Across the Sea of Stars

by FinaleChaotic

Some strange problem occurs with Fayt and his group try and enter 4-D space. Fayt wakes up and finds himself with Tear and Luke in Tataroo Valley. Not know where he was he chooses to travel with them, so he can find his friends.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : A Village Wide Crisis! Quest to the Cheagle Woods!

As they approached then town, they found it to be quiet busy for such a small place. They made it to the gate and walked in. A man turned and looked at them, "Huh, you folks traveling on foot?"

Luke got annoyed, "You got a problem with that?"

The shuck his head, "No, I just mean, with all the bandits and monsters and all, most people come by coach."

Teat shuck her head lightly, "Could I ask you something? How can we get from here to Kimlasca?"

"I heard Rotelro Bridge is out, so you'd have to head to the Kaitzur checkpoint in the south."

Tear nodded, "Thank you."

"No problem. Bye!" Said the man who turned and walked away.

"I thought there'd be a checkpoint." Fayt said, "But the only way you can get through a checkpoint is with a passport."

Tear nodded, "Yes. This could be a problem…"

Luke looked at them, "It'll be fine. If I say I'm Duke Fabre's son, they'll let us through in no time. But right now, I want to check this place out! This is my first time in a city!"

Tear looked at him funny, "A city…? Well, I suppose we do need to prepare a bit before we leave. Let's stay the night here."

They walked around looking at the shops, until Luke say a bunch of Apples and kneeled down to look at them, "Wow, these apples look good." He said before picking one up, standing up, and taking a bite out of it.

The owner of the shop looked at him in shock, "Sir! You need to pay!"

Fayt covered his face with his hand, "I don't believe him…" He whispered to himself.

Luke looked at the man, "Why do I have to pay?"

Tear put her hands on her hips and glared at Luke, "You can't just take a stores products without paying!"

Luke looked annoyed, "But the manor pays for everything all at once." He then stopped and remembered where he was, "…Oh, wait, this is Malkuth."

Fayt sighed, "It doesn't matter where you are, you're supposed to pay for something you buy first."

Tear nodded in agreement, "He's right, Luke."

Luke shrugged, "I haven't got any money on me!"

Tear sighed, "You have the money the monsters dropped."

Luke looked down at the sack of coins he picked up from the monsters, "Oh, yeah. It's not gold so I'd forgotten all about it."

"Hey! If you're not going to pay, I'm gonna have you arrested!" Yelled the shop owner.

Luke turned and looked at him, "Nobody said anything about not paying!" He then looked at Tear, "…So, uh, how does this work?"

Tear sighed, "All right, let's explain how shops work…" She rubbed her forehead lightly, 'I can't believe he doesn't know how to shop at a store. Are all aristocrats like this?'

After explaining everything to Luke they walked over to the other side of the village. On the other side of the village was a tall blond haired man in a strange black, sleeveless suit, wearing black knuckle gloves. The man was holding a piece of paper, "Man. What do I need a with Spaghetti recipe?" The man asked.

Fayt looked at the man in shock, "Cliff!" He yelled before running over to him.

The man turned around, "Huh? Fayt! Man I was starting to get worried." He said rubbing the back of his head, "Have you seen the others?"

Fayt shuck his head, "No I was by myself."

Luke looked at him, "What are we?"

"I was talking about the people I know, I wasn't meaning to leave you out." Fayt replied. "So do you have any Gald?" He asked Cliff.

Cliff nodded, "It you mean those funny looking coins that the monsters around here drop, then yes."

Tear sighed, "Let's head to the inn."

Everyone nodded in agreement and followed Tear to the inn, but for some reason there was a large crowd infront of it. A man walked out of the inn, "Nothing… Every last scrap of food in the storehouse has been stolen."

One man sighed, "This has happened time and time again since those fires up north. You think maybe some deserters hiding out there have started to come here looking for food?"

Another man spoke up, "Or it could be the work of those Dark Wings, too."

Luke crossed his arms, "It's just food. Would those Dark Wings guys really bother to steal that?"

Fayt looked at Cliff, "You'll have to get used to that personality."

Cliff nodded, "Got it."

The man that came out of the inn looked at him, "What do you mean, 'just food'? In this village, food is the most valuable thing there is!"

Luke looked away and started waving his hand, "Oh, come on. So someone stole it-just go buy some more."

One of the men looked shocked, "What? We break our backs all year tending these fields!"

The man that Luke took the apple from ran up, "Hey, I just heard Kelly's place got hit by a food thief, too…" He looked at Luke, "It's you! So, you didn't just steal from me, you were at it over here, too, huh?"

Everyone looked shock. The man that came out of the inn, Kelly, looked at Luke, "What…? You're the one who raided my storehouse?"

"They say the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime."

Luke looked at them annoyed, "Are you calling me a thief?"

