One of the white beasts within the fog bounced at Craig with its teeth as sharp as knives. The attack was proven futile as Craig swiped his blood red sword straight up, slicing right through the chin and jaw and having to turn away towards another incoming behemoth as the one went to ground. Craig swiped his sword again without a single misstep and sliced vertically, cutting down another monster.
However, when he looked over his shoulder, he could see three more looming with lightning fast circles. They were already surrounding him, but that didn't even come close to deterring Craig. He only got out his two remaining weaponry as the beasts rushed in.
"Spiral Dragon Slice!"
In an instance's notice, he spiraled like a funnel and sliced the three lightning quick monsters, sending them into midair. They all hollered as they thudded against the ground. Craig narrowed his eyes and glared at another swift movement transpiring. It slipped right pass him, but he could feel the draft from his left as his shirt sleeve quivered.
'There!' Craig, surprisingly, pivoted in the opposite direction and his mouth blade and blood red sword followed. The double bladed assault stopped the incoming beast that was attempting the strike Craig from his other side. As the beast fell at his feet, he glared down.
Elsewhere, Cana was having her own battles. White monsters as swift as cheetahs circled around her. They were moving so fast that they were nothing but blurs, in which she could not aim properly.
She swiped and shot a glowing tarot card. "This should slow you down!" The card pierced the ground, exploding a small range that allowed the Card Mage to find room to step away as a white monster was caught stiff and recoiled from the sudden explosion.
Once Cana got her footing again, she flashed another card. "Try handling this! Prayer's Fountain!" She slammed a card down and a tempest of water spouts erupted. The geysers exploded into so many other spouts that went wild. A few monsters in the midst of the fog retreated while others backed away. A few were struck down from the volatile spots on the spot.
Once Cana stood back up and lifted her spell, she noticed how she was immediately surrounded by the blurs again. Again, they were circling her. "So fast." She turned her head left and right, seeing the vast number being more than six.
She was suddenly zipped from the side, brushing her and causing the brunette to lose her footing. She barely caught herself before she could fall. Cana was then brushed from her right, falling and ending up losing momentum. "Crap-!" She landed with a thud on her stomach. She winced. "Damnit. I can barely see the gro-ooound!"
Cana suddenly was feeling her legs get coiled by rough scales on a tentacles of tail. The twist on her ankle was the least of her worries as she was finding herself being dragged along the ground. "Hey! Let go!" She shouted, but to no avail as she was only dragged further away. She tried digging her nails into the ground, but that did not work. She ended up seeing nothing but dark ground and fog…
A loud roar raged as there was a sudden piercing sound. Cana suddenly found herself freed as the coil around her loosened up to where she was able to turn her way out and crawl away. The brunette turned onto her elbows and looked back to see a white monster wailing as Craig was ripping into its neck with his bare teeth.
"Cranky!" She called out.
The white monster flailed as Craig was starting the leave red on the neck. The vicious biting Craig was accomplishing was making the white monster screech out as the enemy on him sank his fangs further. In a flash, Craig released his hold, showing the corners of his mouth with fresh blood of the white monster. "Smash!" Clutching his fist, he drove a direct punch into the beast's nostrils the second it turned its head. The shock rippled through its entire body and the beast crumbled to the ground.
Craig turned towards Cana. "Watch yourself, Brownie. That was too close for comfort." Craig turned around in a second's time and stuck his blood red sword out. An ongoing white monster speeding around unintentionally zoomed right into the blade. They were both lucky that the fog was thick, otherwise they would've witnessed the whole thing get sliced into two.
Cana scuttled up to her feet and pulled out tarot cards. She threw them in a random direction and a flash emitted from that direction. They got nothing but a boom. The brunette grunted as her efforts were missed, and another white monster brushed right past her.
"Whoa!" She almost tripped again, but got her footing. Her eyes widened and her body turned stiff when her memory surfaced. 'Wait, this is just like…!'
In slow motion, she turned her head to the right side, seeing a white monster with rough scales jet right to her side, almost ready to pass her and send her off balance as before. Cana had no way of balancing herself out, and she had no time to draw a card from her deck.
The monster's tail was grabbed hold by Craig's hands, as shocking as it was. The timing was just too close for comfort as it was only a few feet away from grazing her. The beast fell over with a thud, and Cana pivoted and regained proper footing. She cascaded a look and saw the beast get dragged into the fog, and then saw a little bit of it go off sailing, smashing into what sounded like a tree.
Craig slipped right beside Cana, his back to hers and had all blades accounted for when he unsheathed the two again.
"We're at a disadvantage. This fog is too thick for us to see." Cana said.
Craig narrowed his eyes. "While I thought my earlier plan would've gone a lot smoother without you and your butt scooting in, I think this worked out well."
Cana glanced over towards Craig. "You make it sound like we're giving up."
"Nope, rather we just found a number of weak points." Craig turned his head in another direction, and saw a number of white monsters within the fog starting to circle around yet again. "I don't have time to explain now. Let's just deal with clearance first."
Cana pulled out more tarot cards. "Let's see if a little fire gets their attention!" She threw the cards right at another random direction within the fog. "Sun's Strength!"
The cards set ablaze as they traveled through the fog. They were gone for a few seconds, but then a massive explosion of fire erupted, and the flame blast sent a burning wave through the fog. Craig and Cana looked all around as the heat was revealing a few white monsters around them. The monsters gaped their mouths as the eruption of heat and fire made them holler violently.
