The first part was inspired by a scene that only happens in a New Game + if you have Luke wear a certain type of costume. I just wanted to have a bit of fun before things got more serious and stuff. As always, I would like to thank everyone that reviewed and favorited my fic. I may not get back to you (I'm going back to school, huzzah!), but just know you are definitely appreciated :)
Redefining the Soul
Part III: On the Road to Baticul
Alternate: Luke's New Title--Fashionable Noble
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Man? Woman? It doesn't matter; a change in sex is no excuse not to look one's best for one raised in the lap of luxury. One who graces the battlefield and manor halls dressed in the height of fashion.
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Luke fon Fabre
Ever since Choral Castle, Luke made a vow to distance herself from the selfish, overly vain, egocentric brat that she once was. The problem with that was, naturally, she wasn't all that sure where to begin. Lorelei was worshiped, after all, and Asch usually didn't bother with trying to be nice. The only other people she knew were: servants, Guy included; Natalia, who, to be honest, could be just as bad of a snob as Luke was; or her mother, who...well, her mother would be a fine person to emulate, now that she thought about it. In the end, Luke simply decided to be more empathetic. Still, it was very difficult sometimes, and she found herself biting her tongue a fair bit and thinking mean things about people. However, Luke was determined to do her best, so when Anise took her hand and led her into a rather nice shop that catered to upperclass women, she allowed herself to be dragged along. She did need clothes that were fitted for women, right? And her tastes, admittedly, did run on the high end of the scale. Despite her misgivings, Luke even allowed herself to be pushed into a dressing room and told to wait while Anise got something that would be "just perfect" for her. She didn't want to hurt Anise's feelings when she was being so enthusiastic; the girl was trying really hard to find something nice. Luke just wanted a pair of pants and a shirt (and another coat, she really wanted another one), but she didn't know how to express that without sounding like a spoiled child all over again.
Once Luke saw what Anise chose for her, however, she wished she had simply done that in the first place.
It was the latest style of spring dresses for a young, privileged woman who was either unmarried or yet without children. The kind that had no sleeves with a strapped bodice that was modified into a long basque that split at the front. The kind with an that was underskirt was knee-length and made of satin.
Luke was absolutely horrified.
She didn't know how long she stared at the mirror, mind blank as Anise cheerfully made sure everything fell just right. Luke had tried to fend her off, she really and truly did, but Anise was unnaturally strong! She must have spent her free time lifting weights or something. It made no sense!
"There, you look so cute! I'm so jealous!" Anise nodded and began to smooth her hair (had Luke ever considered an up-do? she really should!)
Luke licked her lips, trying to find a nice way to speak her mind. She was trying to be more pleasant, right? She was trying to be more adult, and mature, and a better person. Luke ran those lines in her head over and over again as Anise beamed at her in the reflection of the mirror.
'Why the hell did Anise have to make that so damn difficult??'
"Anise, I can't wear this." Luke cringed when Anise's lower lip started to protrude and her large, brown eyes began to widen.
"Why not? I've already used the money from your clothes, so..."
'You did what?? After I did all that work to get her to take them for that price in the first place??'
Luke took a deep breath. "Anise. I...yes, I'm a girl, now, but that doesn't mean I suddenly want to wear skirts and dresses and..."
"But I can't!" Anise cried, looking upset. "I...even though I'm a Fon Master Guardian, there's no way I can wear something so lovely. I'm sorry, Luke, I know it was bad, but...this was going to be my only chance at being able to buy such a beautiful dress. Look, you can choose your coat--you'd like that, right?"
'Oh Anise...' Luke weakened when the girl sniffled and turned away so Luke couldn't see how upset she was.
"I was so happy. For once, I could...well, I-I guess if you hate my idea so much--"
"A-Anise, don't cry! I...I don't mind! It'll be a little difficult to fight in, but--" Luke trailed off when Anise's tears seemed to evaporate before her eyes and she smiled brightly.
"Thanks! Tear, come look!"
'I was used. I was just used.' Luke got the distinct feeling that Anise just pulled one over on her. 'Asch! Anise tricked me!'
'If you're that damn stupid to fall for such an obvious ploy, you deserve it.' came the unsympathetic reply. 'Now stop bothering me! I told you I wanted nothing to do with this!'
Anise looked particularly smug as she eyed her. "The clerk said it was a modified...what was that name again?..."
"It's a polonaise," Luke muttered, still in shock, "they're typically longer and worn with hoops because of the weight of the fabric...this one's a more casual variety with a neckline instead of a high collar."
Now Anise looked surprised. "How do you know all that?"
Luke blushed and scratched her cheek. "I just...sort of know. Anyway, that's not important!" There was precious little else to do at the manor, and Luke didn't have much in the way of hobbies.
But this was too much! What could she do? Anise said the money was spent! Never again, Anise wasn't going to get her again!
"But Luke, it's so adorable! You look so pretty in white—"
"I'm not a doll, dammit! Just because I'm a girl now doesn't mean I suddenly want to wear skirts!" Luke even went so far as to stamp her foot, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.
"Oh hush, I know what I'm doing!"
"How am I supposed to fight??"
"Well, I admit it's a little impractical."
"Only a little?? This is a fully boned bodice, how can I breathe properly?? What's wrong with pants and a shirt, anyway??"
Anise shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing's wrong with them. I just want to see you in a dress."
'At least she's honest.'
"Tear, hurry, you have to see!" Anise stuck her head out of the curtain again, eager to have her hard work displayed.
Tear poked her head into the dressing area, looking flustered. "Anise, Luke, don't be so loud! You're disturbing other people!"
The both of them cringed. "Sorry..."
"Good." She then turned her full attention to Luke. Her cheeks turned a light pink and her expression became wistful. "Oh, she's so cute..."
"Tear!" Luke cried, appalled. She was usually so practical!
"O-Oh, sorry. I suppose you want need one of these anymore." Tear's lips turned downward briefly as she examined the object in her hand.
