Nine: Fire
Was it all just a dream? Or a vision? This is the outlying area of the Kingdom of Asturia. In a forest there, I met an angel of light. His name was Ralph Kurt. When his giant defeated Deathscythe, I was overcome by a terrifying vision.
Duo stared at the hysterical Hilde Schbeiker as Ralph rushed toward her. The girl's arms were thrashing wildly as though she were fending off some unseen enemy, it wasn't surprising to the young man to say the least; He had seen her act like this several times over their short time of knowing each other. And frankly it was becoming more of an annoyance to Duo then something he could worry himself about. She's doing it again, he thought to himself gripping the handle of his sword. Ralph helped the young woman off the ground where she had fallen, his brown eyes full of concern. "What's the matter, Hilde?" He asked. Hilde was in a momentary daze, her thoughts were thrown in an array of confusion as she tried to pull herself back from that edge of insanity that were her visions.
Blinking a few times Hilde's head snapped up toward Ralph's concerned expression. "Ralph, you have to get away from here! Take everyone and get away from here! The invisible enemy is coming to attack you!" She cried shaking his arms. Ralph was taken aback by the outburst of the young woman, he smiled gently and grasped her shoulders. "Perhaps seeing Gymelef's battle was too much for you," He said gently. Duo rolled his eyes in disgust, too much, he thought sardonically. Hilde shook her head furiously becoming frustrated with the way Ralph was treating her heeding. "NO! Everything's gonna burn! Really! Everything ---- everyone ---- is gonna be swallowed by flames! I'm not lying! I saw it! The invisible giants that attacked Fanelia will burn everything down," She cried on the brink of shouting. "I saw it, honest!" Ralph's band of men suddenly became on-edge at the wide-eyed girl's rambling. Getting the idea that maybe she was right and someone was going to attack them. Whispers around the camp became like a buzz that felt as uneasy and tense as Hilde did. It wasn't helping her composure any.
A bald man by the name of Ort grinned at this as he scratched his neck with the tip of his dagger's blade to relieve a nasty itch that had been bothering him. "I hear she comes from the mystic moon. They say that place is cursed," He spoke in a casual manner. This really riled the men up, their whispers became louder and more intense by the minute, their eyes darting from one another but most of them had their eyes transfixed on Hilde, staring at her if she were come kind of plague. Duo watched them with a still face, shaking his head. "Enough!" Bellowed Ralph. "Soldiers of Asturia aren't afraid of old wives' tales! Forgive me. I apologize for the rudeness of my men." He paused, noting the worn expression Hilde carried on her face, he was greatly disturbed by this. "You're tired. You should rest inside," He said. Hilde raised her head in response, her mouth began to move but the sound of an approaching horse caught her attention. Duo looked up as well, since he was up on Deathscythe he could see the approaching figure on horseback and the object that dangled lifelessly behind him on the back of the horse, barely on the saddle.
"Boss!" Cried Teo as he brought his horse to a stop. Everyone in the camp followed after Ralph and Hilde, gathering around Teo's horse. "What is, Teo?" Ralph asked, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. Teo shifted his horse to the side revealing a limp body of a strange creature. "We caught someone suspicious out in the forest," The man explained looking a little perturbed. Ralph walked over to inspect the bruised creature. He wasn't surprised to find that it had long ears not of human design, fur around her wrist and ankles, black stripes on her arms among other places, and a long thin tail with a cotton ball end to it. "Suspicious?" Ralph said disbelievingly. Teo nodded while the men that formed a circle began to whisper again about the mystic moon and if the girl's rambling was indeed all truth.
Ralph had seen one of the felines before; They were well known to be kind in a majority of villages that surrounded the territory they once reigned before the sudden spread of dragons in the early years. Nowadays humanoid cats were known to be ruthless killers for money. But the one he stared at was barely over age of 13 probably, a child still. "Wait, don't tell me she was telling the truth?" Ort blurted feeling edging himself. Duo was oblivious to everything around him until his cobalt blue eyes fell upon the spectacle in which everyone was poking and inquiring about. His pupils dilated in sheer disbelief. Could it really be she? After hours of not knowing if she was all right or —. Duo sprang from his Deathscythe and dashed forward in haste.
