Author's Notes: Okay, random-people-who-knew-Luc time.
@Fate: @_@ Ooh, okay. I just wanted to make my non-Luc/Sera-ness clear. As for "The Search", I haven't actually uploaded it. I don't know when I should, but I don't want to just suddenly flood Fanfiction.net with my stuff. @_@;;;
@Deth Star: I don't know if you're talking about the Gaidens or not, but it doesn't really matter to me, since… well, I want to write this.
@Luc: @_@ Stop reading my mind. Apple comes up… right about now.
@Touga: T.T I was very sad about Luc's death as well…
Disclaimer: Suikoden is not mine. Millie/Luc==cool. ^-^ I just wanted to say that.
Who Is The Mysterious Magician Luc?
Chapter 3: "Obscure Alliances"
Futch and Viki aren't the only ones who knew him. A bunch of other people in Budehuc knew him as well…
"Miss Jeane, Miss Apple, Mister Tuta… and possibly, Miss Lilly." Kidd scribbled their names down his notepad, frowning slightly. "They knew him… although, it seems they don't want to let other people know that…"
"But I still want to ask them though… Who is the mysterious magician Luc?"
* * *
I-will-not-be-scared-I-will-not-be-scared-I-will-not-be-scared…
Yet as Kidd neared the entrance to the Runemistress', panic rose up his throat. Kidd shut his eyes tightly, his body reflexively freezing. How can I face her though… after the last time?…
"Scary!!" Kidd squealed. A few people turned to look at him. Kidd blushed. They must think I'm a weirdo…
Kidd gathered his resolve and prepared to enter Jeane's Rune Shop. Remember, this is for an investigation… Kidd then blinked. Wait a minute—that's exactly it!! This is for an investigation!! A-and… last time, I was investigating her and she… Kidd stifled the urge to cry. Jeane was just plain… eerie.
"Hiya Kidd, watcha standing there for?" A husky female voice called.
Kidd yelped in surprise. The Runemistress was beside him, leaning against a wall. She offered the informer a little smile, her heavy-lidded eyes twinkling slyly.
"Kidd, are you here for an investigation?" Jeane asked, leaning towards him.
"Er, um—yes!! A-an ingestion—I mean, in-vest-ig-a-tion!!!" Kidd stuttered.
"Really??" The runesage's face darkened dangerously. "You still DARE to investigate about me??!"
"N-n-no!!!" Kidd shook his head frantically. "I swear, I'm not, I won't, I mean—I, I, I want to know about Luc!!!"
"Hmm??" Jeane fixed him a puzzled look.
"Umm… you see, I'm trying to investigate about Luc's past," Kidd began. "You knew him, right, from the Dunan War and from the Toran War, so, so…" Kidd looked up at her pleadingly. "I want to ask you about him, j-just that… not… you…"
"Tee-hee, sure thing." Jeane giggled.
"You did know him, right?"
"Well… I kind of knew him from those two wars…" Jeane answered enigmatically.
"What do you mean??" Kidd asked.
Jeane shot him another dark look.
"E-he!! Sorrysorrysorry…" Kidd put his hands together, as if in prayer.
"So… there, I kinda knew him." Jeane drawled. "Although I kinda wish… I really knew him…"
"………" I should never have bothered… Miss Jeane NEVER gives a real answer…
"As a Rune Sage though, I'd tell you this," Jeane said seriously. "He holds a True Rune and that makes him powerful—but that doesn't come without a price…" She sighed. "Just like Tir… and Riou and Jowy… the curse caught up with him…"
"Curse??" Kidd echoed.
"The curse of his True Rune…" Jeane said.
"Wha—what—"
"He fought us…" Jeane looked away from the informer and slipped back in her shop. Kidd knew better than to prod.
"T-thank you…" Kidd called to her.
"See you, Kidd." Jeane winked. "I'm just happy we saved his soul."
"We?"
"Goodbye."
* * *
"You should have known better than to ask Miss Jeane," Doctor Tuta shook his head, an amused smile on his face.