'Then...she'll just let Anise walk all over me??' Luke looked away, feeling the fierce sting of betrayal. 'Oh Tear...I thought...I really thought we had something...'
Anise shook her head. "No, we can still use it! She'll need it later on."
"What the hell is it?" Luke slowly took the contraption from Tear's hands and turned it over. She had the strangest urge to put it on her head.
Anise snickered. "It's a bra, silly."
"So this is what you wear? You have one, too, Anise?"
Anise looked off to the side, mumbling something about late bloomers. Luke shrugged and examined the bra with more care.
"Oh, do I stick my arms through here?" she asked before Anise sighed and briefly demonstrated how to use it.
'This doesn't seem like a very impressive secret. Even less impressive than those panties I got stuffed into. Girls are more boring than I thought...to think I was so excited to finally see what Natalia would turn so red over...' Knowing about women's coats and dresses was one thing; knowing what went underneath them was an entirely different matter.
"Mmhmm, and it fastens on the back. Yup, that's it!"
"Oh, so that's how they stay in one place." Luke poked the soft fabric of the cup and ran her fingers across the wire stitched in the bottom to provide extra support. "Who knew there were things like this in the world...Have the others come back from getting supplies, yet?" Still, she was just glad she could join in on the fighting now without feeling too self conscious. Luke stuffed it into her bag with the other pairs of underwear and socks they got her.
Tear shook her head as she placed a pair of boots on the extra chair in the dressing room. They were able to barter Luke's old clothes for a moderate amount of gald due to the high quality of the fabric (and Luke making up a pretty convincing story about how it was an original work from some designer in Baticul, which was close to the truth...somewhat); it gave them enough leeway to get her one complete outfit with a bit leftover that was passed along to buy extra items.
What Luke was most anxious about was the sword that Guy was supposed to buy for her. She wanted to start training as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they didn't have nearly enough funds nor the time to commission anything, so Guy examined her build (from a safe distance, of course) and told her that he would take care of it.
Which was, Luke swore, forever ago. Was Chesedonia that big?
"At least we're all set undergarment-wise...and our outfit is done...oh, makeup! Now if you would just let me--"
"No," Luke said, cutting her off. Anise pouted.
'I guess I should be happy that they're taking this so well. But did that have to translate into dressing me up like such a girl? At least there aren't any bows and lace...a small mercy, but still a mercy.'
In the end, the only things Luke could pick out for herself were a plain pair of boots, gloves, and a cheap overcoat. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the shop didn't have anything close to resembling her old waist coat, but that couldn't really be helped. As unhappy as she was over the arrangement, having clothes that fit did cheer her up quite a bit.
'Oh well, at least I look rich.' If nothing else, Luke really liked looking rich.
"I'm so excited, this trip was such a success," Anise said as she led them out of the shop. The plan was to meet the rest of the group out here, but they had yet to show up.
Luke rolled her eyes. "Oh, thanks, Anise. I do know what I'm doing, you know."
"Yeah, I noticed! I suppose it's one of those things nobility are good at."
"I wouldn't really know. Mother always liked to ask my opinion, at least."
"Ooh, that could be me, too, someday!" Anise sighed as she daydreamed about fame and fortune.
"Well," Luke felt her irritation at Anise already fading, "when you do become ridiculously rich, we can spend the day together and I'll show you what you should wear and when."
"I'm looking forward to it! I can just see it..."
"Master! There you are, Master!" Mieu bounced through the crowds with Ion on his heels. In the distance, Luke could make out Guy and Jade following at a far more sedate pace. Luke eagerly looked for a hint of her new weapon, but Mieu distracted her with his hyperactive hopping about.
"Be careful, Ion! This heat isn't good for you!" Anise scolded when they drew closer. Ion was huffing more than he should be, but he looked happy.
"It's fine, Anise." He smiled warmly at Luke. "You look very nice, Luke."
"Yes! Master looks really pretty!"
Well, maybe it wasn't so bad...no, wait, she wasn't supposed to vain, right? Still, she couldn't help but blush, though she did her best to hide it.
"You think so?" There were few things she liked more than sincere praise.
"It looks like we're all done here." Jade looked her over. "My, my, I hadn't expected you to embrace your new form so readily."
Luke glowered slightly. "Don't tease me! Anise guilted me into it!"
"I did no such thing! Don't say such things in front of the Colonel." Anise gave look a pointed look.
Luke pointedly ignored her and all but jumped on Guy when she saw he was carrying an extra sheath.
"That's my sword, right?"
Guy came to senses quickly enough to evade her grasp. He gave a shaky laugh.
"Yeah, this is it. Um, wow, what to say..." Guy trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.
"You don't have to say anything, you know." Luke tried to reach for her sword once again but Guy's phobia prevailed.
"Okay, okay! Here, try the sword out."
Luke caught the tossed sword with ease and looked it over. The sheath was made out of leather and dyed blue--nothing special. The blade was also much longer than her last sword, reaching about three feet in length, but far more slender. It weighed at least a pound less than her old sword. What really caught her eye was the ornate hilt. The grip was surrounded by an ornate guard that consisted of strips of metal snaking around the crossbar and coming together at the pommel. Luke unsheathed the sword and grinned wildly. The difference was amazing! She twirled the sword with ease; the balance was much better as well. While the specifications weren't too far off from her old short sword, it made all the difference in the world. Luke couldn't wear it horizontally on her back like she preferred (the guard and length made that impossible), but she was willing to trade that for something she could readily use.
"Guy, it's perfect! Thank you!"
"It's called a rapier." Guy motioned for her to hold the blade up. "As you can see, it's possible to cut with it to some degree, but it's main strength is its thrusting power."
"Yeah..." That also meant she was going to have to modify her fighting style a bit.
"You can't just hack away at enemies like you normally do." Guy confirmed her thoughts with his next statement. "It's going to require a bit more finesse on your part. Well, to be honest, you needed to learn more finesse anyway."
