Author's Note: This was a fun chapter to write. I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! I plan to update again on Saturday.
The morning sun to the north of Chesedonia was not as brutal as that to the south, but still enough to warrant the complaint of Luke, who, most unfortunately, was also leading the party in a fairly unrelenting manner. They trudged along the greens just to the west of the Chesedonian Mountain Range, entering and exiting forests faster than most would've thought possible. The redhead found himself at the head of the group, closely followed by both Guy and Tear; Anise and Natalia flanked Ion, and Jade had taken his usual position at the back of the group. Not surprisingly, Lyra lagged as far behind as she was able, the occasional pull of the colonel's fonon-chain causing her to speed up. Mieu hopped about everyone's feet, but never drew particularly close to their newest addition.
"I just remembered… didn't the mining road to Akzeriuth's southern side close after Kimlasca turned it over to Malkuth?" Natalia asked, turning her head toward anyone who'd answer.
"Yeah. Any major transport along that road stopped years ago," Guy answered, kicking a stone as he did so. "But it hasn't been blocked off, and since it's the only suitable way through the mountains, that's the way we're going."
"Great. Mountains." Luke cast his eyes down, shaking his head in aggravation. "Deserts, forests, and now mountains."
"I thought you were glad to be out of your manor," Tear countered, glaring sternly at the redhead.
"I didn't say anything about that! I'm just sick and tired of this… I didn't ask to be the emissary and-"
"You just need something to complain about, don't you, Luke?" Anise asked, rolling her eyes as she hopped along.
"Why you little-"
"I merely asked about the road…" Natalia trailed off, watching the chaos which had ensued from her rather minor inquiry. By now, the young Fon Master Guardian had abandoned her post beside Ion, and Luke was no longer at the head of the group. Tear was trying to intervene and prevent a full-scale war from breaking out between the two, and Guy was simply slowing his pace such that he could talk to someone who wasn't interested in argument.
"You never get tired of this, do you, Jade?" the blond questioned, strolling alongside the man in uniform. Jade let loose a throaty chuckle, bright eyes shining intensely behind the glare of his glasses as he cast a sidelong glance at Guy.
"No, never," he answered, voice hanging somewhere between seriousness and sarcasm.
"…so, um, Jade?"
"Now you're going to ask something I'd prefer not to answer. I can tell. Don't bother; it will merely be a waste of breath on your part."
"I'm sorry. It's just about what I overheard."
"I believe I've said this before, but I shall say it again for your sake." Jade turned such that he was facing the Kimlascan, normally amused expression turning gravely serious, if only for a moment. "Just as many of us here care not for discussions of our past, there are certainly things I'd rather avoid as well."
"But is she-"
"Enough, Guy. You needn't know anything about her. She is travelling to Grand Chokmah, and that is probably where she will remain the entire rest of her life."
"As your prisoner, but-"
"Enough." Red eyes narrowed dangerously now, and for a brief moment, Guy thought he saw a flicker of anger in those ghastly crimson orbs. The façade of a smile was enough to fool the servant though, brows raised and a dismissive shrug being given the next instant. The servant sighed, trotting away from the colonel, and returned to his place just behind Luke – their leader had by now returned to the head of the party, carrying a pace perhaps even brisker than before. The ambassador's anger was certainly a key factor in determining the group's pace.
It didn't take long for the unusual band of allies to reach the abandoned road Natalia had mentioned earlier. Guy seemed confident of his recognition of the trail's beginning, two large boulders placed most peculiarly on top of a leveled surface of rock. Their beginning was slow, but as the ascent continued, Luke only pressed them faster.
The road was still in fairly good condition, and, having been near-abandoned for the past several years, many found it surprising. The only three who weren't shocked were the men of the party – Guy apparently possessed substantial knowledge of the area, Jade was never phased by anything, and Luke was too stuck-up to appear phased by anything. Lyra didn't say anything one way or another, but grew suddenly wary as they passed a large oak tree.
