A/N: Right. I do not own Ragnarok. How's that for a witty disclaimer. I'm not a good regular updater, so don't ever feel pushed to read the chapter in ten minutes and be done – there's no rush. I'm the most rubbish updater you'll find anywhere.
Start on a positive note: Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this, and thank you even more to the people who have something good to say at the end. I wholeheartedly hope you enjoy this story.
While we're still on the author's notes, if you think this is a short little thing then I suggest you click the back button and check the word count. This fic is very long. Like I said, don't feel rushed when you're reading it. However, please do not just skim to the latest chapter and leave a review to tell me how boring this is when it is very clear that you haven't actually bothered to read it. For some strange inexplicable reason, I don't appreciate it. It isn't smart, it isn't funny, and it's just plain annoying.
Little Girl's Last Day
The last day for the ever so quaint village was drawing to a close. The farmers commented that it had been a red dawn, but the day had gone on without even a black cloud to betray the disaster that would rip the place apart. The bells of the clock tower tolled each hour as they came and went. The weak northern sun shone its usual meek summer light. The day was warm and clear. The watchman pounded at an iron panel, and the steady clang-clang-clang summoned back the everyday horde and the buzz of their incessant chatter.
The northern town of Arie was tucked neatly out of the way. There was nothing special about it; it was self-sufficient, not particularly famous for anything, and was generally accepted as the town everyone thought of last. Unlike other places, it wasn't part of a city state or region, and didn't have any trade with the rest of the world. There was the dancing school, which, since it stuck only to performance, was becoming increasingly out of fashion, as battle dancers flew gracefully into the scene of Midgard. Prontera had the priests and the knights, mages flocked to Geffen and Juno, the tribes of the Payonese mountains bore excellent archers… Arie was nothing.
There were no seasons, as if the weather didn't deem the place worthy enough of a very dramatic change in weather. Summer was mild and not sunny, winter even less so, before it faded sleepily back into summer. Its inhabitants were traditionally pale-faced and sported neutral features. The houses were huts and the streets were dirt, turning into terracotta slop on rainy days. Meanwhile, the Clock Tower loomed overhead, the town's only feature. It looked blacker every day.
There were theories about the Clock Tower, and they ranged from mundane to impossible. Some people insisted that it was a gathering place for dark and evil wizards, who could call upon the spirits of the dead to do their bidding. Some said that a beast lived in there, undying, searching for life to destroy. Others said it was a marking place for the grave of a god. Few said it told the time.
A meek young girl stood leaning against the gate. She was skinny with not much in the way of strength of aggression. She was a dancer with a lack of confidence that bred a timidity, which she found more than annoying. She had stormed through the novice citizen's trials at the age of six with the result that she should never be trusted with anything sharp, and with an interest in music already expressed, the parents saw that the only logical thing was for her to become a musician. She was the daughter of the town healer, Maia, a woman whose capacity for herbal remedies and spell casting went a lot deeper than mending a broken bone or brewing a remedy for a cold. The uneventful little girl was named Kyo, and she was delicate, meek and frail as a flower in every sense of the word. She had no difficulty with the dances taught to her at school, but she wouldn't dream of calling herself a good dancer. She had no qualms with her physical appearance, but she wouldn't dream of calling herself pretty. She made an effort to smile at others, be polite and encouraging, and generally optimistic. Her efforts were never wasted.
The light hum of people's chatter washed over her. A few people greeted her, expecting conversation, but she recommended them that they move on – she was feeling a bit ill and would consequently not be very interesting to listen to. They would express sympathy and earnest wishes that she would feel better in the morning.
She wasn't ill, but it was only excuse she could think of as to why her mind was so preoccupied. She knew what she felt was dread, but she didn't know why she should be feeling dread.
Why?
Part of her began to answer, and she blotted it out quickly.
Why didn't she want to hear the answer?
Did you honestly think you could keep hiding in your naïve little village?
Hiding from what though…?
Uneasiness had been piling up dramatically over the last few months, and Midgard was changing. Wariness became uneasiness, uneasiness became dread, and as the minutes trickled on dread became fright. Wildlife was becoming increasingly more aggressive. The world outside was becoming more hostile.
"Kyo!" She looked up, senses settling back reluctantly, to find the watchman staring at her with something that could be described as apprehension. "You should probably be getting home. You don't look so well."
She probably didn't, she conceded in her mind. She nodded at the watchman and smiled, then turned and set off back home.
"Feel better tomorrow, okay?" he called after her.
I doubt it.
