Read, review, enjoy.
Chapter 27: Respite
New Aspio was basically just Tarqaron after it was lowered back into the mountains and went through many renovations to suit the needs of many mages who had returned. Of course they made sure any dangerous weapons, like what Duke was going to use to destroy the Adephagos, were gone and no longer salvageable.
The sun was almost completely down by the time they reached the scholar city. New Aspio was about like the old one with most of the mages away in their labs or walking the streets with their noses in their books. Yuri hadn't been to New Aspio since it was first named that a year and a half ago. The tall buildings provided many shadows but the city was no longer under the cover of darkness that being under the mountain had offered previously.
Rita led them to her lab and it was surprising that Veal followed them with no coxing at all. They all seemed to make sure that Veal didn't wonder off or anything the way they sort of boxed him in the gorup. Of course they also made sure to keep one eye out for the Holy Knights. The regular knights didn't seem to pay much mind to them other than glancing at a large strange group. They did look like they were just buried alive and had fought for their lives. Ren kept her scarf securely around her neck and even pulled it up to her mouth. Word about the Ringing Fox's identity surely made it back to the capital and it probably spread to the surrounding areas. She differently needed to avoid attention.
On the far eastern part of the city, they came to Rita's lab/dwellings. It was a lot bigger than the hut she had lived in before. A two story building that was about the same size as the inn Yuri had stayed at in the lower quarter. Some things never change though. The building was set apart from the others and Yuri was sure it was a mess inside.
Rita unlocked her door and said, "I guess you all can make yourself at home while I work on helping Veal." They entered her home and sure enough there were books in giant piles and chalkboards were along the walls that were filled with unintelligible scribbles. And that was just in the main room. There was a hallway that led to more rooms and there was stairs in the main room for the second story. That meant there was more space for Rita to cover with her mess. "Come on kid," Rita said to Veal and walked up the stairs that must be her lab part of her home. Veal obeyed Rita and followed her up.
Yuri felt a nudge on his arm and saw that it was the old man. "Come on boss, let's restock our supplies and find out what's going on in the capital," Raven suggested.
"You might also buy some new clothes for Veal," Judith recommended.
His clothes were a mess and covered in blood. He definitely needed to be cleaned up like Rita, Estelle, and Ren did because they didn't have any spare clothes on the ship like the rest of them did. Even if Veal wasn't nearly a walking skeleton, Karol's old clothes still would have been too big for him. "We'll see what we find," Yuri said. "Be sure you all get plenty of rest."
"You don't have to worry about me," Karol muttered as he shuffled to find a place to crash. Estelle had healed all his injuries. Nonetheless, he still needed a lot of rest. They had to wake him up so they wouldn't have to carry him through the city. Even Repede curled up against the wall and seemed to have already fallen asleep.
Yuri looked at Estelle and said, "Especially you Estelle, take it easy, okay."
"Be sure to take your own advice Yuri," she replied with a smile.
"Ren, you should probably stay inside," Raven began to say. "We were lucky none of the knights recognize you when we entered the city."
"Verius left to inform the chief about what happened on the island, so I'm staying put until you all decide to leave," she explained and answer an unasked question. Yuri was surprised that he hadn't noticed that the fox wasn't with them.
"Come on old man," Yuri said and left the lab without him.
The old man quickly caught up with him. "So have you changed your mind about taking the young lady back to the capital? Raven asked when they were a few feet away from Rita's lab.
"No," he replied. "If everything is going to fine there then I plan on the capital being my next destination."
The old man was being uncharacteristically quiet. Yuri didn't mind at all though. But it was short lived. "She won't be like that. I'm glad you're the one who's going to tell her that," the old man muttered.
/~/~/
Skit: Side Effects
Veal: …
Ren: …Umm…Hey, Veal.
Veal: …
Ren: So…I know you can't really talk. But…See my formula's been changed like yours. Well, maybe not quite like yours.
Veal: …
Ren: Anyway… I was just wondering if you had other side effects to your formula being changed. Other than the state you're in.
