Another New Disclamer. Oh, yes, and this chapter is dedicated to Ejcobra, a friend, for making me keep our bargin.
Lyn awoke in the dark, on hard, cold stone. She managed not to groan this time, and instead tried sitting up, carefully. Her hand found a wall, stone, with what felt like moss or lichen on it, and she used the wall to balance herself. There was a sound of leather on stone, and glowing eyes suddenly fixed Lyn in an angry stare. She yelped, and Janus snorted. "It's about bloody time you woke up. I knew I should have left you, we're behind as it is," he snapped.
"Be…behind?" she asked, trying to look around. Her vision cleared slightly, and she made out the rough form of the stone hallway. Light came very faintly, seeming to emanate from the very walls.
Janus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We're in the dungeon. There's an artifact we're to retrieve. If we fail to bring it back, we'll be killed. Is that simple enough for you?"
Lyn nodded nervously, too emotionally weary to question further. She knew that, while Janus had not lied, he had not told the whole truth. There was something he was hiding, mostly likely in a hope to make life easier on himself. Whatever the Mystic youth was hiding, Lyn knew she wouldn't like it. She also knew that she had no choice. She stood. "Then… we'd better be going," she offered tentatively. Janus sighed and turned away, and mentally she sighed as well. It had been the right thing to say.
As they walked, in silence of course, Lyn was able to look around a little more. The hallways had the feel of a tomb, or dungeons. There wasn't much difference to Mystics. The walls were indeed glowing, a lichen apparently making the light. It gave everything a sickly yellow-blue color, like poisoned moonlight.
From up ahead came the distorted echo of voices. Janus stopped, putting his arm out to stop Lyn. Motioning for her to stay, Janus crept forward to where this hallway intersected another. He peered around the corner, then held up two fingers before beckoning Lyn to him. She came slowly, unwillingly. Janus motioned to her, then around the corner, before making the sign for death. The meaning was clear; either they or she would die, and he wasn't going to come to her rescue this time. She shook her head, but his gaze didn't soften.
Lyn closed her eyes and drew in a long, shuddering breath. Exhaling, she nodded her reluctant agreement. Janus nodded sharply back and held out his hand, which was suddenly filled with the handle of his scythe. Lyn realized then that she didn't have any weapons, but she held her tongue. She didn't think Janus would really care. The man in question grabbed her and made her round the corner with him.
There were, as Janus had indicated, two men, both Human, almost certainly prisoners from their poor condition. "Well, lookit this, it's a coupla them Human-type Mystics. Ya reckon we should kill them?" one said, a length of chain wrapped around his fist and up his forearm.
The other man was unarmed, but he grinned all the same. "Sounds great to me. You get the boy, I'll take her."
"Leave some for me," the first replied, letting the man around him. Janus, too, stepped aside slightly, leaving the man clear access to Lyn. She looked at the Mystic in confusion, but he was already attacking the man with the chain.
Lyn backed away from the man who approached her, leering. "S…Stay away from me…" she warned in a weak voice. The man grinned wider and lunged at her. Lyn was mentally ready for an attack this time, though, and she evaded his clumsy maneuver. He approached again, punching, and again she dodged. A part of Lyn's mind realized that Janus was leaning against the wall, calmly watching the fight, his opponent already dead.
She shook her head at the remaining Human, warning him to stay away as she softly murmured "Azure shards freeze." The man hung back, his eyes on the gathering blue light between her hands. There was a pause; a moment of stillness as Human and Mystic faced each other. Then Lyn looked in his eyes, grief and a strange madness in her own. The spell was completed with a quite "Ice." She flicked her hands and the light flew toward the man, elongating and transforming into a frozen spike. It impacted, pierced his chest. A look of surprise crossed his face, and then he slumped over, the ice dissipating, blood flowing from the wound.
Lyn fell to her knees, starring at the body in blank horror. Janus didn't let her dwell on her action though, lightly touching her shoulder. "Maybe there is hope for you," he muttered, still angry about her behavior in San Dorino but finally beginning to relent. If she wanted his respect again though, she still had a long way to go. He turned away from her and bent over the man he'd killed.
Confused red eyes watched Janus' movements. "I killed him," she said in a distant voice.
"Clumsy and messy, but it's only your second kill," Janus agreed tightly, standing with the chain in his hand.
"Second?" Lyn's voice was still flat, but now there was a note of…disbelief? Or was it horror, or maybe something else?
Janus brushed blue hair from his face. "You forgot the spell you cast in the glen," he replied tiredly. With a frown, he handed her the chain. "Even a magician needs some weapon."
