Disclaimer: I don't own rights to the game, the characters, anything—as much as I wish I did.
Thanks to all who gave me ideas for this fic.
A/N: Apologies for the long wait. I have the next several chapters in reserve, though, so I'll get back to updating regularly. And I won't lie to you; this chapter, while long, is mostly space filler. It had to be done. o.o
Please, for the love of Lorelei, don't hurt me.
I'll shut up now.
The Fubras River finally came into sight. Tear gazed helplessly back toward Akzeriuth, giving Van a quick glare as she turned her head. They were so close, and no word had been sent of Luke's arrival in the town. This won't take long, she told herself wistfully.
Van motioned to the river. "Tear, Admiral, look into the miasma here. The recent earthquakes and close proximity to Akzeriuth are likely causing it to seep out here, too."
"Van," Tear said, "I was just here. There was an earthquake, and some miasma did appear, but it wasn't anywhere near as much as the reports from Akzeriuth described."
"Why are we wasting time here, anyway?" Cantabile added, a hint of impatience in her voice. "Help is needed at Akzeriuth! What do we care if the miasma is here, too?!"
"We may be able to track its source and destroy it," Van said coolly. "Now, you must hurry. I'll go on ahead to Akzeriuth and have the Oracle Knights aid with the relief team. Join me when you're finished here." He handed Tear a map of the area and a pen. "Mark out the area where the land is torn and make a note of about how much miasma is being emitted."
Tear took the supplies. "Fine. We'll see you in Akzeriuth, then."
"Goodbye, Tear, Admiral." Van nodded to each in turn, then took his leave.
Cantabile followed Tear into the river. There was no doubt that the miasma had gotten worse since the last time she had been there. The fact that she could feel the heaviness in the air much closer to the water's edge than she had remembered indicated that it would be at least three times as bad as it had been. That was certainly not a pleasant thought.
Suddenly, Cantabile stopped. Tear glanced back, confused, and Cantabile had her blade in hand. Tear readied her weapon just as something large and bulky hit her from behind. She tried to turn as she fell, and only when she was face up on the ground did she see the teeth of the liger.
"There you are!" Tear recognized the shrill voice as Arietta's. Of course she had to be there is there was a liger around. "I'll get you!—Uah!"
There was more movement, but Tear could not make it out from the little she saw in the corner of her eye. She watched the liger carefully. It didn't make any move to further incapacitate her, for which she was grateful.
Another voice came from near Arietta's. "Hehehehehe! Surrender before the great Dist the Rose immediately!"
Tear heard Cantabile grunt in pain, a blade bounce off of metal, and a thump as a body hit the ground.
"Tie her up! Tie her up before she runs away again!" shouted Arietta.
The liger above her growled, and Tear focused fully on him again. Slowly, she began to make sense of things. He wasn't going to attack. They only wanted to capture them. The "why" would have to come later. Tear closed her eyes and began to sing. After a few moments, the liger swayed and fell on its side. Tear pulled herself from the ground and instinctively scanned for the three God-Generals. Arietta had Cantabile, unconscious, bound to the back of another liger, but Dist was free. He approached her, and she brandished her staff, gathering fonons for another fonic arte. He made as if to grab her, and she fought back, nearly sending the man to the ground in her assault.
"Why you little—!" Dist backed away.
"Nocturnal Light!" Tear tossed three knives in his direction and missed, managing to strike his chair twice, the other embedding itself in the ground.
"Oooooh, how dare you!" he squealed. "You will pay!"
Tear directed her attention away from Dist's false threats and located Arietta. She was also glaring and cursing her from the liger's side. "You killed him!"
"What are you doing here?" Tear demanded.
"I'm going to kill you!" Arietta roared, running to her. Tear whipped her staff across her body just in time to block the attack, but Arietta managed to break through and claw at her uniform. Tear retaliated, battering the young God-General into retreat. She knew she had to run for it. It was hopeless to try and get Cantabile from their clutches, and with the other woman out cold, there was no way she would be able to get her to Akzeriuth. Tear turned and made her way back out of the river, Arietta and Dist giving chase.
"You won't get away from me!" Arietta yelled.
"Feel the wrath of Dist the Rose!" her partner added.
Tear glanced back, stumbling on the uneven terrain. They were behind, and they wouldn't catch her in time. She pressed on. Van was trying to keep her away from the city. Why...?