The walk home was quiet, though evening greetings were crisscrossing the air. Kyo crossed her arms over her chest, because it made her feel better. There was a steady rhythm as her paces crackled over the road. The lonely little Arien girl. Self-piteous girl. Pathetic, snapped a voice in her mind.
When she reached the clock tower, she stopped. There had always been an odd feeling about the place. Nobody ever went in, so what was actually in there? It was far too tall, a stark, black contrast to the little village surrounding it. The place made her more than uneasy, but she didn't know why. She turned to look at it fully. There were the doors, a little over-compensating in terms of height. Certainly not something to be used by humans… It was covered in runes, written in the Language of the Making, which she'd never learned. It was spell language. But had there always been so many…?
Dong!
She startled, throwing her hands over her ears. The abuse didn't continue though… She opened her eyes, which had snapped closed on instinct. She looked up and found the answer to the sudden tolling of bells. It was signalling the half hour. Craning her neck further, she saw the silhouette of a bird… a rather large bird at that. An eagle? Kestrel? Well, some bird of prey. It posed no threat though.
A sudden gust of wind pulled her back to her shattered nerves. Why was she so afraid of nothing? She tried to move, and couldn't. She now fully-understood the term "to make a break for it." Edging further from the clock tower, she readied herself for a sprint.
-x-x-
Maia startled to the sound of someone crashing into her front door. She discovered she'd pricked herself on her sewing, but that didn't matter, as she knew who had finally decided to come home.
"There you are!" she exclaimed, pulling her daughter into a hug. Kyo returned it meekly, and Maia quickly tugged her inside. "Dinner's come and gone. Where have you been? Somewhere fun, I hope."
Maia tried her best to be cheerful, smiling, warm, doting, motherly… but her smile slid away from her features when she took a good look at her only child.
"Sorry," Kyo greeted in the usual meek manner. She shuffled in the direction of her bed, keeping close to the walls.
"Kyo." She stopped. Maia sighed. Kyo was never confident, and there really was no reason why the girl shouldn't have any faith in herself. Her father's death had genuinely ruined her. It tore her apart, and unless she changed, she would lead a very unhappy life. "Won't you tell me what's wrong, love?"
"It's nothing." The reply was far too quick.
"If it's anything y-…"
"I'm sure I'm just being silly."
"What is it? Why are you…", the word suddenly came, "… afraid?"
Kyo went very still. Her fingers curled into fists behind her, then her hands pressed themselves flat against the wall. "Then it is a huge nothing I fear." …Puzzling. "I'm tired, mother."
Maia sighed again. The fact that her daughter would never be happy became truer, and began to really tug at her throat. "Sleep well," she said, smiling as sweetly as she could, as her daughter sank fully clothed onto her bed.
X-X-XHawk was a hunter. His bow was strung over his back with a quiver of arrows that he hadn't had to use yet. His falcon was returning, apparently from a village. He was on patrol at the order of his guild mistress, a hyperactive sage by the name of Ruriko. Why she had an Amatsan name when she and her sister were definitely from Morroc was a bit of a mystery. Either way, she had sent him to patrol the northern border, after a prediction she came to by laying out some cards in a slightly organized formation. Something's definitely going to happen, she said. I don't know what, but we need you to be there, she said.
He grit his teeth. It was the northern border. There was Glast Heim, a deserted city with restless dead and a host of demons and the gods only knew what. There was always something happening there. Then there was Arie, the nowhere place. He was annoyed.
Something that fuelled his frustration was a lack of trees; the landscape here was almost totally flat. Hawk worked best in forests, so he wondered why she hadn't asked Draco or Oshi to take this errand, or maybe Taiken. Better yet, why hadn't the silly brat just gone herself? If she knew something was going to happen, then surely she would be best to combat it. She was adept enough at getting herself out of sticky situations, and Draco, being her sister, would make sure she came to no harm.
Fantastic. He had no idea where about he was supposed to be patrolling. His falcon, Alder, suggested Arie.
Don't be ridiculous. Nothing happens in Arie.
Alder replied mildly that maybe that wasn't the case. There was the clock tower there, after all.
Hawk snarled aloud.
Still, Alder reminded him calmly, if anything were to happen to Midgard, it would start here, on this very border. That was the point of the God's Cry – to find the cause to the changes in Midgard.
However, the time was not now. Irritated and slightly flustered from his long sprint, Hawk took a scrap of paper and began scrawling a note to Ruriko saying that her information was wrong. He was also tempted to ask how an idiot such as herself had ever managed to enter the Juno Academy of Magic, as she was a bit of an idiot. Tempting as it was, oh so very tempting, he didn't. She was a good sage, and he'd rather not be on the receiving end of one of her spells.
