Chapter 24, Fooled by hatred, caged by evil
Kevin's yellow eyes glowed with hatred as he took an attack stance, his fingers bent like claws.
"You say Karl live, you lie!" he snarled, in his hate only able to focus on the last untruth.
"And you, my boy, is an imbecile to believe it."
The dark magician tilted his head with another cruel smirk.
"But I'll tell you this," he said, "Karl's soul was rather tasty, for a wolf's…"
Upon hearing that Kevin exploded. With a piercing roar he lunged forward, but Deathjester leaped aside in the last split second. Even as he was in the air and the half blood was spinning around to attack again the magician pointed both hands at his foe.
All Kevin heard was a screeching chuckle, all he saw was a painful yellow light, all he felt was his muscles turning into icicles…
"C-can't… move… gah… Li… se…"
He fell to the ground, the last fragmented word only a half whispering from his numbing lips. It was so weak that he hardly heard it himself.
Deathjester calmly walked up to him, hovering over the prince like a vulture. His eyes were two glowing needles of evil light.
"Looks like I'll have dessert after all," the evil one said with a cruel laugh, "my dear boy, you'll see Karl sooner than you think!"
A cold hand shot down on Kevin's throat, the nails cutting into his skin and squeezing his breathing channel shut…
"Stop!" a powerful, determined voice of a young man boomed.
Kevin tried to blink the blue stars away as Deathjester let go of him and straightened up. His throat was burning, as if it wasn't enough that the rest of his body was so cold it felt full of needles.
A young warrior with a sword, light armor and completely mad hair rushed into the open area, followed by a young woman holding a staff. She didn't look very comfortable, probably felt rather cold since her clothing wasn't the warmest.
"My, my," Deathjester ironically said and waved with a pointing finger, "isn't it rather rude to disturb somebody when they're eating?"
"You!"
A small body emerged from behind the two strangers. A child with a pointy hat. And two bells jingled happily as she moved, cutting against the situation and the desperate anger in her squeaky voice.
But… Lise?
"You're the weirdo who kidnapped my Heath!" she yelled, "give him back! Give him back!"
She threw herself at Deathjester, raising a twin morningstar… but her enemy kicked her backwards with an irritated snort.
"Who the devil…" Deathjester snapped.
Where was Lise?
The girl got up and glared furiously at the magician. The irritated expression in the evil one's face disappeared and he smirked again.
"Ah, it's all coming back to me," he chuckled, "you're that kid, the priest of Light's granddaughter."
She had been just behind… where had Lise gone?!
"Yeah, so?!" the girl snapped.
Deathjester chuckled.
"Heath has accepted the supervision of my master, the Masked Mage," he smirked, "he's the number two man, and I'm number one."
All of the three warriors stared at the magician.
'Lise?!' Kevin thought, trying to move his head to see past the warriors that could only be that Duran, Angela and Carlie.
"N-no!" the latter stuttered in wild disbelief, desperate denial, "NO!"
"Noisy little thing, aren't you?"
Deathjester coldly chuckled, sounding like a mad hen.
"I'll kill you along with Kevin," he stated and began raising his hands.
"Wait! Allow me."
Oh no… not that…
'Lugar… Lise?! No!'
The commander came through the small opening, glancing at Kevin with a contempt, cold sneer. The half blood's nails weakly scratched the chilly grass.
No…
"I saw Kevin in the forest and followed him back here," Lugar said, looking at Deathjester, "I'll finish him myself."
He turned to Duran, who sternly met his measuring eyes.
"But first you, it'll be a nice warm up," the beastman said.
"A-as you wish!"
Deathjester turned and hurried into the tower. But now Kevin understood that he wasn't taking orders, nor afraid. Just lazy. But it didn't matter anymore.
'No, Lugar can't have…!?'
He couldn't even finish the thought.
LISE!
With a roar that shook the trees Lugar transformed and dashed straight at the swordsman. Duran stumbled aside but was sent flying across the field after a hit in the chest.
"Duran!" Angela screeched.
He crashed and stumbled to his feet, swearing.
"Just you wait!" the more grown lady harshly snarled and closed her eyes, "Carlie, heal him! Wisp, spirit of Light! Send your power!"
She threw her hand towards the charging Lugar and he stumbled back as a circle of dancing, glowing white orbs left Angela's hand and hit him. They turned into a ray of light and forced him to the ground. He got up almost immediately, but by then Duran was on his way for revenge. The swordsman cursed a lot when he fought…
"You okay, weird person thing?" Carlie concernedly asked, bending at Kevin while making a cute, worried face.
