Hello~ We're getting into spring! Hurray! BUT, what also comes with spring, specifically April to June, is a very busy schedule for me. I have competitions and exams, and my chapters will probably be even slower during this time! I thank my lucky stars that no one has gotten mad at me for being so slow, and I promise to try to be faster during summer break! That's it for updates! I've heard some murmurs of story stealing and removal again, and even though it didn't sound legit, I'll still put a disclaimer out there that I own nothing but Tina, Kris, and the modifications I put in this story! Anyone with arte ideas that is willing to share throw em at me! Other than that, let's get writing!
I giggle softly as Karol babbles on about Nor Harbor. His rambling fills the silence in my head that's dragged on and on. None of them mention the bags under my eyes, but Estelle is obviously worried, and Yuri stubbornly avoids my eyes when I think he's looking at me. Karol is more subtle, he's taken to sleeping closer to me during the night, and his breathing helps fill the emptiness in my head. Rita doesn't seem to notice, but I can't blame her, she's known me for barely a few days.
"Here!" Karol shouts, the one to bring me out of my zone, as usual. Ehmead Hill was large, very large, with the vast forest along the sides reaching out onto the road.
"So this is Ehmead Hill?" I ask out loud, eyes taking in the tall greenery.
"That's weird…." I look down at Karol, who's obviously extremely confused. "The barrier's gone…"
"Wait!" I exclaim. "They have a barrier for a goddamn hill but not Deidon Hold?!" I exclaim, looking over at the others. They simply shrug.
"It's pretty new, that's what Nan said." Karol defends himself, and I ruffle his hair, causing him to pout.
"So, why is the barrier gone?" Rita impatiently asks, stomping forwards. I wiggle my eyebrows at Karol, and he blushes brightly. Oooh, so he's got a crush~ I think I remember her now, the girl with the giant boomerang right?
"Not finding you if you get lost." Yuri says exasperatedly. I laugh at him, only to pause when the walking pink force of nature that is Estelle, steps in front of my view.
"What's wrong?" She asks, her tone firm but soft. I turn my eyes away, catching Karol's worried brown ones.
"Just…" I sigh. "Just been worried about my brother." I force out, trying to stay neutral. Estelle opens her mouth to continue her interrogation
"Hey, hey!" A unknown voice yells. "No outsiders allowed!" I thank Rita to the high heavens when Estelle turns and starts to jog towards the commotion. Yuri pats my shoulder, giving me a small smirk.
"Hurry up Tina." I give him a smile, slowly working myself back into a better mood.
"Let me through! I'm Rita Mordio of the Imperial Blastia Research Laboratory." Rita huffs at the man, who sputters.
"Oh, you're a mage from Aspio? Excuse me." Rita then proceeds to reach her hands deep into the smoking mass of broken machinery. "Oh! But you can't just do as you please! Let me go and ask the-" He seems to cut himself off when he finally realizes Rita don't give two shits about what he has to say, and dashes off. Yuri gives that funny snort of his, watching the running man with a smirk.
"Huh, I could use some of her attitude." He looks over at me, and I give him a dry look.
"You have plenty of it, trust me." He gives me an 'innocent' smirk. Estelle just giggles behind her hand.
'I agree." He gives Estelle a wounded look.
"Now everyone's teaming up on me." I decide to ignore his strangely adorable pout, in favor of an excited, flailing Karol.
"Hey!" He shouts. "Listen to this!" He says, almost bouncing on the spot. I zone out as Karol goes on and on, describing his tale with various sound effects. He finally pauses, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
"What." He gives me a mildly insulted look. I shrug, it's not unusual for me not to pay attention.
"Someone riding a flying dragon, threw a giant spear at the blastia!" I perk up. Oh yeah Judith was the one who destroyed this one!
"Tina? Sound familiar?" I jolt, looking at Yuri. Damn, he's really keeping an eye on me!
"I saw something eerily similar while traveling. Some white-armored knight on a serpent-type monster." I look over at the broken blastia, mentally patting myself on the back. I hate lying but...it's not like they would believe me.
"I've never heard of something like that...where did you see this Tina?" I give her a sheepish grin.
