(The lyrics to be shown are drastically changed translations to Suteki da Ne by Rikki. I'd have written it in Japanese, but it just didn't flow the same. Look up the lyrics if you want. As for the whole Valter thing, it's quite plot essential … And, well… Don't kill me. I hate Valter, too. But without him, there goes a good part of the story, so… o.o
Thank you to all my reviewers, especially those who have stuck around since Chapter 1. I'll start a review corner next chapter, if you guys want. I just wanted to keep the story less cluttered… unless you want replies to your reviews. Tell me what you want me to do, okay:D)
Ch. 6: Distress
Returning gratefully to the palace and pushing back his wavy, unkept hair, a man clad in black armor quickly slid off the saddle of his blue-scaled companion. Patting his mount's back as the wyvern stretched out its wings before reclining, the beast's rider nonchalantly tied a long rope to the reins and walking off, whistling merrily to himself. The gastly figure in his easily recognizable armor tossed his gemstone casually into the air as if was just a pebble, reflecting on the mission that had just concluded. He would treasure those moments… yes, he would. It was the best mission he'd had in the recent weeks he'd been promoted to a Gemstone General, and was extremely glad that Vigarde had finally gotten his mission tastes right.
Charged with the removal of opposing rebels in the southern reaches of Grado territory, Valter had been all too happy to accept the mission… even though he was doubtful that such a menial group of peasants could provide enough of a challenge to sate his bloodlust. Ah, but he had been wrong, much to his relief; the said rebels were deserters from the Grado army, and were well-trained in the art of combat. Well-trained or not, however, Valter's lance and airborne advantage had proved too much for his ground-based units… crushing them from swift dives from the skies before eventually allowing himself to fight on foot, he was satisfied with the blood that now coated his lance and armor. His lance arm was actually tired for once, with the muscles of his shoulder aching slightly from the length of the scuffle and the numerous number of strikes he had to take in order to fell their commander and slaughter his fleeing foes. And yet, he noticed, that hunger never really went away. It faded, yes, but the urge to kill never fully disappeared.
Looking down for a moment at his lance, he could only see one thing… a tool. Yes, weapons were tools, used to harvest enough of the crop of blood sown by war to finally stave the pains of insatiable bloodlust and the resulting sense of starvation. He thirsted for blood, craved for it with all his being… and yet, when he got it, he never got enough. It was enough to drive him mad… not that he cared. He truly had wanted to thank Duessel before he had become a turncoat… had it not been for the Obsidian's lance, where would this marvelous instinct to kill have come from? His skill with the lance had increased from his renewed vigor to study the killing arts, and now he had finally begun to sow his seed of death and bloodshed across the land.
The only thing that had ever rivaled his thirst for blood was the insatiable desire for a woman's touch… a thirst that, like the first, he knew he would never be able to fully satisfy. Over time, he had claimed countless, albeit temporary lovers with his title; there had been many women who swooned at the chance to be with one of the mythical Gemstone generals for his wealth, but never for appearance. Oftentimes, they gave him gifts, invited him to banquets, and many came to him for little… pleasurable sessions… to try to inspire him to give them a profitable marriage offer.
Unfortunately for them, none of them ever got what they wished for.
Ah, how he had relished the feeling of it… the façade of a loving touch as the women's arms had encircled his body, the caresses that he had felt from them, and the sweet taste of their lips. He cherished every moan his touch elicited, and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers running over their vulnerable necks… How he loved to see the horror in their eyes, to see their lovely ruby blood running down the beautiful stretch of flawless ivory skin as he slit their throats with a crystal dagger, letting the blood trickle down their flesh while he simultaneously relished their bodies and death cries. Their time of faked passion had degraded to a time of utmost terror as they choked on their own blood, with the bodies that he had formerly littered with kisses dying from the very blood that he so savored. It was always like a sacred ritual to him; the taking of what he wanted from the one who never wanted him, then giving her the gift that he loved most to give… death, with the crimson liquid that normally granted life.
