Chapter I
Eeeyyup, another one. I'm sorry, they just will not stop! Anyway, this newest story, Death Loves Heroes, is just a little something that popped into existence a few weeks ago. It is, as with most stories I write, a multi-crossover. The main elements of this one are Tales of Xillia, Soul Calibur, and Fairy Tail. There are a few other series involved but they will get revealed later on. Hopefully everyone enjoys the story, and this chapter. If not, then try to constructively say what you did not like. I would like to thank my secondary author Bakuto Masaki for his help on ideas for this story. So, seeing as this is the first chapter, there are no reviewer responses so let's just hop right into it.
In a vast, rocky shoreline with massive rock spires reaching up like claws, a group of four people walked towards a series of giant waterfalls.
The first was a young man with neck-length black hair and amber eyes wearing a white jacket with a navy-blue overcoat with multiple light blue accents, black pants, brown gloves, and white boots.
To his left was a young woman with long, wavy, flowing blonde hair that reached her knees, with multiple light blonde accents a long section of hair sticking out to one side with a blue-green tip and red eyes wearing a white tubetop that exposed very little of her moderate bust, a short white skirt with multicolored accents that tied over her left hip, knee-high white, pink, and brown boots with red bows, shoulder-length brown and pink gloves with matching red ties, white wrist guards, a brown choker with a green jewel on the front, and a series of black straps over her shoulders and midsection.
On the young man's right was a woman with long, light blonde hair that reached just past her waist, two long bangs hanging down, framing her face and pink eyes, wearing narrow white glasses, a blue, skintight, revealing outfit with light blue accents and crisscrossing strands over the outside of her thighs and the front of her torso from just below her navel to just above her impressive bust, black sleeves with blue sections over her forearms and hands, black, knee-length boots with fox-shaped medals on the knees, a feathery, dark blue collar, a white and gold belt around her waist, held up by a beige and blue, foxlike tail at the base of her spine, and a silver ring on her left ring finger.
On the blonde woman's left was a man with short brown hair that was combed back but unkempt, with several bangs hanging down messily, and brown eyes who wore a simple white shirt, a black scarf with a yellow end, a brown coat with light brown accents, beige cuffs, black and red gloves, black pants, and beige boots with brown cuffs.
As the group of four approached the large waterfall, the young man looked at the blonde woman and muttered, "Hey uh, Milla, can I ask you something?"
The blonde woman, Milla, turned to him. "What is it, Jude?"
The young man, Jude, then asked, "This village we're going to, Nia Khera, is it a nice village?"
"You're not actually thinking of taking up that offer of living there, are you?" the blue-clad woman asked in disbelief.
"W-well, maybe, Presa," Jude answered.
Presa, the blue-clad woman, folded her arms with a sigh.
Milla, seemingly ignoring their small spat, answered, "It's an agreeable enough place. It's very peaceful."
Presa then glanced at the man in their group, who was tapping his feet tensely. "Something wrong?" she asked disinterestedly.
The man flexed his neck, "Ah, hey, Milla, why don't we take five real quick?"
Milla turned to him with the same blank expression. "We will have plenty of time to rest in Nia Khera."
Presa glanced at Jude and then added, "Well not all of us are nigh-immortals like you."
Milla folded her arms for a moment and then nodded in understanding. "Very well."
After Milla walked over to the tall waterfalls Jude sat down briskly.
Presa then chided, "Honestly, you can't keep pushing yourself like that."
Jude looked up at the woman with a weak smile. "Sorry about that, Presa. And thanks."
Presa smiled lightly.
"Hey, what about me, kid?" the man asked.
"Oh uh, yeah, thanks to you too, Alvin," Jude added.
"Yeah, I feel sooo appreciated," Alvin responded dryly.
"I'm glad you do," Presa answered sharply.
"Ouch, I think I get the point you two."
After a moment the group heard strange sounds from nearby followed by Milla grunting in pain.
Jude immediately shot up and ran over to where she had walked to, Presa and Alvin right behind him.
They looked and saw Milla suspended in the air, a series of red circles in the air clasping tightly around her, the circles seeming to be controlled by a woman standing on the tip of one of the rocks.
Jude turned and saw the woman, a pale-skinned woman with brown eyes and long, dark purple hair that reached her waist, wearing a black, tabard-like outfit that exposed her back and a large portion of the sides of her voluptuous bust, dark-tinted leggings, black and grey gloves that reached her upper arms, and thigh-high purple boots, standing in front of Milla. The woman then glanced down and saw Jude, Presa, and Alvin.
The purple-haired woman asked pejoratively to seemingly no one, "Is this the one that has caught your eye? Then stand back or I break her."
Alvin narrowed his eyes and then said, "She's my new client, so just let her go."
The woman hissed in annoyance. "I will, but just stay there and be quiet, or I'll break your golden egg."
Jude narrowed his eyes as he pressed a finger against his left temple. He looked around the area and his focus narrowed on a strange rock on the wall. He then lightly tapped Alvin's side. "Hey, Alvin, that rock up there, can you hit it?"
Alvin raised an eyebrow. "You sure? That'll just make things worse."
"It might be the key to saving Milla."
Alvin looked at him puzzled but then shrugged, pulling out a large, grey pistol from his pocket.
The purple-haired woman looked at him annoyed. "Don't care about her life, hmm? With friends like that-"
Her sentence was interrupted as Alvin started firing at the large boulder. She raised an eyebrow before widening her eyes as the boulder suddenly burst from the rock wall, leaping at her and Milla. "What the-!?"
Milla dropped to the ground as the large, mollusk-like beast landed on the pillar, knocking the purplette off and into the water below.
Milla ran over to the group and sighed. "Thank you, Jude."
Jude nodded with a smile.
Presa frowned and then looked ahead. "No time to celebrate, here it comes!"
The beast began to charge as Alvin pulled a large yellow sword from his back, Milla unsheathed a white sword from her waist, and Jude applied gauntlets he had in his coat.
The beast howled before swinging one of its large, red-tipped tendrils at the group.
"Move!" Alvin shouted, the four jumped to the side as the spiked tendril slammed into the ground. Alvin ran to the side and fired several shots at its head.
The beast growled and swung one of its tendrils at him.
"Aww crap," Alvin deadpanned as he had nowhere to move.
"Wake up!" Presa shouted as a blast of water shot from the ground in front of Alvin and knocked the tendril away.
"Thanks for the save," Alvin said with a wink.
Presa hissed and redirected her attention to the beast.
Jude charged and ran up the tendril on its back and launched into the air. "Eat…this!" he shouted as he reared a fist back and then swung it down. "Demon Fist!" A blast of energy then shot out of his hand and smacked the back of the beast's head.
The monster growled and then turned to the airborne Jude.
Jude's eyes widened as one of its tendrils shot up towards him, followed by intense pain in his chest before he fell to the ground, with a gaping hole in his torso where the monster had run him through.
Presa's eyes widened before she wailed, "Jude!"
Jude faintly heard Presa's voice before all sound faded. He slowly came to, noticing he felt very cold. He sat up and looked around, seeing nothing but pure blackness in every conceivable direction.
After a moment a new, sarcastic, voice remarked, "It's about time you paid me a visit, I was beginning to think you didn't like me."
Jude turned in surprise and saw a young man with pale skin, crimson eyes, and shoulder-length silver hair wearing a light blue shirt, black pants, geta sandals, and an ankle-length black haori with a raining, green matrix code design on it draped over his shoulders.
The man waved with a smile and asked, "Wakey-wakey."
Jude looked at the man confused and then stood up and looked around in shock. "W-wait a sec…where is everyone…!?"
The man waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about them, you're the one you should be worried about."
Jude looked at him puzzled. "Where am I?"
"You're dead," the man answered plainly.
