Siren: Hello, people!
Muse: I think this has the longest word count we've ever reached on this site.
Siren: Really? We should have a party!
(poof) Party Balloon: Are you guys on drugs?
Muse: I'm on Charlie Sheen.
Siren: That's a gateway drug, Muse. Shame on you. (beats with a smart phone)
Party Balloon: (sigh) Sirens & Muses don't own ToS. (poof)
Siren: If you review, I promise there'll be more violence against Muse!
Muse: Great...
The woman's name was Sheena, and Raine didn't like her. At all. Of course, Luke couldn't blame her: meeting a person who tried to kill you multiple times puts a damper on the relationship. But at the same time, he felt bad for Sheena, who was trying so hard to save her own world at the expense of Sylvarant.
"You do know where she's from, right?" Luke whispered to Kratos that night, where the two were huddled away from the campfire. Sheena sat even further away, lurking in the shadows; Raine was giving her dirty looks from behind the book she was reading. The other three were playing a game of charades near the fire. Lloyd was, apparently, trying to be dead squirrel.
"Of course I know," Kratos snapped. "Tethe'alla."
"Mizuho, to be exact," Luke answered back. "Her clothes give it away. Lucy wore similar ones when we lived there."
"So," Kratos said tiredly. "I see you and your family are just as-"
Luke never found out what exactly his family was, because Kratos' head snapped up in the opposite direction and Colette suddenly said, "Shh!"
The charades game stopped abruptly. "What is it?" Lloyd asked, worried.
"…Footsteps," Colette answered. "A lot of people, coming this way."
"Fast," Kratos whispered.
"Corrine, come out," Sheena said. There was a puff of smoke and what looked to Luke like a guinea pig with blue wings appeared. "Scout ahead." Without another word, the animal obeyed. Raine watched it go with narrowed eyes.
"We should move," Luke said. "It could be Desians."
Moments later, Corrine came back, leaping onto Sheena's shoulder. "Soldiers!" she squeaked. "Lots of them, coming this way."
"Let's move," Kratos said with finality.
It took less than ten minutes to undo their campsite. By that time, Kratos' hand was flexing over his sword. "How close?" Luke whispered.
"Very," he answered simply. "We don't have more than five minutes."
Luke glanced around. They were camped directly outside of Luin, not far from the ruins of the town. Lloyd came up to them, the rest of the group following.
"Colette says they're almost here. What should we do, Kratos?"
Kratos was squinting towards the source of the footsteps. "...If there aren't any prisoners with them, fighting would be pointless."
"But if there are prisoners," Colette said, "we can't let them go back to the ranch."
"Are they heading for us or for Luin?" Genis asked, frowning.
"Why would they come to Luin?" Sheena asked.
"…They know this is where we'd be," Kratos answered. "The Chosen ends up visiting most major cities on her journey. If they've been keeping tabs on us, they'd know this is the next stop."
"We should go to Luin," Luke said. "If they're looking for us, we can hide. If they have prisoners, we can ambush them."
Raine nodded. "Then we should hurry up."
The group bustled off towards Luin, with Kratos and Luke once again hanging back. This time, though, they weren't alone.
"This Kvar guy…is he a good fighter?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes and no," Luke said slowly, glancing towards Kratos. His face was stony, staring ahead. "Kvar is a tactical leader. He runs his ranch efficiently, and I'd imagine that's how he runs his battles, too. Even worse, Kvar knows exactly which buttons to push on his opponents. The trick is not to get riled up by what he tells you."
"So, don't get all hotheaded?"
"Precisely." Luke smiled. "I know that's hard for you, Lloyd, but try to keep a level head."
Lloyd ignored his jibe. "So, Kvar won't be easy to kill."
"He certainly won't be easy to get to," Luke responded. "Magnius had guards around every corner of his ranch, guarding him with brute force. Kvar's ranch is a maze of tricks, puzzles, and traps. But his actual fighting style is easy enough to see through."
"His fighting style?"
Kratos finally spoke up. "Kvar's fighting style is very simple. He uses lighting magic, but rarely does he ever physically attack you. In fact, if you manage to get close to him, you'll probably be fine."
They had reached Luin. It looked even worse in the dark, when the shadows and silhouettes of the destroyed buildings looked like monsters. Genis was glancing around nervously.
"Where should we hide?" Sheena asked. She, too, looked shaken, but she was trying to hide it.
Raine pointed. "It would be too conspicuous to hide together in a large group. Three of us hide behind the inn, the rest hide behind that house. And be quiet," she added.
Colette, Lloyd, and Genis immediately split off to hide behind the inn. Even through the darkness, Luke could see their occasional movements. He, Kratos, Sheena, and Raine crept behind the house nearby. Suddenly, Kratos said, "I think that's them. No one move."
