(The Western Isles)
The heat of the midday sun hitting his face woke Shinjiro up, prompting a heavy groan as he felt his back aching. Shifting a bit, he sat up and rubbed his head, looking around. He had landed on a mountainside somehow, the rocks a deep gray and brown all around him as he pushed himself upright. He seemed to be on a smaller one, at least, as a glance up to his left made him wince; there was an ice capped mountain nearby, and the sunlight was hitting it at just the right angle to make it blinding.
[Okay, where the hell am I?] Was his first thought, rubbing his shoulders as he tried to get himself oriented. He could see a line of fuzzy, deep blue at the horizon line, and a better look showed it to be a large body of water, if not an ocean that stretched out for too many nautical miles for him to even begin to guess. [If I landed on an alternate take of Japan I am going to punch a bitch.]
Another look around, this time closer to his area, and he sighed in relief to see that there was some vegetation on the mountains. He didn't seem to be too high up, as he had little problem breathing, but he didn't think that was a fair guess to make; the group had gotten used to climbing up stupidly high in Tartarus, and they were at the halfway point at best. He was willing to bet that SEES had started adjusting to thinner atmosphere. [True, we don't know how high up that damn tower is, but when I can look out a window and get a damn good view of Iwatodai on a clear evening, that's too fuckin tall.] Sighing, the brunet male started walking about, trying to see if he could find a way down off of the mountain without breaking his neck.
In the back of his mind, Castor stirred briefly before going dormant again, exhaustion radiating from the Persona as Shinjiro finally located a worn down animal path that lead down at a manageable angle. The Persona seemed exhausted, so summoning him was out of the question for a good while. He had realized that the spear didn't drain him so much as it drained the summon, leaving it inaccessible for at least a week.
He'd figured out the spear trick with Castor by pure accident, back in middle school when he and Akihiko had stumbled into trouble in the Dark Hour. They had just joined SEES and were still trying to get into the swing of things, and Akihiko had been knocked unconscious when Shinjiro had tried to fight back, only to realize he had somehow managed to pull the spear out of Castor's torso, and it was a viable weapon for him to use. However, he had next to no finesse with a spear, and the weapon required insane amounts of focus to use without it exploding.
Shinjiro wondered if the rather stupid looking needle Akihiko's Persona had for a right arm could be used for something similar, but the condition of massive recovery time had kept the silver-haired teen from even attempting it.
The path was proving to be relatively easygoing, several tracks showing that plenty of animals used the route to get to and from whatever was in this isolated part of the world. More than once Shinjiro caught sight of goats and such on different rock crags, watching him as they chewed on the vegetation that grew around the otherwise cold stone.
He lost track of how long he was heading down the mountains when he hit a plateau, making him sigh and sit down for a few moments. His stomach started growling, making Shinjiro curse as he looked around, taking his boots off. There didn't seem to be anything close to a village here, but now that he was at a lower altitude, he could see the faintest traces of smoke coming down from the base of a nearby mountain. Perhaps there was a village?
[The real question is will I make it there before dark?] Shinjiro thought to himself with a sigh, wincing as he looked at his feet. The western style boots he wore normally weren't exactly made for hauling ass over the mountains, and he could feel blisters forming. [Fuuuuuuuuuuck.] Cursing more, the brunet stood up and walked further into the plateau, spotting vegetation around a pool of water.
The pond was crystal clear, and a glance towards one side gave him an idea as to what had formed it; it was runoff from an ice cap, so when the spring season hit, this place was probably a gigantic lake, one that would disorient people with the trees growing out of the bottom of it. Glancing into the water, he could see straight to the bottom, disappointment hitting him as he realized no fish swam under the water. [At least fresh water is useful.] He told himself, biting his lip and stripping to slide into the water for a quick break; he reeked of sweat from the whole ordeal the night before, and the icy water made him yelp.
[Note to self, don't stay in here too long.] Settling after briefly ducking under, Shinjiro resurfaced, grateful for the bright sun overhead. There wasn't a breeze either, and with no cloud cover, he figured drying out would be a fast ordeal as he sat in the water for a bit to collect his thoughts. [The dude in blue said that we needed to find everyone else in SEES and get back home, but he never said we'd wind up on the same world.] Frowning at that, he sighed; he had lost track of Ken and Koromaru in the fall between dimensions to boot, so he had no clue if his little brother was here. [Dammit, if I can't find him again, I'll never forgive myself …]
Not that he was able to forgive himself for a lot of things, least of all his mother's death by his hands; accident or not, he had lost control … Anger and self-loathing hit him in the face again, and he tried to shove it back down before he did something stupid. He'd nearly listened to the voices and guilt when it had first happened two years ago, and it would have been a simple step onto the tracks … Then a tall man in a well-tailored suit had caught him, pulling him out of the station and to a relatively quaint apartment, somehow keeping the emotionally unstable teenager from injuring him as he tried to escape.
How a professional swordsman and instructor had been there to stop him, Shinjiro would never know, but it had saved his life. The man had sat there, letting the teen collapse in a way he hadn't been able to since the orphanage, not even in private, in silence. It had been greatly needed, as his mind was ready to collapse from the sheer amount of pain he had bottled up. He remembered those strange, inexplicably pink eyes watching him, an odd sort of concern in them. Why, Shinjiro still didn't know; he was just a kid the guy had managed to stop from committing suicide. Most people who intervened in such things often made sure that the person they rescued got professional help, not step in themselves.
And then, to his surprise, the man had offered him some training, not so much to help him fight better, but to give his brain something else to focus on. Shinjiro had accepted, and the following month proved to be one of the most interesting ones ever. He preferred using his axe, but the thought behind the advice his impromptu instructor had given him was to focus on the weapon and nothing else when it was in his hand. It had worked, and while the strange man had needed to leave in mid-November, he had managed to get Shinjiro's head on straight, and the brunet was thankful for that.
