Gaddes groaned and clutched at his head as he struggled to sit up, not yet daring to open his eyes. Jeture's balls, what had he drunk last night? There were some dim memories of laughter, arguing with Riom outside, trying to piss on a bush and ending up hitting a stray raccoon. He could remember more laughter… searing lips on his, crimson eyes glinting with desire while a table fell silent in shock. Oh crap… forget what he'd drunk, what had he done!? He couldn't have… wouldn't have… the kid would have killed him!
Opening his eyes, he risked a glance at the cot next to his and found that it was empty, the sheets made with their usual military precision. The damn things were so tight that he was positive that he could bounce a coin off of them. Well, small miracle. He'd woken up alive, so either the kid had been too drunk to care… not likely if he was already up and likely working out as usual, or Dilandau had enjoyed it. While he sort of found himself hoping for the latter, he couldn't deny that it would likely open up a whole new set of problems for him to deal with.
"Allen's gonna kill me." He grumbled, fully aware that the story had likely already circulated through the crew several times, likely being embellished until they had him bending the damn brat over the table or something. The idea was meant to be horrifying, but he felt a stirring of interest in his groin at the prospect and glared down at his crotch in betrayal. "Don't you even start." He growled. "You've gotten me into a lot of trouble mister."
Groaning loudly, he rolled out of bed, wondering which Schezar was going to kill him first. The instant his bare feet touched the floor that problem became moot as he frowned in confusion, feeling the vibration in the metal. What the hell? In fact, now that he thought about it, he could hear the low drone of the engines and thrum of the propellers. They were flying?!
Sure, he knew that they were heading to the energist mine today, but so early? Why didn't anyone wake him?
Panicked, he leaped out of bed and raced out of the room, pausing only long enough to ensure that his trousers were done up before bursting onto the bridge.
Kio was curled up in a corner, snoring loudly as a long line of drool trickled out of the corner of his mouth. It looked like he'd been there for a while and didn't as much as twitch at the second in commands rather loud entrance. At the helm was Dilandau, confidently manning the wheel as if this was the sort of thing he did every morning.
"What the bloody hell?!" Gaddes blurted out loudly, his still hungover brain struggling to understand just how wrong this whole picture actually was. "Why is Kio asleep? Why are you flying? Where are we?"
Dilandau favoured him with a glance over his shoulder and a welcoming smile which likely didn't bode well at all. When the brat was in high spirits, something was usually on fire.
"To answer your questions in order," He began, motioning vaguely towards the sleeping pilot. "Kio is asleep because I drugged him. I'm flying so that we don't crash to our deaths and we're in southern Fanelia, just about to begin our descent. Could you adjust the levitation down to 20 percent for me? It's that dial over by your left on that angled panel."
"I know what bloody panel it's on, what I want to know is why?!" It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this crap. Where the hell was Allen? Dilandau only seemed to look even more amused as he listened to Gaddes sputter incoherently to himself.
"Likely because that's where the engineer who built the ship put it. I do agree though, it's a stupid idea, putting it out of the pilots reach. What can you expect from a backwards country?"
"You know what I mean!" Yes, Gaddes knew that he was yelling and knew that he was making a fool of himself but at this point, he was too confused and surprised to care. By now, Dilandau looked as if he was biting back his laughter and was drinking in every bit of the older man's emotional display. Folken had never been so easy to rile, granted, he'd never hijacked the Vione.
His amusement was interrupted as they hit a pocket of warm air and the levistones abruptly shifted the balance of the ship, making it sway rather sickeningly to the left. It took several long and rather heart wrenching seconds to get it levelled out again and Dilandau mentally reminded himself to keep a closer eye on the temperature of the stones. To die in a leviship crash would be more than a little embarrassing.
"Because I need an energist. I thought that this was obvious." The Dragonslayer captain finally remembered to answer the irate crewman, but was so intent on handling the leviship that he almost didn't notice Gaddes coming up behind him until a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. The albino had just enough time to quickly hit the autopilot lever, aborting the descent and forcing them to cruise at this altitude before being pulled away from the controls.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Gaddes practically screamed in his face. "I mean seriously, what is wrong with you!? Fanelia? What, you want to burn the ashes and call it a job well done? The fucking war is over! Let them try to rebuild their damn lives!" The larger man drew back his hand, ready to punch the much smaller youth but the look in those smoldering crimson eyes stopped him cold.
"I have no interest in this pathetic little country or its ruler." Dilandau hissed softly, his gaze never leaving Gaddes'. "I plan to be in and out before anyone notices we're even here. That's why we're so far south. Our initial scouting of the country before the war showed no villages of note anywhere near this area. Given the current economic state of the country, I doubt they've decided to expand since then."
"They should have shown you that there aren't any mines either. So why are you even here? Jeture Dilandau, do you know what Van will do to you if he finds you here?" Strong hands grabbed the youth by his collar, nearly lifting him up off of the ground and shaking him. Had Gaddes been at all in his right mind, he would never have dared lay hands on the albino, but all he was seeing was the danger looming around them.
"The brat king and his demon armour are in the capitol helping to rebuild. He won't know we're here so long as you don't do anything stupid."