Craig's shocked showed when his eyes widened but a little as he could've sworn that he saw the skin on some white monsters sizzle and bits burnt off, despite not even close to the fire. The heat raged, and the white monsters all scurried off somewhere. Their roars became desolate and out of range, and they zoomed in random ways as the fiery explosion dissipated.
Cana blinked. She looked around as the white beasts were no longer attacking them. "Well that worked out better than I had hoped."
Craig sheathed all of his blades in a single go, loud clanging reverberating a short radius and making Cana's body twitch. The two turned towards the other with some level of surprise. Craig started. "Well that wasn't as shabby as I thought. Crappy and pitiful, but not that terribly shabby."
"Oh, ha ha ha." Cana mockingly laughed. "You happy now?"
Craig smirked as he shook his head. "Nope."
"You're such a killjoy, you know that?"
"I'll let you know when I really give a damn. For now, let's regroup back at Fogbound. I gotta lay out some of my thoughts for a while."
Cana followed Craig and her own rope as it was still attached to its line. "Whatever you say, Cranky."
The two returning was a shock to say the least. Normally the lines or ropes holding people to the posts of the perimeter were either torn off or pulled right out of the ground along with the person. Craig and Cana were counted as lucky, and the villagers were startled to learn of their tango with the white monsters and what they actually looked like.
The details were directed towards Kai first. Craig and Cana had just discussed what the circumstances have become. The details Craig gave was brief, and he sounded as spiteful in tone as he always was. Kai of course was perplexed how the beasts actually looked when Craig described them, but they served as no relevance except when Cana mentioned she was dragged by its tail, meaning it had no arms. The beasts had gliders on the sides, making themselves able to stream through the fog with strong legs and light footing. With the details confirmed and noted, Kai told that the plans were still going to commence with the odd beacon being moved to the center of town. With that confirmation, Craig was left more than a little disturbed but resigned from the tent without further say.
With themselves in the confines of their tent, Craig and Cana were able to fully elaborate on what went down and who was to start. Sad to say if Cana didn't ask, Craig may as well be the glory hog and handle the details in silence.
"So, Craig." Cana started. "What you said back there, you didn't say anymore than what they looked like. Is it because of security of your own thoughts?"
Craig looked down at his crossed legs. "Nah, I rather save the speaking for someone who cares."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She raised a brow.
Craig supported his chin with his hand and elbow resting on his knee. "Look, put yourselves in their shoes like I just did. I told you of desperation, didn't I? People like them will find any solace in what protection they may have. They don't even give a crap about us if you noticed."
Cana reeled back from Craig's words. "Say what? They were just shocked is all. You know that rarely people get out from within the fog."
"But did we provide protection in the end, or left a profound impact?" Craig asked. Cana was caught stiff at the revelation crawling up her spine. "I thought so. They only want the fog gone, and if that beacon is what'll get their attention and them out of the fog, they'll have less pity on us…which is why I'm heading back out there again tomorrow."
Cana could question Craig further, and yet she was caught stiff yet again in her own world. She just pondered about Craig's latest plan. 'Wait, hold on. Earlier he said about having a two-way plan, didn't he?!' Her eyes went blank as she couldn't understand the notion Craig could've given. 'I still can't seem to understand how he has the scenario played ou, nor how he could come up with a new plan on the spot with myself added in.t. Was he in another case and learned from it? No, he just might be that deviously cunning. If so, why did he change his directive when I joined him to testing out the creatures and their powers?' Her inquiry was as clear as day, but Craig rolled his eyes shut and looked sleepy.
"Alright Brownie, guess I'll have to play teacher for the failing student again. Listen, did you understand or observe how those white monsters operated?"
Cana looked down, recalling their structures and their coordination. They were swift, and they had almost dragged her into the fog with their tails.
"We learned some powerful evidence from this. For starters, these creatures, are pack hunters. They use their speed to subdue their captive prey. I saw them, and I felt the drafts they made in their direction; they were made in a counterclockwise circle and hold their target confused, said confused target is vulnerable from being brushed down when one white monster breaks away from the speeding circle and throws them to the ground. Using the tails – as we've learned from you – they coil and drag the victim away. You see all those flaws?"
He allowed a second for Cana to show mounting shock and looked outside at the very thin fog in the far distance of Fogbound.
"And then comes their most crucial weakness. Brownie, when you fired those flaming cards, we just learned that these monsters or whatever they are, they burn up easily from overexposure to heat, or maybe solar-related power. This fog has a cool temperature, and keeps the sunlight from ever reaching them. This is their shroud, so if we lift it…"
"…they get reduced to ashes." Cana finished, finally catching on. "Now I see. That's why you had us go for their weaknesses. So if we up against them again, we'd know their attack patterns. Not too shabby there." Despite her amazement, Cana frowned. "But Cranky…are you sure about going back out again?"
Craig looked down again, the air between them growing hollow. Everything around them that was completely of hatred and remorse for the other was at a halt. At this time, there was no defined meaning to what they were feeling; for Craig, he was feeling something tingling, but not good. He's felt it before, and he could only remain a hollow glance of composure against the earth. "Yeah, Brownie, I'm sure. Don't trust me, okay? The damned fools can be against me for what I think will keep them safe, but I know full well that bringing their friends and families back will at least give them some sense of security in numbers."
Cana's fingers clenched in her grip. Their tent was shut and they could see no shadows outside, nor was anybody able to hear anyways since they had a more private area. What she thought Craig was doing was reckless, foolhardy, borderline delusional, and nonsensical, and here he was going at a second attempt. And yet…it was something about how Craig was so resolute, that he's known the drawbacks, that Cana really had a limited view on what Craig thought was right.