The feeling of something nudging him from behind made Shinjiro tear away from the thought, sitting up as he tried to see what was behind him; standing on the bank of the pond was a herd of horses, all of them clearly confused by the strange pink-thing in what was probably their watering hole. Blinking and feeling embarassed with himself despite the lack of people, he coughed into a hand and stood up. [Sorry, sorry … I just reeked and needed to get myself clean.]
The horses didn't make any movements towards him, not even the one that had nudged him in the first place. Getting dressed as he looked at the animals, Shinjiro wondered where they had come from, and if they would mind him traveling along for a little bit. If they belonged to a farmer at the foot of the mountains, that would be a good place to try and figure out where he was; if they were wild, well, he'd be with a group of animals that could run and were smart enough to be on the lookout for danger.
Pausing for a moment, the brunet blinked before pulling out the butterfly knife he kept tucked into one of his boots, sticking it in his pocket instead. Who knew what all was up here, and besides, he could use the thing to help get himself some meat. The herd didn't pay him much heed, save for a lone, dark brown horse with an oddly pale mane and tail, who seemed fascinated by him. Puzzled as he reluctantly pulled his boots on, Shinjiro walked over to it, amused when the mountain horse butted his chest with its head. [Well, hi there, you.] He commented, scratching it behind the ears. [What's got you so fascinated? I'm just a stupid ass human who got himself lost.]
The horse's response was to snort, shaking its head. A quick glance lower showed that it was most likely a female, and Shinjiro chuckled more as he looked around. Might as well stay with the large animals; even if he got nowhere with them, there was safety in numbers. Thankfully, the group seemed every bit as eager to move as he did, the lead mare getting the rest of the herd in order. Not knowing how fast the animals would get, Shinjiro looked at the mare. [Just buck me off if I'm going too far, okay?] He said, patting her on the neck as he slowly pulled himself onto the horse's back. A whinny was his response, but there was no sign that she minded him on his back. [… Why do animals seem drawn to me even when I don't have treats in my pockets?] Shinjiro shook his head, gripping onto the mare's mane as the herd trotted off down the mountain, taking a wider path that he hadn't seen in the back of the plateau. [And I am probably going to regret this tomorrow; no padding ...]
[Yeah, ow, fuck. Legs are sore, and I doubt I'll be sitting down for a while.] Groaning as he woke up the next morning, Shinjiro shook his head. Even if it had been stupid to ride a wild horse bareback, deciding to stick with the herd had gotten him down the mountain far faster than he had thought possible. The place the animals had laid down for the night was the start of a massive forest, and while he hadn't been able to set up a campfire, the trees did have a lot of fruit for him to eat. However, it was now dawn, and Shinjiro's stomach was mad at him for the lack of protein and fiber the day before. Sighing, he got up from where he had been laying against the mare – who had all but attached herself to him, for whatever reason – and stood, wincing as the kinks from sleeping on the ground caught up with him.
It was early enough that Shinjiro could see a few stars in the breaks in the canopy, and he could spot rabbits and such scurrying about the floor. [Dammit, I wish I had something other than a knife to get to them with.]He muttered, pulling out the knife and flipping it open as he stepped around the sleeping horses, unaware that his former bed had woken up when he moved. [Least I have a lighter and such to make a fire to cook it with. Aki'd slug me if he knew I had this sort of shit on me.]
The next second, the dark horse was next to him, hazel eyes locking onto the brunet as he jerked in surprise. [… How the hell did you follow me like that?] He asked, earning a proud whicker as her ears flicked back and forth super fast. [… And why do I have the sinking feeling you're understanding what I'm saying?] This time the mare just gave him a proud look, prompting a heavy sigh out of him. The first acquaintance he made in this weird world, and it was a horse who seemed to be every bit as intelligent as Koromaru. [Y'know, if you keep following me, I'm gonna name you and you're gonna be stuck with me.]
At that, the mare seemed oddly proud, and Shinjiro felt a sinking feeling in his stomach; had he run into someone who'd pissed off a witch or some shit, and was now stuck in the body of a horse? Either way, knowing that there was something here who appeared to understand when she was being spoken to was nice. [… Alright fine, you're "Selene" from here on out.] He said after a moment, focusing on the pale mane and tail as he spoke; the newly dubbed Selene seemed pleased, butting his chest playfully.
His musings were cut off as the smell of smoke hit him, making him lift his head. The horse wasn't bolting or panicking, so he doubted it was a forest fire, reinforced when he saw that the wildlife didn't seem to give a damn. [That must mean …] Biting his lip, Shinjiro crept towards the direction of the smoke, the mare right behind him, her ears perked in case of anything that might try to attack them.
In a deeper part of the forest, near the base of another mountain, Shinjiro and his new equine companion found the source of the smoke. Wrinkling his nose as the stench of something rancid hit his nose, Shinjiro focused on the cavern he was seeing in front of him, Selene poking her head over his shoulder to stare as well, ears slowly flattening against her skull. Watching the smoke curl out of the cavern for a few moments, Shinjiro nodded to the horse. [… Stay here; I'm going to see who the stinky assholes in here are.] Selene nickered, head bobbing as Shinjiro did his best to keep to the cover of the trees, the butterfly knife palmed and ready in case he needed to use it.
Just inside the mouth of the cave, he found his answer; there was at least ten men sitting in there, all of them shirtless and covered in grime, laughing boisterously about something as they ate sticks of mutton and drank what Shinjiro was willing to bet was alcohol. Frowning – he saw the axes they had close at hand – Shinjiro continued to slip closer, listening intently.
"That was a good raid, a good one indeed!" The first man laughed, slapping his thigh with a fat hand. Shinjiro scowled a bit; they seemed to be speaking some old-fashioned type of Italian intermixed with Latin, so while he could understand most of what was being said, he was willing to bet these weren't the sharpest blades in the armory. Mentally thanking his boredom for prompting him to learn Spanish in middle school, the brunet slipped behind the bushes, laying on his stomach as he tried to hear what they were saying.