"Me? Me do something stupid? This coming from the kid who can be tracked from the Mystic Moon by the bloody trail of fire and death he leaves behind?" Gaddes was yelling now and not particularly caring who heard him.
"Yeah, me who did all that and is still alive!"
"Only because of Allen, your brother. The same damn brother who has put everything on the line to defend you against the world. The brother you're pissing on by pulling a stunt like this!" They were nose to nose, glaring at each other and both shouting loud enough to wake the dead. Neither one of them was willing to back down or acknowledge that fighting in the bridge of a flying leviship likely wasn't the best of ideas
"It's because of that that I want the best for my damn Alseides!" Dilandau shot back furiously. "It's bad enough that I'm using a subpar machine, I won't add in the extra risk of a second rate energist!" That caught the older man's attention and he pulled back slightly in confusion.
"What do you mean? It's just rocks." Apparently he'd said the wrong thing because the Zaibch captain sneered in utter derision at his ignorance.
"Just rocks." He scoffed. "That's why Zaibach technology will always be superior."
"You mass produced those monsters. There's nothing special about them." Gaddes wasn't willing to back off quite so easily, especially when it meant conceding that Zaibach had done anything worthy of praise.
"Ever wonder why my Dragonslayers were so superior?" Our melef's were just the same as all of the others. Yes we had the stealth cloaks, but we still managed to consistently outperform every other squad in the Four Demon army. Why do you think that? Yes, a lot of that was my superior leadership and training, but we used a superior power source than those idiots. Even my greenest Slayers were able to outmanoeuver our rivals on any given day."
"Because you used something other than energist?" Gaddes' anger had vanished now, replaced by open curiosity. Dilandau's smile was back as he shook his head and mischief glinted in the depths of his eyes.
"Energist radiates an energy left over from when Atlantis was originally destroyed. Think of it as mystical fallout which has built up in rather specific rock deposits over the millennia." Gaddes nodded his head, unsure of where this was going. "Now, it sits there in the earth, slowly breaking down over time and getting absorbed into Gaea itself. Now, in some areas, you find creatures like dragons. The dragons gather in places where the ground is rich in deposits of energist and they eat the rocks much the way several animals do, using them to break down the food in their gizzards or bellies."
"Animals don't eat rocks." Gaddes argued, earning himself a look of mild exasperation from the albino.
"Some do, honestly, your education is atrocious. Do try to follow what I'm saying and not interrupt. Now, over time, the energist that these dragons have ingested coalesces into a single stone and not only is it condensed energist, but it's also been drawing on the life force and energy of that particular dragon for centuries. It becomes ... let's call it a hub of their energy and when you install it into a guymelef it's like comparing a match to a bonfire. This is Dragenergist and there's no greater power source on Gaea."
"Folken taught you this didn't he?" It sounded like Folken to Gaddes, full of twisted logic and fanciful words. Dilandau didn't bother to deny this, instead, he leaned against the control panel and crossed his arms over his chest indolently.
"I'll put it how I used to explain it to my Dragonslayers. The energist in the ground that any idiot can harvest is leftover form long dead dragons. Its energy has been leeched back into the earth. By the time it's harvested, it's little better than its original form of pretty glowing rocks. Sure, these rocks are capable of drawing and focussing vast amounts of energy, but that's they're shadows of their former strength. Now the Dragenergist found in live dragons has been soaking in the lifeblood of the dragon all of its life. It's filled with all of the dragons passions, its rage, its killer instinct, its strength and raw power all heightened in the last moments of its life." Dilandau's eyes shone as he spoke and he straightened up, his hands becoming rather animated as he gestured with his words, adding emphasis to the poetic image he was painting. Gaddes could easily see how a bunch of impressionable fifteen year olds, already drowning in idol worship had been pulled along with the young captain. Jeture help them if the kid ever stayed sane long enough to lead a nation. He imagined that this must have been what a young Dornkirk was like, and that idea filled him with deep dread.
"So… you're not after a mine, you're after a dragon." Gaddes murmured softly, earning himself a grin from the youth.
"Exactly. Its life will be sacrificed so that I can better protect this crew." Something burned behind the kids eyes that wasn't quite sane, but it didn't immediately get Gaddes' hackles up. More, it reminded him of the look a mother bear would have when someone endangered her cubs.
"And Allen went along with this?" He already knew the answer but felt that he should ask anyway. Unsurprisingly, the brat turned away and took the wheel in his hands once again, flicking off the autopilot and resuming their descent.
"He didn't specifically say no."
"So he doesn't know." Gaddes confirmed tiredly. The Boss was right, the kid was utterly insubordinate. "Where is he anyway? Why hasn't anyone come up here to see what all of the yelling is about?"
"Katz is in the engine room and can't hear us. Kio is asleep, who else are you wanting to be here?"
"Oh I don't know… Allen maybe?" It was hard keeping his temper in the face of such rebelliousness and oh how he wanted to knock the brat out, but there was the whole thing about not knowing how to land a leviship himself… or fly one for that matter. Until Kio woke up, the kid was untouchable and he knew it.
