Chapter 3: Travel
"Are you sure we can keep this book?" Hurdy asked, not wanting to steal something as valuable as an old book.
"Sure thing, kupo," Mogmei said. "Jack and Maggie haven't come back yet, so they can't complain. I never saw either of them reading, so it may as well be in the hands of people who can use it."
"Thank you," Hurdy said, giving her a grateful bow. "Leon will need to study it too."
"Yes, but how is this quest going to go?" Leon asked. He still looked pale for a lilty, but he also looked a lot better than he had from when Hurdy had first seen him.
He held out the shell crystal pendant he had. "These crystal shards we have will help. I noticed that yours is imbued with the holy element; mine is imbued with the water element. I'm guessing that you don't remember how your crystal has holy."
Leon shook his head. "It was just with me."
"Same with me," Hurdy said, clipping the pendant back on his bag. "The Great Crystal used to be at Mount Vellenge far to the west. It's no longer there and the book details a few different ways, but I feel like this one involving Mount Vellenge might be the best. After all, it seems that the Great Crystal is trying to reorganize itself, so we might be able to do something to help it going this way."
"Makes sense," Leon said. "What do we do?"
"You need to claim the holy element in Lynari Desert, then bring it and someone you find worthy of protecting to the Great Crystal in Mount Vellenge," he said. "Since you don't remember where your crystal got the holy element, it'll be better if you get it on mine and use that for the quest. The Great Crystal is supposed to give you a trial to prove your worth, but if the Tida crystal agrees, you should be able to bring it there and access the trial with it. I know how to get to that holy element, so all you'd need is someone to come along to prove that you can protect someone through these dangerous territories."
"Aren't you coming along?" he asked. "Since it is your pendant and you seem interested in this."
"I would like to, but I don't know if someone like me would work for this," Hurdy said. He'd read some disturbing things in his journals, plus there was a little feeling in him that he was definitely not worthy of such a grand quest, not even as someone to be protected. He'd make it fail somehow, like before.
"You're a magic user and a preacher, and you know how to access the holy element," Leon said. "You need some protection while you're casting and I don't know how to use magic if that's needed for holy."
"It is needed," Hurdy said, recalling the poem. "Lightning, Gravity, and Blizzard... and Gravity is a mixed element spell."
"Then I need you along and you'd have a more difficult time trying to do something like this yourself," he said. "It'll work out."
"We could keep an ear out in towns to others who might be interested," Hurdy said. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about messing things up. "All right." He opened up his bag and brought out the Tida crystal. "What do you say? Would you help Leon take the trial at Mount Vellenge? We can take you to Tipa afterward."
No, I must go to Tipa as soon as I can. But your small crystals are a part of us. Take them with the holy element on both and we will present the trial.
"Tipa has a port you can use to get to Lynari Desert," Mogmei said. "It won't be far out of your way then."
"That's good," Leon said. "Then we may as well head out since it's early in the day."
"All right," Hurdy said, putting the crystal away again. "Did you want to stop in Alfitaria before we left this region?"
Oddly enough, Leon shook his head. "Not at this time. I sent my family a letter explaining what I mean to do. I hope they understand, but they'll know they can contact me through the mail moogles at least."
With that settled, they said goodbye to Mogmei and her family, then set out from Moschet Manor. There were clouds in the sky that darkened as they walked along the road towards Alfitaria. Hurdy started wondering if they should find a way to get a papaopamus and a caravan wagon. But where to get them? The miasma kept most people from traveling, so crystal caravans and traders were the only ones who'd have such things.
They did spot a wagon on the road, right in front of the gate to Alfitaria. There was an armored lilty and a short clavat woman arguing there. "It's just over to Shella, so it won't take long," the woman said.
"Pardon me for being skeptical," the lilty said, "but you said you wanted to go a short trip last time and you were away for a couple of years!"
"But this is important," the woman pleaded.
"Can't you ask someone else? Maybe Sol Racht when he gets back."
"He said he was going to retire after this year."
"Yes, but as you said, it is a short ways to Shella and he shouldn't have much trouble going there."
"Hurdy," Leon said quietly, "your bag is sparkling."
