Chapter Six
It was almost funny how naive the recently nicknamed 'Estelle' was.
Yuri had a hard time keeping himself from laughing at her innocent questions as he drove north on the highway towards Deidon Hold. If they pushed it, they'd make the trip to the next major city in just under a day, passing by six towns in the process, but the princess wasn't accustomed to travel or anything beyond sitting and reading half the day.
Plus he had Repede to worry about and the dog got antsy if cooped up in a car for too long.
So by necessity of his present company a single day trip became a two day one. Stopping at rest stations for short breaks and in towns for meals, Yuri timed it so that they reached the third town two hours after dark, where a retired Agent ran a bed and breakfast and put them up for the night.
Said retiree was an amiable fellow in his late sixties with a penchant for baking after his long career in the Agency, so the travelers were sent off in the morning with fresh bread and in Yuri's case a few recipes. Sandwiches made from said bread were enjoyed for lunch later on.
Eight hours driving (including necessary stops), had them at the southern border of the Deidon Hold Barrier.
"Amazing!" Estelle gasped at the sight of the massive fortifying north wall of the keep, visible even from the south side.
"I guess you're right." Yuri replied. "That wall used to be the only thing keeping the stampeding monsters in the northern plains out of the south."
"The Barrier was installed thirty years ago, right?"
"As far as I know, I'm not into history." the dark agent shrugged. "I'm a city boy most of the time, this is only the fourth time I've left Zaphias."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I've gone on an offroad expedition with the Monster Research team once, two months out in the mountains east of the Capital."
"Ooh, that sounds exciting!"
"Dull as all get out half the time." he chuckled. "But I'll admit, you've never seen a real night sky unless you've been up in the mountains. Learned more about the stars than I ever expected to, we had an astronomy buff on the team."
"It sounds wonderful."
"It was nice, the guy was a great storyteller."
"Will you tell me some of his stories?"
"Maybe."
Yuri was forced to pay more attention to traffic from there on getting into the city and finding his contact.
Well, it was more like said contact found him, though he surprised he missed seeing her with that bright orange coat of hers.
"Lowell?" said the redheaded woman.
"You Kaufman?" Yuri asked, brow quirked and hand on a hidden weapon.
"Bingo kid." Kaufman replied, a smirk on her painted lips. The Guild President of Fortune's Market, the world's biggest trade enterprise, was a well connected and loyal ally of the Agency. "Nice to finally see the black wolf out of his den."
Yuri relaxed at the passcode phrase and shook the offered hand. "Same here Madame President. What's the situation?"
Kaufman huffed in irritation. "Situation? Your situation is 'stuck in Deidon Hold while rampaging Giganto Monster smacks it's head against the walls'."
Yuri grimaced. "And that is not what I wanted to hear."
"Tough luck kid, the Brutal's in town and all travel northward is on hold."
"Well shit."
"Yuri!" Estelle gasped, pointing an accusatory finger at the man for his language.
"Hey, I'm allowed to speak my mind." he countered. "If we don't get past the Hold in the next day we'll be so far behind Flynn we'll never catch him."
"The Lieutenant?" Kaufman asked. "Blonde kid about your age?"
"Yeah, you see him?"
"Yep, him and his squad showed up the day before yesterday. His Sub-Lt. got all huffy with me when I told them about the Brutal, stuffy little bitch with a major fangirl crush on her superior."
"I'll keep that in mind." Yuri noted. "You see where they went?"
"They left on the mountain road to the east, taking the long way around to Halure on horseback."
"Thank you Madame President."
"Anytime kid. If I were you, and in a hurry, I'd take the Quoi Woods path to the west."
"Noted."
With that, the businesswoman wandered off, leaving the Agent to his thoughts.
Estelle however has worried.
"Aren't the Quoi Woods supposed to be haunted?" she asked fearfully.
"Nah, that's just rumors talking." Yuri scoffed. "The Quoi territory just has really dense Aer concentrations and some old ruins. If we're prepared it doesn't make much of a difference travel wise except for overgrown paths and a few beast monsters. The hunting in that area is supposed to be pretty good for fur trappers and apothecaries. If we take the northward path through it'll save us four days travel time verses following Flynn's route to Halure."
