VANA'DIEL TRAGEDY
Chapter Fourteen: Untied Past"Auricant has changed much these four years"
The room was dark. A cross-shaped window gave just enough light to see. The room wasn't very furnished: a desk opposite to the window and two chairs on each side of the desk. The floor's carpet was a soft green and the room looked more Bastokian than it did San d'Orian. The church bells of the cathedral could be heard.
The male Elvaan with thin glasses coughed into his fist after the comment. He was at least forty years old, but was very attractive for his age. His voice was very soft and gentle. A sense of understanding could be felt by every word he said. He removed his hand from his mouth and adjusted his silky black hair with a thin comb. He leaned firmly against the wall of his office.
On the desk sat a young, blond-haired woman in nun's garb. The white emblem of the San d'Orian church of Altana was painted on her long blue skirt.
"Khristin, his short state of insanity has ended quite awhile ago" the man wore a blue aketon with black slacks and black shoes. His long black hair was very tidy.
"I do not want to trigger anything within him… I am afraid of… what he could do" she spoke, seemingly dazed by the bright cross of light that lay on the carpet. She remembered a silver-haired Elvaan in simple clothes with the rain pouring down on him. He held a sword with a trembling hand. He stood in front of cathedral that she was so very familiar with. She remembered he was shouted a name and charged at the doors.
"You seem to be over thinking this, but very well. I'll make sure you are kept away from him" he said with an expression between a smile and a frown.
"Thank you, Dr. Nouriaces" she broke her lazy stare and walked slowly for the door.
"You can't always hide. If you leave the past untied, you will trip over the present and fall on your future" he added before she could open the door. There was silence for a few seconds.
"I'll take that into consideration".
In Tahrongi Canyon, a group of hunters looked at a tunnel in the wall of a mountain. Renza began to rotate his neck slowly as he stared into the darkness of the mouth. Behind him was his party of adventurers. "This is the entrance of the Maze of Shakarami, not exactly the safest place. Stay close to the group. It is said there are undead here, along with giant scorpions and even goblin bandits. The earth is bumpy here and possibly slippery in some places. Make sure you keep good footing" Renza told them. They all nodded and mumbled some words of understanding.
The canyon was hot and dry. The decaying bones of some large creature lay behind the group. The water that once covered the area left the earth uneven. Cronin, Ronia, Sakeru, and Kurin-Juran stood at the rear. In front of them were a handful of VERMIN members. Renza led the pack with Jody at his side and the Jahin Three/Team Einlarzer behind him. Siat-Diat had already entered and was scouting ahead. They all entered the darkness. Renza lit a torch. A few VERMIN members did the same. Einlar-Winral lit a match, but quickly burnt his finger and dropped it. Samsa picked it up as dim smoke bled from the blackened end and ate it. "Good job, can never leave any evidence behind" Jahin nodded.
The tunnel was mostly dark, but dim light spilled from a few holes from the ceiling of the cave. Shortly they spotted Siat-Diat and a Mithra parallel from him sitting down and smoking a paper straw of tobacco. A small campfire was between them. The Mithra wore mostly red armor of bruised up tekkos, a short hachigane, thick black hakama, dark shoulder-padded gi, and long sune-ates and shoes. Her armor looked similar to a Samurai of the Far East. She was looking at them, knowing they would appear from that direction. She dropped the straw and stepped on it as she got up. Siat-Diat hoped up as well. She walked to Renza. "Hello, Mr. Azure" she said and nodded her head. Her voice was strong and fierce, not one would expect coming from her short self.
"Ahko Mhalijikhari" he bowed his head as well. Ahko was a little surprised at how correctly her surname was pronounced.
"Hey Ahhhhko! We are here too" Einlar shouted from afar.
"So, you've met the thrrree of them" she gave sympathetic eyes to Renza.
The tunnel the group walked down was surprising cool, but just as dry as outside. The little light from their torches was enough to see a few feet in front of them. Aside from shafts of light that poured in from a few holes in the ceiling of the cavern, it was complete darkness around them. Ahko now was in the front. She her torch seemed to shine the brightest. All of them had some trouble walking on the cracked and uneven ground.
"How near is it?" Renza asked the Mithra in red armor.
"Surprrrisingly, they seemed to have moved" Ahko told him, looking straight.
"Has the cause been cleaned up yet?" Renza asked another question.
"No, not yet" she said slowly, afraid of disappointing him, "We could not even locate it".
"I see. We will just have to find it while we are here" Renza ended the conversation. The group entered a large room. Parts of the floor had many holes. At the center were even more skeletons of ancient beasts, mainly a huge spine that ripped the room in half. Along the left wall were a few crawlers. The group traveled past them to reach a ramp up to a higher cliff.
Kurin-Juran looked at the floor. He and a few others were examining the ground. It seemed they walked on a dried up sponge with many holes. He turned a set of bones near him. A dragon-like thing that seemed aquatic, they stood tall like the one outside. The set of bones was at least twelve-foot high and fifteen-foot long horned skull to spiny tail.
"Wow these creatures-weatures must have been fearsome" Kurin talked to Sakeru and Cronin.
"Heh, I think I could have taken them on" Cronin smiled, stretching.
"I bet their skins would have been worth a lot" Sakeru grinned.
"A Mithra with money on her mind, what a surprise" Cronin fattened his lips as a frown. Kurin laughed.
