A/N: Hey guys! I bring to you all the new update of this story! I've read through and edited this chapter, but I just have this nagging feeling that there's something amiss. Let me know if you guys find anything wrong with this chapter (grammar, writing etc). Thanks a bunch guys! With that said, let's get to responding to reviews!
F-ckthesystem125: Thanks for correcting me on Rowen's arte. I'll be honest, some of the artes that the characters use, I'm kinda fuzzy on it. So I might name the wrong arte from time to time. And yes, while Ludger is safe to go level 4 now thanks to Chronos, going beyond that is putting the safety Chronos placed on his pocket watch a risk.
Hmm.. I have not thought about it. Originally I plan to just have them do the fractured dimension in ToX2, but having them enter a fractured dimension in ToX would serve little purpose. But I just might have an idea to incorporate that idea while advancing it as part of the plot. Thanks for the idea!
Demons Anarchy of Pride: Bahaha, indeed it's a whole level up! Yeah, it's just what Victor said. Using the Chromatus has a price to pay. In this case, going to level 5 will be putting himself at risk once more. As for the number of times before he might become a catalyst, he can actually handle quite a few since the failsafe that Chronos put on his pocket watch is a strong one. But it can only last so long against a level 5 form.
TheAnime4Fan: Oh thanks for pointing that out! I've already corrected that mistake :)
Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I hope you'll like this chapter as well
Spiral Hearts: Hehe, yeah. It's not too easy writing them separately since I have to switch focus (but that doesn't mean I won't do it in the future). Well I'm glad you're liking this story, it makes me smile when people say they really like this story :D
Oh don't worry. The Milla's death event, I've already planned that. There are certain events that I've already planned from the start that just MUST happen since I started this story. Whereas other parts are more like I think two or three chapters ahead and improvise it. I just imagine how Ludger will influence a certain event and base it from his character. Haha
Dont worry, I like your rambling ;) But yeah, don't worry. I've already got an idea what to do with Milla's death scene
Aldehar: Ahaha, I see... It's true, I'm surprised you guys don't have those games until only recently. But err... at least late than never, right? hahaha! Yeah I don't own Vesperia and never will since I only get playstations and thats on the XboX :( Mmm... if it doesn't trouble you to answer me about the wanted posters, sure :D
Yup, that's what I mean. I feel Ivar is really trying to earn his place in ToX2, that's why when Ludger met him in this story, he wanted to try and give Ivar a peace of mind. That's why Ludger saw himself like Julius, he was "testing" Ivar. Hehe, but yeah, in the end, even despite it being a serious moment, Ivar is just too good as a comic relief character XD
Hahaha, now you "see" the second part of the wish yes? Hehe... "She" is part of Ludger's friends so she'll definitely play a role. Haha, don't worry, it's amusing to see my readers give me their theories and sometimes their theories might point out a flaw in my story. So if you find any plotholes in my story, let me know. It'll be a pain to me but it's a huge help!
Indeed, Milla who never seen the outside world will always underestimate her opponents since she has the Great Spirits with her. Heck even now with just Efreet and Sylph, she's plenty powerful! Haha, well Leia being Leia is quite easy to write as a character. Well I'm just glad you liked the party's interactions. I'll be honest, it's really difficult to write each character screen time compared to the game since... well, I need to write them out whereas in the game, you can just see they're part of the party. Sometimes I feel like if I don't write their name, it feels like they're missing out (maybe it's just me lol)
Ah yes, Cline is alive after all so it's going to confuse Ludger. And yeah, Milla's thinking in ToX was a pain (but I liked that, it defines her character flaw).
Mmm, now that you mentioned it, it is true that those guards not knowing Rowen as their ex-commander can be quite funny. Because in the game, he left the military 2 years ago, if I'm not wrong? So how could they all forgot? I always keep assuming Rowen has been gone for quite a long tiem from the military, hence why they don't know Rowen as the ex-commander, lol. And the bit about Cline, well in ToX opening, they show Cline being trained by Rowen with Driselle for one second, so I thought... I think Cline can be quite skillful with the sword but he just died too early in the game wihtout showing his skills :P
Yup, almost everyone's together and Elize will be quite late in joining the party unfortunately. That's a good point about Ludger not telling everyone about Cline's death a poor decision. I purposely did that. And don't worry, that foreshadowing is just... well, just that . Nothing really, haha
Mmm... well that's just how Ludger is defined I believe. He will always push himself and sacrifice his own safe-being just for the sake of his loved ones.