"...you're very knowledgeable." Estelle admitted.
"I've got good recall." Yuri countered, smiling. "Always have to be prepared in my business. Now, we're in town early, so let's get supplies and hit the hay. We leave at five in the morning."
XxX
They were lucky enough to get horses the next morning, thanks to Kaufman, though 'horse' was a slight misnomer for the beasts. They were actually a breed of tamed equine monster called Quietta, very, very loosely related to domestic horses. Quietta were roughly the size of the average riding horse, with small feet and boney ridges on their foreheads. Particularly adept at navigating rough or uneven terrain the mounts were perfect for traveling through the woods.
Thankfully both Yuri and Estelle had riding experience, even if the princess was more accustomed to dressage courses than wilderness riding, it was enough to not slow them down.
"Are you sure Repede can keep up?" Estelle asked around noon, looking around for the canine. "I haven't seen him for hours."
"He's fine." Yuri called back over his shoulder. "He's actually ahead of us."
"How does he do that?" the princess asked.
"Truthfully? He's a genetically enhanced hybrid with a Blastia." Yuri explained. "He can beat us in a race to Halure easily and have energy to spare, so he's scouting ahead for us."
They made it through the forest in two and a half days, and camping at night was an interesting experience for them both. Yuri had only done wilderness camping with a large group, while Estelle had never done anything remotely as rustic in her life.
Early afternoon on the third day had them at the north edge of the forest, and were ambushed.
Well, 'ambushed' is a bit of a strong word for the young teen flailing a war axe as tall as he was with a loud cry at the Eggbear monster that somehow snuck up on them.
Yuri was startled enough to let loose a stream of curses at the sudden chaos, and vaulted off his mount to join the fight.
Ten minutes of brutal fighting against the oversized and overly aggressive bear wore at Yuri's as of yet untested new combat abilities, but the kicker was that the teen dealt the deathblow.
The Agent was lucky enough to react in time and avoid getting doused in a spray of blood from the suddenly headless monster.
"Phew...are you...okay?" the boy asked, huffing and out of breath.
"We're fine." Yuri replied. "Nice save kid."
The youngster started, and gave the man a blank look.
"Something wrong?"
"N-nothing, just not used to...compliments." the boy said meekly. "Chief and Nan are always telling me what a screwup I am."
"You kidding? You did great!" Yuri retorted. "This 'Chief' and 'Nan' have got to be blind, you're young, but you've got potential."
The boy blushed deeply at the praise, rubbing the back of his neck in an obvious nervous habit.
Yuri looked the teen over. Aside from a few scrapes he came out of the fight virtually unscathed, if a bit blood spattered and grass stained. He was dressed simply, a green shirt with a band of white down each shoulder, a red kerchief around his neck, and dark yellow cargo pants with numerous pockets. Not quite an 'Adventurer' outfit, but sturdy and serviceable.
But the most noticeable things about the kid were his features, doe brown eyes and flyaway pale auburn hair, and the oversized messenger bag he carried with the haft of a weapon...two weapons, sticking out the opening.
"What's you name kid?" Yuri asked. "And what are you doing in the woods alone?"
"Karol Capel." the boy replied. "I'm a member of the Hunting Blades guild, I was told to take out an Eggbear and bring back the kill."
Yuri hissed under his breath. He hated the Hunting Blades, most of their members were hardheaded idiots that never listened to reason or authority, just plowing on through for the kill regardless of collateral damage.
"And you're how old?"
"Thirteen." was the chirped reply.
"Thirteen...and you still got sent out alone." Yuri growled. "Sounds to me like they're trying to get you killed."
Karol only blinked up at him in confusion and the older male had to sigh. The kid was definitely raised in a guild environment.
"So, what are you two doing in the woods? You don't look like hunters." the boy asked.
"Passing through." Yuri answered. "My name is Yuri, and this is Estelle."