"What! Assholes…" she looked away, poorly acting offended.
Time passed quickly. Within thirty minutes, they had walked by two caverns interconnected by tunnels. The group didn't complain, but they were getting bored. After climbing up a steep hill, they let their guard down as a small goblin grenade was thrown at them. They all were shocked and panicked as they spotted a small black ball with a fizzling wick hit the floor. Renza squinted and reacted fast. He hurried to the ball and kicked it far away. It bounced off a wall and exploded. It sent dust and rocks into the VERMIN crowd. They all dropped down and covered their faces.
"Sloppy" "He should have stamped out the wick" "Oh cut him a break, he did save these people lives" Renza overheard people speaking as he covered his eyes. He recognized them. The voices belonged to Samsa, Jahin, and Einlar in that order. He turned around to see them looking at him, ignoring the dust and rock that bounced off their bodies. They suddenly looked away from him as all their eyes met. They erupted into coughing fits.
Over a hill a lone goblin watched. He wore heavy darksteel armor and helm that covered his face and body, but not his sharp yellow eyes. "Damn itz! I notz hitz a single one!" he cried. He turned around and ran away.
"No…" Jody coughed as he drew his pistol and swinging the dusty air away. He closed one eye and aimed it on the goblin as it ran on higher ground. He shot the bullet, feeling slight recoil in his elbow. The goblin's forehead and helm exploded with blood flowing from an exiting bullet. He gargled and hit the dry ground dead.
"The nuisance is no longer an issue, Renza" Jody called back. Renza nodded, dusting himself off with Siat-Diat at his side doing the same. Cronin looked around. He saw the VERMIN members, Ronia, and Sakeru. A sudden thought of anxiety hit his mind. "Where is… Kurin?" he looked around. Sakeru joined him.
"Renza, our friend Kurin… he is gone!" Sakeru shouted to him. Renza gazed over their heads.
"He must have fallen" Renza noticed that there was a short cliff behind them. The frantic Cronin raced towards the drop, pushing a VERMIN member in his rush. He noticed a body lying down on the lower ground. A bruised up Kurin-Juran lay unconscious. His tunic's hood was messy exposing a little of his face and silver hair.
"Kurin!" Cronin slid down the short wall, tripping and almost falling as he reached the bottom. He checked his pulse on his short, stubby neck, feeling a heartbeat. "Can you hear me?" he talked close to the Tarutaru's face. Both concerned, Sakeru and Siat-Diat looked over the edge. Team Einlarzer's expression seemed more like spectators than worried comrades.
Kurin felt something. He remembered tripping and falling back. In the darkness of sleep, he felt like he was sinking in some type of body of liquid, like water. Everything was dark. He saw a small hand and arm stretching beyond the dark abyss. The hand looked like it was of a small girl. He clutched the hand softly. Cronin's voice ringed in his ears. The water faded slowly.
The Tarutaru opened his eyes weakly. Cronin's worried face hovered above his. "I am… uh… okay" he mumbled unfocused. Siat-Diat and Sakeru released sighs of relief. Cronin dropped the stress on his face and smiled.
"Don't be so stupid next time" Cronin fell back and leaned against the rocky wall. Kurin-Juran noticed he was holding something. He looked at his right hand. In his palm was a red ruby. "Whoa, where did you get that?" Cronin exclaimed surprised.
"I have no idea… must have grabbed it when I fell" he examined it, just as surprised. He tugged his hood forward over his head. Sakeru couldn't stop staring at it.
"Jackpot" she said quietly and smiled at Kurin. Siat-Diat raised an eyebrow at her.
"Wow, how pointlessly messy" Lumomo told Renza. Other VERMIN members agreed with nods and words.
"I guess the goblin gangs are active as that animal told Siat-Diat. At least no one was hurt" Renza soothed the annoyed crowd. Samsa, Jahin, and Einlar-Winral kept their quiet. Renza watched them carefully without them noticing, or at least he thought they didn't notice him. 'There is a lot more to them than I thought' he pondered until he was disturbed by Ahko's finger poking at his shoulder.
"Renza, I think its time to apply the ointment" she told him.
"Ointment?" Renza asked.
"To lure out the beasts, we must put this special ointment on. It's scented to attract them. It needs to be applied on skin or the scent becomes very weak" Ahko explained, "On the downside, it drains the user… so they probably won't be able to fight".
"Hmm, we will have to select a small amount of people to apply it to" Jody added his opinion.
"I rather… not" Ronia hid her mouth as she spoke.
"Team Einlarzer will!" Einlar announced.
"Jahin Three…" Jahin mumbled. Samsa swung out his right arm a little too close to Ahko's face. The two others mimicked him. She blinked and sighed. Ahko pulled out a round metallic container. She lifted off the top and rubbed a thick orange cream on the three's neck and arms.
"This is kind of making me itchy" Samsa scratched his neck.
"Oh shut up and die" Einlar commanded him. Jahin sniffed her wrist.
"Smells like… like… I have no idea what this smells like. What is this?" Jahin looked confused.
"Uh… magical stuff" Ahko didn't feel like saying much.
"Delicious!" Samsa grinned as he began licking his arm.
"No! It isn't food… It's not good for you!" Ahko shouted alarmed. Samsa and Einlar frowned with their tongue still on their skin.
"You guys are crazy" Ronia shook her head.
