Chapter 5

Judith woke with the rising sun and was quickly up and about, stretching out the cramps in her muscles from yet another night spent sleeping on the ground. She'd slept fitfully, her thoughts filled with the events of the previous night. Upon waking she firmly decided that she wouldn't let those thoughts trouble her anymore. She took a deep breath of the fresh country air and marveled at the beautifully clear skies above, happy to be alive for such a wonderful day.

"Good morning Ba'ul!" She turned and cheerfully greeted her friend, who had spent the night lying a short distance away.

Good morning Judith, came the good-natured reply. Are you feeling better this morning?

"Yes, I think I was just tired," Judith responded with a smile that she didn't completely feel.

I trust that Ba'ul sees what he sees, she thought to herself. I'll just do my best to keep being Judith and not worry about the rest. Then she pushed the matter from he mind, still determined not to let it affect her mood.

"So Ba'ul, where to now? Got any fuzzy blastia feelings for us to go on?" Judith continued to smile goofily.

No. We should probably wait for Phaeroh to arrive. That could take several days. We could wait near Dahngrest.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Ba'ul!" Her voice reeked of enthusiasm. "Dahngrest is such a fun place. We haven't been there in so long, that would be a great way to waste a few days while we wait." Phaeroh lived in the desert on the continent far to the south, easily a trip of at least three days even for an Entelexeia as powerful as Phaeroh. Judith hummed to herself as she quickly gathered her things, donned her armor, then leapt onto Ba'ul's back. "Let's go, up and at'em, you big lump!" She thumped Ba'ul on the back a few times for emphasis, still grinning from ear to ear.

What has gotten into you this morning?Ba'ul asked her good-naturedly as he lifted himself into the air. You have not stopped smiling since you woke up.

"Do I need a reason to be happy?" Judith admonished her friend. "Maybe I just enjoy having free time for once!"

Ba'ul didn't buy it, but he didn't press the issue.

Later that day, Judith was sitting in a tavern in the great capital city of the Guilds - a sign over the door labeled it the Sagittarius Pub, though she had no idea why - bored out of her mind. As usual, she'd spent the morning in both of Dahngrest's casinos playing her favorite card game: poker. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about poker that she found so fascinating. All she knew was that it was fun, and she was good at it. So good at it, in fact, that she had put more than one casino out of business in her time. Most of them had since learned their lesson and now had a limit on how much you could win in one sitting, or they recognized Judith on sight and wouldn't let her in. When he did manage to sneak in, Judith usually hit the limit within a few hours and was promptly kicked out. She'd just have to wait until the guild that ran the casinos forgot her face before she tried to go back - it didn't usually take more than a month or so.

She'd spent the afternoon wandering the streets and looking at the various goods for sale in the booths that lined the streets, but didn't really want to buy anything besides basic camping supplies, as well as some medical gels. Forced to carry everything she owned with her while she traveled, Judith simply didn't have anywhere to put whatever she might be tempted to buy. She did spend a fair amount of time in some clothing stores trying on various outfits, but in the end she still came out empty handed - clothing was bulky and hard to transport.

Besides, things like this aren't very good for fighting in, she'd thought as she held a beautiful black top against herself and sighed. I'd probably end up ripping it on a sword or get blood on it or something. She regretfully returned it to the rack.

The sun was dipping close to the horizon before she finally felt hungry for dinner. She'd been standing outside the Sagittarius Pub at the time and figured it was as good a place as any. Since she had so much extra money from her gambling she'd decided to order several different dishes and try them all out, eating all of what she liked and saving the rest for Ba'ul - he'd eat anything she gave him. In fact, she was pretty sure he would eat rocks and not complain.

I do not like eating rocks, Ba'ul informed her. They taste very bland and require too much chewing. It was hard to tell whether he was joking or not.

Ba'ul! Startled, Judith almost dropped her fork. She hadn't thought Ba'ul was close enough to hear her. I didn't think you were listening.