His heart was pounding against his chest as he neared the crowd. "Merle! MERLE!" He cried desperately. "Merle! Merle . . . Merle!" Ralph was taken by surprise when the ear's lifted up in acknowledgment followed by the raising of her head. She looked around blinking rapidly. Her dirty face brightened when she heard the approaching figure call her name again, more vigorously and panicked. "Duo-Sama? Duo-Sama!" She cried happily hopping off the horse. Merle hit the ground. Her brain was remembering that she had tied up by her horseback riding attacker.
Duo shoved everyone out of his way upon spotting Merle on the ground. He shoved by Ralph sending a glar in his direction. "Merle," He breathed happily untiing the young girl. Ralph shifted his confused gaze over to Hilde who looked on with worried eyes. She glanced at the tall man in question. "You know her?" He asked. Hilde nodded slowly wiping her brow of the sweat that rolled down her face. "Yes, she from Fanelia," Hilde whispered faintly.
Duo embraced his childhood friend as if she were a specter that would vanish if he even loosened his grip in the slightest. "Duo-sama! I finally found you!" Merle hugged him as much as her aching limbs would allow her. Duo rubbed the humanoid cat's neck in an attempt to relax her, the world around him was forgotten. "Merle, what happened to Fanelia?" He said hesitantly. Duo didn't want to believe a word Ralph had told him earlier. He had to believe that his homeland and its people were all right, because if didn't . . . Duo shook his head mentally not wanting to know what he would do if it were the truth. "It burned," She finally said. Duo's eyes widened in horror, Ralph just looked on with intense eyes. Merle continued wearily. "I-It all burned down. All the Samurai at the castle were killed . . . The survivors were scattered . . . Everybody was gone . . . There wasn't anybody left. I-I went to look for you . . . I''ve been looking for you ever since . . . "
Merle proceeded to cry against the young man's chest while he held her close to his body. "Merle . . . I''m glad you made it, Merle." He rested his chin atop head. Hilde found herself surrounded by a burning Fanelia and Merle standing in the brunt of it all her large eyes looking on in horror at the devastation that left her only home in ruins. Bodies of those who did not make it were mangled and disfigured, the samurai and their Gymelef's were barely recognizable as it was. The smell of blood as well as fire and smoke was beginning to overwhelm Hilde's senses. No . . . Why''s it burning? It's so hot . . . The last thing Hilde saw was Duo holding Merle. She then proceeded into unconsciousness.
Upon the floating fortress of Zaibach Solo stood in the dark room that was momentarily by the light of the large screen before him. On the screen was his master Treize Kushrenada looking less than pleased with him – or the future. Across from Solo, stood Lady Une who tapped her for impatiently, for her entire being was screaming out to her to go and destroy the possible enemy that was rising up in Ralph Kurt's camp. "Solo. The dragon has almost disappeared," He said in a usual calm demeanor.
Solo opened his eyes staring up at the image of his master in question. "The dragon, master Treize?" He repeated uncertain. Treize's eyes narrowed a little as he nodded in response. "Distortion has begun to appear in the image of our ideal future. If the dragon slips through our fingers, there is no telling how profound the impact on our future will be. Capture the dragon, at all costs," Treize's voice remained soft and commanding. Solo paused for a moment knowing exactly whom he was speaking of. His brother. The brother, who, despised the organization he had affiliated himself with.
After a moment he bowed his head obediently. "Yes, Majesty," He said. Treize smiled almost proudly before disconnecting his communications. Solo was silent for a while before hearing the door of the room sliding open. Light a part of the room before it was blocked out by the tall feminine body of Lady Une. He never turned his head, simply his eyes. "Where are you going?" He asked almost indignantly. Lady Une turned in response with a frown on her beautiful features.
"Where else? To launch an attack. We know where the dragon is," The 19-year-old woman responded proudly. There was no way she would miss the opportunity to capture this foe that had Treize concerned for the future he had planned out for all denizens of Gaia. She would make him proud. Solo turned his head this time staring straight into the reflective lenses of Une's glasses; he cringed at the violent pride and determination that radiated off the woman across from him. "Asturia is an ally," He stated firmly. Une rolled her eyes slightly placing a hand on her hip.
