Thank you new Favorite and new Follow.
Thank you keon9000(twice) and Presea for your Reviews.
This will be the last Chapter with barely any editing going into it. Next week things will be back to normal.
Tales of Xillia and the Tales of Series are the copyright of Namco Bandai and whoever else owns the rights. I own nothing except for OCs that have unfortunately appeared.
Chapter 54: Home is Never the Same
"What?!" Dad shouted at the sudden news.
Who would ever attack Leronde? Was it Elympios? Did they see their ship?
"It's some monster attack!" the messenger man said. "They've already broken into town!"
Wingul took charge of the situation, "Send word to our ship to send in reinforcements. We'll move in and deal with this ourselves."
Jude stood back up, breaking his mom's hug... but fell back down into her arms from lack of power. "Honey you can't go rushing off in your state. You barely made it through the mines!" she pleaded with him to say.
"But I..." after everything he just promised he couldn't sit by and do nothing!
"Knowing your own limits is also important," Dad scolded his recklessness.
Dammit! After everything he said he couldn't back it up. Some resolve he had... "I can still help here with light wounds." They wouldn't need a hundredth of the focus a cranial injury would.
"Then we shall count on you to remain Jude," Rowen interjected for the first time since the Mines. "Let us take battle to this creature at once!"
"Right!" Elize agreed with the Conductor. Wingul scowled at being ordered but complied, and thus Presa and Agria did so as well. Alvin shrugged and went along, of course.
"Good luck," Jude wished those who left.
Rowen took the lead as they hurried outside to provide reinforcements. The messenger man had already left by Wingul's decree towards their battleship, and a few impromptu citizens ran towards the scene of trouble in the distance. Their bravery was admirable, if misguided. "We must hurry," Rowen spurred them onwards.
Though he lost that lead relatively quickly. Wingul passed first and quickly, and one by one everyone else did so. The rigors of age! Even again it occurred in Leronde. But he would not falter this time!
As they drew closer to the combat zone and the screams grew louder, people began fleeing back. Not solely by themselves, but with wounded and injured carried on their backs. They weren't helpless, but this attack was clearly out of their league.
Rowen's first look upon the creature intruding in town was it tossing aside several civilians before being cut into by Wingul. The creature was a bipedal albino lizard in the simplest term. Its tail however, was somewhat more interesting as it flailed it about and whipped Wingul aside with a deadly tip. One that resembled the tip of a lance. How galling to have lances follow them all the way out here.
That peculiarity aside for the moment; Rowen spun into channeling the second he was in ranger for fireballs. His barrage landed along with Agria's on the creature, and Rowen felt the telltale resonance of weakness. "Fire artes are effective!" Rowen called out.
Instantly Alvin halted and charged his own artes. He unleashed his devastating fire blasts from the gun, drawing its attention away from the civilians in range. "Get to the Mathis Clinic!" Alvin shouted at them.
The lizard-monster roared as the people escaped its grasp. Though it seemed to have a different effect as well, as monsters of all stripes intruded into the city from behind it.
Rowen took charge on those sights and sent a barrage of wind lances in their direction. A few of the lesser fiends fell instantly, but the hardier stock marched onwards without care. Alvin and Presa shifted their own focuses to the oncoming monster march with Rowen, while everyone else refocused on the leading large one. They could endure this, but if any broke past their perimeter it would be a disaster. Rowen resolved to refocus his efforts instead on any that looked like they might slip through. If he held his spirit artes for the opportune time he could instead use larger spells.
"Hey old fart your information's wrong!" Agria irrelevantly claimed after another of her fireballs slammed into its scaly hide. "This thing ain't weak to fire at all!"
Preposterous lies! Must she be so difficult even at this time? Rowen unleashed his patiently channeled blue sphere unto the giant monster to prepare for a fireball to remind her. But the water arte was also effective? Not an untoward surprise to find a vulnerability to several elements. "It is weak to water as well!" Rowen threw his observation. Though Presa and he held the only water artes so it was a lackluster surprise.
Wingul was knocked back by the beast as Rowen sent in a second round of fireballs to... minor effect?! "Impossible!" he declared at the minimal damage he'd inflicted. It was simply impossible for any creature to change its properties like that! A human could imbue themselves with resistance to spirit artes by ways of armor or accessories, but that was acquired by an obvious change. The monster looked the exact same!
Which meant this battle grew even more difficult than it started as. "We must quickly assess its weakness and strike at full force when we can," Rowen quickly channeled another quick splash arte. "Water remains effective. I will concentrate my efforts on spotting its weaknesses while the rest of you deal with the monster hordes!"
Wingul spoke something in Long Dau... but seemed to accept Rowen's advice with a nod. Agria groaned at the scene, but she focused her fireballs on the encroaching monsters. With the two most difficult people handled, Rowen focused once more on the beast. Letting it roam free without someone aggravating its attentions in melee would be dangerous... but the monsters breaking into the city were even more so.
Rowen launched another splash, only to find to his damnable surprise it was ineffective. He quickly linked with Presa to pass the information before launching into his next arte. He could extrapolate the weakness based solely on his own repertoire. He may not have any lightning or dark artes, but his use of fire or wind could muster for the former and if all his artes were ineffective it was obviously the latter. The rock trine spirit arte jutted up with average success against the lizard beast and it roared again in anger.
He returned to his wind lance as the beast began hopping about and roaring again. More monster came from out of nowhere and the front lines established by Alvin and Wingul were pushed back due to sheer volume! Rowen's arte impacted successfully as weakness, but they couldn't draw Wingul away from the front! The beast hopped over to those two and swung its tail—and whole body, around smacking the both multiple times with a massive amount of force.
