Tony: -sighs and looks pointedly at Shadow- Someone did not read my Author's Notes... I said, right after the page break that separated the story from said A/N (and I quote, minust the stuff in parentheses): "This last section was actually written by Daniel. And Silver is a character from his TotA AU." Translation: Wrong Silver. And about Legretta, I'm sorry. When I handed the characters over to Daniel so that he could write that section, he let her go. When I got them back, I was not pleased... She will remain contained from here on.
Leon: Ahem, on another note... Tony only owns HIS OC's, since a number of these belong to his friends. So...
Tony: Enjoy the chapter! (It's been so long since I've written this that I don't really remember what happens... Yeah, I definitely need to get writing.)
Chapter V – New Divide
Luke sighed as the five of them stepped onto the streets of Baticul. They were mostly silent as they headed up to the top level. As they were climbing the stairs to the courtyard outside the castle, however, the silence was broken.
"Natalia's not going to be happy," Guy stated. Luke sighed.
"I know. I'm not happy, and technically, I'm not even Kimlascan anymore," he replied. Anise looked at him in confusion.
"Huh? Why not?" she asked. The redhead sighed.
"Sirris registered me in the Malkuthian Assassins' Guild. Until my registration expires and I have to renew it, I'm a Malkuth citizen," he told her.
"Yes, that's part of the reason we were able to get Sirris out of prison, remember?"
The group turned around to see Natalia and a small group of soldiers behind them. She waved a hand and the group dispersed. "Although, you will be renewing your registration under the Kimlascan Guild, won't you?" she asked. Luke shrugged.
"That depends. Emperor Peony and Astor have been talking about trying to combine the four under a single Guild Master again. If they can talk Uncle and Ion into it as well, and the four of them in turn can convince the Guild Masters, I may or may not have to pick between Kimlasca and Malkuth," he replied. Natalia crossed her arms.
"Really? Father and I haven't heard anything of it yet. Of course, considering Sirris, and Jade's connection with the emperor…" she trailed off. Then she frowned. "Which reminds me…" Stalking over to Jade, she grabbed the collar of his coat. "What on earth happened in Chesedonia? Everyone kept staring at me like I was the devil! It was downright insulting! No one in Kimlasca ordered that attack!"
Jade adjusted his glasses. "We were actually coming here to confirm that that was the case. In any event, Shuro's information is probably correct," he told her. Natalia released him.
"Oh? You've spoken to Shuro recently?" she asked. Jade nodded.
"Yes, but perhaps we'd best explain this to his Majesty as well," he suggested. Natalia nodded.
"I'll get you a private audience with Father. Come on," she said, leading them into the castle. A short while later, the six of them and the king stood in Ingobert's private study.
"Replicas, you say?" Ingobert asked. Luke nodded.
"It sounds like Mohs is trying to restart his war," he replied. Ingobert looked grave.
"Then we'll have to do something about it," he stated. Natalia looked over at him.
"There are also people still clamoring for the Score. We need to decide what to do about it," she added. Then, frowning, she continued, "Perhaps it would be best to call a summit on the Score. We can bring up the matter of Mohs while we're at it."
Ingobert nodded. "Yes, we should do that," he agreed. He turned to the group that was scattered around the far end of the table. "Jade, do you believe Emperor Peony will agree?" he asked. Jade nodded.
"I do," he said.
"Father, allow me to accompany them to speak to Ion and the Emperor. If nothing else, we may be able to figure out why Mohs is still so insistent on following the Score," she said. Ingobert looked directly opposed to the idea.
"You've done a wonderful job as an ambassador, Natalia, but you should stay here for now," he argued. Natalia put her hands behind her back and drew out a face Luke didn't know she could pull off.
"But Father! I can't just sit here and do nothing while there are people out there trying to start a war," she cried, the innocent look on her face ringing a faint bell in Luke's mind. But where…?
Ingobert sighed. "Very well. But Luke," he said. The redhead looked up at him.
"Yes, sir?"
"Take care of her," he ordered. Luke nodded.
"Of course, Uncle," he replied. Natalia smiled.
"That settles it then!" she said happily. Then she looked like she remembered something. "Oh, we should probably stop by the manor on our way out though."
Luke tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why?" he wondered. Natalia shrugged.
"I don't know. Susanne just asked me to come," she replied.
Luke sighed. "Alright. Back to the manor we go," he agreed. They filed out the door, heading down the stairs quietly. They had almost made it out of the castle when Luke stopped. "What are you doing here?"
Valon looked up. "Huh?" he asked unintelligently. "Oh!" Luke face-palmed. "Eh, Raven sent me to Ryndor. Apparently Peony and Astor are trying to combine the Guilds again. I got sent on messenger duty," he explained. Luke nodded.
"I was wondering how long it'd be before word got around to everyone," he said. Valon shrugged.