"Yes Doctor," Kidd murmured in a dramatic manner. "Her answers just made my head ache terribly… I'm never so stressed as when I am trying to get information from her—would you have something for migraine?"
Tuta nearly laughed at the boy's exaggerations, but suppressed himself. Instead, he turned to his nurse and said, "Mio, please get Kidd some headache remedy."
"Yes Doctor." Mio smiled sweetly and fetched some pills and a glass of water. She handed Kidd the said items. "Here Kidd, take a pill every two hours."
"Thank you very much." Kidd popped in a pill. His face suddenly scrunched up and turned red. "MMMMMMMMRF!!!"
"Kidd, Kidd!!!" Alarmed, Tuta stood behind the boy's back and brought his arms around Kidd. He then forced Kidd to spit the pill. Kidd coughed violently, his eyes tearing up. Mio brought a glass of water to Kidd's mouth and made him drink.
"An overlarge pill…" Kidd gasped, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"I guess you should just have herbal tea then?" Tuta smiled. "It would soothe your head. It would be less hazardous for you as well." Mio nodded and went to make Kidd some tea.
"Thank you." Kid turned red again, this time from embarrassment. "Erm, now Doctor, may I please interview you for my investigation?"
"Certainly," Tuta replied. "Although, I don't remember much about Luc…"
"Whatever you know will do, Doctor." Kidd said.
"Okay then," Tuta said. "Hmm… I was just eleven then—I was actually scared of him… he was always scowling…"
"Well," Kidd wrinkled his nose. "From what I heard, he never really outgrew that, no?"
"That's right." Tuta nodded. "I know Sir Futch got along well with him though, and Mister Sasuke—but he's not here, so… How about you talk to Sir Futch?"
"I already did." Kidd told him.
"Oh, very well…" Tuta shrugged. "He's the best person to ask, since I hardly talked to Luc back then… I'm not really that much help."
"Thanks for your help, anyway." Kidd said.
"Sure Kidd," Tuta said. "And oh—what I remember though, is he was capable of great destruction even then… He helped win battles with the Highland Army with his Rune… perhaps, you would want to ask Miss Apple about it…"
"I will, Doctor." Kidd waved as he stepped out of the clinic. "Thanks!! See you!!"
* * *
Kidd hurried down the hall, eager to reach Apple's quarters. "She would know, wouldn't she??" Kidd said aloud. "I mean, she was a strategist for the army then, so she would know a lot about the Army's captains—OOF!!" Kidd collided with something and fell.
"HEY!!! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!" Lilly Pendragon screeched as she picked herself off the floor.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lilly…" Kidd grumbled none too graciously. Well, look who's talking, if she were looking, she would have been able to avoid me…
"I'm really sorry, Miss Lilly," Kidd forced himself to say. "I was just in a hurry to reach Miss Apple's room because I need to interview her."
"Another investigation?" Lilly sniffed.
"Yes, that's right." Kidd puffed up his chest, feeling important. "I am attempting to do what has never been done before—that is, to document the past of the magician Luc while he was with the Rebel Army of Toran and the Alliance Army of Dunan!!"
"Really??" Lilly drawled disinterestedly.
"Would you agree to let me interview you as well?" Kidd asked.
"Why would I want to help you out, what good will that do me??" Lilly snorted delicately.
"Well…" Kidd shrugged. "Nothing really, I just thought the whole world should hear the voices of the people who knew Luc as he was back then—"
"The WHOLE world??!" Lilly exclaimed.
"Well, yes—"
"Well Kidd, I think you're absolutely right, the whole world should hear my—our opinions." Lilly grabbed hold of Kidd's wrist and dragged him to a bench near a window.
"Does that mean you will let me interview you??"
"Of course!! SIT!!" Lilly commanded. She herself sat down.
Kidd sat down and took out his notepad. "So, what do you know about Luc?"
"He was with the people that fought Neclord!!" Lilly cried. "Neclord is a very powerful, evil, old, ugly vampire who wanted to rule Tinto and the entire world!!!
