Eureka! I got it!

Chapter X: You and I

Author's note: Oh! Talk about a long wait! Sorry ladies and gents, I was extremely busy lately. Hopefully you people won't kill me too badly. (Please Spare my Life! I beg of you!)

Mackwell: She's lying... She wanted all of you to suffer and make the ending more dramatic... Everyone should throw bricks at her...

Psychodog: I DID NOT! Mackwell, who's side are you on?

Mackwell: Well... You did neglect us for weeks on end. (sigh) Everyone is waiting for the ending, you know...

Psychodog: Wha-? No-! It was-!

All Inventors: "LIAR!"

Psychodog: (cries) Wahhhh!

Act I: Looking for you

Funny thing about hallways... they are usually long corridors with rooms and adjacent passages. Normally, one doesn't get lost in a hallway... but this wasn't the same situation. The hallways present in this place were all dark. Nothing but strange green lanterns that were placed on the walls, casting eerie shadows in the dark hallways. They twisted and turned, many dead ends and confusing tunnels were also connected to this strange hallway. Mackwell walked cautiously in the hall, his back close to the wall as he slowly made his way. It was a strange predicament, and a strange environment but the alchemist held his ground. Between his fingers were a number of vials... poison, acid, explosive dust, and stun solution. The alchemist was ready for any situation.

Everything was silent. The only sound was Mackwell's calm and barely audible breath. It was cold. The hallway wasn't heated, a white cloud of vapors appeared everytime the Alchemist would exhale. His arm began to shake, his skin felt uneasy pricks from the cold. Airyglyph winters were harsh. Swiftly and silently Mackwell sneaked through the halls. He passed numerous passage ways but none were useful. He calculated the situation, some rooms had very little signs of entrance... If 30 or more women were being held hostage, the floor which was composed of soft mortar would be disturbed.

"So many false entries... So little time..." Mackwell muttered to himself, "Lear... wait just a little while longer..."

Mackwell had the feeling that this was no ordinary...(Albel: Whore house). Mackwell gave a nervous smile, For some reason... I could never say that word. Mackwell was too refined, too polite and lived in solitude for way too long. No tavern is this large... this he knew as a fact. They were obviously hiding something. The Alchemist stopped... the trail of footsteps seemed to have disappeared at this point. A nearby window was open, the snow covering the soft mortar tracks. He looked around, the hallway split into three corridors... His probability of picking the right door? Only 33.3 percent... The odds were against him.

The Window let in an icy cold breeze. The Alchemist, obviously not very fond of the cold shut the small passage. Made of clear transparent glass, the frozen ice gleamed like tiny diamonds. But through the Icy flurry outside he could see a glimps of an old tower in the distance... Mackwell paused.

"A tower...?" The Alchemist wiped the misty glass with his hand.

The Tower was connected to this facility, but the three entrances before him revealed little about that tower. They were false, fake... Mackwell chuckled to himself. "Child's play..."

This alchemist has already read his share of books. From historical documents, to mystery books, this man had read them all. With a quick flash with his finger he tossed a small vial on to the floor. Blowing the soft ground away revealed something of interest.

"A trapdoor..."

Normally, Mackwell would show a sign of shock or excitement... this wasn't the case. After seeing drunk men hitting on him, dressing as a female, following a neverending hallway, and looking for Misty Lear, nothing seemed to surprise him anymore. Mackwell lifted the heavy door and slipped in, the foul and musty odor of unknown origin was present. The darkness enveloped around him, surrounding him. The scent was a mixture of acohol, rodents and the smell of rotting flesh... It was such a tense and dark atmosphere. It began to send a chill up his spine... this was no time to lose his cool... though the smell of the place sure wasn't encouraging.

"Ugh..." Mackwell covered his nose with the sleeve of his robes. "What a vile scent..." Mackwell could guess up almost a dozen different things that could make such a horrid odor. None were very pleasant... it was a mixture of bile, waste and burnt sulfur... also a bitter kick of wine... With his face covered, Mackwell quickly ran down the stone steps, passed the next corridor. A hot jet of steam hit him from below, the room was warm and moist. It was obvious that such a dark, damp and warm environment, who knows what grows down here.