There is nothing else for me to do, he complained. I do not like waiting.

Neither do I, Judith responded with a sigh. Waiting is boring. Everywhere else we've gone something exciting has happened. Why is it that when we reach the busiest and most interesting city on the continent, nothing happens?

Be careful what you wish for, Ba'ul warned her, but it was too late.

Something exciting happened.

Judith's first warning was the sound of a woman screaming outside, followed shortly afterward by the sounds of several men yelling.

"You're not serious," Judith said incredulously. She threw far more gald than she owed on the table and ran out the door to see what was going on.

The streets of Dahngrest were in chaos. People were running everywhere in a panic, trying to get away from...something. Judith couldn't get anyone to stop running long enough to tell her what was going on.

Ba'ul, everyone in Dahngrest is panicking and running away from the southern bridge. Can you tell what's going on from where you are?

No, I am on the ground at the moment. I will fly up and tell you what I can see. I am not that far away.

Not bothering to wait that long, Judith looked around for a place where she could get a better view of what the commotion was for herself. She quickly decided that the rooftops would serve her purpose quite nicely; it was only a few quick leaps to the top of the three-storey building across the street from the inn, which gave her a clear view to the bridge. Ba'ul contacted her again just as she reached the top of the building and saw the source of the chaos.

There are a large number of monsters approaching the city from the south, Ba'ul informed her.

Yes, Ba'ul, I see that now, Judith said faintly.

Monsters were swarming across the southern bridge, heading deeper into the city by the second, pushing crowds of terrified people in front of them - unfortunately, not all of them got away. In the field beyond the bridge hundreds more of the beasts were milling about, fighting each other for the chance to charge into the city.

"Why isn't the barrier keeping them out?" Judith thought aloud. Looking upward, she quickly answered her own question: the protective white rings of the barrier blastia were nowhere to be seen in the sky above.

Ba'ul, the barrier blastia isn't working! What happened?

I do not know why the blastia would not be working, nor do I know why all of these monsters have gathered to attack the city. It is very unfortunate timing for the humans.

"A little too unfortunate, if you ask me," Judith grumbled to herself through clenched teeth. Ba'ul, I don't think this was an unlucky coincidence. I'm going to go check-

An ear-splitting scream interrupted Judith's thought to Ba'ul. Her eyes searched the ground below for the source and were met by a scene straight from her own nightmares.

She saw a little girl - no more than ten years old - kneeling on the ground, her long red hair falling across the still body of a man who lay cradled in her arms. The man was obviously dead; he had a grotesque foot-long cut down the center of his back which oozed blood all over the cobblestones, as well as the girl's frilly pink dress. Judging by how similar the two looked, Judith knew the girl had just witnessed her father's gruesome death right before her eyes. The monster responsible resembled a large praying mantis, reaching at least eight feet high. It waved it's two massive scythe-like arms in the air as it moved toward the girl, preparing for a second killing blow.

Sickening images flashed through Judith's mind of her own father's death. She watched as the scene from her memory began to play itself out in front of her all over again; just as she had been powerless to save her father back then, so was this little girl unable to do anything but clutch the dead body in her lap and cry until death claimed her as well. But while Judith had had Ba'ul to save her, there was no one waiting to save this poor child.

I can't let this happen! Judith thought to herself, accidentally sending the message to Ba'ul as well. Never again!

Let what happen? Her friend said to her. Judith? What is happening?

Despite being unarmed except for the belt knife on her left leg, Judith leapt from her rooftop perch without a second thought.

I will protect that girl, even if I have to do it with my bare hands! She screamed in her mind, full of determination.

Judith, what are you doing?Ba'ul demanded, but Judith was too consumed in her rage to hear him.

Judith kicked forward with the heel of her boot as she landed on the skull of the approaching mantis. She heard a sickening crunch as the head was pushed to the ground, then heard a snap as her sharp boot heel punctured through the beast's exoskeleton, followed shortly after by the rest of her foot. The entire beast's body fell limp to the ground, the two scythed arms falling limply to the ground as its life drained through the hole in it's skull.

