Author's note:
OK, making a couple of things clear now :) There will NOT be a lemon. Nope. Not now, not ever. I don't do lemons. I respect the characters I'm using enough to give them their privacy. The chapter following this one might however seem to be building up a lemon, but there'll be none. You'll only get a very tender scene between Kevin and Lise, but I'll cut it off before anything really happens.
And another thing… another note for Chibi. Hawk is calling Kevin "Kev", but I promise; that was in my notes by January this year, before I had even discovered ff.net. I have not copied you, across my heart. :)
Now on with the story!
Chapter 33, Hawk's classchange
Hawk hurried through Deen, towards the inn. The air was cooling quickly as the sun sunk more and more below the horizon. He had hardly been able to rest at all, but still felt filled with energy and determination.
Classchanges were mythical things, but now proved possible. He was excited out of his mind. But it wasn't just the fact that he faced a chance to become strong enough to avenge all his friends from Navarre; no, he could hardly wait to fight side by side with Lise and Kevin again.
As soon as he entered the innkeeper pointed towards the small dining room with a grin.
"Good luck," the older man said.
Nikita had of course been unable to contain the news, pretty certain that it wouldn't do any harm. The village had been left alone so far since there were no warriors there to control, no goods to steal… and it would probably stay that way.
"Thanks," Hawk grinned and turned to meet Lise's greeting smile.
She was sitting down by the table in the middle of the room, just beginning on a piece of bread with some smoked fish on.
"Feels good being the hero around here, doesn't it?" she mildly joked and waved at him to sit down.
"We're all rooting for you," the innkeeper said with a wide smile, bending over his desk to see the ones he talked to.
"Thanks, we'll do our best both tonight and tomorrow," Lise smiled back.
"Give those bastards some extra kicks from us in the village too."
"Sure thing!" Hawk chuckled.
He looked around a little.
"Where's Kev?" he asked.
"He went to check on Karl and the birds to make sure they're alright," the princess replied with a small, fond smile, "here, have some breakfast. Or if it's dinner, I'm not really sure."
She pointed at the plate on the table, which carried three more fish sandwiches. Hawk hadn't been able to eat much earlier, but took a bread anyway. He knew that his hyper energy wouldn't last long if not fed with something.
He had just finished his first bite when Kevin came in. His pace of walking was a little out of rhythm, but it was hardly noticeable. Glancing down Hawk saw that the half blood already had strapped the bulette hide against the soles of his feet. He was obviously a bit unfamiliar with it.
"How are they?" Lise asked as the god hand sat down.
"Just fine, Karl a bit bored though," Kevin replied with a slight smile and took a piece of bread.
"Figures…"
"I let him out since it's cooler now, he be fine."
"There are some desert dogs in the village," Hawk said, "but they're not the most violent ones so he won't get into any fights."
Kevin gave a small, slanted smile and nodded.
"Felt their smell earlier," he said.
At this both Lise and Hawk chuckled a bit.
"Man, I've missed you two," the thief grinned.
The princess and the half blood exchanged glances and smiled. The desert warrior watched their eyes and wasn't sure if he wanted to sigh or be glad. The two warriors hadn't said anything about growing fond of each other when they told their tale. But the thief had had his suspicions, and now he was sure.
"Likewise, Hawk," Lise warmly said.
Looking at her he experienced a momentary flash of "could have beens", and it was a little bittersweet. But, he had Jessica. And if Lise and Kevin were happy, he would be so as well.
They finished the simple meal and went out into the lightly chilly air.
"Go further away before I transform," Kevin grunted, "don't want to scare people."
His companions nodded, understanding.
"The only things that could be a problem are the bulettes and the last hypnotized ninjas," Hawk reported while they left the village and walked into the desert, "but I wouldn't worry too much."
"Better not get careless anyway, you never know," Lise said and unhooked her spear from her back.
"Right."
