Thanks again for all the reviews, everybody!!
By the way, Navi-Zero, what exactly did you mean by 'totalitarian?'
-
It was Rei, looking very hassled and out of breath. "Liam, they've caught Balez," she wheezed. "You know they've been after him and all his predecessors, ever since Ezel invented those cards. . .well, apparently today the prince and a whole host of guards appeared in his shop today and caught him. He never had a chance."
Liam's eyes turned hard after the first sentence, but when the archer told him that it was the prince's doing, his skin turned a shade paler and he took an involuntary step back. Ayame caught his arm, standing up wide-eyed. "Are you sure it was the prince?" she asked hurriedly, only to receive an affirmative nod.
"Thank you, Rei." Liam gathered himself together, though his eyes remained silver with bitterness. "You can go." The archer left, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"It's a trap," he announced abruptly. "That little brat certainly knows what he's doing, I'll at least give him that. Now that Balez, one of my best friends, is in the dungeon, I have no choice but to get him out. And Madi knew that all along; it's just a way to lure us into the palace. He knew I wouldn't do what he wanted otherwise."
Ayame sat down yet again, an involuntary shiver creeping up her spine. "Then we must go. There's no excuse." Her hand descended gingerly on his wrist. He let a heavy sigh empty his lungs, shoulders slumping as he seated himself beside her. Her hand moved to his shoulder as they caught each other's gaze again. But he pulled back.
"Then we must go," he murmured. "The faster we get on the road, the sooner we'll be able to get Balez out of there." So saying, he turned and went back into the pub, leaving behind an open door and Ayame's hurt.
Within half an hour's time the clan was traipsing down the dusty road again, chatting eagerly about the battles to come. Liam regretted hurting her, but it was too late to make amends; she kept her distance from him, assuming a cold demeanor and busying herself with polishing her sword. Finding a new option open, she upgraded her job status to "Canaan-bringer." It made little sense to her, but one thing she'd learned was to trust in her weapon's choices, for it had proved itself like a living thing, guiding her into becoming one of the most valuable fighters of Clan Tjavo.
The wandering clans and various monsters they encountered on their way to the palace were fearsome; but the clan overflowing with their own self- confidence and used combinations of physical and magical force and cunning strategy to overcome even the most advanced enemies. No word came from the prince to tell them what to do when they reached the palace, so Liam formulated his own plans, elaborating and trimming them as necessary every second of the journey. Ayame fought with all her available power and was a major winning factor. New attacks became available to her, all using a newly discovered silvery light that could wipe out multiple enemies in one fell swoop. It was impressive, but frightening at the same time, to be a wielder of a power that wasn't familiar and could not be controlled.
When they came within sight of the palace, a long and torturous week had passed. Liam cast troubled glances at Ayame every few minutes, but she refused to look at him. Finally he quit trying, fed up with her unforgiving rejection, and ignored her just as profusely. A good night's sleep in the pub renewed everybody's spirits, nobody noticing the cold barrier between their leaders. Excited tension grew as the day when they planned to enter the palace approached.
But on the morning of the final day, huge news reached the pub that forestalled their plans. Nobody in the pub could talk of anything else, the tale stretching farther and farther as it passed from mouth to mouth.
"Haven't you heard yet? The Elddir struck the palace last night, and they've stolen the last crystal!"
"The Elddir have got the last crystal, and they captured the prince too!"
"You'll never guess--the Elddir killed the prince last night!"
"I know that already, besides, it wasn't just the prince; they killed the queen, too!"
Expanding and twisting with every telling and retelling, it took a long time for Liam to get to the bottom of the story. Apparently it was true that the attack was the Elddir's doing; most stories agreed that they now had the crystal, but in jeopardy was whether any of the royal family had been injured. The problem was, the palace was clearly upping security, and that would prolong their mission to rescue Balez. Obviously destroying the crystal was out of the question now.
Liam's first reaction was to go talk to Ayame and form a new plan of action, before he remembered she was still nursing an injured pride. Withdrawing to his room, he tried to fall back asleep and escape his pounding headache, until a soft knock on the door jerked him out of it. With a groan he lurched to his feet, coming face to face with Ayame.
