Author's Note: No, there is nothing wrong with me. Yes, I am updating within the month like I'm supposed to (gasp). Sigh...I hope none of you are disappointed with this chapter; I just couldn't get it to sound right. It's another one of those chapters that needs to be here, but you don't necessarily like it. I had to cover a lot of ground in the series without boring everyone to death with a moment to moment documentation of it. If I skipped around a lot in the last chapter, it's nothing compared to jumps I make in this one. After this chapter I won't have to do this anymore (Yay!) Everything can totally be my interpretation and imagination ;). Please bear with me through this trying time lol and I hope you enjoy. There is a lot of Dragonslayer interaction in this one, btw :) Reviewer responses will be at the bottom.
Chapter 17
"Viole, for the last time, I will not sleep in a room with purple walls! There will be no painting and there will be no wallpapering!" Miguel was about to rip his hair out.
"But Miguel! The walls are so boring," Viole complained. He sat himself down at the short workbench Miguel was leaning over, pondering a set of blueprints.
"There's no way you're going to be able to install indoor plumbing here, Miguel. You'll have to dig and plant pipes and all sorts of stuff you don't know how to do."
"Shut up Viole!" Miguel erupted, crumpling up the blueprints and tossing the useless paper into the air. He moaned and plopped onto his rear on the workbench.
So they had decided to remain in Dallet's village and make it their base of operations. It seemed like a good idea; the area was secluded and there was no reason in the world for anyone important to wander through.
The villagers were enthralled with the idea, the women especially. Miguel shuddered at that. Over the weeks, the village had come to see them as some sort of governing body. Mayor Pointellier would come to Lord Dilandau to ask his opinion on decisions and they all felt it was the least they could do to offer protection to the city while they were there.
Miguel and Gatty were even teaching classes on self defense and fencing. Some of their students had much promise to be decent soldiers.
"Hey Miguel?" Viole asked and Miguel jumped.
The other boy had been so unusually quiet Miguel had forgotten he was there. Well, maybe 'unusually quiet' wasn't quite the right way to put it anymore. Being quiet was oddly enough becoming pretty common for Viole. It bothered Miguel a bit, but he'd never admit to it.
"What is it?"
"Do you... did you feel weird last night, when we burned Fortress Foxglove? I mean, did it feel wrong to you?" Viole's head was bent and his long wavy hair curtained his eyes so Miguel couldn't see them.
"Wrong how?" Miguel pressed.
"Well, we've been there training before. There were some soldiers in there that were probably just like us, just starting. They couldn't have had anything to do with...the others."
Miguel sighed. Last night had marked the third success of their search and destroy missions in Zaibach. So far they'd taken out a floating fortress, a weapons keep, and a ground base. Lots of people had died, some good, some bad.
He felt a small amount of sadness for the innocents who had to die along with the guilty, but that was how war went. Nothing said it was right, but it didn't quite cross the line of being wrong in the eyes of the military.
This was about revenge.
"Viole, I don't know what you want me to say. For me, it didn't feel wrong at all. I even felt a little satisfaction," Miguel spoke slowly, wanting Viole to raise his head so he could see what was going on behind his blue eyes.
"The three places we've destroyed were important strongholds to Zaibach. We've hurt them, and we're going to keep on hurting them. For every man of ours they killed, we take down one crucial location. Don't think of those places as fortresses with unnamed soldiers aboard, think of them as our comrades. That first fortress was for Andre. I saw his face when we were in there planting explosives. That weapons keep, that was Sergio. Fort Foxglove, that was Brian."
Viole brought his head up then, his eyes boring into Miguel's. "Miguel, I..."
"What?" Miguel leaned in.
"I liked it. I liked destroying those bases. I thought about all those people dying, and I didn't care! All I could think about was getting Zaibach back. I saw red. I feel like some sort of a monster, because I know I'm supposed to care, but I don't. Miguel, what's wrong with me?"
Miguel blinked. Well he hadn't been expecting that. "Viole, for you to be asking me now, looking so upset, lets me know that you do care, but your loyalty is to your team. Nothing's going to hurt you as much as losing them, so any other pain is trivial. Maybe you don't hurt for Zaibach, because they don't hurt for us. They don't care what they've done."
"But Zaibach isn't a 'they!' There are plenty of people in it just as clueless as we were! I should be upset over the prospects of maybe having to kill them to get to the bastards. In a way, we're no better than the soldiers on the Vione. They were willing to kill us, kill them, to get to Lord Dilandau. We just keep going back and forth. Who's right, who's not, and why don't I freakin' care?"