Jude looked at him incredulously. "That's impossible, I can still see, think, hear, feel, all of it."
"Your soul can, but your body can't. On account of it being run through like a shish kebab."
"Wait…if I'm dead, then how am I here?"
The strange man merely sighed. "You don't listen very well, do you? Your soul is not in your body, I had to really quick grab your soul after you died so that Origin prick didn't mess with it."
Jude frowned in confusion and then asked, "Who are you?"
The man chuckled lightly. "Ah yes, that's right. I know all about you, but you don't know anything about me. My name is Naoya."
"Just…Naoya…?"
The strange man, Naoya, nodded with a smirk. "Yup. Isn't it strange? Just a few days ago you were a medical student living with your fiancé and now you're here, in Purgatory."
Jude looked at the man puzzled.
Naoya snapped his fingers and a large round mirror appeared beside him.
Jude watched curiously as an image appeared in the mirror, an image of Jude in a white outfit standing in a large room next to Presa. "Hey, that's-!"
"Yup," Naoya interrupted. "Just a few days ago you were living with that foxy fiancé of yours. Then you ran into Maxwell's little puppet on a way to meet that pudgy doctor."
Jude raised an eyebrow.
The mirror then showed an image of a pink-haired young woman standing across from Jude, Presa, and Milla in a dark room with many large green tubes. "Let's not forget that little pinkette who kicked your ass."
Jude looked to the side in embarrassment. "I'd uh…rather not."
Naoya chuckled in amusement. "And after all that Maxwell's puppet failed that mission of hers and got the Four Great Spirits stolen from her."
Jude frowned slightly. "That was…"
"Your fault?" Naoya asked.
Jude looked at Naoya slightly annoyed.
"I'd say that was more dumb luck than anything." Naoya then chuckled as a new image popped up on the mirror, showing Jude, Presa, and Milla crawling out of a river and onto a dock. "I'd say that this was probably worth it."
Jude's cheeks reddened as the mirror showed Milla standing across from him and Presa, her white tube top clinging to her, causing two light pink spots to peer through, right before Presa smacked Jude on the back of the head.
"Then you got yourself marked as a criminal by Rashugal and had to be saved by that Alvin man."
The mirror then showed Alvin with Jude slung under one of his arms as he ran along a metal beam onto a ship, multiple red-clad soldiers behind them.
"Then you passed through that quaint little village of bigoted hypocrites and now you're here. Dead."
Jude sighed heavily. "So…what am I supposed to do now?"
"Well you have two options. You can either go back and try to kill that thing again, or you can just move on."
A new voice then interjected, "Don't give the kid the illusion of choice when you already know what he'll choose."
Naoya looked behind Jude as the boy turned around and saw a tall, voluptuous young-looking woman with long, wavy, light blue hair that reached past her waist and dark blue eyes wearing blue, high-heeled shoes, a blue and black choker with golden ornaments on the edge, as well as a blue and white bikini that left little to the imagination.
Jude's face turned bright red as the woman sauntered up to the two.
Naoya chuckled and remarked, "How nice of you to join us Pandora. Have our other guests arrived yet?"
The scantily clad woman, Pandora, shook her head. "No, those two are still bickering. I told Amaterasu to send them here but it doesn't like she's having any luck."
Naoya sighed in amusement. "You'd think they'd understand what a momentous occasion this is." Naoya glanced behind him with a smirk. "'Bout damn time."
Jude merely looked between the two confused before he watched as two figures faded into view behind Naoya.
The first on Naoya's right was a tall man with long black hair that reached his waist, golden eyes, and a calm expression wearing a dark blue kimono with a red obi, and a matching haori.
On Naoya's left was a young-looking woman with long, flowing red hair, golden eyes, and a youthful face wearing a black, pink, and purple kimono with floral patterns on it.
The man turned to Naoya annoyed. "I hope there's a good reason you brought us here."
Naoya nodded. "Yes, I assure you there is, Izanagi. This boy is the one I told you about."
The man, Izanagi, turned to Jude unconvinced.
The woman then glanced at Jude curiously. "Is he truly the one you mentioned? I thought he would be taller."
Jude sweat-dropped.
"You're being too hard, Izanami. He is in the fact the one that has injected himself to that old fool's plan," Naoya remarked.
Izanami folded her arms in thought.
"He will do," Izanagi stated.
"Wonderful," Naoya remarked in amusement.
Pandora leaned over, putting her bust right next to Jude's embarrassed face. She lightly poked him in the cheek with a smirk. "You've got a pretty big duty kid."
Izanami and Izanagi extended their hands forward.
A curved, red sword with golden accents appeared before Izanagi while a straight, double-edged blue sword with black accents appeared before Izanami.
Naoya motioned to the two swords and said, "I present Soul Edge and Soul Calibur."
Jude blinked curiously. "What am I supposed to do with those?"
Izanagi folded his arms with a confident huff. "Take my blade, Soul Edge, and conquer the world, prove the strength of my sword."
Izanami huffed in annoyance and brushed some of her hair to the side with a smile. "Ignore my churlish husband, take my blade, Soul Calibur, and bring light to the world, and prove the worth of my sword."
Izanagi frowned in annoyance.
Naoya then clapped his hands together. "I have a splendid idea. Give Jude here both swords and let him prove on his own which is better."
Izanagi and Izanami widened their eyes.
"You can't be serious!" Izanagi snarled.
Izanami giggled in amusement. "Oh…? Are you afraid having both swords will prove how weak your sword is?"
Izanagi growled and then folded his arms angrily. "Fine."
Jude sighed as the group talked as if he was not there.
Pandora put a hand on his head lightly. "Eh, don't let it get you down. Those guys are idiots."
Jude looked at her confused. "Is this place really Purgatory?"
Pandora thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I guess so. It's really just a pocket dimension Naoya created."
Jude sighed as Naoya called for his attention.
"So," Naoya began, "What will you do? Take Soul Calibur? Soul Edge? Both?"
Jude thought quietly.
After several moments Pandora grumbled angrily. "Grr…this is so irritating! Just give him both swords and send him off!"
Naoya shrugged and flicked his hand forward. The two swords rushed forward and slammed into Jude's body, filling the boy's vision with light.
Jude felt pain in his chest that swiftly subsided as he felt groggy. He then felt water splash on his face and he immediately shot awake. He sat up swiftly and realized he held both swords in his hands. He turned around and saw Presa glaring at the monster they were fighting, Milla standing with her sword forward and Alvin behind Jude.
Alvin glanced behind him and saw Jude sit up. "So you're not dead yet, eh kid?" He raised an eyebrow as he saw the two swords in his hands. "Where'd those come from?"
"Long story," Jude answered as he stood up.
"Gah!" Presa snarled as one of the monster's tendrils slammed into her.
Jude's eyes widened before he rushed at the beast, holding the swords tightly.
The monster turned towards him and swung one of its tendrils.
Jude swung Soul Edge in his right hand down and sliced the tendril off.
The beast howled in pain before charging to head-butt Jude.
Jude crossed the swords in front of him but raised an eyebrow as the monster fell. He looked to the side and saw Alvin standing with the end of his gun smoking.
"You really gotta watch out kid, you got lucky last time, somehow," Alvin remarked.
Jude nodded with a sigh as the monster lied dead in front of him.
"Jude!"
Jude turned as Presa shouted his name but felt a strange burning sensation on the side of his face. "Why'd you slap me!?" he asked in surprise.
"That thing could've killed you!" Presa shouted exasperatedly before taking a breath.
Jude smiled weakly. "Yeah…sorry about that."
Presa sighed and then noticed the swords in Jude's hands. "What are those?"
Jude held them up and said, "Ah…well…that's a long story…"
"Then it can wait," Milla interjected, "For now, we need to get to Nia Khera."
