Disclaimer: Working on Christmas Day earns you a lot of money, so now I
may actually get to own this computer I write this on! However, I still
won't own Seiken Densetsu. Life's cruel, ne?
WARNING: For details on overall warning, see Chapter One. It's a terribly old story by now. If there needs to be warnings on anything in this fic, it's for lame innuendos and sappy stuff. I try to keep it acceptable, but sometimes I feel as though I may make myself sick (I have zero tolerance for excess sappiness).
Author's note: Welcome back after the Christmas 'break'! I didn't really take a break, I actually did more work over Christmas than what I usually do any other day of the year, hence the brief lack of updates. Evil employers taking advantage of people living alone to make them work on Christmas Day.... I might start inventing some imaginary relatives to visit me. I think I'll name them Cookie Pixie, Laine, and Truewind. What's everyone's opinion?
Blah blah blah blah Response to Reviewers! (blah):
Laine: Merry Belated Christmas to you too! (That reminds me, I never did send out Christmas cards...) Sorry about making Hawk leave, but it was kind of necessary for a later part of the story (I'm doing everything out of order. Ah well, author's privileges. We don't have many.) so he will be coming back! (Eventually....) The second chapter is still my favourite thus far too - that chapter just rolled off my fingers and escaped. Like I said, I think I created too high a standard to hold myself to too early....
Truewind: Hey! I know you! I've been reading your story 'Seeds of Mana'! I remember freaking out because I'd already put the concept of this story down then I read yours and had to go change all sorts of things so I wasn't accused of plagarising! You made my life so hard! But since you reviewed, you are forgiven (your story is good, too). Fair enough about the couples, I myself quite enjoy the Hawk/Riesz pairing and have another story in working with that but for the time being Hawk/Angela remains my favourite couple. I'm sorry about the grammar errors, sometimes when switching files here and there I forget which ones I've spell-checked and proof-read and which ones I haven't, please feel free to inform me of any mistakes or typos and I'll do my best to correct them. Though I couldn't find where I had spelt 'Fliratatious' with the extra 'a'. Maybe I fixed that and forgot about it. Or maybe your grammar is just much better than mine. Thanks for your review, and hope you keep reading!
That looks like about it. Ugh, a DROP in the number of reviews. Not usually a terribly good sign. Oh well. It lets me write exceedingly long- winded responses to those that do review. Hope you like the chapter.
_______________
Another Witchmaker
Chapter 4 - Introduction to the World's Smallest Deity
By Sinnatious
************
Angela awoke after a decent amount of sleep a couple of hours before sunrise. Spending just enough time to make herself presentable, which most people would probably readily agree was far more than necessary, she picked up her new staff and her remaining rations and made her way out of the inn. The same crazy innkeeper was there - maybe that was why he talked about strange lights, the lack of sleep must have made him delusional - and she simply nodded good morning, making her way to the door.
It was stupid to even nod to these people. Apparently in their language it was an open invitation to start a conversation. "If you see that Knight out there, be sure to tell him that if he leaves he has to pay for another night."
Despite her silent resolution to not to talk to any more people in this town, Angela stopped in her tracks. "Knight?"
The innkeeper nodded vigorously. "Yes, some Knight carrying an old sword came in after you went to sleep and rented a room. Yet about an hour or two ago he suddenly went running out - I was asleep, but I woke up when I heard his footsteps. Pass along the message, okay?"
It seemed like all the businessmen in this town were stingy bastards. "Fine, if I see him, I'll tell him." It couldn't have been Duran, could it? She couldn't have possibly missed the handsome Knight AGAIN!
.....Fate really did hate her. That was the only explanation.
Already bad mood turning more sour than cheap vinegar, the Princess stomped from the inn into the deserted town. She paused.... oh yeah, it was still really early in the morning, wasn't it? Everyone was probably in bed. Sighing, she stubbornly headed back along the path that led to the Cave of Waterfalls. If it wasn't for Hawk playing weird mind games with her, she probably would be too.
Dammit.... Duran must've seen her in the inn, why hadn't he woken her up?! And why had he rushed out like that? Maybe there was something in the water of Astoria that made people act strangely....
