Chapter 16: Sneaking Around and Off to Marlind

In the morning Rose woke up from a four hour sleep to see the seraphim up and about with Mikleo curled up in a corner reading a book and Edna peering out the boarded up window. Rose's vision in her right eye was still blurry and it even seemed worse. She rubbed it but it didn't help.

"Mornin'" She moaned as she continued rubbing her eye.

"Good morning." Said Edna. Mikleo didn't look up.

"What're you two doing up so early?" She asked.

"We don't need to sleep." Said Edna.

"Lucky." Rose muttered.

"Plus we were looking at this." Said Edna giving Rose the Iris gem she found earlier. "It fell out of your pocket when you were asleep." Rose took the Iris gem she went back to where she was when it started glowing in her hands.

A young man with chin length brown hair wearing a white cloak with a pattern on it draped over one shoulder was at a camp fire with while writing into a stack of papers in his lap. A woman with long white hair and ornate dress approached him to tell him something. The man seemed to complain but the woman scolded him. He put the papers down and went to sleep. The stack of papers then turned into a book with a brown cover with golden symbols embellishing it.

"What's so important about that book?" Rose asked.

"According to Meebo it's the Celestial record. It's a pretty recent and popular thing and tends to get bought out by universities and nerds." Said Edna.

"Oh it's that book that Sorey has referenced." Said Rose. "Does it really have records about the people he oddly enthusiastically talked about."

"I don't know I've never read it. Ask Meebo." Said Edna.

"Where did you get that nickname anyway?" Rose asked.

"By combining Lich boy and Mikleo." Stated Edna. Rose looked at her then she went to Mikleo.

"Hey Mikleo, you've read the Celestial record right?" Rose asked, he didn't respond.

"He's been like that ever since we looked at the Iris gem." Said Edna. "It's kind of like any time we're with Muse."

"This time is different." Said Mikleo not looking up from the book.

"Oh, so he speaks." Said Edna.

"It's just … I know the woman in the Iris gem, it's kind of painful." Said Mikleo.

"Is she Bahamut?" Rose asked.

"What? No!" Said Mikleo giving her a look that said "really?"

"All right all right, I was just asking." Said Rose. "So how is that different from how you act with Muse?"

"With Muse it's familiar." Said Mikleo. "I'm not sure how to put it but looking at Muse brings up vague memories from when I was a little kid." Edna raised an eyebrow at the mention that he was a little kid.

"How so?" Rose asked.

"I don't know, it's all very hazy but for some reason she feels very familiar to me." Said Mikleo. They heard Sergei groan as he woke up.

"Morning sleepy head." Said Rose.

"Mornin'." He groaned. "What are we gonna do about our situation?"

"Well we're gonna have to sneak in food, medicine, and inconspicuous methods of bathing." Said Rose.

"For how long?" Sergei asked.

"I don't know I'm hoping for a week so no one gets too suspicious." Said Rose.

"Oh and you need to go back to Elysia soon, huh?" Said Sergei.

"Ha! No. That was a lie I told Bartlow so I can leave." Said Rose. "I'm likely gonna head to Marlind. Besides you have a thing there too right?"

"Well yeah, for the quarantine stuff, but why are you going?" Asked Sergei.

"Well ever since last night I've had a hunch that being neglected while you're ill can cause malevolence. I mean the anger of being untreated for withdrawal symptoms fed the aboleth and created some stray hellions. I think it may be likely that well since no one has been able to get to Marlind with the rains and the bridge collapsing they'll be like the drug addicts we broke out of prison, pissed off and pretty malevolent."

"Yeah, and if it's a whole town then there's gonna be a lot." Said Edna.

"I get … it …" Said Sergei giving her a strange look.

"What?" Said Edna.

"I can see you." Said Sergei. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Nice." Said Rose nonchalantly.

"That all? Aren't you at least a little bit shocked?" Asked Sergei.

"I kinda figure it would happen as Rose kept growing more adept to her shepherd's powers though honestly I was thinking it would take a little bit longer but here works." Said Edna.

"Anyway about a plan, we and some of the healthiest former prisoners go buy some food and other stuff, and trust that they don't spend it on drugs." Said Rose

"How about we switch clothing, and have them try to hide their faces and avoid people they or you've been around so neither their former dealers or authorities would get them back into trouble." Said Sergei. "Plus the one wearing our clothes wouldn't want to try to do anything to tarnish the names of Captain Sergei Strelka and Shepherd Rose."

