Lucky Souls
Chapter 18: Dreams
A consistent soul believes in destiny, a capricious one in chance. To the observers of destiny the word chance was devoid of meaning, man kinds free will was only extended so far as to lead them along the path of destiny, the choices they made were all just part of a greater scheme of events.
Was it by aimless chance or prewritten destiny that the two young women had lost their families to the horrors of war? Was it chance or destiny that they had happened upon one another in their time of grief? Was it chance or destiny that they had lost their humanity?
Still they clung blindly to their beliefs, destroyed in both mind and body, forsaken by all and banished from society, they could only rely on one another, they were one another's destiny.
The kindly saint offered an intoxicating smile to her knight, which only fortified her guardian's convictions; they could not fail now, not while destiny led them along their chosen paths.
The courageous knight held her hands as one in silent prayer, and the swift moment of passing as they parted beget a sublime golden radiation, which materialized into a massive maul, a lengthy weapon resembling a hammer in substance, but the head was shaped lovingly in the pronged form of a cross, a representation of the warrior's faith.
In her other hand the frigid touch of her master, the sixth saint of Umbasa, the last of a dying breed of disciples who still spread the long-dead god's name in prayer. She heaved the petite woman onto her shoulder, and admitted a prayer to her absent deity within her mind, the safety of the woman she treasured.
The duo leapt from a fantastic vantage point among the shadowed lands towering belfry's, landing on target without a hitch to the dusty expanse of ashy rubble below, their arrival was silent and yet held the weight of a domineering foe. The targets they sought stood at their front, slightly taken aback by the abrupt arrival of the ghostly pair.
"Konata Izumi!" The minty-green haired knight beckoned to the de facto leader of the group, crafting confused glances amongst the warriors as they drew their weapons knowingly; apparently it wasn't often they had opponents who spoke to them.
"Uh…last I checked, and you are?" Her query of identification barely left the azure knight before a crackling burst of fire whizzed past her head threateningly, singing her hair slightly and sending her into a comical frenzy of dowsing the carping tuft of flame. "Right, bad guys." Clenching her sword boldly and charging the mysterious duo head on, Konata found the knight at the forefront to be almost inhuman in the art of acrobatic dodging.
A horizontal slice would normally beget a duck or a backwards step, but the lofty woman cleanly launched herself upwards and over the swing then downward again with a duck at the second slashing swipe.
"Would you stand still so I can chop your head off!" Konata's childish suggestion went unheeded, and was instead answered with a crushing ironed boot into the bluenette's taught stomach, sending her soaring back to her cadre of allies in an embarrassing display of defeat.
"Kona-Chan!" Tsukasa cried out as she reached for her downed friend, lifting the dirtied woman to her feet and silently eyeing the aggressive warriors who apparently sought their lives.
Among the chaos only one party stood idly by, the chirpy archer Patty, her face wrought into one of sheer horror, these weren't some random demons seeking blood, she knew them, she could never forget their faces. They were scarred upon her brain in a hellish aneurism; they haunted her dreams every passing night.
Patty turned to the equally silent magician Miyuki at her side, her features just as fear-ridden, the mage offered her a shaky glance at her staring, and it was then Patty knew everything she needed to, her fuming thoughts were silenced with but a single look from the cautious mage.
Misao chuckled lightly as she eyed the pair. "Well, well, what have we here? A few more aware souls, eh?" Misao brashly called out to the duo, readying her spear and bayoneting it towards her enemies. "What is your business here-" The slave's line of questioning was cut short by a brutish and entirely unnecessary shove from Konata, who pressed herself to the group's front once more and readied her blade.
"Quit stealing my lines, Misakichi! Who are you, what is your business here?" The azure knight demanded superciliously in the most self absorbed manner possible, sneering wildly when Misao's groans of despair sounded behind her.
The mint-haired knight cocked her head slightly in thought at the question. "Our business here…? No, it is we who ask you this, Izumi. Our business is to preserve this world, to perceive the evils of this land and douse the flames that coddle them. We are the protectors of all that is good, the destroyers of all that is evil; we are the arbiters of destiny." The knight consciously explained, jutting an hostile finger to the group of adventurer's, the pair's resolve slightly faltering when the only response ushered was an animated laugh from the assemblage's strange leader.
"How damn cool! So you guys are like super heroes or something? Vanquishing the injustices of the world, protecting the lame and feeble, I can respect that as a fellow super hero." Konata excitably praised, her juvenile fantasies coming to life as she came face to face with those who apparently aspired to be just as she, a valiant hero.
Miyuki couldn't stay the nervous laugh as she approached her addled friend. "Um, Izumi-San…I don't believe they're super heroes." The mage pointed out rather obviously, to which her ditzy ally could only deride slightly with a humming snicker.
"Really…?" Konata asked as she surveyed the two strange figures, analyzing their oddly fitted appearances with harsh detail.
One stood tall, her cyan eyes half-lidded and tired looking, her choppy shoulder-length hair made her look a little androgynous by contrast to her partner, and yet the soft rise of very lacking breasts signified the figure as female. Her petite body was molded tightly in a thin-chain mail from the neck down, with an opaquely colored coat of arms sewn over the metal, embroidered with a crimson cross draped with roses, likely signifying some cherished religion.
Her companion was diminutive by comparison, emaciated and strikingly thin beyond belief, her eyes held a gentle green, covered ever so slightly by her messy salmon-hued mane carefully tied into a duo of lanky and tiny pigtails. Her undeveloped form was shadowed by a snow white robe which tumbled down the entirety of her body, scraping across the dirt and muddying it wherever she stood. Across her forehead was clasped an ornate piece of jewelry, sharing similarities in embroidery with the knight's coat of arms, a cross blanketed in thorny roses.