Presa narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
"As…rough as Miss Maxwell's words are, I think she has a point. What if there are more of those things here?" Alvin added.
Presa sighed in exasperation.
Milla then turned to Jude. "That was a risky gamble back there. What if that monster had gone after you instead of charging that woman?"
Jude nodded. "I know. But even then, Alvin would've had a clear opening to shoot."
Alvin chuckled in amusement. "You thought of all the angles? Damn kid, what are you, some kind of tactical genius?"
"Compared to you anyone would be," Presa remarked.
"Ouch. You know, I get the feeling you don't like me."
After the discussion, the group walked away from the area and neared the edge of the rocky area.
"Hey, Alvin," Jude remarked.
"Yup?" Alvin responded.
"Did you know that woman back there?"
Alvin stopped and shrugged. "Not a bit. But she sure seemed to know me."
Milla interjected, "As a mercenary, I'm sure you make lots of enemies."
"True."
"Well whoever she was she sure was pretty."
Presa pouted in annoyance and grabbed Jude's arm, pulling it between her mostly exposed bosom. "And your fiancé isn't?"
"Ah…well I…that's…"
Alvin chuckled in amusement. "I think you've lost this one."
"Y-yeah…"
Milla and Presa then walked on ahead of the other two.
Alvin stopped and then slung an arm over Jude's shoulder. "Maybe you've got a taste for older women."
"Maybe…"
"What I want to know is how you met that foxy lady friend of yours."
"Huh?"
"Presa. How'd you two lovebirds meet?"
"Oh, well it was a few years ago when I started attending Talim Medical Academy. I was trying to get to the office of one of my professors and got lost. I accidentally walked into Presa's office by accident."
"Ah…love at first sight I take it?" Alvin asked.
"Uhm, no, not really. After school she was attacked by a bunch of people calling themselves the Rats. They called her a traitor and attacked her."
"And you swooped in like a dashing hero."
Jude chuckled weakly. "Actually I got my butt kicked after taking down two of them. Eventually the rest went away."
"That sounds emasculating."
"Really?"
"A bit. Anything after that?"
"Yeah. She stayed at Talim and eventually started living in my dorm room with me."
"And now you're hitched. How do your folks feel 'bout that?"
Jude just gulped.
"Oh boy. Good luck."
"Hey!" Presa called back to the two. "Are you coming?!"
"Yup! On the way!" Alvin called up as he gave Jude a light push, the two walking up towards the small road leading to Nia Khera.
After a short further walk, the group arrived at a tall, ornamental archway leading into a small village with multiple wooden huts scattered around a small area.
"We've arrived," Milla declared.
"So this is Nia Khera," Jude thought as he looked around.
"I thought it would be…fancier," Alvin remarked.
Presa looked around the area and said, "It has a very serene feeling to it."
Eventually Milla walked off towards an old man sitting on a mat surrounded by bags of food, with Jude, Presa, and Alvin behind her.
"Where is Ivar?" Milla asked the old man.
The old man stood up and said, "Well, he ran off to find Lord Maxwell and-" the old man stopped as he turned and saw Milla, stepping back in shock, "L-Lord Maxwell!?"
"Yes, I have returned," Milla explained as the man bowed in a ceremonial manner.
As the old man kneeled before her, several other villagers in the area noticed her and each gathered around her.
The old man then continued, "I am honored that you would deign to speak with me, Lord Maxwell. I am unworthy."
Alvin shook his head in disbelief and remarked, "Guess she's the real deal. It's not often that you get to road-trip with a major deity."
"True," Presa added.
Milla then said, "You needn't be so formal." After a few moments of silence she then asked, "You said Ivar isn't here?"
The old man answered, "That is correct."
"Ivar always did have a hot temper." Milla then walked away from the group of kneeling people, with Jude, Presa, and Alvin following behind. "Jude, I'd like to ask you a favor. There are four temporal stones throughout the village, I need to return to my shrine to summon the Four, I'd like you to bring the stones there."
"Really? We can help you?" Jude asked in surprise.
"I'm not exactly a religious scholar," Alvin added. "Why not ask the villagers to help you?"
"You saw what happened back there. The villagers can't even look me in the eyes, let alone hold a conversation."
"Eh, a little manual labor won't kill us, right kid?"
Jude nodded in response. "Yeah, we'll help."
Eventually the group stopped near an exit from the village and Milla turned to Jude. "Do not worry Jude. I will explain your situation to the villagers as soon as the ceremony is complete."
"Ah…right," Jude responded.
"Guess it's time to gather the stone, eh?" Alvin said.
Jude nodded in agreement.
As the two walked towards a small shrine with a red, egg-shaped stone in it, Alvin looked around and said, "Nia Khera really is the sticks, huh?"
Jude rebutted, "How about we just call it 'simple'?"
Alvin picked up the red stone and tossed it to Jude, who then followed down to another stone.
As Jude looked around, he turned to Milla and asked, "This is your home town Milla? It's so…normal."
"Isn't it nice? It's so quiet here," Milla responded.
"Yeah, it sure is," Jude answered uneasily.
"Pretty weak, huh? I was expecting something freeaaky," Alvin interjected.
"Hey, come on," Jude rebutted.
"True, she isn't as freaky as you," Presa remarked.
"Did you say something?" Milla asked curiously.
"Oh, I was just wondering if your parents were around," Alvin redirected.
"Spirits don't have parents," Milla rebutted bluntly.
"Then how were you born?" Alvin asked.
"I took this form twenty years ago. I appeared, along with the Four, in the village shrine," she answered simply.
"Why?" Alvin asked curiously.
"You seem to have a lot of questions about me," Milla responded uneasy.
"Just trying to keep Jude entertained! He was complaining about how boring the village was."
"Jude, do you crave chaos that much?"
"What?!" Jude responded, shocked, "I…I didn't say anything like that!"
"Correct, it was Alvin," Presa added.
Alvin sighed in defeat.
As the group walked towards a third stone on the far end of the village, Jude remarked, "These are such weird buildings."
Milla explained, "The villagers channel a mixture of earth and wind spirits when constructing them."
"It sounds like it takes quite a lot of skill," Presa added.
"It does. All of the elders of the village are expert spirit channellers."
Eventually the group picked up the fourth and final temporal stone.
"There we go, all four Temporal Stones," Jude remarked as he held the last one.
"Thank you for your efforts," Milla responded, "Now we must head to the shrine beyond the village."
The others nodded in understanding.
As they approached the exit Alvin scratched his head and asked in light confusion, "So…all the artes that channel the Four Great Spirits don't work anymore?"
"Yeah, not since the Silencing twenty years ago," Jude answered. "The power of the Four disappeared overnight, causing a worldwide panic."
"And when did Milla take human form again?" Alvin asked in thought.
"Twenty years ago," Milla answered plainly.
"Sounds to me like there might be a connection," Presa interjected.
"Yes, that was me. I reserved the Four for my personal use."
"Seriously?" Alvin asked in disbelief.
"I have no reason to deceive you."
"Of course, even I can't summon them now, so you'll have to take my word for it."
Presa merely sighed as the group left the village.
The group made their way through the small forest leading to Milla's Shrine, the Nia Khera Spiritway, and approached a long series of steps leading up to the shrine.
Alvin sighed slightly. "Oh goody, we get walk all the way up those steps carrying these things."
After making their way up the stairs, Jude, Presa, and Alvin looked around.
"Here," Milla declared plainly.
Jude looked at the small hut and asked, "So…is this your house?"
Milla turned around in thought and then responded, "I never really thought about it that way but I suppose so."
"And I thought Nia Khera itself was in the middle of nowhere," Presa remarked.
"Wow, you really are in the sticks," Alvin said sarcastically. "What do you do out here for fun?"
"My mission is not to entertain myself," Milla responded bluntly. "I do like to spend my time reading books written by humans, if you must know."