A few minutes later a powerful howl soared towards the stars and a small area of the sand ocean got lit up by a magical glow. Snakes, lizards, insects, bulettes and various other inhabitants of the desert fled for their lives, instinctively knowing an opponent beyond any other.
The howl was however, the goddess be praised, not strong enough to reach the demons in Navarre.
It didn't take them very long to reach the valley of Flames since most of the monsters in the area were used to a harsh climate that enforced strong instincts for survival. Thus their instincts told them to run like crazy from the intruders.
Hawk had spent most of the walk smirking, but as they approached a rounded opening in a cliff he turned more serious. The air around the hole was shivering in the moonlight, and there was a warning glow from deep inside.
"This is it," Hawk announced and held up a hand, "I think you better revert and stay a human when we're down there Kevin, or else you're going to get toasted with all that fur of yours."
"Alright," the werewolf grunted with a nod.
"We have to be careful down there," the thief continued while the magical glow engulfed the son of Beast King once more, "the monsters living in the valley are used to the heat but we're not, and we'll be slow because of that."
"Got it," Lise nodded.
They walked closer to the entrance and were naturally taken aback by the heat that greeted them.
"By Luna…" Kevin growled and even backed a step.
"It'll get better when you get used to it…" Hawk said with a grimace, "not much, however."
"Not if we can do anything about it," Lise thoughtfully said.
Straightening up a bit she calmly continued:
"Wisp, I call upon you."
"It gets easier every time you call!" the spirit merrily said as he appeared from thin air, "what's up?"
"We're about to enter the Valley of flames," Lise explained, "would it be possible for Salamando or Undine to protect us from the heat?"
So far the princess had had nothing to do with the Water elemental, but she had always known the scripts of the goddess and her servants.
"Lemme give Salam a call…"
For a moment the holy elemental fluttered in and out of vision, like the beating of a bee's wings.
"Here we go!"
A rain of ember stars showered over the three travelers, adding a softly red glow to their skin. The only thing the ones exposed to the spell felt was a light tickling.
"Thanks, Wisp," Kevin said, stepping closer to the cave again.
Now the intense heat brushed off his skin, feeling like nothing worse than a warm breeze.
"Thank my buddy when you meet him instead," Wisp said, smiling.
He chuckled a little.
"By the way… Duran and his ladies are on their way to the island of Oblivion," he reported with a grin, "we might be able to open the gate to the Holyland in the morning if all goes well."
"Wish them luck from us then, will you?" Hawk grinned, backed up by smiles and nods from his companions.
"I will. Good luck yourselves."
"Thanks."
And the elemental faded away.
"Oh well, scrap my warnings," Hawk said with a smirk and cat-alike stretch, "this'll be fun."
And indeed it was. In fact, the greatest problem experienced on the way down was Hawk's inner struggle not to whistle superciliously as he and his friends without the slightest trouble strode into the boiling world of the valley. The yellowish lizard creatures naturally inhabiting the frying cracks between rocks and fairly hardened lava tried to stop the intruders a few times, but most of the time either Lise or Kevin simply would whisk them aside like flies. And that often before Hawk even had had time to get his daggers out.
"What a picnic," he finally commented as he lead the way over the bridge upon which he had saved Jessica weeks ago, "but I don't want to think about how it would be if you guys hadn't been here to help."
"Don't get too cocky yet," Lise said with a small smile, "these monsters are weak but the demons in Navarre are nothing like this."
"I know, princess."
Hawk winked at her with one eye without really considering it, just using his usual flirting manner. She chuckled a bit but didn't seem to bother much more. Getting a backslash thought the thief quickly threw a glance at Kevin who walked behind Lise, to a bit of relief finding that the half blood watched the flames below them, in his own thoughts.
It wasn't that Hawk was worried about invoking Kevin's fury –which he of course did fear because of pure wish to survive– he just happened to respect his friends' feelings for each other.
Walking and clanking over his shoulder he almost walked into a living flame carrying a thin staff.
"Watch your step lad!"
"Eh?"
