Author's Note 1: Sorry for the delay. So much to do this month. Anyways, let's get back to the adventures of our hero, shall we?
Part 7.1: The Center of it All
With Nel leading the group of escapees, they finally made it out of the Airyglyph Aqueducts. Nel ordered the Cyrus, Cliff and Fayt to stay behind. The exit was on the side of a mountain overlooking the city. She took the exit and looked out from the hillside. The coast was clear. "Come on out," Nel said. The three walked out of the exit.
Cliff stood and looked at the city. "Ahhh, nice to see the sun! I was down in that muck so long I thought I was going to mildew!" he said, stretching his arms.
"Nel, about what you were saying… You were talking about technology, but what exactly do you want us to do for you?" Cyrus asked.
"I'll explain, but remember: refusal isn't an option." Nel said.
"I don't know about that… I won't do anything that I don't want to do. And there's always a chance we won't be able to do what you ask," Fayt explained.
"I told you in the dungeons that I required your technology, did I not?" Nel asked.
"Right, but what does that entail?"
"Look, if this was going to be a problem, you should have asked me before you accepted my conditions. By agreeing to cooperate—even just to get out of the dungeon—you're bonded to me. Those were the conditions of your release, and I expect you to uphold them."
"I… But…" Fayt said in a stumbling tone.
"Or are you planning on breaking your word?"
"Look, you didn't even give us a real choice! 'You can live or you can die'—that's called 'coercion,' you know," Cliff said.
"So, you won't cooperate."
"When did I say that?"
"Oh geez." Cyrus said.
Cliff walked over to Fayt and Cyrus. "Whaddya say, let's help her out?" he asked.
"What are you talking about? What about the UP3?" Fayt said.
"This is no time for laws, man," Cyrus said.
"That may be, but still..."
"Excuse me," Nel interrupted. "Can we save the discussion for later? We're not exactly safe here. Of course, if you want to head back to the dungeon, be my guest…"
"No thanks!" Cliff said.
"All right, then be quiet and follow," she said in a stern tone. "I'll tell you everything when we get out of town."
The young men thought about their decision briefly."Okay," Fayt agreed.
"It's not like we have a choice anyway," Cyrus shrugged.
"Good… My people have a wagon waiting for us outside town. The exit's to the east—let's go!" The group of four walked down the mountain trail and into Airyglyph. As they walked through the town, Cyrus saw what appeared to be, a pile of smoke coming from the north side of town. "It must be the Eagle," he thought. "It would be great if we could get some supplies, but it's crawling with those jerks in shining armor. I wonder where Mirage snuck off to?"
"Hey Cyrus, something wrong?" Cliff asked.
Cyrus quickly turned his head back to the front. "No. It's nothing." Cyrus put his earplugs back in his ears. "C'mon. Fayt and Nel are ahead. Let's catch up." The two quickened their pace and rejoined Nel and Fayt. They left the city, and arrived in the Traum Mountains, a mountain range surrounding Airyglyph. The group spotted the wagon. They walked over and saw two women that waited nearby.
"Sorry I'm late," Nel said.
A blonde, cold looking looked at them and walked over. "Lady Nel! Our preparations are complete, ma'am. We can leave immediately!" the cold-looking woman said.
"Nice work, Tynave."
"I'm just glad you're safe."
Another, even colder looking woman with purple hair walked over. "Lady Nel! Are the the ones, ma'am?" she asked.
"Yes, Farleen. They're engineers from Greeton, as we thought," Nel said.
"So we were right!" Tynave said.
"Great! Then we'll be able to complete it!" Farleen said.
"That's right. But we don't have time to kick back and chat now. Our pursuers are right behind us. If the Dragon Brigade shows up, we'll be in serious trouble." Nel said.
"Yes ma'am"
"Ma'am," Tynave and Farleen said in unison and saluted.
"Get in the wagon. We leave immediately," Nel said. The guys entered the back of the wagon, as did Tynave and Nel. Farleen walked to the drivers seat and took control of the lum's (a horned horse) reins. The wagon drove away from the bridge and started traveling to their next destination. Inside the wagon, Tynave and Nel sat on one side, while Fayt, Cliff and Cyrus sat on the other.
"Hey, you gonna introduce me to these fine young ladies?" Cliff asked.
"This is Tynave and the driver's Farleen. They serve directly under me—my ears and eyes in Airyglyph. They're the ones who told me about you two," Nel explained.
"Lucky for us," Fayt said.
"All women, huh? Not that I'm complaining!"
"Aquaria is ruled by the Holy Mother of the Church of Apris. We employ many more women than Airyglyph."
"The Church of Apris?" Fayt asked.
"Yes, the church of the Sun God Apris. The Holy Mother leads the church—and is also Queen of Aquaria."
"A theocracy..." Fayt said.
"God's divinity rules all..." Cyrus said.
"I gotcha," Cliff said. "What you're saying is your country's packed with temple maidens. Now I HAVE to see this place."
"Nel, I'd appreciate it if you answer my question now," Cyrus said.
"Right. But before that, might I ask one thing?" Nel asked.
"What?"
"Are you two really engineers from Greeton?"
"Well, umm…"
"Hey, you still don't believe us?"