Smirking to himself, he paused his whistling, electing to go for humming instead. It was so much closer to the words he wish he could say to the one they were intended for… Ah, but he would find her again. She was a wild beast, and had denied his every advance, rather than rushing towards his title… he always loved a little spirit in his lovers, and she was a rare diamond in the rough. Her blood must be brilliant, her spirit shone so bright…
The princess, her smiling face a gentle illusion
Her spirit, broken and failing, like tears unable to be hidden.
Isn't it beautiful, the way I tame your spirit,
I do so wish to hear
The sound of your pleasure, your pain, your anger.
Her eyes, a shaking window to an unsteady soul
Her heart, loosing gentle tears into an overflowing stream
Isn't it wonderful, the way I'll feel your hands on mine,
I wish to feel…
Your flesh, your body, your blood.
Your face, your soft skin…
Dissolving into scarlet…
Descending into an everlasting dream…
Smiling once again as he entered the palace, he made sure to give the pendant he held in his pocket a quick squeeze before moving inside. It would at least make sure that he didn't leave the confines of her mind… at least until the pain subsided from her body. Oh, how desperately he wanted to break her spirit… and the pact he had made would ensure that he would get his wish. Approaching the man who carried a crystal article of jewelry and stood in regal robes before Prince Lyon, Valter had the decency to bow deeply before the man and the dark druid beside him before speaking in as respectful a tone as he could manage.
"Welcome to Castle Grado… Zephiel, King of Bern."
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Zephiel had been a long time in coming; having taken the quickest route through Grado, Bern's armies had encountered many a group of ruffians who had wanted nothing more than to see them out of their lands. One after another, the army made sure that the native populations were put in their place… though some still continued to resist. He remembered, vaguely, the northern village that had rested in the mountains… and how earnestly they had wanted him to leave. They came at him with everything they had; pitchforks, weak magic, and even the occasional kitchen utensil or training weapon was brought up against his mighty armies. He decimated that small population with nary a struggle, but could still remember the eerily haunting look the village elder had in her eyes just before she died. They weren't judgmental, but almost sorrowful, and carried with them the silent promise of retribution.
The very thought still chilled him to the bone, even with the comforting power of Idoun beside him. Though her power was enormous, he knew that she would never be able to truly comfort him with words and emotions… for she held none inside. She was a broken woman, one who would sooner defy her master outright than show signs of love, joy, or devotion. A mere vessel for power is what others viewed her as, but Zephiel saw her for what she truly was; a perfect being, created for the sole purpose of purging the world of humankind. The era for men was over… it was time for the dragons to take hold of the realm that was rightfully theirs once again.
Looking down at the man who bowed at him with a gaze that could shatter glass, Zephiel returned to the task at hand. Carefully holding the crystal tiara that Lyon had given him, he placed it on Idoun's lavender-haired head with gentleness that none in the room thought him to be capable of. Though the thin-framed girl did not smile, she did appear extravagant with it on, nonetheless. Wrapping around her head in a delicate web of silver and diamonds, Lyon's gift had indeed pleased the girl's master… for now she looked to be a queen, fit to rule her own realm with calm supremacy and glory. Looking up with her bi-colored eyes, Idoun spoke.
"Thank you, master." Those three words were enough to please Bern's blonde ruler, and, though her tone was anything but enthusiastic, Lyon and Nergal could each confirm her sincerity. It seemed that was the only emotion she could reveal with her monotone but silky voice… sincerity. She conveyed no joy, no hatred, no wrath… simply obedience and sincerity. Smiling ever so slightly at her reaction, Zephiel turned to the other two men, pushing back the violet silk of his sleeves slightly before beginning to place his thoughts into words. He knew he had to choose his words carefully… he wanted allies in this war for conquest, not new foes.
"Emperor Lyon of Grado and Nergal, Dark Druid of the Isles… Why is it you have called me here? What is it you wish to ask of me?" Well aware that Idoun was adequate protection against any attacks that either of the two magic casters could perform on short notice, Zephiel nevertheless let his grip shift slightly on the staff that he held in his hand. Encased within the seemingly harmless tool of regality was a weapon… a blade that had served him well many times in the past. Brenya, one of his most faithful followers, remained just outside the room, ready to rush in and protect Zephiel or the Dark Priestess at any given time.
"I have called you here… on behalf of…" The orchid-haired emperor paused, clutching his chest as he struggled to continue. His voice seemed to be strangled by some unseen force, his will beginning to smother beneath something that no one could fathom as he began to groan in pain, shuddering as he reached both hands to almost grip his heart. While Zephiel neither saw nor cared for the reason behind this attack, dismissing it for something physically wrong within the prince's frail body, but Nergal could see the dark tendrils he had sensed within his first conversation with the boy. Watching them as they seethed and broiled before completely consuming his body, all that could normally be seen by someone who was not familiar with the elder magics was the prince's physical state of stress and pain. Once they dissipated, however, Lyon paused, standing up as if none of the pain had come to pass. The darkness now fully enveloped his body and spirit; it seemed to Nergal that the strings of a demonic marionette were holding the teen's body under its full control.
"There. That's better. Rest now, Lyon." Chuckling slightly, the now deeper, hoarse voice of the Demon King took over the prince's smooth and calm voice. Zephiel, while surprised by his amazing sense of control over a host body, made no attempt to show it through his face or actions. Rather, he allowed him to continue, standing silent and vigil over his priestess.
"I've called you all here for the resurrection of the demonic forces of lore… the demons and dragonkin… the annihilation of the race that plagues this land… Is that not what you two wish? I require your strength to obtain what we each desire… Energy, liberation, and the return of my kin." Looking to peer at each of them from beneath his orchid bangs, he noted Nergal's slight nod and Zephiel's look of approval at his words. "Already, something has gone awry… you've seen it, haven't you? That other presence wasn't supposed to have awakened with our worlds, and yet it seems to have been beneficial; our plans may not have worked without Nergal's return. We must not let another mishap occur again, whether it be for better or for worse…Surely you each remember the contracts forged between us; the agreements made in blood. May stay united for a common cause, and bring back supremacy to a land that no longer needs the melancholy presence of the tainted race."
"And what of the quintessence? Surely you will not let that go to waste…" Looking over to see the brilliant emerald webs of quintessence that soared and pulsated in amazingly high levels around the Demon King, he could feel his thirst for the energy return in gusto. Realizing that his power was not at its highest potential, however, he chose to push down the hunger, remaining as civilized and formal as he could manage. No matter how much quintessence this demonic presence may have had, he could guess that the entire world's population would provide more than enough of the life-giving energy to surpass that of the man who stood before him.
"And what of us after this war? We do require your help, but at what cost…?" Zephiel looked to Idoun before returning his gaze to the former emperor of Grado… if he was to hurt his priestess, his key to liberating the Dragons' rightful birthright from the human race, he would immediately leave, never to seek out help from this man again. He could do it himself if he wanted, but help that was so readily available made him both tempted and suspicious… suspicious of motives, costs, and results.
"You do recall what each of you must do… and remember; if you succeed, Nergal shall inherit the quintessence of the world's entire human population, while you, Zephiel, may do as you wish after the conflict is over. Though I cannot guarantee supremacy over the lands that are liberated, I will say that your help within this will be written in the dragons' lore for ages to come…" The lord of the demons that ravaged the land held out his hand, and smiled as each of them shook it, one after the other. One after another, each proclaimed their goals before all went their separate ways…
"The land will return to the dragons!"
"I will free the land, as it is my Master's will…"
"My morphs shall live again!"
"Let the land be covered in darkness…"
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It was nightfall in the camp of the Elibean and Magvelian army, with most of the campgrounds remaining eerily silent as the veil of darkness descended over them. Sleep had been the first priority for both sides, and showed for everyone save for those who stood watch. Kent stood vigil by the western wing of camp with Fiora, who had insisted on staying awake with him; Treck and Noah watched the southern reaches, Seth made sure to stay near the east, where the healing tent remained with his nation's princess still inside, and to the north was Rei, who had wanted to become more in tune with the darkness around him. Sophia had accompanied him, interested in his safety during the late hours of the night. In this impregnable darkness, it was all about surprise; if a druid such as Rei was to be ambushed in the middle of the night, he would need someone guarding his back… after all, magic crafters such as themselves were not exactly famed for their defensive prowess.