Veal: …
Ren: Damn.
Verius: What were you hoping to get out of this?
Ren: I don't know. This is pointless. Just forget it.
/~/~/
"So Veal's formula is the exact same as Estelle's?" Judith asked as Rita began squibbing on a chalkboard. It looked like she was copying the symbols that were on Veal's body. He was currently sitting in a chair.
Rita had asked the kid to remove his lab coat and shirt so she could examine his changed formula. It turned out that the new formula had been placed around his neck and collarbone. It looked burnt into his skin, similar to how Ren's looked on her back. A few of the symbols looked faded or even rubbed off, like the mage who did this was trying to erase them. However there were still plenty of symbols that made up the formula that made him similar to Estelle.
But what really saddened Estelle was looking at the rest of his body. His body was small, possibly stunted from lack of nutrition, and they could see every detail of his ribs. His stomach was caved in and his arms were as thin as twigs. Estelle had no idea that someone could still live while looking like this. Of course his state of being and the formula seemed to be keeping him alive…somehow. She wanted to help him by feeding him so he'd gain a little weight. To all of their dismay, Veal wouldn't even acknowledge the food in front of him. Even pleading with him didn't work. He just sat there like he always did.
"Well upon closer inspection, that's not entirely the situation," Rita began to explain. "He shares a lot of similarities with Estelle's but it's not exact. It does look like one that could belong to a Child of the Full Moon and even convert spirits." There was something about the irritation in Rita's voice that made Estelle think that something else was going on with the child.
"Is something wrong?" Estelle asked.
It was with that question that Rita let out a sudden angry grunt. "It's just like with those hermes blastia. They just put some random formulas together and hoped it worked. It's no wonder the kid is so messed up." She always got angry when she saw a blastia that wasn't cared for. This time it was a living child that may die because of the effects. All of them were sharing the same feelings. Judith and Rita looked like they wanted to hunt down the mage and beat them for what they did to Veal. Estelle wouldn't object to watching justice be served.
"Are you planning on changing his formula?" Ren asked again as she was sitting against the wall to the side. She had been quite ever since Rita began examining Veal. She really was worried about Veal and probably didn't want him to go through that again.
Rita shook her head. "Like I said before, I don't even know how to even begin doing something like that. Not to mention I'm worried what kind of effects it would have on him in this state and because it's already been changed several times."
"Do you have a better idea about what you're going to do to help him?" Judith asked. It did sound like fixing his formula was the only way to get him back to normal.
Rita scratched the back of her head. "Well, I thought about doing something similar to what we did with Estelle to manage her powers. My theory is using an item and inscribe a formula onto it to counteract the effects of his current formula. In theory, as long as he has the item, he should be his regular self."
"That's wonderful Rita," Estelle said as she complimented. If anyone could fine another solution it would be Rita.
"I think this will only buy time before I can come up with a better idea. I think changing his formula back is the best solution in the long run. The main obstacle will be finding the problem in Veal's current formula that's causing this and figuring out how to block it." She began searching through one of her books to begin her research.
Ren then stood up and said, "Whatever. I'm going to take care of my wounds. Is there a room I can borrow?"
"There's a bathroom at the end of the hall," Rita answered without looking up from some of her research notes.
Ren started walking in that direction when Estelle offered, "Let me heal your wounds. It's the least I can do after you all rescued me."
"Didn't Yuri tell you to take it easy?" Ren rebuked.
"I'm fine now. So please let me help you," Estelle argued. She couldn't believe she was siding with Yuri on this, especially in her pained state. Ren herself had been losing coloring in her face for the last few hours.
She went to grab Ren's uninjured arm, to possibly force her healing artes on her if needed. But then Ren pulled her arm away before she could make any kind of physical contact with her. "Don't you dare touch me!" Ren shouted angrily.
Estelle recoiled at the burst of anger that was directed at her. Estelle wasn't sure if she had ever heard someone that angry at her directly. Judith was speechless and Rita was by Estelle's side instantly. "Hey, don't you dare take that kind of tone with her," Rita snapped. "She only wants to help your sorry ass."