Covering his eyes, Mackwell passed through the steam... he gagged, and coughed, his eyes burning. Suddenly something cold came in contact with his neck... the end of a long blade.

"Pretty daring to come all the way down here..." The voice replied in an icy tone.

"Your absolutely right." Mackwell replied with a weak smile. "Though normally, doing all of this goes against my very nature..."

"It would be wise if you leave." The voice insisted.

"No..." Mackwell answered.

"..." The owner of the voice remained silent. Obviously waiting for an answer.

"Are you going to stand in my way?" Mackwell coughed, "I'm looking for someone, and if you interfere, I won't show any mercy." Mackwell's fingers gripped the vials of various chemicals... this man was obviously an enemy. The man was suited in armor, it had no insignia on it. Deffinitely not from any of Airyglyph's various brigades. But either way, his face was covered in a silver helm, covering his face and eyes. Mackwell's eyes trailed down to the ground below... 3 Other soldiers were knocked unconscious.

"Don't worry. Once I heard the commotion, I took these three out." the man replied. "As you can see, It is easily handled."

"I see..." Mackwell answered.

"Are you here to rescue her?" The man asked his blade moved down from Mackwell's neck down to the vials gripped in his fingers. "From the ruckus I heard from above, I'm assuming you are."

Mackwell stepped back. "Yes, I am..." He put the chemicals back into his robes. Indicating that he refused to fight. "Judging from your behavior, I assume you don't wish to fight. Please... if you will." In response, the Knight also sheathed his blade.

"The men upstairs, have you brought reinforcements?" The knight asked.

"Yes, 4 others."

"4?"

"They are quite skilled." Mackwell replied. "Who are you...?"

"Hanrei..." The man replied. "My name is Hanrei... I've been working here for weeks, hoping to do the same you are." He lifted the visor to reveal a face not much older than Mackwell's 25 winters. From inspecting his pale skin, the man probably hasn't seen the sun in a while. "I'm a guard... to the prisoner's cells."

"I assume you wish to see, them? Maybe even Miss Lear, perhaps?" The Knight asked.

"You know about her?" Mackwell felt the inside of him rise. "Then... Miss Stanice? And Lear? Are they ok?" He grabbed the man's armor, "Please, tell me where they are! I beg of you!"

"Peace, man." Hanrei picked up the torch and walked down the tunnel. "Miss Stanice, is fine..."

"And Lear?" Mackwell asked.

Hanrei evaded it. "You were fortunate to arrive when you did... In a few hours, they would have been, well..."

The two walked passed the wine cellar and into a series of jail cells... Mackwell's eyes widened in horror. The women being held captive... they were all pale faced and wide-eyed, extremely thin and weak. They looked as if they have seen death. Some women were covered in scratches, filth and frost bites. Hanrei, who was leading Mackwell into the dungeon, merely looked away. The alchemist's fears and anger began to rise, he grabbed Hanrei's collar. For the first time, Mackwell felt himself explode.

"These women! What's wrong?" he asked, "Why are they-? Look at them!" Mackwell's arms began to shake in anger... "Have you not fed them? Have you done nothing but let them suffer?"

Hanrei avoided eye contact. "It is of no use... it is bitterly cold here in the winter, and yet... when I offer them food and blankets they turn their cheeks away..." Hanrei's eyes sharpened, "It seemed they would rather waste away than suffer from a fate so cruel. Half of them lost their sanity by now... it is bitterly cold down here, suffering is immense, not to mention the darkness... Also, I will not deny that you may sometimes see things, terrible things." Hanrei breathed out, "Now, if you will... I'll lead you to your friends."

Mackwell's grip loosened. "You won't fight me?"

"What is the point?" Hanrei replied bitterly. "We are on the same side. And just a few days ago... your friend. She talked about you..."

"She did?" Mackwell asked.

The Soldier nodded, "A song... a haunting song was sung. We have not much time, the Don will arrive in a short hour's time..."

Hanrei led Mackwell to the last hall and corridor, The warmth of the wine cellar began to disappear, and bitter cold exchanged its place. Mackwell could see vapors come out of his mouth; he watched the women behind the cells stare with large, pale and gaunt eyes. They looked terrible, they had no energy to moan... only hold their hands up to them. Mackwell's fears began to rise...