Luke crouched behind the rock, doing his level best to keep quiet as he watched the Tartarus. He could hear the muted shuffling of the others as they, too, tried to keep still. The large landship began to groan, then it scooted forward, accelerating quickly and speeding across the sand. Luke could make out a small group of men that it had apparently left behind. The group scattered after a while, but it was impossible to tell whether they were approaching or leaving through the rippling atmosphere.
"We need to get to Chesedonia," Jade said abruptly. Luke turned to the colonel, startled, and saw that he had stood from the cover of the rocks. Luke rose slowly, as if unsure if the coast really was clear. Natalia and Anise stood, and they went to Jade, awaiting further orders.
"That's going to be an awful long walk!" Anise said.
"How long do you think it'll take?" Luke asked.
"About a day and a half at best," Jade replied. "Even though we still have plenty of supplies, I highly doubt we'll be able to restock in the Oasis after your little episode."
Luke lowered his head. As if he had to rub it in more. Was it not enough that he had apologized to the bastard—not once but twice? He didn't respond; after so many verbal bouts with Jade, one learned to not answer after a while.
"Really, Colonel!" Natalia said harshly.
"I was only speaking the truth," said Jade with more seriousness than had been apparent with his earlier statement. "It's an unfortunate disadvantage. We'll have to make use of what we have and hope we cross paths with some bandits freshly stocked with stolen goods."
"Let's get going as soon as possible, then," Luke said, fidgeting slightly. Jade gave him an amused smile. "I-I mean, if you're ready."
"Of course, Luke." Jade gave a sigh of mock exasperation.
Luke hesitated, then began to walk. His companions followed closely, but he was still uneasy. Jade was so difficult to just be around. Always jarring, grinning, prodding, and laughing to himself at the expense of everyone around him. That was the problem—they were all victims, and the only way to avoid the brunt of it was to let him have his way.
But that didn't matter. What was important was their arrival in Akzeriuth. To fulfill the Score and become a hero. Excited though he was, Luke couldn't help feeling oppressively nervous. But Master Van would be there, and he would make everything work. Luke found himself wondering if even Master Van could be subjected to Jade's ruthless sense of humor and survive gracefully. Yes, Master Van could do it easily. He could do practically anything if he wanted to. Luke couldn't wait until he had the chance to serve under him as an Oracle Knight. He could get away from that damn persecuting country and live freely. Not tied to some hunk of rock that told him what to do or waiting patiently in a storeroom for Ingobert to decide it was time to wipe Malkuth from the face of Auldrant. He wasn't meant to rot in Kimlasca. He had a future.
The First Division's search for Asch dragged on. The scorching desert sun refused to offer even a minute of reprieve, and they were quickly growing restless. Largo offered as much consolation to the soldiers as he could while still keeping them on track. After all, Ion was not the best man to work for, especially when returning to him empty-handed.
The scouts were having great difficulty finding any sort of trail or clue in the ever-churning sand. It didn't help that seemingly everything in nature was conspiring against them from their accidentally mistaking a large poisonous lizard's footprint for that of a human's and running into a nest of the monsters to the horrid wind that was utterly unbearable, with the sand being driven into their skin like a multitude of arrows. A few of the younger soldiers had even been close to literally passing out from heat exhaustion, but luckily, Largo was always conscious of his soldiers' needs and was ready with whatever supplies he could spare to keep them standing.
After two or three hours, their scope of land to cover had extended northward, still lacking any sign of Asch. Largo planned to scour the land to the Desert Oasis, then loop back up to Chesedonia. If they were having as much trouble as they were, there was no way on Auldrant Asch was going to stick around in the middle of the desert for any length of time. He would probably head to Chesedonia, or as Ion breifly mentioned, all the way to Akzeriuth. Of course, the Tartarus was already blazing toward the mining town at full speed. Largo questioned the Fon Master's strategy; had he not been in such a hurry to correct his mistakes, he would be at the very least keeping an eye out for Asch as he went. But such was not his business, so Largo went back to pondering his own problems, the foremost of which seemed to be not finding Asch itself but keeping his men in decent health. If they went down, he had virtually no chance of completing Ion's request.
He called his second in command to him quietly. The man looked up from his careful search, grateful for the break, and he jogged over to Largo.
"Sir."
"You may give the order to lay off the search for the time being. We're not going to get anywhere at this rate."
"Yes, sir."
