Chapter III
The drunkards moment of fear lasted only just that- then someone filled with liquid courage, bellowed, "Come on, it's just one fucking guy!" That made them braver and they lumbered forward. I backed away, shielding the girl as the cat stalked forward to meet them, very hair bristling. It didn't even give me a glance.
The men circled us, and behind, the wall. The rage that had filled me moments ago was back with a vengeance- they were rallying behind a rapist!
"Why are you attacking me?" I snarled, "He was trying to rape her!"
"She wanted it!" the pig roared, blood dripping down his face from a slice on his forehead. I risked a glance down at the girl and she was worryingly still and her eyes were clouded. There was no way in hell that she had consented. But from the animalistic howl, they did not feel the same.
They pressed closer and the flash of knives appeared in their hands. As the first made his move, the cat leapt and sunk its claws deep into his back. There was a collective yelp of surprise and in that momentary lapse, I turned and grabbed the girl by her arm. I yelped as the magics flowing over her skin scorched my fingers. I was shocked- it was the same magic as before!
No, I did not have time. I pulled her to my chest, my magic clashing with hers in a burning field of electricity. In on leap, I cleared the crowd with ease.
I sprinted down the alley and as I passed my companions, I shouted a warning at them. They did not hesitate, only turned to follow. I heard the mob charging down the alley; there was no way we could handle them all and still protect this girl. As if to make that fact more evident, she shuddered and another whimper escaped her.
"What the fuck, mage?" Kurogane growled, but then he saw the girl and his expression softened. "Shit. I guess that was that's all about?" He pointed back towards the mob.
He did not wait for a confirmation, only cracked his knuckles in preparation, that well-known grin spreading across his face. He was itching for a fight. "Kuro, not now. She's incredibly sick." His expression faltered, but he backed away.
"Then what the fuck are we supposed to do?"
"I'll take care of them." A strange voice broke in, and a man stepped forward, twirling a whip in his hands. He whistled sharply and a deep rumbling filled the air. The ground shook as the huge beast answered its master's call. The normally passive beast screamed aggression.
"Get the hell out of the way!" one of the men called; "I think not." He whistled again and the animal charged, lowering its massive horned head towards the mob. It was certainly a sobering sight- and instantly they broke scrambled apart to avoid the charging beast. Its horns clipped the edges of the alley, which instantly buckled under the force of the blow; grey wood splintered and the buildings sagged as its supports were destroyed. It swept its head right, tearing the structure from its foundation and its thick tail swept left, bowling over retreating drunks and taking down the building on the left.
I whistled- in less then three seconds, a confidant mob had been reduced to a few scattered, and not to mention terrified, drunks. Also, it had taken out almost an entire block just as quickly. Glad I am not on the wrong end of that…
A flash of blue appeared as the cat leapt over the snow beast's head and landed in a spray of snow. "Mokona, another world, please." I whispered and as her magic enveloped us, I uttered a thank you to the beast master. He nodded.
Mokona's circle of magic, of course, dropped us several yards above the ground. As I fell, I twisted, cradling the girl in my arms and my right shoulder met the ground first. I felt the bone shatter from the impact, but it barely registered. The scorching heat of conflicting magic overrode anything else. It was a crushing amount of magic and I did not have time to get enough distance before the girl was crushed by her own magic.
How can she go from releasing such a crushing amount of power to barely any at all. Now she's crippled by it, because she isn't releasing enough. The fluctuation was incredible.
I grabbed hold of her arm and burning raced up my fingers. I whispered the spell and angled it skyward. Her excess magic crackled over my skin, the power manifested as a huge bolt of lightning, scorching the night sky as it raced upward. In its wake, the smell of ozone and burnt skin.
I sighed- with the dangerous excess magic gone, that aspect of her illness was gone. But she was still not well; the fever-heat baked through the multiple layers of clothes. And she was shaking- no, convulsing. Her eyes were rolled back to reveal the whites and foam was dripping from the corners of her mouth. I supported her back with my arm and drew her upon my lap, so she would not further harm herself as she thrashed.
Gradually, the convulsions lessened and her breathing evened out.