He folded the note to give to Alder, who was now very put out. The falcon refused to take it.
Stubborn! What is it? Hawk growled this time, making Alder take off and fly a few feet above him, both frightened by the hunter's temper and amused at the interesting array of angry noises he was producing. This did a splendid job of irritating Hawk. "Oh, very well," he sighed, knowing that Alder would not do as he said. "What is it you are looking for? What can you see?"
The falcon let out a slight shriek and tore off north, leaving Hawk to sprint behind him.
-x-x-
Kyo woke up to a scream, which was cut ruthlessly short. Dizzy with fatigue, she listened hard. She scanned the hut, and her mother wasn't there. Now she was confused…
She was not sure what she heard, but the word carnage plagued her mind. Her mother's absence had thrown her mind into a panic. She scrambled off her mattress and threw herself out of the door.
She stood staring for a few seconds before her mind accepted what her young eyes saw. It was burning. Arie was burning. Screams rose through the air, tearing the night apart.
Ash fell unchecked over her face, now stiff with terror. She did not attempt to blink the embers out of her eyes, though tears swelled up and blurred her vision.
"HELP!"
One of the townspeople came stumbling into view; a man, a father, of about forty. He was being pursued by some kind of monster, stuttering the word "help" over and over, as though it would do him some good.
The monster was a kind Kyo had never seen before. It had the shape of a clock, but it had gnarled arms growing awkwardly out of its sides. Where there would have been a clock face, there was a sneering, fanged, cadaverous expression. It shrieked and screamed and stretched in grimaces and jeers.
Her senses returning to her body, Kyo turned and ran, not wishing to see more. There was a bone-crunching thud behind, and she felt the man's life fall away as surely as though it were her own.
The places she had memorised vanished, and she sprinted wildly through the unfamiliar streets of the town where she had grown up. She saw merciless chunks had been torn from the buildings, and there were no faces greeting her by the name Kyo. Her legs carried her on while her mind vaguely followed, not sure how to react to everything.
The air warped from crimson to black as she fled to the outskirts on the village, but she didn't stop; she pounded on, up the hill, seeking safety. Her limbs worked furiously, until finally she collapsed gasping on the earth, the smell of grass overwhelming her. She now felt as though she was made of lead, and everything had sunken in. Her feet hammered as though she was still running, protesting about the hard journey she made them take. She vaguely remembered landing not quite on the flat of her foot while hurtling around a corner… it hurt a lot, and it continued to throb now.
She didn't know what had happened; there were probably more of those monsters, and they were probably still pouring out of the clock tower, wrecking her village. There was a wish, a want for death there… to make everything suffer. Everything she had known, everything she had grown up with was now gone. Wiped away. Erased. And she could have stopped it. Why didn't she say something? She should have known. The image of that man, staring into her eyes with his own shattered, fearful glare. She should be down there now, dying with the others.
The dread in her stomach churned and curdled bitterly. She'd ran, she'd escaped, and she lived. Without a home, friends, teachers, or mother, she was alone, and she'd have to carry on that way. She couldn't hide in her naïve little village any longer; she had to face the rest of the world where everything was double-edged and harder than it seemed.
What had happened to Mother? She could make everything okay again, but where was she? Things had sunk and she wasn't here…
Kyo tried to ignore the night air forming a layer of frost over her warm, tired body. She tried to ignore the pain, and whatever it was that happened. Her throat tightened, and she cried.
X-X-X
Hawk kept a steady pace after Alder, who kept on a direct course. The falcon was soon taking a detour, swooping low and circling something on the ground. Why…?
Hawk took a few seconds to catch up, and watched Alder beadily for a moment or two. He glided back and forth over a crumpled heap of flesh and clothes. Looking closer, Hawk saw that it was a woman. Looking closer still, he saw that she was crying.
He felt strange; he had never been in a situation that required him to show pity. His previous anger ebbed away.
"Um… hey," he called. She did not look up. Indeed, it seemed as though she was aware of neither the man knelt a little way from her, nor the falcon patrolling the air above her back.
Hawk watched for a moment, waiting for some kind of reaction. All she did was sob. Impatient, he seized her by the shoulders and made her sit upright. Although he immediately wished he hadn't done so.
She looked more than a little distressed, which threw him – what made her like this?
He re-gathered his thoughts and grappled for something to say. "What happened? Why are you here?"
She continued crying, raising her hands to cover her face, and breathing coming short and sharp. He felt her shoulders tense with every hiccup, but he doubted whether she were aware of anything.
