Then she saw something that gave her the chills: the burnt remains of what was once Toto. "Huh? What happened here?" She looked around at the charred remnants of a bustling town. "Looks like a pyromaniac went on a burning spree... Maybe over an argument of trading prices? Nah, that couldn't be it."

I couldn't fend off Adrian's haunting words. What the hell kind of creatures were vampires, anyway? What, do they spend eternity swooping down upon civilization, mutilating villages and eating people? It was insane. What kind of sick joke was the Almighty playing? I could just picture Him, sitting up on his cloud or whatever, snickering, "Hey, ya know, humans don't nearly have it rough enough. I think I'll send down some pale monsters with long fangs and a taste for blood. Hee hee hee! Wouldn't that be funny?"

At the time, I needed a vampire about as much as I needed a stick of dynamite sandblasted to my crotch. I could see one of three things happening, given the imminent Highland threat. One: this pale vampire hag would hinder the progress of our armies, picking off the staggaring members of each infantry, leaving a trail of blood. And what could we do about it? Nothing. Both us and Highland were pouring every last potch into the war effort; to take time out to look for this fanged witch would be costly. Two: the sheer evil of the Highland troops would attrack the vampiress into their ranks- and then we were (for lack of a better word) screwed.

Or three: someone took care of the problem before it became a problem. And who better than me, right? After all, I was experienced in this kind of thing. But it's not like I could just up and leave the army I helped amass. I needed a good reason- a passable excuse to get my happy keister out of the fort in order to start my search.

Barbara and I had a parting of ways. She was going to head back to her home in Toto and make another go at it with Sal. I told her I'd drop by and see her if I was ever in the area.

Bingo.

I left word that I was headed for the ruins of Toto in search of an... er... old friend. Once out of sight, I could take off willy-nilly in any direction I liked, practically for as long as I liked, without question.

First thing was first, after all.

Makoto wandered the fort, not really satisfied with how the meeting about Princess Jillia had gone. {Still, it was a compromise,} he thought. {Naturally no-one's totally satisfied with it. Besides, I have this feeling I've forgotten something.}

After a moment, it came to him. {Grampa's stories!} he thought. {He said the Bright Shield and the Black Sword Runes were sealed *together!!* I've gotta get back there.. but I can't just leave alone...}

After a moment, he headed into the fort and up to the war room between Viktor and Flik's rooms on the second floor. "Viktor-" he began, only to pause as he saw Flik in the room instead.

"Yes?" the Blue Lightning began, looking up from what might have been a diary.

"Oh... I was looking for Viktor, sir Flik," Makoto babbled. "Do you know where he is?"

"He just left for Toto, I think," Flik replied. "Why-"

Makoto was already gone, heading for the gate. Flik sighed, and returned to his diary.

Outside the fort, Makoto sprinted for all he was worth, catching up to Viktor just outside the forest. "Viktor! Viktor!"

Viktor stopped in his tracks, as if he had walked into a wall. "Yeah, what?!" the big man called back.

"You're going to Toto, right?" Makoto panted.

Viktor blinked. "Uh, yeah, but-"

Makoto cut him off. "Good! I need to check if the other half of *this,*" he said as he showed Viktor his Rune, is there too, and whether we can use it if it is. We can travel together." {Funny,} Makoto thought, {Viktor doesn't look happy at all.}

"No..... that's not it..." Apple muttered to herself as she searched through the rubble of what was once the item store. "Nope......" She picked up another piece of burnt wood and tossed it aside. Hoping to find some rubber in the blackened town, she dug through another pile of debris. "Wait.... rubber melts, doesn't it...." Standing up to view the area again, she saw what looked like someone familiar in the distance...

"Hey, isn't that.....Viktor?" Indeed it was Viktor the Bear. "But I thought that he was killed after the palace at Gregminster collapsed!"

Yes, back to that day three years ago. The echoing sounds of swords clashing, zaps from magical spells being cast, and that immense explosion (or was it implosion?) from Gregminster palace ending the war. Apple had been there to witness it all, but not up close and personal. She was either throwing pencils at attacking enemies or tending to Mathiu along with Liukan.

Too involved in her flashback, Apple didn't notice that Viktor snuck up behind her to surprise her...

"Eeeeeeeeeek!" squealed Apple as Viktor zapped her ribs, where she was most ticklish. How many times had he done that during the war? Fifty? A hundred?

"Fancy meeting you here, Li'l Miss Cider," said Viktor playfully.

Makoto blinked at Viktor, who'd been in an awful snit for the entire trip, and had cheered up quite fast once he'd seen this girl. "Um, Viktor? Could you, you know, introduce us?"

Viktor grunted, and scratched his chin. "Sure thing, kid. Apple, this is Makoto Gentaro, a friend of mine from Highland. Makoto, I'd like you to meet Apple, one of the strategists from back in the days of the Gate Rune War."

Makoto blinked. "One of your strategists? Boy, are we in luck meeting her right now, eh Viktor?"

"What?" Apple thought over that last statement. The only thing I am is unlucky... "Why are you lucky?"

Makoto blinked. "'Cause of Highland. Haven't you heard?"

Apple looked at Viktor as if to say, 'not again,' and the big man rubbed his head, embarrased.

"Well, it's kind of like this, Apple," he began. "Seems some folks in Highland - like a certain prince - weren't too happy with Annabelle getting a peace treaty with them. So, thanks to Makoto here, we know they..."

A retelling of the whole ugly story followed, until Apple had been brought up to date.

"Oh, so we have to gather together the 108 Stars of Destiny again to save the world again?"

Viktor blinked. "Well, I hadn't thought of it like that..." he began.

Makoto looked at Apple. "Hey, are you related to the blind lady who met me in the shrine there?" he asked. "She said something like that, too."

Viktor and Apple both did doubletakes at Makoto.

"Blind lady..." Viktor began.

"In the shrine.." Apple continued, and they finished in chorus. "Talking about the Stars of Destiny??"

Apple looked up at Viktor. "Leknaat?"

Viktor nodded down at Apple. "Leknaat," he answered her, nodding. "We'd better get back to the fort as soon as we've checked the shrine, Makoto - we need to make some plans about this."

The trio headed for the shrine, Makoto in the rear, following them with a plaintive question. "Um, you two... who *is* this Leknaat person and what do you mean by Stars of Destiny??"