"They're back at the village as planned. You were hung over and no one could wake you so Schezar said to let you sleep it off. Honestly, how much did you even drink last night?" The curious look the kid threw him seemed to be asking "how much do you remember?"
"Not enough to forget you shocking the hell out of the crew. You could have warned a guy you know."
"I don't seem to remember you objecting at all." Dilandau returned smugly. "In fact, you seemed to enjoy yourself." This time it was Gaddes who turned away, his cheeks colouring slightly despite his best efforts. "We'll have to try that again sometime, perhaps with less of an audience." He added lightly, adjusting several levers before glancing over his shoulder again. "You might want to sit down. I haven't tried to land a leviship in years and this isn't exactly soft terrain."
"You hijacked our ship and you're not sure how to land it?"
"Must you make it seem like a bad idea?"
"It WAS a bad idea!"
"Live a little Fanelian."
"By DYING!?"
"I notice you're not sitting down" Gaddes took the hint and stopped arguing long enough to grab one of the bolted down chairs and haul himself into it, grabbing onto the rarely used restraints. He spared a moment to stare at the long straps of leather, noticing how tangled they were. Rather than waste his time trying to unknot them, he simply clutched onto as many as he could at once, closed his eyes and prayed rather loudly to Jeture to get him through this alive. "If I die, I'm haunting your scrawny ass!" He spit out.
"Great, the more the merrier." Dilandau might have said more but was interrupted by the sound of a tree scraping the underbelly of the ship and it was jostled sharply to the left. The Dragonslayer captain was nearly knocked off of his feet but clung to the wheel tenaciously, spinning it hard to the right as he tried to level them out. Another tree was felled, jostling them sharply, followed by several more. Gaddes was quickly becoming convinced that they were plowing their way through the forest, leaving a swath of destruction behind them. Really, it was hardly surprising given who was at the helm. All they needed to do now was start a fire and the whole set up would be complete.
"The Boss is gonna kill you for this, you know that right?" Gaddes yelled over the din.
"Shut up or these stupid trees will do the job for us!" Dilandau yelled back, pulling several levers back as he tried to get the nose of the ship up. They hit something hard and unyielding that threatened to break Gaddes' spine despite being on the chair, making him curse creatively and at length. He could only stare in horror as the teenager was finally knocked off his feet and thrown clear of the wheel which took the opportunity to spin wildly.
Another bone jarring impact knocked the wind out of both of them and there was an impressive crash as the leviship stopped moving and quickly fell silent. Gaddes could only hope that it was because somewhere down below in the engine room, Katz had killed the engine. Granted, after that landing, they might have very easily have lost the entire engine room a mile or so back.
"Kid… you ok?" He found himself grinding out the words as he looked over at the sprawled out body of the youth who lay pressed against the prow control panel. Carefully, Dilandau shifted his position, quickly taking note of every bump and bruise, ensuring that nothing major had been damaged.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Good. Cause I'm gonna kill you." Rather than feel at all threatened by those words, the young captain instead began to laugh. It wasn't his crazy "I'm gonna burn everything to ash" laugh; instead it was one more in keeping with a stupid kid who'd just survived some reckless adventure. Gaddes knew that particular sort of laugh well enough from his own life's misadventures and despite how thoroughly pissed he was, he couldn't help but join in.
Standing slowly, he carefully tested out his legs and found them wobbly but working. The floor wasn't level which added to the difficulty in walking, but he managed to make his way over to where the kid was still carefully stretching out each limb. At his approach, the lithe body froze and he watched as wide crimson eyes rose, doing their best to look innocent and angelic.
"You are nuts kid. Absolutely nuts, but I gotta say, you keep things interesting." Heaving a particularly world weary sigh, the second in command then extended his hand to help the brat to his feet. To his utter surprise, Dilandau actually accepted the hand up, stumbling to his feet and leaning against Gaddes rather heavily for a moment. Struggling to balance, Gaddes wrapped an arm around Dilandau's back to keep them both from tumbling over, not realizing how he was pressing them together intimately until it was too late.
It would be a lie to say that the older man didn't enjoy the feeling of that strong slender form pressed so closely against his own. He could feel the warmth of the brat's body through their clothes, noticing every point of contact with a sort of hyper awareness. This was made even worse when those crimson eyes took on a rather knowing look and the brat shifted his hips, purposefully brushing himself rather intimately against the second in command.
Common sense, hell, any sense warned him to back away. This wasn't a dream and he certainly couldn't pass this off as being drunk, but he could feel his pulse throbbing through his veins as his heartbeat sped up, sending more blood to some rather specific locations. There was no doubt in the world that the kid was fully aware of his interest seeing as how their pelvis' were pressed so tightly together but Gaddes didn't seem to be the only one affected.
Those slender hips rocked slightly, stroking their groins together through their clothes as Dilandau reached up a hand to trace his fingertips along the edge of Gaddes' jawline.
"What… what are you doing?" The older man murmured, staring transfixed at those soft silken lips, noticing how pale pink they were and how tantalizing the tip of his tongue was when it darted out to moisten them, leaving a glistening trail he was eager to taste. Would the boy still taste of vino and fire?
