Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, places, names, or things in this story besides Contru and Rog. They are mine and copyrighted to me. The rest is copyrighted to Square-Enix.
Chapter 7
Cecil walked up to the building that the Elder had said the road was in. The building wasn't marked with anything and was hidden behind the Inn and Item shop.
"Well looks like no one really cares about this building at all." The building wasn't run down, but it seemed that the mages wanted to pretend this building didn't exist.
"Cecil do you think we should wait until morning?" Porom asked Cecil.
Cecil looked up at the sky and realized that it was mid afternoon. "No, I want to get to Baron as soon as possible and with taking the Devil's Road we should be able to get to the town by night fall…Least I hope."
Cecil opened the door and saw the portal tat lead down to the Devil's Road. The room was filled with a green light that portal pad produced. Cecil looked at his friends and they all started towards it.
"You guys all ready?" Cecil asked them. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and they all stepped on the portal and were taken into the Devil's Road.
~
Contru raised his bow up and aimed it towards the animal that was in front of him. It was a simple Sword Rat, but the joy of getting this close to it and not being heard was enough for him. Contru let go of the arrow that had been notched in the bow and it killed the Sword Rat upon contact.
Contru got up from his position and grabbed the dead animal. "Well it'll be a different dinner to say the least." Contru pulled the arrow out of its body, cleaned the tip, and placed it back in his quiver on his back. Contru then started back towards the campsite.
Contru had gone out get some food because the food they had brought with them had run out and they weren't ready to go back into town yet. They were enjoying themselves and didn't want to be burdened with anything just yet.
Contru continued back down the path and noticed a small little side path. Contru stopped and looked right at it.
"I haven't been here for a long time."
Contru thought as he looked down the path. Contru then decided that he had to go down it.The path was short and lined with many beautiful flowers that were found all over the island. The path then opened up to a small little open area with one thing in the middle, a grave stone.
The name on it was the name of Contru's mother, who had died right here twelve years ago. Contru lowered the Sword Rat to the ground and also put down his bow and arrows at the entrance to the small little grove; he didn't believe in bringing any weapons into a graveyard.
"Hello Mom." Contru said aloud, knowing that he must be sounding crazy right now, but he didn't care. Guilt was on his mind right now because all his life since the funeral that was held here shortly after her death, he had been afraid to come here.
Contru was about to say something else when he heard some rustling in the bushes to the left of him. Contru turned and was about to attack whatever it was, but it was only Rog.
"Sorry about that Contru. I came here to pay my respects to your mother, I didn't mean to hide when I heard you coming, I just wanted to give you some time alone."
Contru looked at his friend of many years and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I just feel really guilty because I haven't come here since the funeral and I'm the reason why she died right here all those years ago." Contru lowered his head and kicked at the ground.
"Contru, it's not your fault, you were eight years old when it happened! You had no idea what was going to happen that day. I'm sure that your mother doesn't blame you for what happened! Contru, you have been down for the past few days and I think I know why. Your thinking about your mother now with all this Crystal stuff going on, am I right?"
Contru looked up at Rog, but quickly avoided his gaze. "You always could read me so well. The whole thing with the Crystals got me thinking about problems that I've had in my life, this being the biggest one." Contru motioned toward the grave. "I juts keep thinking if there is something I can do about it."
Rog didn't show anything, but Contru knew he was surprised.
"I know that I was getting on your case about you worrying about it, but I was just as worried. I was trying to dismiss it as rumor but now I don't think it is."
"Well we haven't been in the loop ever in our small town, the only thing we know is what we heard from Mysidia, that's it."
"No we do a little bit more."
Rog's jaw dropped. "When we you planning on telling me?" Rog looked right at Contru waiting for an answer, but didn't get anything. "What else do you know?"
"I'm meant to tell you awhile ago but it slipped my mind. While we were gone the Red Wings came to Mythrila and a knight, a Dragoon, came into the town to buy some mythril armor."
"Did they hurt anyone?"
"No. The Dragoon paid in full for all that he bought and left. It seems that who ever he was working for wanted him to have the best armor available. I know it's not much but it does seem to go with what we heard at Mysidia. I just hope that someone is out there trying to deal with these people who are trying to take the Crystals." Contru looked right a Rog and then they both heard a grumbling sound.
Rog looked his friend up and down and started to laugh. "Maybe we should get back to camp so we can stop that monster in your stomach."
Contru just blushed slightly and nodded his head. "Yeah, that's the best idea I've heard all day." Rog left first and grabbed the Sword Rat as Contru was picking up all of his things that he had left on the ground. He turned around to his mother's grave and walked up to it and bowed his head down.