"I'm gonna tear that tail off of you and shove it down your throat!" Agria yelled at the beast as it finished its attack against the men by slamming it downwards. Her sunburst arte flew in and impacted into the massive monster waves... but it couldn't bring Wingul and Alvin back up.
That job was for Miss Elize. The girl quickly got to channeling to bring them back into the fight... but the front was broken. The monster hopped forward to the casting lines! Rowen moved to intercept, he had to buy time! Presa's artes attempted to slow it—to no avail—so Rowen braced himself in front of the ladies in a desperate attempt to protect them!
The thing's tail swiped, knocking Rowen off balance and setting him to see the sharpened tail above as it readied itself to come down...
Only it never did!—as Wingul arrived and caught it upwards with a cyclone allowing Rowen to stabilize and back off. Miss Elize finished her arte and Alvin stood back up... in the middle of the monster hordes. The mercenary swung his broadsword to escape, but Presa's diffusional drive certainly accomplished more as it cleared a path for him to follow out.
It still wouldn't be enough. Wingul had to retreat and the defense lines they'd poorly reestablished dissolved as they retreated further into town. A few people nearby exited their homes and fled at the sight... but what wasn't in sight were the troops from their ship! The message certainly had to reach them by now! They needed to buy more time...
His Lilium Orb wasn't charged enough for his mystic arte, but perhaps if he managed to land tidal wave he could? It might be worth the risk. As they continued to fight in their retreat Rowen shouted, "Buy me time for a spirit arte!" Thrusting the channelers into melee, and two of them without weapons was a horrid decision but they needed to buy time. Monster already began ransacking homes, and if any fire artes sparked the town could be set ablaze!
They seemed to take this leadership, for the most part, and he thanked them for their trust. They stopped to a halt and clashed again with the monsters front lines as Rowen prepared the slow and intricate chant for his arcane arte. "Symphony of spirits!" he called out at the end of his channel as the leading monster broke its way through their defense. "Tidal Wave!" The massive flow of water surged and circled and entrapped the whole army in one arte! But Rowen didn't have time for that, he gripped his Lilium Orb tightly as he wished for it to fully charge!
But it didn't.
The arcane arte ended. A significant number of the lesser kind were wiped out, but the giant humanoid lizard charged in without a care and swept them all in with its tail.
Rowen(and Agria) were the furthest away and they were the only ones knocked outside its second swing. Though the second caught everyone else. Wingul and Alvin went down like before and Miss Elize joined them. Rowen rushed forward to rescue the girl! The lizard swatted him aside like he was a bug.
Through battered body and bloodied vision Rowen struggled forward to try and help... after everything they'd done, some random monster was their undoing? Life certainly was unpredictable...
Agria futilely fought against the oncoming swarms with her bare fists and some hasty spirit artes, but even her spit and fire couldn't stand against an army... Rowen hurled a few inaccurate and powerless knives to ward off the inevitable, but the lizard leading them hopped about and jumped unto Agria, adding the girl unto the pile of wounded.
This truly was their end then? They'd fought so vigorously at the Hallowmount... only for some lucky monster to finish them all off? Any other day this situation could be easily contained! Damn, damn, damn!
He tried one last desperate channel, a diffusional drive of his own in hopes of restoring some modicum of vitality to everyone. With his location he had enough space to actually finish... but the minor restoration only seemed to effect him. Searching through the Lilium link, Rowen found no one...
...until the somewhat unfamiliar orb of Jude came into range?! Rowen painfully craned his neck down the street the see the hometown boy come running up the street as fast as he could! "Run!" Rowen choked out one last word. There was no way someone who could barely walk under their own power could help...
...but the army coming up behind him surely could! Ivar and the troops from the ship came into view. Rowen gave himself a glimmer of hope at the sight... but he had to prevent the roaring monster from finishing off anyone else first. Renewed by the reinforcements, Rowen forced a channel even as a lesser monster strode over and began striking him with its elongated arms. The conductor finished one last channel, a series of wind lances, before joining the ranks of the unconscious.
Ivar couldn't believe his ears when he heard that the town was apparently being attacked by monsters. Surely such things were distant memories in these types of lands! But as he led the troops through the city it seemed more and more true as people began fleeing from the edges with the same reports. Halfway through that punk Jude was waiting, confirming the same thing and forcing his way into help as well over the protests of some older people.
They didn't have time for such trivial nonsense so Ivar kept the soldiers moving forward despite the protests. Eventually the punk came running up aside, and even overtook them! He was practically on death's door when he left the ship! What happened?
Whatever it was pushed him to be the first in combat. He didn't exactly carve a path through the ranks of the monster army! But the wall of soldiers rushing into combat certainly did. With lance and sword and bow and spell the Rashugal and Auj Oule soldiers broke the monster lines.
Jude pulled back once they were in combat, dragging that annoying Agria girl with him. So that's what he was doing? The soldiers could handle the monsters, they could rescue the fools who rushed in. Ivar looked around, to see Rowen being beaten on by some impossibly tall and thin man-monster.
"Stop at once you fiend!" Ivar cried out and ran forwards with his swords at the ready. The monster didn't care, allowing Ivar's quick phantom surge slashes with a follow-up grave arte to land perfectly. The monster waddled about before a fireball from another channeler finished it off.
They had this well in hand by this time, the monsters were being crushed underfoot, Jude and recovered the little girl as well as Alvin. The monsters weren't that strong. Even if they were all tired from the day's events and were so grossly outnumbered they couldn't be driven to the brink by just this... right? Had he overestimated their already minor contributions?