Konata contemplated their appearance for a moment before erasing the silence with a shuddering gasp of her own. "I got it, they're circus clowns, why else would they be dressed like that?" Her hastily made rude comment ended with a crushing slap to the back of her head from Misao; it's almost as if the wily little bluenette was doing this on purpose.
"C-Clowns…? How dare you insult my lady you…you wretch!" The knight's stoic demeanor was washed away by the turbulent turn the conversation took, a repetitious cycle of childish insults.
The notion of continued verbal retaliation set the so far humble saint somewhat on edge, she couldn't help it when her gentle voice cracked into a brutish harrumphing gargle to alert everyone the time for foolishness was over.
"Calm, knight of Garland, calm…" The saint ordered, turning her attention back towards the adventurer's once more, particularly their leader. "Izumi-San, my name is Yutaka Kobayakawa, sixth saint of Umbasa, and this is my guardian of the clan Garland, Minami Iwasaki. We have come to bestow upon you our will, the will of this world." Plainly the priest spoke, a light tremble escaping her every few words or so, something within seemed to stifle the woman's breathing, she was likely ill, as so many in Boletaria were.
"Well, bestow away, but just do it over there, we're trying to remain aloof." Konata spoke sarcastically, mock-walking past the women only to sense the steel of a weapon turned in her direction, this strange duo didn't seem to have any desire to let them continue.
The priest known as Yutaka coughed roughly once more before continuing."Izumi-San, perhaps I have not made clear our intentions. The will of this world demands that the Old One remain, they cry out for it, for without the great one our world cannot thrive." Yutaka spoke humbly, sickly hacking out a putrid sounding cough before turning her saddened eyes towards the azure knight. "The last of the Monumentals has lied to you, the destruction of Old One cannot come to pass, lest our world undone. Please Izumi-San, I beg of you, lay down your arms and leave this sanctuary of the damned in peace…I do not wish to harm you." Her motives were spoken emotionally and clearly, Konata perceived them and considered them.
Defiance towards her goal was all that passed into Konata's brain, a blockade attempting to dissuade her from her journey. Could it be true that the Monumental had lied to them, could it truly be trusted? It was a demon after all, perhaps it was attempting to trick the group into doing its bidding, and yet, somehow Konata thought this to be untrue. The duo before her gave little reasoning towards their argument, only to simply lay down and forfeit without an explanation.
Did she trust an archaic demon older than time itself, or a pair of crusaders fighting in the name of a god's love? If she had to pick, neither, she'd rather both of them mind their own business and fight their own battles and just leave her out of everything.
She didn't come to Boletaria to save the world; she didn't come to raise her sword for anyone's flag, for any deity, or for any goal. She came to save her missing father, and she intended to do just that. It wasn't the Monumental's pleas of world salvation that convinced her, it wasn't the daunting adventure before her she always dreamed of having that convinced her, it was her father.
If he had never left to this hellish kingdom, if he had never disappeared with that blind woman, she never would've been savvy to the troubles of the world in the first place. Her father had the upmost confidence in whatever the blinded maiden and the Monumental were up to, he gave up everything in the pursuit of following these inhuman individuals into Boletaria, land of demons, the baneful kingdom. And among all the voices clamoring for her aid, for her defeat, or for anything, only one of them rung true in her mind.
"Sorry, but…my father made it pretty clear to me what's best for Boletaria, what's best for our world. I trust my dad; he wouldn't lead our world astray, not for any reason." Konata began valiantly, tearing her scraping blade from its scabbard and turning the cool metal tip towards the duo of crusaders. "The Old One has to die." Her answer was absolute, it left no room for argument and both she and the amiable saint knew this, their stare down ended with a muffled sigh leaving the latter.
"I'm dearly sorry you feel this way..." The saint whispered, seemingly genuinely distraught at her enemies answer, and yet she knew continued discussion on the topic was fruitless. "Minami-Chan." Her upsetting order came without warning, the grossly over-sized maul clung within the knight's hands swung brutishly in Konata's direction, a quick back step saved her from losing just about everything in one fell slash, a direct hit from a weapon that size and there would be no second chances.
"And I'm sorry too; it's a shame I have to tear apart such a cute couple, literally." Konata sentimentally cheeked, charging the knight head on and crushing her blade onto the girl's shoulder. Her eyes widened fiercely at the surprisingly thick armor, and shut just as fast when a vicious knee placed itself in her gullet, toppling her to the ground in a heaving splatter of saliva.
A duet of soaring arrows suddenly planted themselves into Minami's raised shoulders as she prepared to crush the bluenette into the dust, followed by a piercing jab from an unseen spear that carved cleanly into the woman's armor to the pasty flesh within. Misao gripped her spear confusedly when a sudden buck rattled her attacking form, and before she knew it she had been tossed effortlessly to the ground, her spear soon followed, clinking and clanging next to her just as abysmally embarrassed as she at the sudden defeat.
"What the hell?" Misao breathed to herself, noticing that the combined efforts of all of their attacks hadn't lay a single scratch upon the beautifully crafted armor of the mysterious knight, the crumbling hole beget from her spear had vanished, it was as if she hadn't even made the attack in the first place.
"You cannot harm me." Minami revealed, tearing the failed arrows from her shoulder and eyeing the women around her, faces melted in horror and courage wailing. "I am un-death; your mortal powers are useless against me!" The knight exploded in a rage, grasping the still downed Konata in her crushing fist and lifting the woman clear off her feet and into the air, gasping and fighting for breath.