"Hmm?" He'd been listening in to the argument too much to notice, but Leon was right. A faint magical light was coming from inside. On pulling the source out, he found that it was the Tida crystal. It was lighter than it had been before, he realized. Not shining but like someone had started cleaning it. "Is something up?"
The Alfitaria crystal is with them. It needs to be moved too.
"To Shella, hmm?" Hurdy glanced back at the arguing pair. "I think, that town isn't on our way but it shouldn't be far from here. But it would be in service of the Great Crystal, which would be a good thing to do."
"I can't say why, but it worries me a bit about this crystal being moved," Leon said. "Like the people there wouldn't be happy."
It's already been decided that Shella is one place to be, not Alfitaria. Keeping the pieces apart will leave imbalance that will make healing more difficult than it should be.
"The Great Crystal is the source of all life, and so would be the most knowledgeable about what would be best for the world," Hurdy said.
"Then it's best we listen to it," Leon said, then called over to the pair, "Hello, what's the trouble?"
"It's nothing," the lilty started saying, but then stopped short on seeing them. "Ah, you! You're Sir Leon Esla, aren't you? The Black Knight?"
"As far as I can remember, yes," Leon said, although he was currently wearing the leather armor since they didn't expect to run into much dangerous on the road. "Although I don't remember much."
"Well it's been years since I've seen you," the lilty said. "I'm Knocfelna, and we both served as knights together at one time. I did hear that you might have lost your memory, but it's all been rumors. The latest one is that you mean to become a paladin!"
"A paladin, really?" the young woman asked, intrigued.
"Yes, although I'm not sure how that reached the city so soon," Leon said.
"It may have been the moogles," Hurdy said.
Knocfelna nodded. "Yes, some young moogles came out to buy some things the other day and mentioned that. I wish you the best in that, sir, and I'm sure all the other knights agree too."
"Thank you," Leon said, bowing is head. "But I believe one of you would have a smaller form of the crystal of Alfitaria, correct?"
"Oh yes, I was just thinking of that," the woman said, pulling out a crystal like they had. However, this one was clear and shining. "I'm the princess of Alfitaria, and ever since the miasma vanished, the crystal has been asking me and a few others to find someone to take it to Shella. I would like to go myself, but everyone raises such a fuss when I try to leave the castle."
"That's because you're always sneaking off on us," Knocfelna said.
"And that's because you won't let me leave no matter what," the princess said, as exasperated at that as he was. "But that's another point. How did you know we had the crystal?"
"We have one too, the one that was in Tida up on the hill," Hurdy said, showing her the crystal they had. "It wants to go to Tipa, so we were going to take it there since we're traveling for some distance already."
They're in service to us already. I should go with them.
"Well that settles that," Knocfelna said. "Would you be willing to take our town's crystal to where it wants to go in Shella?"
"Yes, but are the people of the town and castle okay with that?" Leon asked.
"Everyone was surprised when the crystal started talking, and when it asked for this," the princess said. "A number of them tried to convince it otherwise already. However, it's unwavering in its decision and people are starting to realize what I did initially, that the crystal's wisdom is not to be ignored. I got father to agree; he's sent out a request for someone to transport it. But it won't let just anyone take hold of it, so when I could, I thought I should just take it over myself."
"Shella's not in the direction we were going, but it's not too long of a detour from here," Hurdy said. "We'll take it there."
"Thank you, on behalf of our nation," the princess said, giving them a formal bow before handing over the Alfitaria crystal. "Do you have a transport or are you just walking?"
"We're just walking," Hurdy said.
Leon nodded. "We have only what we can carry right now, so we don't have much we could trade for one either."
"You're acting in service to the crystals, so how about you take this wagon and papaopamus?" the princess said. "I have a stock of supplies in the wagon."
"Thank you for your generosity, it's sure to help with how the weather is looking," Hurdy said, feeling cheered that people recognized the importance of this.
"It's no trouble to us," Knocfelna said, saluting them. "And I'd be grateful if you took them so we're more certain that she doesn't have the means to escape quickly."
