Tales of Xalthia
Chapter 5: Forest Silhouettes
The days progressed fairly quickly as Tsuki and Lynette made their way down the dirt path towards Briswater from Crescentia. It has been two days since they had left Crescentia. If they continued the pace that they were going, they would reach the forest that surrounds Briswater by tomorrow evening. They still had quite a long ways ahead of them though. Their journey to Briswater has been met with little to no issue. They've had numerous encounters with the local monsters but nothing too crazy. The scenery around them was as scenic as always with endliess grassy fields. It felt pretty calming to be surrounded by nothing but nature.
Since the sun was starting to go down, they decided to set up camp for the night. They found a suitable camping spot next to the main road and used a Camping Set. Tsuki took out the device that was in the Camping Set and started to set it up. The device was called a Tether. By appearances, it looks like a smaller version of a weather vane but for a completely different use. Once it's powered by Artes, it generates a natural barrier that keeps monsters away similarly to how the farmlands are protected in Crescentia. Without these, it was a danger for anyone to sleep out in the wilderness at night. Tsuki was familiar with the device after having to use it multiple times while he was on duty so setting up wasn't a problem. While he was setting it up, Lynette was out gathering some firewood to use for a fire. She set the wood down in front of the tent that had been set up and started a fire as it was starting to get dark. Tsuki soon started the device and activated the Tether. Much like the farmlands, humans couldn't pick up the scent that the Tethers give off. Both of them had gathered around the fire, sitting on log stumps and eating some of the food that Reia had made for them that were stowed away in their bags.
The two of them talked amongst themselves, talking about random things as they ate and relaxed by the fire. The plains were quiet and peaceful and, at the same time, a bit unsettling because there was nothing but black that surrounded them. There was no lighting aside the few scattered plants that gave off natural light absorbed during the day. For an experienced adventurer, these would be everyday sights but for someone new like Lynette, it would make anyone restless. Three hours would pass as the two of them stayed by the fire. They've had to take turns with going out to get more firewood nearby every now and then. While it was fairly cool out, having a light source wouldn't hurt to help them relax.
Lynette was sitting by the fire, snacking on some granola bars that she had brought with her. As she ate it, she looked over at Tsuki. "Hey, I know this may seem a bit late but seeing as how we'll be traveling together for a while, why don't we try to get to know each other better?" she asked. They've talked a lot while they were in the village and on the road but they've never really talked about themselves. She was curious to know more about him.
Tsuki was laying down on the ground, staring up at the night sky as it was filled with a sea of stars. With no lights around, one could really appreciate the night sky. You couldn't get a sight like this in Eresseas with all the lights. "What would you like to know?" he asked. There was a lot he could tell her about himself and a lot he would rather keep to himself.
Lynette held a finger to her chin in thought. She had so many questions to ask him but wasn't sure where to exactly start. "Like, what are your goals? Your desires? Stuff like that" she said. What she really wanted to know what he thinks about working for the royal family. "Also, if you're able to answer, I'm curious to know what it's like to be a knight" she said. She wouldn't want him telling her about things that he wasn't suppose to.
Tsuki continued to stare up at the sky as he thought of what to say. "My goals and desires, huh? Hmm...well, to be honest, I don't really have any. I just want to do what I can for the royal family. They've done so much for me over the years so I'd like to be able to repay them back someday" he said. He took a moment to answer her next question. There were a lot of ways on how he could describe being a knight. "Being a knight is a privileged experience. It has a great deal of hardships and challenges but if you could overcome them, then the rewards will be well worth it in the end" he said.
Lynette finished eating her snack and sat down on the grass, leaning back against the stump she had been sitting on. "What made you want to become a knight?" she asked. People have a lot of different reasons for becoming a knight and there are some who have similar reasons. A stable source of income, the desire to protect the people they love, to serve their kingdom with pride, family tradition, etc.
Tsuki couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself when she asked him for his reasons. It's quite funny when he thought about it. "To be honest, I never had any intentions on becoming a knight. In fact, I didn't have intentions to be...well, anything really" he said.
Lynette tilted her head. She was a little confused and was even more curious now after his statement. "Then, how did you become to being a knight if you didn't want to be one? What changed?" she asked.
Tsuki fell silent for a moment. She was asking questions that related to his chilldhood that he wasn't sure on whether he should share it with her. It wasn't exactly a topic he liked to talk about. "I've had a...complicated childhood. Things happened that rendered me homeless and without a family. As a result of all that, I spent a fair bit of time living off the streets. I did what needed to be done to take care of myself and that including stealing things like food and drink. Sometimes, it got me involved with the more sketchy crowds" he said.
Lynette didn't know what to say when he told her about is living situation. It almost mirrored her own. The only difference was that she had people that still cared about her and supported her even after her own family passed away. "I-Im sorry...I shouldn't have asked. But still, the jump from being a thief to a knight is quite a drastic change" she said.
Tsuki shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We can't change things that have already happened. All we can do is move on from them. It takes more strength to move on than to stand still, after all" he said. He had heard those words so many times from a certain someone who had helped him in his darkest hours. "If I have anyone to thank for the change happening, it would be Princess Cheria. If not for her, I would probably be dead right now. I owe my life to her and so she will have it" he said.
Lynette tilted her head. "You're familiar with Her Highness?" she asked. Serving as a knight, she always knew that he would eventually have the occasional interaction and run-in with the royal family. However, she wasn't aware of just how familiar he was with them since when they first met, he simply introduced himself as a knight of Eresseas. Unlike the thugs from Crescentia, she wasn't familiar with the different types of armor normal knights and members of the Royal Eight wore as she's never met them before.
