Thanks once again for the hits, but feedback is always welcome. The Summon Spirit's quest resumes and the final battle against Luna is soon approaching. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 36: Linkite Tree

Kratos and Yuan were left speechless by Mithos' display of power before he flew up to the ceiling and disappeared from sight.

"When did he learn that?" Kratos asked when he finally found his voice.

Yuan rubbed his forehead in wonder. "I remember feeling something similar when we were in Gnome's cave. But, my mind is still groggy from that time."

"It is undoubtedly powers granted to him by his Cruxis Crystal." Kratos said. "To think he could master it to that extent in such a short amount of time."

Yuan's eyes suddenly widen. "Martel!" He ran over to the fallen girl, who was still on her knees. "Are you alright?"

Martel slowly lifted her head as she tried to wipe away her tears. "Those people. Why did those people have to die in such a miserable way?" Yuan had no answer. He instead chose to hold Martel in his arms and rock her back and forward.

"We have to get moving." Kratos said. He hated to interrupt the scene, but he had little choice. "Mithos might need our help."

Martel attempted to compose herself as Yuan helped her up. "I know." She released her wings and was actually able to carry both Yuan and Kratos until they reach the hole in the ceiling. Once they were on the second floor again, Martel gently lured them down.

"Looks like Mithos is not the only one who has develop new powers from the crystal." Kratos noted as Martel's wings disappeared.

It was at that moment that Mithos came out of one of the rooms to the side of the lab. Kratos could tell by looking at his eyes that the deed was done.

Yuan also saw the look. "You manage to defeat someone like Lucious by yourself. That is very impressive."

"Yeah." Mithos voice sounded dead. "Those people have been avenge."

"Then the only question that remains is what to do with this Farm." Yuan said. "We could seal it like last time."

Mithos looked at Martel, who looked ready to collapse. He knew what needed to be done when he saw her defeated look. "No, we will destroy this Farm." Kratos and Yuan stared at the young boy.

"Are you sure?" Kratos asked.

Mithos nodded. "This place has caused Martel too much pain. I don't want a place like this to exist anymore."

"I understand." Kratos said solemnly.

"Then, lets empty the computers." Yuan said as he walked to a nearby console. "This place has data that may come in handy in the future."

"While you are doing that, we should grab as much Zircon as possible." Kratos said.

Mithos almost wanted to kick himself. He had completely forgotten about the metal. He quickly searched the room and found several piles of Zircon line up in boxes. He loaded several orbs into their traveling packs and then waited for Yuan to complete his task.

It took about an hour for Yuan to download all the data he wanted into a disk. By that time, Martel had fallen into a light sleep as she leaned against Kratos' shoulder. They were both sitting on the steel floor with Mithos. They were both on look out for any Fahrer who might wonder in.

"Are you finished yet?" Mithos asked as he tapped his foot. He didn't want to be here a minute longer.

"I am finish." Yuan said as he pulled out the disk and safely tuck it into his pocket. "Sorry for taken so long."

"It is of little consequence." Kratos said. Instead of waking Martel, he chose to carry her in his arms.

Yuan quickly typed something else into the computer before blazing red lit up the room, jolting Martel awake.

"What is happening?" Martel asked, almost in a panic.

"I activated the self-destruct sequence for the Farm." Yuan explained. "We have fifteen minutes to get out of here."

"What, could you have given us more time than that!?" Mithos yelled as he as he ran with Yuan and Kratos out of the room.

"I didn't want to risk the Fahrer being able to stop the sequence." Yuan answered as they took the wrap down.

It seemed the Fahrer had given up trying to save the Farm since the hallways and even the main gate were empty of anyone. They made it out with barely any time to spare as the Farm exploded. The mountain caved in on itself as the Farm disappeared from sight. Soon, they was nothing left by a stack of smoke.

"It is finish." Yuan muttered as he lowered his head in respect for the dead.

"Hopefully, all those who were turned into monsters and exspheres can find some peace." Kratos said. Martel lowered her head in a pray. Mithos stared blankly at the ground as the wind gently caressed his face.

"Well, you sure left me with allot of paperwork to fill out." A voice broke the somber mood. They turned around to see Ratto, still smoking his pipe.

"Shut up, you wouldn't believe the day that we had!" Mithos shouted.

Ratto put up his hand in defense. "Whoa, cool down. What happen in there anyway?"

Noishe flew back towards Kratos arms and sat comfortably on his shoulder. He gave him a playful nip as a welcome back.