"If you have to ask, it's been far too long." Dilandau murmured, his fingers tracing their way across the older man's lips, teasing him by leaving little shards of sparking sensations in their passing and urging the taller man to lower his head.
"I should punch you for what you just did…" Gaddes struggled to hold onto his anger as he drew closer to those lips, feeling the heat of the Dragonslayer's breath ghosting across his flesh. Eyes which shone like molten rubies watched him through lowering snowy lashes, daring him to take that last step, teasing him.
"There are much better things you could be doing with your hands." Was the purring reply as a hot tongue closed the distance between them, tracing the lips his fingers had so recently caressed. It was like being touched by lightning and he could feel his entire body tingle in pleasure, causing him to moan loudly in desire. Not wanting to hold himself back any longer, Gaddes seized those lips with his own, kissing the albino fiercely with all of his pent up passion and thrilled at the feel of that beautiful mouth opening up for him, welcoming him into his hot sweet flesh.
The dream, the drunken kiss last night, they had nothing on this. Dilandau met his kiss with equal ferocity, the two of them playfully fighting for dominance even as the youth's body seemed to melt against his own. One strong hand slid around to the back of his head, long fingers tangling in dark hair, urging him to continue. The other hand reached behind Gaddes' back, scratching down the length of his spine, sending sizzling shocks through his flesh.
Gaddes had kissed many women in the past. Some were so shy he always felt as if he was taking advantage of them in some way. Others acted as if they were trying to devour his face with voracious hunger. They were more slobber than anything and their tongues were like eels trying to wriggle their way down his throat. Dilandau was simply fire. There was no reluctance or sense of yielding in his kiss, but it also wasn't some grand battle where he tried to prove himself either. Instead, it was a sharing of searing passion, a challenge willfully given and accepted, daring the second in command to push it further.
He'd never been with a man before. Of course there's been the odd temptation and crushes over the years, but he'd never dared to step over that fine line. Astoria might be willing to turn a blind eye to the antics of the lower classes but that didn't mean that it was something to be sought after. Besides, it had always been easier, more acceptable to lose himself in the soft embrace of a local whore or village girl.
Dilandau hadn't been brought up with those insecurities and as a result felt no shame in what he was or who he desired. As such, there was no hesitation on his part, no fearful holding back of his desires. Not that his personality would have ever bent to the whims of others. What he wanted, he seized without hesitation or concern for repercussions. Right now, what he wanted was the handsome and roguish second in command.
"You could have gotten us killed." Gaddes murmured in between heated kisses, loving how Dilandau's flexible body let his hips rock in that cruel rhythm without disrupting their kisses or pulling any other body part away. He could feel the teenager's chuckle vibrate through his flesh as fingers slid beneath his shirt to stroke heated skin teasingly.
"But don't you feel so much more alive?" The words were teasing but oh so true and with a loud groan Gaddes reached down to cup his hands around the youths beautifully rounded ass, crushing their groins together with the most maddening friction imaginable. The brat was right, he hadn't felt this alive in a long time and he intended to never forget this sensation.
This time it was Dilandau who moaned. The sound was rich, throaty and went straight to Gaddes' groin. His arousal was so hard that it bordered on pain and with every stroke of their rocking hips, he could feel that the Zaibach youth was in much the same predicament. He wasn't going to last much longer and he doubted that the kid would either. Jeture, how was he going to explain to Allen that he'd had sex with his little brother on Crusades helm? No matter how gorgeous or willing said little brother was, this was the sort of thing that put a wedge in a friendship… not that he particularly cared at this moment.
"G… gaddes?" The voice wasn't Dilandau's and it was filled with groggy confusion rather than searing lust. The second in command came very close to ignoring it altogether in favour of the eagerly writhing body in his arms but the damn voice persisted. "Gaddes? What… what happened? Why is everything… spinning? Why am I on the floor?" Kio… it was Kio finally waking up from whatever drugs Dilandau had given him. Dammit! Five more minutes! That's all he'd needed was five more minutes! Why did the world hate him?!
Speaking of the little homicidal ball of lust, Dilandau was growling in equal frustration, his thoughts echoing Gaddes' save for he was also seriously giving consideration to putting the knife in his boot to good use and silencing that interrupting voice forever.
"….ugh… my head… Gaddes… are you fighting again? Don't fight guys… the boss wants us to get along…" There was a great deal of rustling as the downed pilot struggled to get up, his drugged brain not registering the two would be lovers properly.
"At least my Dragonslayers knew when to leave a damn room." Dilandau grumbled softly, giving Gaddes one last heated kiss before pulling away with a soft growl. All the older man could do was stare at the beautiful picture of Dilandau denied. The youths pale skin was flushed, his cheeks taking on an almost sweet looking rosy hue and his lips were beautifully swollen and dark pink from the bruising kisses. Those eyes of his seemed to glow as if they were on fire, making it almost impossible to look away and when they met Gaddes', they silently promised that this aborted tryst was far from over.
"Well, you did drug the man." The second in command replied quietly, his voice sounded far huskier than usual and he could only imagine what he looked like to the awakening crewman. "It's not like he had a choice to leave."