"Sounds…fun."
"It is, you should try it sometime."
Alvin looked at her surprised and turned to Jude.
Jude just shrugged his shoulders.
"Let's perform the ceremony," Milla instructed.
However, at that moment, the door to Milla's shrine opened as a figure stepped out into the open.
"Welcome back, Lady Milla," a female voice said as a young woman with long black hair with red tips that was tied back into a ponytail with a set of gold and black clips, bright, almost luminescent blue eyes, wearing a short, tight, revealing white dress with gold trim and a slit up the side to her waist, that just barely covered her large bosom, thigh-high white boots with black and gold trim, detached white sleeves with black and gold trim, and red and white, fingerless gloves stepped out and bowed gracefully.
Alvin whistled lightly. "You didn't mention you had such a lovely companion."
Milla folded her arms and motioned to the woman. "This is Kaguya Nanbu, my priestess. She lives here in the shrine with me."
Kaguya bowed to the group. "It is good to meet Lady Milla's companions." She then noticed the Temporal Stones in the hands of the group. She narrowed her eyes and then turned to Milla. "Something has happened?"
Milla nodded.
Kaguya nodded in understanding and opened the door.
The group headed inside and Jude, Presa, and Alvin set the four stones down on a large, intricate circle, setting each stone down on a circle of a matching color.
Milla sat in the center of the circle as Jude set the last stone down.
"So is this…okay…?" Jude asked unsurely.
Jude stood back with Alvin, Presa, and Kaguya.
"Perfect. Thank you," Milla responded. Milla then extended her hands forward as a magic circle matching the one on the floor appeared in front of her.
She swept her hands to the side, causing the two circle on the horizontal axis of the circle to light up, then swept her hands up and down, causing the circles on the vertical axis to light up. She then swept her hands out to the side widely, causing another copy of the circle to appear in the air above her, pillars of light shining down on the stones.
The stones lit up and then cracked and fell to pieces, Milla collapsing to the side.
"Milla!" Jude shouted in concern.
"Lady Milla!" a new voice shouted as a figure rushed past Jude and Alvin, knocking Alvin to the side.
The figure, a dark-skinned young man with long, pink-grey hair tied messily behind him in a ponytail and olive-green eyes wearing a white, red, and black, tribal outfit with a black, feathery collar.
"Oh, is that you, Ivar?" Milla asked as she sat up straight, holding her head in discomfort.
"Lady Milla!" the brash young man, Ivar, responded excitedly, "I was worried sick!" He then looked around in confusion. "This looks like the rite of the Four's Advent…why would you perform such a ritual?"
Ivar then stood up and looked around in confusion. "Wait, what's going on here? Efreet, where are you?! Undine, come out!" He then turned to Milla perplexed. "Lady Milla, what has happened?"
Milla sighed and then explained, "I went to Fennmont to deal with a Spyrix weapon I was sensing and in the process I lost the ability to summon and use the Four Great Spirits."
Ivar looked at Milla in shock. "I cannot believe it."
Jude, Presa, and Alvin sat nearby.
Alvin then asked, "So…why do you think you can't summon the spirits? Are they…dead or something?"
Ivar pointed at Alvin and shouted, "Idiot! A Great Spirit cannot die!"
"Was I…supposed to know that…?" Alvin asked, turning to Jude puzzled.
Kaguya giggled lightly. "No, I think it's alright."
Ivar then smirked confidently and explained, "Just like a Lesser Spirit, a Great Spirit becomes a fossil when it passes away. Yet its power transfers into the next Great Spirit!"
Jude then appended, "At least, that's what they say. Nobody's ever seen it happen."
"Ahh," Alvin began, "So I've heard."
"I suppose it makes sense though," Presa added.
"That's blasphemy!" Ivar insulted. "Spirits are undying beings that dwell in the Spirit World! They're beyond your understanding!"
Jude put a finger to the side of his head in thought. "Hm…well maybe…that device captured the Four Great Spirits instead of killing them."
Presa's eyes widened and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, that sounds quite possible."
Kaguya put a finger to her chin in thought. "Is that so…?"
"Impossible!" Ivar interjected, "Mere humans could never capture the Great Four!"
"But think about it," Jude responded, surprisingly calm, "they're not answering their master's summons. If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbably, must be the truth."
Presa chuckled in amusement. "You do love Howe's Egg Principle, don't you?"
Alvin then added, "If you leave an egg in a box, and somehow that egg should get crushed, the cause must lie within the egg itself." Alvin turned to Jude with a chuckle. "You really are an honors student."
Kaguya blinked curiously in thought. "Howe's…Egg Principle…?"
Ivar glared at Jude angrily, shaking a fist.
Milla narrowed her eyes in thought. "A Spyrix advanced enough to capture even the four." 'And that is when I lost my power as Maxwell.' Her eyes then widened as she stood up.
"Milla?" Jude asked in thought.
However before he could ask further questions Ivar stepped in front of the group swiftly. "Now you will all leave! This is holy ground and you will desecrate it no more!" He then struck a ridiculous pose with a toothy grin and remarked, "I'm the only one ordained to serve Lady Milla!"
Milla then said, "Ivar, please leave as well. You can go home."
"Huh?!" Ivar asked in shock as he turned to her.
"Let me see, how should I put this?" she thought for a moment before turning to him. "You're annoying."
"Huh?!"
Kaguya then walked over to Ivar and put her hands on his shoulders. "Lady Milla has requested you to leave."
Ivar paled as Kaguya looked at him with a worrying smile. "R-right…"
The group then walked outside of the hut, Ivar dragging his feet in depression.
The group stood outside for a period of time, waiting for Milla to exit her shrine.
Ivar stood, tapping one foot in annoyance. "Lady Milla wouldn't be in this predicament if it wasn't for you blasphemous fools! For the love of Maxwell! I knew I should never have left her side!"
"Man, she wasn't kidding about his short fuse," Alvin remarked.
Jude then walked away from the group somewhat, causing Ivar to gape.
Ivar ran up to him and roughly grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. "Hey, are you even listening to me?!"
"Uhm, yeah…I mean, huh?" Jude responded in confusion.
"Hmph! Heed my words! Henceforth, only I shall serve the Lady Milla! Interfere at your peril!"
Presa sighed and waved a hand. "You seem a little hot headed, why not cool down a little?"
Ivar looked at her in confusion and then looked up and gaped as a boulder of ice fell on top of him.
"P-Presa!" Jude shouted.
"What? He was getting on my nerves. Worse than when Sheele drops my freshly made stew," Presa argued.
"Y-yeah, I know…but still…"
Alvin shook his head in disbelief but then glanced to the side. In the sea of trees next to the shrine several figures stood off in the distance. He then walked over to Jude, walking around the preoccupied Ivar. "Hey, you gonna stick around?"
Jude turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, I will."
"Okay, I'll be back at the village."
Jude nodded as Alvin walked away. He then looked at his palm in thought.
"Something wrong?" Presa asked as she walked up to him.
Jude shook his head. "No, it's nothing. I just have the feeling we forgot something back in Fennmont."
Presa smiled warmly as she put a hand on his shoulder. "You're probably still in shock over everything still. We just need to get through all of this in one piece and we can figure it all out later."
Jude took a breath and then nodded in understanding.
At that moment Milla and Kaguya then walked out of Milla's shrine, Jude turning to her curiously.
"Oh, what's wrong?" he asked, "I thought you were going to rest."
"I would say the same to the two of you," Milla responded, "You didn't go back to the village?"
Jude shook his head in response. He then asked, "So what now?"
"We go and set you up with villagers."
"I can help with that, they respond better to me than they do to Lady Milla," Kaguya interjected.
Jude frowned and looked off to the side in thought.