Her eyes fluttered open and my breath caught in my throat. Blue, deep blue, like the color of the sky just before night completely claimed it and beautiful…They were glazed by fever-heat and confusion filled them, an ugly emotion for such beautiful eyes.
I shrugged out of my coat and drew it around her, to lessen her shivering. I couldn't look away from her and she curled up against my chest, drawing the cloak around her.
I was stunned, honestly, by her; she was beautiful. Her blue eyes were in sharp contrast to her flawless, almost-white skin, as well as her ebony hair, which was drawn back in a thick braid. She was tall and thin, much like I was. In fact, she couldn't be much shorter than I was, maybe an inch or two. That made her at least a head taller than Syaoron.
And I was hell-bent on protecting her, for reasons that I did not fathom.
He pressed up against me, pain in my wrists and from where he'd struck me…His eyes were coated in lust and his free hand pulled my shirt free and then his fingers were groping me…I recoiled from his foul touch, but my body wouldn't obey…Then his fingers were prying down my pants…not this, anything else….
I whimpered; I couldn't fight him…
Suddenly the darkness was gone and the light drove away the shadow man. My heart was racing and my breath was harsh and painful in my dry throat as I shot up; without opening my eyes, I cradled my head in my hands. Every breath was hell on my parched lips and throat and I could taste blood. There was a dull ache behind my eyes. Even in the dark behind my eyelids, the world was still spinning and I felt it spin.
I pulled my knees to my chest and waited for the vertigo to pass. After an eternity, the attack passed.
Without opening my eyes, I searched my surroundings. Underneath, was a very soft blanket and it was incredibly warm; I fell back down into it and curled back up. The underside of it was fur and so incredibly soft. It had an indistinct, but not unpleasant smell and the frigid air was gone. In fact, the air was slightly humid.
I lifted my head and sniffed the air- it smelled slightly like laundry detergent and disinfectant. Then, I caught the scent of something…cooking? My stomach answered with a resounding rumble. To accompany the smell of cooking food, voices. I didn't recognize any of them and I started to panic.
"So, are you finally awake?" I felt the bed depress; "Albion." I sighed in relief. If he was here, I was okay. I stole a glance at him and he didn't appear to be tense. If anything, he was strangely relaxed. He was perched on the end of the bed, looking at me. Before he could move, I threw my arms around his neck; he was here, he was something familiar. He purred and I enjoyed this rare moment of affection.
But after a few seconds, he pulled away. "I was worried." he stated, moving to an arms distance. There was blood on his paws.
"About what?" he attitude was disconcerting. "Freya, I doubt that you remember, but you had a seizure and a very serious one, at that." He stopped; that wasn't all of it and unless I pried, I wasn't going to get any more out of him.
"Albion, don't lie to me. Was I….?" I dreaded the answer; "Gods, no….but, the pig tried." His answer threw me.
"Then how did we get here?" I whispered, sweeping my arm. It was a hotel room, with a large queen bed, and matching dresser and vanity. Flanking the bed, were two ornate tables and at the end of the bed was a dark leather couch. There were also two leather chairs.
There were three dark wooden doors, one to a bathroom, a closet and the another into the hall.
"The mage rescued you, Freya. And they had a method of world-transportation. After the…incident, there was a crowd that became quite unruly, they shifted worlds." I froze; "We could have been separated, then?" He inclined his head, his silence answer enough. I interlaced my fingers, to hide my shaking.
I heard the click of a door handle and one of the doors swung open. Speak of the devil…the mage smiled, but his easy demeanor didn't put me at ease.
"What the hell are you doing back here?" Albion snapped, his fur bristling.
"I just came to check on our friend here." he laughed, moving further into the room as Albion and I watched him. He placed a tray that he had been toting down on one of the tables. He reached across and his fingers brushed my forehead. I recoiled and just as quickly as it came, that touch was gone. "You still have a bit of a fever, but it is not nearly as bad. That's good." he drew away and there was blood dripping from the bite marks on his hand, in the webbing between his thumb and index finger. Albion snorted, licking his lips. Blood still stain his white teeth an eerie pink.
