8/17/15
Back at last and still a bit lukewarm on this chapter even after 2 weeks, granted I didn't spend as much time in those 2 weeks writing as I should have. Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, GARO and Dungeon Fighter Online all got in the way so I apologize for that.
But this version is definitely better than all the previous ones I kept deleting and the next chapters I am far more comfortable with.
Chapter 36 – Answers
The Free Nation of Wan
Cliff Town, Oeldehm – Clock Tower
Looking to the Clock Tower, Sutne shook his head before turning to see his partner approaching. "Hey Ezak. I'm guessing you found-"
"Nothing. Not a thing. Ah well, we figured it'd be a stretch."
As Sutne released a heavy sigh the pair heard a bird call from above. Ezak looked up and held out his hand to take a note as the bird flew away. Opening it he raised an eyebrow, Sutne noting the change.
"What's up? Orders?"
"Yeah…it's from Commander Oit. He says that Teiaya is going to be in Bryte soon so he wants us there."
Sutne tilted his head "How in the world would Oit know that?"
Ezak shrugged "Orders. So we do it."
"What if it's wrong?"
"What if it's right?"
Before either could say anything more Sutne recognized three strangers headed right for them "You all! What-"
Uhnie cut him off "What do you know about Teiaya?"
"Yeah, we need to find him." Shinon stated.
Ezak gestured to them "Who are they?"
"Why do you need to find Teiaya? When I asked you all acted like you've never heard the name before. What changed?" Sutne asked to which Gatrie answered "We just ran into him and a friend of his. They escaped so we're trying to track them down."
"You saw Teiaya? Where did he go!?" Ezak demanded.
Uhnie shrugged "He created a black fog and slipped away. We need to find him and his partner, we need answers."
Sutne smirked "Well. Apparently he is headed for Bryte. We're divided on whether the lead is solid but we may as well go anyway. If what you say is true chances are he left Oeldehm."
Shinon nodded "Alright then! We'll do that. Where is Bryte?"
"I'm going to go round up our people." Sutne nodded to Ezak who walked off before speaking "Bryte is up north in the Tow Union, while it is a busy place with a lot of businesses we've also received a place where he may be holding some sort of meeting."
Uhnie smiled "Alright then! We're all set to go!"
"Surely you wouldn't mind a few strangers tagging along eh?"
Sutne shrugged to Shinon "With more people maybe we can actually hold him in place this time. Benkanan thanks you for your help."
"Hey!" Uhnie, Shinon and Gatrie turned to see Mist, Boyd, Oscar and Rolf approaching, the middle brother speaking "How has your search been going?"
Shinon crossed his arms "We've actually come across something else that we have to handle."
Oscar looked at them oddly "Ike made it pretty clear that we have to find these three men. Are you three not doing that?"
"We were." Gatrie stated "But we ran into a-"
"Personal issue." Uhnie finished.
"So you guys are just abandoning the mission? It's hard enough like this, we need all the help we can get!" Mist stated.
Shinon sighed "We know. We know."
"But come on, what were the odds that anyone in Oeldehm would know anything? Chances are the guys we're looking for are not in this town and we're wasting time. We may actually find a better lead up north."
Rolf nodded to Uhnie "Maybe but-"
"Alright everyone is moving. Who are these people?" Ezak stated joining them again.
"Look, if it concerns you all so much I'll run the questions by these guys." Uhnie turned to face Ezak and Sutne "Do the names Tyse Erent, Zijo Oit and Norad Jyuugo mean anything to you all?"
Ezak and Sutne faced each other before the former spoke "Of course. Commander Oit is the leading military figure of the Benkanan Republic. He's bolstered our army and led us on a flawless mission of stabilization. He's practically a patriot."
Uhnie nodded at the pair before facing the other Mercenaries "See? Nothing."
After a short silence she looked back to the two men from Benkanan and gave them a flat "What?"
Cliff Town, Oeldehm – Outskirts
"Not this time!" Swinging his arm, Soren struck Tyse with a powerful gale throwing him towards Mia who quickly brought out her tome and waited for Tyse to get close before casting her own spell. A small flame exploded along Tyse's back and threw the vampire across the ground.
Leah and Zihark drew their blades with the latter stating "Still don't think it's supposed to do that."
Titania brought out her axe as Tyse stood up and screeched. Soren prepared to give orders when several tendrils of light came in from all directions and struck Tyse multiple times.
The vampire swung around to see Cadeera who called out to the Mercenaries "Cover your eyes! Now!"
A large flashing white orb formed in the woman's hand, Soren relayed her command causing the Mercenaries to look away as Tyse approached Cadeera. The woman held up the orb of light and yelled "Komaru!" The ball then exploded into a brilliant white light that caused Tyse to screech and fall to his knees, practically blinded. The Mercenaries looked back as Cadeera continued approaching Tyse, kneeling next to him "Are you alright?"
Blinking a few times his eyes found hers "Yeah…I am…sorry."
She laughed "Oh come on Tyse. I know you are so don't apologize to me. What you really should do is apologize to my friend who you were very clearly threatening."
He sighed as she helped him up, "But first." The woman pulled her shirt from her neck exposing more of it to Tyse. The Mercenaries made moves only for her to hold her hand out. Tyse sunk his teeth into her neck for a bit, pulling away he let out a heavy sigh "Thank you."
"Of course…now…"
Nodding he turned to face the Mercenaries, now no longer looking so threatening they got a clearer look at him. Just like the other vampires his skin was dark gray and he had blood red eyes with yellow irises. He had thick, wild gray hair on top of his head and wore a dark green jacket with red trims which was wide open revealing his toned and scarred upper body. A large belt was wrapped around his red leg-wear that led to his gray boots. Sighing again he approached Soren causing Titania to grip Castle a bit tighter. Coming to a stop in front of the sage he spoke. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?"
