Hikaru: Whoot for ice cream!
--
Tear was an amazing healer. She'd managed to get rid of all the burns, bruises, and cuts and such from the battle with Reno. She cooked great food, too. But for some reason, Senel's strength was not quick to return. Even with all of Tear's healing spells, medicines, and food, Senel just wasn't feeling up to getting moving on to the next test Kratos had for him.
So Kratos had decided the best thing to do would be to take Senel back to the Oresoren camp to rest.
Night was falling upon the Quiet Lands, just like the time when Kratos had first visited Senel. Senel lay on the rug eagle-sprawled, breathing in and out, slowly and deeply. He had a fever, and the damp cloth upon his forehead felt like a cold, clammy, lifeless hand. Tear had tried to feed him some soup, but Senel refused. He had the feeling if he tried to eat anything, he'd only end up heaving it back up.
Senel felt awful. He didn't know if he caught an illness or anything, but it sure was bugging him. He remembered the brief time Moses, Jay, and Grune had caught colds simultaneously when they were adventuring in the Ice Monument. It had taken Norma and Will an astounding amount of crystal eres and medicines to get rid of it so they could focus on their goals ahead.
Senel had no time to by lying around sick in bed! He had a mission!
. . . But his horribly aching and throbbing head told him otherwise, to stay put until he got better. With Tear and Kratos (who, Senel discovered, had a handy healing spell of his own) taking care of him, Senel would get better in no time.
Senel opened his eyes. His vision swam, but he could still see well enough to know that Tear and Kratos sat together on the beach, listening to the lullaby of the waves produced by the ocean of the Quiet Nerifes . . .
-
"Who was that boy, really?" Tear asked, looking into the horizon.
Kratos didn't answer right away. He was busy holding a conch shell to his ear, listening to the distant waves echoing in the curved shell.
"Surely, Tear, you can figure it out. Didn't they send you to accompany me not only for your skill with magic, but your own intelligence as well?"
Tear nodded, musing to herself. She, too, held a shell in her hand, although it was not a conch shell. It was a scallop shell, smooth.
"The Monuments are connected to Nerifes. That boy was connected to a Monument."
Kratos closed his eyes, listening to the echo in the shell. This sound calmed him.
"Light of the sacred flame. Tail of the dragon." Tear sighed. "I don't think that boy was kept there for a reason he'd like."
"Certainly not," Kratos concurred, his face still relaxed.
Silence passed for a time, the lapping of the waves, the faint breeze, and the echo of the waves in the shell were the only noises. Night was descending quickly, already the artificial sky faded from red-orange to a dark shade of blue--twilight. Tear inhaled and exhaled deeply.
"Was it necessary to make Senel fight that boy? You said we were only going to free him."
Kratos put the conch shell down in the soft sand beside him. The ocean turned darker, an inky shade of blackish blue. The sand turned paler, a fine light blue. Stars winked into existance in the artificial sky, glimmering like diamonds.
"The power within him is growing. It can be honed further into a great weapon through combat."
Tear frowned.
"He must fight something with every test? Beings like that boy earlier?"
Images flashed in Tear's mind, none of them pleasant. She'd been worried enough, a teenage boy forced to fight a being with power over fire . . . what was next? Since the boy Senel fought was found in the Fire Monument, that must mean . . .
Tear's voice was soft, almost inaudible.
"Senel's tests . . . they are held in the remaining monuments?"
Kratos nodded, not speaking. He stared into the horizon; on the inky black surface of the ocean, the reflection of the silvery blue moon rippled noiselessly.
Tear's mind was racing. Two more monuments meant two more tests. Ice and Thunder . . . people bearing those same elements. She closed her eyes, clenching her hands into fists. What did it mean? Kratos had said that while Senel's power was growing, there were people trapped in the monuments for times unheard of, and that Kratos was going to free them.
Would Senel fight them, too?
Kratos seemed to have read Tear's mind.
"I don't know why there are people connected to the monuments like Reno was. But," He gestured to the calm sea before them. "I have a feeling we'll get to know soon."
And night fell, a velvety blanket, over the Quiet Lands.
--
Walter had not planned on staying in Werites Beacon for long. It was a village of Orerines, abominations hailing from this infection of the sea that was land.