"Something's not right," the blonde breathed, quickening her pace such that she no longer lagged so far behind the others.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" The colonel smiled at her, and, damn it, that was beginning to get really annoying. Lyra opened her mouth to answer, but the response was cut short as Ion suddenly collapsed upon bended knee. The blonde, against her better instinct, rushed to the Fon Master's side, quickly earning herself a righteous glare from Anise.
"Get away from Ion!" she yelled, though she was not quite so sure why. The dark-haired youth stepped in front of Lyra, the woman that was more than twice her age, and boldly stood up straight. Her eyes were narrowed, slits of near-black in the shadow of her bangs. The elder cocked her head to the side, a questioning look upon her maw.
"Lyra, come here." There was a tug of the rope, and the former solider came stumbling back to Jade's side. Her glare too, was righteous. The colonel only smiled, obviously beginning to enjoy the abusive properties of the fonic-bond. She stood where she was, eyes fixed upon the tiny female guardian who knelt in to attempt to help the Fon Master. It seemed as though the heat, in combination with the steep uphill march, had managed to render the teen exhausted, and thusly unable to move. Luke groaned and turned around from his position ahead of the group, having been the only one not to stop for Ion.
"What's the hold up? We need to get going!" The ambassador waved his arms furiously in the air, pausing only to rest hands upon his hips with a discontented scowl upon his face. He wore an almost-offensive expression, one which the other members of the party did not take kindly too, especially Anise. The thirteen-year old guardian stood again, own stance matching that of Luke.
"Ion's tired. We're stopping to rest." That said, she turned her attention back to the green-haired boy, rubbing his back and urging him to take deeper breaths.
"We don't have time for that," Luke complained, stepping toward the Fon Master.
"He's exhausted, and we're stopping." Anise didn't even look up.
"L-Luke's right… I-I'll be fine," Ion murmured, trying to press the child's hands away from his shoulders.
"No, Fon Master, you should rest," Tear reasoned, closing the distance between herself and the youth.
"Yeah, there's a lot more of this mountain to climb. We can't have you in any less than peak condition," Guy agreed.
"What'd you mean? He said he's fine, so let's go. We need to get to Akzeriuth!" The redhead stormed down the remainder of the slope he stood upon, stopping only when he was on ground level with the others.
"Luke, that's not the important thing right now." Natalia tried to lay a hand upon the teen's shoulder, but Luke pulled away with a greater frown upon his lips.
"Leave Ion and Anise here, then. They can take care of themselves. They're splitting from our group once we reach the other side of Deo Pass anyway, right?"
"That may be true, but we should provide the Fon Master with our aid as long as possible," Tear replied, stepping in front of the protesting Ion, who somehow was agreeing with the young ambassador.
"It doesn't matter! Master Van is-"
"Luke! Is that all you care about? Meeting up with Van?" Guy took a step toward Luke, becoming more defensive than the blond usually was accredited for.
"Well, yeah, because Master-"
"Luke, stop." Jade's voice cut through the bickering, allowing silence to settle between the members of their brigade. "I'm getting quite sick of this. You're talking as though you're nothing more than Van's dog. Think for yourself, or you may very well end up doing something you deeply regret." The solemn note of the eldest member's voice quieted everyone, Anise the only person daring to move during the uncomfortable and lengthy pause which hung in the air. She was evidently beginning to set up camp, unpacking her tiny bag and removing the necessary items for cooking.
"It's getting dark anyway, Luke. The sun will set in an hour or so. C'mon, let's rest." Guy's reasoning seemed to be something identifiable to Luke, and, though obviously displeased with the results of their altercation, settled himself against a nearby rock, face scrunched into a pout. The group quickly began to disperse, Natalia and Guy heading out to gather firewood, Tear and Anise beginning to set up bedrolls and ingredients for dinner, and Luke kicking Mieu around for no other purpose than to ease his boredom. Ion quickly found a suitable place to rest, amongst the partially-filled backpacks the party members had set down.
