Something Yellow

The day after the battle for Truce, the four Light Warriors had gotten an early start.

They had been met by Commander Rainhart along with all the remaining defenders of Truce, lined up in formation, giving fist to chest salutes as the four passed their way north out of the town, heading into the pass proper.

Cidolphus Rumsley had been there, waving enthusiastically with a big toothy grin, having explained the previous day that he would stay in Truce and try to do what he could to help rebuild the town's defenses.

Valor had even spotted the elf, Selena of the Glade, standing off from the humans in her strange mix of hide armor, giving a slight nod as they had passed, flanked by her two wolves.

Despite the show of respect, it was a subdued quartet that left Truce; walking four abreast out into the rocky half-mile wide gap of the pass, hemmed in by bluffs east and west.

The four skirted the huge runnel that Alexander's beam had gouged into the center of the pass, being about thirty feet wide, ending not long after leaving Truce behind them.

Valor had bathed in a big copper tub in the inn they had stayed at the night before, having removed his armor completely for the first time in days. He now felt refreshed, though that still did little to mitigate the sense of failure that incessantly plagued his thoughts.

Gantz walked to Valor's right. Wolf-lean and dressed head to toe in black, the thief still had a troubled look on his sun-dark face, his almond eyes distant.

Sana-Lynn walked to Valor's left, her pretty face hidden within the cowl of her hood. Her white robes had been freshly laundered, and she clutched her staff to her. Valor noticed that she no longer had her ashen bow and arrows with her any longer, and actually hadn't seem them in quite some time, wondering if she had abandoned archery all together.

Robin Magus walked to Gantz's right, gliding along like some tattered phantom. Though her black robes had been laundered as Sana's had, they were still rather worn. The broad rim of her tall peaked hat had large jagged stitches in many places, her black robes also filled with rough stitching as well, as if someone without much skill had repaired them. The hem of her robes and the cuffs of her bilious sleeves were tattered as well.

Valor himself walked along in his half-plate armor, which had been repaired and buffed by the town's most accomplished armorsmith the day before, a gnarly old fellow who had refused to take payment for his work despite Valor's insistence.

All four of the Light Warriors had refused Lady Rainhart's offer of a small pouch of gil given to each of them. Valor had spoken up first, flat refusing the coin and telling Lady Rainhart that Truce had need of it far more than he did.

Robin had refused with a brusque shake of her head, saying that coin was a pointless affectation of city-dwellers and useless to her. She already had everything she needed.

Sana-Lynn had said she had not earned the right to anything from the people of Truce.

Gantz had just shaken his head, forcing a grin and saying he couldn't accept coin for something he had taken no part in, continuing to refuse even when Lady Rainhart had pointed out that he had still played a vital role in protecting Truce despite his absence in the main battle.

Currently, the Light Warriors walked north, the sun barely twice its own height above the eastern horizon. Morning shadows were still long and the day was cool. The sky was relatively clear, though the makings of a storm brewed distantly in the west.

After several hours, Valor grew uneasy with the silence between the four. He glanced to his left. "So Sana-Lynn, I am still a bit curious about what happened with you beneath the Citadel. You were rather spare with details when recounting events to Commander Rainhart."

Sana had started at being suddenly addressed. "Oh, well… I witnessed several visions granted me by Leviathan and Alexander's spirit. As I witnessed such things and made decisions I unlocked the various stages of Alexander's activation. I also unlocked knowledge and power within myself as well… just not in time to be of much use."

She lapsed into silence then, her head lowering. Valor persisted, however: "You said you recalled everything you remembered about having studied the Litanies of Esuna and that is how you were able to cure Gantz of his nightmarish affliction."

She gave a slight nod. "Yes, Valor, I had studied the Litanies years before when I'd still been a student at the White Temple. At the time I had barely understood their intricate incantations, which were far more complex than the spells woven to heal physical maladies. And yet… I believe that this is the least of what I was granted in those depths. Before that trial I had two powers within me, separate but reinforcing each other. One was the Holy, the acquired power I had learned to tap into during my years of study at the White Temple, and something I was long familiar with. The other was a more subtle power granted me by the Eidolon of the Seas, my apparent birthright as Chosen of Water…"

The young woman hesitated and Gantz spoke up in the interim. "You know, I don't think I really thanked you for getting me outta that bloody nightmare. I've never been one much for gratitude, but you bloody well earned it, Miss Priss. That was pure torture being locked in that dreamscape fighting for my bloody sanity… so uh, thanks…"

Sana shook her head absently. "Think nothing of it, Gantz."

The thief snorted. "Oh I bloody well will think something of it, Sana-Lynn, besides you healed all the wounded afterward and performed last rites for all the fallen as well. I just stood around like a wart on a troll's bum—bloody useless!"