Lyn took the chain and looked it over curiously, the change of topic aiding her mental recovery. The iron links were rusted, but still sound, decently made, with a good weight. The chain was about six feet long and rather thin, a little over an inch and a half at the widest. "How… do I use it?" she asked hesitantly, not sure when Janus would resume his silent treatment.
"How should I know! I've never used a chain before! Experiment," the Mystic responded, riled.
"I… I'm sorry," Lyn responded. To her surprise, her statement seemed to make Janus even angrier.
"Stop saying that! Be strong and do things right the first time, and you won't need to say that!" Crimson eyes glared at her, and then Janus sighed again. "Apologizing just shows how weak you are," he added in a tired voice.
Lyn started to ask forgiveness again then she stopped and closed her mouth, thinking. She didn't know why Janus was helping her again, because he still seemed to be mad. It seemed there was still a chance for her to… redeem herself?
"Did… they have the… um, artifact?" Lyn asked, barely able to glance at her kill. Her kill… she'd killed, killed a Human. Could she claim self-defense? Did… did it really matter? She was a killer, twice so from Janus' words. Perhaps… maybe it was time… to accept that she was… Was… Her mind shied away from the though, unwilling to complete it.
Janus shook his head. "No… We'll have to keep hunting. C'mon." He turned the way they had been going, and started walking. Lyn followed, forcing herself to stride, not trot.
"Are… there more, ah, 'teams'?" Lyn asked quietly. Janus only nodded briefly, an indication that he didn't want conversation. Lyn sighed to herself and was silent.
A few moments later, the young pair came across two bodies, both imps. The blue Mystics had apparently been beaten to death, most likely by the Humans the youths had just fought. Looking at the carnage made Lyn faintly sick, but Janus, if anything, seemed pleased. "Only four left," he observed quietly. Lyn wanted to scream at him, didn't he feel anything, but she was silent. She didn't agree with it, she wanted to change it, but… this was how life was, among the Mystics, in the midst of war.
They continued traversing the dungeon-like halls, the strange moss lighting giving the time a surreal feel. Lyn knew she'd have nightmares about this. That, or she would be completely changed, completely… a Mystic. The thought was still enough to make her shiver, but it was starting to have its appeal. She was still lost in her thoughts when a stone hit her in the back.
Lyn pitched forward, thrown off balance by the impact. She caught herself, scraping her hands on the floor, as Janus spun around, realizing something was going on. The attackers, again Humans, charged Lyn and Janus. The cerulean-haired boy was already acting, though, chanting a spell and gesturing. There was an explosion of darkness and the Humans fell. Lyn was back on her feet now, and she turned, trying to see what had happened.
Janus walked over to the fallen attackers, checking quickly to see if either had survived, and if they had the item he needed. When he was done, he glanced at Lyn and shook his head. "There's nothing left for you, but you'll get more chances. We have to keep looking."
"I… don't want more chances," Lyn gasped out, her mind still trying to make sense of what happened.
"Pity," Janus replied shortly. He sighed and decided to explain more. "This is a ceremony, an acceptance ceremony. The better we do here, the better off we'll be there," he motioned vaguely towards the rest of the castle. "Right now, it looks like I'll be outranking you."
Lyn wanted to say she didn't want any rank among the Mystics, but her protest died unspoken. If she succeeded here, she wouldn't be a slave anymore. But to succeed, she'd… have to try. Have to change.
Janus watched Lyn, guessing at her thoughts from her expression. "Stop being so readable," he snapped, and her face closed. "Right. Let's go."
Okay, got a question. Shigatsu87 has made a request for Janus/Lyn romance. Or Magus/Lyn, the point remains. I can do it, or I can -not- do it. The question is -should- I? I'm asking for advice. A note: just because one side gets more 'votes' doesn't mean that's what I'll do. This is -advice, in a monarcy (aurthoracy?), not voting in a democracy. grinsAnd with that said, on to the reviewers! Three this time!
Shigatsu87: Yes, it WAS a short chapter. Oh well, this isn't. And I'm glad you wanted to review!
Ollen70: You're bad, I'm bad. You didn't review earlier, I inflicted un-beta'ed chapters on everybody. And I was in a hurry with this chapter... maybe next chapter will be beta'ed, hum? grins
Campin' Carl: Who says short chapters are bad? My fic Joachim has even SHORTER chapters! But yes, I am trying for longer chapters, but if I go to long, then it will take FOREVER for me to update. So... it's a balancing act. Glad to hear you like it even so.