Tsuki sat up and pointed to his chestplate with the imprint of a wolf on it. "Notice this? It's designed into the armor the members of the Royal Eight wear. Normal knights don't have this on their armor so it would be easier to make out those of the Royal Eight" he said.
Lynette took a moment to realize what he was saying. "So wait...you're a member of the Royal Eight? Aren't they suppose to be like Eresseas' top elite? Eight elite knights that serve directly under the royal family and answer to no one but them? You?" she asked. She had a feeling that there was more to him that he had initially let on but she didn't expect something like this.
Tsuki nodded. It was then he realized that he never actually told her what his actual position was. He recalled saying that he was just a knight. "Sorry, I should have been more specific when I first introduced myself. But yes, I'm one of the Royal Eight and I'm Princess Cheria's bodyguard. Due to our close relationship, the king and queen thought it was best that I was given that role" he said.
Lynettes' curiousity grew even more when he confirmed who he actually was and where he stood as a knight. "Close relationship? Are you two, like, dating?" she asked.
Tsuki had a feeling she would ask that. He knew it the moment he said that he and Cheria had a close relationship. "No, we're not dating. She's far too out of my league for that. Besides, our social statuses and history are too wide apart. We're just childhood friends. She was the one that helped put my life back on track when all I saw was darkness" he said. Many have told him openly that they would approve of a deeper relationship between him and Cheria from both civilians and officials.
Lynette leaned her head back, looking up at the stars. She's never seen royalty before so she couldn't begin to imagine what life would be like to be around them, let alone being one. Just like everyone else around the Northern Regions of Cayhill, she has great admiration for the royal family. "What's it like to be her bodyguard? How would you describe her as a person?" she asked.
Tsuki folded his arms. There was so much he could say about his time serving as her bodyguard and how she was as a person. He just wasn't sure what words he could say that would do them justice. "Well, serving as her bodyguard, it's definitely a privilege. She's had multiple bodyguards growing up but she always had a habit of sneaking away from them which landed her in trouble a couple of times. Though, I'm partially to blame for that since she would alwayss come visit me when I was still living off the streets despite my attempts to get her to stop" he said, scratching his head. At first, he thought of her as a great annoyance. She just wouldn't leave him alone no matter what he tried to do. Eventually, it got to the point where he just stopped trying as it was a waste of effort. "As for how she is as a person, I'm not sure where to even start..." he said. Growing up with her, he's seen many sides to her that not even Taichi and Emma have seen. "Well...she's a joy to be with. She's cheerful, hyper, a little bit on the weird side and is well-loved by everyone. She has an adventurous streak to her which lands her into trouble now and then. She has Queen Emma's kindness and King Taichi's strength so she's quite the fighter." he said. He then looked up in the night sky, in the direction where Eresseas was. He couldn't see Eresseas but he knows that she's probably looking out at the same sky, thinking about him.
Lynette tilted her head as she saw him stare off into the sky. "She sounds like a wonderful person. What about the king and queen? What are they like?" she asked.
Tsuki looked back down and stared into the blaze of the fire. "King Taichi is powerful and commanding. He is a master swordsman in his own right but his real strength lies in his strategies. He can come up with strategies that just seem to work. From what I've heard, before he was made king, his strategies played a vital role in some of the major conflicts he had been a part of. There is a bit of mystery behind his background though" he said. He didn't know everything there was to know about him but he's heard that there is a side to him that he keeps close to himself.
Lynette looked at Tsuki. His last comment caught her interest. "Mystery? Like what?" she asked.
Tsuki held a finger up in the air, adjusting himself to lean up against a log stump and facing the fire. "There's a part of his past that only a select few knows about. I'm not one of those people, so I can only speculate. I thought about looking into it but I figured that if a select few know about it, he keeps it that way for a reason" he said. He rested his arm down on top of the stump as his gaze focused on the fire. "As for Queen Emma, she's laid back and easy going. She gets along with everyone and has that personality where you feel like you could spill your guts to her and she would provide you comfort. Her experience with Magical Artes is almost second to none. She's probably the second strongest magic user Cayhill has got. After all, she had an excellent teacher" he said.
Lynettes' thoughts drifted back to when they discovered the fate of Saiyakas' president. Since he was the one who taught her, she had no doubt that her skills would be on par with his. "Reia had told me that someone can only teach you so much. Once they couldn't teach you anything anymore, it would be up to you to continue expanding your experience. I'm guessing the same would of applied to the queen" she said.
Tsuki nodded. What she said was true in just about every field whether it was with a sword, wielding magic or more simple things like craftsmanship. "Yes. Apparently, before they became king and queen, I had heard stories from the princess that they traveled all over with six other people. I guess, in the beginning, her skills with Magical Artes were pretty bad. She had a serious lack of control and concentration which put them into sticky situations. However, the things they went through only served to make them stronger in the end" he said. With more experience, there comes more strength and confidence. Nothing was better than firsthand experience, not even being taught by someone who was a master in whatever they were trying to learn.
Lynette rubbed her chin with interest. If Emma could become so strong, maybe she can do the same. Thinking about it only serves to show her that she made the right decision to want to travel with Tsuki. "Maybe I can do this, after all. Maybe I can become stronger" she said.
Tsuki reached over and grabbed some firewood and toosed more onto the fire. "I know you can. Just try to take it one step at a time though. There's no need to rush yourself" he said. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of marshmellows with some chocolate and crackers. He grabbed a two sticks nearby and put two marshmellows on them and set them over the fire. "I don't recall if I ever asked but what do you hope to accomplish? You mentioned something about repaying a debt" he said.
