Pathways
Chapter 2: Under Cover of Night
Author's note: If anyone out there that thinks I'm misusing any of these characters, absolutely feel free to email me, or leave a review (same thing, for this purpose).
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, general concepts, or anything else Square copyrighted.
"I see. So you're looking for your brother," Hawk said gently, leaning back with his eyes closed. "I'm sorry. If Isabella hadn't framed me back in Navarre, I never would have let this happen. That's why it's all the more important I get to Wendel."
"What guarantee do you have that the priest can help? It's not like he's got an army to fight off the Navarre ninja for us, and as long as they're in the way we can't get at Isabella," Lise said, tapping a hand irritably on the table. She'd removed her cloak in the warmth of the upstairs room, but refused to put down her spear. It was a calculated action; she wanted him to think she was at least considering him as an ally, but not to get too comfortable. Besides that, a few minor alterations to her story had quite easily tricked the thief into believing that she was a mere foot soldier in the Amazon army, than the commander she was.
"All I need him to do is remove the curse on Jessica and we'll see how long Isabella survives. You'd be surprised what defenses a master thief can get past," Hawk answered smugly, leaning the chair back on its back legs and resting one arm over the back. "Then again, maybe not. Rolante was called "The Kingdom That Never Fell" for a reason, and they managed to bring it down. Not that I condone their actions, but from a professional point of view, that was an absolutely amazing theft."
"It was perfect," Lise answered quietly, standing up and taking her cloak.
"Hey, wait…!" Hawk called, sitting forward as she headed down the stairs. She ignored him; well, it had been a pretty insensitive thing to say. Her father had been killed during that attack, her brother had been kidnapped, and the Amazon army virtually annihilated, and all only a short time ago. On top of that, here was some common thief telling her what a great job they'd done. Nice one, Hawk.
Duran could smell something sweet. It was a little familiar, like something he'd smelt when he was a little baby, like a flower, or some kind of perfume, only it didn't make him gag like perfumes did.
Duran opened his eyes slowly, looking ahead, half awake. A mass of purplish hair cascaded off the edge of the bed in front of him, half covering a pale, naked, very female, back. Duran sat bolt upright in bed.
He was not, in fact, that close to the girl in the bed next to him. There was a good eight feet between them, but still, this was extremely disturbing. For one, where was he? Two, who brought him here? Three, what in the name of the Goddess was he doing next to a naked woman?
"Oh, you're awake! Lugar carried you in here a few hours ago," a man called, stepping around a counter and walking towards Duran. He was tall and very thin, with short, fair hair. He had that odd, wide-eyed look of the businessman perpetually on the verge of bankruptcy.
"Oh, right. I got knocked out by that big fur ball," Duran groaned, ignoring the burning waves of pain coming from his chest. "Is this an inn?"
"It was until a few weeks ago. With the Beastmen here I can't make a profit, so it's turned into a makeshift hospital," the ex-innkeeper said, sitting down in a rickety old chair next to Duran's bed. "Where'd you get those wounds? I don't think the beast men burn people alive."
"I got struck by lightning six days ago. Who's she?" Duran asked quickly, pointing a thumb at the girl.
"Don't ask me. She came in here, asked if she could sleep until nighttime, and went to bed," the innkeeper answered sympathetically, shaking his head. "Looks like she's had a rough few weeks. At least it looks like she's planning on getting out of this town tonight."
"What's so special about tonight? Are the Beastmen leaving?" Duran asked suspiciously, glancing over to his sword, propped up against the back of the bed.
"Nothing's that special about tonight, I guess. That girl got here earlier this morning, so tonight's the first time the Beastmen will transform. Heh, they turn into stupid, mindless beast at night! A guy that can survive getting hit by lighting and facing off against the Beastmen shouldn't have any trouble with a few rural dogs," The innkeeper said, not bothering to lower his voice. "You can get your revenge then, except for Lugar. That one turns into a werewolf, not a wolf. He'll kill you if he sees you trying to escape."
"Thanks for the help. Could you give me back my shirt and sword now? I'm going to have a look around town," Duran said, putting a foot out of bed. Except for the breastplate he'd gotten back home and the undershirt, he was still fully clothed. He considered the slightly disturbing idea of a man undressing him, but shook it away. Some things were best to just ignore.