He then lapsed into silence, gripping the hilts of his knives. Sana herself didn't seem to know how to respond and so remained silent.

The Chosen of Earth waited a bit before continuing. "So, Sana, these two powers are now combined within you? That is what you told the commander is it not?"

She nodded again. "I bound the Holy to Leviathan's granted power, which increased my overall strength in the use of white magic… but I also came to a realization." She paused, suddenly holding her white staff out before her, seeming to examine it. "I realized that the teachings of the White Temple in regards to the use of the Holy are incomplete. I feel this is so even if I can't quite explain it." She shook her head. "Nevertheless, I can now use the Holy directly as a weapon to attack foes. This is why I had abandoned my bow and arrows. I no longer have any need to bind the Holy to an arrow as an attack. Among the clergy at the White Temple this was considered the ultimate test to prove mastery of the Holy and a mark that one was ready to graduate… but the Holy Arrow is nothing compared to what I can do now. Still, it would be foolish of me to prioritize offense over support in battle. I would never use the Holy offensively unless at dire need. I know that its use would weaken me substantially in any case."

Robin grunted. "Worry not, white mage, I have offensive magic covered in this group. Stick to what you know and leave destruction to those best suited to it."

Sana actually giggled a bit. "Oh I know, Robin, just from what I have witnessed so far from the three of you reassures me that there is no lack of offensive skill amongst us." She suddenly reached up and pulled back her hood, brushing blond bangs from her face with a smile.

Valor smiled as well and Gantz laughed. "Speaking of which, I can use some kind of bloody battle magic too now."

Robin gave a dismissive snort, but Sana looked over in shock. "Really, Gantz, what kind of battle magic? Does it have something to do with your Shadow Source?"

The thief shrugged. "Well, it wasn't so much a spell as a kind of weapon attack that turned into a wind-spell-thing. I summoned some throwing daggers made from Shadow Source, brutal weapons pulsing with power, more perfectly balanced than any man-made dagger I've ever held. I could throw them with force way beyond my own strength. One of them shattered into a bloody mini-tornado and tore through a unit of worg-riding goblins. It lasted only a few seconds but shredded a couple of the monsters and scattered the rest."

Robin grunted. "Sounds like Aero, focused wind magic capable of shredding almost anything. I don't have access to such magic myself, but I have heard of it."

Gantz pounded a fist into an open palm. "Right, Aero, that's what Selena called it—oh but that's not even the best part! I can become bloody invisible now—actually bleeding invisible!" He laughed wildly. "Honestly, I still feel a little weird about being able to use any kind of magic even it does seem to suit my skill set."

Valor rubbed his chin with an armored hand. "So you say you can summon weapons now?"

Gantz nodded. "Exactly, Val, but not like you do it. You summon actual weapons from your stash in Cornelia, right? Well, I actually made these things out of pure Shadow Source. Not real weapons just more like one-off magic projectiles. It sure does take a lot out of me though."

Sana-Lynn held up a finger. "Creating permanent items from a given source of magic is called conjuration, Gantz. The Holy allows me to conjure simple food and drink as I did several times when we traveled north from Cornelia to Count Rumsley's estate. The principle is the same, and yes, conjuration takes considerably more energy than standard spell casting."

The thief tapped his own chin. "Alright, so I am really just sort of a half caster all things considered. That's bloody fine with me. Honestly, between my shadow daggers and becoming invisible, I can't think of anything else I'd need magic for anyway… except maybe creating some kind of smoke screen in a pinch. I used the last of my smoke bombs back in Cornelia before I met any of you lot."

Valor shook his head. "I am surprised you just didn't steal more."

Gantz sighed. "Oh leave over, Val, I think I've proven by now that I don't just steal for the whiff of it. You still gonna give me guff over the fact that I'm a thief?" When Valor failed to answer, he snorted. "Fine, have it your way, you bloody prig. Besides, smoke bombs are a specialty item, and I pretty much cut ties with my supplier the night I ran into Robin at that bloody warehouse on the docks. They aren't exactly laying around on the ground to pick up, you know."

Valor snorted a laugh. "Are you saying if they had been available elsewhere, you would not have helped yourself to some?"

The thief spluttered a bit before folding his arms sharply. "Well, that would bloody well depend on the circumstances now wouldn't it?"

Valor nodded. "Meaning yes, you would have filled your filthy little paws with as many as you could have safely pocketed." He laughed again.

Gantz just shook his head, giving the warrior a sidelong glance. "Well that is probably the most good-natured condemnation I've ever heard from you, bloody blue blood. Golly, Val, did you somehow manage to half-way remove the stave from your bung?"

Sana-Lynn giggled. "Well, Valor, you did say you had an arsenal set up somewhere, right?"