Lynette brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, huddling herself up as she swayed sideways back and forth. "I want to become doctor. Not a doctor like Dr. Calus but a doctor that can use Healing Artes for those in need. Like the traveling healer that saved my life when I was still young" she said. She soon looked up at the starry night sky. "There was this healer that came through the village one night when I was on the verge of death. He heard of what was happening and cured me at no cost. He told my parents that a healers' duty is to ease the pain and suffering of the less fortunate. Any healer that tried to take advantage of that for personal profit and gain was no healer at all" she said.
Tsuki nodded at the words she had overheard from when she was younger. He couldn't agree more with that statement. "Now, those are some wise words to live by. Who was this healer? Did you get his name?" he asked.
Lynette shook her head. She had only briefly regained consciousness when the healer cured her and those words were the only things she managed to hear. She had asked her parents if they caught his name but, unfortunately, they didn't. His words that he spoke though became her motto of sorts and her main source of inspiration. "With everything that went on and how my parents were preoccupied with me, they forgot to ask" she said
Tsuki scratched the back of his head. It was a shame that she couldn't get his name. There aren't that many wandering healers in Cayhill so it wouldn't be that difficult to search for this healer that had saved her. "I see..." he said. He fell silent for a few minutes before reaching out and grabbed one of the sticks that had a marshmellow on it. He put it on a cracker and put some chocolate on top of it with another cracker, making a S'more and handed it to Lynette before repeating the process and taking his own in his hand. "If it's alright with you, what were your parents like?" he asked.
Lynette turned her head to Tsuki and took the S'more that he had made her and blew on it a few times before taking a bite out of it. "My mother worked as an assistant at the clinic. I think her goal was to take what she learned there to try and apply it with me while my father worked as a merchant in a nearby shop. They were both under a lot of stress because of my health issues back but they would always manage through it" she said. She took a couple more bites out of the S'more, almost burning her mouth a bit with how hot it was. "My mother was involved in an incident that cost her life. My father would soon follow her a few years later when he ended up passing away by the hands of the Virus. At the time, I had been studying Healing Artes but I was far too inexperienced to be of any help. I didn't want something like that happening again. Thanks to Reia and her mother, I was able to improve on things I had trouble with before" she said.
Tsuki nodded slowly as he ate his S'more. Thinking about her story made him remember his own. They were both so similar but yet ended up at completely different destinations. It made him wonder where his life would be if he hadn't made a life for him on the streets. "It's kind of funny how we have similar childhood experiences but yet the end results were the complete opposite to each other" he said.
Lynette laughed nervously as she finished her S'more. He had finally made a comment about it. "Yeah. It's little crazy when you think about it. If that healer hadn't came when he did, I wouldn't be here and if you had made different choices, you probably wouldn't be here either. It's a small world, when you think about it" she said.
Tsuki had always counted himself as one of the unlucky ones. He had life crushing down on top of him to where he felt he was going to suffocate. But then, a ray of light appeared that pulled him out of that debris when he had all but given up. "I guess everyone does have their second chances in life. This would be both of ours" he said.
Lynette scratched the side of her cheek. She didn't really think about it that way but he had a point. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. We both pretty much started off on a clean slate" she said.
Tsuki fell into thought for a few moments before finishing his S'more. The two of them continued small talks and conversations as the night went one. Once it got to a certain point, they both decided to call it a night. They were going to need as much of their energy as possible because even though Briswater was another day of walking away, they would have to pass through the massive forest that surrounds the river city. Lynette was the first to go to sleep as Tsuki went ahead and put out the fire. He cleaned up the campsite a bit, putting away any food they might have left out. Even though the Tether was suppose to keep monsters away, that wouldn't stop bandits who could potentially show up. Once everything was put back where it should be, Tsuki crawled into his tent and eventually fell asleep.
The night was pretty peaceful and uneventful. The next morning, both of them packed up the campsite and ate a bit of breakfast before continuing on their way. It was a fair distance away still but they were able to make small glimpses of the forest that had surrounded Briswater. The forest around Briswater was more like a jungle than anything. The trees stretched high into the air with an incredibly dense brush. As they walked along the singular dirt road, they started to pass by some mountains off to the east. These mountains were also covered by trees. Their travels throughout the day went by just like the rest of it. A few skirmishes with local monsters and nothing much else.
Around early in the afternoon, they decided to take a short break to rest their feet and regain their energy. By this time, the faint glimpses of their destination were much more visible as they drew closer to it. They decided to sit by a small pond with a massive tree standing next to it. They didn't bother setting up a campsite because there would be no point. They sat around the tree and ate whatever food they still had left over that was in their bags. They made sure to save a bit of food since they weren't quite there yet though.
Tsuki looked over towards the forest. He's never been to Briswater but he has read about it. It was quite the unique-looking city. "The city of rivers...apparently, you get around the city mainly by riverboat though there are bridge that connects each piece of land. The place is said to be quite the maze" he said. He's always wanted to visit Briswater to see what it's like because it sounded like a place he wouldn't truly appreciate until he saw it with hiw own eyes.
Lynette leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. With the stillness of the Great Plain and sitting under shade by a pond, she could easily find herself falling asleep here. "If I know my history correctly, the entire area around Briswater, including its forests, used to be the site of a gruesome battle a couple hundred years ago. Apparently, where Briswater currently is used to be one giant crater" she said.
Tsuki nodded. "Yeah but thanks to hundreds of years of rainfall with a little bit of help from people who were masters with Earth Artes, they were able to turn an empty crater into a city that would appear as if it were floating on a body of water" he said. The foundation of the city was formed by those who helped raise the land from within the crater. The crater was essentially split into two halves with the upper part citys' foundation while the lower part remained as it was.
