Rue was fighting against someone. Dimly he could hear the voices of his companions calling him, telling him to watch out against this threat that he was unaware of. The battle was tiring him, his strength beginning to fail. And the fact that he realizes this brought him fear. He never felt this helpless ever since Valen or Doll Master uttered the words of power that paralyzed his body.
In desperation, Rue used all his remaining strength in his last swing with the Arc Edge. His enemy caught the axe with ease, and Rue's arm had failed him.
But no, it wasn't his arm after all. It was actually the weapon itself. Arc Edge could not follow its momentum. Rue watched in horror as the enemy gripped his weapon, hearing the blade crunch between its fingers.
The Arc Edge broke into pieces.
"Really. You should wake him up now, he'd be late for his meal." Mira's voice can be heard outside Rue's tent.
"Mint! Mom wants you to wake up Rue!" Prima shouted.
"Me?! You're the one she's talking to! And I'd rather be dead than to go in a guy's room, anyway! You do it!"
Rue sat up on his bedroll, looking blindly around him. Then he saw the Arc Edge propped against the wall, whole and unharmed. With his shaking hands on his head, he tried to recall the vivid dream, but found out in his dismay that he couldn't remember them, disappearing as quickly as they had came. The vision yesterday and now this nightmare, it was happening too quickly for him to regain his mental balance.
What the heck is going on? Am I going crazy?
Even now he could still hear that mocking laughter.
*****
The rest of the journey commenced without incident. Mint was looking forward the end of this trip, in which was also shared by Klaus and Mira. Rue kept quiet since that morning. He didn't talk much during their meals and rest. From the group, it was actually Prima who's worried the most with his behavior. Everyone else didn't mind Rue's silence, since they have already seen him in this mood before.
"Polly must be very tired." Elena told
him when he told her his concerns. "I'm sure Mom's cooking would make him
very energetic!" Prima couldn't help thinking that his sister is a lost
cause. His parents aren't helping much either. And Mint warned him to leave Rue
alone because he would likely keep his mouth shut than telling Prima by his
pestering. In which it has already been proven (*).
"Mint, Polly! Look!" Elena ran ahead and pointed at a lighted area
from the horizon. The two adventurers came to her side, looking in awe at the
huge brick walls of the city, protecting it from the outside dangers of its
natural environment. From afar it looked like thousands of candles lighting up
against the darkness, seated on large quantities of sand. It's roofs of its
highest of buildings shone like gold. But can barely be seen from its walls of
protection.
"Way bigger than Carona." Mint muttered.
"The New City of Ephlesia. Never thought I'd ever see it again." Mira said, striding forward and joining their company.
"Wow, Mom! Did you really went there?" Elena cried, very eager to learn more of her mother's colorful past.
"Yes. I did travel in that general direction when I was competing in a tournament." Mira explained to the three youths. "It was a long time ago anyway, way before I even met Klaus."
"Why do they have such huge walls?" Rue asked, pointing at it. "Is the City usually been under attack?"
"Used to. Brigands and desert worms comes to mind," Mira explained. "But the brigands stopped trying to raid the city because the walls were too steep for them to defeat. Nowadays, they attack trade routes instead."
"And desert worms?" Mint asked anxiously. From the name itself, it was probably something disgusting.
"Desert worms are huge worm-like creatures that burrows in the sand. They're not very aggressive creatures, but they are quite destructive, flattening everything in its path. The walls of New Ephlesia real purpose are to discourage them from attempting to move forward into the city. Lately I haven't heard any rumors about the desert worms, I assumed they migrated in the past somewhere else where the space is much larger. With those two mentioned; the desert itself has its own set of monsters."
"So as long as we stay in the city, we don't have to fight them anyway, right?" Mint said.
"I don't know, Mint." Rue said, shaking his head. "The doctor never said that the ruins are in the city."
"Dang. You're right."
"Oh, I'm sure that Dad would take awhile to figure that out." Elena said. "But why don't we take the time to check the city? I've never been anywhere else except Corona. Can we go check it out, Mom?"
"Well…." Mira hesitated. She did remember that the city wasn't as safe as Carona, despite its rather strict laws. "If your father approved and only if Mint or Rue is with you."
"OK. I'm going to see Dad." Elena said over her shoulder as she ran off. Mira excused herself as she's going to check around, feeling nostalgic, remembering her adventuring days.