"We'll rest in the Desert Oasis before we continue. We're running low on supplies. Dismissed."
"Aye, sir.
The soldier retreated, giving his orders to his subordinates quickly. Largo sighed, kneading his brow pensively. He was well used to the desert, but even he was beginning to falter. What they all needed was a good rest, though if he knew Ion well, the young Fon Master would expect them at Akzeriuth at the same time he himself arrived there. It was impossible to do on foot. Never mind Akzeriuth; Van and Ion could take care of that. He just needed to find Asch. Maybe he could ask around when they reached the oasis.
It wasn't as far as they anticipated. The First Division had grown so used to the slow pace that had been established to search that they didn't realize how little time it took to cover an area of ground that before would have taken over twenty minutes.
Largo addressed his company calmly. "You may buy any supplies or weapons you wish to have save alcohol, but I advise you to save your money for Chesedonia. Other than that, you may rest at the inn and relax until nightfall, then we'll resume our search. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Dismissed."
"Aye, sir!" The platoons dissolved into a rush of bodies struggling to get into the town first. Largo shook his head sadly. Of all circumstances, Ion had put both he and his troops under some of the worst conditions, and he would do all he could within reason to ease their pain.
He made his way to the inn first. The inn seemed to be the only real structure in the whole area, and it would likely serve as the general pub as well. There was always plenty of information to be gathered from a pub if one knew how to go about obtaining it.
The building was rather small, and he had to push his way through a crowd to make his way to the receptionist. He was a boy in his late teens, apparently, and his unruly air disgusted the older man. Such a mess only degraded his potential, but he knew that was nothing he should have been concerned about. He was there for a reason, and his only required skill to do his job would be to hand out keys to people and count money. Such a waste.
"Excuse me," he began, "I have something to ask you, if you don't mind."
"What is it?" The boy's voice was edged in a rude whine.
"I was just wondering if you had seen a man pass by here. He's about this high—" Largo held a wide palm just below his chest to illustrate his point. "—and he has long, red hair that comes almost to his waist. Have you seen him?"
The boy's face twisted into a frown. "Did I see 'im? Did I see 'im?!" His voice rose in volume as he stood from the worn old stool situated behind the counter. "That murderin' bastard killed my father!"
Largo looked surprised. "Are you certain?"
"By the Score I'm certain, old man!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the crowd behind them. "He came in here and killed 'im right before my eyes!"
"I'm very sorry about that," said Largo, playing along to the best of his ability. He knew Asch could get angry, but nothing would push him to pointless violence—besides, the inkeeper's son didn't seem all that sorry about it, either.
"Are you with him?" the boy asked, eying the tall man suspiciously.
"I am a colleague of his, Largo the Black Lion, God-General of the Oracle Knights of Daath. I serve Dorian General Grants and Fon Master Ion. I have been sent to retrieve Asch the Bloody by Fon Master Ion," he responded with more formality than he knew the fool before him could comprehend. Either way, it was not his place to point out the rashness of others.
"Are ya? Well, I'll be watchin' you, too, and yer men."
"That's fine. I can assure you, they will do nothing to cause upset here."
"Whatever, old man."
"I bid you good day, then." Largo nodded stiffly and turned to leave. As much as hardheaded youths irked him, he had to deal with it calmly, otherwise he would be at fault just as much. He sighed again. With the ground they needed to cover from there to Chesedonia, it would be a long night.
By the time they got to Chesedonia, Luke was exhausted. He stared through the colored stalls and waving merchants blankly. The other three, as far as he could detect, were in no better shape, despite their hiding it much more efficiently than he did. To his dismay, leaving the desert and entering the city did little to staunch the heavy tide of sand being blasted into every fold in his clothing by the wind.
"We made it," he commented, stating the obvious and celebrating at the same time.
"I'm starving!" Anise announced.
"I believe we all are. Let's see if we can make it to the food stalls." Jade took the lead. Luke groaned at the thought of fighting the crowds just to reach the shops and purchasing things from peddlers uproariously advertising their goods.
"I'm more tired than hungry. Let's hit the inn," Luke offered.
"We'd likely sleep the entire day. We've been walking all night," Jade replied.
"I agree with Luke," Natalia said, "But we need to get to Akzeriuth as soon as we can."
"If we're dead on our feet, we won't be much help to them, anyway," Anise added wryly.
Jade said, "We can rest on the ferry to Kaitzur. We need to get through Chesedonia as fast as we can... Well, given the circumstances."