"Not Samsa, he is crazy ugly" Jahin smiled. A few VERMIN members laughed. Renza noticed Kurin was now back on his feet and back to higher ground.
"Don't laugh, that was corny" Renza heard Samsa sighing from behind as he walked towards Kurin.
"You are okay, right?" Renza looked into little Kurin's blue eyes.
"Yeah, I think so. I am sorry I stalled everyone" Kurin scratched the back of his head with embarrassment.
"No, it's not a problem. I am happy you are not hurt" Renza nodded and turned around to lead them.
"Our first encounter as you being a leader. That's got to stand for something" Siat-Diat smiled as Renza passed all the VERMIN officials.
"Let us hope it is less chaotic from now on" Jody said without eye contact, adjusting his cap and its leaf.
"Samsa, Jahin, and Einlar… you three stand near me" Ahko ordered.
"Sure" they all said and walked near the Mithra.
'They don't even appear to be sluggish. Then again… it's Team Einlarzer' Ahko looked at them. In the back of the crowd, Kurin, Cronin, and Sakeru were talking.
"I am happy you arrre okay" Sakeru rubbed Kurin-Juran's silver curls violently. Kurin brushed her off.
"You guys didn'taru need to get so worried about it" Kurin looked at his friends.
"I probably overacted just a bit" Cronin admitted and lifted Kurin's hand that held the jewel, "That gem looks weird".
"Hmm, yeah. It has some dark stuff in it or something," Sakeru said as its red light shined onto her face, "But I still think it would be worth quite a bit". Kurin-Juran twisted the rock around, also looking at the black material trapped inside the red gem.
"I think I'll keep it for a bit" Kurin said as he placed it deep inside the pack strapped to his tunic. The group of hunters walked for a bit longer. On the way they passed nest of yellow crawlers, where Ronia expressed her disgust of bugs. Then they spotted large scorpions that were about as tall as Cronin's shoulders. Siat-Diat used his Beastmaster skills to protect the group, taming and chasing them off
"Yes, it's obvious now, all these animals have moved because of the new prrredator. They should be a lot deeper. This crawler hive is fresh as the old one was probably destroyed" Ahko explained to Renza.
"We should be getting near then. Have they begun to breed yet?" Renza asked.
"Not that we know of, Renza. We might have to burn some eggs though" Ahko answered directly. In front of her was the carefree Team Einlarzer whistling some catchy tune.
The group, without noticing it immediately, had entered the old nest of the crawlers. Rotting, mostly eaten corpses of the bugs, including scorpion legs, were pushed to the side of the cave hall. Purple blood dyed some of the ground. The stench was horrid. Ronia began to gag between her words.
"I will begin to prepare everyone for battle" Renza turned back to main crowd behind him. "We are getting near the nest of the beast. We estimate that they would be three monsters similar to damselflies. If they are the same as their cousins they will be able to spit acidic poisons. I will split the group into two teams led by Jody and Ahko. I'll borrow a White Mage and deal with one by myself. Siat-Diat will deal with any additional problems" Renza arranged the battle plan.
"Cronin, Ronia, Kurin-Juran, and Sakeru you are with me" Jody told them. Ahko pulled out a long scimitar. Jody was examining his pistol. Renza held out a long black box he had hid for the entirely of the trip. He dusted off the top and opened it. In it was two steel-blade katars with a streak of gold at the edge. They were sharp and thin. The handle was simple bamboo. The most noticeable feature was the long white wolf tails that hanged from each of the handles. Renza stared into his reflection on the blades.
"Using a weapon this time around Renza?" Jody said to Renza, breaking his deep state of thought.
"Well, they do spit poison. Not good to get too close and personal. A problem I know you won't have with your gun" Renza smirked kindly.
"Neither you. But these adventurers… they don't know too much. Let's get these things down fast before they can hurt them" Jody put his rifle away.
"No problem. Ahko isn't so bad with that blade either" Renza responded as he flicked his wrist holding the katars. He had thought the conversation was over.
"Let me ask Renza…" Jody spoke quietly, "Is the reason you are using weapons this time is because you have the intent to kill, but last time you didn't?". Renza simply stared at Jody for a few seconds.
"Tend to your group" Renza said as he turned around.
Cronin looked at his new axe and smiled. "You know how to use that thing?" Sakeru asked him.
"I got a good idea" he swung it gracefully. Ronia and Kurin-Juran seemed to prepare similarly, deep in thought. The group stopped when a sound filled the air. It was a buzzing noise.
"Here they come" Jody stretched.
The buzzing grew louder and louder. The halls of cave echoed with the piercing sound. It was hard to tell which direction it was coming from.
"East!" Siat-Diat sensed their presence and pointed. Cronin turned around while getting sacked by a large flying creature. He felt the rock hard exoskeleton of the creature. The attack made him roll on the ground.
"What the hell?" Cronin growled as he fixed his position. The buzzing sound was now constant and loud. Above him was a monster: A green dragonfly with red eyes and four large black fly wings. Another fly, looking exactly the same appeared farther down the eastern tunnel. It held a bloody, headless corpse of a Crawler in its jaws. It dropped it as it spotted the group.
