Thanks to everyone reading and/or commenting~ I appreciate it! I'd write regardless, but it is always fun knowing you're not alone on an adventure, right? I hope you'll continue to enjoy this tale~

Tales of Vesperia: Lights and Shadows

Chapter 03 - Walking on Water

Yuri and Estelle were not going to talk about it. It was not that they had discussed it and came to the conclusion not to bring it up further. Rather, neither wanted to talk about it, so they conveniently did not. It left an awkward air between them that even left Repede walking on eggshells. Repede occupied himself apart from them by sniffing for anything that might lead them to their enemy's base.

As they made their way into the desert seeking out Kaufman's missing goods, they did what they always did. They fought enemies, with Yuri and Repede at the forefront and Estelle backing them up and healing as needed. They went on like this for a while without engaging in any sort of conversation. Repede eventually became irritated by both of them and strayed behind them.

After a little while, Estelle became irritated as well. This was not fair. Was he angry? And if so, why? She had intentionally said nothing to keep him from worrying about anything. She knew him well enough to know that the Council and nobility drove Yuri up the wall, but why was he giving her the silent treatment?

"You aren't being fair," Estelle finally said, flatly.

So they had to talk about it after all.

She trudged a little further through the sand, halting when he halted. She had been walking behind him. He froze and did not move, and she became a bit panicked. Nonchalantly, she walked around him and past him. She could tell by the way he gripped the rope bound to his sword that he was tense.

Uh-oh, she thought. Yuri had only really ever been angry at her one other time. She had said that she would be willing to die if it meant saving the world. Yuri had been not all too happy with this, but his approach to dealing with her had been gentle. Firm, but gentle. Yuri's own unique approach. She was wondering if she had somehow rattled all of the gentle out of him last night. He seemed pretty mad.

"Not being fair?" he began, surprisingly calm. "Can you really say that after how I got clued in on everything last night? Here I am thinking we're on a leisure job together. Meanwhile, you're thinking this is the last time we'll ever meet before you become a castle shut-in."

Estelle flushed red. She very casually whacked an oncoming enemy, and Yuri finished it off as it flew over her shoulder. A second enemy came into view, and Yuri swung it aside and allowed Estelle to blast it with a burst of light magic. Repede trailed along behind them, panting and uninterested in participating.

"I didn't want to worry you," she started.

A third enemy jumped her, and she thrust her rapier through it. It tried to elegantly jump off her blade and attack her, but Yuri ran it through from the opposite side, effectively killing it while also crossing blades with Estelle. They stood opposite one another, leering at each other over their crossed blades.

"Does it seem like it's working?" he asked her. Her eyes widened.

Another monster dove at them over a pile of sand. As they were both occupied, Repede had to jump in and finish it off. The dog growled and walked ahead of them, ensuring they were aware of his annoyance with them. Both withdrew their swords.

"It would have been fine if not for Flynn," Estelle grumbled. She pressed forward.

Silence followed. Estelle walked ahead of Yuri in an effort to keep from having to be confronted by him. Repede trudged ahead of them, sniffing through the sand in desperation. They carried on in this way for a while, the heat beginning to wear on them. They were not far from Mantaic, but they had been exploring a wide range of desert for a good portion of the day. Yuri was beginning to dislike his dark hair and clothing, Estelle regretted wearing so many layers, and Repede's head and tail were drooping.

"It isn't fair for you to be frustrated right now," Estelle continued after running through an argument in her head. In her mind, she wins. She hopes Yuri follows along the way she imagined it. "You always keep it from everyone when something is bothering you."

"Do not," Yuri said, monotone. For good measure, he added, "Prove it."

"We realize it, you know," Estelle said, picking up her skirt a bit and waving it through the air, wishing to ease the heat building up under all her layers. "You may not tell us what actually is bothering you, but we know." Yuri said nothing, so Estelle continued. "You get really quiet. And it's like you're in a faraway place. And your responses are halfhearted. Like now."

Estelle turned back at him with a smile. Yuri scowled at her a moment, then looked away. The princess continued forward, thankful again that he was there.

"I'm happy, you know," she said as she moved ahead. "I'm happy that it matters to someone other than just me. Thank you, Yuri."

Yuri glanced at her from behind before trailing after her. Sure, he was still frustrated that she said nothing. It was easier if she did. But he also understood her approach, because he always did the same thing.

