Chapter 15: Reverse Revelations
"Oooohhh, ooooohh, awwwooooo..." Ethis moaned as he rubbed various sore spots on his body. After that whole charade we had gotten back on track and were currently heading up the mountain. Lauria and Curru were trailing some distance behind, apparently Curru had struck up a fast friendship with the other two Taru-taru, while Lauria simply kept her gaze two the side, not really looking at anything. She seemed to be regreting her tirade from earlier, but was clearly conflicted about whther she should apologize about it. Well whatever, I wasn't about to give her an opening to give an apology, I turned back around to see the backs of Murris and Silvie, who were standing on the left and right of Ethis.
I couldn't see their faces from my position. in the middle behind Ethis, but I got vibes from them that told me they would rather just move on with life, as though somehow me and Ethis had brought our punishment on ourselves.
"So he tizzy wizzy into this big tutiwink and he goes toodooolootooloodoootoodoolotoodooloo tooo tooo!" Curru was busily entertaining the two Taru-taru he'd met, from the way he talked to them and the way they responded, I got the sense that he was much older then either of them, but then, his appearance and that weird way of talking mad him seem perhaps the same age, damn it was really hard to tell with those Taru-taru.
When I turned to look forward again, I noticed that Ethis had decided o slow down so that he was right next to me. He apparently had somethign to say so I decided to slow down abit to keep pace. "Hey uh Carlin, about that Lauria girl..." Oh great here it came, complain complain complain blah blah blah. "Do you think my flirtation technique worked?" I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him.
"What the H are you on about?" I demanded. How in the H did voluntarily submitting to a woman's vainity fueled temper count as flirtation.
"Hey hey hey, don't go stoppin' like that or the others'll wanna know what's up, just keep walkin." I was annoyed by his excessive demands but I went with it, deciding that I concured with his desire not to get the others involved in this unpleasant conversation."I dunno, heheh, I figured I'd, y'know, play hard to get, make like I'm not into her you know? She seems like the type that's used to guys crawlin' naked over glass just to shake her hand so I figured I'd play cool like I wasn't interested, get her thinkin I'm 'interestin' know what I mean?"
"I don't have one good damn clue what the H you mean." I responded truthfully. Fun as it might be to witness I wasn't about to give this guy the impression he'd made any impression on Lauria.
"Ah man, come on, I mean, if your tryin tuh say you've got dibs then thas cool, but if not then help me out here." Dibs? on her? What the hell was this guy on? Why the H would I have dibs on Lauria I mean it wasn' like I was INTO her or anything I mean sure she had shiny light burnette hair, a chest fit for service as a pillow and a paira jewel-like hazel eyes that a man could mistake for stars at night but that didn't mean I LIKED her(What? What are you starin at? Stop LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!).
"Well, the Mithra girls not as good, but she's got a certain feral charm, if you got dibs on Lauria-" At that point Murris decided he wanted to slow down too, and Ethis immediatly shut up.
"You know, I dunno whats goin on in the back but the two of us up front can hear you loud and clear, you might wanna break off this talk until you can be assured the topics of your conversation are not within reception range." That one sentence proved sufficient to shut Ethis up for the rest of our treck up the mountain. I say 'the rest' but in reality, we only made it halfway up the mountain when-
"DEMONS!" Sylvie shouted as we came to a wide flat area of the path. Immiediatly asuming a battle stance I moved forward to examine the situation. Up ahead, I saw... geez it had to be at least FIFTEEEN Demons swarming on one particular area, Upon moving forward to get a better visual, I could just barely make out three figures in the middle of the swarm, one was slumped on the ground, perhaps unconcious, but more likely dead, considering the enemy.
"I'll go on ahead! Ariana! Moneu! Follow me! Carlin, let's combine our teams so we can taek em out easier!" Ethis shouted and charged forward toward the Demon swarm, Ariana and Moneu followed suit.
"WAITY-BAITY FOR-TARU USSY-WUSSY!" they shouted in unision as they followed him.
I wasted no time following. Shouting commands even as I charged forward to join in, Dagger at the ready. "Sylvie! Murris! Follow Ethis and maintain formation with him! Curru and Lauria, stick behind me and follow my lead! Let's go!"
"Uh-right!" shouted Lauria, as though suprised by the command, she seemed to snap out of a semi-daze she'd been in before I'd called on her.
"Right-wighty! Letaru's do it to it!" yelled Curru from behind.
When we caught up to the battle I immediatly set to work slamming the Demons with the Dia series of spells as I had before, and ordered Luaria once again to blast them with her strongest spells. Shrotly into it, the two Taru-taru that were part of Ethis's team, Ariana and Moneu I think they were called, came up and jonied ranks with Lauria and Curru, that effectively created a wall of mages in the rear, while up front we're two Paladins and a Monk. I noticed that only one of the two Taru-taru was casting spells alongside Lauria, I figured that meant the other was a White Mage and was saving her/his/it's power for healing rather then combat.
When I once again began to tap out of energy I enthunderized my dagger and charged forward, hacking and slashing wildy at any Demon that came within range, my goal wasn't to defeat any, but to soften some up as I made my way toward the center to see who was at the center of the Demon swarm.
When I finally did get there I was so shocked by what I saw that I would likely be dead if not for one of the two standing warriors there knocing me down and out of the way. "GET DOWN FOOL!" He shouted as he hacked away with great ferocity at the Demon horde. From this position I could see even more clearly the fom of the member of the group that had been downed. A female Hume dressed in a White Mage's cloak.