Lynette took a bit out of a granola bar she had and looked at Tsuki. "Wasn't there stories on how there were passage ways to get to the underbelly of the city hidden underwater?" she asked. Briswater was a pretty interesting place and overall location as the surrounding land had a whole lot of significant history tied to it.
Tsuki shrugged. Apparently, some people had gone diving into the depths of Briswater and had found passage ways to get into the lower portions of the crater itself. "Supposedly. According to divers, you could still find remains of old, rusted scraps of armor and what appeared to be weaponry but the waters and elements have eaten away at them for so long that no one can be too sure. Not only that but if you look hard enough in the surrounding forests, you could also find remains of old structures and various other things" he said. The area was highly charged with Aer, making it an area where a lot of magic users would congregate and practice their craft.
Lynette tilted her head. The mention of treasure that divers have found reminded her of the time when the Dark Wings tried to steal some kind of sword. "So, when the Dark Wings tried to make off with that one sword, it must of been one of the things that divers managed to recover" she said. She finished her granola bar and stretched a bit when she felt a strong wind blow past them. Her attention soon turned towards the sky in the direction they came from and saw some dark clouds coming towards them. Upon listening closely, she could hear faint sounds of thunder off in the distance. "Uh oh. Looks like we got a pretty nasty storm coming our way" she said.
Tsuki looked into the direction of the dark clouds and sighed. "That's right; this is the start of the stormy season. I almost forgot about that. I don't think we'll be able to get to Briswater in time either" he said. He looked around but there was nothing but flat, grassy fields. There was no sign of any type of shelter they could use. With how strong the stormy season can get, especially during the start of it, tents would easily get blown away. "Well, I'd say this is a problem" he said.
Lynette looked around as well but much like him, she couldn't find anything. As she looked, however, her gaze soon came upon what appeared to be some sort of tower at the top of a mountain. It was an odd sight that made her tilt her head and check the map. However, she saw nothing resembling anything like a tower, or anything at all in fact, in that direction. "Hey Tsuki. What's that way up there? It kind of looks like a tower of some kind but I don't see it on the map" she said, pointing up towards it.
Tsuki looked up to where Lynette was pointing to. He had to look closely as all he could see was trees but eventually, he spotted it. It was too far off in the distance to know for certain but it did appear to resemble a tower. "I'm...not too sure, honestly. I didn't even know there was anything like that in this area..." he said. He folded his arms and fell into deep thought. A strange tower-like object high up in the mountains between Briswater and Crescentia. The more he thought about it, the more it started to seem familiar. After a few moments, he remembered. "Wait...I believe I've heard of this. I remember Georg telling me something about an old, abandoned castle being retaken by mother nature. He said it was used by some rebel army during a conflict in the past. The castle was a double-edged sword. With its location being high up in the mountains, it made laying siege to it a very difficult task due to the terrain and served as key strategic point for troop deployment but it had no escape route. I believe he called it...Prophet Castle" he said.
Lynette rubbed her chin as she stared up at the tower-like object sticking out through the trees of the mountain. There was something about that name that seemed familiar to her. After thinking on it, she realized why the name Prophet Castle seemed so familiar. "Wait, it couldn't be...that Prophet Castle, could it?" she asked herself.
Tsuki continued to stare up towards the tower before turning his gaze down onto her. "You've heard of it before?" he asked. The only things he knew about it are things that Georg had told him about which wasn't very much in retrospect.
Lynette nodded slowly. She showed a bit of hestitancy as she tried to get the words to come out of her mouth. "I didn't believe them because they were just rumors...but I have heard adventurers talk about strange sightings of movement in the forests leading up the the castle. But then, a pair of adventurers came into the village after hearing about these sightings and wanted to investigate. They both set off together, full of confidence and then two days later...only onle of them returned. He had the look like he'd seen hell itself. When asked about his companion, it was like he couldn't find the words to speak" she said. It was a chilling story. She remembered seeing the pair before the left and how different one of them were when they came back.
Tsuki scratched his head a bit after hearing her story. It all sounded a little weird to him. "So what, it's some kind of haunted castle or something? I mean, I could understand if it was. An abandoned castle with what seems to be a bloody history, decaying as time passes on with mother nature retaking it. It's the perfect recipe for it, to be honest" he said. It was crazy to him that there was something like this hidden away in Cayhill.
Lynette shook her head. "No...not abandoned. Because of whatever it is that adventurer experienced, more seemed to flock to it and they all came back with the same stories. They've caught glimpses of dark, cloaked figures moving up through the trees towards the castle. Some adventurers even came back and told them that these cloaked figures had tried to kill them. Then, rumors started to spread of the possible identity of these cloaked figures. That these figures were part of the same group. A nefarious group called Draxus" she said. Just uttering that name sends a chill down her spine. It was a name that would send instant fear through an entire village.
Draxus was infamous across every kingdom. It was a cult of roughly 1,000 people that had a high thirst for blood. Draxus and anyone associated with the cult have landed themselves on every kingdoms' Most Wanted lists. These people are cold-blooded, ruthless killers. They have attacked and laid waste to numerous villages and towns across every continent. Countless people have been killed with countless more going missing and never found. It's believed that the cult members abduct anyone they can get their hands on, be they man, woman or child, and kill anyone who tries to oppose them. No one knows where Draxus makes their base nor what happens to those they abduct but it's widely believed that they're used as human sacrifices for a fallen god known as Sarex. Sarex was a demon of unchecked power that laid waste to the world over 3,000 years ago and has somehow been ressurrected every 500 years since then.