"Aye, ye fat lub!" The second man replied, ripping a piece off of the leg of mutton he was chowing down on. "No thanks to you either! Ya let ol' Brian get a plank of wood to the head, and now he's got a lump the size of Bern Keep on it!" The first bandit scowled and hit his companion, who responded in kind. "Don't start something, ya dolt!"
"Why not? 'Snot like any of them high mannered noble snobs come this far into the mountains, let alone th' woods. Port Fiberia is probably the farthest those rich bastards will go without prompting!" The first one countered, downing more of his drink as he spoke. "Who in th' hell could take down all of us in this part of the woods?"
Shinjiro found himself scowling, realizing he had tripped into a group of bandits. If it had just been lumbermen or something, he was certain he and Selene could have bartered for help getting to the nearest village. Bandits, though? Shinjiro scowled as the second one continued to scold the first, prompting one of them to throw the wooden keg they had been drinking from.
The brunet was next aware of blinding pain in his head as the empty keg hit him. [Fuck!] Continuing to mutter curses under his breath as he moved to rub his head, Shinjiro froze when he realized that the two bandits had stopped arguing, and a glance through the undergrowth showed that they were looking straight at his hiding spot.
"Wort? Ya hear that bush just say somethin?" The first bandit asked, picking up his axe. The second bandit followed suit, taking a few steps towards Shinjiro, who was mentally contemplating bolting – a stupid idea; these bastards were bound to know the terrain better than him – or fighting them and scaring them off. If he could just get one of them to drop an axe …
"ya, I did." 'Wort' replied as he stepped closer, standing right in front of the bush. "Didn't know what it said, don't wanna know what it said, but the ranger it's hiding picked th' wrong day to come here." Shinjiro was aware of the meaty hand reaching towards his general area.
[Well, looks like option two is go. Let's get this fucker to drop his weapon.] He sighed mentally, shifting a bit. When the bandit was right overhead, he sprang up, jabbing him in the arm with the butterfly knife and ramming his shoulder into the bandit's chest. Wort let out a pained screech and dropped the axe, stumbling back as he flailed about to get the knife out of his elbow. The first bandit let out a roar and charged, barreling towards Shinjiro as he grabbed the dropped axe.
Ducking, the brunet charged forward and down low, dodging the battle axe swing and sending the other man tumbling head over heels. He registered a loud neigh – had Selene decided to get involved now? - at the edge of his hearing as he brought the axe he now held in his hands up to guard a swing from a third bandit. Great; Tweedledee and Tweedledum's friends weren't shitfaced enough to ignore the commotion.
"Lads, we've got a ranger!" He heard someone shout as he continued to fight the one who was now holding his attention. After that, however, he narrowed his focus on the weapon in his hands; it was so much lighter than the war hammer he preferred to use in Tartarus it was almost ridiculous. However, at the same time, it meant more power to his swings, and he managed to disengage from the deadlock with a headbutt. Ducking down, he remembered the swordsman's words, and aimed for the hamstring; to his relief, he hit it, and the other man dropped.
It was then, lifting his head up to see who was coming for him next, that he saw them.
A half dozen girls, all of them battered and worse for wear, chained up and being held hostage at the back of the cave like stock animals. He didn't need to guess what they were there for.
Shinjiro felt raw fire and rage shoot through him at that, vision going red as he stood up. His memory on the events immediately following the sight blanked, save for the noise he let out; he almost didn't believe it was him at first until Castor started reacting to his sheer rage as well, compounding the rage as the Persona woke up briefly, and the bandits seem to freeze in fear as instinct took control, the hands holding his axe moving on his own as one of the skills he learned let fly.
A single movement that created eight slashes from nothing, and the next thing the brunet was aware of was the scarlet mist as the bandits proceeded to drop, dead.
Once he was aware that all of the attackers were dead, Shinjiro felt the raw fire recede from his mind, dragging the rage out with him, and draining a fair chunk of his low energy in the process. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he spotted that the bandit he had stolen the axe from had fled, the stench in the air suggesting that the phrase 'shitting bricks' wasn't too unrealistic after all. The first bandit laid prone on the ground, Selene standing over him; he was willing to bet that she had trampled the man.
When the stench of blood and other destroyed organs hit him, however, Shinjiro felt nausea overtake him. Swaying, he went onto his knees, using the axe to keep himself upright as he retched. Already he could hear the judge of the dead writing down his list of sins, and he was pretty damn certain that murdering several men in a single shot was pretty damn high up there on the list. He was certain that the man who had taught him that move wouldn't be pleased with him either, seeing as how Shinjiro had been taught that move solely to help him focus on things other than the accidental death of his mother.
His thoughts were halted when he spotted a wooden keg being offered to him, being held by hands shackled together. Blinking and looking up, Shinjiro was shocked to see that it was one of the girls he had seen in the back of the cave. She looked about six at the oldest, and the only thing he could make out through the grime on her was a pair of gray eyes. Judging by the wire collar around her neck, she must have been a real thorn in the now dead men's sides.
Taking the mug with a shaking hand, Shinjiro downed the contents in an effort to clear his throat; like he had thought, it was alcohol, but he was past the point of caring. Coughing and letting the mug drop as he wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his turtleneck, he looked around; his butterfly knife had been dropped, and he reached for it; the least he could do was get this girl and the rest of her friends out of this place. Turning to the little girl who had given him the alcohol, he sighed and looked at the wire around her neck.
"... Ho … hold still." He prayed that the girl understood him as he gripped her shoulder. "I just want to get the wire off your neck." After a hesitant moment, the girl gave a nod, even though her eyes remained focused on the knife the entire time. Grateful that he was on the ornery side about keeping his knives sharp, Shinjiro held his breath all the same as he put pressure on the wire while trying not to nick the child's neck as well. It worked, and the girl reached up to pull the metal away the second Shinjiro had pulled the knife away. Much to his disgust, it seemed the wire had cut into her; she'd probably have a scar there for years.
