Author's Note: Hey...yeah I know, nice once a month update huh? Sorry. I've been busy. I'm going to graduate in three weeks. Ugh, I feel so old! Anyways,
I wanna thank everyone for the great reviews. I don't think I've ever gotten so many for one chapter...of anything, lol! So here is Chapter 15, to make up for
the delay it's kind of long. Not as long as some of my more lengthy chapters, but its...yeah... if you can only be online for a short while, don't start it right now
lol. I'm trying to put all the pieces into place so I can really get this thing started, so bear with me, and any advice is greatly welcome and will be greatly
appreciated. Well enjoy, and I put reviewer responses at the bottom.
Chapter 15
Valeska scowled at the twelve young men standing before her, "So... let me get this straight. You all thought you were going to work with a man, and now that
you know that is not so, you wish to be dismissed from my services?"
One man stepped forward, a boy really; he was only seventeen. He was the elected spokesperson for the band, and he gazed at her calmly with placid green eyes. "Yes. We have been through vigorous training with plans to serve only the highest general. We are an elite team of soldiers and deserve places in the ranks with others of our high caliber. If this is a joke, it is not funny."
"I see," Valeska purred. She ran a smooth hand along the sheath of her long sword and smiled lightly. "So you feel serving me is beneath you. What is your name soldier?"
"Lyle."
"Well Lyle..." Valeska sidled up to the boy, running gloved fingers over his face and bringing her face so close to his he could see the tiny freckles on her nose. The boy's breathing began to accelerate and his cheeks blushed as her body brushed against his. His sweaty hands had just decided to make their move and touch her, when he was blinded by an intense pain.
He flew back, landing hard on his behind and clutching his newly broken nose. Blood spurted out into his hands and ran down the front of his uniform. He squawked indignantly and he glared at the woman captain through two black eyes.
"I don't take kindly to disrespect. I am the general you will serve under. General Adelphos has let me pick from his best for my new unit. I'm so sorry you don't feel honored to be here, gentlemen. Let me assure you this is a privilege beyond any other you will receive. But..." Valeska looked down the line at her doubting draftees, " since I am new, none of you have been able to see my abilities. I don't think I would like to serve under a captain with no reputation for excellence yet either, so I'll let you test me."
"Test you?" another brave soldier spoke up. He didn't move forward and single himself out like Lyle had, though. Smart boy.
"Attack me if you will," Valeska smirked. "All of you will have your chance to fight me. You can fight me all at once, or fight me individually; either way. I assure you that I will be the victor. After we duel and I win, you will bow to me."
There were snickers among the group, and Valeska narrowed her eyes, marking the faces of those who laughed. "Do you wish to take me up on my challenge, gentlemen?"
"I don't fight women," the largest soldier she had chosen stepped forward. His coppery hair glistened with the oil he'd used to slick it back.
"I don't fight pigs...but in this case I guess we will both have to make an exception." She smirked as the soldier's face flushed pink.
"Come, we will go the gym, and all you will show me what you can do. You will be proving yourselves to me as I will proving myself to you." Valeska stared hard at her potential team and smiled cooly as one by one they nodded and followed her as she led them to the gymnasium.
It hadn't been hard to beat any of them at all. Valeska was rather disappointed. She had thought she would have gotten at least one good sparring partner. They had all succumbed to her blade in a matter of minutes, even the ones who, after seeing their comrades go down so easily, chose to attack her in two's. She would have to retrain them all! Most of them held their swords like handmaidens! And they were the best Adelphos had to offer...
She snorted. Pitiful.
Up until that point she had only seen them battle with other soldiers aboard the ship. If they had bested those men, then it would seem everyone on board was incompetent. She had her work cut out for her. Just because a soldier looks good on paper and in his regular training environment, doesn't mean he's any good anywhere else. She should have been looking for simple potential... and she might have had better luck at a regular drafting session where she would have seen the good fighters along with the bad. Some of the ones judged bad might have a better capacity to learn what she had to teach them....
She frowned. An odd stirring in the back of her mind gave her the feeling that this line of thinking was not entirely her own; she had gotten it from someone else. The Madoushi perhaps?
No, they hadn't taught her anything.
Well then who? Could it have been...
"Lady Valeska..." She backhanded the soldier that had called her that. She stared at the young man now sporting a fat lip.
"Lord...Valeska," she corrected.
"Lord Valeska," the boy stammered.
"What is your name?"
"Troy, ma...er...sir!"
"Very good, Troy. What is it?"
"General Adelphos requests your presence at once," Troy stood at attention, ignoring the blood rushing down his chin.
"Does he? And do you have any idea what it might be about? If it's not life or death, I am going to shower."
"He's giving you an assignment, I believe. The..." Troy began to stutter, not sure if Valeska wanted him to continue. The girl stared at him intensely, inclining her head for him to go on. "The Dragonslayer unit has deserted Zaibach and Lord Dilandau is missing. General Adelphos needs another unit to take their place in the upcoming battle."
Valeska grinned, "And he thinks I am ready for this?"
Troy was silent.
"He has no other choice but to send me?" Valeska's eyes narrowed, deducing her own answer from the boy's silence. She growled deep in her throat and continued her trek to her quarters.
"Lord Valeska, the General's throne room is the other way!"
"Tell the General that I am taking a shower and I will meet with him when I am ready," Valeska didn't turn as she spoke. She was no one's last resort. General Adelphos would have to learn this lesson quickly, if she and he were to get along.
And it was in his best interest for them to get along, because he did not want her for an enemy.
She brushed the hilt of her sword with her fingers; no one wanted her for an enemy. She didn't have a name to be feared for herself yet, but she would before the war was over.
When she was through, no one would even remember the name Dilandau Albatou. She scowled as she thought of him. The perfect soldier. She' had never actually met him, but for as long as she could remember the Madoushi had compared her to him, calling her the back up plan if he failed.
It seemed he had...but she was going to be more than just the leftovers! She was not a back up plan nor would she be a last resort. She was the perfect soldier, better than anyone else created, and she would be the first pick no matter how many people she had to stab to get that point.