Lynette held her finger up as the wind started to pick up speed around them. The trees started to rustle and sway faster as the storm clouds grew in intensity. "I'm sure you've heard of them. While they haven't targetted any major settlements here in Cayhill, they had apparently razed a small settlement in Nargelond rather recently. Roughly thirty people were killed with twenty-five missing" she said. She soon fell silent as she laid her arm back down at her side. "Many believe that they're the ones responsible for the massacre of Tomoha" she said.
Tsukis' eyes widened when she brought up the name, Tomoha. It was a name he was very familiar with. "Tomoha...no way..." he said. He didn't know what to say or do. He felt his body go completely frozen. All he could do there was sit and stare up at the tower.
Lynette tilted her head and watched him. She immediately sensed a change in him. Not just his body language and tone, but she also sensed a faint shift coming from inside of him. She couldn't figure out what it was but she definitely sensed a shift in his Mana. It was weird and didn't seem normal. "Um...Tsuki? Are you-?" she asked.
Just then, as they sat under the tree, they could see and hear an explosion of some kind happen in the forests up towards where the castle would be. Moments later, more explosions would occur as if they appeared to be going downhill. Whatever was going on was definitely suspicious. There was power in those explosions as they weren't just simple detonations.
Tsuki regained his senses and quickly stood up, facing in the direction of where the explosions were happening. "What the hell is going on over there?" he asked.
Lynette stood up with him, quickly gathering their things together. "I don't know but whatever it is, they appeared to be coming down the mountain and growing in strength and occurrance" she said. Almost immediately after she said that, another explosion happened. They could see a couple trees being blown away from it.
Tsuki looked back at her with a serious look. "As a knight, I can't let this go. It needs to be investigated. You up for a little bit of mountain climbing?" he asked. He wasn't sure what was causing the explosions but they appear to be happening on purpose. It's his duty to figure out what was going on.
Lynette looked at him and nodded. She was curious to see what was going on though she was a little nervous getting close to a castle that adventurers have warned against going. But since she was going with Tsuki, she wasn't too worried about it. "Of course. I'll follow your lead" she said. She was a bit concerned about the storm clouds rolling in as it wasn't a great idea to be out in the middle of the woods in a storm especially since it will make visibility worse.
They both had nodded at each other in agreement, finished gathering their things and quickly made their way towards the forests leading up the mountain where Prophet Castle. With a sense of urgency driving their actions, they reached the outskirts of the forest in about thirty minutes. During that time, they could hear the explosions grow closer to them. However, by the time they reached the outskirts of the forest, the explosions had stopped completely. Not knowing where to go, all they could do was just stand there, looking into the forest.
Lynette stood around anxiously as she tried her best to look as far through the brush as she could. She heard no explosions of any kind but she knew that there was someone, or something, in the forest because of the lack of animal sounds. Normally, when someone or something enters certain parts of a forest, the animals quickly disperse. "I sense...something" she said. Her magic appraisal skills weren't as great as Reias' were but she could definitely feel magic in the air.
Tsuki felt a sense of dread and foreboding that permeated throughout the forest. There was something off about the forest and it didn't sit well with him. It made him nervous and anxious. If the rumors that cult members of Draxus were around the forest, then it would make sense why there's such a strong feeling of death. "Can you tell what it is?" he asked.
Lynette closed her eyes and fell silent. Moments later, the air around them started to become a bit charged as her body started to glow slightly as a magic circle appeared under her feet. She tried her best to maintain her concentration but she could only maintain herself for only a few minutes. "Magic...with a very strong affinity with Darkness...it feels unstable. Uncontrollable" she said. The magic circle would soon disappear as the air around them went back to normal. Thankfully, she was able to pull out one last thing before her concentration was broken. "It's close. Straight back through those trees" she said, pointing into the forest.
Tsuki looked at Lynette and then into the direction of where she was pointing. He nodded and readied himself to proceed into the forest. ""Alright. Let's check it out, nice and slow. Stay on your guard" he said.
Lynette nodded. "I'll be right behind you" she said. This was her first time walking into a potentially dangerous situation and it only served to make her more anxious and nervous. So long as she had Tsuki by her side though, she could keep her courage and push on.
The two of them slowly entered the forest and made their way through the brush. They had no idea what to expect or what, or who, could be lurking behind a tree. They needed to be careful with where they stepped because there was no path to follow from where they had entered from and didn't have time to look for one. As they made their way through the brush, they could feel the thickness in the air grow. They did their best to mask their presence as best they could. What was the most eerie about this whole setup, however, was the distinct lack of not just normal forest creatures but monsters as well. After several minutes of tense and awkward silence, they came upon something truly suspicious. They came up to a small clearing where six cloaked figures stood around in a circle. Tsuki and Lynette chose to be cautious and hid behind the thick brush and dense trees as they watched what was happening.
Tsuki felt a cold chill go down his spine. What Lynette had told him was basically what she heard from others but actually seeing it now all but confirms that the adventurers he encountered were all telling the truth. "Black cloaks...so, it looks like there really is something going on in these woods" he said in a low tone. He didn't want to talk to loud or make any unnecessary movements that would give them away.
Lynette was hoping that the stories she had heard were all false. She wasn't a fighter and didn't have much experience with combat and danger so just the mention of Draxus frightened her. "Draxus..." she whispered, her voice almost shaky.
Tsuki reached out to her and placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Before he could say or do anything else, he noticed another figure walking down from the forest and entering the small clearing where the other figures were. Unfortunately, they were too far away to hear anything. "Let's try and get a little closer" he said.
They walked around the small clearing, being careful of where they stepped. They eventually managed to get closer to where the figures were gathered but staying far enough away so they couldn't see them. They were now able to overhear them talking but they couldn't get any closer without stepping out into the open.