Renza thought quickly. He eyed Jody and with that Jody knew to shoot down the other dragonfly that appeared later. Hovering over Cronin for only a second, the dragonfly turned its attention to Team Einlarzer. They waved at it as it dived toward them. Renza appeared in front of the beast and with a swift jump kick changed its course into a rock wall. The fly shrieked and strived to its attack position. "Cover healing and keep that thing down!" Renza ordered with a fierce and demanding voice. The coat and red armor-wearing members grabbed their swords, axes, and knives and tackled the beast down. A tall Galka with a heavy metal shield bashed the creature to the ground. With his sword and shield he held the creature's attacks away from his comrades.
Jody aimed at the creature. It shrieked at the sight of prey and raced towards him. He pulled the trigger, but his body and aim were knocked off. A third fly had rammed into him. While he hit the ground, he loaded and fired a shot into the third fly's wing causing it to struggle.
Jody's cap slipped off as he noticed his original target was about to hit him. An axe hacked the creature's lower abdomen clean off. It cried and green blood poured out of its severed hind. Cronin almost fell back as he lost footing after attacking the creature so vigorously. "Not bad" Jody commented as he got up and put on his cap. He loaded his gun with one hand, while the other adjusted the hat to be perfect. With his hand still on his cap, he aimed and shot the fly closer to him to get the creature away.
Ronia and Kurin-Juran had planned their assault. Both of them began casting a black magic spell, their target being the bug Cronin was fighting. Two large stones, both bigger than the fly itself, smashed into it. Almost crushed, it staggered in the air as the two rocks crumbled. The shards of the two rocks then darted up. The pebbles became like bullets and shattered on or stabbed the fly's body. It cried again. It slowly fell to the earth. Sakeru preformed a finishing blow with impaling the creature's exoskeleton skull with her sword. The bug's blood sprayed onto her. For an instant Renza focused on Sakeru. He eyed her with recognition.
'She's just like…' he thought slowly.
"Ew! Oh my god" she cried and shook wildly.
'Never mind' he canceled the idea as he dodged the fly's tackle.
Jody turned his eyes to the battling Renza. A VERMIN healer watched as Renza swiped at the creature with his blades. Renza punched and jabbed crazily. The fly's body fell apart with its blood spilled on everything, but Renza. The remains of the giant insect shuddered wildly. Renza speared his right katar into the creature's brain to end the shaking of the biggest remaining piece.
"Wow Renza. Nicely done" Siat-Diat cheered. Renza stopped his heavy breath and nodded to the Tarutaru.
The remaining bug was near death after receiving many wounds. It spat green ooze at the tall Galka. He did his best with his steel shield but the liquid hit him and another VERMIN member. The poison acted quickly, as they dropped to their knees and began wheezing.
"These members need cures now! Also give them an antidote or the Poisona spell!" Renza pulled the Galka back. The other VERMIN member was also pulled back. Ahko finished the creature by stabbing into its neck and ripped the blade down. It gave a cry and dropped to the ground. All three flies had been exterminated.
"Oh man, these things never shut up. Every scrrream annoys the hell out of me" Ahko rubbed her sensitive cat ears.
"The downside of Mithra-dom" Ronia wiped away a fake tear.
The Galka and the other member, a short blond haired Hume, began breathing normally after two other members treated them with a shiny white aura. Jahin, Einlar, and Samsa had not taken a single step since the battle began.
"Wow, I'm tired, exhausted, beat" Samsa drooped down. The other two followed his movements. Einlar began licking himself again while pretending to be tired.
"Good stuff…" he murmured. Jahin slapped his wrist.
"You guys did nothing at all…" Ahko scolded while she cleaned her blade with a white towel.
"Hey! You just don't know how hard it is to be cool like me" Einlar pointed at Ahko with an angry frown. Siat-Diat sighed; he hadn't done much in the battle either.
"Siat-Diat, go look for any eggs remaining. Ahko, find out what may have brought the mutation" Renza ordered to the two. Ahko simply pointed behind Renza. He turned his head slowly. A pile of objects was covered in black ooze. Renza couldn't really see what was contained in the ooze, but they seemed to have been broken wands and shattered stones with runes on them.
"Magical waste. Improperly disposed and dumped here I bet" she guessed.
"That could definitely cause the mutation. I suppose we'll bring this up with Windurst now" Renza crouched down, near the ooze.
The VERMIN group behind seemed to be celebrating and making promises of buying drinks. Ronia scratched her silver hair furiously, mumbling. Cronin smiled at Kurin and then to Sakeru. "Not bad" he said softly.
"Not bad at all" Sakeru added on. She suddenly became deadpan when she remembered her armor had been covered with green blood. Jody checked his bullet supply. Siat-Diat returned with a scorpion trailing him. At first everyone jumped, but they noticed the creature was not ready to attack anyone.
"Nothing, I even checked the things they were feasting on. But that is not the case" Siat-Diat shrugged.
"Okay. Well, I guess most of us can start heading back. Some of you will be on clean up duty. Siat-Diat you move a majority of the creatures to where they should be. Lumomo, Ahko, and Jody are to store this waste and prepare them to be sent" Renza said, almost sympathetically sad. All of them but Jody gave big sighs. Jody did, however, give a roll of his eyes.
"Can we eat this stuff off yet?" Samsa asked.
"Don't eat it!" Ahko shouted.
"You mean there are ways of getting rid of stuff instead of eating?" Einlar jumped up with an expression somewhere between appalled and curious.
"Ugh… just wash it off with a bath. That will be enough" Ahko showed little patience.