There were still no rabites to speak of on the road, which annoyed the lavender-hair girl more than it should have - she had wanted to try out her new cane to see if she was ripped off or not. After all, it would be embarrassing if on its first use bashing in some stranger's head it broke. When it seemed like none of the irritatingly cute little monsters would appear, she settled in for a long and lonely walk to Wendel. At least she got to see another sunrise. Not that watching the sun rise ever made her feel better, but given how she was always allowed to sleep in back in Altena, she hadn't seen many of them.
Altena.....
No! She WOULDN'T think about Altena or anybody in it until she had learnt magic. Only then could she even CONSIDER returning. And to learn magic she had to ask the guidance of the Holy Priest in Wendel.
Chanting this mantra in her head to keep herself walking, she was considerably surprised when she walked directly into a brick wall.
Falling on her backside and holding her nose, letting out a stream of curses that no well-brought up Princess should ever know, Angela opened her eyes to regard this apparently ill-placed brick wall in the middle of nowhere..... gone?
Thinking frantically back to Astoria, the Princess wondered if perhaps insanity was contagious. Maybe Hawk really was warning her for a legitimate reason. Reaching out on instinct, she nearly screamed when her hand hit what appeared to be a barrier of solid..... air?
Mentally attempting to retrieve the whole two or three lessons she actually paid attention to Jose in, Angela quickly surmised (okay, it took her two or three minutes, but she was out of Astoria so now she had time to spare) that it was a magical barrier. Probably put up by the Holy Priest at Wendel, if her magic senses were worth anything - which, she supposed, they weren't. If they had been, her mother probably wouldn't have tried to kill her.
Ignoring this conclusion, she set about testing all the area available on the narrow path, directly before the targeted Cave of Waterfalls. Another good hour later, she came back to the same spot, the look of mild irritation escalated to barely contained raging frustration. Where was Hawk when she needed something to beat up?!
It was a magical barrier, so after she had bruised herself many times trying to break through it, she made another startling conclusion: That there was no getting in manually through this incredibly powerful shield. Which meant it required magic to deactivate. Fantastic. That was just glorious.
The Princess of Altena glared at the magical barrier blocking the entrance to the caves, as if the sheer force of her anger alone would break the spell. Was this some sort of nasty trick by the Priest of Wendel? She had to see him to learn how to get magic, and maybe find out what made her mother suddenly go so weird on her, but to get past this barrier she NEEDED magic. Not for the first time, she found herself regretting ditching Hawk - the wily thief might have just been smart enough to figure out a way around it.
Sitting down on the ground, just about ready to give in to a good cry, Angela was shocked out of her despondent mental self-beration by a vaguely familiar voice.
"Are you okay Miss? Can I help you?"
She turned around, and it was like looking from the shadows into the sun again.
"DURAN?!"
The Knight smiled and offered her a hand up. "What's a young lady like you doing travelling all by herself? The roads aren't safe these days, you know."
Standing up, dazed by her apparent change in luck, Angela was so stupefied she forgot just about every flirting technique she had refined over the many years. "What are you doing here? I thought you left Astoria hours ago!"
Duran didn't seem at all perturbed by the fact that she knew that. "I was following the light, and it took a while."
'Oh no, they got to him too!' Angela fretted. Remembering herself, she tried to muster all the outrage she could - which wasn't easy, especially when faced with the object of her most recent fantasies - and spat out, "And while you're answering questions, why did you ditch me back in Jad?!"
Blinking, Duran thought hard for a moment. "What's your name?"
"Angela!" How could have forgotten her? Strangers she met even on the street years before could remember her face!
"Well, Angela, you say you were at Jad AND Astoria? Wow, you travelled all that way by yourself, you must be able to take pretty good care of yourself."
"Well, yeah...." After a very brief fight with her conscience, she decided not to bother mentioning the fact that he had pretty much cleared most of the path before her and Hawk.
"And what was it I was supposed to do?" he asked.
It was lucky he was so damn good-looking, because she probably would've beaten him up for being so thick by now. But violence was rarely the way to get someone to like you.... at least, in her experience. She thought Riesz's lack of suitors was probably evidence enough, anyway. The Amazon might have been easy to insult, but she was extremely difficult to dodge.
"You were supposed to meet me by the gates at Jad at sunset, so we could go to Wendel together!"
Duran looked at her blankly. "Um, what did you say your name was again?"
