-==Northern Cheagle Woods==-
Luke huffed and wiped a line of sweat from his brow, then turned back and looked for Tear and Ion, who were trudging after him slowly. The opening to the Liger Queen's lair laid before him, and he swallowed nervously. The last time he was here, he and Tear almost died, living only because of Jade's interference. He had noticed earlier that his strength had diminished greatly, even though he had retained all knowledge of his artes, and he reasoned that he was as strong as he had been during his first visit to the woods.
"Master, can we talk real quick?" Mieu asked, staring up from the grass in front of Luke.
"What's up?" Luke asked.
"Well, it's just that…hasn't this all happened before?" the cheagle questioned.
"That's right, you kept your memories, too," Luke muttered. "Look, I'm not really sure what happened, but we've been given another chance to prevent the atrocities that Mas-" he paused and shook his head before correcting himself, "-Van and I committed from happening. I won't let what happened to Akzeriuth and all the replicas at the Tower of Rem happen again."
"I'll work hard, too, master!" Mieu exclaimed, hopping up happily.
"Actually, I've been thinking, Mieu," Luke said. "How would you like to start helping in battle?"
"Mieu?" he said, cocking his head to the side.
"All you gotta do is breathe fire when I give the signal," Luke reassured him, grabbing the cheagle by his head and standing up.
"You shouldn't run off ahead, Luke," Tear chastised him as her and Ion caught up to him. "What are you doing with Mieu?" she questioned with a glare.
Luke sighed. "Listen, Tear, just cut it out with the hard-ass soldier girl thing already," he said. "This shit's getting old." Her old soldier ways, the way she treated him before his very important haircut down in the Qliphoth, were really, really annoying and impersonal. Ion knelt down on the ground close-by and caught his breath. "Sorry for snapping like that," Luke mumbled after a moment. Tear frowned, but walked ahead without replying. "Dammit." Luke cupped his face in his free hand, cursing whatever brought him back here.
(What're you crying about, replica?) Asch asked with a fair amount of happiness at Luke's expense. (Anyway, what were you saying about using that thing against monsters?)
"You'll see," Luke replied through clenched teeth.
"Did you say something, Luke?" Ion asked.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Tear looked back as Luke and Ion began descending the hole after her. "Are you done goofing off?" she asked, glaring at Luke.
"Hey, Ion was resting," Luke shot back. "Dammit, you're so annoying!"
"I could say the same to you," Tear stated before walking off.
(Hey, are you regressing?) Asch asked.
"What?" Luke snapped at himself.
(Yeah, you're going back to being the asshole you used to be. What's the deal?)
"I'm just trying to rush things along, and Tear's giving me lip, and Ion's…"
"Yes, Luke?" Ion asked, still right behind him.
"Nothing, Ion," Luke grumbled.
(Heh, everyone's gonna think you're crazy psycho within a week,) Asch laughed.
"Hate you. So very much," he said, storming off after Tear, leaving Ion to trail after him, completely confused.
"Luke, quit carrying Mieu like that," Tear said when they caught up to her.
"Bite me," he said, brushing past her towards the green Memory Circle. After healing, he walked back and passed Tear again, this time into the opening that the Liger Queen had turned into her home. "Hey, stupid liger," he all but yelled as he got closer. The queen raised her head and turned, then roared at Luke and his companions. "Mieu, tell her that if she doesn't pack up and leave I'll bust her with a hyperresonance."
"Mieu mieu!" Mieu cried out from Luke's grip. "Mieu mieu mieu! Mieu mieu!" The queen replied with another massive roar. "She doesn't know what a hyperresonance is, master. Also, she's really, really angry."
"Yeah, yeah, the eggs. Whatever." Luke shook his head angrily. "Tear, get ready. Negotiations have failed. Ion, stand back." Tear nodded and stepped to Luke's side, holding her staff ready while Luke drew his sword, and quickly realized that he hadn't swapped his wooden practice blade for an actual sword back in Engeve. "Aw, crap."
"Luke, here it comes," Tear said, quickly sprinting away to a safer casting position while the liger queen rushed towards him.
"Get ready, Mieu," Luke said, side-stepping a slash from the large liger, and followed with a quick Fang Blade. At the peak of his jump, he tilted Mieu's head down at the queen and yelled, "Now, Mieu!"
Mieu quickly released a small blast of fire from its mouth, and the queen howled loudly in pain. Luke landed and leapt back, smiling as he noticed a red ring of fonons on the ground around the beast.
"O seal of fire," he heard Tear start, "strike down my enemy. Flamme Rouge!"
A ring of fire surrounded the liger queen and burned a glyph into the ground, from which more fire erupted forth. Luke wasted no time in rushing back into the fray, lashing out at the beast with his sword, though the amount of damage he inflicted with it was negligible. The liger queen swatted at him and knocked him back, and then switched her sights to Tear.
"Tear!" Luke cried out as he bounced on the ground and landed back next to Ion. "Mieu, I'm gonna launch you at the liger. Hit it with the biggest blast of fire you can manage."
"Launch?" Mieu repeated hesitantly.
Luke pushed himself up and held Mieu up, concentrating fonons into his right hand. "Raging Blast!" he yelled as he detonated the ball of fonons, sending Mieu flying across the clearing.
Mieu bounced along the back of the liger, and, once on top of her, grabbed onto her fur and let loose a stream of fire. The liger howled in pain again and thrashed about wildly, trying to dislodge the small blue creature that had taken to raining fire upon her fur. Tear took the chance to dash past the frantic beast and headed closer to her red-headed companion before readying her casting stance. Luke became enveloped in a flash of light, and quickly found himself able to stand. "You okay?" Tear asked.
"Yeah, thanks," he replied, turning his attention towards the bucking liger and the flailing cheagle that was still spewing fire from his mouth. "I didn't think that he'd actually be that effective. C'mon, let's go help him."
"I've got a better idea," another voice stated, and the two turned to see Jade, still smiling, walk up to the two. "Tell the cheagle to run. I'll finish the liger."
"Right," Luke said with a nod before rushing towards the liger. "Mieu, disengage! Jade's gonna attack!"
Mieu squeaked and released his grip, and the liger's movements sent him soaring into the air. He landed moments later in Luke's outstretched hands. "Ready for the fireworks?"
"Shouldn't we let her live, though?" Mieu asked. "She's the reason Arietta hated us, right?"
Luke's smile faded as he heard an incantation behind him. "I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, command thee, who opens the gates of hell! Come forth, divine lightning!" Jade's smile turned into a more sinister smirk. "This ends now! Indignation!"
Luke leapt backwards as a massive bolt of lightning shot through the colonel's glyph, incinerating the queen and scorching the ground that she had been standing off. "What the hell was that?" Luke yelled, slumping to his knees in shock.
The only reply was Jade's smug smile and a simple shrug of his shoulders.