A roar broke through the ranks, snapping Ivar's attention to its source. A giant of a monster, quite like a bipedal lizard called forth more to its army. An army to relieve the pain it was experiencing. The air was different...? Ah! The spirit climes, of course. Was it truly enraged by such a thing? His wyvern friend hadn't shown much aggravation to it leaving... but monsters were just as varied as people.
Still! Spirit clime or no this was inexcusable! The leader monster roared, calling more and more to its army. Roparde's army, it declared. They'd find the source of their pain and destroy it. But no... there was something else... not just about spirit climes?
Lilium Orbs?
What?
No, he shouldn't be thinking about such things now! There were people to save, villains to fight!
Jude dug out nearly everyone, save the Rowen next to Ivar himself, but the soldiers charge had faltered against the new waves of monsters called for Roprade's army. He needed to get in there now!
"Just what is this infernal racket?!" a voice of authority that equaled Lady Milla's boomed unto the scene. Ivar looked, the soldiers looked, Jude looked frightened... even the monsters looked. A stocky blonde woman came marching up the main street. Staff in hand, her cheeks trailed with tears from some tragedy.
This was no place for some sad housewife! "Get away from here!" Ivar shouted a warning at her.
But she didn't take it, gripping her staff instead as she drew in closer. "If you think I'm gonna let some puke-stain weakling of a monster army get anywhere close to my daughter you've got another thing coming to you!"
"Master Sonia..." Jude said a name, probably her name.
The woman readied her staff, mimicking that Leia girl's stance... Oh dear, was she her mother? Ivar didn't have anymore time to think about it as the woman charged, each of her steps sounding like thunder and the earth shook in rage with each step.
Or that's what it felt like as the woman ran forward faster than a wyvern and leapt up and over the soldier lines and right into the center of the monster army! This time she surely landed like a bolt of lightning as monsters were tossed aside and so high into the air Ivar couldn't have hit them with a small pebble. It practically rained monster parts... making the falling mana all the more disturbing.
The giant lizard roared... in fear? Certain monsters would run from things they foresaw as frightening, a stronger opponent or weather changes... was this woman who could be Leia's mother that fearsome?
Perhaps... Ivar looked on almost in awe as she effortlessly carved a path to the lizard creature. It yelped back in defiance and swung its tail to stop her, but the attack was ineffective. The woman blocked it with her bare hands.
She swung it about by its sharpened appendage like it was light as a simple stick. Her full swing cleared out huge swathes of the monster army, forcing it to flee from her unprecedented might. Eventually the beast was sent flying... simply because its tail detached and it crashed into its own remaining army.
The woman tossed the bit she'd ripped off aside and took her staff back up from the ground she'd thrust it into. She walked calmly, carefully over to the languishing beast, and in one swing finished it off.
She'd done what half a ship's worth of soldiers couldn't do... what he couldn't do... Even Lady Milla wasn't that effective without the Four...
"What are you all doing standing around gawking for?!" the woman shouted back at everyone else. "Make sure none of these things are left in town!" Some of the soldiers snapped to just as she said. "Jude, get some help and get everyone injured back to your parents!"
"Yes!" the addressed boy replied instantly, clearly practiced by the way he snapped to attention instantly. "Uh, Ivar, a few others, could you give me a hand?"
He wasn't in the mood to be ordered around by a stiff like Jude, but the soldiers were already moving to help... and he'd probably get yelled at by the woman if he stayed, so Ivar relented his resistance and went to drag old man Rowen over.
"Thanks," Jude earnestly answered. "The Mathis Clinic's about halfway down, follow me." But the boy himself didn't carry anyone.
Ivar grumbled but wordlessly complied and followed his lead down the big street in the town. The woman's yelling still reached his ears clear as any other day as they walked, reinforcing Ivar's judgement that leaving was the better idea. Rowen wasn't light, and even with only carrying him solo he was better off than doing whatever whacked idea the woman wanted done next.
A few locals came running back up, exchanging ideas and a few soldiers ran around as messengers but it was all mostly irrelevant to their transport of the injured. None of them offered to help though, causing Ivar to grumble again. This was all such a waste of time than getting back to the Nia Khera villagers!
A few more people came rushing out after a while, a brown-haired man with glasses and a woman with Jude's black hair. Obviously his parents!
"How could you be so reckless?!" the father yelled. When Ivar came by with the troops earlier they'd been arguing in front of the building. He didn't care at the time, but it was no steadily more relevant to his interests Ivar paid attention.
"Sitting back and doing nothing was more reckless!" Jude harshly pleaded with his father. "I couldn't just sit back when I could do something!"
"It's that attitude that wound up with Leia in a clinic bed!" Jude's father slapped the boy. The noise was so unsettling that even the battle-hardened soldiers recoiled from it. "Rushing ahead without thinking has done nothing but cost you."
"Dear..." Jude's mother placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, pacifying his rage for a bit. "I think this can wait until we get everyone inside..."
The father let out a sigh. "Yes, of course. Their injuries are serious, allocate them to the first rooms following the left wall."
The soldiers, and Ivar, nodded and complied. But as he walked past, Ivar heard one last thing from the father's lips. "This isn't over young man."
Jude finished directing the soldiers to drop off everyone else then plopped down on the waiting bench near the Clinic's front door. Dad and Mom were already hard at work with the new patients and Master Sonia's bellowing shouts pierced even back here... at home... but he was too tired to care. he'd somehow mustered enough energy to run back into combat, but he couldn't activate healer at all. He really wasn't helpful.
Dad was right... but still! He couldn't even muster the strength to clench his fists. But still... he had to try... that's what Leia wanted, right?
He sighed. He didn't know. He just wanted to crawl into bed and fall asleep, get some energy back. But Leia would just consume him even in his dreams... but maybe they'd be pleasant?