Oh, the skit did exist? Damn! I was hoping that was original. ToX has so many skits that I can't remember them T_T
Well thanks for your review! I really enjoy reading them! And I'm glad you support my story (or stories)! It really means a lot. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Eran: Yeah, everyone's together woooo! And Elize will take quite a while before she joins them :(
Well hopefully he'll be more careful with his new power but Ludger being Ludger, he will always push himself for others
Hmm... Well Julius does 'exist' in this world, he's at Elympios right now. Just remember, that Origin stated that "Ludger" does not exist. In a sense, Ludger is a new "Ludger"
CHAPTER 14: SECOND ACT
The large man entered the village's entrance from the west, the path that came from the Kijara Seafalls. Normally it would have been a two day's journey to reach this village, but his mode of transport allowed him to travel here in just a few hours. That was the benefit of taming the wyvern. Currently, the wyvern waited for him on the outskirts of the village.
While the little village of Hamil rarely had visitors, Jiao made frequent visits to the little village. Despite having little outsiders, Hamil was number one in Auj Oule for growing the best poranges. They also grow the most, possessing a large porange tree farm.
Jiao approached the little wooden house and on the way, the people greeted him warmly. He was relatively well-known in Auj Oule after all, even before he became the King's bodyguard. And while the villagers here treated him kindly, that same treatment was not given to the person he was caring for. He never witnessed personally but he knew the villagers cared little for the person he cared for. But he could not do anything for her. He was fortunate the villagers allowed her to stay in this village.
Jiao entered the wooden house and found the caretaker he assigned to the girl present. The caretaker was reading a book but upon Jiao's entrance, instantly went to greet him.
"C-chief Jiao! What a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to come again so soon." The middle-aged woman said, giving a light bow.
Jiao nodded, looking in the direction of the stairs leading to the basement, "I've come to get the girl."
"I…I'm sorry?" The caretaker was taken aback by Jiao's words, not expecting him to say that.
"Give me the key." Jiao ordered, ignoring the caretaker's surprise.
The caretaker obeyed at once, opening a drawer and taking out a yellow key, handing it to Jiao. The large man thanked the woman before he proceeded to the basement of the house, unlocking the door of the basement. The place was well-kept, with only the occasional cob webs on the corner of the ceilings that was considered dirty. There was a small table with a small plate and food on it. From the looks of it, the food was half eaten. Jiao turned a small corner and found the girl, sitting on her bed and hugging a strange looking doll tightly on her chest.
"Come child…" Jiao said kindly but with a deep voice, "I've come to take you."
The little girl looked up at the man, her innocent eyes staring deep into Jiao's soul. Strangely enough, the doll that the girl was holding looked at Jiao as well.
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Jude, Milla and everyone else moved aside as Ludger stepped forward, his level five Chromatus form emitting a great radiance of power. If both Efreet and Sylph were in physical form, even the two Great Spirits would back away from the raw energy of Ludger's current form.
"Ludger… what are you doing…?" Jude finally asked, not taking his eyes away from Ludger.
Ludger looked at his friend, not saying a word. Looking at Jude, he remembered how he unlocked this power. It was in the original timeline when Bisley… killed Jude. It was then that he unleashed this transformation. He always thought level four was the Chromatus's limit but it seems that there was no limit. A burst of emotion, the urge to protect those you cared about, that was how the Chromatus evolved. And now, he had this form of power and Ludger promised himself he would use this power to protect those he cared about.
Ludger then looked at Cline, the man he had never met in the original timeline. He knew now he was Driselle's brother, and while he knew little of him, Ludger knew that he died. He wanted to change that now. The problem was that he did not know how Cline had died, but he promised to prevent that from happening. And that was why he was in a rush to destroy the barrier and enter the cavern.
"I'm going to destroy the barrier." Ludger stated firmly.
"Can you do that Ludger?" Milla asked. So long as they could break through the barrier and get in the caverns, she didn't care who destroyed the barrier.
Ludger gave a nod, his mask hiding his emotions. Alvin stepped back, "Well this I gotta see…"
Jude watched with worry from the side. Ludger seems to be the kind who pushes himself too hard. As for Cline and Rowen, both did not know what to make of Ludger's transformation. However if Ludger claimed he could destroy it, both were ready to assist him if he needed it.