"It is a long story." Yuan sighed. "However, we didn't destroy the Farm before we gathered as much information as we could from it."

"Well, then I don't have to give a report." Ratto said as he put out his pipe. "That saves me some trouble." He than began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Mithos demanded.

Ratto stopped for a moment. "Hey, the Farm is gone so I have no reason to stay here. I have other places that I need to investigate."

Martel looked up with tire eyes and smiled. "Thank you for your help, Ratto."

Ratto casually waved his hand. "All in a days work. You just better get well."

Martel's smiled grew even wider. "I will." Ratto gave one last wave and disappeared into the forest.

"I don't like that guy." Mithos growled.

"You don't like most humans." Yuan said in a deadpan voice.

"We should take his advice and get Martel back to Kriton." Kratos stated. "We have all the necessary materials to make a Rune Crest now."

Mithos nodded as he saw Martel beginning to doze off again. "Yeah, lets go."

The trip back seemed to take forever since everyone was anxious to finally cure Martel. It appeared that Malachite had been expecting their success since Kirk was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Is the lash alright?" Kirk asked when he saw Martel pale body.

"Afraid she had a hard day." Yuan said. "However, we now have the material to make the Rune Crest."

"I already have everything ready." Kirk stated. "I just need the Zircon."

Mithos reached into his traveling bag and gave the orbs to Kirk. "Sorry, I didn't know how many you would need."

Kirk smiled kindly. "This is more than enough. Take Martel to her room and I will be there as soon as I finish her crest."

Kratos carried Martel to her room with Mithos following shortly behind him.

"Kirk, is Malachite in her office?" Yuan asked.

"Yeah, she is waiting for your report." Kirk informed.

"Thank you." Yuan said as he went to debrief Malachite.

It took over thirty minutes to give Malachite all the details that they have learned.

"So, that is who the Dark King is." Malachite muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me that Mithos has been in contact with someone through his Cruxis Crystal?" Yuan questioned with some heat.

"We didn't know until about a week ago and we had no idea who this Dark King was until now." Malachite said. "With Martel's illness, Kratos and I thought it was best not to worry you even more."

"I can understand why, but I would like to be informed about such things in the future." Yuan said. "Especially one that threatens the stability of the world."

Malachite nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

"In any case, what is to be done about the Dark King?" Yuan asked.

"Not much." Malachite sighed. "All we have are is very vague description. I afraid he remains just as much as a mystery as before, except we now know he poses a direct threat to us."

"If he is a noble of some standing, Zilveren should be able to track him since he is honored in the courts on both sides." Yuan argued.

Malachite rubbed her chin. "True, but we much thread carefully. He can watch us from Mithos' crystal, which means any new information about him must be told without Mithos overhearing."

Yuan nodded. "I understand."

"However, our top priority remains finishing the pacts with the summon spirits." Malachite said. "Since you were gone, we received the final announcement for the attack on Tethe'alla. The campaign will happen in three days."

Yuan visibly paled. "Only three days?"

"Apparently, Sylvarant had been gathering their forces into attack position while they were still talking to Lord Zilveren." Malachite stated.

Yuan was now shaking in frustration. "They were planning to go through with the attack no matter what Zilveren told them."

"Which is why you must make the pact with Luna." Malachite said. "I would prefer you leave today, but I know Martel won't be strong enough to move for at least a day."

Yuan lowered his head. "It would seem our concern for Martel is coming back to bite us in the ass."

"We can't angst about the past." Malachite said steadily. "We can only turn our eyes to the future or the lack of one if we fail."

"Zilveren told us we had to find Aska before we could summon Luna." Yuan suddenly remember. "Where can we find him?"

Malachite chuckled humorlessly. "Finding Aska is impossible. He has to find you."

"How?" Yuan asked impatiently.

Malachite closed her eyes. "The Linkite Tree. You must go to that tree and play the melody of the of the flute of the same name."

Yuan's eyes widen. "The Linkite Flute. You mean the flute I gave Martel?"

Malachite smiled. "Did you really think it was an accident that Lord Zilveren suggested you get that flute for Martel. He knew you would need it to complete your quest."

Yuan's face softened greatly. "Zilveren always manages to think three steps ahead of any of us. But, where can we find the tree?"

Malachite smile became wider. "I took care of that detail." She then handed a map to Yuan. "I managed to track this one down while we were looking for the materials for the Rune Crest. Our spies have confirmed its location and are guarding it for any damage."