"Sure, but be careful. Beastmen hold a grudge, and Lugar didn't seem too happy with you when he carried you in here. Did you actually manage to hurt one of his men?" the innkeeper asked, standing up and getting Duran's shirt and armor off the table behind him.
"Not really, I just knocked him out," Duran answered, slightly muffled, as he pulled the shirt on and slipped his armor over his head. "Well, thanks for the advice. See you around."
Duran snatched up his sword as he stood up, sliding it into his belt as he headed for the door. It was only a bit after midday, by the sun, but some nasty looking clouds had rolled in.
The streets were almost empty, except for a few children, and the Beastmen. There were at least a hundred of them stationed here, though only about half of them were actually on duty. Duran glanced up and noticed a familiar, white-furred Beastmen looking down at him from one of the parapets. Lugar glowered down at Duran, his arms crossed in disapproval.
"The feeling's mutual," Duran grunted, turning towards the grocery store. There was usually something to read in those places, from his experience, or something he could buy to eat. Not that he was especially interested in reading, but practicing with his sword just now or going to the pub didn't seem like very smart things to do.
Duran paused outside the building, looking sideways at an odd, cloaked individual leaning on one side of the alley. He had one of those odd feelings again, like he used to get about Sword Master Katsu, back in Forcena. Before he could decide what to do, the cloaked figure looked up.
"The Goddess?" Duran stammered, nearly falling over in surprise at the face under that hood. "That's impossible!"
There was no mistaking it, though; the perfect almond shape of her eyes, the flowing, rippling hair, the perfectly shaped, gently sloping jaw and those beautiful, full, delicious-looking lips…Duran steered away from that line of thought.
"What? Don't be ridiculous," the woman said, staring at him. "I'm human, I promise."
"Whoa, sorry. You look just like her!" Duran said, still amazed, and not entirely convinced. "Hey, could you hold still for a sec?"
Duran pulled out the golden pendant his mother had left to him, a large amulet made in the Goddesses likeness, and held it up so he could compare the faces.
"Yeah, you look identical! Except for the ears. Hers are kind of pointed," Duran said, glancing back and forth between the woman and the pendant. "That's amazing!"
"I'd never noticed that before," she said, looking at her reflection on something. "There aren't many good mirrors where I live."
Duran started, realizing what she was using as a mirror. That was one huge spear! You could probably split a tree with a piece of metal that size!
"I'm Lise, by the way," she said, tucking the spear back under her cloak. "Of Rolante."
"Rolante? That explains the spear, then," Duran said, nodding. "I'm Duran, swordsman of Forcena. I didn't expect to meet a real Amazon on my journey."
"I didn't expect to meet a Forcenan swordsman in Jad. Is it wise to wear that sword so openly?" Lise asked, tilting her head to one side and putting a hand on her hip.
"This? Huh, they can try and take it away if they want, but they'll be sorry," Duran said, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Those Beastmen aren't so tough. Once I'm finished recovering, I'll come back and take care of them."
"All of them? There're a lot more of them back in the Beast Kingdom, you know," Lise said, smiling.
"Hah! One or one thousand, it won't make a difference. I won't let any of them off easy," Duran boasted, running a thumb under his nose and pointing it down. "They're all losers!"
"I see," Lise said brightly, tilting her head down respectfully. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Duran. May we meet again."
Duran waved as she turned and headed back down the alleyway, smiling to himself. That was something to tell his sister about when he got home! A real Amazon!
He stood for a moment, thinking about how his sister and Aunt Stella were getting on without him. They were probably fine, but he couldn't help worrying. At length he pushed open the door to the shop and stepped inside, shaking his head.
"A customer?" an old man piped up, looking up from the shop counter as soon as the door opened. He was short, pudgy, and had been in the process of organizing something behind the counter.
"Got anything to read?" Duran asked, sitting down on one of the stools in front of the counter. "I need to…kill some time."