"What're you trying to say, Guy?"
"Nothing. Do you remember the technique you learned the other night?"
"Sonic Thrust? Yeah, I see...you'll help me, right?"
"Of course. I've watched Van enough to be able to give you some pointers, at least. Once you get used to fighting in that body of yours, you'll be keeping up with us at no time."
Luke beamed at him and Guy had to hold up his arms before she forgot herself and tried to jump on him again.
"If you're done, we should get that fon disc looked at. It could hold the answers to quite a few of our questions." Jade tilted his head toward Guy.
Ion nodded in agreement. "You're quite right. I know just the place we can go. I'm sure Astor will be happy to help us."
"Astor?" Luke carefully strapped on her new rapier. She wasn't used to having a sword hanging from her waist, so now she had to watch out before she tripped over it. Why did things have to be so difficult?
"He lives in the mansion right over there. We should go see him first."
"Oh, alright..." The mansion looked to be pretty close, but the layout of the city had the group treading through the narrow streets. Luke gazed about in wonder; unlike Engeve and St. Binah, Chesedonia was much livelier. The bazaar was nearly overwhelming as merchants shouted and competed with each other to sell their wares. The shopkeepers noticed her fine clothes immediately and seemed to focus all of their energy on getting her to buy something. Luke nearly did several times, and would have if Tear hadn't hurried her along.
Tear's diligence wasn't quite enough, however, as Luke found herself drawn to a stall with various bits of jewelry.
'Mother would like that, I think...' As Duchess and King's Sister, her mother could have any fine jewel she wanted; but Luke thought she would like a souvenir from her "Grand Adventure," as Guy called it.
"Luke, you're falling behind!" Tear admonished. Luke jumped.
"Ah, sorry!"
"Oh, what a darling girl..." Luke froze as slender fingers ran along her cheeks and gently pinched them. She stared in utter bewilderment as some strange woman lightly traced her collarbone with slender fingers and circled around her shoulders. She was an older woman with dark pink hair and...damn, Luke tried not to stare at the chest waving under her nose.
"U-Um..." Luke's face probably matched her hair at this point. The others weren't much help either, also frozen by surprise. Well, Jade looked vaguely amused at the entire scenario.
The woman seemed to enjoy Luke's discomfort and promptly leaned closer. Luke bit her lip when she felt her chest press against her shoulder. The woman's perfume was making it difficult to breathe, which really didn't help her lightheaded-ness. What should she do?? What was this woman doing??
"What's a sweetheart like you doing in a place like this?" the woman cooed.
Anise moaned in horror and held her head.
"Oh no! Some old lady is after Luke!"
"What did you say??"
'Follow her.' Asch ordered suddenly, his voice practically coming out of nowhere. Up until now, Asch had been largely silent. Luke had asked if he wanted to help her look at clothes earlier, and after he snapped and growled a bit at her for being stupid enough to presume he would want to do such a thing, he pretty much vanished. Luke knew he would be back; she also learned not to take his flashes of temper all that seriously. He was so irritable all the time it was probably his default setting.
Now he was back again and ordering her around. Luke wondered if she should be concerned that she found it almost comforting.
'Asch?'
'Her name's Noir. She's an employee of mine. I've already told her about you and it seems she's decided to have some fun at your expense. Still, this is a good opportunity. I have an idea, but that would require you to get her and her buddies alone. We need all of the time we can get.'
'Of course I'll do it, Asch, it's just how am I going to get her alone and convince the others to let me go?'
'How the hell should I know?? Think of something!'
'You know, this would be a lot easier if we just let the others know--'
'Dreck.'
'Okay, okay...' It still didn't help her figure out a way to get Noir alone.
Well, flattery never hurt anyone. It also wouldn't hurt to return some of her over-the-top friendliness.
'Friendliness. That idiot actually thinks it's friendliness...' Asch's voice sounded unusually strained.
"Um, you're very pretty, actually, what's your name?" And now she was getting looks again. Great.
"I'm so glad you noticed, dear." The woman gave a proud smile and gently placed a finger on Luke's lips. "You can call me Noir, sweetie."
'Why is she touching me there?? Are people outside always this odd?'
Luke carefully batted her hand away before answering. "Okay, Noir...can I ask you something in private?"
"L-Luke! What are you doing??" Anise cried out.
"Hush, little girl, the women are talking." Noir didn't even spare her a glance.
"What did you say, you hag??"
Luke hurriedly grabbed Noir's arm before the two of them started brawling.
"Come on, I need to talk to you." Luke lowered her voice and whispered in her ear. "It's about your current employer. He has instructions."
Noir didn't even bat an eye at Luke's statement; instead, her expression became smug and she tapped Luke on the chin.
"Oh, so that's how it is. Well, I certainly can't say no in the face of that. Let's go somewhere alone."
"Oh, sure." That was easy!
"Luke, you don't even know who she is!" Guy protested. He probably would have separated them forcefully if it weren't for his phobia.
"Oh, she just said she was Noir--"
"That's not what I meant!"
"It'll be fine! I'll be right back."
"Luke, don't you dare--"
"We'll be right over here if you want to keep watch."
"Wha--no, I am not watching--Jade, not a word."
Jade shrugged. "I wasn't going to say anything. To be honest, though, I've not had this much amusement in years."
Luke tugged Noir to the entrance of a side alley. "This way, I won't hold you up for long."
"Oh, take all the time you need, sugar."
"Um...right..." Luke checked their positions to make sure they were still in sight. She could sense two people deeper in the alley, and she assumed those were the buddies Asch mentioned earlier.
"So, our esteemed benefactor has new orders?" The change in Noir's demeanor was sudden. "Well, that's what you say, but how do I know I can trust you?"
'She's a fine one to be talking about trust,' Asch grumbled, 'tell her 'The Crimson Bird flies at sunset.'