"You tried to steal an apple from me!"

Kelly had heard enough, "That's it, I'm taking you to the authorities!"

Cliff leaned down and whispered to Tear, "Shouldn't we stop this?"

Tear replied by whispering, "Letting Luke get arrested her might actually do him some good…"

Fayt nodded, "It might teach him something."

They brought Luke inside the largest house in Engeve and kicked him through the door. "Rose, we've got trouble!" Said one of the men.

Rose walked around the table, "Hush! We've got an important guest from the military here. Calm down!"

Kelly picked up Luke and held him in the air, "How can we be calm? We caught him! We caught the guy stealing food!"

Luke looked at him, "I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

"Rose! This guy may be with the Dark Wings!" Said one of the men.

"He's got to be responsible for all the food getting stolen lately!" Said another man.

Luke slapped Kelly's hand, "I'm telling you I'm not your damn thief! Do I look like I'm going hungry to you?"

"My, my, what a lively boy." Rose said, "Let's all just settle down first, all right?"

A man in a blue suit walked over to Luke, "Yes, please do."

Rose turned and looked at him, "Colonel…" He simple looked at her and handed her the cup he was drinking out of.

Luke looks at him, "Who the hell are you?"

Without even looking at him, he replied, "I am Colonel Jade Curtiss, Third Division Malkuth Imperial Forces. And who might you be?" He then looked at him.

"Luke. Luke fon-"

"Luke!" Tear said before grabbing him.

"What's your problem?"

"Have you forgotten? This is enemy territory." Tear said, "Your father, Duke Fabre, is one of Malkuth's greatest enemies. Don't use your name so casually."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes. There are plenty of people here who have had family killed by your father. You don't want any unnecessary trouble, do you?"

Jade finally got tired of letting them whisper, "Is something wrong?"

Tear pushed Luke away and turned to face Jade, "My apologies, Colonel. He's Luke. I'm Tear. We were headed for Chesedonia, but we boarded the wrong coach and wound up here."

Jade perked up a bit, "Oh? So you're with this man suspected of being with the Dark Wings?"

"We're not with the Dark Wings." Tear replied. "The Malkuth military force the real Dark Wings to the other side of Rotelro Bridge."

"Ah… I see. So you were on that coach from earlier." Jade replied.

Rose looked at Jade, "What is all this about, Colonel?"

"Just as Tear said, a group of bandits thought to be the Dark Wings fled towards Kimlasca. I can assure you these two are not with them."

"They don't appear to be mere food thieves, either." Called out a young male voice.

"Fon Master Ion…" Jade said as he turned his attention to the door.

Everyone moved out of the way of the door, there was a young boy with green hair, in fancy white cloths. "I was a bit curious, so I investigated the food storehouse. I found this in a corner of the room." He said before walking over to Rose and handing it to her.

"This is fur from a sacred cheagle."

Ion nodded, "Yes. A cheagle is what probably raided your food stores."

Luke looked at Kelly, "See! I told you I wasn't a thief!"

Fayt looked at Luke, "But you did eat that apple before paying."

Tear nodded, "You need to learn not to do things that'll make you look suspicious."

Luke looked at her and shrugged, "How was I supposed to know? I didn't know I had to pay."

Rose smiled, "Well, sounds like that takes care of that. I think you all have something to say to this boy and his friends?"

Kelly rubbed the back of his head, "…I'm sorry. With all the burglaries lately, I've been a little on edge."

"Sorry for accusing you."

"I'm sorry I made the situation worse."

Rose looked at Luke, "You think you could forgive them, boy?"

"I'm not a boy." Luke complained.

"I'm sorry. Luke, could we let bygones be bygones?"

"…Yeah, whatever." Luke said looking away.

Rose smiled, "Glad to hear it. Now, I have business with the colonel. I'll think of a way to stop the cheagles, so all of you just go home for today."

Everyone walked out of the room, but Luke looked back at Ion as the door was being shut and nearly ran into Cliff. "Hey! Watch where I'm going!"

"Right… And I'm supposed to do that, how?"

"Oh! Forget it!"

Tear shuck her head, "Why is Fon Master Ion here…"

Luke looked at her, "Fon Master Ion?"

"The supreme leader of the Order of Lorelei." Tear replied.

"Hey, wait a minute. I heard Ion was missing." Luke said, thinking back to the conversation from yesterday. "Master Van said he was returning home to look for him!"

"Really? That's news to me." Tear said as she crossed her arms, "I wonder what's going on… He didn't look like he was being held captive."

"I'll go ask him." Luke said before turning to go back into Rose's house, but Cliff grabbed him, "Hey let go!"

"The lady said she had something important to discuss." He said letting go of Luke, "It's best to leave this be for right now. Let's try in the morning." He said before walking off with the rest of the group.

"Humph. Why do I have to follow your orders?" Luke questioned before following the group to the inn.

