Almost forgot to put this one up! Ah, busy day.

Sorry if there're any mistakes in it again. My beta really doesn't seem to want to read any of these at the moment, which is disappointing.


Chapter 8: Bonfire

"Are you sure you're okay to get up?"

"Yeah… How long was I-"

"About an hour, in and out. Just proves you're an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot. I just wanted to do that Fang thing…"

The afternoon had crawled on during their visit to the inn, during which Claudia had been dozing on her bed under Sam's watchful eye. As with Kratos back in Luin he fetched a small plate of fruit and a glass of water to put on her bedside table, and waited patiently at her side until she stirred, rummaging through and arranging his bag in the meantime. After fetching a pair of boots from downstairs (the inn keeper's wife had commented on his 'odd' footwear earlier and offered him something a little more suitable) Kratos returned to hear the conversation the two friends were having, and knocked before stepping inside.

Claudia was now sitting up and gulping down the glass of water, but seemed no worse for wear after her time in the sun other than a little colour to her face and exposed collarbone.

"How are you feeling?" he asked regardless, earning a thumbs up from the redhead as she finished off the water.

"Yeah, well… you call me an idiot when I do something like that," Sam grumbled with his arms crossed, looking annoyed. Picking up the apple Claudia ruffled his hair with her free hand.

"That's because with you, it's dangerous," she said, before swinging her feet over the side of the bed and standing up. "See? I'm fine."

"So… now what do we do?"


"I've never used a weapon like this before, so pardon my unfamiliarity with it." They were back outside next to the tree, with Sam now climbing up amongst the branches to entertain himself as Kratos and Claudia discussed at the bottom. Wielding the short sword in hand the mercenary gave it a swipe, while Claudia ran a hand through her hair with an awkward smile.

"It's no problem. I'm not that good with it either…" she mumbled, embarrassed. She stepped back when he extended the whip. "It jams sometimes when you extend it. Other than that, it's fine."

"Hm…" With another flick of his wrist it returned to its full state, at which point he handed it back. "You haven't had any real training with it then?"

"Only what my uncle taught me. We normally just run from monsters back home, and the only time I've started a fight with the Eques was yesterday," she answered, sliding it back into the scarf-wrapped scabbard she had attached to her hip.

"Plus I'm a decent shot," added Sam, hidden somewhere up in the branches as a few twigs littered his holsters amongst the roots.

"What about you? Where'd you learn to fight like that?" There was a curiosity in the girl's voice that hadn't been aimed towards him yet, and her question had intrigued the half elf enough to draw him down from the branches again. He landed a short distance away on all fours, his fingers brushing the grass to support him before he stood up again, grabbing his firearms in the process.

"Only soldiers fight that good," he said, tying the belt around his hips.

"I'm not a soldier: I've travelled more than most, and that gives you plenty of experience," Kratos answered, but both teenagers still looked sceptical. "If I were one of the Eques, why would they attack me? Wouldn't I have ID?"

They cast each other a questioning glance, still a little uncertain.

"I guess so…" Sam mumbled.

"Deserter, maybe? Do people actually run out of the Eques…?"

"I'm not one of them. I thought that was clear by now," he almost huffed, crossing his arms and watching both sternly. Hanging their heads they mumbled an apology, but soon enough Sam brought a hand to his chin in thought once again.

"Maybe they kicked him out…" Kratos ran a hand despairingly down his face as Claudia sniggered.


"No way! It's not going to rain, is it?" Clouds had started coming in off the ocean as evening drew closer, but despite the looming gloom the civilians of Izoold were happily getting ready for the night market. An enormous stack of firewood had been gathered down on the sandy shore and had already drawn a large crowd, eager to see the bonfire illuminate the waves later. The stalls were still being set up as well, a few food carts added to the mixture and going around, pandering to customer needs.

Claudia was the one staring despondently at the clouds, the night coming faster as the light of the sunset was blocked by oncoming rain. Or at least oncoming misery, judging by the dark clouds. Dragging the redhead out of the inn by the arm Sam was more than happy to explore again.

"C'mon, I bet there's loads of stuff around now!"