"Here..."

The last dungeon cell, Hanrei signaled him forward. Mackwell rushed forward, it was darker inside the cell, nothing but blackness. Mackwell gripped the cold bars in his hands, the icy cold metal began to hiss when he touched them. The pain was extreme... but he winced and pushed forward.

"Miss Lear!" Mackwell shouted in the darkness. "Miss Stanice? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

They could hear some shuffling from below. The dungeons were nothing but a series of holes with bars preventing escape... Surrounded by metal walls in the cold tower. Beds were nothing but mere piles of hay, and nothing more. Suddenly, a voice appeared from the darkness.

"Who's there?" The voice asked.

"Mackwell!" The alchemist answered.

"Mr. Mackwell?" The voice was dazed, almost cheery yet sleepy. "Fancy meeting you here, in a place like this? Though, I do believe strange happenings always happen."

"Miss Stanice?" Mackwell looked around, sure enough Stanice's face appeared out of the darkness. "Dear lord, you'r icy pale."

Stanice smiled weakly, "I do believe it is a bit chilly."

"Are you alright?" Mackwell asked, Stanice's clothes were dirty and ripped. She was pale faced, but not as bad as the other women... she still had the spirit to smile back. Stanices' legs were dirty and covered in frostbite, therefore the poor woman stumbled forward into Mackwell's arms. He could feel her cold and clammy skin... She was here for only one day and look at her now...

"I'm fine..." Stanice murmured. "It's just terribly cold."

"Hanrei..." Mackwell called the knight. He walked forward holding up the torch... Stanice smiled as she saw the warm blaze emanating from the light.

"Ah, so warm... it's very nice... Mr. Mackwell... Miss Lear... she needs you." Stanice replied. "It seems such environments are not well suited for my species. But do help her..." Stanice's eyes became foggy, her grip loosened. "I'm sorry... After you help her... I hope we can have some... nice tea..."

Mackwell stood up. The fellow inventor wasn't dead, just weak... but he felt a surge of anger in him. This terrible and cruel place could cause this much suffering in one night? He was absolutely silent, his face showed evidence of solemn danger. Hanrei quickly unlocked the door, the bars swung open with a loud creak. With a deep breath, Mackwell walked into the darkness... his mind set on one thing.

"I found you..."

Act II: Broken Spirit

Mackwell walked into the Darkness, his eyes scanning the environment. The jail cell was like a large hole littered with rats, dumped garbage and a small window that was barred up and baricaded. The wooden planks covering the windows, barred the view, but the ice and snow still blew in. It was freezing! Such an environment was not suited for anyone to live in, let alone in the dead of winter in Airyglyph. Mackwell walked forward, his eyes slowly adapting to the darkness. Suddenly, he froze. On the farthest corner of the abyss was a limp body in the corner. It was dirty, cold and pale, but Mackwell automatically knew who it was.

"Lear..." the alchemist whispered. "Miss Lear!"

Mackwell ran up to the body. Her dark hair was everywhere, her face even more pale than usual. She was gaunt, but her beauty still emanated despite it all. Mackwell held her cold body, she wasn't dead... her heartbeat was slow, but she was still alive. Lear didn't stir... she was frozen. her dark lips were no longer warm, her arms and legs coated in a light frostbite. Mackwell untied his robe and slung it around her cold body. She was so cold, she lost the energy to even shiver...

"Can you hear me?" Mackwell asked. "Lear, are you alright?"

"..." There was no reply.

"You can't wake her up." Hanrei climbed down, over his shoulder was Miss Stanice's cold body. "This woman's hope was shattered..."

"She's stil alive!" Mackwell replied. He brushed the light tears from his eyes. "As long as she still breathes, it's alright!"

Hanrei shook his head, "She may not be dead... but even when she wakes up, how do you know she'll still be the same person?" Mackwell froze from the thought. Hanrei sighed, "She held onto her hopes till the very end...this place is evil, you know? Once it was an execution ground and torture chamber in Airyglyph... you can just guess what you see in this terrible place. Even so, she called your name... You tend to forget who you are when your around this place."