Miguel scowled slightly and wiped sweaty hands on his pants before placing them on Viole's bare shoulders. Letting his head fall forward so that they were forehead to forehead, he said, "Viole, you are not a bad person. Stop trying to make yourself into one. If you're bad then so am I, and so is Shesta, and Gatty, and Guimel, and Dallet, and Lord Dilandau. We just want... Viole, I want to stop feeling like I've failed them. I want to stop my own pain, and every time one of those places that Zaibach found so important goes down...I feel better. It's like one of them goes to rest and I sleep a little easier. Is that how you feel?"
Viole gave a small nod, his mouth still set in a frown.
"You're not a bad person for that. None of us are. Zaibach is a threat to the world and by helping to eliminate it, we're not only helping Gaea and avenging our friends' deaths, but we're redeeming ourselves for ever helping Zaibach in the first place. They need to be stopped, and the soldiers on their side are casualties of war, just like our friends are. They die for what they believe is right- and believe me, their friends will probably try to avenge them too and come after us. Like you said, it keeps going. So how do you decide who is wrong? Who started it? Why did they start it?"
Miguel shrugged. "Do you really want to know all of those answers? Do you care? Does it matter? Not really. Not to me anyway. As long as I feel I'm doing the job I'm supposed to, I won't feel guilty and you shouldn't either."
Viole looked away for a moment, his features still downcast. "Ok, Miguel. All right. So maybe we're no worse than anyone else, but doesn't that make you wonder about us?- About people in general? Why do we like to hurt each other?"
Miguel pulled away from Viole and released his shoulders. "So would you rather not do anything and not go after Zaibach at all?"
"No," Viole shook his head. "We have to; I have to. I've got this burning desire within me, this drive to kill..."
"Then you have your answer. It's in our nature," Miguel shrugged. "We can't fight human nature; only gods are perfect."
"And that's what the Emperor wants to be, right? A god of some sort?"
Miguel nodded. "Yeah, it seems that way."
"But people can't be gods."
"Obviously there's a way that they can be."
"But what kind of a god would the Emperor be, if he discovered how to change himself. If he'd have us go through all this just to fulfill his dreams, just how would he use all that power?"
Miguel narrowed his eyes. "We don't know, and that's why we're going to help stop him."
Viole tapped his knuckles on the wooden bench between his legs, his blue eyes strange in the way they glinted. "I think I'll feel better if I think of missions now as an effort to save the world rather than revenge. Saving the world and setting spirits free, I like that, Miguel."
Miguel snorted, but inside he thought: I like that too. But he'd be damned before he said anything like that to Viole. The boy would run it into the ground. "Miguel agreed with me."
Oi. Just when was Lord Dilandau going to get around to assigning him a new partner?
Dilandau watched in morbid fascination as Healer Sastry dribbled the beeswax into the concoction, the man's old sun wrinkled hands trembling as he held the shallow wooden bowl. The brew thickened as he began to stir the mixture carefully with a large wooden spoon.
"Just fold it in slowly," Sastry rasped, not taking his eyes off of his work.
Dilandau nodded, sitting back on his heels. Wincing a bit as the motion allowed a little blood to flow to the legs he'd been sitting on for over an hour.
He and Shesta were learning how to make soothing salves, medical ointments, and burn creams. Every morning after breakfast, they would come out to Healer Sastry's little shack and sit under the shade of a large tree until lunch, learning everything Sastry was willing to teach them.
"Careful not to let it get too hot or it will come out to be too thick," Sastry adjusted the tiny fire beneath the small cauldron. "But if you don't heat it enough, it will be soupy."
Dilandau wanted to groan in frustration at the instructions. He wasn't used to such informal commands. Too hot, too cold... but the man didn't give any specific temperatures for what was too hot or what was too cold. Shesta was nodding along like he understood it all, so Dilandau would let him handle the concocting.
"And then you remove it from the fire and let it cool."
"Lord Dilandau, are you paying attention?" Shesta whispered as Sastry took the cauldron from the fire.
"No," Dilandau whispered back, "but you better be."
They both smiled innocently when Sastry looked at them sternly.
"Lord Dilandau, you aren't being very professional," Shesta mock-scowled at him and Dilandau snorted.
"I am so. I'm delegating a task to my Second in command. You should be honored."
Shesta nearly choked trying not to laugh and Sastry cleared his throat.
"Are you boys listening to me?"
"Yes sir."
"Now I know this isn't the most interesting of lessons, but this is a delicate task any good healer should be able to do. Brewing salves is no small thing," Sastry lectured.
Dilandau tried not to roll his eyes. The old man was as annoying as he could be amusing at times, and Dilandau was sure he liked him, but not right then.
It was hard to focus on salve-making when one was in the middle of directing a personal war. Right then he was debating on whether the next move should be on Camp Joston or flying Fortress Decartes. Camp Joston was the obviously easier target to eliminate, but the loss of Fortress Decartes would be a stab in the gut to Zaibach whereas Joston was only a good foot stomping. Decartes held the majority of the Emperor's precious books and technologies for Fate Alterations...