'...Whoa, wait, tell her what? Who came up with that--'
'Shut up and tell her!' Well, Luke can guess who did, judging from that response.
"The Crimson Bird flies at sunset," said Luke dutifully. Noir's eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms.
"I see. I suppose you are on the straight and narrow. We just received a carrier pigeon from Asch recently. He told us to be on the look out for your group in Chesedonia and to keep an eye on the Dorian General as well. What does he want us to do?" Two figures leaped down behind her, still keeping mostly to the shadows. Her companions were also dressed as pirates. Luke could make out that the taller one had a mouse on his hat and an eyepatch, while the shorter, squatter man had a full, bushy beard and small top hat perched on his balding head.
'They are to get down to Akzeriuth and start relief efforts immediately. Akzeriuth holds thousands of people and evacuating will take time--we need to start now. Once the army gets there, they are free to leave, of course.'
Luke heard the anxiousness in his voice and tried not to let it show on her face.
'Will it be alright? It's that miasma, right? I saw it in your thoughts.'
'Yes. I don't know all the details, but the miasma has spread far quicker than anyone estimated. The Dark Wings have more resources than you think. And helping people abandoned by the Score is their specialty, you could say.'
Luke nodded. 'Okay, I understand.'
"Akzeriuth needs to be taken care of. He wants you to begin evacuations. He," Luke paused and scanned their joined minds, "doesn't expect you to actually be able lead that many citizens out of there, nor does he expect you to hang around to get arrested by the army. But some kind of system needs to be in place by the time we get down there. People need to be organized and ready to go."
The taller man (York, Asch supplied) spoke up then, "What? He really wants us to disregard previous orders? That's a mighty big job he's asking..."
"He'll pay you, of course."
"Well, as long as we're compensated for our services, I won't complain. Honestly, he's so demanding." Noir sounded playful, however. Luke huffed.
"Tell me about it..."
'Shut up, Dreck.'
'You're proving me right, you know.'
"Well!" Noir clapped her hands together. "We can work out a new arrangement later; after all, I have no interest in charity work. We best head down to Akzeriuth, then."
"Thank you so much. Really, you're being very helpful. We'll come and relieve you as soon as we can, okay?"
"I'll keep your word for it, honey." Noir smirked and ran her thumb along Luke's cheek. "If you want to ditch those companions of yours and come with me, just say the word. I might even help you out for free."
'That--!!'
"Oh, that's very nice of you to say so. I had no idea the Dark Wings could be friendly." Luke smiled.
Noir stared at her before chuckling. "Oh, you are a dear. Urushi, York, let's go. Orders are orders, after all." Noir backed away into the alley and they disappeared into the shadows.
'Oh, that's a neat trick...I wonder what she meant, though...'
'You're going to drive me crazy--am I to look after you in this instance as well? Still, I didn't know Noir was like that...' Asch trailed off.
'Like what?'
"Luke, are you insane??" Guy seemed to be more than able to scold her, despite his crippling condition.
"But Guy--"
"No buts! I can't believe this--have you lost your mind??" Guy hadn't yelled at her like this since she had managed to get one of his swords and nearly sliced her fingers off.
"I stayed in sight like I said I would." Luke felt guilty enough by keeping secrets; now she was worrying him. Jade, however, got straight to the point.
"And what did you need to talk about?"
Luke's mind raced to come up with something.
"It's a secret." Well, it wasn't good, but it was something.
"Luke." Now Tear looked ready to scold her.
"What? Can't I have secrets, too? You guys don't tell me things, either!"
"Well, that is true enough," Jade conceded.
Tear frowned. "Colonel..."
"However, they are criminals. If I find out that you've been making unsavory deals with them..." Jade didn't need to elaborate. Luke gaped at him and rapidly shook her head.
"I won't do anything bad, I promise!"
"For your sake, I hope not."
Anise, however, was more concerned over Noir's behavior.
"That hag! She had some nerve, pawing Luke like that!"
"Pawing?" asked Luke.
"How else would you explain it? I thought she was going for your wallet at first, but no, she was making her intentions all too clear!" Anise huffed. "Honestly, Luke, we can't take you anywhere!"
Luke frowned thoughtfully. The only other explanation would be...
"You mean she liked me? Can girls do that??"
She was met with silence (dammit, again?) before Jade turned away and started toward Astor's mansion.
"Guy, explain."
"W-What??"
*
Much to Luke's annoyance, Guy hemmed and hawed before finally saying that he'd tell her later--which is what he usually said when confronted with subjects he didn't want to tell her about. She finally had to drop it, as they didn't have the time right now and they needed to get the disc looked at. Luke was interested on what was on it as well.
She was going to make him tell her one of these days, though.
The mansion itself was totally unlike her home. Its ceilings were much higher and the overall shape of the building looked like something out of her story books. The furnishings were far more ornate as well, coming in all sorts of bright colors and shapes. Even the walls had designs on them. Honestly, though, who needed doors that tall?
They were led to a sitting room to wait for Astor to appear. It was just as lush as the rest of the mansion she'd seen. Luke plopped down on a large, red sofa and had to resist stretching out. She wasn't quite sure how she ended up beside Jade, though. Mieu settled on her lap, enjoying the fact that Luke was being kinder to him than usual. Fortunately, Astor didn't keep them waiting for long. When the far door began to open they stood as the master of the house entered the room. He didn't cut an impressive figure, as he was a short man with a ridiculous turban on his head, but he was clearly someone important as he greeted Ion.
"Oh my, Fon Master Ion! If only you'd let me know you were coming, I'd have prepared a grand welcome for you..."
"It's fine. We're trying to keep a low profile." Ion must have been pretty used to the treatment as he didn't bat an eye when Astor bowed deeply at the waist.
"A mansion of this size must have a fon disc analyzer or two." Guy observed. Astor straightened and gave a crisp nod.
"I see you have an eye for luxury. Yes, my home does in fact have an analyzer."