Selene chose that moment to walk up, snorting as she lipped the top of Shinjiro's head. Confused, Shinjiro glanced at the mare, who just continued to stare at the cave. Following her glance, Shinjiro sighed with relief; the other girls were creeping closer, although he was fairly certain they were still scared of him. Eyes scanning the now scarlet floor of the forest, he spotted a key ring nearby and grabbed it, looking at the shackles on the little girl's wrists before proceeding to open them and let them drop. Standing up, he was surprised by what happened next.
The little girl proceeded to wrap her arms around his leg and hug him.
And in the next moment, the other girls – including the little one wrapped around his leg, there was nine of them – had rushed over to him as well, all of them somewhere between ten and his own age of eighteen if he had to guess. Quite a few of them were crying, but between that and the unfamiliarity of their language, he couldn't understand what they were saying as he managed to undo the bindings on their arms, throwing them at the corpses with each set undone.
Once the last set of shackles had been discarded, Shinjiro managed to untangle himself from the refugees, if only to keep them from hurting themselves on the axe he still had nearby; the child still clung to his leg like a vice. "I … have no clue where I am." He admitted, trying to keep his Spanish slow to make himself easier to understand. "I was trying to find a town where I could get myself oriented … but I wasn't going to let those bastards keep this shit up."
The girls all looked to one another before one of the group – who looked about twelve – stepped forwards. Her hands were folded in front of her chest, and she looked up at Shinjiro with a polite expression. "You do have the strangest of accents; I would have thought you were a Sacaen plainsman from your coloring if you hadn't said anything." She said, gripping the tatters of what could be barely called a 'dress' to give him a small curtsey. "But I'm Alanna; I'm from a merchant family in Port Fiberia, and if you can keep us safe on our way there, I can guide you."
While a fair bit of Alanna's words were lost on him, Shinjiro understood the gist of it; she would guide them all to a city, provided he keep the girls safe. At least that's what he thought she was saying. "Okay." Turning to Selene, he nodded at the horse. "Lead and a blanket for her? The youngest of you can ride on her." Selene gave a nod at that, neighing in agreement.
"I don't think Ekhidna plans on letting go of you." Alanna nodded to the girl clinging to Shinjiro's leg, amused. "But again, thank you. I'll make sure Father thanks you handsomely for your chivalry, Sir …?" At that, she paused, tilting her head to stare at Shinjiro with piercing blue eyes. The brunet teen swallowed; a girl six years younger than him shouldn't scare him so much, but he felt like he was staring a lioness in the face.
[Okay, I'm several dimensions away from home, there's a bunch of dead bandits on my head, and apparently I have a chance for passing as a native when I get rid of the accent I seem to have.] He thought to himself, noticing a few of the girls coming out with a thick blanket and some rope for Selene as Alanna continued to stare into his soul. [Shit, is that what it feels like for the people I glare at?] Shaking his head at that, Shinjiro bowed from the waist. "... Gaius."
"Gaius?" Alanna's eyebrows raised. "That name is from Magvel, but your accent suggests that you're from a land beyond even there ..."
"Alanna, stop grilling the man who just saved us from the slaver's platform!" One of the ten-year-olds yelled, helping one of the other girls onto Selene's back. Alanna scowled at the younger, but backed off after giving Shinjiro another curtsey and scurrying off to help lift a second girl onto the mare. Selene then lipped the ten-year-old who still remained at her side, prompting Alanna to lift her up as Shinjiro ventured into the cavern to see if he could find anything useful.
His eyes focused on the crossbow he found half-buried in animal furs, a quiver of bolts right at hand. [Good, something to hunt with; I have a feeling these girls are starved …] As he knelt, he felt the little girl clinging to his leg shift her focus to his shoulders. Curious, he looked at her; Alanna had called her Ekhidna, right? What did the bandits have planned for a six-year-old...? "Yes?"
Ekhidna responded with a toothy grin, those grey eyes bright against the dirt on her face. "Thank you; you saved our lives."
A comforting warmth settled into Shinjiro's chest at that, and he offered her a one-armed hug as he grabbed the weapon and a heavy belt nearby; might as well keep the axe with him. Once he was certain that he was set for provisions – he raided what appeared to be some medical supplies – the brunet walked out of the cavern, the little girl still clinging to his belt.
Thankfully, the port city Alanna spoke of was close, and they reached it before the sun set. Shinjiro was aware of sentries shouting something, Alanna running to the front of the group, and after that, all he could register were the girls screeching in relief and racing to the gates as several adults charged forward to meet them there. Grateful that he had a grip on Selene's makeshift lead, Shinjiro guided the horse with the last three girls to the gate in time to see Alanna leap into the arms of a well-fed man in decent clothes.
When he arrived with Selene, the youngest girls all started sobbing as their parents raced to them, crying out names as they pulled the children to them. Shinjiro was impressed by the horse's unfailing calm despite the noise – horses normally bolted when surrounded by this much noise – but didn't have time to dwell on it for too long as the large man Alanna had raced to decided to promptly crush him in a hug.
The rest of the events immediately after that were a blur for the most part, and the next thing Shinjiro could recall was getting dressed into a set of clothes he had been given, having just gotten out of a bath. From the sound of it, those girls had been captured a couple of nights ago, and it wasn't the first time that group of slavers had decided to come into town in the dead of night. Him bringing the girls back, however, was a first, and despite his insistence on him not wanting it to be a big deal, the villagers had decided he was going to get quite a reward.
[All I want to do is find my friends and find a way back to Iwatodai … I had no plans on stumbling into accidental heroics by murdering a group of slavers.] Shinjiro thought as he pulled on the last of the outfit he had been given. It was a pair of dark breeches and a steel grey shirt, worn beneath a coat of thick leather that had been dyed a nice wine red, black bear fur trimming the lining and the edge of the sleeves. Stopping to look himself over, the brunet shivered at how uncannily natural it all looked before getting the belt he had swiped from the bandits on over it, keeping it mostly shut.