"Nothing free, but I've got a few books. Nothing a swordsman would be interested in, though. It's all girly stuff," the old man said, brushing the subject aside with one hand. "How about buying a few souvenirs, instead? I've got this contraption from Maia that can make a painting of anything, on the spot!"
"No thanks. What else do you sell here? I don't see any real food," Duran said, glancing around the shop. A young man was standing in a corner, brooding, and a little girl was staring avidly at a bow of chocolates on a shelf behind the old man, but other than that, the place was empty. As for wares, unless he kept everything under the counter, the only thing he had for sale here was old candies and a few bottled herbs.
"Well, no. My supplies have been cut off since the Beastmen got here, and people have to eat. The Beastmen only distribute just enough to keep the residents alive, and weak, and nothing comes to me at all," the shopkeeper said, shaking his head. "The economy of our town is suffering, thanks to them. They didn't outright rob me, though, so anything that isn't edible, except for some candy, is still here. Like these picture things!"
Duran stared at the clunky black object in the shopkeeper's hands. It was about a foot wide and half that tall and thick. A roll of shiny white paper was attacked to the top, and what looked like a giant glass eye was mounted on the front.
"How are you ever going to sell anything that looks so creepy?" Duran asked, staring at the disturbing, ugly black thing.
"It's depressing, I know. No one appreciates the brilliance of my nephew, Bon Jour!" The man said sadly, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Little box, scary," someone said behind Duran. The young swordsman whirled, half drawing his sword, and stood facing the odd young man. He was a bit taller than Duran and pretty muscular, but he was unarmed.
"Don't sneak up behind people like that!" Duran said angrily, sliding his sword back into its sheath.
"Sorry. Me not around people much," He said, bowing slightly. "Me, Kevin."
"Kevin, huh? I'm Duran," Duran said, putting out a hand. Kevin stared at it blankly, considering what exactly he was supposed to so with it.
"Duran, no tell other Beastmen me here, okay?" Kevin said, ignoring the hand. "Please. Other Beastmen can't see me now."
"Wait, you're a Beastman?" Duran said, backing up, only just keeping his hand from the hilt of his sword. "I guess that explains the way you talk, kind of. Why are you hiding from them?"
"Me need to see the Priest, to bring back wolf pup Karl," Kevin explained. Duran put up a hand before he could continue. Here it was, Kevin thought darkly, this swordsman was going to turn him in, thanks to his honesty.
"Hold on a sec, Kevin. Do you know what "I" means?" Duran asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Oh, me know what I means. Me and I are same," Kevin said proudly, inwardly relieved. "Me no talk to people much, though, so me not talk so good."
"Say "I don't talk that well" now," Duran commanded, staring at Kevin intently.
"I don't talk that well," Kevin said, perfectly. "Is that good?"
"Better, but work on I. And try to work in a few am's and don't's, if it's not too hard. People will look at you funny if you talk like that," Duran said, smiling at his own, minor achievement, rather than how quickly Kevin picked the language back up. "You should just listen to how other people talk for awhile, and you'll get it. But don't say "me" at the beginning of the sentence. That's pretty much always wrong."
"Okay," Kevin said blandly, struggling slightly to put the sentence together. Besides that, he was fairly certain there were at least a couple of situations where starting a sentence with me were just fine. "Duran good guy. Me, er, I try to talk better from now on."
"Good, you do that," Duran said, stepping around Kevin. "And don't let that old man point that thing of his at you. It looks dangerous. And I won't tell the other Beastmen about you, either."
"Okay. Bye, Duran," Kevin answered, waving weakly as Duran walked out the door. What an odd guy, to carry that sword around. Kevin could never understand why humans made things to kill each other with. Why couldn't they just be friends, like Duran and him? Come to think of it, why couldn't the Beastmen be friends with the humans, too? It was all so depressing. Kevin wandered back to his corner and leaned his head against the wall, finding the cool stone soothing, and mentally recited a few sentences in good English, practicing. At least Duran had given him something to do, instead of just staring at the wall. Not that just repeating Duran's side of the conversation in his head was all that helpful, but Kevin had been taught English already. Living in the woods for half a year at a time had just worn it out of him.