"Great." Jade turned to Ion. "Fon Master, would you be so kind as to request that they analyze that fon disc?"
'Somehow, that doesn't sound like much of a request...' Luke thought.
Ion, naturally, didn't mind at all. "Would you do that for us?" he asked politely. Astor smiled and twirled his mustache.
"Name it. The Chesedonian Merchants' Guild is always at your service, Fon Master. Please, leave it to me. You there!" Astor clapped his hands, summoning a servant from the edges of the room. Guy took the fon disc out of his tail coat and handed it over. "Analyze that fon disc and deliver the results to him."
"Yes, sir." The servant bowed.
"Thank you," Guy said, although the servant didn't acknowledge it as he went to do his master's bidding.
Once the servant left, Luke couldn't help but give in to her curiosity.
"Ion, do you know this guy?"
Astor smiled at her. "It's thanks to the Fon Master that we were able to establish this place of exchange on the border."
"Well, there has always been a settlement here as a way for travelers to prepare for crossing the desert," Ion explained further, "Chesedonia as a major hub of trade only happened recently. I believe it is a good way to encourage trade and travel between the two countries."
"The Merchants' Guild contributes large amounts of money to Daath. In return, the Order enforces the recognition of Chesedonia as an autonomous state," continued Tear.
Luke nodded slowly as she absorbed the information. An autonomous state, much like Daath...
"Oh, I think I understand...thanks."
"You must be really rich, Astor!" Naturally, that was the first thing Anise focused on. "I can't handle it! Wow! I wish I lived in a place like this!"
"I don't get it. Do you want to marry Astor, too?"
"Luke!"
Anise was spared from further embarrassment when the servant returned with the fon disc and two bound volumes.
"Here are the results of the analysis, sir." He handed the data to Guy.
"Thanks." Guy briefly examined the books. They were slim, but that was mostly due to tiny script that littered the pages.
"That's a lot, Guy..." Luke wondered if they would be able to use it.
"I guess we'll read them on the ship."
"Then let's be going. Thank you for your assistance." Jade bowed his head slightly. Astor knew a dismissal when he heard one, as he was quick to show them to the door.
"Any time you need something, please don't hesitate to let me know." He gave a queer laugh that caused a shiver to go down Luke's spine. She could have gotten by without hearing that, that was for sure.
The servant opened the door to the outer hallway. The group made their way out of the twisting halls to the outside. It was early in the afternoon now; Luke could scarcely believe so much had happened in less than two days. Jade led the way down the marble steps and off of Astor's property. They headed south and east on the main street towards the port.
"We're nearly home, Guy! I'm really looking forward to it." Luke adjusted her hold on Mieu, having yet to put him down. But if she didn't know any better, Tear was glancing at them a lot...
Guy sighed, not looking nearly as pleased. "Yeah, I'm sure you'll be happy. I'm a little worried about everyone's reactions, though."
"I'll take care of it, don't worry. I won't let anyone put the blame on you."
"Haha, my hero."
"Don't laugh, I want to help you, for once." They had reached the tavern when a Kimlascan soldier approached and gave a sharp salute.
"Ah, here you are. The ship is ready. Please come to the Kimlasca-Side port--"
'Concentrated seventh fonons...someone's coming!'
"Look out!" cried Tear a moment later, just as a dark shape appeared shot towards Guy at incredible speed. Guy managed to avoid a direct hit, but his right arm was grazed, causing him to spin and drop the data onto the ground. The attacker, Sync, easily snatched the disc from midair. Guy recovered fast enough to gather up the books with his good arm and got to his feet.
'Something's wrong with Guy!'
'Protect yourself, first!'
"Hand those over!" Sync darted forward to press his attack. Guy nimbly jumped backward, but it was obvious he was still reeling.
"We shouldn't cause a scene here. To the ship!" Jade ordered.
"Guy, are you okay??" Luke cried as he clutched the documents to his chest.
"Go, Luke!"
She pivoted on her heel and ran as fast as she could after the others.
"You're not getting away!" Of course, Sync wouldn't let them go that easily.
Luke admitted she was a little frightened as they dashed headlong down the cobblestone streets. Despite his injury, Guy had pulled ahead in front of all of them, with Anise and Ion in the middle and Jade and Tear bringing up the rear. Luke was the slowest, her body's center of gravity still having the time to give her trouble when she had never been that quick to begin with. Poor Mieu was probably getting strangled with the tight hold she had on him. She could feel Sync on her heels, but that wasn't what concerned her.
'Replica...he's made up of nothing but seventh fonons...just like Ion...' Luke didn't know how many replicas there were in the world; they were outside the Score, for one. Lorelei had only known about Luke due to their shared frequency. Luke didn't know if Ion knew he was one, although he most likely did, given his position. But now there was another replica, and he was a God General at that. How many were there? How could she find out more about them?
But not now. Now she had to run for her life.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. Sync reached out and managed to snag the end of her sword sheath, sending her off balance.
"Dammit!" she snarled in frustration. Luke grabbed her belt to keep him from completely yanking her off balance. She had the sense to put her back to a wall before he could attack it. For Undine's sake, the port was right around the corner!
Sync blocked her only escape route. She couldn't see his face, but she could imagine it was smug.
"I can use you as ransom to get that data; if you're smart, you'll do as I say and behave yourself."
'Yeah, right. Only Asch can order me around.'
'I'm touched.'
"What should we do, Master??" Mieu cried, ears flapping wildly from panic.
Luke shushed him as she placed a hand on her hilt and began to unsheathe her sword. Sync sneered at her and struck, his fist sinking into her stomach.
"I told you to--W-WHAT??" Sync's fist had continued to sink into her, past her coat and bodice and into her very body itself. The momentum had pushed his entire hand into her abdomen until Sync got the presence of mind to stop his attack. Silence passed as they stared in horror at the sight of their joined bodies. Finally, Luke started screaming.
"What the hell is this??? Get it out!!!"