"Alliances are made to be broken," She snapped. " If we wait for the politicians, our prey will get away." Solo snorted in amusement at her bravado. "What's gotten you so worked up?" He asked poignantly. Une had her back to the young man now having grown tired of all his questions. "Nothing that concerns the likes of you. What matters is the mission. If we use your stealth cloaks, there won't be any evidence that Zaibach was behind the attack," She paused halfway out of the door upon hearing Solo grunt. " I think you''ll like the souvenir I'll bring back, Stratego."
With that the brown-haired woman headed out of the room shutting the door behind her. Solo stared into the darkness, his brown eyes burning from the sting of the light that resided outside the room. There was nothing more he despised than a cocky solider, a cocky woman at that. There was no stopping them once they had twisted minds fixated on something and nothing that could stand in their way for that matter, except death. He certainly hoped Lady Une would stick to protocol and keep the steal cloaks in action and their target alive. Gaia knows what would happen if she killed him.
Mole was fast asleep in his prison cell. The cell door of his captivity opened. Duo looked at the two men dressed in armor for a brief moment as they stepped aside to let him enter the cell, he looked around for a brief moment before walking through the darkness toward the large lump in the middle of the floor. He recognized it as the overweight man that helped him back to his Gymelef. Kneeling down, his fingers grasped the long whiskers on the man's filthy face and pulled hard at it. Mole awakened instantly, his hands waving about him as he was set up into a sitting position by the young man.
He opened his beady eyes focusing them on his aggressor. He sighed in dismay rubbing his face. Duo stared straight at him as though he were a phantom or something not worth his attention. "W-Well, if it isn't the young king . . . You came all the way down here to the dungeon to disturb my nap?" Mole-man grouched. Duo grunted in faint amusement as he showed him the seed he had found on Merle's forearm. "If you're one of the forest people, you have some glar leaves, right?" Duo asked quickly.
He had no time to play games with the so called 'pervert.' "Hai-Hai . . . You know about these leaves?" Mole man yawned sleepily. He reached into a large pocket of his jacket revealing a pair of leaves, Duo snatched them from his hand and placed them into a bowl he brought down with him. Placing himself into a comfortable sitting position. With the end of his sword against his shoulder, Duo used the butt of the handle to smash the leaves into a suitable paste to treat Merle's infected injuries. "My brother told me about them. He said they can neutralize most poisons," Duo explained briefly. The mole man just blinked in disbelief as he watched the stoic young man hard at work at the leaves in the bole. Duo grinded a little bit more before looking toward the mole man, the odd overweight man looked around in question. Finally Duo said, "Hey, mole man! Hold this bowl for me! Hurry up!" The Mole man sighed in dismay knowing whatever hopes he had in taking another nap were dashed. And it was all because of the tall young man sitting across from him."My, my your such a bossy young man," He grumbled. Duo was far too lost in his thoughts to respond. He kept his mind focused on the matter at hand.
Outside the building of the base camp, Ralph, Gaddes, and Reeden stood on the lower balcony of the watch tower watching the other men prep their weapons and shields, practically rushing all over the place to get prepared for whatever Ralph was worried about. Gaddes looked stared at his commander. Forcing back the temptation groan in dismay, to tell his friend that he was just worrying over something that would probably never come to pass. Of course this wasn't because he didn't trust the young girl, but his single opinion on a person that feared an attack was not enough to outweigh his commander's caution.
Nevertheless, he had to say something. "Looks like you believe the old wives' tales, too, Commander," He said, trying not to smirk. Ralph turned his attention to his second in command with a skeptic look. "What makes you say that?" He said casually brushing his short locks of hair away from his ear. Gaddes shrugged absentmindedly pointing to down at the commotion going on below. "These emergency combat preparations, for one. That girl from Mystic Moon said has you worried, huh?" Gaddes almost laughed. Ralph grinned faintly as he watched soldiers, his men prepare themselves for the oncoming danger.
There was some part of him that told him not to be worried, that Zaibach wouldn't be as stupid as he thought they were and try to destroy the base belonging to a country they had formed an alliance with. However, his better judgement was telling him to expect nothing but that from Zaibach – more so from the top-ranking officer, Lady Une. "Not at all. Zaibach came here because they know Deathscythe is here," Ralph explained firmly. Reeden shrank back a big at the thought of an attack, if what he heard was true, then the Gymelef's that Zaibach could become invisible and kill them undetected, thus keeping all blame from falling on them. "You really don't think Zaibach is gonna attack us, does ya' Boss?" He said, wavering. Ralph shrugged. "I wouldn't put it behind them. Prep the Crusade," He said quickly. Gaddes' eyebrows narrowed in concern at the distant expression on their boss' face. Pulling himself together, Gaddes said, "Yes, sir. Come on, Reeden!" Reeden nodded in agreement and the two entered the tower and headed for the ladder that resided on the other side of the room. Ralph looked at the setting sun with a panicked look in his brown eyes. When will you attack, Lady Une? He thought stressfully.
