Crossing Destiny

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Quest XI!

Notes: If you'd like your OC included, please contact me.

Warnings: OCxcanon

Massive Story Spoilers. You have been warned. This fic starts at the beginning of Act II.

FIC START!

-Part 4-

Surya refused to wear the gaudy get-up that Sylvando made for him somehow when no one was paying attention to him, but that didn't stop him from assisting in gathering supplies outside the village to build a stage for the people of Phnom Nohn. He fought off a monster as they approached him cutting wood, or if they crossed his path while taking it back to the place that Sylvando had designated for it. He was annoyed at the people though. They just let the members of the parade do what they wanted. He couldn't tell if the people were complacent, or just stupid. He thought the town leaders would have something to say about where to put their stage. Maybe they would have wanted it in a place that wouldn't get in the way of other travelers, or block the path to somewhere vital for the town's survival, but no. Sylvando was the one that did the planning and taking all of that into account. Were these people really worth entertaining at all? Half of them would just stare while the paraders worked on building the stage. Many of the people were invited over to be measured for costumes, should they be interested. Most of them had expressions on their faces like it was completely meaningless, though. Not a shred of gratitude from them. But that didn't stop Sylvando from trying his best, despite being the first person to notice that his efforts might have gone to waste. He was frustrated. Not that he'd let it show! Surya admired his ability to stick to it. Always trying to make others happy. Always trying his best to assist everyone's path he crossed.

Surya brought out tools to start sanding down the wood, and some of the paraders assisted him. They didn't know what to do, but that didn't stop Surya from teaching them how to make the tools. He had taught many people in his acting troupe over the years how to do things like build stages and fix costumes. He wasn't much of a tailor, but every person should know how to mend rips in their clothing. As he saw more people coming together, he slowly felt his own motivation build up in getting this done. The more people that worked on it together, the faster it would be done, no matter how careful he was.

"If you want this to go faster," one of the paraders said. "We can all do the sanding. Why don't you and Sylv go fetch us some more wood to work with, since you're the fighters and can handle those nasty monsters, Surya-dear."

Surya stood up, fetching his weapons. "That would go faster, actually. I just wanted to make sure it was all done right. There's going to be children on these stages, and the last thing I want is to see one of them hurt because we cut corners."

"What a valiant thought, caring for the children so!" Sylvando chimed from across the circle where they had all been working the wood together. "You would have made an excellent knight!" He also stood up, collecting his battle gear and equipping it on himself to look as extravagant as he could on purpose. "Ah! We will bring plenty. These strong muscles accompanying me will not go to waste, mmmm~"

"Oh, stop it," Surya said, using his hat to hide his blush.

"Inching ever closer to that smile, I see."

He rolled his eyes, heading straight for the gateway out of the town, and Sylvando didn't wait for an invitation. Within a few short minutes, they were back out in the Champs Savage. They could see the monsters out in the distance as they gazed out across the field. There weren't many trees they could cut down in this closer area. They were going to have to either head further south, or back up closer to where the parade first rescued Surya near the bridge. The duo talked about it, noting how bad it was for the ecosystem if they were to just to take every tree in one given area. Both Sylvando and Surya were surprised to hear the other agree with that sentiment, for that exact reasoning. With that in mind, they headed further south than they would typically go. They both expected to find more trees similar to the ones right outside the gate of Phnom Nohn, but they were only greeted with a cave that smelled of mildew and rot.

"I don't think we'll be getting much from here," Sylvando said, turning around immediately.

"I honestly didn't remember the continent just ending here with a cave," Surya said. "Must have happened when the world ended."

"The world didn't end," Sylvando corrected him. "Because, at the very least, Phnom Nohn still exists."

Surya let out a sigh as they stepped out of the cave together. "Okay, I just have to ask you one thing before we go any further."

"Don't hold me in suspense, darling. Ask me anything~"

"...where does all your constant optimism even come from?"

Sylvando nodded, though that question hit him pretty hard. Surya didn't expect his mood to shift so suddenly like that. "That, honey, is a very good question," he answered, noticing the approach of some fat-bellied bongo-drumming monsters and a few orange she-slimes. He reached into his inventory and secured his whip, standing ready for them. "I suppose I was never allowed to see anything in a negative light."