"Th' big guy says food's ready." He jumped at that, turning to see Ekhidna standing in the doorway. At least, he assumed it was Ekhidna; she had gotten cleaned at some point too, revealing that her muddy hair was actually a blueish-white, and there was bandages around her neck and wrist to hide the scars she had from the shackles. "They took care of the pony too; I heard 'em saying the tanner's making her a nice saddle and reins."
"They really don't have to ..." Groaning at that, Shinjiro looked himself over one last time before walking to the door, kneeling to be on Ekhidna's eye level. "And speaking of things … where's your folks?"
"Don't have any." Was the blunt reply, Ekhidna shrugging her skinny shoulders. "I told that to the people downstairs, an' Alanna's mom picked me up and hugged me before puttin me in this." At that, she gestured at what she had on; it was a simple teal tunic over pale green leggings, but still well-made. "She wouldn't put me down for a while either; took the big guy who reminds me of a fire dragon to make her let go so I could come get you for dinner."
Shinjiro chuckled; he agreed with Ekhidna on that front. Alanna's father was large enough to lift him off of the ground, at the least, and that hair was a pretty vibrant red. "You think you'll stay here, then? It sounds like they're willing to keep you." Ekhidna shrugged again, and Shinjiro gave her a worried look. She was an orphan, so who knows where she had come from or how long the bandits had been keeping her hostage; hell, he doubted that her home was still standing. "At the least, they'll give you a roof over your head and food to eat each day."
"Yeah, but at the same time, I kinda wanted to stick with you." Ekhidna pouted at that, earning a flat look.
[… What.] Shinjiro switched to Japanese on instinct, unable to formulate any other kind of response.
The girl laughed, grey eyes bright. "Yeah, I know I'd be safe here, but at the same time, I think I'd get real bored real fast. I'm so little, I doubt anyone will teach me how to throw a punch, despite the big guy shouting about fury all the time." At that, she nodded. "He did say he'd be rounding up kids and adults who wanted to learn how to fight; they're planning on starting up a militia to try and keep other bandit attacks down."
"... I see." Nodding, Shinjiro sighed. He had a feeling that Ekhidna was going to be every bit as stubborn as he was, he could just tell. That might have been from him guessing that she had to be stubborn just to last for who knows how long under the slavers' thumbs, but Shinjiro had to admit, she seemed like she could help him iron out what parts of the language he was missing, and having someone to talk to other than Selene would be nice. "... Alright, if you're gonna be stubborn about it, I guess you can stick around."
"... Wow." Ekhinda's voice was amused. "Here I thought I'd have to stick to the pony to get you to let me tag along." Shinjiro let out a shrug, shaking his head.
"Nah; I'd probably get lost, and I don't speak as I want." He explained. "Besides, I know a stubborn person when I see one; feels like I'm looking into a mirror when you're talking."
"So I get to talk for ya?" The little girl gave him a wolfish grin. "Only if ya teach me that weird language you seem to slip into when you're frustrated." Shinjiro couldn't help but chuckle at that, amused as he stood up a bit, ruffling Ekhidna's hair as he did so.
"Alright, fair enough." He nodded. "Let's go get food." Ekhidna grinned at that, gripping his hand and pulling him out the door and down the stairs. [Well .. if I'm stuck in a strange world to rescue people … might as well try to help out as much as I can; this place feels like a hellhole.] Looking up as he kept thinking, Shinjiro gave Ekhidna a gentle look as he remembered the way she had hugged him from the beginning. [Well, maybe not entirely … There's still good here. Might as well focus on that.]
(Sacae...)
The priest knelt by the ditch, puzzled as to what he had stumbled across. He had decided to go for a quick walk before the morning meditation at the temple, and for reasons he didn't understand, chose to take a different route than normal. He hadn't been walking long when he heard moaning from the ditch, prompting him to investigate.
Lying there, unconscious, was a young man with deep blue hair, knocked unconscious for some reason. His clothing was strange, with the only thing the priest recognized being an empty scabbard that hung from the youth's belt. However, the priest couldn't help but shake the feeling that something … wrong was going on with the youth in front of him. Looking over him again, he sensed a great darkness coming from the strange container on the opposite side of the child's belt … It seemed to be the main source of the wrong-ness, and the priest reached down, finding the claps that undid the holster from the belt.
Almost at once, he could feel darkness trying to creep into his mind, whispering doubts and ill thoughts to him. Dropping the strange thing as if it were a bag full of hot coals, the priest brought the staff he held in his hands down to the holster, channeling light magic through it. Thankfully, whatever was being contained within the strange holder was destroyed with that shot, and the dark aura evaporated as a strange, glowing gem cracked in half and dulled for a moment before turning into dust.
'Who on earth …?' The priest wondered, noting with interest that the youth seemed to stir from the destruction of the strange device, as if something that had been troubling him had been taken care of. "At ease, child ..." Kneeling, he reached down, pulling the youth upright; as he did so, he could feel one of the youth's hands grip his robes feebly.
[Hamuko …] The exhaustion that filled the younger male was palatable in his voice, even if his language made no sense. Pity and worry crept into the priest, and he wrapped one arm around the youth's waist as he hauled him to his feet. The temple wasn't far, and the boy felt incredibly light; it wouldn't be too hard to carry him there.
Minato found himself fully regaining consciousness a few days later, shifting a bit as he registered the odd surface that he was laying upon with great confusion. A … cot? Where had a cot come from …? Rolling onto his back, he pushed himself up onto his elbows with a groan, shocked to realize he wasn't in as much pain as he probably should be from slamming into whatever had knocked him out cold like that. Shaking his head again, the blue-haired teen brushed his bangs to one side to try and get a good look at his surroundings.
He was in a stone building of some sorts, the 'blankets' that he had been covered with looking like animal pelts. There was a good sized brazier off to one side of the room, providing warmth and heat, but for the most part it was almost spartan in the amount of decorations. Even the door was plain, the handle just a simple hook.