When Hilde awoke from her slumber she was met with the sound of laughter and a light-hearted voice that sounded a lot like that of Duo Maxwell's, but that was impossible. Duo was the broodiest person she had met second to Heero Yuy and that was saying something coming from her. "Duo-sama (laughs)!" Came an alarmed voice. "Well, it's true. Evil does attract evil. That's why the Zaibach army came here. A brave knight of Austria, Ralph Kurt attracted them with his soiled toothy smile," Duo joked. Merle laughed again. She cracked her eyes opened to get a peek at her surroundings.
As far as she knew it was dark outside now and the conversation she barely remembered having with Ralph when she had first awakened from her unconscious state, was a blur to her. She didn't remember a thing she had said to the older man. Rubbing her eyes, she stared; There she found Duo Maxwell sitting upon the stool in front of Merle's bed rubbing some sort of ointment on her upper arm, his mouth was in the shape of a smile as he spoke to her. The cat-girl giggled genuinely amused by what Duo had said to her. Hilde rubbed her ears fearing she had gone deaf.
Once she had stopped rubbing them, Duo arose from his place on the bench muttering something to Merle while gesturing to the brown bowl in his hand before vanishing through the front door of the bed room. Hilde sighed whipping her brow, her eyes averted to the night sky outside her window above her. There the earth hung in the sky. Waiting for her to reach it. It had been two days since she arrived to the strange world with the stoic young man, prince Duo. She still had no way of getting back home and Duo seemed more worried about that cat-girl than her well-being at the moment. Hilde gasped looking up at the feeling of a pair of eyes on her.
The German teenager almost fell out of the bed when she spotted Merle staring right at her. The cat's looking this way! Hilde thought, pulling her sheet up a little higher. Merle continued to scowl, her tail rippled in sheer rage as she examined Hilde's entire demeanor. It''s that girl from the Mystic Moon . . . She's got that short, weird hair. Weird clothes, too . . . The humanoid cat thought her face getting redder. Hilde cringed in horror at the maddening expression Merle's face. When Hilde looked around the room, Duo was nowhere in sight. Was she imagining the moment between him and Merle? Or was he really there? Where was Duo when you needed him? He was the only one capable of taming that . . . that wild animal!
She's got "cat" written all over her . . . Those ears . . . That tail . . . She's so weird . . . ! She wouldn't be so bad if she just acted nicer, the young woman thought, sweat rolling down her cheek. Merle appeared to be getting madder when she noticed something very similar about they're besides. They both had benches! Why the heck did, I get stuck with the bench! Merle's tail was now inflated and spiking with rage. She looks mad about something! Hilde thought. As she figured on how to evade a possible attack from Merle, the same chilling sensation she had from earlier in the day overcame her again. The world around her went black and the image of a flying demon rushing at her filled her vision. Her eyebrows furrowed in determination to find out what it was. Something's coming! She thought upon opening her eyes. Of all the unexpected things to expect, Hilde did not expect to stare into the pale brown, wrinkled face of the Mole-Man.
Hilde screamed in terror kicking out her leg at the Mole-man, he screamed equally loud but had no chance to retaliate against Hilde's leg assault and was sent rolling across the floor. Hilde looked from under her covers to find Duo standing at Merle's beside with a look of disbelief on his face. Merle's fat tail deflated instantly upon noticing her lord standing just a few feet from her bed. "Duo-sama!" She cried happily. Duo nodded in the humanoid cat's direction as he approached her, he sat down balancing the bowl in his hand carefully. Swooping two of his fingers into the medicine, he prepared for Merle and Hilde's cuts. The cat-girl winced when he placed his fingers on her injury and rubbed more medicine into it.