He nodded "I've been working against this but…you aren't from around here, are you?"
"No."
"Then the new blood combined with my panic just…"
He shook his head before repeating his apology and holding his hand out for Soren who took it and gave it a few shakes.
"So. You're all Cadeera's friends?"
Mia, Leah and Zihark came closer, the first speaking "And you must be Cadeera's boyfriend?"
He nodded "That I am. My name is Tyse Erent though I'm sure you all knew that."
The Mercenaries all gave him their names with Soren confirming that they did know who he was before Titania asked "How did you come to be here?"
The vampire sighed as Cadeera joined him "That's a long story."
"In all honesty we have quite a few questions and problems we hope you can help us with." Mia stated.
The vampire nodded "I can try." He gestured to the cave "I don't have much but you will all at least be able to sit down."
As Tyse started walking everyone fell into step behind him, Cadeera speaking "I'm sorry I lied to you all…I was scared. Worried."
"That's understandable but we swear we aren't here to do anything bad to Tyse. All that was just self-defense." Mia said.
"Really?"
Titania nodded "We just want answers. Information. That's all."
Cadeera let out a sigh of relief, Tyse himself wasn't sure if he believed that but if they really wanted to kill him they'd be doing so right now.
Cliff Town, Oeldehm – Stable
Looking to the setting sun, Ranulf let out a sigh before looking to Ike who was once again looking nowhere.
"Hey man. I thought we were gonna talk about this. So far all you've done is sit there and look absolutely lost."
Ike shook his head "Sorry. I just…it's difficult."
Ranulf laughed at that "Its love! Of course it's difficult which is why I'm here lending my ears and hopefully some advice. But you need to give me something first."
"I know…I'm just trying to figure out how to say it. How to start."
Ranulf rolled his eyes "Ike you wield two freakishly massive swords with no problem, you led us all to victory against crazed Kings, crazier Senators and our own Goddess not to mention everything else we've done since we left Tellius. I'm sure you can stomach a little love talk."
The hero laughed "When you put it that way, I should be able to right?"
"Yeah. You definitely should be able to."
Ike let out a deep breath "Ranulf. I…think…"
He shook his head "No. Not that. I…know…I'm almost certain that I've developed feelings for…Titania."
The man faced his Laguz companion, whose face didn't change for a few moments before he smiled "Really? Is that it?"
Before Ike could ask the Laguz started laughing "Alright then this will be very easy to take care of."
He stood up and gestured for Ike to do the same. As he did so he asked "Where are we going?"
"Where else? To find Titania and tell her how you feel."
Ike looked at him oddly "Didn't you hear what I said?"
"Yeah. You're in love with Titania. So let's go."
"Ranulf! Think about this. Titania."
"Yeah."
Ike sighed "I really don't want to spell this out for you but surely you see some…issues with this right? She…I…we…"
Ranulf rolled his eyes "What issues? Let's see…what is so wrong about Titania? If I may speak plainly, Commander."
Ike scoffed at the sarcasm before Ranulf continued "Titania is drop dead gorgeous, I'm sure you can see that. She's a powerhouse of destruction on the battlefield. She is wise. She is the kind of person you want at your side. She's brilliant."
Ike thought about Titania, "She is all that…and more…"
Ike looked back to Ranulf who just smirked as Ike ran a hand through his hair "Why did I just say that?"
"Because you know it's true. You know everything about her as a person and you are clearly attracted to her as a man so…what's the problem?"
"We're…she and I…we're like family…wouldn't that-"
Ranulf scoffed "But you aren't. Remember Micaiah and Sothe? They saw each other as brother and sister for quite a bit but they couldn't ignore their own chemistry. They were doomed to fall in love and get married after all the time they spent together. That much was clear."
"Maybe so but…that's not the same here."
"Yeah. It is."
Ike sighed "Well then what about our age difference? We-"
"Age difference? Look who you're talking to, Ike. We Laguz live longer and some mated couples are a decade or so apart and at times even more. Don't even get me started on Dragon age differences. None of us ever bat an eye so pardon me for thinking that to be a weak excuse."
"Ranulf, I'm not Laguz. We're Beorc. Everywhere we've gone there have been people like us, like Beorc. We…if we were to be together, everyone would see how off it is…we-"
The Laguz shook his head and put a hand on Ike's shoulder "Come on man. Other people? Now you're just stretching."
Ike tried to say something only for Ranulf to cut him off "I'm almost certain that I've developed feelings for Titania. That's what you said. You know what that means? That you have feelings for Titania. All this that you're saying now sounds more like you trying to convince yourself that you shouldn't feel for her like this. Come on man, you fall for a woman and want to stop yourself from feeling it? That makes no sense!"
"Ranulf I…I just…" Sighing he looked down as Ranulf asked "She's been at your side so long. If you don't mind me asking I'd like to know when did you first see her this way?"
"I'm not sure…but you know the bet she won?"
"Yeah?"
"We went out to a place to eat and talk…and above all do what she wanted to do which was share a dance."
"You two…danced together?"
"Yeah. That whole night I swear I stared at her more than I ever did before…I'm not blind I know she's a beautiful woman but that night I just…couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She looked incredible…and during our dances I…the strangest thoughts came to the back of my mind but I pushed them away because they didn't make sense…"
Ranulf shook his head "She won a bet. She could have had you do anything and she uses it as an excuse to go out on a date with you?"