At that point, Minato felt his face flush; he'd been stripped and washed at some point, and now he was not wearing much more than a set of underwear. Looking around, the teen was relieved to see that some form of clothing had been left out for him, and he gratefully pulled it over to dress himself. It turned out to be dark breeches, a simple white undershirt with long sleeves, and a steel gray over coat. Pulling it on, Minato took note of the blue and silver trimming at the hemming and end of the belled sleeves, spotting a black sash he was probably meant to hold it shut with.
[Well, wherever I am, it doesn't seem like I've landed in hostile territory.] Minato thought to himself as he looked around again. [Yet.] Stretching again, the teen looked at the door and squared his shoulders, deciding that he most likely wouldn't get any answers waiting in the room. Reaching out, Minato gripped the handle and tugged, wincing a bit from the light hitting his eyes.
The small room that he had been put in was one in a small hallway, a larger pair of double doors off to one side. Looking up and down, Minato was curious to see that apart from the double doors on the far wall, the rest of the hallway only had doors on the side that he had exited from. Large windows at either end of the hall let in the midday sun, and an air of peace filled the place. [This place … Almost feels like the Naganaki Shrine back home.]
[It seems that no matter what world you go to, the feel of temples remains the same.] Minato leaped a foot in the air at the sound of Pharos's voice by his elbow. Landing and whirling, the teen was surprised to see that the ghostly boy hadn't changed at all, as he was now giving Minato that same, soft smile he usually wore. {I'm sorry, I thought you knew I was still here.} The black-haired child apologized, chuckling. {That outfit actually suits you … You look like some sort of rogue samurai.}
[W-well, thanks.] Minato replied quietly, scratching the back of his neck. [… Did you know about the dragons, though? Did you know that they were coming?]
Pharos frowned, electric blue eyes closing halfway. {No … But, the Mother Night …} He shook his head. {That term is so familiar … I think she might have something to do with the Fall. The air here is almost arid in terms of magical aura, but at the same time, I might be able to focus better without the Dark Hour.}
[Yea … wait.] Minato paused, doing a double take. [Pharos, this is the first time I've SPOKEN to you out of the Dark Hour!] At that, even the black-haired boy paused, his eyes widening at the realization.
{You … you're right.} He whispered, looking around. {I never realized … But the light of the sun is so nice, even in this spiritual form. I wonder how that came to be …?} Minato shrugged, looking around.
[Either way, I can't talk to him too much … if someone else is here, they'd think I'm crazy.] The blue-haired boy thought, trying to listen and see if he could find anyone else.
{I heard that!} Pharos's comment seemed less offended and more gratefully surprised, a sentiment Minato was somewhere on the fence in relation to it. On one hand, it made talking to Pharos easier, but the cost of probably never having a private thought ever again wasn't a charming prospect. His retort, however, was cut off by the creaking of the double doors on the opposite wall, making both Minato and Pharos turn as a man in priest robes looked around, spotting the blue-haired teen and smiling in relief as he walked forward.
"Ah, good, young one. You've awoken." The priest gave a bow, the language she spoke in making Minato blink in confusion. "I was beginning to worry that the dark object I had to remove from your person had stolen your soul, and that there was no hope for you to return to the mortal realm."
[… Pharos?]
{No dice, Minato, I'm sorry.} Pharos apologized, stepping closer. At once, the priest turned to where the small child was, watching him intently. {… I think he knows I'm here though.} After a moment though, the priest looked away from Pharos, staring at Minato instead.
"A divine spirit follows you?" He asked. "What sort of fate was laid out for you, stranger?"
Not knowing what was being said, Minato instead decided to default to manners; maybe if he was polite, he'd be able to stay in one spot long enough to figure out what to do with himself. [I beg your pardon, Father, (that was what men of the cloth were called, right? Minato wasn't particularly devout to any god … ) but I am in a bit of a pinch. I was with a group of friends, but we got separated, and I haven't the faintest clue where to look for them …]
{Minato, he doesn't have the faintest clue what you're saying.} Pharos commented, making Minato look up at the priest. Sure enough, the other man was standing there, looking at him in confusion.
[Well … shit..] Shaking his head, Minato gave a nervous laugh, reaching up with a hand to scratch the back of his neck. [At least they know I'm not from around these parts then. Language barriers tend to do a good job at that.] Shifting nervously as he watched the priest, Mianto was relieved to see the man give a soft nod and sigh.
"A foreign young man with a divine spirit at his side? What on earth happened for you to wind up in a roadside ditch, I wonder ..." He muttered, shaking his head. "The sacred sword remains unchanged at your appearance, but I have a feeling that the spirits from beyond this plane are trying to inform me that something isn't right." Sighing, he shook his head at the same time. "Be that as it may, you are a wayfarer, and this shrine is not one that turns away those who need shelter. I'm certain that the others will be willing to help instruct you in learning our tongue, both common and Sacaen."
[… I still have no clue what the hell he said, but he doesn't sound hostile.] Minato thought to himself, before going scarlet as his stomach growled. Pharos stood there and giggled, while the priest gave him an apologetic look.
"Ah, do forgive my rudeness. I didn't take time to stop and think about you needing food after you awoke." He gave a bow of apology, gripping the small staff that he held in one hand. "But it is time for the midday meal, so if you would just follow me, I can lead you to food."
{I hope they have enough food for you.} Pharos teased as the group left through the double doors, and it took all of Minato's willpower to ignore the young ghost. The fact that the main room of the temple was very distracting. It was made of limestone, several high windows letting in the sunlight to illuminate the interior. Apart from the shift from regular grey stones to limestone, Minato couldn't see any real change in the level of decoration apart from a shrine that seemed tucked into part of a nearby wall.