A brief look between the two, and another question. "What kind of name is...Yuri? Doesn't that mean 'lily'?"
Estelle giggled and Yuri sighed. "Different language, different pronunciation. And isn't Carol a girl's name?"
"It's Karol with a 'k'." the boy sniffed.
That triggered a major case of dejavu for Yuri, and the image of a tiny ten year old saying exactly the same thing came to mind.
"Little Karol?" he gasped.
The kid's eyes widened with realization, and pounced on the man. "Nii-chan!" he squealed, almost crushing Yuri's ribs with unnatural strength. "I can't believe it's you!"
"Spirits Karol, what happened to the shrimpy little brat I used to know?" Yuri said incredulously. "It's only been three years..."
"Yuri? What's going on?" Estelle demanded, confused.
"Estelle, this kid's parents work for the Agency." Yuri explained. "Two of the best Magi-techs in the world, and his mother is my second cousin."
"Umm, Nii-chan...Mom and Dad don't work there anymore..." Karol murmured, suddenly looking very sad and lost. "They..."
"What are you talking about?" Yuri asked, kneeling down to be at the boy's eye level. "There's no way the Agency would let go of two brilliant scientists like them."
The teen was biting his lip in an effort not to cry.
"M-mom and Dad...they fixed what was wrong with me." he stammered. "B-but s-someone found out and..."
Yuri gasped as the pieces came together. Karol had suffered from what was called Brittle Bone Syndrome by most, a genetically caused condition where a person's bones were easily broken and slow to heal. The Capels were searching for not only a cure, but a cure by way of enhancing the human body's strength and durability. If they succeeded in making the cure, then they've turned their son into a living, if miniature, tank.
As evidenced, in the three short years since Yuri had seen the boy last he had doubled in body mass and probably beat the twenty two year old in raw strength.
But with their success, came people after the secret. With what Karol was implying, then the two Doctors were dead, killed for their research.
Yuri sighed in sympathy and pulled the boy closer in a strong embrace, running his fingers through the unruly locks of hair.
"I'm here for you kiddo." he said softly. "If you don't like being in that Guild, I'd be happy to look after you."
The grateful smile Karol gave him was almost blinding with sincere happiness, and Yuri was practically smothered in another hug.
Estelle cooed at the precious scene in the background.
XxX
Karol turned out to be a very useful traveling companion. Not only was the kid physically powerful, he was also very knowledgeable and had all kinds of interesting toys stashed in his bag, which turned out to be one of his parent's inventions. That single bag was the single most powerful Space Folding technology on the planet, able to store and nullify the weight of at an estimated five tons of mass.
He used another invention, a Blasium Ore thread laced tarp he called 'Stasis Fold', to package the Eggbear carcass, keeping it from decay and making it easier to stuff into the mouth of his bag. Several other perishable goodies were stored in a similar manner, in smaller Stasis Fold cloths, such as powerful medicines and even blood transfusion supplies that had a very limited shelf life.
Not to mention the dozens of texts, notebooks, and all of his parent's collective research was in that bag. Every single document that had anything to do with the Capel family was on Karol's person at all times, and no one but he, and now Yuri and Estelle, knew it. The kid had throughly cleared out his home and parents' labs after their deaths.
Of course, Karol had the particularly satisfying glee of knowing that so many people were looking for the stockpile of research and the only working Giga-Space Fold model, and not a single one of them suspected said model to be in the shape of an ordinary canvas messenger bag.
"You know, maybe if we get a chance we can look at Mom and Dad's will." Karol mentioned after two hours riding north across the plain to Halure. "They said that everything on our accounts was set up to lock down if anything happened to them, the only other copy is with our bank manager but I doubt he's done anything with it."
"Good point, I want to know if they named anyone as your guardian." Yuri replied. "I don't like you staying with those hunting idiots."
"Yeah, I don't like 'em much either." Karol muttered bitterly. "Been with them for over a year and they still harangue me for everything I do."
"So will you quit?" Estelle asked. "Is that possible in a Guild?"