Ren seemed to realize that she had lost her temper and suddenly became docile. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered before she took off down the hall with Verius, who had returned just a few minutes ago, trailing behind her after lowering his head toward them.
Judith seemed to be as startled about Ren as Estelle had. Veal on the other hand was still in the same position and none the wiser about what had just happened. "What the hell is her problem?" Rita then complained.
"It's nothing new," Estelle said, "Ren's always acted like that toward me." She had thought that they were becoming friends. But it looked like they weren't. Estelle began to wonder if she did something to cause Ren to act this way toward her. Maybe she said or did something that offended her. "Anyway, Rita, is there anything we can do to help?" Estelle asked to change the subject.
Rita quickly returned to her work. "Just make sure those idiots don't bother me. It'd be my luck that I'd have the solution in my head and the old man will say something to annoy me and I'll lose it."
Estelle looked down at Veal's still form and said, "Don't worry, Rita's one of the best mages there are. If anyone can help you, it's her." Sadly her words seemed to mean nothing to him. He still just sat there looking at nothing. Hopefully he did hear them and he felt relieved to hear them.
"Here Estelle," Judith suddenly said. She was standing next to her and had folded clothes in her hands.
"What's this for?" Estelle asked as she accepted them. They looked like some of Rita's spare clothes.
"Think of it a peace offering," Judith said with a wink. "Just don't push your healing artes on her."
Understanding, Estelle nodded and hurried down the hall to where Ren was. Those clothes she was wearing were probably uncomfortable with all the blood and dirt. These would work until the ones she was wearing were cleaned.
She stood in front of the door to the bathroom and was about to knock when she suddenly stopped after she heard what sounded like crying. It was muffled, like she was crying into a towel. Was it because of what she had said or was Ren really in that much pain?
Estelle softly knocked on the door. "Ren? Are you okay?" Estelle asked. If Ren really was crying, she hated that she was alone.
The crying quickly stopped. "I'm fine," she heard Ren's voice from behind the door. When she spoke it didn't sound like she was crying. Yet Estelle knew something was definitely bothering her.
"Well I have some clean clothes for you," Estelle told her in hopes she would open the door and she would be able to judge how Ren's state was.
Instead, Ren only said, "Just leave them by the door."
"I promise I won't heal you," Estelle vowed. She couldn't, in good conscious, leave her alone like this.
"Please, just leave me alone," Ren's voice was shaky this time.
She hated to leave Ren like this. But it wasn't like she could bust down the door. Technically she could if she really wanted to. It also seemed like she wasn't the one Ren wanted to talk to. "Okay, you know where we are if you need anything," Estelle said. She placed the clothes down and walked back to Rita and the others. Maybe she could be of some help for them.
/~/~/
No, no, no, no. Not now. Not now, Ren panicked and she held her shirt closer to her body. With it out of sight she hoped it would just go away. Of course only a child would really believe that. This was the reality she was facing. That Mystic Arte really did set things in motion and she wouldn't be able to come back from it.
Verius' comforting paws were on her arms. "Ren, you should tell them about this. Maybe the mage would be able to help like she's helping that krityan child," Verius suggested.
But Ren shook her head. "I think he's in worse shape than me. They need to focus on helping that kid right now and I only need to focus on finding the cannon," Ren told him.
He offered no argument. They both knew that if she told the others what was happening to her body then they would try to cure her. There wasn't even a guarantee that she could be saved at this point, especially since Verius couldn't do anything to stop it. They would just be wasting time and Ren might die before she could find and destroy the mana cannon. After everything Ren had gone through to complete her goal, she couldn't let it go to waste by dying before it was complete.
"I can always tell them afterwards," Ren told him.
"By then it might be too late, especially with the way you push yourself," he said. "If you tell me that you're okay with the possibility of death just to fulfill a promise we made to that guy, then I'll go along with you and make no mention of it again."