"Izumi-San!" Miyuki called out from a distance, launching a fiery essence from her palms vainly, gritting her teeth when the dainty priestess countered with a lush flame of her own, successfully shorting both attacks out completely.
"Oh, come on Miyuki…!" Konata complained between masked chokes, kicking her legs furiously against her tormentor to rid herself of the iron grip to no avail.
The knight's fierce form was suddenly collapsed upon heavily by a crying and desperate Tsukasa, who gripped her lanky arms around the neck of the assailing woman and tried desperately to squeeze the woman's breath from her throat as she did effortlessly to her friend, another vain attempt.
A gusting wind suddenly erupted around the immediate area in the shape of an orb, ejecting Tsukasa from her hold and sending her flying backwards, crushing to the ground in a heap of painful sobs and grunts.
"Hurting Tsukasa was your last mistake…!" The azure knight gritted out in between hastily made breaths, squeezing her blooded fingers around the knight's fist and crunching her own hold around the woman to steady herself. Once her body was ridged, she began to undulate it slightly, arcing herself in a swinging motion and hurling her flailing legs around the woman's shoulders, collecting her in a powerful headlock.
A heaving yank successfully toppled the twosome downward, collapsing them to the dirt, both parties still steadily gripping themselves around one another's pulsating throats, a test of resolve and fortitude.
In Konata's blistering vision she suddenly eyed the reappearance of Misao, spear in hand, swinging the weapon at the bumbling priestess, she certainly wasn't as physically conditioned as her dear knight it seemed.
The slave's distraction had worked just as planned, she knew the caring knight wouldn't be able to last long when her partner was in mortal danger, and without a second thought Minami unclasped her hand around the convulsing neck of her victim and charged headlong at the spear-woman, vertically swinging her massive maul and brushing aside the swirling dust of the dirt in a foggy cloud around them.
Suddenly the demonic maul exploded from the obscured area, crushing into Misao's stomach and pinning her to the ground, an agonizing streak of tears slipped from her eyes as she blunt end of the weapon crushed her rib cage downward, one by one she felt her organs pop under the immense pressure of the weapon, and yet the debilitating pain she felt would be as nothing before the pain of her resurrection.
"Stay away from her!" The knight commanded, but instead of sounding threatening it came across as painfully desperate, whatever connection the two women shared it was apparently strong beyond belief.
Misao snickered in a mocking tone as the dust cleared around the two, suddenly standing and healthy, bereft of the crippling injuries the knight had placed upon her, suffice it to say, even the undead knight was marginally shocked.
"Sorry, you're not the only one who doesn't fear death." Misao revealed proudly, her steely eyes holding the confused knight's for just as long as was needed, somehow she knew the bluenette would catch on.
Minami had no time to react, a vicious sword thrust suddenly exploded from her chest, piercing any lingering organs within the vicinity and splitting them vertically. Konata held her blade as securely as possible, squeezing her tiny form around the knight's much larger one in a bear hug, it only took the captured crusader a fleeting moment to realize the azure knight was simply another distraction.
"M-Miyuki now!" Konata screeched out as a crushing armored elbow knocked the sense right out of her, the ringing within her ears almost made her lose consciousness from the alarming sting.
Miyuki faltered for a moment, raising her quivering hands to assist in the destruction of these seemingly random demons, but she knew better, creatures such as these couldn't be killed by swords or magic, such evils required tools of a more inhuman nature.
"It is you!" A heated voice called out to the duo of demons, who even in the disordered battlefield singled out the shrill voice. All eyes fell on the until this moment, completely silent Patricia, her warm face was leaking with merciless tears, she was breaking down in every sense of the word, body shaking like a leaf on a tree, so deep in anguish she knew she could only laugh.
Patty checked her goliath blade upon the ground once before hurling it onto her shoulder, attempting to wipe away the profuse tears to no avail.
"It's you…both of you! Yutaka, Minami…it's me, Patricia." The voice of a woman was no more, what sounded was nothing more than a child, weak and defenseless, torn in every sense of the word.
Konata couldn't help but cough nervously; cautiously eyeing Patty as she casually approached the dangerous duo. "Uh…Patty-Chan?" The split second of hesitation was all Minami needed to tear the clingy blade from her torso and send both it and its bearer flying aimless into some unseen wall, and while the majority of the group ran to their dear friend's aide, Patricia found she didn't have the will.
"You guys it's…oh, but it's been so long. I'll bet you don't even remember me." The frighteningly serious archer began, approaching the crusaders with a warm grin akin to a caring mother. The gentile essence of her face was washed away with a single bubbly hiccup of grief that spewed callously from the archer's throat, what remained was nothing less than a glare of murderous intent. "But I remember you." A whisper crusted with dying sobs, what followed could only be described as a horrifying moan, an agony-afflicted cry to the heavens, the woman's petite form shook violently at the brutish call.
Her anger was not fully extended towards the pair of crusaders however; a lingering eye transfixed itself upon the magician, Miyuki Takara, just as harshly.
"And I remember you too, I knew you were lying! You all ruined my life…" Her voice cracked harshly at the arrival of more steamy tears, her mind was failing, her subconscious became her conscious self, all the pain and distress assailing her heart at that moment expunged to the very brim, she couldn't contain her rage any longer.
Patty shook her head in aimless disbelief; she twirled herself around like a ballerina, eyes to the sky hoping for some measure of sanity within her fractured mind.
"But none of you even remember me, nobody remembers me, because nobody was alive to remember me." Patty began nostalgically, allowing her shattered memories to return once more, if they didn't remember her, she would make them remember.