Luke's gaze drifted from the colonel to the busy throng beyond the border line. They cleared the mass of people that clogged the Kimlascan half of the city. The border was actually relatively vacant; there were no shops near that area, but the same congestion sprang back as the strings of Malkuthian shops began. They entered the economical battleground.
Jade was able to locate the food marketer from Engeve quickly. He bought a little of everything, then left as swiftly as he had found the place. They continued to the port, but they only encountered more people—well, it made sense: all the people had to come from somewhere. Luke frowned, wondering why the hell Chesedonia even had an entrance that way. In fact, how did they even get the Tartarus through the city and to the other port any—wait, the Tartarus?
"Hey!" Luke jogged ahead a few steps, somehow rejuvenated in his shock. "What's the Tartarus doing here?"
"They left before us. They should be on their way to Kaitzur by now. I wonder what the holdup is." Jade spoke calmly but with the same tone that indicated that he did know the reason.
"Well, things have been pretty stiff around the borders," Natalia said, "A landship under Malkuthian colors approaching from a little-used entrance is definitely suspicious."
"Look! It's Ion!" Anise sprang from the group, dashing to the Fon Master before anyone could stop her.
"Anise! What are you doing?!" Luke ran after her, blindly shoving men out of his way.
Anise halted at the group's side, breathless. Ion regarded her with a happy smile and a simple greeting.
Luke approached, slowing his run to a stop as he came to them. He, too, was panting. "Ion, what are you—"
"Get away from the Fon Master," Sync growled, stepping between them.
Jade appeared from the curtain of bodies, followed by Natalia. Sync glared at him.
"We shouldn't cause a scene here," Legretta said bluntly.
Sync curled a lip contemptuously. "You four can have Ion if you don't cause any trouble here."
Jade matched Sync's disgusted stare evenly. "Agreed."
The God-General stepped out of the way, allowing Ion to join them. He paused, concentrating hard for a moment, then said to Legretta, "We're leaving now."
They boarded the Tartarus, disappearing from view. Luke looked form the back of the landship to its commander confusedly.
"They sure gave him up easily. They must not need him or have already gotten their use out of him," Jade provided.
"Ion! I'm glad you're back! I was so worried," Anise cheered, hugging the boy tightly.
"It's good to see you, Anise," said Ion.
"Well, Fon Master? What did they do to you?" Jade prodded.
"They took me to the Sephiroth."
"What could they possibly want you to do at the Sephiroth?" Natalia asked.
"I'm sorry. That's confidential to the Order." Ion sighed helplessly.
"Excuse me," Luke interrupted snidely. "Anyone care to explain?"
Natalia obliged. "The Sephiroth at the world's ten most powerful fon slots. Fonons gather easily at those sites. They're where the Passage Rings that control the Planet Storm are located."
Luke nodded slowly, not following but accepting the explanation anyway. "Right."
"Shall we be going now?" Jade asked politely.
"Yes. I'm very tired," said Ion.
"Me too. I'm ready for a good, long nap," Anise mentioned.
Jade grinned to them, amused. "Sounds wonderful."
Sync shook his head. Legretta released a held breath.
"You couldn't get through?" she asked.
"No. Not even when he was standing right there."
"You'll get through soon enough."
"Strange." Sync ran a hand through his spiked hair thoughtfully. "I can't exactly describe it, but whenever I tried to get into him, I felt something blocking me. It was too steady and strong to be his resisting, though."
"Do you think the fon slot seal I placed on him has anything to do with the Curse Slot?"
"That's the only thing I can think of," Sync admitted. "It does interfere with the fon slots, so it's not surprising that it would block the Curse Slot, too."
"Fascinating," Legretta mused. "Though knowing the intensity of the seal, it will take months or even a year to wear off."
"Damn it!" Sync pounded a fist into the metal wall of the Tartarus.
"It can't be helped," Legretta said blankly.
"I'll force my way through," Sync swore, storming off down the hall to his room. "That damn Necromancer won't get the best of me if I can help it."