"Angela," she repeated through gritted teeth to stop herself from screaming at him.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" His eyes lit up as he FINALLY remembered her. "The pretty girl who also wanted to take revenge on the Red Wizard!"
Angela blushed - he called her pretty! A little chibi-Angela danced in happy circles in her head before she quickly shook it out - she was far too mature to get all gushy because some guy called her pretty. For the Goddess's sake, it happened all the time! Granted, usually in those circumstances it was because some lewd guy was hitting on her; maybe she really ought to look into a less revealing dress sometime.....
Remembering that she was supposed to be in her famed flirting mode, Angela batted her thick eyelashes at him. "That's right! I was on my way to Wendel as well! Then this damn barrier-" Angela caught herself before she could begin ranting. It would do no good to show her 'angry mode' as Victor liked to call it, to Duran of all people.
Suddenly, a shimmering light lifted out of Duran's head and began speaking. "It's a magic barrier put up by the High Priest of Wendel. Most likely to keep the Beastmen from attacking, I suppose."
Pinching herself, Angela deduced it was not a dream. She had gone crazy like all the other people in Astoria. A freaking LIGHT was speaking to her! "Duran, why is there a light hovering above your head saying that?!"
"Oh, that! Angela, meet the Fairy from the Mana Holyland!" Duran introduced happily.
The Princess blinked. The light hovered down closer and dimmed considerably, until Angela could make out a faintly glowing Fairy small enough to sit on the palm of her hand.
She must've developed incredible self-control recently without realising it, because for some reason this did not faze her. "And what, may I say, are you doing in Duran's head?"
Was it her imagination, or did the small entity blush? "It's rather embarrassing, but I was on a mission from the Mana Holyland to choose the Mana Knight to save the world and I decided to pick Duran!..... But because I'm so weak I can't travel independently anymore, and I have to rest inside his head."
"You say that so casually," Angela commented, struggling to process the information and its implications. She turned her doubtful gaze towards Duran, struggling to hold on to her train of thought and not melt into a puddle of love when she made eye contact. "The fact that you're possessed by a Fairy doesn't bother you?"
Duran blinked again. "Should it?"
"Hey!" The Fairy protested. "I did not possess him!"
Angela sighed. She wasn't sure about the whole deal the Fairy was going on about, she'd have to get the details for that later. Her main concern primarily was that now this Fairy would apparently be constantly with Duran, meaning it could be just about forever until she actually got some alone-time with the guy. It was a bit harder to throw yourself at someone when there was an audience. After all, you don't just sit down and say 'let's make love!' when someone, even if it is a tiny Fairy, is watching.
"Never mind then," the Princess said, dismissing the topic as secondary for the time being. Mana Knight, huh? That sounded even better than a Knight of Forcena. Victor had always said she knew how to pick them. "I'm still trying to get to Wendel but the High Priest put up this magical barrier and I can't get in. Any bright ideas?" She mentally slapped herself after this statement. Duran didn't seem like the type who had bright ideas in surplus.
The Fairy floated up and around in an aimless pattern. "Hmmm.... he must've sensed the Beastmen's attack on Astoria and thrown up that barrier so that they couldn't get through."
"Whoa, wait a minute, back up!" Angela demanded. "What happened to Astoria?"
Duran looked regretful. "I came back to Astoria just after sunrise when I found the Fairy. The town was completely destroyed. Everyone was either killed or had fled. The Beastmen attacked without mercy."
Speechless at this revelation, the lavender-haired girl suddenly found herself clutching her staff for support. Hawk had known? He had warned her to get out as soon as possible, and if it weren't for that warning she probably would have been in Astoria during that attack.....
She fought the urge to be sick. Astoria might've seemed like an odd town, and she didn't like it very much, but she'd never wish that on anyone (other than Koren, of course). The mere fact that her own life had been so close to being forfeit.....
Blinking when she realised that she had at some point switched to clutching Duran's arm for support, Angela mentally fought to wrest control of the situation. Okay, an unexpected compromising position, but she could make the most of it. She pulled his arm closer, and tried her best to look faint - for once not requiring too much effort. "The Beastmen passed so close by? They're not still here, are they? I... I'm so afraid...."