The taller figure that had walked down from the forest and into the clearing had approached the other eight figures standing around in a circle. No facial features or anything identifiable could be made out because of the hood covering most of his face. The only thing identifiable was his voice which was that of a cocky middle aged male. "Is she secure now?" he asked.
One of the cloaked figures turned to face him and nodded. Much like the newcomer, this figure couldn't be identified. The same went for all the other ones. The voice that spoke was a middle aged woman who had a pompous attitude. "She was a bit of a handful but nothing I couldn't handle. She did kill some of her pursuers though" the figure said
The taller figure seemed to sigh and shake his head. "Well, at least they served their purpose. With her untapped powers of Darkness, she will be a most fitting sacrifice for the almight Sarex" he said, raising his hands up over his head. There was a moment of silence where he kept this pose before lowering his arms down to his side. The thunder from the approaching storms grew louder as the wind started to pick up speed. The rustling of the trees grew more intense. "Ah and what perfect weather for this occasion. This will be a glorious day, indeed" he said. He then turned around and snapped his fingers. "Let's make our return. Our sacrifice needs to be prepared to perform her duty" he said. He then started to walk back up through the forest in the direction he came from.
The figure that spoke up and signaled to the other figures standing around. "What shall we do about our fallen brothers and sisters?" she asked.
The taller figure held his hand up and made a waving hand motion as he walked off. "Leave them. Their bodies shall become feed for Sarex as they rot away" he said.
The other figures started to follow the taller one and as they broke their circle, Tsuki and Lynette caught sight of they were referring to. It was a young girl who appeared to be around Tsukis' age with short, dirty brown hair in tattered, ripped clothing. Her arms were bound behind her back by what appeared to be magic shackles. She was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Due to how far away they were however, they couldn't see much else. All they could do was watch as one of the figures picked up the girl and threw her over their shoulder and walked up the mountain.
Tsuki couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. It would appear that the rumor of human sacrifices within Draxus was true. It made him angry just having to watch. He wanted to jump out and cut them down where they stood but his better judgment stopped him. "Well, I think this pretty much confirms our suspicions now" he said.
Lynette nodded slowly. She felt sick to her stomach just hearing them talk and discuss what was about to happen. "What are we going to do? I mean, this is Draxus we're talking about. A cult that's a threat to even the most well-trained fighter. The two of us wouldn't be able to hold our own against them. We don't even know how many there are here" she said. They were in quite the situation and one that couldn't be walked away from easily.
Tsuki rubbed his chin in thought. "You're right but that doesn't mean we should just sit back and do nothing. There's got to be something" he said. He then took out a small whistle and blew on it. No sound could be heard from it but after a few moments, a familiar looking bird flew down through the trees and landed on his shoulder.
Lynette recognized the bird. It was the same one that he had in Crescentia that he had sent off. "That's the bird from before, isn't it? You're going to send in a letter for reinforcements?" she asked.
Tsuki nodded at her as he took out a small sheet of paper with a pen. "I don't know how much help it'll do considering how far away we are from Eresseas but I know that there are a few squads around the area that could possibly be deployed out to help" he said. He summarized everything that had happened and what he had witnessed on the sheet of paper and ended it by requesting immediate aid. He rolled the letter up as the bird jumped from his shoulder to his arm where he had then attached it to the bird. "Get this to His Majesty right away" he said. The bird looked at him as if it understood what he said and flew off through the trees and out the forest.
Lynette watched him write out the letter and send the bird off. The thought of reinforcements was comforting but she knew that they weren't going to wait for them to show up nor wait for a reply to come back to him. "What if no one shows up in time?" she asked.
Tsuki put the pen and paper away and stood up. "Then, we'll have to improvise. Regardless, someone is in danger and I can't ignore this. Are you with me on this?" he asked, looking down at Lynette. He realizes that this was going to be her first time being in dangerous situation but these were experiences that were to be expected at some point.
Lynette looked up at him and nodded. She stood up and pumped her arms close to her body. "We're in this, for better or worse, now. Let's do it" she said. She was nervous and anxious but she could also feel excitement and thrill welling up inside of her.
They nodded at each other and then followed the figures up in the direction they walked off to. With intense storm clouds brewing and creeping closer to them, they were racing against the clock. With the storm, it was going to make things harder for them to track but it would also help mask their presence and sounds at the same time which would allow them to trail them at a closer distance. The rustling of the trees would hide their movements through the brush and the loud, crashing thunder would cover any other sound they could make.
After about an hour and a half of trailing them, Tsuki and Lynette ended up losing sight of them as the storm was now on top of their heads, kicking up in intensity. The winds were even stronger due to the fact that they were climbing up a mountain. By this point, heavy rains had started blowing sideways which made climbing even harder with the wet terrain. After a bit of struggle, they managed to pull themselves out from brush and onto what appeared to be an old stone pathway leading up and down the mountain. It would appear that they had found a pathway and while it wasn't very well maintained, it was clear that this would lead someone through the forest.
Tsuki was a little out of breath after all that climbing which was made harder due to the strong winds and rain blowing at them. He examined the pathway and his gaze followed it up the mountain to what he could almost make out old, destroyed buildings covered with moss and vines. "Well, I think it's safe to say we found the pathway into and out of this place. This should lead us straight to the castle" he said.
Lynette climbed onto the bath and was bending down, exhausted from the climb. She was covered in dirt and mud. The winds were so strong now due to the higher elevation they were at that she had a bit of trouble maintaining her balance. After a moment to catch her breath, she looked up the pathway. "You sure you want to go this way? This feels like a trap to me" she said.