And maybe a few Sorcerers to kill.
And maybe... maybe Celena, or at least a key to finding her.
But were they ready to take on Decartes? So far so good in their operations, but the previous sites had been easy. Fortress Foxglove and Fortress Nimue housed trainees and librarians. Zaibach figured no one would suspect that maybe something special was being kept in them for surely the Fortresses would be used for something more important than rookie training if so. Keep Bors didn't even exist to anyone but top officials.
Dilandau was sure he and his Slayers were making quite the stir in Zaibach and moving on to a larger more heavily guarded target was going to be a challenge.
Folken's new toys helped them greatly; the new Alseides with their more powerful features were superb, but seven men against a large army that might even be waiting for them was pushing the limit of possible.
They were going to need more fire power, and Dilandau was dreading what he may have to suggest to get it.
"Lord Dilandau," Shesta poked him in the ribs with his sharp elbows, and Dilandau hissed. "Lesson's over."
Dilandau scowled at Shesta briefly while rubbing the sore spot on his rib cage, then he gazed at Sastry who was frowning at him.
"If you come tomorrow, I will test you on your salve-making. I hope Lord Shesta took enough notes for the both of you."
Dilandau raised both eyebrows, mouth almost falling agape at the nerve the man was displaying. How dare he....? He stopped.
Calm down.
So someone's treating you like a regular old kid not paying attention to his lessons. Good, being treated like a normal person for once is fine.
So... calm down.
He smiled for both himself and Sastry. Aloud he said, "Sorry Healer Sastry, I'm having a bit of trouble focusing today. Maybe it's the sun."
Inside he said: Good job, Dilandau.
He'd stopped an overreaction before it could happen with the simple power of thought. Granted, it was a minor reaction, and he didn't know if he could be able to calm himself down without a little help from a major reaction.
He'd taken to only injecting Folken's wonder serum hours before battle and after battle. He would take a half dose before to take the edge off the pain and still the tremors, then the rest of the dose after he'd fought brilliantly and needed something to slow his heart before it exploded.
Needless to say, his Slayers weren't very happy with him, but he wouldn't have another battle like the one when Miguel was captured. Never again.
"You'd better get home then and get inside for the rest of the afternoon then, Lord Dilandau. The sun will burn brightly today, and you do not want to fall prey to sun-sickness." Sastry looked gravely at Dilandau and took his hands to pat them gently. "You are so pale. Are you certain that..."
"I don't have a disease that makes me look this way," Dilandau grimaced a bit, slightly frustrated. How many times would he have to explain his coloration to these people? But... what did they know about genetics and crap like that? Perhaps he should have said he was enchanted. They may have understood that better.
Ai.
"Yes, milord," Sastry released his hands, "but you still best be getting home."
Shesta was already standing and pulling Dilandau up with him. "Yes, we should. Good bye and thank you for the wonderful lesson Sensei."
Dilandau nodded his head in compliance with Shesta. One "thank you," was enough.
"Were you thinking about Fort Decartes?" Shesta asked, as soon as they were on the sandy path leading through the village square, brushing the dirt from their pants as they walked.
"Of course I was," Dilandau said. "I think we should strike it next, but I'm worried about the upped security it may have."
Shesta made a "hmm" sound of agreement in his throat. "The security around Decartes will be another level from what we've seen so far, but if we hit another base, it may become almost impenetrable in preparation for attack. If we want to take it down, I think we'd better do it soon."
Shesta was thinking exactly what he was.
"I've seen the schematics of that place and know the type people they keep to man it. We need may need more soldiers that we don't have." Dilandau kicked a rock in his path and watched it sail into a small bush. A pair of angry squirrels bolted out, clearly expressing their annoyance at being disturbed.
Dilandau kicked another rock at them.
"Miguel and Gatty's students are coming along quite nicely," Shesta said softly, a hint of suggestion in his voice.
Dilandau grimaced as his stomach twisted. "I thought about that; I'm still thinking about that... but.... It's not their fight."
"But Lord Dilandau, the people here respect us so much. I'm sure they'd want to make it their fight..."
"I don't want them to make it their fight," Dilandau said.
Shesta looked as if he wanted to say something more in protest, but bit his lip and kept walking.
"I know you're probably thinking I'm being foolish, but there has to be anther way, and I want to find it before I start recruiting people to our cause who normally wouldn't care either way."
"I understand," Shesta said simply. "You know best and I will follow every decision you make."
Dilandau groaned. He hated when they spoke like that. The relationships between he and his men were changing. They were becoming more like friends, brothers, rather than commander and soldiers, but sometimes.... they still said things that reminded him that there had been a line, was still a line, between them. Old teachings said the line was good, but Dilandau didn't want it there anymore. He wanted for Shesta to feel free to say exactly what he was thinking.