Ion sighed, letting the papers he'd been handling fall back to the desk. He had succeeded in covering every spare margin on the notes from Van in nonsensical doodles. Ferries were just so boring sometimes—the luxury cruise ships at least had some forms of entertainment, but in an average one, it was a heck of a lot different. If one wasn't hungry or content to stare at his reflection in the water for hours, he was completely and utterly bored the entire time. Ion glared down at the notes, dissatisfied with his ability to draw. Such a trivial thing was really no matter, though. He sighed again and stood, preparing to pace the cabin once more. With a frustrated grunt, he thought better of it and pushed the door open. A change of scenery would at least give him something different to stare at, which was better than nothing.
It was, to his disappointment, a rather bland day. The air had cooled, and the sky was cloudless. He walked up to the rail of the ship, turned, and leaned back against it. He almost wished he had some paperwork or other monotonous chore to do. He closed his eyes solemnly.
As hard as he tried to force himself to think of something pleasant, his thoughts returned to Van again and again. He hadn't made contact with the commandant since they had split up at Baticul, and even though he had known it would be like that beforehand, it was still difficult. With everything going on the way it was—the Sephiroth, Akzeriuth, Asch—circumstances could turn at any moment, for better or for worse. Though, with the ever-shifting roles between Van, the God-Generals, and himself, it had finally settled favorably for the Fon Master; his mission now was only to relay the message to Luke from Van regarding Akzeriuth, but he would wait for just the right moment for that, lest the noble become suspicious. It was unlikely, but a risk not worth taking.
"Hey, what's up?"
Ion started at the voice, his eyes snapping open. "Oh, hello, Luke."
"What are you doing out here by yourself?" he asked.
"Just watching the sky," the Fon Master replied blandly.
"With your eyes closed?"
Ion snorted lightly. "I was... I only closed my eyes for a minute."
"Whatever you say." Luke heaved himself up the rail and balanced on the top bar. "I'm bored as hell of this ship."
"It's not so bad when you think about it. Fresh air, the sea breeze, and good food..."
"Only if you enjoy those kinds of things," Luke muttered. "The food isn't all that great, you know."
Ion gave a quiet, throaty growl. He really was impossible, and he had a way of making any innocent statement turn into an outright obnoxious one. But then again, he did seem to be in a relatively decent mood—perhaps it was time to tell him Van's message. He decided to probe further, making sure it would be permissible. "Say Luke, have you seen the others around?"
Luke leaned back on the rail dangerously far. "Anise and Natalia were in the cafe, last I checked. I haven't seen Jade, though."
It would have to do. "Luke, I have something I want to tell you. Would you mind coming to my cabin for a minute?"
"Huh? Sure." He hopped to the deck deftly. Ion led him to his room.
Ion entered first, and upon seeing the notes still sprawled on the desk, he moved to pick them up. Inwardly, he cursed his mistake. He glanced at Luke's face just long enough to confirm he hadn't gotten a glimpse of the messages, then neatened the stack of papers and slid it into a drawer below the desktop. That had been too close.
"So, what is it?" Luke asked.
"Well... Van wanted me to tell you something."
"Master Van? You talked to him? Where is he?" Luke looked suddenly excited, leaning forward dramatically.
"He sent me a letter. He said you would be better off hearing it than reading it in his own words."
"...Is it about Akzeriuth?"
"Part of it."
"Oh... What is it, then?"
"Do you know the entire Score pertaining to Akzeriuth?"
"Something about me bringing prosperity to Kimlasca and stuff. Why?"
"'...There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as a weapon of Kimlasca,'" Ion recited. Luke's eyes widened. "'...destroying himself and the city. War shall thereafter persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of seasons.'"
"Wait, it's just like you said—about me being used as a weapon of Kimlasca!" Luke sputtered, incredulous. "Does that mean... Wait, does that mean I'm... I'm going to die?!"
"No, Luke. If you listen, I'll tell you how we're going to avoid it."
"But the Score..."
"Minor deviations are as nothing before the Score," Ion said. "The Score says that you will evacuate the villagers, destroy the city and yourself, and cause a war. All you have to do is get rid of the miasma without moving the villagers."
"That's impossible!" Luke protested.
"Hyperresonance," said Ion simply.
"Hyperresonance?" he parroted.
"Destroy the source of the miasma at the Sephiroth, and it will disperse. The people won't have to leave, and you won't have to die."
"That's how I'll become a hero? What about the peace treaty?"
"After your feat at Akzeriuth, I'll call a meeting for the powers of the world to come to an agreement of cease-fire," Ion told him.
"And then I'll be a hero..." A dazed look came over Luke. "Ion... How come you're doing all of this for me?"