"Minors are supposed to have a parent or guardian involved with the Guild to be able to join, but the Hunting Blades aren't known for their rational thinking skills." Yuri bit out. "I've had a few run ins with members, they're all fanatics."
"Hey, in my defense, beggars can't be choosy." Karol shot back. "I needed to get out of Heliord fast, and the Hunting Blades don't ask questions if you're strong."
"It's still illegal." Estelle said. "You're so young..."
"So? I can swing a hundred-fifty pound hammer like it's made of Styrofoam, they didn't care how old I was, especially after I took the head off a Gattuso in one swipe."
If Yuri was in a position to, he would have given Karol an impressed, if incredulous stare, but the boy was seated behind him on the Quietta and twisting around would have knocked the kid off.
"Damn, you're strong for someone who used to be such a shrimp." he remarked.
"Mom's notes said I'm only going to get stronger as I get older." Karol murmured, squeezing Yuri's midriff a bit tighter than necessary.
The man said nothing, but let go of the reigns with one hand to give Karol's a squeeze back.
Their ride went on in silence for awhile, until the famous Tree of Halure came into view.
"Oh wow!" Estelle gasped. "It's beautiful!"
"The Great Tree of Halure is rumored to be two thousand years old." Karol recited. "It looks even bigger than it is because it was planted at the very top of a quarter-mile high hill, which is seven miles across northwise and twelve miles east-west."
"Still a closet bookworm eh kid?" Yuri grinned.
"It's not like I had anything else to do as an invalid." Karol retorted. "And by the way, we'd better approach from the south eastern edge, Halure's kinda antsy about visitors this time of year and you need to go through the right channels."
"If we don't want to get arrested that is." Yuri finished. "I remember."
Entry into the City of Blossoms was not a swift process with the security checks, but thankfully they were spared any overly through baggage checks when Yuri discreetly flashed an Intelligence Operative badge to the shift manager.
Estelle cornered him at the inn for that.
"Why would you have a Federal Investigator's badge?" she demanded. "You are not an employee of the Empire!"
"I'm an Agent princess." Yuri shrugged, showing her the badge again. "This badge looks like an Investigator's, but the tiny details belong to the Agency. Most civic workers are mindful of the Feds and don't look any closer."
"You use that to avoid blowing cover don't you?" Karol asked, looking at the item in question. "It does look really authentic, what's the difference?"
Yuri grinned and pointed out a series of highly detailed engravings hidden in the recesses of the design. "Only an Agent looks for these." he said.
"Huh, you're right. I never would've seen those if you didn't say anything." Karol mused. "Now what?"
"Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow we contact the Agency, look through your parents' documents, and wait for Flynn."
"What about my guild?" Karol asked. "I've got to finish my last assignment."
Reluctantly Yuri took Karol to the Hunting Blades outpost, and the boy got a nasty surprise.
"SHE DITCHED ME!" Karol screamed. "She only had to wait two days and she ditched me!"
"Sorry kid." the outpost manager said, without a single drop of sincerity and a vindictive grin. "You took too long."
"Bullshit!" the boy hissed. "Two days was the minimum time span to get to Quoi Woods and back!"
"You didn't bring back the kill brat."
"Yes I did you asshole!" Karol cursed, repeatedly, and hauled out the carcass from his bag. "But you're not getting the profits. Since my mentor abandoned me, I quit!"
The manager barely got a chance to protest as Karol promptly hoisted the tarp wrapped carcass (which had to weigh several hundred pounds) over one shoulder with only an indignant huff and stalked away.
Yuri, amused as hell, laughed at the scene and helped his charge find an apothecary to sell the carcass to, which gave the boy a far higher price than he would have received from the Hunting Blades.
Pacified by his reward, and a treat of ice cream from Yuri, Karol happily returned to the hotel with the older man, ready to continue their adventure in the morning.
XxX
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XxX
Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait, the plotbunnies struck in another fandom first, then my Brother moved out and took our X-Box with him. It's kind've hard to keep the muse alive when you don't have easy access to the source material. But now I have a system of my own and the muse temporarily returned long enough for a couple more chapters. Enjoy!
