Final Fantasy IV
Chapter 2
It's raining… it's cold… I'm shivering in my clothes as I hide in a corner, crying as no one even tries to find me…
Then… the rain stops…
No… wait…
The rain continues a little further ahead…
I notice two feet in front of me, and I slowly let my eyes trail upward…
A pair of rubies gazes down at me curiously as a hand grasps her umbrella tightly.
……Are you alright?
…I'm fine… ACHOO!
…! You caught a cold! Come on! Let's get you to my place!
……Thank you… but no thanks… I can't walk…
…That's not true! I know you can do it! Now up, up!
……Why are you…?
…Because I want to…
…………Who…?
Karei… my name is Karei…
My head pounds like crazy as I slowly open my eyes. The world's spinning wildly before my eyes, and I slowly wait until it returns to turning on its axis again. I shake my head as I sit up, closing my eyes and hoping the headache will go away.
After a while, the dull throbbing fades, and I open my eyes. I get up and inspect myself. My armor's taken most of the hits and it's a little dented here and there. I'm going to need new armor soon. I suddenly notice the girl, and I rush over to her. I inspect her for wounds, but she appears to be okay.
I breathe a sigh of relief, holding a hand to my heart. "Man, what a rush. Eh Karei?" I ask, looking over my shoulder.
That's when I remember what happened.
"Oh no!"
I quickly stand up and look around. I'm in a clearing in a forest, but the girl and I are the only ones there. There is no sign of anything or anyone else.
"Karei!" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth.
Silence rewards me.
"KAREI!" I practically scream out.
I wait for what seems like an eternity for an answer, before my legs can't support my body any longer and I crash down to the ground. The tears that had been begging to be released since I entered Mist finally roll down my cheeks, leaving a darkened trail across them no doubt. But I can't help it… she's gone… and I could've done nothing to save her…
The sight of Karei dropping into the abyss keeps repeating over and over in my head, her scream of fright echoing in my ears each time. And no matter how many times it's repeated, I still can't save her. I can never get closer to her… never grab her hand as she falls…
This is all my fault… I got Karei into this mess… and now she… she… she's dead…
"I'm sorry…" I whisper softly to no one. "It's all my fault… I shouldn't have gotten you into this mess… I'm sorry…"
"Look, we're both in the army, you know that. There's always a 50 chance that either of us will die in battle. You have to stop being so emotional all the time."
…?
"I know the chances, Ryoku, but if I ever die, you shouldn't mope about it."
K… Karei?
"For crying out loud! Listen kid! Do you want to die out here? All your moping won't bring your mother, or anyone back from the dead! They're gone and they can't come back! Do you understand that!"
I understand… I do… but… I'm not ready to be alone without you…
"No matter what happens, even if the world goes to hell for all I care, we'll always be friends."
But… what's the use when you're dead? I… I don't want to be alone… and it's all my own fault… I shouldn't… shouldn't have…
"Why are you still apologizing? It's my own fault by the way! If I hadn't barged in, I wouldn't have to help you. And besides, I can't let my best buddy go somewhere without me being involved, can I!"
B-but…
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryoku!"
……………
Heh… even in death, you manage to cheer me up, Karei. That big is the effect you have on me. But still… I'm just a Dark Knight…
Carefully, I get up, my legs still rather weak, but I won't give in this time. With a firm hand, I wipe the tears away, and walk toward the still unconscious girl. I can't stay any longer. Baron is probably on ou… my trail, and I need to escape with the girl.
Gently, I pick her up from the ground and leave the clearing, but not before shedding one last tear for Karei.
Rest in peace, my friend.
I calmly make my way out of the forest and through the desert. It's rather late, so there aren't that many monsters out. I'm really lucky she's so light, or I wouldn't have been able to carry her around like this.
As I look to the left, I suddenly notice a city a little further up ahead. At first I think it must be a mirage, until I remember that there is a city in this desert. I smile lightly, and start to run for the city, making sure not to wake the girl.
When I reach the city, which is Kaipo by the way, I look down at the girl in my arms. She can't be any older than nine, ten years or so, and yet she managed to beat Karei and I. A pang of remorse strikes me, but I bat it aside quickly. If she doesn't get some rest…
I look around, and finally locate the Inn a little further ahead. I head for the building, and somehow manage to open the door while holding onto the girl as well.
The innkeeper smiles upon entry and says: "Welcome! Do you---" When he sees the girl in my arms, his eyes widen in shock at the sight. "Oh god! Come on! I'll get you a room! Don't worry about the money! Hurry up!" he says, guiding me to one of the rooms and opening the door for me.
"Thank you," I say.
I enter the room, and place the girl on one of the beds. After tucking her in gently, I sit down in a chair in the room at a table. I put my head in my hands, heaving a soft sigh.
What am I going to do? Karei and I were about to stand up to Baron, and now this. I'm sure the two of us could've beaten anything Baron could throw at us, but alone, I'm not even much of a challenge to the large kingdom. With another sigh, I pull the helmet from my head, shaking my head, making my hair wave about. I run my hand through my hair, feeling the locks slide through my fingers.
I smile suddenly, as I remember Karei commenting on it once.
"How do you keep it like that?"
"Keep what like what?"
"Ugh! Keep your hair like that. No tangles, no knots!"
"Well, that's the advantage of having short hair."