"It's not that. It's just… The fact that you possess special technology and knowledge is clear to me—so, yes, it does seem likely that you are who you say. Still, something doesn't fit. The way you respond to danger, and your fighting ability indicate that you are not telling me everything. And…you are certainly not average engineers. So you see… I believe my doubts are well founded," Nel explained. The three were silent for a minute.
"Well..." Fayt trailed off.
"Okay, you got a point. But it seems to me you're just going to have to take our word. We got nothing to gain by lying to you anyway. Wait, you don't think we're Airyglyph spies, do you? Oh, please," Cliff said.
"Yes, I see what you mean," Nel said.
"But…you still don't trust us?"
"No, I trust you. In any case, I was ordered by Her Majesty to bring you to Aquaria. I must fulfill my duty."
"…Well then, Nel? Please answer my first question," Cyrus said.
"Yes… Since you're unfamiliar with this region, I'll fill you in on the details while explaining our current situation."
"Please," Fayt said.
"Tynave, the map."
"Yes, ma'am," Tynave got up from her seat and walked over to get the map. She returned and spread it on the ground.
"This is Airyglyph, the town we just left. Everything to the west of this line is the nation of Airyglyph—a military superpower. Eastwards of the border is our country, Aquaria. You follow?" Fayt, Cyrus and Cliff nodded in agreement. "As I mentioned earlier, Aquaria and Airyglyph are at war. Airyglyph is a militaristic nation that reveres power above all else; Aquaria is a peaceful nation that worships the Church of Apris. Aquaria and Airyglyph maintained friendly relations until several years ago. But one day, they invaded our territory without warning."
"It seems they'd been planning their invasion for some time. Airyglyph's a frigid land ringed by mountains. Food production has never been easy here—especially in winter. We believe they were after our land, fertile with the blessing of Apris," Tynave added.
"A war of aggression, huh?" Cliff said.
"Correct. There was no diplomacy, only outright military aggression. We resisted, but we were outmatched. Somehow, we managed to hold them back, but the bordertown of Arias was laid to waste. Still, the war has not been completely one-sided. We may be lacking in military power, but we do have runology."
"Runology?" Fayt asked.
"A secret art handed down by the followers of Apris. We inscribe special runes into our flesh that enable us to invoke normally impossible phenomenon… Thus the name 'runology.'"
"Hey, isn't that like symbology?" Cliff asked.
"Symbology! Right, that's what it reminded me of!" Fayt said. "Speaking of which, Cyrus, don't you have those markings?"
"I think so." Cyrus pulled off one of his jacket's sleeves and showed a strange tattoo that went from the shoulder, down.
"Symbology?" Nel said, confused.
"Er, never mind that. Just continue," Cliff said.
"But—what's stopping you from using runology to keep Airyglyph back?" Fayt asked.
"There's only a few of us that can use runology. Far too few to help us stand up to Airyglyph. That's why we decided to develop a weapon that makes use of runology. It's a man made weapon that uses the special energy evoked by runology as a power source. The engineers have named that energy 'channeled force.'"
"'Channeled Force?'" Fayt said.
"Correct. It's similar to lightning. But there are still a number of problems preventing us from cooperating the weapon."
"A power…similar to lightning?"
"Just when our research ground to a halt, Tynave and Farleen told me about you two. They also brought back a fragment of that thing that fell into Airyglyph. It was of great interest to our researchers. They said the fragment was of a material they could not identify, and that we should enlist your aid in our weapons development. And that's where I came in."
"So you're asking us to help develop a weapon that uses channeled force?"
"Yes. That is correct," Nel said.
"Hey, I bet we could use their power to make us a communicator," Cliff said.
"Yeah—a radio wave device, maybe," Fayt said. "I don't really know much about this 'channeled force,' but my guess is it's electricity."
"Sounds like they're simply using themselves as batteries to charge up their toy, know what I mean?" Cyrus said.
"Right, and if we can make that, we're home free, but… Nel, I can't do it. We can't help you," Fayt said.
"Didn't I say refusal wasn't an option?"
"But you're talking about a weapon that will kill many people! I don't want to have any part of that."
"Plus, we don't have any time to spare," Cyrus said.
"I understand your situation—you need to hurry to save your father,
correct?"
"Yes."
"You admit this is a personal problem—not one that concerns us?"
"True, but…"
"Our country's in a state of war. Both the people of Aquaria and Airyglyph are dying, energy weapon or no. A quick end to this war will reduce the number of lives lost. That is why we need to complete our new weapon as soon as possible," Nel said.
"This is starting to remind me of my old Earth history lessons…" Cliff said.
"Even so, that's not a good enough reason for me to build a weapon," Fayt said.
"So you're going back on your word?" Nel said.
"That's coercion!" Cyrus said.
"Call it what you will. I already told you back at the prison I could not let you live if you refuse to cooperate. I don't have anything against you two, but my duty comes first. And I don't need to
remind you that you can't help your father if you're dead."
"Now hold up!"
"What do you think Airyglyph would do if we abandoned you here?"
"We wouldn't help them, either!" Fayt said.
"I wonder if you'd sing the same song after their inquisitor had his fun with you."
"…I would. I've got the bruises to prove it," Cyrus said.
"Confident, aren't you?" Stern silence had fell in the wagon.
Cliff shook his head. "Hey, don't get all bent outta shape," he said to Nel. Then he turned to the boys, "And you, chill out."
"But…!" Fayt said.
"No buts, kid. Nothing good comes of acting hastily."