"Come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove, that hills and valleys, dale and field, and all the craggy mountains yield." The mother sang delightfully to her child, waning the rambunctious youth slowly into a sleepy slumber.
The young Patricia snuggled herself knowingly under her cloth covering, rubbing her play-hardy skin gently to warm it from the bristling night air, it was times such as these she wished the cruel grip of poverty would relinquish her backward town from its steady hold, she would do anything to improve their harsh lives even moderately.
The breathtakingly beautiful mother leaned down warmly, softly placing a tender kiss on the child's head, it gave the young one goose bumps, she always relished the tingly feel of her mother's kisses.
"Sleep well young one." The mother hushed bravely, knowing her offspring would dream just as drearily as all nights, cold and wet, begging for some measure of warmth, and yet she knew the innocent mind of her child wouldn't falter, for as long as she was with those she loved this was warmth enough.
Restlessly the young Patricia lay, excitedly awaiting the arrival of her childhood companions. While it was dangerous to roam at night, the child had a strong taste for adventure, especially when it came to the modern myths of her world.
A now faceless child from her past had told her the legend of a sword, wrought in stone and smelted in the fires of the earth's core itself, a sword of wishes. It was supposedly carved from the hide of the mystical Dragon God, a demon of unfathomable power, whose very skin was lathered in a stony coat.
And what luck had she, for the assistance of a local tome alerted the youth to the entrance of a hallowed cave in the mountainside, which was apparently a run down and abandoned tribute to the god of the drakes. This decrepit tomb would no doubt lead her to the relic she sought, it had to if her town of shambles was to survive.
The dying season had turned the hill, winter was upon them, and they knew they had very few resources, hardly enough to survive the long months of cold. Nor could they seek warmer climate, while the mountains of Boletaria were extremely fertile, they also proved a nigh-inescapable dip of land, where the only way to remove oneself from the canyon was to make the long trek upward and over the sharp peaks.
While normally the village found more than enough food and supplies to survive, something was different this year. The soil was murky and fruitless, the sun did not shine, the rain did not pour, strange weather patterns and a vicious cold was all that plagued the valley, something was amiss in their small northern kingdom.
A knock at her shattered window, to which the girl nearly exploded out of her bedside, childishly giggling and hopping about as she clothed herself for the exciting journey ahead, she would not fail her village, she would have her wishes granted, this she knew.
Covertly the child hopped outside her massive window, feeling the wet grass below her shoeless toes as she snickered towards her playmates, all of their faces innocently smarmy, prepared to be heroes for their entire village; they would be heralded as nothing less surely.
Patty looked to the sky, and for once it was indeed cloudless, expansive and riddled with stars and glossy red and purple nebulas showing far away galaxies, among them she noticed the brightest star in the sky, its azure beauty consuming all light around it, she dubbed this far away light her lucky star, her heavenly guardian.
The trio of children silently made their way from building edge to edge, startling themselves with every passing shadow and clenching their tiny hands over gaping mouths to silence their escape, lest the town guards be savvy and end their adventure prematurely.
In no time at all their village was far behind them, and it was then Patty got the first good look at it from such a distance. The area was highly dangerous, savage beasts lurked in every corner of the mountain, unless accompanied by a guardsman, walking far distances from the village was strictly forbidden.
Patricia sighed contently at the breathtaking sight, as messy and old as their village was, she couldn't help but see the beauty behind the filth. The homes of the village were crafted upon the very canyon walls, supported by the massive timber of mighty trees, hardened with metallic straps. Walkways and bridges connected the floating town, and ladders deepened the town ever downward and upward, connecting the levels of the endless city.
At the ground below the village were the farms, where the harvesting of the lush lands took place, usually perpetually green and lively, even near the wintertime, the area was now a discolored and musty brown, they hadn't had a successful harvest in months, instead relying only on preserves.
The saddening sight did not disquiet her brave little heart however, she would return victorious, her wishes would be granted.
The children's dirtied hands clung harshly to the jagged rocks of the canyon, blistering and bloodying them mercilessly, they forgave the land for its treachery, this was but another test of their resolve, they would have to bleed if they were to claim what they sought.
At first aimlessly, their trek eventually led them to the humble peak of a frosty bluff, where the hardened nature instead carved into a man-made path, overlooking the ancient temple covered in soot and rockslides below, they had discovered it at long last.
The ancient pantheon was completely destroyed by the passing of time, pillars of mighty stone crushed under the unforgiving mountains, eaten away by moss and plants that grew from the very cracks of the temple, thickets of vines hanging loosely around the entrance, blockading it with fresh greens.
The trio of children stepped lightly upon the hallowed grounds, they had to be careful, they knew the area was dangerous and had no intention of alarming any wandering beasts that may have made their home within.
They approached the daunting entrance, exotic and mysterious, they couldn't contain the girlish squeals that erupted from them as they gathered themselves bravely and dashed inside, the interior sights were far less beautiful, haunting was the only word that came to mind for the children.
Dozens of skeletons clinging to blades with dirtied blood, the room was utterly filled with the rotten corpses; it seems that some time ago a great battle had erupted amongst the priests of the forgotten temple.
Carefully they tip-toed over the musky corpses, screeching lightly whenever one of the smelly things brushed up against their naked ankles, or even at the squeaking of the jittery mice skittering to and fro, the place was disgusting, it assaulted the senses with its overbearing smell and horrifying visuals, they wished to be done with its chilling atmosphere as soon as possible.