"Aha. Hmmm… maybe I should cut my hair too…"
I chuckle softly, shaking my head as I lean on one of my hands.
I suddenly hear a slight rustling behind me and I look up. The girl is stretching her arms above her head, giving a slight yawn. She sits up, looking around curiously. "Where… am I?" she wonders out loud.
"Kaipo," I answer calmly, making her give a yelp and whirl around toward me. "Are you okay?"
She frowns angrily, obviously not having forgotten what I did, and demands: "Why should I tell you!"
I raise my hands with a shrug. I walk over and plop down on the other bed with another sigh. "You haven't told me your name yet," I say softly.
"And I won't!" she says angrily and turns away from me.
I shake my head and lean back against the headboard, not looking at her. Instead, I look at the wall. "I know I've done an awful thing, but had I known, I wouldn't have killed your mother's dragon. I've had more than enough of senseless killing, but still, I can't ask for your forgiveness. But, please, let me protect you…" I say, looking at her again.
She doesn't face me. Doesn't even move.
"Please," I say softly. "I already lost someone dear to me because I had been unable to protect her, and I don't want that to happen again."
She doesn't say anything.
I sigh and look at the wall again. Somewhere though, I start to doze off, and before I can stop it, I fall asleep, leaning against the headboard.
The girl carefully peeked over her shoulder when she heard Ryoku's breathing become calm and even. She noticed he'd fallen asleep, leaning against the headboard. The short ivy green locks shaded his eyes in darkness.
She turned to him completely, a curious look on her face. Finally, she snuggled deeply into the covers, and took a nap herself.
I shoot up in the bed when I hear the slam of a door downstairs, loud enough to wake up everyone in the inn. The girl also wakes up because of the noise. She probably fell asleep after I did. I look outside and notice it's dark out.
How long was I out?
I quickly jump off of the bed and grab the Dark Sword, pulling it out of the sheath for about an inch.
I step up in front of the girl's bed, right before the door to the room is kicked off its hinges. A General from Baron stalks in, looking rather pissed off. Three soldiers follow him into the room, all of them having a strange coldness in their eyes. Whoever they are, I've never met them before.
"We've finally found you, Ryoku!" the General says.
I can see the girl shivering behind me. I look at her briefly, then look back at the General and demand: "How did you know I was here?"
"More importantly, you have betrayed the King by plotting against him."
Huh? How the heck…!
"Listen to me! The King of Baron is…" I start, but am unable to finish.
"King's orders," the General states calmly. "If you turn over the survivor from Mist, he will forgive your treachery. It has been deemed dangerous for the people of Mist to even exist!"
The girl gives a yelp and backs up as far as she can on the bed. "What? Has the King stooped so low as to kill children!" I say in anger, fully unsheathing the Dark Sword and dropping the sheath on the ground.
The General looks shocked. "Spare me the lecture and give me the girl!" he finally demands.
One of the soldiers stalks over, planning to grab the girl.
"I refuse!" I scream, and bury the Dark Sword in the soldier's chest, making him scream in pain.
I kick him aside and block the sword of another soldier. I manage to unarm him, in both figurative and literal sense. He screams, before I bury the Dark Sword in his gut. The third soldier runs at me in anger, but I step aside and lash out at his back with utmost ease. He screams, before it's cut off by the cracking of his neck.
I look at the General, who's gone pale as a sheet. "Guess who's next," I say with a chilling voice, before launching myself at the man.
He runs off, but I easily get him before he's able to leave.
I quickly return to the girl, noting she's frozen in place. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I ask her.
"I'm sorry, this is all my fault…" she says, hanging her head. "…I'm sorry."
"No, I should be the one apologizing. Well, I know you probably can't forgive me, but…"
"But… you protected me…" she finishes.
I nod softly, running a hand through her short hair. "Yeah, right now, I feel as though it's my duty to do so," I say.
She looks up at me, and I smile slyly at her. Surprisingly, she smiles back! "I'm… Meshi…" she says.
I sit down beside her and say: "Thanks… Meshi. My name's Ryoku. And you better get some rest. I doubt that's the last we'll see of them."
Meshi nods and snuggles up under the covers. "Goodnight!" she says.
I smile and lie down on my own bed. "Same," I say, and close my eyes.
When I wake up, the sun's just rising above the horizon. But surprisingly, at the end of the bed, stands Meshi, smiling broadly, which lights up her entire face. Wow… it's like I'm looking at a whole new person.
"Morning!" she says.
"Morning," I say, stretching a little, before getting out of bed.
Meshi walks beside me as I pick up my helmet and secure it around my head again. "Okay, we should head away from Kaipo as soon as we can. People from Baron are mighty persistent, so it's most likely they'll be on our tails again," I say to her as we leave the Inn.
"But… what if we run into monsters? I don't have a weapon or anything!" she says, looking a little afraid.
I look at her, blinking. "Then we'll buy something for you," I say.
"But…"
"Don't worry. I've got enough. And besides, I need some new armor. That attack you threw at me dented it pretty badly," I say, knocking a little on my armor
She laughs at it a little, and I do too. Once we stop she shrugs a little. "Sorry about that," she says.
I wave it off, not bothering with it.
"By the way, what happened to that friend of yours? Did she get beat up too?"
I freeze right where I stand, and Meshi looks at me in confusion. I take a few moments to calm down again as that old feeling resurfaces again.