"Should have figured if anyone could track it down, it's you." Yuan laughed.

"Don't you forget it either?" Malachite joked. "You leave first thing tomorrow. For now, take care of Martel."

Yuan gave a polite bow. "I will." He then proceeded to leave the office.

Within a couple of hours, Kirk returned with a necklace made with a beautiful green stone medallion. Mithos was by Martel's bedside, who was now soundly asleep.

"Took awhile, but here is your custom Rune Crest." Kirk said as he handed the crest to Mithos.

"It still amaze me how all the crests looks like common jewelry." Mithos said as he looked over the crest.

"Not all dwarves make their crests in the shape of jewelry, but I personally prefer it that way." Kirk said with a smile. "What is the fun in having an ordinary crests?"

"So, I just put this on her?" Mithos asked as he turned to face Martel again.

"That is all there is to it." Kirk stated.

Mithos didn't waste another moment as he carefully put the necklace around Martel's neck and removed her old Key Crest. There seemed to be no visible change, however.

"Nothing is happening." Mithos said as he saw that the crystal rash had not receded.

"Be patient, Mithos." Kratos said from his place in the corner. "Things of this nature take time."

"Don't worry, lad." Kirk said smoothly. "Your sister should be fine now. She needs rest for the rest of the night, however."

"It is more than we could ask for." Yuan said. Relief was evident on his voice.

"We should leave her alone then." Kratos said. "There is nothing more we can do."

Mithos shook his head. "I won't leave Martel's side."

"Figure you wouldn't." Yuan said. "However, you need your rest for tomorrow. We have a busy day ahead of us."

"I know." Mithos sighed. "But, I just want to make sure she will be alright."

Yuan shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"We need to make the preparations for our mission." Kratos said as he left the room with Yuan and Kirk shortly behind him.

Mithos cuddled up to his sister and laid his head on her lap. "Don't worry, Martel. I won't let anything happen to you ever again."

Noishe once again took a perch over the siblings and watched over them for the rest of the night.

Martel woke slowly as the light of the sun bathe her. She shifted her weight so she could go back to sleep, when she noticed something strange. For days, her body had been stiff and hard to move when she first wakes up. Recently, this stiffness has given way to almost unbearable pain as her body slowly crystallizes. Now, her body felt light and the pain was gone.

She sat up slowly and looked over her shoulder blade. To her surprise and delight, the skin was no longer the sickly green. She felt over several parts of her body and didn't feel any hardness.

"You're awake, Martel?" Mithos asked groggily.

Martel gave a kind smile. "Yes, I am awake."

Mithos' eyes widen when his memory return. "Martel, are you...."

"I am fine now, Mithos." Martel said as she showed him her shoulder.

Mithos looked over the arm carefully and saw not a trance of the crystallization. His face widen as a huge smile appeared on his face. "You're cured!!" He yelled happily as he hugged Martel. She returned the hug and rubbed Mithos' back. "I'm okay now, Mithos. Thank you for your concern."

Mithos pulled away with tears in his eyes. "Martel...don't ever do anything like this again. I was so worried about you."

Martel smiled back. "I can't promise that, but I will try to be more aware of my own heath for now on."

Noishe squawked happily at the pair as he flapped his wings.

"So, you were watching over us, Noishe." Martel said sweetly. "Thank you, for taken care of Mithos for me."

Noishe squeal as if to say 'you're welcome'.

The door to the room opened, catching Mithos and Martel's attention.

"I see you're up." Yuan smiled as he walked in.

"Yuan." Martel said happily.

Yuan looked at her arm with interest. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I have in a long time." Martel said. "It is like I was never sick."

Yuan sighed. "Thank the spirits that everything worked out."

"Martel, are you feeling up to traveling today?" Mithos asked.

"Today?" Martel asked in confusing.

"We have to leave today to find the Linkite Tree so we can make the final pact with Luna." Yuan explained. "I know it is selfish of us to ask, but we must leave as soon as possible."

Martel frowned. "Something happened."

Yuan knew there was no point in hiding it. "Sylvarant will be attacking Tethe'alla the day after tomorrow. If the final pact is not made, then the Kharlan Tree will die."

Martel's face became downcast. "You would had finished making the pact if I haven't become sick."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Mithos argued fiercely. "We chose not to make the final pact until now."

"Like Malachite said, there is no point regretting the past." Yuan said. "We still have time, which is why we must leave soon."