"What?" Surya cocked his head a bit as he expected more of an answer than that. He really didn't know how to make much sense out of that. With the approach of the monsters, he found a boomerang in his equipment bag and drew it out. Seemed like there would be many of the same kind of monsters to dispatch this time.

"At least, if I am going to bring smiles to the faces of those without, I couldn't point out the negatives about their situation," Sylvando said. Once the monsters were right in front of them, he unleashed his Lashings of Love to hit three of them all at the same time. "That's not exactly helps someone feel better. But that... that doesn't mean that I don't see it myself."

Surya gasped, letting his boomerang fly in a way that would do more damage to the slimes. "Sylv-"

"I don't know why I feel like I can tell you that," Sylvando said, leaning over as he let his whip fly again. Two of the monsters fell over and faded to darkness. "I refuse to let you see me as someone that doesn't understand the state that the world is in, but... I can't let others see it that way! I cannot let them lose hope!"

The actor swung his boomerang again, and all the slimes that had gathered for this fight died. "I'm... I'm sorry, Sylv," he said.

Sylvando's body surged with energy, and he began to emit a bright blue glow. "The Great Sylvando takes the stage!" he shouted out, throwing up his hand dramatically.

Surya felt his own energy flicker a bit, too. He felt more determined than he had just a few moments ago. The same blue glow came from him and his hat flew up off his head a bit as he felt his body raise just a bit off the ground. He grasped his hands and let it completely embrace his entire being, letting out a proud, "The show must go on!"

"Follow my lead, darling~" Sylvando said, winking at him.

"According to the script," Surya agreed. He stepped forward and began to recite poetry with his hand over his part. Sylvando began to juggle his balls until they became enchanted with fire from the passionate words Surya spoke. Then Sylvando threw them up for them all to rain down on the enemies like tiny meteors. All of the monsters faded away, and all the balls returned to their owners hands.

"We make quite the team, don't we, sweetie?" Sylvando asked.

"Well," Surya said, fixing his hat. "It's hard to deny..."

"Let's go find that wood~" Sylvando chimed, leaning into him. "Mi peque a preciosa~"

"Sylvando..."

"Hmm?"

"Lamento haberte dudado. La verdad es que envidio tu habilidad de estar siempre tan alegre," Surya confessed, putting his boomerang back in his pack. "Debo pedirte que me ense es."

"...Surya, darling, Me sentir a honrado de ense arte!"

Together they left the area where they had that small battle, and they found more wood to take to the village. They seemed to have some sort of understanding that went past speaking. Every time their eyes met, they shared smiles. They had a trust, even though they hadn't known each other very long. It didn't matter. Their connection only seemed to grow that much deeper the more time they spent together, regardless of what they were doing. Sylvando's happiness was infectious. It went from just one of the paraders' spirits being lifted, to eventually the whole troupe, and being around all of these people doing their best to live to the fullest warmed Surya's heart. After a while, Surya didn't bother renting a room apart from them - he had a cot in the huge room with everyone else. They had accepted him, even if he didn't feel completely a part of the group. Sharing laughter and work together. It reminded him of his old troupe, and he couldn't help but wonder what they were all doing in this world... if they still lived. But every time he started getting somber, Sylvando refused to allow him to sit in that feeling. This went on for days as the troupe built the stage and created costumes of all shapes and sizes. And, when it was all done, they threw a massive party to celebrate their accomplishment.

Even though, Surya thought to once they'd all passed around mugs of ale to everyone, they have thrown a little party every night since Sylv rescued me. He wasn't going to question Sylvando's method, though. It did help him feel better, and in turn, he was able to help with the mission in spreading smiles to everyone else. Maybe there was something to all of this, even if he didn't quite get it. He held out hope that he wouldn't be questioning it eventually.


King Carnelian had gathered a party together and placed Mahina within the center of the formation. She wasn't meant to be hit or even seen by the monsters. She held out the wand that Amber had just given her. It summoned a gentle replenishing rain upon the group of soldiers that would follow them as they set out from the gates of the Last Bastion. Mahina didn't see what it was like when she went in all that time ago. She was almost dead, passed out when Hendrik had found her that fateful day. So seeing the tunnels and the huge barricades filled her with dread. Was the world really this dangerous now? As the party came outside of the main gate, she saw a black horse chewing at some grass nearby.