Sad to say, Walter had been flying for a while, across an entire continent, no less. Thusly, he was quite hungry. As he traveled through the town at evening, the townsfolk regarded him little. After all, with Crusand's war effort stopped, life on the Legacy continued as before. Walter, a Radiant, walking among them was nothing. The Radiant had allied themselves to the Holy Rexalian Empire before. To them, he was an ally still.
Walter would've liked nothing more than to show them all how very wrong they were.
Instead, heeding his empty stomach's attempts to eat itself, Walter stopped at the local bakery to grab a bite to eat.
Upon entering the building, a small blur of white and red ushered him to an empty seat and table. Once Walter was forced into the chair, the blur was static enough to be identifiable.
A young girl dressed in baker's garb clapped her hands, her eyes postively sparkling. Walter repressed the urge to roll his eyes.
"Good evening! I'm Mimi, and I will be serving you tonight!"
"Soon all Orerines will serve the Ferines," Walter murmured inaudibly.
Mimi took no notice of Walter's little rant, instead taking something out of her pocket, a small pad of paper and a pen.
"Perfect evening for a cup of coffee and a nice freshly baked pastry! What will you be having tonight, sir?"
Walter looked at the menu framed on the wall near the counter. Indeed, coffee and a pastry sounded awfully good right now. His stomach grumbled, urging him to hurry up and make up his mind.
"I'll have the . . . cinnamon dolche latte, and an apple pastry."
Mimi scribbled the order down, smiling broadly. "Coming right up!" She squealed, zooming off in that blur of white and red.
Walter tapped his foot on the floor rhythmically, waiting. During his wait, another man entered the shop, the bell attached to the door ringing. Walter blinked, studying this stranger.
He was strange even by stranger standards.
Ferines have an innate ability, related to their teriques, to identify other Ferines.
Walter blinked again, stunned. This stranger not only wore Ferines-style clothing, but Walter couldn't figure out whether or not this man was truly a Ferines. Although Walter could sense the familiar aura of a Ferines, a part of it felt oddly . . . foreign.
Besides that, he was creepy. His face was ashen and gaunt, his eyes were narrow slits, and his hair, now a muddy grayish brown, looked like it might've been pale gold in a previous life.
The man's eyes locked with Walter's. Walter gave no visible of being startled. The man's thin lips stretched into what Walter supposed would be a friendly smile. Despite receiving no invitation, the man seated himself at Walter's table in the empty chair across him.
"Hello there," the man said, holding out a hand to Walter.
Walter stared at the hand, looked to the man. He took the outstretchend hand, shook it briefly.
"I'm Solon," said the man, "what's your name, sir?"
Walter maintained his expression of stone.
"Walter."
Walter would've been perfectly content to spend his wait in silence, but it seemed this Solon wasn't.
"Ah, yes, the Radiant Walter. You're quite famous here in Werites Beacon as a hero of sorts."
Here Walter stared at Solon. What was this man getting at? Solon continued, that smile still splashed on his face.
"Yes, the Radiant hero who took out so many of Vaclav's soldiers . . . they came in hordes, and you simply destoryed them. Marvelous."
Walter leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He was determined not to make eye contact. Even this slight conversation was making Walter uneasy about Solon.
Solon went on, oblivious to Walter's discomfort.
"Am I right in saying you're on a manhunt right now?"
Walter's lips parted slightly, but his voice had abandoned him. This Solon was quite the shady character. Walter didn't bear a fondness of any kind for shady characters.
"Of sorts. What's it to you?"
Solon grinned, folding his hands flat against the tabletop.
"Why, I'm on a manhunt of sorts myself. Who is your target?"
What was this man thinking, asking these kinds of questions to a Ferines! Still, it was perfectly possible that this Solon was a Ferines or at the very least related to them.
"A man who once conspired with Crusand to capture the Merines."
Walter had no obligation to say any more than that.
Solon clicked his tongue, as if disappointed.
"Seems you might not have seen who I'm looking for."
Mimi returned with Walter's order of food and drink. Walter breathed in the sweet aroma of freshly baked apple pastry, and the scent of the cream-topped coffee. He took the mug, sipping at the coffee.
"Who are you looking for, Solon?"
Solon's friendly smile turned into a devillish smirk.
"A boy who calls himself the Unseen."