Ludger stared at the barrier for a while and then moved into position. He planted both his feet firmly on the ground and positioned himself like he was about to toss a javelin. He focused all his strength on his right arm, with the lance's body becoming darker purple as he transferred his strength into his right arm. Then, with his feet still planted on the earth, his upper body arched forward as he tossed his lance towards the barrier. Thus Ludger released his newest mystic arte in his new achieved form of the Chromatus, "Grand Cross!"
The lance of Ludger whooshed through the air with such force that the air around it was vibrating. The lance pierced through the barrier almost with no effort but it did not stop there. The lance continued moving in, traversing through the cavern with still a large amount of raw power. It finally reached the central core, where there were several strange looking generators, with each generator producing purple energy. The lance landed on one of the generators, easily penetrating the body of the generator and disabling it. Ludger's lance was rooted in place inside the body of the generator.
With one generator destroyed, it created a chain reaction and disabled another generator. One by one each generator stopped functioning before all generators were disabled. The generators were all arranged in a circle and on top of the generators, a large slab of rock erupted. And now that the generators were no longer functioning, the locked door that held the citizens of Sharilton captive suddenly opened. The kidnapped citizens were free.
"Let's go everyone." Milla barked, rushing in. Jude was quick to follow with Leia and Alvin going in as well.
Cline rushed in, his passion to save his people at its peak, "Rowen, we're going too! Come on!"
"Be wary Lord Cline." Rowen warned as he followed his master into the caverns, "The lack of Rashugal soldiers concerns me."
"Yes I see your point." Cline agreed, recalling that his guards reported of Rashugal soldiers in Bermia Gorge, but now not a single soldier was seen, "We best be careful."
The party arrived at the central core where there were no signs of any Rashugal soldiers at all. There were only the dysfunctional generators and the kidnapped people of Sharilton.
One of the Sharilton citizens saw Cline and immediately called out to him, "Lord Cline!" This caught the attention of the others, immediately calling out to their leader in glee. However when one tried to run to him, the person collapsed.
Cline quickly ran to his fallen subject, cradling her in his arms, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
The woman tried to respond, but she could only grunt in pain. Rowen appeared by Cline's side and seeing the woman in pain, made a suggestion, "From the symptoms, she seems to have had her mana forcefully extracted and done so in large dosages." Rowen turned to Jude, "Jude, you're a medical student, correct? Can you determine my theory?"
Jude hurried and did a quick inspection before he made his report, "Yes… it's quite bad. I've never seen someone with such a low mana count. They can still walk but… some might need help like her. We need to get them to a hospital, and quick!"
"I've already made ample preparations." Rowen said, "Before we left Sharilton, I've not only passed word to the Commander to find you but also asked him to gather a squadron to come for us. They should reach us soon."
Cline looked up at Rowen, still cradling the girl in his arms, "It's just like you to be prepared Rowen."
Rowen bowed with a smile, "I'm glad to be of service."
While Rowen and Cline gathered the people of Sharilton, Jude returned to his friends. Ludger had extracted his lance from the generator it destroyed and then dispelled the Chromatus form, returning to normal. There were no signs of any threat to Cline's life, so Ludger thought he was perhaps being paranoid.
Milla examined the area thoroughly, searching for any hints of a secret weapon. She searched the rooms where the people were kept and found nothing. The generators were all disabled now, so she found no point in searching them.
"What're you looking for?" Alvin asked Milla, seeing she was still searching the area.
"Rashugal kidnapped these people and extracted their mana." Milla answered, "It's exactly the same way the Lance of Kresnik worked. If Rashugal was trying to create a spyrix weapon, it must be destroyed here!"
"Spyrix?" Jude and Leia repeated in confusion. They had never heard of such a term.
Milla cursed softly at her loose tongue, "Nothing, forget about it. Just look for the weapon Rashugal was creating here."
"But there doesn't seem to be a weapon here." Leia pointed out, "Maybe these… large generator things were the weapon? And Ludger seems to have disabled them."
"I wish to be certain." Milla affirmed, "Until I am sure that Rashugal's plans here have been disrupted, I will not leave."
Alvin shrugged and just leaned on one of the dysfunctional generator, not really helping. For him, he felt that there was nothing to look for. There were no 'weapons' here except the generators. Leia checked around by Jude's side, wanting to stay close to him. So while Milla, Jude, Leia and Ludger searched for any hints of a weapon, Rowen and Cline did their part by escorting the kidnapped citizens to the entrance, since most of them were too weak.