"We have no other choice," Nel said. "Frankly, the war with Airyglyph will escalate unless something is done soon. If we could only complete the new weapon, the situation would shift in our favor. If that means we must force uncooperative people into submission, then so be it."
"Is that the teaching of Apris?" Fayt asked.
"Of course not. The Sun God Apris and our queen would never wish such things. Yet if we do not act, they will find themselves lacking for followers. Would you rather we submit to their swords, like lambs to a slaughter?"
"That's not what I mean."
"But that is what you are saying."
"You're just twisting my—"
"Oh no!" Farleen yelled.
"What the–!"
"Huh? What is it, Farleen?" Nel asked.
"We have company! I think it's the Dragon Brigade!"
"They've caught up with us? Damn, we were so close to Kirlsa, too!"
"What are you gonna do? Fight?" Cliff said.
"I'm willing to give those fools a beatin'," Cyrus said. Nel shook her head in disagreement.
"Lady Nel..."
"What is it, Tynave?"
"It would be best for you to slip off and find shelter in the rocks—We'll lure them away!" she said.
"That's too risky!" Fayt said.
"You might not survive!" Cyrus said.
"Don't worry," Tynave said.
"We'll be fine! We've lost their kind before!" Farleen said.
"But..." Nel and Cliff walked to the back of the wagon.
"Tynave, Farleen, I'm counting on you." Nel said. "Okay you three, let's go."
Fayt ran over and placed his hand on Nel's shoulder. "This is insane! You're just gonna let them go on?"
"You are too valuable for us to lose!" Tynave said. "We'll be fine—fewer people means more speed. We'll outrun them! So please, go!"
"No time for chitchat. Let's move,"Cliff said as he opened the back.
"But..."
"Fayt—Please, look after Lady Nel," Tynave said.
"Cyrus–– Don't worry. We'll get out of this okay. We always do," Farleen said looking back.
"If only this was one of those lucky breaks," Cyrus thought.
Fayt nodded to Tynave's request. " You be careful yourself!"
"Don't worry about us!" Farleen said. "May the grace of Apris be with you!"
"May the grace of Apris be with you!" Tynave saluted. Fayt walked over to the exit. Cyrus bowed to the girls and fallowed. They jumped out of the wagon and took shelter behind rocks near the main path. It wasn't long until three dragon flying soldiers appeared in hasty pursuit of the wagon.
Nel peeked between a couple of rocks. "The Dragon Brigade. I feared they'd show up sooner or later. It shows how important you are to them," she said.
"Oh man," Cyrus said. "Just when you think it's safe to take a walk..."
"That's the Dragon Brigade?"
"Correct. They're one of Airyglyph's three military branches—Knights riding powerful air dragons. Not to be trifled with. Time to go. While Tynave distracts them, we can go through Kirlsa and enter Aquaria territory."
"Wait a moment," Fayt said. "I haven't agreed to cooperate with you yet. And we can't leave them here! There's no way they'll be able to escape with those dragon knights chasing them…"
"Yes, there is an extremely good chance that they'll be caught. But there's nothing we can do about that."
"What?"
"They knew the dangers of their mission when they accepted it." Fayt gasped. "If I became a burden to the mission, they would leave me behind in the same way."
"Mission, mission—what's the matter with you?" Fayt said, grabbing Nel's shoulder.
"Hey, Fayt. Shut up," Cliff said.
"But..."
"I'll leave whether or not we cooperate up to you two, but save the debate for later! We got to get somewhere safer first." Fayt groaned and Cyrus remained quiet with his arms tucked in his pockets of his jacket. "We'll be safer once we reach Aquaria, right?" Cliff asked Nel.
"Yes, I can guarantee that."
"There you are. So let's go there, then we can decide what's what. Make sense to you?"
"Yeah, but still…" Fayt said.
"You want Tynave and Farleen's sacrifice to go to waste? Whatever their objective might be, they're risking their lives to save us!"
"...You're right," Cyrus said.
"Atta boy."
"Let's go," Nel said. The group used the trail they were on to reach they're destination. As soon as they reached halfway, Fayt started stumbling. Nel walked over to check up on him. "What's wrong?"
"My head... Uhh!" Fayt knelt to the ground, holding his head.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Nel asked.
"Uhh… I just felt dizzy there for a minute."
"We'll be in Kirlsa soon. Can you make it that far? Why don't you have him carry you…"
"I'm fine… I'm not a baby, geez," he said, slapping Nel's hand off and continuing the trek.
"I guess these are his powers trying to manifest," Cyrus thought.
"Very well," Nel said, raising up one hand. She and Cyrus start catching up to Fayt. Cliff stood there, pondering at the event. He continued walking as well.
Part 7.2: Resting in Enemy Lines
In a few minutes after the event, the team of Nel, Cyrus, Cliff and Fayt finally arrived in the mining town of Kirlsa from the West Gate. "This is Kirlsa. If we can get through this town, we'll be in Aquaria," Nel said. She turned to Fayt, who sat on a rock, suffering from fatigue. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." Fayt said in a stubborn tone.
"Don't overexert yourself. Remember, you're not as strong as we are," Cliff said.
"Now even you're treating me like a baby. I said I'm fine."
"Yeah, well, I'm saying you don't look fine at all."
"Yo," Cyrus said. "Don't be pushing yourself too hard."