"I know it's selfish, and I know it's wrong, but I doubt that the meaning of what I do will ever come across your skull." Craig's voice was sounding hollow and desolate. It was a quiet yet despondent tone.
"Come on. You know as well as I do, that depending on how the night shall fall…these actions are what'll make you see what I see."
Cana looked away, despondent. "…fine. However, I'm not covering for you. You're on your own to find out what happened to those people, capisce?"
Craig started laying on his elbows and drawing onto his back. "Whatever, just stay low."
Silence fell as Craig turned towards the side and he closed his eyes. Cana got up from her seat and she didn't bother looking at Craig as he was trying to sleep. She exited the tent, leaving Craig to fall into a slumber.
Cana traveled through the midst of the village, looking around the place. She cascaded glances towards the many smiles at others, and yet they were hollow and fake, like feigning surprise over a dinner food one hates but eats it anyways for example. Her footsteps were bleak and soft within the moist ground. The many villagers that were going around her were all doing something, and it wasn't involving the beacon as of yet. Ten people were already in Kai's open tent, readying to do a meeting in regards to the beacon moving. The more she walked, the more she saw people looking afar; not at her, but at the red light the beacon gave off. She couldn't really grasp it, but the brunette turned her head up and faced the beacon with curious eyes. It was warm, almost like a nice summer day. Her skin felt all tingly, and the sensation ran through the rest of her head and right into the heart. Her heartbeat was thumping out of how sudden the sensation and warmth was reaching her so quickly.
She put a hand to her chest. 'It's so warm, and the fog and air elsewhere, it's cool. Nothing but neon colors to distinguish the other here, making them all lively.' The brunette backed up some paces as she still faced the beacon. As she was drawing away, the beacon's energy was growing faint, and the more she desired from it. She narrowed her eyes as she shook her head, trying to bring her mind and body to a solid conclusion. 'What the hell is going on anymore? Why is Cranky going off doing something so reckless?' She was still unable to fixate in a slid agreement whether to disagree or agree with Craig, but the fact remained that those white monsters had weaknesses and they realized it, but no one exploits them because they want warmth.
Too much was leading to a headache. She turned away and walked into the village depths away from the beacon. 'I can't understand. Craig knows trouble the second he hears or pieces it. He's always so stupid, pushy, loud, roaring, spiteful, and yet…why is he risking so much to lift frowns?' She noticed that a thin mist was at her knees and was around her. She looked all around and her mind snapped to where she saw the wooden posts that marked the boundaries of the village. The village section she was in was surprisingly vacant.
"A thin fog? And everyone is already gone." She looked at the copious amounts of tents and all of the stuff sprawled around the dirt ground. It was like being in the bad part of a neighborhood and you were lost in your thoughts to have known sooner.
When she approached the posts, she peered her head out very slowly. The fog was white on the other side, just as it was earlier when she and Craig ventured. She didn't feel anything off, but at the same time the air was eerie.
"Hmm…!" Cana suddenly reeled her head back behind the wood. She put herself behind the flat wood and she remained as still as possible. She was getting a bad feeling, and when she of all people gets a bad feeling, you know it's not a good thing.
'What was that just now? Was I just having a doubt there?' She slowly poked her head around the corner of the post, very carefully discerning the white fog. The corner of her eye caught swift figures speeding. She retreated again and ducked low. The brunette found herself hidden and out of the eyesight of two, maybe three, white monsters that growled and trudged to a halt in front of the post Cana was hiding behind.
'Oh this is just great. I'm cornered.' She readied her cards, more specifically her Sun's Strength card that worked so well last time. As odd as it was, she the beasts didn't even seem to pay attention to her. Her body was caught relaxed when her inquiry was turned towards the monsters when she poked her head around again. They all were looking through the posts, standing completely still and yellow eyes were looking up at something far off. When Cana saw how focused they were, it was in complete contrast to the time they fought. They looked like they had an agenda this time, and it had nothing to do with her or anybody. She looked towards the direction they were all looking, curious as to what got their attention. They looked in one direction only, and that was where the fog was thinning out. It dawned upon her then that the beasts were looking towards the direction of…
"The beacon." Cana covered her mouth and her heart skipped a beat. She retreated behind the post just as one of the white monsters turned their heads down upon hearing the voice. They closed in, and Cana cursed herself for being careless as the epiphany slipped out. To her relief, the beast retracted its head from the posts and snarled at its own kind. Cana could hear more sniping and then heard footsteps draw away. The eerie feeling the fog had faded to a dim level and she turned her head around slowly and saw that the beasts had retreated into the fog.
Cana got back up and brushed herself off. "What the hell was that all about?" She slid her feet across the ground and slipped from the borders of the village and back towards her tent. "Whatever is happening, it's clear Cranky had a point earlier when those guys might have something related to that beacon. I need to tell him what just happened, now!"
Cana sped through the small village, heading towards her own tent.
Craig was napping on his side in the corner of the tent. His body was twitching and his face looked distressed. Every now and again he would end up kicking the air, not because of reflexes, but of violent retort.
3 11/12 Years Ago
The scornful pitch black of the spine-shivering mountain left Craig and Chris with everything to be afraid of. Craig was on all fours as he had a steep climb up to the small pinpoint established. The gravel was rough, and Craig huffed and panted as he was starting to slow down.
"Craig, come on!" Chris shouted from up ahead. His backpack was glowing as inside was something that was perhaps the only source of light in the entire country.