"One day, he fell upon out fair city with his army of a million zombies!!! It was so scary!!! That grotesque old brute wanted to take the most beautiful girl as his wife!!! So they entered the Mayor's mansion and kidnapped me!!!" Lilly gasped at the memory, her hand over heart.
"So, where does Luc come in??" Kidd cut in impatiently.
"Don't interrupt me!!!" Lilly said imperiously. "As I was saying, Luc was with the people that fought Neclord. He used his Rune a little bit to help save me. Of course, it was really Master Riou who did most of the saving—"
"And Luc?" Kidd prompted.
"Well, that's basically it," Lilly said with a careless wave of her hand. "He just did a little bit of healing as well for his wounded companions. Of course, Master Riou did most of the healing—"
"And?"
"That's it. That's all I remember about him. I remember Master Riou though—KYAAAA!!!" Lilly suddenly shrieked.
"EH??!" Kidd cried in alarm. "What's wrong??"
"He's so dreamy!!" Lilly sighed at the memory.
"………" Kidd suppressed an exasperated sound rising up his throat.
Lilly continued, oblivious to Kidd's reaction. "As a matter of fact, I'm reminded of him when I see—"
Lilly suddenly paused, staring down the hall behind Kidd. Kidd looked over his shoulder. Hugo was walking towards them. He approached them, his gaze turned somewhere far away—definitely NOT returning Lilly's gaze.
Lilly's eyebrow quirked unpleasantly. She slid one slim leg forward, blocking Hugo's path. Preoccupied, Hugo still didn't notice.
"… WHAAAAAAAAA—" Hugo yelped as he tripped over Lilly's leg. "Ouch…" He looked up at Lilly who had turned her gaze somewhere else. "What did you do that for??"
"Do what?" Lilly murmured innocently.
"Trip me!!" Hugo said angrily.
"I did not do such a thing!!" Lilly cried indignantly. "How DARE you accuse me of such a thing!!!"
"How do you explain that??!" Hugo demanded, pointing at Lilly's leg.
"So I stretched out my leg, what's wrong with that??!" Lilly retorted. "You should watch where you're going so you don't trip!!!"
"You know what, I will stop arguing with you since nothing good ever comes out of it!!!" Hugo spat.
"FINE!!" Lilly yelled.
"Hmp, let's see!!"
"What do you mean by that??!"
Kidd pushed himself off the bench and left in as inconspicuous a manner as possible.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock!!
"Come in!!" Apple called. She pushed her chair away from the table and turned to face whoever was knocking.
"Good day, Miss Apple." Kidd said. "May I come in?"
"Be my guest." Apple smiled.
"Am I disturbing anything?" Kidd asked.
"No Kidd, I was doing some light reading." Apple gestured to the thick, hardbound volume lying on her table.
"Ah… I see…" Kidd nodded glancing at the book. Light reading??…
"What can I do for you, Kidd?" Apple asked. "Is this another investigation?"
"Yes Miss Apple." Kidd replied. "But fear not, it is not your secrets I am after."
"Very well then," Apple nodded.
"I am doing some research on the magician Luc," Kidd said.
"A biography?" Apple asked. "Interesting…"
"Not exactly a biography," Kidd explained. "Rather, I am collecting the memories of people about him—how they knew him from before… before his campaign against us…"
"Hmm…" Apple took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses with a hanky. "He was once an ally… But I'm used to allies becoming enemies anyway. There was Master Leon back in the war against Highland…"
"Leon?" Kidd asked.
"Leon Silverberg is Master Mathiu and Miss Odessa's uncle," Apple answered. "You have heard of them, haven't you?"
"Yes, from the Liberation Army." Kidd remembered.
"Master Leon was an ally back in the Toran war," Apple said. "However when we met again in the Dunan war, he was one of our foes. So you see, I'm used to this sort of thing…
"However, for this to happen…" Apple sighed sadly.
Kidd waited for her to continue, watching as Apple put back on her glasses. She turned back to Kidd. "I always knew we'd see each other again—but I thought we would meet up as allies again for the third time. One of my most vivid memories of him… it was when we were fighting the Highland Army and he used the True Wind Rune against Sasarai's forces."