"I'd prefer to just leave this town now, but that won't be possible with Fayt in this condition… Let's stay here tonight," Nel suggested.
"What about those chumps on our tail?"
"We'll be okay if Tynave and Farleen succeed in leading them off… And in any case, we have nothing to gain by forcing a sick person to march."
"True enough."
"And we're in luck. There's an inn right over there, in that building with the wagon outside. Let's go." The group walked over to the inn. They entered and booked a room on the top floor. "I'll see you later."
"Where're you going?" Cyrus asked.
"I'm just going to check things out. I'll be right back."
"All right, but are you sure you should leave us alone? Aren't you afraid we'll just run away?" Cliff asked.
"No. You won't run out on me. I trust you, remember?"
"Oh, don't say that. Now we can't run away…"
"Heh heh. I don't mind you walking around, just don't leave the town. And don't do anything…conspicuous. We're still in Airyglyph territory. There's no telling where the enemy is hiding."
"Gotcha," Cyrus said.
"All right," Fayt said.
"Later then." Nel walked back downstairs and headed for town.
"What're you gonna do?" Cliff asked.
"Don't worry about me. What are you gonna do?" Fayt asked.
"I'm conspicuous just walking around… Well, it's gonna be pretty boring, but I guess I'll just have to wait right here." Cliff said.
"I think I'll take a walk—I'm sure it'll do me good."
"Sounds like a good idea," Cyrus said.
"What about you Cyrus?" Cliff asked.
"I'm thinking about hittin' the town, myself. Restock on some supplies. Though I think I also saw a pretty tight long coat."
"All right, but be careful. Like she said, we're still in enemy territory," Cliff suggested.
"Yeah. I know," Fayt said.
"You worry too much, playa," Cyrus said shaking his head side to side. "Well, holla at ya boys." Cyrus walked out of the room, followed by Fayt. "See ya late, Fayt."
"Okay." Cyrus and Fayt parted. Cyrus spied on the same coat that he spotted earlier. It was black, with the bottom split in two. Cyrus smirked and went into the store.
"Hello, sir. What can I do for you?" said a store clerk inside.
"Yeah, how much is that coat?" Cyrus asked.
The clerk looked over at the clothing Cyrus looked at. "It's 300 fol."
"Really?" Cyrus put his hands in his pocket. "I bet that when I entered this place, my money also changed turned into Fol. I hope I'm right," Cyrus thought. He pulled out the money out of his wallet and discovered that it was in fol. "Here you go, mister," Cyrus said as he placed the money on the desk.
"Alright. Here's you're coat, sir." Cyrus took the coat from the man and put it on. "Have a nice day." Cyrus left the shop and fastened the first five buttons.
"Oh man, this is great!" he thought. "Now time to check this place out." Cyrus started wondering through town with the tails of his coat floating above the ground as he walked. He walked to the southern part of town where a saw an old man wearing a cloak.
"Hello down there," Cyrus said.
The sermonic man looked up. "Ah, hello there young man." Cyrus waved back. "Say, would you like to hear a story about the what is going on? From the look on your face, you appear to not have the foggiest idea on the events taking place."
"Well sure. I'll be right down." Cyrus took the stairs that led down to the man who stood in front of the tunnel.
"What I am about to tell you is strictly private. The people here are really sensitive about what they hear."
"Alright. You're secret is safe with me."
The man cleared his throat and began to speak. "One day, the church in our town was suddenly surrounded by dozens of soldiers who proceeded to arrest the many followers of the Church of Apris whom had gathered there. A subsequent investigation by Duke Vox, head of the Dragon Brigade, concluded that the believers of Apris who gathered there were plotting the assassination of His Royal Majesty. When His Royal Majesty heard about the assassination plot, he declared war on the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria, which was thought to be behind the plot. That is why all the temples of the Church of Apris were burned to the ground and even the worship of the Rather God, Apris, was banned. Still I doubt the Queen or the High Priests of the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria, let alone one of the tens of thousands of followers of Apris, intended to carry out such a terrible act as assassinating the King. It's actually quite a simple matter... Our country merely needed a reason like that so it could invade a sacred kingdom like Aquaria."
Cyrus was shocked at what he just heard. His mouth gapping and eyes wide open. "What? This is the war of aggression?" he thought. "This suffering, all because some high and mighty Captain wanted an incentive to start a war?" he said.
"Unfortunately so," the robed man said, nodding his head. "Lord Vox is, after all, not only the Captain of a formidable army, but the uncle of His Majesty."
"This is foolish! That Vox! He's nothin' but a power hungry asshole!"
"Shh! Watch your tongue, young one." the man warned. "There are eyes and ears everywhere. Nowhere is a safe place to be saying such things."
"You're right. I better go. Thanks for the info." Cyrus walked up the stairway.
"Take care, young one. Be careful."
Wandering around aimlessly, listening to "Raptor Wasteland" Cyrus thought about what has happened so far. He still couldn't believe that a war was waging just by the word of a religious zealot. As he strolled around the town, Cyrus had bumped into Fayt, literally; near a the a few houses. "Hey! Watch where you're- Fayt!"
"Oh sorry about that."
"Man, you're pretty careless, aren't you?"
"Look who's talking. Nice coat."
"Thanks. I thought that walking around with 'PHAT FARM' on a sweater was too obvious. So, I thought I might want to blend in a bit while keeping it real."