"That's a big maybe." Said Edna.

"Sure it might work at a distance, but up close people will tell that they're not you two." Said Mikleo.

"Lady Lake is a big city, I doubt everyone will know what I look like." Said Rose.

"Okay, but you two did just break out a band of prisoners. And Sergei won't people will be suspicious if you take an unusually long absence?" Said Mikleo.

"Shit…" Said Sergei under his breath. "I need to go. If all goes well I hope to see you at Marlind." He got up looked through one of the cracks in the wall to see if anyone is nearby. Then he quietly went out the door. Rose meanwhile told this plan to a female prisoner around her height and exchanged clothes with her, put the hood of the shepherd's cloak up to hide her face, and split some gald with her. She then gave similar instructions to another former prisoner with the warning to avoid the Light Sparks and any guards at all costs and if they catch them to never disclose any information about this hideout. They snuck out and went to buy food, medical supplies, and whatever else they might need then went back in a couple of hours to help with the less healthy individuals and repeated the process for a week with their funds becoming low and with one too many close calls. At the end of the week she switched back clothes with the woman and said her goodbyes to the group and apologized.

"Where are you going?" The woman asked.

"Marlind." Said Rose.

"But we still need you." Said another person.

"As much as I'd like to keep this up until everyone is healthy enough to leave, I really need to get to Marlind. I'm sorry but I really have to go now." Said Rose. "Stay safe, take care of each other, and please, try not to get back in jail."

"You will come back right?" The woman asked.

"Maybe someday." Said Rose. When night fell she left the abandoned building and snuck through the streets of Lady Lake and quickly ducked behind corners whenever a civilian or soldier walked by. She then went to the edge of the city right next to the lake.

"Are you crazy?" Edna asked.

"Hey, Lady Lake's entrance is constantly guarded. This is the best way out of the city." Rose whispered. She looked over her shoulder and slipped into the lake. After a few hours of swimming she made it to shore and continued towards Falkewin until she got tired. After letting her clothes dry and a night's rest she made it to Falkewin hillside where there are civilians and soldiers standing around. In the distance she saw Sergei talking to someone. She walked closer to the crowd. "Hey what's going on here?" She asked a civilian.

"Well we've been trying to work on the bridge but lately it's been for nothing." They said. "I mean since the rains over a week ago, the islands that would've served as a foundation have been washed away."

"I see and without that foundation you can't move forward right?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, Sergei's been talking to Neif over there to see if there are any alternative routes to Marlind but a lot of the scouts we've sent upstream have reported that the current is still far too strong to be able to just wade across." Said the civilian. Rose went over to try to talk to Sergei.

"What are you thinking Rose?" Said Edna.

"Well they said that they couldn't continue without a foundation. I was thinking of using your armatus to make a foundation of sorts." Said Rose.

"And you're thinking of running this by Sergei or something?" Edna asked.

"Yeah." Said Rose. She went over to where Sergei was, close to the river's edge and talking to an elderly man. The man noticed her before Sergei did.

"That's a curious outfit … might you be the shepherd?" He asked.

"Rose?" Said Sergei. "Uh … did … you know what get taken care of?"

"As best as I can with a short timeline." Said Rose.

"Sergei, is she a friend of yours?" The elderly man asked.

"Yeah." Said Sergei.

"My name is Rose." She introduced herself.

"I am Neif, a representative from Marlind." He said. "Lady Rose, if you don't mind me asking, but might you be the one who was able to calm the water spirit?"

"Yeah." Rose confirmed.

"I can't possibly thank you enough. However with the rock that originally held up the bridge being washed away we can't continue to repair the bridge. But I need to get this medicine back to the other side of the river as soon as possible." Said Neif.

"Well … I've been thinking of a way to help with that." Said Rose.

"Well what is it?" Sergei asked.

"It may involve getting the help of a seraph." Said Rose. They then heard a strange cracking sound.

"Well regardless you might have to do it soon it sounds like it will rain again." Said Neif. Mikleo got out of Rose.

"That's not thunder." He said he said before running in the direction of Rayfalke.

"Ah! …" Said Rose.

"Is something wrong shepherd?" Neif asked.

"It's nothing, I need to take care of something." Said Rose running after the water seraph.

"Rose!" Sergei called.

Finally after like twelve chapters the Lady Lake arc is over!
Next chapter is the start of the Marlind arc which hopefully won't be as long and some characters just might return or appear in that arc