"Ah, Luke," Ion began falteringly. "You must have forgotten that along with the rest of your memory... Seven years ago, you underwent cruel experiments for the sake of hyperresonance research. The rest is mostly secondhand accounts from Van, but he said that you had told him how much you wanted to run away from Kimlasca. That's why he kidnapped you."
Luke's amazement only grew. "You mean Master Van kidnapped me? Not Malkuth?"
"Yes." Ion nodded. "I helped him. I had to aid him with... transport and safe passage, if you will."
"Wow..."
"Luke... After you save Akzeriuth and form the peace treaty, will you join me in Daath?" Ion extended a hand, making sure that the motion seemed cautious enough so as to lead him to think he really was unsure of what his answer would be. "As an Oracle Knight, you could serve under Van and help the Order."
"Of course I would!" Luke said eagerly, grabbing Ion's hand. "For you and Master Van... I'll join you!"
Ion smiled warmly to him. "I'm happy for you, Luke. We need you."
"Ion... Thank you." Luke grabbed Ion in a quick hug. Ion grinned.
The sound of a low horn boomed, and Luke released the boy. "Looks like we've arrived. I'll head back to my room and get ready to leave. See you, Ion!"
"Goodbye, Luke." Ion waved to him as he left, but as soon as the door closed, he slumped down to the chair.
"We can't be very long here," said Jade as the group stepped from the ferry to Kaitzur's port. "The path to Deo Pass is mostly flat terrain, but it won't be easy."
"Right." Like nodded, only halfheartedly listening; his mind was still on the talk with Ion.
"Hear that, Ion? Be careful," Anise warned.
"I know!" he responded.
"Let's hope we can get there soon," Natalia added. "We're quite late as it is."
Luke walked to the front of their small party. "We don't have any time to waste. Let's go."
They gave him silent nods and followed when he headed to Kaitzur's eastern entrance. It was sure to take several hours at best, but they had to make it by nightfall—camping out in the open was not a good idea, as Jade had so kindly reminded them the last time they had crossed the Rugnican Plains. He would not stop, even for Deo Pass, though—Akzeriuth lay ahead.
As the group approached the rocky mountain trail, they paused a moment to gaze at it. The worn path that ran up into the hills was in better condition than it could have been, especially after many years of disuse. In several places, unstable rock looked as if it was about to tumble down at any second.
"Wow. It's a lot taller than I thought it would be," Luke observed.
"It's going to be a rough climb," Natalia said.
"It's almost dusk. We should camp here and press on in the morning," Jade said calmly.
"No. We're running late as it is," Luke protested. They were so close. A few hours would have them at the other end of Deo Pass.
"I'm kind of tired, Luke," Ion spoke up.
"Ion needs to rest. Come on, Luke." Anise half-begged, half-whined as she tugged on the noble's coat.
"Just a few more hours!"
"I'm afraid not," Jade interjected. "We stop here for today. Now, let's get a fire going. Anise, gather some wood, if you don't mind..."
"Hey!" Luke groaned.
"Sure thing, Colonel! Ion, you stay here with the others." With that, Anise bounded off to do his bidding.
"Shall I cook something for everyone once we get a fire going?" Natalia offered.
"No way!" Luke had given up the battle to move on, but he was alerted by the words spoken by the princess—whenever Natalia set out to cook, disaster ensued.
"Why ever not, Luke?"
"You'll have everyone gagging for hours," he pointed out irritatedly. "Let someone else cook."
"Well! You speak as though you can do worlds better!"
"Better than you can!"
"Now, now, kids," Jade said, chipper. "I'd be honored to serve two gracious Kimlascan nobles' tongues."
Luke made a disgusted face, managing to appear shocked at the same time. "You'd probably poison it or something!"
Jade's light smile never faltered. "I can't make any promises."
Luke stared at the placid man's amused expression for a moment before turning his back to him and making a sourly cooperative noise. "Tch. Do whatever you want."
"I knew you'd see it my way, Master Luke."
"Shut up!" Luke spun to face the older man. "And stop calling me 'master'! Coming from you, it's just... wrong!"
"But of course, Master Luke."
Luke gritted his teeth, frustrated. Jade sure didn't want to pass up any opportunity to make him look like a fool.
Anise reentered the camp bearing an armful of dry branches and twigs. "Here you go, Colonel!" She dumped the load to the ground and dusted off her hands resolutely. "There was a lot around here. I even got some broken fenceposts, too."
