Chapter 17

By: Zosocrowe

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

I have merely borrowed a couple characters to create

a silly fan story. I have no money either.

09/05

Albel, Nel, Leylan, and Rusia stared down at the emancipated corpse laying at their feet. Over head, the bright gibbous moon waned, casting long shadows across the sand of the Rebyc Plains and adding a solemn mood to the tired crew of travelers.

"I told you I smelled blood," Albel said, breaking the silence.

Nel rolled her eyes. "That was three days ago," she grumbled.

Albel took a moment to consider, then replied, "Really? Time certainly does fly in this place, doesn't it?"

Balling her fists so tight that the nails of her fingers bit into the flesh of her palms, Nel fought the urge to turn and pop the Glyphian in the mouth. "That's not important," she snapped, earning startled looks from Leylan and Rusia. "What I want to know is why this is the third day in a row we've seen this very same body."

Albel stepped beside her and nudged the strawish corpse with his toe. "Maybe he's following us," he said.

Rusia gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Leylan pulled his mother close, giving Albel a worried look.

Nel sighed. "Or maybe we've been wandering around in circles."

"That too."

Temper snapping, Nel spun on her heel, and glared up at Albel. "I'm glad you find this so amusing, Nox. But if you don't have anything constructive to say, just shut the hell up."

Albel's brows arched high and the corner of his mouth ticked. "Do you see me laughing?" he asked, his voice dully bland.

Nel growled, threw her hands up in the air, and stalked off.

Three days. Three whole days wasted in this damned wasteland. Fayt was probably dead--or had already been rescued by a more competent group of people. Hell, he might have escaped on his own. Nel wouldn't blame him. If anyone needed rescuing right now, it was them.

Nel found her way back to the Lum, which were waiting patiently over the next dune. She crested the peak, slid down the bank, and made a little hop onto flat ground.

How had she gotten herself into this mess? Nothing was going right. Everything was falling apart.

She'd failed her mission. Failed it badly. Not only had she not managed to rescue Fayt, but if they didn't find their way out of the desert soon, they'd run out of supplies and die a slow and miserable death. And there was the trouble she'd gotten herself into with a clan of psychotic demons. Mustn't forget them.

Nel found a sand smoothed piece of stone and sat down. And if all that wasn't bad enough, Albel's smug sarcasm was driving her insane. Did that man not take anything seriously? How could he be so aloof? Most of this was all his fault anyway.

She cupped her chin in her hand. Well, that made sense. He got his jollies out of bringing other people misery. He wasn't called 'wicked' for no reason. If they made it back to Airyglyph alive, she would have to mention to Woltar that Albel deserved a raise.

Sighing, Nel stared out over the darkened desert. Mota was somewhere just beyond that film of blackness on the horizon. They should've been there days ago. She was beginning to wonder if it would be best to turn around and return to Aquios. They could regroup--or send someone else who would be more capable of getting the job done.

Something on the horizon moved among the shadows.

Nel sat up slowly, drawing her blades. It wasn't any of her companions. She'd left them at her back. This was coming at her, in the opposite direction.

Whatever it was, it wasn't moving quickly. Nel glanced at the Lum. They snoozed peacefully, nose to tail. That eased her mind. If danger was approaching, the vicious war beasts would be the first to notify her.

She started to put her blades away, but a niggling sensation tugged at her brain. She blinked, confused by her own hesitation.

It was the fatigue, she decided. She was tired. That had to be it. The days of uncomfortable sleep and endless nights of trudging through dry desert, baking in her own sweat, were beginning to take their toll. What she wouldn't give for a sudsy bath and soft bed.

The blocky shape was closer when she looked back to the horizon. It still plodded along, in no rush to get where it needed to go. She noticed the figure had an odd gait, swaying from side to side, almost as if it walked on four legs.

Nel squinted, putting her hand to her eyes.

It did have four legs. A broomstick tail. And two incredibly long ears.

It was a donkey. A small, wooly little donkey.

Nel shook her head in disbelief and slipped her blades back into their sheaths. What the hell was a donkey doing in the middle of the desert? She thought for a moment, then remembered the body back in the desert. The beast probably had belonged to that unfortunate man, and now it was wandering in the same unending loop they were caught in.

Poor thing.

Dusting off her clothes, she went to the saddle bags and pulled out two small, hard pieces of bread. Vegetables would be better, but she didn't have any and seriously doubted the little creature would care much. In this place, food was food, no matter where it came from.

The tiny animal stopped at the top of a dune, its long ears swiveling forward and Nel approached from the bottom. A halter at least three sizes too big hung off its skinny face. A tattered rope dangled in the sand at its feet.

Making soft clucking noises, Nel crept forward, jiggling the food in her palm. The donkey watched her, shifting its weight from one dainty hoof to the other. After a bit of hesitation, it stepped forward, deciding food was more important that fear.

Nel smiled when the little animal halted just out of reach and stretched its neck to sniff the bread in her hand. Pity filled her eyes as she looked the over the skeletal frame, bones jutting out of the skin at harsh angles. The sensitive skin inside the ears and around the nose was blistered. Its mouth was cracked and dry, with bits of skin flaking off as it lipped her hand. One eye was nothing but an empty husk, shriveled like a raisin in the unrelenting heat.

How horrible--to suffer all alone for so long. Was this how they would end up? Wandering until their bodies slowly decayed and dried up into dust?

Nel reached out to pat the weathered nose.

"Lady Nel! No!"

Rusia's voice cut through the darkness. Nel jumped and the donkey shied away. Afraid it would run, she turned around and reached for the frayed rope. Her fingers barely brushed the coarse hemp when she was jerked backwards off her feet.