She watched him curiously as he pulled a lavender sheet of fabric from his pocket and tied it around her arm as a sort of bandage for her injury. Merle's mouth fell open in joy for but a brief moment before she turned her attention to Hilde. The German girl drew back slightly at this and frowned when Merle stuck her tongue out at her. Duo hid a smile as he rose from his chair and headed over to the Hilde, the girl watched him cautiously unsure of what he was doing when she saw his hand (which she had not been paying attention to) grasp the sheet that covered her body. There was a strong gust of wind from the sheet as it was tossed aside, Hilde almost jumped out of the bed when Duo sat down beside her. She watched him apply the medicine onto her leg, unfazed by her thin legs or the simple fact that she was wearing noting but a dress and blouse. "Hold still. Some plant poison got into the wound. This will bring your fever down," He explained quietly. Despite the fact that she wasn't feeling the greatest, she was thankful to have someone like him around to help her out.
Duo didn't seem to notice she was staring at him like some heaven-sent angel or some holy manifestation. He was far too busy administering the medicine to her cut. He dipped his fingers back into the mint green substance and headed back to her leg for one final coating. It took only one time for Duo's fingers to brush against her leg. He saw her flinch. He looked up confused. Duo was even more taken aback by the petrified expression on the dark-haired girl's face, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "Duo . . . They're here . . . The invisible giants are here!" She whispered in horror. Duo stood up from his place so fast, the bowl of mashed leaves hit the ground. Its contents splattered everywhere. Merle hopped out of the bed quickly and was at Duo's side quicker than Hilde could limp out of the bed, her leg was still aching from the wound. "Zaibach, is attacking you say?" Duo asked. His head turned toward Hilde. She nodded her head vigorously as the young man pulled his sword out from it's sheathe. "All right then, we have to get to Escaflowne before anything ----." Duo stopped short when he heard a gasp from Hilde. He turned to meet her frozen aquamarine gaze. She was staring straight at him. "What?" Hilde leapt onto Merle and Duo, tackling them to the ground. The Mole man was just climbing off the ground when a loud explosion over head of him broke through the glass. He ducked back down as fire reigned above him. Duo could feel himself sweating as the heat intensified inside the room, he had managed to get on top of the two girls and shielded them with his body.
The four bodies seemed to lie on the ground for what seemed like forever. The whooshing sound of the fire died out and the room was filled with black smoke. Merle and Hilde coughed violent when the pressure from Duo's body was relieved. They batted their hands in every witch way, trying to make out the path to the door. Mole Man shuddered with fear as he watched Duo help the two girls to their feet. The wall around them danced with fire, the sheets of the bed were being eaten away by the raging inferno. Duo covered his face with his arm as he looked toward the window; There was no way they would escape through the window. Especially since he didn't know how high they were at the moment, his mind was too muddled with panic. "Mole Man, get up! Where's Deathscythe?" Duo shouted as loud as he could. "Ralph had it hidden in the forest ––. You can get there by taking the tunnel in the kitchen!" Mole man remained on the floor, he crawled toward the exit of the room.
Duo grabbed Merle and Hilde's wrists. Duo lead the two of them out of the room, hardly paying attention to their cries of pain as he did so. Hilde swore she could feel Duo's heart beating wildly in her own chest as he rounded the corner and down the stairs. The first floor of the cabin wasn't on fire, thankfully. It made Duo's job a lot easier. He entered the kitchen, he looked to the right of the meat storage and spotted another indication that there was a hole made by the Mole man there. "What are we doing in the kitchen, Duo? This is no time to be thinking of eating!" Hilde and Merle chided in unison. Duo grinned bitterly as he pushed the meat storage to the side, revealing the hole. "This should take us where we want to go," He said. Hilde and Merle looked stunned form a moment, Duo tapped his foot impatiently against the cobblestone floor.
He snapped his fingers loudly and pointed to the tunnel entrance. "Hurry up," Duo tried not to sound too panicked. Hilde and Merle nodded, the cat-girl went into the hole first and was followed by Hilde second. Duo grabbed the handle of his sword and brandished, he looked around. The sounds of loud thumping that made the earth beneath him trembled, surrounded the young man. His braid was draped around his shoulders, he swallowed as the vibrations became stronger. Where are you Zaibach scum? He thought angrily. The thunderous aggressor fell silent, Duo knew their invisible Gymelef's approaching.