Hook, line and sinker. Duran almost physically puffed up with the chance to prove his manliness in protecting the fragile damsel in distress. "Don't you worry, Angela, they're gone, but I'll protect you!"
Satisfied, Angela let go of his arm and clasped her hands together in mock admiration. Her, scared of running into Beastmen? Well, maybe, but she would never sit in a corner and cry about it. "Thank you! I feel much more confident now." Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the Fairy rolling her eyes at what the small entity easily perceived to be a completely fake display. Oh yeah... she'd almost forgotten she was there.
"Well," she said, turning brusque again as she wheeled on the Fairy. It destroyed the illusion somewhat, but she doubted Duran would over-analyse it. Now she actually had the chance to spend some time with him, her campaign should be both easy and short. "Have you figured out what to do about that barrier yet? Duran and I have to get to the Wendel, and if I'm not mistaken you probably do too, so?"
Frowning at how the Princess was addressing her, the Fairy replied, "I think I can break it utilising the natural energies of that waterfall. Just give me a moment." Glow brightening again around her, the miniature deity appeared to be concentrating very hard. After several moments, she opened her eyes again. "All done!"
"What?!" Angela exclaimed. How could she be done already when she'd just spent over an hour trying to figure out a way through the damn shield?! As if perhaps she was hoping to prove the Fairy wrong somehow, Angela stuck out her hand and met.... nothing but air.
Blushing with embarrassment, she grabbed Duran by the wrist and started physically dragging him along, remembering at the last moment to add, "Hurry up, Duran, I need you to protect me in here. I hate the dark!"
"Well, even if I'm pretty tired, I might be able to help with that!" the Fairy offered, settling herself on Duran's head and brightening her glow.
'She's supposed to be an emissary of the Mana Goddess. I can't kill her, I can't kill her, I can't kill her,' Angela insisted to herself, grinding her teeth together and smiling sweetly at the two. Well, that just destroyed one of her plans. Still, it was a long walk to Wendel through the Cave of Waterfalls. She had plenty of tricks up her sleeve yet.
____________________
Hmm, that's probably not the world's best stopping place but the next chapter still needs a lot of work so I'll have to beg you all to be patient with me. Don't forget to read and review! I adore all of you. (i.e. All two or three of you.)
WARNING: For details on overall warning, see Chapter One. It's a terribly old story by now. If there needs to be warnings on anything in this fic, it's for lame innuendos and sappy stuff. I try to keep it acceptable, but sometimes I feel as though I may make myself sick (I have zero tolerance for excess sappiness).
Author's note: Welcome back after the Christmas 'break'! I didn't really take a break, I actually did more work over Christmas than what I usually do any other day of the year, hence the brief lack of updates. Evil employers taking advantage of people living alone to make them work on Christmas Day.... I might start inventing some imaginary relatives to visit me. I think I'll name them Cookie Pixie, Laine, and Truewind. What's everyone's opinion?
Blah blah blah blah Response to Reviewers! (blah):
Laine: Merry Belated Christmas to you too! (That reminds me, I never did send out Christmas cards...) Sorry about making Hawk leave, but it was kind of necessary for a later part of the story (I'm doing everything out of order. Ah well, author's privileges. We don't have many.) so he will be coming back! (Eventually....) The second chapter is still my favourite thus far too - that chapter just rolled off my fingers and escaped. Like I said, I think I created too high a standard to hold myself to too early....
Truewind: Hey! I know you! I've been reading your story 'Seeds of Mana'! I remember freaking out because I'd already put the concept of this story down then I read yours and had to go change all sorts of things so I wasn't accused of plagarising! You made my life so hard! But since you reviewed, you are forgiven (your story is good, too). Fair enough about the couples, I myself quite enjoy the Hawk/Riesz pairing and have another story in working with that but for the time being Hawk/Angela remains my favourite couple. I'm sorry about the grammar errors, sometimes when switching files here and there I forget which ones I've spell-checked and proof-read and which ones I haven't, please feel free to inform me of any mistakes or typos and I'll do my best to correct them. Though I couldn't find where I had spelt 'Fliratatious' with the extra 'a'. Maybe I fixed that and forgot about it. Or maybe your grammar is just much better than mine. Thanks for your review, and hope you keep reading!