Ike faced Ranulf who smiled "Holy shit. We need to get you two to talk. Right now."
"Ranulf…she's been…what do I even say?"
The Laguz shrugged "I have no idea. But just tell her how you feel to start. Let her know how you feel. Given that of all things she went out on a date with you, I'm certain she feels the same. You are both on the cusp you just need to take that first step."
Ike thought about the woman again. The very brief kiss forcing its way into his mind again.
"So, Ike? What's it going to be?"
Taking a deep breath the man spoke "Let's find Titania."
Ranulf smiled "Brilliant! I already got her scent! Let's move!"
"Wait…what? How?"
As Ranulf started moving he called out "It's all over you!"
Ike started to say something but decided against it, instead he ran after the Laguz.
Cliff Town, Oeldehm – Clock Tower
"A patriot?" Uhnie asked.
Ezak nodded "Since he arrived in Benkanan a few months back he's done nothing but improve the dominion all with King Wetka's undying support."
Oscar shook his head "This doesn't match up."
Boyd nodded "It definitely doesn't."
"What has he done for you exactly?" Shinon asked.
Sutne spoke up "Are any of you familiar with what happened in the Crown Land of Atro last month?"
They all shook their heads prompting Sutne to continue "Atro is ruled by the Crown Family. King Atro was a benevolent ruler, close friends with our own Oberez Wetka until a splinter group formed around a man named Teiaya Ute. This splinter group threw Atro into chaos, killing the entire Royal Family. A renowned troop from Qeen, The Thunder arrived to try and break their hold but failed and were captured. Oit had spent quite a bit of time boosting our military forces, citing that should anything ever happen we have to be ready. If Oit had not come to Benkanan when he did, we would have had no way of aiding our allied nation. But with him there we were able to move in, break the rebels' hold on the dominion and kill most of them. The leader Ute escaped and Atro was stabilized, Wetka took his good friend's title and now protects the land. Our remaining forces are now combing Zatuo to find the rebel leader before he can recruit others to his nefarious cause."
"Well then I suppose it's a good thing that you two know where he is, right?" Gatrie asked.
The pair nodded with Ezak speaking "Indeed it is. Our men should be all set to move to Tow."
Sutne gestured to Uhnie, Shinon and Gatrie "Are you three still coming?"
Shinon nodded "Yeah. You all heading to one of the town exits?"
"The northeastern one. We'll be there for a bit if you have any last things you need to take care of. Be quick though we don't want him to escape."
With that Ezak and Sutne walked away as Shinon looked to the others, Rolf speaking "I don't know why but..."
"Something feels off?" Rolf nodded to Shinon who crossed his arms "Klein said that he, Erent, Oit and Jyuugo were up to something vile. Something that would kill countless people. So if Oit really is in Benkanan I think it's safe to assume that he isn't there to be a patriot."
"Klein did change and he believes Erent did so as well." Oscar said.
Mist nodded "Maybe we got lucky and Oit changed as well."
Uhnie shrugged "Maybe. But we have to make sure, right?"
"How?" Gatrie asked.
Shinon gestured behind him where Ezak and Sutne went "We're going to keep following these guys. We do still have to meet Teiaya and his friend but maybe we can gather more information on Oit on the way to Bryte. Are you four alright with heading for Benkanan?"
Mist nodded "Of course. We'll go check and see if Oit is really on the up and up or not."
Uhnie smiled "Then we have new tasks."
"What about Erent and Jyuugo?" Boyd asked.
"Like we said before." Shinon started "Just cause we're doing something else doesn't mean we have to stop searching for the other two."
"Should we wait for Ike?" Rolf asked.
Uhnie sighed "I wish. But this is all going down now. We can trust Ike to take care of things on his end and if things get dicey we have each other. Last I checked, together we're a family right? We're unstoppable."
Oscar smiled "Indeed we are. Alright. You three, stay safe."
Gatrie nodded, shaking hands with the oldest brother "You four as well. We'll see when this is all done."
After a round of hand shaking and hugging the seven split up.
Cliff Town Oeldehm – Outskirts Cave
Taking their seats, the Mercenaries remained silent as Cadeera found her staff and came to Tyse's side to heal his cuts from the gale and the burns.
"I'm glad I spend as much time here as I do. I keep leaving things here."
Tyse chuckled "This might as well be our place with how often you're here. Seriously, when was the last time you went to your actual home?"
"What can I say? I don't like being away from you for too long. Oh no, I'm that clingy girlfriend aren't I?"
Tyse laughed "No, you aren't. I love you just the way you are."
Putting the staff away she smiled before noting the Mercenaries and blushing "Oh I'm sorry…I forgot there were other people around. Pretend you didn't hear any of that."
"Why? It's honestly very sweet." Mia stated.
Cadeera thanked her before sitting next to Tyse who sighed again before noting each of the Mercenaries' faces.
Zihark spoke up "How did the two of you end up together?"
Tyse looked at Cadeera who smiled "Oh it's quite the story."
"I'm not a fan of it."
Soren looked to Tyse "Why?"
"It reminds me of how I was before. Have you met other vampires?"
"Many." Leah said. "One of them is how we learned about you."
"Klein Kruse?"
Titania nodded "We actually helped him and the other Five Pieces defeat the Order of Rein. They're all gone."
Tyse blinked and let out a heavy sigh "All gone…truly?"
The Mercenaries nodded as Mia spoke up "I killed Ulyus myself."
Tyse couldn't believe how relieved he felt. He thought he put that all behind him but clearly it was still weighing on him to this very moment. He bowed slightly to the group "Thank you…"
"No need to thank us. We did what was right." Soren stated.