She was the perfect soldier.
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"So, what did you do in there, Miguel?" Viole asked from inside his guymelef. Miguel was riding on the open hand, looking quite serene and a bit drowsy. He had taken the news of the death of their comrades in stride. He had only flinched and nodded stiffly; Viole hadn't missed the gleam in his eyes when he'd reminded him that they were going for vengeance soon.
Miguel probably thought he should have been there. His presence may have saved one of them...who knew? But he wasn't there, time couldn't reverse itself, so he had to get over it. Everyone had done what they could.
"Nothing. Just sat in the dark, wishing for a bath, decent food, and better company. Believe it or not Viole...I ..."
"You what?" Viole wished they were having this conversation on the ground, but to reach Dallet's village they had to use every precious minute they could traveling. Dallet, Shesta, and Gatty had come up with a sketchy map of the terrain that included shortcuts, possible hazards, and watering places, that could get them to their destination 2 days before Zaibach launched its major attack on Freid. Viole snorted, how major of an attack could it be without Lord Dilandau and his Dragonslayers there? They would fail even if they weren't going to sabotage them.
"I missed you."
"What was that?" Viole had almost missed Miguel's admission as he was lost in thought.
"Hey, you only get something like that out of me once. If you miss it, that's it," Miguel retorted flatly. He grimaced a bit as Viole's Alseid teetered a bit on an uneven bit of forest terrain. The bump had probably pulled on one of his injuries. Most of the damage done to Miguel was superficial. They had only worried about the leg wound that they had let Lord Dilandau stitch up, since his hands were the steadiest when it came to deep wounds. They had all reveled how Lord Dilandau had steeled his body from its previous weakness to perform the task without fault.
The cocktail the Madoushi had pumped into Lord Dilandau's body was finally wearing off and flushing itself out of his system through his pores and some vomiting. It was disturbing, but Lord Dilandau was slowly recovering from the poison.
"Damn," Viole grumbled to Miguel, just to let him know he was still paying attention. He'd been drifting in and out of daydream for a few hours and was surprised to hear a sound of slight concern in Miguel's tone whenever he spoke to Viole after he'd been quiet for a while. None of them had ever known Viole to be quiet...or none chipper. Was Miguel going to start treating him as the others had when Miguel had been taken? That was an annoying thought. The others still hadn't quite taken off the kid gloves with him yet, and now Miguel was borrowing a pair. Damn, indeed.
"Lord Dilandau, how are you doing?" Viole picked up on Gatty's transmission. Lord Dilandau was currently piloting Dallet's guymelef in the lead of the procession, with Dallet in the hand dutifully studying the terrain and giving last minute improvement to the directions where he saw fit.
"I'm alright," Lord Dilandau's voice crackled over the speakers. He sounded a bit tired, but Viole found he'd grown used to that tone in the commander's voice. "We'll be stopping soon for fresh water and to check bandaging. Dallet remembers another water hole near here."
"Yes sir," Gatty replied.
"Yes sir," everyone else echoed.
Viole was happy for the break now matter how short it was, when they reached the small stream. He opened the hatch of his guymelef, after lowering the hand to the ground to let Miguel down. He climbed out and down the knees of the kneeling machine eagerly. Miguel still sat perched in the hand, waiting for Viole or someone to offer him some assistance into a standing position. Sitting for long periods of time made his bad leg go stiff. "Oi Miguel, waiting for me? How sweet of you!" He squealed in mock delight, skipping to his partner who rolled his eyes heavenward.
"If I only had my sword," Miguel was muttering just loud enough for Viole to hear and laugh loudly.
"If you only had your sword, you'd what? Use it as a walking stick? You can't hurt me until those stitches are ready to come out. Lord Dilandau would have your ass if you pulled one of them now."
Miguel groaned and looked at Viole earnestly, failing to hide slight pain in his eyes, "I think I have pulled one. The ride was a little rough, but I don't want to tell him. He'll want to redo the whole thing and we don't have time, and he's not feeling well, and..."
"Hush Miguel, you're such an old woman! I can do stitches," Viole looked proud. He could... just not well. As aforementioned, his hands weren't the steadiest when closing the flesh of a close comrade. Hell, his hands shad hook when he he'd worked on the dummy Lord Dilandau had made them practice first aide on. The only one of them who had been any real good at any of the first aide stuff had been Refina. Shesta came second, but the gap in the ranking was very distinct.
Poor Refina. Where was she now?
Viole hadn't seen her go down and couldn't remember hearing her cry out. He shut his eyes briefly to chase the tears away. He hadn't been aware he'd felt so strongly about her or the rest of the Slayers that hadn't been in the Elite. There had always been distance between the Elite and the lower Strings, just as there was a slight distance between the Elite and their captain, that was slowly dissipating as Lord Dilandau let them in.
"I'm not letting you stick anything sharp in my leg!" Miguel objected. "I'd sooner let Dallet stitch me up with his bum arm!"
"I'm hurt, Miguel!" Viole widened his eyes and waved his hands towards them as if trying to fan away tears...and maybe he was, but the tears weren't on Miguel's behalf.
Viole grinned and knelt down in the metal hand on his guymelef so he could unwrap the loose undershirt bandage around Miguel's upper thigh. A tiny amount of blood had escaped, signaling that there was indeed a rip in the neat seam Lord Dilandau had sewed. Bother.
"I'll get Shesta over here; is that ok? I don't want this to get infected or anything and then we end up having to cut off your leg or something. I'm not carrying you around, partner or not. You're kinda heavy."
Miguel scowled at him disdainfully and tilted his pointed noise into the air ever-so-slightly. "You can get Shesta."
"Thank you, Lord Lavariel," Viole stood and bowed deeply, with a devilish smile on his lips. "I'll make sure to tell him not to try to localize it. We have to save our precious anaesthetic for real emergencies."
"Viole!" Miguel huffed indignantly as Viole danced away to find Shesta.
