Brilliance, a Legend of Mana Story
Chapter Seventeen -Niccolo's Business Unusual-

Escad raised his fist, uncertain how he was going to fight the man. Between him, and the women who apparently couldn't be touched, and protecting the fortuneteller, it was very likely he'd die. Saiga was advancing, lifting his sword into a fighting stance, eyes cold.

He didn't need Escad...so the Holy Knight of Liotte was just in the way.

Escad went to meet him head on, when he was hauled backwards. Meimei had grabbed his shoulder, and was trying desperately to drag him away. He shrugged free, and charged. Something slid between him and the warrior, catching both of them by surprise. Saiga and Escad stared at it for a second, confused. A large pink box, with a little red bow nestled neatly atop it. The two men only had that brief moment for realization, before it exploded, flinging them backwards, down opposite sides of the street.

There was a second where Escad couldn't feel anything, and couldn't see or hear. The glare left his eyes, though the ringing remained. He was vaguely aware that the ground was a lot softer then it should be. Soft, and lumpy. He was jostled abruptly, and he fell onto his side. He found himself staring at Meimei, who coughed delicately, dusting herself off.

"You landed right on me, you big thug!" she exclaimed, poking him hard in the chest. "I tried to warn you, but nnnooooo." Throwing her hands up and getting to her feet, she mumbled continuously about men, even as she bent over to brush off her legs.

Escad flushed red and quickly hid his eyes. From his perspective, he had a thorough look down the front of her blouse. "Meimei..."

"Don't you start!" she snapped. "Get up off the ground, we've got like three seconds before he gets his wind back- KYAAAAAAA!" she ended her sentence with a shriek, grabbing her head.

Escad had tried to tell her that sometime between the explosion and finding himself on top of her, her grapes had come loose. He hadn't realized it was a wig, and had even found it attractive, in an exotic sense...but staring at her now, disheveled, upset, and not adorned with grapes...he realized she was gorgeous. Her real hair was short and somewhat boyish; she tried to cover her head with a hand while waving at the smoke wafting about them.

"My wig, my grapes!" she yelped, before shoving him roughly, and getting quickly to her knees. She cast around fitfully, on the verge of hysterics. "WHERE ARE THEY!"

Escad shook himself back to his senses, and got to his feet. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to him forcefully. She stared up at him, hands still pressed against the top of her head. "Forget it, we have to go."

"But why?" Saiga said, stalking through the smoke. He didn't apear to even have a scratch. "You were having such a nice moment. I truly hate to interrupt, but..."

"-But you owe me ten-thousand Lucre. And not a penny less," Someone announced, stepping out from an adjacent alleyway.

Saiga turned a baleful glare on a chubby rabbit, who chuckled good-naturedly. "Well, I suppose I can get it from Riven or Elleira. They're such good sports. Understand though, there'll still be a surcharge. For the rescue of course."

"Stay out of this, fool." Saiga threatened, pointing his sword at the merchant.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. No profit in it." Niccolo reached behind his back, and flung out a sword, which Escad caught handily. "Now its twelve-thousand, but I'll knock it back to eleven because the young lady gave me such savvy business advice the other day."

"Quit ignoring me!" Saiga snapped, lunging with his blade. Escad and Meimei gasped, but Niccolo held out his other hand.

"A gift for you," he said pleasantly, backing away with surprising quickness. The sword slid through the box, and the Hokuten flung the blade aside. The explosion destroyed his sword, and threw him violently across the alleyway. "Of course..." Niccolo continued, "if its not to your tastes..."

"Defeated...by a rabbit..." The old man got up, cradling an arm that hung uselessly at his side. "If you wouldn't all be dead in a few more hours..."

Escad lunged forward, slashing hard and fast. Saiga dodged to the side, backing away quickly. "...It doesn't matter. All I have to do is wait for the Mana Fortress to start rising, and Elleira will show. She's always wanted to be the hero..."

With a smirk, Escad rested his new blade across his shoulder. "Now that the Rabite's on the other foot, you don't want to play anymore."

Saiga snapped his fingers, and the twin girls accompanying him stepped forward. "No worries. I'll leave you with someone to play with." Then the old man was gone, dashing down the street, disappearing out of sight.

Escad settled into a fighting stance, preparing to bring down the girls. They each stared at him, dull eyes, and vacant expressions. It was as if he wasn't even there...they were detached from the events around them. The entire fight with their superior, they'd merely stood like bored audience members at a show they hadn't wanted to attend.

"Escad, if we don't break away, we can't do what needs to be done," Meimei said, tugging on his sleeve. "There's too much happening for us to be bogged down here."

He shook his head and smirked. "I can't. These young ladies are nice enough to stay and entertain me, the least I can do is be a good guest."

"Wha-what!" she gasped.

"You have to go to someone. Honestly, I don't know who. There's probably no one left. I've heard of what the Nanten are capable of, and that old man said the Mana Fortress. If he means to do what I think, then someone needs to get there before him." Escad turned his head slightly, glancing back at her for a brief moment. "You really are beautiful. You shouldn't hide your hair."

Meimei staggered back as if struck, before steadying herself against the wall. "W-Wait..."

"Go find Elleira," Escad said sternly, lifting his blade.

The fortune teller backed away slowly, trying to say something. Anything. She couldn't read his future. After this moment, she couldn't see anything in his future at all. She fled, tears in her eyes.

Escad glanced at the rabbit, who was casually surveying the scene. "So..."

"Don't ask," Niccolo said. "There's no money in it."

With a chuckle, Escad pointed at the bodies littering the ground. "All these guys are highly paid Nanten mercenaries. I imagine it would be simple enough to lift their purses."