Hawk pulled his daggers out of the dartboard, sighing. Lise had been gone nearly two hours already, and the sun went down around six in this part of the world. If she wasn't back in a few hours, he'd have to leave without her. Besides, it wasn't like there was much for her to do in Jad, right?
He walked back to the other side of the room and held up one of the daggers, aiming carefully at the far target. He pulled his arm back, tensed, and…
"Hawk?"
The dagger bounced off the dart board, hitting with the hilt instead of the blade. Hawk cursed under his breath and looked around wildly at whoever had been stupid enough to disturb him in the middle of a throw.
"Lise? Thank the Goddess, I was starting to worry!" Hawk said, shoving his momentary anger aside. "Listen, about earlier, I need to apologize."
"It's okay, really. You weren't deliberately trying to make me feel bad, after all," Lise said, shaking her head. "I wanted to ask you, how many of these "wolves" do you think you can handle? I don't think I can beat more than five or six, myself."
"Ah, the escape. I can deal with four, easily," Hawk said, striding across the room and picking up his other dagger. "Any more than that, and I can't guarantee how much help I can be. Why?"
"We'll need help, then. A new shift of guards just came on, and there are at least twenty of them stationed throughout the city," Lise said, leaning against the wall again.
"Do you have someone in mind?" Hawk asked, sliding his daggers back into his belt calmly.
"Yes, actually. Did you know there was a Forcenan swordsman in town?" Lise asked, pulling back the hood on her cloak and resting her spear against her shoulder.
"No. A real Forcenan swordsman, eh? They're supposed to be the best fighters in the world," Hawk said, smirking. "Did he look strong?"
"Yes, and quite confident. We might just be able to make it, with his help," Lise said seriously, completely oblivious to the smirk on Hawk's face.
"Well, if you say so. I'm sure you're an excellent judge of character," Hawk said, sitting down at the table. His sarcasm was lost on the Amazon, however.
"By the way, are we even supposed to be up here?" Lise asked, looking around the cozy room.
"Oh, certainly. Don't you know what rooms like these are for?" Hawk asked, leaning back in his chair. It wasn't so much that they were supposed to be there, more that no one really cared.
"No, unless this is where the owner lives," Lise said, admiring at a mounted elk head. She didn't take her eyes off Hawk, however; he was still from Navarre, and therefore completely untrustworthy.
"Perhaps. But, more commonly, these rooms are for gambling, or other illegal activities," Hawk said, holding up a pack of cards. "Care to make a bet, Miss Lise?"
Duran sat next to the window, one foot propped up on the sill, in the old chair the innkeeper had leant him. His father's sword was resting on his raised knee, balanced for the moment, until Duran moved again.
"Go down already," Duran said irritably, watching the sunset. "I want to get out of this place."
He'd been sitting here in this dull, lulling silence for at least an hour, with nothing to disturb the silence other than the occasional creak as he innkeeper shifted slightly in his own chair. It was stiflingly peaceful, and Duran was half asleep thanks to this stupid wait.
Duran nearly knocked the sword down when he started at the sudden sound behind him. The girl was yawning.
"What time is it, old man?" she asked groggily, rubbing her face. Duran resisted the urge to turn around.
"Just about five thirty, miss. I was just about to wake you up," the innkeeper said, lifting his head off his fist. "And, please, I'm only twenty-five. I'm hardly old."
"You talk like an old person," She said, climbing out of bed and putting on her cloak. Duran risked a glance back at her now; she was very pretty, but those clothes! A bright orange leotard, knee-high boots, gloves and a cape! Who dressed like that? And that, that body!
"Who are you, hm?" she asked, glancing up in time to see Duran. "Another old man?"
"Me?" Duran asked, glad he wasn't fully facing her. "I'm Duran, of Forcena. I'm just waiting until the sun's down, then I'm out of here."
"Oh? You wouldn't be heading towards Wendel, would you?" she asked, crossing the room in a couple of steps. She'd acquired a worn oak cane along the way, presumably from beside her bed. Duran hadn't seen one there earlier, though.
"Yes. Why?" Duran asked, sheathing his sword and standing up.
"Well, being a Knight and all, you wouldn't let a lady go there alone, would you?" She asked, doing her best to look vulnerable.