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"Going at our present pace, if we only stop once more, I think we can make it before nightfall," Dallet was saying seriously. He didn't miss the sharp look Shesta fired at him. He looked at Lord Dilandau who was sitting quietly with his head in his hands and wanted to smack himself.
There was no way Lord Dilandau was going to let up on their pace now; he might even push them harder, and it was clear he was reaching the end of his endurance.
"Alright," Lord Dilandau said slowly. "We want to get there as soon as possible."
Gatty suppressed a sigh.
"But, if we are going to press on with only one stop, someone else is going to have to pilot your Alseid, Dallet. I'm starting to see double I'm so tired."
Dallet nearly fell over at the admission, and Guimel choked on the water he was drinking. Dallet thudded him on the back with his good arm.
"Lord Dilandau, you told me you were alright," Gatty sounded a bit...reproachful.
"I did," Lord Dilandau said softly. "I knew we'd be stopping soon. I wouldn't endanger Dallet like that; I was fine piloting that short distance."
Shesta opened his mouth to say something when Viole pranced into the circle with a questionable grin on his face. Dallet shuddered in repressed fear at the impish look on the boy's face. "Where's Miguel?"
"In the hand of my Alseid. Seems he's ripped a stitch and he needs repairs," Viole said. He frowned at Lord Dilandau who hadn't raised his head. 'Is he ok?' he mouthed to them.
Gatty nodded, moving closer to Lord Dilandau and laying a hand on his shoulder. "Lord Dilandau, maybe it will help your head a little to splash around a bit in some cold water." Slowly Lord Dilandau allowed Gatty to pull him up and together they walked to the muddy banks of the stream, away from the group.
"I'll see about Miguel," Shesta rose. "I'll get the supplies out of my Alseid; does he want something kind of analgesic?"
"Nope," Viole smirked. "He's a tough guy. Said he'd even be willing to let Dallet stitch the tear with his bad arm."
Shesta narrowed his eyes at the imp, then turned to go to his Alseid. Viole took a seat in the grass beside Dallet and Guimel. "How are we doing on time, Dal?"
"Good," Dallet nodded. "I see us getting there tonight."
Viole smiled, "How's the arm?"
"It's alright...I think I just strained a muscle," Dallet sighed. If he didn't move it, he was fine, but muscles strains hurt as bad as sprains; they just took a shorter while to heal.
"That's good. Miguel's leg is hurting him," Viole sighed, looking troubled.
Dallet frowned at the expression. He was still hadn't gotten used to Viole both looking and being serious.
"That was a nasty gash," Guimel commented. "If it had been deeper it may had struck an artery and he'd have bled to death before Gatty and I got him to safety."
"I can't believe how well Lord Dilandau stitched it closed," Viole said.
"Lord Dilandau can do anything he wants when he puts his mind to it." Dallet shook his head, recalling the calm, dedicated expression on Lord Dilandau's face as he performed the procedure on Miguel's leg. His fingers had been swift and skillful, and the stitches had looked as if they had been done in a clinic by Folken himself.
"Do you think he can take on Zaibach and win?" Guimel asked, leaning back on his hands and spreading his legs out in front of him.
Dallet blinked and stared at Guimel. His partner looked uncharacteristically ruffled. "Maybe... with us behind him. What are you thinking Guimel?"
Guimel sighed and looked up at the blue sky before speaking, "I... I don't know. I'll follow Lord Dilandau into the flaming pits of hell, but I can't but think we're making a mistake. There are only 7 of us and 5 Alseides. Miguel's hurt, Dallet, you're hurt, and Lord Dilandau's not in top condition. I think...maybe, we should give up, lay low. We escaped with our lives; we rescued Miguel; can't we just be happy with that? The other Slayers, they died fulfilling their duties to Lord Dilandau. Their souls are at peace."
"But what about the ones that might not be dead? They'll have to stand trial, be executed? Don't you feel we should try to go after them?" Dallet asked.
"I..." Guimel was still watching the clouds. His chin was starting to waver, and Dallet reached out with to touch his knee comfortingly.
Guimel wasn't one to express emotions; he usually made sarcastic comments that they would have to translate into feelings.
"I don't think they're alive...any of them. I can't see how they could be. I think they're all dead. Zaibach killed them, and they'll kill us too if we go back. Why do that to ourselves?"
"Get killed for the sake of our comrades?"
"Go confirm what we already know: they're all dead and Zaibach is run by bastards...then die for it."
"Because we're not looking at it that way, Guimel. We see it as another rescue mission that we're going to successful in completing," Viole said softly. "If there's the slight chance that even one of them is alive, we need to go. What if it was you, wouldn't you want us to come to save you? Wouldn't you sit in your cell, or wherever they'd decide to keep you, wondering if we were coming? Go ask Miguel how he felt while he was being held captive. I know he was happy to see you."
Guimel blinked and shut his eyes momentarily. "I just don't want... I don't want to know that they're all... Gods, if we go and they're all dead...we'll know. We'll know we failed and more than half of our team is gone. If we don't go we can always hope and dream...and tell ourselves they're fine. There's a chance they're all fine. When we go back, we make what happened real. They'll be really dead, and I don't know if I can deal with that."
Dallet almost started in surprise. He hadn't known Guimel felt that way. And come to think of it, he hadn't really thought about what he felt either. What Guimel said was true...if their companions were dead, they'd be confirming it, setting it in stone. When he'd signed to join the war and pledged his life to Lord Dilandau, he had looked around and realized some of the faces that he saw wouldn't be there in a few years...but he just hadn't thought it would hurt, that he would care so deeply. He hadn't known any of those faces then; now he did, and they all had names, and voices, and most had families, and dreams...
Oh gods; this was how Lord Dilandau must be feeling. He had made it a point to know all of his Slayers. He had to be blaming himself and thinking it was all his fault. How could he fault himself, when he was unconscious. The fault could only be placed on those able to defend themselves.
Had he really let his fallen comrades down? Did they fail? They'd protected Lord Dilandau, but could something have been done differently to prevent some of the casualties?
"No."
Dallet jumped.