"Hey, Jude," Ivar intruded on his rumination. "What do you think you were doing out there?"
Nothing really. "Trying to help."
"You can barely stand!" Ivar pointed out the obvious. "And I'm plenty sure your father and plenty of others said that same thing to you." His cheek stung where his dad slapped him again. "So why'd you go running around like a moron?"
Probably because he was one? One that got Leia nearly killed. Dammit... every five seconds he was flip-flopping between moving on and getting stuck on her... he was so pathetic and he knew it...
"Answer me!" Ivar slammed his fist into the wall next to Jude's head.
That earned him his full attention now! "I don't know!" Jude shouted. "I don't know!" He hung his head. "What am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to feel, huh?" He clenched his teeth. "Leia was able to face Gilland for my sake and I can't keep my thoughts straight for a single sentence!" he shouted out his problem.
"Not so easy, is it?" Ivar drew back and headed for the front door. He said one last thing before he left, back still to Jude. "Either become a man worthy of a sacrifice or don't put that life in danger." He left, leaving Jude to stew on yet another viewpoint on things.
He had no idea what to think anymore. He was sure Rowen, Alvin heck, maybe even Elize all had something else to advise him about... if they lived.
He had enough strength to bitterly laugh... after his great proclamation on the Hallowmount, Agria might die so soon anyway.
It was a laugh that carried him to a slowly fading consciousness and eventually sleep.
Rowen awoke with a start into the sight of a woman(black hair, familiar). It was Jude's mother wasn't it? he quickly cased the area, one of the small rooms inside the Mathis Clinic. As a patient of course. Wingul was on a bed opposite him, being looked over more thoroughly by Jude's father.
He really should get their names.
"How are you feeling?" Jude's mother asked in that old familiar way only a mother could.
"I am quite alright now madam," Rowen pushed himself to a seating position with some ache, but nothing outrageous. "I take it the fiend besieging the city has been vanquished?" Clearly the soldiers needed a pay raise for this accomplishment.
"Yes, Sonia took care of it," Jude's mother insisted on easing Rowen back down to a laying position. "You can still hear her shouts if you listen."
Not... not exactly anything he could have predicted really. "Forgive my lack of manners. I am Rowen J. Ilbert."
"Ellen Mathis," she replied with a smile. "My husband Derrick's taking care of your friend here and the others are in separate rooms. Sonia is," she caught herself, "Leia's mother." Her smile was replaced with an unsightly grimace at the foul correction.
A woman who'd just very nearly her daughter came to their rescue? As if he couldn't be dragged any lower. Curse his powerlessness for letting things get this far. "What of the others?" Rowen refocused himself on something he might be able to handle.
"This one seems fine, for now," Jude's father—Derrick, answered. "His injuries weren't light, but his loss of consciousness seems to derive from something else entirely. Curious."
Almost assuredly some sort of disadvantage for use of his Booster. Should he inform the doctor? No... Wingul's wrath was too dangerous if provoked, he wouldn't risk Jude's father over this.
"The woman was hit upside the head pretty bad, but Alvin seems to have protected her from the worst of it." It seems he was no longer attempting to hide his connection to Exodus.
"The other girls were in the roughest shape," Derrick continued on. "As expected. But what were you doing letting children like them unto a battlefield?!"
"Dear!" Ellen attempted to stop his indignation, but Rowen calmed her with his own hand.
"You are correct sir. A child like Miss Elize belong in a classroom surrounded by friends," Rowen started with an agreement. "I curse myself that I am not able to provide these things for her as of yet. But all along her attempts here have been to follow us of her own free will for her own purposes."
"A child doesn't know what's best," the man turned away from Wingul and glared at him.
Clearly thinking about Jude. And Leia. "True indeed. That is why us of the older generation must guide and nurture them... but we must not control each and every action they take. Gripe too tightly and they'll just slip through your fingers."
"Griping them too tightly from rushing off to war and fighting and killing isn't wrong."
"It certainly isn't, and it's with great respect that I can say Miss Elize, Miss Leia and Jude have never taken a human life." Rowen spoke with utmost confidence. "The fight because they know the weight of a life, despite their years." A lesson even an old warhorse like the Conductor forgot so often.
"And how long will that last if Jude ever confronts Gilland?" Derrick shot a piercing question.
Rowen had no easy answer. "He would have to compete with each of us who have a score to settle with the man first." Nachtigal. "Alvin, Wingul, Presa, Agria, myself."
"You should know as well as I do that nothing is ever so easy to go as planned," Derrick bitterly replied. "You all may bear grudges against the man, but if Jude stands there first, his fist in the air, what then? Will you be fine with my son becoming a killer?"
"Hardly," Rowen openly said. "But a man like Gilland needs to die for the sake of both Rieze Maxia and Elympios."
Derrick stood up at that. "That's besides the point!" he threw his arm out in rage. "You just said there's plenty of people willing to do what needs to be done. My son doesn't have to be on the front lines of this thing. Leia shouldn't have been either."
"Jude's actions have saved our lives a great many times," Rowen replied. "It may not be right, it may not be fair. But Jude has done good for us."
"Then do something good for him and tell him to stay behind," Derrick sharply told him. He straightened himself out with a cough before speaking again. "I'll be checking on the others." He took an abrupt turn and quickly left the room.
Ellen however, remained behind. Perhaps to defend his actions? "You shouldn't be stressing yourself out after recovering so soon." Or not. "Someone of your age should know that."
He smirked at her light scolding. "Indeed I should." He desperately wished they could just leave Jude... leave Miss Elize to a proper life. But the young man charged through a warzone on his own. The young miss insisted on following. Even if they left in secret... they wouldn't stay still. Best to keep their eyes on them at all times.
