fel:oh boy it's 3 am
"We have to take out the Heracles," Rita says calling for everyone to get under the brig as Judith tells Ba'ul to make the best time he can.
Yuri stumbles down the stairs but thankfully gets caught by Karol yanking him by one of the tails, "Hey easy on my feathers!"
The floor rocks as the boat suddenly jerks at a speed far faster than last time they were on board. It's enough that to send them all crashing clumsily into a wall before pulling themselves apart. And somehow, despite their luck, Flynn's sword did not stab anyone in the chest. As they pull apart the adrenaline finally fades from their bodies leaving them sad and cold on the floor. They look between each other letting out deep sighs and heavy breaths.
It's the first-moment resembling peace that they've had in the time since Estelle went missing. It's probably the only peace they will have till Zaphias. They use it to mourn.
"Captain Schwann was always referred to as the Commandant's right-hand man," Flynn says finally sheathing Dein Nomos away. "Even among the Knights, it was rare to catch sight of him. Everyone said
all of his missions were top secret."
Yuri let's out a deep sigh as he thinks back to the jail cell. "That's because he was operating as Raven."
"Even as his right-hand man, Raven became Alexei's sacrificial pawn." Judith rests herself her eyes distant as she waits for Ba'ul signal.
Karol looks at his hands again once more rubbing them furiously. "I-I need to be alone." He runs off towards the deeper sections of the hull and they try to pretend they don't hear the screams or the crying as they treat their wounds with any items available. They ignore the sounds of wood splintering and objects being thrown until Yuri decides it's gone on long enough.
He heads down towards the small corner Karol has slumped against the wall gripping at his hair. "Karol? You okay?"
Karol sits up sniffling a bit whipping his nose, "Oh, yeah. I'm okay I just needed a minute."
Yuri takes a seat next to him and ignores for Karol's sake the broken crates on the floor and the blood on his knuckles. "I'm such an idiot. I knew he was a spy! I knew it and I didn't do anything! I just let it all happen!"
"None of us expected he was that tied up with the commandant. I mean I had even more reason than you did but I still trusted him."
Karol looks at his arm to the joint he cut Raven's hand- really more like most of the forearm off. "There was so much blood and you could see his bones." He blanches. "I did that! I keep hurting people every time I'm trying not to be a fuck up. Every time I think 'this is it! I'm going to fix this and do the right thing' I just end up fucking it up and hurting people. I hurt Nan, the Don, Raven and all because I don't know how to fix or deal with anything. Our guild is barely evening a functioning thing! We're a mess- I'm a mess! I shouldn't be in charge of anything! I'm an idiot! I'm a moron! I'm-!"
"You're fucking twelve!" Yuri shouts shaking his shoulder. "You are a kid! A child! A person! And you are more adjusted than seventy-five percent of most adults I know. You are so smart and competent and make me feel like a fucking idiot. You want to have a breakdown let's have a breakdown.
Our guild is a mess so then fix it. That's all there is to it. As for everything else, if you think you are useless than you have not been paying attention because I am a goddamn liability. I can barely fight, barely run, am dying, and have spent more time than I feel comfortable with being the damsel in distress."
He does his best to comfort with a smile and a firm grip. "Raven said it himself that it was a good hit. Take pride in that as a fighter you could stand toe to toe with a captain of the knights. Let's bulk up and get ready to help save people because we can do that. We can fix this guild. We can make it better and you can lead it. Now we got twenty minutes to an hour to catch our breath and be emotionally stable before we fight again."
"Or at the very least we need to be able to storm the Heracles and not die."
Karol took in a deep breath and held back a whine, "I just- just- I just want to do something right!"
"Hey, you've done a lot right."
"Like what?" Karol sniffled.
"Well, you made this guild in the first place." Yuri leaned against the wall again, damn legs and all that, "You helped me get back the Lower Quarter's aqua blastia. Not to mention you didn't decide to throw me out once I got like this. Not to mention you helped save Ba'ul."
Karol crossed his arms in dejection, "Yeah, well I didn't do any of that on my own. I never seem to do anything great just… myself. I'm just a dumb helpless kid. It's different for you. You can't help it and you were already strong unlike me."
Yuri didn't mean to but he let out a snort, "Seriously? You're not strong? When I first met you I couldn't believe how capable you were. I mean, you can pick locks and know a shit ton about monsters, not to mention for being able to understand all this guild shit."
"Whatever."
"And yeah, I can't help what's happening to me but you also can't help being a kid."
Karol didn't seem satisfied but he at least looked to have calmed down a bit. "Promise me you aren't gonna die on me."
"You know that's not exactly a thing I can guarantee, but I'll try my best."
"I want to fix this guild. I want things to work out and I want us to get a happy ending. Or at least as close as we can."
"That seems like a good starting goal. Now, let's get those hands fixed up… With Flynn unable to do artes at the moment and Raven gone we really need you in top shape."
"You kidding! I barely know any healing artes!"
"It's more than me. I don't even know one spell let alone a healing arte." Yuri was regretting that he never managed to learn any real magic artes. If he did he could at least throw out a few fireballs from a distance. Oh, well, can't change the past or anything like that.
Though Karol giving him the stink eye does give him more guilt than he really wants, but again it's not like he sat down with someone and said he was personally going to make it his life mission to become a deadweight in battle who can't even cast a simple first aid spell. "Ya know… you're really lacking in practical skills a former knight."
"I told you it was only for three months."
Yuri finally gets a laugh and he slaps Karol on the back as they head back to the common area. How much longer till they get to their destination?