Sighing, he continued: "If you cannot speak, perhaps you should head for Prontera. I'm sure the priest guild will tend to you, but it's still a long walk."
Her hands slipped, and she relaxed for a second. She regarded him somewhat serenely. She closed her eyes and she let her head loll onto her shoulder.
Hawk's impatience got the better of him. He tightened his grip on her shoulders and shook her, ignoring the way her head flailed numbly. "Listen! I don't know what happened, and I don't much care either. But if you want to die, you keep going like this. And you don't want to die, do you? You could co-operate and come with me, or I can leave you here to either waste away or to be eaten by something weird. Or keep this up, and I will end up killing you!" he whispered venomously. He regretted it as soon as he said it, but he refused to let it show. Alder reprimanded him in general shock.
She stopped shaking and nodded, though she still cried.
"An improvement, I suppose…" muttered Hawk. He roughly released his grip on her, leaving her to fall a few inches. "Let's go." He set off at a sturdy pace, then realized that she wasn't following.
He was about to yell something sharp, then the words fell from his mouth when he looked at her. She tried standing up, but one leg refused to support her weight, and toppled beneath her. She wrapped her hands around her face, and began shaking her head. The offending leg ended in an ankle that stuck out at an angle.
Hawk watched her piteously. It was not as though he enjoyed being cold and cruel, it was just that his nature didn't allow himself to be less so. He was impatient, he knew; Draco had always made it known it was so. He found he had loosened up since encountering people whom he could safely call friends, but new people was something of an arduous task for him. It just wasn't easy for him to be around people he'd never met before.
Sick of watching her fall, he strode back up to her, lifted her into the air, and carried her the way his mother had when he was a boy no older than three: letting her lie over his arms and supporting her back and legs. She felt too light. She did not seem fazed again, and one arm was left to dangle limply over his back.
Hawk ordered Alder to return to the hideout; it would be okay to bring the girl there. He had suddenly burst out with her coming with him, and he was not going to Prontera by himself… Also, she didn't seem to be capable of… well, anything really.
"We're not going to Prontera," he said in no more than a whisper, much to his surprise. "There is another place that is safer."
She made a yes noise, and she then snuggled against Hawk's chest. He watched her curiously for a moment, but she seemed fast asleep, nuzzling him. Nuzzling? his imagination spluttered. He wasn't sure whether or not he should make some sort of response to this. He chose to let her sleep on, and heaved a great sigh. He had worked as part of a team, as he always did. But he couldn't remember when he felt really… needed. To leave this girl was certain death for her. He dismissed this feeling as a figment of his imagination.
Throughout the journey, he seemed to have a very active imagination.
X-X-XThe next few days passed in a blur for Kyo. Night and day failed to pass for her; all she knew was that one moment she lay face down in the grass and the next, and then she was… rescued it seemed. She wasn't sure where they were going, what she was going to do, how far they'd come or even who this kind stranger was. It seemed like a dream at first, but she woke up to it many times. Although that she didn't know him at all, and that she was costing so much trouble made her quite uneasy. She was eager to find out who he was.
She did remember his being rather rough with her, although after he hadn't left her to be eaten by something weird this aggressive feat didn't count for much. It just meant he was probably quite… fierce. It didn't seem like he'd follow it through. Mother had always said to be careful of things, especially people, that seem, but she was fairly certain of his having a good character.
At least sketching out his personality and his constant presence meant she didn't have to think of less pleasant things just yet.
She woke again, only sat down and leaning against a tree. She was in a forest somewhere, lush and green. The trees grew tall and thin, the bark almost red. There was a river running, its water clear and fresh. Kyo stumbled onto all fours and crawled to edge, splashing the gorgeously cool water over her face. Feeling truly awake now, she thought she should at least try to stand up.
Pain shot through her limbs and she buckled beneath herself. Next thing she saw, she had fallen sharply and soundly on her rear.
"You okay?"
Kyo tensed and looked up, then relaxed when she realized who it was. She suddenly felt very embarrassed; it would've been a lot easier if he wasn't nice, but he looked so concerned that guilt bubbled in the pit of her stomach. She quickly averted her eyes without thinking too carefully. Then she remembered that she hadn't yet seen him properly, and peered nervously back through her now matted hair. A bow and quiver was strapped to his shoulders. And they were broad shoulders too, he was of quite a firm muscular build. He was tall and tanned, and his features were dark. In fact, his eyes were almost unnaturally dark. None of his facial features were really obtrusive – he was very nice-looking actually – but those eyes were mildly unnerving.
All she could do was nod.
"Good," he said. He did seem relieved.