After a short silence, Tyse added "...and Klein?"
Soren sighed "Once everything was over, he let himself died. Content that his war against the Order was done."
Tyse closed his eyes "He swore if there was one thing he'd do before he died it was wipe them out…good to know he did so. I hope he rests easy."
The vampire then gestured to himself "So I'm the last one of this monstrous species?"
Leah spoke up "We can't really say you're monstrous as we barely know you but you are the last vampire."
The man smirked "Maybe not but before I met Cadeera I was like all the other vampires…worse actually."
Taking a deep breath he spoke "When I got here, the scent of new blood, the blood of the people of Zatuo drove me insane. I wanted it so bad. I tried to fight against it like my partner Klein did. I tried everything that I could but I couldn't stop myself from hunting someone down and taking their blood. Once I had the blood I realized what I was doing and ran away, leaving my victim to fall and bleed on the ground…I did so several times in Nevrez before coming to Oeldehm…I couldn't stand it. I needed to get away from people so one stormy night I found this cave, and stood here…my desire for blood grew as the days went on but I refused to leave. I didn't want to enjoy sucking the blood from innocent people…next thing I knew I was growing weaker…"
As he trailed off, Cadeera spoke up "Do any of you know what a Yartz is?"
The Mercenaries shook their head. "A Yartz is an institution run by and for all those who are magically inclined. It's a place for those people to come together and study magic, improve their own magical abilities and so on. I was a member of one but I was also a free healer of the people. I went into town every chance I had to treat anyone I could find…a strange line of people came to me around the same time. They weren't hurt but they found random people around with bloody necks claiming they were attacked by a monster. I treated them and tried to understand what kind of thing takes the blood of others and leaves them behind like trash. Following the line of attacks to Oeldehm I decided I needed to find and kill whatever this thing was."
She couldn't help but chuckle as she gestured at Tyse "Hard to believe this happened eh?"
Zihark shrugged "Not really."
"I'm guessing you found him?" Titania asked.
"I did…but when I did…he was, for a lack of a better word: pathetic. He was so weak and curled up on the floor. He saw me and made no move to attack me or anything…he just ignored me. I came closer and asked him who he was."
"I'm a monster."
"…do you have a name?"
"Monsters don't have names."
Cadeera made a move for a tome of hers but instead took out her staff to try and heal him "Did you attack-"
"People? Yes…I need blood to survive and I…I don't meant to do it. But I can't resist…"
Cadeera noted that her staff was not improving his condition at all. "Why can't you resist?"
"The urge is too great…what changed me into this made me more…manic for it…if you are going to kill me, please do it now…"
Cadeera felt she should, at the very least it would prevent others from being attacked but she couldn't help but feel for this man. She always joked with people that she had a good heart, perhaps too good but in this situation it seemed to be beyond true.
Chuckling she shook her head "Why am I like this?"
The man looked to her "What?"
"I should kill you…but I want to help you. What can I do?"
He looked away, saying nothing.
"You need blood?" She pulled her shirt aside to expose her neck "I'll let you have some of mine if you promise not to attack anyone else okay?"
He looked up at her again "Why?"
"Like I said. I want to help you…and honestly, this is the kind of person I am. For better or worse."
Bending down she got him to his feet though he still slumped against a wall.
"The victims were always attacked in the neck area so…"
She gestured. The man shook his head but he could smell it and he wanted it. Taking a step forward, then another, Cadeera felt a bit nervous. None of the people he left behind died. Mostly because they were found and she healed him but-
Her thoughts came to a halt when she felt the teeth bite down on her neck. She groaned and clenched her teeth. After a few seconds she asked "Are you better?"
In response he bit down harder causing her to cry out in pain "H-hey! Stop!"
She tried to pull away which caused the man to grab one of her arms with a clawed hand while the other slashed deep into her torso. Yelling she tried to escape but the man's strength was returning, gripping her tome she yelled again as a light flashed, stunning the vampire he tore away.
Dazed from the blood loss she tried to run from the cave, looking down she saw a large bloody tear in her stomach and coughed blood before tripping over herself and falling to the ground. She could barely whisper for help as the man shook his head.
Blinking away the confusion he looked to see the woman fallen on the ground. He realized how strong he felt and looked down to his hands, one covered in blood. Approaching the woman he heard her whispering for help.
"I'm sorry I…I didn't mean to…"
Realizing she could die here he bent down and picked her up, the woman groaning in pain "Please…don't…"
Wings expanding he ran out of the cave and flew into the sky over the town. Spotting someone with a staff he landed near them and begged them for help. The other man was frightened by the creature before him as it laid a woman to the ground. Again he begged before flying away.
Cadeera stood up and gestured to her stomach, pulling aside her clothes to expose a long scar.
"…and you still came back?"
Cadeera nodded to Leah "I shouldn't have. But I wanted to. I really wanted to help him. I was naïve. Stupid. But I couldn't stop myself."
"You really do have a good heart." Mia said.
"Yeah…it makes me do dumb things. Though I never suffered for it until that day."
Soren could see Tyse flinch at that and couldn't help but see himself in that moment.
"Though I never held it against him…"
She smiled at Tyse who slowly looked over to her. This time Mia saw the familiarity and turning slightly she spotted Soren looking right at her. She couldn't help but smile before turning her attention back to the couple before them.
Entering the desolate cave again she called out "Hello? Are you still here?"
Seeing her the man shook his head and returned the shadows "Why did you come back!?"
Cadeera shrugged "I never got your name."
The man laughed at that "Unbelievable. If I tell you my name will you leave?"
Again all she did was shrug prompting him to speak "My name is Tyse. Tyse Erent."