"Destroying the mana cannon has been the only thing on my mind for the last two years," Ren said to her friend. "As long as that happens, I'll be okay with what happens to me." Ren was unable to say that last line without her voice cracking and tears running freely down her face. This was the one time she needed to accept death the most and she just couldn't.
Ren hugged her knees closer to her chest and buried her face into them. "I don't want to die," she finally admitted and let small sobs escape her throat. She wanted to travel around with Verius and see more of the work with him and, if she was really being honest, travel around with the strange group she was in wouldn't be too bad either. Even accepting Yuri's offer about joining his dumb guild sounded good. There had been so many times in the past she would have accepted what was happening and now that it was really going to happen, she couldn't.
The spirt climbed up on her collar bone and curled around her neck. "We can stop if you want," Verius said softly. He knew what her answer was going to be but said it to let her know and hoped she would take that advice in the near future. She did have a choice.
Ren's arms wrapped around the small fox's form and hugged him closer to her. "We have to do this," she sobbed. She couldn't leave the promise she had made for someone else to finish.
She didn't cry long before she heard Estelle's voice. "Ren? Are you okay?" the princess asked sounding like she was really concerned.
The hairs on the back of Ren's neck stood up as the horrible feeling of Estelle being dangerous returned. "I'm fine," Ren answered. But it sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that.
/~/~/
Yuri and Raven returned late in the evening with some extra gels and food. They even found some mage's clothes that looked like they might fit Veal. However any clothes they got would be baggy on his starving form. Most of time was spent looking for information about recent events. There wasn't even a rumor about some knights or council members having conspiracy charges brought on them. There also wasn't any kind of talk about the emperor or the commandant being in danger. So that was one bit of good news. However it made them wonder what was keeping Flynn from arresting the Holy Knights and Lady Nightwood.
Raven went off to find a place to crash and that left Yuri to give the clothes and the supplies to the others.
There was still light coming down the steps, meaning Rita was still awake working. Yuri was about to walk up the stairs to where Rita's lab was so he could give Rita some of the supplies and Veal the clean pair of clothes when one of the doors on the ground floor opened. Estelle came out from the room and noticed where Yuri was heading. She quickly ran to him to stop him. "You better not go up there. Rita's in deep research," she warned.
"Good call," Yuri said. He differently didn't want to piss Rita off and possibly mess up her thinking. So he just laid all the things he bought at the base of the stairs. He looked back at the princess and saw no traces of her being held prisoner underground. She was in the clothes she had worn during their first journey. Estelle must visit Rita often enough to have clothes of her own here. "Estelle, shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked. She still needed to recover and he doubted she actually took it easy while he was gone.
She looked a little sheepish. "Yeah…" she started to say and clasped her hands together in her lap. "It's just that…every time I close my eyes I keep feeling like someone else is taking control of me."
Yuri felt himself finch at her words. "I'm so sorry Estelle. If only we got there sooner." Guilt filled his mind. He hated that she was used like that once again and he couldn't prevent it. If only they could have reached her sooner or Yuri was actually able to protect her.
Estelle quickly grabbed his hand. "But you still rescued me. That's all that really matters in the end, right? That we're all alive…and together?"
"Yeah…" he admitted and gave her hand a small squeeze before pulling away. "That reminds me…"he suddenly remembered and walked over to where all their bags where. Where did I put that? He wondered as he dug through his bag. Estelle was right behind him when he pulled out her notebook.
"Here, Rita found it after the attack," he told her as he held it out to her.
She accepted it and smiled fondly at the notebook that had water stains and dirt on it. "I had almost forgotten about this. Thank you Yuri, this means a lot to me that you went out of your way for this."
"It's not that big a deal, Rita is probably the one you should really thank," he admitted, though he was glad to see her smiling.
It was then that she hugged the notebook close to her person and looked down. "Did…did you read any of it?" She asked, almost sounding like she was asking if he had taken a peak at her.
"Don't worry, I never opened it," he answered her honestly to ease her.
"I see," was all she said and she even sounded a bit disappointed in his answer.