"I'm not a knight, and I'm not sure what kind of "lady" I'd be traveling with, to be honest," Duran said, picking up the chair and putting it back where he'd found it.
"Are you saying I'm some kind of prostitute?" she said angrily, raising her cane. "How dare you! I'll have you know, I'm the Princess of Altena, Angela, and anyone that questions my…"
"Did you say Altena?" Duran asked loudly, rounding on her abruptly, hand on his sword. "Do you know someone called the Wizard of the Red Lotus?"
"Well, yeah, if you mean Koren." Angela answered, slightly taken aback by the sudden change in subject. "He and I both used to be useless with magic, but all the sudden he became the greatest magician in Altena."
"Are you saying you're friends with that guy?" Duran hissed, drawing his sword.
"Whoa, hold it! I used to know him, but he and mother tried to kill me! Don't get me wrong, I don't want anything to do with either of them!" Angela said, raising her hands protectively.
"What? Why would they try to kill you, if you're the princess?" Duran asked, lowering his sword, but not completely. This Altenan girl was hardly trustworthy, and he wasn't particularly interested in getting hit in the back of his head with that cane. And what if she had magic, like Koren?
"They wanted to use me as a sacrifice to release some stupid seal on something called a Mana Stone," Angela answered, backing away. "Why are you so upset, though? If you're from Forcena, they couldn't have done anything to you, right?"
"Hardly. That wizard is the one that gave me these," Duran said, raising the part of his shirt that wasn't held down by the armor. Jagged, red burns were still easily visible.
"Wow. Nice abs," Angela commented, hiding her inward revulsion at the horrible, bloody wounds. How could Koren do that to someone? He used to be such a nice guy...
Duran put his shirt back down, frowning at Angela's comment but blushing a bit in spite of himself.
"Sorry. Just my sense of humor," Angela apologized, shaking her head.
"Do you still want an escort to Wendel?" Duran asked, sheathing his sword and folding his arms.
"Of course! Do I look like I can fight my way out of here? Even if they turn into mindless beasts, they're still dangerous!" Angela said, outraged.
"Then come on. The sun's setting," Duran said, walking to the door, but pausing in front of the innkeeper, almost as an afterthought. "Thanks for letting me stay here. It was a great help."
"No problem. You two be careful, and make sure you get my message to Wendel!" the innkeeper said loudly as Duran stepped out the door and Angela ran after him, complaining about men under her breath.
"What message?" Angela asked as soon as she caught up with Duran.
"I'll tell you later," Duran said calmly, drawing his sword. Three big wolves were walking slowly out of the alleyway in front of him, watching the two humans carefully. Those didn't look like mindless beasts.
Angela raised her cane in front of her protectively, cursing herself for not being able to use magic, like almost everyone else in Altena. If she could, these wolves wouldn't stand a chance!
The first wolf charged, moving low, and close to the ground. No, there was nothing unintelligent about them. These things were here to kill you, not to eat you. Duran waiting until it was almost directly in front of him, then slashed horizontally. The wolf jumped, as he'd expected, and Duran caught it on one of his arm bracers, knocking the thing on its side. His sword sunk home in the instant the creature was vulnerable, and it gave a shriek, neither beast nor human. Duran rammed a foot on its throat to stop it, but it was too late. Other wolves had already appeared, circling around them cautiously.
"How good are you with that stupid cane?" Duran asked, leveling his sword at the nearest wolf.
"Pretty good, I guess. I don't want to have to test it out on one of these, though!" Angela asked, backing further behind Duran.
"Perhaps we can be of assistance?"
"Who…?" Duran asked, cut short as a dagger thudded heavily into one of the wolves, dropping the creature soundlessly. He looked up in time to see a familiar cloaked figure drop from the roof, landing directly in front of him. Lise spun, knocking away three of the wolves without even slowing down. Hawk dashed up from Duran's right, jumped over a wolf and snatched his knife out of the fallen one in one fluid movement.
"Don't just stand there, Duran! This might be our only chance to get out of here!" Lise called, staggering back as she blocked several wolves at once with her spear.