"Are you all right?"
Shesta immediately interpreted the groan as a sound of distress. "We've stayed outside too long. I knew it!"
"Shesta, calm down," Dilandau rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. I feel fine. I was just thinking... Shesta, if you don't agree with my ideas, tell me. Give me reason to believe I'm making a mistake. I'm not perfect and I do err."
"Lord Dilandau, what you say is final..."
"Not anymore, Shesta," Dilandau sighed. Not when even I have to question my own judgement whenever I make a decision. "Believe it or not, I need your opinion more than anyone's now. When we get back, we will go over our battle strategy and I want everyone to insert their own opinion. This next strike has to be perfect and I want to weigh all of our options and make a group decision. I do have a strong objection to involving the citizenry, but you guys can overturn it."
Shesta blinked at him for a moment, then chuckled. He moved closer to Dilandau, throwing an arm about his shoulders casually, and Dilandau didn't jump or flinch at the gesture. He was used to them touching him now, hugging him, stroking his hair. They'd all had to get used to the contact ever since...returning from the Vione. Everyone had needed comfort and all they had was each other.
"So you want us to argue with you now?" Shesta sounded amused.
"Yes," Dilandau nodded, aware of how absurd he sounded.
"Well ok. We'll let everyone know this as soon as we get through the front door and the debate will be on," Shesta said. "I hope you really mean this, because I don't think you quite know what you're getting into."
Dilandau smirked. "I never do; that's what makes my life so interesting."
They laughed.
Be afraid, Zaibach, be very afraid.
Folken was at wits end. The Emperor had demanded that he capture the dragon at all costs or be labeled a traitor. He knew, he had to, that Folken was helping others against Zaibach, that he was letting his brother slip from his fingers on purpose. The Emperor had Naria and Eriya, his young charges, sent to him; he was dangling them over Folken's head, using them as leverage.
Both beast girls were loyal to him and only him, and if he were to die, they'd die with him. He had promised that no one else he cared about would be hurt by his decisions, so he couldn't let himself be ousted from Zaibach and hung for treason. His precious Naria and Eriya wouldn't stand for it.
So was that why he was standing over them now, pumping them full of fortune blood that would bring them impossible luck to use against his brother? He couldn't even look the girls in the eyes as he told them of the new power they would possess and how they couldn't lose.
It didn't matter what he did anymore. Everything he touched seemed to be cursed in some way. He helped Dilandau, but sacrificed Naria and Eriya; he helped Naria and Eriya, but would hurt Van in the process. He just couldn't win.
He explained to Naria and Eriya the properties of the new blood he was pushing into their veins in a flat voice, wanting to vomit at the looks of perfect love and perfect trust in their eyes as they smiled at him quietly.
His eyes slid over to Marie, who was monitoring the girls' vital signs and making notes on a clipboard. Marie caught his eyes, but offered him no return look of sympathy. Her eyes were cool and businesslike.
Marie didn't like the use of fortune blood. She didn't like the drawbacks it could have or the complications it could cause, but she couldn't argue against its use or she'd be dismissed from her high position just like that.
She felt as guilty as Folken.
Poor Naria and Eriya.
It had been little more than two weeks since their arrival, and they had seen no peace since boarding the ship. They had been sent out after Van immediately and had retreated due to reasons they wouldn't explain. Then there was Fortune Valley when they'd been driven back by forces unseen. Then there was...
Folken fought back a grimace at the last task they'd had to participate in. The Emperor had suggested a new plan to separate the dragon from its power source, the strange girl from the Mystic Moon. He'd had to use one of the girls, Eriya... and he was afraid that he'd...
He shouldn't have gone through with it. He should have used someone else, Marie maybe. Pearce could have been the subject male.
Why did he have to kiss her?
He could see it in her eyes, in both of their eyes that they wanted more from him, but...there was nothing for him to give. He was not sexually attracted to either one of them. He thought of them as surrogate children. He'd found them when they had been nothing more than babies and babies to him they would always be.
"Folken? I want to put them to sleep now so they can adjust to the changes," Marie said.
"Yes," Folken nodded. He watched as their eyes closed, smiles still on their lips, so happy to be helping him. He pulled a chair in between their beds and sat, wanting to be there when they woke again.
He'd be the one to send them back out into battle, after his brother, and this time he knew one of them was going to get hurt. He wouldn't consider who now. He would think of something else, of someone else.
Dilandau.
Dilandau was causing a major disturbance inside of Zaibach. No one could guess how the red-eyed demon had known where all of the secret bases were and just when to strike, but Folken. Dilandau had worked by his side for a few weeks while he'd been recovering. He'd had access to every file Folken had and had helped make some of the plans he was now undoing.