"My village was pretty isolated, and through my travels I never really grabbed a map. I would get lost anyways." She nods in acceptance, but Yuri keeps giving me his usual deep look, like he always does when he suspects I'm lying.
"They called him the 'dragon rider'!" Karol rambles on, and I grin at his childish flailing.
"Well, the world's just full of surprises." Yuri rambles off, still staring at me. I raise my eyebrow challengingly, and he gives me a smirk. Stop! No blushing!
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Let me go!" Rita outraged cries give me a jolt of instinctual memory. I slide into the bushes when I spot knights, not wanting to be identified. Despite his half-hearted protests, Yuri's wanted picture was way less accurate than my own.
"There she goes again." Wow, even Karol's learning sarcasm. Yuri's a bad influence.
"Something is definitely strange with this blastia formula!" The formula….that's important, definitely, important. I don't remember exactly how, but I need to keep that in mind.
"We need a distraction!" Karol mumbles to himself, panicked.
"HEY! SOMEONE SPOTTED THE DRAGON RIDER FURTHER DOWN THE HILL!" I shout loudly, raising my pitch slightly. The knights turn around, some running off while the one restraining Rita stays. One pauses at our group, and I scowl, sneaking around him slowly.
"Wait a minute, there's a warrant for your-" I snap my hand out, knocking him unconscious through the opening between his helmet and collar. Yuri nods at me, and runs to grab Rita. Repede takes out the remaining knight, and I usher everyone in the trees.
"I'm sorry." Estelle mumbles to the knights, rolling my eyes, I grasp her arm gently and pull her into the brush.
"Looks like we lost them, good thinking Tina." I give Yuri a grin and a wink.
"All a part of my charm." He turns away abruptly, to my confusion. Estelle giggles and I groan. I give up! I'm missing something!
"*huff* That blastia formula *huff* was so strange…" Rita pants out, her mind obviously going a mile a minute. I stiffen. Again with that formula! What am I missing?!
"Strange, something fishy about it?" I thank my luck that, this time, Yuri isn't looking my way.
"Sounds mighty fishy." I agree, adjusting one of my foot wraps.
"Well, our hands are already full as it is, so mind leaving us out of this?" Yuri asks, not rudely, but not politely. Rita shrugs.
"It doesn't concern you regardless." I can taste the irony in that statement. Yeah this formula is important.
"Yuri LOWELLLLLLLLLLL! Where have you run off to now?!" I laugh quietly when Yuri's eyebrow twitches. Good old Leblanc!
"Hey Mr. Famous, seems you got a fan out there." I can't hold back a snort, and Yuri gives me a glare.
"Again?" He sighs dramatically. "He gives a new meaning to the word 'workaholic'."
"Where are you and your fugitive girlfriend hiding?" I hold back a laugh, giving Yuri a wide grin.
"I've been promoted, from 'fugitive' to fugitive's girlfriend'!" I giggle. Yuri smirks at me, shoving me lightly.
'Lady Esteliiiiissssseeeee I say! Do come out of hiding!" I snort at the tall knight's face, I will never get over his mustache. Rita is giving us an unimpressed look.
"You guys have a lot of problems." Yuri snorts. I grin innocently. "Just who are you guys anyways?" Estelle shifts nervously.
"Um...well, I'm…"
"Yuuuuri, come out, come out, wherever you are!" The third of the Three Musketeers interrupts with beautiful timing.
"You can talk about that later!" Yuri urges, trying to move us deeper into the bushes. I sigh in relief as we start walking, I was getting restless being so near the road.
"Let's get to the Harbor before things get any worse!" Karol says firmly, marching forwards while trying not to seem as scared of the knights as he actually is. I jog up to him, ruffling his hair while Repede headbutts my hand. Maybe I can manage through the silence a bit longer...
"Isn't this a beast trail?" Estelle asks, sticking close behind me. I crane my neck up at her. "Are we safe here?"
"The size of the trail shows that the monsters won't be too big, so we should be good." I say casually, letting my feet drag through the taller, softer grass along the trail.
"Besides, what's a few monsters against our brave Captain Karol?" I turn to scold Yuri, but Karol's somewhat confident answer makes me shut my mouth. Eh, we'll only deal with small monsters.