The warrior just chuckled. "I summon them from my home in Cornelia, Sana, not from, you know, up there."

Gantz slapped his knee laughing. "Wait, what exactly did I miss in Truce when I was lights out in la-la land. Did you two just make a dirty joke without me—scandalous!"

To the side, Robin shook her head. "You three are idiots." Her tone wasn't scathing, however.

They all lapped into silence afterward, but it was an up-lifting silence that certainly buoyed Valor's steps. Indeed, he felt better than he had in some time and he believed the others felt so as well, even Robin, despite her standoffishness.

It was nearing mid-day when a sudden horrific mix of smells wafted to the four travelers. Not long after the four stopped before the ragged stinking remains of the goblin camp, which filled the entire half-mile width of the pass.

Gantz and Robin growled simultaneously. The thief spat: "Bloody filthy little creeps, wish I could have had a hand in wiping them out!" At the same time Robin's runes of fire sprung up around her, her eyes glowing balefully: "I did not kill nearly enough goblin slime to suit me yesterday."

The reek was absolutely nauseating, and the four had to breathe through their mouths just to stomach being in range of the place. Mounds of refuse were piled high between ramshackle huts with haphazard trails winding between everything.

Valor's nose wrinkled at the terrible stench. Even breathing through his mouth wasn't enough. "Ugh, I do not know I can avail myself to pass through this vile heap."

Gantz held his nose. "Bloody hellfire, its even worse than I remember."

Robin's scathing tone returned in force. "I will burn it to the ground—all of it!"

Sana stepped forward a bit and turned toward the black mage. "It is practically a good sized village, Robin, you cannot burn so much without exhausting yourself."

"Out of the way, white mage, I am not in a sparing mood!" Robin roared.

Valor gazed at her sternly. "Peace, Robin, we have to travel through it first at the very least, and burning a midden is only going to diffuse its smell."

Sana-Lynn nodded. "I can help with the nausea." She paused, holding her staff out before her and incanting under her breath. In only seconds, the crook of the staff glowed sending thin tendrils of pale greenish energy to whirl around all four of them.

Valor immediately breathed in a mélange of pleasant smells consisting of mint, pine and fresh strawberries mixed with lavender and lilac. These smells completely overrode the disgusting miasma that hovered over the rotting village.

Gantz whistled. "Wow, wish I could have had this spell on me the first time I sneaked through this blasted mess, would have made it much more bearable."

Valor nodded. "Thank you, Sana-Lynn, this is most useful. Regardless, we should push through this midden of a camp… just have a care where you step."

Robin still growled like jagged fury, but visibly took a hold of her self and her fiery runes vanished. "After we get through, I burn as much as I can from the other side!"

"Bloody fine with me," Gantz said. Sana nodded as well.

"The pass would be well rid of it, Robin," Valor agreed.

They went forward, Gantz shooting ahead before stopping some ways up, apparently scouting. He called back: "No sign of any little boogers around."

Valor shouted up. "I doubt they would have left any behind for the assault on Truce. Still, there is always the chance of roving bands. Let us know if you find any."

The thief gave an acknowledging wave and then was suddenly wrapped in black smoke. In the blink of an eye he literally vanished from sight.

Valor and the two mages went on carefully, weaving through the haphazard trails passed rotting mounds of refuse shunted between dilapidated huts. Even though Sana's spell completely countered the vile stench of the place, Valor could not help still being revolted. It made his slaughtering of the little monsters in Truce all the more satisfying. Yet still remembering how many defenders had died stoked Valor's anger and he had to fall back on his discipline to keep it in check.

Robin herself shook visibly, gripping her charred rod in both hands so hard that they quivered.

Sana shook her head distastefully. "This is a nesting ground for any number of diseases. How could anything live in such complete squalor?"

No one answered as the three came to a sort of crossroads of twisting paths in the camp. Valor's eyes widened as he spotted three freshly killed goblin corpses. Two had been stabbed in their backs, the other with its throat slit.

Robin quivered. "How dare that blasted thief kill them all himself!" She shook her head, her yellow eyes burning brightly just as her runes of fire flared around her. "I have waited long enough!" She turned behind her as she summoned an incandescent ball of flame before launching it back into a ruined hut. The resulting explosion obliterated the ramshackle structure and set two adjacent middens alight.

They went on afterward, Robin stopping intermittenly to launch another fireball back into parts of the camp they had already passed. She laughed wickedly as she set the place aflame, a shrieking goblin even bolting out of one hut on fire.

It took nearly two pain-staking hours, but the three finally left the goblin camp, the central portion of it already burning brightly, as smoke rose into the sky. Gantz appeared out of nowhere in front of them, folding his arms self-satisfactorily.