After some time, Milla finally decided there was indeed nothing here. Only the disabled generators. Alvin rejoined the party with a scoff, "Told you there's nothing here. Now let's go, this place is just giving me bad vibes."
Jude nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. It feels like… it's not over yet."
For some strange reason, everyone in the party looked up at where the generators were all pointed to. Above them, the rock where the generators had been shooting its energy to released a wave of light, glittering brightly. The rock repeated this three times, with each wave of light shining much brighter than the previous one.
"Yeah, this must be the bad vibe I'm talking about." Alvin muttered.
"Your words are bad luck." Leia joked despite the situation.
Milla drew out her blade, "Everyone! Get ready!"
Finally the rock released one last wave of bright light and then, the entire party could see something making its way out of the rock. At first it was difficult to make out what it was, but once it was fully released, the image was clear. It was a green-like insect monster, with beautiful bright wings on its back. The monster sighted its targets below them.
Just as the party was about to engage the monster, Efreet and Sylph suddenly barged in, "Lord Maxwell! Wait! Don't engage it!" Both Great Spirits said in unison.
At that instance, Milla relayed the command to the party, blocking their path with her hand, "Everyone, wait!"
"What's the big idea?" Leia demanded.
"The two Great Spirits with me… they just told me to not fight this monster." Milla answered, confusing Leia. She then communicated with Efreet and Sylph in her mind, "You two better have an explanation."
"Lord Maxwell, that is not a beast." Sylph said, referring to the green monster.
Efreet nodded, pointing to the green beast, "Can you not sense it, Lord Maxwell? That thing… is made up of lesser spirits."
"What?" Milla whispered and looked at the monster above her. Now that Efreet and Sylph mentioned it, she could sense the lesser spirits. They were faint, but there was no doubt. That monster was comprised of lesser spirits.
Alvin eyed the flying monster, taking note that its stance was now aggressive, "Mind explaining what's going on? It's going to attack us." Ludger was also starting to get worried, preparing himself to switch to his dual pistols.
"Lord Maxwell, let Sylph and I speak with the lesser spirits." Efreet proposed, "Perhaps we can end this peacefully."
"I agree. Lord Maxwell, manifest our physical forms so that the lesser spirits can see us." Sylph said.
Milla saw that Efreet and Sylph were serious. The Great Four spirits rarely wanted to reveal their physical forms to outside eyes, but Efreet and Sylph were clear in their intent. Milla stepped forward, which alarmed the great beast.
"Milla, what're you…?" Ludger was saying, reaching out to grab Milla when Jude grabbed his arm. "Jude?!"
"Let Milla and… the two Great Spirits handle this." Jude said, watching Milla approach the green beast, "Just trust her…"
Ludger looked at Milla walking confidently to the monster before he relented. He always knew Milla was a strong woman, the way she carried herself with confidence. And Jude trusted her completely, even though they only knew each other for a few days. Ludger had never considered that their bond was deep, even when Jude still barely knew Milla enough.
Milla was now just below the monster and the green monster bared its claws. However Milla was not afraid and summoned the two Great Spirits before her. She transferred some of her mana to the two Great Spirits, finally giving them their physical form. Jude, Leia and Alvin were amazed to see them for the first time while Ludger did not share the same expression, having met all Great Four Spirits before in the original timeline.
"Thank you, Lord Maxwell." Sylph said before he and Efreet gazed up at the monster.
When the monster saw the Efreet and Sylph before it, the monster instantly stopped its aggressive stance, landing on the ground with a passive nature. Then Efreet and Sylph communicated with the monster, speaking to the number of lesser spirits. No one among the party, even Milla, could understand the words exchanged between the two Great Spirits and the monster.
Everyone waited for Efreet and Sylph to finish communicating. This lasted for a short while when slowly, the green beast raised itself up before releasing a flash of light. The party witnessed a spectacle then, as the green beast then started floating up. Now Jude and Milla could sense it as the lesser spirits began to disperse. In a short time, the green monster was gone as the lesser spirits disappeared.
The two Great Spirits then returned to Milla's sides, still in physical form. "Efreet, Sylph. Explain what just happened." Milla commanded.
"The mana that was extracted from the captured humans called out to the lesser spirits." Sylph explained, "And when each lesser spirit arrived, they were controlled by that machine and trapped inside that… slab of rock."