They flattened themselves against the back wall of the destroyed house, not even breathing loudly. The footsteps of at least thirty soldiers pounded against the dirt. Luke could make out a few gasps and mutters.
A deep, elegant voice resonated through the ghostly town. "Search the area. If the Chosen is still here, we can catch her. And remember, don't harm her or her companions. Our leader needs them alive."
"Lord Botta," a soldier said, "Who destroyed the town?"
"…Most likely Kvar. We needn't worry about him; our leader will take care of him."
Luke listened as the guards searched the interior of the destroyed house, just on the other side of the wall he was leaning against. "Guys," he whispered. "Guys, we need to move. They'll find us."
Kratos shook his head. "They aren't looking very carefully. I heard one of them say that the inn was all clear; evidently, they haven't found Lloyd or the others."
"They don't expect us to be here?" Raine whispered. "Then why would they check?"
"A precaution, or perhaps they're hoping for a lucky break."
"Either way," Sheena added quietly, "We can't stand and fight. There's too many of them."
"We'll have to run at our first chance," Luke agreed. Raine and Kratos nodded, and the group was silent again.
"There's no sign of them. Shall we go fetch Lord Y-?"
The crack of splintering wood ripped through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of the wood hitting the ground with a thump, followed by a very loud "Gah!"
All the soldiers turned towards the inn. "It came from over there!" one of them said, raising his weapon. The rest of the soldiers mimicked him and they all started to converge on where Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were.
"S-sir! It's the Chosen!" a shocked soldier shouted. "And two of her companions!"
Botta made a growling noise. "Incompetent fools! You could've ruined everything! Search the rest of the area, thoroughly, for the others!" Three soldiers, each dragging one of the three children, emerged from behind the inn. Lloyd had to be supported by a forth, as whatever had collapsed had hit his leg.
Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers crawled through the town, searching every nook and cranny for the rest. Luke edged around the side of the house, hoping to get a better view. Unfortunately, he ended up giving the soldiers a better view.
"Hey! Who goes there?" A rough hand grabbed Luke's shoulder and spun him around. "Another one, eh? Where are the rest?"
"Not here," Luke lied through his teeth. "We lost them in the forest on our way here."
"Well, we'll just see if that's true," another said, and went to the other side of the house to check. Luke saw three shadowy figures creeping out through the town entrance while no one was watching.
"No one's here!" the soldier reported. After a few minutes of silence, the rest of the soldiers returned, reporting that there was no sign of anyone in the destroyed town.
"Good," Botta said. "We'll take these four, then."
A guard roughly poked Luke in the back with his sword. "Let's move," he snarled.
In response, Luke raised the middle finger of his left hand.
The hilt of the weapon slammed into his spine, making him fall. He pulled himself up just in time to get the same hilt thrust into his gut.
"Move it!" the soldier ordered him. Luke stood and walked as slowly as possible out of Luin, trying to assess the situation. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were being prodded along beside him.
"Now what?" Lloyd asked.
"We must be headed back to where we were before, in Triet," Genis answered.
"Or Kvar's ranch," Luke whispered. "I hope it's not Kvar's ranch." Just the thought of seeing that waste of skin was enough to get him pissed off.
"Please, let them go," Colette said. "I'm the Chosen. You only want me, right?"
"You are not the only one Lord Yuan wants to see," Botta said.
"Yuan?" The word was out of Luke's mouth before he could stop it. "Son of a bitch. That's why you kept calling him 'our leader'."
"You know this Yuan guy?" Lloyd questioned. Botta raised an eyebrow, apparently wondering the same thing.
"Oh, yeah, we know each other real well," Luke said bitterly. "Very close."
"He's not far," Botta said, nodding ahead. "He stayed away in case things with the Chosen got…nasty."
Luke snorted. Yes, if Kratos knew that it was Yuan trying to kidnap Lloyd, things would get very nasty, very quick.
"Please," Colette begged again. "Let my friends go."
"I'm afraid not, Chosen," Botta said. Luke noticed that his voice got softer when he spoke to Colette.
"Why does he want us, anyway?" Lloyd asked viciously.
"He has his reasons," the older man said. "We're very close. He's at the inn up ahead."
It took Luke a moment to realize that they'd walked to Hima. Or what was left of it.
Years ago, the town had been more than a tiny inn and a tarp. It had homes, families, until Kvar got to it. Then it met the same fate as Luin. The only difference was that Luin was important enough to rebuild.
"Inside," a soldier grunted, nudging Luke forward with his sword. Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping he could keep his temper in check.
"Well, well, I see we have a few friends that tagged along," a voice rang out as footsteps descended the stairs. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped right in front of him. "Luke? What are you doing here?"