"Excellent job, Anise," Jade praised. "Now, let's see how the food situation is..." He retrieved the traveling bag from where it had been deposited on the ground when they stopped. He peered in, carefully prodding each food item before selecting a healthy cut of rappig meat and a loaf of fine bread. "Any objections?"
"That'll be fine, Colonel," Anise said.
"That looks good to me," added Natalia
"Oh! Rappig is one of my favorites!" cheered Ion.
Jade tilted his chin in the remaining person's direction. "Luke?"
"I don't care," he murmured sullenly.
"Wonderful." Jade crouched to sort through the kindling. He tossed some of the smaller pieces into a pile to be lit, and he picked three that were slender but supple enough to bear weight and arranged them into a rough spit for the meat. He chanted the incantation for a fire arte, then loosed a small flame to light the twigs.
"Wow, Colonel! You really know what you're doing!" Anise cooed, admiring the impromptu device.
"It's nothing special. You're in the Oracle Knights; you should know at least a few skills for cooking in the wilderness."
"Actually, Jade," Ion cut in, "Fon Master Guardians only follow the Fon Master, and I never have to go camp out in the wilderness, so they're not taught things like that. But you are correct in saying the regular soldiers are."
"It's not that great," Luke muttered, insistent on adding his two gald in everything. "All he did was stick a branch in the ground."
"Skillfully," Jade pointed out. He turned the meat and checked it before allowing the other side to sear.
"Uh-huh."
The camp grew silent save for the popping of the rappig and the crackling fire. Jade began to hum softly, seeming very pleased with himself. Suddenly, Anise stood, gazing off into the bushes past the light of the campfire.
"Hey, did you guys hear something?" she asked urgently.
Natalia readied her bow and strung an arrow. "I thought I did."
"Wait, what're you—" Luke went to the Fon Master Guardian, but she shoved him back.
"Be quiet!"
"Hey!"
The leaves rustled again, and they seemed to move. Not just the individual leaves but also the plant in and of itself. Luke frowned. It was just a trick of the firelight.
Anise continued to stare, concentrating very hard. She grabbed Tokunaga and swung him under her, letting the doll swell to its full size.
Natalia loosed a single arrow at the plant. She quickly nocked another one before the first even hit, but when it did, the plant definitely moved. It surged toward the camp.
"Dragon Rush!" Anise met its charge fiercely. Her doll buffeted the monster back while Natalia fired off even more arrows.
"Storm Edge!"
"Whoa!" Luke fell back, startled. He grappled for his blade, having little success. Ion jumped up, concerned, and at just that moment, one of the plant-monster's spindly arms reared back, smacking Ion to the ground. Ion moaned and stumbled back, cradling his bleeding arm. Luke rushed past him, sword drawn at last.
Luke battered the monster as hard as he could, but it was simply so huge that his blows hardly did anything. Add that to its tough, bark-like armor, and the fight was next to hopeless for him. He recoiled from a parry, and at nearly the same time, he heard Jade yell, "Everyone! Out of the way!"
Luke hesitated, then dodged back along with the others.
"Turbulence!"
The powerful wind ripped through the monster's thin appendages, snapping its branches clean off. It wailed, then fell on its back, dissolving into a burst of fonons, the spell thrusting them up into the night like millions of miniature stars.
Luke was breathless. He stuck his blade into the ground next to him, too tired to stand up to sheathe it. He turned to Jade with admiration.
"Thanks, Colonel," said Anise sheepishly.
"Yes, thank you, Jade. You saved us," Natalia added.
"It was nothing, really." Jade's voice held no ring of sarcasm. "Now... The food looks to be about done. Let's eat."
No matter how many times Jade could so casually change the subject, Luke could never get used to it. It annoyed him to no end. He took his portion of the meal quietly.
"Ion! You're hurt?!" Anise noticed the Fon Master's bleeding arm and rushed to him.
"I'm okay. Really, Anise—"
"No arguments!" She reached into the traveling bag, producing an apple gel and a roll of gauze. She handed him the medicine. "Natalia, would you mind...?"
"Of course not," she said, approaching the pair. "O soothing light... Heal!"
Luke allowed his mind to wander from the idle banter that followed. So much time wasted. It was killing him to be that close to Akzeriuth. They would have to wake early and set out as soon as they could to make it there by noon. That is, if he wasn't slowed down by a certain Fon Master any more.