They trudged forward only a little while longer before Repede froze with one paw in the air and his nose tucked in the sand. He sniffed, snorted, and then dashed ahead, barking. Yuri and Estelle exchanged a look before pursuing.

"Repede!" Yuri called out.

Repede ran forward until he reached a particular drift of sand, which he casually dove into, sniffing and snorting with great interest. There was a flowering cactus nearby. Yuri and Estelle hurried over, scanning the area before turning to Repede.

"You found something?" Yuri questioned, stepping over to the drift that Repede was so captivated by. He began to sift through the sand, curious. Repede barked into the drift before sneezing sand.

"What a strange cactus," Estelle commented, folding her hands in front of her. She stepped over to it, frowning. "I've never seen flowers like that before."

She stood in its shadow, examining the flowers in closer detail. After a moment, she frowned.

"These flowers are made of metal!" she exclaimed.

The princess began to reach for one to confirm what she thought she had discovered, and the swordsman and dog looked over at her in curiosity. However, as she made this very slight movement, there was a definite sound of cracking under her feet. Repede's ears were up in a second, and he jumped from the pile and stood to the side of her, growling. Yuri immediately climbed out of the sand, nervous.

"Wh-what was that?" Estelle asked, warily. She carefully brought her hand back down, but she did not dare to move her feet. "Something moved."

"Hold still," Yuri commanded her.

He stepped a bit closer but kept a decent distance away. He began to brush sand aside, sifting through it until he found a layer of wood not far underneath. The wood was old and decaying, and it appeared Estelle was standing directly on top of it. The swordsman's eyes traveled from the wood back up to her. Estelle swallowed hard.

"Is it a box?" she asked, hopeful.

"I think it's a door," Yuri responded, knowing she thought as much.

"And if I fall through?" Estelle tried to have a positive voice and a smile. The sound of cracking under her feet made it a difficult task.

"Let's not find out," Yuri said.

He carefully moved around the edge of the wood, clearing the sand off so he knew the extent of it. It was a lot larger than he had expected. Only part of it was a door. The remainder seemed to be a part of whatever it was they were standing over. Unfortunately, Estelle was directly in the center of it, and the entire thing was cracking under her feet.

As Yuri was considering, very quickly, the best course of action, Estelle was listening to cracking under her feet and ultimately holding her breath. She turned her head very slowly so she could look at Yuri, who met eyes with her.

"I'll jump," she breathed.

Crack.

"Stay still," Yuri told her, holding out his hand at her, palm held up to signal she not move. She was just out of his reach. He inched onto the wooden platform a bit, and it immediately started creaking under him as well.

Crack.

"I'll be fast," she breathed, the ground giving way under her feet. It was sagging drastically now.

Crack.

"Just hold on," Yuri commanded her again. He inched a little closer.

A board snapped under the princess, and she immediately flinched, closing her eyes. She obeyed Yuri and stood in place. Further snapping followed, and suddenly the entire platform collapsed. Estelle braced for a fall into jagged wood, but Yuri dove off shattering boards and snatched her out of the air. He had gotten close enough and dove with enough momentum to carry them to the other side. Barely. They landed in a pile of sand. Repede immediately rushed over to them, ears down.

Estelle remained flopped over in the sand, blinking at the vast blue sky overhead. Yuri, on the other hand, sat up immediately, shaking sand out of his shirt before inspecting what they had just managed to break. He climbed to his feet and stepped over to the edge of what had to be a large and deep vault. There were stairs leading down into it, though it was completely dark.

"Are you all right?" Yuri finally asked the princess lying in the sand.

"Yes," she responded.

As though she were still sitting on splintering ground, she cautiously sat up. Yuri offered her a hand, and she took it and allowed herself to be dragged to her feet. She joined him at the edge of the vault.

"This is it, then," she said, glancing one last time at the metal flowers stuck in the cactus.

"Shall we have a look?" Yuri questioned, though he had already started walking down the stairs.

"It's so dark, though," Estelle said. She followed after him, and Repede tagged behind her.

As the light from the sun faded, it gradually became cooler. Yuri traced a hand along the wall, taking cautious steps forward. They hadn't gotten far from the surface when Repede began to bark and growl.

"What is it?" Yuri tensed, snapping his sword from its sheath and standing in a defensive posture.