He was very proud of Dilandau, but also very worried. Sooner or later, Zaibach was going to catch up to him and Folken knew what the outcome of that would be, but at least he knew Dilandau would die happy. His death would have been meaningful.
Folken wanted his death to be meaningful...
Gods, he was so morbid lately.
He sighed and took the hands of Naria and Eriya, holding them as they slept peacefully.
Marie was leaving, but turned before she reached the door. "Folken, are you all right? You look awful."
Folken stared at her, eyes dull. "I am awful. I'll stay here with them for the night, Marie, you don't have to look in on them."
"Will you send them to Astoria in the morning?"
"Yes. Yes I will."
Marie nodded, then left, closing the door silently behind her.
And if anything happens to them... Folken shut his eyes. If anything happens to any of them...
I don't know.
He just didn't know, not anymore. He couldn't remember the last time the path of life stretched out before him had been clear, if it had ever been. He squeezed the hands of his girls.
They counted on him to know everything, to be everything... they all did, but he wasn't, and he didn't have the heart to tell them.
He felt he had no heart at all. A single tear slipped down his cheek and he didn't bother to wipe it away.
"Would you listen to this girl go?" Guimel was chuckling, elbowing Dallet who was hard at work welding a flat blue box onto the leg of the Alseid they were both sitting on.
"She's a total bitch. Can't believe Adelphos would use her to replace us," Dallet snorted. "Lord Dilandau was no picnic for him either, but at least he accepted the missions he gave him."
"I think she's scared. You can hear it in her voice; she's scared of the dragon. Old King Van did something to scare the shit out of her," Viole called from the cockpit above them where the pirated transmission of the new Zaibach captain- Valeska's- conversation with one of General Adelphos's subordinates played out.
"I think the other guy hears it too," Dallet said. "There." He patted the blue box he'd just installed. "All done. All systems still look ok in there, Viole?"
"Looking good, Dallet. When did you get to be so handy? You never fixed anything on the Vione," Viole sounded occupied as his attention was divided between holding conversation with his friends and checking out the panels on the Alseid.
Dallet shrugged. "There was never a reason to fix anything on the Vione. I was always handy. As soon as I got out of this dump, I wanted to learn all I could about technology being that I'd never seen any before."
"Understandable," Guimel said. "But really, Dallet. This place isn't the hell hole you- and Miguel- make it out to be sometimes."
"Speaking of Miguel," Viole laughed. "Did you see his face this morning when he had to use the bath house after Mr. and Mrs. Bouillon and the baby?"
Guimel nearly fell over laughing. "I thought he was gonna faint. Gods, how do those people get so filthy. It's like they attract dirt."
"Poor Miguel, he thought he had finally gotten up early enough to beat everyone to the bath so he could have it when the water was fresh."
Dallet shook his head. "There really should be running water in town."
Guimel shrugged. "It's not killing us to get our own water, Dallet."
"No, but still..." Dallet sighed. "All right, Viole, turn the system on and lets see if it works."
"Yes sir," Viole said. They all turned their attention to the new silver model that was parked in front of the old blue Alseid they sat on. "Power on... controls on... Now...dance!"
The silver mecha before them rose from its crouch and began to stretch its limbs.
"All right Dallet!" Guimel slapped Dallet on the back as Dallet beamed at the success. "Now you've only got 4 more to do!"
Dallet sneered at Guimel for a moment, then turned back to watching his project in action.
After an interesting debate on what the next move of the anti-Zaibach strike force should be, they'd all decided they should take down Fort Decartes. The only problem was their lack of numbers. Lord Dilandau, Gatty, Viole, Guimel, and Dallet himself had been against Miguel and Shesta in involving the town, and together they had brain-stormed an alternative to giving off the illusion of having a good sized army behind them.
It was Viole who had actually come up with the idea of using the remote systems on the new Alseides. If they could figure out a way to connect the new systems to the old models then 5 of them could pilot the old Alseides manually while controlling five of the new models from the outside. That would give them five more able bodies on the field, and since their methods were strictly reserved for infiltration the plan would pan out perfectly. The new models had more raw power and more resilience than the old and could be used for giving excellent cover fire, while the smaller, quieter blue models could get in and out of a building faster. If they needed to leave their cockpits they would never have to worry about finding their models for they could call them to them at any time anywhere with a bigger guymelef flying cover.
Why hadn't anyone thought of it before?
"She just told Adelphos to screw himself and his leviship too!" Viole crowed.
"That Valeska's got nerve. Wonder who they'll get to go after the dragon now?" Guimel asked.
"I think they mentioned something about Folken's girls... you know the cats," Viole said off-handedly. "This Valeska chic's getting a new mission. They're receiving the message from Adelphos himself now. Can't wait to hear what he's got to say about screwing himself."
"Well you're going to have to. Come on, we gotta do the other Alseides. Turn that off and get down. These things gotta be ready by tonight."