Milla tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong? Worried you won't fit in?"
"No, that's not it. Tell me, are you…are you going to go back and destroy the Lance of Kresnik?"
Milla nodded plainly. "Yes. That is what I am going to do."
"Do you plan on doing it alone?"
Milla shook her arms in response and motioned to Kaguya. "No, Kaguya will accompany me." Milla then folded her arms in thought. "Don't beat around the bush. If you want to say something just come out with it."
"Well…just tell me, how are you so brave?"
Milla looked at him puzzled.
"Well, you are going to do this mission, and you're doing it with just one other person."
Kaguya smiled sweetly and asked, "Do you doubt my fighting abilities?"
Jude stepped back slightly. "I uh…n-no…that's not…"
"Hmm…bravery isn't quite it. I have a mission to accomplish and I am going to do it. It's that simple."
Jude looked at her surprised. "But you're just a human now. You could die!"
"That's the risk. It is my mission, plain and simple."
"Well…can I come with you?"
Milla looked at him in thought and then asked with a smirk, "So you've taken an interest me?"
Jude stepped back in shock. "Th-that's not it!"
Presa sighed in exasperation.
Kaguya giggled in amusement.
"Your whole life was turned upside down because you got involved with me, do you regret any of it?" Milla asked.
Jude sighed and answered, "Well…a bit…but crying about it won't change anything now that I'm neck-deep in it. So I want to keep going alongside you."
Presa then interjected, "You might as well give up trying to change his mind. When Jude puts his mind to something not even Maxwell can change his mind."
Milla chuckled lightly and then added, "So be it. You really are a do-gooder, aren't you?"
"Y-you really think so?" Jude asked in embarrassment.
"You are," Presa added plainly.
"P-Presa!"
Presa merely snickered lightly.
Milla then turned to Jude and said, "I didn't stay behind in the shrine to rest; I was hoping to sneak off with Kaguya without dragging you into things again."
"Really?" he asked in surprised.
"Yes. Consideration for others is something I learned on our little journey together. It's not as easy as I thought. Anyway, let's head to the village. Now that you found me, I suppose I'm in no rush to leave anymore."
Kaguya lightly clapped her hands together. "You've learned so much on your trip."
Jude sweat-dropped in response. "I uh…"
Presa put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
As they walked towards the exit, Milla asked, "Wasn't Alvin with you?"
"No, I think he went back to the village," Jude answered.
As the four reentered the village, Alvin sat near the front gate waiting for them.
"'Bout time you two got back. I was wondering what you two loverbirds were up to."
Jude turned bright red in embarrassment while Presa looked at him annoyed. "You should mind your own business," Presa chided.
Alvin shrugged in response. "Just can't win with you two." He then looked at Jude and asked, "So, made up your mind kid?"
Jude nodded. "Yes. I'm going to go with Milla."
"Whoa! You're quite the flip-flopper. I thought you regretted getting involved."
Jude nodded again. "I did. But I've made up my mind to help her."
Alvin turned to Presa. "You uh, not gonna try and stop him?"
"If I had the power to do that we wouldn't be in this situation," Presa answered.
Milla then walked over to Alvin. "Alvin, I'd like to thank you for all your help. We also need to pay you."
"Oh right, my fee. I ran into some hayseed, he said he'd pay it. He was all 'Thank you for serving Lord Maxwell' and 'You protected our Spirit'."
Milla put a hand to her cheek in thought. "That sounds like the village elder. He shouldn't have offered. Alvin, I'll pay your debt."
Alvin folded his arms in response. "You need to learn how to read your people Milla. He was tickled pink to pay your debt. You'd crush him if you refused."
"You think so?"
"I know so. He told me to wait here for him, but that was ages ago."
"We should go and find him," Presa interjected.
"He's still in the village, right?" Jude asked.
"Most likely," Milla answered.
"We should check the assembly hall first," Kaguya suggested.
Alvin nodded. "Sounds good. And don't forget to take care of anything else you need to while I'm still here. Once I get my reward I'm outta here."
The group swiftly made their way to the assembly hall of the village where they found the elder gathering together a small bag of money to give to Alvin.
As they walked up the elder turned to them surprised. "Lord Maxwell! Lady Kaguya! And your companions. I'm sorry for making you wait."
"I hear you gathered some money to pay our debt," Milla remarked.
"Yes, all of us in the village pitched in some money to pay the debt. It's the least we can do to help you Lord Maxwell. We're farmers, not fighters after all."
Alvin then turned to Milla. "What'd I tell ya?"
"He's right you know," Kaguya added.
Milla nodded in agreement as the elder gave Alvin the money.
"Well, that about does it."
"Thanks for all your help," Milla offered.
"See ya around." Alvin then left the assembly hall.
"And just like that he's gone," Jude remarked.
At that same moment Ivar barged into the assembly hall. "Lady Milla!"
"He certainly recovered fast," Presa whispered to Jude.
Jude nodded in agreement.
Ivar bowed and then asked, "Will you be departing again?"
Milla nodded. "Yes, look after the village."
"But I would rather accompany you!" Ivar responded with a confident smirk. "I wouldn't dare leave your holy care in the hands of this blasphemous, uncouth, shifty, backstabbing stranger!"
Presa narrowed her eyes. "I think that's more than enough out of you." She raised a hand and a large sphere of water formed around Ivar, sealing him inside. The dark-skinned fool thrashed around attempt to get out of the bubble and get some air to breathe, but to no avail.
Jude watched in shock.
Milla turned to Presa and asked, "Would you please release him? He meant nothing by his words."
Kaguya blinked curiously. "Hmm…I'll need to remember that, ufufu."
Presa glanced at her in irritation before Jude walked up to her. "Uh…why don't you let him go, I really don't want you killing anyone."
Presa looked at him in confusion but then sighed and lowered her hand, causing the ball of water to collapse and dropping Ivar to the floor, gasping for air.
Ivar stood up, still gasping and pointed at Presa weakly. "Y-you saw that…right Lady Milla!?"
Milla, ignoring his pleas, folded her arms. "Ivar, tell me again of your duties."
Ivar looked at her puzzled. "My duty? Why, it is to serve you, Lady Milla."
"And what of your other duty?"
"Uh…to protect the people of Nia Khera. Those who can't protect themselves."
"Exactly. And now you see why Jude and Presa shall accompany me on this journey. While you fulfill your second duty."
"But Lady Milla!" Ivar interjected, preparing to point at Jude angrily.
Presa raised a hand.
"Eek!" Ivar shrieked as he stepped back, holding his hands to his side.
Presa raised an eyebrow and smirked in amusement.
"Ahem, Lady Milla. You wouldn't have lost the Great Spirits if not for him!"
"No," Milla interjected, "the fault was mine and mine alone. Indeed, if Jude and Presa hadn't been there…I might never have returned safely to Nia Khera."
"Th-thanks," Jude interjected. "I'm only trying to help."
"And you do it so well," Presa added.
"Uhm…was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"But Lady Milla…!" Ivar argued.
Kaguya frowned and chided, "You should listen to Lady Milla, Ivar. You should be glad she is personally giving you your orders."
Milla nodded in agreement and then turned to Ivar. "The matter is not open to debate," Milla said sternly. "Will you abandon your duty to this village?"
"No…"
"Then let's be off. I hope they haven't closed off the seahaven."
"So does that mean we'll be passing through Hamil again on the way?" Jude asked.
"Hmm…yes, that's not a bad idea."
"I'm not sure that's wise," Presa added.
"It will give us a chance to check up on Rashugal's activity here in Auj Oule. If we're lucky, we might even find a way to sneak into Fennmont."
Jude nodded in response. "Gotcha. We'll stop by Hamil then."
"Safe travels to you, Lord Maxwell, Lady Kaguya," the elder said with a bow.