Tsuki shrugged a bit. It was easy to see that such an easy pathway would be kept under watch. However, with the raging storm on top of their heads, they weren't going to be able to stick to the brush anymore due to the now unstable footing with the wet terrain. "We don't have much of a choice. Let's spring ourselves a trap and see what we can learn" he said.
With no other choice, they followed the path up the mountain and after several minutes, they came to a small clearing with what appeared to be the remains of a small gathering area with bits of broken walls that had been overtaken by nature. It was unclear what this area could have been but it was clear that it used to be something.
Lynette stepped into the clearing and stopped not too far inside of it. She then looked around the area and noticed what appeared to be old training dummies on the ground on one side of the clearing. "What do you suppose this used to be? Some kind of training hall or something?" she asked.
Tsuki walked up next to and shrugged. "Maybe but this could of also been an outpost or something. It would make sense for a castle high up in the mountains with no escape route to have various outposts scattered around the mountain" he said. Based on the approximate size of the area, it looked like it would have been a fairly small outpost. With the kind of terrain the mountain has, having large outposts wouldn't work but then again, the land has changed so much over the years. This area could have been much bigger back when it was used for all he knew.
Lynette took a few more steps forward as she scanned the area. She didn't feel anything on a magical level like before but that didn't mean no one was around. "It's too quiet around here. I've got a bad feeling about-" she said.
Just then, something inside of Tsuki warned him of immediate danger. Sure enough, moments after he had that feeling, two daggers shot out from the nearby trees and were aimed directly at Lynette as she looked around, oblivious to them. "Lyn, watch out!" he shouted. He then felt sudden burst of energy well up at his feet as he shot forward, quickly grabbed onto Lynette and jumped back as the daggers plunged into the ground where she would have been standing. As he landed back on the ground, two more daggers shot out from somewhere around them. Not having a whole lot of time to react, he quickly drew his sword and deflected the daggers with reflexes he didn't think he had while holding onto her to shield her. He was a bit surprised by his own display of speed and dexterity but didn't think much of it. "You okay?" he asked.
Lynette was completely unaware of the daggers that had been thrown at her. When Tsuki suddenly grabbed and held onto her tightly as they jumped back, she didn't know what was going on until she saw him swing his sword and heard the sound of iron clashing and falling to the ground. She was unharmed though she did feel a little embarrassed by how tightly Tsuki was holding onto her. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Thank you" she said.
Moments later, two figures jumped out from the trees and into the clearing in front of them. Their hoods were blown off their heads but the winds kicked up by the storm. Underneath their hoods, the two that stood in front of them were two males. One appeared to be around his fifties while the other one appeared to be in his thirties. The older male had a crescent-shaped tattoo on the side of his face and had a creepy look to him while the younger one had strange markings all over his face.
The older male gave them an evil look as both groups stared each other down. "Well, aren't you the reactive little swordsman" he scoffed.
The younger male looked rather annoyed that they managed to come out of their ambush unscathed. "I suppose even small fry have their moments" he said, shrugging.
Tsuki released Lynette and glared at both of them. "Or maybe it's just that you have a poor ambush technique. I applaud you for you effort, however" he said. He then got into a defensive stance, his sword out in front of him. "You'll have to try harder than that" he said.
The older male grew a bit irritated by Tsukis' attitude as he returned the glare right back at him. "Cocky little shit, aren't you?" he said aggressively. He then looked over at Lynette and examined her closely. After a moment, a creepy grin formed on his face. "Now that I got a better look, that girl is some fine piece of work. I'll make sure to treat her just right after you're dead" he said, drawing a sword from uinder his cloak.
Lynette could feel his gaze all over her which instinctively made her try to cover herself up. She felt almost violated by how he was staring at her. "This guy is a freak" she said as she put on a brave face.
The younger male took a few steps towards them, drawing two short swords from his waist underneath his cloak as he let out a cackle. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure your tone will change once we bring you back with us" he said.
Tsuki grew irritated by the comments they were making about Lynette. They were truly vile and disgusting and befits those of associated with Draxus. "It's a shame that you won't live long enough to even touch a strand of her hair" he said in an aggressive tone.
The older male let out a loud laugh and then shook his head. "We've heard that line so many times from you misguided adventurers. It's always a pleasure to crush that confidence" he said. He then looked over at the younger male. "Why don't you show this whelp just how far he's out of his league? Try not to harm the girl, though. Damaged goods are of no use to us, after all" he said.
The younger male held both of his swords up in front of him as the blades crossed one another. He soon got down on one knee as with a sinister chuckle. "Gladly. I hope you've said your prayers, small fry" he said. Moments later, the male vanished with incredible speed.
Lynette was surprised when the younger male had disappeared right in front of them. She frantically looked around for him but she couldn't see where he went or even sense him. "W-where did he go?" she asked.
Tsuki kept calm as he closed his eyes and focused his mind. As he did so, he could feel strange sensation come over him. It felt similar to the feeling he got when he fought against Saya on Celestial Hills. He could feel the energy swirl around him. After several moments, he quickly opened his eyes, spun around to his side as the male suddenly appeared next to him, thrusting his swords towards him but missing. In one smooth motion after dodging his attack, Tsuki grabbed the back of his head with his free hand and slammed his face down into the ground with force. The rest of his body soon fell to the ground as he laid there, motionless. Apparently, Tsuki wasn't aware of the burst of strength that he had gotten from this feeling and ended up killing the male instantly. They were all pretty stunned by this but, as usual, Tsuki played it off like it was nothing.
When the male had appeared next to Tsuki in a flash, she didn't know what to think or do. She wouldn't of had time to cast a spell because of how close he had gotten to them so when Tsuki quickly retaliated the way he did, she could do nothing but stare at him in awe. "T-Tsuki, that was incredible. I've never seen reflexes like that before" she said.