A soft scraping noise could be heard at the eastern reaches of the camp, where one of the lords had insisted upon staying awake to stand vigil with the rest of the volunteers. Running a whetstone over her blade, the Sacaean woman let the events of the past settle in her mind, sorting out truth from fiction as quickly as she could. Had she really died? Had her body once decayed into nothing but a ghastly skeleton, not unlike the Bonewalkers she had come to see in her patrols around camp? Staring down at her hands, she could not bring herself to believe the truth… but Sue herself had confirmed it, along with her husband.
Death was viewed as the reuniting with Mother Earth and Father Sky, in the eyes of the Sacaean people. And yet, had her lore been true, why did she not remember any of the afterlife? Was there nowhere to go after death? If so, how could she have returned? Questions plagued her restless mind, and with it came confusion and frustration. Angered by her loss for answers, she stood up, turning around to swing the now sharpened Mani Katti in an arc as her body turned, seeing if the blade had withstood the test of time… and, just as in the days of the Second Scouring, it sliced through the air swiftly and smoothly. What she didn't expect, however, was the contact it had made halfway through its flight.
After the hellish shrieks that had rocked the camp had fully registered in her stunned mind, Lyn looked astonishingly at the strange creature she had just struck, and was rather surprised she hadn't heard it sooner. How could a beast that much larger than herself have snuck up on her so silently…?
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The northern area of camp was a rather desolate area, littered with the rocky crag edges that overlooked much of the lower-elevation areas around them. It was here, atop the highest point in Border Mulan that they had been posted… a place that required a bit of climbing to reach, but provided the sentries with a view unrivaled by any other position in the vicinity. While one pair of eyes nervously surveyed the darkness for foes, as she was supposed to do, the other pair had made do with focusing on random inanimate objects as the soft chanting of a spell filled the night air.
"Rei…" Sophia said softly, watching Rei casting his strange brand of magic against stationary objects. She was genuinely concerned about the strange chill she had felt coming from near the campgrounds, and was absolutely sure it had not been from the wind. She couldn't see the cause of the dangerous premonition… though that was to be expected, since it had originated from behind them. Their post was just at the edge of the forest, which was too dark for most to truly see into… it had been a miracle they had traversed it properly in the first place, and it was certainly good of them to have periodically placed markers throughout the dense wood to guide them back to the others when their tour of duty was over. The younger of the two paused in his casting, turning to her with a look of confusion and concern.
"What is it, Sophia? Something wrong?" Knowing by now that the half-mamkute never took well to guard duty, he had been fully prepared to offer any reassurances necessary to keep her calm and safe tonight. He hadn't wanted her to scare herself by coming to stay with him during sentry duty, but he knew that he didn't exactly want her to leave, either. It was a selfish decision on his part, he knew, but what could he do? Lugh would have given him hell about it if he hadn't kept watch over her… even more so, since he seemed to know his every thought and whim. It was one of the downsides to being magical twins… being more in tune with the elements and the shadows, each had learned to read the other in a different light while making sure that neither of them was in the dark.
"I… It's nothing." She sighed, shaking her head. She had always been anxious around this sort of thing, and didn't quite know what possessed Rei to volunteer for this sort of duty. The chill had lessened, but not dissipated, meaning that; at least for the time being, the danger had passed them by. Smiling softly before replacing said smile with an inquisitive look, she pointed to his book. "I've… I've never heard anyone cast that spell before. What is it?"
"Oh, this?" He said confidently, smirking as he smoothed back his emerald hair. "It's a new thing I'm trying. Lugh and I study different types of magic; what would happen if we threw the incantations of two spells together? It oughta be good… unless it goes and blows us up or something. …H-Hey, I'm just kidding! Don't look at me like that." Noticing her look of concern and worry at his mention of things going awry, he quickly waved his hands a bit to ease her fears. This did nothing to lower her anxiety at what could go wrong, but his confidence in a positive outcome did some good in lessening her dread a little.