He probably realized that she was watching him, and she looked away again. When she didn't say anything, he did. "Are you sure you feel okay? You haven't done much this last couple of days."
"To be honest, sir, I wasn't quite sure of what was going on," she admitted tensely. She turned to face him properly, realising she had something important to say. "Thank you."
He rubbed the back of his head, almost sheepishly, saying, "Oh… it was nothing… really…" He didn't seem used to this level of gratitude or attention.
"But it was," she reasoned. "If it weren't for you, sir, surely I would be…"
He gazed at her intently for a moment, his lips curved into a pleasant smile that reached right to his eyes. "You don't need to call me sir. I'm just a humble hunter."
"What should I call you then, sir?"
"Hawk," he said simply. He stood up, striding towards her. "We're almost there now." He bent down and lifted her up again.
"So, where exactly are we going, Hawk?" she asked, trying out the name.
"The God's Cry," he replied. Kyo blinked, and when he caught the look on her face, he began to explain. "I am one of a party, and the God's Cry is what we call ourselves. We have a base, which is near Juno."
"Who is the rest of the party?" The name sounded fairly familiar to her; a travelling merchant talked of a most excellent blacksmith, saying the man was one of the guild – it may not have been this guild. But she was glad to have the chance to just talk with Hawk.
"Well, first, there is Taiken. I guess he's kind of our leader, but he's not the guildmaster. He's a good bard, good singer and plays four different instruments well. Wouldn't call him a good fighter though. He's great, but he is quite weak. Great guy though, very friendly.
"Oshi's a good fighter, but he's not friendly at all, definitely not a people person. He's probably just shy, but if it's something else he isn't telling. Never says much about himself, so don't feel put out if he doesn't take to you.
"Draco's kind of like his partner in crime – they tend to work together. They're a good team. She's a lot more likeable than he is; she at least has time for people.
"Ruriko is a sage, and the guild mistress. She's a good girl, but she's a complete basket case. She means well, but you might find her quite annoying.
"Chisel's always out somewhere, doing whatever he does. He's all nice and friendly too, although we don't really see him much. Really great blacksmith though…"
Kyo continued to stare into his face. She dwelt a bit on his concern that Oshi wouldn't take to her, as this seemed to hint that this guild was to be her destination, that she did have somewhere to go. Maybe she didn't have much to worry about.
And Hawk seemed very nice. He continued to talk, quite modestly, as though he were nervous. Maybe he wasn't used to it. Worryingly, she couldn't help but be very interested in him.
X-X-X
"Message!" sang Ruriko.
Draco smiled. Even if the message was just a report or something incredibly boring, every time, Ruriko would be really excited about it.
"Anything interesting?" asked Draco, crossing her legs and leaning back slightly on the stool on which she sat sharpening her katars. Katars were a strange weapon, suited for both stabbing and slashing. She couldn't wield them half as well as Oshi, vastly preferring her twin daggers, Ares and Eris; however, she was determined to beat Oshi in a spar with the things, so she kept them close at hand to practise with whenever the opportunity arose.
She watched her little sister, intense emerald eyes swishing over the note.
"Hawk is on his way back. And he found a girl on patrol," replied Ruriko, handing the note to Draco. She gave her trademark smile, a wide enthusiastic beam. "He says she somehow survived something, which may have had something to do with the little strange activities and goings-on and stuff."
With a little obtrusive "oh!" noise, she flew down into a squat and flicked through to a half-covered page of her diary.
Even Draco, who had grown up with Ruriko and knew her inside out, right down from the freckles on her nose up to her lilting voice, regarded this little diary with curiosity, simply because Ruriko had poured her heart and soul into it. Although she also felt quite proud that the diary was so much a part of the girl, because it had in fact been a present from Draco.
Ruriko carried her diary with her everywhere, and just about everything she did was followed by writing in it. It was a blushing, light pink colour, with a gold heart embellished on the cover and a gold padlock, the key of which she kept on a charm bracelet. The cover, incidentally, was on the wrong side of the book. As for the way it was written, only Ruriko knew what those runes meant. It was written in the Language of the Making – the language that was the very spirit of Midgard. It was from this language that spells were made, so it was natural that mages and acolytes should have a basic understanding of it. It had taken four generations of their family to learn, but Ruriko could speak it fluently, which was quite a rare ability. In here, she wrote of her daily life, her feelings, and her spells, which was one of the reasons she took it with her in combat.
Draco had seen inside the diary before, trying to find some sort of pattern in the endless black symbols, but in the end, all she saw was a jumble of ink in strange shapes. She frowned, and handed it back to Ruriko, who would always be beaming.