The group stumbled upon another antechamber beyond the main one, a bubble-like dome present upon the apex, fashioned in a glistening stained glass of assorted ruby and emerald hues, the burdening glow of the moonlight seeping through them, revealing a spiraling staircase slithering downwards.
Patty looked to her chums, and decided it best that she was the first one to begin the descent, a mistake that would haunt her for the remainder of her days.
Even under the weight of her tiny frame the staircase crumbled below her, sending her falling downward, cracking and crunching against the staircase level after level, she could feel the seething pain setting fire to her entire body as she crashed ever downward in a heap of stone and smoke.
Eventually the seemingly endless fall did stop, and wearily the young girl screamed in a bemoaning sorrow, rubbing her bloodied and torn flesh and weeping silently.
"Girls…? Girls…I think, I think my leg is broken I…please get help! Please!" The young Patricia sputtered out in between sobs, hearing the semblance of her friends above receiving her message and vanishing out of sight, rushing to get any help they could for their friend in need.
Shakily she brushed a sweaty palm over her fractured limb, wincing in pain when she felt the bone inside jutting at an awkward angle, it was definitely broken. As young as she was, the girl fought the domineering feeling, she had to remain strong, her friends would return in no time with assistance and she would be rushed to the town doctor, who would mend her wounds.
Time passed, far more time than she had anticipated, and still her friends did not return from seeking aide. She wondered if they themselves had encountered danger, but such troubling thoughts did nothing to keep her mind strong, so she shoveled them aside in favor of a happier one, her mother's enchanting voice.
The child was nowhere near as musically talented as her mother, but she knew the words well enough, it was her favorite song after all, one she held very dear to her heart.
"Come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove. That hill and valley, dale and field, and all the craggy mountains yield." She began amidst shuddering sobs and convulsions of pain, the melody shown beautifully in the child's voice, even as she succumbed to the budding ache. "There we will sit upon the rocks, and see the shepherds feed their flocks. By shallow rivers to whose falls, melodious birds sing madrigals." Her voice began to hush into a whisper, she couldn't help it, the severe pain tied to the lullaby exhausted her so, and as her voice trailed off and her eyes fell victim to darkness, she prayed her friends would return in time.
All sleepiness however was washed away by the sudden arrival of an odd sound in the darkness around her; she surveyed the area, down the long tunnel at her side that led deeper into the underground chambers, and still it continued, rhythmic and soothing, a steady beat.
The frightened girl thought the priory abandoned, and yet here came signs of life from the shadowed corridors, barely illuminated by the glow of the moon above.
From the emptiness emerged a pair of figures, their faces hidden by the hoods draped lavishly around them, and yet their appearances were perceived as human to the child, she couldn't help but laugh contently and reach out to them with a weakened hand.
"Please help me…my leg is broken, and my friends haven't come back to help me…please help me." The young Patty cried out for assistance, smiling further when the two hooded figures amiably beset upon her broken form and in a motherly fashion, rubbing a hand across the girls wounds.
"Fractured femur, patella caved in, internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity, two broken ribs, the bleeding will suffocate her lungs." The taller of the two spoke, reaching a hand to unbutton the young girl's shirt to get a better look at the injuries, to which she could only angrily protest.
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing you pervert!" Patty yelled embarrassedly, staying her rage when she looked down to her torso, splattered with blood and cut to pieces, the pain must've been so severe she had blocked it out in her flighty, agonized mind.
"Poor child, on the cusp of death and yet so brave…" The smaller of the two spoke, pressing her tender palms against the child's heaving torso and breathing deeply.
A fluttering light suddenly enveloped the strange figure's hands, it was soothing in a way, humming gently against the young girl's body, she could feel her insides rearranging themselves as if the pieces were connecting once more, it was like she was being healed at an alarming rate.
Before she knew it she was being steadied to her feet, completely recovered as if her battered body had never been broken in the first place, she was astounded; she couldn't help but wrap her arms lovingly around the hooded figure who had cured her.
"Omigosh! Thank you, thank you so much!" The child cried in her savior's arms, brushing the dainty hood from the woman's head to get a better look at her.
She was young, but her pale features were offset by the furrow of luscious red hair atop her head, and the kindness of her smile. The other figure removed her hood in turn, revealing a cold and emotionless stare, hidden partially behind her minty green locks.
"My name is Patty! My friends and I came down here to find out about the legendary sword of the Dragon God!" The young Patty explained, not noticing the slightly unnerved expressions among the two women at her revelation. "They say its grants wishes, I need to find it so I can save my village from freezing this winter, we don't have any food. I heard this place was where people worshipped him, I was gonna look for clues when…well, I fell." The child continued, suddenly coming to the conclusion that there shouldn't have been anybody within the temple walls. "Hmm, who are you guys anyway? Do you live here? I thought this place was abandoned." She asked to the strangers hopefully, childishly excited by their ambiguous ways, they were something akin to heroes of old.
"A sword of wishes, you say? Truly fascinating. And we child, are crusaders of Umbasa, teachers of the old ways and observers of destiny." The shorter figure answered, leaning a hand towards her guardian in praise. "She is Minami Iwasaki of clan Garland, and I, the sixth saint of Umbasa Yutaka Kobayakawa." The saint introduced humbly, yet she was slightly deterred when the child below her erupted into a gale laughter.
"Haha! You guys sure talk funny, are you from another land?" The inquisitive child asked, to which it seemed the pair had to think about the question before answering, why wouldn't they know where there home was?