"We're getting out of here." Mackwell replied, he lifted Misty Lear's body firmly in his grip. If it wasn't for his cloak around her, he had the feeling she would shatter into a million pieces. Her body was light, due to the lack of weight... he could've sworn she made a low sigh. "We're leaving now."

"Very well..." Hanrei replied. "It might be wise to get going..."

-

Meanwhile...

Why Albel Nox should never drink more than one cup of wine... and I mean NEVER

Albel Nox, Nel Zelpher, Lias and Gusto sat by the bar counter... Mackwell's been gone for a pretty long time. Our group of heroes were calm, Mackwell may not be skilled at hand-to-hand combat, but the man shows much resistance when necessary. Nel Zelpher knew this well. It was rather difficult to even touch Mackwell... plus she knew well enough the man had enough resources, supplies and chemicals, it would make the Aquarian doctors blush with shame. It was quiet... even Gusto didn't make a noise. After an hours nap, Gusto was re-energized, but even he knew the gravity of the situation... the large blacksmith stood in the corner, his favorite hammer was positioned in front of him, his palms on the end of his massive hammer. He looked like a soldier, but his eyes were dark...

It's been an hour already. From the information they gathered, the Don would start his party shortly. Lias sat in the adjacent corner... the waiting was killing them slowly.

"Maybe we should go check up on him..." Lias broke the silence, his voice softly penetrated the room, barely audible. From above the snoring drunkards, the other three were alerted by his suggestion.

"The plan was to wait for his signal." Nel replied, her elbow propped on the counter, and her palm on her cheek. "If he needs our help, he would have sent it by now."

"Yes, well... maybe he found some trouble down there. You never know-" Lias was cut off rudely by Sir Nox.

"Bah, your foolish concerns won't help you now, worm." Albel sneered. "I can't stand this waiting, screw this signal and lets drag them out already."

"Wait for the signal." Nel replied once more, irritatedly.

"I don't take orders from you, Zelpher!" Albel replied scornfully. A momentary silence followed...

"There's still a chance he may have been ambushed..." Gusto replied solemnly, his face like ashen stone. "Not to mention, Mr. Mackwell is scrawny, whether he could carry to women upon his back may prove difficult. It would be best to take precautions-"

"Screw it," Albel replied, he placed a cup of wine to his mouth. "If he happens to be dead, then we'll just drag his sorry behind out, no big deal. Corpse or not." It was obvious, Albel nox had one too many cups of wine... his face was red and flushed. Behind him was a pile of unconscious drunkards, tied up and beaten. Nox, with his katana in hand slapped one of the men in the rear. "Stupid maggots! I promised I would... I would..." Nox took another sip of the wine, "Beat you in the over when it's rear..."

"I think the term is, 'Beat you in the rear when it's over." Lias replied with a weak smile.

"Did I say you can speak, Maggot Lias?" Albel yelled pointing an accused finger at Gusto. Gusto, bewildered, pointed at himself.

"I'm Gusto." Gusto stared blankly.

"Maybe he had too many drinks for one night." Lias said nervously, "Maybe we should apply this antidote that Mr. Mackwell handed us? It worked wonders on Gusto..." The vial in Lias' hands was made of a clear, crystal liquid. Truly a wonderous panacea. It could reawaken the unconscious and cure almost any poisons... especially alcohol poisoning.

"I don't need any of your fancy medicine!" Albel snarled. "I'm an Ayriglyph from Soldier!" a hiccup followed, "Son of Glou Woltar, friend of Nox!"

"I think you mean, 'Soldier from Airyglyph, son of Glou Nox and friend of Woltar..." Nel sighed, "Yep, the fool's deffinitely drunk."

With a flash of drunken anger, Albel dashed up to Nel, pinning her against the wall. His eyes were gleaming with a new kind of evil... Nel surprised, held her dagger up in self defense. His long katana was edged at her throat, his clawed arm took her wrist in its metallic grip. They were so close, they could feel each other's breath. Both of their faces were red, Nel was surprised and embarrased, Albel was drunk and... well drunk. Not only that, he was a bad drunk. A bad drunk and easily angered... Lias and Gusto ran up to them, attempting to release Nox, but the swordsman appeared to be twice his normal strength when angered.