Efreet then continued the explanation, "The lesser spirits can't remember what happened after. The last thing they know, they were free when we destroyed the generators and assumed we were the captors. If we did not appear before them, they'd have attacked us."
"Thank goodness they listened to you two." Jude said with appreciation.
Efreet beamed with pride, "I am the Great Spirit of Fire! Of course they'd listen to us. A lesser spirit challenging-"
"Alright Efreet." Sylph interrupted tiredly, "We get your point. Now let's return to Lord Maxwell's side."
"Wait! I'm not done!" Efreet protested but Sylph ignored him, removing his physical form. Reluctantly, Efreet did the same, disappearing from everyones sights but Milla's.
"Wow… I didn't expect the Great Spirits to be so… lively." Leia remarked.
Ludger chuckled at that because it was true. His perception of the Great Spirits in the beginning was one of authority, of power. But when he met the Four Great Spirits, well… they were not what he expected. He remembered how they actually asked him to get Gaius dumplings so that they could have a taste of it. Honestly, Ludger felt that all Great Spirits thought with their stomachs!
Milla however was deep in thought, her finger on her chin, "This is getting out of hand…"
"Milla, you okay?" Jude inquired, worried about her.
Milla shook her head, turning to Jude, "We cannot waste any more time. Rashugal now even have devices that could capture lesser spirits. We must move."
Alvin ran his hand through his hair, "Yeah, let's get back to Sharilton before Rashugal reinforcements show up."
Ludger nodded, "Alright. Let's go."
As the party grouped up and left the caverns, they found Rowen and Cline waiting for them outside. To the party's surprise, Sharilton guards were present as well, attending to the weakened captured people. Each of the guards had to help one person to walk.
"What kept you?" Rowen asked when he saw everyone coming out of the caverns, "Lord Cline and I have been waiting."
"Nothing." Milla responded quickly, "Let's return to Sharilton before Rashugal reinforcements arrive."
Rowen completely agreed and prepared the Sharilton guards for the return journey. As they did so, Ludger wondered how Rowen had not heard the commotion occurring from the cave. But he threw away that thought. That was unimportant right now. His new concern now was to make sure Cline lived in this timeline.
As they made the return journey to Sharilton, Jude noticed Ludger still seemed to be on his guard. That worried the medical student.
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Inside the impregnable fortress of Fort Gandala, a Rashugal scout rushed through the metal walkway on the first floor, even bumping into two other soldiers on the way. Despite that, he quickly got up without an apology. The scout found the command room and burst in, completely ignoring the two guards guarding the room.
"Hey, you can't go in!" The guardsmen yelled, grabbing the scout's arm. The other guardsmen then knocked the scout down, both apprehending the scout.
Inside the command room, King Nachtigal and Gilland turned to the commotion. "What is going on here?" Nachtigal, King of Rashugal, demanded.
"We apologize!" Both guardsmen said quickly, "This soldier just rushed in. We'll handle him to his superior for disciplinary action."
"Please, I have a report!" The scout cried out from the floor, "The research facility at Bermia Gorge is destroyed! There is – oof!"
"That's enough out of you!" The guardsmen bellowed, pulling the scout to his feet and dragging him to the door.
"Wait! Let that man speak." Gilland interjected. Both guardsmen stopped immediately, looking at the right-hand mand of Nachtigal. Gilland approached the scout and spoke to him, "Continue with what you were saying."
The two guardsmen released the Rashugal scout soldier, who hastily made his report, "Yes sir! The… facility at Bermia Gorge has been destroyed… or disabled. All the citizens that were taken from Sharilton… have probably returned by now."
Gilland cursed softly, his anger levels increasing rapidly, "And who is responsible for this?!"
The scout flinched in fear at Gilland's voice, "The… y-young Governor of Sharilton, sir. Along with a few others."
"I thought I ordered your squad to capture that blasted Cline!" Gilland exclaimed in fury, "And who are these 'few others'?"
"T-two of them are unknown." The scout reported, "But three of them… they are the ones from the wanted posters. They were helping Cline."
"What?!" Gilland exploded. Gilland was about to say something else when King Nachtigal stepped forward, laying a calm hand on Gilland's shoulder. "M-my King?"
King Nachtigal thanked the scout and excused the man. The scout bowed before leaving the command room. Then Nachtigal spoke, "The Governor of Sharilton has been a thorn to my power for some time now. His increasing popularity cannot be ignored. It's time I deal with him personally." Nachtigal then spoke to Gilland, "Gilland, tomorrow we're going to commit a quick assault on Sharilton… to teach them a lesson to those who defy my rule. Assemble a brigade of soldiers. I trust your judgment in choosing the soldiers for this… operation."
"At once, My King!" Gilland said.
"I'm not done yet." Nachtigal stated, "There are two more things I want you to do."
Gilland made a short bow with his hand placed on the left side of his chest, "What is it?"
"I want Cline to be dead before we arrive at Sharilton." Nachtigal informed his Chief of Staff, "Do you understand what I mean?" When Gilland nodded, Nachtigal made his second request, "And… I want you to bring that with us to Sharilton."
Now Gilland protested a little, "But, that device is still under tests. It's not fully operational yet."
"I am aware of that Gilland." Nachtigal said calmly, "However, that scout reported that those three criminals who disabled the Lance of Kresnik are in Sharilton. I believe we'll need that power to handle them."
Gilland did not argue with that because it was true. That person single-handedly fought off Nachtigal along with a squadron of soldiers. The only chance they had to beat him was to use that device. It was sort of ironic how that person had gifted them with a new source of power.
"I understand. I shall do so at once." Gilland said, leaving the command room to complete the tasks assigned by his King.
Nachtigal was left alone in the command room. And slowly, a small smile grew on the King, waiting in anticipation for the things to come.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sharilton was now under the covers of darkness, with most of its denizens now asleep in their own homes. The guards patrolled the empty streets diligently, sworn to protect the city and its occupants. That was their duty, their role to play.
At the moment, Ludger and the whole party was offered by Cline, Governor of Sharilton, to spend the night in his manor. It was the least he could offer after their assistance at Bermia Gorge. While Milla was originally against the idea, stating she had no time to waste, Efreet and Sylph convinced her to accept the offer. Her spirit and mind might have wanted to move on, but her body was exhausted. Now the Lord of Spirits was safely tucked in bed, asleep.
Earlier in the day, when Cline and his squadron of guards returned to Sharilton with the injured townspeople, he was quick to act. He immediately took control, ordering his guards to take the weakened citizens to the hospital. It was the first time Jude had seen Cline in command and to see the young Governor caring for his people personally, Jude found that Cline was the ideal leader. Young, passionate and worked for his people. That was in the afternoon, when they returned to Sharilton. Now Cline was resting in his room, tired from the day's activities.
Jude sighed for the fifth time and finally got up from the bed. He could not sleep despite being exhausted. He saw that Alvin was sleeping soundly but saw Ludger's bed was empty. The three were sharing this guest room while Milla and Leia shared the other room. 'Where is he?' Jude wondered.
Since he was still wide awake, Jude decided to look for Ludger. There were still the personal guards of Sharil Manor patrolling the corridors of the mansion but none of them stopped Jude. Cline and Rowen had personally reminded the guards that Jude and the rest were free to roam the mansion. It just showed how much trust they had on them. After a bit of walking around the mansion, Jude finally found Ludger on the second floor balcony.
"Trouble sleeping?" Jude inquired, approaching Ludger.
Ludger jumped and turned to see it was Jude, "Oh Jude… it's just you." Ludger then sighed, moving his back on the balcony's railing, "Yeah. A little trouble sleeping, I guess."
"Me too." Jude said. The two then shared a short moment of silence. Jude looked at Ludger and saw his friend seemed tense. "What's wrong Ludger? You've been like that since returning to Sharilton?"
"Huh?" Ludger blinked once before he chuckled, "It's almost impossible to hide things from you. Even in the original timeline." When Jude still glared at Ludger, his eyes demanding an explanation, Ludger brushed Jude's worry aside, "I... I just…" Ludger could not say it, "Never mind. It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" Jude said, "You can talk to me Ludger. Or any of us."
"No, it's nothing." Ludger asserted.
"…If you say so…" Jude said rather uncertainly.
In actual fact, Ludger was tense. No, not just tense, he was paranoid. Paranoid that Cline's life was still in danger. Ludger was not sure if what happened at Bermia Gorge had saved Cline's life, because he did not know what happened in the original timeline. That was why he decided, so long as he was still in Sharilton, perhaps he could change something. It was eating him up and he really wanted to tell Jude this but… for some reason, he did not. Why was he keeping this to himself?