"Thank you," Milla responded as she and Jude left the hall.
As they walked out, Ivar said, with spastic arm waves, "Lady Milla! Please return to us safely!"
On the edge of the village, several figures watched as Jude, Milla, Kaguya, and Presa left Nia Khera.
The first, a man with shoulder-length black hair, deep red eyes, and lightly tanned skin with a black and red ornament in his hair wearing an elaborate black and red outfit with red gloves, armored sleeves, and a flame pattern at the base of his coat that continued on his black boots, asked in disbelief, "So…that woman is supposed to be Maxwell. And you claim she has lost her powers, Ultear?"
"Yes," the purple-haired woman, Ultear, who had attacked Milla and the others answered.
A man with chin-length black hair that had a single blonde tuft sticking straight up, fair skin, and yellow eyes wearing a black outfit with dark grey accents, a black, feathery collar, and a small shoulder-cape over his left arm, added, "If she's already hidden the Key somewhere, we could have a problem."
"The fault is mine. I underestimated them. I apologize," Ultear said mortified.
A tall, bulky man with dark skin, a bald head, and a long brown beard that parted distinctly over his torso, and squinted brown eyes, wearing a large yellow coat with white fur, a black and yellow, patterned shirt with fur at the bottom, with more fur over his legs, underneath leg armor with the same pattern as his shirt, brown boots that extended up into black material with a laced-up front and furred edges, and a black hat with the same pattern in yellow with a feather on one side said, "If only I had known that woman was Maxwell, I would have forced her to reveal the Key's whereabouts."
The red-clad man then interjected, "No matter. It is in our best interest to let her wander freely for now."
The black-clad man added, "Yes. Let her attract the attention of Rashugal while we quietly put all the pieces in place."
"Any word from Meldy?"
"She says they appear to have decided to construct a new Key to replace the one they lost."
"We cannot ignore that."
The black-clad man nodded and then turned to the bulky man. "Jiao, you no longer need to watch over the girl. Join the search for the Key."
"But, sir…" the bulky man, Jiao, argued with a frown.
"If the Rashugal soldiers have withdrawn, you need not monitor her personally."
Ultear then added, "It only makes sense for priorities to change. That data is nice and safe now, after all."
Jiao saluted weakly. "As you say…"
The black-clad man then turned to Ultear and said, "Ultear, rendezvous with Meldy and infiltrate Fennmont."
"Oh, so it's truly safe to leave Maxwell alone?" Ultear asked curiously.
"Yes. We still have another pawn on the board. I'll have him search for the Key as well."
The four then walked away from the area.
Milla, Jude, Kaguya, and Presa walked out from the area around Nia Khera to Kijara Seafalls, when Milla stopped and put a hand to her chin in thought.
"Is something troubling you?" Kaguya asked.
"I've been mulling over our options. What if we can't take a boat straight to Fennmont?" Milla asked.
"Well…" Jude hummed in thought.
"I vote against taking the land route from Auj Oule," a familiar voice chimed in, "Crossing the mountains would be a real pain."
"Alvin!?" all three said in surprise.
"I thought you had left the area already," Presa remarked with annoyance.
Alvin saluted lightly, "Good to know I'm still as appreciated as always. Anyway, we could head towards Sharilton from Sapstrath Seahaven."
"We?" Presa began. "What do you mean by 'we'?" she asked irritated.
"That handmaid of yours offered me a little job," Alvin explained. "He wasn't so crazy about his exalted Spirit traveling with a pipsqueak and a hotty for protection."
Presa looked at him flatly.
Milla sighed. "Does he simply discount Kaguya's abilities?"
Alvin shrugged and then held out the bag of money he had been given. "Plus, the good villagefolk overpaid me. It'd be a stain on my professional pride if I didn't give them their money's worth."
"I didn't realize you had any."
Milla chuckled lightly. "Very well. Good to have you back."
Jude nodded in return. "Yeah, thanks for coming along."
Kaguya nodded as well. "It will be good to have you accompany us."
Alvin then looked at Presa.
"How about we just say I agree in spirit?"
Alvin chuckled weakly. "I'll accept that. Thank Ivar and the villagers, not me. So, what's the plan?"
Milla answered, "First we head to Hamil to investigate Rashugal's movements."
"If they're still there of course," Presa added.
"Sounds good. Shall we go?"
As the group walked along the beach, Alvin sighed as he scratched his head.
"Something wrong?" Milla asked.
"I don't get it. How could the Four Great Spirits get captured?" he asked.
"Fundamentally, the Four are masses of mana. The Lance of Kresnik absorbs mana and, apparently, is able to store it."
"I never thought that was even possible," Jude explained.
"Apparently it is."
"We have to go rescue the Four then!"
Alvin smirked, putting his arm over Jude's shoulder, and remarked, "I do like the pluck. But this might be a case where a bit of pluck'll get you a lot of dead. A pissed-off med student's probably not a tall order for the group that bagged the Four Great Spirits."
Presa sighed and added, "While I'm not happy with his choice of words, I do have to agree with our shifty companion."
"Hey…you called me your companion. We're making great strides in our burgeoning friendship."
"Hmph."
"Okay…maybe…small strides."
Jude turned to Alvin and then asked, "Hey, where'd you go after the shrine in Nia Khera?"
Alvin looked at him curiously and then answered with a smirk, "That's…a secret for grown-ups."
"It sounds like you're trying to hide something," Jude answered with a pout.
"Figured that out did you? Do you want to ask what I was doing?" Alvin asked with a playful smirk.
"If you don't want to tell me that's fine," Jude responded with a pout.
"If it's fine with you then I ain't tellin'."
"You don't want to tell me?" Jude asked defeated.
"You don't want to ask?" Alvin rebutted.
"I'm starting to think I'd rather not know."
"I'm starting to think you're probably right."
Jude sighed as they walked further along the beach and then asked. "Is it alright to just leave the Temporal Stones back there without picking them up?"
Alvin shrugged and responded. "Just keep quiet and no one will even know it was us."
"Somehow I doubt that," Presa interjected.
Not too long after, the group made their way to a small village on the end of the trail leading from the Seafalls. However, as they entered, they heard a strange commotion.
They walked into the main area of the village, seated on a hill edge, and saw many of the villagers, young and old, male and female, gathered in a group shouting angrily.
"Get out of here!" one man shouted.
"I'm sick of you, you cursed brat!" an old woman snarled.
The person they were shouting obscenities at was a young girl with mid-upper arm length, wavy, light blonde hair and green eyes wearing a pink, purple, and violet, gothic dress with two purple ribbons around her arms and purple boots with intricate designs on them.
"This is all your fault you evil brat!" another woman growled before the villagers began to pick up stones.
They then began throwing the stones.
One hit the girl square on the head.
Jude stopped one of the men by grabbing his arm but couldn't stop the already thrown stones.
As the other stones approached they suddenly stopped midair and then hit the ground.
"My, my, picking on a little girl. How rude," a new, slightly drunken voice remarked.
The girl and the villagers looked to the side as a woman with long purple hair that reached just below her waist, tied in a wide ponytail with a pink ribbon, matching violet eyes, a bust even larger than Kaguya's, and wearing a very short, purple, eastern-style dress with a wide, open section in the middle that showed off much of her cleavage and her navel, with long sleeves with slits up the sides walked over towards the girl unsteadily, holding an empty bottle in her hands and looking at the villagers irritated.
The woman frowned and then raised a hand before flicking a finger. Suddenly a powerful blast of wind kicked up and slammed all of the people against the wall of one of the houses.
Jude and the others then ran over to the woman and the girl.
The purple-haired woman turned to the little girl. "Are you alright?" she asked with a smile.
The girl nodded uncertainly.
Jude frowned before an old woman with white hair walked up to him. "Do you have any idea what you people put us through?!" she asked incensed.