For a Skinny guy, the swordsman sure had an adrenaline rush. Gusto, rather than ripping him off attempted to plead with Nox, Of course pleading with a drunk swordsman never solves anything.

"Well, well, well, Zelpher..." Albel hissed, "Looks like the great Crimson Blade of Aquaria does have a weakness..."

"Nox..." Nel was a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "For once, think clearly... you fool..."

"I am thinking clearly." Albel gave a malicious chuckle. "Now that i look at you, Zelpher... you look pretty cute when your helpless and afraid..."

"What the hell...?" Nel blushed, but she quickly replaced it with a stern face. Stern face or not, she was still red. "I'm not afraid! I'm angry!"

"Ooh... Even better." Albel mused.

Lias, who was attempting to lower the long katana away from the lady was shaking violently. "Please-! Sir Albel, lower your blade! This is not the time to be showing hostility!"

"Lias is right! This is not the place to be confessing your love!" Gusto yelled, "Or Atleast, if you want to confess, do it in a more romantic location! And not while you try to kill the girl!"

"Gusto! That's beside the point!" Lias sighed.

"You two maggots, butt out!" Nox yelled. "This has nothing to do with you!" The young swordsman swiped his claw at the two interfering blacksmiths. Lias quickly jumped backwards, as did Gusto after him.

"The guy's a mad drunk!" Gusto held up his hammer, "If you want I can smack him unconscious for you."

"Gusto! If you do that you'll break more than just his conscious! You'll break his skull!" Lias held Gusto back.

"Don't be silly! If I know anything, Albel's got a strong head!"

"That's beside the point!"

Albel inched the blade closer and closer, Nel inched backwards her back to the wall... when Albel was drunk, the man was drunk! For a second, Nel eyes widened... Albel's red eyes seemed to have lose its evil gleam and for a split second she could have seen it soften... just for a moment.

(Just to let you know A TRUE FACT, for affection Albel's affection in the game for Nel is 20 points, whereas Nel's affection for Albel is only 15... poor Albel, unrequitted love, right there.)

The Swordsman gave a course chuckle, "You hate me alot, don't you, Zelpher... Just the mere sound of my name makes your blood boil, doesn't it?"

"And what of it?" Nel shot back. "Can't say you show any courtesy let alone respect for others!"

Albel looked down, his eyes darkened. "Stupid maggot... don't you see? Men can't express themselves with words..." Albel coughed, "I hate women who amuse me."

"Oh?" Nel's hand began to shake, the dagger aimed at his bare abdomen. "That must mean you hate me..."

"Yes, that also means a worm like you, amuse me..." Without another word, Albel seized Nel's lips by force. Nel, absolutely startled, was more frozen than the ice outside... her mind was rapid. She didn't know whether to scream and cry blood Apris, or Stab Albel here and now... there was an intimate silence in the room. What drove her crazy was she can feel the man's tongue! It tasted sweet like wine, the shock was traumatizing.

"Nox..." Nel could barely release his name.

BONK!

Albel fell to the floor, his head hit pretty hard. Nel stared confused at the swordsman on the floor... Lias stood behind him, smiling gently. In his hand he tapped Gusto's massive hammer, looks like Lias hit a home run!

"Well, I do believe Lady Nel and Sir Nox should end this conversation elsewhere." Lias replied with a smile. He just smacked Albel in the noggin- I mean head! "Now if you don't mind, it would be best to apply this remedy in Sir Nox, wouldn't you agree?"

Both Nel and Gusto stared open mouthed.

"Lias-! you-!" Gusto began, "How come you get to hit Albel? That's not fair! Not to mention completely not like you! How come you get to hit him and not me?"

"Because you would give the poor man, permanent brain damage." Lias replied. "Now Lady Nel, if you will..."

Gusto stared at the bottle of wine that Albel was drinking... It was called 'Purple Heaven'... what kind of name is Purple Heaven for wine? Sure enough the wine was a deep shade of violet... but his eyes fixed on the label on the bottom of the glass.

EXTRA STRONG; 60 Alcohol

NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS

"Ooh... should have watched for that one." Gusto winced. "Well atleast he didn't hurt you, right, Nel?"