"It's not our fault. None of it is. We did what we could do, and should have done, to the best of our abilities. If fault should be placed on anyone, it should fall on the ones who betrayed us. We have to show them why they shouldn't mess with Dragonslayers," Viole said firmly. "Lord Dilandau and Shesta, and Gatty are good enough to devise a way for us to get revenge without getting slaughtered or else they wouldn't have suggested it. Lord Dilandau would never put us in such danger; I'm sure of that. He's got an ace up his sleeve."
Of course he did. Dallet felt relief coursing through his veins.
"And we'll deal with the death of our comrades, if they are dead, together," Viole said just as firmly, gazing at Guimel. "We're all scared of what we'll find, but we have to do what we have to do. We have to move on. You heard those guys, when they told us to go on. They were doing their jobs and now we gotta do ours and hope we can do our part half as well as they did theirs."
"Those we find alive will get medals of honor," Dallet patted Guimel's knee. He looked back at Viole who was staring off into space contently. "Viole?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks; you're not so bad to have around after all."
"Gee thanks, Dallet. Now if I can only convince Miguel of that."
At the mention of Miguel's name there was a loud howl of pain from the direction of Viole's guymelef.
"Dammit Miguel, if you wanted me to numb the area you should have said something!" Shesta screeched, sounding put out by Miguel's cry.
"Viole, you ASSWIPE!"
Viole grinned sheepishly, "Oops... Forgot to tell Shesta I was joking about the no anaesthetic thing."
Dallet and Guimel shared a knowing glance and smirked at Viole who shrugged.
"He can't hurt me with that gimp leg and by the time it's better he will have forgotten."
Dallet's smirked deepened.
"I hope."
"You're a dead man, Viole," Guimel chuckled.
"I know."
"We'll honor you with a medal too, though. You are very brave," Dallet pointed out.
"And very stupid," Guimel added.
"Thanks!" Viole jumped up and rubbed his hands together. "Well, my work here is done. Everyone is smiling- at my expense. I'll be with Gatty and Lord Dilandau, if you need me again. Ja ne!"
Both Dallet and Guimel blinked as the pixie skipped off. Dallet grinned and shifted positions so he could side by side with Guimel. "Are you really feeling better about this?"
"A bit, how about you?"
"Same."
"Will the people in your village really help us?"
"I think so," Dallet said with a sigh. "It's been so long since I've been home, I hope they remember me. My sisters are probably so big now, and I bet my Dad's gotten fatter, and my Mom's gotten shriller. I do not miss the sound of her voice telling me how lazy I am and how I was gonna be just like Dad. I could never stay busy enough for her at home, so I joined the military."
"Ouch," Guimel commented. "So what's it like, your village?"
Dallet paused to find the right words in which to answer the question. His home was small and uncomplicated. They lived in houses made of wood, there were a select few that had stone houses, and did not have indoor plumbing. They were nowhere near as technologically advanced as some of the places his comrades had come from. In fact, the only reason why he'd even bothered to tell Lord Dilandau and the others it would be fine to go to his village was because of the scrap yard located a mile beyond it. Out-dated, rusted, or broken parts of melef units from various regions were dumped in a river bed that had been dry for decades. Dallet felt sure they would find what they needed somewhere in all that old junk.
He still wasn't sure if they'd really be welcomed though. The people of his village didn't think highly of the Zaibach militia... And Dallet's parents hadn't been pleased knowing he was going there, but what other army would except recruits as young as he had been? He couldn't stay in the village with his mother for any longer; at least in running away to Zaibach, he'd secured a position for himself with food and shelter. It was the best option he'd had at the time, and he was glad he'd taken it.
Once he explained they were no longer part of Zaibach, maybe the people would understand, maybe. He hoped.
"My village is...humble."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, you'll see." Dallet gave a slight grin. Then turned his head at the sound of many feet approaching. Lord Dilandau had returned from the stream with Gatty and Viole at his side.
"It's time to start moving again," Lord Dilandau said. He glanced at Dallet, "I'm ok to pilot for another hour or more, but you'll have to take over when I ask you to, alright?"
"Yes sir," Dallet nodded.
"Will we like your village? What's your house like man? I hope you have indoor plumbing," Viole was saying as Gatty went to help Lord Dilandau back into Dallet's Alseid.
"What if I said no."
"No to what?" Guimel asked.
"Indoor plumbing."
Guimel's mouth fell open and Viole gasped.
"As I said before, my village is...humble."
"Damn!"
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A minuscule scattering of small log cabins, a few stone houses, a fenced in area with some livestock roaming in it, and what looked to be a public well represented Dallet's village. Gatty wished he was somewhere near Miguel to see his expression when he'd laid eyes on their end destination. He had to admit to being surprised as well. He hadn't known Dallet had come from such a simple place. Gatty couldn't say that he himself came from a nobler environment, but at least they'd had indoor plumbing, insulated walls, and a centralized cooling system in their home.
They'd stationed their Alseides a mile away from the village in a copse of trees, hoping no one had really noticed their arrival and no one would stumble upon the massive machines. Dallet had said he didn't know how the villagers would take to them. He wanted to go in first and do the talking and slowly wave them into town after he'd cleared the air some.
Gatty had given him his approval, and they'd watched Dallet go into town with Guimel at his side. The leftover Slayers sat a few paces outside of the village, shaded by trees, waiting. Lord Dilandau slept peacefully with his head propped up on Shesta's knee. He had fallen asleep shortly after switching piloting positions with Dallet. They'd found him slumbering in the large metal hand of the Alseid when they'd stopped, and no one had the heart to wake him.
"He's starting to look a little better, I think," Shesta said softly to Gatty as he sat down beside him.
"Yeah, he is," Gatty agreed, studying his commander's pale face. The heavy bags under his eyes were starting to fade and his features weren't drawn in discomfort. "Think he'll figure out we put something in his water?"
Shesta winced. "I hope not, but he needed to rest."
Gatty nodded, rest and get well, because if he didn't Gatty would be the one leading the assault on the Vione. He didn't want to have to lead the team to possible death again.