Jude looked around and saw that many of the villagers were beaten badly.
"Is this Rashugal's doing?" Milla asked.
Alvin frowned. "They couldn't find us so they took it out on the village."
"Leave here at once! You outsiders are nothing but trouble!" the old woman shouted angrily.
The old woman and the other villagers then scattered around the area.
The girl immediately got up and ran away as well.
Jude watched the girl flee worriedly.
Presa narrowed her eyes and then turned to Milla. "We should see what the villagers know about Rahsugal's activities."
Milla nodded in agreement and then turned to Jude. "Don't forget we'll be leaving soon."
Jude nodded with a smile. "Gotcha. Thank you." He then ran off back to the area they entered from.
As he approached, he watched the girl flee into the small shack at the edge of the village.
Jude entered the small shack but did not see the girl. He then made his way down the small set of stairs nearby into the wine cellar below.
He looked around and then walked around the row of wine barrels and saw the girl cowering in the corner between a small bed and the row of barrels. He walked up behind her and asked, "Hey, can we talk?"
The girl glanced behind her timidly.
"I promise I won't hurt you."
The girl stood up, holding a small, purple and pink doll in her arms, and turned to face Jude.
He knelt down slightly to be eye level with her. "Hi there. We've met once before right?"
The girl smiled slightly and suddenly the doll sprang to life and shouted excitedly, "Wah-hey!"
The sudden shout from the doll surprised Jude so much that he stumbled back and fell to the floor.
"Whoops, clumsy little guy, aren't ya?" the doll asked mockingly.
"This is Teepo," the girl said in a soft voice, "He won't hurt you."
The doll, Teepo, then added, "And this is Elly, but you should call her Elize! Nice to meet'cha!"
Jude gaped at the talking doll before regaining his composure and putting on a smile. "Ah, heheh. Nice to you, too…erm, both of you."
Elize walked up to Jude and asked concerned, "Uhm…are you okay?"
"Sure, just thrown for a loop," Jude answered as he stood up. "My name's Jude."
Teepo answered, "Wah-hey, Jude! Thanks for helping us out before!"
"Thank you," Elize added softly.
Jude scratched the back of his lightly. "I didn't really do anything." He then shook his head and bent over slightly to Elize's level. "So what exactly happened? Can you tell me?"
Teepo responded, "Well, first, all these meanie men showed up from who knows where. Some place far away! Then the big man whupped 'em all!"
"Ah yeah, that guy."
"But then he wandered away somewhere," Elize added.
"Right!" Teepo continued. "That's when the meanie men started bullying the villagers!"
"Is the big guy a buddy of yours Elize?" Jude asked.
"No…" Elize answered with a shake of her head.
"He's a bad guy!" Teepo interjected. "He locked Elly up!"
"We arrived here together in Amnis."
"But they started chucking rocks at us the second we stepped outside! Those meanies!"
Jude remained silent in thought for a few moments.
"Jude?" Elize asked worriedly, interrupting his thoughts.
"Oh, sorry," Jude apologized, falling out of his thoughts. "Are the two of you waiting for friends here or something?"
"Friends?" Elize asked lowly. "We don't have any."
"Well, you do now."
Elize looked up at Jude in shock.
Jude merely smiled to her.
"Oh…" she muttered in realization before smiling as her cheeks reddened.
"Wah-hey!" Teepo interjected in its normal manner, "Jude is our pal!"
Jude hummed in thought before leaning down again. "Mind if I tell my friends about you, Elize?"
"Why…?" Elize asked in concern.
"I don't like the way the villagers here treat you," Jude explained. "I want to ask my friends if there's anything we can do."
Elize looked down in thought for a moment before Teepo exclaimed, "Sure, why not?! Jude's our pal! We can trust him! Right, Elly?!"
Elize nodded in agreement.
"Thanks Elize," Jude began, "you just wait right here."
As he turned to walk away, Elize lightly grabbed his hand.
He turned to her surprised and then asked with a smile, "Oh, you want to come with?"
Elize nodded with a smile.
Jude then made his way back to the main district of Hamil where Presa, Milla, Kaguya, and Alvin were waiting for him, Elize and Teepo beside him.
"Hey, there you are," Jude said as he walked up to the three.
"Oh, it's the doll girl," Alvin remarked plainly.
The purple-haired woman walked towards the group and saw Elize standing close to Jude. She smiled lightly as she approached the group.
Elize noticed Alvin's remark and turned away with slightly reddened cheeks.
"We're finished here," Milla explained. "We didn't learn anything useful, it's time to go."
As Milla began to leave Jude ran up to her. "Wait. We need to talk. It's about the girl."
Presa sighed in exasperation. "Oh, Jude. Again?"
Jude turned to her pleadingly. "Presa…"
"This is just like with Sheele."
Milla sighed as she turned to face Jude.
The five walked over towards one of the trees as Jude explained Elize's situation to them.
Alvin folded his arms and shrugged. "Well the villagers do seem to treat her like a pariah."
Milla nodded in agreement. "Until that big fellow Jiao returns, I don't see her situation improving."
Kaguya nodded as well. "Yes. I don't see her being treated with any compassion unless she has a friend around."
Jude shook his head in response. "But Elize insists Jiao isn't her friend."
The group looked towards Elize who was nearby, patting Teepo on the head, making the round doll bounce up and down amusingly.
"He locks her up when he's around and the villagers treat her horribly when he's away," Alvin added. "Sounds like she's stuck between a jerk and a hard place."
Jude put a hand to his chin in thought.
Presa sighed as she put a hand to her face in frustration.
"Unless…" Jude said with a pause, "we bring her with us."
Presa groaned.
"Bring her with us?" Milla asked irritably. "And then what? Have you given this any thought? You do remember my mission?"
Presa turned to Milla and interjected, "Trust me, he's given this quite a lot of thought." She then turned to Jude with a minor smile. "Knowing you, you've probably been thinking about it since we first passed through here."
Jude scratched the back of his head with reddened cheeks and a guilty smile.
Milla sighed as she looked at Jude in thought. "Very well. She can come."
"Really?" Jude asked in surprise.
"Jude. Do you remember what I told you at the falls?"
"Huh?"
"Be yourself. And do what you have to do. That's what I said to you."
"Yeah. I remember."
Milla nodded. "Those words still apply. Can I assume that your decision to bring the girl is just another step in your path? That it will help you find the answer you seek?"
"Y-yes," Jude answered with a nod.
"Then tell Elize she's coming."
"You got it."
Presa chuckled in amusement. "I always wanted a little girl."
Jude stepped back with reddened cheeks before turning to go speak to Elize.
The others watched as Jude spoke to Elize.
"Well that was nice of you," Alvin remarked.
Kaguya nodded in agreement. "Yes, quite generous Lady Milla."
"She won't affect my mission," Milla explained. "If she gets in the way or slows me down I'll simply leave her behind. My intent from the beginning was to do this alone after all."
Alvin narrowed his eyes as Milla walked away from the group.
Elize smiled happily as she followed Jude back towards the group. But as they approached, the busty purplette walked up to him. Jude stepped back slightly as she suddenly walked in front of him. "Aren't you a caring little boy."
"Uhm...thank you...?" Jude answered curiously.
The woman giggled lightly in amusement. "I wonder if what they say about good boys is true."
Jude tilted his head curiously before his face reddened as the woman put a hand on his chin.
"The name's Kazehana. I hope we'll meet again." She then walked out towards the exit of the village.
Jude gulped before walking back to the others.
Kaguya tilted her head and asked, "What do they say?"
Alvin smirked and answered, "They say good boys finish last."
"Oh...what does that mean...?"
Alvin merely sighed.
After Jude and Elize rejoined them, the group walked towards the exit of the village.