He was defiantly no match for them without Deathscythe. Swallowing, Duo approached the door way instead of the hole; If they spotted him already then going in another direction was the best thing to do. Hilde and Merle could take care of themselves without him for the time being. Another thunderous thump irrupted behind him, Duo looked up just in time to see the cabin's rooftop being ripped off by a thousand claws. He made his way toward the door before the invisible Gymelef could get a good look at him.
Duo pushed himself to run faster, to ignore the carnage going on around him. His heart pounded relentlessly against his chest as he dodged falling pieces of Gymelef armor and tiny shards of their weapons. Fire erupted out of thin air, sometimes the fire was aimed at him, but Duo managed ---- barely —- to dodge the attacks that came his way. Sweat rolled down his face as he got closer to the place Mole man said he saw Ralph Deathscythe. Somewhere in the forest. He was wishing he had taken the tunnel instead of running out into the open. The Fanelia born teen prayed he would get there in time, he prayed that Deathscythe hadn't been stolen, he prayed Merle and Hilde were all right.
Within the floating fortress, Solo watched the destruction down below with a look of utter disappointment. Lady Une was showing no remorse or any bit of self-control over her army as they set the camp on fire. He brushed his blonde hair out of his face and rubbed his brown eyes. His ghost pain was returning in his right arm again. Meanwhile down below, Une rebelled in the destruction as she set more objects she had missed before aflame. She grinned wickedly when she heard the pained riddled scream of a man that had tried to escape his Gymelef before she set it on fire. Lady Une continued on her rampage until there was a familiar crackle on her COM-link. "This is foolish. How long are you going to resort to senseless slaughter?" Solo said, his voice was lined with irritation. Lady Une looked up in the direction the Floating fortress was hovering with a cynical smile forming on her lips. She shrugged her slightly restricted shoulders. "This is the surest way to destroy any evidence. All we have to do now is capture Deathscythe once it's smoked out," She said confidently. There was no way that meddlesome Machine was going to escape her grasp, not while there was still breath in her body. Another crackle of static followed Solo's grunt of disbelief.
Lady Une was widely known for her battle skills, merciless personality, and strategies that won over any high-ranking General's plans for war any day of the week. However, the almost maniacal and short-tempered side of the woman was disliked by everyone who believed in fighting with honor. Solo couldn't care less what other people thought of Lady Une's dirty tactics; They got the job done quick, but sometimes she went a little overboard. "Do you think this Ralph Kurt of Asturia will do something as foolish as letting himself be herded by fire?" Solo insisted.
He walked over to the large window to get a better layout of the burning camp below him. "Don't play games with me, Solo. What are you getting at?" Lady Une asked impatiently. Solo closed his eyes as he envisioned his brother. "The waterfall at the cliff behind the castle. They say that birds build nests behind waterfalls," The blonde explained. "To prevent them from being attacked, you see." Lady Une was confused for a brief moment, why was he telling her about the behavior nesting bird ---- Her heart skipped three beats, her eyes widened in shock. She turned her Gymelef toward the burning castle. "They're behind the castle!" Une shouted, enraged.
When Merle and Hilde climbed out of the tunnel, they found themselves in the middle of forest. Merle galloped out of the exit on all fours like the cat she was and looked around fanatically. Hilde climbed out with a little more caution, she placed both hands onto a smooth space upon the grass and carefully pulled the lower part of her body out the tunnel, onto the ground. She sighed in relief, glad to be out of the small space. The beginning of the tunnel was deep, spiraling downward like some bottomless pit. She had a hard time getting down the steep part without falling onto Merle and crushing her (although, she was more worried about falling to her death than crushing Merle). The entire time she had to listen to the 'cat-girl' tease her and mock her clothes. Hilde had been gracious enough not to say anything which only made Merle more peeved at her. But once they felt a breeze flowing around their aching legs, Merle fell silent and spent her energy on getting to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Hilde was grateful for the silence, but the absence of Duo's otherwise annoying presence was unnerving and it had her clutching onto her pendant. Bringing herself out of her thoughts, Hilde looked around the silent forest, she ignored the faint sounds of war going on below her down in the camp. Her heart thumped at the thought of Ralph being killed; She hoped the Knight was all right. Hilde turned her attention toward Merle who was prowling around something large and onymous sticking out the cluster of trees. The German teenager headed over to Merle with a perplexed expression on her face. Merle poked at the large thing with a nearby stick she picked up, she was making one of her absolutely funny faces again as she did so. "Merle-san, what are you doing?" Hilde asked. Merle poked at the thing one last time before shifting her large eyes over to Hilde. "What's it look like? I'm inspecting whatever this thing is," She retorted. Hilde gave the cat girl a look, Merle stared back while poking at the large object with the stick. A loud explosion coming from the camp caused both girls to jump in fear. Duo-sama, must be in some kind of trouble! Merle thought clutching her nail file. Hilde's flesh turned cold and clammy; The world around her went black. A vision of Duo running through a demolished campsite was shown.