When he'd retreated back towards the door, he took a seat in one of the chairs. He leaned forward, crossed his long legs and rested his chin on his steepled fingers. There was that grin again, but it didn't reach his eyes. Those blue eyes were piercing, like he was trying to judge me through just one look, digging to the very depths of my soul. Like he was trying to dredge up very secret…
I looked away, unable to meet that gaze.
"If you're hungry, I've fixed you something to eat." he muttered; I glanced back at him and his gaze was now upon nothing in particular. But every few seconds, his eyes flickered up for a brief look.
The food seemed okay and Alboin would be here to protect me, if it wasn't. As I began to eat, my hunger hit me like a ton of bricks and I wolfed the rest of it down. "Thanks."
"No problem." he stood up and moved over to the edge of the bed, this time making sure to keep a safe distance. "My name is Fai D. Flourite," he stated, extending his hand.
"I thought that I already gave you my name." I growled. "You did, but not, well, very cordially. And it would be nice if you would give me your name again."
"Freya." I gripped his hand, long, pale fingers circling my hand and his skin was oddly cool. I was surprised by how strong his grip was and I knew then that I should not underestimate him. I swung my legs off the bed and as my feet brushed the tile, I shivered- the floor was cold! The mage's head cocked to the side, his blonde hair framing his face, giving him a very…boyish look. He looked amused, but in his eyes were filled with worry.
"If you feel up to it, would you like to meet my companions? They were quite concerned." I nodded; he moved out of the room.
The cat sidled up against my back, and I rested my palm on his head. "I don't know what to make of him," I admitted, "and I certainly don't trust him."
"I don't know if it will make any difference to you, Freya, but he cared for you while you were unconscious. He seemed genuinely concerned." Albion purred. I started- why would he do that, for someone he barely knew?
"Freya…Freya, stop chewing on your damn nails." Albion snapped; I dropped my hand. I hadn't realized that I was even doing it. It was a bad habit, which I indulged in when I was nervous or tense.
I stood up and whistled, "Let's go, Albion." I got the desired result and he hissed, "I'm not a fucking dog." But he hopped up and padded over to the door.
The door immediately opened up into a sizable living area, with a large sofa, a loveseat and multiple chairs. Flanking the sofa, were two tables and in front of it was a coffee table with a glass surface. Against one wall was a large bookcase, filled to the brim with tomes. On the other side of the room, separated from the living room by a hardwood counter, was the kitchen.
Sitting on the counter was the mage, and there were two other people, as well. Fai spotted me, hopped down from his perch and walked over. His fingers lightly rested on my shoulder, to guide me forward, but not feel overly commanding.
As we approached, the other two turned to look, curious. Fai gently urged me forward, but I hesitated. Something white moved on the counter and it jumped onto Fai's shoulder. "You're awake! You're awake!" a voice squealed; its source appeared to be a little white ball of fur, four legs, two long ears and there was a jewel on its forehead. It appeared to be a plump white, talking rabbit.
And it was goddamn adorable.
"A talking rabbit?" I stuttered.
"No, no, silly! Mokona is Mokona! Not a rabbit!" it laughed, "Let me see her, Fai!" he offered his palm and hopped down into his palm. He presented the talking rabbit to me, "Ummm…." I leveled my hand and it jumped from his palm to mine. Its fur was incredibly soft and warm; I cradled it, Mokona, in my arms. I giggled, it was so damn cute!
"So, kid, you alright now?" a deep voice questioned, mimicked instantly by the rabbit. The man who'd asked me was tall, taller even than Fai. Is everybody in this group a giant? I was tall, but these people made me feel little. His skin was deeply tanned, covering a layer of thick, yet lean muscle. His hair was black and spiky, a complete opposite to the mage and his eyes were crimson. He was kind of intimidating. He reclining against the counter, arms crossed. His gaze gave any nothing.
"I'm fine." I muttered.
"That's good. We haven't seen hide nor tail of that damn mage 'cause he's been worried sick, and taking care of you. " The man snorted and he grinned. This man had a harsh way of speaking and spoke his mind without hesitation. I would trust him before I would trust the mage, who hid everything. Or almost everything.