Nope.
Luke kicked out, hitting Yuan right between the legs. He doubled over in pain as the guard pressed his blade against Luke's back. "Apologize to Lord Yuan!" he snarled.
"No, it's fine," Yuan was back on his feet, as calm as ever. "Let him go. We'll take a walk."
The guard looked at Yuan doubtfully. "But, sir, he's dangerous-"
"Do you think I can't protect myself?" Yuan laughed. "He's a mere child. Come." He motioned to Luke to leave the inn. He hesitated at first, but decided to follow.
"I'll be back soon," he assured the other three. Turning to Yuan, he said, "You had better not hurt them."
Yuan nodded. "Take them into that room. And heal him," he added, pointing to Lloyd. Botta nodded and the rest of the soldiers saluted before ushering the kids into the room. "Oh, and Botta?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Don't let them talk. I find that they get into trouble when they conspire."
Botta saluted and followed the soldiers as Luke and Yuan left.
Yuan walked with Luke in silence up to the plateau, where he sat down over the edge. "Sit with me," he whispered. Luke did so, but he faced away, avoiding Yuan's gaze.
"So," Luke said, "I see you're working with the Desians now."
"Not Desians," Yuan said carefully. "Something different. I can't say more, in case it reaches the wrong ears." He hesitated. "How are you?"
The underlying question, of course, was 'what the hell are you doing here', but Luke ignored it. "I'm fine. Had some indigestion before, but some apple gels cleared that right up."
Yuan narrowed his eyes. "You know what I mean. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Eh, thought I'd visit with Kratos, catch up with him," Luke shrugged, trying to look at anything but the man sitting next to him. "Maybe dissuade Colette from choosing to end her life for a worthless cause."
Yuan remained stony-faced. "And how are you going to do that?"
"I'm still working on the how. Right now, the plan's in its infancy." Luke turned to look out at the sunrise, but instead saw the Tower and looked away. "What do you intend to do with Colette, Lloyd, and Genis?"
"We'll probably let the little one go," Yuan informed him. "But we have plans for Lloyd."
"And Colette?" Luke prompted.
He hesitated. "I'm not sure, but the regeneration cannot happen. If she insists on trying to go through with it, we'll have to use force."
"You should've been a politician," Luke said bitterly. "You're going to kill her, aren't you?"
"Possibly. But the choice is really hers."
"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. She hasn't had a choice since they asked her what color crayon she wanted to color with in kindergarten." Luke leaned back, staring at the stars instead of the Tower or Yuan. "You know that she's been brought up that this is her duty in life. She wants to save the world."
"Please," Yuan said, suddenly more urgent. "I'm trying to stop Cruxis. Whose side are you on?"
Luke closed his eyes. "The side with less dead sixteen years olds."
"Believe me when I say that this isn't easy," Yuan said. "Neither is what I have to do to Lloyd and Kratos."
"What's that?"
"You, of course, are very smart, Luke." He was sure he heard a strange sort of pride in Yuan's voice. "I'm sure you know who Lloyd is."
"Yeah."
"Aren't you going to tell him the truth?" Yuan asked.
"…No." Luke opened his eyes to see that the other man was staring down keenly at him. He shut his eyes again. "Only Kratos has the right to do that."
"But-" Yuan began, but Luke cut him off. He sat up and finally looked at Yuan.
"I know you," he said. "You have some scheme in your head where you use Lloyd for your own agenda. Well, here's the thing: I'm against using people. I'm against manipulating and lying to get what you want, no matter how noble the cause." He chose his words carefully. Yuan's eyes flickered to his left arm. "I happen to agree with you that Lloyd should know. But I told Kratos I'd keep his secret and I'm a man of my word."
"So," Yuan said slowly, "Instead of choosing a side, you made up your own. How…like you." He stood and motioned for Luke to do the same. "I have no choice, then. You're my enemy for now, just as they are."
Luke stood and they headed back towards the inn. Just as they came up to the entrance, he chuckled. "What's so funny?" Yuan asked.
"You know how you told Botta not to let them talk?"
"Yes?" Yuan said suspiciously.
"I think they can read minds. You know they escaped, right?"
Yuan shook his head. "You're trying to bluff me out. I don't buy it."
Luke shrugged. "Okay. But remember, you don't have to fight twenty men if you can outsmart them. I'm guessing no one bothered to lock the window in the bathrooms." Yuan's eyes widened. "Also, I have a message for you."
Luke punched him in the face.
He fell back, sprawled out on the ground, blood pouring from his nose. Luke leaned down and said, "That's from Dominic."
He took off down the hill, following Lloyd, Colette, and Genis as they made their escape.