"Hey, Rue, let's go." Mint called him. Rue was still staring at the city. "It's not going anywhere right now, you know."
"Y..yeah." Rue said. This place is definitely familiar, but not the desert or the city itself. Unlike the Lake Ruins of Carona where he exactly knew what he should say or think, this time it was a strange sense of déjà vu. With a mental shrug, he pushed it aside, deciding that if the city could trigger some dormant memory in his head vital to the ruins, he should tell his troubles to Klaus or maybe to Mint. For now, the strange dream should wait for another time.
*****
"According to legend, the original Ephlesia was buried by a great sand storm 400 years ago." Klaus ever the scholar, said as the caravan was given leave to enter the city. Since it was nighttime, the stores are closed and daily activities in the street quiet. "The people who managed to live at the edge from the city and the least damaged to that calamity transferred to this area and erected a defensive wall against the desert worms that lived rampantly here. You could say they built the walls first before the city itself."
"I see." Rue said. "If the ruins are buried in the sand, how are we going to find it?"
"That's what I'm hoping to find out in the city archives." Klaus answered him. "As soon as we get ourselves an inn to spend the night."
"I can take you to the nearest inn an old friend of mine was working in," Mira said. "I haven't been away that long."
"Mint! Polly! Let's go check the Ephlesia Plaza tomorrow!" Elena said. "Mom said the Ephlesia Hero's Monument was the heart of the city."
"Hero's Monument?" Rue asked.
"Well, included in the legend is that a hero came from the desolate fields, who warned the Ephlesians of the sand storm in advance and brought the survivors to this place for safety. Thus, the Hero's Monument was erected, in honor of their rescuer." Mira explained patiently. "It was a very important landmark. With streets leading to gardens and a marketplace nearby. I really would want you three to see it before going off to the ruins. It's quite a sight."
"Hey, you guys! Don't leave me out of it!" Prima butted in, waving his hands.
"Elena, say no quick! He's a major pain in the neck!" Mint whispered.
"Oh, but I can't possibly leave my brother behind!"
"Don't worry, Mint, I'll keep an eye on him." Rue said, supporting Prima, as usual.
"Oh, fine!" Mint broke down, she was a bit annoyed though. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
*****
That night, they spent the night in the inn of the Golden Sands, where they met an old acquaintance of Mira when she used to lodge there in her youth. The inn's cook, Kasim, welcomed Mira warmly like a long-lost sister, and then greeted her family, and Mint and Rue.
"Mira is so helpful to us when we first established the inn," Kasim was saying to Klaus as the children said their goodnights and headed for their rooms, Mira and Klaus decided to stay with Kasim to exchange stories. "She used to kick drunken brawlers outside when they're starting to make trouble…" (**)
Rue excused himself, to get some things he left downstairs as the other three went upstairs where their rooms can be found.
"Hey, Mint! Look at the view!" Prima called. The moon was quarter-full in the sky, its faint light reflecting barely at the golden roofs of New Ephlesia.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Elena exclaimed. "Rue should have seen this!"
Whatever. Mint thought. To be fair it was a nice view, but can hardly be appreciated in this light. Maybe if the moon was in its full phase. She was about to step away from the window when she felt something sinister in the air (***).
Quickly she glanced to her right from the window. She saw something moving in the shadows of the building opposite to the inn, but she can't see anything from the poor light in the street.
"Did you see that?" Mint hissed when Prima and Elena noticed her expression.
"Saw what?" Elena asked, confused.
"I didn't see anything." Prima answered too.
Mint sighed. She must be getting tired and was only seeing things. But the last time her instinct kicked in like that, Psycho Master popped out of nowhere. But Psycho Master had no reason to be here at all. From what Mode Master and Trap Master said, they have nothing to do with Doll Master anymore as soon as they have finished their designated tasks. If he ended up somehow here, it wouldn't make any sense. Unless he was planning to resurrect Doll Master.
The idea disappeared as quickly as it came. Rue managed to rescue Claire because he was carrying a piece of her soul with his gem. She was sure that resurrection would be a different thing altogether for the Doll Master. No, it was definitely not Psycho, she was certain.
Then another thought occurred to her: it might not be Psycho Master at all. He can disappear quickly, but not in this manner. She can't put her finger in it, but it was moving like some sort of shadow… "Nah. Probably a trick in the light." Mint said in dismissive tone. If something was spying on them, she decided she can wait to make its first move.