"Fine, I'll settle down now that the issue of the crystal is taken care of," the princess said, although she sounded reluctant to do so. "Good luck to you both; may the blessing of the crystals shine bright for you."
Ten minutes later, they were riding in a rain shower that was threatening to turn heavy at a moment's notice. The papaopamus seemed happy with it, if the way its head was lifted and its short tail swaying were any indication. Leon took the bridle and had no trouble guiding the papaopamus along the road to the west. Meanwhile, Hurdy had been taking stock of what was in the wagon. It made him think that the knight might have good reason to worry about the princess taking off on her own with the excuse of 'a short trip to Shella'.
"There's enough supplies in here to last one person and the papaopamus for a month," Hurdy said as he climbed onto the front bench with Leon.
"I feel like we can reach Shella well before the end of the day," Leon said. "Seems like we stopped a troublesome princess."
"That kind of princess can make for a good story," he said, smiling at the thought. He was sure he knew many, some of which were great for sermons to guide people.
"You and your brother like stories a lot," he said.
He nodded. "Telling them is one of the things we're both good at. Although, we should have thought to ask her if she doesn't mind accompanying you up Mount Vellenge as proof of your dedication."
"I was just wondering if you knew any stories about paladins," he said. "I'll be reading that book when I get time, but some stories could help."
"Oh, sure," Hurdy said, thinking it over. Several immediately popped into mind. Thinking about how Leon had been known as the Black Knight singled one of the longer ones out. "We've got a lot of traveling to do, so I could tell you a long story."
"Go ahead," Leon said, watching the road ahead.
The papaopamus knew where it was going as long as it had a road, so Hurdy was sure Leon would be able to listen in spite of driving the wagon. "All right! So this may be a legend, or it may be something that someone made up, but it's got airships, fiends, and all kinds of great things. This is the story about a man named Cecil, who became a dark knight on the request of his liege, the King of Baron. Dark knights harness a dangerous power of battle that can turn them into vicious monsters if they're not careful with it. However, Cecil was an honorable man who accepted that power out of loyalty. His struggle to not be corrupted by the dark knight's magic eventually led him to casting aside that magic in favor of the responsibilities of a paladin. This is how it happened, starting with his king ordering him to invade the secluded city of Mysidia..."
The rain increased, turned the air into a watery haze. But they had a canopy to protect them and their papaopamus seemed to like the rain. With a story to tell, the ride seemed peaceful and bright. That helped as they approached a part of the road that darkened more than the rain could account for. Spindly dead trees appeared along the sides of the road.
At a point where he could pause and take a drink, Hurdy looked out to the land around them. It was a phantom landscape; if he looked at it too long, it might vanish. A chill ran up his spine at the thought of that. "This is a spooky place, as bad as Tida."
"This should be where the miasma stream flowed," Leon said, already on guard while he kept a tight grip on the bridle. He narrowed his eyes at something, then looked surprised. "Are those flowers out there?"
Hurdy looked in the direction Leon was for a moment. Between the rain, the dimness, and the phantom landscape, it was difficult to see. But there were colorful plants on the ground, trying to be seen in spite of the conditions. "I think they are," he said, then looked off to the other side. There were more he could see where he was closer. "They seem to be everywhere but the road… ah, I'll be back."
As the papaopamus wasn't a fast steed, Hurdy could easily hop off the bench onto the road. He didn't trust the phantom land, but just ahead of the papaopamus, he had spotted one of the flowers bobbing its head over the road. Vivid blue petals like soft blades of grass made a skirt around the stem while long fronds of a powdery blue tried to keep a spherical shape above the petal skirt. Looking past it, he could see dozens more also braving the rain. Maybe hundreds. Hurdy plucked the blue one, then climbed back into the wagon.
"I don't recognize this flower, but they are all over this place," he said, showing it to Leon.
"It's certainly a strange one," Leon said. "But a field full of those might be nice in sunny weather, for those who like that kind of thing."
Looking deep into the fronds, some unsettling thoughts occurred to him. "The miasma streams carried both Raem's curse and the memories drained from nearly every creature that can remember. The curse died along with Raem and the miasma he wrought. But then, what of the memories within the streams?"
"Memories?" Leon asked, seeming troubled too.