"Shut up, I'm trying!!" Sync was forced to put his foot against the wall to give him the proper leverage. It was an agonizingly slow process, and Luke nearly vomited more than once when she felt her insides move. However, fear of what Sync would do if she spewed all over him kept her from emptying her guts out. With one last, sharp tug, Sync's gloved fist came completely free. He stumbled backward and held his hand, inspecting it. Luke quickly pressed a hand against her stomach, but to her surprise, she wasn't bleeding. There was no indication that what happened had occurred at all. They then stared at each other before Luke raised her hand.
"Uh, see ya." Luke zipped past him and down the short hill that led to the port. When she reached the stairs, she simply jumped them in one flying leap. Luke stumbled upon her landing, nearly falling flat on her face, but she managed to recover in time. A soldier jumped in surprise but still managed to make a salute.
"Master--er, Luke, departure preparations are complete."
"Get this ship moving! Now!"
"E-Excuse me?" Luke grabbed his shoulder and shoved him forward.
"We're being chased! Hurry!"
The next moment, the ship's engines roared to life. Luke cursed when the gangplank began rising without her. She jumped as high as she could and grabbed the ledge before it went up completely. She heaved herself on board, panting harshly.
'Thanks a lot, guys, I didn't need the help at all.'
"Are you okay, Master?" Mieu squeaked worriedly.
"I'll live." Once she made sure she wasn't flashing anyone, Luke leaned against the side of the boat with a groan.
"What happened, Master? His hand--"
"Don't tell the others, alright?"
"If you're sure...but if you're sick, you should tell the others."
"I'm not, don't worry. I'm alright."
Mieu's face became uncharacteristically thoughtful. "Master, you're really okay? You've felt strange for a while."
"I have?" Luke tensed. Mieu didn't notice. He nodded emphatically, his eyes wide with worry.
"It's not a bad different, I guess...but every time I look at you, I get the strangest feeling. As if you're bigger than you are. I've wanted to protect Master before, but now I want to do it more than ever!"
"I see..." Luke rubbed Mieu's head. "Mieu, trust in me, won't you? I'm working to change the world. As a sacred beast of the Order, as one who wears proof of the covenant with Yulia Jue...can I count on you?"
Mieu gazed at Luke in awe. After a moment, he snapped out of his trance and nodded.
"I'll do whatever it takes!"
"Good...thank you."
'What the hell was that earlier? Why did Sync begin to merge with you?' Asch demanded.
'I think...no, I do know. His fonons began to disperse when he contacted my body.' Luke heaved herself to her feet and began to make her way to the cab that dominated the middle of the ferry. 'At the time, I just wanted him to not hit me. I guess I unconsciously began to absorb him since the my fonons tend to attract each other. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that that happened--I could feel them trying to return to me.'
'So he is a replica. Van never told me.' Asch's voice became bitter then, spitting out the word "replica" as if it was some vile disease.
'I'm a replica, you know.'
'That's different. You are my replica. You are now Lorelei.'
'That doesn't make much sense.'
'If hatred were logical there would a lot less of it in the world.' There was a rare hint of amusement in his tone.
Luke found the others downstairs in one of the rooms. Guy stood by the single table in the middle of the room, examining the documents he had in his possession. Ion and Jade were seated at said table, while Anise was perched on top of one of the bunk beds. Tear was standing off to the side, and she was the first to look up when Luke entered the room.
"There you are, are you alright?"
"We're fine. Why don't you hold Mieu?" Luke happily handed him over, noticing Tear's slight blush. She was beginning to notice a pattern... "Anyway, are you okay, Guy?"
"Huh? Oh, I'll be okay. It's just, damn, I lost part of the documents when Sync attacked."
Jade held out his hand. "Let me see them." Once Guy handed them over, Jade flipped open the first book. "It looks like isofon research. 3.14159265358979323846...this is Lorelei's fonon frequency."
"Huh, I wonder why Lorelei's fonon frequency would be recorded on that disc."
"Indeed..."
Tear managed to tear her attention from Mieu.
"Do you understand, Luke? I've already told you about the sentiences; in addition to that, all matter emits a fonon frequency. They're like fingerprints: no two frequencies are the same. Isofons are two entities that have the exact same fonon frequency. Of course, they don't exist unless artificially created."
"You're being awfully nice to Luke all of a sudden," Anise noted slyly.
"We made a truce to be nicer to each other," said Luke, still pleased with gaining Tear's respect, "Tear's naturally nice, you know."
Tear blushed. "L-Luke..."
"Oh, how sweet!" Anise laughed when Tear scowled at her.
"Guy, I'm missing things again." Luke turned to him expectantly.
Guy held up his hands, insisting on remaining uninvolved. Jade pointedly cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"Of course, if isofons were common, we'd have our hands full with hyperresonances all over the place." He leaned back in his chair and thoughtfully tapped the pages of the document. "Isofon research holds the potential for weapons development, so the military has their eye on it."
Anise hummed and tapped her chin. "Oh, that's right. That 'fomicry' technology they worked on a long time ago can make isofons, right?"
"Yeah, fomicry is like a copy machine, right?" Guy looked at Jade for confirmation.
Jade shook his head. "No, replicas created through fomicry are mere imitations. A replica may look identical, but its fonon frequency is different. One can't produce isofons that way."
"So what way will produce isofons?" Luke asked.
'I'm sure that damn Necromancer knows all about it,' Asch thought scathingly. Luke could feel his animosity, not that he made any particular effort to hide it.
'I'm sorry, this is too close to home, isn't it?'
'And what have I told you about that constant apologizing?' Still, Luke couldn't help it, not with having seen Asch's memories: filled with pain and suffering as he was kept in some tiny, cold cell while they poked and prodded and all but ripped him open--
"You know, Luke, if you're going to ask a question, you might want to pay attention to the answer." Jade's dry comment brought her back to the cabin. Luke looked a little sheepish as she smiled at him.