No sense of making them worry any more than they already are.
*****
"Hurry up, guys!" Prima was saying as he was jumping excitedly on the road.
"Prima! Don't wander too far!" Mint called out, echoing Mira's words a few hours ago. Klaus and his wife left earlier to the city library. And Elena was looking forward to shop in this exotic land.
As what Klaus had said, Mint did feel a lot cooler in New Ephlesia than the oasis they stopped by a few days ago. Trees and grasses were growing near the buildings and the streets. And with the map Klaus drew for them, they managed to wound their way in the busy streets to the Hero's Monument.
"Oh! It's so huge!" Elena gasped when they saw it.
It was made of a huge slab of rock, with flowers and green grass adorning around it, a fountain bubbling nearby. The figure on the rock stood tall and proud, the expression in its face is calm and unafraid. Written on the rock is a language they did not understand. But there was one thing that surprised Mint the most.
"The Hero is a girl?"
There was no denying it. The figure on the rock does have a feminine face, as well as a feminine body in robes for desert travel, her long hair below her waist, giving the illusion that the hair was whipping against the wind. In her right she holds a staff, in her other hand is a sword. The sword seems to be pointing ahead of the statue. As if she was challenging someone to a fight.
"Wow. She looks pretty cool, doesn't she?" Prima said, looking at the Hero with awe.
"I think so too." Elena agreed.
"I don't get it. Is she supposed to be a fighter or a wizard?" Mint asked out loud, noting the weapons that the Hero was holding. "What do you think….?" She turned around. And then looked around her, realizing something. "Prima?"
"Hm?" Prima was still looking at the statue.
"Where's Rue?"
"Polly is right behind us…" Elena began when she noticed it as well. The three looked around at the not so crowded plaza, but they saw no sign of him.
"He must have gotten lost somewhere in the way." Prima said.
"Great! He specifically told me he'd watch over you and got himself lost instead? Of all the dumbest things he can…." Mint stopped in mid-sentence, looking both surprised and alarmed. There it is again. That same oppressive feeling from the air last night. The fact that Rue is missing seemed too well timed to be a coincidence. "Elena, give me the map! I'm gonna retrace our steps to find Rue."
"Why? Is he in danger?" Elena asked.
"How should I know? But we'd better find him quick!"
"I want to help!" Prima volunteered. Elena nodded too. Mint figured it would be easier to find a missing person with three instead of one, so they quickly ran to the busy streets of the city, trying to remember the route they had taken.
Mint cursed, she'd happily wring Rue's neck once she gets her hands on him. The anger was fighting against her worry though; knowing that looking for him in such a large city would be next to futile.
Great. Just Great.
In her hurry she bumped against someone really hard, and landed on the floor near Elena's feet. Annoyed, she shouted. "Watch where you're going you clumsy [expletive]…what the?!"
"Hey, Mint." Came a very familiar voice. "Good to see you again."
*****
Much to Rue's relief, his nightmare did not return to haunt him that night. But he was having a hard time trying to catch up with Prima and the girls in the busy road. Soon, he lost sight of them completely. He looked around in confusion, but he could see no signs of them. Elena had the map but he assumed that the plaza was straight ahead if keep his course. He was wrong, soon he found himself lost.
"This is almost as bad as the Underground Ruins (****)." Rue was muttering in exasperation. He tried to ask some directions but all he got from the people were blank stares. Apparently they could not understand his language.
He walked around aimlessly in the alleyways until he found himself in an open area. Oddly enough, the area was empty.
How…how did I get here?
A long time ago, a great battle was held here. And from that day, you stained your hands with blood. Said a voice right in front of him.
Rue jumped back from where he stood, his hand gripping for the handle of the Arc Edge. Recognizing those words and the voice behind them.
"Hello, Rue." The figure said softly. "It has been a while."
--------
(*) Did Rue ever broke down and said his problems through Mint's pestering? I don't seem to recall…
(**) Mira, the champion fencer and who used to have Mint's attitude, as mentioned by Klaus. I can really imagine her doing this sort of thing.
(***) Mint has some sort of danger sense that Rue doesn't seem to have (remember Psycho Master and the whole demand thingie?). Maybe because she was a magician who manipulates the energies of the elements. Or maybe Prima's paranoia is getting to her.
(****) Who didn't get lost the first time you entered the Underground Ruins? Sure as heck I did (the annoying part of the game…next to Mel's mini-games).