Martel pushed her covers off and began to slowly stand up. Her legs were stiff and she was unsteady on her feet.

"Martel, if you're still weak, you should stay here and rest." Mithos said.

"No." Martel said as she regained her balance. "Everyone has worked so hard to help me. Going as far to put me even before the world. The least I can do is support those who saved me."

Mithos eyes began to moist slightly. "Martel."

Yuan knew that the discussion was close. "Be ready in an hour." He said as he left to give Martel some privacy. When he was in the hallway he smiled softly to himself. "You have grown so much, Martel." He said to himself before he left to find Kratos.

Once Martel had dressed and ate a quick breakfast, she quickly ran outside to meet everyone at the garage. They were standing by the Rheiards when they saw her approach.

Kratos gave a rare smile when he saw Martel. "Good to see you are in good health again."

Martel gave him a sweet smile of her own. "Thank you Kratos for taken care of everyone."

"It was my honor." Kratos said.

Noishe squawk something from his place on his master Rheiard.

"Now that everything is finished here, lets make that final pact." Yuan said.

They didn't have to be told twice as they hopped on top of their Rheiards and were off again into the clear skies. For the first times in over a week, the atmosphere around the group was light and hopeful.

Within two hours they were once again flying over Sylvarant's soil and carefully avoiding any major cities. With the attack on Tethe'alla only days away, it was too easy to be mistaken as an enemy spy. Soon, they had landed the Rheiards in a mountain area that was several days walk from Triet.

"According to Malachite's map, the Linkite Tree should be in this mountain area." Yuan said as he looked over the map.

Mithos jumped off his Rheiard and looked around. "This place is far away from any major settlements. All I have seen is one hamlet town in this entire area."

"You sense of sight never fails to impress me." Kratos said. "From here, that town only appears to be a small dot to me."

Martel closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds of the wildlife. "It is so peaceful here."

"That is because this place has been largely ignored by the war." Yuan said. "As Mithos has stated, there is only one major settlement here."

"We shouldn't waste anymore time." Kratos said. "We must find the Linkite Tree."

They were quickly on their way again and only ran into a few hostile monsters and animals. They were fairly weak and scared easily once they realized they were outmatch.

They have been walking for almost an hour and Mithos had decided to float instead of wasting energy walking over the rocky path.

"Yuan, why didn't we take the Rheiards?" Mithos asked in frustration.

"The path around here is too narrow for them." Yuan said. "Also, the Linkite Tree is fragile and I don't want to risk damaging it."

"Make sense." Martel said. She had also given up on walking and was using her wings to float.

It was nearly another hour of hard walking before they finally reached the mountain's peak. It was a large flat piece of earth that expanded a four-mile radius. Right in the center of the open space was the Linkite Tree. The tree was tall, but it had a slender truck. The leaves were a bright orange and yellow, which caught the light of the sun in a way that made the tree seem like it was on fire.

"I have never seen anything like it before." Mithos said in awe. "That's the Linkite Tree?"

The sight also astounded Martel. "The books failed to capture its beauty." The wind blew gently and as the whistle of music filled their ears. The song seemed to lure the group into a peaceful stupor.

"It sounds just like Martel's flute." Mithos said once the wind died down.

Martel looked to be near tears. "It reminds me of mom."

"I would assume so since it was made from the nut from this tree." Kratos said. Even he looked content.

"We can admire the tree later." Yuan said as he snapped out of the trance of the Linkite's song. "Martel, you must play the flute under this tree to lure Aska here."

Martel pulled the flute from her traveling bag and touched it lovingly. "Okay."

She walked until she was under the tall tree and began to play her song on the flute. The song was slow, but uplifting at the same time. It carried a sense of peace across the valley. After a couple of minutes, however, nothing happen.

"It isn't loud enough." Yuan noted. "Mithos, summon Sylph to carry Martel's song further."

Mithos nodded as he began his chant. "I call upon the heavenly messengers. I summon thee, Come, Sylph!!" With a strong gust of wind, the three Sylph appeared before them. "Please make the wind blow harder so Aska can hear Martel's song."

The Sylph acknowledged his request and disappeared. Soon the wind was blowing stronger than before and the nuts on the tree rung harder and louder, adding what seemed like a chorus to Martel's music.

It didn't take long before a bright golden glow caught their attention and ended Martel's flute playing. Once the light dimmed slightly, the Summon Spirit of Light, Aska, appeared before them.