Not quite ready to turn around and face his long-time friend, wholly because of his rather obvious state of arousal and NOT because of the beautiful epitome of thwarted lust standing in front of him, Gaddes spoke over his shoulder.
"Are you ok Kio? You took a nasty blow to the head." It was a safe bet that in all the jostling around the man had likely bruised his skull at least once. "We hit some sort of air pocket and you got thrown by the wheel." Gaddes had no idea why he was covering for the kid. Dilandau had done something utterly stupid which had nearly gotten them all killed, but here he was protecting him… and for what? The hope of a lay? No, be honest… the hope of a truly spectacular lay. Well, that and the fact that if it got out that the brat had knowingly pulled off this stupid stunt, the crew would never trust him again.
Shooting said brat a look which said that he should appreciate the web of lies about to be woven on his behalf, Gaddes focussed his mind on images of Mole-man dancing around naked, hoping that that would drain away his libido quickly. Ugh… it was a truly hideous image to behold but he could indeed feeling his desire drain away, leaving in its place a deep sense of nausea. Some things simply couldn't be unseen.
At least the Dilandau had the benefit of a long heavy coat which he could simply close around himself, sparing himself from the mental trauma Gaddes had to indulge in. Life simply wasn't fair.
Once he could safely turn around without revealing what he'd been up to, he took a step back from the kid and turned to face his confused crewmate.
"Do you remember anything?" Walking was still somewhat difficult, but Kio was still too disoriented to notice. At least he didn't have to feign his concern as he crouched down next to his friend and waved some fingers in front of his eyes. "How many am I holding up?"
"Four… I lost the wheel? How did we land?" Gaddes was holding up three fingers and sighed softly.
"The kid got us down. Not gracefully, but he got us down." The second in command spared the brat a short glare. Not only had he put the crew in danger, but now he'd likely be rewarded for it. The little bastard had better be grateful for this.
Indeed, Dilandau was more than a little shocked to have the man explain way what had happened as if the Dragonslayer had done nothing wrong. It was an act of solidarity which he hadn't been expecting at all and upon seeing that the pilot was likely concussed, he quickly walked over to the man and looked into his eyes. Rather than argue or try to keep the eager little poisoner away, Gaddes stepped back, letting him put his first aid skills to use.
With careful fingers, Dilandau felt along the man's skull, doing his best to ignore the way the hair felt somewhat greasy against his fingers. When was the last time the man had bathed? Honestly. Just because he called these people barbarians didn't mean they had to actually act the part.
Kio grunted softly when his fingers brushed a soft section of skull where swelling as already beginning and when Dilandau pulled his hand away, there was crimson on his fingertips.
"You have a concussion, but it's not too bad. Don't' try to stand right now. Fanelian, do you have a cloth or something to place against the wound? Cold water would help too." If they'd been in Zaibach, he'd have been able to ask for a cold pack, but such simple medical tools were practically miracles outside of the Empire. It was a pity they didn't even have a freezing facility on board ship or he'd be able to simply make one. Perhaps he'd take Allen up on that joke he'd told about making some purchases from what was left of the Empire. If Dilandau was going to spend any time with this crew, he was going to be insisting that they at least incorporate some decent technology into their lives.
"You flew?" Kio asked again, not seeming to believe what had happened. The question irked the young captain. Did the man think he was incompetent? He'd spent years on board leviships, of course he'd learned the basics of flight. Granted, the massive Zaibach airships never landed once their initial liftoff. They were simply too large to do so safely, so he'd never quite mastered that particular skill. It was hardly his fault that he'd slightly misjudged the clearing he'd been aiming for.
"Yeah, we're off course though. I'm not quite sure where we are." He lied, rather glad that the man was disoriented. Lying had never been something he was overly good at. Folken had always seen right through him, as had General Adelphos, so he never bothered to even try. Besides, telling the truth in all of its brutal glory was always so much more fun and annoyed many more people.
"I'll… I'll have to check…" Kio struggled to get up but both Dilandau and Gaddes pushed him gently back down.
"You're not going anywhere pilot." The young captain said in his most authoritative voice. It was the one which had always made the Dragonslayers jump to attention and the effect on the Crusade pilot was pretty much the same. "You will lay there and recover. I don't want you to even try to stand up for another three hours. Gaddes, that cold cloth isn't going to get itself. While you're out, get him his blanket and pillow as well. We can't let him sleep, but we can make him comfortable at least." He half expected the darker man to argue the order and point out that he was still technically in charge but instead, Gaddes simply nodded his head and raced out of the bridge, sliding slightly on the uneven floor.
A hand gripped Dilandau's arm, catching his attention immediately and he saw Kio flash him a grateful if somewhat bleary smile.
"Thanks kid. That's two lives I owe you now." It was a good thing that guilt had never been an emotion the Madoushi had seen fit to instill in him because he simply nodded his head and smiled gently.
"Consider it me working off what I owe your crew after everything I put you all through during the war. I'm rather sure I have quite the debt racked up." He meant it more as a joke, but the husky pilot smiled warmly at him and actually reached out to pat him on the shoulder. It was likely the concussion mixed with the drug making him so relaxed around the albino, but Dilandau enjoyed the feeling of comradery being displayed between them.