The three travelers stopped and looked up at the elemental of Fire. Somewhere among Salamando's dancing body heat there was a smile, a bit below his sharp eyes.
"Welcome, all of you," he said, his voice rather hoarse and rash in compare to Wisp, Jinn and Luna's, but it didn't make him seem less friendly.
"The spell Wisp called for is working fine, thanks for the help," Lise politely remarked.
"No problem," Salamando nodded.
Then he wrapped a flame around Hawk's arm and dragged the rather surprised thief onwards.
"Now come on you, I want those demons out of my desert!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" the blue-haired warrior called, almost starting to laugh at the peculiar situation.
Lise and Kevin followed the two with their eyes for a moment, exchanged glances and chuckled. Then they followed the guardian and the desert man.
The Mana stone was placed on a small plateau above the raging flames of the valley's heart, and only a thin natural stone bridge made it possible to reach the floating obelisk.
It looked lightly said insecure.
Hawk was already on his way up to the center of attention, if it was by own will or Salamando's was hard to tell. But at least he made it there.
The stars of the stone soared towards the cave's faraway roof, just like the Light stone's sparkles had begun to do after Jagan had completed his spell.
"You two better stay down there," the spirit warned with a grin, "as you know the ground might get a bit of a shake in a moment and I doubt my magic is that strong."
Letting go of the thief he waved with his flaming staff at the floating fire below.
"We'll be here, Hawk," Kevin called after an agreeing nod at Salamando, "good luck."
"You'll make it for sure," Lise reassuringly added with an encouraging smile.
Looking around at his friends Hawk grimly nodded and turned to the Mana stone. Salamando turned to him again.
"Take a deep breath, touch the stone and concentrate," the elemental instructed.
"Alright…"
The thief closed his eyes and slowly reached out for the pearly surface. With all her concentration locked on Hawk Lise almost jumped when Kevin's arms suddenly encircled her waist. He didn't draw her closer though, just staying right behind her. She turned her head, only able to see his face out of the corner of her eye. The smile on her lips was almost nervous.
Her armor almost made the embrace nonexistent; at least she hardly could feel Kevin's arms at all. It was more an extra weight than a sign of affection.
'Stupid wall between…'
Lise forced herself not to swallow as the thought nearly ran away in a direction she wouldn't allow. If it would, she knew she'd definitely blush and she did not want to do so.
'I think I'm going crazy…'
Quickly turning away she bit her lower lip.
To want and at the same time hesitate, it was a controversial feeling that was too explosive and unstable to hold in the long run.
'I wonder how Kevin feels right now. I'm probably wrong to feel like this, I shouldn't… can't help it…'
"Lise?" his voice suddenly murmured, just behind her ear so that his breath brushed past the side of her face.
Feeling something in her smell, of course.
"I'm fine…"
She tried to smile as she spoke, but a sudden shake of the surroundings silenced her.
"Concentrate harder!" Salamando cheered.
"Come on, Hawk!" Kevin called, momentarily moving further backwards not to yell straight into the vanadis' ear.
Lise meant to shout something too, but another more violent quake sent her stumbling backwards into Kevin's chest. He grunted a bit, more of surprise than anything else though.
"Are you alright?" the princess more or less called over her shoulder anyway, apologizing.
As he lowered his head, rather steadily despite the increasing trembling, she thought that she saw a peculiar glistening in the back of his eyes.
"No worry," he muttered, close to her ear again.
Without really considering it first and despite Duty's wild protests Lise bent her neck backwards so that her cheek brushed against Kevin's. His grip of her waist became tighter without the slightest hesitation and he moved his own head even lower in turn.
'I'm really going to go crazy if we go on like this…' Lise thought with a singeing lump deep inside of her, 'I can't handle feeling this longing any longer. I shouldn't feel like this yet, it's too early… we're not married, I shouldn't!'
'You are so right, princess!' Duty snarled, trying to infect Lise's thoughts even more to make her move away from Kevin, 'he's got nothing to grab here!'
