Disclaimer: Well, let's see. This happens to be on and also a story about Tales of the Abyss. Fan. Okay, point is, I don't own the game, the characters, anything—as much as I wish I did. So, if anyone honestly thinks I own the game, I give the rest of the world permission to throw large, blunt objects at said offender. Because that's seriously offensive to the REAL creators of the game—comparing them to me, that is ;) You get the point.
Thanks to all who gave me ideas for this fic. And, of course, to all who review. Much appreciated!
I'll shut up now.
Jade was the last to leave the Tartarus. He felt a bit annoyed leaving it in the hands of the enemy, but he had no time for that—they were lucky to have made it out alive. He followed Guy, who was just in front of him, to the place Tear had chosen to hide. They crouched under the cover of the bushes that grew up the sides of the palisade that surrounded St. Binah. They waited, listening to the God-Generals discussing their next move just outside the city.
"The next destination is Kaitzur," a female voice stated. "Then we'll be through it and on a ship back to Daath as soon as possible, I assume?"
"Well, you will be," a much younger male commented. "Arietta and I are heading to the Fubras River for the time being."
"Why are you going out of your way like that?" This voice was much older and more mature than the other two.
"The Commandant requested we check on its stability," the boy answered. "He said the miasma would appear there first. You old people are much more susceptible to it than we are, so we'd last longer if it does come."
"Oh, is that so?" the older man questioned. "Well, I'm in no position to disagree with the Commandant..."
Jade pulled Luke, who was closest to the gate where the God-Generals were, back several good paces. Just as the boy was about to protest, he decided better of the action and remained silent when the tall man that had been speaking earlier stepped out right in front of him, back still turned. The group retreated, staying close to the wall and hoping they hadn't been seen. When they were far enough out of earshot, Jade was the first to comment on the conversation.
"So they're going to the Fubras River, then to Kaitzur. That's good to know."
"Useful that may be," Tear pointed out. "But how do we get into the city without their noticing? It did look like they were leaving, but they're sure to leave soldiers covering the gate."
"I'm not so sure about that." Jade nodded back to the area in question. "They know about the tension with Kimlasca—the last thing they need is a war with Malkuth. Even if the Malkuth military has nothing against the Order now, everyone's on edge. There's no telling what would spark a diplomatic incident."
"You've got a point," Tear added wisely. "But what about Ion? They still have him, you know."
"Ion..." Anise sighed. "I'm sorry, Ion. I couldn't get to you."
"That would have gone against the orders of our mystery knight, though, wouldn't it?" Jade said pointedly. "That had to be..."
"Who was it?" Tear wondered out loud. "You can't mean it was!..."
"I'd rather not say until I'm sure." Jade fingered his glasses apprehensively. Tear gave Luke a lingering glance.
"W-what?!" Luke pouted. "Do you expect me to know him?"
Jade shook his head thoughtfully. "Know indeed..."
Dawn was just beginning to shed its light on the citadel when the Oracle Knights were called back to the Tartarus. Luke was growing tired of the wait; it had been at least two hours since they had broken out, and all he had to do was listen to who Guy had identified as Sync the Tempest and his immediate subordinates inspecting the battalion. When they finally left, the group was still held back by Jade to make sure the coast was clear.
"Is it safe yet?" Luke poked his head from the cover of the underbrush.
"It should be," Jade confirmed. "If they're leaving now, then they have no intention of staying longer."
"We need a place to stay for the night," Tear added. "We could try to make it to Kaitzur, but we'd be walking in the hottest hours of the day, so we'll only be biding our time out in the open if we can't reach the Fubras by nightfall. If the God-Generals are heading there as well, we'd be in danger of an ambush."
"Indeed." Jade agreed, adjusting his glasses. "You seem to have things well thought out, Tear."
"It's nothing, Colonel Curtiss."
"Please," The Malkuthian shrugged offhandedly. "Call me Jade. My family name sounds so formal."
Guy crept up from behind the three, giving his report to Jade. "They plan to be out by noon, just after they restock the ship. It looks like they still haven't noticed our disappearance."
"Oh, dear, this could be bad." Jade put on such an expression that Luke actually wondered if he was being serious for once. "It's possible they have noticed but are waiting for us to make a move before they do anything."
"Or maybe they left troops in the city and are waiting for us to enter," Anise noted worriedly.
"Shall I continue to watch them?" Guy offered.
"Yes, that would be most helpful." The smile returned to Jade's face, and Luke couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Right." Guy sneaked back around to the front gates of the city.
"Fascinating how a Kimlascan knows so much about Malkuthian geography," Jade mused after the blond had left.