That looks like about it. Ugh, a DROP in the number of reviews. Not usually a terribly good sign. Oh well. It lets me write exceedingly long- winded responses to those that do review. Hope you like the chapter.
_______________
Another Witchmaker
Chapter 4 - Introduction to the World's Smallest Deity
By Sinnatious
************
Angela awoke after a decent amount of sleep a couple of hours before sunrise. Spending just enough time to make herself presentable, which most people would probably readily agree was far more than necessary, she picked up her new staff and her remaining rations and made her way out of the inn. The same crazy innkeeper was there - maybe that was why he talked about strange lights, the lack of sleep must have made him delusional - and she simply nodded good morning, making her way to the door.
It was stupid to even nod to these people. Apparently in their language it was an open invitation to start a conversation. "If you see that Knight out there, be sure to tell him that if he leaves he has to pay for another night."
Despite her silent resolution to not to talk to any more people in this town, Angela stopped in her tracks. "Knight?"
The innkeeper nodded vigorously. "Yes, some Knight carrying an old sword came in after you went to sleep and rented a room. Yet about an hour or two ago he suddenly went running out - I was asleep, but I woke up when I heard his footsteps. Pass along the message, okay?"
It seemed like all the businessmen in this town were stingy bastards. "Fine, if I see him, I'll tell him." It couldn't have been Duran, could it? She couldn't have possibly missed the handsome Knight AGAIN!
.....Fate really did hate her. That was the only explanation.
Already bad mood turning more sour than cheap vinegar, the Princess stomped from the inn into the deserted town. She paused.... oh yeah, it was still really early in the morning, wasn't it? Everyone was probably in bed. Sighing, she stubbornly headed back along the path that led to the Cave of Waterfalls. If it wasn't for Hawk playing weird mind games with her, she probably would be too.
Dammit.... Duran must've seen her in the inn, why hadn't he woken her up?! And why had he rushed out like that? Maybe there was something in the water of Astoria that made people act strangely....
There were still no rabites to speak of on the road, which annoyed the lavender-hair girl more than it should have - she had wanted to try out her new cane to see if she was ripped off or not. After all, it would be embarrassing if on its first use bashing in some stranger's head it broke. When it seemed like none of the irritatingly cute little monsters would appear, she settled in for a long and lonely walk to Wendel. At least she got to see another sunrise. Not that watching the sun rise ever made her feel better, but given how she was always allowed to sleep in back in Altena, she hadn't seen many of them.
Altena.....
No! She WOULDN'T think about Altena or anybody in it until she had learnt magic. Only then could she even CONSIDER returning. And to learn magic she had to ask the guidance of the Holy Priest in Wendel.
Chanting this mantra in her head to keep herself walking, she was considerably surprised when she walked directly into a brick wall.
Falling on her backside and holding her nose, letting out a stream of curses that no well-brought up Princess should ever know, Angela opened her eyes to regard this apparently ill-placed brick wall in the middle of nowhere..... gone?
Thinking frantically back to Astoria, the Princess wondered if perhaps insanity was contagious. Maybe Hawk really was warning her for a legitimate reason. Reaching out on instinct, she nearly screamed when her hand hit what appeared to be a barrier of solid..... air?
Mentally attempting to retrieve the whole two or three lessons she actually paid attention to Jose in, Angela quickly surmised (okay, it took her two or three minutes, but she was out of Astoria so now she had time to spare) that it was a magical barrier. Probably put up by the Holy Priest at Wendel, if her magic senses were worth anything - which, she supposed, they weren't. If they had been, her mother probably wouldn't have tried to kill her.
Ignoring this conclusion, she set about testing all the area available on the narrow path, directly before the targeted Cave of Waterfalls. Another good hour later, she came back to the same spot, the look of mild irritation escalated to barely contained raging frustration. Where was Hawk when she needed something to beat up?!
It was a magical barrier, so after she had bruised herself many times trying to break through it, she made another startling conclusion: That there was no getting in manually through this incredibly powerful shield. Which meant it required magic to deactivate. Fantastic. That was just glorious.