"Master Sasarai??!" Kidd's eyes widened. "Isn't he, our…"
"As I said, allies can become enemies." Apple said. "Enemies can become allies as well. Back then, Harmonia decided to ally themselves with Highland, after all, Highland used to be a state of Harmonia. Sasarai led the Harmonian forces against the Alliance Army… and that made him an enemy."
Kidd checked his notes. "Oh… right. He was your enemy back then. I guess Luc and Master Sasarai have always been enemies…"
"Yes. That remained constant. Luc was so determined to beat him," Apple recalled. "I have never seen him that excited. He was often quiet and apathetic. He never really cared about the army he has allied himself with; he was just following his Mistress' orders.
"But when Sasarai showed up, he himself volunteered to attack the Harmonian High Priest…"
* * *
"Sasarai of Harmonia? I know him well enough. Leave him to me…"* * *
"I was surprised. Everyone was," Apple admitted. "And then when he was face to face with Sasarai, he simply chanted… and the Harmonians—they were literally blown away. We never knew he was that powerful. He had never used his Rune to that extent…
"At that moment… I felt it. He really was, undoubtedly, an ally. Always. I thought…
"I should have known, all he really wanted at that moment was victory against Sasarai, not Luca Blight who was our 'real' enemy. Luc had a war of his own then, a war against Sasarai and what he did was for that, not for the Alliance Army…"
"He must really hate Master Sasarai then…" Kidd's thoughts wandered to the True Earth Rune Bearer. He had a benign smile on his tranquil face that was much too young for how old he claimed he was. It was hard to imagine anyone holding such grudge against him. You forget Kidd, he's much older, wiser and MUCH more devious than he looks…
"That was the one moment when Luc threw away what seemed to be his practice of conserving his magic," Apple said.
"Yet now he used it without inhibitions…" Kidd pointed out.
"Well, didn't he feel after all that he had nothing to lose?" Apple said sadly. "He was to destroy himself as well anyway. Back then; he still had his soul intact. He had to be careful lest his Rune overpowers him. And the curse… it hasn't touched him back then.
"Yet now, Luc is struggling to keep the True Wind Rune from eating away at his soul… Struggling only until that time he could manage to destroy himself along with other True Runes. Now, the curse has fated him to fight against all other Bearers… to fight against people he once helped…
"Oh listen to, going on with this magical sentimentality," Apple shook her head. Kidd thought he saw tears glistening from behind her glasses but Apple stood up and turned away before he could verify. "Master Mathiu would tell me not to dabble in this matters, such is not the way of strategists. Shu would probably scold me—" Apple paused. Kidd noticed that her neck and shoulders are tense, her back stiff.
"Thank you, Miss Apple," Kidd said on cue. "You've been kind."
"You are welcome Kidd." Apple told him, her back still turned to the informer.
Kidd led himself out of Apple's room and shut the door behind him. Well what should I do now?? Should I ask Sanae? I heard her parents were in the Dunan War, so they must have known Luc as well…
* * *
"Well, he was strong." Sanae Y snapped. "That's what my parents told me."
"Hmm, what else?" Kidd asked.
"Why are you bothering me??" Sanae scowled, planting the blunt end of her naginata on the floor and leaning her weight against it. "I wasn't even born then!!! It's my parents you should ask!!!"
Kidd's face lit up. "SANAE!! You're a genius!!!" He threw his arms around the girl and hugged her.
"AGH!!! LET GO OF ME!!!" Sanae shrieked, pushing Kidd off and hitting him behind the knees with his naginata. Kidd fell on his bottom.
"Now, excuse me," Sanae huffed. "I must go back to my training."
Author's Notes again: ……… None to say really.
Next Chapter Preview:
She burst in the library, her red hair streaming behind her. "LUC, LUC!! WHERE IS HE?? I'M HERE TO BEAT SOME SENSE INTO HIS HEAD!!!"
"Please calm down," a swordsman behind her said, scratching at the brown locks that fell over his face. It was obvious that he felt ill at ease with their current location.
His fiery companion gave him a burning look. "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!"