It contained a fairly thorough record of her life, but she didn't channel spells with it. The majority of magic users channelled their spells with custom-made crystals, and Ruriko was no exception. Although most were content to have them mounted into a staff, she had hers embedded into her skin, just below her neck. Draco did not approve of this. It looked somewhat painful.
Ruriko was definitely powerful, and a pleasant, cheerful girl, but she could be so damn stupid sometimes.
-x-x-
"You must tell no-one of this place," Hawk warned Kyo as they stood in front of a giant slab of rock. It didn't look like anything special, but Hawk wouldn't come here were that the case. She observed the landscape fleetingly. It was dry and barren, black gnarled trees crawling out of the ground occasionally. She wondered quickly why anyone would want to come here.
There was some kind of whispering above her head. She raised her gaze to Hawk now, who was reading off of a scrap of paper and chanting, his eyes fixedly placed on one area of the smooth, dusky stone.
He had stopped now, and seemed slightly tired by this little feat.
"Ruriko does it so easily," he said. "It's a spell that opens the door, and only she and Taiken can do it without suddenly becoming very tired."
There was then a small, clapping sound, almost like something being unlocked. Green light streamed in lines from some areas of the rock, and Kyo realised that the lines were, in fact, outlining separate parts of the rock – cuts made in it. They all broke away and hovered jaggedly through the air. Hawk took them through the gap now made.
As shadow washed over them, she tried to see what the bricks did now. Jade light still streaming after them, they rocketed themselves back into place, with satisfying thuds that shook the entrance of the cave and left puffs of green smoke to hover and disappear.
When she turned back, she was being carried through some kind of maze. She tried to remember her way through it, but lost track eventually. There seemed to be thousands of snaking passageways winding through these outer caves. Sand poured down auburn walls, and there seemed to be a dripping sound coming from an indeterminable source. Some of the passages were gaping holes that stretched to the spiked ceiling and the dusty floor, while some were no more than narrow cracks. Some passages had caved in, leaving a pile of forgotten rubble.
But Hawk was certain of where he was going. Kyo thought maybe she should ask how, but thought it a silly question; this was his home.
Eventually, they came to a plain and uneventful looking wall. Again, Hawk must have steered them right. He now adjusted her position slightly, so that he carried her with only his right arm. He lifted his left arm into the air, and let the torchlight shine on a shining circle around his wrist. Kyo blinked. She knew this circlet to be not of diamond or ruby or sapphire, but of oridecon. It was a milky blue colour, neither particularly transparent nor did it look solid. It's surface rippled like water, but glittered like ice. As he continued to hold it in the light, it began to glow green, and there was a strange sound, like a whisper of wind.
He smiled down at her, and walked straight at the wall. She was not afraid, but she closed her eyes. She gasped as cold suddenly gripped her, and she clung tighter to Hawk.
It ended as quickly as it had begun, and when she opened her eyes, they were on the other side of the rock, staring into four new faces.
-x-x-
"Welcome back, Hawk," said Draco, serene smile in place.
"Yeah, how was your trip?"
"How are you, darling?"
Hawk didn't return the amiable greetings of Ruriko and Taiken. "Could one of you do a bit of healing over here?" Hawk interjected before they could continue. Ruriko leapt forward, a confident smile over her face. She set her hands hovering over Kyo's burnt legs, closing her eyes and beginning to focus. She took a deep breath, and…
Paused for a moment. She frowned with her eyes closed, then opened them slowly, still looking ready to perform the spell. She always took longer than she thought she would to remember the words. Healing spells were of the holy orders, so the incantations weren't in the Language of the Making. The odd words slowly formed in her mind…
"Aha!" she declared triumphantly. She reset her focus, and began chanting. "Iussu mei, sarcio hic mendum."
Healing was quite difficult if you were not a priest, who were selected and trained from an early age. It was all well and good mending a vase, but human skin and bones was a different question; it required a deep understanding of how humans were put together, as it was almost like telekinesis, coaxing the broken pieces back into place with deft and specific hand movements, chanting and concentrating hard all the time. Ruriko and Taiken were fair healers, although they often shied from more demanding wounds; in the case of very serious injuries, they just did what they could to stop the bleeding, and go to a fully trained cleric if need be.
-x-x-
"That's acolyte magic, isn't it?" asked Kyo, rising. It felt wonderful to stand up after all this time.
"Yeah," replied the girl, standing also. "But it's a really useful spell, so I recorded it anyway. You wouldn't believe how long it took to write in all the hand movements."