But I didn't miss the look that went between them, those crimson eyes holding…jealousy?
"Name's Kurogane." I snapped out of my haze; I rolled the name on my tongue, but I couldn't form it properly. "Umm, could you say it again?"
"Just call him Kuro," Fai chuckled.
"Don't you dare get her started on that shit too!"
"Don't pay any attention to them." A fourth voice broke in; I glanced over and it was a boy, who'd appeared from one of the other bedrooms. He rested his elbows on the opposite side of the counter, watching me with curiosity. He was slightly shorter than I was, with a head of mousy brown hair, with brown eyes to match.
"My name is Syaoran." He had a softer way of speaking compared to his companions, but he was confident in his own way.
"Freya."
"It's a pleasure. Now, if you will excuse me, I might have to break the two of them up." He moved into the kitchen proper, where the mage was being pursued by Ku..Kuro….Kurogane.
I slipped out of the kitchen and took a seat on the couch. "You okay?" the rabbit asked, who I'd forgotten was still in my arms. "Yeah, Mokona."
"Okay…"
"It's…just a lot to process, that's all." The rabbit tensed as Albion hopped onto the couch and curled up next to me. His golden eyes locked on the rabbit and he licked his chops.
"Albion," I warned. His stare broke and he rested his head on my thigh. Mokona peeked out from under a pillow, then jumped on top of the cat's head. His ears flattened as the uninvited guest laughed, "What a pretty kitty!"
I could see the anger brewing in his eyes; if he truly wanted to, he could chop the bunny in half. I fished her from her perch and when she complained, I told her that Albion had a bad temper. She whispered back, "Just like Kuro!"
"Hey, Freya!" Fai called, "would you like a drink?" I looked over the back of the couch and saw that the mage was pouring bourdon into shot glasses. Two glasses in hand, he crossed into the living room and took a seat. He presented the glass and I accepted it. I took note that the place where my companion had bitten him was gone- no evidence at all that it had even occurred.
How odd.
"So, Freya, how did you come about this beastie," he pointed at Albion, "and his ability to traverse worlds?"
Right after I asked the question, I knew that it was a taboo subject. Her entire body tensed and her eyes locked on me and they were filled with fear. Her hand absentmindedly rubbed the base of her neck, where her collarbones met. At first I thought that she was twisting a necklace, but her neck was free from jewelry.
"Sorry…" I started, but she was whispering, head lowered. I could here her, but just barely. "I don't remember…" Her voice was so filled with pain, longing and confusion, she might break under the weight of her own emotion. Before I realized what I'd done, I pulled her into a loose embrace. I felt her shudder, and after a moment, she pulled away.
Face turned away, she wiped her eyes. Damn idiot… In the first question into her past, I already ruined any chances I'd had of learning anything.
So to say I was surprised when she began to speak was an understatement. "I just remember going from world to world- I don't know how I met Albion; he's just always been there. And I don't even know what I'm traveling for."
I had to tread very carefully, now, "The first world you remember; what was it like?" She drew her knees up to her chest and looped her arms around them.
"It was cold…and there were dragons, werewolves, vampires…numerous dangerous beasts. But the people were just as dangerous as the creatures." I inwardly started when she mentioned vampires, but I didn't let it show. "The people were trying to kill the dragons, and there was a war between men and dragons. Many of both died."
"So, mage, what about you?"
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? How did you start traveling worlds with them?" Her tone was demanding, like I owed her an answer. Once again, I was surprised; so shy and so confident, almost arrogant, in one sweep.
I began the story of how I had met my companions and traveled with them to recover the girl-child's feathers. I gave the vaguest story I could, without going into details of my later…actions in our travels.
"So, where is this Sakura now?"
"We returned to her home and, afterward, she simply stayed." That was true, but it wasn't the entire truth. However, it seemed to satisfy her and she didn't push the issue further. She lifted Mokona, and commented, "I wouldn't think that such tiny creature has the power to move across worlds."
"So, what you like to do?"
With that, the edginess was dropped from the conversation. We talked about the usual shit, what we liked to read, hobbies, food, same old shit.