"Cadeera Ien. From this day on, I'm going to help you."
Tyse shook his head "No. You tried that already."
"Yeah, without knowing anything about what I was doing. But now I do. I know what you need and how to give it to you and how to control you if things get out of hand. Let me help you. You don't want to be a monster anymore do you, Tyse?"
Sighing he spoke "No. I don't want to be a monster anymore…but what if-"
"You caught me off guard. It won't happen again."
"If it does?"
Cadeera just smiled "Then I'll kill you."
Tyse met her eyes and smiled back before laughing "You are a strange one."
"So?"
"Fine…but I will not be responsible for what happens to you. I really hope you were serious about killing me because I still believe that to be the better option."
"We'll see."
The two stood there in silence before Tyse sighed and whispered "I'm glad you're still alive."
She was a bit taken back by that but just smile "I am too honestly."
The man couldn't help but roll his eyes as she chuckled.
"From then on I helped him control the urges…it's been working so well I think he only needs blood because his body wants it. I think he can live on normally without it."
Soren shook his head "That's impossible. Vampires need to it live…"
Cadeera shrugged as Tyse spoke "What I can remember from my time in the Order is that I was different in a few ways. In addition to being the strongest one ever made I needed more blood than most…"
"I think all that time he spent drinking blood made him not just crazy but horribly addicted. So I've been putting a limit on it. He's been fine with just two or three…doses? From me."
"Well you certainly look well kept…not…that I was…looking." Mia commented, before coughing, Titania chuckling.
Cadeera joined in laughing as well while Tyse raised an eyebrow. "We all fall victim to verbal slips it seems." Zihark commented.
Tyse fought off a small smile before continuing "I have felt much better as of late. Once again I need to clarify that what happened outside was just because of the panic and the new blood scent. When I heard there were foreigners from Hitenticul looking for me. I just…I didn't want you to take me from Cadeera."
The woman at his side smiled before embracing the vampire. Titania shaking her head "We have no intention of doing so Tyse. Thank you for sharing your story."
He nodded "You are friends with Cadeera and you helped Klein. You deserve to know…now…I believe you had questions for me?"
The group nodded, Zihark speaking "Klein told us the names of your other two partners. Zijo Oit and Norad Jyuugo. We need to find them and stop whatever it is they're up to."
Tyse shook his head "I wouldn't suggest that course of action. Those two are just as monstrous as I once was. Walk away."
"We can't do that." Soren stated "We have to stop them."
"Please. Tell us what you know about them."
Tyse looked to Mia then to Cadeera "If you can help them Tyse. I highly recommend that you do it."
Seeing the look in Cadeera's eyes he nodded "Very well…but my warning still stands."
Clearing his throat he continued "After escaping from the Order most of my memories were scrambled. I forgot quite a bit but since Cadeera aided me in cleansing myself I've started to remember more. Zijo Oit was the one of us who didn't completely follow our mission. He was always being sidetracked by what he deemed would be more impressive feats to bring back to our leader."
"None of you are the leader?" Soren asked.
Tyse shook his head "I'm afraid not. Klein Kruse, Zijo Oit, Norad Jyuugo and I were all working under someone else. I'm not blaming my memories on this because I remember this very clearly. Our leader had no name. So I can't give you anything there."
"No name?" Mia shook her head "That makes this harder."
"I imagine so. Anyway our leader wanted the blood of powerful maniacs. Powerful evil souls. So that's what we set out to do. Klein and I worked as one while Oit and Jyuugo worked together. Jyuugo was the only one of us who could keep Oit on his leash and moderately more on task. His plans. The ideas he had were sadistic in their complexity. Long form plans that would require us staying wherever we were far longer than we needed to be there so we ignored them and left despite his demands that the end result would be better than the blood out leader wanted."
Titania crossed her arms "That makes sense. By the time we got to Thyremog and Hitenticul you all were long gone except for Klein and he forgot far too much about his original mission."
"Hitenticul…we were captured there. I still can't remember how that happened. I was sure Klein and I had our would-be captors dead to rights."
Shaking his head Tyse sighed and continued "Norad Jyuugo on the other hand is a more basic man. He loves battle. He loves to be in the heat of the moment. He is a master of every single type of weaponry. If he comes across a new one he puts the time to mastering it and does so frighteningly quickly. He maintains his cold calculating nature even in the most dire of battles…he has all the strength in the world and an unmatchable wit to complement it. Basically he is a living weapon with a rational mind."
"Sounds absolutely wonderful." Zihark stated, shaking his head.
"Would you be able to tell us where they might be?" Leah asked.
Tyse shook his head "I'm afraid not. I don't even know if they're here. It's not like we were given a list of lands to visit we were just told to go out and find people who matched the vague description our leader gave us."
Soren sighed "What is it with people and collecting blood for nefarious purposes?"
Tyse chuckled "I honestly wish I knew why. Though if anyone is still aware of what the mission is it would be Zijo Oit and Norad Jyuugo."
"Even so." Leah gestured to the map "This place is really big. Nevrez, Oeldehm and Tekit are all in one corner together comfortably but there are swamps and forests all over Zatuo, a mountain range a desert…while I get why we are splitting up and searching I doubt we can just happen across those two."
Zihark sighed "Unfortunately we have no other choice. We have no solid leads."
At that moment, Titania cut in "Actually. I spoke with a local by the name of Enri Tous. Taking what he said and the timeline of Tyse's arrival. About a month before Tyse got here, others from a similarly foreign place did as well."
"Where?"
Looking to Soren, she answered "A port town in Dre."