A hand gripped the collar of her shirt and an arm closed in around her waist, pulling her back down the dune. The small donkey trotted away, stopping at the peak to look back at her. Nel snarled in anger. "Let me go," she growled, struggling against the hands. Tipping her head, she threw it backwards and winced when she felt it connect to a sharp chin.

"Ow," came a startled shout. The voice was familiar. Nel twisted around and found herself staring into Leylan's watering eyes. He gave her a hurt look. "I think I bit a chunk off my tongue."

Wide eyed, Nel pulled away. "Leylan? Wha--why? What are you doing?"

The sound of a sword leaving a scabbard caused her to whip around.

Albel appeared at the top of the dune, his sword drawn and poised at his side. The little ass bared its teeth at him and pinned its ears flat against its head.

"What's he doing?" Nel exclaimed, starting forward. "Wait! Albel! Stop!"

She watched in horror as Albel descended on the creature, moving so quickly that she couldn't even follow him. A one eyed, half dead donkey had no chance. It only took the span of a few seconds, and Albel had reduced the animal to several piles of quivering meat.

Nel gaped, too confused, too angry to speak. It wasn't until Rusia stopped beside her, gasping and breathless, that Nel found her voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted. Rusia touched her shoulder, but Nel slapped her hand away. "What is going on? That donkey wasn't hurting anyone!"

Rusia rubbed her hand, eyeing Nel warily. "Lady Nel, please listen."

Nel gave the older woman a slashing look, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. What was the matter with her? It was just an animal. Albel's brutal slaughter had probably done it a favor.

"Lady Nel, that ass isn't what it seems," Rusia said, obviously seeing the regret in Nel's face.

Nel frowned, prying her eyes from Albel's shadow in the hill. "What?"

"After you left, Lord Albel examined the corpse more closely. Apparently he wasn't joking when he said he thought it might be following us." Rusia shivered, folding her arms around herself.

Nel blanched. "It was following us?"

Rusia shook her head. "Not exactly. Lord Albel turned it over. On its back, there was a mark…in the shape of a hoof print."

"A hoof print?" Nel glanced to where the donkey had stood. Albel was sparking a piece of flint against the remains, preparing to burn them.

Nodding, Rusia continued. "Leylan remembered an old tale. One of those stories adults tell children to frighten them into obedience."

"Like the boogieman?"

"Yes. Except this story is about a donkey who lives in a wasteland, waiting for ignorant travelers to cross its path. He chooses those who were lazy or inattentive in their preparations, then approaches them as a wayward beast. After befriending them, the spell is cast and he carries them in circles while they die a bitter and painful death."

Nel stared at Rusia, unable to even blink. "You can't be serious," she said. "You think that donkey is the same one?"

"After the traveler dies, the donkey, whose name is Belphegor, devours their soul and leaves the body to turn to dust in the desert. However, before he leaves, he marks the corpse with a hoof print, warning those who would be careless and make the same mistake."

Nel felt the air leave her. "A demon donkey?" It sounded absurd. But she'd seen stranger things with her own eyes. Another revelation of horror washed over her. "But we came prepared. None of us befriended him. Why were we trapped in the circle?"

Albel slide down the hill, jogging the last few steps at the bottom, and strode over to Nel's side. He gave her a look and put his sword back into his belt. "Technically, we didn't," he said, pointing in the direction of the horizon. Nel followed his finger and gasped as a black fog seemed to lift out of the darkness. The lights of Mota were bright against the natural dark, twinkling like a thousand stars.

"He wove a spell of hopelessness and reluctance. That's why we've all felt so much more tired and snippy. He couldn't trap us in his loop of death, but he could make us feel like giving up," Rusia answered.

"And he used a simple sight spell to shield Mota from us. He created a mirage, so to speak. We never were very far from the city," Albel stated.

Nel shook her head, too confused to be happy. "But why? And what of your charms, Rusia? Why didn't they protect us from the demon?" She pulled out the strange stone pendant and held it up to the moonlight.

Rusia's brow furrowed, and she gently took the necklace from Nel. "Maybe because we weren't as prepared as we should've been. I'd heard stories of Rebyc, but I never expected it to be as horrible as this."

Leylan put an arm around his mother's shoulder. "Only a caravan should travel though this place. It's the only way to ensure survival. We…we were lucky."

Nel wasn't sure if she should shout for joy or slink away. The others hadn't fallen for the spell nearly as hard as she had. If it hadn't been for them, she'd have died an agonizing death and become a husk in the desert. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I was foolish."

Rusia startled her with a quick hug. "No. This journey means much to you, that's all. You want to save your friend so badly that the idea of failure kills your heart. You should have more faith in yourself, Lady Nel. You're friend is very lucky to have you." The woman smiled, and patted Nel's shoulder.

"Ah…thank you Rusia," Nel replied swiftly. Thank Apris it was dark. She didn't want them to see her cheeks turn as red as her hair.

Albel made a harsh noise in his throat. "Now if she can managed to stay away from evil donkeys, all will be right with the world." He waved a hand dismissively and started off in the direction of Mota.

Nel gave him a slashing look. "Well, if all evil asses looked like you, I wouldn't have any trouble telling them apart," she replied, storming past Albel as he lurched to a stop.

For several moments she only heard the sound of sand crunching under her boots, but she could almost swear she heard a masculine chuckle whisper across the desert somewhere behind her.

Sorry for the delay. Thanks to DR once again! Thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to read. You guys are cool. I appreciate all the feed back you've given me! This chapter is short--bear with me while I shift gears, okay?