As the group entered the inn they noticed a young girl in a pink outfit, "Have you seen the person I was with? A boy, pretty short? Kind of out of it?"

Kelly shuck his head, "Sorry, I was away from the inn for a little while…"

The girl sighed, "Honestly, that Ion! Where did he run of to?"

Luke looked a bit surprised, "Ion? You mean Fon Master Ion?"

As the girl Fayt thumbed out the door, "We saw someone called Ion at Rose's place." He said before lowering his arm, "I hope that helps."

The girl put her hands on her hips and gives a large, relieved smile, "Really? Thank you!" She started to leave, but Luke blocked here way.

"Hey, wait a second. What's the Fon Master doing here? I heard he was missing."

The girl placed a hand over mouth, acting surprised, "Ack! Are there rumors like that floating around? I have to tell Ion!" And with that the girl pushed her way past Luke and out the door.

"Hey!" Luke called out, but she had already shut the door. "…Humph. She didn't answer my question."

Tear nodded. "Yes, but she looks like a Fon Master Guardian, so I assume Ion's journey is officially recognized by the Order of Lorelei."

The group looked at Tear, but it was Luke that asked first, "A Fon Master Guardian?"

"They're Ion's personal guard, a special force within the Oracle Knights. They accompany him on all official business."

Luke looked back to the door, "That chick is one of Master Van's soldiers, huh…" He looked back at Tear, "…What was up with Ion being 'missing'? I'm gonna be so mad if that was just a mistake!"

Fayt walked over to the desk in front of them, "Let's check in."

Luke, Tear, and Cliff walked up as well. Kelly smiled, "Sorry about earlier. You can stay here free tonight. It's the least I can do."

Cliff looked surprised, "Thanks."

"No problem. As I said, it the least I can do."

Later that evening Tear stood in the middle of the room thinking, Fayt was trying to decipher a book someone left behind, Cliff was sitting in one of the chairs watching Luke, who appeared to be having a fit. Tear turned to the group, "Tomorrow, we'll head for the Kaitzur checkpoint." She then crossed her arms, "With the bridge out, that's the only way back to Baticul. We also have to do something about passports…"

Luke anger hit it's peak, "…Grr, I can't stand it. I can't just leave like this!"

Tear looked at him and sighed, "Unbelievable. Are you still mad?"

Luke glanced at her, fists clinched. "Of course! They called me a thief!"

After everyone picked a place to sleep(Luke, Tear, and Fayt got one of the three beds, Cliff picked the chair he had been sitting in), Luke looked at Tear, "Hey, do you know what cheagles are? They called them 'sacred'."

Tear nodded, "They're herbivores that live in the woodlands of the East Rugnica Plains. They are one of the symbols of the Order of Lorelei, along with the Order's founder, Yulia." She looked at him. "Their forest is just north of this village, actually."

"We're going there tomorrow."

Cliff looked at him funny, "To do what? Let me guess, find proof they stole the food."

Luke stood up and nodded, "Exactly! To look for proof that they're the thieves."

Tear sighed, "I dough well find any."

Luke crossed his arms, "Shut up! I've made up my mind!"

Fayt looked at Tear, "And one his mind is set, there's no changing it."

Tear sighed, "Let's all get some sleep, then."

The next morning, after checking there supplies, they left the village, thou Cliff was against Fayt tagging along, he didn't stop him, "So this forest of the cheagles it to the north…"

Tear looked at Cliff, "Yes. Like I said last night, it's to the north."

Fayt pulled out something and pointing to the north, "That way."

Location: Cheagle Woods

The Group manages to make it to the forest of the cheagles, only to notice someone in danger. "Hey, it's that Ion kid!" Luke said in surprise.

"The in trouble!" Exclaimed both Tear and Fayt.

Ion was surrounded buy wolf-like monsters, but before they could hurt him he raised his hand in the air and slammed it on the ground, making this weird symbol appear. The power emitted by the symbol was enough to destroy the three monsters. Once the monsters were gone, Ion got back to his feet, only to collapse from sheer exhaustion.

The group ran over. Tear lifted Ion's head and shoulders off the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" Luke asked.

Ion nodded and stood up once more, "I-I'm fine. I just used too strong a Daathic fonic arte…" He looked at the group, "Oh you're the four from Engeve yesterday…"

Luke nodded, "I'm Luke."

"Luke… that means 'Light of the Sacred Flame' in Ancient Ispanian. That's a nice name." Ion said with a cheerful smile.

Fayt smiled, "I'm Fayt Leingod."

The Cliff added, "Name's Cliff Fittir."

Ion looked at them, "Those are interesting names."

"I'm Locrian Sergeant Tear Grants, 1st Platoon, Oracle Knights Intelligence Division, under Grand Maestro Mohs' Command."