"I'm sorry for not coming sooner mother but I had been afraid but now I see that I was just being childish. I hope where ever you are that you are happy." Contru turned back around and grabbed his stuff and quickly caught up to Rog for the walk back to camp.
~
Cecil and the group came out of the Devil's Road and saw only walls around them.
"We made it. We're in Baron!"
"How do you know Cecil?" Tellah asked as he readjusted his robe.
Cecil was up against one of the walls trying to find something, it seemed. "The building that houses the Devil's Road in Baron has a wall around where the portal is with a guard to keep watch. All I have to do is find the switch," Cecil then pushed in a block and part of the wall started to open up. "and we're out." Cecil was the first to walk out of the small little enclosure and expected to see a guard out there, but found none at all.
"That's odd." Cecil said as the rest of the group and came out and he shut the door.
"What? There's no guard. So what?" Tellah said to the Paladin.
"Baron has always had a guard here, for fear of someone going into the road on accident. I wonder what's going on."
Cecil walked out of the door that led outside and found that his guess about the time difference was correct. It was night and the moon was high in the sky. The rest of the group walked out and the twins grabbed their bodies.
"It's cold out here." Porom said as she started to shiver. Cecil looked down at the girl and felt a bit sorry for her.
"We'll go to the Inn shortly but I want to check on something first." Cecil looked to his right and found a staircase that led upward. Cecil quickly went up the stairs and to the house that was up there. Cecil waited until the rest of the group was with him, and then knocked on the door.
The door cracked opened a little bit and a red haired woman was on the other side. She looked at the person at the door and her eyes grew wide. "Cecil!?"
Cecil only nodded his head and the woman opened the door and let everybody in. The girl was wearing a simple yellow dress and her hair was pulled back with a yellow ribbon into a ponytail.
"Cecil, you're alive!" The girl said when the door was shut.
"June, sorry to disturb you this late at night but I need to ask you something." Cecil said to the girl. "Where are my manners. June this is Tellah, a Sage from Mysidia and the two kids are Palom, the boy, and Porom, the girl. The children are Black and White Mages, respectively."
"Nice to met all you. I'm June, daughter of the airship engineer Cid." June bowed to all of them and turned back to Cecil. "Cecil, have you seen my father?"
"June, I was about to ask you the same question. I haven't seen him since I left Baron on the journey to the Village of Mist. Where is he?"
June shook her head. "He hasn't returned from the castle for the longest time! I've been so worried!" June almost started to cry but Cecil put his arm around her and comforted her a little bit.
"Don't worry June, I'll save him now that I know where he is. The question is, how do I get into the castle."
June looked up at Cecil with tears falling down her face. "Cecil I wouldn't try to go in there at night. Wait until tomorrow morning, then we can figure out a way in. You can stay here the night."
"No June. I don't want to put you in any danger but I will take the first part of your advice and wait till morning, but we'll go to the Inn and stay there the night. I think we have enough money to stay one night. Take care June." Cecil then turned and motioned for everyone to go out the door.
June gave Cecil a worried look but his smile that he gave her calmed her down a little bit and she smiled back and nodded. Cecil closed the door behind him and found everyone waiting for him.
Cecil started down the stairs quickly and headed for the exit of the town. After Cecil got around a building he turned left and walked in; the building he went around was the town Inn.
Cecil got inside and the rest of the group soon came in after him. Cecil went up to the innkeeper who was just sitting behind his desk.
"Hi, how can I help you?" The innkeeper asked when Cecil got close enough.
"How many rooms do you have left for the night?"
"We have one room left, is that alright sir?"
"Yes that'll be fine. Reserve the room please and I'll pay for it when I get back from the tavern."
"No problem, sir."
Cecil came to the group who was waiting by the door still. "I got the very last room, so it looks like the four of us will have to share the room. I can easily get the innkeeper to bring in some cots or something, now I'm hungry so let's get something to eat." Cecil walked down a narrow pathway that was to the right of the innkeeper's desk. After a very short walk Cecil turned around a corner and saw the tavern. Cecil walked down the path until he was finally in it and he looked around really quickly.
Cecil then noticed that Yang was sitting at a table with two of Baron's soldiers. Cecil walked up to Yang and confirmed it was he.
"Yang!" Cecil cried as he walked up to the monk.
All that Yang did was look at Cecil with a look of unknown.
"It's me, Cecil!" Cecil said with an exasperated expression on his face.
Yang's eyes then changed as he looked at him. "Cecil…Baron's knight turned traitor." Yang's voice was a mixture of ice and anger. Then Yang sprang up and pointed right at Cecil. "Seize him!"
The soldiers then stood up and drew their swords. "Yes, sir!" The soldiers then came charging after Cecil.