"Okay, Renza let's go. I need to bathe like hell" Jahin tugged on his arm. He gently pulled her off him. He quickly returned his clean wolf-tailed katars into the black box. The walk back to Mhaura was a long and boring one. Kurin, Cronin, Ronia, and Sakeru talked about several of things like school children. Renza kept his eyes on Team Einlarzer, who also talked vivaciously about something along the line of steam-powered elephants and pocket-sized giants. Renza was passed some congratulations on his first mission by the VERMIN members. They climbed up the dry Tahrongi Canyon and descended down the hills of Buburimu Peninsula.
Once in Mhaura, the VERMIN group bowed and separated. "Guys I expect you to be at the meeting on Earthday" Renza told them as they left him. Team Einlarzer shouted some battle cry and jumped head first into the harbor. "Oh damn it… you four wait at the headquarters okay" he said quickly to the adventurers then raced off after the swimming troublemakers.
Within a few minutes, each of them was sitting on a nice chair in Renza's office. Cronin darted his eyes around the room. Something was missing. Ronia adjusted the shades, thinking the room was far too dark. As she sat down she began a conversation. "So what will you three do now?" she asked.
"Uh, hmm… Go back to Windurst, I suppose" Sakeru answered unsurely.
"Without Sakeru" mumbled Cronin.
"With Sakeru" Kurin corrected, holding back a furious Sakeru. Ronia smiled.
"Why don't you join us? It would be nice to have another girl on the team" Sakeru suggested. Cronin nodded happily. Kurin watched Cronin with disgust.
"Well, that would be a good idea, but Renza already asked me to join VERMIN" she said with a mix of a smile.
"Oh that's cool" Kurin smiled.
"I was going to ask you what you were going to do, but you just told us" Sakeru smiled. Renza opened the door and walked in. He was drenched. Cronin suspended any laugher that his body was dying to do.
"Second time in those waters. At least this time, I am not near death…" he mumbled, "Ahem. Okay I'll give you four your payment in a moment, let me, uh… dry up". Renza walked out of the room and returned with a long white towel. He rubbed himself down with the towel. He opened a file cabinet and fingered through some folders. He finally pulled out on. He placed it on the table and opened it. Four envelopes signed with each of there names were inside. They each picked them up. Hard coins could be felt inside. "Two thousand gil" Renza said softly, "Sorry if it is a bit cheap. We are kind of going through economic problems".
"It's fine!" Kurin smiled. Sakeru hid her face of disappointment behind the envelope.
"Okay, well, it was nice working with you. I hope to see Ronia keep up the performance" Renza bowed.
"Renza… I just noticed something" Cronin finally realized the thing that bothered him. "The red sword you had on display… its gone" he spoke, not knowing what it meant. Renza froze with widened eyes. He checked for himself. The glass case and sword were indeed gone. He looked down.
"Oh thanks for noticing, Cronin" Renza said and dropped his shocked expression. "You guys can leave" he nodded. As they got up to go, Renza pulled out a black linkpearl.
"Hmm, okay" Cronin was puzzled by Renza's reaction.
"Jody… Jody?" he said softly, "I got some good news, and I got some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?". He held it close to his face as a voice only he could hear responded to him. "Wise choice. The good news is, well, that ugly sword in my office is gone. The bad news, that c-" Cronin heard him say as he shut the door behind him. They left the building and looked to each other. It was twilight by now.
"Well, bye guys" Ronia said as she pushed back her silver hair.
"Does it really have to be goodbye?" Cronin got awkwardly close. Sakeru pushed him back.
"For you it is!" Sakeru shouted, Ronia only laughed.
"Bye Ronia" Kurin smiled as the two argued; "It was nice meeting another black mage like yourself".
"The pleasure was mine" she said back.
"Your silver hair is beautiful!" Cronin shouted as he was being dragged away.
A few minutes later, they knocked on Hinono's door. While they waited for her to answer they could see a boat with long sails. People were getting onto the boat, hoping to reach Selbina.
At the entry gate, a tall Galka wearing black slacks and a green aketon stood guard. The man with in the strange clothing and infinitely dark eyes stood near the Galka. "I'm sorry… I don't have any of money. I beg of you to let me ride this boat anyway" he said slowly in his dark voice.
"Sorry man, you can't get through without the payment" the Galka said with a rough voice. A small female hand placed money between the two. It belonged to a blond haired Hume woman. She wore a pink dress and held in her other hand was a small girl wearing the same dress with the small hair.
"I know how tough it can be stranger" the woman said with a gentle voice. The Galka looked to the woman and rolled his eyes.
"Okay, you can ride" he said and stepped aside. The man walked passed him and turned around.
"Thank you…" he said and looked down to the little girl's olive colored eyes, "Your daughter has very nice eyes". The little girl smiled at the man.
A few hours had passed. Kurin-Juran's mother had greeted them in and they planned to stay for another night. Kurin, however, wasn't in the house. The Tarutaru sat on the boardwalk that was in the middle of being rebuilt. It was just like the night before, absolutely beautiful. His feet swung back and forth over the reflecting waters. The cold breeze rushed through his silver hair. He fell back and lay on the wood. He smiled at the stars. Memories of his past could be felt entering his head. A younger version of him and Koshii were running along the streets of Mhaura. Another Tarutaru was with them. He looked a lot like Kurin did; with the same hair color and his hairstyle was only a slight bit straighter. His eyes were brown.