"I still have no idea what 'keeping it real means,'" Fayt said when he scratched the back of his head. "Did you find anything new?"
"Yeah. You know the war between this country and Nel's country?"
"You mean Aquaria?"
"Yeah. Anyway, the reason it started was because some fool blamed the followers of Apris, saying that they were gonna kill the King."
"You mean..."
"That's right. And you wanna know who it was?" Fayt nodded. "It was Lord Vox."
"Who's Vox?"
"The Captain who controls the Dragon Brigade. Because of him and his lie, Aquaria's slowly being destroyed. That's my primary reason why Nel wants our services."
"Like I said before, I'm not sure building this weapon is a good idea."
"You're right." Cyrus looked around. "Let's go find Nel, then get back to the inn."
"Good idea." Cyrus and Fayt searched everywhere. In a few hours, near the entrance they took; the two found who they were searching for. "Hey, is that–?" Fayt said.
"What's wrong homes?" Cyrus asked. Fayt signaled Cyrus to follow and remain silent. "Hey! It's Nel!" Cyrus whispered in astonishment. Nel was talking to a woman. Cyrus and Fayt walked up against the wall, trying to listen in on the conversation.
"…according to our latest information," the unknown woman said.
"I see… They're up to the same nasty tricks as always. Is it the Dragon Brigade?"
"No, it's the Black Brigade. Of course, the Dragon Brigade is backing them up."
"Whatever you do, please don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. You know they plan to—"
Nel noticed Fayt and Cyrus hiding against the wall. "Go," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." The woman walked. As she turned the corner, she looked at the blue-haired swordsmen and the dark-clothed shizznit lying against the wall. Cyrus waved his hand and the woman wandered off. Cyrus and Fayt walked over to Nel, a little confused over what had taken place.
"What are you doing out here?" Nel asked.
"Nothing really. We were passing by and saw you, so…" Fayt said.
"Who was that?" Cyrus asked.
"She works for me, gathering intelligence here in Kirlsa… I was just checking up on her." Nel explained.
"Is something the matter?" Fayt asked. "You looked pretty grim…"
"Nothing unexpected. I've found out our pursuers are getting close to this town."
"That's it?" Fayt said.
"Yes... Why?"
"Oh well, no reason, really."
"We thought there was something more to it than that," Cyrus said.
"We can't afford to waste any time here." Nel said.
"You're right. We should go back to the inn. Think up something on the way."
The group walked back to the inn. As soon as they arrived to the top floor, their welcome was greeted by a bored Cliff. "Ah, there you are…huh?" Cliff was surprised when he saw Nel, Fayt and Cyrus coming in at the the time. "You three were together?"
"We ran into her at the entrance," Fayt said.
"Like he said," Nel added as she walked to the window..
"There wasn't anything more to do, so here we are," Cyrus said.
"Ah, I see." Cliff was still a little puzzled. He turned his attention to Fayt. "So how are you feeling now?"
"I'm okay. It must have just been the fatigue catching up with me."
"Right. Well, hope that's all it was."
"Sorry to worry you guys."
"Well, as long as you're okay. Don't sweat it."
"Cliff's right. We wouldn't go any further if dropped dead or somethin'," Cyrus said.
"It'll be night soon… You should rest up today. Tomorrow we'll pass through the Kirlsa Caverns," Nel informed.
"The Kirlsa Caverns?" Cliff said in a questionable tone.
"Sounds cool. What are they?" Cyrus asked.
"Mineshafts to the north of town. We'll go through there to Arias. Of course it'd be faster to go through the wilderness to the east, but we can't be sure that they aren't waiting to ambush us if we go that way."
"And the Kirlsa Caverns are safe?" Fayt asked.
"Well, at least we can be sure there are no Airyglyph soldiers to worry about."
"Spit it out. What's dangerous about the mineshafts?" Cliff said.
"Well, a number of monsters have taken up residence there. I'm not saying it's 100 safe."
"Riiight."
"Let's just say I'd rather face them than the soldiers. So now that everyone knows the plan, let's get some sleep. We leave early."
"Alright," Fayt said.
"Okay," Cliff said.
"Cool," Cyrus said. That night, Cyrus competed with Cliff on who got to sleep on the top bunk. They decided through the most brutal and unforgiving of games: Rock, Paper, Scissors. Cyrus won the match when he played his rock over Cliff's scissors. Cliff groaned in agony and was forced to sleep in a chairs. Fayt took the lower bunk while Nel laid against a wall. Cyrus went to sleep after he inserted his headphones in his ear.
Part 7.3: On a Rough Track
The next morning, Nel woke everyone up. They knew they had a busy day. Today was the day they finally reach their "actual" safe house in Aquarian territory.
"Nel, can I ask you something?" Fayt asked.
"What?"
"Do you think Tynave and Farleen got away okay?"
"They'll be fine. Those girls can fend for themselves. They are attached for these eventualities…"
"I hope you're right..."
"Hurry up and get ready. Our pursuers are not far away."
"Yeah, yeah..." Cliff said, still a bit groggy.
"What's wrong Cliff?" Cyrus asked. "Did baby wake up on the wrong side of the chair?" he taunted in a mocking voice.
"Watch it kid," Cliff snapped. "How about you sleep in a chair and see how it feels."