...But there was something else he needed to confirm first. Before Wingul woke and did it with significantly less tact. "Are you aware of your husband's past, madam?"
To her credit she didn't show surprise on her face. But the smile she gave him back was faint... weak. "A little. Enough to know it doesn't matter." She couldn't maintain her composure facing him any longer and looked out the window. "He's gruff certainly, stubborn and secretive. But he's a good man at heart. He just has trouble expressing his feelings."
"Just like any man," Rowen chuckled at his own joke. If Carrie and he had lasted... would she defend him like this?
"He does love Jude," she continued on without regard for Rowen's words. "But he's so used to being right that Jude trying to break away gives him fits. Especially now..." she shook her head. "I need to go help my husband." She stood back up and gave a stretch. "Call if you need anything."
"I will." Rowen agreed. She nodded and left the room.
Wingul was still unconscious, leaving Rowen alone with his thoughts. Not just of the Hallowmount, but the battle here in Leronde. What drove that monster? As soon as he could move he would investigate.
For now though, he'd enjoy some rest on an actual comfortable bed. The bunks on the battleship were a bit too firm for his tastes. Though his back certainly loved it.
Presa was practiced enough waking up under adverse circumstances that she didn't panic and reveal her consciousness to anyone inside the location. She hurt yes, but she kept her pain under control and assessed the room with her eyes closed. Just from the sounds she could tell it was a room—small, but warm. The familiar sound of Al's breathing came from about two bed-widths away, and her own sleeping spot was fresh and clean. Too clean, they were sterile.
All that preparation was useless because they were back in Jude's silly clinic/house. But she wouldn't let herself and her skills rust. She'd lost enough times... not just to that monster. She couldn't stand by His Highness' side if failure after failure was all she accomplished.
She opened her eyes to exactly what her other senses told her. She sat up, swung out of bed. She had to check on Al. His breathing sounded irregular and not in the good way.
The door slid open before she got a step, and Jude's ill-faced father stared at her. "You're not well enough to be walking on your own just yet. Sit down," he ordered her with the authority of a man used to getting his way. She'd break him of that illusion soon enough.
"Al's breathing's off. When you can safely say that it's fine, then I'll sit down," she crossed her arms at him.
"Newlyweds," he scoffed accurately. She was curious how he pinpointed that out so quickly... but didn't let it show of course. The doctor headed over to her... well fiance really, and began checking his breathing just as she wished. "You're right, there is an irregularity, good catch." He didn't even turn around to say she was right. Any other time she might give him grief... but she didn't want to disrupt him.
She thumbed the engagement ring beneath her left glove as the doc worked. He'd gone to Xian Du to recover them from his mother's place. His dead mother's. He'd told her everything on the ride over. After she accepted. Foolish? Yes, entirely so. She mildly hated that she couldn't help what she felt for him... but that part was so small and insignificant all her love just drowned it out.
Love, yes. She was a big girl, she could admit she was still in love with that fool of a man in spite of all he'd done. She wouldn't let him slip through her fingers anymore. Or slip his fingers around her throat...
Al let out a deep breath, and then so did the doc. Her hubby's breathes returned to normal, and she took in a nice deep breath of air for her own.
"Now if you'll uphold your part of the agreement," Jude's doctor dad said and looked around.
"Very well," let someone be honest in the room for a bit. She plopped back down on the bed itself. "Care to examine me doc?" she couldn't help but unnerve him of course. Al would understand.
Doctor dad just rolled his eyes and walked over. He didn't give any unusual looks or breaths as he professionally examined all the closed up wounds from the monster fight.
Presa didn't know what happened in the end there, despite Al's attempts to protect her that giant monster just powered through. But if it was still a threat they wouldn't be here, so someone took care of it.
"You're mostly fine," the doc declared and stood back up.
"Only mostly?" she slyly smiled at him.
He didn't take the bait. "Alvin managed to protect you from the worst of it, it seems. You should thank him when he wakes up."
"When will that be?"
"Should be soon. Most of the wounds you all took were surface. Nothing like the cranial damage the miner had. Well," he placed his right hand on his chin. "You're all suffering from exhaustion due to fighting, I can see the telltale signs of adrenalin withdrawl on you all." So he was looking hm? "It might be he won't wake up for a while. But you and Rowen are already awake, so there's evidence for both ways."
The Conductor was awake then? Judging by doctor dad here he wasn't asked the hard questions yet. Better her than Wingul's brusque methods. "You and Al were in Exodus right?"
He stiffened at her question. The first real reaction she ever saw from him. "Yes," he didn't bother to hide it. "Whatever reason you're here is irrelevant. I haven't been a member of Exodus for fourteen years."
"That's not why we're here," she started to clarify. "You're the only one with expertise on spyrix we have."
"The schism's been dispelled, go look in Elympios for answers. I'm just a small town doctor now," he defended his position. Clearly smart enough to know what was going on besides.
Presa wagged her finger at his stubbornness. "How exactly? Fly in some direction? Straight into the waiting sight of the military? Let precious Jude get blasted out of the air without a say?"
"Jude's not going anywhere!" doctor dad shouted. Though he regained his composure. "Traveling with you people nearly cost him and Leia their lives his life. You may not have to face her parents every day but I do."
The girl was sweet, and it kind of stung to have her coma over like that after giving such wondrous advice. But she wasn't the first person Presa had seen nearly die. She certainly wouldn't be the last. "Fine, little Jude can stay," she wouldn't mind. Agria would, not that she'd ever admit it though. "If you can make him. But home or no, that doesn't change the fact that you're the only spyrix engineer we have." Outside of uncooperative Elympios prisoners anyway. "Wingul's not gonna be half as nice as I am.