"Been to Daath already, had to deal with Angel the Asshole before Zale finally knocked him upside the head. Ryndor and Rhunön are strange as always. Zero and Corylle gave me a letter to take back to Raven… Oh, and Toni suggested I bring you this. It's for next month, since Bastion made her put them together, she's sending them out early," he said, rattling off names that no one in the group knew before holding out a manila envelope.
Jade frowned. "You are not doing that and then coming back to the inn without cleaning up first," he stated. Luke rolled his eyes.
"No fuck," he grumbled. Valon chuckled.
"You know where Sirris is? I've got hers too," he asked. Luke shook his head.
"No, but we'll see her eventually. Here," he stated, holding out a hand. Valon handed over another envelope, and Luke slipped both of them into his bag.
"Yay. One less thing for me to worry about. Now then, off to deal with Raven, Toni, and Bastion again. See ya!" he called over his shoulder as he left. Guy crossed his arms.
"Um…"
"Ryndor is the Guild Master of the Kimlascan branch, while Rhunön sits on Uncle's council. Sebastian, or Bastion, as most of the guild calls him, does the same on Peony's council, while Raven is Guild Master. Daath and Chesedonia are run by a set of identical twins and a guy and his replica. Azalea, or Zale as she prefers to be called, and Corylle are the Guild Masters, Angel's a Maestro in the Oracle Knights, and Zero's part of the group that runs the Chesedonian Merchants' Guild," Luke explained.
"Then, who's Toni?" Anise wondered. Luke sighed.
"Allitonia is Bastion's little sister and his apprentice," he told her. "And she absolutely hates to be called by her full name."
Natalia's look was one of pity. "I would too… Tear's full name is longer than that in letters, but shorter in syllables. Which is sad," she said. Tear nodded.
"Why would Azalea prefer to be called Zale though?" she wondered. Luke shrugged.
"Like I'd know. I know who the people are, that doesn't mean I know everything about them," he grumbled. "Now, weren't we going to the manor? Eh, correction. You guys go the manor, I'm heading into town to get something. Wait for me there, I'll be back shortly," he added. Natalia crossed her arms, but didn't stop him as he ran off.
After weaving through the crowds, Luke found his way into a murky alley, and he wasn't surprised to find that it lead to a run-down area that had probably been a park once. Little light made it down here, and Luke could see small clumps of homeless people here and there.
These were the people that didn't want Natalia's help, who were too prideful to care about getting jobs to support their families. They stayed down here, out of sight, so that they wouldn't be forced out of what they considered to be home.
A group of children, mostly young teens, ran past him, but one of them stopped.
"Sirris? No, you're a guy… Soren?" the girl asked. Her golden-brown eyes were half-hidden behind messy, dark brown bangs.
Luke smiled. "No, but Sirris is my mentor," he replied. The girl looked wary. "I take it you're Chloe?" he continued. She nodded.
"Yeah. Can I do something for you?" she asked. Luke smirked and waved her off to the side. She followed cautiously.
"I hear from Sirris that you have some fast hands. Would you mind putting them to work for me?" he inquired quietly. Chloe looked thoughtful.
"Who, and what? Then I'll answer that question," she told him. Luke handed her a piece of paper with two drawings on it. One was a person, the other was an item. Chloe looked over them. "What's in it for me?" she asked, looking up at him.
Luke just patted his pocket lightly, and Chloe smirked when she heard the faint clink of coins. "If you learned anything from Sirris, you'll know how much. Which is good," Chloe stated. "Alright. Where can I find him, and who am I delivering to once I'm done?"
"He'll be in Daath. Anyway, you know where the Curtiss manor is in Grand Chokmah?" he asked. "West side, there's a strong vine you can use to climb up. Second floor, window on the left, hide it under the bed. Then check the closet. Top shelf on the far right, there's a blue pouch."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You really trust me not to just take the money?" she asked. Luke nodded.
"Yup. Because the next ferry for Grand Chokmah doesn't leave for another two weeks. But, there's one to Daath tomorrow, and another to Grand Chokmah from there only two days after that one arrives," he replied. She giggled.
"Okay. You got it, um…" she trailed off.
"Luke," he told her. She nodded.
"Got it, Luke. It'll be there next time you drop in," she promised. "I'll just make sure I'm ready to go."
And with that, she ran off, and Luke headed back up to the manor.
When he arrived, Susanne was handing Natalia a bow that seemed to be glowing with light. Tear sang the second fonic hymn and it stopped glowing, causing Luke to raise an eyebrow.
"Okay. What's that, and why was it glowing?" he asked. Jade slipped his hands into his pockets.
"We're collecting the catalysts for the Planetary Fonic Arte. Why, I have yet to figure out, but this is the third we've found. Well, Asch found it and left it here. At any rate, we now have three," he explained. Luke raised an eyebrow, then decided that it would be better not to ask.
"Alright, I've got what I need to get done finished. We ready to go again?" he said. Natalia nodded. They were on their way out when Guy stopped. Luke looked over his shoulder and smiled slightly when he saw Pere.