For a week, the country of Joya was a victim of Phantisma. The darkest spell ever devised and forgotten in Joya's history. It was thought so, until Nic came across a hiker, Chris, and they realized that a revered scientist in the region was experimenting on the spell's negative and dark compounds. In short, a malfunction and having Feraldo continued defying all of his associates lead to Phantisma being unleashed. Craig and Chris could still remember it to this day. Everyone couldn't see through the pitch black. Joya's light sources were now only lacrima. It was a forever night, and the consequences were far from drastic there. The crime rates in Joya escalated, and of course the culprits were never found since they always disappeared through the pitch black. The officials and everyone stayed indoors where there were lights, but outside was darkness.
But that wasn't the problem. Chris and Craig had worse dilemmas, because this pitch black darkness gave birth to those who shall lurk in it. The monsters that were hidden beneath Joya's underground in pitch black caverns had finally found their way up. A whole entire species of hidden monsters within pitch black terrorized the lot of Joya, and that gave citizens a greater reason to be restricted inside. Once anybody stepped out, they were never going back, ever. The monsters had wings, stinger tails, and tentacles, it was all imagination and no one could possibly see them, even in their final moments.
Of course to every ying there was a yang. Feraldo did manage to conduct an amplifier for messages all over Joya, but if it were used for a Light Lacrima, according to Chris's speculations, then they should be able to lift the spell. It wasn't indefinite, but it was worth a shot. That's where Chris and Craig were left off.
"GWRRAAAOOOH!" The venomous bellow of a flying beast pierced Craig's eardrum. He abruptly lurched right, away from a sharp talon. He was no way anything but quick to think, despite the extremely limited view he has with the light lacrima inside Chris's bag.
Chris looked back down at his comrade. "Pull yourself together! If you don't hurry, you'll die!"
"I know! I know!" Craig yelled. He resumed his climb but another step, hurrying on with his pace. When he grabbed the next stepping stone, a sudden tentacle arose from behind and got his foot. "Gah!"
"Craig!" Chris yelled.
Craig struggled free against the bind, but all he could have really felt was the crushing weight of the tentacle as it was holding him down, trying to sink him back into the pitch black abyss beneath. If he fell, he'd wind up in a monster's stomach in one gulp for all he knew. Struggling, Craig gripped tighter than before, pulling as hard as he could while resisting.
"Damnit! Let go!" Craig bellowed. He Let one of his hands go and allowed rock to slip. The falling rock went pass him and there was stabbing heard below. A monstrous groan siphoned and the tentacle around Craig's leg uncoiled loosely and fell with the monster.
"You good?" Chris called up. "There's only a hundred meters. Look, the amplifier's up there!"
Pointing up, Craig followed the light of his backpack, where it seemed that there was a curve high above and something silver glistened. It was the amplifier, and they were so close.
"I see it too!" Craig yelled with a smile. "We're almost there!"
Chris smiled as he pulled himself up. He's always been hiking, up cliffs, up mountains, up anything that he could grab and use as a foothold. He never thought this hike may mean life and death to an extreme. Of course the price of it all was Craig as he was actually keeping up, albeit barely. He was panting trying to hold his own, but he lacked the hiking form. He thought back to but a few days back, when the revelation of Craig being lost in the world struck him, there were really but a few words he could've said.
'I guess…being lost is a start to finding the path you were meant to tread.'
"CHRIS! LOOK OUT!" Craig yelled harshly.
"Huh…?" Chris was hearing some flapping and he heard a loud shrill from behind. He Grabbed another rock and he swung over and evaded a talon that came into view and stabbed the rock. If not for that maneuver, he would've been struck straight in the chest.
"Chris, they want the lacrima! What do we do?!" Craig shouted above.
Another shrilled cry bellowed as another sharp talon came in view. Chris hurried and climbed further, turning to evade. "What do you mean what do we do?! We keep going!" Chris kept on climbing as the light lacrima in his backpack had shined brighter. There was a harsh hiss and the monsters in the pitch black were all roaring, bellowing. By getting the lacrima in view, Craig covered himself up, but couldn't help by be in awe.
"As a hiker, it's my duty to climb to the top. And as a human, it's my obligation to save my kind. Yes people die, and bad things happen for a reason, but that will never stop me from reaching the top. I refuse to hand over something these beasts will shatter into nothing just so they can do as they please. I'll take this matter into my own hand, and take the hike to my death if it means they can't hold me down!" He pounced to another rock, dodging the talon again. "All those people are counting on us. We can't let them down."
Craig was caught blinking at the prospect the hiker had. It's really almost been two, maybe three weeks since the incident in where he woke up with but his name, and yet so many people and so many point of views included. 'This guy, is he really that righteous? Is there really more to every man for himself?'
Craig grabbed another rock, but then his foot lost valuable hold. He yelled and nearly fell if not for him maintaining a solid grip. He was almost dangling.
"Craig!" Chris yelled.
Craig looked behind and the light lacrima in the backpack gave off enough strong light to show another reptilian monster claw aiming for Craig. Craig was only fourteen, and he couldn't believe he was gonna go down like this.
He closed his eyes, looking away as he waited for impact.
A massive piercing sound echoed, however, it wasn't Craig as he heard shimmering and guts stabbed. Craig opened one of his eyes and noticed how bright it was.
"…huh?" He looked down at his body, seeing as how it wasn't stabbed. "That's odd, I thought-!" He spoke too soon as he indeed knew a gut was pierced, but it wasn't his…but someone else. His eyes were wide, and he didn't account the blood still on his shirt.
Hovering and shielding him, there was Chris. His teeth were gritting and blood dripped from the sides of his lips. The huge hole in his abdominal area had a retracting claw, and the cawing of the monster screeched as it flew away from the burning light.