"I have. I'm just glad it wasn't me that night." Cyrus made a small chuckle, but Cliff wasn't in the mode for games and growled under his breath. The gang left the inn and went to the north side of town. They entered the cave.
"Well, we're in." Cliff said. "So what now?"
"Well, I happen to have a map of the place," Cyrus said. It wasn't an actual map, but a layout that he got on the computer back in his own dimension (not even he knew why he still had something like that).
"Alright, which way?" Fayt asked.
Cyrus looked at the forks in the road. Then he looked at the map. "How about we take that path," Cliff said, pointing on the left.
"No, we go right."
"Why should we go right?" Cliff asked.
"'Cause I got the map," Cyrus said.
"Map, shmap. My navigational abilities are far more sufficient than what's on that piece of paper."
"Yeah. You sure've shown us, playa," Cyrus sneered.
"Alright. We'll vote. Who wants to follow me, the most handsome in this group." Cliff was the only one that raised his hand.
"Fine. Who wants to follow a crazy kid with a piece of paper." Everybody raised their hands. Cliff was gaping.
"It's not like we don't wanna," Fayt said. "But he does have a map."
"You too?" Cliff shouted to Nel.
"I don't know about your abilities, but it would be better to leave out of here safely and as soon as possible."
"It's unanimous," Cyrus said. "Now, let's get crackin'." The group followed Cyrus and his "map" until they got to a door that led to a room. "'Ight. It say we have to go through this door and pull a switch."
"A switch?" Fayt asked.
"Yeah. That's the way we'll be able to leave."
"Alright then. Let's go," Nel said. Cyrus opened the door and everyone stepped in the room.
"This room looks like it was in use," Cyrus said.
"This used to be a mine, but they haven't dug here for decades—not since the ore ran out. These days, it's only used as a passage through the mountains. But even that's become dangerous because of cave-ins and such."
"I see." Suddenly, without warning, the ground shook violently. It caught the group by surprise.
"What the–?"
"That was no ordinary earthquake," Cliff said.
Cyrus looked up and saw a large monster called Earth Smasher descend to the floor. "Great. Another bump in the road," he said. "Let's turn Rocky here into gravel."
The battle started. Nel jumped up and catapulted at the stone menace while the other three charged at it. Cyrus and Fayt swung their blades, damaging the monster completely and Cliff punched the hell out of the monster. Unfortunately, the Earth Smasher broke out of the onslaught by swinging it hard fists about. Nel attacked from behind, but the monster quickly turned and punched Nel hard enough to knock her off her feet. Again they tried the frontal assault and again the strategy failed.
"Alright Cyrus," Cliff said. "You got us in. What now?"
"Stay tight." Cyrus turned to Nel. "Yo Nel," he called.
"What?"
"You have enough power for Fire Bolt?"
"Yeah. Why you ask?"
"Good, get ready to use it. Fayt, Cliff. We need you two to keep attacking it up front. Nel and I will keep using Fire Bolt."
"Sounds good. It seems like fire attacks are our best bet," Fayt said.
"Let's end this chump," Cyrus said.
Cyrus, Fayt and Cliff heard a loud cry. It was the Earth Smasher and it summoned Earth Glaive. They quickly stood up and jumped out of the direction of the attack. Cyrus saw Nel. They kept their distance and charged up their attacks. Meanwhile, Cliff and Fayt were ganging up on the rock monster, attacking from both of its flanks. In a few seconds, Cyrus and Nel shouted out "Fire Bolt!" at the same time. Three balls of flames traveled at high speeds. They past the target at first, changed course and contacted directly. It cried. Then Earth Smasher again used its Earth Glaive. The sharp rocks nearly made contact with Cyrus and Nel, lucky they sidestepped. Cyrus sensed that the Earth Smasher was weakened and thought enough was enough. He ran at the monster and, as soon as he was in range; unleashed Shadow Slash. Like a dark, streaking comet, Cyrus reduce Earth Smasher to a pile of sliced earth.
"Well, that was intense," Cyrus said.
"Didn't expect to run into something like that here," Fayt said.
"Kinda late for that now. Wonder if he's behind that cave-in?" Fayt thought out loud.
"It's a possibility," Nel said. "Don't let your guard down."
"Yeah."
Cliff walked over to the door and tried to pull. "Dammit. It's locked."
Cyrus walked over to a switch. "Hey guys," he called. "I think I found the switch."
"Great, but what does it do?" Fayt asked.
"Maybe it's starts up that device in the other room?" Nel said.
"Alright, but how do we know?" Cliff asked.
"We won't know until we try. Let's test the theory." Cyrus pulled down on the lever. They saw a gate open just below them. "Nel was right," he said.
"Alright Cyrus," Nel said. "Is there a passage that takes us back to that trail?"
Cyrus scanned the map. He saw the passage and remembered that it was the trail Cliff wanted to go through. "There's a path over there." He pointed to the next door. "All we have to do is follow that path and we'll be back on track."
"Okay," Fayt said. "Let's get going."
The group of four followed the passage on the map. As soon as they were at the end Cliff was in shock. "Hey! Didn't we just come from there?"
"Yeah. And where we're on, is the path you wanted us to use," Cyrus said. "Not too bad for a crazy kid with a piece of paper." Cliff looked up in anguish.
They followed the path and we're back in the room with the machine. They gathered near it.
"So, what's this thing?" Fayt asked.