'Kevin… grab?'
Now that one was laughable…
The thoughts were brushed aside as the tremors suddenly stopped and the soft closeness against her cheek moved away as Kevin looked up at Hawk again.
With a small, bitter sting of loss Lise also raised her gaze once more. And then she faintly smiled again, as a heavenly aura of calm enveloped the entire cavern.
Hawk's eyes were open now, filled with that indescribable, complete peace. The flames in the background and below him seemed to freeze at the mere presence of such serenity.
"You can become a ranger or a ninja," Salamando softly announced, "ranger is the Light path, ninja the Dark. But they are simply two sides of the same coin and has nothing to do with good or evil."
"I was supposed to have become a ninja through normal training," Hawk calmly said, "that is my fate and choice."
"So be it!"
A divine rainbow of over worldly colors showered over him, the light spreading over the whole cave as in slow motion.
'That was a small disappointment in our second change,' Lise thought somewhat lazily, knowing what approached, 'I wish I could have felt Kevin's presence again, like it was in the first…'
Of course the result had been the same; more power than they could have dreamed of in such a short time. Still, she couldn't help wondering how it would have been to feel herself be a part of the world and Kevin now that she knew how much she loved him. In just a moment both she and her fiancé would be enveloped in Hawk's being; helping him grow in strength so that he'd get the power to avenge his people.
Kevin spun her around and his lips brushed against hers as he pressed Lise's smaller body against his, never minding the armor of hardened leather.
The light swept over them.
'What was that for…?'
'I know the feeling… I suppose I became a little worried. Jealous maybe, though that's not very proper.'
'Oh.'
None of them were entirely sure if they really had heard each other's thoughts, but considering the situation it wasn't exactly impossible.
And all the while Hawk felt power harnessing itself into his mind and body, only vaguely feeling his two friends as they gave their small part of the deal.
He had no thoughts of revenge and felt no more traces of bitterness as he was caught up in the peace and whirl of growing experience, no triumph, only peace. But when it ended and he returned to the normal world…
"Yehaaw!"
He had a hard time enough not somersaulting down to Kevin and Lise's plateau; to restrain the triumphant cheer became unbearable. His arms and legs itched with movements he now had mastered, moves of the older warriors that had spent years trying to learn them. Which he should have done normally as well, if he hadn't been magically trained.
"Well done!" Salamando grinned, "this should give those bastards a headache combined with you two!"
He almost smirked triumphantly at Kevin and Lise, who hurriedly had let go of each other just as the magical light faded.
"Congratulations," Lise smiled as the ninja almost seemed to float down the stone bridge.
Hawk widely grinned.
"Thanks," he said, "let's head back and rest, I'm itching to teach those demons and their masters a few lessons in behavior!"
"So do I," Kevin said with an edge of suppressed anger at memories, but then grinned back.
"I can't do much more to help you in that battle, so good luck," Salamando said while floating down to the three warriors, "I'll be watching over you, so call me whenever you think I can do something."
"We will," Hawk said, "thanks for the help."
"Don't sweat it."
The spirit winked with one eye and floated up to the Mana stone again, slowly fading out of sight.
"Don't sweat it he says…" the ninja muttered under his breath as he and his companions made their way out of the central cavern.
"I heard that!" Salamando snorted, not really angry however.
"Well thanks to you we aren't!" Hawk called back, earning light chuckles from his friends.
As they had made their way over the rope bridge – well, chain bridge to be fully truthful – and reached the route going upwards they were greeted by another dose of fire lizards, obviously set on making one last try to chase the intruders away.
"Persistent, aren't they?" Lise said with a roll of her eyes, changing grip of her spear, "be my guest, Hawk."
She added the last part by the memory of how excited she herself had felt about her new powers after the Wind stone's blessing in Rolante.
"My pleasure."