Chris remained still as he continued hovering and shielding Craig. The light lacrima in his bag shined bright, giving him the ideal of an angelic savior who was dying.
Craig's eyes were wide. "Chris…why?"
Chris coughed and winced. He lost his grip and almost fell into the darkness. The man in his late twenties with green hair gagged along the ledge that he was against, the drips of blood sprinkling down into the darkness and onto a monster, making it the center of attention and making its own kind looked like a meal, at least from the sound of it.
"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Chris groaned.
Craig nodded with worry as he held on the mountain with both hands. "Yeah."
"Listen, I'm sorry." Chris apologized. "But it looks like *cough* this mountain's got me where it wants me for once."
"Chris, you're gonna be okay! We just gotta…" Craig looked at the opening in his stomach, where the light was passing through. It was hard to say, but looking at it made Craig feel extremely uncomfortable. He blinked and tried to not look directly at it. "Y-you're gonna be okay…?"
Chris shook his head. "Just shut it man, okay?" He panted as his legs and body were both unable to hold themselves up for much longer. Craig watched in horror as Chris took the hit for him. He was feeling very uncomfortable and distraught. The number if things to describe Craig was confused, and at the same time angry.
His eyes misted. "You idiot! You didn't have to do that! Why did you do that?" He wanted to reach over and grab him by the collar, but he needed his limbs. "I could've had my stomach bored through, why?!"
Chris panted as he was looking dizzy. He grinned and pressed his forehead against the rock. "I don't know…but I…just did."
Craig swallowed as he watched his friend struggle. "Chris…"
Chris grinned as he winced. "Listen, Craig. I want you *cough* to do something for me, okay?" Chris was standing barely on the unstable ledge and was undoing his own backpack. Craig looked distraught as his ally was reaching for something.
"What do you-!" Craig's eyes widened further when it was a shining light. His skin felt warm and he was looking into what could've been a treasure. His mouth was gaping and the yelling and hissing below was from the stinging of the lacrima in hand. Chris was presenting it like a king.
"I know it's too much…but as a friend, finish this hike for me…and make me see light." He implored. "Please…"
Craig could've felt his body give out as Chris's free hand had the lacrima that shined like a sun. It was just too sudden and the recipient had no anticipation nor was he equipped for the sudden change of dynamics. Despite the few weeks, he learned well that when someone like him asks of such requests, it comes from the heart. He honestly had no idea what he had to do, but as sad as it was, and as much as his eyes misted up, he complied.
Taking the light lacrima with a shaky hand, he accepted and held back choking. "Chris…I'll keep on hiking."
Chris smiled wider as his eyes started to close. "I know it's rough, but no matter how gruesome, a hiker…always looks ahead without any height weighing him down…you'll go far…Craig…"
Chris eyes closed, and his gripping softened. He slumped down, and Craig watched with heated gasps as Chris's lifeless form plummeted into the darkness below, and the monsters in the darkness hollered at the downfall.
"CHRIS!" Craig screamed out loudly into the darkness.
The tent opened up slightly, revealing Cana entering with a frown. "Hey, Craig, listen up. I found so…so…" The Card Mage stopped speaking when she caught something very off. When she entered, the very second she laid eyes on Craig, there was something she was never seeing from him. "…Cranky…?"
Lying on his side, Craig was crying. Tears were running down his face, and he was choking some as his body lurched every now and again. He looked distressed, as if it were for real. It startled Cana, and it did more than raise her inquiry. As much as she wanted to say something, she had no way of telling what was going on.
"Chris…I'll finish the hike…I swear…" He whimpered weakly.
She wanted to call out, but what would that do? She blinked and kept her distance as she watched Craig continue on. She stepped out of the tent, but left a small peeping hole so that she could see Craig. The brunette crouched and remained quiet as she heard more heavy whimpering from Craig, and heard the waterworks fall. It honestly freaked her out.
'What the hell is wrong with this guy? Is he sick or something?' She wondered.
Inside the tent, Craig woke up with an unsubtle gasp. His eyes shot wide and his body jerked straight up. His mouth was open as he was gasping for air. The bitter memory, it had left him with sweat running down his face, and again with stained tears in his eyes.
His brain was slowing down, but he was flashing back to the scornful death of Chris. Another old comrade to have fallen for his sake, and for the good of everyone.
His breathing escalated, and he arched over, ignoring the sweat staining the mat. His head banged against the flooring hard and his sharp teeth clutched tightly. His spine had a shock run through and he shot right up again. He stood up in the tent, his eyes starting to mist again. He stood completely still and stared at the ground. There was a long silence until Craig's lip was quivering. Tears were misting up his eyes and his teeth were looking like they were gritting again.
"Why…why?" He clutched a fist. "DAMNIT!" He punched the ground and he got to his knees and lurched over. His head touched the ground again and his tears dripped. "Damn the world and all its ways. Why did they all have to go and do that? I know why, but why? EVERY SINGLE TIME! DAMN EVERYTHING AND ALL THEIR WORTH!"
He punched the ground again with eyes shut, mourning another morbid nap. His scorn and his sorrow, however, was not unnoticed. Cana saw and heard it all through the small tent opening, and she was seeing Craig's uneasiness. Him crying was a sight to behold, but far from pleasant.
All she could really be was confused. "…every single time?" She mournfully looked away and slowly crept off. "Cranky…just what are you? Crying?" She turned and started walking off towards another section of the village. Saying she was confused would be putting it lightly, but another part of her was in a more sympathetic mood given the turmoil she saw the man in, but that was only a very small fraction. Heading off to eat to cleanse her worries, she left Craig alone.
