Chapter 4: Fated Meeting
Guy groaned as stopped for a moment to wipe some sweat from his brow. On his back were most of the camp provisions, while his friend, Cassa, carried the rest.
"Ahh...Cassa...slow down," he called after her. The woman was a short distance away, her very demeanor exuding determination.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she stopped, looking over to him.
"We've been going...in a near run ever since...we broke camp. Even with my training, I'm not used to this..."
She frowned and said to him, "Maybe not, but we have got to go after that landship. If it went towards the woods, then we should catch up with it soon."
"Just why are you so dead-set on that thing, anyway? Is it so important that you'd drop looking for Luke?"
Yes it is! She thought, but did not say. If she did, he would very likely part ways right here. Instead, she replied, "It has to do with...why I stayed asleep. Besides, if that landship turns out to be nothing, we'll resume looking for your master. All right?"
Guy was silent for a moment. His expression spoke that he didn't like it, but replied vocally, "Fair enough. But that dreadnought had better be worth it."
She nodded and made a come-on gesture before hurrying off.
"Ugh...man, she can be really stubborn."
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It would be half an hour later when the two found something that stopped them in their tracks.
Surprisingly enough, it was Guy that noticed it, while he was stopping only enough to take a few breaths.
When he looked up, he called out, "Cassa!"
"What is it?" she asked, a little irritated at being stopped again.
"I think...we just found your landship."
The mention of the target of the relentless pursuit made her irritated look disappear, and an anxious one replace it as she looked around.
"Ah! There it is, just southeast of us. "
"Looks like it's stopped," Guy said as the two of them switched directions, now hurrying towards the large object.
When they were close, she put out her hand to stop, then put a finger to her lips.
"Voices," she whispered, "One's familiar."
"Yeah," he said, then his eyes widened as he listened for a moment. "That's Luke!"
"It sounds like trouble," She said, then continued in an iron tone, "There's no time, so I'll cast a Fonic Arte that'll carry you towards the top. After that, I'll join you on the other side."
He nodded and dropped the camp equipment to the ground, then turned to face the landship.
"Good luck," she whispered, then took out her quarterstaff, grasping it in the middle with both hands. The woman then concentrated and began casting the Arte.
Within moments, Guy began to rise into the air, feeling wind all around him, as well as a solid flow of air at his feet, feeling almost like an elevator of pure wind. Seconds later, he was rising at a faster rate, coming to the top of the large landship.
How am I gonna jump from there...?
Guy saw the group below him. A woman was aiming what looked like two guns at a pair of people...another one, a pink-haired girl, had trained monsters to surround them...and another had trained a sword on...
That's Luke!
He drew his own sword.
A short ways over the top of the landship, he heard a sound of aggravation, and felt the wind surrounding him fading.
Damn! The Arte's wearing off!
With that thought, he faced the woman with the two guns and jumped away.
This is gonna be rough...
Without the wind from the Arte, he knew that he would have to use the woman to cushion his fall and adjusted his stance to do just that.
Although it seemed like minutes, it actually took seconds until Guy landed on something a lot more solid than air, and heard a grunt from below him. He then grabbed a green haired child that was behind the woman and got him away from her.
The people before him looked surprised, and Luke was both shocked and relieved.
"Enter the amazing Guy!" he said.
Cassa, you'd better make it over here.
With his unorthodox arrival, the tables had turned. One of those being cornered, a tall man with brown hair, red eyes and glasses, wearing a Malkuth military uniform, materialized a spear and put it against the little girl's throat, while the soldier that had cornered Luke was knocked out.
"Aah!" the girl cried out.
"Arietta!" the woman called out after she got up.
The red-eyed man stated in an iron tone, "Now, drop your weapons once more and go back into the Tartarus."
She was right, it's the Tartarus. But man, who would've thought that her going after this landship would take me to Luke?
The woman with the guns complied, and went inside the ship.
"You're next. Take your monster inside."
Guy heard the girl address someone as "Fon Master", then heard the green-haired boy behind him telling the girl to do as she was told.
The Fon Master? Here? Man, what has she gotten us into...?
After the girl and monster went into the ship, the ports closed immediately.
"All the hatches should stay closed for a while," the strange-seeming man continued.
Luke breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Whew. Thank goodness. Great timing, Guy!"
"I looked all over for you. Never thought you'd turn up in a place like this!"
Thanks to a stubborn old friend.
Guy remembered and looked around for his friend while the Malkuthian talked to the Fon Master, asking about another person. He caught bits of the conversation as he looked, but couldn't find her.
I bet she decided to leave quietly, now that Luke's been found...I know she doesn't get along with him at all. She could have at least left my camping things...
Before he could think another word, he found the things that he had taken when he left Baticul, a little bit beside the nose of the landship. He went and grabbed them quickly.
Okay, Cassa...
"Looking for someone?" the man from Malkuth asked, piercing through his thoughts.
"N-no...not really," Guy replied, deciding to respect her apparent decision and turned to face the others.
The other man looked about him, then nodded reluctantly. "As you may have heard, we'll be going to St. Binah."
"What about your troops? They're still inside this ship, right?"
"I can't imagine there being any survivors. If any witnesses were left, it would lead to war between the Malkuth Empire and Daath."
Luke faintly asked, "How many people were onboard?"
"This was a top secret mission, so half of the usual number were onboard – about 140."
"Over a hundred people, killed," Guy said just as faintly, feeling a little sick.
"Let's get going," one of the members, a woman with long, medium-brown hair, spoke, her expression cold enough to free blood, "if we're caught here, the war that follows will take many more lives."
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As the group walked down one of the paths, Guy couldn't help but look around him a bit...not only for company, but on the off-hand chance that he had misread Cassa's disappearance.
Why do I have this feeling we're being watched...?