Tsuki couldn't explain it himself since these sudden bursts of energy have happened to him since he was a child. He didn't think much of them as he grew up but as he became a knight and became stronger, he started to take note of them more and learned to appreciate these sudden bursts as they always seemed to happen whenever danger lurked around him. "Must of been because of my years of training. You'd be amazed at what skills you could pick up" he said.
The older male just stood there and watched. He couldn't believe what he just saw nor could he understand what just happened. This only make him more angry. He wanted to fight him but he knew he had to get out and report what has happened. "I don't know what you did but you'll be sorry you messed with Draxus. You should keep a close eye on your loved ones because we've got eyes everywhere" he said. He then turned around and started to run up the mountain towards the other end of the clearing.
Lynette saw that he was trying to get away from them and quickly took her staff off her back. "Where do you think you're going!?" she asked. Moments later, a magic circle formed under her feet as she recited a brief incantation in an unknown language. One the incantation was done, the magic circle emiitted a bright light. "Binding Chains!" she shouted. Another magic circle appeared in front of her as several chains of light shot out towards the male. Before he could leave the clearing, the chains grabbed hold of him and wrapped around him, making him fall face first onto the ground where he was unable to free himself
The older male struggled to break free from the chains but was unable to do so. The chains that had wrapped around him were not physical objects as they were made from pure Aer. "W-what is this!?" he shouted. After some more struggling, he managed to push himself onto his feet. "You little bi-!" he shouted as he turned around.
Before he could finish his sentence, Tsuki had lunged at him and was behind him as he turned to face them. As he turned, Tsuki, swung his his sword up in a diagonal line from his lower right side up across to his upper left side of his chest. A stream of blood shot into the air as he shouted in pain. Unfortunately, no one would hear his screams as at that exact moment, almost as if he had knew it was coming, a loud crash of thunder rattled the skies. The man flew back off his feet and fell onto his back, coughing up blood as the chains of light disappeared.
The male could feel his life fading away quickly. He stared up at Tsuki who stood over him as his vision grew dark. "Y-you..." he said. He then struggled to reach up towards him.
Tsuki simply stood over him as he swept his sword off to the side to get the blood off the blade before sheathing it back onto his waist. "Look who's out of their league now" he said.
Moments later, the male dropped his arm to the ground as the life faded from his eyes and breathed his last breath. The blood seeped into the ground as the heavy rains washed it away. He soon walked back over to Lynette and where the other male was and checked him for any vital signs. He had no pulse and showed no signs of life. He stood back up and went back over to Lynette who had put her staff on her back.
Once things had settled down, Lynette dropped down onto her knees as her legs had gave out from under her. Fighting against monsters was one thing but fighting against other people like her was an entirely different experience. Since all of their combat experience they've had since departing from Crescentia involved nothing but the local variety of monsters, this was her first time fighting against another person like her in a life-or-death situation. There was a adrenaline behind her actions but underneath that, she found herself scared. She knew that they would inevitably have run-ins with bad people and would ultimately be forced to kill them if it came to that but no matter how much she prepared herself mentally for it, she just wasn't ready.
Tsuki got down on one knee next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her body tremble both from the cold weather due to the strong winds and rainfall and from being scared. He was worried that he was putting her through too much since this was her first time seeing actual combat. "Are you okay?" he said.
Lynette was staring at the ground as she could feel her body tremble. Not from the cold but from her fears. When Tsuki placed his hand on her shoulder, she had a sharp reaction that made her flinch. She held her hand up to her chest, taking in several deep breaths. After a minute or two, she felt herself calming down. "Y-yeah...I'll be fine. It'll just take some getting used to. I'm sorry" she said.
Tsuki shook his head. "You've got nothing to apologize for. I should be the one saying sorry. I know you're still getting used to combat and you having to fight against other people would make any novice fighter nervous and scared" he said. He then looked up towards the castle as he could see that they were getting closer to their destination. He stared up at the castle for a few moments before returning his attention to Lynette. "You want to take a break?" he asked.
Lynette shook her head and looked at him. "No, I'll be okay. The longer we wait, the more danger that girl will be involved in. That goes for anyone else that might be here as well" she said. She was scared but these were feelings that she was going to have to overcome since there was no avoiding these types of scenarios where they have to fight against other people.
Tsuki stared at her. He knew what she was feeling deep down but still managed to put on a brave face. She was scared but she wouldn't allow herself to become trapped by her feelings. The sight of her made him smile a bit as he saw a bit of Cheria in her. "Alright. Let's get ourselves up to that castle and get us out of this rain" he said. He stood up and held his hand out to her so that he could help her stand. He wouldn't want her collapsing and falling over.
Lynette nodded at him as he stood up. She reached up, took his hand and stood up. Her legs felt a bit weak from having all that adrenaline sucked out of her but she was able to keep herself balanced. "Sounds good to me" she said.
They both then continued through the clearing and up the stone pathway, leaving the bodies of the two males behind. The rest of the climb up the mountain went by uneventfully to their relief. They encountered no more cloaked figures and thanks to the storm, no one had heard their sounds of battle and were unaware of their presence. The higher they climbed the mountain and the closer they got to the castle, the more anxious they both got. It was clear that the members of Draxus would attack them without hesitation so they were going to have a tough time navigating themselves through an old , decrepit castle. They had no idea just how many of them were inside and around the castle which only served to make things more complicated. They were, in every sense of the phrase, walking straight into a lions' den. With no reply yet from Eresseas, they were totally alone and isolated without back-up.
To be continued...