"Riskol." The group looked to Cadeera "That is basically the Dre equivalent to Wan's Nevrez. Nice port town that sees a few foreigners though in all honesty most foreigners land at Nevrez and Qeen's port."
"We did track down Gahnzo and Tohgum back in Wisin by asking around at the port."
Soren nodded to Mia "Though we had Klein to help us. Would any of the controlling bodies in Riskol want to?"
The pair looked to Cadeera who tapped her chin "Dre is a Democracy. Shouldn't be too hard to ask for permission on passenger logs from…when?"
"Five months ago."
Cadeera smiled "Then definitely. That's pretty old, I'm sure no one would be too worried about that. Granted the asking permission part might take a bit depending on what the local council of Riskol is up to but it's worth a try."
The group stood up with Leah speaking "Sounds like a great place to start."
Cadeera moved over and picked up a map before joining them "Mind if I come with?"
"You sure?"
She nodded to Soren "Yep, anything to help."
"Cadeera."
She looked at Tyse "Don't worry about me Tyse. I'll be fine. Something tells me this lot is the best protection anyone could ask for."
"We shouldn't be getting involved with this. Oit and Jyuugo are dangerous."
She nodded "I'm well aware. But I won't be alone. Look if you really are worried then come along. Lend us a hand."
"I can't go out there!"
"Of course you can. You have it under control. Just believe in yourself."
Tyse looked away as Cadeera faced the Mercenaries "Well then. To Riskol"
The group followed her out of the cave as she called back "I'll be back when we're wrapped up Tyse! See you soon! Love you!"
After a short silence, Tyse let out a heavy breath "Love you too."
Cliff Town, Oeldehm
"How do I start? Hello? Hey, Titania. Remember that kiss? No that's all terrible. Do I wave? Come on Ike…just…just say it. Titania. I have feelings for you. That should be it…right?"
"Geez Ike your face is just…you are really really thinking right now."
Ike chuckled "I know. I don't want to walk into this blind…I can't believe I'm even the slightest bit…ready…"
"Ike I think this has been a long time coming. Just let it happen."
The hero nodded and prepared to say something more when the pair heard yelling. Turning they spotted a woman running towards them with several armed men on her tail yelling "Get her!" and "Move aside!" shoving civilians to the ground. Every so often the woman bumped past someone and quickly apologized.
Ranulf shook his head "What in the world is going on?"
As the woman checked behind her she ran into Ike "Are you alright?"
She just shook her head "I-"
"Hey!" The three looked to the guards who came to a stop, the man in the lead pointing at Ike and Ranulf "That woman is a fugitive from Atro! Send her to us right now or else!"
Ike stepped in front of her "For some reason. I don't think that would be a wise move."
"The only move is to move aside or be moved aside." The man spat.
Ranulf stood next to Ike "That ain't happening buddy."
"This doesn't concern you!" Raising their lances they charged forward, Ranulf shifting and kicking the weapons away before striking one man in the chest, throwing him to the ground.
Ike turned to the woman who spoke "Why are you-?"
Cutting her off, Ike turned her around and pushed her forward, moving with her "Just keep running!" Nodding she did so with Ike following shortly after. Ranulf threw another man to the floor before disengaging and following the other two.
"Accomplices! Get them! Now!" One guard yelled as he stood, the others rushing after the three escapees. Turning a corner they looked at an almost empty street, only a few civilians walking around. No sight of the runners.
The lead guard turned to his chief "Captain Vexx sir. They're gone."
Vexx clenched his fists "She's gone. Damn it! The Pharaoh won't be pleased."
"We'll keep looking sir."
"Do so! Find her!"
Nodding the guards took off in random directions, Vexx moving on as well.
In a lonely, dark alley, Ranulf shifted back and stretched his legs before looking to the woman. "That was fun."
"I…uh…thank you. Both of you. You really didn't have to."
Ike smirked "We don't know how not to."
"He speaks the truth."
The woman tried to push her disorderly purple hair out of her face only for it to fall over again. She sighed, her similarly purple eyes scanned Ike and Ranulf very carefully as if to determine whether or not they really were kind hearted strangers or had some sort of agenda. She wore a bright blue robe tucked into her darker leggings leading to her violet heels. Clipped at her neck by a blue orb was a light blue cape that fell behind her, the back end of her hair tied to a similar orb, forming a small tail.
"Would it be too invasive to ask why they were after you?" Ranulf asked.
The woman sighed "I'm not sure…who are you two?"
"My name's Ike and this is Ranulf. We're foreigners from Tellius."
"Oh…so…you just got here?"
Ranulf looked to the sun as it dipped lower over the horizon before addressing the woman "It will soon be our second night here."
She let a smile come to her weary face before bowing "My name is Mertre Mordre. I thank you both wholeheartedly for aiding me. You really didn't have to be I truly appreciate it."
Ike crossed his arms "Are you of royal blood?"
"Hm? Uh…no…"
Ranulf chuckled "Not very convincing there Miss Mertre."
"I apologize. I am…sort of…my…"
She then shook her head "I don't want to involve you in anything."
"Let me take a guess. Those men after you were from Benkanan right?"
Mertre looked to Ike and shook her head "No. They were from Atro."
Now it was the blue haired hero's turn to look terribly confused "What? But they said you were a fugitive from Atro."
She nodded "I am."
"But…wasn't Atro conquered by Benkanan? Why would they be chasing one of their own?"
"You know about that? How?"
"Yeah Ike…am I missing something here?"
He looked to Ranulf first then back to Mertre "On my first day here I met a man named Hyte Comdoe who told me about it. I was asking out of concern because of everything we've been through."