Hurdy waved the flower gently, letting the rain drip off it. "What became of those memories, lost and not yet consumed? Perhaps they settled down and became flowers."
"Could you get them back if you found the right flowers?" he asked. That made him more interested in the flowers.
His throat tensed up so tight that he felt like he might choke on this feeling of dread and guilt. "Not ours… ours were consumed… ours are gone..."
It was a nice thought, that lost memories were becoming flowers where the corrupt miasma once flowed. Not so nice was the idea that he could never know the feelings and reasons behind all these facts he knew about himself and the world. "Are we never going to escape being empty?" Leon said before he thought about it much. It was like some sickness in his soul.
"I'm sorry," Hurdy said, cringing. But he held onto the flower tight, so tight that its fronds quivered. "It's… my fault… we failed. Why… Why?!" He slammed his free hand into the bench while Leon glanced around; he expected a lurking light to be right there with them. "How did I make such a mistake?"
Whether the light was there or not, Leon knew he had to help. He tucked the bridle between his knees to get a firm grip on Hurdy's arm. "Calm down."
But it didn't seem like he was listening. "I want to believe in what I see but I think I'm just spinning more lies but I want them to be true even if they're nothing to everyone else because they're everything to me."
"Hurdy," he said firmly, but drew a blank on what to suggest. What wa s wrong with him? It seemed like something more than the missing memories. Did Hurdy even know?
"Silly Hurdy Gurdy ain't nothin' but a fool," he said in a sing-song voice that made Leon think of kids teasing each other. His posture slumped to the side. If Leon hadn't kept a hold on his am, Hurdy might have fell off the wagon this time. He was silent now, leaving just the rain and the steady mumble of the wagon.
"What am I supposed to do with you?" Leon said, then shook his head. This might not be something he could help much with. "But it's like you said, we'll take things one day at a time. It's what we can do right now."
"Hmm?" He shook himself, then looked ahead at the papaopamus walking happily in the rain. "Must've dozed off," he said, then stared. "Huh? When did we pick up a wagon and papaopamus?"
This had to be Gurdy. "Hurdy and I got it outside of Alfitaria," Leon explained.
"Ah… wait!" Gurdy looked over at him, eagerness in his eyes. "You saw him? Where is he?" He glanced back into the wagon.
"He's not here right now," he answered, taking the reins back in hand. How did you explain this kind of thing to the person in question?
"Oh, that's too bad," Gurdy said, seeming genuinely disappointed. "Well how was he? Heh, I'm the younger brother but I'm always worried about how he's doing. He'd give away his last gil in charity even if he was hungry."
"He seemed fine, up until that flower made him panic," Leon said. How much of the truth could they take?
Hearing that, he looked at the blue flower in his hands as if he was just noticing it. "Huh… memories became flowers?"
They might know the same things. But like Leon felt, they wouldn't know the memories behind that knowledge with the added complication of not remembering what each other experienced. That was horrifying; Leon felt lost enough without a single past. "That's what he thought."
"It does sound like the kind of idea he'd come up with. I guess it's nice, but," Gurdy tossed the flower to the roadside, "I shouldn't keep it around if it's going to trouble him. So where are we going? This is a weird landscape."
"This used to be the miasma stream," Leon said. That felt right: keep his patience and let them know what they woke up to if they changed abruptly like this. "We're going to Shella."
"That should be a nice place," he said. "Did you decide not to do the paladin quest? Because I thought that would start off in Lynari Desert."
He shook his head. "I will attempt it, and Hurdy wanted to help me. But we've also been asked to help sort out the crystals. The Tida one goes to Tipa and the one from Alfitaria is going to Shella."
"Hmm, well helping the crystals should help your bid to become a paladin," Gurdy said.
"He was telling me an old legend about a paladin named Cecil," Leon said. "Do you know that story?"
"Of course I do," Gurdy said, acting indignant that he was doubted knowing a story. "How far did he get?"
"The King of Baron had asked him and Kain to take a ring to the village of Mist," he said. "They were just leaving their home kingdom."