Ion looked surprised, "Ah, you're Van's younger sister. I've heard of you. This is the first time we've met, isn't it?"

Luke looked at her, very annoyed. "You're Master Van's sister? Then what was with you trying to kill him?" Tear just looks away.

"Kill him…?" Ion questioned.

Cliff looked at Fayt, "Did you know anything about this?"

"No idea."

Tear looked at the three of them, "Sorry, it's nothing. Just something between us."

"Don't try to avoid the question! If you're his sister, why are you trying to kill him?"

"It's… I…"

Before she could think up what to say Fayt pointed out a small rabbit like creature, "Look. What's that?"

Everyone looked at it as it walked away, "It's a cheagle!" Ion replied.

Luke forgot all about Tear, "So, they do live here! Come on, we're gonna catch that thing!" He said running up to where the cheagle had been.

Ion looked at Tear, "Would it be best if I don't inquire about you and Van?"

"I'm sorry. It relates to my homeland. I'd prefer not getting you or Luke involved…" Tear replied.

Fayt nodded, "It's understandable." "I mean we've got things to hide as well." Cliff added.

Luke turned back around, "Hey! It's gonna get away!"

Ion simply smiled, "Let's go!" And turned to follow Luke.

"What? Oh, right!" Tear said as she and the rest of the group followed Luke.

The group followed the path for a while, until Luke finally got annoyed, "Grrr! You see? It got away! Could you to be any slower?"

"Don't worry. Their nesting grounds should be up ahead." Ion replied.

Luke looked a little surprised, "How do you know?"

"Oh, um… Actually, I was curious about the thefts in Engeve and did a little looking. Cheagles are intelligent and peaceful creatures. It's not like them to steal food."

"…Humph. Looks like we're both heading to the same place, then." Luke replied.

Ion looked surprised, "The two of you came to investigate the cheagles, too?"

Luke nodded, "I'm not gonna just let people accuse me of things I didn't do."

Fayt looked at Ion, "Are you really up to this?"

Ion nodded, "I'll be fine, Fayt. As long as I don't use another fonic arte as powerful as the last one." He looked at Luke, "You don't mind me traveling with you, right?"

"Sure, why not?" Luke replied.

Tear looked at Fayt and Luke, "How could you even suggest taking Fon Master Ion some place so dangerous?"

Cliff shrugged, "If he's trying to do the same thing we are, he'll just come back here on his own."

"…I'm sorry." Ion said, "I just have to know. Cheagles are the sacred beasts of our Order, after all."

"See?" Luke said looking at Tear, "Besides, we can just leave a guy with a face so pale it looks like he's about to die."

Tear stood in shock.

Ion was so happy, "Oh! Thank you so much! You suck a nice person, Luke, Fayt."

Luke blushed lightly, "N-no I'm not! Now, quit saying stupid stuff and let's go!"

"Okay!" Ion said happily.

Cliff walked forward, "I think it's best you don't use that weird arte again. You nearly passed out using it. Who knows what'll happen next time." He said before slamming his right fist into his left hand. "Let us take care of the fighting."

"You're gonna protect me? Sir Cliff, I'm so moved." Ion said looking at Cliff.

"Whoa! It's just Cliff, okay? Sir Cliff just sounds weird." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"Okay Cliff." Ion said happily.

The group started up the trail once more until they came across and area with a large tree in it. The slowly made their way up when a young cheagle walked out. It turned and looked at them in shock, "Mieu, mieu mieu mieu, mieu!"

Luke looked at if funny, "So, that's a cheagle?"

Ion was a little surprised, "It looks like it's still a child."

'It's so cute…' Thought Tear as she approached it, but it got scared and ran off.

"Hey! It ran away!" Luke said in annoyment.

Ion didn't look so surprised, "It is a wild animal, after all."

Fayt looked around, "I'm guessing this is the cheagles nesting area."

Cliff nodded, "Looks that way to me."

"I do hope we can find some proof they stole food from the village." Ion said looking around.

Luke turned and looked at him. "Those stupid things probably left proof all over the place."

Ion nodded, "Let's explore a little."

The group looked over the area, before Fayt and Cliff called everyone over to the entrance of the largest tree in the woods, where they had found some apples. "What do you make of this?" Fayt asked,

Ion picked up one of the apples, "These apples have the mark of Engeve on them."

"So, these guys did do it!" Luke said proudly.

Tear motioned for everyone to be quiet, "I think I hear something inside this tree."

Ion looked at the tree, "Cheagles live inside tree trunks." He said before walking in.

"Fon Master! That's too dangerous!" Tear said as the rest of the group ran in after him.

"This kid is hopeless…" Luke said to himself before entering.

Inside the tree they were surrounded by many mieuing cheagles, not happy with them being there. "Please let me through." Ion pleaded.

"Mieu mieu, mieu mieu mieu!" Cried a yellow cheagle.