"You're it Sano-Tona!" the little girl Koshii was shouting. Kurin smiled at the stars as he heard her voice replayed in his thoughts. A firefly flew over him. They had begun to appear, flashing their small lights in the darkness. As one flickered above him, his flashbacks grew stronger.
As the children ran, an aged Tarutaru watched them from an open window. He was wearing the black cloak he always wore, Kurin-Juran remembered. The older Tarutaru smiled. The child Kurin and Sano-Tona noticed him watching and both waved excitedly. "To be young. You three stay out of trouble-wouble, you hear!" he shouted to them.
"Okay. Mr. Koro-Roko" they all shouted, including Koshii. They began to run again until they saw a familiar woman holding something. It was alive; a breathing and misty-eyed baby Tarutaru with blond hair. "Oooh…" they stopped next to her, wanting to snag a peek. Kurin was first to see. It was a gorgeous baby.
"Whataru's his name?" Kurin asked, almost dazed. The other two just looked on as he did.
"His name is Leru-Zeru. I was going to name him Kurin-Juran, but that's taken!" she joked. Kurin looked up to her gentle eyes and smiled. She had long blond hair and it was easy to see the baby was much related to her. Before Kurin could take his eyes off her, he felt something grasp his right hand. He looked down as the baby had wrapped his tiny hand around Kurin's pointer finger. A warm feeling Kurin never felt rushed through his body. The present Kurin remembered the warmth.
In his thoughts a few years had passed. Kurin-Juran and Koshii were now older. They sat together on the boardwalk. An intense heat burned in Kurin's chest, as it did the present Kurin's. They were alone. "You are going away, your mom told me" the ten year old said in a low voice. At their side were a pair of fishing rods; they had been fishing all day, with little success.
"Yes, I am" Koshii responded, hiding her sorrow.
"This is goodbye?" Kurin asked, also hiding his sadness very well.
"Well, no. I don't leave forrr Windurst 'til like, tomorrow. And we can still see each other when we grow up" Koshii said confidently.
"Y-yeah" Kurin smiled. Koshii did too. From behind them they heard footsteps. They turned slightly to see a just as old Sano-Tona.
"You two… make me sick. Kurin, you are going to miss practice, if you don't hurry up" he said coldly.
"Ugh, just go away. I will be there soon" the kid said, obviously annoyed. Sano made a loud sigh with an annoyed frown. He began walking away when he stopped.
"You know Kurin… she isn't worth your while. She is just a dirty, fatherless Mithra. Even scum-wum like you can do better" Sano said viciously. Kurin was filled with rage. He almost ran up and punched Sano. Koshii's soft hands gripped his shoulders. Sano laughed and walked farther away.
"Don't let him get to you. He doesn't botherrr me" she smiled. Kurin suddenly flushed red as he noticed Koshii's hands were still touching him.
"Uh… right, yeah" he said like almost a whisper. Koshii lowered her hands. They were now standing next to each other. Koshii was almost a foot taller and would always be taller. They looked into each other eyes, wordless.
"Hmm… I guess I should be going now. It was nice… I really… I think you were a great frrriend, Kurin" she almost began to mumble. Before Kurin could say anything a bird flew right over their heads. It was an exotic bird with red and orange feathers, almost like a phoenix. They both watched it as he hovered about the water and skimmed it for a drink. It took off and went out of sight, never to be seen again.
Something terrible happened a few seconds later. The boardwalk shook violently. Sano-Tona had finishing casting a spell of wind. He laughed and ran off. Koshii lost her footing and fell backwards into the water. Kurin looked at Sano with intense dislike and then turned to Koshii. She wasn't there. She wasn't floating. Panic raced through his body. He didn't know how to swim and it seemed Koshii didn't either. He looked around, no adults or anyone near them. "If I hurry I can find someone" he said under his breath, his eyes were gazing everywhere. He noticed bubbles began surface. "She's… she's drowning!" he shouted to himself in terror. He looked around again. No one was going to help her. The fear of losing something began to hit his lungs with an icy feeling. 'She is going to die… just like dad' he thought. He walked slowly to the edge of the boardwalk. He could see his reflection in the clear water. The sun was hotter than before.
More bubbles surfaced. Kurin couldn't stop looking at his own reflection. "She is going to die…" he felt his breath becoming like cold poison in his throat. He could see himself on the edge of crying, with a horrid look on his face. More bubbles surfaced. "I can't let that happen… I owe her… for… everything" he almost began to sob. He wiped his eyes roughly. He tightened his jaw. He focused his eyes on the water. With red skin under his eyes, he dived into the water. It was cold, even for a sunny summer day. He embraced the chilling water as he opened his eyes in the water. It was eerily dark below him. He did he best of what he thought was swimming. He flapped his small arms to push himself deeper into the darkness. Koshii was nowhere. Sadness grabbed at him, but he was able to pull away, swimming deeper. A hurting feeling pinched at his lungs. He let out the air he inhaled before diving, sending bubbles up.