He was drenched in sweat and his legs were about to give out on him. He fell to the ground when he was slapped hard in the back by an unknown force behind him. He tumbled in a circular motion across the scorched ground, he came to a utter halt against what was left of a wall. Duo's red and bruised face looked up from the ground it had fallen on as the scenery before him became distorted and the Red Demon that Hilde had seen in her previous vision, stood over Duo's fallen body. Its thick short arm aimed itself at Duo and the next thing the young man on the ground knew, was darkness. Hilde watched in pure horror as the liquid metal that impaled Duo, in various places, slid back into the arm of the Gymelef, dripping in blood. Hilde was thrown out of her vision by the sudden warm glow of something in front of her. She and Merle looked up at the large thing covered in tree branches, just in time to see them be swallowed by a blinding pink light. Hilde covered her eyes as the light came toward her, Merle did the same. Hilde was prepared for the worse. Deathscythe!
Duo hated to run in the heat. Summer wasn't his favorite time of the year, the fire and smell of death churned around him like one of Balgus' incense he used during his mediation. His nostrils flared unable to withstand the strong smell of burning flesh, he gagged a bit as he stumbled through the fire's desert. The loud footfalls he had hear previously at the house had continued to follow him, he had hoped to lose it when he entered the Gymelef storehouse (Ralph and the others had taken refuge in their Crusade), but to no avail. The giant continued to come after him — although it stopped to destroy the Crusade.
Duo contemplated in that small time window whether or not to let the invisible giant kill the entire crew (what was left of them) while defenseless inside the Crusade. However, the image of Balgus flashed in his mind and Duo put aside his spite for the men and proceeded to toss nicely shaped rocks in the general direction he hoped the giant was. When rock hit the air, Duo knew he had hit the Gymelef. Large puffs of smoke began to approach him at a patient pace of walking, Duo hopped up and down for a brief second before breaking into a run past the Gymelef. Ralph kept calling him, telling him to come back to the cave, but Duo ignored him and ran as fast as he could. Now, Duo found himself in the barest parts of the burning camp, he looked in every direction for a way into the forest but every exit or possible exits was blocked by burning rubble. His legs were beginning to grow weak, He was drenched in sweat and his legs were about to give out on him. He fell to the ground when he was slapped hard in the back by an unknown force.
He tumbled in a circular motion across the scorched ground, he came to an utter halt against what was left of a wall. Duo's red and bruised face looked up from the ground it had fallen on as the scenery before him became distorted and the Red Gymelef stood over Duo's fallen body. Its thick short arm aimed itself at Duo's body. The young man's arms trembled as he fought in vain to pull his aching body up off the ground. His muscles in his legs felt like elastic and his breathing was shallow. He was going to die . . . . He could feel it in his bones. A single liquidized blade hardened itself into a sharp pointed spear. Duo watched it extend slowly toward him. It pressed against his throbbing abdomen, applying pressure. The teenager gritted his teeth and slashed the blade with his sheathed sword. The blade retracted and returned in the shape of a claw. Duo clamped his eyes shut and the next thing the young man on the ground knew was a blinding light surrounding him. His body was lifted off the ground and wrapped in the light. Somewhere in the far off distance he could see Merle and Hilde, clutching to each other for dear life and in front of him resided his Gymelef ---- Deathscythe. The black and gray machine had its bulky arms and legs spread out in a star formation, Duo's cobalt blue eyes watched in horror as the light swallowed his partner whole and then fired at him. Duo could feel his muscles stiffen painfully as the light traveled throughout his body and he feared the worse for his well-being. Little did he know that the red Gymelef was taken by the light as well.
(TBC)