Nel was shocked for more reasons than one. Albel just kissed her! Right in the lips too! Not to mention, he confessed his feelings straight out! And second, shy Lias just smacked Albel in the head with a 50 pound Steel hammer! Holy Apris, today was just filled with goddamn surprises... The Crimson blade's mouth was covered, her face red with embarrassment.

"Lady Nel...?" Lias snapped her out of thought, "If you will?"

"O-of course..." Nel smiled, talking quickly. "We can't let him just lie here!" Nel laughed nervously, "I think its best if we don't tell him what happened when he wakes up? Hmm?"

"Oh? Why not?" Gusto asked. "This can be the blossoming of a beautiful relationship!"

"GUSTO!" Lias and Nel both replied sternly. Nel quickly applied the panacea into Albel's mouth, his face was returning to its natural color, and the sweat disappeared from his face. Nel glanced at the bottle, Wow, this was some pretty strong stuff. She has to ask Mackwell where he got this stuff... "Remember Gusto, Not-a-single-word. Understood?"

"Ok fine..." Gusto returned to his solemn and stone-like expression. "Mackwell... what about Mackwell?"

"It's way past the due time." Nel replied wiping his lips with her arm. "We should take action... Reinforcements won't arrive for another hour or so..."

"Aside from that," Lias smiled, his pushed his glasses up with the palm of his hand, "We have a few guests today..."

Lias, Gusto and Nel turned to face the hall that Mackwell went through before... Before them were a series of men. From the looks of their faces, and the fact that they bore swords and no armor, it was easily noticeable what they were.

"Mercenaries..." Albel spat, "Soldiers of no honor... except for maybe their greed. Lowly maggots..."

The other three looked down at Albel, with his katana he slowly got up on his feet. He looked normal, aside from the fact that he just got smacked in the head with a hammer, and drank too much wine for one night. He rubbed his head, and groaned.

"Oh, Albel, awake already?" Nel asked, surprised. She looked at the label of the bottle:

Universal Panacea

Used for almost any illness from Small Pox, to the common cold.

Instant Relief Maximum Strength. Apply to the mouth. Extra Strong, do not overdose.

Even works on Diarrhea and Athlete's foot... (O-o;;)

Creator: Mackwell

"Yeah...so..." Albel responded, "What happened?"

"You-!" Gusto paused, "You drank a little too much and fell asleep."

"Really?" Albel groaned, "Why the hell do I have such a heavy headache... I feel liked someone pelted me in the head with a hammer?"

"Hangover?" Gusto asked smiling nervously.

"Sorry about that." Lias replied nervously. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

"You did WHAT?" Albel yelled for a second than clutched his beating head. "Oww..."

"Enough chit-chat, Mackwell needs help!" Nel drew out the two daggers from her holster, "Let's kick them out of the way and move forward!" The three stared as Nel jumped into the group of Mercenaries, slamming their heads together and slashing her way through. Albel stared positively wide-eyed... since when was Nel Zelpher so energetic all of a sudden? Lias and Gusto both stared at Albel for a second... Albel stared back.

"What the hell are you two maggots looking at?" Albel snapped.

"Oh nothing..." The two men sighed.

"Well, whatever!" Albel drew his katana, "I will not be bested by a woman!" Gusto and Lias stared as Albel Nox dived into the group of mercenaries, slashing his way through... They were both amazed and downright frightened...

"They most deffinitely like each other... It's almost a little too perfect..." Gusto muttered, covering his face with his hand. He began to rub his eyes...

"Yep..." Lias smiled as the two warriors from different countries forced their way through the sea of mercenaries. "It's kind of sweet, you know?"

"Sweet?" Gusto sighed, "More like positvely frightening..."

Act III: The Morning Sun

Mackwell stood outside of the large facility... the icy cold wind blowing past him. Beside him on the left was Lias and Gusto, on the other side was Nel and Albel... In his arms was the cold body of Misty Lear. Everything... everything seemed to have gone by so fast. Everything was like a blur to him... What happened before? It was confusing... so much confusion. The Whore house was on fire... luckily everyone evacuated the premises except one man. The ringleader of this whole scheme... It brought a wave of relief. Those burning flames. An evil, almost haunted and tormenting place was now destroyed, put to rest.Two women came running up from below the hill...

