Woah! Surprise! Sorry it's been so long. I started college in August, and in November I got a part time job. When I wasn't working, I was trying to relax. I had started this chapter awhile ago, and I suddenly got a muse. It's short, but it has a little content for everyone. I'm going to try writing more now; I still love this story, and I'm starting to remember where I wanted to go with it, but like I hope I've mentioned before, there will be gaps; I'm busier than I was when I started this in the summer, believe me. But I do want to thank the people who reviewed this in my absence and requested more, as they helped inspire me to finish at least this little bit.
p.s. I'm really sorry it's so short; I just didn't want to start a big project like the return or the second mission just yet. When I write this, I want it to be good, not hastily thrown together.
Jack cursed under his breath as he stared back into the determined eyes of his party member. Shit…well, looks like I may change my fate after all, he thought to himself, though it definitely wasn't looking like the future he'd started planning for. All his plans to delay the war, to work with officials by giving simple advice, even going as far as to eliminate the silver dragon before he could twist the castle higher-ups to do what he wanted, or researching a cure for Algandar's; everything was done for if he messed this up.
"Give me a minute to rest up a bit," Jack said calmly, leaning against a wall and sliding down it with a groan. In truth, he did need the break; now that the effects of Tri-Emblem had worn off, he was completely exhausted. Hell, his body was shaking slightly, triggered by exhaustion and continued by his muscles tightening up.
Ridley looked at him almost with a bit of pity before she walked over to the training gear that he'd dropped. Picking up, she saw him physically react and grinned.
"Hey, put that down!" Jack shouted, groaning internally as he was what she was doing.
"If you can handle it farm boy, I'm sure it's not that bad," Ridley chided, slipping her arms through the springy coils, tying them down with a wince. Maybe I should stop this… she thought, already feeling the lack of mobility with her arm, but instead of doing the sensible thing, she continued with her show of will.
Jack was standing now, walking towards her with narrowed eyes. "Ridley, put that thing down. Trust me, it doesn't feel bad now, but that thing's going to make it so you can't even move, trust me. At least on the setting I have it on," he tried to explain, though she didn't seem to want to hear it. Trying to tie the device down to her other arm, she couldn't keep her hold long enough to finish it. The springy arm snapped, shooting back with the same force she'd put into it, nearly making her immobile.
"Wha-" she said, wincing at the force restricting her limbs. How can he even move in this? Let alone make it look easy! She thought, frustration filling her eyes as the boy walked over and pulled the chain, releasing the device to a more suitable level.
"It's called a training device. You can set the amount of resistance on your limbs to make you train more easily," he said, frowning as he tried to regain his composure. "Ridley, I really need you to keep quiet about this. I'm not afraid of them knowing I'm training, but I need to keep myself low-key."
"Why? Why the need for any of this? Why are you pushing yourself so hard right now?" she asked scornfully, moving away from him now with less difficulty, though the strain on her muscles was felt. She wasn't asking the real questions that were plaguing her mind; who was this kid? Why could he handle this kind of pressure when she couldn't? She, someone who had trained for years, was behind this country boy who hadn't spent more than two days in the castle? Jack noticed the emotion filling her eyes and sighed, sitting back down.
"Just…calm down. If you want me to tell you more, I need you to be calm first. This is going to be…difficult to explain." Looking at her somberly, he hoped that she would sit down and listen…and after a few moments, she pulled off the training gear and set it down, sitting and trying to be calm. Giving a sigh of relief, he nodded. "Thank you. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I can't pause every time you have a question…so I'm just going to try and explain it." The girl nodded her approval, though Jack really didn't think she knew what she was getting herself into.
"Well…as you've definitely noted, I'm more skilled than I should be. That's because…well, this isn't the first time I've done this," he said, pausing. "I was sent back in time…I can't tell you how, because I really don't know, but I do know what I need to do. A lot of bad things are going to start happening to the world…to people I know…and I need to prevent it this time around, because I know what's going to happen and who's going to do it."
At first, Ridley was completely skeptical. Back in time? That was a ridiculous concept, that she was sure that the Vareth Institute had disproven decades ago. And yet…he spoke with such confidence and sorrow that he had to be telling the truth. Or at least what he thought was the truth.