"…She died. Fell into the ravine," I say, before walking on.
Meshi follows a few seconds later. "I'm really sorry… that was dumb," she says, but again, I wave it off.
I don't want to be reminded of it. It makes me feel uneasy and helpless. And right now, that's the least I need.
And besides, what good will moping do me?
……Jeez! I'm already starting to sound like Karei!
Suddenly, Meshi pulls at my hand, stopping me in my tracks. I look at her, but she's looking at a group of people. I look over, but notice nothing odd about them.
But I do hear something interesting.
"Whatever happened to that girl from Baron?"
"Didn't you hear? She passed out once she came through the gate!"
"Whoa! She must've been exhausted!"
"Yeah, and she keeps on calling for someone called… 'Ryoku' or something!"
Meshi looks up at me and says: "You were from Baron too! Weren't you! It could be your friend!"
Most likely not, but I don't want to crush my hope before I see it myself. So, we make our way to the house where everyone is referring to, which is to the north of the Inn. I knock on the door, and a little later, a rather old woman opens the door.
"Yes, sonny? What is it?" she asks.
"We heard a girl from Baron was brought here," I say politely. "She might be a friend of ours. May we see her?"
"Certainly, come on in," she says, and steps aside to let us in.
When we enter the house, I'm overwhelmed by the scent of medications everywhere.
Right, doctor's house, no wonder that girl was sent here.
We are guided up the stairs to one of the rooms there, where the girl is lying on a bed. Like I thought, it isn't Karei.
But it is someone familiar to me.
"Mae!" I rush over to the bed, and look at her in confusion. What's she doing here? "Hey," I say, lightly shaking her.
No response.
That's funny. Mae's a rather light sleeper and usually, a light shake was enough to wake her up.
Meshi walks over and looks at her, a little curiously.
"Well, it's not dragon-lady," she says.
Dragon-lady? What the?
I turn to the doctor, who's also in the room, and ask: "What's wrong with her?"
He looks at us with a sigh. "She's got a desert fever. In order to cure it, you need the Light of the Desert…" the doctor says quietly.
"The what?" I asked, a little confused.
"It's an elusive gem found only in the Antlion's lair."
"Antlion? The one near Damcyan?" Meshi asks, looking at him as well.
…Why am I the only one who doesn't know what this Antlion is?
"Yes, unfortunately," the doctor says.
I think about it for a moment. There's no way I'll let Mae die. I can't make the same mistake twice. "Could you take care of Mae until we get back?" I ask the doctor.
He looks at me a little oddly, but nods his head, saying: "Uh… yes of course. But… why?"
I turn to Mae and say: "I'm not letting another one of my friends die. I've made that mistake once, and I'm not letting it happen again."
And with that, I leave the house, not planning to listen to what that guy had to say.
"Ryoku! Wait up!" Meshi calls out as she runs after me. "Are you planning to get the Light of the Desert?"
"Yes," I say calmly, though I was fighting to control my emotions.
"But it's too dangerous! You could get hurt! Or you could even---" Meshi starts.
"Look," I say, turning to her and finally losing control, "I made a mistake that cost Karei her life, alright! It was my fault she died! She might not have thought so, but I'm still the one at fault! If I make that same mistake with Mae as well, I would never be able to live with myself! Do you understand that!"
Too late do I realize what I just did.
Meshi is looking at me in shock, and I don't blame her. I straighten up and sigh softly. "Sorry," I mumble, and start walking for the armory.
"Ryoku!" Meshi shouts, running after me. "I'm so…"
"Don't," I interrupted. "Just don't."
I don't need anyone's sympathy. Least of all that of a girl. I really don't need that. I need only one thing, and that's the one thing I can't have.
Karei…
I just want her back… I've known her for so long, that I can barely remember what my life was like before I met her.
Life's unfair like that. You get a limited amount of time with a person, when you don't know the limit, and you take it for granted, but once it's over, you realize how much that someone meant to you. Yeah, I know that's been used many times before, but it's the only way I can begin to explain.
I'll try putting it like this. Ever since it dawned to me that Karei had died, it was as if a part of me had… alongside her… died, and would never arise from the grave again. My entire being felt cold, like something just sucked every last bit of warmth from me, removing who I was, and replacing me with someone I've never seen, heard of, or understood.
I've just never felt this… cold… before…
And to be honest… it hurts.
"Ryoku? Are you alright?" Meshi asks softly.
I nod softly, and smile down at her, but somehow, even that feels empty and… well… just not like my usual self. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Now come on! Let's get you a weapon and then get out of here!"
Meshi smiles, and she follows me to the weapon and armor shop.
Sadly enough, they have no weapons or armor meant for a Dark Knight, so for the moment, I'm stuck with what I had. Not that I was really complaining. Out loud, that is. Mentally, I was going over every curseword I knew, and if you've lived with Karei as long as I had, that was a lot. But they did have something for Meshi. They had some strong armor to protect her frail body, which wasn't too heavy, and they gave a mighty strong staff, which was really hard.
Sadly enough, this reminded me of the times when Karei would use the stick of her spear to 'knock' some sense into other soldiers.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, we finally head out of the village, toward the cave that would eventually lead to Damcyan. I had never been to Damcyan on foot before, but hey, there's a first time for everything.