Repede rushed past his human companions, snarling at a presence only a dog could find in that darkness. And then, Estelle began to cast a spell on no one in particular. Rather, she used her magic as a way to flood the area with light if only for a second. And that was all they needed. As soon as her magic lit the vault, they saw piles of treasure, a table, and three men armed with daggers standing just a few feet in front of them.

"Damn!" Yuri staggered back, surprised.

"Photon!" Estelle cast her magic, bewildering the enemies who would have snuck up on them had Repede not stopped them in their tracks.

A burst of light filled the small vault, knocking the enemies aside and allowing Yuri a chance to jump into action. Swordsman and dog attacked the staggering assailants while Estelle stepped back and began to cast another spell, offering them some light in the process. It was enough. Yuri and Repede had the upper hand over their foes, and Estelle completed her spell.

"Angel Ring!" she called out.

A circle of light filled the vault and dropped the already staggering enemies to the floor. Darkness followed, but Repede whined a bit and nudged Yuri's leg, assuring the swordsman that the danger had passed.

"Hey Estelle, you think you can cast some light in here while we move this stuff out?" Yuri questioned, not particularly interested in fumbling around in the dark.

"Yes," she responded, determined.

Estelle began to cast protective and defensive spells merely for the sake of creating light to fill the dark space. As she did so, Yuri and Repede worked together to move crates of goods out of the vault and into the light. Yuri did most of the heavy lifting, but Repede was able to drag some bags up the stairs. At one point, Yuri was coming down the stairs again and caught a glimpse of one of the thieves getting up and preparing to attack Estelle while she was distracted. The swordsman had little time to panic, though. Repede flew off the stairs and landed on the thief's head, knocking him down, and Estelle followed up with another illuminated burst. He really had no reason to worry.

After they had moved everything out of the vault, they stood in the sweltering sunlight again and inspected their load.

"This is a lot to carry back," Yuri groaned. He was already drenched in sweat from carrying everything up the stairs. "Is all of this really Kaufman's?"

"Wasn't she only missing a couple of crates of those gems?" Estelle asked. She stepped over to one of about a dozen crates, pulling the top off to peek inside. "These look like old parts of blastia."

"They may have been down there for a while," Yuri pulled the lid off another, finding a case full of jewels similar to what he had acquired for Kaufman beforehand. "This is probably hers."

"What about the men, anyway?" Estelle glanced back at the vault where they had left the thieves. "What should we do with them?"

"Small fry," Yuri said. "We can send some knights after them or something. But as far as this stuff goes…"

"There must be some sort of cart in town we can borrow," Estelle suggested. "We can use it to haul everything back?"

"I like that idea better than carrying it all back," replied the swordsman. "Let's go."

"Just one moment," Estelle said.

The princess stepped back into the vault. Yuri raised an eyebrow, and then both he and Repede opened their eyes wide when she rained down another blast of light magic on their enemies. She came out of the vault to very bewildered faces.

"We cannot let them escape," she explained, fiercely.

"Normal people would probably just tie them up," Yuri commented, following Estelle as she headed back toward the town. He chuckled as he added, "Rita is rubbing off on you."

Yuri, Estelle, and Repede returned to Mantaic and hunted around for someone willing to lend a cart. As they were generally well liked in the desert town, they were easily able to acquire one. They gathered the goods from the desert and brought a knight along to arrest the thieves. When all was said and done, it was extremely late and they were all frazzled and overheating. They returned to the inn to rest.

Repede flopped down on the ground and did not move again. Yuri and Estelle each found a bed and collapsed, Yuri onto his back and Estelle onto her stomach.

"I feel sand everywhere," Estelle mumbled, staring at the wall in a haze. "I want to take a bath, but I can't move."

"I hate the desert," Yuri muttered.

The swordsman held his arm out over the side of the bed. He unrolled a bit of his sleeve, pouring a pile of sand out of it. He stared at it in disbelief, then did the same with the other. Finally, he rolled out of bed and unraveled his belt. Sand spilled from the folds of the belt and out of his shirt. He proceeded to shake out his boots until he had a fairly large hill of sand at his feet.

In the meantime, Estelle pulled herself upright and watched as he did these things. For a while, she merely smiled at him as he shook sand off himself, but she giggled when he took a boot off and dumped an unhealthy amount of sand onto the floor. Yuri glanced up at her, dubious.