"Fine… seen… Lise?" the prince more or less croaked.
"Lishe?" the child lisped in surprise, "not since Rolante…"
"Carlie! Help Angela!" Duran shouted.
"Bye!"
The child hurried away.
Lise hadn't been out there when Carlie and her friends passed?! Kevin desperately clutched the grass, his head flaring from inside as he tried to move.
Where was she?!
"Take this you blasted… overgrown pet!" Duran snarled and swung his sword at Lugar, who snarled and tackled the swordsman even though it meant a nasty cut in his own side.
"Salamando! Raging flames! And Duran, your insults are just getting worse!" Angela shouted.
Have to get up, have to find…
Lugar yelped in surprised agony as the flames clawed at his open wound. Before he had recovered Carlie smashed her twin stars into his back and the swordsman slammed the side of his weapon into the furry head.
"Argh…"
The beastman heavily fell to the ground, melting into his half human, half beast shape. The warriors halted their attack, hesitating about whether they had won or not.
"Oh!" Deathjester's distant, irritated voice screeched from somewhere above, "just you wait!"
And Kevin could move. He stumbled up and more crawled than walked over to his fallen tribesman.
Lise, have you seen her… oh, by the goddess, Lugar!
He looked so… weak. Haggard and tired. Not only from this battle, even though it was the cause of his life pouring into the grass in vast, killing streams.
"L-Lugar…" Kevin stuttered, utterly shocked by the sight.
It just wasn't possible…
The fallen beastman opened one of his eyes, slowly. Blood ran past above it through his thick hair. Like some sort of disgusting war paint.
"Ugh…"
His lips twitched in a tiny, bitter smile.
"Kevin…" he whispered, "heir to the throne… learning the arts from Beast King himself."
He coughed, even though it was clear that he tried to hold back.
"Words could not describe my jealousy…"
A cold, dark stream ran through Kevin's heart and clawed through his whole body. Realization…
"But for me, a mere soldier without a drop of royal blood…"
Lugar dies…
"… It was an unattainable dream."
… For…
"But you let it all go to waste, Kevin…"
… Something…
"… All your pacifist nonsense…"
… That…
"… So I trained as hard as I could…"
… I…
"… So that one day I would defeat you."
… Never…
"But this…"
… Never wanted.
"… This is the result."
Lugar coughed again. There wasn't much time left.
Kevin desperately looked at Carlie, but she looked back with a helpless shake of her head. It was too much, she couldn't do anything…
The prince looked back at his dying tribesman. There was so much that shouldn't have… happened… Lugar.
'The one you call my father was the first king, we never decided to do as humans do about heirs! You could have been the next king, Lugar, the one who was stronger and wanted to take the leadership always ruled us when we were just small tribes which were scattered through the forest and only tried to survive against the hunters… what is this about royal blood?! Nonsense!'
There was so much he wanted to say, that his tongue couldn't handle.
"Lugar, you strong enough… strong enough to be heir."
The full blood beastman opened his other eye and looked up at Kevin. The king's son looked back with a sadness he had hoped that he never would have to feel again. Lugar was dying. Karl had died. Because of… of nothing at all.
Lugar even smiled a little, exhausted.
"One day, perhaps…" he whispered, "until then, continue training. Don't let yourself become weak… gh…"
The eyes closed and he fell back, limbless.
Dead...
Dead?!
"L-Lugar!" Kevin called, desperate.
A strong light suddenly blinded him, he heard the others yelp in surprise. But the most painful glow faded after a moment, and left was the shine of the most intense full moon.
Above the lake by the tower a small figure floated, carried by in compare to the rest of her big wings. Her whole body was encircled by an aura; the source of the light. Or was the aureole a part of her?
It was impossible to tell.
A small fairy floated out of Duran's head, seemingly untouched by the humans' surprise.
"Luna?" the sprite said in a lazy, sad voice, "the Moon spirit?"
"Why yes," the figure soothingly replied, "I was waiting for you."
Her voice was somehow singing, sounding like some kind of musical instrument.
Kevin didn't care about what she said and how she said it.
The spirit of the Moons was the guardian of the forest, of the beastmen…
"Luna!" the prince pleaded, "please, save Lugar!"
For a moment she seemed to hesitate. Then she peacefully waved with her wings and floated over to the fallen warrior.