"Hmm... An instruction manual?" Cyrus spotted.
"What does it say?" Cliff asked.
"Let's see... Airyglyph Department, yadda yadda yadda... wait. Hauler Beast?"
"A large creature with impressive strength," Nel explained. "They're mainly used in mining expeditions to transport materials."
Cyrus continued reading the manual. He turned back to the group. "Yo, yo. There are five haulers with five different natures. If we want to leave here, we should use the Steady."
"Why's that?" Fayt asked.
"Let's put it like this. Carefree only turns one way most of the time. Whimsical doesn't follow orders and likes to jump. Ill- Nature doesn't know its left from right and Aggressive has a mind of its own," Cyrus explained.
"When you put it like that," Cliff said, "I guess we really don't have a choice."
"Fayt, if you may be so kind as to do the honors." Cyrus stepped back and Fayt walked up.
He pressed the button that said Steady. The gates opened and they saw a large chelonian gallop on the track. "That's... a hauler beast?" Fayt said surprised. Everyone, except Nel; looked down at the strange creature.
"So you're telling me we're riding on that?" Cliff said.
"Wow. I always wanted to ride a giant, six legged turtle," Cyrus sarcastically said.
"Don't be fooled by their appearance. Hauler Beast are extremely intelligent creatures that are capable at reaching fast speeds."
"Yeah, sure. I believe you," Cyrus said.
"Well, if it's the only way out," Cliff said. "Then let's go."
"Right. No point in staying here," Fayt said. The group jumped and landed inside the wagon. Fayt held the reins. He tugged at the strap and the reptile started to move.
"We should also worry about the cave-ins and some of those barriers set on the tracks. They might give it stress," Cyrus pointed out.
"Alright," Fayt replied.
"Cyrus, which way do we go?" Nel said.
"We have to turn left first, then we have to take a right." Fayt slowed the animal down and turned left. The road was starting to get bumpy. Another fork appeared and Fayt tugged at the animal to turn right. Cyrus looked up and saw some rocks descending to the ground. "Watch out! Falling stones, ahoy!" Cyrus said. Fayt quickly pulled back on the straps. The Hauler Beast decelerated and the rocks came crashing down on the path. They rolled off and Fayt returned the Hauler to its regular speed.
"Which way now?" Fayt asked.
"We're not to far now," Cyrus said. "Just a few more left turns and we're outta here."
"Finally," Cliff said. Suddenly another group of rocks fell onto the track and Fayt had to lower the Hauler's speed again. The quick halt sent Cliff, Nel and Cyrus flying forward and hitting the wagon.
"Ouch! They should really put seatbelts on these things," Cliff said.
"Seatbelts?" Nel asked in a confusing tone.
"Err... Nevermind."
"Centrifical force... is a bitch, ain't it," Cyrus said.
"You guys okay?" a concerned Fayt asked.
"Just peachy," Cyrus replied as they tore themselves off the wall and sat back down.
"Now, about getting out..." Cliff said.
"Right. Like I said. As soon as we break through those gates, we should turn left and then you could say good-bye to this crazy cave." The hauler moved through the barriers and after the last turn, the creature slowly stopped at the barrier.
Cyrus and the gang stepped out of the wagon and were met by an old soldier. "You came through on this hauler?"
"We did, but uh..." Fayt trailed off.
"Amazing!" He shouted in surprise. "There are monsters prowling about, and the whole place has fallen into disrepair. There's also been some terrible rock slides and holes have opened up in some of the tunnels. It's a complete mess in there."
"Umm… Who are you?" Cyrus asked.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Gregory von Dermein III, administer of these caverns. I'm a member of the Glyphian army."
"Gregory... Uh..." Fayt was still whimsical about him.
"Ha ha ha… Just 'Gregory' will do," he said. " I'm only a rank and file soldier. This is a job suited to an old man such as me. Not that I like being old, mind you…"
"How interesting..." Fayt said.
"Whoops. There I go bellyaching again. Well now, if you made it here on that hauler, that must mean the tunnels are clear."
"Yep. There were a few dangerous parts, but nothing that prevented us from making it through," Cyrus said.
"I see… Well then, I'll drive this one back. I was a fine hauler driver back in the day."
"Thank you. That would be great."
"There's a wide expanse of wildlands from here on. Be careful."
"You be careful, too, Gregory," Fayt said.
"Don't worry about me. I can still keep up with you youngsters." Gregory got on board the wagon and rode the Hauler back to the station. Cyrus and the rest of the gang walked out of the mine and arrived at the Berquerel Mountain Path.
"So where are we now?" Fayt asked.
"This is the Berquerel Mountain Path. A rough terrain passage between the Kirlsa Caverns and Aquaria," Nel said. "It will take us half the day to trek, but once we cross through, we'll be in Aquaria territory."
"Sounds good. Let's get going," Cyrus said. The team traversed through the terrain. They also took the time to grow stronger by defeating the different monsters that got in their way.
In the end, as Nel estimated, they reached their long awaited destination. Their safe house: the Aquarian territory. "We made it. Arias—Aquaria territory," Nel said.
Fayt, Cliff and Cyrus looked at the village. Houses where destroyed and a cemetery was filled with victims from the war. "Some of the houses have been destroyed..." Fayt said.
"Yes, that happened during the Airyglyph attack," Nel informed.
"Wow, they did a lot of damage," Cliff said.