"Look, Guimel's coming back," Shesta nodded to a distant figure with a puff of blond hair coming down the grassy walkway and approaching the motley crew of ex-Zaibach soldiers.
Guimel walked past the larger group and came directly to Gatty and Shesta. The others moved to crowd around them. "Where's Dallet? What did they say? Do they really not have indoor plumbing?"
"Viole!" Miguel bopped his partner over the head with an open hand.
"Dallet's still in the village; the healer is looking at his arm, but we've been welcomed."
Gatty grinned and Shesta let out a sigh of relief. Guimel's lazy smile widened as he continued, "It seems Dallet is some sort of a hero for going off to war. They want to honor him and our commander of course, by putting us up in the best lodgings in town. It's a big stone house near the edge of the village that they usually reserve for knights when they pass through the area and can be persuaded to stay. The village has a little problem with thieves from the outside, so the more military might they have on their side the better."
"Sounds great," Shesta said.
"Yeah...really great. I'm going to love being honored...but uh... do honored ones have to use outhouses?"
"Geez Viole!" Miguel huffed, but Gatty stifled a giggle. Miguel was probably more worried about the bathroom issue Viole was making a big joke about than anyone else. Imagine, Miguel Lavariel in an outhouse.
He did giggle then.
"What?" Miguel snapped, glaring at him.
"Nothing." Gatty raised his hands in the air innocently, suppressing a true laughing fit.
Miguel growled something under his breath that made Viole's eyes widen in surprise. Gatty didn't even want to know what he said.
"We should probably wake Lord Dilandau now," Gatty said, reaching to touch the captain on the shoulder and giving him a small shake.
It took five minutes to wake Lord Dilandau and get him to a state of complete coherence. He sat rubbing his eyes and running hands through his hair as Guimel repeated what he'd told the group to him. "Did the healer seem any good?"
Guimel blinked as did Gatty. What did the healer have to do with anything? Gatty was expecting to hear game plans.
"He seemed ok; nothing like what we had on the Vione. I don't think he'd rip a whole in Dallet's arm, if that's what you're getting at," Guimel frowned, looking thoughtful. "Though I think he may practice some of that weird spiritual stuff, but I didn't see any poisonous snakes, so I figured it was fine."
Lord Dilandau didn't look pleased. "I'll look at his arm tonight. Until I get a chance to observe this healer, we'll take care of our own."
"Yes sir." They all nodded.
"Are they waiting for us?" Lord Dilandau suddenly asked, looking at Guimel who grimaced sheepishly.
"Uh...yeah... in fact, the chieftain and some of his men wanted to come with me, but I dissuaded them from following me. I didn't know what state... uh...yeah," Guimel ended, scratching the back of his head.
Guimel was floundering pitifully, but Gatty knew what he had been trying to avoid and understood. He didn't know if Lord Dilandau would be oriented enough to give off a professional air in front of the town leaders he needed to make an impression upon.
"Well, we'd better not keep them waiting for much longer," Lord Dilandau said, using Gatty's shoulders to boost himself up. He stretched like a cat and dusted imaginary lint from his armor. He looked like a battle weary commander leading his troops home after a hard won victory. His armor still shone like the day Gatty polished it and the black and red leather looked soft and seemed to fit his body like a glove. His silver hair didn't have its usual bounce or shine, and his face was riddled with lines of exhaustion, but his red wine tinted eyes burned with purpose and determination. In short, Lord Dilandau looked like a battle weary commander leading his troops home after a hard won victory.
If only that were the case...
"Lead the way, Guimel," Lord Dilandau said, pushing Guimel to begin walking.
They marched into town like a small war party; all they needed was a flag. Gatty supposed they could have had Viole design one for them, though he'd probably put something vulgar on it that would offend Miguel. Gatty snickered to himself at the idea.
They passed small wooden houses with grassy yards sectioned off by rickety fences. A few sheep sans wool baa'd at them in greeting as they passed. The smell of burning wood, cooking meat and bread assaulted their senses before the smell of unwashed citizens. The dirt pave road they walked on led them right into town square where a small gathering of people seemed to be waiting for them. The best dressed of the group stepped forward.
"That must be the mayor," Viole uttered.
Miguel snorted, "Must be, he seems like the only one who's had a bath in the past two weeks."
"Miguel!" Shesta hissed, but couldn't be heard over Miguel and Viole's chuckling.
The mayor was a tall sturdy looking man with skin bronzed and burned from many days out working in the sun, dark hair, and a kind face. He smiled and greeted them with a slight bow. His eyes widened a bit at the sight of Lord Dilandau, and his stance wavered a bit. It was a common reaction for people who saw Lord Dilandau for the first time. From the way he held himself to the glint in his eyes, anyone could see he was their leader, forget the different uniform.
"I am Omar Pointellier, chieftain, and I welcome you to our village. I invite you to stay in my house and in the house we have set aside for special guests. All provisions will be made for you. All you need do is ask for what you require. We are honored that you have chosen our town to take your much needed sabbatical. Our Dallet has been gone for too long and we are happy to have him back."
"We thank you for your hospitality and hope to repay you," Lord Dilandau said graciously. He smiled cordially and a few of the women in the crowd made appreciative noises. Gatty didn't particularly like the way he was being ogled and was sure the others were becoming very uncomfortable with the extra female attention they were receiving as well. When he scoped out the choice of men the women had in the bunch, he didn't blame them for looking elsewhere at the first handsome faces that wandered into town. What had Dallet done when he'd lived here?
Maybe this was why he'd left...
They were led deeper into town, off the dirt road, where a few larger houses were located, made of stone. The largest house seemed to sit at the head of the table of the more modern homes. Where was the scrap yard?
"I bet they have a public bathhouse that all the 'nobles' share behind the big house," Miguel whispered.
"Wonder if they replace the water," Viole whispered back.
Shesta was quietly seething at their comments, and Guimel was trying very hard not to laugh. Gatty was amused and surprised at the same time. Miguel making snooty comments he expected, but Viole joining in was something new. He never would have figured Viole to be a closet snob.