The Princess of Altena glared at the magical barrier blocking the entrance to the caves, as if the sheer force of her anger alone would break the spell. Was this some sort of nasty trick by the Priest of Wendel? She had to see him to learn how to get magic, and maybe find out what made her mother suddenly go so weird on her, but to get past this barrier she NEEDED magic. Not for the first time, she found herself regretting ditching Hawk - the wily thief might have just been smart enough to figure out a way around it.
Sitting down on the ground, just about ready to give in to a good cry, Angela was shocked out of her despondent mental self-beration by a vaguely familiar voice.
"Are you okay Miss? Can I help you?"
She turned around, and it was like looking from the shadows into the sun again.
"DURAN?!"
The Knight smiled and offered her a hand up. "What's a young lady like you doing travelling all by herself? The roads aren't safe these days, you know."
Standing up, dazed by her apparent change in luck, Angela was so stupefied she forgot just about every flirting technique she had refined over the many years. "What are you doing here? I thought you left Astoria hours ago!"
Duran didn't seem at all perturbed by the fact that she knew that. "I was following the light, and it took a while."
'Oh no, they got to him too!' Angela fretted. Remembering herself, she tried to muster all the outrage she could - which wasn't easy, especially when faced with the object of her most recent fantasies - and spat out, "And while you're answering questions, why did you ditch me back in Jad?!"
Blinking, Duran thought hard for a moment. "What's your name?"
"Angela!" How could have forgotten her? Strangers she met even on the street years before could remember her face!
"Well, Angela, you say you were at Jad AND Astoria? Wow, you travelled all that way by yourself, you must be able to take pretty good care of yourself."
"Well, yeah...." After a very brief fight with her conscience, she decided not to bother mentioning the fact that he had pretty much cleared most of the path before her and Hawk.
"And what was it I was supposed to do?" he asked.
It was lucky he was so damn good-looking, because she probably would've beaten him up for being so thick by now. But violence was rarely the way to get someone to like you.... at least, in her experience. She thought Riesz's lack of suitors was probably evidence enough, anyway. The Amazon might have been easy to insult, but she was extremely difficult to dodge.
"You were supposed to meet me by the gates at Jad at sunset, so we could go to Wendel together!"
Duran looked at her blankly. "Um, what did you say your name was again?"
"Angela," she repeated through gritted teeth to stop herself from screaming at him.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" His eyes lit up as he FINALLY remembered her. "The pretty girl who also wanted to take revenge on the Red Wizard!"
Angela blushed - he called her pretty! A little chibi-Angela danced in happy circles in her head before she quickly shook it out - she was far too mature to get all gushy because some guy called her pretty. For the Goddess's sake, it happened all the time! Granted, usually in those circumstances it was because some lewd guy was hitting on her; maybe she really ought to look into a less revealing dress sometime.....
Remembering that she was supposed to be in her famed flirting mode, Angela batted her thick eyelashes at him. "That's right! I was on my way to Wendel as well! Then this damn barrier-" Angela caught herself before she could begin ranting. It would do no good to show her 'angry mode' as Victor liked to call it, to Duran of all people.
Suddenly, a shimmering light lifted out of Duran's head and began speaking. "It's a magic barrier put up by the High Priest of Wendel. Most likely to keep the Beastmen from attacking, I suppose."
Pinching herself, Angela deduced it was not a dream. She had gone crazy like all the other people in Astoria. A freaking LIGHT was speaking to her! "Duran, why is there a light hovering above your head saying that?!"
"Oh, that! Angela, meet the Fairy from the Mana Holyland!" Duran introduced happily.
The Princess blinked. The light hovered down closer and dimmed considerably, until Angela could make out a faintly glowing Fairy small enough to sit on the palm of her hand.
She must've developed incredible self-control recently without realising it, because for some reason this did not faze her. "And what, may I say, are you doing in Duran's head?"
Was it her imagination, or did the small entity blush? "It's rather embarrassing, but I was on a mission from the Mana Holyland to choose the Mana Knight to save the world and I decided to pick Duran!..... But because I'm so weak I can't travel independently anymore, and I have to rest inside his head."
"You say that so casually," Angela commented, struggling to process the information and its implications. She turned her doubtful gaze towards Duran, struggling to hold on to her train of thought and not melt into a puddle of love when she made eye contact. "The fact that you're possessed by a Fairy doesn't bother you?"
Duran blinked again. "Should it?"
"Hey!" The Fairy protested. "I did not possess him!"