"I'm sorry, Jade. I was just lost in the brilliance of your eyes."
Guy choked in horror.
"While I am amazed at your ability to get distracted by shiny objects," Jade quipped, not even missing a beat, "I was going to say that the process is a long and difficult one. It's also very unreliable. Fortunately for all of us, I should think."
Any further conversation was interrupted by a soldier bursting into the room. His face was completely hidden by his helmet, but his panic was unmistakable.
"Emergency! A large number of monsters and an unidentified fontech signature approaching from Chesedonia!"
'No wonder he's upset--this tiny ferry isn't equipped with nearly enough weapons or personnel to handle an attack like that!' Report completed, the soldier grasped his weapon and dashed out of the cabin.
The ship rocked violently after a loud explosion. It didn't take long for the sounds of battle to reach them from above. Luke could hear weapons clash and the sound of artes being cast. She could hear frequencies die out one by one.
"Can we assume their goal is to stop Ion and the letter from reaching Kimlasca?" Tear allowed Mieu to jump from her arms and hop to Luke.
Guy frowned as he thought of something. "You don't suppose they'd try to sink the whole ship, do you?"
"I'll protect you, Master, even though I can't swim..." Mieu's squeaky voice made it impossible for him to sound serious, but Luke didn't doubt his sincerity for a moment.
"I know, I'm counting on you." She gave him a smile. Mieu all but puffed his chest out in pride. Tear quickly looked away from the scene.
"So cute..."
Jade tucked his hands at his pockets, immediately taking charge. "If they intended to sink us, they wouldn't come storming aboard."
"Then they're trying to take it over!" Anise cried.
Guy frowned and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Then I guess we'll have to secure the bridge before they do, huh?"
Whatever those Knights planned, Luke wasn't going to let any of her friends get hurt. She'd prefer not to engage in violence, but just thinking about it made her angry!
'Don't give yourself away too soon. It'll be obvious something is up if you blast them half way across the world.'
'I should, I can teleport, you know.'
'Since when??--Ah, you just remembered now, didn't you?'
'Technically, we always could.' Luke sent him the image of her first hyperresonance, when she and Tear had been sent to Tataroo Valley. It wasn't simple coincidence that the hyperresonance between them had been one that sent an attacking assassin well out of the manor's grounds. Luke's tagging along had been inevitable.
'Very well: if it comes to that, do it and we'll make up something later.' Luke was happy that Asch was willing to concede the point--although it was probably because he found the group she was with to be useful.
Jade would have appreciated the sentiment, at least.
"We should go. If we have to get to the bridge first, we'll have to move fast." Luke made sure her sheath was secured properly. Time to fight with her new weapon.
"Agreed, let's go," Jade commanded and they moved to obey. It was natural to follow his lead. They moved down the hall way in formation: Guy and Luke at point, Anise and Ion in the middle, Jade and Tear providing support from the rear. The area was actually empty; however, this soon changed once they climbed the stairs to the second level.
Luke felt the soldier before she saw him. Her rapier was unsheathed and blocking the blow from a long sword before she could even think about it. She kicked him away and lunged, rapier easily piercing the armor.
"Sonic Thrust!" Luke didn't outright kill him, but he wasn't going to be getting up soon from the blow. It was a moot point, anyway, as Jade came up from behind and finished him off with a spear to the throat.
"I guess I'll have to eliminate them for you," he sighed. It wasn't so much a kindness as practicality. Luke stared down at the corpse before speaking.
"Jade...how does it feel to be able to kill so easily?" She wasn't condemning him for it, she was simply curious.
"You wouldn't be able to understand anyway. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
"I guess. I just...want to learn about the world, that's all."
"Hm. Well, there's plenty of time for that later." The others had finished up their battles already. Oracle Knights lay scattered across the deck. Luke was now more convinced than ever that she didn't want to get used to it.
"We should check outside as well," Tear said, calmly wiping off one of her throwing knives. They quietly agreed and raced outside to check for more intruders. The party soon reached the bow of the ship.
'Where is their leader?...And what's that strange frequency I'm hearing?'
A voice came from up above, then, cackling in delight.
'Dist...' Asch growled. 'Be careful, that strange frequency you're picking up is one of his fontech.' Luke barely heard him, practically entranced by the sight of a floating, red wing chair. She wasn't all that sure about what she was looking at--all she knew was that she really wanted one.
"Listen you ignorant savages, and you shall hear my beautiful name."
"He's floating!" Luke cried, pointing in awe. "I wonder if I can float if I try hard enough--"
'Are you serious, Dreck??'
"Luke, focus." Guy gave her an amused glance. But he was in a floating chair. She had half a mind to be jealous.
Dist growled and gesticulated angrily. "Silence, plebeian! I am the most graceful member of the God-Generals, the one, the only--"
"What's a plebeian?" asked Luke, turning to Jade for clarification.
Jade idly adjusted his frames. "Guy, explain."
"What? Uh, it was originally the name of a common citizen of the Ancient Ispanian civilization. Nowadays it refers to someone who is low class."
"Oh." Luke frowned. "So it really is an insult."
"Couldn't you tell from the tone of his voice??" Anise sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Well, yeah, of course, but I wasn't sure--"
"SILENCE!! Cower before the one who will bring you doom, Dist the--"
"Runny! Imagine seeing you here." Jade's tone couldn't have been more mocking if he tried. Dist nearly fell out of his chair, but he managed to right himself enough to glare at the Colonel.
"The Rose! R-O-S-E, rose! Dist the Rose!"
Anise wasn't any more impressed. "You mean Dist the Reaper."
Dist looked to be on the verge of a temper tantrum. His feet were even kicking the air from sheer frustration with their attitude.
"I refuse to accept that name! It's rose, ROSE!" he spat, his fists clenching.
"I didn't know you knew him, Anise." Luke said curiously.
Anise shrugged. "I'm in the Oracle Knights, too, so...but why do you know him Colonel?"