"That's Obsidian!" one of the soldiers said. "Sir Hendrik's horse!"

"How is it unharmed, when Hendrik isn't here...?" Mahina gasped, wanting to race towards it, but another solider grabbed a hold of her right arm and stopped her. "Why can't I-"

"Miss Mahina, we must protect you. It is an order from the king," he said. "What if some monster appears from nowhere?"

"Then one of you should inspect his horse. See if we can get a clue," she suggested, grunting with annoyance. She crossed her arms, knowing why they were insistent about this, but it wasn't any less annoying. Mahina looked up at the sky. It was much more scary out here than it was back in the village. The way the Last Bastion had been constructed was all done with one purpose: To protect those within it. And out here, she felt exposed. Naked. There was little wind, and while it was a night-like overcast sky, the land was emitting a dark heat.

"There is nothing wrong with the horse, doesn't seem like there's anything out of the ordinary."

Mahina turned to look over the grasslands. Slimes with green glowing eyes bounced in the distance and green birds with menacing eyes sat in the branches of what few trees weren't ablaze. She noticed there was another tunnel that headed in a direction not to the Last Bastion, where Drakees flapped their bat wings as they circled around and around. She started to walk in that direction and the guards assigned to her followed suit. At that moment, they were stopped by a machine of some sort. While Mahina had been in battles before, she'd never seen anything like this.

"A killing machine!" one of the soldiers screamed. "Take it out!"

A hand summed up a Frizz, and a few of them charged at it with swords. It didn't seem to do much damage. The machine lifted up a sword, swinging it about. It hit several of the guards at once. Mahina put her hands out, and then upward, calling up a Buff. She had a hard time keeping her footing, but she was determined to stay up. One of the guards charged at the machine with a spear, using all of his strength for a desperate blow, but missed. The killing machine stepped closer and its one big red eye glowed, sending out a laser that hit everyone, causing their skin to sear in pain.

"Ouch!" Mahina screamed, clenching at her arm. "No! Not in my first real fight!"

"Miss Mahina, are you all right?" a guard next to her pressed a medical herb against her arm where she was hit, and it seemed to dissolve into the wound, relieving the pain.

"Thank you, sir...?"

"My name's not important," he answered. "We've all promised the king that you'd be kept safe, and a knight's promise is his bond. The battlefield is not a place for someone like you."

"No, I asked to be here," she said, shaking her head. "I want to be here! I want to help!"

The guard nodded in understanding. "Do you know how to use any attack magic at all? Most of us are trained with weaponry. We have a few mages in here, but not many."

"I can heal and support, but I've never cast an attack spell..." Mahina confessed. "...I honestly don't know how to do that."

"It's not difficult," another guard said behind her. "It's just like casting a support spell, really." He put his hands up and unleashed a Snooze spell at the killing machine, sending it into slumber. Which was weird, since it was a machine, but... it was sleeping anyhow.

"I can't imagine that's the case," another guard said. "If you just target the healing spell at an enemy, you're just going to heal it instead of hurt it."

"You bonehead, that's not what he was talking about!" yet another snapped. "If you take the same energy that you use to conjure up a good aura and unleash it towards your target, you'll cast an attack spell instead!"

"Yeah," some guard behind all the others said. "That'll heal the enemy, stupid! What you have to do is focus your negative emotions instead of positive ones."

"Concern for your allies might create a buff spell, but if you channel anger, you'll get a spell that can hurt your enemy," the first guard said. "You're always looking after Sir Hendrik. It doesn't surprise me that you're able to cast buffs and heals. And always protected, you wouldn't be the kind to really have much negativity in you..."

"If you love Sir Hendrik, why not put that to use?" the one that healed her with the herb suggested.

"But he's not here for me to heal him?" she said, confused.

"You're worried about him, aren't you? You're being kept from him by this monster. Surely you're angry at it for standing in your way!" he said. "So try it out!"