The rabbit snorted derisively. "Hey! I'm no pickpocket! I earn my Lucre the hard way! Hard work and determination!"

Escad bit back a sarcastic reply. "I'm just saying, what with their injuries...you'd be doing them a favor by lightening their load."

Niccolo considered this, eyeing the women shrewdly. They still hadn't moved, except for their eyes, which followed each of the two male's movements. "Well...can't leave an injured person in distress." Niccolo settled into a fighting stance alongside Escad. "Never let it be said Niccolo was not a good Samaritan!"

"Certainly not," Escad said smugly.

Finally, the red-head turned her head, and frowned. "Are you guys done talking? You're boring me."

"All right...WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!" Elleira yelled, her frustration having finally peaked. Cervantes flinched and rubbed his ear. She shot him a dirty look before turning around. "I don't recognize any of this rubble. And there's this ugly fog here..."

All around them was fog; she could barely see ten feet ahead. It was getting darker, and soon they'd be helpless. "C'mon..." she grumbled. "We should be in Geo by now..."

It came all at once. Screaming and crying, seemingly from all around them. Elleira looked around frantically, unable to pinpoint where it was coming from. Swearing loudly, she rushed forward and burst through the fog...into the center of Geo.

There was no time for her to stand and take in the horrific destruction wrought by the mercenaries let loose by Godhand. Everything that happened next was for her, a fluid motion. There was no thought, no real consideration of what was happening, or how to react to what she saw. There was instinct and action.

But you and I have the luxury of time. For a moment you and I can pause...

...And bear witness.

The inn's balcony is crumbled, half-shaped stone scattered across the entire square. What once may have been a jeweler's shop is now a smoldering wreckage, long since looted and destroyed. There are soldiers, both here in this place, and further on...in the distance, they are laying siege to a school.

Here, they have children in chains...beaten, bleeding children. The only adults that are not soldiers are bodies on the ground. There are many more wounds then it would take to kill a man...they were bludgeoned, beaten stabbed...for resisting. Sacrificing themselves to rescue the children from being captured -whether they are to be sold into slavery, used as icons in rituals, or something even more sickening is unclear- earned them death and desecration.

The children are mostly silent, heads lowered...sufficiently cowed by the abuse of the officers into silence. Some of them will never speak again. A few are sobbing hysterically, boys and girls, and at this very moment, a soldier is heading towards them, raising his arm to strike them yet again. There is nothing in his eyes as he does it. Not sadness, not regret. These emotions are too human to be applied to someone so obviously inhuman. Neither is he angry, or even annoyed. He does not care. What he is doing in that moment is his duty...he doesn't care whether the children live or die, whether they are dragged screaming into the beds of his comrades, or are put into mines to suffer long, agonized torture.

And he is not the worst monster among these men.

Fluidity. A warrior strives for fluidity. Instantaneous thought into action, one flowing into the next. An interconnected set of moves that fits together so perfectly it was as if the entire piece was one simple action.

Elleira, on the other hand, feels nothing. The shock of the scene took her all at once, and she feels nothing as she lifts her spear and drives it through the head of the man approachig the children. A dozen heads turn at the sickly shlupp sound of the blade bursting through his skull. She lifts a thin-handled axe from the belt of the man, and turns into the next man, the only one who reacted quickly after the death of his fellow kidnapper.

She does not forget to turn the handle; she chooses not to. His face explodes in gore as she beats him with the blunt end of the instrument, turning his face into an unrecognizable mush.

Another Nanten approaches, and she brings the axe up from hr beating, slicing him open from the crotch to his chin. There's no time to kill the second one, but Cervantes dispatches him with little effort.

Unlike Elleira, he has full control of his senses. He is not reacting from instinct...nor are his senses dulled by shock. But Cervantes kills just as quickly as she does, though he is aware of the sick feeling in his gut, the bile rising in his throat, and the acrid smell of burning wood and flesh in the air.

Elleira and Cervantes slaughter the remaining Nanten, and he puts away his weapon. Elleira does not.

Without a glance for the children, the priest turns instantly to Elleira. She continues pounding away at a soldier, beating and slashing him, continuing to attack even when her axe head breaks on the stone after she's finished decimating his head.

Cervantes reached out, snatching her hand, and dragging her away from the man. "He's not finished yet!" she screamed, slapping him away. Without expression, the priest gestures at the man's remains. "He can't get much deader."

Elleira stared at the man for a moment, then touched her cheek. The piece of the axe-head that had gone flying when she hit the ground had arced up, slicing into her cheek. She couldn't discern her own blood from the man's...from any of the men she had killed.

Staggering to the inn's sole remaining wall, she vomited noisily in the corner. Cervantes turned to the children, examining their chains.

"Wuh..." one of the kids stuttered, and Cervantes arched an eyebrow at him. The kid swallowed. "Whoa," he finished, and Cervantes shook his head.

"Yeah," he said, drawing his sword, and slicing through the chains.

Elleira came up behind him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She spit to the side, and pointed up ahead. "How many more are up there?"

A stone head fell to the ground beside them, exploding across the ground. Kathinja stalked forward, hands on her hips. "None, now."

Elleira nodded weakly, and scrubbed at the cut on her cheek.

"Kids, get to the school. Mephianse is waiting," Kathinja said, more gently then Elleira had ever heard her speak, and the children ran quickly without a word of protest. One girl grabbed Elleira's hand, squeezing it tightly for a moment, before rushing off after the others.

Elleira felt her lip trembling, and then she broke down, falling to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Kathinja and Cervantes stood by helplessly. there was nothing they could have done; Elleira was learning the cruelest lesson, one Saiga had never mentioned before.

Heroes always cry alone.