He, Valor and Sana merely stood by as Robin turned, summoning one last fireball nearly as big as she was before lobbing it back into the camp with a roar. Its explosion shook the very earth, obliterating a cluster of huts and immolating a good portion of this last bit of the camp.

Then sighing heavily, the black mage visibly took control of herself again, her runes of fire winking out. "A welcome catharsis… come and let us put this vile place behind us."

"Aye, good bloody riddance," Gantz agreed and the four moved on.

A little ways north of the camp, the pass began to narrow, the bluffs tightening closer on each side as the rocky brown hills rose higher around them.

It was still mid-afternoon when the four decided to turn down a narrow canyon to the side. After a short ways, it widened to reveal a small forest of rather lush grass and trees, which Valor knew must have an ample water source somewhere.

As they entered under the shade of a sparse canopy, Gantz looked about. "Is it lunch time yet, 'cause my stomach is jabbering at me."

Sana nodded. "I can conjure some bread and cheese."

Robin looked back deeper into the trees. "I will see if I can forage anything in deeper."

Valor glanced at her. "Be careful, Robin."

She glared at him. "Do not patronize me, Chosen of Earth, I have been roving through the wilds since I was a child! I very much doubt I shall run into any behemoths here." And off she went.

The warrior sighed, but sidled off as Gantz laid down in the lush undergrowth near a tree, his hands behind his head. Sana-Lynn stood poised near him, ready to use her power to conjure some simple sustenance for their meal.

The warrior went off a little ways before summoning his well-worn bastard sword and the new round shield that Lady Rainhart had gifted him from her own personal armory since his kite shield had been completely shattered by the attacking trolls in Truce. The two weapons appeared in flashes of light and Valor went to work on his battle forms, even switching weapons and mixing moves. He had already considered this new type of dynamic training soon after he had learned how to summon weapons to him.

He went from sword and shield, to spear, to greataxe, to mace and shield, to maul, to flamberge, to halberd, and back to sword and shield before he noticed Sana coming up with armfuls of bread and a small hunks of cheese.

Valor banished his weapons, feeling his own stomach rumble as Sana set the foodstuffs down in a pile in the soft grass. "Where is Gantz?"

The white mage smiled up at him. "Oh, he fell asleep under the tree and I left him his share of food nearby. It seems becoming invisible drains him something fierce. Unsurprising, since it is likely a magical effect that must be sustained while in use."

The warrior put his armored hands on his hips. "Yes, as if that lout needs to be any more underhanded."

She brushed blond bangs from her face as he sat down just opposite the pile of food. "And what of your Summoning Steel, does it drain any strength from you?"

Valor shook his head as he took a bite from a hunk of cheese. "Not at all, just a second's concentration. Lady Rainhart informed me that this was more of a skill than a spell, which is fortunate since my knowledge of spellcraft is nonexistent."

She nodded. "Yes, but it is obviously still magical in some sense."

Valor ripped off a chunk of bread from a round loaf. "Indeed, it is tied to earth magic, which I now know I am twice an heir to, granted to me by my mother's holy power and the blessing of the Earth Crystal." He felt a pang of sadness when thinking of his mother, covering it by popping the bread into his mouth.

Sana suddenly looked down. "I… I suppose that makes you Duke Loftlan then, with the passing of your mother."

Valor paused, gulping down the bread. He had not remembered that. "Yes, you are by all means correct, Sana-Lynn. With the passing of my mother, I am the head of my house… a Duke. It matters not, of course, I am a Warrior of Light before anything else, and our chamberlain is more than capable of keeping the affairs of the estate in order for as long as I am gone."

As Valor continued to eat, he noticed Sana's despondence. "Does something trouble you, Sana-Lynn?"

She hesitated only a second before nodding. "I am a foundling, Valor. The people I always believed were my parents found me floating along a river one day while they were fishing. I was an infant, of course, having no memory of this, but was shown a vision of it below the Citadel by Leviathan."

Perplexed, Valor blinked. "Truly, Sana… do you know where you came from then?"

She gave a small shrug. "I do not… but I think I might be something like you, Valor. I think an Eidolon might have had something to do with my birth."

He gave her a befuddled look. "Is this what you meant when you said that we were linked more closely than the other two Light Warriors?"

She poked at a loaf of bread. "I just don't know, Valor."

Instinctively, the warrior reached across the food and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Worry not, Sana-Lynn, we will find the answers to such mysteries in time."

The white mage actually blushed and Valor felt his own face heating. He removed his hand as if scalded, and reached down to shove a hunk of cheese in his mouth.

Sana-Lynn shyly brushed bangs from her face again, looking ready to say more when she was suddenly interrupted by something rummaging through nearby undergrowth.

Valor quickly glanced over as something small emerged from the foliage. It looked like a little puff of yellow fuzz with big dark eyes.

It gave a small high-pitched cry: "Warrrk."