It was an hour after he had finally calmed down. Craig was to be sure to have little to no contact with anybody. If anybody really did ask or see, no question he'd ignore them, but he was grateful that he was alone when he awoke, just as he's always been.
A nice meal in solitude, water, and he was ready to embark as the sun set.
"Alright, let's do this right." He opened the tent, coincidentally, Cana was there just about to open. "Brownie?"
"Hey there, Cranky." She sounded less rude compared to earlier, but Craig didn't seem to notice nor care as he walked out. "Good luck getting dragged into the norm."
"Good luck with being saved when I'm not around…oh wait, sucks for you." Craig barked.
Cana turned her head back, a big tick mark on her. "Oh! I get it, a nap and you have the energy to bicker at me until you lose your voice! That's so great! Really!"
"Screw your sarcasm!"
With Craig out, Cana shook her head, completely on task and sat down on the ground, where she laid out the cards for her Fortune Telling Magic. "Now, let's see…" Her mind flashed back to Craig and how he was crying; his body was shuddering, and the way he awoke was like he saw a real ghost. The confusing image bewildered her, but she shook her head and looked annoyed. 'Just what is going on? Why am I feeling a little…sad? I know he's mean, aggressive, territorial, and the most violent person alive, but what was up with that crying? It looked too good to be just a nightmare. Whatever, I gotta see what I can do or myself.'
While putting the mystery of Craig's abrupt awakening stashed away for the time being, Cana returned to her Fortune Telling.
Craig was wandering through Fogbound, heading towards the gate. He was still reeling on his dream he had; the memory was leaving him with a look of someone who had lost his soul and cascaded his corpse and feelings from the world. He wandered with light footsteps through the dirt and through the cool, thin fog. While his head did hurt, he did make sense of the message set across. And if it meant robbing of sanctuary, he'll do so.
Craig reached the outskirts and tied the safety rope around his waist, nit that it would mean much of anything in the long run. He looked back from the thin fog towards the center of the village, where he could see a number of people gathered up as Kai and several others were starting to remove the beacon from the top of his tent.
'If I really am coming out of this in one piece somehow, what I told Brownie earlier, I'll make it happen; that beacon is a bad omen in my eyes.' Experience can do wonders to someone, and with the instance of almost four years ago with Joya and the light lacrima, that was true terror. The monsters wanted it, and this was the exact same case.
However, he was going to stick with trying to be dragged off elsewhere and find the people. If that happened, at least this time he'll be able to drag himself back. He'll find a way. He always does. With that behind him, Craig faced the wall of fog as dusk was starting to come around.
"Here we go. Steady now…" Kai, Drake, and two other men were using iron grates as they carried the beacon in the center. The villagers all around watched as the beacon was being maneuvered by the four men. They all felt a warmth pass through them, and the cool air all around was dwindling down. They all looked like they were about to burst with joy as they watched the beacon get close towards them.
When it reached the center of Fogbound at long last, the four men rates their grates, and the beacon's glistening red reverberated all around. It sat atop of the one-story tower, with everyone clapping over the whole beacon being transferred.
However, that also meant that the radius had moved as well. The thin fog closed in around Kai's tent as the beacon was no longer there. The entire village's inner perimeter was within the confines of the thin fog.
Lurking around, the white monsters inside the night fog growled. One turned towards another before glaring back at the beacon and it lowered itself. It zipped on in and several others followed.
Cana was messing with her Fortune Telling Magic. She was inserting magic into her work the best she could, and when she was getting one final analysis, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was a long pause, and all seemed desolate and quiet. The tension was centered around her, and then her eyes opened up. When they did, several cards flipped over.
"Alright, let's see what they have to say…" Cana looked down at her deck of cards all present. She scrutinized the message inscribed by pictures. One picture showed items being robbed from crying people, another with a night sky, a sword, a skull, another thieving card, and then sun.
"A foul night shall bring souls crying out, in which they grieve. A battle of blood shall be spilled and one side may end up dead. Thievery will eventually transpire, and the sun shall emerge, giving birth to mystery." She managed to fully translate her fortune telling, and yet the message was what was worrying her. "Wait, hold on…" She looked outside her tent, seeing that there was black up above. "It's night right now!" She looked around, seeing that at her feet was a thin fog. The fog was weak, but even within, she could feel something crawling behind her tent. Her eyes widened. "Oh no. This is bad."
Craig was standing completely still. He was looking rather tired as he was just waiting for his target to come. "Alright you slithering bunch, come and get me, I'm right here." He held his arms overhead as a show of no resistance. "I'm all yours, just take me away. You there?" He was calling out every now and again, but fifteen minutes had already passed and nothing seemed to have happened. The only thing he really was doing was making pointless noise.
He twisted his face in anger. "What's it take to get caught around here?"
He suddenly caught sight of a white blur as it blitzed towards him.
His eyes narrowed. "Alright, let's do this." He remained still as his target was coming closer. He kept his body loose and was willing and able. He was waiting just as the creature would do a counterclockwise run and try to knock him off balance, but the monster this time…it had just went right pass him. Craig looked behind his shoulder and watched the white monster disappear into the fog.
He raised a brow in question, but then all around him, he was hearing snarling and growling. They all were speeding like a pack of wild animals, all were moving pass Craig, leaving him shocked as he was being completely ignored and went off towards the fog behind him.