He saw it. A small hand held up. The body was in a blanket of darkness, but he could see her small feminine hand. Almost like he was pushed, he flung forward and grabbed it. There was no reaction as he gripped the cold hand. He pulled the body forward. Koshii eyes were closed and her body was limp. Kurin felt like crying as he thought of the possibility of her being dead. 'It's impossible, it hasn't been long' he reassured himself. He didn't have much time as he thought it. His mouth held shut as he body began trying to gasp for air. His lung began to hurt. He started to swim up with Koshii's hand locked into his. She was very heavy, but he didn't let it weigh him down. He saw the light of the surface grow stronger and bigger. He was almost there, he told himself repeatedly, trying to keep his body from giving up. He finally succumbed and inhaled in a large amount of cold water into his lungs. It didn't hurt. It was almost relieving. He gulped another, but this time drank the water. Kurin's eyes felt like closing.
Koshii's body broke the surface as he pulled her above him. He was so close. The tip of his fuzzy nose and his forehead felt the warm air from above. Then it hit him: a tired feeling of exhaustion. His eyes closed slowly. He gulped more water into his lungs. He slowly slipped away from Koshii. 'They will see her…' the thought past his mind, she was safe. He felt himself sinking. He opened his eyes slowly. Something red was sinking with him. He could barely see it. "A… rose?" he mumbled before everything went black.
Kurin-Juran in the present began breathing hard. The flashback was so real. This time there was no headache, just a feeling of hopelessness tickled at his throat. He sat himself up and rubbed his neck. He wasn't sure at the time, but now it seemed clear to him. The red thing he saw dropping next to him was indeed a rose with a thorny stem. 'There is no way a rose would be there. Some random omen I guess' he thought.
The next memory he could recall was laying in a soft bed in total darkness. He was weak, too weak to open his eyes. He could hear someone speaking though. It was his mentor, Koro-Roko. "The body when put under stress can do extraordinary things. I betaru that if it had been from a fire or even a group of bandits, he'd have saved her. That is how people survive. When they care about something enough, they can never let it go. That is what makes us who we are" he said. A sinking feeling pressed on his bruised chest. Koshii was gone. She no longer lived in Mhaura and no longer was apart of Kurin-Juran's life. At the very least she was alive, and had her own life he was no longer apart of. Neither the less, she was gone. Then he remembered something she said.
"We can still see each other when we grow up. This isn't… goodbye" he mumbled aloud.
"Kurin! You are awake!" a woman cried. It was his mother. She was pretty frantic. Kurin almost cracked a smile, with his eyes still closed. He hadn't thought of her at the time, but could have easily predicted she would have been going crazy even he hadn't dove in. He remembered he finally opened his eyes. They asked him questions and he answered. He didn't really care though. It was all one big blur. He truly had awoken when his mother mentioned her. "Koshii says thank you for saving her life. She says she will miss you. Well, not so humbly". And Mhaura was the same, but different, after Koshii left. For Kurin, it seemed the world didn't care about the spot within himself that Koshii once filled, like she never existed at all.
Kurin began talking to an older Leru-Zeru to fill that spot as best he could. He trained under Koro-Roko, but was easily outclassed by Sano-Tona. A few years later Sano-Toan and Koro-Roka got into a fight over power. Sano ran off and became the legendary Vermillion Mage and killed mighty beasts and became very wealthy. Kurin trained under Koro until the day the old man died. There was a funeral and Sano even showed up. Kurin and Sano exchanged a few words Kurin didn't feel like remembering at the moment. A few months later, Kurin-Juran swore to the town he would become an adventurer and be as great Sano, if not better. At the time he never would have thought he would have met Cronin and Sakeru. Still there was one person he knew he wanted to meet again. Now that he did, he realized that he had only said the wrong words.
The Kurin-Juran in the present stood up. He looked to his reflection. "I will not say goodbye… never".
"Where did Kurin-Juran wandered off to?" his mother asked as she sat at their small table. "Does he know there is a murderer out there? Why does he have to get me worried? First becoming an adventurer… and now wandering off like his life doesn't mean anything" she fumed.
"Oh trust me, Kurin is just fine. I've seen him in combat. You should be proud of him. He's strong" Cronin said with a smile. He was sitting across from Hinono. Sakeru was next to him. She also smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Combat?" she said a little worried.
"Its… safe. Like beetles and stuff" Cronin timidly realized the mistake in his words.
She looked a little cheered up by Cronin's efforts. There was a knock at the door. Hinono sat up and walked down the hallway. Sakeru and Cronin looked to each other in awkward silence. "Sakeru and Cronin… it is for you" she said slowly as she reappeared. They both looked confused and walked for the door. Under the arch was a very familiar Mithra. It was the very same Mithra that given them their missions.
"Uh, hey you!" Cronin called out familiarly to the Mithra. She had thick yellow hair with a ponytail where her ears sprouted. She was wearing a gray and white leather vest, gloves, and boots with a short black skirt.
"What are you doing here?" Sakeru queried surprised.
"To give you yourrr next mission of course!" she smiled, "And my name is Rakoh Buuma". She seemed to be rushing her words.
"Oh… ah… Rakoh, why the delivery?" Cronin asked.
"Well, to speed things up. VERMIN had already inforrrrmed Windurst of your service and the mess some mage left behind -messy legally as well-" she went on, "Ahem, anyway, something really big has happened –not too big- and you thrrrree -though I don't see the Tarutaru- are pretty close to Bastok thanks to the boat".
"I see. What happened?" Sakeru asked.
"A group of three adventurers, two Bastokians and one San d'Orian found a speaking device with the Shadow Lord's crest on it. They have crrracked the code and it is said that the voice sending messages is in the mines near Bastok or something. I never went to that dirt patch of a town" she said quietly, as if she didn't want others to hear.