Cecil jumped back and at the same time drew his sword to deflect the first attack of one of the soldiers. Before that soldier could regain his composure, Cecil put his blade deep into the weak spot the guard had on him, right at the base of his neck.
Cecil pulled his sword out quickly as the soldier fell to the ground, dead. Cecil stopped the attack of the other soldier. Cecil kicked the soldier back into the table and brought his sword up and cut the throat of the second soldier.
Cecil turned to Yang then and placed his sword back into its sheath. "Yang! What's wrong!?"
Yang went into his fighting stance and just stared down the Paladin. "You insolent wretch!" With that, the monk charged after his former friend. Cecil dodged out of the way and attempted to get his sword out, to at least help block the man's attacks.
"Die!" Yang said as he tried to attack Cecil again. Cecil then noticed that the rest of the group was coming to help him. Palom was about to hit the monk from behind when Yang's leg shot out from under him and hit the boy hard in the chest. Cecil kept composed and went after the monk but when he went to club Yang with the hilt of his sword, the monk jumped up and started to come down with his feet forward.
"Kiai" Yelled Yang as Cecil dodged the attack and Yang went through a table. While Yang was getting back up though, Tellah came up from behind and hit the monk hard over the head with his staff. Yang turned around and was getting ready to attack Tellah, but Cecil got up quickly and hit Yang on the head with the hilt of his sword.
Yang started to stumble around and soon fell flat on his face. Cecil leaned against the wall and put his sword back into its sheath. "I'm glad I never had to fight him before now." Thought Cecil as he looked at his group.
Tellah was fine, even though he had come really close to losing his head. Porom was already tending to her brother who was holding his chest.
"Ugh…" Yang then started to stir on the ground but when he got up, he looked around and appeared to be very confused. He spotted Cecil and stood up. "Cecil! What just happened? After Leviathan attacked us...I cannot remember anything."
Tellah looked right at Yang with a frown on his face. "Obviously, you suffered a slight case of amnesia and were being used by Baron."
Cecil frowned at Tellah and turned his attention back to Yang. "Do you know what happened to Rydia and Edward?"
Yang, who was looking at the floor, looked up at Cecil and shook his head. "Rydia was swallowed by Leviathan. I don't know what happened to Edward."
"I see." Cecil looked down at the ground and started to clench his fists.
Yang was looking around and finally decided to ask. "Where are we?"
Cecil broke from his anger and looked at Yang. "Baron. Let's go to the room I got earlier so we can discuss everything."
Cecil walked back around to the front of the Inn and went to pull out his money.
"No charge. You helped by taking care of those troops. Have the room for free tonight."
"Thank you very much, do you think we could get a couple cots for our room as well for the rest of my friends?"
"No problem, sir. They'll be brought to your room shortly."
"Thank you." Cecil got the key and went to where his room was in out of the five rooms the Inn had. Cecil walked in and left the door open and in a few minutes three cots were brought in a set up. Cecil shut the door and locked it.
Cecil turned back and realized that not everyone knew each other. "Yang, this is Tellah. His daughter and Edward--"
"My daughter loved him enough to sacrifice her life for him." Tellah interrupted Cecil.
Yang lowered his head in respect. "I am sorry for your loss. I am Yang, of Fabul."
Palom, who had gone right into a bed as soon as he walked into the room decided to put his thoughts in. "Ahem! I am Palom of Mysidia…" The young boy then started to laugh to himself. "Pretty good impersonation, huh?" Yang just looked at the boy without expression.
Porom shook her head at the actions of her brother and curtsied to Yang. "Please don't mind him I'm his twin sister, Porom."
"Hey, that kick really hurt! How could you let them play you like that?" Palom said from his bed.
Porom lost her anger for the first time since Cecil had met the twins. "Palom! Apologize!"
"No, he is right. Forgive my actions." Yang lowered his head again and stared at the floor.
Cecil decided to break the tension and talk about what they needed to do. "Well, first things first. We have to find Cid."
Tellah nodded his head and spoke to the group. "Sneaking into the castle won't be easy."
Yang started to nod his head and looked down at his belt. "Hm? What is this?"
Cecil got up and took the key that Yang was now holding in his hand. "This is the Baron Key! Of course! They must've given it to you when they gave you command of those guards. With this key, I believe we'll be able to find Cid."
"How will that key help us, Cecil?" Tellah asked Cecil.
"This key opens the path to the Waterway. We can use it to sneak into the castle that the guards won't be guarding at all. It'll be an easy way in, and if trouble comes up, an easy way out."
Tellah now understood and with the plan already to go, they all got some sleep because tomorrow was going to be a difficult day.