"SIIERA!" there was no mistake, as I crawled forward I could see that it was in fact my sister, I was in such shck that I did not realize the great and horrendous throbbing pain in my skull, that I felt when I lifted her up to check for a pulse. Perpas if I had what happenned next might have been avoided.
"CARLIN LOOK OUT!" I looked up just in time to see the Scythe coming down at me-
And in a bright flash all was dark.
xex
"Carlin..." I felt a pain in my head as I heard my name called, even the voice that called me sounded like it was in pain. "Calrin please... don't die..." I could just barely sense, in the corner of my conciousness, a faint warmth surrounding me, but particularly around my hand. The darkness around me bgan to lift, an suddenly I found myslef awash in brightness. I attempted to lift my hand to block out the light, but found my effort resisited. I looked to my right, toward the hand I was trying to lift, and waited for my eyes to adjust, to see what it was that was blocking my hand from moving. Eventually I was able to make out firey light red hair, then lighter brown fur, two big brown eyes, a button nose..
"Uhhhhh... Sylvie?" I found myself moaning dumbly as my other senses finally began to kick in. I could see as hat happened that the scene had once again shifted drastically, from the midsection of a mountain I found myself once again netled into a bed in a Bastokian dwelling. I could hazard I guess who's it was.
"Carlin! OH THANK ALTANA!" Suddenly I found myself at a loss for breathe as Sylvie latched her arms around my throat and began to squeeze me tightly. "THANK ALTANA THANK ALTANA! I was beginning to thin you wouldn't make it, oh thank Altana..." She let me go finally, and lifted a hand to her face, where great wetness had formd around her eyes.
"Uhhhh... make it?" Feelings about knowing that Sylvie cared that much about my living aside, there stood the question of what the H she was talking about. Rather then draw out the moment, I decided I'd rather ask right away. "What're you talkin about? what happenned?"
"HMPH, wat HAPPENED was that you took your attention off the battle at hand and instead focused it on a downed comrade whom you had no capability of healing anyway, leaving yourself so wide open to attack its a miracle you AREN'T dead, saved by the mere fact that you passed out before the strike connected, meaning that rather then cleave your head in two, the scythe mearly took a chunk out of meat out of the side of your skull." Wait a minute WHAT? Questions of who the unknown speaker was vanished upon the mention that a large portion of my face had been ripped off during the battle. I sat bolt upright so that I could look in the mirror, and to my shock I saw-
That I was perfectly fine, there was my face, full and whole as it ever was, not even a scar. That settled I turned to question the onewho had spoken, whom I now saw was an Elvaan, he looked much older then me, perhaps in his twenties. I recongized his armor as that of a Dragoon. "You, you we're there, on the mountain..." The Elvaan snorted dismissively.
"Yes I was there, as were several others, but at the moment they have stepped outside to obtain supplies, that battle drained all involved nearly down to their last few potions, it's a grace of Altana we defeated them all." I didn't feel any new questions come to mind when he spoke this, so instead I tried to think of some other question to ask. When another Evlaan entered the room, recongition immediatly set in and it took all of Sylvie's strength to keep me from leaping off the bed iin a surge of rage.
"YOU! WHAT THE -HELL- ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU SCUM!"
"Carlin please! You have to lay down!" Sylvie tried in vain to force me to lay down again but there wasn't a chance in hell that that was gonna happen. There, not ten feet in front of me, was the one person who seemed to have single handedly derailed the new path in life I had taken. My rage was derailed again when those thoughts led to other questions.
"WHa WHERE IS MY SISTER? WHERE IS SIIERA?" I demanded, if that bastard Dark Knight had done anything to her I would-
"The girl is currently resting in another room, she is unconcious at the moment so we have naguht to do but wait for her to awaken." That was the other Elvaan who had been here already, the taller older one.
"Tsh, you'd think I'd get some thanks, I been protecting you'r damn sister for the past week and a half, we've got nasty forces on our asses and it's been utter hell trying to keep them held 'back, how 'bout showing some gratitude." I glared at him with rage, did he think any of that made me feel sorry for him? He was saddly mistaken if that was the case.
"What about all those adventurers you F'ed up back in Gustaberg? You think I'm just gunna let that pass ya (the following lins have been censored in order to remain within rating restrictions)."
"Oh that, hrmph," For a brief second he closed his eyes and smirked. "Heh, that what you're worked up over? Youy make it sound like I killed 'em. Tell ya what? You wanna avenge 'em? I'll take you on any time. Mano e 'Elvo. How 'bout it?"
"Your on you smug bastard! I rip that smile off yur face RIGHT NOW!" I made one last futile attempt to lunge out of bed, but at that point I could hear the door opening and a voice calling in from it.
"Hey hey hey now children! You stop fighting this intant or there'll be no dinner for you!" It was the voice of Ethis, and followed closely by that, A GLORIOUS SMELL!
"FOOD!" Sylvie could no longer hold me back, I launched out of bed into the kitchen, toppling over the Evlaan I'd just been aguing with in the process. Unfortunatly I miscalculated the launch, and I too came a to a heap on the floor.
Ethis looked down at me and held what looked like a nugget of meat in hi hand. "Good doggie, wanna treat?"
I growled and bit his finger.
"OWCH!"
The nugget was tasty...
"FOOOOOOOD!"
end chptr 15