"Ah… All right. I'm sorry." She said, only to have Rei slap his palm against his forehead in response. Pausing for a moment, as it was a gesture not seen frequently in Arcadia, she awaited an explanation.
"Augh… didn't I tell you that wasn't necessary? To apologize, I mean." Quickly adding the last part to make sure she didn't say it again, he smiled slightly at the blush that crept over her face. He'd always found that shyness of hers absolutely endearing… though he'd certainly never tell her that. After all, Lugh had teased him senseless about his liking of her, and if he found out about this… he'd never hear the end of it.
"All… all right." Smiling at him, she noted that he smiled back…. A truly rare occurrence, to be sure. Resisting the urge to widen her eyes in shock, for she had seen more dramatic things before (not many, though…), she let that smile stay on her face. It had been so long since she'd had the opportunity to truly smile, and it certainly felt wonderful after being absent from her features for so long.
But all that was cut off as the cold chill returned, and something screamed at her to come to someone's aid… Rushing to leave, she saw Rei's befuddled face… and read the guilt on his face that clearly told her that he thought he had done something wrong. Shaking her head, she quickly yelled her news as she ran towards the center of camp.
"Rei! Come at once! Lady Lyndis is in danger!"
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"…Third sector… clear." On the southern side of camp, silence abounded far more than the soft words that were spoken as one of the two cavaliers stood vigil at his post, sitting proudly astride his gelding as he kept still, almost like a statue in his diligent stance. The other, on the other hand, had just returned, smirking a bit at the prospect of a clear and undisturbed night. Brushing a few brambles off his armor and from his dark hair, the Ilian cavalier made do with his current condition, so long as his ride through the burrs and thorns proved beneficial to the army as a whole.
Giving the area one last look around, Noah searched the perimeter of their assigned area dutifully before, finally content that no one had invaded their premises, smiled and returned to the man who had remained at the original station. Pushing back a bit of his tussled black hair with a sigh of content, he allowed himself one yawn before turning to his partner, Treck. The sandy blonde was seated gallantly astride his chestnut gelding, his head positioned forward and held high, and it would look to most as if he was standing guard as dutifully as his fellow knight… unfortunately for him, Noah did not apply for 'most'. He, too, was an Ilian cavalier, and his past experiences with Treck let him know quite well what was truly the case.
Dismounting and moving around to the front of Treck's horse, he smirked at the sight of his friend, his eyes closed and his breathing steady even on horseback. Indeed, as he had suspected, his friend had been fast asleep… it figured that he didn't take that much seriousness in sentry duty. Then again, it was his overly passive nature and his indifference towards the task that had gotten him assigned to this duty, anyway, so perhaps it was to be expected that he would find himself in this scenario. Noah could only thank the gods that he'd volunteered, as well; otherwise, his friend would have certainly left quite the open spot for fiends to slip through. Sighing before moving beside his friend's horse, which was sleeping peacefully even while standing, he slapped its rear, causing both horse and rider to wake with a start.
Quickly spilling the rider from his saddle by rearing up in shock, Treck's gelding marched off for a moment before returning, pressing his muzzle to his rider's neck in concern. Now fully awake(or as awake as he'd care to be) and with his horse's head so close, Treck was quite disgruntled when he got up… or, at least, as disgruntled as he could be without expending too much energy. Giving Noah nothing but a sleepy look as retribution, he simply yawned again before speaking in his usual tired but nevertheless laid back tone. His blue armor had been scuffed up a bit from the fall, but he couldn't have cared less.
"Now, what'd you go and do that for?" Opening his mouth wide and yawning while not truly caring about the current circumstances concerning guard duty, he leisurely weighed his options… would he opt to get up and into the saddle in case of an enemy attack, to better fight the valiant fight against any possible assailants… or sleep right where he was on the uncomfortable but nonetheless supportive bed of hard-packed dirt beneath him?
That wasn't even a question he had to ask himself.