Skit: Who is Nan?
Karol: Hey Estelle, I noticed you keep looking in my direction-what's up?
Estelle: You don't mind if I ask? All right, well then...here goes.
Estelle: This...Nan, are you in love with her?
Karol: Ack…*hack* *cough* *choke*
Estelle: Nan's a girl's name right? Is she the girl you wanted to show Halure's flowers to?
Karol; Waaaaa! No, no, no! You've got it all wrong!
Estelle: I do?
Karol: Man, she'd be so angry if she heard you say that…
Estelle: Karol good luck with her! I'm rooting for you!
Karol: Uh yeah...well, thanks. That's encouraging….
End of Skit
Skit: The Dragon Rider
Yuri: Man, some people have some weird hobbies. I mean, who goes around destroying blastia?
Estelle: I wouldn't really call that a hobby.
Rita: If we ever come across whoever's doing this, I'll destroy him!
Tina: Whoa there Spitfire, save the flames for him, not us!
Karol: But what if he has some reason for what he's doing?
Tina: *mumble* goddamn foreshadowing….
Rita: They can have any reason they want! Destroying blastia is unforgivable! Period!
Karol: Ack my, my neck! My neck! Waaaaaagh! Ack, heeeelp me Yuri! Tina!
Tina: Come on Karol! Fight!
Yuri: Meh, that'd take effort. Just play nice with each other kids.
Karol: Estelle…
Estelle: Umm….do your best Karol!
End of Skit
Skit: Halure's Art
Tina: Hmmm….
Karol: What's up Tina?
Tina: For such a floral environment, Halure's art is pretty dark. See this that I bought here?
Estelle: Oh? It's a beautiful woman with a tree growing out of her!
Tina: Yeah….remember that story the mayor told us?
Yuri: ...It that the 'caged emperor's bride' or whatever?
Estelle: You mean the fiancèe of Brimstone the Fourth?
Tina: Yeah, apparently she was murdered and her blood colours the tree's petals...this painting is so pretty though….
Karol: A-are you keeping that Tina?!
Tina: Duh, I love art.
Yuri: Even with the dark story, it's still pretty cool.
Karol: I-I guess….
End of Skit
Skit: A Nice, Fun, Relaxing Trip
Yuri: Red eyes, Knights,Tina…. Why can't we just have a nice, fun, relaxing trip?
Tina: Yeah….hey wait a minute!
Karol: You're one to complain Yuri.
Rita: Yeah, weren't those knights calling for both Tina AND you?
Karol: But you're the one who was fighting with the mages Rita.
Tina: I wonder how ranking even works among the mages?
Rita: I know all who are higher rank by NAME. Those weren't them.
Estelle: Please, everyone! We're okay, aren't we? I actually think it's kind of fun!
Yuri: If you think being chased is fun, you're gonna love the rest of this trip.
Tina: *mumbles* and the foreshadowing continues….
Karol: Yeah, you may have written off what just happened but we're still fugitives.
Tina: ….hey, what am I being charged for?
End of Skit.
Skit: The value of a Barrier Blastia
Yuri: That was a pretty big commotion over breaking a single barrier blastia.
Karol: I dunno, it seemed the commotion Rita caused was even bigger!
Rita: Stop bringing up trivial details!
Estelle: Of course people would be upset, it's a barrier blastia.
Tina: My only question is why does Ehmead Hill even have one?
Estelle: What do you mean?
Tina: Well, looking at Deidon Hold, it is obviously crucial for bringing in supplies for the capital, so why the hell was this barrier not placed there?
Yuri: That's a good point, blastia make everything easier, look at the lower quarter when we're missing just one.
Estelle: I hope they're okay…
Tina: Don't worry, we'll get the aque blastia in not time!
End of Skit
"Was it me or you who jinxed us?" I ask dryly looking up at the giant wolf monster. Yuri snorts, throwing his sheath aside.
"Th-that's one of the monsters that attacked Halure!" Karol cries obviously shaking in fear. I put my hand on his head, and he stares up at me with scared eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't allow my friends to die." And I meant it. I didn't have friends back home. Now that I do have them, I'm not letting them go. With this new purpose filling the silence, I clench my jaw, determined.