Mahina stepped forward, putting her hands out. The magic circle swept around her feet, but when she tried to bring something out of her hands, she just fizzled instead. She whimpered in disappointment. Maybe she didn't love him enough after all... No, no, she could do this. She had to do this. She put her hands up again, facing the killing machine. She closed her eyes and thought of Hendrik, how she wished to find him. "Get..." She wanted to bring forth some sort of destructive force, and the only thing that came to her mind was when she was out at sea, before she was pulled under. It was cold, sad, desolate... As she felt herself in the wreckage of the ship off the coast of Gondolia, the chill came to her fingertips. She opened her eyes suddenly, "...out of my way!" Mahina yelled at the machine, causing balls of water to fall from the sky. It splashed all over the killing machine, causing its joints to rust. Even though it woke up, ready to charge at the party, it had a harder time moving. The guards all charged at it and she fell back onto her butt, dizzy. Her mental energy just didn't have much left in it. She could easily have fallen asleep there on the grass.

"Miss Mahina!" a guard said, once the killing machine had been defeated.

"I'm so..." she yawned.

"Here, take this," another guard said, taking out a pink vial and pouring a few drops onto her forehead. "This should help with that sensation."

She blinked a few times, and within a few seconds she seemed to be okay again. She stood back up. "Thank you. Thank the Goddess for all of you. I wanted to ask for combat training with the knights, and it looks like I'm finally getting it..."

The group resumed their search going through that tunnel. Mahina helped mostly with support spells, but she would call forth the water that always came to her mind in times of distress if it was needed. Each time, a guard would sprinkle just a bit more of that magic water on her. It felt as if each time she cast that spell, it was becoming easier. By the time they had reached the Emerald Coast, Mahina was going a few fights at a time without needing assistance. She really did believe she was growing stronger. This must have been what Amber meant when she said she was going to have to fight monsters! It was almost... exciting?

"Where was Sir Hendrik last seen?" Mahina asked the rest of the party.

"Around here somewhere," a guard answered.

"That's... helpful," she grunted at him. "More specific, please?"

"That way, towards the Door of Departure," another guard said, pointing across the fields.

"Why did he go out so far?" she asked. "Usually, doesn't he only go between the Last Bastion and Heliodor?"

"Yes, but... he said he wanted to go further. See how many more straggers we could find, maybe even see if there were any cities that survived the fall..."

The words she said the day before echoed in her mind. She was the one that asked if other towns still stood. Could he have gone further because she asked? Oh, now she really had to find him and tell him that it wasn't that important... but then she knew that he would say that it really was important to know about or something honorable like that. Goddess damn it, did he have to be so valiant to the point that he'd put himself in danger?! Out on the Emerald Coast, dragons and other more scary monsters roamed the land. The monsters in front of the Last Bastion weren't that much in comparison to these ones. If he was fighting them on his own, it made much more sense that he'd be in trouble. Everything compounded in her mind, which made it difficult for her to focus during the fights. They were able to avoid most of the larger monsters, until they had almost made it into the passage that led out to the precipce where the Door of Departure lay in wait. There wasn't much more to explore this way. If Hendrik was still alive, he had to be out there...

"No!" a guard shouted in the back, causing everyone to turn around. A large red dragon had clawed him, and everyone took formation around the wounded man. "I know we were trying to avoid this," he whimpered, "but it was chasing us!"

"Why didn't you say anything!" another guard shouted back angrily. "It's a bloody dragon!"

"Miss Mahina," a guard close to her said as they all prepared for the dragon to unleash its mighty ice breath, "Might I make a suggestion?"

"You are more than welcome to, but I don't know what we can do against a dragon," she answered honestly.

"Slip through to the other side beyond these branches," he whispered. "There is not much land between here and the Door to Departure. It is just one clearing. If Sir Hendrik is there, you will find him. If he is not, return to us and we will explore further."

"But-"

The dragon was ready. She could see from his facial expression. It inhaled and let it loose, causing half of the company to fall over, frozen to their core. Mahina had never known such chill, and she could barely stay awake. It was so cold that it burned her skin and caused her dress to become heavy. When she breathed out, her breath hung in the air. Just a moment ago, she could feel the heat of the earth, and now she felt as if she was somewhere else entirely. The ground beneath her feet covered in frost from the attack. When she rose her wand to try to summon the replenishing rain again, she had no luck. The cold she felt trapped in completely distracted her from holding the image of the water in her mind. Mahina hated being cold. It was the worst feeling in the world!