"Replace the water? Hah... It'd be a wonder if they have soap," Miguel muttered, then yelped. "Shesta! I'm injured!"
The chieftain started at the yelp and Lord Dilandau frowned. He gave Miguel and Viole a look and they shut up dutifully. Gatty was going to have to ask Lord Dilandau to teach him that. It was very effective.
"Is everything all right?"
"We're fine," Shesta said. Gatty turned his head a bit to look at them. Miguel was leaning heavily on Viole, who was forcing his mouth into a straight line, with a vague look of irritation on his face.
The largest house turned out to be the one the one reserved for honored guests. Its insides were fairly humble, but good enough for Gatty. There were 4 bedrooms, each equipt with a king-size bed, a small kitchen, a parlor, and, of course, a state-of-the-art outhouse in the back. Mayor Pointellier showed them around and stood patiently, waiting to see if they had any requests.
"Where is Dallet?" Lord Dilandau asked. "I was told he is under the care of a healer."
"Yes," Pointellier smiled. "He is in excellent hands. Do any of the rest of you require any medical treatment." He looked toward Miguel who was lounging in a wooden arm chair looking very pale and a little sweaty.
"No," Lord Dilandau said, "but thanks for offering. Before we arrived, Dallet mentioned a scrap yard where we may be able to find some spare guymelef parts and hardware. Where can we find this place?"
Pointellier blinked. "Not a even a mile away there's a pit full of old junk, but it's not a very pretty landmark that we like to show off to visitors. If you'd like to see..."
"A mile in which direction?" Lord Dilandau pressed.
"A straight line from this house; there's no way you could miss it. If you don't mind my asking, why are you interested in that place? There is nothing there of any value. Everything is broken.
Lord Dilandau gave Pointellier a charming smile. "I'll be the judge of that. Can you take me to where Dallet is please?"
Pointellier still looked puzzled but nodded. "Yes.... Captain Albatou, correct?"
Lord Dilandau nodded.
The mayor waved to the rest of the Slayers and walked from the room expecting Lord Dilandau to follow. Lord Dilandau glanced at Gatty. "Two to a room. After you settle in and clean up, I want you and Shesta to go check out that scrap yard."
"Yes sir."
"I'll be back with Dallet."
Gatty frowned as Lord Dilandau caught up with Pointellier and left the tiny manor. "One of us should go with him," Shesta said softly.
Gatty shook his head. "He would have asked, if he wanted one of us along. He's not going far, and he'll come back with Dallet. I doubt anyone's going to jump him in that short span of time or space."
Shesta groaned loudly and looked around the homely parlor. There was a long wooden table with 8 chairs around it, sitting on a furry rug that was probably the pelt of some animal. Small lanterns were placed strategically throughout the room on small end tables and mounted to the walls ready to be lit after the sun set. The light coming in through the large windows was more than enough for then. "Alright, how are we going to pick rooms?"
"They all look the same. Does anyone actually care what one they get stuck with?" Miguel grumbled.
Gatty smirked. "No, not really. I was more worried about the subject of roommates. I already know I'm rooming with Shesta, if he doesn't mind."
Shesta shrugged, then caught Gatty's line of humor. "And Guimel, you're probably going to want to room with Dallet, huh?"
Guimel chuckled. "If Dallet doesn't mind, that is."
Miguel scowled. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to room with Lord Dilandau."
Viole looked hurt. "Miguel, we always room together. Come on, I've still got so much to tell you! We can talk without interruption!"
The look on Miguel's face made Gatty, Shesta, and Guimel nearly wet themselves laughing. Viole pouted and huffed indignantly.
"Ok, lets get Miguel to his room, and then we'll go check out that pit," Gatty said. Miguel flinched as he was helped back onto his feet by Shesta and Gatty, and he rested his head on Gatty's shoulder. After choosing the closest room and lying Miguel down on the bed, Shesta went about undressing the wounded area. Gatty was about to question his actions, but stopped at Miguel's gasp when Shesta's fingers brushed across his stitches.
"Damn..." Shesta sighed, staring at the slightly reddened area. "Looks like we should have let Lord Dilandau handle all the stitches after all."
"Please don't tell me it's infected," Miguel mumbled, his eyes tightly closed.
"Fine, I won't. I'm gonna have to go back to my Alseid and get the first aid supplies. Gatty, you and Guimel go check out the site." Shesta took one of the pillows from the top of the bed and tucked it under Miguel's injured leg to elevate it. "Get Viole to come watch him."
"No!" Miguel wailed.
"Hey, you guys can make fun of the village some more," Gatty said lightly, patting Miguel's shoulder as he snarled at him.
Gatty shook his head as he left the room, parting ways with Shesta. He tapped Guimel on the shoulder as he past him. "Hey, go sit with Miguel for a bit.
Viole, come with me. We got a junkyard to check out."
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Dilandau sat quietly on a soft floor mat with his long legs crossed under his body watching the young male healer massaging a thick green salve into Dallet's injured arm. Dallet's eyes were closed, a look of peace and well being on his features. An older man sat on his knees just beside the boy healer, observing the job being done. Teacher and apprentice, Dilandau appraised.
So far they had done no harm, and Dallet looked a bit better than he had. He would have to ask the healers if he could borrow some of that salve for Miguel, and he wondered if they had anything for headaches from hell that wouldn't go away.
"Lord Dilandau?" Dallet's voice floated over to him.
"Hmm?"
"I'm ready."
Dilandau opened eyes he hadn't known were closed to see Dallet standing in front of him, his arm in a fresh sling.
"Oh." He didn't move for a minute and Dallet offered him a hand.
"Are you ok? While we're here, maybe you could..."
Dilandau sighed and took the hand offered. He stared at the two healers who stood before them with their heads slightly bowed in respect. "Can you show me what's in that salve you used?"
The older healer raised his head and smiled, his teeth were bad. "Yes sir, I can."
Dilandau nodded, diverting his eyes from the man's mouth. "If you're free tomorrow morning then, I'll come back."