"Just wait until you shake yourself off," he told her, tossing his boots to the side before flopping back down on the bed again.

Yuri leaned against the wall at the head of the bed, looking at Estelle on the opposite wall. She also sat up against the wall at the head of her bed. Whereas he sat with a knee bent up with an arm slung over it, she sat with her ankles crossed and her fingers entwined over her stomach.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier," Estelle finally said with a very soft smile. She closed her eyes. "I should have told you the truth."

Yuri stared across the space between them, watching as she shifted a bit before lifting her head again. He leaned his head back against the wall.

"I can't really hold it against you. I would have done the same thing," he responded, honestly.

"I do feel better, though," Estelle told him, never losing the smile on her face. Her shoulders rose a bit as she giggled again. "It did help seeing how upset you were. It was nice to have my feelings validated."

Yuri hesitated to speak. She was smiling again, and genuinely. He wanted to not disrupt that. But he also had to know something. For her sake, but also possibly for his.

"You're not okay with this, are you?" he finally asked her.

She relaxed but continued to smile at him. Then, she looked away, casting her eyes to the blanket underneath her. She patted it a moment and then smoothed it out.

"It isn't ideal," she told him. "I used to read storybooks in the castle about princesses being saved by a knight in shining armor. Princesses being swept off their feet into a whirlwind romance with a valiant hero." As she said this, her cheeks turned a hint red. She smiled back at Yuri. "I am most certain these stories were written by princesses who were partnered off in some far less extravagant way. Such as by being married off to…"

She stopped. Yuri filled in the blanks for her.

"To stuffy old members of the Council wearing stupid hats," he said.

"Yes, with stupid hats," laughed the princess, though very sadly. Though she was smiling, her eyes began to fill with tears. She hastily closed her eyes and wiped her tears away. "If I can support Ioder and the Empire in this way, it won't be such a burden. I'll find a way to continue to help others."

Yuri remained silent, carefully considering her words.

"So," he began, and then he asked her, "Are you really okay with this?"

Estelle looked him straight in the eyes.

"No," she answered him. "But I can make compromises, too. I am a princess, after all."

Estelle continued to smile at him, but he did not reciprocate. She eventually turned and laid down on the bed, pulling the pillow and blanket up around her head as if to burying herself within them.

"Everything will be okay," she breathed.

"I'll sneak you out of the castle," Yuri told her. "Hell, I'll sneak you out on your wedding day."

Estelle laughed quietly into the pillow, her eyelids fluttering.

"Thank you, Yuri," she said. "But it frightens me a little because I know you mean that."

Yuri laughed and then lowered himself back down on the bed, folding one arm under his head and resting the other across his stomach.

"Goodnight, Yuri," Estelle whispered, nearly asleep.

Yuri stared at the ceiling.

"Night, Estelle."

Estellise.

Estelle's eyelids fluttered. She definitely thought she heard a voice, but she could not tell if she was actually awake or asleep. She shifted in her bed and firmly closed her eyes once again. She was so tired.

Estellise.

It was louder this time. Estelle allowed her eyes to open, staring into darkness. She blinked a few times as her mind cleared of a fog created by exhaustion. The princess lifted her head off the pillow and scanned the room at the inn. Yuri was fast asleep in his bed, and Repede was comfortably sprawled out on the floor and sound asleep.

Estellise.

Estelle turned her head toward the window. There was a familiar glow there, one that feigned moonlight but was definitely something else. She quickly rose from her bed and tiptoed across the floor, gazing out the window toward the lake. Sure enough, the beautiful woman with white hair stood illuminated near the lake again.

Their previous meeting had been interrupted by Flynn, Estelle recalled. She had never learned the identity of this woman who had whisked her away in a brilliant white daydream. The princess slid out the door of the room and hurriedly exited the inn, heading to the lake to meet up with this person Estelle thought for certain was a spirit. Her heart filled with excitement, recalling the beautiful song and dance she had been carried away into before.

"Hello again," Estelle said as she approached the woman.

The woman did not respond at first, nor did she begin a melody. She kept her back to Estelle. A gentle breeze blew across the lake, creating ripples and causing it to glow, illuminated by the woman in white. Estelle tilted her head, a gentle smile on her face.

"Are you a spirit? Could you tell me your name?" she asked, sweetly.