Jade was prevented from speaking by Dist himself, who was clearly trying to gain control of the situation.
"I, the genius Dist, once counted that duplicitous snake Jade amongst my friends."
"Which Jade is that? I don't know any Jades with such poor taste in friends." Jade shrugged his shoulders and held his palms open face up, as if Dist was speaking nonsense barely worth listening to.
"What did you say??"
"Careful now, you know how your nose runs when you get mad."
"No it doesn't!"
'Asch, is this normal?'
'No, Dreck...not at all.'
"They're off in their own little world, aren't they?" Guy asked no one in particular.
"Enough!" Dist shrieked, the veins in his forehead visible even from his position in the air. "Now, hand over the fon disc data!"
Jade raised an eyebrow and calmly reached into his breast pocket. He pulled out the green booklets.
"You mean this?"
Dist dove suddenly, forcing Luke to duck before one of the legs smacked her across the head. The chair was far quicker than it looked, as Dist snatched the data from Jade's grasp and was once again high in the air before anyone could move. He cackled again, his legs kicking in glee this time.
"How careless, Jade!"
"You can have them. I've already memorized their contents."
Luke looked at Guy. "I think Jade is tormenting him."
"Yes, it certainly looks that way, doesn't it?" Guy replied.
"I'm being mocked by savages!" Dist looked two seconds away from ripping his hair out. Luke swore Jade was laughing at him, judging from the way his glasses were glinting. When Dist recovered, again, he leered at them, looking more creepy than menacing.
"When you taste the pain of my super ultra gorgeous artes, you'll regret what you've done! Behold, my Kaiser Dist R!" Dist snapped his fingers and the source of the strange frequency suddenly appeared in the sky, having jumped from the top of the cab. It was a fon machine, Luke could tell that much, but she had never imagined fontech could act in such a way. It looked like it moved on its own, with no visible cables or means of control. It's arms were capable of both swinging and drilling into its enemies, saying nothing of the danger posed by the main body itself. Luke and Guy quickly split up to attack while the others began casting their artes.
"Luke, fontech are totally dependent on the energy from outside sources! If this thing is autonomous, it must have a battery or energy source to power its movements, try to disable it by cutting off the energy flow!" Guy called, his voice nearly being swept away in the cacophony of battle. Luke had to focus her fonons to the slots in her ears to be able to pick him up. "Be careful not to injure yourself in process!"
'Oh, that makes sense...machines can't move by themselves.' Luke leaped over a swinging arm and landed inside the thing's guard. Hopefully the metal wouldn't be too thick.
"Sonic Thrust!" Unlike the soldier, Luke couldn't pierce the armor easily. Her blade actually got stuck halfway through. Cursing, she had to wrench it out and roll out of the way before she was crushed. Luke couldn't quite avoid its next swing, and she yelped when it hit her leg with a glancing blow. Luckily, her bone didn't break, but it certainly hurt.
'Damn it, Dreck! You never go for the thickest part of the armor! Aim for the joints!'
'I'm sorry!' Not wanting to become a distraction, Luke urged her fonons to repair themselves. They responded quickly, and she was back on her feet the next instant. If nothing else, Lorelei made things handy.
"Luke, are you okay??" Tear saw Kaiser Dist R's successful attack on Luke and was already casting Healing Circle. Luke hoped she would brush it off as the blow being less serious than it looked.
"I'm fine, watch yourself!" she answered, already diving back in for another attack.
Jade's next order brought her short. "Luke, wait, use this instead!" A glyph formed underneath his feet and she watched, listened, as he cast his Splash arte. It slammed into Kaiser Dist R and sent it reeling.
'Of course! I forgot I can do artes, now!'
Luke hurriedly put some distance between her and the machine and drew Undine's fonons as fast as she could. Anise had come up to the forefront to take up the slack as another melee fighter.
"Oh violent torrent: Splash!" Luke directed the waves of water at Kaiser Dist, trying to focus them on where she had punctured a small hole in its armor. Jade cast Splash once more to continue the barrage. Guy spotted the newly formed Field of Fonons and quickly darted inside for the finishing blow.
"Cold glare of death: Frigid Moon!"
The blades of ice slammed into Kaiser Dist R, causing it to shudder and spin wildly. Dist howled and rushed forward.
"No, my beautiful Kaiser--!!"
"Everyone, get down!" Jade's order was largely unnecessary, as they all but dove onto the deck a moment before the fontech weapon exploded. Dist was caught up in the blast and sent flying into the distance. He fell into the ocean with a loud crash and didn't resurface.
A long moment of silence passed and Luke winced. "Hey...should we--"
"It'll take more than that to kill him. He has the tenacity of a cockroach." Jade slipped his hands into his pockets, totally unconcerned.
"What a guy..." she muttered under her breath.
"Ah well, I'm off to check the bridge."
'Nothing fazes him, does it?'
Guy glanced at the remainder of the party. "I'll go with him. Ladies, please look after Luke."
Anise immediately sidled up beside him and smiled coyly.
"Hm? Don't tell me you're afraid of us, Guy..."
Guy leaped backwards, looking absolutely horrified.
"No, of course not!" He didn't give anyone a chance to respond as he raced off, all but shaking with fear.
'What sort of man is he?'
'Don't start.'
"What should we do, Tear?" Luke asked, carefully sheathing her sword after she checked it for damage.
"Let's check to see if anyone's injured. It will be good practice for you, Luke." Of course, Tear was quite serious when she suggested that Luke learn healing artes. Luke knew how to heal already, but at least this gave her the excuse of using them.
Ion began to make his way toward the stern of the ferry.
"We shouldn't be that far from Baticul now. We should do what we can until then."
"It's not easy being a messenger of peace." Anise gave an exaggerated sigh and followed him. Luke smiled and obediently listened to Tear as she explained the basics of fonic artes using the seventh fonon.
'I'm nearly home.'
**********
To be continued