"Right..." Viole drawled, turning off the transmission before Adelphos could come on the line. He climbed out of the cockpit and jumped onto the leg beside Guimel and Dallet. "So...you guys think this is gonna go ok? I mean, it's a weird plan...and I came up with it."
"It is a weird plan," Dallet agreed. "But...I think it's an innovative tactic that's going to put us on Zaibach's list of people to kill."
Guimel snorted. "With any luck, that Valeska's new assignment will be to come after us."
"Hah! Then we'll really know we've made it big, huh? Lord Valeska after our asses. Maybe we'd better call up His Majesty Fanel and ask what he did to scare her off his tail," Viole snickered.
"Hey, whatever that freak did, Lord Dilandau can do better. Let her come, we'll be ready."
Chuckling, they climbed down from the updated mecha and over to the next.
Valeska was in a bad mood. She sat in her room, guzzling vino straight from the bottle and throwing the occasional small dagger at the large portrait of Emperor Dumbshit... er... Dornkirk.
Right in the eye.
She snorted and tossed the vino bottle after the dagger, laughing as is smashed and dribbled the red wine all over the Emperor's tunic.
Screw him. Find the dragon... find the dragon your own damn self. Valeska wasn't messing with that thing ever again. The guy manning the dragon guymelef was some sort of a demon that Valeska was not crazy enough to fight twice.
He'd gotten her down; he could have killed her, but he hadn't. She had gotten the order to retreat and she'd taken it. She had run.
Gods, her men had sen her run.
It had taken her days to beat the respect back into their eyes and voices and thoughts.
Gods, she had run.
She was scared of the dragon, scared of Van Fanel. She jumped up from her chair and kicked it over angrily! Dammit, just thinking his name made her stomach churn in dismay. Gods...she hated feeling like a....like a coward.
Was that bastard Albatou afraid of Fanel?
That was probably why he hadn't caught him; he was scared of the demon.
Bullshit. Albatou wasn't scared of Fanel.
Valeska fell to her knees and slammed her fists into the floor over and over again, her blond curls coming free of their bun and falling into her face. She was incompetent, incompetent! She had failed her mission. Weeks after it happened, she was still stewing in the juices of defeat.
The events of the battle played out in her head again. She had been doing great. Everyone who had the misfortune of stumbling into her path had been destroyed. Her crima claws had been drenched with blood. Then Allen Schezar had showed up.
Her blood boiled.
Allen Schezar. The name dredged up feelings from deep inside of her, old feelings that she didn't understand. She had never heard of Schezar until that moment on the battlefield or so she had thought.
She wished she had gotten to kill him, then maybe all the emotions he had brought would have died with him.
She shut her eyes, willing her anger away, willing her confusion away. It was time for rationality. It was time to think.
She couldn't catch the dragon, refused to go after it again, Zaibach had taken Freid, the Strategos did not want her presence on his ship, and Adelphos hated her. Where would she go from here? What would her next mission be- if there was to be one? She hadn't had a summons, other than to argue with Adelphos over her not going back out after the dragon, since Freid.
The Sorcerers were going to come and collect her.
She was a flop. She wasn't better than Dilandau at all and they had known it; everyone had known it.
Someone knocked on her door and she screamed at them to go away.
They knocked again and she looked for her sword, finding it laying partially under the bed she drew it and stalked to the door. She threw it open and stood, purple eyes blazing, sword against the messengers throat.
"What part of 'Get lost,' don't you understand?" Valeska snarled in the man's pale face.
"Gen...General Adelphos h...has requested your presence."
"Oh...has he now?"
Is he going to tell me how long I have until the Madoushi come to get me? Bet he's happy as hell to be getting rid of me.
"He...he...has a new assignment for you."
Valeska lowered her sword. "An assignment, hmm? What kind of an assignment?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but I think it has something to do with all of the attacks on the fortresses and keeps by the Zaibach traitors."
Valeska tossed her head and narrowed her eyes. "What attacks?"
The messenger looked surprised. "You...don't know, sir?"
Valeska hadn't exactly been too keen on keeping up with news of the world outside of her misery. "Enlighten me."
"Dilandau Albatou and his men are destroying important facilities."
Valeska felt a slow smile creeping over her face as her previous shame and fear were bridged over by excitement. "And he wants me to go after him. He wants me to take out Albatou?"
"I believe so, yes."
Valeska dropped her sword onto the ground with a clatter. "Well in that case, tell him the General I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to freshen up."
"Yes...sir," the messenger backed out of the door way as Valeska kicked it closed with her foot.
Well. She stepped over her sword and moved to stand in front of her vanity mirror, staring at her smug reflection.
Looked like the pity part was over. There were no more worries of being sent back to the Madoushi, no more fear of having to face Van Fanel, and no more thoughts of Allen Schezar.