"Lady Nel, Tynave reporting." The short haired soldier soluted.

"Farleen, here and present." Farleen replied in her high pitched voice.

"Tynave, Farleen, how is the investigation coming along?" Nel asked, her arms crossed. "I hope you bring good news to us?"

"Well, the body of the Don was not found." Tynave replied, "The troops have secured the area, we are ready to storm in once the flames die out."

"I understand." Nel replied.

"Wow, Lady Nel that was some impressive work. All 30 missing women are comfirmed... and they will be returned to their homes in the morning." Farleen smiled, "Claire and Count Woltar will be arriving tonight for a thorough investigation..."

"But what about their state of mind?" Nel asked. "Can they really be restored to normal?"

"Well, I'm not an expert on the subject. Lady Claire has the list of all the missing women's name and it should be easy to send them home... as for their current state of mind, only time can heal those wounds." A clipboard was passed from Tynave to Nel, "This is the Doctor's report... physically, they will be alright."

Mackwell stood on the slope, his eyes fixed on the flames below. Hanrei, the mysterious soldier was gone. The man disappeared shortly after the reinforcements arrived. Down below, Mackwell could see many soldiers from Airyglyph, they were arresting the criminals... The alchemist was rather relieved. If Hanrei was present, the man would be sent in for questioning. He would probably be arrested for being an accomplice, or contained as a vital witness. Before Hanrei disappeared, he told Mackwell that the woman he was searching for wasn't here...

Mackwell began to drill his mind. What had happened back there? All he could remember was encountering the Don... but after that there was smoke, Hanrei grabbed a vial from the alchemist's belt and caused a massive confusion. Something after that was about an underground tunnel, and a hauler. After that, he woke up riding a railcart with Lias, Gusto, Nel and Albel... the 30 or so women were also present... Did Mackwell black out? Or did his body finally give up on him? He was never the most physically fit, now that he thought about it, Mackwell got sick alot.

"Would you like a blanket, Sir Mackwell?" Tynave asked, in her hands were a dozen woolen and thickly knit blankets. "You must be cold in that thin robe..."

He looked down at his clothes. The rich colors of his robe was now ashen. The explosion covered it in ash and soot. Without his great cloak, he looked like a commoner. He merely smiled.

"I'm ok." Mackwell held out Lear in front of him. "If you could, miss, please, she might need it." The Sky was beginning to show an orange glow, the sun peaking from behind the mountains. From behind them Gusto yawned, stretching his arms.

"Well, that was enough adventure for one morning." Gusto rubbed his ear. "Sadly, the ending wasn't as happy as I thought, but ahh well..."

"What are you going to do?" Nel asked Mackwell.

"I'm taking her home." Mackwell replied with a weak smile, "The doctors informed me that her mind is in a critical state of trauma... so I'll be putting her to bed. My theory is that due to her broken heart even before this incident... she won't be normal for a while."

"Sorry, Mackwell." Gusto waved, leaning on his hammer, "Sorry it didn't come out as well as planned."

Mackwell smiled and hugged Misty Lear in his arms, his warm cheek touching hers. "I hope your not joking, Mr. Gusto. I'm positively overjoyed that she's returned." The alchemist's face was now a sad smile, "She may not be the same, but I'm hoping for the best."

Gusto, Lias and Nel stared at each other... wow, this was a dramatic change in his character. What happened to the old Mackwell? The Mackwell that was always a proper, stoic and solemn gentleman? The Mackwell that was always devoted to work, schedule and time? The Young man who was always serious and cold? The Old Mackwell that was always alone... Always thinking logical... always the one who had to show the bitter reality of every situation? Nel gave a small smile, Professor Elena must be thrilled to see her prized pupil open up more.

"Now, if you will." Mackwell wrapped the blanket tightly around the Lear's body. "I'll be bidding you farewell for now." Mackwell waved, "Also, do tell Miss Welch that I won't be attending work for some time. Expect me back in about a week. Lady Nel, Sir Nox, Sir Lias and Sir Gusto. It was a pleasure working with you. I'm hoping to work together in the future." With a swift turn, Mackwell disappeared from their sights. A bag of supplies, notes and memories slung over his shoulder, and a special person in his arms. Nel watched as he disappeared, The last thing she saw was the rising morning sun.