"You can come whenever you like, milord." The older healer bowed his dark head.
Dilandau and Dallet left the small wooden shack. "Are you going to let the healers look at Miguel or are you going to take of him, Lord Dilandau?"
"I'm going to," Dilandau said tiredly. "While I don't mind their methods for strained muscles, I find neither their dwelling nor their tools sanitary enough to deal with deep wounds."
It was true. The hard wood floors of the shack were worn with age and various pests had poked their heads inside to stare at Dilandau. The store room where the supplies were kept looked as if its floors hadn't been swept in ages and its shelves never dusted. The old musty odor that could only come from something decaying was poorly masked by the many jars of burning incense that could be found in every corner Dilandau glanced in. The only nice thing about the place was the window, for one could look outside and relieve one's eyes from the horrors witnessed inside the shack.
Dallet grinned. "It was kind of gross in there, huh? Um...how was the house?"
Dilandau turned his head slightly to gaze at Dallet. His face seemed a little flushed, and Dilandau was tempted to check for fever, when he realized the boy was blushing. Dilandau took in the poor surroundings and thought of the more elegant backgrounds of some of his other Slayers. Could it be, that Dallet was embarrassed?
Dallet hadn't even mentioned his parents. He hadn't wanted to make a detour to his home, none of his family had come to see him, or greet them...
"Dallet?"
"This place isn't what the others are used to, I know. Somehow I don't really remember it being this bad, you know? But I guess it was because I had never seen better before I left."
"Where's your family?"
Dallet gave a sad smile then. "Wondering why they're not with us?"
Dilandau didn't reply; he just stared, knowing his Slayer would say more.
"Momma didn't want to see me. 'You run away; you stay away.'" Dallet mimicked bitterly. "Dad....he does whatever she says. The kids? Consumption."
"I'm sorry," Dilandau said.
"Don't be," Dallet said flatly. "I didn't come here to see them. I came to see about some junk. Did you get a chance to look at any of it yet?"
"I sent Gatty to do it," Dilandau said, still studying Dallet carefully.
"I bet there's plenty of good junk back there. I bet I can figure out a way to tap into some Zaibach frequencies with more radio parts, and the Alseides don't really need all that much work. We can meet the deadline."
"Are you really ok with not seeing your parents?"
"They don't want to see me." Dallet shrugged. "It's their choice. It's not like I was ever happy there. The only people I would have wanted to see were my younger sisters, but they're not there anymore. I'm perfectly fine with the family I have now."
Dilandau almost sighed at the word 'sisters.' "Any family at all is worth at least speaking to Dallet. It won't hurt to pass by your home. Maybe if your parents actually see you, they'll soften."
Dallet shook his head adamantly. "I don't care; I really don't. I wasn't ever planning on coming back here at all. I don't need them and I don't want them and they obviously feel the same about me. Can we just go to the house? I've never been inside of it before, and I'd like to lie down. That salve and incense made me drowsy."
Dilandau nodded. "Whatever you need to do, Dallet."
He made a mental note to himself to find out where Dallet lived for later as he walked beside the other boy. They entered the guest house to find Guimel lighting lanterns around the parlor. The sun was setting, taking the natural lighting with it. Dallet inspected the house curiously, investigating the rooms. He opened one door and closed it again softly before moving on.
Dilandau went to that door curiously and peered inside. Miguel was stretched over the large bed fast asleep, his face slightly flushed. Shesta was closing a first aid box and looked up to see Dilandau in the doorway.
"Lord Dilandau." He stood. "The wound has been infected, but I cleaned it up really well. He should be fine, but I didn't secure the bandage because I figured you'd want to look at it."
Good thinking, Shesta, but... "I trust you. I know you've done a good job," Dilandau said softly. He was beyond looking over his Slayers' shoulders and double checking their work. They were fully competent and had proved that time and time again while saving his life and taking care of him. If anything, he would want one of them to double check him.
Shesta blinked in surprise, then beamed. "Th...thank you, sir."
They slipped out of the room together, closing the door.
"I think Miguel should have the room to himself," Dilandau said. "I'll share with Viole."
Shesta's eyes glittered with mirth.
"What?"
"Miguel's going to be so jealous. He wanted to share with you," Shesta giggled.
Dilandau blinked. "He did?"
"Yeah, you can ask Viole about it tonight. He and Gatty are still out looking at those parts. They must have found something good."
Dilandau sighed, "Perhaps."
"What do you want to do with the new parts?" Shesta asked. "I know we can make some minor repairs to the Alseides, but did you have something else in mind?"
Dilandau shrugged. "I want to rewire the homing devices on our Alseides for one to help us locate the Vione. Then I want to listen in to some Zaibach transmissions to make sure their plans haven't been altered. I know the frequency; we just need to adjust our radios to pick it up. Dallet thinks he can do it with the right tools."
Shesta nodded along.
"After that, I don't know," Dilandau admitted with a shrug. "We're all pretty creative, though, and I'm sure we'll come up with something... Something that's going to shock the hell out of Zaibach."
And make them wish they'd never made me.
He shut his eyes as his heart began to beat faster in excitement. Not yet... he told himself carefully, calming the raging torrent of fury, passion, and exhilaration that wanted to rip through his system like a tornado and send him into a frenzy. He had to stay in control. His men needed his control.
He needed his control, otherwise the pain would start anew.
He opened his eyes as his heart rate went back to normal, and he turned to Shesta. "Lets go see what they've found."
"Yes sir."
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Author's Note: See, told you it was long. I hope you liked it though. Next chapter will be the infiltration of the Vione, the Dragonslayers decide what their new purpose is going to be, and we'll see what Van and Allen are up to. Also I'll have figured out what role I want Valeska to play in the Freid massacre. Well please leave a review and tell me what you think. It motivates me, really ;)
Responses:
Koneri: Hello! Thank you for leaving a reviewing. It's always nice to have mail in your inbox that isn't about viagra. Don't kill off anymore Slayers? What? You honestly think I'd kill of more than I already have? I'm not that evil... **grins wickedly, Muhahahhahaha!** We'll see what happens. I'm glad you think the idea sounds original. There are so many stories out there and it's hard to find an idea that hasn't been done or has only partially been done and you take it in a new direction. The separation thing is very "used," but I'm glad the rest of the story is different enough for you to think it's original. Take care and I hope you review again!