As they did, Alvin scratched his chin in thought. "If you leave an egg in an empty box and said egg gets crushed, the cause must lie within the egg itself. Howe's Egg Principle. It sounds obvious, but at the same time, not so much."
Kaguya tilted her head and asked, "What is that anyway?"
Jude nodded and said, "Five hundred years ago, Professor Howe used that principle to deduce how spirit channeling works."
"Although people still channeled beforehand, right? They just didn't know what they were doing," Alvin added.
"Is that so?" Kaguya asked thoughtfully.
"Yeah. Since Spirits have no apparent physical form, people weren't aware they existed at all. But Professor Howe surmised that something had to be converting the mana from our mana lobes into artes," Jude explained.
"And that turned out to be Spirits," Alvin interjected.
"Oh…" Kaguya said in surprise.
Jude nodded with a smile. "Yup. His hypothesis was proven with the discovery of Spirits that had taken physical forms."
"And because he figured out what was in the egg," Alvin added, "the age of spirit artes was born."
"Exactly. Although there's still a lot we don't understand about Spirits."
"Like Maxwell being a busty twenty-year-old. Bet even Professor Howe didn't see that coming."
Jude chuckled weakly. "R-right…"
As the group walked out towards the nearby trail, Elize stopped momentarily and turned around.
Jude looked at her curiously, Presa beside him.
Elize looked at the people of the village in thought before waving with a smile.
The people looking at her frowned before turning around and leaving, ignoring her completely.
Jude sighed sympathetically as Elize frowned and walked up beside him, following the group out to the trail at the edge of the village.
As the group walked onto the trail, Alvin sighed. "Back to the Aladhi Trail again I guess."
"Don't like it Alvin?" Jude asked.
Alvin shrugged. "Eh, it twists around so much sometimes I wonder if I'll smack myself on the back of the head." Alvin then turned to Milla with a wry smile. "Hoo boy, that handmaid of yours is a piece of work."
Milla looked at him flatly. "I don't value his temper, but he is quite skilled."
"Very true," Kaguya added. "He is likely the only villager capable of the task."
"He said he's been serving you for years," Jude remarked.
Milla nodded. "Yes. He cleans up the shrine, runs errands, always with a lot of enthusiasm."
Kaguya giggled lightly. "Almost as if he enjoys being ordered around by Lady Milla."
"I suppose he does."
Alvin chuckled weakly. "Yep…I'm suure he does."
"He also buys my clothes and arranges them into outfits," Milla added proudly putting her hands on her hips to show the outfit she wore.
"What?" Jude asked in surprise.
Presa sighed. "I suppose that explains things."
"Wow. Your handmaid has…" Alvin remarked as he looked at Milla's clothing, "exquisite taste."
Milla nodded. "Yes. The clothes are very comfortable. I quite like them."
"How 'bout you miss priestess?"
Kaguya looked at Alvin curiously. "Pardon?"
"Does Ivar design your outfits too?"
Kaguya chuckled lightly and shook her head. "No. I pick out my own outfits."
Alvin raised an eyebrow in response. "It seems you have just as exquisite taste as Mr. Handmaid."
Kaguya tilted her head lightly. "Is that so?"
Jude then interjected. "So, uh, Kaguya, Milla said she likes to read books. Do you like to read as well? You know, since you spend all your time at the shrine?"
Kaguya nodded with a smile. "Yes. I do thoroughly enjoy reading books. I really enjoy the instructional ones." Kaguya then smiled brightly. "Especially when I get to practice with Lady Milla."
Milla nodded in agreement. "I do as well."
"They also helps us to really stretch out and test our flexibility too! Like that one book…" Kaguya put a finger on her chin in thought. "Kamana Su-something…"
Alvin blinked curiously and asked. "K-Kama Sutra…?"
Kaguya snapped her fingers. "That's it!"
Alvin merely smirked while Jude gained a nosebleed.
"Jude, your nose is bleeding," Presa remarked.
Elize then said happily, "I want to read some of those books too."
"Oh-hoh!" Alvin chuckled in amusement as Jude fell back from a powerful nosebleed.
"Jude!" Presa shouted as he collapsed.
After Jude picked himself up and cleared his mind enough to walk, the group continued their trek. He then glanced to the side at little Elize walking beside him. He then raised both eyebrows in generalization as he stopped. "Oh, I guess I haven't properly introduced Elize yet."
The group turned towards Elize curiously.
The girl stepped behind Jude timidly before stepping out slowly and bowing respectfully to the group. "I…I'm Elize Lutus. Hello."
Alvin walked over to the girl and patted her on the head lightly. "Well, you look like you'll be a fine lady when you grow up. I'm Alvin, it's nice to meet you."
"I, um, well…"
Teepo then turned to her and said, "Don't talk to strangers, Elize. Strangers are baaad!"
"Why is this stuffed animal talking?" Milla asked.
Presa adjusted her glasses with two fingers. "Yes, I would like to know as well."
"Huh?" Elize asked, perplexed. "Teepo always talks."
"Naturally," Teepo added, its maw forming into a smile.
Milla frowned in irritation. "Oh. So I'm the one who's reacting strangely?"
Teepo then floated up close to Milla's face, causing her to step back in confusion. "Sure looks that way."
Elize nodded emphatically in agreement.
Milla folded her arms in confusion. "I'm arguing with a stuffed animal. How unusual."
"Quite," Kaguya agreed.
Alvin put an arm over Jude's shoulder. "Unusual, she says."
"Coming from you, Milla?" Jude asked in amusement.
Milla looked at him puzzled.
After making their way through the Aladhi Trail, the group arrived at a small stone area leading towards several docks with large ships.
"Finally back in Aladhi Seahaven," Alvin stated as they entered the area.
"So where do we go now?" Elize asked as she turned to Jude.
The group walked towards a small gate with a single stall that had a man in a sailor uniform standing inside of it.
Jude approached the man and asked, "Excuse me, when is the next ship leaving for Fennmont?"
The man slumped his shoulders with a sigh. "I'm afraid the Rashugal government has blockaded the capital and its surrounding regions. That means all scheduled voyages to Fennmont have been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience."
"Are any ships sailing?" Milla asked.
"Sorry ma'am. Ah, but the route to Sapstrath Seahaven is still open. Would you like a ticket to Sapstrath Seahaven?"
Jude looked to the others who all nodded in agreement before turning to the man and nodding as well.
The man nodded after receiving payment. "Very well. Please board the ship and await departure."
Milla, Presa, and Kaguya climbed aboard the ship as Jude stood at the bottom of the stairs trying to help the worried Elize and Teepo. However, he looked up and saw Alvin standing at the edge of the dock as a white bird flew down toward him.
Alvin extended an arm and the bird landed on his hand. He pulled a small piece of paper from its leg before attaching one of his own to it. Alvin then set the bird off to the air as Jude walked up behind him. Alvin looked at the piece of paper before turning around to see Jude and Elize behind him.
"That's not something you see every day," Jude remarked. "You get your mail by carrier pigeon?"
"Something like that," Alvin answered. "It's how I keep in touch with someone special from afar. I told her a beautiful woman has appeared in my life."
"Hey, I didn't know you were married."
"Heh, do I look like the marrying type to you Mr. Honors Student?"
"Huh? You mean you're not?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'm in the same boat as you loverboy."
"H-hey, come on…"
Elize looked between the two curiously when the loud horn for the ship sounded.
Jude turned around to face the ship. "Oh, looks like we're about to depart."
"Yeah," Alvin agreed.
And that sums up the first chapter of the story, hopefully you all enjoyed it. If so be sure to leave a review and if not go ahead and leave a constructive review. One thing I will say right now is that it was really hard to write Ivar fairly because damn do I hate him. Gah! Guess I cannot add too much here so all I can say is, buh-bye!