"I can take care of myself."
Goal. "Certainly why you needed Jude to bail you out at the mine." He glared back at her, letting her chuckle. "Not the first person he's saved in his little guilt spree. Nor was Leia the first casualty because of it. But stay or go; the war's going to go on without Jude." But this was getting annoyingly off-track. "That device Maxwell wore, it was a spyrix, correct?"
He begrudgingly answered, "Yes." He nodded with a sigh. "An aspyrxis to be precise, one I modified to run off a person's mana instead of a spirit's."
So that meant Rieze Maxians could use them without spirit casualties? If the Lord herself was still alive she'd certainly be thrilled at that. But less thrilled that her greatest enemy was what kept her moving hm? "Elympion's don't have mana-lobes though." She recalled Al's words on board the Zenethra.
"Correct," he nodded again.
"But Elympions have mana."
That took him aback a bit in shock. "I suppose we could. Mana-lobes function as a control nerve after all."
She shook her head. "Not could, do. I saw Al getting drained of mana myself on the Zenethra."
Doctor dad tapped the side of his head at the idea she presented. "Without a mana-lobe that information doesn't change much."
She supposed it didn't. If they could train that part of their brain again(how silly that sounded) Elympios wouldn't be raiding them like this. "Do you have any details on spyrix around?"
"Why?" he asked in a manner just short of accusing her of 'planning to make your own?'
"We need to learn everything we can about spyrix and bring that information to His Highness when he returns." His Highness would always return.
His eyes still said he wanted to ask... "No," he lied instead. "All the information about spyrix remains in my head. I've disposed of the rest for being too dangerous."
Presa wasn't clear what he was lying about, but there was something. Guess it shouldn't be a surprise he was decent at it. He'd been doing it as long as Al.
"Now," he returned to an uptight posture. "If there's nothing else I have other patients to attend to."
"Who?"
"The girls," he answered. "Their injuries were a good deal more complicated than yours."
They weren't hit that hard. That she saw anyway. "Well, I won't keep you any longer."
"Stay in bed and rest, doctor's orders," he did his thing before leaving her alone with a sleeping Al. She rather immediately wanted to slip into his bed... but she contented herself to watching his slow steady, healthy breaths instead.
Fool of a man and fool of a woman.
It hurt. Elize woke up ready to cry from her body hurting all over! She was in some unfamiliar room in some unfamiliar bed with unlikely and unwanted company. That meant Agria was in the bed across from her!
"Finally awake eh brat?" the real brat said.
"Don't you take that tone with Elly!" Teepo came to her defense! "The only brat here is you. Elly's a good kid."
"Teepo!" Elize reached up and brought her pal back down to protect her from the insults of the red girl.
"Oh puke," Agria faked gagging like the meanie she was. "Kids are supposed to outgrow stuffed animals at your age, whatever it is." She didn't laugh like usual but her words still hurt.
It was one thing to insult her, but to call Teepo something she could just outgrow? That was too mean! "You're just jealous because you don't have any friends of your own!" Elize shouted back at her. Teepo had some words of his own as well! "Yeah!" he said. "No one would ever be friends with a unlikable girl like you!"
"Like I'd want to be friends with you losers," Agria rolled her eyes at the thought. "You should just save me the effort and go the way of that Leia already."
Elize's voice hurt as she screeched back. "I hate you!" she shouted as loud as she could. "You should have been hit by that Mystic Arte! Not Leia!"
"Take it up with Jude boy then. He just never stops and IT'S PISSING ME OFF!" Agria's voice suddenly rose and drowned out Elize's squeals.
"That's enough!" the firm voice of Jude's dad entered into the room before he did. Jude's mom came in with him, both looked kind of mad...
Elize ducked behind a glaring Teepo before she answered. "She insulted Leia!" she pleaded her case. Teepo pleaded another. "She's a mean girl, you shouldn't help her."
"A doctor helps everyone," Jude's dad stepped fully into the room. "Regardless of their personality."
Agria rolled her eyes again. "So it's you old Not-A-Doc gets his bleeding heart from? Wonder how he'd react if I ripped it out." She snickered at her sick threat.
"See!" Elize pleaded again.
"Both of you lay down," he ignored the provocations of all three of them. "You two were the most severely injured and shouldn't be wasting any energy talking."
"Elly and I are fine!" Teepo said. She gave a nod to confirm.
Jude's parents exchanged a look between them... Elize could see a secret forming but they didn't want to share. "Well," Jude's mom said. "We still want to make sure you're alright. Is that okay sweetie?"
Was this how a mom was supposed to act? Elize didn't have her own mommy... all she had were Teepo... and Jiao... was she betraying her own mother? Teepo broke free and looked at her with sadness on his face... pleading with her to accept... "Alright..." she relented.
"Thank you," she smiled so warmly. "Tell me if anything hurts."
"You'll both be hurting soon enough!" Agria shouted as Jude's mom carefully looked Elize over. She was warm and nice and soft. Jude was lucky... "Get away from me!" Agria continued to yell. "I've had enough of your family having its way with my body!"
"Calm down" Jude's dad replied but Agria's shouting commenced. "Your injuries just aren't from the monster fight. Those are bruises from my son's fists I see."
"She deserved it!" Elize quickly defended Jude. "She was going to kill us all right after we lost Leia..." Elize frowned at the memory... Even if they learned she was alive Jude fought like Leia was dead...
Agria cackled back. "Ain't that right? I was raring to go and throw that son of yours off a mountain. Still wanna do this?"