Lavi: Yeah this thing is a beast to read. I had to reread it a few times after taking too long of a break from the story when I needed to write new chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed it though and I'm glad you like Van. I always found him amusing while watching the series. Now stop blabbing my plot, lol. You did guess some of it, but you make it sound too easy....and one thing I'm naughty about is making things hard for characters, hehehehe. That's the fun part. :) Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope to hear from you again!
Quelinor: Hahahaha, Dilandau and Celena remind you of Golum and Smeagol. I never thought of it that way...but hehehehe.... That's really amusing. They do! About the long story thing.... I've never written a successful short story in my life, lol. I'm too long winded, and I guess the other Esca authors you've read from are the same. Good thing you like long stories, huh? Thanks for reviewing! Take care and I hope you liked this installment of the story.
DragonSteel: Hey, thanks for reviewing. You don't have to apologize for not doing it. I'm guilty of forgetting to leave reviews myself. Bad me, because I know how much I love getting them. I've gottena bit better though lol ;). Glad you like the story! Take care!
Namida: Here's more! Lol!
Nikku: Hey chic! Hehehehehe, dang...I don't even know where to begin. Yes, Miguel is alive, happy? Will I keep him alive... well I certainly did go through a lot to save him, it would be a shame to kill him off so quickly now that he's back. Hmmm.... Yeah, going back to Zaibach is dangerous...but hey, it's Dilandau lol. As for the second fate alteration person, lol, you'll see what role she plays. And yes, Folken will be on the Vione. Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you still like this and the filler chapter lol. I don't really know if this counts as a filler too... nothing really big happened, but I'm setting the stage. Oh well, take care!
Tenshiamanda: :) I'm happy you like the story...and who says all the Dragonslayers left behind are dead? Wow, I'm on your favorite's list? Whoo hoo! Lol! Well take care and thanks for the review!
DeadlyBeauty1: Dude, your cookies are the reason why my butt is getting bigger and my pants tighter! Lol! You can have Miguel, but then you'll have to take Viole too, so I won't have to listen to him whine about missing Miguel. I'm glad you like their characters. Viole is fun to write. It's like any time I think of something annoying, I smirk and go: Viole can say that to someone (Miguel). Well, thankee for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story still. Hope you like this chapter too.
Rita: Sorry for making you wait so long... Sorry for this chapter taking so long. I've been so busy and sidetracked, and ugh. But here it is, and after graduation the updates will be as regular as they were when I first started this story last summer. Those updates were almost weekly. Maybe I'll finish it by June... hopefully. Thanks for reviewing!
Blue ice 2: Hehehe, yes Miguel is back, and Van's been having a thing for Dilandau. For some reason, I'm obsessed with the idea, and I have so many fun things planned to further fuel Van's infatuation.
Kou-Kagerou: Hey girl...yeah... I almost e-mailed you back when you told me my deadline had expired. I hadn't realized it had been that long. I thought I had updated in March, then I checked...hmm...guess not. So I got to work, work, work on this. I nursed it from 4 pages to 17 in a week and got it up for you :). It's still not a big epic moving chapter, but it is setting the stage for the next which will be. That one will be out in mid May after graduation. I'm glad you enjoyed my filler chapter. I love your reviews because they point out the good, the bad, and the ugly. I love you picked up on Miguel realizing Van's attraction to his captain lol and being protective. I did put a little of Dallet's life into this chapter with hints that there will be more of it later :), and as for Miguel telling Dilandau about Van...I wonder when that topic of conversation will ever become appropriate lol. Uh...leader....there's this guy that's been checking out your ass... Um...lets 3 or 4 chapters before I finish... Eh... it's hard to guess just how many chapters I'll need to finish this up, but I can guess that I might be done with it in June.... When in June I can't say lol, might be the last day of it, lol. Thanks for your review chic. I always look forward to them. Take care!
Aurebec: Hey! No we didn't see Folken in this chapter. I wanted to give the bad guys a little POV for a bit. I tried to give Folken a part, but it just didn't flow for me so I stuck with the Slayers. From where I've placed everyone in this chapter I can launch right into action for the next and start with the Vione. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't exciting, but you know where the people we like are and that they've got plans. Thanks for reviewing!
Macky: That's a cool suggestion, and you never know, it may happen. (I ain't telling, ;). But as you see from Valeska she has no intention of being Dilandau's replacement, and that's stirring up some resentment of him inside of her. Thanks for your great reviews and I hope this chapter hasn't been a disappointment. It's not riveting or anything, but I when I started writing it instead of moving along like I wanted to, I played with the Slayers a bit and tried to explore Slayers I hadn't really given a POV too before. Take care!
Feye Morgan: Whoo hoo! Love your long reviews. I come and check for them like I'd come and check for a story update. They are so funny! Second semester of college huh? I remember being that young. Geez...I'm old. Well I got a whole year off after May to plan out what I want to do with myself :). Yes I freed Miguel and the Dragonslayers have a plan...a crazy one... I really thought about what you said, and I hope you can see that in the chapter in Guimel's thoughts. This one was slow moving and it's basically a quiet before a storm, but I hope it was ok. I was going to move right along and get to the action, but as I started penning in the Slayer parts the more I realized these are the main characters and some of them haven't even had a POV yet. It's my fault, I know, and I'm sorry if I slowed the story down too much to bring it in. The next chapter will move, I promise, even if I have to get out and push. The Dragonslayers' new purpose will be announced, Valeska's role will be defined, and we'll see about Van's crush lol. Is Folken still planning on deserting and joining the Dragonslayers? Hey, why not? Lol. We'll see. Thanks for the review chic; I always enjoy and appreciate them greatly. I hope you like this chapter and I hope to hear from you again.... and.... I expect an update from you too! Lol. Take care!
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