--
Grune's headache had not returned during their first hour of wandering the dark dungeons, something Norma was grateful for. But she and Grune wandered this forboding place for an hour and hadn't yet come upon friend or foe. It was quite unnerving, two crystal erens, alone and vulnerable, in the dark no less . . . Norma clutched the lance tightly.
Nothing but row after row after row of empty cells. Nothing at all but endless winding hallways in the darkness. Something had to give.
"Ohh!" Norma stomped lightly on the ground, frustrated, "we're getting nowhere!"
Grune stopped walking, her expression one of surprise. "Oh!" She said softly.
Norma turned, eyebrow raised. "What's up, G-Girl?"
"It seems there's someone nearby."
"What?" Norma wildly looked around, seeing only empty cells. Then she heard it.
Someone was groaning nearby.
Grune and Norma carefully walked down the corridor, Norma before Grune, as she was the only one with a weapon. The groaning had originated in a cell just around the corner. It was dark, so it was hard for Norma to make out the shape of the person lying in the cell, his arm sticking out slightly at an odd angle. With horror Norma realized the arm was dislocated.
Norma shifted the spear so that she had one free hand. She concentrated, and a sphere of light appeared in her palm, hovering, producing a small amount of illumination equivalent to a flashlight.
The prisoner before them wore a red uniform. He was one of Vaclav's soldiers.
"Great." Norma's voice was heavy, "the only other person we've found so far is an enemy."
The soldier's head snapped upwards, seeing the women for the first time. He backed away from the barred door, screeching, "Get away, Radiant!"
Norma blinked, then understood. This poor soul was probably only a grunt soldier, she could tell by his uniform; a common soldier enlisted to aid his country. He was also let off on the light end of Walter's attacks, that much she guessed. Norma stepped forward, holding her light source so the soldier could see them properly.
"We're not with the Radiant. We're with the Holy Rexalian Empire."
That held true while they were on the Legacy, anyway.
The soldier seemed not to have comprehended Norma's words, instead muttering to himself like a madman.
"Dead, dead, all dead in one blow, and I'm the only left, they're gonna torture me and kill me . . ."
Norma shrugged, turning to look at Grune over her shoulder. "C'mon, G-Girl. Let's leave this lunatic to his ravings."
Grune grabbed Norma's shoulder, shaking her head. Norma quirked an eyebrow, not understanding what the older woman meant.
"Someone's coming,"
And indeed footsteps echoed faintly from beyond the dark hallway. Norma and Grune looked somewhere to hide, and found only empty cells all around. Snuffing out her light source, Norma dived into an empty cell, pulling Grune with her in the shadows. They pressed themselves against the smooth, partially spherical wall, waiting.
It was dark, but not pitch. The person they'd heard walked right before the soldier's cell, stopped. Norma suppressed a gasp. That old bat that rejected an alliance, the old codger that only saw in black and white.
Maurits had his back turned to Norma and Grune's hiding spot, facing the soldier.
"You," the old man snapped, and the soldier quit his ranting. "You were one of the operatives that participated in the Crusand operation to capture our Merines three years ago, no?"
Maurits was blocking Norma's field of view, so she couldn't see the reaction of the soldier. She presumed he must have made some gesture of agreement, for next Maurits said:
"Very well. Come with me; you're to meet that same Merines."
The Radiant unlocked the cell, sliding the door open. He roughly grabbed the soldier by the injured arm, and the soldier cried out in pain. Maurits noticed the dislocated arm, shrugged, and popped in back into place, leaving the soldier wailing.
Maurits walked off with the soldier in his firm grip, and the poor man could only follow like a dog led on a leash.
Norma peeped out the cell, at Maurits's retreating back. This man was using Shirley for his own ends, a young girl. Norma hadn't gotten to know Shirley very well, but this much she knew--Shirley could not be wishing for the destruction of all humanity.
Anger boiled within her. Without thinking her actions through, Norma leapt out her cell, gathering energy for a crystal eres.
"O lightless tempest from distant regions, stretch out they tenerous arms and lead my enemies to their eternal slumber!"
Maurits turned around, jaw agape. He hadn't known of these escaped prisoners. Norma finished her eres.
"Black Hole!"