The next morning bore fair weather. Luke awoke to everyone else seated around the fire Jade had started the previous night, now rekindled and lit, as they ate leftover rappig for a quick breakfast. Luke sat up, stretching.
"Ah, you're finally awake, Luke." Ion smiled benevolently. "Are you ready to get going?"
"No... Let me wake up first, at least," he replied crankily.
"For one who was so eager to dash off into the night, you sure don't seem to be in a hurry this morning," Jade observed.
"Can it, gramps." Luke reached over to the iron pan in which the food was heating. He made an attempt to carefully pick one piece out, but he failed, his thumb brushing against the lip of the pan. He drew it back with a yelp, squeezing his hand to his chest and cursing all that was good and holy.
"Luke! Don't say such things!" Natalia fussed, glaring at him.
"Shut up!"
"Well, we ought to get going. It's going to be a long trek to Akzeriuth." Anise rose, helping Ion up as well.
"Indeed." Jade gathered the supplies that he had set out and repacked them into the bag, standing.
Natalia strung her bow and strapped on her quiver, declaring, "I'm ready."
"H-Hey, wait!" Luke sputtered, still clutching his hand. "I haven't eaten yet!"
"Your point being?" Jade looked at him with a sickeningly genuine, questioning expression.
"You know damn well what my point is!" Luke jumped to his feet, shaking a fist at the colonel.
Ion looked very worried. "Please don't fight, Luke! We can wait for you to—"
"Don't bother, Ion," Anise interrupted. "He can eat while he walks."
"Shut up, Anise!" the noble spat.
"Well, you were the only one twitching in agony at the thought of sitting still for ten seconds, Luke." Jade shrugged, unconcerned. "But now you want us to wait. Kids these days are so indecisive..."
Luke seethed in anger, unable to form any coherent words. He could tell it would not be a good day. They were just playing him for a fool, poking fun for the hell of it... No, they were poking fun to make him look like an idiot, because that was precisely what Jade lived for.
"Luke? Here, let me get the food back out for you..." Jade unslung the bag and rested it on a rock, digging through until he found the remaining two strips of meat, still warm. He offered them to Luke.
Luke simply growled in disgust, stomping off ahead of him.
He heard Jade sigh and tie the bag again, throwing it over his shoulder. "Then don't eat," he intoned, no longer amused.
No one spoke as they made their way up the rugged hills. Luke grew more and more angry at them just for that reason in itself—they were silent because of his bad mood, he knew, not because they didn't have anything to say. They were laughing at him. If they tried to speak, it would end in their giggling at his—how would Natalia put it?—"childish" behavior. He would act as "childish" as he wanted. That was the only way to get his point across to them.
As he breasted another small hill, he paused. He could hear the others panting behind him—well, all save Jade. He gazed out into the distance to see if he could spot Akzeriuth, but all he saw was a huge smear of purple mist. It sprawled over the countryside just beyond where the path through Deo Pass ended. He could even make out the trail that must have been from the Malkuth side: it, too, had been completely blocked off by the miasma. Off to one side of the enormous cloud, he noticed a darker spot in the shape of a rough circle. He frowned, wondering what it could be—unless, of course, that was Akzeriuth—it was, after all, a mining town. He had never seen the city before, but he had imagined it as a large pit in the ground. Was there really that much more of the miasma... inside the city? There was no way in hell there could be survivors if that stuff was as deadly as his uncle said it was!
"Lost?" It was Jade, standing directly behind him.
Luke jerked around. "No."
They continued grimly. Luke inwardly groaned at each slide down a dusty hillside that left smudges on his coat and shoes. After a while, he even had to pause to brush out his hair with his hands as much as he could until Anise decided to hand him her hairbrush, smirking. Luke knocked it aside, stormed off, and grunted with frustration at her snickering. What was her problem, anyway?
He grew aware of the air thickening as they descended. He blinked rapidly, trying to slough off the nagging, almost tangible threads of miasma in the atmosphere. After several minutes, however, he gave up, focusing on the more important task that lay ahead.
The revival of Akzeriuth. He could do it. Master Van would be there, and Ion would be there. He was the scion of Lorelei's power: a hero.
It wasn't long before the outer fringe of Deo Pass gave way to the plain that led to the abyss of miasma that was Akzeriuth.
Thanks to Medomai (Apakoha) for betaing!