"That's not far in," he said, thinking a moment before picking up the story right where Hurdy had left off. After a few minutes, there didn't seem to be any difference in how Gurdy was telling the story.
Shella was a secluded town, keeping near Veo Lu Sluice as it was the town's duty to keep the sluice operating smoothly. It was a town of yukes that liked their privacy, Leon knew. Still, they kept a stable for caravanners at the edge of town. Leon had no money, so Gurdy had to pay for lodging their papaopamus. The sun was descending through the sky now. Unless they wanted to camp out, they'd probably arrive near Alfitaria when it got dark. Leon didn't want to go back until he had gone back to Mount Vellenge.
Back to Vellenge... one of his missing memories, but the name made him feel like he had to be alert.
They encountered a gatekeeper a short distance from the stable. "If you want to enter town, you'll need a Mark of Shella," the old yuke said.
"Oh dear, well does this count?" Gurdy asked, showing the shell pendant.
The yuke looked at it quietly, then said, "No."
Gurdy sighed. "Do you have to be so picky? It's a shell."
"Not the right shell," the gatekeeper said.
Fortunately, another yuke spotted them and called across the river. "Hey, I know them! Let them through!"
Looking back across, the gatekeeper called, "Amidatty, you can't just speak for anyone! Are you sure about these two?"
"I'm sure, so let them over," he called back.
He gave a small sigh, then nodded. "All right, if one of our residents will speak for you, I will raise the bridge." A magic circle appeared below the gatekeeper's feet as he focused on a spell that solidified a rainbow hanging low over the lively stream cutting off the town. "And welcome to Shella."
"Sorry about that old grump," Amidatty said after they crossed the bridge to meet with him. "But you know how it is with people who insist on tradition."
"Of course, they're such spoilsports," Gurdy said.
Amidatty nodded, then said, "It's good to see you again, Gurdy. Who's your friend?"
"This is Leon Esla, also known as the Back Knight," he said.
Leon nodded. "Without the miasma, I can travel without my full armor."
"Ah, I couldn't have recognized you without it," Amidatty said. "It is wonderful that the miasma is gone now. Did you two have something to do with that?"
Gurdy shook his head while Leon felt uneasy. "No, not us," Gurdy said. "We were in Tida when it vanished."
He tapped the long beak of his helm, then nodded. "Then, I would guess it would be that plucky lass from Tipa, Tsu Fai."
"That's what we heard from the crystals, but how did you guess?" Leon asked.
"I think I have a pretty good sense of people, though I may be wrong about that and am just lucky," Amidatty said. "Tsu Fai is one of those people who seemed meek and quiet, at least for a selkie. But she has sharp eyes, ears, and mind. She paid attention and saw right through things. When the miasma faded, I had a hunch that Hurdy or Tsu Fai was a likely suspect in that matter."
"I wrote down at a few points that she was sharp and yet kind," Gurdy said. "Maybe I'd find her familiar like I find you familiar. But you know me, my mind is like a sieve."
"Not any longer with the miasma gone," Leon said. "Same with me, although we can't get back what was lost."
"That's unfortunate," Amidatty said, sounding sincerely sorry for them.
"We're no longer lost, so we can start over again," he said. He didn't want this Amidatty to worry over them, or himself to worry over their condition. "We came here about the crystals, so thank you for letting us in."
"The crystals?" Amidatty asked, now curious. "What about them?"
"We're not sure, but we should go to your town's crystal and figure that out," Gurdy said.
"Ah, well that's easy enough to find," the yuke said, pointing down the stone path. He walked with them over to where Shella's crystal stood.
As the town's guardian, the crystal was the centerpiece of Shella. It sat on the ground below the town's walkways and stretched up higher than any of the buildings around it. People milled about the circular walkway there, attending to their usual business or discussing matters with each other. For the most part, it was yukes with a few other visitors of other tribes. A few of the yukes gave Amidatty a respectful bow or tilt of the head as they went by. Leon wondered how he was important to this town.
"It's actually spoken a few times since the miasma left," Amidatty said as they stopped at an alter in front of the crystal. This would be where the myrrh purification ceremony would be held. "Only to a few folks, as to be expected. But unexpected in that it has been several times in this week."