Kyo smiled at her. She guessed this was Ruriko. Her first impression was that the girl looked quite… funny, really. Her hair was a dark ginger sort of colour, and fell heavily around her face and down her back, where it stopped just below her knees. She was short with a slender figure that lacked any curves to recommend it. Her chest was as flat as a boy's. Through a barrage of dark round freckles dotted all over her, her skin was the olive colour of her Amatsan and Morrocan heritage. Blinking benignly through pale lashes were pastel green eyes. Overall, she was not the kind of person who could captivate a room with her astounding beauty (there was quite an amazing amount of freckles…), although her sweet green-eyed laughter-dimpled smile promised a girl of a positive and friendly disposition.
She looked about the rest of the room. It looked almost like the entrance of a palace, red and velvet curtains stretching from stalactite to ceiling. To the right, there was a table, on which someone had left a pair of katars. At the far end of the room, next to a doorway that presumably led to the rest of the house, was a bookshelf, filled to bursting with books in various forms of age and shambles. On top of the bookshelf were some very strange instruments: a crystal ball, a small silver drawstring bag that was stuffed with little pebbles, a deck of cards that towered almost to the ceiling (Kyo spent about a second wondering why they hadn't toppled down), a whistle, a knife that looked like an ordinary knife but whose silver blade seemed to emit it's own light…
The room itself was fairly interesting, but she needed to know the people in it. In terms of fashion, Ruriko was nothing, but Kyo thought her pretty in her own way. Feeling plain and a little conspicuous, Kyo first directed her attention to a stately looking gentleman who was staring incessantly at her. She knew his eyes were grey, but her own eyes told her that they were silver. He looks very… bard-like, she thought, not able to conjure a better adjective. He had tropical looks with a fairly solid tan and an incredibly friendly grin. His hair was longer than Hawk's, and messier too, but it was honey blonde, almost gold in the light. There was an easiness in his manner that made him very approachable.
Leaning coolly and casually against one of the walls was a woman who met Kyo's gaze without fear. She must be Ruriko's sister – they had the same slim lips and almond-shaped eyes. Although this woman was definitely beautiful beneath her rough exterior. She looked as though she could do with a bath, but her skin was mostly devoid of freckles, and her hair was sleek and black, brushing lightly against her shoulders. She was more tanned than her sister, and with darker features, sharp sea-green eyes, and a nice defined figure all added up to a lady worthy of the nobility into which she had supposedly been born… hiding beneath a fighting robe and layer of dirt, of course.
The other assassin was trying to pass off as non-descript. Kyo could see why; his face was sharp and very distinctive. It was the kind that stayed in the mind. He stared accusingly at her with a glare that was sharp and focused. His eyes were grey like Taiken's, but they were steely grey, with a distinct upward slant and a heavily lidded narrowness. His appearance was immaculate, his clothes plain, and nondescript brown hair swept lightly out of the way.
"How did you end up where Hawk found you?" he asked when she didn't look away.
"Um… I'm not entirely sure. I just ran there, really," she replied uneasily, but she knew it wouldn't be a good enough answer; she would have to tell her story.
-x-x-
"Oshi, don't you think maybe that's a question that can wait for tomorrow?" reasoned Draco. "Let them rest."
"I don't see why it can't be now," replied Oshi quietly. "I think the girl's mouth works just fine."
"We all need a little time to deal with things," stated Draco dryly.
"She has had the time." Draco glowered, and seemed to be on the verge of a very sharp retort. She bit it back with a furious shake.
"I shall show you to your room," said Taiken, stepping forward. Any argument with Oshi was never pretty. He was incredibly stubborn, and he would brood for weeks if someone disagreed with him. "What is your name, Miss?"
"Kyo. It's Kyo," she replied nervously. She smiled at Taiken, but still eyed Oshi and Draco somewhat warily.
"This way, Kyo," said Taiken, leading her off with one arm around her shoulders, steering her through the door that Oshi stood by. Taiken panicked inwardly for a second or two, hoping that Oshi did not go so far as to step in front of the door, in their way.
He did no such thing, but gave Taiken a sharp innocent gaze, which was unnerving for some reason. Taiken chose to ignore it however, and continued steering Kyo in the direction of a spare room.
"They only go all at each-other's throats occasionally," explained Taiken, hoping to at least put her mind at ease. "Some of the arguments here are quite funny, in a sad way."
Kyo giggled, and turned to look at him. She was not very tall.
He watched her for a moment, as she thought of something to say, but then all she did was smile nervously.