Wait, she wanted me to read it? Yuri began to wonder. Why would she want me to? Was there a cue he missed that said he should read a girl's diary or something? Was that why Rita wanted him to hold onto it?
Estelle pulled him from his thoughts by speaking again and Yuri was glad from the distraction. "During that time we were apart, I couldn't stop worrying about you…" Estelle told him. She paused, and even in this dim lighting he could see that her face was turning red. Whatever she was about to say was taking a lot of effort. "I couldn't stop thinking…about you."
Yuri heard her and couldn't quite comprehend what it was he heard. He felt his throat tighten as he thought about what he should say. Or rather, what he wanted to say. Part of him wanted to say she shouldn't worry about someone like him. The other part wanted to tell her how crazy it had been without her and even felt the urge to wrap his arms around her. Finally, his mouth just said, "I felt the same as you did. It's as you said, we're all together again and that's all that matters."
There was a pause as the two of them looked at the other.
"You feel the same. What do you mean when you say that?" She suddenly asked.
"Just that I was worried about you too," Yuri quickly said. "None of that really matters though. Does it?"
"No, I guess not," Estelle said sounding just as sad as before. But she quickly shook her head and forced a smile. "We do need to move forward. So after Rita saves Veal, what is our next step?"
Yuri relaxed now that they were talking about something else. Although he may be bringing up something just as difficult to tell her. "Well I did promise Ren we would help her with the mana cannon problem. But we're heading to the capital first to check on Flynn and I want you to stay there so you can be better protected."
It was Estelle's turn to process what he said. "Wait, you're wanting me to leave?" She asked. She quickly began to defend herself. "If this is about letting myself get captured, you of all people know I can handle myself. My healing artes have come in handy on multiple occasions and I'm almost as good with a sword as you." She was trying to prove her worth even though Yuri was well aware of her strengths and how important she was to their party.
Of course he wanted Estelle to continue traveling with them and not because of how strong she was on the battlefield. How could he not? But this was for her sake. He couldn't let his personal feelings interfere with her safety. "Damn it Estelle, it has nothing to do with that," Yuri snapped. He knew it wouldn't be easy to convince her. "The Holy Knights are still after you and I can't make sure your safe and stop them from using the mana cannon."
"I am an adult," Estelle said firmly. "I can take care of myself. Besides, it's not like you're the only one fighting. All of us are here to help Ren with her mission and put a stop to the Holy Knights."
"Are you not listening to what I'm saying? They're still after you and the same thing that happened at the manor might happen again if you stay. At least at the capital, you'll have Flynn and all the knights loyal to him to make sure that doesn't happen again."
"It true that all of you got hurt for my sake. But we now know the enemy better. We learn and get stronger together. Besides, Flynn will have his hands full with protecting Ioder."
In all the time Yuri had known Estelle, they had never had an argument. They had disagreements that lasted less than a minute. She really had the tongue for arguments. Yuri had thought he could win easier. Maybe if it was three years ago, before Estelle fully began to think for herself, she would have agreed sooner and that would be the end of it. The Estelle in front of him was making this more difficult then it needed.
"Look, it'll just easier on me if you weren't with me." Yuri just blurted out.
Estelle's eyes went wide once she heard those words. "Y-you don't want me around…" He heard Estelle mutter. She clutched to notebook closer to her chest as she came to her own conclusion to what he meant.
He realized that he needed to explain himself or tell her how far from the truth she was. He wanted to keep her close, but the closer she got the more danger she would be in. That was what he should have said instead. However, he didn't even get the chance to say that or explain himself before she spun on her heels and fled back to the room she had emerged from.
It was brief, but Yuri was sure he saw tears in her eyes.
Now Yuri was alone feeling like he just got sucker punched in the gut. With his own words, he had made her cry. He hadn't meant to upset her. In the long run, this was for the best. He'll do what he had to in order to keep her safe. Yuri had never cared in the past about being the bad guy or doing the job no one else wanted. Why start now?
He told himself that and yet he still felt like crap. He just made the woman he cared about the most in this world cry.