Judith ran to the girl, who was still cradling her dead father's head in her arms. She was sobbing so hard her entire body shook while she pulled on the man's bloody shirt in a futile attempt to make him wake up.

"Are you all right?" Judith asked the child, quickly examining her. She appeared to be physically unhurt. "Can you walk?"

"My daddy," the girl choked out between racking sobs, "my daddy won't move. Daddy, move, we have to go! Daddy!" She shook her father's corpse, not able to understand that he was dead.

"Listen to me!" Judith grabbed the girl fiercely by the arms, shocking her into silence. "What's your name?"

"Meredith," the girl replied, tears pouring down her cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at Judith.

"Listen Meredith," Judith tried to keep the panic and emotion from her voice as she spoke, "your daddy can't come with us. He-" She was interrupted by a chorus of growling coming from the street behind her. Turning around, she saw a group of three boar monsters coming around the corpse of the mantis she'd just slain.

Judith released the girl's arms and stood up, keeping herself between the girl and the three monsters as they approached the smell of fresh blood.

"Go over there," Judith told the girl, pointing toward a nearby alley. When she didn't immediately move, Judith pushed her in the right direction and shouted, "Go!" Finally the girl obeyed, leaving her father's body in the street.

Judith threw rocks at the three approaching monsters to keep their attention off the child as she ran to her hiding place. Cursing at herself for leaving her spear with Ba'ul, she scanned the ground for something she could use as a weapon. Her eyes met with a five foot long splintered piece of wood that used to be part of a nearby house; it had since been torn to pieces by the invading monsters, leaving pieces of the frame scattered about the street.

One of the monsters abruptly reared in the air and charged. Judith easily dodged the beast with a nimble roll to the side, coming up at a run towards the wood. As she reached the length of timber she quickly glanced behind her; the two remaining monsters were right on her heels, tusks down and ready to rip her open if she stopped for even a second.

Thinking quickly, Judith bent down and grabbed hold of the plank with one hand as she ran by. As she approached the building on the far side of the street Judith leapt into the air, still going full speed. She kicked her feet out in front of her and bent her knees as she collided with the wall, then used the force to spring herself away again, launching her body through the air in the opposite direction. She soared over the first confused boar and, grabbing the wooden plank with both hands, swung the improvised weapon down on the skull of the second monster with all her might. She was rewarded with the sound of bone cracking as the stout timber proved to be the stronger of the two. Judith winced with pain as the shock of the blow resonated up the wood, but she managed to hold on to the makeshift weapon.

Before the second boar could turn around to deal with the threat behind it Judith swung the plank as hard as she could, slamming it into the side of the beast with so much force that the wood shattered into a thousand splinters. Most of the shrapnel embedded itself in the monster's hide as it flew across the street, but some of it blew back at Judith. She barely noticed as she received a few nicks and cuts from the flying wooden shards, making little trails of blood along the exposed portions of her arms and legs.

Judith's mind barely had time to register that she'd been wounded before she saw the third boar, the one she'd rolled away from, heading for the girl in the alley. The child stood paralyzed in fear as the monster charged down on her, ready to tear her to pieces.

Hefting what remained of her wooden plank like a javelin, Judith quickly took aim and threw it at the final boar. Despite being such a horrible weapon the shattered timber flew straight and true, burying half its length in the boar's side. The strength of the throw knocked the boar several feet through the air, where it collided with the side of a building with another sickening thud. The monster fell to the ground, motionless.

Judith wasted no time in rushing over to the little girl. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth wide open in a silent scream of terror.

"Listen to me!" Judith said as she grabbed the girl by the arms again. When there was no response, she grabbed the girl's head in one hand and turned it, forcing her to look into Judith's eyes. "I said listen to me!" Judith yelled again. "I'm going to get you out of here! Do you hear me?"