Duran lunged forward and impaled two of the wolves in front of Lise, jerking his sword free and slashing through a third. He started at the dull thud behind him, and turned in time to see one of the wolves fall to the ground, whimpering gently.
"Ow! That felt like I was hitting a brick wall!" Angela complained, shaking her right hand to alleviate the soreness. She'd put all her strength into walloping that thing.
"Thank you!" Duran said happily, stepping in front of her and kicking one of the wolves back. "Now this is a fight!"
Hawk dashed between him and Angela, catching one of the wolves as it jumped towards Duran and slipping his daggers between its ribs, opening both of its lungs.
"I would have gotten it!" Duran complained, stabbing another. His attention was drawn to Lise, however; she fought like a leaf in the air, jumping and twisting away, only ever blocking when she had no choice. Her spear moved with her, and came forward with deadly accuracy at just the right moment. Duran couldn't predict a single one of her movements, and the wolves certainly couldn't.
Hawk's own, brutally accurate movements didn't escape Duran's notice, either. His daggers slid in and out without a drop of blood, and left his enemies unable to stand, let alone fight. Angela, on the other hand, more or less stood behind his and swung her cane at anything that got too close. It was effective, but only combined with Duran's brutal swordsmanship.
"That's all of them, for now," Hawk said as Duran passed his sword though he last wolf. "We'd better hurry. They won't stay down for long."
"What? Are you saying these things aren't dead?" Angela asked, staring at a decapitated body.
"Absolutely. Beastmen can only be killed during the day," Hawk answered, sheathing his knives. "There weren't any werewolves with them, so their leader is still out there somewhere."
Lise ran past Duran silently, heading for the main gates. Hawk fell into step beside her, struggling to keep up with the Amazon's raw speed.
Duran grabbed Angela's hand, growling, and took off after them. He only went a few dozen feet before he came to an abrupt halt.
"I knew we shouldn't have wasted time helping them!" Hawk said angrily, facing the gate. There, standing in the moonlight, was a full fledged werewolf. It was an impressive creature, standing nearly a head taller than Duran, with bright golden hair and white fur covering the rest of its body. It's eyes, contrary to Duran's expectations, looked very human indeed. And very, very familiar.
"Hold it!" Duran said, reaching Hawk before he could rush the creature. "That isn't' Lugar."
"No, I am Kevin," the werewolf said, somewhat haltingly. It raised its hands and set into a closed stance, glowing for a moment. Kevin stood up, as human looking as ever, and smiled hugely. "I take care of gate guards for Duran!"
"That, my friends, is what I call a good Beastman," Duran said, nudging Hawk in the side.
"Hey! Some of the residents are escaping!"
"Damn, they're onto us already? I thought they were all wolves?" Duran said, drawing his sword.
"Duran, go on ahead. I keep other Beastmen here!" Kevin said, ramming a fist into his palm.
"Well, that sounds good to me," Hawk said, dashing out the gate. Lise hesitated for a moment, then nodded to Duran and ran after Hawk.
"Thanks, Kevin. You're a good guy," Duran said, putting a hand on Kevin's shoulder as he passed him. Angela walked on Duran's far side, not at all trusting of someone that could turn into a giant werewolf.
"I protect my friends," Kevin said, perfectly, and turned to face the werewolves dashing down the street towards them. "Besides, they won't hurt me if I get caught."
Duran and Angela ran into the forest beyond Jad, Lise and Hawk already out of sight within it. Duran glanced back at Kevin before they were out of sight, and saw the golden haired werewolf fighting off three of his own kind, and losing.
"Damn it, if I wasn't injured," Duran said through gritted teeth, not in any way convinced of the Beastman's words. "There's no way I'd leave him there like that!"
Angela glanced at him in the night, wondering just what kind of man he was, to fight like that with such severe injuries. She didn't doubt for a second he'd go back if he wasn't hurt.
Author's note: Chapter two, Finis! As all you folks out there have no doubt realized, some major parts of the plot, and certain numbers (distances, times) from the game are being heavily altered. I've also tried to expand on each of the characters personalities a bit, and by the next time Kevin comes in, HE WON'T HAVE A SPECH IMPEDIMENT!