There was a small thudding sound as the green-haired boy, the Fon Master, fell to his knees.
Luke asked, "Hey...you okay?"
The military man asked, concerned, "Ion...you used Daathic fonic artes aboard the Tartarus, didn't you?"
Luke asked if it was something that had been used earlier, a question that somewhat went over Guy's head.
"I'm sorry," Ion said, "My body just isn't built to handle Daathic fonic artes. A fair bit of time had passed, so I thought I recovered, but..."
"Let's rest here," the Malkuth man stated, "At this rate, we risk shortening Ion's life."
Guy nodded and set his things down, then sat with a sound of relief.
"By the way..."
"Hm?"
"Care to introduce me to your friend?"
The question threw Guy for a loop.
"What friend?"
"The one that used an Arte of the Third Fonon at the Tartarus...and the one that's been following us."
What?!
The brown-haired woman drew a knife and looked about her, eyes cold with suspicion.
Nearby was the sound of a rustling tree, one that had a medium-sized trunk and branches full of verdant leaves. A small, soft thud was heard, then a woman stepped out from behind the trunk.
Cassa! You were following us after all!
Luke groaned and said to Guy, "Of all the people, you had to bring that annoying, snoot-faced broad with you!"
The woman turned to the red-head and retorted, "Ungrateful as ever, you spoiled brat."
"What did you just call me?"
"If the slipper fits, wear it. I'd have thought that your father, at least would have taught you to respect your elders, boy."
The red-eyed man looked between Guy and Cassa intensely.
"It's you two...you were at Rotelro Bridge."
"Yeah, that was us," Guy replied sheepishly, scratching his head. "We were looking for Luke when we were there."
"That was rather...risky to jump from the bridge like that," the other man replied.
"Blame her, she's the one who—aaah!" He jumped and winced, twofold...because while he was talking, Cassa had come close and stepped on his foot.
Cassa then walked right up to the military man and gave him a scrutinizing look.
"...yes?" he asked.
"Hmm...brown hair, red eyes, glasses...are you Jade Curtiss?" she asked.
"Indeed I am. By your accent, I would say that you're from Grand Chokmah?"
Guy gulped and said, "Jade? As in 'Jade the Necromancer'?!"
"Yes, I am," she replied, then turned to the others, "I would speak to the Colonel in private."
"What's with you, snooty woman?" Luke asked.
She ignored it.
"I'd like to know why," Guy asked.
"So would I," the brown-haired woman added.
Cassa looked coolly at the group and said, "I don't discuss some things around civilians...especially foreign civilians."
Guy nearly looked hurt at that, but remembered that she had said before that it was a state secret.
"Very well, then. Everyone else, wait here," the red-eyed man—Jade replied and waved to a grove of trees a short distance off.
Cassa nodded and followed him to that grove.
Once it was assured that they were not in earshot of the group, Jade faced her and asked, "We're out of their hearing. What is it you wanted to tell me?"
She looked him in the eye then said, "I have a letter for you, addressed by Peony IX, Emperor of Malkuth. I am also out and about on a...mission, assigned by him."
If he was surprised, it didn't show on his face. "A letter?"
She felt around inside her green robe as she said, "Be thankful that I kept the letter somewhere more watertight than an item bag." After a moment, she pulled it out of a compartment and handed it to him.
Jade took the letter and opened it, then read the contents.
"I assume you know what's written here?"
"You assume falsely," she replied.
"In that case, I'll show you."
Jade,
If you've gotten this letter, it means my little 'messenger' made it safely. The bearer is Cassa, eldest daughter of House Reiner. I've sent her on a mission to Baticul as a back-up plan, in case anything happened to you and the Fon Master. Nothing better have happened, or you won't hear the end of it.
Anyway, Cassa is to accompany you and the others on your mission. Don't worry about her being dead weight, she's far from it. Cassa's a very capable fonist. She also knows a couple of people in the household of Duke Fabre, so she may also be useful along those lines.
Peony IX,
Emperor of Malkuth
Cassa's glare was icy as she finished reading the letter. When she had accepted the Emperor's request, she had not expected to have to travel alongside a certain no good, spoiled...brat that Peony knew she didn't get along with. The only thing that was good was the fact that he didn't say flat-out what kind of fonist she was.
"Peony, you're going to pay for this," she said in a low voice.
She glanced up as she handed the letter back to Jade and was surprised for a moment. For that split second, Cassa thought she had seen a sympathetic expression before it changed to an unreadable one.
"Lady R--"
She held up a finger to halt him and said, "I'm not traveling as a noblewoman. Cassa."
He nodded and continued, "Cassa, then. I certainly hope that the emperor's trust in you or your abilities will not be misplaced."
She replied, "So do I..."
"Also, don't expect me to treat you any differently than the others. As you yourself just stated, you've set aside your status as a noblewoman."
"That's fair enough."
Jade nodded and said in a somewhat low voice, "If only a certain noble was as cooperative."
Cassa shook her head and replied, "Luke? That spoiled little brat? Not only has he never cooperated with anyone in his life except for Van, he's practically useless!"
Jade smiled at her in a way that sent chills down her spine. "My, it's so nice."
"What is?" she asked.
"Oh, that someone is so vocal about her own mind. Especially when she isn't far behind him in the sheltered life department."
She glared at him icily, then said, "I'm nowhere near as sheltered. He's the one who's been locked up in his manor, not I."
"Is that so? We'll just have to see, now won't we?"
"You have that right," she shot back.
"Well then, shall we return to the others? Unless you want them to come here and listen to things that aren't their business?"
"Fine," she replied, then started off towards the others.
Jade stayed behind for a moment, smirking and shaking his head.
"My, she is going to be quite a lively one. Not that she needs to know how close her thoughts on Luke are to mine..."