"That's irrelevant," Jude's dad continued to pressure her for treatment. "Your disagreement with my son has nothing to do with me."
She laughed again. "Guess that's why you're all fine and dandy leaving Elympios to rot eh? Well, not like I care. At least your Not-A-Doc son puts up the pretenses. Sure he's deluding himself, but at least it's fun to watch. Well, was. I'm sure he's planning on just tearing old Gilland's head off the next time they meet."
"My son will be staying behind from now on," Jude's dad plainly said. "You'll have to deal with your own issues without him."
"J-Jude's not coming?" Elize asked at the sudden news.
"You little lady, shouldn't go either," he addressed Elize again. "War isn't a place for children such as yourselves. That even goes for you." He even told the annoyed Agria.
"Wow, you actually are more annoying than your son, what a surprise," she snickered at the sight. "At least he didn't give a damn when I fried Orda Palace guards good."
"Exactly why he's staying," Jude's dad sharply replied. "Staying with someone like you is warping his thoughts. He should never be near these issues in the first place."
"But..." Elize looked up at Teepo. "If Jude hadn't helped me Teepo would be all weird still."
He looked at her wondering what she meant... but concluded with a shake of his head. "Jude can help plenty of people right here in Leronde or back in Talim. You should both think the same. Your parents must be worried sick."
Parents...? Teepo flew in immediately to give her a hug as she retreated away from Jude's mom. Agria just laughed. "Dear..." the black-haired mom said. "You're both orphans aren't you?"
How did she...? ...she looked so concerned... Elize slowly nodded. Agria didn't... but it sounded true.
"I'm sorry sweetie," Jude's mom leaned in and gave her a great big hug. It was so warm... and right. A small memory just a slip of something else just as warm entered Elize's mind and she desperately grasped for it... but it just vanished like everything before she met Teepo. She felt the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Crybaby," Agria snickered.
"You're just jealous!" Teepo cried back at her.
"Of what?"
"That somebody would actually give Elly a hug!"
"Yeah, don't care," Agria groaned at the sight.
Jude's dad placed himself back into the conversation at this point. "The matter of parents aside. Surely there's someone you could stay with?"
Driselle and Cline...
"That's what I'm already doing!" Agria shouted. "I already work for His Highness and His Highness NEEDS me on the battlefield. I'm not about to betray him just so you can feel self-righteous you hack!"
"If you're so necessary than you need to be fully healed."
"Even if I'm half-dead I'm still more useful than everyone in this town!"
"You do realize you were defeated by monsters while this 'town' just had someone save your life, correct?" he posed it as a question.
"I was just going to surprise it," her point shattered against the truth. Elize felt like sticking her tongue out at the girl but didn't want to be scolded by Jude's mom. That was what mom's did after all.
Jude's dad gave a frustrated sigh. "Than perhaps you could surprise us by cooperating?"
"You'd like that wouldn't you?"
"Yes, obviously," he pointed out.
"All the more reason to say no," she crossed her arms. "Watching you get frustrated like this is more enjoyable than watching your bratty son try and defend his stupid actions."
"It's either when you're awake or when you're asleep. I will be giving you a through examination."
Agria laughed with her usual crazy laugh. "The old ball-and-chain doesn't get you up anymore eh? Like son like father or something."
"Ellen, we're leaving," Jude's dad quickly spun around. "Bring the girl, we don't want this one trying anything."
"Like you could lock me up," Agria smiled like she'd won. Either way Elize was glad she wouldn't be sharing a room with her anymore.
"Alright," Jude's mom answered. She carefully led Elize and Teepo off the bed and followed Jude's dad outside. Agria laughed the entire time until Elize was settled in a different room.
Both his parents quickly confirmed Elize's words that she was fine and left. But they still wanted her to rest. Elize said "yes," of course. Imagining just slightly that they were her own parents and snuggled with Teepo underneath the clean sheets.
With the patients taken care of, for now, Derrick joined his wife in his office to discuss their situations without any chance of eavesdroppers.
And to tell her the truth.
He should have know this day would come. But he still deluded himself into thinking he lived in a fantasy where he'd never have to talk about it.
First and most importantly were the patients. "The young man: Wingul. His symptoms weren't the result of external injuries." He reported on first. "I believe he has internal damage, I'd like you to investigate that once we're done here."
She nodded. "Rowen's injuries were minor, in comparison. He should recover within the day." Good news. "I was moving Jude into his bed during your time with the second set of patients."
That certainly explained her absence. "Alvin suffered extensive flesh wounds which drove him to unconsciousness but nothing life-threatening. If Sonia hadn't arrived when she did things would be significantly more serious. His partner just took a bad hit upside the head and is relatively unharmed. She has some old scars however, judging by their age and positioning, I'd say she endured torture at some point." Almost certainly on account of Alvin. But if she was willing to forgive him for it he had no right to judge. "Be careful when you speak with her later."
"I will." Her face creased with worry at the thought. "That darling Elize wasn't as wounded as our initial estimate either. I think her artes or her little toy had something to do with it but I was unsure."
If she couldn't find it then he'd have less of a chance. Spirit artes were so convenient. But now was the difficult patient. "The girl in red wouldn't let me get close enough for a proper examination." Problems no doubt related to her family situation he presumed. "But from what I could discern she's suffering from multiple bruises on account of Jude, along with a number of lacerations on account of the monsters. Her even waking up was a surprise."
"Should we wait until she passes out before applying treatment?" Ellen asked him.
He rubbed his chin at the thought. It would be safer for anyone applying help... but if she proved resilient enough to stay awake she could be risking her life. "Have the woman with Alvin prepare a gel set. She should be less hesitant about that." Failing that they could wake Jude up. There was an odd obsession in her voice when she spoke about his son. But he wouldn't speak of that until it was necessary.