"Geez, I feel like a babysitter again…!"

As the girl from the inn had told them most of the merchants had brought out the last of their stock for tonight, calling anyone and everyone over with 'huge price reductions' and 'enormous bargains', though there were some people missing. The dwarf who had sold Kratos his new clothes was gone, and the middle aged woman with the wooden carvings he'd seen earlier had moved to his old stall, next to the elf. They were conversing amiably over a mug of coffee, the one in the woman's hands one of her own wares and carved with small flowers.

It wasn't long before the bonfire was lit, bringing more and more people to the streets to peruse any new things on sale, accompanied by a band near the beach. Perched on a small wooden bandstand they played with high spirits, and it was down to the music that Sam and Claudia were drawn.

"Man, I haven't heard live music in ages! It feels like it's been years!" exclaimed Sam, bouncing up and down slightly with the cheerful tune.

"I know, right? They don't do things like this in Flanoir anymore!" One song ended and another began, separated by a short round of clapping by anyone watching and listening.

"Got any plans tonight?" Sam asked Kratos, who had been looking over a nearby stall with interest. Charms and bracelets were lined up neatly with small price tags, each one bold with the change in price. When he shook his head he had no chance to continue, as Sam pointed to the bonfire with a wide sweep of his arm, almost knocking Claudia out in the process. "Come sit with us at the beach! We're going down to meet Vala!"

"Uh…"

"You mean you're going down to meet her," added Claudia, smirking mischievously and prodding him in the arm. "Didn't you think that maybe he was actually going to do something else?"

"I was just offering…"

"I might join you later," the mercenary spoke over them as they started bickering again, and as they bid their farewell he headed back up the line of stalls.

Not much had changed since that morning. If anything, there was less available now at a slightly lower price: this only reaffirmed the common fact that everything was cheaper when bought from the actual store, unless prices had really inflated that much in three hundred years. These numbers still seemed a little steep, and he had much less gald than he probably needed for his travels. How was he supposed to get any more money?

He headed down for the bonfire sooner than he'd planned. There wasn't much point wandering around a market if he had nothing to do there, and he'd already looked around enough. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of soldiers wandering around, and decided that he would head back to the inn soon.

With the proximity of the band to the beach and the bonfire it wasn't surprising to see people already up and dancing. Most were children and young teenagers, but more and more were joining as the youngsters were called away by their parents for bed. Amongst them were a few of the stall owners enjoying a short break, and with the ringing of small bells and bracelets Valanoir was easy to spot, hands clasped with Sam's as they made their was around the circle with the others dancing.

Sitting on the sand in front of one of the benches Kratos caught sight of Claudia, who was watching the sky as her head leant back on the seat. On her lap was her small travel bag, mostly empty save for a green pencil case, a bottle of water, her purse, and a smaller bag holding what she'd bought earlier in the market. When he climbed over the bench and sat beside her she lifted her head, muttering a dismal greeting to him as she looked through her mostly empty bag again.

"What's wrong?" he asked: he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd lost something. These two seemed to have a knack for it already.

"My notebook is definitely back in my bag. I don't even have a little one in here…" she grumbled, flipping the cover back over and latching the belts. Pulling out the one he had in his own bag Kratos handed it to her, much to her surprise.

"It's weight I don't need, since I'm not using it."

"Fantastic…!" she gasped, flicking through the pages with the smallest of smiles until she came to a small amount of scrawl at the front. "Oh, it's Tabby's. Well, I don't think she'll miss it…"

"Why aren't you joining in?" he asked instead, gesturing to the fire as she drew a pen, but she scoffed at his question.

"I don't dance."

"Really?"

"Obviously."

"Claudia!"

Kratos had already spotted Sam heading across from the fire when Claudia said this, and watched the half elf hold his hands out towards his friend with an enormous grin. His cheeks were flushed and he was a little out of breath.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, and unlike the gruff reply she gave Kratos she smiled apologetically.

"Nah, I'm good here."

"C'mon you killjoy!"