The enemies we encounter on the way there do not pose a real threat, and they give Meshi the chance to get used to the aspect of battle. She's a fast learner, and pretty soon, we find our way through the cave, and over a rickety bridge.
"Ryoku, who was the dragon-lady anyway?" Meshi suddenly asks.
I don't even stop in my tracks as I answer with: "I don't want to talk about it."
Meshi looks saddened by my attitude, but I can't help myself. I just want to forget about the whole ordeal and get on with my life, if I have any of that left that is. For I feel as though my world's slowly starting to fall apart, piece by piece. And as it tears my soul apart, I desperately try to piece everything together, but no matter what I try, I'm never able to fully repair it.
"Halt!"
I look up in surprise, noticing an old man, blocking our path, one hand raised to stop us from advancing. His dark spectacles easily hide his eyes, while his graying hair curls up slightly above his shoulders. His mustache and beard seems just as smooth as his hair, and even though he seems to be quite old, he is not bald.
"You should turn back while you still can. This place has become dangerous!" the man states, not planning to move away from the end of the bridge.
Meshi shies away and hides behind me. I frown a little at the man, not about to just go back and let Mae die. I'd sooner fight my way through than to give up without even trying.
"That's too bad, because we're actually quite intend on going through here!" I state coldly and unsheathe the Dark Sword about an inch. "So you best be out of the way, before I'll have to take drastic measures."
What's wrong with me? That wasn't my voice…
Even during battles, I've never sounded so… harsh, before.
But the man is more surprised by my blade than my threat. "You wield the Dark Sword!" he demands, with an almost desperate tone to it.
I narrow my eyes at him, and this time I fully pull out the Dark Sword, letting it shimmer in all its glory. Unlike other swords, the Dark Sword makes the reflected light seem dark, with an almost evil color to it. "The prove is in the putting, isn't it?" I ask calmly.
The man seems to think about something for quite some time, but then he pleads: "Then, please! Help me!"
I blink in surprise, and ask, quite shocked: "What's the problem?"
The man frowns in anger as he says: "My daughter was tricked by a bard and went off to Damcyan! And I sense great evil near there…"
Suddenly, realization hits and I sheathe my sword. "I see. Then you must be the Sage Hannya that I've heard about in Baron," I say, finally understanding who this man was.
I've heard from this guy through several rumors that had been spread among the guards. I didn't bother listening to the rumors themselves and simply remembered the names of whoever they were yapping about.
The man nods plainly and says: "Yes, I am Hannya. I was heading to Damcyan, but there's a powerful monster up in the lake. I cannot defeat him with my magic alone, but mayhaps, with your Dark Sword… We might be able to defeat him!"
I take a second to think about it, then shrug my shoulders and say: "It's a possibility. But I can't be too sure."
Meshi suddenly yanks at my hand, and I look at her in confusion. "I can help too!" Meshi says, looking really stubborn. Looks like there's no way I can talk her out of this.
Hannya suddenly notices Meshi for the first time, and asks: "This girl is a Summoner, isn't she? Quite gifted, as well."
Meshi blushes slightly and hides behind me a little.
Hannya rubs his beard a little, mumbling: "The three of us might stand a chance…"
"Well, you're in luck. We also have to go to Damcyan as soon as possible," I state to him.
"Then it's decided! Let's go to Damcyan!" Hannya exclaims.
I nod plainly, and we start on our way again. Hannya leads the way through the cave, effortlessly leading us through this darned maze. But as we start to make our way through, we end up at river.
"Are you sure we're on the right track?" I ask, just to be sure.
"Yes, yes," Hannya states, and begins to wade into the water. "We have to cross this river to get there, though."
I frown and look over at Meshi, who seems to be very afraid. I don't blame her, because Hannya is already up to his waist in the water, so Meshi will most likely go under if she were to try that.
Calmly, I bend down beside her and say: "Come on, Meshi, hop on."
Meshi looks at me in surprise, but doesn't need me to tell her twice and she climbs onto my shoulders. I don't bother, and hold onto her ankles as I rise to my feet again. I step into the river, and finally make my way over to where Hannya is waiting, watching it all with an amused look on his face. I don't pay it any heed as I continue to carefully wade through the waters, while Meshi holds onto my helmet in fear of falling off. Again, I don't bother.
I think there's a word for all that non-caring stuff. Now what was it again? Uh… oh yeah… 'apathy'.
Can't quite remember where I heard that, but who cares?
It seems to take ages, but finally, we reach what we've been searching for for quite some time. A magic rune imprinted in the ground, which casts a special shield around the people resting atop of it. It's saved multiple soldiers their lives more times than they could keep count, and that goes for me too.
"All right, let's rest here," I state calmly, setting Meshi down on the ground.
Once it leaves my mouth though, Meshi yawns widely, and stretches her arms over her head. Hannya smiles and nods at me. "I agree, it's best we take a rest now. Especially the girl."
"Meshi," I correct him. Hannya looks confused for a moment, so I explain. "That's her name. And I am Ryoku."
"Ah. Well, let's use a tent here, so we can rest up a bit."
I nod at him, and help him set up camp. Meshi is too tired and just plops down onto a rock, watching us with sleepy eyes. It really doesn't take us long to set up the tent, and I calmly walk over to Meshi, who hardly seems with us now. I gently pick her up, and carry her to the tent. Once I enter, Hannya is busy making a fire in the center of the tent so as to warm it up a little. I carefully tuck the young girl in, and notice she's fallen asleep before I'm through.
I smile slightly, and move over to the fire Hannya made.
"How's the girl?" he asks as I join him near the fire.
"Fast asleep already," I reply calmly, gingerly removing my helmet. I set down my helmet beside me, and lean back slightly on my palms.
Hannya chuckles and says: "Must've been an exhausting day for one so young…"
"Two days…" I correct him. "She got her mother killed, her village burned, and her life destroyed. All in that short amount of time." I sadly glance over my shoulder at Meshi. "Had that been me, I wouldn't have lasted for as long as she has."
Hannya studies me carefully, then asks: "What of you? I can tell something horrible must've happened to you as well."
I close my eyes with a soft sigh. Should've seen this coming. I don't respond for a while, but I know I have to get this off my chest with someone. "Too much to keep count…" I say softly.
"Oh? Do you wish to share?" Hannya asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I take a deep breath, finally opening my eyes, and begin to speak. I explain to him how I was shunned from my position as commander of the Red Wings, how Karei and I got stuck with the mission to wipe out the Phantom Monsters, and how the battle against Meshi turned out.
By the end of it, I'm almost crying again, but I furiously wipe away at the tears, not wanting to shed any more tears for something that just can't be changed. I know all too well that Karei's gone, and she won't come back no matter how hard I try or wish she would.
"She must've meant a lot to you," Hannya says, obviously having seen my tears.
"Yeah…" I just manage to croak out, as I just can't seem to stop myself from sobbing quietly. "And I only just figured that out… so I never even got to tell her that."
Hannya is silent for a moment, but then he lightly claps on my shoulder, saying: "I'm sure she understood long before you even figured it out if she's like you describe her to be."
I look at him, blinking my tears out of my eyes, before wiping them away. "I don't know…"
"You shouldn't doubt your friend. I'm sure she knew how important she was to you."
I look at Hannya for a few more moments, then avert my gaze to the fire.
I have so many memories that involve Karei, that I can only see those, and not those without her, leaving me clueless as to how I was supposed to continue on like this. I mean, I trained with her, more than I did at the castle. It was truly amazing how much she and her brothers had to teach me. Because every one of her brothers had a different aspect which made them stand out amongst the others.
The differences lay in small things; sight, scent, hearing, touch, strength, intellect and instinct. That was what made each of her siblings unique, and whenever she needed help (which was quite rare) she always asked the sibling that seemed best fit for the job. I had learned that from her as well, when training with her and her brothers, but mostly with her.
She taught me more than I could ever learn with anyone else. But most importantly, she had tried to teach me to become independent. Keyword, tried. The more she tried, the more independent I became from others, but I became all the more dependent on her. So to say the least, her small plan backfired.
But nevertheless, I followed each and every one of her lessons.
Hannya's voice makes me return to earth with my thoughts.
"Such a peaceful face…" he murmurs, and I notice he's looking over at Meshi. "So much like Lilac when she was a child."
…Lilac?
"And Lilac is…?" I ask quietly.
"My only daughter," Hannya responds. "She eloped to Damcyan with a bard because I wouldn't consent to their marriage…"
I nod softly, understanding why he would be so worried about her.
"Why are you going to Damcyan?" he suddenly asks, turning to me.
I don't respond for a moment, weighing my words, then say: "A friend of mine in Kaipo has an extremely high fever."
"So you're after the Light of the Desert? Without that, there's not much hope… You're in a hurry too…"
I nod plainly, to all of it. To change the subject, I ask: "What is the monster in this cavern?"
"He's a huge creature with eight legs," Hannya explains to me. "In order to save both Lilac and your friend, we've got to beat him first…" He becomes quiet for a moment, and just stares into the fire. "I hope this horrible feeling I have about Damcyan is just my imagination, but…"
He doesn't finish, nor does he plan to. I sigh softly and poke at the fire with the tip of my sword. The heat does not effect the chilling cold blade in the least, and I just keep poking at the burning pieces of ember, watching in fascination as they fall apart into pieces… much like I am.
"We should turn in for the night," Hannya says suddenly, standing up. "I'm sure it's not going to be an easy day tomorrow. Coming?"
"Hmm, not yet. I'm not all that tired yet."
Hannya frowns but then he nods, saying: "Well, alright, but don't make it too late."
"I won't."
Hannya walks off and calmly climbs into his sleeping bag. I watch him for a moment, then turn back to the fire. Most likely, there's no way for me to go to sleep tonight. There's just too much going on around me. I don't want to lose anyone else. So much already went wrong, and I doubt it'll be easy from here on. I don't doubt that much more people are going to die before this is all over, but I really don't want to think about it.
All these thoughts of death and mistakes are making me tired… maybe I should really take a rest.
Gingerly, I lay down, not even bothering to get in a sleeping bag. I watch the fire for a little while longer, before I close my eyes and lay there.
The mere crackle of the fire is the only thing in my ears as I drift off.
"Hey… hey kid! Wake up!"
……
"C'mon! Up up up! Breakfast is ready!"
Groggily, I open my eyes, and I find myself staring into a pair of deep eyes of bloodruby. They sparkle in amusement when the face they're attached to smiles at me.
"Good! You're up! Come on! My bros already fixed us all some breakfast!"