Luke looked at Ion, "Like the monsters are going to understand you."

"The Order's founder, Yulia Jue, made a pact with the cheagles and gained their aid… or so I've been told."

Then the oldest cheagle then spoke up, "…Mieu mieu. Mieu, mieu." All the other cheagles quieted down and moved out of the way, "Are you of relation to Yulia Jue?" Asked the cheagle elder.

Luke was shocked, "Whoa, that monster talked!"

"It is the power of the ring we were granted as part of our pact with Yulia." Said the elder, "Are you of relation to Yulia?"

Ion and Tear walked forward, "Yes. I'm Ion, Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei. Am I correct in assuming you're the cheagle elder?"

"Indeed I am."

Luke walked forward then, "Hey. Monster. You guys stole food from Engeve, right?"

"I see now. So, you have come to exterminate us."

"Humph. So you don't deny it." Replied Luke.

Ion looked confused, "Cheagles are herbivores. Why do you need to steal human food?"

"…To preserve the cheagle tribe."

Tear crossed her arms, "It doesn't look like you lack food. There's plenty of vegetation in this forest."

"One of our members caused a fire in the northern region. As a result, the ligers that lived there moved down to this forest." The elder looked down, "…In order to prey on us."

"So the reason you stole the food was so your people wouldn't get eaten." Fayt said as he walked forward.

"…Correct. If they aren't sent food periodically, we cheagles are captured and eaten."

"That's horrible." Ion said looking depressed.

"And totally not our problem." Luke said in his normal tone of voice, "If you're weak, you're food. That's how it works." He then crossed his arms, "Besides, I'd be mad to if you torched my land."

"True, but this still isn't what you'd call normal." Cliff said as he walked up.

Tear looked at Luke, "Luke, we've confirmed that the thieves are cheagles. What do you want to do now?"

Luke looked at her, "What else? We're gonna drag these guys down to Engeve and-"

"But what about the ligers? They may attack Engeve next." Fayt said, interrupting Luke.

Luke looked at him, "I don't care what happens to that stupid village."

Ion glance back at him, "That's not acceptable. Food from Engeve is shipped throughout the entire world-not just the Malkuth Empire."

Luke looked at him, "Then what do we do?"

Ion turned around, "Let's negotiate with the ligers."

Tear looked surprised, "With monsters?"

Luke crossed his arms, "Can those liger things talk, too?"

Ion shuck his head, "We can't talk to them directly, but if we take one of the cheagles with us as a translator…"

The elder came forward, "…Then, shall lead this sorcerer's ring to the one who will be your interpreter." The elder then looked around, "Mieu, mieu mieu mieu mieuuu." A young blue cheagle hopped forward.

"What the…?" Luke said looking at it.

The elder looked at him, "This child is the one who caused the fire in the north. I want you to take him with you." The elder then passed the right onto the blue one.

The blue one stepped into the ring and picked it up, before looking at the group, which kneeled down to be more on his leave, "My name's Mieu. Please to meet you."

Luke looked annoyed, "…Something about this thing is really annoying."

Mieu closed his eyes, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Argh!" Luke moved forward, hand in a fist, "You're gonna drive me nuts! I should just roast you and eat you right now."

Cliff looked at him, "Now that's a little harsh."

Fayt nodded, "Yeah." He said before standing up, "Let's get going."

The group got up and exited the tree but were quickly stopped by Mieu. "Everyone, watch this." He said before turning and blowing a fire ball out of his mouth.

Luke looked majorly surprised, "Whoa! He breathed fire!"

Mieu turned around, extra super happy, "Neat, huh?"

"What was that?" Tear questioned.

Cliff looked at her funny, "Well. From here it looked like he breathed fire."

Mieu nodded, "Exactly! So I'm useful for more than just interpreting. I'm gonna work extra hard to make up for all the trouble I caused my friends."

"That's right, I'd forgotten that cheagles were a fire-breathing species." Ion said.

Mieu nodded, "Yes, we are! But mine is special!"

Fayt looked a bit confused, "Special? How's that?"

"I'm still a child, so I can't actually breath fire. But!" Mieu said before hugging the sorcerer's ring.

"But?" Fayt replied.

"The Sorcerer's Ring! Thanks to that, I can breathe fire!" Mieu said, really excited, "And no matter how much fire I breathe out, I never get tired." He said before breathing more fire.

"So the Sorcerer's Ring is good for more than just translation, huh?" Luke said, somewhat impressed.

"It was originally made to amplify fonic artes. It's a type of capacity core." Ion explained.

Cliff shuck his head, "Yeah, but a flame that small won't be of much use in battle."

Mieu suddenly got depressed, "Mieuuuuu…"

Luke looked at him, "Yeah, but come one. Breathing fire! That'll be fun!" He looked at Mieu, "Hey, you! Thing!"

Tear looked at him, "Luke! That's horrible!"