"It's fun, yeah?" Valanoir was soon at Sam's side, looking much better than Sam after their time around the fire. She was smiling enthusiastically as the navy haired boy tried tugging the notebook from Claudia's grasp, before holding a hand out to Kratos. "You wanna try too?" He shook his head: this seemed to be enough for the half demon, but Sam was much more persistent with Claudia.

"You're so boring…!" he whined, his hands on her book but not actively tugging anymore, and kept her from putting pen to paper. "C'mon: please?" He was pouting now as well, and with a sceptical look over her glasses Claudia quirked an eyebrow.

"What am I: your mother?"

Despite her grumbling she was soon on her feet, a hand each taken by Sam and Valanoir once her book was safely tucked away in her bag, which was handed to Kratos for safekeeping. They dragged her towards the fire.

"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted from behind Kratos, and when he turned around he found the woman from the wooden crafts stand walking towards him. She was still a fair distance away, but there was no one else around: was she talking to him? She was definitely looking at him, her long hair tied in a plait that hung down over her shoulder and coloured red or pink. She was wrapped up in an elven cloak, pinned at the shoulder with a blue gem mounted on a simple white crest, and wearing a pair of grey and white boots adorned with silver buckles.

Before she could say anything else a group of soldiers stormed onto the beach. They tore through the benches with vicious kicks as if they were simply stomping through grass, and in an instant the people dancing scattered. The band stopped, leaving only frightened gasps and furious yelling in place of the music.

"Everyone return to your homes, by order of the Eques Scientiae!" Sam and Claudia were already rushing back to Kratos, the younger of the two pulling up the hood of his waistcoat as the guards started herding people off the beach. The bonfire was already being put out, letting the darkness of the ocean sweep swiftly across the sand towards them.

"Get to the inn," he told them, handing Claudia her bag, and as they headed past him he looked around once again for the woman in the elven cloak. But she'd vanished.

"Hurry up! They might start checking for ID!" Claudia hissed, having come back to grab him by the arm, and after fighting their way through panicking crowds they were headed up to their rooms in the inn.

-:x:-

Collapsing onto his bed Sam whined hopelessly, hiding his head beneath his arms.

"What the hell are they doing here...?"

"We weren't really supposed to be here tonight..." Claudia muttered, chancing a glance through the window. A group were heading past now, though a man in blue and silver armour stood out the most as he brought up the rear.

"D'you... think they'll search the buildings?" Sam mumbled quietly, looking up at Claudia with a frown. He still had his hood pulled up, and was holding the edges tenatively.

"Probably..." Closing his eyes, he let his head hang.

"Damn it...!"

Pulling the curtains shut Claudia switched on the lamp on the table between the beds, before crossing her arms as she paced the threadbare carpet.

"Where can we go...? Someone's going to be here with the tickets, and we need them to get back..." she mumbled, holding her thumb to her lips as she thought.

"What about Iselia?"

As if lightning had struck both were focused on Kratos barely a split second after he'd said this.

"We could... It'd only take about a day to walk there..." mused Sam, but Claudia shook her head.

"No, we'd have to go through the Ossa Pass again." He was about to hide his face in the blanket again when Kratos took out his map, and once it was spread on the empty bed the man in purple was looking over it closely.

"...There's a road north west of here. It's longer, but it eventually leads around the mountains to Iselia," he explained, tracing a line with his finger for Claudia, who was leant over the opposite side, to make out.

"There's only fields and moorlands out there, and loads of monsters. It's too dangerous," she argued, arms still crossed as she shook her head.

"Would you rather stay here?" When propositioned with this, she grimaced slightly before looking at Sam, who was once again looking hopelessly at her. "I'm headed to Iselia, so I'll be going with you anyway."

"That means we have to go now, doesn't it...?" she grumbled, her shoulders slumping further and further in disappointment, and when Kratos nodded she groaned. "Great, another night with no dinner, no bath, and no bed."

"I'm sorry, Claude..."

The quiet mumble from the boy on the bed drew her to her friend, who moved to sit up at the side of the bed instead. His head was bowed, and with her brow furrowed Claudia knelt beside him, a comforting hand on his knee.

"Don't say that-"

"But it's my fault! If it wasn't for this...!" He grabbed his bandaged arm with a growl. "...they wouldn't be after us! I'm sorry Claudia...!"