"Seriously? That's big stuff" Cronin stared at her.
"Well you won't be alone. You arrre going to be teamed up with those three. The Bastokians are rank three and the San d'Orian is rank two like your group" she reassured him.
"I am coming with them" a voice spoke from behind them. It was Renza. He walked next to Rakoh Bumma.
"Uh, you can't- Renza? Renza Azure? It is an honor to meet you!" she exclaimed and grabbed his hand, shaking it forcefully.
"Umm… thanks" he smiled and withdrew his hand, "I need to leave Mhaura for a bit, and VERMIN is moving to Selbina soon. I could just set up camp there and go with them into Bastok".
"I can't say no to Renza Azure," she murmured to herself, "Fine! But you can't tell anyone!".
"I have no reason to" Renza shrugged. 'If I can get far away from Aument, Selbina and VERMIN will be safe. I will have to bring Mercutio with me' he thought to himself. Kurin-Juran appeared behind them.
"Guys… what's up?" he looked confused.
"Ugh, you fill him with the details. I am due in Windurst by morrrning. It was a great honor to meet you Renza!" she shook his hand one last time before she ran off.
"You've got a fan" Cronin smirked at Renza. Kurin's mother appeared from behind Cronin.
"Kurin! There you are" she shouted, in her hand clutched a red leash. "Since you like going out so much, you can walk Kurin-Juran" she handed it to him. Renza looked confused until the white dog at the end of the leash showed its excited self.
"Yay…" Kurin mumbled sarcastically. Cronin and Sakeru at this point were suppressing cruel laughter.
"Come back soon, Kurin, we got some mission details to explain to you!" Sakeru laughed finally. Cronin walked back inside and she followed him shortly after.
"Would you like some tea, Mr.Azure?" Hinono asked with a kind face.
"Uh, no thanks, I'll pass" he shook his head with a thankful smile.
"Itarus too bad they kicked you guys out" Hinono frowned. Renza winced.
"I rather not let everyone know about that, at least not these three" Renza came off almost blushing.
"Ah… understandable" she cracked a grin, "Goodbye Mr. Azure". She shut the door behind him. Kurin and the dog were gone by now.
Only an hour past before Kurin-Juran and Cronin went to bed. The next day, it was Sakeru who woke them up. Kurin she shook gently. Cronin she ripped his body from the bed onto the hard floor. "Ugh! What the hell Sakeru!" Cronin moaned.
"Wake up!" she shouted and stormed out of the room. Kurin laughed until Cronin gave him an angry stare. Kurin's grin dropped very fast.
"Uh, right… I think mom is making breakfast. I am going to take a bath, and eat up" Kurin nodded and walked out of the room.
"I will be using it after you!" Cronin shouted to him from inside the room. Before Cronin could get up, the white dog appeared inches from his face. "Don't even thi-" he tried to say before the dog licked his left eye.
An hour later, all three of the adventurers were sitting at the table enjoying eggs and pancakes. The dog lay against Kurin-Juran's legs with needy eyes. "Did you really clean these clothes for us?" Sakeru asked while she sniffed her leather armor. She seemed a little too happy about the green blood being gone.
"Yep. Itaru was the least I could do for the fun time you guys showed me. Kurin you need to come home more often, I get worried" she smiled and then frowned.
"I will mom…" Kurin said with eyes deep into his yellow eggs.
"Oh, that reminds me" Hinono mumbled as she shuffled into her pocketbook, "I found that pretty ruby. I decided as a treat I would go to the old goldsmith's place and make a necklace out of it". She smiled as she handed Kurin-Juran a beautiful silver and gold lock chain with his ruby attached to it. Sakeru's eyes glistened.
"Wow, that's really nice of you Hinono!" Cronin smiled. Kurin gazed down at it then lifted his head up.
"Thanks mom" he said as he gave a large smile, "I'll do my best to visit you, okay?".
They finished up quickly. Kurin, the Tarutaru, gave the other Kurin the half of his last waffle. Hinono kissed Kurin-Juran up and exchanged hugs with both Cronin and Sakeru. With that, they left the house and headed for the boat. It was sunny out, with a few clouds appearing. It was going to rain soon.
They paid the fee and met up with Renza on the only undamaged dock. The boat appeared shortly after. It had large red and tan sails and steam pumped out from its large base. Built on it was a large platform which hooked on and connected with the dock. Renza looked over to the other docks. All of them seemed fully repaired. He had paid his dues; VERMIN was done with the town. Jody would deal with things until Earthday, then they would move to Selbina. Renza hoped to be back within two weeks. A humble Mercutio stood near Renza.
"You said… something about him coming back?" Mercutio asked quietly.
"I am sure of it" Renza spoke just as low toned.
Renza stepped on and entered under the ship's archway, followed closely behind by Mercutio. Sakeru and Kurin went in next, with a few other people that they didn't know or care about. Kurin gave his hometown one last look before leaving. Cronin, with one foot on the dock of Mhaura and the other on the platform of the steamboat, heard a whistle. He turned around slowly to see a Mithra. Her hair was short and red like fire. It came down to her neck and over her eyes. In her hand was a white mass of what appeared to be shiny, silver hair. She slowly let go of it and it flew with the wind. "It was a wig" she winked, "You have bad taste".