"I am so sorry," said the woman. Her voice trembled and was definitely sad, but it almost sounded harmonic to Estelle's ears. Even in speech, she sang.

"What for?" Estelle questioned. She stepped closer. "Is there something wrong?"

The woman in white turned and faced Estelle, her eyes filled with tears. Estelle frowned in concern, stepping closer and reaching for the mysterious woman's hand. She took it at once and held it firmly in both of her own.

"Please don't cry," Estelle told her, giving the pale hand a gentle squeeze. "Everything will be okay."

"I never meant to do it," whispered the woman, looking Estelle in the eye.

Her eyes were strange, Estelle thought. Pale and beautiful, yet cold. It felt as though the woman looked through her rather than at her. It felt as though her eyes could see everything inside of Estelle, to the very depths and beyond. It sent a chill up her spine and caused her gentle countenance to falter if only slightly. Estelle had to swallow hard before continuing.

"You can tell me what happened," she told the woman.

"I never wanted…" began the woman.

She gave a gentle tug on Estelle's hand, leading her toward the water. Estelle could do nothing but look into those white glowing eyes. They were consuming, haunting, and painfully sad. Estelle felt that they could see everything within her but also that they had seen so many hurtful things. This spirit, this woman… To Estelle, she seemed broken. And this hurt Estelle, too.

Back at the inn, Repede huffed and began to sneeze sand. The dog flopped around on the ground a few times in a sneezing attack before standing and shaking himself off completely, sending sand scattering through the air off of his fur. He sat and adjusted the pipe in his mouth before noticing they were short a party member. Ears alert, he stepped over to the window and climbed up with his front paws on the sill. He shifted the pipe in his mouth again before he began to growl.

He leapt from the window and immediately began barking, attempting to wake his human partner. Yuri was fast asleep, not stirred by the sound. The dog bounded onto the bed and began trying to nudge the dark-haired swordsman straight out of it.

"Stop, Repede," Yuri grumbled, far too exhausted to be bothered.

Frantic barking was followed by Repede biting the front of Yuri's shirt, yanking him upright.

"What?" Yuri was awake now, though begrudgingly. He swatted at Repede and forced the dog to release his shirt, scowling at him with only half-open eyes. "I'm awake! What?"

Repede stood over Yuri barking frantically before stepping just aside, allowing the human to see the empty bed across from him. Yuri was awake then. Repede hopped from the bed and raced to the window, barking and growling. The swordsman he was summoning obeyed immediately, joining him at the window. And then, Repede raced to the door, scratching at it and barking. Yuri frowned at the view he found at the lake.

The woman in white continued to lead Estelle by the hand, gentle and dreamlike. Estelle's feet passed from sand to water without her realizing. When the woman finally released the princess' hand, they stood at the center of the lake, walking atop the water. Estelle was lost within the woman's white eyes, held captive by the sorrow she was certain she saw within them. It took her a moment to look about and realize where they stood, and then she released a short gasp, looking around.

"How…?" she started, stunned.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," said the woman in white, drawing Estelle's attention back to her.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Repede hurried out of the inn, stopping a short distance from the lake. Estelle was alone, or so it seemed to them. However, there was definitely a reflection on the lake that did not belong—a beautiful woman dressed in glowing white.

"Everything will be okay," Estelle tried again, hurting for this woman who hurt.

The princess sweetly reached out her hand to wipe away the other woman's tears.

"I am so very sorry," said the woman again, her eyes closing.

"Why?" Estelle asked, tilting her head to the side.

The woman looked at her directly, then. Her eyes were cold as ice and empty.

"Because of me," she started. "You have to die."

Estelle's eyes went wide. And all at once, the water shifted, spiraling up around them in a funnel before swallowing them and dragging them underneath the surface.

"Estelle!" Yuri cried out.

He began to race toward the lake that had just opened up and swallowed his friend, but a beam of light erupted from the lake and blinded and stilled him. The light formed a pillar that reached to the heavens and beyond, swallowing the sky in white.

Yuri covered his eyes as the light struck, but he moved forward regardless, flinching. He took only two steps before something hit him hard. It was a black flash that created horrific shadows within the light. It struck Yuri without a sound and little warning, tearing a hole in his side and knocking him flat on his back. Yuri had barely thought to pull out his sword before another fell upon him and he found himself slashing at a shadow.