Tears still streaming down her face, the girl finally snapped out of her trance. She nodded her head slowly in understanding, her mouth still hanging wide open as she tried not to see the blood running from Judith's cuts and scrapes.

"Good," Judith exhaled a breath in relief. "Get on my back." The girl was small and light, her arms reaching over Judith's shoulders as her legs wrapped around the Krityan's waist. Judith winced as the girl's hands rubbed against one of the cuts on her shoulders.

"Good girl," Judith encouraged the frightened child, ignoring the pain. "Hold on as tight as you can. Now Meredith, I want you to close your eyes and count to thirty really slowly, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Y-yeah..." the girl replied with a sniff. She closed her eyes and started counting. "One...two..."

"Slower," Judith said. "And don't open your eyes for anything until you reach thirty." Then she turned to look down the street.

Monsters were continuing to pour across the south bridge, filling the intersection of the street Judith was on and the one that lead back into the center of town. She didn't think she'd be able to get onto the rooftops again while she carried the little girl, which meant her only option was to somehow get through the press of monsters without getting herself, and the poor girl, killed.

I am coming, Ba'ul said, I can pick you up-

No! Judith yelled back at him. It's too dangerous! Everyone will think you're a monster and try to kill you too! She took a deep breath to steady herself. Don't worry Ba'ul, I can do this.

Ba'ul did not reply, but Judith was sure wherever he was, he was grumbling to himself that this was not a good idea. He was probably right.

I will save this girl! She took off at a run, her expression an intense mix of determination, concentration, and a hint of desperation.

Armed with only her leg knife and burdened by the small child on her back, Judith had no choice but to avoid combat. She decided that was probably for the best anyway, since any attempt to stop and fight a monster would just give three more the opportunity to attack her. She stuck to the side of the road and kept as close to the buildings as she could in an attempt to draw as little attention as possible as she sprinted for the intersection.

She cursed her luck when she heard chorus of squeals and hisses to her right, informing her she'd been spotted. She continued her mad dash forward, hoping to outrun anything that tried to catch her. Unfortunately, Judith could see ahead of her that one boar was charging her head-on, coming in from the right. There was no way she'd be able to get past it.

As the monster approached Judith leapt into the air, aiming for the top of the window in the building on her left. She deftly placed her left foot on the top of the frame, no more than two inches thick, and used it to push herself off again. She heard a dull thud as the monster charged head first into the wall below her as she sailed safely through the air above it.

As she reached the apex of her jump, Judith saw her landing spot was already occupied by a giant mantis. She swiftly drew the dagger from its leg sheathe and threw it, aiming for the insectoid's head. The knife sliced through the air and hit its mark, penetrating deep into the eye of the beast. While not a killing blow like Judith had been hoping for, the monster hissed in pain, giving Judith the opening she needed. She landed gracefully in front of the monster, then crouched down and sprinted through a gap between two of the monster's six legs before it recovered from the knife wound.

"Fifteen...sixteen..." Judith heard Meredith continue her steady count, her face pushing hard into the back of Judith's shirt as her hands gripped her tightly.

Thanks to Judith's aerial maneuvers she now had a clear path to the intersection. She rounded the corner at full speed and headed down the main street toward the city center. That was the last place she remembered seeing people fighting the monsters before she'd impulsively leapt to save Meredith, which meant that was the fastest way to safety.

"Nineteen...Ten-teen...wait, no, um..." Meredith mumbled against her back.

Judith spared a quick glance behind her and saw another wave of monsters coming down the road. Maybe it was just her imagination getting carried away, but it felt like they were all looking directly at her. They were also catching up to her; she couldn't run any faster, burdened as she was by the girl.

I can still make it, Judith encouraged herself. I have to!