"You must run," the guard said, reaching over to keep her standing. "We will hold the path for you to come back, with or without Sir Hendrik."

"I could not leave you here to face a dragon alone," she said.

"I fear it may be beyond your combat capabilities and us holding you here will kill you, and if we let that happen, there is no way either King Carnelian or Sir Hendrik will forgive us," he continued. "Not one creature or human will come through this passage while we guard it. I swear it."

Tearfully she turned away from the party, though she did not wish to leave them. While she knew not a single name, the group was nothing more than kind to her as they protected and taught her the basics of battle during this excursion. Mahina came to care for them, not wanting to see any of these bright young men defeated. She wished she had some way to help, but with her lack of experience it was hard to mount a fight. She felt utterly useless. No magic, no weapon skills. The dragon used its claws to come down upon yet another soldier, and she gasped. The wound gushed with blood and other soldiers gathered around him to apply medical herbs where it was bleeding.

"The first thing a new fighter must learn is to know when you can fight, and when it is strategically smarter to run," another guard added. "While it is your choice to stand with us, we would rather protect you than see you come to further harm."

"Go! Please!"

Mahina bit her lip and ran through as fast as she could, forcing herself between roots and branches of this incredibly thin passageway. She climbed rocks with her piddly amount of upper body strength, she tripped over toppled trees, she breathed in soil dust. Her dress ripped in a few spots. But she would not be deterred. As soon as she set foot in the wide open clearing, she took a look around. The men were right, this place wasn't that big. She saw a large structure towards the end of the landmass. That must have been the Door of Departure they spoke of. She took a few steps towards it and suddenly was lifted up off the ground, being pulled up by the back of her dress.

"Oh I did not expect to see something like this wander out this far," a voice snarled behind her.

When she turned her face to see where that large booming voice was coming from, she found herself staring into the single eye of a cyclops! It was far larger than any dragon she'd ever seen. She was dangling between the thumb and forefinger, and his eye was just about as large as she was.

He turned her around, getting a look at her from all sides. He even lifted up her skirt, to which she let out a shriek. "Pretty! I like you!"

"Um, Mr. Cyclops, sir... If I may..."

"I'm Atlas," the huge monster corrected her.

"Right. Mr. Atlas, sir, I m looking for someone," she said. "I didn't mean to bother you or anything, I just I'm looking for someone I care about that hasn't been able to make it home and..." The more she spoke, the more she felt like she was rambling. "Would you kindly please put me down? I'll leave right away and never come back, I promise."

"I do like how you're polite, not trying to immediately kill me with swords," Atlas said. "Tell me about your friend, and I ll tell you if I've seen them. If I haven't, I'll let you go back to your search since you were so nice."

"Oh! Thank you very much, Mr. Atlas!"

"So. About your friend?"

Mahina thought about all the ways she could describe Hendrik to the monster to help identify him. "He's tall, but nowhere near as tall as you, of course and he has beautiful purple hair, wears a blue tunic..." The more she went on, the more she blushed as she thought about him, reaching to play with her pink hair. "...carries a large great sword and a shield very kind teal eyes, and his voice is deeper than the lovely ocean~"

The Atlas stared at her for a moment and his smile faded away almost instantly. "That's what your friend is like, is it?" he asked, rolling one his eye. "...listen, I like you a lot, miss, I really do, but I'm going to have to kill you."

"What?!" she said, gasping.

"Yep. I mean, if you're his friend, I m gonna have to take you away from him to teach him a lesson. Shouldn't go around murdering good folk when they haven't done anything wrong," the Atlas said.

"Didn't do anything wrong?" Mahina asked. "Monsters are trying to take the world from the humans now that Darkness is everywhere! You can't say that you guys aren't all ready killing what humans you find outside of the settlement! She put her hands on her hips. But you know what I m not going to argue with you, Mr. Atlas. The fact that you recognized him means that you saw him here! Where did he go? Did he leave? Is he still here?"