"Something akin to another land, yes, we once lived here…with you humans, but have long sense shed our humanity." The priest solemnly explained, feeling the hold of her knight upon her shoulder for relief. "Nevertheless, child, this is a dangerous place, you should not play here…legends such as those concerning demons should be left to their devices, forsaken." Her warnings were stern and absolute, but Patricia knew she could not be swayed now; her mind had been made up long ago.
She watched as once again, by the power of some mysterious light, the maiden was able to reconstruct the shattered stairway that spiraled above ground once more, the two figures said their farewells to the child and vanished out of sight, leaving her with but a warning and nothing more.
Patty glanced back at the endless hallway, sneering haughtily as she advanced down it ignorant to the duo's whims, she did thank them for rescuing her, but she had no time to lose if she were to save her village, she needed to find that blade of the gods.
Stutteringly she walked down the hall, still amazed her destroyed limbs were moving like new, she almost forgot how to walk, holding the slick walls for support as she ventured deeper.
Eventually she reached what must've been the main chamber, vibrant and expansive, draped in crimson carpets and lavished with a golden finish, it was a place that existed only in fairy tales. The room was dimly lit by torches, and laden with thick books and tomes in large stacks, the girl couldn't help but wonder what they were for.
Her eyes fell upon a great tapestry sewn across the walls, detailing some ancient prophecy of the Dragon God's cult, showing the beast's birth, and death, at the hands of a soul who would one day claim the sword for their own. The girl ran her hand coolly across the silken pictures, baring her gaze directly upon an epitaph of sorts, written in a language she oddly enough understood.
"Have you heard the jolly tale, of knights with swords, hardened in mail, who searched high and low and near and far, for their very own lucky star. Some found riches, some found fame, some found love and others vain. But what they sought most still eluded, it riddled their minds, made them secluded. A sword of wishes, wrought in stone, a lucky star of their very own." The child read carefully, struggling on some of the larger words and forcing herself to spell them out syllable by syllable. "Deep within the crusted Earth, lay an ancient city since the planet's birth. Here he loomed, the God of drakes, his sinned existence mankind's mistake. Sealed away from the earth above, the wishful sword granted god's love. Gone forever in a flash of awe, the sword was hidden in the dragon's maw." She finished, curling a finger to her chin in slight confusion, and yet she was enraptured by the poem, it seemed to take hold of her in an almost unnatural way.
It was a clue as good as any, and so the child reached for her hidden knife in her pockets to slice the bit of the tapestry from its hold, wrapping it carefully as to not destroy it further, and safely tucking it away.
"Bingo." Patty peeped boisterously, only to quickly lose her resolve when the trembling growl of some unseen creature loomed not far behind her.
She turned to face it, tiny fruit knife in hand, her entire body shuddering in fear as she beheld a monstrous wolf, its fangs bared threateningly at the prey who would dare to invade its home. She swung her blade at it, but the beast did not falter, it stood calm and waited for the moment the child would lose her cool.
Which happened in mere moments, a shrieking cry echoed throughout the tomb as the young Patty dropped her weapon and dashed for the door, hearing the galloping of the wolfs padded feet behind her, she couldn't help but fizzle out a few salty tears in response, somehow she anticipated something such as this.
"Help!" She cried to the nothingness, hoping that any miracle would save her at that moment. "Y-Yutaka! Minami, help!" She exploded once more, finally reaching the staircase and beginning her hasty trek to the top, the lupine aggressor still hot on her heels.
Astoundingly the girl reached the top of the stairs, bolting out of the temple in a panic as the beast converged upon her, she knew she couldn't outrun it, her legs failed her as she reached the outside world, the moonlight viciously beat upon her sweated form.
"Help…please help…" The girl whispered, her chest aflame with exhaust and her body quaking with it just as harshly, she watched as the snarling animal stepped over her, ready to finish its prey with one snapping bite.
She awaited the end, only to feel the release of a howling wind cool her warmed body, and the soft fur of the beast no longer rubbing against her skin, she watched astounded as the wolf was lifted into the air seemingly impossibly, and without reason. The monster was flung viciously against a wall, a snapping sound was heard, and that was all it took for the animal to moan in pain and skitter away in defeat, perhaps it sensed something the young girl could not, but she would never be certain.
Patricia stood and soundly looked about for her saviors, but found that nobody was around, just her and the symphony of crickets that ticked endlessly, and the cutting breeze in the air, howling like the injured wolf.
She stood silently a moment before the coil of a smile formed upon her face, and she looked to the endless peaks of the mountain tops, eyes shut in silent prayer. "Thank you Yutaka, Minami…" She whispered before departing, knowing full well who had been her rescuers from the beast.
The thoughts of whether or not she would meet the two strange souls again, or even who they were quickly faded from her mind as she quietly journeyed back to her hometown, the scroll of the Dragon God cupped tightly within her hands, she knew everything was about to change for her, not only would her people have enough food to survive the long winter, they'd have enough food to survive a lifetime, and more.
She would make sure all those she loved and cared for were set for life in every way possible, they would eat the most exquisite exotic foods, adorned upon tables of garnet silk, sitting next to roaring fireplaces within magnificently crafted mansions. They would live the good life, and she would be the hero who ushered in this new age of peace, and while the young Patty wasn't entirely so self-absorbed, she couldn't help but snicker at the notion of being hailed a hero.
The girl merged into the shadows of her town once more, barely managing to elude a few nosy guards before she made it safely to her home once more, the sun had just begun to crest over the horizon, and she couldn't wait to tell her friends of the journey she had within the temple, wherever they were. It was odd that they didn't return for her, but it would be a question for another time, for now the child decided she had earned some well deserved rest.