"Not that you'd care, right Treck? …Treck?" Noah joked, expecting at least a weak laugh in return. Not completely at a loss for why he hadn't answered, he also noted that Treck's gelding had wandered off yet again… and this time, just as the last, with no rider astride his back. Looking down on the ground, Noah could do nothing but sigh as he saw his fellow Ilian knight, fast asleep on the ground. Ah, wouldn't Zealot have a thing or two to say about that, had he been around to see that…
"Well, I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself. Actually, I'm kinda glad you're asleep…" Walking over to him before waving his hand in front of his face, Noah smirked at the lack of response. Some things that he truly needed to get off his chest were best said to unhearing ears, after all…
"Ah, Treck… you've seen her, haven't you? That girl that I helped out at the arena a few weeks ago. She's a cute one, isn't she? Naive, too… but that's probably what makes her so charming. Do you think it would work out between us, Treck? Do you like that sort of girl?" Smiling a bit, he was rather shocked upon hearing a grumbled response.
"I… I like…" Almost fearful that Treck had indeed woken up halfway through his confession, Noah quickly bantered in his mind whether or not to hit his friend and hope to give him a temporary case of amnesia, lest he accidentally leak out the information to Fir. It had happened once before, when he was but a squire, and he had fallen for a rather cute Pegasus knight… Luriah, he recalled… it was just a shame that she didn't exactly share his feelings, and even more of a shame that it had been Treck who had leaked it out in passing, thinking that it didn't matter what she thought of the news.
Elimine forbid if that should happen again.
"I… like Celeste… yup. She's cute… hehe…." Smiling as he mumbled in his sleep, Treck turned over, apparently dreaming of home again. It was nice, to have something to look back on… even if it was a past love that hadn't been entirely successful. Why, he had even fallen asleep on their first date…
Though he resisted the urge to chuckle, at that thought, a more urgent stimulus came into play as a high-pitched shriek quickly alerted his ears… but, despite its hellish proportions and its almost deafening volume, the cacophony still failed to awaken his partner. Shaking him awake and almost throwing him on his horse with the urgency of the situation, Noah began to ride off, only yelling to let Treck know of the plight.
"Someone's being attacked! Let us ride, Treck!" To this, he was replied to only with a groan… not one of disdain, perhaps, but one that implied, 'Aw, do I have to?'
"Meh, all right… I'm coming, I'm coming…"
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Lyndis, who had not noticed the rune that had appeared behind her in her musings, had no idea where the massive beast had come from… nor did she particularly care, at the moment. The sight of the arthropod behemoth was more than enough to occupy her attention to the point where such information was completely irrelevant.
Four golden eyes gleamed in a semi-circle below one larger red one, with the fiend capturing her in its fierce glare before loudly clicking its mandibles together in anger. Its fiendish face was tipped at the lowest point with the two, seemingly shortened front legs, but a closer look deemed them to be creature's mandibles, which were sharp enough to sunder flesh and were tipped with poison. A strange, dark green liquid seeped from the creature's front legs, where she had effectively severed them halfway through the closest joint. The pointed claws that tipped both of its front limbs lay discarded on the ground, twitching slightly even in death. The creature itself continued to move, however, circling around the woman with its remaining legs carrying it at a speed she almost could not deem possible for such a large arachnid. The gray exoskeleton had been cut easily with the Mani Katti, but appeared to be slightly thicker around its head. The lord could not tell whether or not the flesh of its back was able to be torn asunder so easily, since the orange, hair like protrusions on its abdomen made for a rather thick cover for the exoskeleton.
Frozen momentarily in shock, she could barely get her legs to move in time to avoid its first strike; since its front legs were gone, it had settled for charging in, fangs bared to strike. It was a clumsy leap backward at best, and left much to be desired in terms of balance as she struggled to maintain her footing on the rock-encrusted ground. Gripping the hilt of the Mani Katti as she found a fixture in the rocks, she braced herself as the spider wheeled around to strike again. Raising its now vestigial front legs, it swung them down towards her head, leaving her to swipe at them to prevent the force behind their swift blows from contacting with her skull.