"It's no big deal, Colonel." Anise winked.
"It's still a rather thought-provoking fact, though..."
"Oh, hell!" Guy dashed back to his hiding spot behind Jade. "Get away, they saw me!"
Jade's eyes narrowed, but he didn't scold Guy. "Quick, get back!"
Luke felt Tear pull him forcibly behind the wall. The ground was significantly lower here, and the vegetation was much thicker and wetter than that of the other sides. Luke held his breath, trying to resist pointing out how aggravating the tall ferns' soggy leaves were when they slapped against his back. Jade waited, and voices could be heard on the still air.
"...sure they went back here?"
"Positive, Chief!"
Luke recognized the voice as Sync's, and he heard the soft squelch of his footsteps on the mud. After a moment's antagonizing silence, the green-haired boy turned back to the soldier that had seen them.
"Get back to the others, now, and make sure you actually have a target before you drag your superiors out of their way next time!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Pull all the troops out, there's no point in staying here. There's no way they'd still be here—if they were that desperate to get away, they would be much farther away by now."
"Aye, sir!" The soldier ran as fast as his armor would allow, and Sync followed hesitantly. He glanced back, and Luke could have sworn the younger boy made eye contact with him, but neither showed any sign of recognition. The God-General trotted off dutifully.
"Well, well," Jade hummed. "It seems your little error actually did some good, Guy."
"So, now we can just head in? Sweet!" Anise bounded ahead of even Luke, who was all ready leaping from the ditch.
"Finally," Luke grumbled. Tear didn't reprimand him anything this time; after the capture, he seemed to have let up on the complaints. Maybe he was finally realizing the pointlessness of whining. She could only hope he would stay that way until she was able to get him back home, but Tear knew better than to get her hopes up.
"We should probably ask around for help to heal Tear when we stop by," Guy suggested as the small party picked its way through the bushes, still wary of the Oracle Knights. "She seems to be pretty hurt, and this town is known for its abundance in medicines."
"I'm fine..." the woman in question protested.
"An excellent idea." Jade smiled over his shoulder at the servant, ignoring her. "It would be wise for us to stay the night as well—the God-Generals might linger near the Rugnican Plains awhile longer before heading off to their next destination."
They entered through the town's grandly decorated gates after being granted permission by the Malkuthian guard. Tear remained alert, still convinced the Oracle Knights were waiting to capture them.
"You may do as you please for the remainder of the day," Jade told them when they had gotten inside. "I'll head to the inn and book some rooms—meet back there at nine."
Jade gave Luke a pointed look, and the boy fussed back moodily. "Hey, I'm not thatimmature!"
"I meant nothing against you, Master Luke," Jade continued as Guy gave the noble a warning glance. "As I was saying, you are free to explore the city if you wish. I suggest someone escort Tear to a doctor as soon as possible, and another take care of the shopping."
"I'll do that, then," Guy agreed. "Luke, you take care of Tear. You don't know an apple from an orange, anyway."
Luke shot him a nasty glare and mouthed a word that was none too nice, but he reluctantly agreed.
"Come on, Mieu." Guy picked up the cheagle, deftly placing it on his shoulder. "You can help me pick out some food and gels and stuff, okay?"
"Yes, Master! We can get lots and lots of mushrooms to eat!"
Guy winced slightly, as he realized he never should have made the mistake of allowing the monster to sit so close to his ear. He just hoped he'd walk away from this with the hearing in his left ear still intact. "Sure, Mieu, we can buy some mushrooms, too."
The group dispersed shortly, except for Anise, who was unsure of what to do. She saw Luke and Tear heading to the residential area of the town. Tear was leading Luke, actually, but still visibly cringing at each step, as each step sent a fresh wave of pain through her back. Luke was oblivious, of course, his gaze floating from flowers to trees and back to the merchants' area before rolling off the military base seated just off the main square.
Anise shrugged and turned to help Guy with the groceries. Luke was obnoxious, anyway, and she herself made for a fairly decent cook, so her ability to select ingredients would be of much aid to the hapless man.
Luke finally stumbled into the apothecary after the melodist. He would have wandered off on his own a long time ago had Jade not given him such alook—a look that so clearly said "disobey and you die." It was one of the few discernible expressions the soldier was able to convey.
"Excuse me," Tear approached the counter. "I just need a few apple gels and a simple bandage, please."
"Sure," the clerk responded. "Who's hurt? You want us to dress the wound for you?"
"No, that's not a problem," Tear said quickly. "I'll be fine; I'm a Seventh Fonist, so I heal myself when I can. This will just speed things up."