She was going to get a chance to fight Dilandau Albatou.
She was going to bring him down for Zaibach, in front of Zaibach, and redeem herself.
Life was good again.
Look out, Dilandau; Valeska's coming to get you.
Failed. The fortune blood hadn't helped Naria and Eriya at all in their mission to capture the dragon. It had only succeeded in bringing Eriya back in terrible shape and leaving Naria stranded, maybe dead. He'd predicted as much; he'd known something bad would happen, as it always did when things were left in his control.
Folken was emotionless as the Vione was invaded and destroyed from the inside by the Escaflowne. Van hadn't been hurt at all by any of Naria and Eriya's valiant attempts, instead they had to find out the hard way that luck was two-sided. Good and bad.
He didn't attempt to move out of the way of his brother's destructive rage. Kill me, Van, he thought. Then I can stop ruining things.
The heavy sword of the Escaflowne was raised high over its head and Folken stood tall without flinching as it was brought down at full speed. He kept his eyes open, wanting to see his fate, wanting to see his death, and blinked as something knocked that fate away from him.
Escaflowne was knocked onto its side and slide across the room with a high pitch metal screech as its armor tore the floors of the Vione. Eriya's guymelef landed and Naria leapt from its hand, landing on shaky knees.
Naria...she was still alive, but she looked so... old?
Gods, she was dying.
Look at what he'd done to her, and she was still trying to protect him?
"Lord Folken, leave him to us. Get back!" Naria stood in front of him, as if shielding him from Van, who was clambering to his feet in the white dragon.
"What's the matter with you?" Eriya was demanding of Van from her guymelef, furious voice echoing through the helm. "Why can't you see that Lord Folken cares about you?"
Folken felt like a hand had reached into his chest and was squeezing his heart. "Eriya..." he murmured.
"I won't let anyone hurt Lord Folken! Ever!" Eriya tried to charge forward in her guymelef, but something happened.
The Escaflowne's energist gave a strange flash and suddenly things were exploding. Left and right flames were erupting from machines, soaring high into the air and the glass of the windows all around was shattering. The engines of the massive airship were screaming and everything was being thrown violently to and fro.
My gods... Naria and Eriya... Van... Pearce and Marie... they were all going to die here if they didn't get off!
"Lord Folken!" Naria draped her weakened body over his, protecting him from falling debris.
Folken pushed her away; he needed to see. Van? Van was gone; the Escaflowne had taken him away from there. Good.
Eriya, she was coming out of her guymelef and falling down beside he and Naria.
"Folken!" Marie.
"Lord Folken!" Pearce.
Folken wrapped his arms around Naria and Eriya's trembling forms. "We have to get out of here," he said to them, to all of them.
"I've got a small ship waiting, Lord Folken. I can carry one of them if you take the other," Pearce was saying, already taking Eriya's prone form from him.
Folken looked at the blond man gratefully and rose with Naria. Marie was looking dubiously at both beast girls, but did little more than shake her head. "We have to hurry!"
They ran to the docks and boarded the ship, Folken putting Naria in the soft chair beside Eriya gently. He took the chair behind them and slumped in his chair as Pearce detached the ship from the dock.
They were soon airborne, free of the crashing Vione. Folken watched at his ship fell into the ocean, the water slow to douse the massive flames devouring its body. He watched it sink along with all of his faith in Zaibach and his dedication to its cause. He shrugged off the dark cloak he wore, renouncing his former title.
He was Strategos of Zaibach no longer.
He hadn't been for a while; he had only been too late in realizing that fact.
Marie had two fingers pressed against Naria's neck, her face stony as her sad eyes met his. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Folken."
Gods.
"I'm so very sorry."
I'm sorry too, Marie, but I'm going to make it right.
"We'll help you in any way we can, sir," Pearce said, responding to Folken's thought as if he had voiced it aloud.
"You don't have to..."
"We want to," Marie hadn't released his eyes. "We're in this together. Remember, we're all accomplices and any one of us could be tried for treason in Zaibach. We're a team and you're our boss."
Folken didn't want to be boss.
"What do you want to do now?"
Folken sighed, rubbing his temples and fighting the tears of loss that wanted to flood his face. "I want..."
He wanted...
His brother.
"...to stop the Emperor. His plans...what he wants, is not right. We'll join Astoria, we'll join my brother. The Emperor and all of his experiments and machines have to be destroyed and I know how to do it."
"So set down in Astoria?" Pearce asked, raising an eyebrow. "The natives aren't likely to be too friendly toward us."
"No," Folken agreed. "They won't be. We set down in Fanelia... I need to talk to my brother alone first, and Fanelia will be the correct place to do it."
"Yes sir," Pearce said.
Marie was closing Naria and Eriya's eyes with her fingers. She looked at Folken with a light smile. "I'm proud of you... sir."