Her creaky neck had barely graced the fluffy potato-sack pillows of her bed before a booming call for her name sounded from the other room, the voice was her mother's this she knew, and all she could anticipate was anger towards her actions, perhaps her friends had reached her parents after all.
Facing the music was all she could do, and so the sleepy girl made for her den for a scolding, and yet instead she saw the smiling faces of her parents looking down upon her, apparently unaware of their daughter's recent outing.
"Patricia! Glad you're awake my dear, we have guests." Her father spoke affably, offering a seat at their small dining table to his child, who noticed there were indeed several unknown figures presently seated within their home.
One was a beautiful woman, dressed in a long brown overcoat, her magnificent pink hair tightly bobbed slightly around her shoulders; the woman looked as tender as any caring mother ever could be.
Seated adjacent to the ravishing beauty was a child, likely the same age or near enough as the young Patty, she was a spitting image of her mother seated next to her. Her lavender eyes partially glossed over by the giant spectacles upon the bridge of her nose, her pale cheeks were enveloped in a rosy blush, she was trying her best to be brave it seemed, quite the shy child.
Tired though she was, Patricia couldn't help but be ecstatic to meet a new face; she reached her hand out to the young girl before her, crushing it in a friendly handshake.
"Nice to meetcha, I'm Patricia, you can call me Patty." She requested happily, smiling even wider when the reclusive girl offered a return to her steady grip.
"Miyuki Takara." The bashful child introduced, averting her eyes when the adults of the room laughed lovingly at their children's awkward introduction.
"Patricia, why don't you show little Miyuki around town? I'm sure she'd like that." The girl's father suggested, to which his daughter could not protest, she doubted her ability to sleep at all after what had transpired over the night anyway, and she was always up for making new acquaintances.
The two girls departed from the Martin shack silently, Patricia couldn't help but be slightly bothered by her new friend's perpetual quietness, a conversational topic was needed to break the hushing aura about her.
"So…Miyuki, what're you doin' in Yoshimizu? We barely get visitors from outside the valley, just the occasional trader passing through the mountains." Patty inquired, scrunching her face stoically when the only response was an inaudible murmur of whispers; the poor girl was shy to a hardened fault.
"I can't say, it's confidential." She answered as politely as possible, but it came off a little snarkier than she had hoped, and of course she had a hunch it would only make the eccentric girl even more curious.
"Confi-what? Oh come on, you can tell me! I'm great at keeping secrets…mostly, I'd probably only tell one or two people. Are you guy's fugitives? Or traveling adventurers?" Patty excitedly questioned, her mouth running a mile a minute, the diffident meganekko could barely keep up.
"No, no, nothing so exciting! Well…don't tell my mom I told you, alright?" Miyuki smiled contently, curling an extended pinky finger to usher a contract of silence, Patty happily obliged. "Okay, I'm actually here for training in the soul arts, the overseers at my monastery think I'm ready, and while I don't really think I'm suited for this sort of thing…I trust my mother." The magician revealed, happy to get such a thing off her chest, noticing her friend didn't attempt to run away or even seem to be frightened, quite the opposite, it was nice to meet tolerant folks for a change.
Patty rested her rough hands behind her head with a sharp whistle at the bravery of her friend. "Wow, mage training huh? I could never do that, I hear it's really hard." To which neither child could protest, mage trials were indeed rigorous, tests of the mind and body to levels bordering on the extreme, it only added to the sheer audacity the talented young mage had considering she was of such a tender age. "So how are you gonna train here? I don't think there's much in the way of mage-like stuff to train on." Patty asked confusedly, watching the slightly wavering confidence of her shy friend falter once more at the question.
"I…" Miyuki began quietly, inhaling a sharp wind of breath before meeting Patricia's gaze. "I apparently have to befriend a demon. Magicians have strong ties to the netherworld, contracts with demons are common place, I need to find a demon, and forcibly control it." The mage explained, smirking proudly when another sharp whistle escaped her friend.
"Wow! Sounds hard, I've never seen a demon before…not that I'd want to! But I'm sure you'll do fine, you seem like a tough gal Yuki!" Patty pointed out knowingly, while the feeble-acting magician certainly didn't seem demon-wrangling material, just to be able to say she was going to do it at all must've meant she had some mettle hiding in that timid frame.
"Yuki…?" The mage responded to the nickname, not even her own mother saw fit to call her by her nickname, in fact nobody did. In the past several years she had spent in the shadowed temples, not a soul had ever outright attempted to be overly friendly with her, or to make acquaintance with her on a personal level. And yet this bubbly little girl Patricia was being so kind and oddly enough, interested in her and her life, if this is what friendship was she certainly wasn't complaining.
The ramblings of youth naively frame time in the shortest of instances, when night fell the two young girls were still babbling away about their greatest fears, their darkest secrets, and their dreams and aspirations.
Peacefully they sat upon a hill overlooking Patricia's unassuming town, taking in everything there was to see and burning it within their retinas, Miyuki after all was leaving upon her journey to become a master in the magical soul arts the following morn, she wanted to memorize every detail concerning her first friend, and every aspect pertaining to her.
While she knew it was wrong of her to think so, Miyuki couldn't help but wish she could just stay in Yoshimizu with her new friend, but what a selfish wish that was. She owed her mother for so much, and while she still wondered if becoming a mage was truly her destiny, she knew in her heart of hearts it's what she would dedicate her entire life to.
"I'll miss you, when I leave tomorrow." Miyuki whispered to her first and only true friend, the painful sting of tears could not be stopped, losing friends was never easy.