What she had forgotten to guard against were the fangs that drove into her arm, sending a blinding pain rushing through her sword arm as she cried out in pain, effectively alerting the other sentries to her aid. A rune of dark magic, rendered almost invisible in the veil of darkness, formed beneath the Bael's fuzzy abdomen, with the beast suddenly shrieking in pain and confusion as the elder magic began to burn it from below. It had seen none of the strange, book-carrying humans, and had most definitely had not given the human woman in its fangs the opportunity to attack…
Javelins and spears flew through the air, filling the air with the sickening snapping and cracking of the arachnid's exoskeleton as the weapons pierced its body before the beast shrieked once more and fell to the earth. Keeping its fangs imbedded in her arm, it presented a rather unusual plight… if she resisted the fall, its mandibles would surely tear apart her muscles and render her useless in combat. Rather than lose the majority of her arm to its dying breath, Lyn allowed herself to fall with it, despite the pain that moving now caused her body. As her body connected with the earth, she winced, feeling the shock of the impact rattle her nerves and light her wound ablaze with newfound pain.
"Well, what do you know; it worked! Well, not the way it was supposed to, but…" Rei smirked at his newfound success before, realizing that Lyndis was indeed hurt and not just exhausted, ran to her aid. However, Sophia had gotten to her first, and had already begun to heal the lord's wounds with a staff she had carried with her in case of emergencies.
"…Now, that wasn't so bad…" Pulling out his javelin from the creature's tough exoskeleton, Treck stared at the goo that now encased his trusty lance before shrugging and pulling out a rag to clean it. Simply running the cloth once over it seemed to be enough for him, even though he could see his partner do the same several times before he was content with its cleanliness. He personally couldn't care less; a lance was a lance, and, grungy or not, it could always be counted on to get the job done.
"You are not harmed, Lady Lyndis?" Though Lyn resisted the urge to scowl at Seth for addressing her so formally (until now, only Kent still addressed her by that name.), she nevertheless smiled and held up her healed arm. Confident of her safety, he pulled the weapon from the collapsing corpse before turning to ride back to his post. He needed to keep Renais's princess safe at all costs, and it appeared that Caelin's former marquess did not require any additional aid. As such, he saw no reason to stay… Not to mention that the emerald hair druid's new brand of magic made him quite nervous and wary of the possible consequences of such magic usage.
"Lady Lyndis! Are you all right?" Kent rushed to his lady's side, while Fiora collected their weapons before moving to examine the extent of Lyn's injury. Seeing that Sophia had already adequately cared for the wound, as the glowing blue light from the staff had sealed her flesh back together after the antitoxin she carried with her had purified the poisons, both Fiora and Kent silently praised Saint Elimine for having such a girl handy for sentry duty. What Lyn hadn't failed to notice, looking up at the pair, was that both Kent and Fiora's faces were flushed, and their hair was in quite the disheveled state. Obviously they had thoroughly scoured the area for enemies before commencing with such… activities… but it shocked the lord to see them both discard their duty so quickly in favor of love that had been lost from the Pegasus knight's illness. She noted happily that neither of them had shown any signs of disrobing, so she didn't feel quite so guilty in knowing that she hadn't deprived them of marriage's given right.
Rei was still guffawing confidently about his skills in what he now called 'Fusion Magic', with Sophia gently shaking her head. When she asked him to replicate the spell to see if it was truly reliable, he had confidently repeated the incantation and hand motions… only to result in him layering his hands in magic-induced burns as the spell went awry. After healing him and sitting through his groans and protests against touching the wounds with the staff, the young priestess could have sworn she saw something… odd. Ignoring the young druid beside her, she moved to the spot behind the stump that Lyn had sharpened her sword upon…
"Look… is this where the creature originated from? This brand… it is not of the druids. Someone must know some sort of summoning magic…" Gathering around the young druid to see, each of the witnesses paused, studying the crest to the best of their ability. Sure enough, she found the summoning rune, burned into the ground in the sigil of a being she did not recognize. Turning to look at them, her violet eyes were filled with a silent apology as she revealed without words through a shaking of her head that she could not comprehend its meaning.
Realizing that this place was not immune from the attacks of forces whose strength they could not measure without more knowledge, Lyn stood up, sheathed her sword, and sighed.
"We are no longer safe here. Awaken the leaders of Frelia, Rausten, Ostia, Pherae, and Renais. We move out as soon as possible."