"Oh, shut up!" Luke hissed, "It's fine for this little freak!" He looked at Mieu once more, "Listen up, thing. When I give the order, you spit fire. Got it?"

"…Mieuuuuu…" Mieu looked up at him still depressed, "…Yes, sir…"

The group made there way back to a fork in the path and headed in that direction only to end up blocked by a river. Tear looks at the river then to Mieu, "The liger's lair is up ahead, right?"

"Yes. We cross the river and keep going." Mieu replied.

Luke turns and looks at Mieu, "How are we supposed to cross a river when there's no bridge?"

Fayt crossed his arms, "Well have to wade through the river. "

Luke at Fayt like he was kidding, "Are you serious? My shoes, my clothes… everything'll get drenched! No way!"

Cliff shrugged, "Fine by me. If you care that much about your clothes, you just might get in the way."

Luke looked at Cliff, "Excuse me?" He then turned and noticed a tree, rotted through, the only thing holding it up was vines, "Hey. Thing. Breathe fire on that trees roots."

Mieu looked at him, somewhat confused, "Mieu?"

Luke picked up Mieu and pointed him in the direction of the tree, "You heard me. Breathe fire already!"

"Mieu mieu mieuuu!" Mieu called out before breathing fire, the fire but through the vines and the tree fell over, making a bridge.

Luke put Mieu down, "Heh. What do you think of that?"

"I see. The trees roots were rotten. Excellent thinking, Luke." Ion said, smiling.

Luke blushed lightly, "…Heh. This is nothing."

Tear crossed her arms, "Indeed. Mieu is the one who deservers thanks."

"H-hey!" Luke said in semi shock.

Tear looked at him, "I thought it was nothing for you. And stop yelling." She then turned and walked over to the log, "Fon Master Ion, shall we be on our way?"

"Oh, right. Luke, cheer up. Come on, let's get going." Ion replied before crossing the log bridge with Tear.

"Let's go." Said Mieu as he started to cross the log bridge as well.

Cliff let Fayt cross before he did, "You know, Luke. You walked right into that one."

Luke looked at Cliff, "Shut up!"

After everyone had crossed the river they started walking again, they hadn't walked two minutes before Luke opened his mouth. "Hey, Ion."

Ion turned around, "Yes?"

"How'd you learn strong moves like that arte you used earlier? Could I learn to do that, too?" Luke asked.

"That was a Daathic fonic arte." He said before pausing, "…You see, it's…"

"Wait, wait, I don't need some long explaination. Just tell me if there's some easy way to get stronger." Luke said before Ion could say another word.

Cliff rubbed the back of his head, "This kid is something else."

Luke looked at Cliff, "What?"

"Please don't fight." Ion said, "I'll tell you an easy way to become stronger."

Luke looked at him, "Really? How?"

"What kind of capacity core do you use, Luke?" Ion asked.

Luke crossed his arms, "Capacity core? …What's that?"

Ion looked surprised, "You don't know?"

Tear looked at Ion, "He's somewhat ignorant about the world."

Luke put his hands on his hips and looked at her, "Well, excuse me!"

"Then take this, Luke." Ion said before handing Luke a capacity core.

Luke looked at it, "Is this a capacity core?"

Ion nodded, "Yes. You can think of it as an accessory with a fonic arte applied to it. Your body's abilities will increase in accordance with the fonic verse inscribed." He said with a smile, "These days, even regular citizens wear them as fashion accessories."

Luke looked at it once more, "So if I put this on, I can use that arte you used earlier?"

Ion shuck his head, "I'm sorry, only Fon Masters of the Order of Lorelei can use Daathic fonic artes."

Luke shrugged, "Oh. That sucks."

Tear sighed, "But with a capacity core equipped, you can learn special abilities. Use it well, and you'll be strong enough."

Luke put the capacity core on, "How's it look?"

"It looks good on you, Luke." Ion said with a smile.

"Cool. Now I can get stronger, too." Luke said.

Tear rubbed her forehead, "…At least your muscles will." This got a chuckle from Fayt and Cliff, but a scowl from Luke.

After walking for a couple of minutes they came across river with a old tree, which Luke was quick to knock down with Mieu. After crossing the river they started running into ligers. "We must be getting close to the ligers den." Fayt said looked at a cave under a tree.

"Well, what are we waiting for!" Luke said before walking closer, "The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can leave."

The group enter the cave and made their way down to a open area where a large liger was laying on a nest. "That must be the queen." Tear said after looking it over from a distance.

Luke looked at her, "The queen?"

"Ligers live in packs formed around a large female." Tear replied.

"Then that's gotta be the queen." Cliff said, "I'm seen plenty of cats, but none that big!"

Ion looked at Mieu, which he was carrying, "Mieu, please go talk with the liger queen." Ion asked.