Patricia sighed contently, rubbing a soothing hand upon the young mage's shoulder in a comforting rhythm. "Oh, you can always come and visit. We definitely need more visitors anyway; this is the most exciting it's been in this town for a long while." Patty chuckled, her toothy grin only expanding when her laughter infected her friend.
Within the stunning silence of the night, Patricia would always admire her lucky star so high in the sky, gleaming as bright as the great moon itself, and yet this time she could only consider the downtrodden mage, and her hopes and dreams.
Patty stood suddenly, offering a hand to the girl below her and hoisting her upwards. She pointed to the never ending skies, twirling her head at the slight vertigo that overcame her as she clocked her head directly up at them. "You see that star right there, the really big and bright one?" She pointed out, waiting excitedly for the mage to lock onto the far away light to continue. "That's my lucky star, whenever I'm sad or unsure of something I just look at it, and suddenly I know everything will be alright. I swore to myself once that I would become a great adventurer, I swore upon my lucky star…but I think this star has room enough for two." Patty suggested happily, slyly smiling when her magician friend caught on.
"You want me to make a wish upon your star? Doesn't that…break the rules or something?" The mage warned, her friend could only blissfully shrug at the sentiment.
"Break what rules? It's my star, I make the rules! And I say this star has room enough for two wishes." Patty complacently ordered, watching in wonderment as the young Miyuki clasped her hands on cue, raising them to the heavens to usher in a prayer of oath.
"I…" She began tentatively, broadly smiling as she felt the inner power of her dreams fuel her. "I will become a great mage! One that my mother can be proud of, one that will make regular people stop being afraid of us! I will become the kindest mage in all the lands, on all the earth, I will show people not all mages are bad…" Miyuki ended emotionally, feeling yet another steady stream of tears escape her, her friend couldn't help but be confused.
"Oh no, are you sad again?" The young Patty asked worryingly, slightly confused when amidst the sobs came a thundering laughter.
"No…" Miyuki whispered, swiping away the niggling tears wetting her dress. "I'm just so happy…thank you so much Patty-Chan, thank you." The mage humbly thanked, crushing her friend into a tight hug and holding her as if she would fade away.
Patty smiled knowingly, pressing a flattened palm to her friends back and holding her friend to her gently. Their lucky star beamed above them, filled with the children's wishes, to hold and to nurture them and aide the girls in growing into the best they could be.
The clouded hours of sleep fell upon the young Patricia, she had suggested the two just sleep in the field under the starry skies, and when the young girl awoke, she found she was alone. And yet her solitude was not what vexed her, it was the gloomy smoke lazily erupting from her village in the distance, to say she had ran with all her might to the scene was an understatement.
Bodies, smoke, and fire as far as the eye could see. The girl's eyes burned harshly under the intense smog, her tiny lungs gave way to powerful coughs, but through all these assailments this did not stop her from seeing the horror that had destroyed her village, her life.
There she was, the young Miyuki Takara, eyes glowing a horrid yellow and her hands wrapped in a consuming flame that ate away at the structures around her. Behind her stood two figures, one a diminutive salmon-haired maiden, and the other, her brave knight.
The memories left Patricia as she stood solemnly, the sword of the Dragon God clenched within her fists. All around her were silent, shocked at what they had just heard, and for some, angered.
Minami was the first to lash out in anger. "You know nothing of what you speak, girl! What my lady did for your people was a service! The alternative was far worse I assure you…" The knight cringed slightly at her own words, she was not a woman of hate but one of peace, such harsh tone was unbefitting of someone such as her.
Miyuki's breathing stifled, it became uneven and frighteningly nervous, she clenched a quaking fist to her throbbing chest and reached out a hand in remembrance to the skies above. "I remember now…I…Patty, I remember everything I…Patty you have to understand-" The magician began, an almost animalistic cry of rage interrupting her from the steaming form of Patricia.
"Understand what! I thought you were my friend! You…what did you do, Miyuki…you destroyed my life…you destroyed our dreams! Why did you do it! Why, why, why, why!" Patty exploded unnervingly, clenching a fist to her face to stay the fuming tears. "I didn't deserve this…I was supposed to be a great adventurer! Instead all I can think of is all of you, all day and all night my thoughts are haunted by your faces! How all of you destroyed everything that was ever dear to me…" Patty finished in a whisper, her fervor fading under the immense pressure of the grief that was consuming her, knees buckling weakly at her vibrating frame.
Even the progenitors of the chaos stood silent, the crusaders of Umbasa had no words to say, while it pained them to admit they were in fact the murderers of so many souls. This was not willingly, but regrettably that they had to carry out such tasks; such was the fate of the observers of destiny.
Konata and the others had no words to say, something that did not even involve them had touched them so sharply, they couldn't even begin to understand what was racing through their friends minds, but they knew it was painful.
"You all ruined my life…why couldn't you all have just stayed away? The people of Yoshimizu never hurt anybody, they never did anything wrong…" The archer breathed softly, clenching her sword of the gods brazenly in her hardening grip and glazing her eyes emotionlessly towards the people around her, she knew what had to be done.
A war cry for the ages, a startling bum rush fumbling carelessly at the mage Miyuki before her. Patricia raised her blade to the skies fiercely, roosting adjacent to her lucky star, a series of yells permeated the area as the howling of the blade swung sharply downward.
Revenge was surely a sublime passing.
Author's Note: Sorry if I went overboard on Patty's little flashback, but I couldn't help myself. This was by the far the chapter I had the most fun writing yet, which would explain why it's out so quickly after the last, and so long. Continuous chapters incoming, ain't like I've got anything else to do.