"A survivor huh?" Yuri snarks. He gives me an approving glance.
"If we leave it here, it'll surely go back and try to attack Halure again.' That's what you're worried about?! But then I notice Rita is shifting nervously. She's not as nonchalant as she wants to be. I mean, we're fighting a giant fucking dog wolf!
"But Halure has the barrier protecting it now!" Estelle says. Are Karol and I the only ones who notice the fact that the monster has no intention of attacking the village and every intention of attacking us?!
"Even so, how are the people of Halure supposed to sleep at night with beasts like this crawling around just outside the barrier?" Yuri growls. Then I figure it out. Courage. Just like how I'm willing to risk my life for them they're willing to risk theirs for people they don't even know. I smirk, straightening up. I'm not as selfless as Estelle and Yuri, but I can protect my friends. Hopefully, that's good enough. It roars, and I grin, stepping forwards.
"Bring it dog breath!" I shout. It howls, charging forwards. I roll to my left, before I feel energy start to gather within my feet. A new arte, eh? I charge forwards as Karol crouches, planting my hands on his shoulders, and swinging my legs in a helicopter kick. "Windmill!" I shout as green energy swirls outwards, causing the large dog, and it's two pups who had appeared, flying backwards. Karol gives me a pout, before charging towards the main dog, I spin around to look at Rita, whom is in mid chant.
"Aim for the pups! Take them out first!" Memories of fighting this particular boss are hard to grasp, and that's the only piece of info I can remember, I hope it's enough… Feeling the wind against my back, I immediately fall into a bridge, the beast's claws only skimming my stomach. I lift my legs up, slamming them into the dog's nose before landing in a crouch. Sadly, with my back still to the monster, I didn't see it's tail coming to slam into my side. Gasping at the flair of pain in my side, I desperately try to twist in the air, and manage to land on my back, instead of my face. Not my feet, but good enough! Green light shines in my vision and the pain in my hip vanishes. The beast turns to Karol, who grits his teeth visibly and slams his axe into the incoming paw. The beast howls in pain, charging forwards and slamming Karol into the ground. Yuri dodges the charging animal, and spins his sword.
"Destruction field!" He yells, red fire-like energy flaring around him, and knocking the beast off it's feet. It's tail lays near me, and I dash forwards, grasping the furry appendage tightly in my hands. Karol grins at me, grasping my waist tightly and planting his feet. Digging my heels into the ground, I pull. The dog let's out a sharp whine, and the pups are advancing quickly towards me. I feel that same warmth from the fight with the Goliath blooming in my skull, and I twist a foot here, and a shoulder there, and the beast is flying, smacking into the other two monsters, and crashing into the tree's beyond the clearing. Those pink flowers with the paralyzing fumes spray over them, and Estelle and Yuri dash forwards, defeating each of the pups, while Repede dives at the big beast. The dog manages to stand, but is severely injured, and I fall back, breathing deeply. The warmth scrambles out of my head, and exhaustion not unlike my 'sprint of the cheetah' (insert cringe at name here) fills my bones. Karol is also resting beside me, massaging his feet gingerly. The imprints in the ground a testament to how hard he held his ground.
"Thank god *pant* that's over…" Karol huffs as the beast falls over. I nod, giving him a gin and a thumbs up. He grins back at me. Estelle hurries over, healing everything on me but the coldness the loss of the warmth usually brings. Repede rubs against my leg, looking satisfied, and Yuri is pulling Rita up, who had fallen into one of the flowers when avoiding the flying dog, and was still dazed. Things are good.
Now if only it wasn't so silent.
Done! For anyone kind of sick with the sad chapters, they will soon be done with! Then we can get back to silliness! :3 MY BIRTHDAY IS IN A WEEK OMG! I'm terribly busy the rest of this April though, so I won't get started on the next chapter till May which is sad news… :( Anyways, I'm at a crossroads with what type of weapon/spells Kris should use! If you have any suggestions, feel free to send me them! Other than that, review, favourite and thanks for reading!
From: Dragon S.W.K.