"Yes, sir!" Mieu said before jumping out of Ion's hands. "Mieu, mieu mieu mieu mieu mieu. Mieuuu mieu…"

The liger queen slowly sat up, turned to face the group, and roared a roar so powerful it kicked up a rock which hit Mieu.

Everyone gathered around Mieu, "Hey! You all right?" Cliff asked?

"I'm fine." Mieu replied as he got to his feet.

Luke ignored Mieu's condition, since he was able to get to his feet, "Hey, runt, what did she say?"

Mieu turned and looked at him, "She says her eggs are just about to hatch, so go away." Mieu looked down, "Her Highness is really mad that I accidentally burned their home."

Tear and Ion looked worried, but Luke was still stuck on something Mieu had said, "Eggs? Liger's lay eggs?"

Mieu nodded, "I was born from an egg, too. A lot of monsters are born from eggs."

Tear stood up, "This is bad. Ligers are more violent when they're guarding their eggs."

Fayt looked at Tear as he stood up, "So, do we come back later?"

Ion shuck his head as he stood up, "But if the liger eggs hatch, the young will likely swarm the village in search of food."

Cliff stood up, "Huh? Why?"

"Liger young like human flesh, so people hunt down any near cities before they can reproduce." Tear explained.

Ion kneeled back down, "Could you ask them to leave this land?"

"Y-yes, sir." Mieu said before walking forward again. "Mieu, mieu, mieu mieu…" This time the liger queen roared so load that rocks from the ceiling began to fall, one nearly his Mieu, but Luke's used his sword a destroyed it. "Th-thank you!"

Luke looked away, "Don't get me wrong. I wasn't protecting you. I was protecting Ion!"

The liger queen started to approach them. "She says she's going to kill us and feed us to her children."

Tear put her arm out in front of Ion, "Here she comes… Fon Master, please step back with Mieu." She said before walking forward.

Luke looked nervous, "W-wait… if we fight here, the eggs might break."

Tear didn't look at him, "It may be cruel, but that would probably be for the best. If we leave the eggs and they hatch, the young could easily wipe Engeve out entirely."

The queen was now within striking distance, "Look out! The queen!" Ion said warning them.

Luke ran up, along with Fayt and Cliff, "Damn it!" Luke said as he rushed in to start fighting.

Fayt drew his sword, "Ice… Blade!" He said as he used some strange power to cover his blade in ice before running up to attack.

Tear looked at Cliff, "Could you stay back and watch after the Fon Master?"

Cliff looked a bit surprised, "Sure." He said before running back and standing near Ion.

Tear looked at him, "Thanks." She then turned her attention back to the liger queen, "Pow Hammer!" She yelled summoning forth a hammer the hit the liger queen, but it wasn't to effective.

The three of them through all of their attacks at the liger queen, but none of them seemed effective. "Hey! What the hell? It's not dying!" Luke complained.

Tear jumped back, "This isn't good. Our attacks aren't hurting it at all."

Fayt moved out of the way of a lightning blast, "There's got to be some way to defeat it."

Luke looked at Fayt, "So… So do something!"

"Allow me…" Said a familiar voice.

Tear glanced back, "Who are you?"

"Leave the inquiry for later. I'll use fonic artes to take care of this. You just make sure I have time to cast." Said the man.

Luke looked annoyed, "You can't order me-"

"Let's leave this too him. We'll buy time by taking on the liger queen. Don't let her attacks hit him." Tear said, interrupting Luke.

"Got it!" Fayt said as he ran back to the liger queen.

The group nodded and continued to fight until the man's fonic artes took down the monster, "Well that was pitiful." Said the man.

"That was definitely not Symbology…" Fayt said a he put his sword away.

"Yes. He defiantly no ordinary fonist."

Luke put his sword away and sat down.

Tear looked at Luke, then to the man, who was in fact Jade, the man they had met yesterday.

Jade walked past them, looked at them, then called for someone, "Anise! Could you come here for a moment?"

The little girl in the pink outfit from yesterday ran up to Jade, "Yes, Colonel! 3 Did you call me?" Jade kneeled down and whispered something in her ear, "Okay… Understood. In exchange, you have to keep a good eye on Ion!" She said before running off.

"…This left a bad taste in my mouth." Luke said in a glum tone.

Tear closed her eyes, "You're quite kind. Or perhaps just soft…"

Luke glanced up at her, "…And you're cold!"

Jade walked over to them, "Oh, dear. Lover's quarrel?"

Luke glanced at him, "Shut up!"

"Colonel Curtiss… We don't have that sort of relationship." Tear, in her own way, hissed.

"I'm joking. And please, call me Jade." He said, hand up to his face. "I'm not accustom to being called by my family name."

Ion and the other walked over, "…Jade, I'm sorry for running off and doing this."

Jade put his hands into his pockets, "It's unlike you to do something like this when you know it's wrong."