And then the light was gone and Mantaic came back. Even still, shadows poured out of the lake, rushing the village and anyone and everything in their way. Both Yuri and Repede were engaged by them in battle, though what they were was still a mystery. They moved fast and hardly seemed to have a shape. They did not seem solid aside from their ability to inflict harm. Even without the blinding light, they still seemed to be nothing but shadows.

An explosion arose from within the village. Yuri flinched and looked back, seeing that something had started on fire. The shadows were leaping through the village and destroying whatever they touched.

"Repede! The villagers!" Yuri called out, noting that his canine companion was less engaged and far less injured than he was.

Repede barked in agreement and immediately dashed into the depths of the village, seeking out people to protect. Yuri, on the other hand, was taken down by another one of the shadows. He kicked it and flipped it over his head. It flickered and fell upon him again, unaffected by the blade of his sword. He slashed through it and slid aside, parrying what appeared to be a spear created by blackness. The swordsman was not so lucky, though, when another creature fell on him from behind, knocking him to his knees. He was still resisting the shadow at his front, leaving him completely defenseless. Yuri flinched, braced for pain.

Metal clashed against metal. Yuri dared to look behind him, seeing not a creature of shadow but a massive axe instead. The swordsman followed the handle and found the wielder standing over him, guarding him from what could have been a fatal blow from behind.

"You-!"

Riddick spun his axe out and smashed the shadow to pieces. He casually shoved Yuri to the side and crushed the creature he had been engaged with. The mercenary's axe tore them to pieces in one swift blow.

A line of the shadows appeared at the edge of the lake. They were beginning to take on the appearance of men, at least compared to what they had been before. Yuri currently ignored the condition of his body and forced himself to his feet. He braced for an attack, but Riddick stepped ahead of him, casually resting the handle of his axe on his shoulder.

"Go save that girl," he commanded Yuri.

Yuri looked beyond the row of shadows to the lake. It was painfully still now, and there was not a trace of life. At once, the swordsman nodded and complied. Riddick rushed the row of shadow creatures, creating an opening for Yuri. The swordsman, in turn, dove into the water in pursuit of his lost companion.

The water was deeper than he anticipated, and it was surprisingly cool. He struggled to see through the darkness, looking for any trace of Estelle in the blackness. At the very depths of the pool was a faint light, and Yuri swam for it. Sure enough, at the deepest and coolest part of the lake was Estelle. The princess was bound by chains of light that flickered across her body, and the source of the chains were four crystals shining dimly in the darkness.

Yuri tried simply grabbing for the princess, to no avail. He was quickly running out of breath, and Estelle was already unconscious. In desperation, he pointed his sword at the crystals surrounding her, smashing them one after the other. The lights faded and the chains released her. Yuri immediately wrapped an arm around her, then pushed off the floor of the lake and propelled them towards the surface. The surface was a little too far, and he choked on a shallow breath of water before reaching air. Nonetheless, he made it, and he brought Estelle with him.

Yuri dragged the princess back to the sandy beach. He dropped her before collapsing to his knees beside her, coughing an uncomfortable amount of water out of his lungs. Realizing Estelle was likely in no better shape than he was, Yuri twisted her onto her side and patted her firmly on the back. Thankfully, she began coughing out water, too.

Yuri quickly caught his breath and turned and found Riddick standing nearby, his axe strapped to his back. Repede had returned from the village then and was sitting at the mercenary's feet with his ears back. The canine immediately stepped over to them, whining.

"We're alright," Yuri assured his partner, putting a hand on Repede's head before exhaling deeply. He was alive, but he was certainly light headed. It reminded him that he was bleeding, and he quickly clutched his side.

Repede's ears suddenly straightened, and he became alert. The dog stood and arched his back, growling viciously at the water. Yuri tightly gripped his sword again and positioned himself between the lake's edge and Estelle. He kept on one knee, but he would get to his feet if he had to. Riddick stepped further ahead of them all, gripping the handle of his axe in preparation for another attack.

Out of the water arose another shadow, though this one seemed to come together out of the darkness of the water, pieced together by the water itself. It came together until it was very much the shape of a powerful man, taller and stronger than Riddick. The creature remained almost entirely without color, though his eyes were purely red, and the frayed edges of his black clothing were of a similar scarlet. He grinned at them, wickedly, before casting his gaze on Yuri. Yuri tensed and held his sword forward, prepared to fight.