"Pere, are you staring at that old sword again?" Anise asked. Guy sighed.
"Anise, it's my father's sword," he told her. Anise looked apologetic, while Jade looked curious.
"Interesting. I'd thought that the Jewel of House Gardios had gone with Hod," he commented. Pere shook his head.
"No. Duke Fabre took it and put it up here," he replied. "I should be getting back to work. Take care now, all of you."
Luke watched him walk off before looking back at Guy. "You had to live all that time with that kind of a reminder hanging practically right over your head?" he asked. Guy sighed.
"Yeah, but it failed to bother me after a while," he replied. "And while I'm still not totally happy about it hanging in the home of the man who killed my parents, I'm not sure I have any right to it either."
Luke shook his head. "Maybe not yet, but you will someday," he told him.
"I love how we keep getting sidetracked," Anise commented to Jade. The colonel adjusted his glasses.
"Yes, first Valon at the castle, now Pere here…" he agreed. Luke and Guy exchanged a look before rolling their eyes.
"Alright, come on. Next stop, Daath," Luke grumbled. Tear tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Why Daath?" she asked.
"Because that's where Ion is. Natalia's going to suggest that summit on the Score, remember?" Luke replied. Jade nodded.
"Right. Let's get going then," he agreed.
Sirris slipped into the Sephiroth quietly, pulling the blonde wig off as she did so. Certainly, her hair was blonde now, but not nearly long enough, and definitely not the right shade. Hence, the reason why she and Aerys had ended up looking like twins for the last few days.
None of Aerys' monsters questioned her as she made her way down to the passage ring, but they didn't follow her far. Her nose wrinkled as she approached the fonstone in the middle.
"Damn. We won't have long before that breaks loose. It's already so strong… Ugh, not to mention way too concentrated," she muttered, looking down at what appeared to be a writing mass of violet-brown. Then she stood, only to stumble a bit. "Shit… I've got to get out of here," she added, turning and running back to the monsters, slipping up onto one of the ligers without a word.
Chikyu understood well enough, as she started running, the rest of the monsters on her heels. Sirris held on, pushing back against her body as the miasma, which seemed to be quickly and quietly spreading, tried to force her under.
They had just made it out of the Sephiroth when Sirris collapsed.
The monsters gathered around her as she slipped off of Chikyu's back and watched her in concern when she didn't get back her. Her skin, already pale, seemed unhealthily so now, and her breathing was slow and shallow.
They were so concentrated on the comatose girl that they didn't see the group of four walking up to them. One of the two males paused.
"What on earth is this?"
"Oh no… Sirris!" Asch yelled, pushing past Arashi and then one of the ligers to reach her. Rue and Ellie exchanged a look before they and Arashi joined Asch. Ellie knelt and checked Sirris's pulse, then looked up at the other two who were paying attention.
Rue crossed her arms and looked over at the opening to the Sephiroth nearby. "Did she just come out of here?" she asked one of the ligers, pointing to the doorway. The monster nodded, and Rue sighed. "I'll be back in a moment," she told them, walking off. She didn't even have to reach the passage ring before she stopped though, seeing the bubble of miasma that was coming up below it. She cringed and ran back out.
"Okay, that look tells me that either something bad is about to happen, or something bad is happening," Ellie commented. Arashi opened his mouth, then stumbled.
"Dammit, why do I always have to be so far away?" he muttered after a moment. "Not that it would matter at this point."
Rue crossed her arms. "What was it? Miasma?" she asked. Arashi shook his head, then hesitated and shrugged.
"Kinda. Miasma, and then something to do with Mohs that involved Anise," he replied. "But… Wait, you mean the miasma is coming out of the Sephiroth?" he asked. Rue nodded.
"It's really, really concentrated around the passage ring, because it's forcing the dividing line up, like a bubble. It'll probably thin out once it's broken through," she said.
Asch frowned. "That means Sirris won't wake up for a while… Dammit, Luke will collapse too!" he cried, suddenly realizing the fact. Arashi crossed his arms.
"Let's take her back to Hikarikage. She'll be safe there, we've re-built the shields designed to keep Nigai and Skye out. We can figure out where to go from there," he decided. Asch nodded and lifted Sirris, while one of the ligers growled. Without even trying to explain, the monsters ran off down the valley, back toward Chesedonia.
"Uh… Should we really be letting them go?" Ellie wondered. Rue smiled.
"They're used to humans. They're probably going back home," she replied. "Come on. I'm pretty sure we were headed to Hika…whatever."
Arashi laughed, though even to Asch, it sounded forced. "Hikarikage," he said simply before freezing, any cheerfulness draining from his expression. "Shit… Luke's not going to hold on for too long after the miasma hits," he muttered. Rue hugged her arms.
"Let's just hope we can find a way to actually get rid of the miasma this time," she said. Asch nodded, but Ellie had the feeling he wasn't really paying attention. No, he was more worried about the girl in his arms right now.