-
It was Rei, looking very hassled and out of breath. "Liam, they've caught Balez," she wheezed. "You know they've been after him and all his predecessors, ever since Ezel invented those cards. . .well, apparently today the prince and a whole host of guards appeared in his shop today and caught him. He never had a chance."
Liam's eyes turned hard after the first sentence, but when the archer told him that it was the prince's doing, his skin turned a shade paler and he took an involuntary step back. Ayame caught his arm, standing up wide-eyed. "Are you sure it was the prince?" she asked hurriedly, only to receive an affirmative nod.
"Thank you, Rei." Liam gathered himself together, though his eyes remained silver with bitterness. "You can go." The archer left, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"It's a trap," he announced abruptly. "That little brat certainly knows what he's doing, I'll at least give him that. Now that Balez, one of my best friends, is in the dungeon, I have no choice but to get him out. And Madi knew that all along; it's just a way to lure us into the palace. He knew I wouldn't do what he wanted otherwise."
Ayame sat down yet again, an involuntary shiver creeping up her spine. "Then we must go. There's no excuse." Her hand descended gingerly on his wrist. He let a heavy sigh empty his lungs, shoulders slumping as he seated himself beside her. Her hand moved to his shoulder as they caught each other's gaze again. But he pulled back.
"Then we must go," he murmured. "The faster we get on the road, the sooner we'll be able to get Balez out of there." So saying, he turned and went back into the pub, leaving behind an open door and Ayame's hurt.
Within half an hour's time the clan was traipsing down the dusty road again, chatting eagerly about the battles to come. Liam regretted hurting her, but it was too late to make amends; she kept her distance from him, assuming a cold demeanor and busying herself with polishing her sword. Finding a new option open, she upgraded her job status to "Canaan-bringer." It made little sense to her, but one thing she'd learned was to trust in her weapon's choices, for it had proved itself like a living thing, guiding her into becoming one of the most valuable fighters of Clan Tjavo.
The wandering clans and various monsters they encountered on their way to the palace were fearsome; but the clan overflowing with their own self- confidence and used combinations of physical and magical force and cunning strategy to overcome even the most advanced enemies. No word came from the prince to tell them what to do when they reached the palace, so Liam formulated his own plans, elaborating and trimming them as necessary every second of the journey. Ayame fought with all her available power and was a major winning factor. New attacks became available to her, all using a newly discovered silvery light that could wipe out multiple enemies in one fell swoop. It was impressive, but frightening at the same time, to be a wielder of a power that wasn't familiar and could not be controlled.
When they came within sight of the palace, a long and torturous week had passed. Liam cast troubled glances at Ayame every few minutes, but she refused to look at him. Finally he quit trying, fed up with her unforgiving rejection, and ignored her just as profusely. A good night's sleep in the pub renewed everybody's spirits, nobody noticing the cold barrier between their leaders. Excited tension grew as the day when they planned to enter the palace approached.
But on the morning of the final day, huge news reached the pub that forestalled their plans. Nobody in the pub could talk of anything else, the tale stretching farther and farther as it passed from mouth to mouth.
"Haven't you heard yet? The Elddir struck the palace last night, and they've stolen the last crystal!"
"The Elddir have got the last crystal, and they captured the prince too!"
"You'll never guess--the Elddir killed the prince last night!"
"I know that already, besides, it wasn't just the prince; they killed the queen, too!"
Expanding and twisting with every telling and retelling, it took a long time for Liam to get to the bottom of the story. Apparently it was true that the attack was the Elddir's doing; most stories agreed that they now had the crystal, but in jeopardy was whether any of the royal family had been injured. The problem was, the palace was clearly upping security, and that would prolong their mission to rescue Balez. Obviously destroying the crystal was out of the question now.
Liam's first reaction was to go talk to Ayame and form a new plan of action, before he remembered she was still nursing an injured pride. Withdrawing to his room, he tried to fall back asleep and escape his pounding headache, until a soft knock on the door jerked him out of it. With a groan he lurched to his feet, coming face to face with Ayame.