"I feel so sorry for the people lost in the battle," Cyrus said.
"The large mansion in the middle of the town is our base of operations here. We'll check in there first," Nel said. The group followed the red-headed warrior into the mansion. "Here we are. This is the conference room. The commander will be glad to see that you are safe."
"Well, that's cool," Cyrus said.
"Alright. We'll maybe our questions will be answered here," Cliff said.
"Right," Fayt said. "Let's go."
Inside the room, a gray haired young woman was having a meeting with a couple of runologists. "We've already received the redeployment request for the runological weapons," a male runologist said.
"They will arrive in three days," the female runologist said.
"Will that be sufficient, ma'am?" asked the female soldier to the gray haired commander.
"That will be fine. Carry on," she said.
"Yes ma'am."
"Nice work, all. You are relieved," the commander said to the runologists.
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.
Suddenly, Nel's voice caught the woman's attention. "You're looking well," she said.
"It's you!" the woman said surprised. They walked toward one another. "When did you return?" she asked.
"Just now Clair," Nel answered.
"Welcome home… Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. I see you still worry too much."
"It's only because you're too reckless. If you don't want me to worry about you, try being a little more careful."
"That's the line of work I'm in. It can't be helped."
"That may be so, still… Are these the ones?"
"That's right. They're engineers from Greeton. They're still reluctant to help us."
"I see..." Clair walks over to Cyrus, Cliff and Fayt. "I'm commander Clair Lasbard of the Aquaria Runological Unit. I'm honored to meet you," she greeted and bowed.
"The name's Cliff Fittir."
"I'm Cyrus Splicer."
"I'm Fayt Leingod. Nice to meet you."
"I must apologize for forcing our problems on you. However…you must understand our situation," Clair said.
"Your little issue, right?" Cyrus asked.
"I think we understand," Cliff said.
"But, I'm not sure–" Fayt was cut off.
"I would like to hear what you have to say," Clair said, "and I will provide a thorough explanation of our situation as well. But, you must be exhausted. Why don't we continue this tomorrow? You need your rest."
"That's right… He may seem fine now, but Fayt is still under the weather."
"I'm fine," Fayt said in a stubborn tone.
"Hey, never pass up a chance to take it easy, kid. It was a real trek crossing those mountains," Cliff said.
"Okay, okay."
"There's a guest room upstairs on the second floor. Please feel free to use it. Nel, stay behind. We have much to discuss," Clair said.
"Right."
The group walked up to the room upstairs while Nel stayed behind catching up on the most recent of events. Inside the guest room, the three were pretty satisfied with its surroundings. "Not bad," Cliff said.
"Yeah, and the view's pretty good, too," Fayt said.
"Not only that," Cyrus said, "but it has a good, relaxing feel to it."
"I'll rest up first," Cliff said. "Take a stroll and come back whenever you feel like it."
"Will do," Fayt said.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Cyrus nodded.
Cyrus and Fayt left the mansion and went their separted ways. Cyrus went through the town and bought some supplies. He also had to make a choice and what to do next. "Alright, let's see," Cyrus thought. "I could stay here and help the guys rescue Nel... or I could just as easily go with her, more time to try and harness my abilities." Cyrus stood a few minutes. "Oh, hell, I'll think about this later." Cyrus left to buy more essential items. Eventually, the sun was going down and a blanket of night shrouded the sky.
In a few minutes, Nel left the conference room and went upstairs. She went to the guest room and stopped at the doorway. She saw Fayt and Cliff sleeping in their beds. She respectfully bowed and left the room, not knowing that Cliff had been watching the whole incident. He went back to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was going to be filled with surprises. Nel walked out of the establishment with a determined look in her eye. "Well, this is it. I know Clair will take over while I'm gone," she said. "Now time to go."
As Nel started to leave, she heard a voice. "Yo, hold up," it said. Nel turned around and was shock to see who arrived. It was Cyrus.
"Cyrus! What are you doing here?" Nel asked.
"That's something I like to ask you, Nel."
"Cyrus please, you must go back."
"Let me come with you."
"What?"
"Listen Nel, I know what you're trying to do."
"What do you mean?"
"I think that whatever's happening, it has something to do with Tynave and Farleen."
Nel was surprised. "Maybe it does. Though why are you concerned?" she asked. "You'll be safer if you stay with Fayt and Cliff."
"Yeah, but if I'm correct, it seems that the odds are against you. I mean I support the army of one and all, but I've also seen what happens and it's not pretty. So I'm coming with you to watch your back."
Nel was silent. "Cyrus, we need you to get to Aquios,"
"Yeah, but we need you take us there. I'm not leaving until you take me with you."
"Cyrus..."
"Think of what might happen to you and to Tynave and Farleen." Nel thought for a second. "When we first met, you said to us that we we're bonded to you. I'm not sure about the others, but I'm going with you. Not just to get stronger, but because I want to help you find them."
Nel knew that even if she said no, Cyrus would still go anyway. "Fine Cyrus, let's go. We don't have any time to wake up Fayt and Cliff. We have to go by ourselves."
"Okay. So where are we going, though?"
"To the Kirlsa Training Facility. That's where Airyglyph is holding Tynave and Farleen to trade for you, Fayt and Cliff."
"I guess there's no time to loose. Let's move." The two rushed from the house and were on their way to their destination by using the western exit.