"Did you miss what I just said?" the Atlas asked. "I'm going to kill you to teach that brute a lesson!"

Mahina had to think of something, fast! Maybe, since he was so big, she could use him to find Hendrik? She frowned for a moment at the Atlas. "Okay, fine, you can kill me to avenge your friends," she said, shrugging. The Atlas was confused about that. "But before you do, I at least want to know that my friend is alive to see it. Please? If, Goddess forbid, he s already dead, would there really be a point to killing me?"

The Atlas thought about it for a moment. "If he's dead, you stay with me, okay? We both need new friends."

She nodded politely, though to be sure, she was scared out of her wits.

"He's been trying to get out of here for a while. All his little goons scampered away, but I know he s in here somewhere," the Atlas explained. He placed her on his shoulder. She'd never been this high up off the ground before. It was disorienting. When he noticed she had a hard time standing, he said, "Oh sit down all ready. I m hoping he all ready died that way I can keep you. You go falling from here, and we both lose."

She sat down, looking over the earth, desperately searching for her beloved.

"You have a guest. A lovely lady," the Atlas boomed. "Someone lookin' for you... though I don't know how someone like you has any friends."

"She isn't a friend of mine," yelled Hendrik's voice. "She isn't looking for me! Just send her back on her way."

Mahina gasped. He was alive. But as she looked around for him, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Let the lady see you," the Atlas said, reaching for his gargantuan club that had been leaning up against the mountainside. He grinned, knowing that he was going to get to smash something today. He didn't want to have to kill a lady. If she was up there and he was down here, it would be easy to just use his club and turn that knight into a bloody pulp. Sure, he figured she would cry, but he would keep her. He imagined the field in the spring, full of flowers. "I promised she'd get to see you before she dies, you see."

"Do not lay a hand on an innocent!" Hendrik yelled again. "Your malice should be towards me and no one else!"

"You mean like you, slayer of innocent monster-kind," the Atlas taunted. He looked at Mahina. "You. Call to him."

She shook her head. "No, I- I couldn't."c

"Call for your friend," the Atlas said. "Once he hears your voice, he will come out. You need to see him, I need to kill someone. Come on. Call to him."

"No," she said quietly.

He reached to pick her up again, holding her in the middle of his hand. "I'd rather not hurt you to do this, but..." He reached for her right arm, applying pressure to the elbow. Mahina screamed in pain.

"Hey! That hurts!" she cried, doing all she could to try to get away. "Let me go!"

Coming around from behind the Door of Departure, a battered and beaten Hendrik came out, with his two-handed greatsword pointed straight at the monster.

"Mmm," the Atlas grinned. "You liar! Must have broken the poor lady s heart to hear that you aren't her friend."

"Unhand the lady," Hendrik growled. "I give you this one chance."

"That's the thing," the Atlas said, putting her onto the ground. "She and I came to an agreement. She's going to pay for what you did!" He then lifted his huge club, staring down right at her.

She gathered up her skirt and started to run towards Hendrik as quickly as she could manage.

"What?" the Atlas asked. Now he really was angry. How could that nice lady do that to him? He wasn't even planning on squishing her! "That does it! You're both getting squashed! I was going to let one of you go, but clearly you two need to die together!"

"Hendrik!" she screamed as she raced to him.

"Mahina!?" he asked, his jaw dropped with shock to see her there. "What are you even doing out here?"

"I came out here to find you, of course!"

"Alone?"

"No, of course not! Your men accompanied me and taught me a bit about defending myself," she said.

"Get behind me, then," Hendrik said, "I will ensure you make it back home."

She took out her wand. "No," she said sternly. "I will stand with you. Fight with you."

The Atlas wasn't having any of this. He stomped towards them, and with each step, the ground rumbled beneath them. He reared back his club, ready to swing at them. Mahina cast Buff on them, and Hendrik took a stance ready to counter. When the blow hit, Mahina was knocked off her feet, but she was still alive. Hendrik slashed back without all of his strength, cutting the Atlas' arm. Mahina stared up at the Atlas. He towered over them. If she wasn't prepared enough to face a dragon, there wasn't much she could do against a monster like this. Hendrik noticed the hesitation in her eyes and stepped in front of her, pulling his shield off of his back.

"You don't have to defend me," she said.

"Yes, I do," Hendrik answered. "Even if it kills me, I must stand for you."

"The Last Bastion needs you far more than it needs me," Mahina said.

"The Last Bastion may need me, but..." he blushed a bit. "...I need you."

"...what?"

The Atlas let lose another blow, and Hendrik took the most of it behind his shield. It hurt, causing him to grunt in extreme pain, but he held still. She forced herself back up to her feet, applying her hands to his body and channeling all the healing energy she could muster to keep him standing.

"Hendrik," she whispered. "This might not be the best time to say this, but I have something I must tell you."

"Save your valediction, Mahina. We will live another day," Hendrik said.

"You don't know that..."

"Yes, I do. I know it in the depths of my heart." He tried to smile at her, but the now constant banging on his shield from the Atlas made it a bit difficult.

"I..." she said, trying not to let her dizziness knock her off her feet again. "...I'll do something."

"But... you're having a hard time standing, Mahina!"

"My head aches," she said, nodding. "My whole body hurts. But that's not going to stop me." She did her best to concentrate on the water spell she managed to manifest earlier. She imagined the sea that tried to kill her, feeling her fingertips turn just a bit cold. Even if the water drops couldn't hurt the monster that much, if only she could hit the right spot, that would be all they'd need to create an advantage. The Atlas was kneeling over. He didn't even see her there as he pounded away at Hendrik's shield. ...Seeing? That is a pretty sensitive spot for any living creature, even moreso for a cyclops! She grinned and let out the water spell with determination, aiming straight for his eye.

"Argh!" the Atlas screamed out, causing him to rear back as he rubbed his eyes.

This gave Hendrik the opportunity he needed to rush at the creature from behind the shield, slashing straight through its chest, causing blood to spurt all over him. He held it firm, pushing it in further in, making sure to kill it. The Atlas faded away like any other monster, leaving no spoil from the battle. He looked back at Mahina, who didn't seem to know exactly where she was at the moment.

"Mahina," he said, approaching her. "Thank you. I thought I... would be lost out here..."

"King Carnelian," she answered. When she started to fall over, he caught her against his chest. "When he... said you were lost... I..."

"You are so determined," he said. "Never did I think you would come looking for me..."

"I had to... because I... I, I... I couldn't think of living without you," Mahina confessed. "I asked people within the Last Bastion to help me grow stronger. Miss Amber gave me this wand, I learned from your own men how to work with magic, and I... I had to see you again!"

"...had you not come here, I might have let myself die in hiding," Hendrik said bashfully. "Whatever will I do without you?"

She had a hard time keeping her footing, so he picked her up into his arms after he gathered up all of his equipment. She nuzzled against him, thankful that they had been reunited. He carried her out of the grassy field and back into the tiny passageway between it and the Emerald Coast. They went slowly, as they were both hurt, but it didn't stop Hendrik from keeping his careful pace. Every now and then, he'd look down at her, just to reassure her that everything was going to be all right. Eventually, they had come to the party that had defended her on their way here. Mahina noticed that the dragon was gone, but many of the men were severely injured.

"Is that Sir Hendrik and Miss Mahina?" one of the soldiers asked, surprised.

"What? We did it!" another said.

Hendrik suddenly fell onto one knee, but he refused to allow Mahina to fall. His injuries had made it that much more difficult to keep going this way.

"Get two stretchers over here, now!" a guard shouted. "Take these two! We go home!"

As the guards had Mahina lay on a stretcher, she watched them put Hendrik on another. They used the items they had on hand to keep both of them alive, but neither of them were in shape to fight. The party slowly but surely made its way back to the Last Bastion and had both Hendrik and Mahina in their beds in their tiny cabin to rest. The knights reported to the King, and Carnelian came to visit them while they were both sleeping. He ordered for their wounds to be wrapped and treated, and to allow them as much rest as they needed. Every now and then, either of them would wake, look across the room and be a tad bit confused as to what happened. How they ended up at home.

This went on for at least a week.