Ranulf chuckled "That makes sense. Thyremog and Hitenticul were rather crazy."
"Hyte Comdoe…"
"You know him?" Mertre nodded to Ike "I'm out here looking for Teiaya."
Ike and Ranulf raised an eyebrow the former speaking "Teiaya? I'm afraid we don't know that name."
"He's a rather dark man, wears a large hat and has very unruly hair covering his face. He has the regal red and blue colors along his clothes and-"
"That sounds an awful lot like the guy we ran into a while back."
Ike looked to Ranulf "Does it?"
"It does. You were just lost in thought about Titania and couldn't see what was right in front of you."
"I was not!"
Ranulf looked back at Mertre "He was looking for Ewata and Atzu Leer. Not sure why."
Mertre smiled "Those are indeed his friends. If he was looking for them he must be bringing his Liberators together for a meeting. That's good. Thank you."
With that the woman began walking away, Ranulf and Ike following the latter asking "Where are you going?"
"To see a friend. Someone who may know where they are meeting."
"Alone?"
She nodded "I'll be fine. With any luck those men will be stuck here for too long and I'll slip out."
"Where to?"
She came to a stop and faced the pair "I thank you again for the aid but I really don't want to involve you two anymore than you have been. Things are going to get far worse and you can not be there when it does."
Ranulf crossed his arms "So what do we do when we see you walk five feet and fall over?"
The woman's eyes widened "What?"
"You look exhausted." Ike stated "You clearly haven't slept…possibly since you left Atro and given its placement on the map…it's been a while."
She looked down and sighed "I have to see Teiaya. As I said our situation is escalating quickly and things are about to get very bad…I need him to try again. Now more than ever."
"Then we'll go with you." Ike said.
She shook her head as Ranulf smirked "We're going to go anyway."
"No. Please…you-"
She was cut off by a yawn forcing itself out of her. Looking to the pair she blushed as Ike laughed "Well that settles it. We're going to make you slow down. If the reason you need to meet this Teiaya is as serious as it sounds then you can't do it when you look like you're about to pass out."
"…I suppose you are right."
Ranulf looked out into the street carefully, he could not make out any of the soldiers from Atro. "It's clear now, we can get going."
As the Laguz walked out into the street, Ike and Mertre followed with the woman bowing slightly "Again I feel that I must thank you both for helping me…there really was no reason for you to do so but I appreciate it."
Ranulf chuckled "That's kind of our thing. Since we left our home we've been aiding strangers we've met."
Ike nodded "But they're all good people…it's easy to see they just want what's best for their homelands but with so much working against them it just feels good to help them attain the peace they want. The peace like the one we granted our own home."
"You sound absolutely benevolent…I assume you don't do this all alone?"
Ike smiled "Of course not. We have a group. In fact we're spread all over Oeldehm right now on a mission that for all intents and purposes we received back in Thyremog."
"Oh? What is the mission?"
"We're looking for three guys. All we have is their names: Tyse Erent, Zijo Oit and Norad Jyuugo." Ranulf stated, his ear twitching as he heard a gasp.
He and Ike looked to Mertre whose eyes were fairly wide. She looked like she couldn't believe what they just said.
Ike raised an eyebrow "What's wrong?"
"Zijo Oit. Why would you know that name? Are you Benkanan?"
Ranulf shook his head "We just said that we're not from here."
Mertre nodded "Right…right."
"We don't even know which way Benkanan is…actually that's a lie. It's to the west. But I only know that cause I saw it on the map, I swear." Ranulf added causing Ike to roll his eyes and mutter "Smooth." The Laguz just gave him a toothy grin before seeing the uncertainty in Mertre's eyes.
"It's like we said Mertre. The King of Thyremog, a man named Lytros asked us to find a group of men who escaped his land and we learned their names in Hitenticul. We know that the three we are looking for came here and we need to find them. It could really help us if you told us what you knew."
Mertre took a deep breath "I don't know if I should but...Zijo Oit is part of the reason why I need to find Teiaya…he is…"
As Mertre trailed off Ranulf crossed his arms "So if we help you get to Teiaya, he can help us get to Oit? Or should we just leave you here and head for Benkanan ourselves?"
"Ranulf!"
The Laguz chuckled "I'm just kidding. Mertre, our desire to track down Oit is only to protect…possibly everyone from whatever it is he wants."
Mertre nodded "I know…it's just…there's a lot. I know you want answers and I would give them to you but it all ties back to Teiaya and he…I don't want to say anything about him for his protection."
Ike nodded "If it's that sensitive then don't say anything. We'll speak with him when we find him. You said you had a friend who may know where Teiaya is, right?"
"I did…she's in Bryte, in the Tow Union."
Ike opened his map as Ranulf observed the buildings ahead and spotted an inn. Looking from the map Ike spot "That is quite a distance but we'll do it."
"First you are going to need an extra-long nap."
Mertre looked to Ranulf then back to Ike. Sighing again she nodded "Can I truly trust the two of you? You aren't planning to betray me…are you?"
Ike shook his head "What would we gain from that? We came to Zatuo only to find the men we told you about and get some answers. Even if you knew nothing about Oit we'd still help you. We don't have any stakes in anything else going on in this land. We swear."
Ranulf nodded as Mertre's eyes found him. The three began walking towards an inn "Alright…thank you…"
"Though I'm guessing even in gratitude we won't be getting any answers as to why men from Atro were chasing a woman from Atro are we?"
She smiled at Ike "I'm afraid not. Rest assured I only have Zatuo's best interests at heart."
Elsewhere
"That blew."
"Big time."