"Yuri Lowell," said the creature, its voice deep and something between a serpent's hiss and a wolf's growl. Crimson eyes moved beyond Yuri to the princess he was guarding. "And Estellise Sidos Heurassein."

Yuri moved himself to intercept the shadow's gaze, effectively taking its attention off Estelle. The dark creature grinned fiercely at the young swordsman before setting eyes on Riddick. The mercenary drew his axe and did not wait for another word to be spoke. He lunged forward and slashed at the creature. It disappeared in a wall of smoke and did not reappear.

"It knew us by name," Yuri mused.

He flinched and pulled his hand off his side, noting that his fingers and palm were completely red.

"You should see a doctor," Riddick commented, propping the head of his axe in the sand. He leaned on it, casually.

"Damn, those things hit hard," Yuri commented.

A weak moan drew his attention behind him. Estelle flinched before opening her eyes with a start. She flew upright, looking around frantically and completely out of breath. The princess seemed lost and frightened until her eyes fell upon Repede and then finally Yuri. She met eyes with Yuri before her gaze trailed down to the hand holding his side, blood visibly seeping between his fingers.

"You're hurt!" Estelle gasped, hastily moving closer to him and hovering her hands just over his injury.

She closed her eyes and called upon her powers to heal his wound. A circle of golden energy appeared under her feet before a warm circle of light spun around Yuri, healing his wound in a flash. Riddick looked surprised at this, keeping a hand on the tip of his axe handle but leaning in the opposite direction.

"Thanks," Yuri said. He pulled his hand off the wound. It was healed, but he was still covered in blood. Still light headed, too.

Estelle slowly turned to Repede who was sitting nearby. She noticed cuts and scrapes on him as well, so she diligently went to work fixing his injuries. Finally, she found Riddick. At once, she was on her feet, despite the fact that she was still short of breath and light headed as well, and stood before him. He had a few cuts but was hardly in danger. She raised her hands to heal him, but he immediately pulled back.

"Whoa," he started. "Keep all that weird stuff to yourself."

"It will help," she told him. Ignoring his protest, she called on her powers and healed the shallow wounds across his body.

By then, Mantaic was very alive. Villagers were shouting and working to put out fires and piece together broken items. Estelle, immediately after she had finished with Riddick, allowed her eyes to travel to surrounding villagers. In haste, she rushed off to help them. Repede followed after her.

Riddick looked at where there had been a shallow gash in his arm but no longer. He twisted his arm and then made a fist.

"What the hell was that?"

Yuri finally rose to his feet, brushing some sand off his pants but realizing it was a lost cause. He did not bother to give a response. He shifted his sword from his left hand to his right, glancing at something he had been clinging to desperately since he had emerged from the lake. In his hands he held three very small crystals, identical to those he had retrieved for Kaufman. These, however, had been a part of something larger, and they had been the force pinning Estelle to the bottom of the lake. He shifted them around before clenching them in a fist. Yuri glanced up and found Riddick watching him curiously. The swordsman shot a poisonous glare at him.

"I appreciate the help, but that was some damned good timing," he said, accusingly. "You're not following us, are you?"

"Maybe," Riddick answered, casually. His response caught Yuri by surprise. He had at least expected somewhat of an argument or cover-up.

"I thought I said I wasn't interested in a fan club," Yuri responded.

Riddick swept up his massive axe and hung it across his shoulders. He grinned at Yuri before turning away from the young swordsman, heading into the town.

"Maybe I'm a part of the girl's fan club," Riddick retorted. He stopped and looked off to the side at some villagers being tended to by the princess. "She's cute, right?"

Yuri was too tired to engage the man, so he simply scowled at him. Riddick watched the princess a moment longer, then grinned and turned away.

"She's going to pass out."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Repede began barking and villagers began to make a fuss. Yuri followed in Riddick's wake and turned to the side, finding Estelle slumped over in a middle-aged woman's lap. The woman had a tear across her shoulder, blood on the clothing but flesh entirely healed. The poor, unsuspecting woman was frantically trying to wake Estelle while repeatedly stating that she had nothing to do with it. Yuri sighed, then turned his head in order to find Riddick. The mercenary, however, was already gone.