"Together with Yulia, the cheagles are the foundation of the Order of Lorelei." Ion said, trying to explain himself, "I felt I had to take responsibility for any trouble they caused…"

Jade looked somewhat worried, "And that's why you used your power? Didn't the doctor tell you not to?"

"…I'm sorry."

Jade looked at the others, "And you've involved civilians as well."

Luke glance up at Jade again, "…Hey, old man, he's apologized, right? Give him a break."

Fayt nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we chose to come out here on our own, at first."

Jade looked between them, "Oh. I expected you to complain about being dragged into this. I'm a bit surprised."

'So am I…' Tear thought.

Jade looked towards the others, "Well, we don't have much time, anyway. I'll stop the lecture at them."

Ion looked at Jade, "The letter arrived, didn't it?"

Jade nodded, "Yes. Now, let's go ahead and get out of this forest."

Mieu jumped up on Luke's head. "No. We have to report to the elder."

Jade looked at Mieu, "…A cheagle speaking a human language?"

Luke knocked Mieu of his head and pinned him under his foot as Ion explained, "It the power of the Sorcerer's Ring." Ion looked at Jade, "Jade, could we stop by the cheagles' home?"

"All right." Jade said, "But please don't forget that we haven't muck time."

Ion looked back at Luke, who still had Mieu pinned, "Luke, thank you for helping me. Please join me for just a little longer."

Luke kicks Mieu out of the way, "Well, I've come this far. Might as well."

The group manages to make good time in making it back to the cheagle nesting grounds. The group watched as Mieu explained what happened to the elder, "It's quite amusing to watch monsters talk like this." Jade said with a smile on his face.

"…They're so cute! 3" Tear said looking at them.

Luke looked at her, "Huh? You say something?"

Tear was blushing as she stood up, "…N-no."

The elder looked at them, "Mieu told me what happened. You met with great danger on our behalf. We are grateful that you kept your promise even after 2000 years."

Ion nodded, "Of course. Aiding the cheagles is part of Yulia's teaching."

The elder looked at Mieu, "But the original cause of all this was Mieu burning the ligers' home. So I will have Mieu atone for his mistake."

Cliff crossed his arms, "So what are you planning on doing?"

The elder looked at them, "I will exile Mieu from our tribe."

"That's to cruel." Fayt said in disagreement.

The elder sighed, "Naturally, I don't mean forever. I hear Master Luke saved Mieu's life. Cheagles do not forget their debts. Mieu will serve Master Luke for one cycle of seasons."

Luke looked a bit annoyed, "Hey, I'm not involved in this."

The elder looked at Luke, "Mieu insisted upon accompanying you, Master Luke. I leave it up to you to decide what to do with him."

Fayt looks at Luke, "Why not take him along?"

Luke looked at Fayt, annoyed, "I don't need a pet!"

Cliff rubbed the back of his head, "Well, from what I've been hearing, these guys are pretty important. I'm sure your family would like him."

Luke thought about it for a moment, "Hmm, I guess I could give him to Guy and the others as a souvenir…"

Mieu, back in control of the Sorcerer's Ring, looked at Luke. "I'll do my best to be useful, Master!"

"You're so annoying…" Luke groaned.

"Well, it would appear his report had ended. Let's leave the forest." Jade said looking at the group. Luke looked at Jade, "…Humph. Who died and made him boss?"

The group quickly ran all the way to the entrance of the forest. Luke was the first to notice Anise running up, "Hey, isn't that your bodyguard?"

"Yes, that's Anise." Ion replied as she ran up.

"Welcome back! 3" She said as four Malkuth soldiers ran up and surrounded the others.

"Greetings, Anise." Jade said as he adjusted his glasses, "What's the status of the Tartarus?"

"It's in front of the forest, just like you asked." Anise said in her normal happy way, "You said to hurry, so we came as fast as we could! 3"

Cliff looked at Jade, "All right. I give. What's going on?"

Jade pointed to Luke and Tear, "Restrain those two. They're the ones who have been emitting the Seventh Fonons." He then looked at Fayt and Cliff, "Restrain them as well. Last night a strange event dropped six strange lights from the sky, and after a little inquire, I found out that the blond is one of those lights. And putting two and two together, the blue haired one must be one, too."

"You've got to be kidding!" Cliff said looking at the soldiers, "Man. What would Maria think?"

Fayt looked at Cliff, "I'm wondering what Albel would thing! Or Sophia. Or even Peppita."

Ion looked at Jade, "Jade! Don't to anything to hurt them…"

"Don't worry. We won't kill them." He said before giving a sarcastic smile, "…Assuming they don't resist." The soldiers closed in one the four, before Jade said anything else. "Be good, kids. Take them away!"

And so Luke, Tear, Fayt, and Cliff were taken away to the land dreadnought, the Tartarus.