"What is it saying?" Leon asked as Gurdy dug in his bag for the Alfitaria crystal.
"It's waiting on something, that's all," the yuke replied.
"Ah, the Tida crystal is looking a lot better," Gurdy said as he pulled out both the crystals they had. And as he said, they were both shining now. The main way Leon could tell the difference was that the Tida crystal was half the clarity of the other.
"What are you doing with them?" Amidatty asked.
"We don't know," Gurdy said. "They just told us where they want to be."
We need the other.
"Huh?" Gurdy looked right to the Shella crystal. The flickers of light caused Leon to put his hand on the handle of his sword. Thankfully, it was just the crystal.
It was doing something strange, flickering enigmatic patterns rapidly. Leon glanced over at Gurdy and found him completely entranced by that. Quietly, Amidatty went over to Gurdy's other side and took the clavat's shoulder right before he fainted. "Don't worry, I've seen this before," Amidatty said quietly.
"Really?" Leon asked.
He nodded as Gurdy almost immediately revived. "What happened?" he asked, tensing and grabbing Amidatty's arm.
"You were sleep-walking again," Amidatty said like it was completely normal. "It's something of a tradition with you."
"Don't make fun of tradition," Gurdy said like he was half-asleep, getting back to his feet. Or, was that Hurdy?
"We have to have fun somehow, Hurdy," Amidatty said, keeping a hand on him to make sure he was steady. "What were you doing with the crystals?"
"They're reorganizing themselves," Hurdy said, looking into Shella's crystal. It had slowed down with its patterns. "Hmm? Oh, yes, I know that. I can do that."
"What are you going to do?" Leon asked. He couldn't hear the crystal this time.
"Sorry, it'd be better if I simply did it and you saw for yourself," Hurdy said, handing him Tida's crystal. Leon took it, leaving Hurdy to take the Alfitaria crystal in both hands. Stepping up to the altar, Hurdy bowed his head and prayed aloud. "Blessed Crystal, source of all Life, I come in service of you. The one who harmed you is gone. The one who brought the sickening miasma is gone. Now is the time for healing."
As he prayed, the people around them turned to pay attention. Part of that was because Shella's crystal and Alfitaria's crystal began sparkling white. Hurdy shifted his hands, letting the crystal he held float up into the air. As a wind picked up in circling around them, sparks flew between the two crystals and turned them both yellow. They both raised into the air, the Alfitaria crystal growing back to its former size. By now, the whole town must have noticed.
Hurdy reached his hands over his head, towards the two crystals. "From the spark of creativity to the lightning bolts of insight; from the gentle breeze to the storm's gale. You will now be reborn as a source of one of the great elements. You are now the Crystal of Air. May you shine for all time, bringing the blessings of Air into the world."
The two crystals were one now, shining yellow like thunder magic. The Crystal of Air settled into place, not touching the ground but floating a few inches off the ringed platform. While Hurdy had been speaking, the wind kicked up considerably. It was calm now, stirring around in a quiet breeze. So this was the crystal's plan. Leon wondered if his fellow lilties might feel slighted because of this. Hopefully not.
"Hmm, so it's no longer our crystal, but the Crystal of Air," Amidatty said, looking over the reborn crystal in wonder. "What are we to do for it?"
After watching the crystal a little while longer, Hurdy said, "Learn from it if you can hear its voice. Protect it from those who would abuse its powers. The crystals need to tend to the world and help it recover from the curse of miasma. They should be left to do that."
"Very well, I'll let the others of Shella know this," Amidatty said. "But say, it has been a while since I've seen either of you, even though you'll not remember it. Would you like to stay with me for the night? I'd love a chance to talk with you again."
"I don't think we'd make it today to the next likely stop in Marr's Pass, to check on the crystal there," Leon said.
"Right, night would fall even on these summer days before you hit Marr's Pass," Amidatty said.
"Sure," Hurdy said, looking down and sounded tired now. "That actually took a lot out of me. But, hmm..." He turned around, looked up again, then snapped his fingers with a yellow spark. A green sphere appeared overhead, soon splitting apart into many different blades. "Aero… and some other spells. I can try them later."