He led her further into the caves. Her head swerved this way and that, taking in every detail. When they had first occupied the caves, he was always getting lost in the winding caves, and was normally found by Draco, who, at his sheepish grin, would fall into a laughing fit. He knew his way around now.
He continued down one passageway, then stopped quite suddenly.
-x-x-
Taiken held his left arm up in the torchlight, which danced red over his face. Kyo blinked, realising that he wore an oridecon band around his wrist, identical to Hawk's. She figured all of them must have one, considering that they were needed to get into these caves. Able to look at it more closely, she saw there were runes carved all around it. She wondered what they meant. She wanted to ask, but kept her curiosity at bay and calling it nosiness.
She brought her thoughts back to her head and away from the oridecon, and walked eagerly through the newly appeared doorway, which Taiken now gestured to.
"Ladies first," he said politely, taking a step back and bowing. She felt colour rise in her cheeks and began her exploration of this new room before anything was noticed.
It was almost like the room of an inn, but a lot more cosy and covered in silks and velvets. There was an empty dressing table, sultry with a handsome cherry wood finish and plain mirror. A squashy looking mattress lay comfortably in the far corner, strewn with pillows and cushions. Lying against the wall nearest them was a large chest, and opposite stood a wardrobe with the same cherry finish.
"I'm guessing you didn't bring anything with you," mused Taiken. "We'll have to get you a circlet for your wrist, so that you can get in and out. And naturally, we'll show you around. When we go out hunting you will be expected to wear that uniform."
"But why, Taiken sir?" she asked, tugging nervously at the ribbons flowing down her back; she had always hated wearing her uniform. It looked good on the other dancers, but she felt very conspicuous and vulnerable. Arien uniform was slightly more practical than the gold and flounce sported by dancers from Comodo. At least there were sleeves and stockings. Although, why the shoulders were left bare and the stockings had diamond shapes cut out around the knee and the middle of the calf was a bit of a mystery. They wore proper shoes rather than the silly little sandals. The colours were red, black and white. The sleeves, stockings and top were all black; the ribbons, the slightly pointless little blouse and the pattern on the skirt were red; and the skirt was white. Her jewellery was kept to a minimum, and was plain and silver. It served well for the boring northern climate and the fact that they were kept jealously inside most of the time – the paleness of the northern beauties was guarded meticulously.
"Okay, so it's a bit skimpy," he conceded slowly. "But it's a mark of your craft."
"… I see."
"You won't be expected to lounge around in it; I'll see if we can some old clothes of Draco's; I doubt Ruriko's stuff will fit. I imagine you're not particularly desperate to be clambering into some of mine, Chisel, Hawk or Oshi's things. Be aware that we are indeed taking you in – we want you to be useful, live by our rules and do as we say. You don't look like the sort to cause trouble…"
"But I will not be of any service to you," she gabbled back, confused. Was she just going to be a housekeeper or something?
"Ah, that's where you're wrong," he replied with a smile. "I take it Hawk told you I'm a bard?" She nodded. "Well, he probably also told you that I'm not a good fighter." He ruffled his hair sheepishly. "I'm support. Music can channel magic in ways that simple chants and gestures can't. We can call on others to grant us strength. I'm basically support. Kind of like a priest, but not."
Kyo continued to nod.
"We'll have to take you to Comodo School of Music and Dance; that's the best school to learn dances for combat from, and they do have their own style of fighting. I'm not sure what we're going to do about actually getting you in, you're probably a good dancer, but archery's going to be a problem and that's one of the bare essentials of getting in…"
She thought about the phrase "bare essentials."
"So… there is other stuff? Besides archery that is needed to get in?" she asked before she gave herself the chance to grow too shy.
"Well, of course," he replied. "They only let in pretty girls. And you have to be able to sing, as they have to teach you songs as well. You have to have the right figure too." He looked her up and down quickly. "They may or may not recognise the uniform, but if you can sing and dance well, then you'd most definitely be accepted. I would say Comodo is probably your best option."
"What do they look for in a bard, Taiken sir?" she asked. It must have been a couple of years since he went, as he sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling in a nostalgic fashion.
"Dexterous fingers, which should come with the archery," he said, counting on his fingers as he went. "Good eyesight, good voice, good ear, how handsome you are, and they pay particularly close attention to your hair, for whatever reason. I would like you to think about this proposition of mine; it is certainly the easiest. Let me know when you feel better.
"You should probably get some rest now, and I know Ruriko especially will want to hear your tale. She's known something was going to happen for a while now, and you seem to be at the centre of it."
And with that, he left her to fall blissfully back into the array of blankets and cushions, and fall instantly into a contented and mercifully dreamless sleep.