"No debt. It was war kid. You were following your orders… sorta happily… very very happily, but they were still your orders." There was no need to state that he had in fact been wholly overzealous in his interpretation of said orders. Sometimes ignorance in your allies was for the best. "Glad you're with us kid and… and I wanted to say that I'm sorry about your friends… I'm sure they were good kids too."
Dilandau felt something catch in his throat at the confession and he swallowed several times, trying to push the sensation away into that vast yawning emptiness inside his soul that his beloved family of slayers had once filled.
"Thank you." He murmured softly. "They were everything to me." Fifteen pure and perfect lives, so callously thrown away for nothing… their screams echoing endlessly over the coms as they fell. One after another, cut down as they screamed and begged and died…The swelling of grief forced him to close his eyes as he struggled to push it all down. That demon armour had torn them apart in front of him, forced him to watch as their bodies were consumed by flames. He'd been so helpless. All of the illusions of his mortality had been stripped away in that moment and he'd looked death in the eyes and felt its hunger for him.
Van had stripped him of his beauty, stripped him of his family and stripped him of his soul. He'd taken everything away. Leaving Dilandau so broken that he'd retreated into nothingness, hiding behind some stupid pathetic girl in order to survive. Van had turned him into a coward and Dilandau would never forgive him for that.
It was the soft touch of Gaddes' hand on his shoulder which drew him out of his downward spiral or rage and the young captain stiffened slightly, looking at the second in command then Kio. The pilot stared at him with naked fear on his face while Gaddes looked rather tense. Put together, he realized that he'd been lost in the fugue of madness again and likely had been for at least a few minutes.
He also belatedly realized that he had his knife at Gaddes' throat. There was no memory of drawing it or attacking, but thankfully he hadn't drawn blood. None of them commented on it as Dilandau quickly pulled it away and sheathed the weapon. Nodding his head to both men, he rose to his feet and walked away, needing some space to calm himself and aware that they would likely benefit from the distance as well.
To their credit, both men seemed to recover from the shock of the attack well enough, though that likely didn't say much in the youths favour if it was such a common occurrence.
At least things were calm by the time Katz raced onto the bridge, his heavy footfalls proclaiming his arrival long before he actually passed through the door.
"Is everything ok up here? What happened?" It stood to note that the man was so upset that both his usually squinting eyes were actually wide open and for the first time Dilandau realized that they were a similar blue to Allen's. A shade or two darker, but still rather striking.
Not willing to hear again about how he'd saved the day, Dilandau strode past the hulking man towards the door.
"I'm going to check outside and make sure we didn't land on anyone important." He grumbled, pulling down his goggles and arranging his hair, leaving Gaddes to tell the tale as he wished. Heroics had always annoyed him but false heroics were even worse and to lay claim to them repeatedly left a bad taste in his mouth. Pausing for a moment at his cabin, he grabbed his cloak and threw it over his shoulders. The last thing he needed on top of everything else was a sun burn.
Climbing up on top of the leviship, he looked back at the long swatch of destruction his less than perfect landing had torn across the forest. He could almost hear Guimel making some pathetic joke about any landing you could walk away from. He'd of course be slapped soundly for daring to draw attention to a failing of their leader and Dilandau would then focus exhaustively on ensuring that his skills were up to expectations. The Madoushi were always watching after all, always analyzing his actions and seeking any hint of weakness or instability. That word caused a shudder to travel through his lean frame. Instability…
What would they think of him now? Turning his back on his glorious Empire, allying with his enemies and seeking out connections with his past, was there no low he wouldn't indulge in? Even worse, he was daring to form attachments with people who hadn't been preapproved by his Masters.
It's merely a matter of convenience. He wanted to tell himself that. To believe that as soon as the Madoushi were dealt with, he'd strike against those cowards who'd sold out Emperor Dornkirk's dream and crawled on their bellies for their enemies. He'd erase all of them along with himself, ending everything in a proper blaze of fire and glory. Living out the rest of his days as some toy doll for Allen made him sick to his stomach and he'd rather deny him his beloved sister than condemn himself to such a fate.
Still, some traitorous voice inside him whispered. What if you could stay? There were other countries in Gaea, one's who'd stayed out of the Destiny War and who'd never heard the name Dilandau Albatou. He could travel to them and carve out a new fate for himself. He could even journey to Azgard as his father had. His father… who Emperor Dornkirk had murdered. Why? What had he known that had caused the cautious Emperor to take such drastic actions against his entire family? It was clear that Allen didn't know, but Allen rarely looked beneath the surface of things. Someone had to have answers.
He toyed with the idea of actually having a future ahead of him and shuddered in trepidation. From his earliest memories, all he'd known was battle and the understanding that he'd one day die on the point of an enemy's blade. It had been a strangely comforting understanding. Why then had he felt such panic whenever that demon armour had raised its sword for the final blow? How had it always been stopped? Wasn't it his destiny? Maybe it was that inherent wrongness he'd always felt in that monstrous guymelef that had finally shattered his nerve.
Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could feel it. It was a sense of unease, a slight increase in his heartrate and a flickering of his bloodlust dancing just on the edge of his awareness. Kill it. Kill it… it called to him, always drawing him north. North was where the capitol city was… where Van was. Drawing in a deep breath, he imagined being able to scent the royal bastards presence on the wind like a hound and shivered at the familiar sense of anticipation it stirred in his blood. He felt so close, the wrongness of his proximity urging the young captain to put an end to him despite the promises he'd made.
"This is your one bailout kid." Gaddes spoke up at him from down below on the ground, jolting the youth out of his homicidal musings. When Dilandau glanced down, he saw the second in command glaring up at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "You could have gotten good men killed with this little stunt of yours and don't give me that "it all worked out" crap because all you did was get lucky." He paused for breath and the youth knew that he was far from done with the lecture.
"This time we got away with only a bent propeller and some massive scraping along the underbelly. The engine is badly overheated too and needs time to cool off. So we're stuck here for at least a day while Katz gets everything back into working shape, which is good because you left Kio in no shape to fly until at least that long."
Gaddes' voice was clipped with frustration as he glared up at the cloaked source of his frustration, glad that the kid had at least put up his hood so that they didn't have to deal with sunstroke on top of all of their other problems.
"You're part of this crew and you need to get that through your pretty little head and start acting like it. You broke our trust today in a huge way. You lied to Allen, you poisoned Kio and you put us all in danger. Yeah, I know your reasons and yes, I agree with them but that's not how you go about things.
"We need to trust you Dilandau and you need to trust us That's how these things work. We're willing to put our lives on the line to keep those bastards away from you and not just because of Celena. You mean something to the crew; even you have to see that. Don't throw away your best chance of achieving your dream because you're too focussed on the end result to think about how you're getting there."
"My dream is to see the world burn Fanelian." Dilandau replied in a cool voice that was just a tad too controlled to be fully believed. He also refused to look down at his accuser, instead focussing intently on the line of broken trees behind them.
"Bullshit." Gaddes scoffed. "You might have been a monster Dilandau, but only because they made you into one and hurt you anytime you tried to be anything else. They don't control you anymore though and now you have a chance to be something more. You have a chance to mean something to people besides terror. You don't have to be alone anymore, so stop trying to push everyone away."
Dilandau looked back down at him and for a moment Gaddes could see the bleakness in those eyes, the aching loneliness and pain which filled them before the youth slammed his sneering mask into place.
"I was made to destroy everything I touch Fanelian. Don't be so eager to join the ranks of the dead." With that, he slid to the edge of the leviship, twisting at the last moment to grab onto the edge of a wing and flip himself neatly down to the ground. The envious glare the older man shot him made him feel much better about himself and he grinned cockily in return. "Now then, let's go hunt us a dragon!"
Three days previous…
Van stood in the center of the village, hearing the terrified cries of the populace as the soldiers surrounded them, brandishing their swords menacingly. He was still cursing himself soundly for daring to lower his guard, believing himself to be safe deep within his country's borders. There's been no sign of bandits in the area, and no reason to believe that there should be. Fanelia had been razed to the ground by Zaibach at the start of the war, not a single building in the capitol had been left standing and the survivors scattered with little but the clothes on their backs.
They wouldn't even have enough food to survive the winter if it wasn't for the generosity of the other allied nations. Still that generosity had come at a price and each of them would have an ambassador in his court, one with a powerful voice regarding future trade deals. It had rankled the proud young king, but he'd known that his people had to come first. So long as the people survived, Fanelia would live on. Allen had taught him that, and it had been a hard lesson to learn.
Now here he was, the great Van Fanel, hero of the Destiny War, surrounded by what looked like common brigands while Escaflowne languished back at the palace temple, guarding his brother's tomb. Such a stupid gesture when the mighty guymelef should have been guarding the populace. He couldn't even call the damn suit to him because in his blind arrogance, he'd removed the energist from its heart, believing that it would no longer be needed now that the war was over. Stupid, stupid stupid!
"Lord Van!" Merle whimpered softly from where she hung in the grip of one of the brigands, his sword pressed against her throat. "Don't give in! Fight them!" Her tail lashed back and forth violently as she took a moment to hiss defiantly at her captors before whimpering again as the blade pressed against soft fur in warning.
"Drop the sword King Fanel." One of the men snarled, stepping forward and radiated an aura of ruthless authority. Middle aged and heavily battle-scarred, the man was obviously a veteran of many wars and carried himself with the self-assurance of a seasoned leader. The large warrior was heavily built. His bared arms were thickly corded with steel hard muscles beneath his deeply tanned flesh and dark hair stood out beneath his helmet. While his face was covered in a heavy faceplate, the smug smile of victory was evidenced by his tone of voice
"If you don't surrender, the kitten dies, as do your precious little villagers. Don't force us to finish what Zaibach started."
"Even those Zaibach dogs had more honour than you bastards!" The king yelled in his rage. "They never hid behind innocents rather than face me!" Perhaps if he defeated the leader, the others would scatter. Buoyed by this thought, his grip on his sword tightened and he prepared to attack.
To his credit, the leader didn't appear to be at all upset by the insult of comparison and instead chuckled in amusement.