Folken didn't return her smile, instead he reached forward to stroke Eriya's golden hair.
"Maybe we'll run into Dilandau on our way," Marie said thoughtfully.
"And what will I say to him?"
"How about 'hi?'"
Folken chuckled. Hi. He leaned his face into Naria's hair, marveling in its softness. He wondered if 'hi,' would work on Van.
He doubted it, but he would soon find out.
Author's Note: Well there is was. Now give me your honest opinion; is this a due over or do you think it'll suffice until I get up a better chapter? Just let me know! Please review!
Reviewer Responses:
Unintentional Nightmare: If you are reading this, I am so sorry. I responded to your review and it got tacked onto the end of someone elses and I didn't notice until I had already posted. I think it's attached to the first or second response I gave, if you wanted to go back and read it :) When I do my big edit I'll fix it, promise ;).
Jhaylin: Yes, revenge is sweet lol. The boys are certainly having a lot of fun. Thank you for the review and hope to hear from you again!
DragonSteel: Lol, well aren't we curious? Lets see... Yes, Folken deserted ( hehe!) How much control does Celena have over Valeska? I'll leave that for you to decide, though I wanna tell you Celena and Valeska may not be as different as some may want to believe. What happens when Dilandau and Celena meet? You'll find out next chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
Kou-Kagerou: Hello again, my friend. It is now for you to pass judgement on yet another chapter. Gah... I promise I'll have something better for next time lol. I was trying to make a monthly and I hate writing necessary chapters... sigh. I still didn't really explain the remote system they used to bring those other Alseides back. I'll just have to fix it when I do my massive edit when the story is complete. Thanks for all the looking out and the great reviews and e-mails chic. I hope I get to talk to ya soon!
Skippys Cat: Six or seven hours! You're going to kill your eyes...and a small forests....224 pages! Ouch! Lol I must admit that I like writing the scenes between Dilandau and his Dragonslayers too much. I have pages and pages of conversations that I have to delete because they make the chapters too long and they're usually just being silly anyway. I had to talk two huge chunks of conversation out of this chapter. Horseplay is fun...but alas... I'm not a big Hitomi fan either, and I like Van...I'm iffy about Allen. Sometimes he amuses me other times he annoys me. Valeska is a hard character to get into, but she's kinda fun to write. I'm glad you like the story so much; I hope this chapter is ok. I'll do better next time, but I had to get past this part so I can move on to the fun stuff ;) Thanks for reviewing girl; hope to hear from you again! :)
Namida: Well here ya go, plenty of Miguel and Viole and everyone else being silly too. I hope you enjoyed them. There will be even more Miguel teasing next chapter! I kind of missed them in the last chapter too ;) Thanks for reviewing girl, and hope to hear from you again! Take care!
Macky: Hey, thanks! Lol, eh, you can go ahead and say what you suspect. I wasn't really trying to be too secretive about what's going on with Valeska/ Celena. In fact, I wasn't being secretive at all lol. Thank you for reviewing; I hope this chapter was ok for ya! Take care!
Nikku: Lookee, I updated again in a timely fashion! Cross your fingers, maybe I'll actually stick to a schedule until I'm finished with this! Aww.. So you don't like Valeska. Good, she's a villain, lol! Don't dread the confrontation between her and Dilandau though; that's gonna be fun! And in the next chapter I'm going to have a lot of fun with Van needing advice about his secret crush. Glad you liked the Slayer moments on the Vione. I hoped I wasn't pushing the limits with it. Well.... I don't know what you're going to say about this chapter, but I'd be happy to read any comments whether they be good or bad, and I promise to do better next time! Take care and thank you for always reviewing! Still love ya ;)
Tenshiamanda: I wanna read the Adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow too. I'll have to ask Dilandau to lend it to us ;) Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this weird chapter! Take care!
Aurebec: Thank you for the compliment. Pooh on this chapter for not being as good, lol. Yes, Viole is calming down a bit; maybe it's for the better though. It's fun making him a clown, but he does have a serious side. I'm glad you liked my Folken in the last chapter; he's a bit of a wuss in this chapter though. (Ok, he's a lot of a wuss, lol). I pulled that stuff under Dilandau's bed out of nowhere. I seriously just had Viole come in and I decided, hey why doesn't he look under the bed.... and oh hey, there's books and drawings under there! I'm glad you noticed that some of the things corresponded with the flashbacks. Poor Valeska, you don't like her, muhahaha! Good, she's a villain! (Though I usually root for the bad guys ;). Thanks for the great comments and the wonderful reviews. I hope you liked this chapter and even if you didn't you can blast me and I won't take offense lol. Oh...and yeah, I'm gonna be in school forever, and more power to you for going for the same thing! Good luck to you! Take care!