A hand yanks me from the warm bed, pulling me to the ground. My knees buckle under me, and I crash to the ground painfully.
"Crap! What's wrong with you! Come on! Get UP!"
I get yanked up to my feet by my shoulders, but I nearly topple over again, if two hands hadn't stopped me.
"Uh… on second thought… maybe I should just bring something upstairs…"
I'm placed back on the bed, and I am soon alone once more. I don't move an inch, and it seems to take forever before she returns again.
"Sorry it took so long! My bros were asking too many questions again!"
She sets down a plate on my lap, expecting me to eat it myself no doubt. But I don't want to eat. I just want her to leave me alone and go away. I don't want to go on like this.
"Hey… come on… you gotta eat something, you know."
"…I'm not hungry…"
But my stomach protests loudly, making it known that I am, indeed, rather hungry. She laughs at my predicament, and I simply glare at her through weary eyes.
"If you ask me, you're not 'not hungry'! Now come on! If you don't eat yourself, I'll shove it all down your throat myself."
"…You wouldn't dare."
"Oh no! Just try me!"
She stares at me a long time, not backing down. Her stare is actually becoming painful, so I look away. She probably won't leave until I finish the plate of food on my lap. Might as well humor her…
I shakily pick up a spoon and scoop up some of the soup. I can't stop my hand from shaking, and it practically makes everything spill all over me.
"Holy! Alright! Stop it!"
A hand stops my own and I look at her in confusion.
"Might as well…"
She easily climbs on the bed and sits down in front of me on my knees. She pulls the spoon from my hand and scoops up a spoonful. Her hand does not shake, and she calmly raises it to my mouth. I hesitate a little though.
"I ain't gonna hurt ya or anything!"
I look up at her, then open my mouth just enough. She smiles again, popping the spoon into my mouth. Like that, she actually gets me to eat the whole thing up. I don't remember what everything is, but it's all gone when I finally come to my senses again.
"I didn't catch your name by the way."
I look up at her, not knowing if I should answer. But I simply do, as if I don't have a choice.
"Ryoku."
Another smile… and the world fades to nothing as I close my eyes…
"…Ryoku…… Ryoku! …… Ryoku! Get yer lazy ass outta there!"
TWAP! CRASH!
"OW! KAREI!"
Karei grins down at me and I glare up at her upside-down face from my position on the ground. "Just what was that for!"
"The sun's just showing up, and you know what that means!"
I groan softly, closing my eyes. "Oh come ON, Karei! I have training today!"
"Not for a few more hours you do! Now UP!"
Karei easily yanks me to my feet by my shoulder, making me yelp in surprise. I know protesting won't do me any good, so instead, I allow her to drag me along through the castle. No one is up but a few guards, and they don't bother with what's happening, knowing not to mess with Karei this early in the morning.
Suddenly, she lets go of my hand, walking a small distance ahead, but then whirls around, her face contorted in fear and shock. "RYOKU! LOOK OUT ABOVE YOU!" she screams, and I whip my gaze upward.
I'm in my armor, in Mist, just about when the gigantic avalanche has been caused, which is heading straight for us.
Things once again start to go in slow motion before my eyes. The earth cracks open, I see how Karei tries to jump away, how she's a millisecond too late and is sent down the endless abyss, screaming in fear, which is barely audible above the roaring avalanche. My own scream of denial is almost inaudible as well, as a deep pain is spreading through my body from my heart.
"KAREI!" I cry out, sitting upright almost instantly.
It takes me some time to calm down again, while I try to remember where I am. Once it dawns to me, I give a soft sigh of relief, but halfway, it ends in a silent choke. I gulp down whatever's blocking my throat, and lay back down.
"Karei…" I whisper softly into the night sky, wanting this ache to just go away.
I must've dozed off, because next thing I know, Meshi is poking my side to get me to wake up. I groan slightly, before getting up to my feet.
"Morning!" Meshi greets cheerily.
"Morning," I say calmly, stretching my aching limbs a little.
Crap! I can hardly feel my left arm. Must've slept on that single limb the entire time. And it just so happens to be my sword-arm. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.
After taking down the tent, we're on our way again.
"Ryoku? Are you okay?" Meshi suddenly asks, tugging on my hand.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I ask in reply.
Meshi squints a little at me, and says: "You don't look okay. You're all pale and you look sick."
Oh for crying out loud! "Oh will you knock it off? You're starting to remind me off……"
I cut myself off mid-sentence, not daring to speak her name again. I can't find it in myself to ever speak her name again, which, I know, is stupid, but I can't help it.
"Ryoku?"
"Just… just leave me alone for a while…"
I don't even bother to look at her again as I just continue to walk.
After a short while, we reach another river, without a way to go around, or over it.
"We're going to have to go through the river again," Hannya says to us. "Most bridges broke down a few weeks back because of the monsters."
I nod simply. But just as I'm about to step into the water, a low moan from somewhere behind me makes me stop.
"Ryoku, what---"
"Sssh."
We stand in silence for a while, and it doesn't take long for yet another moan to echo throughout the cave. We all whirl around in surprise, only to stand face-to-face, if you could call it that at least, with a group of Zombies. Which was the last thing we needed.
Another problem here, is that my sword was ineffective here. So… now what?
"Oh this is just great!" Hannya exclaims, a tad peeved by the sound of it.
Meshi pales at the sight of the Zombies, apparently never having seen them before. Not that I blame her. Those things are not pretty to look at. I seriously hate those zombies. Stupid undead should just stay dead.
…Hey, hold up.
"Meshi, do you know any healing-spells?" I asked the small girl.
She blinked at me, obviously not understanding what I was getting at. "Huh? Uh… yeah, why do you ask? Are you hurt!"
Figures she'd think that. Apparently, she's never had to face zombies before. Hannya has by the looks of it, as he slaps himself to his forehead. "Oh of course! How could I forget that!" he mumbles, and starts chanting.
Meshi looks awfully confused, so I explain it to her quickly: "Zombies are already dead, so if we want to kill them, we need to use curative spells or potions. It's one of the few things the undead are weak against."
For a second, Meshi looks at me a bit blankly, but then she smiles brightly, nodding, before beginning to chant herself. Which leaves me pretty much helpless. My sword is pure darkness, so whatever I do, I can't use my sword against these guys. Of course, I haven't trained with Karei for so long without catching a few stray tricks here and there.
I leap away from one of the zombies that had tried to get to me, smirking a bit. With a single well-aimed kick, the guy's head is sent flying and the zombie crashes down to the ground. I wince a bit at that. Normally, the guy is sent flying completely, but then again, I've never kicked a zombie before.
A yowl of surprise erupts from my mouth when the headless body suddenly grabs hold of my leg. "Ah gross!" I scream, kicking the zombie and sending the body flying -- but with the arm still attached to my leg. "Eeeeewww!" I hiss, somehow managing to get it off.
A yelp tears from my throat as I duck underneath a swing aimed for my head. I growl, before punching straight to the zombie's chin, sending it smashing back into several of its 'friends'.
A sudden blast of fire tears through the group, burning them to a crisp, but several of them are still standing. I blink and turn around, noting that Hannya looks horribly embarrassed. I'm not going to ask and just continue fighting any zombie coming near me.
"Keal!" Meshi shouts, and the sparking rays of life make the zombies cry out, before evaporating into dust.
I smile at the small girl, then turn to Hannya, slightly confused. "Hannya, what was…?" I venture, slowly, hoping he won't take it personally. And he doesn't.
"I apologize. My memory isn't as good as it was years ago. So it might not be a good idea to let me try to cast healing spells on either of you."
I nod, understanding his reasoning. Must be tough to forget everything you ever learned in a single moment.
We continue on through the cave, not stopping unless we need to battle off some of the creatures, and those occasions are pretty often. So needless to say, it takes the rest of the day to finally reach the end of the cave, leading out onto a field between two mountains. The sun hasn't set yet, so we might have enough time to face the monster in the next cave.
So we press on, with Meshi sitting on my shoulders so she can preserve her strength for later. Hannya leads the way toward the cave, and I have to bend a little to make sure Meshi didn't hit her head. This cave isn't as well-lit as the previous one, and thus we all have to watch our steps to avoid falling to our doom.
The end comes as a bit of a shock to me, as we arrive at a massive waterfall. "Dead-end…"
"No, there is a pathway to the right. Right there," Hannya says, pointing toward said path. I frown a little, noting it's a very steeple one.
"Are you sure it's safe enough?" I ask of Hannya, just incase, turning to him. Hannya nods simply, and to prove it, goes first.
I hesitate for a moment, before setting down Meshi and following Hannya, keeping a hand to the wall, not really wishing to fall at this point. Meshi's pushing herself completely up against the wall, clearly not enjoying this method of travel, though I can't say I blame her. The waterfall has caused the stones to be awfully slippery, so we have to be careful with every step we take. Any wrong step can have us dropping down and possibly breaking every bone in our body.
It took us quite some time, but we finally make it to the bottom of the path. Meshi and I breathe out in slight relief, before we continue on ahead. We don't run into any enemies underway, and no doubt we would've been able to move on without a single worry, until…
"Yaah!" Meshi shouts as she trips and lands flat on her face. "Owie…" she whimpers. I walk over and help her back to her feet, asking if she's all right. She nods, holding onto her head. "I tripped over…" she starts, turning to see whatever she tripped over --- and screams.
Both Hannya and me instantly whip around, ready to take out whatever she saw… only to wince upon spotting the rotting corpse that Meshi had no doubt tripped over. However, once I get over my horror, I realize exactly what I'm looking at…
"This guy…" I whisper, moving toward it, though keeping my Dark Sword unsheathed. "He was a Dark Knight…"
The armor he wears isn't the same as mine though; his was much more sturdy, and even though it was obvious the guy has been dead for a long time, it has suffered limited damage upon the guy's death. …Which gave me an idea.
"Ryoku? What are you doing?" Hannya asks in surprise when I reach over and start stripping the corpse of its armor.
"Not like this guy still needs this, right? I need it a lot more than he does," I retort, before wincing at the putrid smell coming from it. "I'm washing it first though… I don't wanna smell like a zombie…"
Hannya looks at me disapprovingly, and Meshi seems to hesitate, before taking a deep breath and running over to help, clearly not wanting to breathe in the stench of death. After Meshi starts to help, Hannya finally concedes the point and walks over, stripping the corpse quickly.
Call me a scavenger, but I need the armor.
"Is it okay now?" Meshi asks, as I pull out the helmet from the stream. Taking one whiff, I nod finally.
"Yeah, should be good to go now. Let's get 'em out." Meshi helps me to pull the armor from the stream where we'd left the armor to wash and get rid of the stench. We wait for them to dry a bit, before I attempt to put the armor on. It's a bit of a loose fit, but I guess it'll have to do, for now.
"Alright. Now that that's done with, what say we move on?"
"Okay, okay," I mumble. "Easy, Hannya."
As we continue on, not much else is said. I don't try to think too much, knowing what will happen if I do. As we wade into the water, I look toward the waterfall. I squint a bit, and can just make out the vague shape of a cave behind the water. However, I don't see anything even closely resembling a monster of any kind.
"Don't drop your guard just because you can't see it…" Hannya warns. I nod quietly, keeping a hand on the hilt of my sword. Meshi gulps, gripping her staff tightly in her hands, obviously a bit nervous.
Strange… Normally I'd feel nervous about something like this too…
…I wonder if I'm all right…
…STOP! Stop thinking! Stop right there! Just focus!
I take a deep breath, before pressing on, Hannya and Meshi right behind. The water is slowing our movements even though it only reaches my ankles, and it's starting to get annoying.
Suddenly my toes bump into something and I stop dead. Meshi bumps into my leg, yelping, and Hannya seems confused. "Ryoku?"
I don't answer immediately, frowning a little as I spot something up ahead in the water. Within only a second, I have my sword drawn and lash out to block whatever just launched itself at my face. However, it slithers away and socks me in the head.
"GAH!" I hit the water quite hard, and managed to get up before I choke on water. "What the hell!"
"That's it!" Hannya shouts and I look up as something emerges from the water.
I can feel my eyes widening at what I'm seeing. Hannya was right; it WAS an eight-legged monster, almost twice as high as I was. Its skin was a deep red with green and blue circles here and there, and a number of pads attached to each of its limbs.
"This is Octomammoth!"
So that's it, huh?
…For some reason, "sushi" comes to mind.
Shaking that comment off, I clutched my sword tighter, and lunged for it again, somehow managing to maintain speed in the water. I don't stop to think about how that's possible and just lash out violently, but find my sword blocked by one of Octomammoth's arms.
"Dammit!" I curse, leaping away to avoid another hit to the head. "Just what does it take to take this freak down?" I turn to Hannya and ask: "Hannya! Can you try and remember a spell that can help us out here!"
Hannya looks slightly surprised at that question. "I… Alright, I'll give it my best shot!" Hannya said, beginning to wrack his brain for a decent enough spell.
"You jerk!" I suddenly hear Meshi scream. I whirl around to see her whacking the octopus with her staff in anger.
"Meshi! Look out behind you!" I shout at her.
She whips around in surprise and yowls in shock when she spots one of the limbs coming her way. I react within a second, leaping up and bringing up my sword. As I drop, I slice downward, thus cutting off a good chunk of the freak's limb.
It yowls in agony as I pull Meshi aside. "Esh! Meshi! You're better off healing! So stick with that!" I say harshly.
"Sorry…" Meshi apologizes.
"I might just have something!" Hannya called out, and quickly chanted before casting the spell.
Seconds later, a lightning spell zaps the large octopus, making it yowl in pain. I smirk and take that moment to leap into action, slicing off every single one of its arms. This makes it screech in anger and pain, but I've had it with this freak.
"Sorry buddy! Game over! Darkness Wave!" I shout, gripping my sword tightly, before quickly slicing at the air several times, sending the piercing purple shockwaves slicing right through it.
So… sushi anyone?
"Ryoku! That was amazing!" Meshi cries out, running over quickly, followed shortly by Hannya.
I don't bother and just try to collect my breath. That's what I hate about that move; leaves you winded for a while. Not to mention it saps up a lot of your strength. Double-edged sword indeed…
"Are you okay?" Hannya asks.
"Yeah… give me a minute…" I say, finally managing to catch my breath. "We should get going before it gets dark."
"Of course. With Octomammoth out of the way, we're free to continue to Damcyan."
After the fight with that stupid squid, it takes us another 2 hours before we finally exit the caves. And I can't say it's not welcome. Meshi cheers loudly upon exiting, and I myself take a deep breath while Hannya looks awfully relieved.
The sun is already setting, but we might have enough time to reach Damcyan. And I hope Mae hangs on for just a little longer… who knows what might happen if we don't make it…
"Well… I must say, thank you," Hannya says as we walk on. "I doubt I would've survived against Octomammoth."
"'s Alright," I say simply.
"So what will you do after this?"
I blink. "What we'll…?" I start, before I stop. I know what I should be doing… but I'm not sure if I really can.
…STOP IT ALREADY! STOP BLOODY THINKING LIKE THAT AND JUST DO IT!
"I'm planning to fight Baron."
"What!"
"Baron has committed a crime against me I cannot forgive. I'll deal with them on my own if I have to."
Meshi looks horrified, before she tugs on my arm. "Hey… You're not alone. I'll help."
I smile. "Thanks Me--"
A sudden explosion startles us and makes us look up in surprise, and we gasp in unison, not believing what we're seeing.
I can see the city Damcyan… but it's being bombarded by something. And I'd recognize those explosions anywhere. I cast my face skyward and pale in horror.
The Red Wings.