Tendrils of darkness roped and snaked around Maurits's body as a mass of pitch darkness overtook him, crushing him. He released the soldier, who only lay on the ground, writhing in pain.
Norma grinned, momentarily satisfied. Maurits was an old man, what could he do?
Then that old man, staff in hand, began chanting for an eres.
"O deepest currents in the darkest ocean, come forth and crush these heretics!"
Norma cursed, fumbling around for a gel, only to remember that the Radiant had taken all their items and equipment at the time of imprisonment.
The air already got colder, the moisture building until Norma heard running water, great rivers gushing, foaming white rapids . . .
Norma gripped her lance tightly.
"Senny . . . get your ass up here!"
--
The seed had stopped speaking, presumably to conserve power. The seed had said Norma and Grune were somewhere in the dungeon, and in grave danger. It was decided that Chloe would take the lead with Giet, Moses in the middle with Norma's straw and Grune's urn, and Will brought up the rear.
The seed had power enough to hover before them, guiding them as a flash of dark blue light. They followed the seed the best they could as it flew and zipped down hallways and corridors, leaving them running to keep up.
They'd run into guards only a few times, but with Chloe's sword and Will's crystal eres, they were disposed of in no time. The seed didn't stop for battle, however, and running into Radiant guards proved a bother.
"We have to find Norma and Grune!" Will shouted, shouldering his iron hammer as he ran.
The seed didn't answer; speaking used up too much power.
They were led to a great circular chamber with a stairwell leading someplace with light. Chloe supposed it must be the exit. The seed stopped here, hovering, shining.
Chloe stood, panting from her running, confused. Grune and Norma clearly weren't here . . . why had the seed stopped?
Snick.
There was a sliding, no, almost a clicking sound on the floor nearby. Chloe held her sword, looking in all directions for the source of the sound. Moses shouted, pointed to the staircase before them.
"There! Look!"
Standing at the landing, obscuring the promising light from above, throwing a great shadow over them, was a monster. Bipedal and on its hind legs, it stood about six feet tall. It was reptilian and its neck was a sharp S curve. It bore knife-like foreclaws and a sickle-shaped killing claw on each middle toe. It stood on powerfully muscled legs, balanced on a long, stiff tail.
It was colored a burnished gold, lighter on the underbelly. There was a splash of vivid red on its snout to match its crimson eyes, and its back, from neck to tail tip, was striped black.
Will inhaled sharply, disbelieving. He behaved similarly when they met the gaets of the Quiet Nerifes.
"Raptor," he said softly.
The raptor crouched, and Chloe saw what had been making the noise--it clicked on the floor with its killing claw almost rhythmically. A low growling noise resonated from deep within its throat, and its lips pulled back to bare ivory fangs.
"Back away from the stairs, everyone!" Will shouted, channeling energy through his hammer.
The others did as they were told, backed a safe distance, and not a moment too soon.
The raptor, still crouched, leapt with astounding speed and distance, down the stairs. It landed at the foot of the stairs, foreclaws and rows of sharp teeth bared. It hissed menacingly.
"What manner of monster is this?" Chloe asked, sword at the ready.
Will didn't answer, instead chanting an eres.
"A foolish soul entombed in death's chill grasp and rent by its teeth of lightning . . ."
Giet barked once, and Moses yelled, flailing his arms wildly.
"Will! Stop yer spell!"
Will did indeed stop, surprised. He stared at Moses, who rushed up to the monster, examining it. He slammed a fist in his open palm, screeching, "Ah ha!"
Moses turned to the group, pointing out a cloth tied to the raptor's neck. It was small, but it was there: a strip of fur, white, splayed with black stripes. It was the mark of Moses's beast tamer clan.
Chloe didn't lower her sword. "What does this mean, Sandor?"
Moses glanced up the stairs, and surely enough, another figure appeared there, human, and familiar.
"This here's Ven," Moses gave the raptor a fond stroke on the neck, "My buddy Csaba's beast!"
--
Hikaru: And that's a wrap! Sorry, I just had to stick another raptor in here! shot Seriously, though, we never got to see Csaba's beast. I mean, he was a beast tamer, right? And all beasts are dangerous . . . yep. I don't think Csaba's story with Ven is going to be a romantic one like Moses and Giet, something really simple. But the plot thickens! . . . Somewhat. Hope you liked it! Please review!