Blood Rose shook her head, her wild red ponytail swinging about. As she untied it Teiaya examined his surroundings, just stray civilians. The strangers that were after him were nowhere in sight and he couldn't see a single Benkanan sigil on any of the town guards.
Shaking her hair free, she gave it an extravagant flip as Teiaya faced her. Pulling off her mask she smiled at him "How do I look?"
"Less threatening."
"Oh darling that is a mistake."
Teiaya smirked "One most men seem to fail to learn."
Chuckling, Blood Rose pulled off her heavy cloak and blades "I'm glad you were able to realize the mistake early on."
"I'm just glad you had an open mind." Teiaya fired back.
Folding her clothes she tossed her hair about again as the man asked "Those people. On the roof…what were they talking about?"
"It seems Hell Rain found them. Not good. But I swear that-"
"You had nothing to do with it. I believe you, you'd never act in such a way. You best people in combat face to face."
She smiled "Indeed I do. So Teiaya. Where to?"
He crossed his arms "We can't meet here. Too many variables…I think we need to see Rham again. Maybe this time-"
"Teiaya. The Iron Titan is solid on their stance of staying out of it. You can't keep going to Fyst he-"
"Ufernia! We need his help! His experience! His numbers!"
The woman sighed "I know we do but-"
"We have to wipe them out! All of them! Avenge Atro and destroy that traitorous King! We can't do it alone!"
Ufernia fell silent as Teiaya turned away, the man muttered a low apology.
"Well then we have to send word that we're heading for Bryte. Did you ever find the Leer siblings?"
"No…didn't get much of a chance. Either way…there is nothing more for us here. Let's keep moving."
"Always moving."
Nodding to each other Ufernia and Teiaya proceeded, leaving Oeldehm and heading for Bryte as night fell on the city.
The Benkanan Republic
Benkanan Keep
"Wesa. Noet. Prepare the troops."
The pair turned to face Oit, Wesa speaking "Already? I thought-"
"We're moving to stop the rebels…the other plans can wait. If we deal with this, we can do whatever we want."
As Wesa nodded, Noet spoke up "But why do we want to?"
Oit approached Noet, whispering "Because we do."
Noet nodded slowly "Right. We'll prepare the army. What of the Blood Watch?"
"Leave that and the Triad to me. Go on."
Following the pair's departure Oit entered the Keep and stood before doors he ordered everyone to stay away from. Opening it up he peered inside to see a large suit of black, bloodstained armor.
"Heydhar Otzen."
The helmet moved to face him "…kill…"
"Soon Heydhar. Soon."
"…blood…"
The suit of armor moved slightly. Oit smiling as it stood and faced him, massive black lance in hand. "…pain…"
"All that and more Heydhar. Soon…until then it would be best for you to remain calm."
The suit of armor stood in place as Oit turned to see Yakaan approaching "I trust you have Singularity under better control than you did in the initial battle…do you?"
The old man bowed "Yes sir I've been putting all my time into mastering this tome I can now, much more reliably form and control tears."
"Are you certain? We don't want to lose more of our own men to your inexperience."
The sorcerer cackled "It was a learning experience Zijo. You of all of us should understand that! I'm a true genius when it comes to ancient magic…Seid Magic. Whatever this tome's original purpose was, it will serve me as your Dyeshein and Heydhar's Ijhalma does."
The Commander crossed his arms "You talk big. I was right in my assumption that you seek to make Yakaan Kualan a name no one will forget."
"Just point me to the rebels Zijo and I'll end them all in one fell swoop."
As Yakaan started laughing again a wicked smile came to Oit's face "Well done then."
He gestured into the room "Prepare Heydhar. Everything is proceeding far ahead of schedule."
Yakaan bowed "Of course…I take it that the source came through?"
"Indeed he did. I don't think Ezak and Sutne have what it takes to end this but they'll keep the rebels on the run…with no time to form together they'll be easily crushed."
"Unotch?"
"Leave Tehm to me. He shouldn't be too far off perfecting his aim as always."
Yakaan brought his hands together, excitement evident "This will be the second time we all deploy together…I can't wait to see the terror in their eyes all over again."
Oit smirked "Neither can I…and above all once the rebels are dead true chaos will rain down on Zatuo."
I need help. I'm not sure what to do about the Ymarkteg edits. They are looking to be pretty widespread through the story with a lot of chapters being completely rewritten to have more character and of course more references to the new canon in REDUX.
My original idea was to superimpose the edits on the current story, this however I'm pretty sure won't be sent out as story alerts. I was also planning on putting a bolded A/N at the start of each altered chapter saying This chapter has been edited into the new canon. That just seems problematic because no one will be getting story alerts.
Another thing is that the chapter numbers are going to change so there will be a point where the story will look like this: new chapter 6, new chapter 7, new chapter 8, old chapter 4, old chapter 5. Because i'm putting new chapters into the story to expand on things within the story's canon. It's going to look rather messy.
Another idea I had is just to erase all the chapters except the first one and resubmit them from there. It'll work out as story alerts with the chapter updates and I won't have the chapter order problem but if anyone is currently reading the story they'll come looking for it and find it all gone. It just feels inconvenient to the current readers even if Ymarkteg's current canon is incorrect.
And finally I was thinking of just submitting a 'New Emissaries R: Ymarkteg' being the fully edited new version as a new story except that it isn't really.
If anyone has a better idea or a way to make any of these ideas seem more sensible or if you even think one of these ideas is the way to go, please let me know. REDUX isn't finished yet, I have up to 41 plotted out and that is not the end of Zatuo so there is time, but i'd like to know right now how to adapt Ymarkteg in the most efficient way possible.