It was .. interesting. The shrine itself was painted with dark blues and blacks, violet accents on the doors. Small statuettes that ressembled barn owls were seated on the corners of the shrine's alcove as well, each one holding a disc that Minato wagered represented the phases of the moon. He couldn't quite tell from the distance as the monk led him through the temple, but he thought he could catch a glimmer of silver through the shrine's doors …
"You are in the Temple of Mani, the spirit of the night and the moon." The priest explained, even though Minato couldn't understand what he was saying. Perhaps the silence from the blue-haired boy was unnerving him? "We are a sister temple to the Temple of Sol, the sun spirit, which lies to the West. Both temples have enshrined sacred swords, blessed by spirits and awaiting their new master. Some say they were wielded by a legendary saint in a war against a goddess of chaos, but nobody knows for sure."
{Why is he talking to people that don't understand a word he's saying?} Pharos asked after a moment.
[I could not tell you.] Minato replied, despite his eyes constantly trying to drift back to the blue and black shrine. Something about it was calling out to him, but he had a feeling touching whatever was inside of it was a big no-no.
His train of thought was distracted by the smell of food, making him pause. The priest had lead him into a small mess hall, one where several other men and women of Minato's age were gathered, eating what he wagered was a simple stew as they talked amongst themselves. To his surprise, there seemed to be no shortage of swords on hand, all of them reminding him of the katanas back home in Japan.
Serveral of them glanced up at his arrival, but went back to eating as Minato and the priest walked to the place where the chef sat, clearly waiting for them to come get some food.
"He looks like he would break apart if you leaned on him too hard." One of the men whispered, glancing at Minato again. "But slender; it would be hard to hit him in a fair fight."
"Do you think he's one of the elven folk?" A nearby priestess asked, lifting her head to stare at the blue-haired teen again. "You know, the ones who were said to have taught humans and dragons how to communicate with one another? The legends did say that they all had such sharp features, and were like living spun glass."
"No, he lacks the ears." The first man shook his head. "Do you think he's from Magvel?"
"I think you should both finish your stew before a crow steals your tongues." A second woman nearby said, voice frank. She was the only one of the three Minato could hear, and he turned in confusion after getting his meal. "Didn't your mothers ever teach you it was rude to speak of newcomers as if they were strange objects? Gossip only breeds ill-thoughts and despair." Both of the other speakers winced and went back to their stews, cowed for the moment.
Curious, Minato looked around for a moment before the priest pointed to an empty spot right next to the third speaker. Approaching cautiously, Minato spared her a look as he sat down. She was tall for a woman, lose hair going down to her waist and a shade of green so dark Minato almost thought it was black. Her skintone reminded him of Shinjiro-senpai, and she dressed in shades of green and brown. She wore a bow and quiver across her back instead of a sword, and a wolf tattoo wrapped around one of her bare arms.
As he started eating though, a sudden pang of shock and fear hit him. Minato hadn't seen anyone from S.E.E.S here; he had no clue where he was or where his comrades were. Granted, he could probably have overlooked Shinjiro in this crowd, but the others? He would have been hard pressed to miss Akihiko's silver hair in this crowd. Never mind Hamuko's auburn hair or Mitsuru's scarlet hair; as it was, he doubted anyone else was there, and the soup reminded him too much of the senpai's cooking for his liking. He forced it down anyway, staring at the broth the entire time.
"You're quiet, stranger." The woman next to him spoke up after a moment, making Minato lift his head. She seemed to be watching him, hands folded together for her chin to rest on as she did so, leaning on the table. "Even for a foreigner, your silence is strange; most of the time they come here the air's filled with inane blabbering and they're difficult to get quiet. I've yet to hear you speak a word."
Her voice was making Minato shiver, but he didn't know if it was a shiver of nerves or not yet; he didn't doubt that if he screwed up she'd fill him full of arrows. [I'm sorry, I was just thinking …] He admitted, knowing that she wouldn't understand him. His speaking drew the attention of the others around them, and they stared. Feeling his ears heat up in embarrassment, he ate more of the soup. [And I'm worried … My twin sister doesn't appear to be here.]
Getting ready to ask Pharos if he could meander and see if there was a chance he had missed the rest of S.E.E.S in the mess hall, Minato realized with a jolt that the small boy wasn't nearby. Puzzled, he was relieved when Mot – the Persona of the Death arcana he'd been keeping on hand – lit up, showing him Pharos standing in front of the shrine, a puzzled look on his face. [That's … odd … I wonder if whatever's in that shrine is part of his past or something.] thinking to himself, Minato almost missed the fact that the others were trying to question him.
"What language is that, elven kin?" The first speaker from before was talking again, curiosity on his face. "Not even the Ancient Language sounds similar to that; have the elves gone into seclusion and created their own language?"
"The elves vanished when the Ending Winter began." The woman next to Minato countered, taking a sip of her drink. "Whether they died out or vanished with the dragons is unsaid, but there remains no great forest for them to lay claim to."
"Alya, your sharp tongue wound us all." The man spoke up again, frowning. "We were not alive at the time of the Ending Winter, so how are we for certain to know that the elves are no more?"
"When the air is rendered bare of natural magic, it's a safe wager to bet that creatures who live and breathe magic would not survive long." Alya replied, a slender eyebrow arching. "Although if magic could be replaced with hot air, I'm certain you could easily resurrect an entire elven forest yourself, Caspian."
The man blinked, taken aback, but he didn't seem to be able to come up with a retort in time. Minato kept an eye on him, however, quietly finishing his meal before looking around again, still hoping he'd catch a glimpse of somebody from S.E.E.S, and that they'd bound over and pull him out of this group of people staring at him.
No dice.
Letting out a sigh, he stared down at the empty bowl in front of him, mind working as he tried to figure out just what to do from that point on. He was stranded somewhere completely foreign, he had no notion of the language or how to get around, his home had been set upon by dragons and was probably not going to be standing for much longer, and he was alone.
[… Hamuko … Wherever you are, please … promise me you're safe.] Minato sighed to himself, shaking his head. He knew his little sister; she would be fine if she landed somewhere where another member of S.E.E.S was present, but if she wound up somewhere alone … She'd probably be scared witless. She'd been that way ever since they had lost their parents ten years ago now … And who knew how else the other members of S.E.E.S would handle it. [And we're missing four of them back home as is.] He thought with a jolt, letting more sorrow hit him mentally.