She had just started to wonder why there weren't any monsters on the road ahead of her when one of the cobblestones on the street came loose, sending her left foot flying out from under her. Completely off balance, Judith couldn't help but fall. Her first instinct was to go into a roll to cushion herself, but the girl clinging to her back eliminated that option.

She landed hard on her left knee, gasping in pain as she skidded across the stone path, her momentum still pushing her forward. When she finally came to a halt she threw her arms in front of her face, cushioning the blow to her head as she fell face-first into the ground.

Slightly dazed form her tumble, Judith winced at the searing pain in her legs as she forced herself back to her feet, then turned around. She saw that the closest monsters were almost upon her. There was no way she could escape them now, especially with an injured leg.

The first to reach her was another of the mantis beasts. It hissed in triumph as it charged, raising both of its scythed claws in the air, then brought them down towards Judith in two vicious strikes. Judith managed to dodge the first strike by sliding to the right, but when she tried to duck under the second slash her left knee buckled under the weight, sending her sprawling across the roadway with a gasp of pain. The mantis's attack sliced a hair's breadth away from her head as her left leg collapsed under her. A scream of pain escaped her lips as she fell, sprawled across the roadway.

Hissing in triumph, the mantis raised its right claw again, ready to strike a fatal blow as Judith lay prone on the ground, unable to escape.

"Twenty one..." Meredith said, completely oblivious to her impending doom as it sliced through the air toward her. Judith threw her arms up over her face in a futile, instinctive attempt to shield herself from the attack.

A burst of blue energy suddenly slammed into the monster, knocking it off balance; the deadly swipe sliced through the air only a hair's breadth away from Judith's head. The mantis hissed in what started as anger, but quickly became pain as one of its arms was cleanly sliced off by the flash of a blade, followed shortly after by the head. The monster stayed upright for a few moments before it collapsed, as if it had not yet realized it was dead. Still amazed that she was somehow alive, Judith looked at the man holding the sword that had saved her life.

He had a hard grizzled face, covered in a number of impressive scars, the kind that always had an interesting story to accompany them. Judging by his shoulder-length white hair the man was rather old, though the rest of his body didn't seem to be any worse for the number of years it had been around. His shirt hung open lazily as though he'd just roused himself from bed, revealing an impressive array of chest muscles that any man could be jealous of. However, despite his disheveled appearance there was an unmistakable focus in the man's eyes as he smiled down at two females he'd just saved. His arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks, and his massive right hand held a wickedly curved sword with skill and ease. It was obvious this was a man who had seen his fair share of battles, and was not to be trifled with.

"Go!" The barrel of a man yelled at her, pointing the way she'd just been running. "The streets back that way are safe!" Then he turned to the fighters who followed him, waving his sword in the air. "C'mon men, let's show this trash what happens when you try to mess with the Union!" Then the man charged into the press of monsters, the other warriors following fearlessly after him while screaming their own battle cries. Judith stared after them for a moment, her shocked mind still not quite able to grasp everything that had just happened.

"Twenty three..." Meredith's tiny voice snapped Judith's mind back into focus. She forced herself back to her feet and took off at a limping run in the direction the man had indicated.

She'd only gone a short distance when she turned another corner and saw a barricade of vendor stalls set up across the breadth of the street. Several men armed with swords stood behind the makeshift bulwark, charged with the duty of stopping any monster from getting past them. Beyond the barricade Judith could see a milling crowd of people; people who had been standing in the streets when the attack came and didn't know where else to go. Mass confusion was the order of the day, but someone had miraculously organized the citizens of the city into a defense regardless.

Upon seeing her stumble around the street corner several of the men rushed out from their shelter to escort Judith back to the safety of the barricade. As soon as she was safely behind the stalls she collapsed to her knees, wincing as her leg injury rubbed against the cobblestones.

"Thirty!" she heard Meredith yell from her back. The girl opened her eyes and looked around timidly, afraid that there were still monsters around. After looking over the crowd for a few seconds, she pointed at a nearby woman in the crowd and yelled emphatically at the top of her lungs.

