Chapter 28, Diplomacy
"Retreat!"
The monsters hesitated, their fingers – if they had any, that was – twitching.
"Retreat I said!" Slash snarled in a broken voice, heavily supporting himself on the Slasher.
He bled from several cuts and bore many burns from fire and lightning apart from that. Still he wasn't the only one with a tight breath. Even if he had been fighting the three intruders close to single-handedly he hadn't left them untouched.
Now he was on one knee, leaning on his weapon and the arm hanging over the still strong leg.
"Lord Slash!" one of the freelancers cackled.
"Are you deaf?!" the purple monster growled and his eyes almost literally shot needles through the exhaust.
Crono and Frog glanced at Janus who was holding his hand over a deep cut on his left arm, trying to remember how to heal.
The red-hair of the three had been rendered unconscious after a half of the battle and there hadn't been any time for his allies to wake him up until now. It had been too occupying to fight Slash and the Mystics that had gone against his orders and kept fighting. The swordsman had quite a few times expressed a rather hot wish to fight alone, but his tribesmen hadn't always obeyed. If it was for courage, stupidity or loyalty was hard to tell.
Ozzie had rushed into the castle as Flea fell. A few of the spectators had followed him but most had stood firm.
"Are you listening to me?!" Slash growled as the monsters instead of retreating surrounded him, glaring at the wizard and his companions.
'They'd never do that to me back home!' Flea pouted.
No comment was made. It didn't feel necessary.
Janus inwardly grunted.
'Didn't expect them to be that loyal,' he ruefully thought.
'Your random monster isn't too bright,' the Prince said, 'but you're right, this isn't pure stupidity.'
'They just have to make things difficult…'
'Why must it be difficult?' the Pawn said, but the tone of his voice hinted that he hardly could believe himself that he really said it.
"Na matala sela…"
Janus straightened up and planted the staff in the ground, not leaning on it but holding it straight up beside him.
'Yes… why must it?' he slowly admitted.
Seeing the wizard lower his guard, Frog and Crono choose to trust his judgment and warily put their weapons down without sheathing them. The monsters suspiciously eyed the humans but didn't move, expecting a trick of some kind.
'If you're going to have him listening you better let me handle some of the facts,' the Prince almost softly said.
'Alright.'
Janus let out a deep breath and glanced at Frog who watched him questioningly.
'I'm not sure,' the wizard calmly sent over.
The swordsman turned his gaze to the monsters, who despite his growling refused to leave their second in command to his enemies.
'He helped felling Cyrus,' Frog thought, hesitant however.
'I know, but are we like them?'
Silence.
'They're prepared to protect him with their lives,' Janus said with a mental shook of his head, 'I can't do it.'
Frog was silent for a moment longer. Then he finally shook his head.
'At times I fear thy honor is closer to insanity, Janus. What could ever be gained?'
'I'm not sure.'
The wizard turned his mind to Crono and quickly explained his intentions. The silent young man reacted pretty much like Frog had done, but didn't argue either.
Slash's eyes suspiciously narrowed as the staff's blades disappeared with a wave of Janus fingers, but he remained silent. At least until the wizard took half a step forwards and the monsters warningly raised their weapons further.
"Will you all do as I say and retreat?!" he barked, but there wasn't much hope in his voice.
As they still played deaf he worked his way back into standing, swayed but refused the support of a goblin. The white eyes were resolutely fixated on the wizard.
'I'm not the better diplomat of us but I'll handle this,' the Pawn stated as his mind connected firmer with Janus'.
It wasn't exactly possessing since the host allowed it, and anyhow it was a very light control. More a prompting than anything else, as Janus still was the one making most of the choices with inputs from his guardian when needed.
"Hey Slash…" the wizard begun, not quite sure where to start this conversation.
"What?" the monster snarled and swayed.
Almost absentmindedly a wavering sorcerer reached out and put his hand on Slash's shoulder to support him. The swordsmaster shrugged it off.
"I'd rather not kill you and your friends here if we don't have to," Janus said.
The monsters bristled suspiciously.
"What the hell are you playing, wizard?" Slash growled.
"You're talking to the man you had strapped on a wall and whipped, and he's not tearing up your throats when he can, why?"
"You're nuts," the leading monster dryly said.
Janus' lips twitched a little; now it was his guardian working.
"I'm not nuts," he said, "furthermore, I am not Lardon."
Since Frog had no eyebrows he could not do as Crono and raise them, so he had to settle with frowning. Even more as he watched most of the monsters' mouths fall open.
Slash lowered his sword, hardly noticeable.
"Whuch'e say?" a goblin grunted before the leader of the small army could ask.
'I have no idea,' Janus ironically thought, but the Prince ignored him.
"I am not Lardon, and neither is king Guardia," the wizard continued whether he wanted or not, "Lizard ended that bloodline, didn't he?"
"And you know this just how?" Slash poisonously asked.
'Was it really wise to bring that in?' Janus wondered, seeing the harsh looks.
'They hold their history sacred,' the Prince replied, 'I believe it's the best way to crack their defenses, even if they'll shoot needles at first.'
'Lovely. Carry on.'
'I wasn't waiting for you to allow it, youngster,' the older blue-hair said with a faint smirk.
"Lizard, Magician, Snake, Warrior and their children fought for freedom," the Prince prompted, "why are you fighting now?"
"I asked you how you can know that, human," Slash growled.
"I have heard the story from my guardians, if you remember from last time we met," Janus calmly said.
Slash snorted and shook his head.
"That's fascinating," he said with a venomous voice, "and very informative that you just happen to know our roots. But then, human, why would you bother to talk sweetly with the same creatures that had you tortured?"
The swordsman didn't give the wizard a chance to think of a reply before he continued, growling:
"Do you even care why we did that?"
There was a grunting and screeching from the monsters to empathize what their lord was saying. With a snarl Slash pointed his weapon straight at Frog, who glared back.
"Oh, don't answer, amphibian, I know," the purple monster said, "it's because we're blood thirsty beast who hate humans."
He coldly sneered, waving at his fellows to shut up.
"How about a taste of our view, wizard Janus, great hero of Guardia?" Slash said, turning back to the blue-haired one, "to the humans you are a brave warrior and protector, to us you're a damn murderer!"
The last word hung in the air for a moment as nobody moved.
"As were your dear Cyrus," the swordsman finally added.
'This is your part,' the Prince calmly said and withdrew.
"I got the idea you were quite enjoying it," Janus said, as emotionless as he could manage when confronting the accusations.
"You mean that whole heart or liver discussion?" Slash said with a smirk, "tell me then, what would have happened to me if your king would have gotten me in custody?"
'This is going just great…'
'At least you're talking,' Flea commented.
'Great.'
"Execution," Janus admitted with an halfway strangled sigh, "but we wouldn't have tortured you."
Slash dryly smirked.
"Don't believe that I don't think that you got what you deserved, Janus, even if I would have preferred killing you at the first opportunity," he stated, "if they just would have listened to me we wouldn't have this problem now."
Frog was about to charge forwards in rage, but Crono managed to hold him back.
"Perhaps, but then the only difference would be that somebody else than me would have been here now," the wizard said.
He crossed his arms as well as possible since he was still holding his staff and had no plans of letting go.
'Let's see now…'
"I will admit that I have killed many Mystics," Janus gravely nodded, not mocking, "I cannot pledge innocent on that matter. But as you accuse me of being a murderer, I accuse you of starting this war, abducting and murdering humans to eat them, pillaging innocent people's homes, and trying to brainwash a seven year old boy to become your slave."
The monsters screeched in protest or mockery, but Slash managed to silence them. Eventually.
"First of all, the torture and the whole circus with that older version of you all those years ago," the swordsman rather calmly said, "to many, including even Flea, believe it or not, beating a child seemed a little extreme but we weren't going to start a longwinded argument with Ozzie over it for he wouldn't have cared in the end. When we learnt more about you and your guardian or whatever he wanted to call himself, the realization that you were a threat was quite a proof for that you needed to be eliminated."
"Lovely," Janus dryly said before Slash continued.
"As for the rest, since we are living beings we need to eat. Do you think there is enough food for every monster on our two rocks here in the ocean? We didn't start a war for fun, wizard."
'True, it wasn't the entire reason but it counted quite a bit,' the Prince nodded as Janus was a little surprised at this revelation.
"What about trade?" the wizard commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Trade? With the humans?" Slash scoffed, cheered on by his fellows, "even so, what would we have to offer you?"
Janus suddenly smiled, not smirked, lightly triumphant.
"Oh really now?" he said and held up his staff, "you know this?"
"All too well," Slash dryly said.
"I've had the same staff for six years," the wizard informed, "and even though I've used magic to repair it a few times it has withstood assassin after assassin and they were meant to be really strong, no?"
"As I understand, yes. I'll give you as much. So were are you heading?"
"It's made out of iron spruce, a kind of wood which is rare and very expensive on the main land."
Janus pointed behind him with his thumb, at the forest surrounding the stronghold.
"In conclusion, that kind of wood."
Slash needed a moment to figure out whether he should find that incredibly stupid or – Lizard forbid – a little valid.
A moment that Janus wouldn't give him as there finally was a bit of an upper hand to use.
"You do have something to trade with the humans, those trees can't be the only thing," the wizard gently said, "furthermore, nobody wants to continue this war, nobody benefits from it. There's only suffering on both sides by now."
Most of the monsters hissed at the blue-haired human, but Slash shook his head.
"Listen Janus, there's too much bitterness involved in this," he coldly said, "no monster is too fond of the other, and despite arguments among ourselves we are allies. And Flea was one of the more respected ones, whether you'll believe me or not."
"I have lost dear friends in the battle as well," Janus calmly said, "Cyrus, Thomas, Glenn who Flea cruelly turned into a frog. Among many others."
Frog sternly met the mixed glances he got, refusing to turn away in shame like he had been ready to always do not too long ago.
With his eyes growing colder Janus took the staff in both hands.
"There's only suffering and loss in this war. And you should know, Mystics, that me and my friends cannot leave here until there is peace one way or another. I'm tired of killing, but if I have to I will replace this castle with a smoking crater."
"Over my dead body," Slash harshly growled, straightening up and resolutely holding his sword despite his wounds and exhaust.
The Mystics snarled in stubborn rage.
"I keep telling you I would prefer avoiding more bloodshed," Janus said, lowering his staff a little.
"There is no wish for peace here," the swordsman snarled.
"According to you or Ozzie, Slash? You don't have the manpower anymore, and neither has Guardia. But me and my friends still stand, and we'll wipe you out if we have to, and you know it."
"Three humans against the remains of the Mystic army," Slash sighed and rolled his eyes, "it's sad."
"And you're still worried."
The purple monster growled and shook his head again.
"I can't let you enter this castle if I still can stand, Janus," he said in a harsh voice, "and we're not only protecting Ozzie."
'Hit him!' Flea shouted, 'this is it!'
"What then?" Janus said, trying not to raise an eyebrow at the voice in his head.
"Ozzie didn't flee, human," Slash coldly informed, "as Lizard's descendant it's his responsibility to stay guard over our weakest ones."
He snarled.
"There you have it, wizard, I won't let you into this castle for the sake of our wounded, women and children."
"What kind of demon do you think I am?" Janus said with a deep frown.
"The royal wizard."
'Alright, that's bloody it!'
Frog was about to leap forward in pure recall of the last time Janus had thrown away his staff, but held himself back as his friend raised his hands while the weapon still was landing on the ground.
The Mystics hissed and the ones who still had the strength spread their arms to protect the others when the smooth palms turned at them.
"Na matala sela!" Janus nearly growled and released a storm of healing stars.
Even Slash blinked as the light faded and he, like the others of his cause, found their pain and wounds gone.
Eh, Janus? Crono said, rather baffled.
"You call me a demon?" the wizard said in a deadly voice, ignoring the red-hair, "you think I like killing monsters? You think I have enjoyed a spoiled, happy life or what? Say, did Flea tell you that he created my assassins with the help of my father?"
The looks he got told him that they had been very oblivious of that fact, but that didn't exactly slow him down.
"My father fears and hates me so much he doesn't hold back for anything to have me killed. My only sister is god knows where, and my mother is in that blasted thing!" Janus snarled and pointed over his shoulder towards the black omen that loomed over the horizon, "she's been in there for thousands of years having her soul devoured by the only real demon throughout history, and I can't save her because I bloody have to be here and get you to quit the war first! I shouldn't even be here, I should have been killed and fed to that demon by my mother's hand! But I came here and I'm going to clean this time up before I can do anything else, understand?!"
Not until the final word did he really realize the he actually was holding a blinking Slash by the crag and shouting straight at his face.
'You're in too much stress, cutie,' Flea mildly commented.
Setting Slash down while wondering just how he had gotten a grip of the swordsman without getting attacked, Janus somehow managed to swallow the biggest part of his rage.
"I didn't want to kill Flea," he said in a calmer voice, "but it was inevitable that we would fight and someone had to die in that battle. You know that's true, whether either of us like it or not. Same with the assassins, it was me or them. As for my other murders, I was protecting those that I care for, as you're doing now."
The staff leaped back to his hand and he crossed his arms, scowling.
"My friends and liege are counting on me and I will level your last stronghold by the ground if I have to. It's up to you."
"No, it's up to Ozzie," Slash finally said in a rash voice.
Janus forced himself not to roll his eyes.
"You're pretty stuck, in other words?" he grunted.
With a snort which spoke for itself Slash turned and walked the few steps back to his allies before facing the wizard again. In a way it did prove quite a bit that he dared turn his back at the humans, whether he'd admit it or not.
"I'm not stupid, wizard. In the current situation any sensible person would understand that peace is the best solution," Slash roughly admitted, "but it's not my place to handle the diplomacy. If anyone here would be in that place anyway."
"I'm not crazy enough to try reasoning with Ozzie, then I might as well go slam my head into a rock," Janus said.
'His lips twitched! I saw it!' Flea shouted, stupidly smirking.
'I'll just take your word for that… I don't seem to get through very well.'
'Oh, trust me. He isn't stupid, as he said.'
"You've got a valid point there," Slash said with a light smirk, "feel free to knock your forehead bloody, I won't stop you."
He turned his wrist so that the Slasher hung horizontally before his chest.
"I will have to stop you from entering, however."
'I doubt we'll get anywhere with this,' the Pawn grunted.
'He's listening, and that's something,' Flea merrily pointed out, 'now all you have to do is get inside and talk with Ozzie.'
'You're kidding, right?' Janus dryly thought.
'I'm sure there's somebody who can make him listen,' the Mystic's spirit said, showing off all his teeth, 'don't you think so, milord?'
The Pawn was free to raise an eyebrow, Janus had to fight it again as the Prince chuckled.
'Ah yes, of course,' the oldest of the blue-haired men said, smirking lightly, 'and you claim that you're not evil anymore?'
'I'm on a break. Now wizard-muffin, will you take a couple of advices from the baddies' side?'
It took less than a moment to explain, and about the time a thought passes for Janus to send his two allies a message.
'Be ready to fight again, they're going to be really angry in a second. Can you hold your ground on your own for a minute?'
'Thou art not going inside on thy own, art thee?' Frog sharply said.
'No, I'm not going anywhere,' Janus honestly replied.
'Hm,' the green swordsman suspiciously grunted.
"So, I'm not walking up that stair without breaking every bone in your body?" the wizard said aloud, rolling his eyes.
"In summary, that's about it," Slash agreed, moving his feet into a defensive stance again.
The other Mystics grunted and screeched, warily changing the grips of their weapons.
Janus raised his free hand to scratch his hair.
"I just thought of something," he said.
"Lizard protect us, now what?" the purple swordsman cautiously said.
"Just what exactly," Janus said with a smile, "stops me from simply teleporting inside?"
And with that, he disappeared in a flash of light.
At first, the two opposing groups just blinked at the empty spot. Then:
"You damn bastard!"
"Janus! I swear, I will have thy head for this!"
"Hold it you fools!" Slash shouted at the monsters rushing at the castle.
They stopped and glared at him as he pressed three fingers against his forehead.
"Ozzie!" he snarled, showing that he was just as bad as Lai with telepathy, "that son of Lardon must have used my memories to teleport inside, are you… no? Then where the hell is he?"
What's going on? Crono said with raised eyebrows, glancing at Frog who helplessly shrugged.
"Who would be able to pierce Janus' misshapen set of mind?" the shorter one said with a grumbled sigh.
Slash kept pressing his fingers against his forehead for several moments, waving at the Mystics to wait with his free hand.
"But lord…" one of the freelancers impatiently snarled.
"We're talking about that damn wizard!" Slash snapped, "if we're going to stop him we need to know where he is so we can attack in a group, understand?"
He looked up, seeming to listen for a couple of seconds.
"What?"
His forehead suffered a massive frown for a second before his almost completely white eyes went wider than usual.
"What?! That's imposs…"
They all jumped by the sound of a crash from inside. Seconds later the castle gate opened and a screaming Ozzie flew down the stair in a neat bow. The Mystics on the ground leaped aside in pure survival instincts and their king crash landed. He became still, though he still breathed.
"… ible…"
Janus emerged in the open doorway, with a bit of a strange smile. Glancing between Ozzie and the wizard, Slash slowly raised his hand to point at the latter.
"You, Janus…"
A shadow moved behind the man.
"… Are the embodiment of evil."
The shadow turned into a rather chubby Mystic, with the same kind of smooth scaly skin as Ozzie. They were obviously of the same sort of monsters, as their looks somewhat resembled with the skin, the low eyes and clawed fingers. This one, however, had a teal-green color. And it was also female.
She wore a white-gray robe that was somewhat dress-like, and a smooth bronze belt around her bulky waist. Her darkly blue hair was set up in a pig tail which was arranged in a strict ball on the back of her head. This showed as she turned to Janus and forced a small monster baby into his grip.
"Keep an eye on him, wizard."
"Yes madam," Janus rather goofily said.
"And don't call me madam."
"Sorry."
The female Mystic floated down the stair and the other monsters dove for cover as she grabbed the motionless Ozzie by the crag.
"Hey! Look at me when I'm shouting at you, you old, fat idiot!" she snarled, shaking the green one.
'Just what is that?' Crono sent towards Janus in a clumsy but working try at establishing telepathy.
'Eh, in a second…' the wizard absentmindedly replied, scratching for his shoulder.
The child that the Mystic had entrusted him was suspiciously alike the original caretaker and the one she was shouting at, just that it was rather thin. And it seemed very fond of climbing. Janus got a hold of the baby's waist and managed to pull him away, though the child whined in protest and got a rather painful-looking grip of the blue hair.
'She's Ozzie's wife,' he finally could report, holding the protesting baby as far away as he could.
'She's what?!'
"Err…"
Slash sheathed the Slasher and approached the married couple, his hands lifted in a calming way.
"I think he's out cold, Skeeza," the swordsman carefully said.
"Well it's the only damn way to shut him up enough to listen to me!" she snapped and let her husband thud onto the ground again, wiping her hands.
"He won't be able to listen like that."
"It's the same old story all the time."
Skeeza snorted and waved her hand at Ozzie in a dismissive manner as she turned to the swordsman instead.
"Janus tells me he's been discussing peace with you too," she informed.
Slash sent Janus a heated and at the same time rather tired glare before looking back at his queen.
"Yes, my lady. I just didn't regard it as my place to…"
"And you're sadly right in that," Skeeza cut him off and furiously nodded, "but you know just as well as I do that we can't go on like this."
"I know, but not everyone will agree on it and you know that…"
Skeeza looked around and tilted her head at the other Mystics, who nervously straightened up under her gaze.
"If you boys think about it for a while, don't you too want peace?" she demanded.
Without the slightest hesitation the creatures profusely nodded.
"You'll just get that into Ozzie's head, I wash my hands of it!" Slash sighed, threw up his arms and shook his head as they heavily fell again.
"You were always the sensible one of you three," the lady Mystic said with a faint smile.
She shook her head and continued:
"That Flea would die is a tragedy, but we all know that he wanted to fight Janus to the death and he'd do it again if he was still alive."
At that Slash crossed his arms and remained silent, his refusal to admit the truth loudly speaking for itself.
Skeeza smiled in a way that could be viewed as either lovely or deadly, and turned as Janus somewhat unsteadily came over to her and Slash.
"I'm glad we could agree on it, lady Skeeza," the wizard said and tried to reach behind him for the child, who had gotten out of his grip and was happily hanging in the wizard's shirt.
"Had I known that you'd offer a peaceful solution me and the other women would have done something about it long ago, wizard," she stated and reached out without looking.
The baby waved angrily with his arms when taken away from his fun, but calmed down as he got to climb on his uncle Slash instead.
"I suppose it'll take a few days to talk Ozzie into it," the mother nodded, "I will send someone over to tell you so that we can finish this."
"It will give me time to explain to king Guardia, as well," Janus said with a faint smile.
Skeeza smirked at that.
"I'm sure that it will be quite an interesting talk," she said with amusement, "but I dearly hope he will understand."
"I promise you that he will, he wants an end of this just as much as everyone."
"And just how do we know that he's not fooling us here?" Slash snapped, holding back a dear wish to shake the small monster child off his arm.
With a swift movement Skeeza caught Janus' right lower arm and held it up for all to see. As far as his friends and enemies remembered, the wizard hadn't worn a thin, metallic armband around his wrist before.
"Because if he does, Guardia will have a left-handed wizard next week."
She let go while Janus did his best to avoid Frog's glare.
'Monster diplomacy,' he sent over.
'Thou art insane! And did thee not sayeth that thee would not go in there by thyself?!'
'I said I wouldn't go, and I didn't. I teleported,' Janus snickered.
"Janus!!" Frog hollered aloud, causing most of the monsters to jump.
The wizard met Slash's eyes sideways.
"Yeah, sometimes I think I would have been safer still hanging on your wall than hanging out with my friends," Janus said from the corner of his mouth.
Slash's rather thick lips twitched.
'An everlasting rule throughout our history,' Flea informed as the three warriors walked back out into the forest, towards the Epoch, 'for every one of Lizard's descendants there must be a Snake. Or was that a snake for every Janus…'
Hey by the way, Crono said, glancing at the silent swordsman walking beside him, if Flea's dead, shouldn't Frog turn back into a human?
"It will take a few days before the spell wears off, I gather," Janus said.
'That'll be a problem, he'll find out…' the spirit Mystic whispered to his lord.
'Not if he leaves Guardia soon,' the Prince calmed.
'True.'
"All is well then, as the query was answered," Frog said and stopped, "Janus?"
"What is it?" the wizard asked, stopping and turning to his short friend.
Back by the fort, Slash was quite relieved when Skeeza finally took care of her son. His will to climb seemed to disappear as his mother held him.
"Ozzie won't be happy when he wakes up," the swordsman grunted.
"He's so hard to…"
She fell silent and curiously looked around as there was a loud smack and a half strangled shout of pain. Through the gates she distantly saw the red-haired human warily backing away from the frog warrior. The green one was rubbing his right fist's knuckles, glaring at Janus as the wizard got up from the ground with a hand pressed against his face.
"Now we art even," Frog grunted and offered the wizard a hand to get up.
"I adbit that I deserved that… ow."
After that, the heroes finally left the island.
Kudos to Pokefreak_85 who came up with Skeeza's name. ^_^