There were five obviously rather stupid but determined little beasts, moving surprising quick considering their round, frog-alike bodies. But not nearly quick enough to launch a decent attack. Hawk did brandish his daggers, but it was rather obvious that he wasn't in for a kill. Using the hilts of his weapons and kicking at the monsters; he was only testing his new skills. From formerly moving somewhat like a cat, he now reminded of a snake.
Kevin and Lise joined the "battle" - or rather the pushing aside - after a few moments, just helping Hawk to clear things up. Soon enough the monsters disappeared into their small caves behind cracked rocks by the walls.
"Feeling good?" Kevin asked with a small grin, a bit uncharacteristically but Hawk's aura of triumph was contagious.
The ninja grinned as well as he turned around, rehiding his daggers.
"If I denied that then I'd be the worst liar north look out!"
As Lise instinctively ducked by Hawk's sudden shout she saw a glistening of metal out of the corner of her eye. Just behind Kevin.
A shadow had come to life, and it had daggers.
The son of Beast King fell with a growl of surprised pain, but he rolled aside before the knife in the attacking ninja's other hand could be buried in his back.
"Kevin!"
"Why you!"
Hawk flew at his hypnotized clansman with weapons back in his hands, his eyes flaring with rage. Lise didn't even care about the enemy, dashing to Kevin's side. On the back of his shirt was a fresh new cut and around it was a growing red area.
"No worry Lise," he grunted, without bigger troubles rising up on his arms and then getting to his feet, "not big."
"Let me see…"
Carefully she lifted the two corners of the cloth; the shirt's back was almost completely split. And this had been Kevin's fairly clean and whole shirt.
Blood ran from a long cut on the left side of his back; the new wound tearing through four old scars, lighter bolts on his reddish skin. A little something left after the very first battle he had fought alongside the exiled princess and the thief.
'How nostalgic…' Lise grimly thought.
Sure it was nostalgic, but not in a good way.
"It's not very deep," she said aloud with relief, "you managed to duck just in time."
"That's good," Kevin murmured, "Wisp, I call upon you."
"Healing this time, eh?" the elemental said as he appeared just beside the reddish mane, "one moment. You'll have to find someone else to repair that shirt of yours though."
"I'm not that good at sewing but I'll see what I can do when we get back," Lise promised while healing stars showered over the half blood.
"Hawk's in great shape, isn't he?" Wisp said with a small smirk, motioning at the rest of the cave with a small flame.
Lise turned around. She raised her eyebrows.
"Can you see them?" Kevin said after a moment.
"Not… exactly."
There seemed to be a blur of shadows twisting about, almost like a dark fire. Daggers slashed though the hot air, almost too quickly for the eye to catch.
"Salamando told me that ninja fights are impressive, but that's overdoing things…" Wisp said after another few moments.
A handful of seconds later they did however manage to get a glimpse of a fist before it hit its target.
One masked ninja crashed on the ground and Hawk smirked for one second before he bent his back and placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.
"That was… inter… esting… but a bit… drawn out…"
"You're too quick for me," Kevin acknowledged with a smile, lending Hawk a hand to straighten up.
"That was too quick for me too," the ninja said, shaking his head.
While Wisp left again Lise bent down and ripped the mask off the desert warrior's face. Another sunburned face was revealed, free of scars. He didn't look like he was more than twenty-five or so.
"Loan," Hawk nodded, a bit bitterly.
"Well, he might have regained his senses after that hit, it's not impossible," Lise kindly said, hefting her spear onto her back and encircling the unconscious warrior with her arms to lift him from the ground.
Not much to her surprise the man was very light; the ninjas did after all base their battles on tricks and speed, not strength. But she just got up into standing straight, about to change her grip to something more proper when Kevin without a word grabbed the loose limbed one and threw him over his shoulder.
"I could have done it, though," Lise mildly protested.
Kevin shook his head.
"You two watch my back," he said with a faint smile, "so I duck in time."
This caused another light chuckling and more nods.
"Sure thing, Kev," Hawk grinned.