"Mommy!"

At the sound of her daughter's voice the woman turned, seeing Meredith as she climbed off Judith's back. "Meredith!" The woman exclaimed, rushing forward. The girl ran to her mother who picked her up in her arms, hugging her fiercely. Judith remained on her knees and tried to catch her breath, watching the tearful reunion with a smile on her face. Despite her injuries she could feel an odd warm feeling spreading inside her. It felt good.

Maybe Ba'ul was right, she thought to herself as her smile widened. Maybe there still is some kindness left in my heart, after all.

Still refusing to let go of her daughter, the mother's expression became fearful as she turned to Judith."My husband...?" she asked, dreading the response.

Judith's smile instantly vanished. She met the woman's gaze, filled with fear and hope against the impossible, and sadly shook her head.

"He saved your daughter," she said solemnly.

The woman's eyes brimmed with tears, but she remained in control of herself, simply nodding at the news. "I'm Meredith's mother, Yvonne. Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me," she said, her voice filled with sincerity. "I don't have much, but if you come by later I can give you something as a reward..."

"No," Judith declined with a smile, "that's all right."

"Please," Yvonne insisted. "I may not own much, but everything I have can be replaced." She hugged her daughter tightly again. "Everything except my family."

Seeing that the woman wasn't likely to give in, Judith smiled and nodded. "All right then."

Yvonne smiled in gratitude once more, told Judith how to reach her house, then carried her daughter off to fuss over her in private.

Sufficiently recovered from her ordeal, Judith stood and headed off through the throng of people milling about behind the barricade.

Judith, are you all right? Ba'ul suddenly yelled in her mind. In all the mayhem she'd completely forgotten about poor Ba'ul.

Yes Ba'ul, I'm fine now. I'm sorry I worried you.

What happened to you? What did you do?

I'll tell you later, she said to her friend. Right now I'm going to find out what's going on around here. She broke into a run, trying not to limp as she headed in the direction of the barrier blastia.

"Someone set this up..." Judith growled, her voice full of rage. Wetness glistened in the corners of her eyes as she imagined a little girl, forced to stand there and watch as her father was mercilessly cut down in front of her. She had just seen it happen to Meredith, but every time she imagined the scene in her mind, it was herself that stood there in her place. The difference was, unlike the girl, Judith wasn't helpless.

"...and I'm not going to let them get away with it."

This is a much better length for a chapter. The next one is about this long too, maybe longer. I haven't actually finished it yet, which also means it might be a little bit before it gets up. I'm hoping not too long, I'm taking a break from my other stuff to get it finished.

So, I bet you never thought I'd make Judith do a Luna Crush with a wooden plank, huh? The javelin throw thing wasn't really a move, she just has good aim. I guess you could consider it a Moonbeam variant, if you wanted.

I don't care what level you learn moves at, my Judith knows most of them. I mean really, why does it take until level 42 for her to learn how to poke things with the back end of her spear? Honestly. She doesn't have any altered or cutscene-induced artes though, I figure you could actually attach a bit of plot to their development so I left them out.

Back in the chapter at Caer Bocram you may have also recognized some of the moves she did, such as a Luna Rise off of Ba'ul's back, and a Moonlight Blast to poke Tison off into thin air. I meant to mention it back then but I forgot. I'm not the kind of guy who makes his characters yell out arte names - it sounds way too cheesy in writing - but that doesn't mean they aren't happening. Next chapter in particular is going to have quite a few of them, see if you can spot them all - I'll put a list in the author's note at the bottom.

I know I got kind of graphic in this chapter, but, well...there's nothing in here that you didn't get by playing the game. It's people running around with swords and spears, you have to expect a few casualties. Hopefully it doesn't upset anyone. If anyone thinks I should rate this M I'd probably do it, but I don't really think it's necessary.

Thanks to all the new people who favorite'd/reviewed/stopped by! And the returning readers as well, of course. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :).