A/N: First things first, please be sure you have read Chapter 9 before starting this chapter (Chapter 10)! FanFiction had a long period of having profiles be inaccessible during the last day or so. I don't know if that threw any readers off, but just a heads-up. Also be sure to let me know what you thought of the chapter as the fightscen for the boss was a horrible pain and I want to hear from you guys' opinions on it.
Now then, I'm on a roll! The next chapter is already halfway done so expect it in a couple of days! As of this chapter, I have changed one of my earlier things-to-know. The party will be able to carry more than one weapon at a time. After a bit of deliberation with Sylveon0902, one of my reviewers, I realized that getting awesome weapons is too integral a part EBF4 to just write out, so I've changed my stance on that somewhat. A special thank you goes out once again to TheFierceDeityMask for editing this chapter! Enjoy!
Matt led their group out of the cave and the four stood for a moment, blinking to adjust from the drastic change from the darkness of inside the cave to the blinding brightness of the mid afternoon sun shining off of the snow covered Whitefall Town. The swordsman turned to face his battered companions. Anna and Natalie both looked pale from mana exhaustion; Anna was still wearing Lance's Officer Coat. Lance was swaying on his feet and shivering with his torn army jacket flapping in the wind.
A small frown formed on Matt's face at the state of his friends, "So, which way is it to the altar, Anna? The sooner we check on the Jewel here, the sooner we can get-" the rest of Matt's sentence was cut off by a flying ball of blue fur hitting the swordsman in the chest and sending him into a snow drift. The other three stared in shock at where Matt had been standing before Natalie ran forward to check the Matt-shaped hole in the snow. Muffled noises were heard and a clump of the snowy outline fell inward.
Peering down, the mage's tense shoulders slumped in relief and she waved back at Lance and Anna, "It's just NoLegs." The other two sighed in relief.
Baffled, Anna looked at Lance, "How'd he know where to find us?" Lance merely shrugged and crossed his arms in an attempt to contain a violent shudder. Anna frowned in concern, seeing Lance's jaw clench to prevent his teeth from chattering. The ranger shrugged out of the black coat she was borrowing and held it out to the shivering gunner, "Here, you need something else to wear before you get sick. My clothes are dry now, so I'll be fine until we get to the inn." She blushed lightly, "Thanks for lending it to me."
Lance opened his mouth, about to claim to be fine, but realized that it would be an all-too obvious lie and shut it again. Mumbling an awkward, "You're welcome," he accepted the black coat, and pulled it on over his torn army jacket, his shivering began subsiding almost immediately with the added insulation.
By this point, Matt had sat up, his face just peeking over the edge of the snowdrift NoLegs had knocked him into with said cat perched and happily purring on his shoulder. The swordsman had clumps of snow sticking to his hair and a huge grin on his face. Matt reached up and rubbed NoLegs' head before he began to rise to his feet. The happy grin on his face morphed into a pained grimace that only lasted for a split second before he wiped it away, and hoped no-one noticed. He stood up and leaned casually on his right leg, looking over at Anna with another grin, "I see you gave Lance his coat back. Now, let's go check on that Jewel!" He gestured for Anna to lead the way. "Looks like no-one noticed," Matt thought with relief. A cough from his left caused him to stiffen.
"Hang on a second," Natalie's voice was sharp which caused Lance and Anna to turn back in confusion. "You're injured, Matt. Why didn't you say so sooner?" Matt's wide-eyed guilty look caused the mage to scowl. Natalie scanned the swordsman's posture and mentally reviewed the brief moment when Matt stood up before speaking again, "It's your left leg, isn't it? Did I miss something from when you crashed into the wall earlier?" She glared at him when he gave her a nervous smile and opened his mouth, "And don't try to say 'it's nothing'." His mouth snapped shut again.
Matt looked over at Lance and Anna for help, but Anna was watching him with a worried look while Lance merely gave him an amused smirk and tilted his head towards the mage who was getting ready to blow up as if to say: "Hey, you set off the crazy healer, not me. Now you have about five seconds to apologize before she explodes. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the show." No help there. Matt turned back to Natalie, who was still glaring at him, and decided it would be easier just to fess up now.
Heaving a massive, resigned sigh, Matt gave in, "It was during the fight with the weird cat-thing. It can definitely wait until we're at the inn, though, okay?" Natalie's face was still stormy, but she gave him a sharp nod and turned to Anna who finally led the way to the altar.
The four rounded a small group of evergreens to see a large stump decorated with paper talismans. There was a small notch hollowed out of the top where an object had once sat. Anna stiffened in dismay before slumping. She turned to the other three standing behind her and said in a flat voice, "It's already been taken. We were too slow."
Natalie blinked in surprise, "Whoever did this must be pretty fast to get here before us, considering they left Greenwood just before we did."
By this point Lance was very tired, very hungry, very cold, and very sore, which led to being very snappish, "I think it's about time you told us what these Jewels do. What kind of 'great calamity' are we talking about? And it had better be worse than, say, a bunch of furry slimes dying suddenly."
Anna recoiled slightly at Lance's sudden irritation, but it didn't take long for her own exhaustion to make her snap back, "It'll be a lot worse than that!"
Matt decided it was time to intervene before they started a huge fight, "Calm down, you two. Let's go to the inn, get some food, and then Anna can tell us about her village's legend. Okay?"
Lance scowled, but stepped back. Anna shot him one final glare before turning to guide them to the inn. Once inside, the ranger walked right up to the counter to pay for two rooms and whatever they had for food that was hot and readily available. The innkeeper gave a small bow, handed over the keys, and motioned for their group to take a seat at one of the many round tables near the fireplace before vanishing into the kitchen to get their food.
Anna stalked over to a table right next to the fire place and plunked down in a chair, burying her face in her arms on the wooden surface of the table. The three standing just inside the doorway glanced at each other before following her; NoLegs settled down under the table, curled at Matt's feet. The inn was silent apart from the cracks and pops coming from the fire burning merrily in the hearth. There were no patrons at the moment as it was too early for people to be seeking rooms just yet. The heat emanating from the flames, coupled with the dim, but warm lighting, made for a cozy atmosphere. A moment later, a young serving girl strode out of the kitchen carrying four bowls of steaming meat stew and four mugs of hot apple cider on a large platter. She set them down on the table with a quiet, "Enjoy," before slipping back to the kitchen.
Lance, Matt, and Natalie immediately dug into their stew with soft murmurs of appreciation. Anna kept her head in her arms for a few more moments until Matt asked her if she was planning on eating hers, mentioning that he would be happy to help her eat it, if she wasn't hungry. The subtle warning caused Anna to finally sit upright to eat. Despite her hunger, the ranger just picked at the hearty stew for a few minutes before finally eating. The others were finished with their meals long before Anna and sipped quietly at their warm cider. Anna set her spoon down in her now empty bowl took a deep breath. The other three watched her, noting her tense posture and shadowed expression.
"Alright, some of this stuff may be hard to believe, but if it's true, there's big trouble coming. Our legends go like this: 'In the beginning, there was a single divine being. Her name was Godcat. But Godcat was lonely, so she created cats in her own image, and gave them dominion over the land, and over all other creatures.'"
Lance interrupted the story to sarcastically scoff, "You're saying that a cat created the world for more cats?! This sounds like some insane bedtime story."
Natalie threw her napkin at him, "Shh, let her continue! This might have something to do with that glowing cat from earlier."
Anna hardly seemed to notice the interruption, "'Godcat created all cats, and for thousands of years, cats ruled the earth. They built great civilizations and had developed advanced technology. But they eventually became too friendly with humans.'" She ignored a skeptical snort from Lance, her voice lowering as she continued, "'Godcat was jealous of this new alliance, of cats and humans. She destroyed all that the cats had built. Godcat's greatest creation was no longer worthy of Her image, so She took away their arms and legs, and that's how they have remained to this day.'"
Matt's jaw dropped, "So that's why cats don't have legs?!" He slid back to address the cat under the table, "NoLegs, I'm so sorry to hear about your abusive creator." To which NoLegs merely gave him a bright meow.
Anna gave a half smile at the exchange before it melted away, "'Godcat then departed from this world, and they say She left behind only these three Jewels. For generations, humans have protected the Jewels and kept them apart from each other, as they feared Godcat would return if the Jewels were ever brought together again.'" A log snapped in half with a loud crack and crumbled to embers at the story's conclusion.
Matt leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful look, "So we have to stop Godcat from being revived then, since She'll probably destroy the world again?" Lance was still looked skeptical
Anna shifted, "Surely you guys have seen ancient ruins on your travels, right? Ruins full of statues of cats? This could all be true."
Natalie's eyes widened, "Oh yeah, that's right!" She turned to face Lance and Matt, "Remember those old ruins we passed through in the desert on our way to defeat Akron? They were full of cats! So that glowing cat earlier was Godcat, or at least a piece of Her?"
Lance frowned thoughtfully before shrugging, "I don't really know what to make of all of this. What I do know, is that we need some warmer clothing and I would like to sleep." He shot a smirk towards Matt, "And I do believe Matt has an injury that he's been hiding from you, Natz." His smirk broadened into a grin at Matt's groan.
One look at Natalie's suddenly angry face was all it took for the swordsman to throw his hands up in surrender before leaning down to roll up his left pant leg. A long, angry-looking magic burn running from his ankle to his knee was revealed. Natalie's face fell as she realized he had gotten it from protecting her from Godcat's attack. She gently prodded the wound with one finger, apologizing when Matt let out a small, pained hiss before she held her hand lightly against it and cast Heal. Matt breathed a sigh of relief as the burning ache faded with the healing spell then yelped as Natalie smacked his leg.
"That's for keeping quiet about the injury!" Natalie fumed. Matt shrank back at her glower, "If you're going to jump in front of attacks meant for me, the least you could do is tell me when you get hurt."
Matt gave her a nervous, placating smile, "Hey, that's my job: Meatshield, remember?" Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say as Natalie swelled up like a balloon. Matt scrunched down even further in his seat.
"Not telling your designated party healer about an injury is not part of the job description! How do you think it makes me feel when you are silently hurting from something meant for me, especially when I can do something to help?" Natalie's voice was rising.
Anna piped up, "Don't be too hard on him, Natalie. He probably saw you were tired and didn't want to worry you. Besides, the whole thing is kinda my fault. You all wouldn't have been in that fight if you hadn't been escorting me." The ranger flinched back as Natalie's sparking blue eyes snapped over to her, and she missed the surprised, slightly concerned, look Lance sent her way.
"He should know better by now, so don't try to defend him," Natalie snapped before turning her glare back on Matt, who was sliding his chair back in preparation of bolting from the room.
Lance chuckled and stood up with a stretch, "I'm going to lie down for a while, maybe go to sleep; it's late enough now, after all."
The comment was enough to derail Natalie's ire as she turned, surprised, to stare out the window. Sure enough, the sky was just turning a brilliant golden color and a few travelers were making their way towards the inn. Dinner, the legend, and yelling at Matt had taken a surprising amount of time. Anna handed Lance the key to the guy's room and Natalie the girl's key. The mage's jaw cracked in a sudden yawn. She turned to Matt with one final glare, "You're lucky I'm tired, buster. Don't do it again." Matt swiftly nodded an empathetic agreement.
"I'm going to go look through the shops for some warmer clothing for us. I'll be back in a little while." Anna said standing up. "No, no, go get some rest," she said when Natalie made to follow her. The mage shrugged and watched as Anna deftly caught the money pouch Matt tossed to her before she headed out the door. A cold wind blew through the room at her exit, causing the fire to flare up.
As soon as the inn door clicked shut, Lance turned to Matt and Natalie, "I think she's feeling guilty."
The other two blinked in surprise, "Are you sure? What could she possibly be feeling guilty about?" Matt asked.
Natalie's surprise morphed into a sly grin, "More to the point: it's unlike you to notice—much less comment—on the fact."
Lance ignored the mage's remark and answered Matt's questions, "Yeah, didn't you notice how she tried to claim it was her fault we got hurt?" The grin on the Natalie's face broadened.
Matt frowned in thought, "So, what, do we follow her and apologize for getting hurt?"
The grinning mage spoke up with laughing sparkling in her blue eyes, "We should send Lance to apologize for us." Natalie's mirth subsided some at the fierce scowl Lance threw her way, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I think let her be for now, and I'll talk to her when she gets back; sound good?"
Matt nodded and Lance shrugged. With the matter settled, the three made their way upstairs for some much needed rest.
Anna slowly walked through town, heading for the armor shop. Snow crunched under her feet with every step, and the setting sun painted the picturesque town a pale purple and sparkled in the massive icicles hanging off of the eves of buildings. Very few people were on the paths anymore, having already retreated to warm homes and inns for the night, which was good for the stressed ranger. Now that she was away from the other three, she let her shoulders slump and her expression reveal the guilt she felt at how much trouble she had been to Matt and the others. "Three people—friends, I suppose I can say, now—almost got killed escorting me today. Maybe I should just split now and save them the trouble and awkwardness of having to find some way to say they don't want to help me," Anna thought glumly then looked down at the money pouch she was carrying and sighed. "Crap, I can't run off with all their gold and certainly not after I made such a fuss about them stealing."
Reaching the single story shop, Anna opened the door and heard the small tinkle of a bell overhead announce the presence of a customer. The shop keeper, an older man came out from the back to greet her. Smiling kindly, he asked if she was looking for anything in particular.
Anna blinked and looked up in slight surprise at the sudden voice before shaking her head with a sheepish expression at the patient look she was receiving, "Sorry, and yes. Do you have any armor good for fighting in the cold around here? I need two sets for girls and two sets for guys."
The man brightened at the thought of such a large purchase and waved Anna over to the far corner where he had a display set up, "I have some very nice mammoth fur armor in stock right now. It'll keep you and your friends warm and dry as well as defend you from most physical attacks."
Anna moved over to look at the two mannequins showcasing the armor. It was made from the dark brown, shaggy fur of a Wooly Mammoth and just looking at the thick fur made Anna feel warmer. She glanced down at the price before smiling and turning back to the expectant shop keep, "I'll take it." She then proceeded to count out the required gold as the man wrapped up four sets of the armor for her to take with her. She bid the store owner a good evening, walked out, and turned to the weapon shop next door.
Juggling the bulky packages in her arms, Anna managed to open the door and walked inside. Immediately she was surrounded by blades, bows and staves of several kinds. A young woman was sitting on the counter, reading a magazine advertising all of the latest weapons that had been released recently. She looked up and smiled a welcome to Anna before becoming reabsorbed in the catalog. Anna set the armor down and wandered over to the archery section. The store owner finally spoke up, "Can I help you find what you're looking for?"
Anna smiled back, "Maybe: I'm not sure what I want, yet. Something with added fire damage, I guess. Or maybe lightning?" She glanced sadly over her shoulder at her trusty Sky Feather, "I can only carry one, so I guess I'll need to sell this one first." She looked back up when the young woman let out a small laugh.
"No need to do that! I have some nifty Adventure Pouches you can buy to keep all of your extra weapons and armor. All of the stuff with none of the bulk or weight!"
Anna blinked for a second before her face split into a big grin, "Really? How does that work and how much do they cost?"
The woman beckoned her over to the counter and pulled out a small brown, drawstring satchel. She pulled out a simple iron sword from behind the counter and stuffed it into the bag. The sword was swallowed up, and, to prove her earlier point, the owner tossed the bag up in the air and caught it a few times. She grinned at Anna's wide-eyed look of amazement, "I dunno what enchantments they used, but boy do they work! The only downsides are you obviously can't expect your enemy to wait for you to re-equip, so it isn't much good for in combat and if someone steals the pouch, they get all your stuff. Outside of battle, though, it's a great help. The price right now is one thousand gold per bag; they're much cheaper now than, say two years ago. They got a lot of unintentional advertising from the three heroes and now several wizards make them."
The ranger started in surprise at the unexpected mention of Matt, Lance, and Natalie and briefly wondered why she had never thought to ask where the heck they kept all their weapons before. Shaking her head, she pulled out her personal money supply and set 1,000 gold down for a bag. The woman counted it out and dumped the money in a large chest before handing Anna a pouch. The archer stuffed the sets of armor inside with a grin of satisfaction; no more strange juggling act to carry them back to the inn. A few more minutes of browsing, and Anna settled on a bow that would boost the effectiveness of her Spark Arrow, paid for it, and left with a smile.
Her happiness faded as she realized she would need to figure out what to do about slipping out without the other's catching her. After tossing a few ideas around in her head, Anna decided to leave before the sun came up the next day.
Anna stepped inside the inn and made her way upstairs to the rooms she had booked. She passed Matt just as he left his room to find more food and handed off the two sets of armor for him and Lance as well as the leftover money. He gave her a grin as he stuffed money in his pocket and threw the armor inside the door. A muffled curse was heard from Lance as the swordsman shut the door again, and wandered back downstairs. Anna grinned and knocked on her and Natalie's door before letting herself in.
The mage had claimed the bed nearest to the window and was staring outside while absently brushing her hair out. She twisted around at Anna's entrance and gave her a big smile, "How was the shopping? Did you find the armor we need?"
Anna pulled out the remaining two armors with a grin and tossed one ono Natalie's bed, "Yup, I just handed off the other two to Matt. He's heading down to eat some more, by the way."
Natalie laughed, "I'm not surprised; Matt values food almost as much as he values swords and loot. I see you picked up an Adventure Pouch, too. I meant to ask if you wanted to get one sooner, but it slipped my mind." Natalie carefully watched Anna, who had her back turned while she pulled her boots off, as she said, "Good thing you found something for the boys, especially Lance. Whatever that blast from Godcat was, it kept the clothing from repairing like it should have. Though, I suppose he could have just gone back to wearing his Officer getup again if you hadn't been able to find anything." The mage frowned at a brief pause in movement from Anna at the roundabout mention of Lance's injury. It looked like Lance might have been right. "Anna, you know we don't blame you for all of that, right? We chose to tag along," Natalie said seriously.
Anna swallowed and said as cheerfully as she could, "I know, don't worry. And I know you guys can take care of yourselves." She then pulled out the new bow she had gotten, and showed it to Natalie, "Check it out: I bought it at the weapon shop in town. I'm hoping the added lighting enchantment will power up my new Spark Arrow." Thankfully, Natalie took the bait and began telling her about what she could do to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of her elemental attacks.
A half hour passed that way until Natalie yawned which in turn caused Anna to yawn which caused Natalie to yawn again. The girls burst out laughing before agreeing that, maybe it was time for some sleep. Natalie put out the light, curled up under the blanket, and mumbled a sleepy goodnight.
"G'night, Natz," Anna whispered. She listened to her friend's deep and even breathing before she slipped off to sleep as well. She had to be up early tomorrow, after all.
A/N: There we go! The party now knows of the existence/history of Godcat, they have their own fancy-shmancy Bags-O-Holding, and Anna has made a stupid life decision! Leave me a review and I'll be back in a few days with the next chappie! See ya!