"How bad are these things you're talking about? You're beating around the bush, not giving me any information at all," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Are you sure you aren't just delusional? That you haven't just imagined these things?" Jack shook his head somberly, the events running through his head. The blood orc attack, the war between humans and non-humans, the deaths of people who didn't need to die…he couldn't have imagined all that.
"This isn't a dream…I have proof. That training device is something I got…or I will get, I should say. It's something I won't have for a while, so I got to bring it back with me. Along with a lot of other things, and my money that I've saved. And as for how bad things get…the deaths will be in the thousands. An all-out war will rage…everyone I know will be in danger…I don't want this to happen again. I really…can't even stand the thought of it," he said, trying to smile even as tears ran down his face. "I can't let it happen again. That's why people can't know that I know anything. If they do, it could screw up everything I'm working for; do you understand?"
Ridley was stunned; what happened to the cool and confident knight that had just been fighting? Why would he be crying? A war? Death? She knew the words, and their meanings, but looking at how they affected her comrade…she didn't know they could take their toll this harshly. "I…I understand. I won't tell anyone…under one condition," she said, taking the pity out of her eyes and replacing it with a stern gaze. "Let me train with you; if these things could happen, I want to be ready."
Looking at her coolly, Jack assessed his options; well, if he had options, he would assess them. He had no choice but to give in to her demands, if he wanted to be able to take action the way he had planned. "Alright, fine. But when I say to stop, you stop; your skills aren't as developed as mine; I can adapt quickly, because I have the combat experience. You don't. Got it?" he asked, to which he received a curt nod and a light smile. "Good. But we aren't starting today…I really wasn't ready to push myself this far anyways," he said, standing shakily and walking towards the equipment, picking it up and placing it in his bag.
Ridley wasn't happy, but she had just agreed to listen to his direction. She wasn't happy about being mentored by a farm boy, but apparently he wasn't much of a farm boy, if he was telling the truth. Either way, he'll help me get better…and then I'll surpass him, and be able to fight on my own. Maybe then he'll tell me everything.
"Hey, come on. We're leaving," he said, having already shouldered his bag, walking down the tunnel back. Ridley stood and grabbed her axe, catching up rather quickly to his slow pace. Feather earing or not, it didn't help when you were exhausted.
"My goodness, you're a mess master Jack!" the captain stated as the pair walked into the room. "You two didn't get into a fight, did you? I won't have that in my squad!"
"Relax, captain. We were just exploring, and ended up in one of the mines. I got a bit roughed up, but we made it out alright," Jack explained, looking to Ridley with a light grin. "She was a little more equipped to handle it than I was, actually." Ridley blushed slightly and shook her head.
"Maybe if you hadn't been so insistent on going in there, we wouldn't have gotten into a battle at all," she said, to which Jack was actually impressed. She could act; he wondered if the castle life taught her that.
The captain, looking between the pair, beamed slightly, proud that his teammates had gotten over their differences. "Very well you two. Get yourselves cleaned up and head to bed; we may be called to leave tomorrow, and we need to be ready."
Jack smiled and nodded, though he was sure that the cart would take at least another day to be prepared, heading towards the small shower area that was provided with their room, leaving Ridley and the captain to themselves.
Removing his battered equipment and plunging himself into the warm water, Jack sighed, finally allowing himself to relax. This wasn't going the way he'd planned at all. Yet it was still possible to help the world, so he could try to content himself with that idea.
"Jack?" he heard a voice asked, causing him to stiffen up again, prepared to act his way out of things. "Don't worry, I won't bother you long. I just wanted to ask you something…something I thought of on the way here," Ridley said from the door, speaking calmly. The captain had left to go help with a thief plaguing the local bar, so she didn't need to worry anymore about being overheard.
"Does anything happen to me?" She had thought this through; from the way he'd treated her since they first met, and with the new information she had, she guessed that they had gotten along eventually through their continued companionship, but now that she was plagued with thoughts of the unforeseen future, she had begun to question what would happen to herself. Staying silent for a few moments, when Jack finally spoke, she wasn't very pleased.
"Don't think so highly of yourself; now let me shower so I can go to bed," Jack said curtly, his eyes closed under the water. Some things were better left unspoken, and he could do without plaguing her mind with thoughts of being a vessel for a dragon.