"My, and what are you two fine gentlemen still doing up?" A voice said from behind them. Both Ludger and Jude turned around to find Rowen standing behind them. The old butler had a smile on his face, walking up to the two young men, "Are the both of you having trouble sleeping?"
Jude laughed a little and shook his head, "It's not like that Rowen. We just… needed a little fresh air."
Rowen took that as the truth, joining the two young men on the balcony. At first he said nothing but after a while, Rowen turned to face Ludger and Jude and made a courteous bow, "I know we have said this before… but I wish to honestly thank you all again for assisting Lord Cline in saving the kidnapped townspeople."
"We didn't do much." Jude said modestly. Ludger nodded in agreement.
"On the contrary," Rowen argued, "If not for your help, I fear Lord Cline and I might not have been able to rescue the kidnapped citizens. Also," Rowen's gaze landed on Ludger, "If not for your… 'Power', we managed to enter the caverns earlier. If we entered any later, one of the townspeople might have lost a life." Rowen felt the atmosphere had now become somber and quickly cheered up, "But of course all of these are just assumptions. Once again, thank you… all of you, for your help."
Ludger and Jude knew there was no point arguing with the butler. So the two nodded together with a smile. The three of them stayed at the balcony, enjoying the peaceful night breeze.
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Morning approached rather quickly on Sharilton. The merchants were all setting up their stalls at the central plaza, hoping for another good day of business and trade.
Outsiders entering Sharilton was a common sight. Merchants or travelers entering the city were given little attention by the guards. The guards were complacent and paid no attention to the Rashugal soldier entering the city. The only thing they noticed was the crossbow on the Rashugal soldier's back. Not all of the Sharilton guards were briefed of the Bermia Gorge incident, thus not knowing that Rashugal soldiers were considered an enemy. Cline had not officially declared that yet.
The Rashugal soldier grinned beneath her helmet, now knowing that the difficult part of her mission was over. She thought infiltrating Sharilton would have been troublesome, but the guards were too relaxed. Now she just needed to complete her second objective. She entered a building and ascended the stairs that led to the rooftop. Once she was on the rooftop, she took out her crossbow and prepared to complete her task. In front of her, was a clear view of Sharil Manor.
She eyed the front entrance of the Manor and there, she found her target. Lord Cline Sharil, Governor of Sharilton. He was assembled at the front entrance, and the woman took notice of his loyal butler at his side. In front of her target, she noticed three of those from the wanted posters. The only ones she did not know were the two remaining others, a young teen with brown hair and a young man with brown hair and a scraf around his neck. But that did not matter. She had one objective.
She kneeled down on one knee and aimed her crossbow at Cline, her target. "One chance… is all I need." The Rashugal assassin whispered.
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"Hey I said I was sorry!" Ivar told the wyvern as they landed on the outskirts of Nia Khera. The wyvern made some response in its own language that Ivar understood, "But what's wrong with my pose? It's cool! It makes me look-" The wyvern released a growl and Ivar quickly relented, "Okay, okay, okay! I'll… lessen it maybe?"
The wyvern did not make any response, to which Ivar took it as an agreement. Ever since his defeat against that 'criminal' at the Sapstrath Highroad, the wyvern blamed Ivar that it was because of his stupid poses he makes. So during the whole flight back to the village, the two have been arguing about the matter.
Now that they were finally back at Nia Khera, the wyvern dropped Ivar off and flew off. If Ivar needed it, all he had to do was whistle. That was how he called his wyvern.
"I need to focus!" Ivar said to himself, "While I'm here at the village, I'll train harder than I ever been! That way, I'll make sure I beat that criminal and… and throw that outsider that's hanging by Lady Milla's side!"
Ivar entered the village and the village was the same as ever. The peaceful surroundings, the quiet sound of nature and villagers committing to their own tasks. Ivar approached the nearest villager.
"Where's the village head?" Ivar asked a young man.
"I-Ivar! Where have you been?!" The man said with a hint of anger, "Everyone's been looking for you!"
"I thought I told you all, I went to help Lady Milla!" Ivar replied, "But for now, Lady Milla asked me to return to protect the village in her place. So here I am!" Ivar smiled with his teeth glittering.
"What're you talking about?!" The young man cried, "Lady Milla's already completed her mission! She returned yesterday! The Village head is with Lady Milla at her shrine right now because YOU, her personal handmaid, weren't here!"
Ivar was so stunned, all he could say was, "…Huh?"
CHAPTER END