The world we, for the moment inhabited, was a mixture between Piffle World and Infinity. It held the technological level of Piffle- airships traversed the skies in droves, marking the blue sky with flashes of color; some were obvious citizen vessels, other military or offensive in nature. The city itself reached far into the sky, towers glittering in gold and white light; billboards blazed with every color imaginable. Huge metal rings floated in between the huge towers, connected by glowing blue tethers, creating flying train tracks. Huge trains four stories tall and two thousand feet long arched along these tethers, riding the magnetic lift created by the rotating rings to make it to the next and so on. The city was filled with noise, from the screaming and following boom of the mag-lift trains breaking the sound barrier and the hiss of airships; advertisements screamed out their wares, while noise of people filled the city to breaking. It was a barrage of sound and light.
But despite its brilliant appearances, it showed its dark underground raised its ugly head every night. When the skies were black, and the airships and trains had halted their runs, the public had departed the streets, and a relative silence reached across the city, the criminals and outlaws clambered out from their holes to do their business. And their business was dangerous business. When the public feared to tread, deadly fights occurred in silence, the people not even knowing of the death that was occurring right next door, or down the road, or a floor below. All the evidence was the blood- the bodies were gone, taken by the factions involved and disposed of. The authorities were left to wonder what the hell happened.
Just like Infinity.
It least they weren't active in the daylight, so we could at least halfway enjoy the city, which was called Rabanastre.
The bazaar was huge, taking up the entire western huge of the cross-shaped city and spanning more than a dozen stories. The entire thing was open air, almost like a stadium. One could spend an entire year exploring and still not encounter everything there was. There were restaurants right next door to weapon and armour shops, with animals being sold on the opposite side. Speaking of animals, one could even rent huge birds, called 'chocobos', to move around in the huge space. Small airships buzzed around in the open air, with long lines waiting to land at the numerous docking stations on every four levels of the market. People of every nature, nationality and race wandered the market, or hurried, depending. Technology connected every level of the wing.
Freya, from whatever world she'd come from (and from what I'd gathered, didn't sound highly advanced, no offense), took the use of technology in stride, and didn't appear too fazed by it. If anything, it fascinated her and she watched the buzzing flying craft and monorails with mild interest.
Since her animal companion was so large, they'd consented that he stay back in the hotel. At first, she was tense at being separated from him, and it was obvious that he'd been her only constant companion, but after several hours, she'd relaxed substantially. Before long, she was sliding in and out of the crowd, weaving and twisting like a pro, moving quickly without drawing attention; I used to pride myself on my ability to do that.
In fact, she could be a very good pickpocket.
Shit.
Very good.
I tried to follow, but even I couldn't move through the crowd like she could. I ground my teeth, the crowd pushing me back, moving in one solid mass. I never was one for crowds and that fact still hadn't changed.
"Lookin' for me?" Freya giggled; she had a mischievous grin that told me all I needed to know.
"How much?"
Her eyes glinted with a dangerous look, challenging- "What are you talking about?"
If I hadn't just watched her filching cash right under from under people's noses, I would have stopped my pursuit there. But I saved it for later- I wasn't about to get in an argument with her in the middle of the Rabanastre market.
She turned, moved towards one of the many market stalls and purchased a plate of food with the money she'd just stolen. She watched me watch her with a bit of malice; "I wonder what's going one there?" she pointed down towards a large platform, around which the entire populace of this level was gathering.
Suddenly a man jumped up onto the platform, megaphone in hand. "HELLO, PEOPLE OF RABANASTRE!" his voice bellowed and the thundering market was silent, "TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR PEOPLE TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS! SIGN-UP ENDS TOMORROW!" he lowered the mega-phone and hopped down from his perch.
"What's this tournament?" Freya wondered out-loud.
"You must be from the desert if you don't know what the tournament is." a voice barked.
She was just as quick, "Must be. So what is it?"
"It is a competition to see who the best fighter in Ivalice is. People from all over the continent come and participate." the rude man replied.
The girl I couldn't figure out growled, "Let's enter,"
Had I been this incomprehensible?