"Of course," The man bent below the counter, returning shortly with a package of the gel medicine and a box from which he drew a roll of gauze. He handed the items to Tear and told her the price.
"That's four hundred gald."
"Here." Tear let the change clatter to the smooth counter top. She gathered the gear, thanked the man, and turned back to Luke. The boy gave a heavy sigh and opened the door for her, but he said nothing. Tear was glad; every second he kept his mouth shut meant one less one less opportunity for him to whine.
As they reached the square where they were supposed to meet back up with Jade, Tear felt her bad arm grasped roughly from the side. Luke was in a similar situation, and he didn't have any time to react before he was disarmed by whoever was behind them. Tear struggled to reach her knives, but the two knights that restricted her dragged her back out the entrance. Luke noticed Jade, Anise, and Guy being pulled in the same manner, and finally made the connection that these had to be Oracle Knights—they hadn't left the city, after all.
"Hey, what are you!--" Tear started, but she was stricken by her captor before the sentence could be completed.
Luke decided not to make the same mistake and saved himself the pain of a metal gauntlet across his cheek, so he stopped twisting and straining to get loose and let the Oracle Knight take him back aboard the Tartarus, which was just outside the city gates.
They were thrown into holding again, but this time, they weren't locked up separately because "they were easier to watch all in one place". Luke was shoved in after Tear and Anise, but Guy was held back when the door was slammed to their faces. Jade kept to the back of the room, grinning his heart out, and making wry comments about the situation.
"Guy!" Luke pounded the door, but there was no answer.
"What could they want from him?..." Jade wondered.
"Do you have an idea, Colonel?" Anise asked him. "And what about Ion? He's still being held by the God-Generals, too!"
"I'm not sure," Jade stalled.
"Colonel, if you know anything, please share," Tear commanded.
"No, it's nothing." Jade shook his head. Tear sighed, knowing full well he was lying, but there was no way she would get an answer out of him.
Guy was led down a different hall. The knights had released him, but he had no opportunity to escape, as he was both disarmed and flanked by soldiers.
They stopped near a door identical to the other ones, and Guy was pushed in. The lock clicked behind him. He didn't resist; it would do him no good, anyway. Instead, he glanced around the room. It was nothing special—just an ordinary living quarters for soldiers working on the landship. At the desk in the middle of the room sat Legretta the Quick and Ion beside her.
"Gailardia Galan Gardios," she stated the servant's full name. "the Commandant has many stories to tell of you."
"Oh, this is about Van" Guy's face hardened at his former guardian's name.
"Yes." the God-General eyed him carefully. "Please, sit down, Gailardia."
"Don't worry, Guy," Ion reassured him. "We mean you no harm. I'm sorry I can't tell you the details now, but don't worry."
Guy did as he was bid, still tight-lipped and resolute. He trusted Ion, but the boy was so easily tricked into anything, so he couldn't be sure.
"Dorian General Grants requests that I deliver to you a letter of his own hand." Legretta slowly revealed an envelope from below the table.
Guy went to reach for it, then hesitated, watching the woman. "Drop it."
"If you insist." She tossed it across the table to him, smiling to herself. "Your phobia, is it?"
Guy ignored her comment and tore the neatly sealed envelope open. He read the letter, which was no more than a few scribbled words from Van, then looked back up to Legretta.
"What's in it for me?"
"For one thing, you'll be back on the winning side," she spoke quietly, but kept her eyes forward. "and we spare your friends' lives. We have them captive now, as you saw, and we have the Fon Master. Eliminating them would only do us well."
"No!" Guy stood sharply, the chair skidding back several inches. "You won't hurt them! Fon Master, what does she mean?!"
"Guy, just calm down. As I said, I can't give full detail. You just have to trust me here."
"Indeed," Legretta looked back at his eyes. They were nothing more than a blur of rage and concern. "All you have to do is cooperate."
Guy trembled for a few moments before finally letting his fist hit the tabletop stiffly. "Fine. Just let us go, and I'll join you. But remember that doesn't mean I will stay on your side."
"The Commandant merely asks you allow him the chance to speak with you." Legretta stood also, edging closer to him. "Then you will make your final decision. Speak of this to no one, or else you will face the consequences."
"Thank you for understanding, Guy," Ion nodded to the Malkuthian.
Guy's mind went numb, and he was only just there as Legretta called the guards back and took him to where Luke and the others were. Ion had to be telling the truth—that poor kid couldn't tell a lie if he wanted to. Surely he could trust the Fon Master.
Please review!
Thanks to my beta, Lanane, for much valuable help with editing and making this fic a little easier on the eyes!