After the pack of numerous monsters gave him the slip, he looked behind and stared. 'They ignored me, but…that's the direction I came from!' His eyes widened. "…oh no. I knew it!" He sprinted off back from where he came from, taking to his heels and following his ropes back to the source. "I knew I should've done something about that earlier!"
"Help me~! Ahhhhhh!" A man shouted as he was dragged into the fog by a tail. The white monster dragging him screeched out as its figure and the man faded.
Another man fell to his side, hitting the ground. "Gah!" He groaned and hurried up to his feet, but only got to his knees before a coil around his ankle made his spine shiver. "…no." He screamed as he was being dragged away as well.
Everyone was in a panic, the torches all around were being of little help. The heat generated from them wasn't enough to really draw the monsters away. The thin fog encased a vast area within the village, and as night fell, the monsters had used it to their advantage. They had begun their attack.
Kai had a spear in hand, trying to poke at the fog in front. He looked away and turned behind. "Everyone to the center, quick! Protect the beacon at all costs!"
A tail within the fog slammed the spear out of hand, leaving Kai defenseless as he stepped back. He clenched his fists as he saw a white monster's head poke out of the fog, but nothing more.
The beast snarled at him.
"You're a vicious sight to behold." Kai sniped. The monster retreated back into the fog and scrounged around once more.
All around was screaming, dirt being churned, and growling. The whole village was never so terrified before. They were all duped and had no way of knowing where to go. They all ran around, and the unlucky ones got too close to the fog and they were pulled in, forever lost.
Cana was throwing cards at a white monster that had its tail coiled around a woman's foot. The explosive cards pierced the tail and then erupted. The monster flailed and screamed in violent pain as its tail was nothing but chunks that hit the ground, sizzling and reducing to ash.
Cana leaned down towards the woman and helped her up. "Come on." She helped support her as they made way through the fog. The white monsters far behind them were having them in sight. They all sprinted after Cana, and the distance was getting close to being zero. Cana hurried along and she and the woman made one final pounce out of the fog, landing with thuds.
Cana sat up and panted. Her eyes were wide as she looked behind, in which she saw numerous heads prodding out and revealing sharp fangs. The woman scrambled to her feet and cleared away towards the beacon while Cana glared at them.
"Well you sure are ugly." She sniped.
The monsters all roared out. Their screeching was piercing Cana's ears, but she only stepped back some feet. A monster head roared out, but then it was suddenly reeled back inside the fog. There was a harsh thud and a cutting sound, and Cana blinked as that monster didn't come out.
The remaining two monsters looked back behind them, but then simultaneously, they were pulled back inside by the tails. They were met with slicing sounds and then silence.
Cana blinked, and was left with inquiry. Her suspicions were on point again when Craig, with all four blades drawn, emerged. "Cranky!"
Craig panted as he looked around. The citizens all around looked scared, and within the fog going around like a wall, the several heads popped out and looked at the beacon, but they all retreated randomly as they looked like they were in pain from the beacon's glaring heat.
"I knew it all along. They're after the beacon." Craig said.
Cana's eyes widened, recalling what Craig said. He mentioned something about that earlier, but it didn't make sense until realization dawned in this time of crisis.
"The monsters somehow need that, but they can't get to it, so as compensation, they're snatching up lives. I knew that beacon was bad news. Drake should've left it alone out there." He turned all around, searching left and right. "Come on, we gotta scare them away. Get that Sun's Strength card ready, will ya?!"
"Shut up, I was ready as you were talking!" Cana barked back, holding up her card.
"Then start shooting!"
"You start slashing!"
"Fine, Brownie!"
"Fine, Cranky!"
Both diverged and sped off. Cana was running along the sides of the fog and was looking for any monsters. Up ahead, she saw one with its body lurking and glaring at the beacon. "Here, look at this instead!" She threw her Sun's Strength card into the fog, trailing fire.
The card's explosion in the fog made a tower of heated fire explode out. The white monsters inside of the fog screeched out in sizzling and burning agony. They scurried off away from the massive heat wave given off by the attack.
Cana turned towards another direction, and she threw another Sun's Strength card into the fog. The trailing fire streamed inside until another fiery explosion erupting, sending a blistering heat wave that made the creatures in the night scurry off.
"Scissor Runner!"
Slashing in a fashion like a scissor, Craig sliced off the tail of a white monster that was an inch away from grabbing a man lying on the ground. The tail fell to the ground and the monster screeched outwards. Craig watched it escape and he turned back towards the fallen man.
"Go!" Craig shouted at the still-in-shock man. The man complied and scrambled to his feet and escaped out of the fog. Around Craig still were three white monsters that were circling around him, but he paid no heed.
"Spiral Dragon Slice!"
Funneling straight forward, he sliced right through all three at once. They all had cuts that curved and blood spilled as the beasts fell to the ground while Craig finished spiraling and landed on a knee. He made a dash towards his right and was seeing nothing but weak torch lights and night fog. He looked all around, and his skin was starting to get warm.
He slid to a stop, and he looked over and saw a tower of fire. He stared in that direction as he felt the heat around rise. The white monsters were seen scurrying off, and Craig grunted.
"Not too bad, Brownie." He said. Out of a whim, he pivoted and his mouth blade sliced into a passing beast, cutting it down.
So far three massive towers of fiery explosions were established, and Cana was having one last card in hand. "Sun's Strength!" She threw the last card, and the streaming fire of the card made way into the fog, erupting into fire.
The heat all around was like a scorching inferno. The people were sweating, but they all saw that inside the burning night fog that the white monsters were all growling, and turned tail and escaped out of the village. The monsters all sped like bullets out of the heated domain.