It shouldn't be much longer.
Good. All this calm is exhausting after using so much adrenaline earlier and he needs to be himself. The last thing he needs is to have an episode in the middle of a rescue operation. God, he can see it now- middle of the battle he has an episode from all those attacks and starts trying to bite Alexei to death.
Yuck!
If you do aim for the neck. It's the most satisfying place to bite.
He'll try to remember that while he's busy not dying. Not gonna lie though, biting off Alexei's head would be so satisfying. It have such a nice crunch to it.
More importantly, he'd die like he deserves
Not gonna argue that logic. Pretty sure Flynn would give him a huge lecture about it though even if he agreed that the guy was a fucked-up fruitcake who's actions more than warranted death at this point. For fuck's sake, those cages were more than enough reason to get that guy executed without trial because turning into cores seems like more than enough reason.
On the other end of the ship, Judith was dressing a rather nasty gash on her leg from Raven's attack. He really didn't take it easy on them despite himself. She wouldn't deny that she both respected that and was frustrated by him. If he was going to let them go in the end why make such a fuss about fighting all out. Not to mention Phaeroh was going to throw a fit for all the damage Estelle's power was currently causing.
She could practically feel the murderous intent from here. All that effort to show Estelle had the right to live and Raven decides to ruin it because of whatever loyalty or wish to die he had. Damn it, this does not make her happy in the least!
And on that beast of a machine, there were the remains of her fellow Krytia. Can they even do anything for them or would it be better to slay them like any other monster? She doesn't want to believe it but Flynn had said that most of them were beyond salvation.
"But shouldn't we be putting in an effort to rescue them anyway?" Patty said spraying her scrapes with disinfectant.
Flynn shook his head shamefully, "We don't have time or even the resources to deal with them. Especially given that most of them can't even speak. Dealing with Yuri's current state is bad enough, not trying to be cruel but I doubt we could deal with multiples in a worse condition."
"So then I guess they'll just be killed and that's the end of it." Judith spat bitterly. She can't say she's fond of Flynn right now either. If he hadn't kidnapped Yuri then Rita could have already started on a cure or more importantly Belius wouldn't have been slaughtered so brutally. He's honest and kind but an idiot in the worst sort of way.
"You have a better idea?"
"Maybe you could take responsibility for playing a part of it."
"It's not like I planned for this!"
"Face it, if Ba'ul hadn't saved me back then I would have been on that machine along with Estelle!"
Rita slammed shut the book she'd started reading after taking care of herself. "Shut up! We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it so don't waste energy arguing."
And there he goes tensing up with guilt and apologizing. It wouldn't even bother her so much if it wasn't obvious he was disturbed by Ba'ul or Yuri's heritage. Judith held back a desire to quip and decided to look out the window at the world below. She's normally not one to hold a grudge but he's irked her in his attitude of how he never looks Yuri in the eye as opposed to when in the tower of Ghasfarost. Not to mention that he didn't stop and question that anything he was doing was questionable despite what he already knew.
But he really does care for him
So what? It doesn't erase the mistakes… Judith's eyes widen as she spots the Heracles down below.
Brace yourselves!
"Guys we're coming in hot!"
"Holy shit, what the hell is that fleet doing!?" Yuri yells as they watch a fleet of ships ram into the side of the Heracles legs.
They moved to the top of the deck gripping tightly to the ship as Ba'ul dodged and weaved around the cannon fire. "There's an opening in that gunfire."
Rita tightened around the rope as she leaned over the edge. "There! The rear left! It's the only area that isn't shooting."
"Hey, Ba'ul think you can get us in there?" Yuri shouts struggling not to slip as the ship banks a hard left to avoid cannon fire.
Pft. Who do you think you're talking to!
"Right. It's up to you!"
The ship weaved and dove against the firing as they waited to get close enough to reach a spot to land. It's Karol who points out a small outside platform for them to land on. Yuri's legs better not crap out now.
A leap and a scream as a knight seems to fire at them just as they're about to land. It's a miracle the shot goes completely wide missing them as gracefully Judith is able to land next to everyone else. They need to work on their landings… though Yuri gets a bit of a pass.
"Thank fuck we made it," Yuri says.
Flynn's the first to peer around the corner and survey the surroundings. "All the guards are down."
"So that's why the cannon fire from this section was so weak."
Judith tightened the grip on her spear, "Someone's here."
They draw their weapons in preparation for a fight only instead to be greeted by the Shwann Brigade. There's a tension as they scream at Yuri and it makes sense why. He is rather startling for anyone to just bump into but a fight is not something they need.
It's a call from Leblanc to calm down that saves them from that effort. "Captain Shwann asked us to help not hinder them. Did you forget that fact?"
The two tweedles muttered a small sorry as Karol runs up in shock. "Raven! Raven's alive? Is he? Please tell me!"
Leblanc stiffened a bit. "I- the yes Captain Shwann is alive at the moment though he's under medical care at the moment."
Karol smiled in relief and to his own surprise grabbed Leblanc into a hug before pulling away. "I- thanks… for telling us."
"Just hurry up and take care of what you need to."
They all march down sidings with the intent of stopping Alexei and rescuing Estelle once more.
fel: not gonna lie I just really didn't want to write Heracles so I put it off... And i'm still putting it off. It's just not as fun to write compared to what comes after and I want to write the Halure bit more than I want to write any of it. I have so much planned. I should also say this is really one Mantaic rant written on a whim that got out of hand...