"He's grown soft." Albel replied bitterly.

"I guess Airyglyph isn't the only place that started to warm up." Nel said, her voice small.

"He just called me Sir." Gusto was shocked. He turned to Lias pointing at himself, "Do I look like a Sir to you?"

"Oh yeah, Zelpher... about that bet..." Albel began.

YYYAAAWWWNNN

"Miss Stanice!" Lias jumped up. "You're alright?"

The winged woman in Lias' arms woke up, she had the same sleepy and tired smile. Of course, like always, she was completely oblivious on what was going on. But at a time like this, everyone needed some cheery Stanice. The craftsman stretched her arms as she gave another loud yawn, rubbing her eyes. Confused, she looked around at her surroundings... Cold Outside. Bright Sun, friends all around, a blanket draped around her, and everyone's face staring at hers. Stanice gave a warm smile.

"Ah, Good morning everyone?" Stanice replied with the usual ditzy smile, "My, Why are we all gathered out here? Are we having a picnic? Or perhaps its a sleep over?"

"N-no..." Lias answered with a nervous smile, "That's not the case. You're not injured anywhere, are you?"

"Of course not." Stanice replied with a smile. "Why, were you worried about me, Lias?"

"Uhh..." Lias's pale face turned bright red, "O-of course...I was."

"Of course he was!" Gusto replied triumphantly, "Like a blade that shows its true colors in battle, Young Lias here, as learned to show you his true colors in the face of all adversary. For the sake of the one he must protect, Miss Stanice it was truly touching! Shy Lias has coped with his fear and swept to your rescue!"

"..." Everyone just stared... Wow, Gusto sure was... energetic. And a little too exagerative.

"Really?" Stanice asked, once again oblivious. "Were you really that worried about clumsy little me?"

"Y-yes..." Lias' face was red with embarassment.

"That's so sweet of you, Lias." Stanice gave Lias a light kiss on the cheek. Lias' face turned bright red, his cheek burning. "It's such a nice morning! The sun gives me such nice strength, and there's a gentle wind today, too. My, it's rather early, would you like to join me for some morning tea and biscuits? My treat."

Lias nodded. "I would be happy too."

"I'll come too!" Gusto laughed, he hoisted Stanice on his broad shoulders as they walked down the slope. Laughing and chatting to themselves.

"I though you didn't like tea...?" Lias asked Gusto.

"NONSENSE!" Gusto replied. "Why don't you know that every sword needs it's strong luster and-"

"Ok, ok." Lias smiled nervously, "I get the point."

Now only Albel Nox and Nel Zelpher remained on the hill. Nel smiled as she looked at the bright sun above the Mountain. Airyglyph wasn't that bad... they shared something in common with Aquaria. The Sun of Apris that gave them life. Nel stretched and gave a light sigh. Albel watched, confused...

"Well, this was deffinitely an interesting week..." Nel smiled. "I'll have to tell the queen to give me a small vacation."

"Oh? Actually asking for a vacation, are you?" Albel scowled. "That's new."

"Don't be so bitter, Albel." Nel waved. "It's too early to start a fight."

"Hey, Zelpher..." Albel began, blushing slightly. "About that bet..."

Nel placed a finger over Albel's lips. She winked and smiled, causing Albel to turn red... Zelpher looked cute like that. Nel laughed, "Not now, Albel. Maybe later... for now let's just settle this as a temporary truce."

"..." Albel stared.

"Well, see you later." Nel waved as she marched down the hill. A crow's voice echoed in the distance. It was time to return to Aquaria. "We both won that bet..." Nel smiled, she wrapped the skarf around her mouth, "No one lost this time."

To be Continued

I figured out that this one chapter can't sum up this whole story. So I'll have to add some additional chapters. Sorry everyone for that EXCRUCIATING Wait. I'm terribly sorry! (Bows down) FORGIVE ME!

BOOOO!

(Everyone throws daggers and books at Psychodog)

AHHHH! I'M SORRY! STOP HURTING ME!

Next Chapter:

Chapter XI: How it Ended