Craig appeared out of the fog with more people following, both ran into the sanctum of the center of the village.
Cana ran up to Craig, looking all around at the heated fog that started to lift. "…Cranky."
"Don't say it, Brownie. I know."
Morning came, and Fogbound was nothing more than some destroyed tents, mourning souls, and thin fog near the ground outside of the village. The daytime fog was but one thing with possible sunlight and heat, but apparently the nighttime fog was but a grieving mistake. Smoke was rising from the village from the fires Cana made to lure away the beasts, and all around people were looking sad.
Tents were uncovered, and a man sat on his knees and looked at his picture of a wife and daughter…both pillaged from him of last night. He could only stare as he was getting misty eyes.
In another part, the woman Cana saved was sitting in front of her tent, looking like she was gonna cry. She mournfully put the remaining bits of food in a basket and she picked it up.
Craig and Cana looked all around, seeing all of the frowns. The desperation in the air was too grim for words. Craig had a frown and an angry brow, as to where Cana looked around at the carnage and devastation last night was of. Both looked at each other, silently grieving.
Craig glared then at the ground, his fists clutched and his eyes winced. "Damnit!" In a moment's notice, he pierced the ground with his dark red sword, stabbing out of frustration. That one stab to the soft earth and he gripped the pommel. "I should've acted sooner."
Cana looked down at the ground, keeping her distance from him as he might lash out. "…I've never seen this much ruin before."
Craig, having his fuming settle just that once, withdrew his sword. "Brownie, you have no idea on how cruel the planet can be."
Kai looked around with haste, searching for something. "Drake? Where are you? Son!" He called out, but no answer. He huffed again, and shook his head. "Where is he?"
A fellow villager came up to him, getting his attention. The villager looked serious.
"What's the count?" Kai asked.
"Out of the 300 that we've started with, we were down to 152 beforehand. Now, there's only 54 left." He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry sir…but they got Drake too."
Kai stared at the villager or a moment, lips parted as he was left disheartened. His insides cramped up, and he cascaded his glance down to his feet. The villager mournfully looked on as the leader slowly turned his back and walked towards his tent, all of the energy drained right of him. The leader slumped to his knees and punched his mat.
Craig and Cana were watching him silently mourn from afar, and Craig had his head hung low. He looked pissed, but at the same time was aware that loafing around and mourning was the last thing that was to be done. He turned away and Cana watched him slowly walk towards the beacon.
"Cranky…?"
Craig stopped when he was in the gigantic center of the village, where the one-story small tower that the red beacon atop of it. He stared up at it, and Cana looked up as well.
"Brownie, I hate your guts, and you want to rip out mine. I get it…" He turned his feet and body to face her. "But as much as I want to defy you, I wanna make sure we have our lives intact. So, what do say…we work together to bring this crisis to an end?"
He extended a hand out to her, and Cana looked towards him. She couldn't deny it, she wanted him to be somebody else's end, but this was no time for them to bicker. This was a time of mourning and desperation. Any and all efforts from now on will be by their hands.
She reached and shook his hand. "Alright Cranky, I'm with ya all the way. Let's do this right."
Craig nodded. "Thanks." He turned to look up at the beacon, staring coldly at it. "You know as well I do that after last night, my suspicions were confirmed. They were bounded by that fog, and if they can't have that beacon, then they needed to make sure nobody did."
"I understand. You made it clear that Kai told us that the creatures weren't near Fogbound…at least until Drake had brought that back."
"Last night was their chance. With the village on equal perimeter, they had easy picking." His eyes narrowed. "This village won't last another night, not with the nighttime fog."
Cana glanced towards him. "So, what do you have in mind?"
Footsteps were heard from behind, heavy boots hitting the ground. "I have but one say in this."
Cana's eyes widened and her body jerked. "That voice."
"You two have gone far enough, and have already done enough." The figure put her hands to her hips, and she sternly glared the two ahead of her. Her glare was making shivers run down villagers' spines. They all retreated as she stood twenty feet away from Cana and Craig alike.
Cana was not feeling right. She was feeling uneasy, and yet she knew what was going down as sweat dropped from the back of her head. She looked despondent. "Oh great."
Craig raised a brow as he turned to look behind his shoulder. Anyone looking at her would've immediately bowed at her wrath, but Craig just bared his teeth and looked pissed instead. "The hell you looking at?" He told her.
Cana turned around, looking defensive at the sudden appearance of a certain someone. "Erza, how did you even find us?"
The redhead stared coldly at the two, looking at them with piercing glares. Cana was looking defensive for certain, but Craig wasn't even remotely budged. He just looked nonchalant, as if he was just glaring at some normal person who was irrelevant to him. She glared harder, but still, Craig wasn't budged. In fact, he looked annoyed.
"You got something to say or what? Because that glare you're giving makes me angry." Craig growled.
"Craig Crius. Cana Alberona." Erza requipped a sword, grabbing the hilt tightly. "I assume you know why I'm here. You two broke the guild rules, you're coming back to the guild…now."
It's been a short while, but here's the update you've all wanted. Here's a turning point in Craig and Cana's relationship. It's then and there that you may see the two on slightly better terms, but only as far as teamwork for the duration of the mission; their bickering will still ensue, as monstrous and charming as ever. Afterwards, there will be shock to say the least, in terms of how the story and CraigxCana shall follow.
The reason this chapter's update was late was because I'm super busy. This is the last update before I officially move, so this is the last chapter established at my old house. The new update in a matter of weeks will be made at my new home.
As always, thank you for reading another chapter, and hope you leave a review and comment!