"Stupid, stupid…" Luke kicked a rock in anger, the tiny stone sailing through the air until it crashed into the large oak tree they'd just passed. Lyra flinched as it made contact, watching the branches of the tree suddenly shift. "Goddamn it…" There was another stone, larger this time, hitting the same mark. And then, then, Lyra was certain of it. The tree was moving toward Luke, a parted mouth of some sort, and gleaming orange eyes upon its trunk – branches were raised like fists ready to pummel the shorter redhead into the earth.
"Luke!" Tear's scream brought the attention of the redhead toward the moving tree, and he hurriedly drew his sword. Unfortunately, the giant trent then swung one of its branches at him, blade flashing in his hand before sailing behind a large boulder. Luke's eyes widened as he swore and dashed to the side, barely managing to escape the first blow. He turned himself over, stunned into a state of paralysis as he watched the massive creature loom over him. As fast as he was able, he shuffled away, unable to completely right himself. Soon, the trent caught up, knocked him face-forward into the ground. Another hit, and then Luke was looking up, staring at the mouth closing over his legs, and-
"Idiot!"
This time it wasn't Tear who came to his rescue. A glimmer of red concentrating in the palm of her hand, Lyra was suddenly rushing toward the fallen youth. Luke blinked once, and in the next instant, a glowing crimson blade had materialized in her hand. It held with it a strange, outer tint of green, which pulsed when she swung it to make contact with the beast. It was met with a loud clank, sharp edge cutting almost completely through one of the beast's branches. "Move!" Lyra yelled, stepping in front of Luke with blade held before her breast.
The creature attempted to lash out at its attacker, dull thuds against the sharp of the ex-soldier's weapon being met with only further damage to itself. Its actions eventually slowed, and Lyra took the offensive position once more, hacking into its trunk relentlessly. Slivers of wood came flying free from the beast's very core, a strange, thick sap oozing from within as it fell to shreds before the redhead's eyes. He backed up in horror at the sight, Lyra continuing to swing her blade well-past the point of the creature's mere defeat.
She stopped only when a pulp of sap-like blood and broken branches remained.
"Th-that's… s-sick," Luke gasped, pulling himself up with the help of a nearby rock. The beast was no more, true, but rather than leaving the carcass of the creature unharmed as the party usually did, Lyra had destroyed it. It no longer resembled something that once lived – only a few fragments of wood and disgusting brown liquid.
"What's wrong?" Lyra asked, dismissing her sword with a wave of her hand. "No 'thank you', Master Fabre?"
"Y-you slaughtered it…"
"And?"
"Th-that was disgusting… so brutal… why did you have to-"
"That monster would've done the same to you."
"S-so you're acting like a monster?!" Luke screamed. He stood. He glared hard into the very core of the ex-soldier's being. Lyra did not take well to this, pushing herself closer to him until they were mere inches apart.
"You ungrateful little bastard! Would you rather it lay there in a bloodied heap, or yourself? How would you like it if your entrails were split from your very being, your organs wrenched inside out, your blood curdling in the hot sun, and-"
"Lyra!" Jade's non-existent temper flared, earning the blonde's silence. Luke looked as though he might be sick.
Scratch that… Luke was sick. He turned, vomiting into the nearest brush, gripping another rock in light of the fact that his strength had been completely drained from him. Predictably, there was a sudden flash of green and red fonons, and Jade was dragging Lyra away from the teen at an astounding pace. They vanished from the scene, disappearing into a crevice between two large, jagged rocks.
"Where do you think he's taking her?" Natalia asked, having been standing frozen in the same place since her return with Guy.
"I've no idea… but I'll be surprised if he returns her in the same state she's in now," Tear mused.
I'm going to have a fun time writing the next chapter... predictions, anyone? There will be some interesting plot points revealed very shortly, let me say that much. The only trick will be keeping Jade in character, as always.