"Alright. Anything else?" she asked. Everyone else was mostly fine and wouldn't require any direct attention anytime soon.
It should wait until she came back. "No, nothing I can think of for the moment."
She nodded before heading out to retrieve the necessary supplies. As a doctor he didn't want to rely on gels, but in light of the girl's attitude and resistance, he couldn't do much else but use an intermediary.
Presa had waited until dear doctor dad and mom had gotten involved in Agria being a brat before sneaking off. The mother was distracted by something else first, but eventually reconciled with her husband to deal with the headache of the girl in red.
Which allowed Presa to sneak out and do a little investigating. She didn't believe doctor dad there threw away something everything regarding spyrix. Any machines he had on hand? Possible. But documents related to them? He wouldn't know Maxwell was gone before now, so anything he had on that might still be around.
The records room, or archives, whichever they wanted to call it was marked pretty clear. So Presa quietly snuck inside. Agria's shouts and yells rumbled in through the walls. Once she quieted down it was a sure sign to head back. But for now it was a nice warning signal. Whether she knew it or not.
The small room itself was a bit of a mess, somewhat of a surprise considering how serious doctor dad there was. But things were disorganized in just enough a specific that she could track where everything recently accessed. She sorted through a few irrelevant papers about physical therapy, medicine, history... this was less an archives room and more just random book storage wasn't it?
Jude Mathis: Developmental Diary. Oh, she would just be taking this little thing. It'd compliment his student file she'd copied from Talim before. They wouldn't even know it was gone.
But embarrassing him aside... a few more shifts and she found something recently pressed and buried enough to be suspicious. She pulled it out... and it was exactly what she wanted. She didn't understand half of it, but the object described in the notes was a quick match for Maxwell's—Milla's spyrix device.
Agria's shouting stopped. Presa shoved the notes into the diary and hitched it down beneath her tail. She her ears to work and listened for three sets of footprints to slip into a different room... guess they wanted to move one of the girls. So with no sound of a door closing immediately, Presa waited a very well bit for some more doors to close before slipping out and back over to her room.
Al was still passed out, good for her. She moved back under the covers and... well, became bored. She kept her mind busy, but it would be ridiculously foolish to start taking peaks at her success right under their house.
Footsteps came back through, close to their door and Presa sat back up to greet whoever was coming. Doctor mom it seemed, as the black-haired lady opened the door up. She had a small pack held to her chest. "How are your injuries?"
Felt like she intended more on that. "I'm well enough for whatever you're about to ask." They probably weren't so reckless to be sending her off to fight in a war anyway.
"Good," she smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry to ask this, but we need your help with the girl in red next door."
Of course they did. Presa sighed at her compatriot's aggressiveness. Now wasn't the time to be so angry. "Want me to hold her down?"
"No no no, nothing of the sort." Dang. "We'd like you to deliver this care package of gels to her. Coming from a friend is a better idea given her... eccentricities."
She couldn't help but laugh at the idea of being friends with Agria. "You really think she has friends?"
"Everyone does," she earnestly seemed to believe it.
She fought back a sigh. "Well, you'll dissuade yourself of that notion real quick." She pushed herself out of bed and retrieved the offered pack. "I'll do it. But don't think anyone but that sonny boy of yours wants to help her out of the goodness of their heart."
"He's such a nice boy isn't he?" she shook her head. "Thank you for this."
He was nice. But Presa was doing this for His Highness and His Highness alone. "You won't be thinking that when she's tearing up the place." She said before she left.
And into Agria's room she went! The surely girl in red glared over at her when she entered. Another person might change on recognizing an ally. Agria just glared harder. "What do you want?" the girl in red spat out. More ornery than usual was she?
Any other time Presa might just toss the gel pack at her... but today was different. She walked over to the girl in red and sat down next to her... her small frame backing away and she growled like a territorial animal. "It's one comfy bed, but acting like a monster's a bit much."
"Sleeping next to you was painful enough. I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."
"Well, that's good to know," she winked and saw a shiver of annoyance twitched down Agria's spine. "But not why I'm here anyway."
"Is it time we busted out and carved a path filled with screams?"
She was overcompensating wasn't she? "No, I'm here to play masseuse."
Silence reigned long enough for Agria's jaw to fully extend. "Did you just not hear what I said?"
"Oh, there'll be no sleeping here," Presa reached into the pack and brought out a nice squishy lemon gel.
Agria's surprise snapped into anger at Presa playing her like that. "I'm gonna get you back for this. Oh ho! It will be grander than my flames."
"Just like you're gonna make darling little Jude pay," Presa threw her hypocrisy right back in her face. "Now lay down, you don't get the pleasure of eating these things after you've been such a bad, bad girl."
"Try it you old hag." She readied herself for a fight. She'd certainly lose, battered and bruised as she was.
"Ah, I get it," Presa tilted her head and slyly smiled. "You don't want to love-marks your precious Jude gave you to go away."
"Imply that again and I won't even leave ash," her reply was so quick and brutal it was clearly practiced.
"Well His Highness isn't about to suddenly reappear and apply it, so it's either me, you or Jude, so pick one and do it. Because any second stuck here is one not spent looking for His Highness." She'd set things up just perfectly enough.
Agria grumbled and swiped the gels just as Presa expected. "This is for His Highness!"
"Sure, sure," Presa smirked and stood back up. "Enjoy." She left the room over the sound of Agria complaining to herself.
Doctor mom was waiting and gave a quick "thank you." But Presa only answered with a nod before going back into her room. Al still out, her prized still attached. No need to risk things. Not until Wingul was back up.
