. From behind him, he heard a low, heavy voice.

“It is good you have come, descendant of Loto.”

“Wah! W-Who’s there!?” Aleph cried out, startled, as he put his hand on the grip of his sword and narrowed his eyes.

The image of an old man with white hair was floating in mid-air, wreathed in a blue-white flame. Ancient, indigo-colored robes covered his body, and in one hand he held a staff. Wizened eyes stared out at Aleph from deep within a set of bony sockets on a thinned face.

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“Who are you?” Aleph asked again, strengthening his grip on his sword’s pommel.

“I am Garai.”

“You’re Garai!?” echoed Aleph, doubting his own ears. “Don’t try to be funny! Garai died ages ago!”

“Shut up and listen!” Garai’s wise eyes turned hard and glared down at Aleph. A strange, immutable force emanated from him.

“So long as Alefgaard is not at peace, I can not fall into eternal rest. Even if my body is dust. That is why I have been waiting so long for one such as you to come here, to Loto’s cave. So long I can barely remember.”

“This is Loto’s cave?”

“Ye with the blood of the hero!” Garai said suddenly, raising his voice. “Behold, Loto’s words. His instructions to his descendant!”

Garai pointed his staff at the words inscribed on the wall behind Aleph and began to recite.

‘So sayeth the great spirit Rubiss: as long as there be light, there be darkness also. I have foreseen it - from the darkness, one shall appear. I swear this to the Great Spirit, and offer thus to my descendant.

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Ye who carries my blood: darkness shall once again cover this land. When it does, seek out the three Sages and the items they protect. Do so, and ye shall return light once more to Alefgaard. Loto.’

“Long ago, upon hearing the prophecy from the spirit Rubiss, Loto saved Alefgaard from disaster, defeated the Dark Lord, and gave three artifacts to three great sages whom he could trust. Remember Loto’s words, find the sages, and retrieve the items they hold.”

Aleph suddenly remembered something. He opened his leather sack and pulled out the Sun Stone that he had obtained at Radatome Castle.

“King Ralus XVI had said that this jewel was offered to Radatome by a sage, long ago… Does that mean that it could be one of those artifacts!?”

Garai looked to the Sun Stone and simply nodded.

“Then what are the other two? You know, don’t you? Tell me!”

But Garai shook his head. “So much time has passed. Nobody knows where they are today. But there was a rumor I recall, that said one was in the lands to the northeast.”

“I’ll head northeast, then.”

“Descendant, I entrust thee with this.”

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Garai held out his hand. In his palm was an extravagant-looking pendant, set with a red jewel. Around the jewel, the necklace was engraved with an eight-pointed star, shaped to look like blades.

“The Pendant of Ritual.”

“Ritual!?”

“Only one with the blood of the hero can use it. It will be useful some day soon. When the time comes, hold it close and pray. Farewell, descendant. I shall not return to this cave again, I should think.”

Leaving Aleph with those words, Garai slowly faded away.

The red pendant shimmered in mid-air.