"It's not your fault," she replied sternly, leaning closer and giving his knee a squeeze. "You're done nothing wrong, so don't apologise. You can't help what's happening to your arm."

"But-" he was about to start again, but she shook her head.

"And don't start talking about Triet either! You were saving that kid!" Standing up, she brought an arm around his shoulders. "It'll all be over once we get home. Heck, in a few days, they'll probably forget all about you."

"We should get going. If we keep walking, we should be able to make it to the forest at the base of the nearest mountains in an hour or so," said Kratos, folding the map and tucking it back into his bag. Both young adults nodded and gathered what few possessions they had around the room before heading to the door, switching the light off again.

The floors creaked under the amount of people walking back and forth from their rooms, some frightened by the Eques' presence, others annoyed, and almost every one using the hall as a congregation point to discuss what was happening outside. Some children had even taken the chance to get out of bed again, and were weaving between the legs of the crowd. Almost twice Claudia stumbled, glaring at a giggling ball of energy dashing off into another room as she did her best to follow Kratos, who was making his way to the stairs without any trouble. With Sam in tow, they were in the foyer within minutes, where Mr and Mrs Dewight were trying their best to calm their guests and see to their needs, their daughter nowhere in sight.

"Hey, shouldn't we try and get our money back on the rooms?" Claudia asked as the man in purple guided them towards the front door, but her question was answered with Sam shoving her out into the night.

The streets were deserted except for the soldiers storming up and down the alleys, tearing apart dustbins and rooting through old boxes as they pasted posters of the missing escapee on every surface they could find. Some were even barging into houses and closed shops, ignoring the angry yells from the owners as they smashed through the shelves of merchandise.

The bandstand had been taken over as well: four soldiers in dark silver armour were stood with the man in blue and silver that had walked past the inn earlier. From up on his pedestal he looked around the immediate vicinity, arms folded as he watched the stalls being torn down. He hadn't removed his helmet, the vaguely draconic shape hiding his face and hair completely and keeping him anonymous to the crowds he was threatening, other than the name 'General Eli'. The lower foot-soldiers ran back and forth with updates, much like they had to the Captain in Triet, but even then they spoke to the four guards accompanying.

"Wait!" Nearing the outskirts of town the small group of three were ready to set off across the grasslands when a voice called to them, accompanied by the now familiar ringing of bracelets. Wrapped up in a cloak with a small bag slung over her shoulder Valanoir was running towards them, silhouetted by the dim lights of Izoold behind her.

"W-what are you doing? Shouldn't you be staying in town?" Sam asked, surprised that she was even following them. A little short of breath she fixed the half elf with a harsh gaze, hands resting domineeringly on her hips.

"Why are you all leaving? It's dangerous out here at night, yeah?" she scolded them, before casting a glance over her shoulder when there was a yell within the town. "It's not safe to speak here… Where you going, anyway?"

"North west. We can't use the Ossa Pass," Kratos answered before either Sam or Claudia could. There was no need for the girl to know everything.

"Ah, Iselia! Or Colwyn, maybe." Pressing a thoughtful finger to her lips, she frowned. "Dangerous up north, though. Lots of monsters."

"Please don't say that…" groaned Claudia, hanging her head. Giggling softly the half demon snapped her fingers.

"You need a guide?"

"You're headed for Iselia?" the half elf asked, his voice almost hopeful, and when she shook her head he drooped visibly.

"No, but it's on the way. Mama told me to go Colwyn-way, to avoid guards for a few days."

This cheered Sam up in mere moments, but Kratos was curious about her destination.

"Where is it?"

"North of Iselia, yeah? Past old temple, in a cove at the end of the coast. Very pretty," she smiled, gesturing upwards and making her bracelets jingle again. "Catch a boat back in a few days, when the guards are gone."

"It's a port?"

"Yeah. No guards. Don't know 'bout it."

"Does the boat go to Flanoir?" A little confused by his question, she nodded all the same with her puzzled smile.

"Round trip: Colwyn, Flanoir, Izoold. Cheap too."