Chapter 9: Bond

Anywayy, we made our may up to Dangruf Wadi. By this point I was thinking another Remedy might be due but I opted against asking for one. The weird noises in my head seemed to get clearer the closer we got to Dangruf Wadi, I began to become certain that the noises really were voices. Mind you, I still didn't believe that meant anything... other then that I was goin' nuttty. And, bein a leader, I couldn't exactly afford to let my underlings know I was cracked like a vase.

...now...

...destroy...

...Beast Men...

...power...

...Dark Knight...

Oook, might as well try to make sense of the voices if they felt it so pressing to make sure I heard them. Leseee... some guy was gunna start destroyin stuff... the Beat Men were on his side... annnd. He had the power of a Dark Knight, or, on the other hand, maybe the voice was saying the Beat Men themselves were the target, it was so vaugue that I could hardly tell. Damn, I AM Psycho now, I've reacher stage 2 psychosis, first I hear voices now I'm LISTENING to them... next thing you know you know I'll be...

"HEY Red-Boy! Look where your goin!" Huh? WHa? WHA! My foot connected with a rock embedded in the dirt, unable to right myself, I fell forward and skid slightly. Thankfully, my Red Mage armor protected me from the minor scrapes and brusies that might have occurred, unfortunatly, it didn't protect me from...

"Hehheheheh HEHEHEEHEH, brilliant one there Red-boy, super genius." Murris, taking his usual cheap shot, his voice was strange though, distorted, distant... and why was everything goin wavvy all of a sudden?

"Errrrrrr, Carrrlin? Arrre you okay?" I heard Silvies voice and felt her hand nudge my shoulder, but she too, was distant and fuzzy, even more so then Murris. Lauria and Curru said something too but by now I couldn't even here, nor could I see, or rather, I could see, but not what I should be seeing...

There, in a dark carvern, there stood two figures, both familiar, but my vision had yet to clear. I tried to stand up, but couldn't. I tried to move, but couldn't. It was as though I were in chains, what was even weirder was the delayed reaction of my...er actions, when I willed myself to do something, it took a full five seconds before it happened, it was frustrating and strangely, I felt a tinge of despair at this inability in the back of my mind.

"So, you have made a Dark Knight of this thief?" I heard a dep metallic-like echo of voice. I tried to look up, but again t took me five seconds to do so. I was also in an odd position, like I was leaning down, and I couldn't move my arms at all. When I looked up I was able to see the two figures more clearly, but still with that odd fuzz. "I can't let them do this..." Wait a minute... what? I didn't think that. But I heard it in my own head... What the H?

"Yes, he came to m seeking power. He looked interesting, so I decided to see if he was worth something, and indeed, he was, I ordered him to annihilate all the Beast Men in Southern Gustaberg, I infused his weapon of choice with my oqn power and told him to do the deed alone, he did, and so I endowed him the gift of the power of a Dark Knight."

That one who was talking... tall, tan... I could swear I new that mug from somewhere... if only there was a little more light here...

"And what if this thief decides to use this power AGAINST us?" said the other figure, large and hulking, I had no idea who OR what he was. IT was his voice which was mettalicy-echoy.

"No need to worry about that, his powers are mine, I can seal his power if he decides to turn against us." the tall tan guy said. For some reason I felt like I was on the verge of tears, an odd sensation indeed, since I hadn't shed a tear since I was four.

"Very well, now, on other business..." I felt a spark of terror as the echo voiced guy turned toward me, looking straight at me with empty light where eyes should be.

"Ah, yes," the other tall tan guy walked up to me and knelt down, placing a hand next to my face." Suddenly, from this close, I recognized him with all too great a clarity. It was the Elvaan who had attacked my family all that time ago, and taken them from me.

"Now then, it's time you stopped being stubborn and started helping us... Ol'orin..."

WHAT?

I felt a shock run through my body, suddenly, the dark vision seemed to zoom away, and for a moment I was lost in shadow, then a glimmer of light opened up somewhere in the distance, distant voices called out to me."Carrrlin! Carrlin! Come on! Wake up! What's wrrrrong with him? I don't underrrrrrstand!" Who the hell was that? Whoever she was she sure had a nice voice.. I wonder what the rest of her was like...

"I dunno-taru, he doesn't-aru react-aru to my healy wealy spelly wellys..." The light suddenly got a lot brighter, and I found that I could just make out several forms in front of me, four if I wasn't mistaken.

"It looks like he's coming to." Another female voice, a bit... heavier then the first, but unmistakably female. Strangely, I found that this voice was not nearly as appealing to my sensibilites as the first...

When I finally opened my eyes I had to sheild them from the sudden change in brightness, I sat up, suddenly remembering where I was and who I was with. "Oooh, owwww, my heaaaaaaad..." Geez, talk about a real anger, my head felt like it had taken a few slugs from a hefty rock.

"Tsh, that was pathetic, you knocked yerself out just by tripping over a rock? And here I was beginnin' to think you just might be headin' toward bein' a good leader." That was Murris of course, strange, for a slight moment those around me seemed unfamilar. The feeling passed quikcly however, and I remembred who everybody was.

"Murris! Please! This is no time for insults! How are you feeling Carlin? do you need anything?" Lauria asked.

"Yeah, Remedy..." I couldn't get out any more words then that, my head was killing me, and it didn't help that my mind was involutarily trying to make sense of what had just happened. When Lauria handed me the Remedy I gulped it down immeidatly... and gaged..

"-Cough-, geez, what brand is that?" I asked, when I had drunk the thing down. It had tasted, frankly, like the fluids one might find in a septic area.

"Remedy X, guarrenteed to nullify the worst ailments in a flash... of course, it's not exactly an offical, brand." said Lauria, she left it up in the air as to what exactly she meant by 'official' but I could hazard a few guesses...

"Anyway let's get goin, Dangruf Wadi... errr, it is still a gold mine right?" I asked timidly, I didn't exactly know how long I'd been out, I hoped it wasn't TOO long...

"Yeah, thankfully, you we're only out for about five minutes..." Whoa what? five, just five? I was certain I had been... in that state... for AT LEAST 20 minutes... at least, that's how it felt. I stood up and rubbed some sore pots out of my body.

"Well, then, we should get moving..." I started to walk off bu was stopped when my arm got grabbed.

"Wait aminute, you werrre out for five whole minutes! You can't be alrrright after being awake for barrely one!" Well this was certainly suprising, Silvie was the last person I'd expect to show any kind of concern for me, not that I minded...

"I'm fine! Really! Come On Sil, we shouldn't dwell on what's happenned, let the past be the past and keep pushing forward! Come on! Dangruf Wadi is ripe for the picking!" Silvie let go of my arm and backed away, puffing her cheeks out with what seemed to be either worry or frustration, I couldn't really tell.

"Ohhh, ohh alrrright, but pay attention wherrrre yourrrr walking at least okay!" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah yeah, okay already. Let's go..." And so we walked on once again, as we walked though, I couldn't help the nagging feeling that Dangruf Wadi would not be the fun filled place that was Norhtern Gustaberg, nor would it be the empty creepyness of South Gustaberg, what it WOULD be...

Well, we would find that out soon would'nt we?

"Hey Hey! Waity-aqity for me-taru! Doesn't anybody care what I think about this situation?" Oh yeah, almost forgot about the Tarutaru guy... "I tell ya no respect-aru no respect-aru at all!" Something told me that whatever happenned, things were going to get VERY interesting from here onward...