"Alright," she said in a soft voice, "let's see…"
Her light became unbearable again, but it wasn't really painful. Just very strong.
And as it faded, Lugar was gone. Instead there was a small beastman puppy sitting on the ground, curiously looking around. For a moment Kevin was stunned.
"That… Lugar?" he finally managed.
"Right," Luna said with a smile, "in order to save him I had to revive him as a child."
Kevin looked up and to his surprise the spirit winked at him.
"One day he might even become heir to the Beast King's throne," she softly added.
The half blood turned back to the baby, who gravely looked back.
"Alright Lugar…" the now older one said in a low voice, "I'll wait for that day."
The small one yipped and happily crawled towards the exit of the field, the entrance to the wilderness.
"Uh, is he going to be alright?" Angela said in disbelief, "a baby all alone in this forest?"
Kevin looked at the heroes and tried to smile a little.
"Ah, animals… pick him up and raise him," he explained, "normal for us."
It was an old tradition, from ancient times when beastmen were more beasts than men. Lugar would be fine.
Duran reached up and scratched his visor, perplexed.
"Incredible…" he muttered, not even noticing that he wasn't touching his head.
"Luna," the fairy suddenly said, "where is the Mana stone of the Moon?"
"Oh, it's safe in the tower's first floor…"
The spirit fell silent.
"The weirdo went in!" Carlie shouted.
Safe…?
Lise!
'How could I forget!?' Kevin's mind roared.
"Go, go, hurry! I keep guard!" he snarled and ran towards the exit, momentarily turning around to wave goodbye.
Maybe the stone was having its power released, maybe Duran and the others would kill Deathjester. It didn't matter anymore.
Lise?!
He dashed out on the small path, nearly trampling on Lugar.
"Yip!" the baby said, holding something in his small hands.
The ribbon… Lise's ribbon that she had tied around his ear. She had taken it after he woke up… and now it was lying on the road…?!
Kevin bent down and took the green piece of cloth, violently sniffing the air. He transformed, hardly noticing it as he turned his head to one side and the other, wildly searching for a trace.
Everything was still, silent… there!
He hissed, baring his teeth.
It was a foul stench, he had never felt anything worse in his entire life.
An odor of sudden, cut shock.
Something had happened to her!
But no signs of battle, no fear… it must have happened quickly and silently since he hadn't noticed that it happened as he attacked.
No, it wasn't just speed… he had been blinded by hate. Blasted idiot!
There… he caught her smell properly and held on to it, searching… it was floating in the air somehow, not bound to the ground. Had something that could fly carried her off?
Oh no. No, it couldn't!
His rage panicked for a moment until his mind caught up with the nose's information. You'd know Rakadra's smell, wouldn't you?
See, there's evil here, that throbbing stench. But not Rakadra.
Oh, that feels much better…
But at least it was a small comfort.
He had felt that smell before somewhere… never mind! Are you still standing there?!
Kevin furiously growled at himself and began to run while Lugar crawled in under a bush.
"Let me help you!" a musical voice suddenly called.
A familiar figure with an aureole zoomed up beside the rushing half blood, but he didn't even slow down.
"Luna?" he just grunted, hardly using any other sense than his one of smell while he dashed through the forest.
"Listen," she grimly said, not at all like she had been back by the tower, "I fear that you'll face more than you can handle in that state. But don't worry. Dear brother, Wisp, send me your blessing…"
A warm stream of stars showered over Kevin and filled him with new strength. His old bruises and cuts healed completely and his speed increased.
"Thanks," he grunted, still not even thinking of slowing down.
Luna had no problems keeping up with him, though.
"There's more I can do," she said as they bolted on, "me and all the others that Duran and his friends have met."
"Do you know, where Lise?!" Kevin asked.
"No, I'm sorry. There are places in my own forest that have been blocked to me for a while. However, it's time to fight back, we are united once again, through the fairy."
"What mean?"
"Haven't you noticed that the wind has stopped?"
Luna's smile was grave.
"Jinn is here, through me," she grimly said, "he can't really do much on this distance but with this he can help you save his princess and your friend by freezing the wind."
"You…"
Kevin blinked. Yes, the wind was gone. If it still had been there then the weak track that he followed had been blown into pieces long ago. He even managed to smile a little of the flame of gratefulness.
"Thank you," he honestly grunted.
"Nothing to talk about. Now listen, I have to teach you something that you'll probably need soon…"
Luna pursed her mouth.