They were most likely all dead.
Yukari would be unarmed – not even her Evoker – even if she was awake when Ikutsuki had unleashed the dragons. As much as Minato liked the girl and viewed her as a good friend … she was best suited to her job as a healer; without the rest of S.E.E.S holding the front lines, Yukari was just a sitting duck in a pink cardigan.
Koromaru would probably have better luck; the dragons seemed to be the traditional, western, fire-breathing dragons, and the Shiba Inu nullified fire thanks to Cerberus. Hell, he was such a small animal the dragons might not notice him right away, but … [There's no way anything could survive that holocaust for long.] The blue-haired youth thought with a sigh, letting his forehead hit his hands.
Ken … Minato didn't know what to think about the child. His behavior at times was so unnerving, the elder boy was worried he should stick the young brunet in a mental hospital to get checked out. He and Hamuko had already unearthed Ken's lactose intolerance, and had taken steps towards handling it, but there was something just … off about the way Ken tended to behave sometimes, especially around Shinjiro. Minato had no clue how Ken would fare against the dragons, if he fared well at all.
Shinjiro, however … Minato shook his head. It was all but impossible to get a read on the most elusive of the senpai, but he wasn't blind; unless something could nullify physical damage all together, Shinjiro could most likely hammer at something until it dropped dead. He'd also most likely have the strength to handle a weapon to pierce through scales, but he was awfully slow .. and if he was hit by magic of any sort – did dragon fire count, Minato wondered – he would be long gone.
[… I'm sorry, everyone …] Minato thought to himself as he got up, carrying his empty dishes to the cleaning area when he saw others do the same. [… I failed as the Field Leader of S.E.E.S; I don't know how I'll ever make it up to any of you … if I ever find you guys again.]
{You don't know for sure if they're dead, do you?} Pharos seemed to have pulled himself away from the shrine at Minato's despair, worry lacing the child's voice.
[They might as well be.] The blue-haired teen countered as he left the mess hall. [Ikutsuki stabbed us all in the back and sent us to a completely different world. I … I don't know where anyone is, or even if we're on the same world anymore, Pharos. Even then, there's a chance that four of our group are dead.]
{I'm … I'm sorry.} Pharos let out a sad sigh, falling into step behind Minato as he walked out of the temple a bit to get some fresh air. {I … I can feel your pain, and your sorrow. It affects me too, in ways I don't fully know. This land is so full of strange powers, it's … almost incredibly empowering.} Minato turned to Pharos at that, face confused. He was met by the pale boy's bright smile and electric blue eyes, Pharos darting ahead a bit before turning to face Minato again. Throwing his arms out to the side with a flourish, he continued speaking, {In fact, I don't think we should give up, Minato! We're still alive, we're still breathing, and I know we can find the others if we put our minds to it! This isn't the end, not at all; it's a detour, a change in the flow of fate. We can work things so it goes according to us, not to the whims of a mad man who wished to create an eternal Dark Hour!}
Minato just stared at the dark-haired boy, eyes wide, before letting a smile spread across his face. [You're right, Pharos.] He admitted, nodding. [I … I don't know where to begin, but you're right; giving into despair won't solve any of our problems. If we did indeed lose some of our friends, that'll just insult them, and I don't want Shinjiro-senpai angry at me.]
{Yes; he seems like the type to haunt you from beyond the grave if you angered his ghost.} Pharos admitted with a laugh, smiling and trotting back over to Minato. {And if you ever start to give up, I'll be right here to remind you that you're not allowed to do that. Not until we avoid letting all we know and love slip into despair and fire.} Minato nodded again, noting with a twisted sense of amusement that his social links continued to advance, even in this strange place. He had just hit rank nine of the Death Arcana.
The Arcana of Change.
He found it quite fitting.
About ready to comment on such, Minato nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was shocked to see it was the woman from the mess hall with the wolf tattoo, her dark eyes focused on his pale ones. "Ah, there you are." She commented. "The rest of us were going to grab some practice swords and work out for a bit; it felt fair to ask if you wanted to join in."
Staring blankly at her for a moment, Minato eventually gave a soft smile and a nod. [Ah, I'm sorry … I wanted some fresh air for a moment. I'll head back inside now.] He replied, temporarily forgetting that the language barrier was still there. He remembered after seeing the confused look on the woman's face.
"... That's it; Mother Earth save me, I'm going to make sure the others teach you how to speak our tongue." She muttered, steering him into the shrine. "But for now, let's see how well you do with whaling against other people with wooden swords." Minato didn't resist her, feeling a bit lost at the whole situation.
Pharos followed behind him, laughing.
Tori's Notes: I'm aware that Minato's section is shorter than Shinjiro's '7'; I feel somewhat justified in that the former had a bit more ground to cover to get things set up, along with the fact that the majority of this story will be following Minato and Pharos when we hit chapter five. What's gonna happen in Chapter Four?
... Honestly if you don't know by now you obviously don't read my closing notes.
Anyway, finer details to cover this time!
-For the people who haven't played/done research on Fire Emblem: the Binding Blade (FE6, to which Blazing Sword is a prequel), Ekhidna is a Hero unit from that game. She appears here as a six-year-old girl because I can and I figured it'd be funny to explain her love of axes despite being a hero unit in about twenty years.
-I've done research on just how close Spanish and Italian are, only to mixed results. Some people say you can easily understand one if you know the other, others say it's more complicated than that, so I tried to compromise; Shinjiro understands most of what's being said to him, but not all of it, and all of his words seem to have a very thick foreign accent to them.
-Keep an eye on Pharos; I have plans for that bugger.
Also a really awesome person started up a page for this story on TV Tropes. You can add things as you see fit; just go to the site and put this story's title into the search bar. It should pop up.
Now, readers, are you ready to start the Campaign of Fire?
