Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online. This story, however, is completely mine and may not be redistributed or used without my approval.
Chapter 11
Many days passed and Crono and I got to know many of the people of Payon. They knew nothing of our escape...and only Raisu knew about the curse that had been set upon me. She introduced us to the great general Dante. He was the main defense of Payon, and his army was nicknamed 'Payon's Last Hope' because of a crucial battle a year ago. At first, he didn't take kindly to me, mainly because he was the only Crusader in the city...until I arrived. Slowly though, we became companions even though, when offered, I decided to join up with Raisu's sector instead.
The Blacksmiths in Payon took the liberty of making the left side of my armor connect to a shield. This was helpful, especially now that I could use my shield magic. Things were going well...but day by day, the pain of the curse grew...and soon, some of the smallest things would trigger the reaction. I learned how to control it to a point...but how long would I be able to withstand it, I had no idea.
"HIKARU, GET UP! GET UP!" I felt a pair of hands shaking me from my sleep.
"Crono, what the hell are you-" I opened my eyes, and it was not Crono. Tempest, a wonderfully skilled Priest had woken me up. "Tempest?" His eyes were filled with fear and worry. "What happened?" The house felt warm...getting warmer...almost hot.
"The village! It's burning! Crono's gone, I have no idea where he went!" Tempest pulls me up from the bed and helped me throw my armor on. "We have to get out!" I didn't ask any questions and just left with Tempest. As soon as we got out, we were showered with arrows. I got hit once and pulled the arrow out as Tempest took his time to heal me. We ran all the way to Payon, along with some Archers who fired back at the enemy.
"Hikaru!" Raisu motioned us to gather. "What happened! Where's Crono!"
"He was with me when we went to sleep." That was all I could say. I had no idea what happened, and it was taking all my strength to keep calm. The crowd was panicked. I saw the wounded being carried to safety in castle walls. Archers lined up for defense, as are the members of Payon's Last Hope and Raisu's sector 'Valkyrie's Requiem'.
"Raisu." Dante's strong voice came through the noisy crowd, almost silencing it with such command. Raisu turned around to meet the Crusader face to face. "What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know, Dante." Raisu gave him a cold stare for asking her in such a tone. "I wouldn't know."
"Then explain why the heck is the Chivalry surrounding Payon walls." Dante pointed towards the main gate where people were trying to keep closed. My eyes widen at the realization, and before I knew it, my legs were carrying me at full speed towards the gate.
"CRONO!"