"Their arrogance led to their loss. We won't make their mistake. Drop the sword and come quietly. This is your last warning." All humour then seemed to leave the warrior as he lifted his hand in the direction of the man who held Merle and the sword bit into her throat, drawing blood. Though clearly in pain, the cat-girl refused to cry out, knowing it would only goad her beloved friend into an action he might regret.
Behind him, the other soldiers tightened their grips on the villagers they held, making it clear that there would be more than one death on his conscience should he defy them.
Swearing softly to himself and swearing eternal vengeance on the bastards behind this, the King of Fanelia sheathed his ancestral sword and let it fall to the dusty ground.
"A wise decision Your Majesty." The leader smiled cruelly and motioned with his hand. For a moment, Van felt his stomach drop, fearful that the man was going to kill his hostages anyway. Instead, one of the brigands stepped forward with manacles and chains. They were bulky ugly things and obviously weighed enough that escape was going to be impossible. "Now you will stand there while we take a few precautions. Your reputation precedes you after all and I'd rather not lose this contract due to … arrogance."
He seemed to enjoy his own jibe at the fallen Empire though several of the men behind him seemed to stiffen at his words. Former Zaibach soldiers? It was possible. Many had deserted the empire in the end, disheartened by the death of their beloved ruler at the hands of his own Strategos… Folken.
Brother, forgive me. He found himself thinking as he felt the cold weight of the manacles fasten around his wrists, locking them behind his back. Next bound were his feet, leaving barely enough chain to allow him to take a full step. Running would be impossible. The most chilling however was the large metal band they wrapped around his chest. It was heavy and unyielding, nearly forcing him to double over under its weight, but the worst part was knowing that it would prevent his wings from bursting free. Any attempt to do so would likely shatter his ribs as well as the fragile wing bones.
"We can't have our little pigeon fly away now can we?" Several of the men laughed while Merle yowled loudly in rage, trying to struggle free despite the sword menacing her.
"Let them go. You have what you want." Van snarled, doing his best to stand tall despite the weight of the metal weighing him down. "I won't fight you."
"Oh of course you won't, not while people you care about are in danger." The leader sneered cruelly. "We'll let the villagers go, but we'll keep the kitten. So long as you behave, she'll be safe, but if you cause us any trouble… well… beast girls still sell just as well on the market if they're sullied." Van grew pale at the vile implications of the man's words and his stomach clenched in horror. "It's all up to you how much she suffers."
"Don't worry about me Lord Van!" Merle argued bravely, though her ears were flat against her head and her fur stood on end in her terror. "You're too important!"
"Shut up kitten, he's made the right choice." The leader growled and at a quick hand motion, the man holding Merle changed the grip on his sword and slammed the pommel into the side of her head, knocking her out. "Ah, blessed silence." Several of the men chuckled. "Chain her up and throw her in the cart. The King will ride with me." He bowed mockingly to the Fanelian king and the man who'd manacled him gave him a sharp shove in the back, sending him stumbling to his knees, unable to catch himself. "Do watch your step Your Majesty."
From where he lay on the ground, Van glared up at the leader, loathing the sneering coward as he'd hated few others.
"If you know who I am, then you know that when I escape, I will end your miserable honourless life."
"I tremble at the prospect." The leader wasn't at all impressed. "My name is Verrik Mantress, be sure to be creative when you curse it for that's the worse you'll be able to do to me."
The man behind him grabbed onto the wrist manacles and hauled him to his feet, nearly tearing his shoulders out of joint as he scrambled to rise, unable to completely bite back the cry of pain.
Oh I will remember your name, Verrik Mantress. He snarled to himself. I will make you pay for threatening my people.
That would become his mantra for the next three days as they rode through the wilds of Fanelias forests. They seemed to be heading in a steady southeast direction, skirting the base of the Lavarri mountain range. It was a wise choice for someone who wanted to remain hidden and it showed an intimate knowledge of the land which the young king found to be more than a little worrisome. The area was desolate and uninhabited save for a few isolated beast-man settlements. Those reclusive people would avoid any confrontation with the armed raiders unless their villages were directly attacked and there was little chance of them even recognizing their king.
The thick forests they travelled through were uncharted and filled with wild predatory animals, not to mention dragons and the raiders stayed close together at all times. Only the very brave or very foolish ever ventured here and even when the forest would eventually thin out and become barren rock shelves near the western border of Freid, there was no safety offered. Men entering these lands were rarely seen again and Van knew that any search party sent after him would be hard pressed to follow their trail.
Whoever had planned this kidnapping had planned this well. Van had been isolated, foolishly leaving behind his Royal Guard, believing himself to be safe. All he'd had was Merle at his side and his sword at his hip as he'd lent his aid in rebuilding the various settlements which had been destroyed in the initial attacks of the war. It had been so stupid of him, and as he rode in front of the foul Verrik Mantress, he plotted hundreds of ways to take his revenge, praying that he'd be able to seize one of them.
They never mentioned where they were going, and the men never spoke freely around him, fearing their leader who lurked as the king's ever-present shadow. Still, their looks of cruel anticipation gave the young monarch the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy the destination at all.