Angela sighed. She wasn't sure about the whole deal the Fairy was going on about, she'd have to get the details for that later. Her main concern primarily was that now this Fairy would apparently be constantly with Duran, meaning it could be just about forever until she actually got some alone-time with the guy. It was a bit harder to throw yourself at someone when there was an audience. After all, you don't just sit down and say 'let's make love!' when someone, even if it is a tiny Fairy, is watching.
"Never mind then," the Princess said, dismissing the topic as secondary for the time being. Mana Knight, huh? That sounded even better than a Knight of Forcena. Victor had always said she knew how to pick them. "I'm still trying to get to Wendel but the High Priest put up this magical barrier and I can't get in. Any bright ideas?" She mentally slapped herself after this statement. Duran didn't seem like the type who had bright ideas in surplus.
The Fairy floated up and around in an aimless pattern. "Hmmm.... he must've sensed the Beastmen's attack on Astoria and thrown up that barrier so that they couldn't get through."
"Whoa, wait a minute, back up!" Angela demanded. "What happened to Astoria?"
Duran looked regretful. "I came back to Astoria just after sunrise when I found the Fairy. The town was completely destroyed. Everyone was either killed or had fled. The Beastmen attacked without mercy."
Speechless at this revelation, the lavender-haired girl suddenly found herself clutching her staff for support. Hawk had known? He had warned her to get out as soon as possible, and if it weren't for that warning she probably would have been in Astoria during that attack.....
She fought the urge to be sick. Astoria might've seemed like an odd town, and she didn't like it very much, but she'd never wish that on anyone (other than Koren, of course). The mere fact that her own life had been so close to being forfeit.....
Blinking when she realised that she had at some point switched to clutching Duran's arm for support, Angela mentally fought to wrest control of the situation. Okay, an unexpected compromising position, but she could make the most of it. She pulled his arm closer, and tried her best to look faint - for once not requiring too much effort. "The Beastmen passed so close by? They're not still here, are they? I... I'm so afraid...."
Hook, line and sinker. Duran almost physically puffed up with the chance to prove his manliness in protecting the fragile damsel in distress. "Don't you worry, Angela, they're gone, but I'll protect you!"
Satisfied, Angela let go of his arm and clasped her hands together in mock admiration. Her, scared of running into Beastmen? Well, maybe, but she would never sit in a corner and cry about it. "Thank you! I feel much more confident now." Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the Fairy rolling her eyes at what the small entity easily perceived to be a completely fake display. Oh yeah... she'd almost forgotten she was there.
"Well," she said, turning brusque again as she wheeled on the Fairy. It destroyed the illusion somewhat, but she doubted Duran would over-analyse it. Now she actually had the chance to spend some time with him, her campaign should be both easy and short. "Have you figured out what to do about that barrier yet? Duran and I have to get to the Wendel, and if I'm not mistaken you probably do too, so?"
Frowning at how the Princess was addressing her, the Fairy replied, "I think I can break it utilising the natural energies of that waterfall. Just give me a moment." Glow brightening again around her, the miniature deity appeared to be concentrating very hard. After several moments, she opened her eyes again. "All done!"
"What?!" Angela exclaimed. How could she be done already when she'd just spent over an hour trying to figure out a way through the damn shield?! As if perhaps she was hoping to prove the Fairy wrong somehow, Angela stuck out her hand and met.... nothing but air.
Blushing with embarrassment, she grabbed Duran by the wrist and started physically dragging him along, remembering at the last moment to add, "Hurry up, Duran, I need you to protect me in here. I hate the dark!"
"Well, even if I'm pretty tired, I might be able to help with that!" the Fairy offered, settling herself on Duran's head and brightening her glow.
'She's supposed to be an emissary of the Mana Goddess. I can't kill her, I can't kill her, I can't kill her,' Angela insisted to herself, grinding her teeth together and smiling sweetly at the two. Well, that just destroyed one of her plans. Still, it was a long walk to Wendel through the Cave of Waterfalls. She had plenty of tricks up her sleeve yet.
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Hmm, that's probably not the world's best stopping place but the next chapter still needs a lot of work so I'll have to beg you all to be patient with me. Don't forget to read and review! I adore all of you. (i.e. All two or three of you.)